Other stuff, and TMI Tuesday #180

Seeing some old, familiar faces (well, not faces) joining in for the OHNT anniversary celebration. If you're interested in participating, please send something in before Wednesday morning! No special theme--just looking for numbers this week!

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I forgot to mention yesterday about the great movie lineup that AMC had on Saturday night. "Airport", "Airport '75", "Airport '77" and "The Concorde: Airport '79". Omigod. Does it get any better than this? One of the truly great things that happened in the 70s was the disaster movie. The "Airport" series. "The Towering Inferno". "The Poseidon Adventure". "Earthquake". The list goes on. All of them starred a variety of stars who were too 'big' for "The Love Boat" (truly, another disaster...). Bad scripts, predictable subplots, poor cinematography. Damn, I miss the 70s...

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Just as I got through bitching about the children's concert, I've come to realize that rehearsals start this Thursday for our last concert of the season in less than three weeks! For the past 5 years, we've offered an opera, but sparse in its design. Sometimes nothing more than props. This year, we're doing a full staging of Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro". Thank God Mozart was smart enough not to include trombones for this one! And the staging isn't part of my duties, so really, this will be a breeze of a concert for me. But rehearsals (which I still have to set up) start on Thursday.

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1. Have you ever sent or recieved a sext message? - Based on the variety of definitions found at the link, yes, I have received a sext message. More than once.
2. Have you ever made or recieved a booty call? - No. I've mentioned this before--I was born about 20 years too early. While I love the concept, I was brought up in a different time. I don't know that I could really 'do' a booty call.
3. Have you ever added or edited a word/entry to Wikipedia or Urban Dictionary or any other online reference? - I've never added/edited anything, but recently found that HNT can be found in Urban Dictionary!
4. At what age did you have your first consensual sexual experience? - I'm assuming something beyond kissing/fondling/experimenting... I believe I was probably about 15 or 16.
5. What has been the greatest age difference between you a consensual sexual partner? - Hmmm.... I'd have to say 10 years. Oops...nope...20 years. Hoping to do better... :-0

Bonus (as in optional): Why do you blog? - Started out as an excuse to actually write some things down. Now it's a vital social tool for me. Though I'd like to get back to some of the writing style I had in the early days.

Be sure to check out the rest of the TMIers!

Mish-Mash

Not a great weekend. Nothing bad really, other than the 6-8" of new wet snow that fell all day Sunday. Or the temps that aren't supposed to see 45° all week. We did have a family gathering (two, actually) to celebrate my youngest niece's 16th birthday. That was pretty good.

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I didn't mention last week that we had another performance on Friday. We put on a free children's concert for the district's 4th/5th graders. I'm all for putting on these concerts, as it very well may be the only time they'll ever hear a symphony orchestra. And many kids are inspired to play a musical instrument. In my mind, I know it's a good thing. BUT... I had to take a day off from work (no sort of personal leave or vacation), as well as leave early on Thursday to set the stage. Actually, I don't mind that. It's the programming that left me pretty uninspired.

These things are designed to introduce instruments, orchestral music, and the kids like to see their music teachers playing in the orchestra. The conductor and the music teachers work up lesson plans and play recordings of the pieces we're playing, so they've got a clue going in of what they're going to hear. Over the past two years, we've rented a pre-written production that's part drama, part music. While I can appreciate the use of actors, this piece of garbage that we did last week has soured me on doing any more in the future. No details about it, but during a 3 1/2 hour rehearsal Thursday night, a 90-minute run-through on Friday morning and the 75-minute performance, I played a TOTAL of perhaps 15 minutes. The tuba played minimally more than I did. A considerable waste of my time. Yes, we were paid a little bit of money (didn't make up for the lost day of work), and it's for a good cause, but it certainly put me in a lousy frame of mind for the weekend.

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Not all was bad. I got to spend some time receiving some lovely drunk texts. That was fun!

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Also had a nice long chat with a new-ish friend. That was fun, too!

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Big news...OHNT will be celebrating its 3rd anniversary this week. Not going to make a big deal out of it like I did with HNT's celebration last year, but if any of you are interested in sending in something, I'm hoping to get a zillion people this week! Or close to it, anyway.

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Did you know that if you use a hard boiled egg instead of a raw egg in a brownie recipe, they don't turn out quite right? Or...so I've heard...

Injury Report HNT

One doesn't expect injuries from the actual playing of a musical instrument. Sure, violinists often have to cut short their career due to the gross contortions their left arm has to endure to play, though proper training in their youth should be able to prevent that. Many a brass player has heard horror stories of marching band practices where someone zigged when they should have zagged, and they end up with a mouth full of mouthpiece, resulting in split lips, or even worse, missing teeth! Guitarists and violinists are always at risk of a string breaking in mid-performance, with the offending string snapping up and cutting some flesh, or maybe poking out an eye. There's many other similar situations, but not really due to normal playing circumstances.

I, myself, have gotten muscle cramps from playing bass guitar without warming up. Not something you think you'd have to do, but muscles are muscles. My fingertips have developed calluses from guitar strings (but that's a good thing). I've even split my lip wide open from getting hit by a rogue music stand (it's sort of a gross picture, so consider yourself warned...).

But as I mentioned in my last post, something happened to me for the first time in about 40 years of playing brass instruments. During intermission, I noticed that I had developed a blister on my upper lip! I've never done that! Not during 5-hr long gigs. Not during weekend-long chamber music orgies. And certainly not during a concert! But there was no mistake. I had a monster blister, right where my mouthpiece sits. Bernstein did it to me! I still had a second half of a concert to play, but it wasn't terribly taxing, so I suffered through it. I still hadn't seen it in a mirror, but I could feel it growing, even after the concert, knowing that it wasn't long before it would engulf my entire lip.

Know how, if you get a small grain of sand in your shoe, or a sesame seed stuck between your teeth, it always feels so much bigger than what it actually is? Well, same thing here. It may not look like much, but damn, it hurt like a bugger! You may not be able to see it well here, so click it to big it! And don't judge me--from MY side of things, it was HUGE!!!

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"50 years: here's a time when you have to separate yourself from what other people expect of you, and do what you love. Because if you find yourself 50 years old and you aren't doing what you love, then what's the point?"

~Jim Carrey

This week's Mystery Guest is celebrating her birthday (which should cut down on your guesses). If you don't know her already, she'll be revealed here Thursday afternoon!
Gotta reveal early here today. Our birthday girl is Evening! Stop by to wish her a Happy Birthday (and check out her birthday suit!) She's private, but you can click here to request an invite.

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Some good pictures over at "...the Other HNT" this week, as usual (don't forget--NSFW!). Next week will be the 3rd anniversary of OHNT, so if you'd like to celebrate by sending in something for over there, feel free! I hope to have the biggest turn-out yet next week!

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I've mulled it over, and decided NOT to do an Easter theme. The ideas for a theme were universally messy...

A Bunch of Stuff and TMI Tuesday #179

Concert went pretty well, overall. The biggest hassle was having to reset the entire stage set-up for each rehearsal, as well as the performance. It was a logistical nightmare. And it had to be switched out in 20 minutes or less so that there was no unscheduled downtime during rehearsals. Took 35 minutes the first time, but we didn't know exactly how we were doing things. Got it down to less than 15 for the performance, so I was happy with that. As for the performance, I didn't come away thinking it was our best effort of all time, but there were some great moments. Possibly my mind was soured by the fact that my stage crew (two guys) bailed on me late Sat. afternoon. Too late to find anyone else, so I had to tear down the stage by myself. Not really all that bad, except for the risers, which are a bitch on a good day. Got home around 1AM. Sliced my thumb open and bled like a stuck pig (I really have no idea what that means--but there's drops of my blood all over the stage). And something happened to me for the first time in over 40 years of playing brass instruments. But I'll save that for later...

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Some of you might have heard about the private plane crashing into the cemetery in Butte on Sunday, killing 14 people (7 kids). I've been asked if that was nearby. Butte is 60 miles south of here, but I know the area quite well. In fact, many of my dad's relatives are buried in that particular cemetery. Quite sad.

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Heard the words 'discharge', 'seepage', and 'drainage' this weekend. All in different conversations, and referring to different situations. Thank God none of them involved bodily processes.

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Speaking of bodily processes...why is it that grown men don't flush the urinal after using it?? In my area at work, there are maybe five of us that use the upstairs bathroom (one guy at least twice an hour). The youngest of us is 45. More often than not, it's not flushed. Do these guys do the same at home??? I may live somewhat like a bachelor, and I wouldn't eat off the bathroom floor, but I always flush. Do these guys wait for their wives to come in and do it for them? Or blame the kids? I don't get it...

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I don't understand how Burger King continues to get away with some of their commercials. Have you seen the one for the new BK Burger Shots? Those mini-burgers? The one with the "farmer of tiny stature"? I'm not sure if I should appreciate the concept, or be offended by the stereotype. Doesn't really matter. It hasn't gotten me to go try one.

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I remember a post I wrote in October about how generations of people don't know how to really pop popcorn (not microwaved, or in the hot air poppers). I whipped up a batch of popcorn (Orville Redenbacher's) about a week ago. I may never buy a box of the microwave stuff ever again.

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Mulling over the possibility of an Easter theme for HNT. Trying to work out the sacrilege of such a thing. You'll find out on Thursday what I decide.

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On to TMI:

1. Ever Googled a date, a potential date or an ex? - The last time I had a date, or a potential date, the internet hadn't been invented, let alone Google (sadly, I'm almost serious here...). However, I've Googled every ex I've ever had (I'm on good terms with all). And I've been known to Google the potential dates of some friends...
2. Do you gossip? - I think we all gossip. It's a matter of degree. Unfortunately, I'll say that I do enjoy getting the 'goods' on people. But I also like gathering information. I've often been the 'go to' guy when someone wants to know some little bit of info on somebody. I'm a hit at the class reunions! Generally though, I can filter what should or shouldn't be passed on. In my case, there's a big difference between gossip and secrets, and I think I do a pretty good (but not perfect) job in that area.
3. How many people do you completely trust? - This is a tough one. Trust involves far more than just telling someone a secret. It also involves the actions and reactions of one person with another. I've been burned many a time. Fault #1 of mine is that I'm too trusting. I have trusted a number of people, though I don't think any one person knows all there is to know. I would say that if I had to give a number to those I'd trust with secrets, it would be 3. Unfortunately, those who think they're one of those three, probably aren't, and those who don't realize it, are. If we're talking about trusting someone who will be there through thick and thin, who will stand by you without judgment, who will do what they say and say what they do--there's probably more.
4. Have you ever had sex in car? - Really? Who hasn't? Mind you, it's been a long time, but yeah,, I have. Not in a moving one though (not even as a passenger). Do buses count? There was this one time, on the way to band camp...
5. What is your best flirting technique: innuendo, telling a dirty joke, talking about sex life, or physical contact? - None of the above? What ever happened to honest chit-chat and discussion? That's been the only real 'technique' I've ever needed. Either that or getting the girl drunk as a skunk (j/k...).

Bonus (as in optional): How many times is the most you have ever had sex in a 24 hour period? - I should avoid any "with another person?" jokes. I would have absolutely no idea. Probably more than three, and way less than ten. Really, who counts these things?

Be sure to check out the rest of the TMIers!

Wish us luck!

The third part (of three) of Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances". I might get around to surf, but no promises. Chatting and emails pretty much on hold until Sunday (except for you, you, and possibly you...).

The Day After HNT

It started at O'Toole's at 8:00 in the morning. I told myself I'd limit things to 2 green beers and one shot of whiskey (Jameson's). After all, I had to go to work later on, and then go to a symphony sectional rehearsal (I'll go to work a little lit, but not rehearsal!). Well, the two beers and a shot took me up to about 8:15. I ended up leaving the bar shortly after 10:00. You can do the interpolation as to about how much I consumed.

I'm happy to say that I made it through work, some bloggy stuff, and the rehearsal. The green beer does a number on one's digestive system, I can tell you that. All the way up to my eyeballs! Not sure who gave me the beads. I don't think I did the Mardi Gras thing to get them though. But one never knows...

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"For every wound, a balm.
For every sorrow, cheer.
For every storm, a calm.
For every thirst, a beer."

~Author Unknown

This lovely lass is all for sharing everything, except her identity. Instead, enjoy a Guinness!

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Some newer "faces" over at "...the Other HNT" this week. Still NSFW, but take a chance and visit your HNT friends over there!

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Sort of a lame HNT this week because of the immense amount of work I'm doing right now. Feeling much better about my personal playing, but the rest of the orchestra makes the trombones nervous, and I won't even get into the stage set-up nightmare. I'll be scarce until Sunday. Have a great weekend! I leave you with the second part of the "Symphonic Dances" (my favorite part of the piece!).

Not Today...

No TMI today. Too many secrets....

No new post today. Too many green beers this morning...

Busyness Abounds

It's going to be a busy, busy week! I know I've been looking forward to this concert all season. It's difficult. It involves a complete stage change between the first and second halves (including the last three rehearsals, too). All these things point to a very busy symphony week, yet it didn't occur to me until last night that this is THAT week! I've got rehearsals every night except Wednesday (when I'll be hunched over my computer with HNTs). I've got to organize my work crews and the homeless guys who help me do part of the loading. Basically, I'm caught by surprise this week. I'll try to get around as much as I can...

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The NCAA brackets have been announced and everyone is already speculating. Me? Don't care in the least. Don't come here if you're looking for thoughts or recaps!

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Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. Due to the above-mentioned busyness, I'm not going to do much in the way of celebration. Though I will be down at O'Toole's when they open their doors at 8AM and get the first green beer out of their tap. I had a 15+ year streak of getting that first green beer that was interrupted these past two because of, you guessed it, symphony rehearsals (I'll go to work inebriated, but not a reherasal!). You can go back in the archives from 2005 to see the fun from years past.

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Today is St. Urho Day. It's celebrated heavily in Butte (as well as the more popular St. Patrick's Day). To all my Finnish fans, Happy St. Urho Day!

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There's probably more stuff to write about, but I'm busy. I'll leave you with the first part of three videos of Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story". It's the most difficult piece we'll be doing. I'll do the other two parts later this week. Watch how much fun Bernstein has when he's doing this!

Ta-daa!

For your entertainment. Not for the squeamish. Enjoy!

Springtime in the Rockies HNT

There have been many of you, particularly in Texas or the southeast, extolling virtues of the lovely spring-like weather you're enjoying. Make no doubt about it--we have it up here too!

Record breaking temperatures - Just in the opposite direction that some of you have been experiencing.
Blue, sunny skies - For those who haven't experienced it, -3°F in full sunshine is much warmer than -3° under cloudy skies.
Nice, gentle breezes - Which makes the -3°F feel more like -20°F or colder. With or without sunshine.
Low humidity - Which makes the snow that falls impossible to clump together (no snowmen, snow angels or snowball fights). It is powdery, and blows all over the place. Fueled by the "nice, gentle breezes".
Occasional showers - Which means just enough snow to keep everything white. The benefit of the "low humidity" is that the streets actually stay fairly bare and dry.
That fresh, spring smell - Around here, that would be the car exhaust from the cars running for 10 minutes to warm up before even thinking of driving. No other smells are possible because the snot has frozen in your nostrils.
Birds chirping and flowers blooming - I'm not sure where the birds hang out in this weather, but the grass, trees and flowers don't even consider blooming until the end of April, if we're lucky. But the last of the remaining dead leaves falling on the accumulated snow makes for a nice contrast.

So enjoy your spring-like conditions. Revel in them. Enjoy them. Remember what they were like come this August!

This was taken Tuesday night around midnight. The flash obliterates one's breath, but with a little playing, you still get the idea. Yes, I was almost that blue.

Temperature: -9°F.
Winds: Calm.
Moon: Almost Full.
Standing basically naked on your balcony taking a series of pictures to make a point: Priceless.

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"The human body has two ends on it: one to create with and one to sit on. Sometimes people get their ends reversed. When this happens they need a kick in the seat of the pants."

~~Roger Von Oech

"Youth is like spring, an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits."

~~Samuel Butler

This Mystery Guest will be revealed on Thursday afternoon. Be sure to stop back to see who it is!
This lovely curve belongs to Autumn! Some of you might have caught that already on her site. If not, go check her out! She'll be moving to new digs soon!

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Apparently the wait for Spring is wearing thin on some. "...the Other HNT" is full of people who have shed their layers, unable to take it any more! Fewer in number than the past few weeks, but it's quality, not quantity! Most definitely NSFW this week! Stop by and leave a few comments around!

TMI Tuesday #177

Some of you mentioned you wanted to see some pics of the explosion. Click here to get to the Bozeman newspaper's website. Down a ways on the left sidebar is a slideshow of pictures. They are in reverse chronological order, so the pictures from Thursday are at the end. Some pretty interesting pictures! And to answer the question...Bozeman is about 90 miles southwest of here.

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1. Are you pro-marriage? Why or why not? - Count me as old-fashioned. I'm very much pro-marriage. In spite of the fact that I doubt I'll ever get to experience it. My family has a history of strong marriages, with only one divorce through all the generations of both sides of my parent's families, including the cousins and all. It's just something that has never been a contentious or bad thing. I'm not really qualified to pontificate (say it ain't so!), but today's culture is that of immediate gratification, disposable goods, and lack of accountability. I think the institution of marriage has suffered because of it. Do I think that "test-driving" a relationship by living together is OK? Absolutely. Do I think it should be a federal law that no person may be married before the age of 30? Without exception!!!
2. Have you ever invented or thought you invented a sexual position? - Only the ones that resulted from a sudden charlie horse or a cramp. Those result in all sorts of new positions!
3. Do you like to be tied up? Always or sometimes? - Not really overly experienced in this, but I think it would be fun from time to time, depending on the experience. I think the first time it was really abused, I'd never do it again.
4. Do you consider online cybering adultery? - Again, I might be a bit old-fashioned, but yes. But the moral pendulum has swung way over to accepting that sort of thing these days. I think if it's something that both partners are OK with, then maybe it isn't. But I think that if you're participating in sex with someone who is not your partner, it's adultery, even if it's "just online". Sort of in the same way that kids justify that they're not having sex if they've never had intercourse. After all, the President said it's not sex... Yeah. Right.
5. Do you prefer masturbation over real sex? - Well, seeing as how that's the only 'real sex' I'm getting these days, then I'd say yes...
6. Do you want sex more times a day than your partner? - These days, I'm my own partner, so the question doesn't quite work. But I'll answer this by going back to the old days. Oh, hell yeah.
7. Do you get offended when you partner openly flirts with others or are you okay with it? - This is a toughie. I do have a bit of a possessive streak in me, so getting jealous of that can/has happened. On the other hand, I've had partners that I'd go to parties with that would head one way and I the other, to flirt with everyone else. We often wouldn't meet up again until we were at the door to leave. Drove people nuts. It worked for us though. We both knew that we'd be goig home together when we left.
8. Do you think you're flirty by nature? - Absolutely. You should see some of the things that were scribbled in my junior high yearbook pages. I have a long, long history of being a flirt. With the exception of about 10 years where I rarely spoke to a woman. Long story--won't go into it. Some of you know that story. But I'd say that I definitely have my mojo back!

Be sure to check out the other TMIers!

I'm Fab!

My blog has been deemed Fabulous by the equally fabulous Britni! I've been reading her for close to four years now. Though she's not a regular HNTer, she was one of the early-day participants, and has the distinction of a couple of "firsts" in HNT history! You really should check her out on a regular basis. Funny, open, unabashed, intelligent, and someone I definitely plan to meet when OsTour hits Florida (might have to make that a month-long excursion--there's alot of you down there!). Anyway, here's what I have to do: 1) I must list my five addictions, and 2) I must pass this on to 5 fabulous blogs. I haven't decided on that second part yet. Guess I will before I post! In no particular order:

1. M*A*S*H - I never watch network TV anymore. Couldn't even tell you what's on. But you can be sure to find M*A*S*H reruns somewhere during the day. I think I've seen every episode. At least 5 times. Probably 10. I can generally tell within the first 15-20 seconds of the episode what the story line is, who any guests are, and then recite the script. I'm glad to say that I'm cutting back, though. House and N.C.I.S. reruns are taking me away...
   
2. Apple - I'm a Mac guy down to the core. I don't understand why anyone still bothers with PCs anymore. Apple has always had the cool "must-have" gadgets, and I've got them, even if I don't need them (except the iPhone--no AT&T up here). I look forward to the conventions, and the roll-outs of new toys. I like reading the rumors and sneak-peeks. I LOVE reading criticisms from PC users who have never actually played around on a Mac, and the praises from PC users who have switched.
   
3. Diet Coke w/lime - On a normal day, I can put down at least 4 cans, and often a full six-pack. Currently trying to cut back, but it ain't easy!
   
4. Chocolate milk - While I won't make a special trip to the store for it, it is ALWAYS in my cart when I'm grocery shopping. If I could only drink one thing for the rest of my life, this would be it. And that beats out beer, too!
   
5. Mom's potato salad - I have mentioned in earlier posts that no one makes potato salad as good as my mom's (her mom's came in a close second). I could (and have) eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
   

There you have it. Not going to pass it on. All of you have fabulous blogs! Though I reserve the right to change my mind later today...

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The ever pixie-ish Rachel batted her big brown cyber-eyes at me and asked that I mention a petition she's got on her site and to get people over there to sign it. It's the blinking link at the top of her sidebar.

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Short turn-around for symphony. We already have another rehearsal tonight. As much as I'm looking forward to this concert musically, it's going to be hell logistically. Too many musicians, too little space. I'm sure I'll be voicing my opinions as we go!

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Lots of excitement at the end of the week last week. On Thursday morning, over a half of a city block in downtown (Main Street) Bozeman was destroyed due to explosion from a gas leak. Two bars, a restaurant and another business were totally destroyed (one of the bars was a fixture for the college crowd back in the day--not that I would know about that...). The explosion was at 8:10AM, before the real bustle of the day, so no one was even injured, though one woman is reported as missing. Then on Friday, just 60 miles to the west, an explosion ripped through a couple of businesses in Whitehall (where I used to teach!). Again, no one was injured, though the real damage came from the fire afterwards, rather than the explosion. There was a 4.2 earthquake centered about 2 miles south of town, though it's not known if that was related to the later explosion. Lots of excitement though!

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In spite of switching to Daylight Saving Time, spring is still a distant mirage around here. It's cold, windy and a little bit snowy. Not like other parts of the state that got over a foot of snow over the weekend, but still. Can't wait to get to April!

A Return HNT

I don't think that my HNT this week will generate the same reactions as last week's smoking/non-smoking one!

In a prior life (pre-blogging), I used to do some part-time teaching at Carroll College here. Nice, small, Catholic school with a great reputation. And a terrific football team over the past 8 years. The basketball team has made it to the national tournament for the past couple of years, too. I used to teach a little music theory, and I resurrected a small pep band for football and basketball games. In fact, that's how I came to know Moose! Anyway, after over 10 years of doing that, I left for a couple of reasons. Interestingly, since leaving, I really haven't had much to do with Carroll. Other than follow the football team.

There have been 3 people who have been leading the band since I left. All former students of mine from the band who have graduated. The current one is a trumpet player who has been doing it for 2 years. She's actually been much more 'into' it than I was. Where I was involved in finding new music, and writing and polishing it, she has actually raised some money during her tenure and bought some much-needed equipment, etc. She texted me over the weekend and asked if I'd be willing to sit in to play bass with the band during their last game of the year (playoffs, ya know). It will be only the second time I'll have actually heard the band since leaving. I know most of the music will be the same, but there's some new stuff, I'm sure. So Thursday night, I'll be sightreading some charts, and playing Betsy, my bass (for newbies--yes, I name my musical instruments). It's been too long. I'll be dressed a little more than I am here, though...

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"The basic Female body comes with the following accessories: garter belt, panti-girdle, crinoline, camisole, bustle, brassiere, stomacher, chemise, virgin zone, spike heels, nose ring, veil, kid gloves, fishnet stockings, fichu, bandeau, Merry Widow, weepers, chokers, barrettes, bangles, beads, lorgnette, feather boa, basic black, compact, Lycra stretch one-piece with modesty panel, designer peignoir, flannel nightie, lace teddy, bed, head."

~~Margaret Atwood

This week's Mystery Guest is working on that list...
Come back Thursday afternoon to find out who she is!

Our nicely accessorized MG is M from "Rumblings and Bumblings"! She's gone private for right now, but email her for an invite if you need one. If you're already in, be sure to stop by and say hi!

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"...the Other HNT" is a little more NSFW this week, but not too terribly bad. Come check out your fellow HNTers, if you dare! (then let us know you visited!)

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My complaints with Haloscan are well documented here (and by many of you!). Less problematic has been Blogrolling.com, though they've basically been functionally unavailable for months after they were hacked. Rather than come back with just patched bugs, they've completely rebuilt things from scratch. They've brought things back online this week, though there's still a glitch or two. If you check out my blogroll in my sidebar, you'll see a new look. No longer alphabetical, but apparently listed in the order that they were added. Which is certainly a revelation! Ignoring the fact that I have to look for specific links, I've found that there are dozens of sites that I haven't visited literally in years! Case in point...a woman in her late 40s who did HNT. She was suffering from a rare, but rapidly fatal case of brain cancer. She quit HNT in May 2007, and her regular blog's last entry was late July 2007. Makes one wonder if her family knew about either blog. It's an interesting history of the development and participation in HNT. There's 611 links under the HNT roll. If I hadn't cleaned up many dead links about a year ago, it would be closer to 900. The top links are those who got things going around here. Most of whom you wouldn't recognize. But there's a few that you might! And there's alot of old friends up there that I need to go back and reconnect with. I do hope that they fix the alphabetical part soon though...

Enjoy

Sometimes you just run across a site by accident, and through fate, or whatever reason, it continues to come back to haunt you over and over. Enjoy.

TMI Tuesday #176

1. Is there a sexual act/position/practice that you were sure in advance you would hate (or never try) and then discovered to your surprise you loved? - None that I'm aware of.
2. Is there a sexual act/position/practice that proved a lot less interesting in practice than you thought it would be beforehand? - None that I'm aware of.
3. How do you let your significant other know you're in the mood? How do you let a new person in your life know? - Similar answer to one from a few weeks ago---I'm breathing?
4. How does your significant other let you know he/she is in the mood? - Still trying to figure that one out.
5. Is there one that got away - a sexual opportunity you didn't realize was one at the time, or weren't ready for and regret missing ever since? - Well, there's a whole string of those from high school. And what's made it worse is that the ladies in question have made it known to me that the opportunities were there. Hindsight is much better than 20/20. Since then, there's probably been a few. Definitely think there have been a couple opportunities within the past year...

In spite of my lame answers, be sure that you check out everyone else who TMIed! I can almost guarantee that there's better answers out there!

Willie Wonka Would Be Impressed/Weekend Stuff

I always imagined that Willie Wonka must have had some sort of machine that could spray chocolate. Go spray a rabbit to make chocolate Easter bunnies. Or go out to the forest and spray some chocolate Christmas trees. A wonderfully spectacular machine. Ladies and gentlemen--I am that machine. I have been up most of the night running to the bathroom on an eerily regular basis. Something I ate last night certainly hasn't agreed with me. My apologies to those who came here as the result of a Google search...

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I had planned to go to bed early-ish last night (unrelated to what was going to be happening), but I got the wild idea of checking something out on YouTube. What a mistake THAT was! I've mentioned before that I don't really hang out there, but when I do, I end up clicking on all the other related videos, and soon have 10 windows of videos waiting for me, all with their own related video links, and so on and so forth... I won't bore you with all that I saw, but I keep forgetting what a truly talentless hack I am when I see some of the talent that is out there.

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Big news from my departed beer drinkin' buddies. Rachel had a birthday on Friday. She's getting old(er). It's nice to have company! Moose damned near killed herself in a vehicle rollover on Saturday morning. She's OK (no injuries, anyway), but the prognosis isn't very good for the car.

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Symphony concert went...OK. Maybe less than OK. From the standpoint of the trombones, it was a good concert. We played well. But there were some MAJOR mistakes made by some of the principal players--solos botched, solos missing, getting lost...you name it, it happened. I don't know if it was a matter of fatigue, or unfamiliarity with the music, or what the excuses were. Regardless, it certainly wasn't our best outing of the season. That's not to say that there weren't any special moments, because at times, it was outstanding. I just hope that we fare much better in our next concert (Bernstein!).

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I need a Mystery Guest for this week. First one to email me and tells me they want to be it, the position is yours!