bohnsack.com

Speaking of punk bands, check out this fabulously interesting account of Narthex.

From their website:

Bit players in the cinerama epic of punk, Narthex played shows in Philadelphia and vicinity from 1980 to 1983. From the unknown chapters of punk history, here is their story along with an album's worth of audio.

Makes me wish I had more evidence of the glories of 4-Real and Outright. There is one video tape of an Outright show (one of two or three that we actually did) that I think should exist somewhere. I hope Aaron Buettner or Jeff Brandt still have a copy, because I don't. Anyone remember Mason City Hardcore's Sorry Excuse?

A Dusty Groove musical challenge:

Pick a number albums from http://www.dustygroove.com/. After I select 5 records from among your suggestions, I'll purchase the 5, listen to them, and provide reviews in this weblog.

The Descendents have an new EP out entitled "'Merican". I haven't bought it yet, but have "acquired" it via the Internet as MP3s. I will buy it though because: 1) I require higher quality than it can be found in on the net. 2) The Descendents rock so hard, they deserve my money.

In my pantheon of punk-rock bands, The Descendents are multi-armed and all-powerful. Their old stuff invokes in me place, times, people, and thoughts long gone with a strange clarity, and they're still producing modern-day gold. If their new full-length album due March 23rd is as good as 1996's Everything Sucks, I'll be a happy camper. Having lived through it, the period from 1996 to 2004 doesn't seem like a very long time. Eight years is a long time to seem short.

I've become interested in climbing mountains. Not the kind where you need fancy gear and hang by a rope, but the easyish kind where you just walk up the mountain. Perhaps they call that hiking. Ultimately I'd like to to do Mount Kilimanjaro, but stuff in my backyard and Mount St. Helens seem good places to start.

An animated gif of me on the beach in Sayulita. ~ 1.1 MB.

As a reference:
mogrify -format gif -resize 200x133 *.JPG
gifsicle --delay=20 --loop *.gif > animation.gif

An animated gif of Beef on the beach in Sayulita. Good times. Props to Gifsicle and ImageMagick.

I've yet to finish posting even 20% of the photos from Sayulita. Because I'm sick and work is keeping me all-to-busy, it's slow going. However, Blake can't seem to wait for pictures of himself, so here are two photos of him that have already been posted:

I'll work on the rest of the photos this evening and over the weekend.

I made it back from Mexico last night around 9:30PM. I slept most of today, fighting a cold that I'm surprised didn't hit until right when the vacation ended.

Sayulita is a wonderful place for a vacation. I'll return.

A first batch of photos from the trip that covers the first few days is up. There are naturally gigs more, but it will take me a little while to have them ready.

Sayulita is good times

ARLINGTON, Virginia, February 9, 2004 -- Eight high-ranking aerospace and technology experts have been appointed to the President's Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy, joining Chairman Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge. The Commission, known as the President's Commission on Moon, Mars, and Beyond, is charged with providing recommendations to the President regarding moon research activities, increasing young people's interest in space science, and bringing in industry and other countries as space partners.

create your own visited country map.

create your own visited states map

download.

This guy and his "SKEEDADDLEHOPPER" remind me of someone I know.

I'm 30 years old today. Seems like a lot of years.

See this via this. Considering I have the WRT54G, this is quite interesting stuff.

The superbowl is on, but I am not watching it. Instead, Elisa and Nathan Berg are watching me type this weblog entry. We are preparing for Fajitas, Guacamole, and Empanadas.

Brian Caldwell has some good digital photography resources.

I've got some travel coming up:

In two weeks, I'm going on vacation to Sayulita, Mexico. According to the marketing, Sayulita is a sleepy little fishing village located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, just 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. I'm going with Megan, Beef, John Morris, the McRossi, and some others. We're staying at Casa Dos Amigos. Should be a lot fun.

Here's my flight information:
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Continental #2836 Albuquerque @6:55AM -> Houston @9:50AM
Continental #1920 Houston @10:36AM -> Puerto Vallarta @1:10PM

Saturday, February 21, 2004
Continental #1923 Puerto Vallarta @4:35PM -> Houston @6:57PM
Continental #3393 Houston @8:20PM -> Albuquerque @9:32PM

After Mexico, I get to go to Hawaii on business for a few days (Oahu and Maui). This is still tentative at this point.

Finally, I mean to get down to visit my father over a weekend at his winter home near Brownsville Texas. Perhaps the beginning of March?