sixowl » festivities

parthenon, in nashville

mike — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 02:31:36 +0000

who knew? guess i’ve been living under a rock. full-scale replica of the parthenon in Nashville, TN. been there for a century. cheaper than a plane ticket to Greece, plus you get the Opry and a kick-ass beer bar.

cuatro de mayo!

mike — Fri, 04 May 2007 21:44:10 +0000

hey, why does the 4th always have to live in the shadow of it’s sibling? lots of great stuff happens, or has happened, on the 4th of May.

first, it’s International Firefighter’s Day. so hug your local fireman!

in history, this is the day in 1776 that Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce King George III.

construction of the Panama Canal began on this day in 1904.

i could go on and on. in summary: don’t count the 4th of may short. if nothing else, it’s yet another excuse to drink more than you normally would. (should?)

busy week!

mike — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 18:02:14 +0000

wow, for anyone who follows random holidays and observances weeks, this was a doozy.

first off, it was Administrative Professionals Day/Week. (different sources are mixed as to whether admins deserve a day, or a whole week, of observation.)

next, TV Turnoff Week. if you’re like me, most of what’s on network TV turns you off anyway. but no – they mean actually shut off the power to your TV and then go do something else. their website seems to promote books heavily – i smell conspiracy (a la chewlie’s gum salesmen).

finally, it was also National Tire Safety Week. i don’t know about you, but i’ve been waiting for this all year. i’ve got my special outfit on, and everything!

so if you only have a few minutes to spare in celebration, i think the message is clear: turn the TV off, go outside, and check the air pressure in your secretaries’ tires.

big brew – national homebrew day, May 5, 2007

mike — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 21:37:37 +0000

each year, the american homebrewers association sponsors a nationwide event – the “big brew” day. on this day, homebrewers around the country (and around the world) simultaneously brew one of several recipes for beer, which are different and unique every year.

this year, there is an IPA, a Belgian Strong Ale, and a Dopplebock to choose from. if you’d like to participate, you can get the recipes from the big brew website and try it yourself.

if you’re not already a homebrewer, but are interested in learning how, many brew clubs (including my own) get together for this event. you can find a homebrew club in your area and more than likely, the membership will welcome you to the big brew day as a spectator/apprentice!

taxing time of year

mike — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:29:30 +0000

oi, i’m gonna burn in hell for that pun, probably.

anyway. the IRS has put together a list of last minute reminders that you might consult if you’ve been too ~~lazy~~ busy to file your tax return as of yet.

get to it!

see the eclipse

mike — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 04:50:44 +0000

couldn’t see much where we are (seattle) as it was pretty much over by the time the moon rose here. but you can see pictures from other folks online:

blog@darxr » Total Lunar Eclipse

thanks for pointing this out, frank!

lunar eclipse 03/03

mike — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 18:22:22 +0000

everyone should try and get out to see this, NASA has a map of where and when.

happy birthday, html browser

mike — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:33:45 +0000

let’s all take a trip down memory lane and read about the release of WorldWideWeb, Tim Berners Lee‘s first HTML/FTP browser (and editor).

it was introduced on February 26th, 1991.

and to think, in 1991 i was just about to graduate from high school. then a diversion in architecture school, and i hadn’t gotten around to writing my first web page until 1993. (and even then, it was a gopher page, but i quickly switched over to HTML when i realized gopher wasn’t going to last).

thank you, Tim, for inventing the sole reason that i’m employable today.

happy new year!

mike — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 06:09:26 +0000

happy new year to my Chinese friends (Lunar New Year). it’s the year of the boar and you know what that means – fertility and virility!

i wouldn’t know anything about that, apparently, since i’m an ox (and a water ox, at that).