Daily Doings at the Line of Death Bar & Grill

I went through my extensive CD, casette, LP, and MP3 collection to find 20 songs from 20 different artists. Some of them may be easy, some of them may be hard. I know they'd be hard for me; I know the first few seconds of many tunes, but I don't often know the first lines of songs. There's only one rule: no internet searching, regardless of search engine. Have at it!

If an item has been guessed correctly, the name of the guesser(s) will be posted beside the line.

( Cut-tagged and hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar. )

Every so often,on my LJ-friends list, I'll read announcements on upcoming science fiction conventions, or reports on past ones. More often than not, these are posted by single people, or married people with no children, or empty-nesters.

Part of me would like to go to some of these conventions -- meet some new friends, touch base with old friends, see some interesting panels, meet some interesting guests. But conventions can get expensive -- hotel rooms, convention fees, meals, goodies from the dealer's room. And because I'm divorced and paying child support (and spousal support until next year), conventions (or "cons" for short) have become a luxury that I can no longer afford.

Sometimes I often ask myself, "Are con friends real friends?" I'll see them in passing at a convention, and because we're so busy with our own schedules, not a lot of time is spent on those friendships during a convention. I'm thankful for things like filkhaven and LJ, through which I can deepen my relationships with my con friends.

I also ask myself, "Is my life being served well by living out some escapist fantasy?"

I used to collect lots of things like CDs, DVDs, videotapes, books, and comic books, until I consolidated the collections and realized I no longer have the space to keep them, and the money to maintain the collections.

Or maybe I'm just growing older, and outgrowing SF fandom.

*FIAWOL = Fandom Is A Way Of Life. Polar opposite of FIJAGH = Fandom Is Just A Goddamed Hobby.

My final project for CIS 285 (Java Servlets and JSPs) is now complete enough to be demonstrated. I still have a few minor tweaks to do here and there, but that can get done anytime between now and Thursday evening.

Each of us in the class had to come up with a project that used servlets, JSPs, and two database tables. I wrote a family tree database application.

The folks at the Dayton Business Journal have confirmed the rumors that NCR (formerly National Cash Register) is leaving its home of 125 years and moving its global headquarters from Dayton, Ohio to Duluth, Georgia.

This is devastating news to the area, and to the local economy.

The Cash, as it was once nicknamed, had many facilities and buildings in the Dayton area before I moved here in 1989, and at one time, employed over 20,000 people. Many of its buildings have since been vacated and torn down. There are a few buildings left from that heyday, although now they are occupied by the Dayton Daily News and the University of Dayton.

I don't even know that they make cash registers and computers anymore. Their main product now is ATMs.

This is further proof that Dayton is a dying city, which Forbes magazine reported last year.

I really don't expect my next job to be in this town.

Still saddened and angered at the news of the murder of Dr. George Tiller.

General Motors finally Chapter 11'ed.

And an Air France jet went missing flying from Rio De Janiero, Brazil to Paris, France.

Shout-outs: Happy birthday hofdave and catalana!

A little early, given that this is a holiday weekend in the States.

( The weekend in review...not including Monday. )

Due to a lack of sufficient disposable income, think I'm going to have to skip Marcon this year. Shame, too. I was hoping to hear (and possibly meet) unclechristo, who will be the Filk GoH.

I haven't decided if I'm going to hang out int the public hallways and "ghost" the con.

I'll have to find some other time to get with my Columbus-based filk friends.

Many years ago, when I lived in Buffalo, I was active in the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism. I developed a persona, and did things like archery, fencing, calligraphy, and leatherwork.

But after two years, I soon felt that my attendance at events and activities was tolerated. I didn't feel that I was welcome, but at the same time, I didn't feel that I was unwelcome. I was never invited to become a member of a household. I had people tell me, "The Laurels will never approve your name". And I had a bad experience at an event, when I had to leave the site to make a phone call. So there I am, out in the mundane world, while still dressed in garb, and making a phone call. (This was way before the invention or proliferation of cell phones.) But that's not the fault of the people in the organization.

For the most part, I enjoyed myself at the first few events. Didn't get to meet any special ladies, though. :-( Maybe I was trying too hard.

Then, nearly 20 years ago, I moved to Dayton. I heard there was an active group, but I never pursued them.

I'm still friends with a few people who are still active in the SCA. But I doubt I'll attend another event or activity. Even if it's Pennsic.

Those of you who have been to Europe -- or live there -- know that passenger train travel is the best way to get from point A to point B. They have the TGV, the Trans-Europe Express, and other fast rail systems.

Here in the States, passenger rail is a distant third behind airplane and automobile travel in terms of popularity. This is despite having a huge rail infrastructure throughout the country. Why? Is it that the other transportation systems are so heavily marketed? Has the passenger rail line company -- Amtrak -- done something wrong over the years? Or is it that people just love traveling by plane or by car?

I think we had a good passenger rail system up until World War II. Then came the interstate highway system, and jet aircraft.

( I'd rather drive than fly. But given the option, I'd rather take the train. )

These are my thoughts, somewhat organized into bullet points. If you've taken the train, I'd love to hear about your experience and/or opinions.