More wandering

I didn't post about my sojourn to Salina, Kansas, mainly because there's just not much to say. I enjoyed the drive! And the topography of central Kansas reminds me a lot of the area of Texas from where my family hails (San Antonio-Austin).

Come to think of it, those places are about the same longitude.

Yesterday I took another lengthy drive, this time into the Only State In The Nation With A Unicameral Legislature. I chose to take the long way to Grand Island, taking U.S. 36 all the way past Smith Center before turning north. Why this route? Two reasons.

One, this was the only direction out of Norton to which I had not yet driven. The highways that approach town from the west, south, and north are now familiar to me. Two, there was something along this route I wanted to visit.

What was it? Click here for the answer.

After I crossed into the Cornhusker State, I noticed an increase in the vegetation and wildlife. Case in point: I was driving along at a reasonable speed and noticed something a little unusual on the right side of the highway.

A wild turkey. He (or she) didn't seem to mind me much.

Immediately afterward, I cross the Republican River and see two deer just right of the highway bridge. Unlike the gobbler, they saw me and made a run for it further down the riverbank.

No wonder so many folks around here enjoy hunting. Hope I get my chance this fall.

Filling in the gaps

Yes, I know it's been over a week since I last posted.

Update: My trip to Chandler was wonderful, albeit a bit short. Sunday morning found Geogal driving me back to the airport. Ever since Southwest Airlines developed their "board by number" regimen I have not felt the urgency to get to the airport way early in order to stake out my place in the "A" line. So I had my two favorite gals accompany me to Sky Harbor.

Pull up to the airport. No problem. After all, it's Sunday morning! Slow time for the airport.

Guess again.

I got suspicious when there seemed to be a whole lot of vehicles at the drop-off area. We finally make our way to the area where I will need to exit. I say my goodbyes, grab my bags, and ignore the long line of folks at the skycap check-in. After all, I'm handling my own bag, it's just one suitcase, no need to do this at the curb.

I head inside the terminal to the baggage check area.

And I nearly defecate a building material.

People everywhere. Southwest's baggage check line is one of the longest I've seen. While it moves along at a good pace I still end up checking my baggage after the 45 minute window before boarding has passed. I see my suitcase get tagged with a yellow "Late Check In" tag, almost as if its a modern-day scarlet letter.

OK, that's done. Wait, I still have to go through security.

I run, yes run, to my gate area, see the long line of people awaiting the indignity to fight terrorism. Heart sinks. Time is passing, and this line ain't moving too fast.

Trudge along. Where did all these people come from? Am I in some weird time warp worthy of the Sci Fi Channel, where it is now actually Monday morning?

No. I strike up a conversation with the fellow in front of me. Turns out there was a NASCAR race at Phoenix International Raceway the day before and now everyone is trying to get home, back East.

The line still isn't moving at a good clip. I am nearly in panic mode. I've never missed a plane before. Haven't even come close. Today might make up for all that. I think of the serenity prayer used by those in 12-Step groups. While I am not a recovering alcoholic or drug addict, the short discourse can be useful in almost any troublesome situation.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

I ask God for serenity, because I sure can't control or change this predicament.

Then He shows His mercy. A Southwest agent begins heading up the edge of the velvet rope, shouting my flight number. I show him my boarding pass, he lets me out of the line and points me to a different security checkpoint.

I get through in less than three minutes.

Then I run for the gate. (All of this airport running reminds me of those old Hertz commercials featuring O.J. Simpson.)

Wait, something's odd here. The gate number written on my ticket looks nearly deserted. I check the TV screen. It's not gate C18, it's C19!!

And they are already boarding.

Thanks to my "A" pass, I get into line in front of the B's and C's. (Hey, checking in early online has its advantages.) But before I head into the jetway I have to confirm this plane is heading to Denver. It is.

I snag a window seat. Cool. My heart rate and respiration are returning to normal. And before we leave the gate, I see another load of luggage ready for loading. I spot my suitcase, replete with that danged yellow tag.

It's on the plane. Now I really rest easy.

The remainder of my day is not noteworthy for anything. I rejoice upon seeing my truck in the long-term parking lot of DIA. It starts right up.

I really breathe easy. Call Geogal to tell her everything's OK.

I'm going back to my old habit of arriving at airports WAAY early for my flight. I can always read or listen to the iPod.

Home, feeling like a visitor

Yesterday morning started out cold, windy, wet, gray, with some snow.

This morning, temps in the 60's, forecast high will be upper 80's, maybe near 90.

That's what driving 300 miles and flying for two hours will get you.

I'm back home, sort of, in Chandler today. I won't go into detail here, but feeling like a guest in one's own home is incredibly surreal. Especially when you barely recognize the place.

One thought I will share: During the slow descent into Sky Harbor yesterday evening, I looked out the window and noticed a ribbon of highway, heavily traveled (headlights are easily visible, even at an altitude of over 20,000 feet).

I immediately identify it: The Beeline Highway. State Route 87, from Mesa to Payson.

That was the first leg of a journey to Kansas. The start of that trip seemed long, long ago. In actuality, it was a little over three weeks ago.

I must be really tired. Today will be a full day, but I have hope it will be restful as well.

Basketball-crazed

Driving around this northwest Kansas town, I notice many folks choose to proclaim their allegiance to their alma mater by some matter of front yard decoration. KU, Kansas State, and Nebraska all have their following here with a numerical edge to the KSU Wildcats.

But this weekend it seems everyone here is a Jayhawk.

Go Kansas!

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I posted a new photo-enhanced blog entry on my sister site. Click on "Breaking In The Truck."

I will do one more Arizona-themed posting with pics, then the blog will focus on Kansas living.

Time to make the changes

Yes, I changed the title (it's hard to comment on things Arizona when you've left the state).

Depending on when the urge hits me, I also will change the overall look of the blog. Evidently there are ways to make the thing more visually appealing. (For example, look at this one I found when I did a Web search to ensure no one else was using the Bucolic Blogger moniker.)

Everyone is asking me about adjusting to a small town, since I moved here from an urban area of over 3 million inhabitants.

The short answer is: "Mostly OK."

I'm not a sophisticated urbanite, not one who quaffs Starbucks products daily, not one who regularly attends symphonies or ballets, not one who is the first to try the latest bistro.

In other words, I am definitely not a male version of the "Sex and the City" characters.

So in that sense my arriving in this area is not jarring. In fact it seems even more fitting to listen to channel 62 on my Sirius radio (The Roadhouse). Classic country. This is one of my favorite presets on the Sirius tuner, but driving in Scottsdale and listening to Hank Williams always seemed an odd combination.

In fact, I didn't think this was possible, but I appear to be adjusting to the cold temps! I just have to remember to dress in layers and warm up my vehicle before heading out for the day. (Having a non-ending supply of coffee at work doesn't hurt either.)

One last thing of note: I have tried two different churches in the two weeks I have been here. Over this past week I had two colleagues point out they saw me at church last Sunday. Not only that, but two others recommended I try another church this coming Sunday. (Know this-- that previous sentence does not have a negative connotation despite how it's written.)

How cool is that?

I have to admit I do miss some things. I'll save that for another post. Time for chips and salsa!!

Darkness and catches

A few hours ago (about 3:50 a.m., Central Time, to be exact) I am in a halfway state between being awake and asleep. At that time of the morning that's not unusual for me. The fan is humming away (I like to sleep with white noise). Then silence.

A few moments, then I'm fully awake.

It's not only quiet, it's very dark.

Then my mind begins to function. Power outage!

Sure enough. The only source of light in my room comes from the "sleep status" light on my MacBook. Hmmm, I wonder what the view outside my window looks like? Is this a neighborhood thing or is the entire area affected?

Struggle to find my glasses in the dark (took a little time), then slowly and carefully walked to the window (took a little more time, but I didn't crash into anything).

It's dark out there! No moon (yet). The whole town is enveloped in blackness. Somewhat reminiscent of that scene from "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind." Even the red light on top of the water tower is out. The only things with power appear to be the transmission towers south of town, still blinking red.

Anyway, I'm now wide awake and in the dark. And it's cold. What to do now? How about grabbing the (battery-powered) radio and seeing what I can DX?

Let me explain. Trying to pull in distant stations on the AM dial has long been a hobby of mine. Yet I haven't engaged in this activity for many years, mainly due to my move into full adulthood which meant devoting my time to family activities and keeping a household functioning.

But for right now I'm alone in a new town. In an area of the country to which I am new. DX heaven! And having only two truly local signals on the dial is just icing on the cake.

So what do I hear? Some new signals, ones I haven't been able to get doing my early night DXing. Such as WJR from Detroit, plus some west coast signals: KNX, KFI, KNBR. And 620 KTAR, from my old stomping grounds.

Even though I've been listening to stations that I haven't been able to pick up since my days in Houston, I still have yet to catch a couple of "Holy Grail" signals here in western Kansas. One is actually any station from New York. Most likely I would pick up either WABC or WFAN, both nighttime powerhouses. But on 770 (WABC's frequency), I get KKOB from Albuquerque instead. WFAN operates on 660, but that spot on the dial just gives me garbled gibberish. WFAN and KTNN are probably duking it out. I have no hope of getting WCBS, another strong NYC station. You see, I am about 45 to 50 miles (as the crow flies) from the sticks of KRVN, the local blowtorch which operates on the 880 frequency--same as WCBS.

Why New York? Never have caught any of those stations in my many years of DXing. (It doesn't help that I haven't been east of the Mississippi River in over three decades.) I have heard stations from Los Angeles and Chicago, the other two major media markets, so NYC remains a goal for me.

The other desired capture for me would be CKLW from Windsor, Ontario. (Just across the river from Detroit.) Sadly when I tune my radio to 800, I hear XEROK from Ciudad Juarez rather than CKLW. What's significant about this station from the Great White North? A whole lot of history. See here. And listen here.

Speaking of radio, is our local station operating during this blackout? A quick check of both frequencies, and yes, the local AM/FM combo is on. Playing "American Pie." Yeeesh.

I'm glad there's other stuff out there.

What a first day!

I’m not sure of the altitude, but we’re zipping along in the sky.

Wait, scratch that, I just took a glance toward the cockpit, we’re at 18,000 feet.

And it’s my first day on the job.

So what’s the story?

No, I’m not taking flight lessons, nor am I flying commercial. (Pause. Stop writing and close up the computer. We're hitting some turbulence. I am glad Geogal is not here, she'd be freaking out.)

Resume writing. A day later. (Hard at work and exhausted on Monday night.)

I reported to work yesterday and before the afternoon was an hour old I was flying to Colorado with four of my new colleagues. I won't go into details about how all of this came about, let's just say I was in the right place at the right time.

And if Geodad is reading this, I learned the aircraft is a Beechcraft King Air B100.

So I am writing this as I sit in a Denver hotel. Hmmm, wasn't I just here (the city, not the hotel) less than a week ago? Yogi Berra said it best: "It's deja vu all over again."

My only gripe is that I didn't pack my camera. I could have gotten some great pics. (I watched the sun come up over the Colorado horizon this a.m.)

I needed a day of R & R

I meant to do a post yesterday but my body and mind had other ideas.

Yesterday afternoon I did something I haven't done for months--take an afternoon nap. A good move. I also got about 7 hours of sleep last night. That is a significant improvement over the past few nights.

I am enjoying my rested state. Today my wanderlust got the better of me and I headed for Kearney, Nebraska to do some shopping. I think the truck was so thankful to no longer have to pull that trailer that it didn't mind driving into a hard, cold wind.

Incidentally, anyone who thinks this area is flat and treeless has obviously never been here. The rolling prairie sometimes rolls into significant hills and trees abound among the creeks and ponds in the areas. Right now the trees are dormant but I bet in a few weeks they will be a nice shade of green.

Driving east from Denver was not difficult. Plus, it was good to be alone at last! I think my dad and I can probably only tolerate constantly being around each other for no more than two days. Since I had never driven east from Denver before, at least further east than the airport, the newness of the route kept my interest and attention.

Except that for the first few minutes of the "leaving Denver" drive I would look north and see the DIA control tower. A few minutes later, same thing. "Just how far east is the airport?" my inner voice asked. I had visions of being in Burlington (about 12 miles from the Kansas border), looking over my left shoulder, and still seeing the Denver airport!

I did lunch in Burlington. As I was leaving the Burger King, a couple of carloads of teenagers came in, engaging in such discussion as: "Are we still in Colorado?" I'll be glad when spring break is over.

A picture? Why not? How about the Great Platte River Road Archway just east of Kearney? If you saw "About Schmidt," this was where he stopped just before the end of the movie. I chose to not go in during this visit. I'll save that for when I take little Geoana there. She seems to enjoy American history and will love seeing this attraction.

The Big Trip, day three

Made it!

Yes, now I am in the Sunflower State. And I'm really tired. Bone-deep tired. So no detailed posting today. Just relaxation after three long days of driving.

See you tomorrow.

A vast improvement

Ahhh...that’s better.

50,000 times improved from last night.

Geodad and I get to Denver, are able to check in at the hotel with no problem. Their Internet connection works. Their exercise room, pool, and spa are all functional.

The going today also was less stressful than yesterday’s trip starter. You see, yesterday consisted of a LOT of hill-climbing. No problem when you have a decent vehicle. But when you add a large U-Haul trailer and hitch it to the back of your truck, things change. No more going 70 uphill. Try going 40 or even 35. Makes you feel like a big-rig trucker with a full trailer. Except when nearly all the 18-wheelers are passing you going uphill.

But for today, just a few tough hills, not many. Plus today’s route was all interstate which allowed for faster straightaway driving.

But enough about all that. Time for some pics. As alluded in the prior entry, these pictures are all in Colorado. There’s still some patches of snow on the ground, mainly in shady areas. But at one rest area there seemed to be an abundance of the refrozen white stuff. Take a look at one of the pics and you’ll see what appears to be the remnants of someone’s snowman. (Look at the upper portion of that picture for a view of my truck with the trailer attached.)

Two states down, one more to enter. Tomorrow will be the most interesting part of the drive, i.e. unfamiliar territory. Save for a portion of Arizona Highway 87 and Interstate 40 from Winslow to Holbrook, I have previously traveled the roads of this trek. Tomorrow that all changes. Tomorrow also means no significant hills!

The Big Trip, day one

To all readers who were expecting an entry yesterday (first day on the road-kind-of-thing), I apologize, although my Internet absence was not of my doing.

It seemed simple enough--check in at the already-reserved hotel. Nope. I walked through the door and was told there were no more rooms available. This, despite Geogal having made the reservations online several days in advance. No dice. Still nothing available. The guy at the front desk said it was an unforeseen issue handed down by management. Whatever.

Went to the next hotel over and was able to secure a room. But their key-card creator wasn’t working, therefore a staff person would need to let us into the room each time. Whatever.

I ask about the pool/hot tub area. The guy tells me those are “out of order.” Whatever.

Get into room, fire up the Macbook. No ‘Net. No wireless, the Ethernet connection also was dead. Whatever.

It’s already getting late into the evening. I’m tired. Geodad is tired. Walk over to Denny’s (it actually was a good meal), then return to the room, watch a little bit of the idiot box, then fall asleep.

I don’t think I’ll be overnighting in Bernalillo, NM again.

No photos for this entry. There just wasn’t much for me to snap on this leg of the trip. However, for the next set of prose I promise some pictures of beautiful Colorado snow-capped peaks.

Time to go eat then work out, to be followed by a dip in the spa.

No lazy Sunday here

Time’s getting shorter now.

Time to leave, that is. I start the great Kansas expedition in less than two days. For the past few days it seems I am doing nothing but saying goodbye, packing, and doing the few thousand other small things that a relocation requires. Add to this the reality that no matter how well I prepare I will definitely need something during the trip that will require a stop at a Target, Wal-Mart, or hardware store. But that’s OK, I can recognize the fact that this is 2008, not 1908. No covered wagon for this guy.

Some distantly-connected thoughts:

Geogal told me Kansas raises the best beef cattle in the country. This after downing a T-bone steak last night (gotta get in one last round of cooking dead animal over an open flame).

Thank you, Dave, for the great good-bye lunch at Fogo E Brasa. If you are a carnivore, this is your Shangri-La.

Today is Sunday. I wonder what Sunday paper I’ll be reading one week from today. The Kansas City Star? The Wichita Eagle? The Denver Post? Probably not the last one. Something to do with state lines.

The Madness is starting. My team didn’t close the deal last night. At least they played Boise State to three overtimes. Not too shabby, even in a loss.

I’m getting pumped about the road trip. A lot of preparation, but I think the effort will pay off well.

More to come....

Does that mean I can no longer be called Arizona Pundit??

NOTE TO READERS: The following was originally posted on March 1, 2008. I removed it quickly as this post dealt with news of relocating and job changes. At that time not everyone involved knew of these developments and both Geoguy and Geogal decided it was better to tell people ourselves rather than have them learn it from reading the blog.

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You see, I am moving to Kansas fairly soon.

The process leading up to a job offer that will require relocation to the Sunflower State has been the cause of my high stress (alluded to in my previous posting). And now that previous stress is replaced with a new variety of tension.

Yet I'm certain everything will work out OK. And I have to admit I am excited about the prospect of setting down roots in an entirely new place. (Since 1982, I have lived either in Arizona or New Mexico, and always in a desert clime.)

And don't anyone give me guff about Kansas being the middle of nowhere and not on anyone's radar scope. Case in point: I turned on ESPN this morning to catch up on the sports news. Where was College Gameday coming from this date?

Lawrence, Kansas.

Microfilm, magazines, and mucho calories

Today was one of those odd days where I had no work commitments. The Geohouse is also quiet, as Geogal and little Geoana are both in the Lone Star State while I hold down the fort.

So I decided to visit a place I have known of for years, but have never visited. The Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix. I admit it, I’m a nerd and the opportunity to look up some old newspaper and magazine articles proved too tempting.

I started with trying to look up a story from 1982. I was unsuccessful in finding it--if it was in the paper at all--I saw the item in one of the Wallace’s Book Of Lists (see I told you I was a nerd). While looking for the story in question, I noticed the ads. Lots of them, just as there are a lot in newspapers now.

What struck me is that just about all of the businesses are gone now. Some simply went out of business, others were taken over. This also was before Wal-Mart arrived in Arizona (that would not happen for another two to three years).

Then there are the gut-busters. Such as seeing how much electronic items cost in ’82. (Want to buy a stereo system with an 8-track player?) Or the ads for cars back in those days. Electronic items were so expensive, vehicles were so cheap.

I’m not nostalgic for those days, by the way. It wasn’t a good time of my life.

Anyhow, back to the ads. I did see some for Mecham Pontiac. One of the “Holy Grails” for my living in Arizona was to see a car with a decal or plate frame touting the fact it came from the dealership owned by a man who became governor, was impeached and removed from office, and passed away a few days ago.

However I (to this day) have never seen a “Mecham” Pontiac. Probably never will. Those cars don’t age well and I have no idea how long that dealership has been defunct.

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After my library visit, I went to the TexAz Grill for a chicken-fried-steak lunch (in honor of the rest of my family being in you-know-where).

I wasn’t hungry again until late into this evening. That includes an afternoon where I exercised and did some yard work. Let’s hear it for good Texas food!

Return quickly, my two favorite gals!

What's happening?

Way too much.

Stuff I won't get into here. I've been very busy of late and only this morning did I find some time to relax, peruse the Internet and catch up on my blog-reading. Now I'm doing my blog-writing.

The story about security being relaxed for Obama's appearance in Dallas is making the rounds this morning. Seemed to be a friendly crowd? Reminds me of a line from one of Geogal's favorite movies, "Miss Congeniality," delivered by Candice Bergen:

"The guy was carrying a gun? This is Texas! Everybody carries a gun. My florist carries a gun."

So, security folks, you might want to tighten things up next time. (Translation: Do your flippin' job!)

And don't mistake me for an Obama follower. I'm not. I just don't want any candidate to be shot at or otherwise endangered.

And speaking of which--This is truly the most interesting presidential race I've ever witnessed.

And why not? For the first time in my life, and since the 1952 race, there is neither an incumbent president nor a sitting vice president campaigning for the top job.

And barring some very bizzare turn of events, this will be the first time a member of the U.S. Senate will go straight to the Oval Office since John Kennedy did it in 1960 (again, before my time).

The times, they are still a-changin'.

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I did it.

I broke down.

A few days ago, I applied online to get one of those $40 digital TV converter box coupons from Uncle Sam.

Why? (After all, the two sets I have in my home are both connected to DirecTV.) Two reasons.

One, curiosity. Several of the channels in my area are multicasting, and I'm wanting to see what's on these subchannels. My DirecTV service carries practically all of the local channels, but none of the .2, .3, or .4 transmissions. I'm guessing the satellite and cable services will eventually have these channels available to their customers, but why not see them now? Plus, I want to see how clearly these over-the-air transmissions come across.

Second, backup. The DirecTV service is reliable. More so than cable, which is forever plagued by service outages. The only time I lose the satellite signal is during a heavy rainstorm, which doesn't happen often here in the arid southwest desert. But you never know what will happen in the future. What if DirecTV suffers a systemwide problem resulting in significant loss of signal? You never know.

So, I'll keep the readers posted. Geohouse continues to embrace new technology! (within a tight budget)

Clear direction

Every now and then I receive a clear and direct revelation.

For this past week, that piece of information is as follows: “Geoguy, you will never have a career in I.T.”

I know my way around computers well enough, but troubleshooting and repairing the devices demands more patience and fortitude than I possess.

For some reason, about a week and a half ago my Macbook started having problems with the wireless Internet connection. No problem with using an Ethernet cable to surf the Net, but the wireless had me baffled. Then I go to several discussion boards and realize the problem is likely due to an operating system update which seems to confuse the Airport card.

The next issue? There’s apparently no fix for this, yet. (Are you listening, Apple engineers???)

Turns out I’m not the only one who peruses these discussion boards. Today’s Lileks entry reveals he also is a lurker.

Anyhoo, I’m just about on my last nerve trying to figure out a fix that will be acceptable to the Geohouse. Keeping the router open (no password protection) isn’t palatable right now. But securing it with WPA locks out the Macbook.

Sigh.

I guess it’s goodbye to using the Macbook at the kitchen table for a while. (Are you reading this, Apple engineers???)

Let’s hope they’re reading and heeding this. After all the company is touting its latest product’s wireless Internet ability to perform nearly all tasks related to communication.

Imagine if this device has the same hardware/software problem. Yikes!

Yes, this is about The Game

I'll join in the post-Super-Bowl-comments. (Blogging does have its privileges!)

Yet I will not add my voice to the cacophony of those in the Valley of the Sun saying to the football and golf tourists: "The game and the tournament are over. Now get the hell out!"

Both the Super Bowl and the FBR Open took place far from my neighborhood. During last week my lifestyle was unaffected by the added people. I'm not a partier, never have been, so I stayed far away from Scottsdale watering holes.

So come again, spend your money here. The locals can use the boost to the economy.

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My two favorite commercials? The Bud Light "fire breathing" spot and the Diet Pepsi Max featuring Troy Aikman and Joe Buck. (Did you catch Aikman's deadpan expression right into the camera?)
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Brothers who are quarterbacks win Super Bowls in consecutive years.

And both are named MVP.

These two men are humble, family-oriented, and dedicated to their craft. They appear to both have a healthy sense of humor and are not afraid to laugh at themselves.

Neither one is caught up in the celebrity lifestyle. Nor are they ones to engage in assignation with actresses or supermodels.

I could go on, but you get the point.

Archie Manning, a person of whom I was unaware until Peyton Manning hit professional football, has my utmost respect as a person and a father.

Archie and Olivia obviously did something right.

Geoana's big night

So what’s been happening in the Geohouse lately?

More than the usual dreck. Last Tuesday, little Geoana went to her first concert. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, to be exact. Geoana attended courtesy of her uncle, who was able to score tickets, although not meet-and-greet passes. But going to the concert was good enough for all involved.

And I didn’t go, which was fine with me. The group that went included Geoana, Geogal (sans earplugs), and another mother-daughter combination with whom we are friends. And a good time was had by all.

Plus, the little one was able to show off her concert T-shirt the following day. Sigh. They grow up so fast.

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What did I do all that evening, at home alone? Cooked man food (red beans and rice) and watched a manly man movie (Apollo 13). And yes, the astronauts did make it back OK! (This is an inside-family joke, dear reader.)

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Our house seems to be one of bizzare DVD viewing coincidences involving death.

Christmas Day, 2006. One of my gifts was The Simpsons, Season Five DVD. I opened it and the first episode from the set I watched was “Bart’s Inner Child.” (Be like the boy!!!) One of the guest voices was James Brown. Either during, or just after viewing that episode, the news came over the wires of the death of “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.”

Hmmmm.

Now, lets go back a couple of days. Geogal and I are watching our latest Netflix arrival, “I Love You, Alice B. Toklas.” (I’ll give you my opinion in a moment.) Shortly after the movie is over, Geogal is online and mentions the just-reported death of Christian Brando. Included in the obit was the mention that he had a small role in, you guessed it. ILY, ABT.

Double hmmmmmm.

The movie itself? If you haven’t seen it, don’t bother. I tried to look at it while noting its time and context and the flick still seems to be lacking. Does one “drop out,” or not?

Thank God I wasn’t a young adult in those days (1968). Hitting my 20’s during the 1980’s was weird enough.

Still, Geogal and I are using Netflix to watch several of the films of Peter Sellers. I’m sure we will end the Sellers track with “Being There.” His last film, and from what I’ve heard, his favorite.

Resolutions revisited

Turns out I did better than I initially thought.

For the three goals I listed on January 2, 2007, I achieved two of them. The third, going to Las Cruces in the fall for NMSU's homecoming game, was a matter due to lack of finances, not desire.

No matter. The Aggies play a homecoming game every year.

Goals for 2008? Sorry dear reader, those are for the private use of Geohouse only, not to be shared with the general public.

OK, I will share one. Have written, posted goals (like on the refrigerator or mirror) for this year. Keep them in the forefront of the mind. Let's see how well that works. I'll let you know in January 2009.

The digital world slowly approaches

Yes, this blog has been quiet. But I haven’t gone anywhere. Just keeping busy and musing.

For example, I recently flicked on my bedroom TV to just the antenna and noticed one of the low-power channels was out.

A visit to the Internet told me the station is not out, it just flash-cut that signal to digital.

Since this is one of the local channels available via my DirecTV satellite dish, this move from analog to digital really doesn’t affect my viewing. Still, snow on analog channel 27 is indicative of a change about to head our way.

A BIG change.

If you have any interest in consumer technology or you are just one of those nerds (like me) who enjoy reading about the latest in broadcasting, you no doubt are aware of the big switchover to digital television come February 17, 2009. For the layperson, it means your way of viewing over-the-air TV will permanently change.

The reason there is not a huge panic about this is because people who receive their TV via cable or satellite dish will not be affected. This, of course, is the majority of U.S. TV viewers. As I noted earlier, the now-digital-only signal for KAZT-CA is a non-issue, as I can still watch the station over DirecTV even though I only own analog TV sets. (A flat-paneled LCD or plasma TV is way down the road for the Geohouse.)

However there is still a part of me that will mourn the loss of the old analog signals.

I recall the thrill of seeing out-of-area channels when I was a kid (an early indicator of my budding nerdiness). This excitement lasted well into my adulthood, when I lived in Casa Grande, watching KNAZ, Channel 2 from Flagstaff fade in and out through snow, courtesy of my rooftop antenna. One day KNAZ faded out completely and a station from Spokane, Washington (KREM-TV) appeared. Nirvana!

With digital, such things just won’t happen. And it’s not limited to TV. I also engage in radio DXing (again, just more evidence that I am a true nerd). The word around the DX hobby world is how HD radio is interfering and affecting one’s ability to DX other AM stations due to the “bleeding” into adjacent frequencies the HD signal causes.

(If you didn’t understand that last sentence, don’t worry. It’s not important to the world at large.)

So, I am aware that I am seeing the end of an era. And soon, my set channels in both TV’s (always set those channels in case the satellite signal goes out): 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 27, 45, 51, and 61 will all show snow in a little over a year.

Yet with the digital switchover headed our way, I can’t help but anticipate the advantages of the digital channels, namely multiplexing and HDTV. Interesting times are still to come. Plus, I have to wonder which of our local stations will rebrand themselves due to a channel change. (Channels 52-69 will be vacated, as will channels 2-6.)

“CBS 5” becomes “CBS 17?” Or CW 6 becoming “CW 49?” We’ll see. (The latter is not likely, the former more so.)

Meanwhile it seems the big box retailers need to step up and help educate the public about the switch. This article was interesting. You would think a company such as Best Buy would want to rise to the challenge.

But that’s big business for you. (“What? Educating the customer? That cuts into our profit margin!”)