Don't stop 'til you drop

Ok, so it's super hot here in Minnesota, but it's all good because it could always be worse. And by that, I mean snow. Sometimes on days like today when it's almost 100 degrees I drive with the windows down and the AC off, just because I know that six months from now I'll be wishing it was, well, now. :)

I got another episode of the podcast recorded, and the web site updated too (www.square2.org). I'm using a program called iWeb instead of writing the code myself, mostly because it's just prettier this way even though I don't have as much control as I'd like. It's cool, though, because the site looks good and will be easy to update in the future. Aw yeah.

Tomorrow I'm heading out to Wisconsin. Yay for cheese, and see y'all in a week!

Back in Lincoln

I'm in Lincoln this weekend for a friend's wedding, and even though it's not a super long visit it's nice to be here and see friends and family. And the food is great too. As usual, the first place I went when I arrived was Amigo's, a local taco joint that has the best nachos within a 450-mile radius of town. I also went to Valentino's, a local pizza joint that is almost as good as the taco place. I saw my friend's new baby last night, too, and he asked if I wanted to hold it. It's been a while since I had a four-day-old infant in my arms, but I think I managed OK. :) The wedding I'm here for is in about an hour and a half, so I should probably go shower and get a move on.

There was a series of problems in getting the podcast feed on the new server, but I think it's all set now. It's even updated in the iTunes podcast directory. I found an obscure iTunes tag that forces iTunes to use a different RSS feed, and I also got the old and new feeds properly edited to reflect the change in servers. The cool thing about technical problems like these are I feel as though a) I've accomplished something when I get it all fixed, and b) I learn new things along the way.

Now I just have to record a new episode, which may happen tonight if nothing else is going on. :)

Server Craziness

It's been months and months, but one key thing finally clicked today with the podcast. In my visit with Eddy we were able to figure out the password for his account with his hosting company. Now, this sounds like a simple (or even slightly shady) issue, but the password was an obscure and convoluted randomly-generated one, and he could not remember it at all. Because of this, it was becoming very very difficult for me to update the podcast. *face_frown* But after we figured out the password today, things really started looking up. We are now finally able to move the show to another server, and this should really alleviate some of the technical difficulties I've had in getting each episode online.

So forget the podcast as you currently know it, and subscribe to this feed:

http://square2.walkingtaco.com/square2.rss

The show is the same as always, but just on a new server. :)

I went to SonShine with a friend this past weekend, and it was really, really good. I saw Stryper, Audio Adrenaline, Apologetix, Chris Tomlin, and Toby Mac. The highlight of the entire show was about one minute's worth of Toby Mac's set. Let's just say this: the lights went out, the crowd cheered, and he yelled "Are there any Jesus Freaks in the house tonight?"

Yeah, it was that good. :)

Rock Over Lincoln

I'm not into the local music scene of Lincoln anymore, but this is really cool. A guy from my brother's church has a son who was diagnosed with cancer at a very young age. Through lots of prayers and medical care he was able to make a full recovery, and this concert is being held to benefit the family and help with their medical bills.



It's put on by my brother Andy and some others from Faith Lutheran, as well as my best friend Nick who was able to gather all the bands through his extensive influence and involvement in the music scene.

Rock on.

HL2

I've been playing Half-Life 2 a bit recently, and though it's still hard to play an FPS on a console without thinking of Halo, it's still kind of fun. The graphics and physics are both very impressive, and the plot seems to be interesting too. I just got done with this part of a level where I got a new weapon and got to asplode some stuff. Woo!

Endgame

I just saw the final episode of Star Trek: Voyager, which was titled Endgame, and thus capped a nearly 17-month quest to see every episode of the show. I'd seen episodes here and there during the series' run on regular TV, but thanks to Netflix, I was able to start at the beginning and methodically forge my way through the mysterious nebula of mediocrity which was the show. It was good for a few seasons, but overall it was just painfully average. It never excelled to the heights of Next Generation, though it certainly tried. Too many wandering plot threads, too many uninteresting characters, and a general lack of direction overall really hurt the show. Janeway was decent, but between her cow-towing to the whims of the crew and Chakotay's near-absence as the second-in-command, it made for a very strange power structure within the ranks of the crew.

Still, though, it was cool to see an entire series, and it did certainly have its high points such as the episode where the ship is frozen on a planet and Kim and Chakotay must travel back in time to prevent...erm...something or other from happening. Incidentally, that episode was directed by LeVar Burton, who was none other than Geordi LaForge on TNG. Appearances by John DeLancie, Marina Sirtis, and that guy who played Barklay (not to mention one guest appearance from Johnathan Frakes) also made for some great episodes.

So here's to finishing one Trek series, and resuming another. Disc 2 of TNG Season 4 arrives via Netflix next week...

edit: the podcast was recorded, partly, but many technical difficulties forced us to abandon it. I hope to record an episode by myself later this week.

Fun Without Fire

The Independence Day celebrations were awesome, even though there were no fireworks or explosions or other such things. I hung out with my relatives, played croquet and volleyball, and had some really good food. Kudos to Beth's dad for doing the grilling (and check out her blog, too. It's linked on the right-hand side of this page).

When I was a kid I liked spending a few bucks on fireworks, but now it seems as though if you don't go big you shouldn't go at all. If you're not going to blow a few hundred dollars on fireworks, you might as well sit back and enjoy the neighbors who do. :)

I'd like to see the new Pirates movie, and may go to a matinee showing soon with a few others. I've heard it's really good, though a bit more intense than the last one. Either way I'm pretty excited about it.

Oh, and I hope to record another podcast tonight with my cousin Jeremy. There's a lot of stuff involved in setting up the recording, but I think I've got it mostly figured out. Check iTunes for updates... *crosses fingers*

Another one in the can

*whew* It's been a long time, but I finally got another episode of the podcast recorded. It's not very difficult to record one, but there's some behind-the-scenes work involved with editing the file that lets people download it, and that can be a bit tricky. My cousin Eddy, with whom I started the podcast almost a year ago, usually does that work with a program he wrote. But until Eddy is out of the hospital I have to do it myself by hand, which can be kind of tricky. Anyway, it's done and everyone should check it out (search on iTunes for Square 2).

I'm going to see some relatives on the Fourth of July and I'm really excited. Not for the fireworks, but for the good company. Families rule. :)