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Thursday - September 29, 2005

TSO tickets on sale

For anybody interested, 96 Rock is preselling tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show at the RBC center. Check their website here (second paragraph down). We went last year and had a great time.

Posted by jcraven at 4:17 PM | Movies & Music

Wednesday - September 28, 2005

Lara's Atlanta trip

Pictures of Lara's trip to Atlanta are posted in the Atlanta 2005 folder. Bonus points if you can name the four Canes players here.

Posted by jcraven at 12:07 PM | Misc

Tuesday - September 27, 2005

New Motorola RAZR V3x

Hmmm, may have to get one of these when they come out. The 2MP camera is definitely a selling point, along with with other features my v635 has such as a MicroSD slot and iTunes support. Will have to see it in person to find out if the size is acceptable.

Posted by jcraven at 9:51 AM | Tech

Monday - September 26, 2005

Who would've guessed?!?

The Dolphins beat Carolina yesterday. They're not playing next week, so they won't stay on top, but it's a good start....

Posted by jcraven at 9:09 AM | Comments (2) | Sports

Saturday - September 24, 2005

You can't take the sky from me

Since Lara is out of town, I spent most of today finishing up the Firefly box set. I, like most people, blinked and missed this series when it was originally on Fox. (They did give it a mention in the 2005 season premiere of the Family Guy). If you want to get the full story of the show, and the politics behind it at Fox, check out the Firefly Wiki here. I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi, but this was a great box set, and I'd recommend it to just about anyone. Now, you may or may not have heard, but there's also a movie coming out next weekend called Serenity that is a continuation of the show. Trailer 1 and trailer 2 are available for download. I know there is a strong fanbase of geeks for the series, and I hope that translates into hefty box office receipts so the series can continue in either movie or television form. Finally, you can listen to the catchy theme song here (hopefully it will make it into the movie). Also, a big thanks to Scott for loaning the set to me for several months.

Posted by jcraven at 11:09 PM | Movies & Music | Television

Thursday - September 22, 2005

Upgrade to MT 3.2 complete

Today I decided to upgrade my version of Movable Type using these instructions. Obviously not quite as fast as Dave, but better late than never.

Posted by jcraven at 12:59 PM | Tech

Wednesday - September 21, 2005

Crazy nintendo

OK, I still don't know what to think about the new Revolution controller, but here's a leaked promo video for it. It could be interesting for some games (the sword fighting looks cool) but flicking the controller to jump with Mario sounds like carpal tunnel waiting to happen.

Posted by jcraven at 1:22 PM | Video Games

Monday - September 19, 2005

Sigh.......

Yesterday, the Dolphins returned to their 2004 form in a 17-7 loss to the Jets. The defense still played well, but for more than half of the game, the offense played flat. Ronnie Brown only had 35 yards rushing, and Gus completed less than half of his 43 passes. Next week will be a tough game versus Carolina. Full story.

Posted by jcraven at 9:03 AM | Sports

Friday - September 16, 2005

Go Canes!

For the first time in over 1.5 years, we went to see the Hurricanes play at the RBC Center. In the first preseason game on the schedule, the Canes whipped the Capitals 6-0. Full story here. We had a great time even though we had seats in the nosebleed section. Hopefully this is an indicator of the season to come, and I'm sure we'll be there regardless.

Posted by jcraven at 11:27 PM | Sports

Wednesday - September 14, 2005

Bye bye Wisconsin

Today will be my last full day in Wisconsin. As much as I was dreading it, I actually enjoyed my little trip here to Appleton and Wausau. In a month or two, I'm sure the weather will be horrendous, but I wouldn't mind returning to the area at some point in the future. They even have a couple casinos less than an hour away, near Green Bay. I should have have planned my trip to last a little longer so I could check out some of the neighboring areas. Oh well, live and learn.

Posted by jcraven at 8:41 PM | Comments (3) | Misc

Francis retires

Ron Francis announced his retirement from the NHL today. Not a huge surprise, but still a little sad..... I can remember watching him play with the Penguins in the early 90's, and of course he did great things with the Canes' organization. He will be missed.

Posted by jcraven at 2:28 PM | Sports

Sunday - September 11, 2005

Ricky who?

I broke down and ordered DirecTV's Sunday Ticket, and I'm already glad I did. The Dolphins looked like a different team today. They thoroughly whipped the Broncos with a score of 34-10. The defense looked near perfect, and the offense looked pretty good outside of the first quarter. Gus performed well with 275 yards and 2 touchdowns, despite throwing 1 interception. Ronnie Brown played great, and if he can continue performing, he should beat out Ricky for the starting position once he returns from his suspension. Oh yeah, and we can't forget about the end of the game, with Jason Taylor's sack, fumble recovery, and 87 yard return for a touchdown.

Hopefully Ariel has his #54 jersey ready, because JP is going to love wearing it this week.

Posted by jcraven at 4:12 PM | Comments (2) | Sports

Saturday - September 10, 2005

Bread and milk time

Looks like Hurricane Ophelia is set to hit the Carolinas. Check out the latest path here. I'll actually be in Wisconsin on business, but I'll post updates as I hear them.

Posted by jcraven at 11:10 AM | Misc

Thursday - September 8, 2005

Shot through the heart

On a whim, yesterday I picked up a 4-pack of Starbucks doubleshot from the grocery store. They're pretty tasty, but a little too pricey IMO. If you want to give it a shot (no pun intended), you can get a free sample from doubleshot.com.

OK, I take it back. Drinking them in the morning is a great way to get a little kick start. I still wish they were cheaper, but I'm going to recommend them regardless.

Posted by jcraven at 7:34 PM | Food

Free iPod nano

You knew it was going to happen. Gratis (aka Freepay) now has a free iPod nano offer here. In case you were wondering, it takes 5 referrals to get your free item.

Posted by jcraven at 10:40 AM | Deals | Tech

Wednesday - September 7, 2005

blah blah blah iPod

OK, I'm sure it's all over the web by now, so I'll just mention the new iPod nano and Moto ROKR phone. (Yes I checked, the domains freeipodnano.com and freerokr.com are already taken)

Posted by jcraven at 2:53 PM | Tech

Tuesday - September 6, 2005

Free Credit Report

Free Credit reports are now available nationwide via annualcreditreport.com. This is a free service offered once per year in accordance with the FACTA. The only minor downside is that they do not provide your FICO score (that costs approx $7).

Posted by jcraven at 2:09 PM | Misc

Monday - September 5, 2005

San Francisco pictures

The full set of pictures from our trip can be found here.....

Posted by jcraven at 10:19 PM | Comments (2) | Misc

Sunday - September 4, 2005

Travel fun

I've had pretty good luck in the past with my flights. Unfortunately today, on my return trip from SFO, my flight was delayed by 5 hours. Lara already had a different flight through Chicago, so she was fine. They changed Anna's flight easily at the front gate to the Chicago connection. Scott and I were still stuck, until we sought the help of a very nice lady at the gate (sorry I wish I knew her name). She was able to get us on the standby list for the Chicago connection. They start boarding the plane, and finally call us to the desk to tell us there is just barely room on the plane....YAY!. Well the catch is that the cabin is booked, so they had to put both of us in First Class. Now for those of you, like myself, have never flown FC, let me give you a rundown.

First they bring you a bowl of warm/toasted assorted nuts, not just your standard fare, but the good stuff like cashews and pistachios. To wash that down they provide any type of drink on the menu. I decided to go for my usual Rum and Coke, which turns out to be a limitless supply. Later, they bring out a meal (coach had none), where the choice was a roast beef sandwich or cheese pizza. I went with the pizza, and it also included a salad, dessert, and glass of wine. After the meal they bring around a heated towel to clean up. Also, since this was a Boeing 767, there was a TON of room. I could not kick the seat in front of me if I tried, the seat fully reclined and included a footrest. Of course there are a handful of other minor details, but you get the idea. On the second leg of the flight, we were no longer in First Class, but we did at least get the exit row for some extra room.

I'll definitely hold my allegiance to American after all their help. A+

Posted by jcraven at 10:36 PM | Misc

Saturday - September 3, 2005

The other half

Today, we checked into The Fairmont for our single night of luxury. Pictures here. This is one of the most historical hotels in the city, and again it was featured in The Rock. One interesting detail, they had framed copies of their menus and rates from the early 1900's. It was amazing to see the most expensive suite was a mere $28. Everything inside was beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay. We also walked through Chinatown to the North Beach area to enjoy some authentic Italian cuisine at Figaro Ristorante Italiano.

Posted by jcraven at 8:16 PM | Food

Friday - September 2, 2005

Learning is fun

Today we went to the Palace of Fine Arts and the Exploratorium. The Palace may look familiar, as it was featured in the movie The Rock. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There were many interactive exhibits and artistic presentations. We have pictures here. Also on the way to the bus stop we walked by the entrance to the Presidio, but unfortunately we didn't have time to explore the area.

Posted by jcraven at 10:10 PM | Tech

Thursday - September 1, 2005

Love, Chaos, & Dinner

Tonight we went to see a show named Teatro ZinZanni near Pier 29. We were urged to go by multiple friends that had already attended the show. Overall, it is definitely an interesting experience. Scott was chosen to go on stage as part of the "Romeo and Juliet" portion of the performance. The show itself is a combination of song, dance, comedy, magic, and acrobatics. Also, there is a 5 course meal included. Although the show is very entertaining, none of us completely enjoyed the meal, and would have preferred it to be just a tad less expensive. I'd still recommend it, but if you're looking just for a show without the meal, check out Beach Blanket Babylon. We have a handful of pictures here.

Posted by jcraven at 11:43 PM | Movies & Music

BNL rocks

We have some pictures and movies from the party last night. While I work on the photos, check out the two videos here and here.

UPDATE: Posted the pictures here. The "Daytime" folder are from Lara and Anna's trip around the city yesterday. The "GSM06" folder is from the party, including the BNL concert. And yes, the last couple pictures are of the bra that was thrown onstage.

Posted by jcraven at 11:03 AM | Comments (1) | Movies & Music