Barb, Jan, Lew, Chris and Beth. The Miltenbergers. Fashion ran a close second to ultraviolet protection on Miltenberger family vacations.
The Miltenbergers (circa 1965)
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Category Archives: Family & Friends
Gnomedex 2006
Five days. 120 hours. And then I’m on vacation. Sort of. On Wednesday Roger Gardner and I head for Seattle and three days (for me…RG will probably get geek toxic after a day or so) of Gnomedex. I’ll get back just in time for the long 4th of July weekend. I’ll rest up a few days after that and then it’s off to Destin with the lovely Barb where we gather with her clan for a week. While I won’t be completely off the grid, I will be away from the office and I’m really looking forward to it.
Hope to see my pal Jim Mathies, who lives in Destin. Search for some open wi-fi. And try to get better acquainted with the Mac Book. I feel like the guy that’s due to be released from prison in three or four days and is afraid to leave his cell for fear of getting shanked so close to freedom.
I’m blogging this
I’ll explain the provocative headline, but first, a few words about smays. I don’t photograph well. Too much gum showing (or none). More grimace than smile. But I’m not self-conscious about it, as evidenced by the frequent images here at smays.com. Then, every once in a while, someone takes a photo that I really like. Henry took this shot and it nicely reflects my mental image of myself. Sort of “Keith Richards-without-the-guitar-or-the-money.” It’s probably as simple as: good photographers see things differently than the rest of us.
Speaking of really good photographers. One of the people working with Henry and Bernard on the tree house project is their long-time friend Nick Kelsh. I thought he was just a sweaty, middle-aged guy yelling instructions at me down on the ground. In fact, Nick is a nationally prominent photographer, co-founder of a successful Philadelphia design firm and the author of eight or nine books. What Nick is not, is self-conscious. This is what Nick called his “gay porn” pose, chosen to showcase his improvised safety harness. Nick’s son, who was on the ground with me, seemed neither embarrassed nor surprised, leaving one to wonder if this was the first time Nick has done this sort of thing.
Morris James
After 38 years (!), Morris James has hung up his headphones and started blogging (“Purging Radio from My System”). He started in radio when he was 14 and his most recent gig was KRZK in Branson, MO. I met Morris when he was news director at WOW in Omaha (a Great Empire station at the time) and I was doing affiliate relations for Radio Iowa. Morris was instrumental in getting us on that great station.
He lurks regularly here at smays.com and calls his new blog Ozarks First Word (“News, Views and Tidbits”). Sounds like he’s working for the local newspaper and is exploring ways to make blogging pay.
Not sure how much time he’ll have for blogging and podcasting but here’s a guy with a boat-load of experience and a love for reporting. Give him six months or a year and he might just become “Ozarks First Word.”
“older gentleman”
Say howdy to the newest Learfield blogger (the Ramblings of Rick), Rick Kennedy. I normally give newbies a few days to get their feet under them, as it were. But I have a feeling Rick will stick. His first post is a gracious nod to a few of the the other Learfield bloggers, including smays:
Perhaps the most diligent blogger I’ve ever known is Steve Mays. He’s not an “old guy”, but is an older gentleman. He’s of an age from which one wouldn’t expect much computer savvy, let alone tight, quality blogging. He blogs every day, lets loose his conviction, political views and general moral fibre (or lack thereof) and packages it all in very entertaining and informative prose.
Older gentleman? Let’s face it…from 58 you can throw your walker and hit 60. But it’s tough to see in print, even in the middle of some very kind words. Colonel Sanders is an “older gentleman.” Mark Twain is an “older gentleman.” (Okay, they’re dead, but you get my drift) I want to be your Funky Web Monkey. Or, your Pile Drivin’ Digital Daddy. Almost anything but an “older gentleman.” (Sigh)
But let’s not make this about me. Let’s keep an eye on The Ramblings of Rick and encourage our new Brother in Blogging.
Update: I couldn’t sleep, worrying about “Ramblings of Rick” as a blog title. I humbly offer the following as alternatives:
Ricky, Ricky bo Bicky Bonana fanna fo Ficky Fee fy mo Mickey, Ricky! Dot Com
Brother Rick’s Traveling Blogathon
Rick Shaw, Kung Fu Blogger
Rick’s Place
Rickaford Nation
If you can’t recall my name…
One of our affiliate relations reps was calling on a station manager in Burlington, Iowa. The manager –whom I knew many years ago– asked about me but couldn’t remember my name. The best he could come up with was:
“He’s a great guy… he is nuts!”
Our rep immediately responded: Steve Mays
There are a lot of “great guys” at Learfield and many of them are a little nutty. I’m flattered beyond words to think I might be near the top of that list (in anyone’s mind). And of all the ways I might be remembered, I can think of none better.
The Notorious J.E.F.
Jeff McVey is the son of long-time friends Terry and Nancy McVey. Like many young men his age, Jeff has kicked around and tried a few things. His latest is studying martial arts in China. From his MySpace page:
Deborah and I got into China on May 12. … We’ve found our new home at a martial arts academy in a remote mountain village. I’m pretty sure it used to be some sort of industrial complex, and to call our accomidations meager would be a huge understatement. However, we do have a place to live and good food to eat. We live here with about a dozen other students from all over the world. There are people from America, England, Germany, Indonesia, Scotland, New Zealand, and other countries (I haven’t quite met everyone). Fortunately, all the students I have met speak English, which makes a nice little oasis in a land where I can’t comunicate with anyone. So, we’ve been treated quite well, and we start our training tomorrow. Everything seems a little daunting right now, but at the same time more than a little exciting.
His mom says this is something he has always wanted to do…and he’s doing it. Now, the person I want to meet is his wife, Deborah.
Jeff: “You know, I’ve always wanted to study martial arts in a remote mountain village in China. Whadya say?”
Deborah: “Cool. I’ll go pack.”
Trent Tomlinson performs for the hometown crowd
Charles Jolliff shares some pix from last night’s concert by Kennett hometown boy Trent Tomlinson. I’m not a country music fan but like Trent’s stuff and he doesn’t seem to be your typical CW artist (if there is such a thing anymore). Charles reports Tomlinson performed Purple Rain. I dare say that is the first time the song has been performed at the Kennett Fairgrounds.
Update: This might be old news but sources in Kennett tell us Mr. Tomlinson recently did a deal with ESPN to allow them to use his song, “Hey batter, batter.”
First AppleJAC meeting
Attended my first meeting of the local Mac User Group last night. Met some nice people and saw a couple of good demos. George Kopp showed us how Boot Camp makes it possible to run the Mac OS and Windows XP on the Mac. Very handy. And George speculated that the next Mac OS will make it even easier. Saw a fascinating demonstration of SketchUp, a 3D landscape design application. And we started off the evening playing the new Mac TV ads that started airing this week. I’m the guy on the left but I want to be the guy on the right. These are great ads that tap directly into the Mac Lust I posted on several weeks back.
Before leaving the subject of Macs… a thought on the age-old Mac vs. PC debate. I’m too new to Mac and too technically ignorant to have an opinion of which might be the superior computing experience. But after only a couple of weeks, I have a theory. Macs are more fun than PC’s. A person who knows what they’re doing can probably get the job down with either Mac or PC but I suspect the Mac user will have more fun getting it done. If that matters to you.
Last MacNugget: Scheduled to try out the iChat thing tomorrow night with Bass. If there’s a way to record the video chat, I’ll post some here.
Found in Bob Priddy’s desk
- Christopher Garbacz (Professor of Economics @ Mizzou) business card
- 15 yards of Butler dental floss
- Iodized salt packet
- Free medium drink coupon from Hardees (Expiration date Sept. 1996)
- Cut-up American Express card
- 3-cent postage stamp
- Children’s Miracle Network pledge card (dated June 1989)
- Unused “I voted” sticker
- Illinois & Baltic Ave stickers from McDonald’s Monopoly game
A) Worst-case survival game pieces; B) Things McGyver needs to make a bomb; C) Things found in Bob Priddy’s desk after he cleaned it out.
This is an inside joke that means zip unless you know Bob Priddy and have seen his desk. Thanks to Andy Rawlings.
Bob Priddy replies:
Any good archaeologist is able to take disparate remains of a culture and weave them into a coherent description of the people who once inhabited an area. The archaeologist is able to determine the approximate age of the inhabitant, the diet, the religious beliefs, and the society of his time. You did not include paper clips, which also were found in abundance and which are a valuable clue. The number of artifacts is also important, but since the site as been disturbed and the paper clips have been removed, an important piece of information will forever be open to speculation. I shall give you a few clews, however, about the person who lived there.
He was a carnivore who did not like bland diets but who took excellent care of his incisors so he could properly tear at the meat that was part of his diet. The latest artifact located is dated September, 1996, indicating that he moved from the area or perhaps died shortly after that (did you check for burial sites?). He loved children, worshipped the God John Maynard Keynes, and felt plastic was Satan’s tool for a corrupt society. Now, you may build the story from there, based on the evidence you have found.