Tag Archives: random

Ichthus

Every year in Wilmore, the Ichthus music festival brings 15-20,000 kids to town. This has been going on since 1970. I’ve been in town since 1989, and have never been to one.

One year, I rode my bike through the campgrounds, using my wrist band from a recent hospital visit as a pass. But it was just while they were setting up, and hardly anybody was there yet, so that doesn’t really count.

Lisa gave me a pass to the festival, so that I could go out there to talk with Jason about getting the photos up on the website.

I went out around lunchtime just to look around, and then a little later to take Jason the detailed instructions for getting the photos up there when the festival is over. I’m reasonably sure I was the only person on the campground wearing a tie.

Towards the end of the work day, I went back out to see how things were going, and to look around a little more. This time I changed so that I wasn’t so conspicuous, and got some interesting pictures.

I went to hear some strange band on the third stage, whose music consisted primarily of the lead “singer” screaming at the top of his lungs. When he took a break in the middle of the song to play the trumpet, it turned out that he was rather talented. Unfortunately, then he went back to screaming.

As evening wore on, I listened to a band called “Kids in the way”, and they made up my mind to call it a day and go home. They had a lot of energy, but very little talent. This would have been a mistake, because I would have missed the real experience. As I was about to leave, I saw Paul, who was taking pictures with his fancy camera. He offered to meet me by the backstage entrance and show me around. Woah!

So I stuck around a little bit, and a little later, we went backstage, and then went across in front of the stage, close enough to feel the sweat, to listen to Relient K. They were really good. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. And, despite the earplugs, they were really really loud. Paul’s pictures are better than mine, because he has a real camera, but I had a lot of fun.

At the end of their set, the MC announced that there was a tornado coming in, and that we should take shelter. After a few minutes, he came back on and said, I really mean it. Take shelter. Now.

Then the wind started. People started taking it seriously. We went backstage. A bunch of people were under the stage. I was a little more out in the open, but still behind a lot of concrete. It rained for about an hour, harder than I’ve seen rain here for some time. The lightning was very impressive. Ichthus is known for being muddy – we used to call it Mudthus, in college. And the rain made up for the two sunny days.

So, I’ve experienced Ichthus, at least a little bit. Sarah wants ot go out there today, but I don’t know for sure if we’ll actually get to go. We’ll have to see. We’re doing the “Reforest the Bluegrass” project today, if I can find where they are doing it.

Conversation from dinner

Conversation from dinner last night:

Waitress: You guys are in the computer industry? I’ve dated a few CS majors.
Bill, in recruiter mode: Yeah? Are any of them looking for jobs?
Waitress: Mostly, they’re looking for ambition.

DDR

Every time that I have seen people playing DDR, they appear to be kinda frightening, obsessed people. I see the kids at The Stadium playing it, and they are so absorbed, almost transported by the game.

If you’re not familiar with it, DDR is a game. To greatly simplify the concept, dance steps are shown on the screen, and you have to do those steps on floor pads.

So, yesterday, when Sarah wanted to play DDR at The Stadium, I was very wary. But, she wanted me to play with her. What harm could it do, after all?

Well, a few minutes into the game, and, I hesitate to admit it, but I was hooked. How could such a stupid game be so fun? And a few more minutes into it, and I was doing *really* well at it. At the end of the game, I had something like 4 million points, and Sarah was dragging me off to do something else. I guess I can readily see how people could get hooked on it.

Is that a camel?

There was a guy in line at the security check at the airport wearing a Perl Mongers T-shirt. I asked him, indicating the shirt, if he was a member of a local Perl Mongers chapter.

His response?

“No. I don’t even smoke. Someone gave me this shirt.”

In other news, I just paid $10 for a small sandwich, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water.

ApacheCon planning

With 214 responses to the ApacheCon RFP, about half of them coming in the last week, we’re gathering in NYC to select which ones will be in the show, as well as put together the schedule.

I discovered on Wednesday that even though I was badgering other people to submit talks, I myself had forgotten to submit any talks. Great. I managed to sneak a few in, though. 🙂

I really don’t like New York City. It is loud, too bright, crowded, and people just aren’t very nice. On the bright side, we’ll be so busy that we’re unlikely to get out of the hotel much. We’ll be on South William Street, wherever that is. Looks like there’s a few geocaches in the area, so maybe I’ll nip out one of the evenings and look for a couple of those. If it’s not too miserably cold.

Robots

Saw Robots this weekend with Sarah. Good stuff, whatever the reviewers are saying. No, it wasn’t brilliant, but it was fun. The story wasn’t stupid, and there were some funny moments. So many folks are saying that Robin Williams is the star, but I disagree. I think the animation and elaborate Rube Goldberg-ness of the action were the best point. The many clever things that are happening outside of the main plot – things happening half-noticed in the background – were just great, and will make this worth seeing again, and perhaps even buying once it comes out on disc.

In the company of strangers

Every week or so, I am accosted by a reek something like a cross between roadkill and rotting coldcuts. This is followed by a day or two of cleaning everything, spraying deoderant and disinfectant everywhere, and generally trying to figure out where the stench is coming from.

Today, the stink arose again, and Sarah decided that it was one of the neighbors cooking something. So we went outside, and sniffed around. Sure enough, it appears to be oozing out of the apartment downstairs, where the college guys live. So apparently, given the fact that this happens with great regularity, this is actually a desired concoction.

Blech.

I am *so* tired of apartment living.

Magnetic essay

Long, long ago, I got a set of those magnetic words. Except that these ones were Perl words. Presumably so that you can write Perl code on your refrigerator.

Well, thus far, I haven’t really had any facility in any office that I’ve had to put them up. Now I have a steel cabinet in my office. So the entire front of it is covered with words. It’s quite alarming. And, this morning, I wrote a brief summary of my vacation. Apparently I’m Indiana Jones:

select time
dump tie

BEGIN in library
study map
pack

seek my keys
@ $ % & #
no use

harness camel
exit, split stat
continue until i DESTROY my backend
STOP

goto crypt
open crypt
kill panther
Safe !

return home
unpack
sleep

And, no, I have no idea why there’s a panther in there.

I hate losing things

Well, I was going to write some of my thoughts of Pedagogy of the Oppressed this morning, but I can’t find my copy. I must have left it at my office, or in Rocinante. Very irritating. Few things irritate me like being unable to find something.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Last night I watched Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. I got two boxes of DVDs for Christmas – one of old westerns, and the other of old “Science Fiction” movies, although at least half of these latter are rather spuriously classified as such. The Martians capture Santa Claus, because they want their kids to be happy. With a plot premise like that, it almost *has* to be a great movie.

“You can’t dismiss the wisdom of centuries.”
“I can!”