Floral Pictures
I have taken so many pictures of flowers since spring has started.
I took this one today off the side of the road. I think it is beautiful… But I’m inclined to be biased.
I have AppleTV!
So, fresh back from my trip to New York, Washington DC, Maryland and New Jersey, I get a call from the Apple store here in Columbia that both my AppleTV and Airport Extreme had arrived.
Previously I was using a Linksys 54g router for the main networking and an Airport Express to stream music to my HK430 and Heresys. It worked alright, though the Linksys didn’t really like the Airport Express.
Well, I unboxed the two and had them BOTH up and running full power within ten minutes.
The AppleTV is connected to the HDTV (42″ LCD) via component and to the HK430 through stereo RCA. I couldn’t take advantage of the HDMI since my TV only has one HDMI input and it is through the HDTV DVR and since the HK430 doesn’t have a digital audio input…
The AppleTV works great, I started out just streaming the movies, music, tv shows, podcasts… from my computer. The AppleTV only has a 40gb hard drive (32gb available) so there is no way it can hold it all.  At first I thought I would be upset with the limited hard drive space, but considering my iMac is on nearly 24/7 and the two are connected through 802.11n (super duper fast), that problem isn’t really a problem, for me at least. In order for me to not have to worry about hard disk space, I would need at least 500gb on the AppleTV. Right now I have around 400gb’s of media in iTunes and by the end of this year I will be beyond 1tb, there really isn’t a media center that even comes close to that that isn’t a stand alone computer type deal (and very expensive, although also very versatile). Some people have already hacked the AppleTV to have 120gb hard drives, and larger. If they ever make a slim enough 1tb or greater hard drive, maybe I will play with that.
The AppleTV sends out a 1080i signal which is more than any of the media it currently streams. The sound quality and picture quality is fantastic. I rip my DVD’s to iTunes through Mediafork at 1350kbps H.264 mp4. Takes about 45 minutes to rip a DVD and the results are pretty great. I have ripped only about 50 or so DVD’s so far and each and every one plays just perfectly on the AppleTV.
Playing music is an experience, the visuals are great, everything is classic Apple smooth. Ridiculously smooth. The pictures I take with my Nikon D80 are synced at their full 10.2mp resolution and jeeze, they POP on the screen.
Streaming from the iMac works really well. It takes a while for the initial connection to be made but once you get it connected it is just as fast as navigation from the AppleTV’s hard drive.
Some gripes though (3).
You can’t shuffle music videos for parties. That is ridiculous. I have over 300 music videos purchased through the iTunes Music Store and to not be able to shuffle them for a party, only able to select a single song at a time, is just plain stupid. Same goes for the Front Row software on all new Macs. It really annoys me.
While the AppleTV remembers where you left off on your TV shows and movies (even if watched from iTunes or Front Row), it doesn’t remember where you left off in your Podcasts. A one hour podcast like Keith and the Girl needs that.
Just as with a DVD player or CD player, you can’t change the volume of the programs playing. I guess it wouldn’t be a problem is my amp had a remote control, but the HK430 doesn’t. Anyone wanna modify it to do that for me? :) I might finally be buying a new receiver, one that can handle a few more inputs and a remote control.
It is amazingly small and intelligent, the menus and quality are top notch. Check on out sometime!
Neeeew York!
So on a whim, Landon and I headed to New York, the plan was to have breakfast in central park, however, we missed the two AM bus and had to take the seven AM one instead.
We got into New York around 11:45 and headed to Times Square, then to check on seeing a show. We didn’t see anything too enticing so we headed to Central Park. We had a great stroll through the park, met some cute British gals and went to the Lennon memorial.
Next was GroundZero. What an amazing site. I had not been to NY since 9/11 so this sight was all new to me. Powerful. I got some really cool pics of the place, took some time to take it all in…
Next was shopping; Kenneth Cole, MAC, Century21… We had fun! I didn’t spend any money, even at the FABULOUS Apple store. That place super fun.
Had a Kosher Dog and then more walking and a subway ride to Christopher and pizza, leather shops (haha) and puffed pastry!
More walking, more pictures, more fun.
We ended the day in Little Italy and Chinatown. Now we are on the bus home and I’m gonna take a nap.
Caio!!!
Kansas City International
I’m sitting at the Kansas City International Airport using their “revolutionary high speed wireless internet”. High speed? Oh please! I’m maxing out at around 32kbps. That’s painfully slow.
Anyways, I’m at the airport, waiting to get boarded to the plane. I have about forty minutes left to go and even though this internet is really slow, it sure as hell is better than nothing. Unfortunately, they didn’t think about putting very many power outlets here, I’m at one of maybe four in our terminal of five gates. This airport is really weird in it’s design. No food inside your gate area, not even water! So to get a drink of water you must leave the gate and go back through security. It is crazy.
I won’t really talk about last night. It was not so good. Had fun hanging out with Jim, Kevin, Will and Chadd at SoCo but the night ended poorly… really poorly. It’s ok though, working through that hiccup and ready to move on.
Going to Washington is so exciting for me. I haven’t seen Landon since his autumn graduation and I have not been to Washington in around ten years. That is crazy. We should, as Americans, make a trip to our capitol more often than that. Show some interest in your country right? Here’s my chance haha.
I have never flown on Midwest Airlines, I have heard only wonderful things about them, especially from Jenny. She has gotten several free tickets from them, as I remember. Lucky girl!
So, I fly to DC, find my way to Dupont Circle and wait for Landon to get out of his Snow Patrol Concert. I’m sure I will be RIGHT back on here while I wait an hour, maybe two, for Landon.
Have a wonderful spring break!
House Hunting Weekend in Houston
Let’s do a little recap shall we?
Thursday, make a dash from my French class to the parking garage where I hop into my car and jot down to my apartment. 
I quickly pack my bags, talk to the front office about moving out early so I can save a thousand bucks and enjoy my new apartment a little sooner.
Drive to St. Louis after making a quick stop at Best Buy to pick up a movie for my brother’s belated birthday. I got Idiocracy thanks to the advice of TWiT. It seems to be right up his alley.
The drive to Saint Louis was uneventful. I left with more than enough time and didn’t start freaking out about being late until I though I had passed the airport and would have to backtrack about 20 miles. Yikes! Thanks to Michael, I was able to determine that I was but five miles away from the airport, the the direction of my favor. Yay for that.
I actually had enough time to get terrible service at Chili’s, bad enough that I saved my receipt so I could complain to the company’s corporate line, something I typically would never do. And I have gotten some shitty service in the past, just ask Geoff, haha.
I’m always nervous about missing my flight, I’m actually pretty surprised I took the time to go to Chili’s. I just couldn’t help the chance to get to do some people watching. Chances are, in an airport restaurant/bar, the people you watch, you will never see again. Not the case for me, the girl and guy I was watching ended up being on my flight to Houston. Damn! Glad I wasn’t too obvious.
Got to the airport, had a drink, jumped onto the plane and flew to Houston. My flight was delayed about 25 minutes which is a first for Southwest and I. Normally we get in about thirty minutes early, so the prospect of getting in later than already expected (pretty damn late), was less than exciting.
Got to my parents new apartment and crashed. They live in a pretty swanky pad while they search for a new house. We checked out a few places 
in Houston but there really wasn’t anything I liked enough to recommend for them. The house that they had a contract on, I convinced them to back out of. They need to find a nice house close to downtown, close to the shops and restaurants they enjoy so much.
Saturday morning we went to this restaurant called Barnaby’s Cafe. It is in the Heights/Montrose in Houston, where I would love for my parents to live, where my brother hopes to move and where all the gay’s live in Houston. Hence the beautiful rainbow on the front of the restaurant, and the hot guys that work inside. There are actually three Barnaby’s in Houston now, I believe.
I actually went on a date there way way back when. It was, I believe, Melissa and I’s (wow, is that way off grammar-wise?) anniversary that I first went there. I remember being pleasantly surprised that they had bison… a new client of my grandmother’s back then. What can I say…
Anyways, we met there for brunch and then headed out to do some house hunting. I actually spent most of my time hanging out with my grandmother.
I’m getting ahead of myself… Let’s go back to Friday night…
Friday night I got to hang out with Patrick and Lisa (my brother and his fiancee). We had a great time hanging out, went to a few bars and drank a good bit, of course without getting drunk. Of course. I met the brides’ maids, the maiden of honor and I… well, we definitely met haha. She was my partner for the night, great dancer, lemme tell ya.
Saturday I got to hang out with my grandmother, we went shopping and had a great time, as usual. I have been wanting this new lens… well a few new lenses really, for my camera (Nikon D80); hoping to be able to do some macro, some wide angle and some powerful zoom photography. Unfortunately, the cheapest of the lenses was $475… needless to say I had to pass on getting a new lens.
However, the wonderful guys at Houston Camera Exchange recommended I get a lens adapter to supplement my maco desires until I get the money for a real macro lens. So, $50 later I have this really neat Hoya lens adapter set. The pics in this post were taken with that lens adapter kit.
My father and I went to a few parks downtown to walk the dog and get me some things to take pictures of, where most of these pictures came from actually.
I had forgotten, or perhaps I never really knew, how much green space Houston’s downtown had. Now, it is no where near as green as San Francisco but also not nearly as large.
All of San Francisco is downtown, only a small portion of Houston is downtown, it is an immense city, San Francisco is only 7 square miles.
I also noticed that the homeless people in Houston were less creative in their attempts to scam money out of you and not nearly as friendly otherwise. Too bad.
The homeless guy who was hanging out in our park was talking to himself about his ventures across America. The thing is… he didn’t look homeless, or crazy; he looked like a guy having a totally normal conversation with someone about his interesting life… only no one else was there talking to him. Interesting…
We didn’t have much time in the parks, but here are a few cool shots I got.
Sunday I visited some family, great to see them, and then back to the airport to fly back to Missouri. Overall the weekend was fantastic and I’m getting revved up for another great weekend this upcoming weekend in Washington DC.
Brandi Carlile - The Story
All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don’t mean anything
When you’ve got no one to tell them to
It’s true…I was made for you
I climbed across the mountain tops
Swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you
Because even when I was flat broke
You made me feel like a million bucks
Yeah you do and I was made for you
You see the smile that’s on my mouth
Is hiding the words that don’t come out
And all of my friends who think that I’m blessed
They don’t know my head is a mess
No, they don’t know who I really am
And they don’t know what I’ve been through but you do
And I was made for you…
Quoting Paula Abdul
Tamrya, as the French say, ‘je ne sais pas’, way to go!
That is not what je ne sais pas means…
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