The Man With Two Blogs

I now have two blogs: the one you are reading and this one.

Why?

I could say that I am a complex human being. Maybe a single blog just isn't enough to capture all of my facets

Maybe I've decided that I must produce more blog coverage in today's media-centric world.

Maybe I'm just typing relative nonsense in order to fill the space around the picture that I've attached to this entry.

But the truth is that I've created a second blog in order to double my advertising revenue.

Equate Sterile Saline Solution Aerosol

UPDATE: I finally ran out of the 2 cases I bought last July. The good news is that this is still commercially available. Rite Aid stores are carrying the 12 oz aerosol can, and you can buy this from Drugstore.com and others. The bad news is that the price ranges from $6.25-$7.99 per can, with shipping on top. The price at Rite Aid is $7.99 as I write this, so, for now, I plan to shop there.

Here is the Blairex web site - it has links to Drugstore.com:

http://www.blairex.com/BLBlairexSaline.php

Greenville

I'm in Greenville SC this week. The city has rebuilt its downtown -- I can honestly say I have never seen a more beautiful city.

I'm staying in a hotel within walking distance from the city's minor-league ballfield, an amazing park, and about 100 good restaurants. Seriously, it's heaven. For months, I've been hearing this voice in my head: "You could do your job from here ..."

I took several pictures from my hotel room and posted them on Flickr (link below). The one here is a night shot, a very long exposure. The streak of light on the right is a car driving into the frame.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10335838@N04/

Spring

Okay, it isn't Spring ... it really isn't even close. But it feels like Spring outside. Even weeds are beautiful today.

Mark My Words, Again

I ran across a story in the news today about cars that can drive themselves. As loyal reader of my blog will attest, I am obsessed with this idea:

Driverless Cars

A couple of interesting points: First, GM is trying to design a car that will be compatible with existing roads -- and existing, human-controlled traffic. Second, the time-frame is within the next eight years. Both of these assumptions are way, way beyond anything I would dare predict. I still think it will take 10 years before most people accept the fact that this will happen someday. It will be ten years after that before we see driverless cars on the roads.

Given that this is being researched by a leading innovator like GM, we can expect millions to be wasted on concept cars that never reach the roads. On the plus side, they might thrash around and get Honda or Toyota interested.

The picture above is of my Grandmother Cage, my Dad, and his younger brother and sister. The car in the background is, in my opinion, one of the best looking automobiles in human history.

The Late Late Show With Me

The only late-night talk show I watch these days is Craig Ferguson. Actually, watch is the wrong word -- I record the show, and listen as I'm eating breakfast the next day. Last Thursday, I almost choked on my Cheerios -- Ferguson read my e-mail on the air! It was Ferguson's first new show after two months off for the writers' strike. I thought the joke I sent him was kind of dumb, but it got a laugh.

It's an in-joke, so unless you watch the Late Late Show, it probably won't be funny at all. Here it is: "Dear Craig. You have a very busy show tonight. Do you even have time for this e-mail?" Ferguson read the email, said "No," and threw it back on the stack.

Like I said, kind of a dumb joke. But now "James from Duluth, GA" is a celebrity from coast-to-coast.

I'm so proud.

Seven Albums

Today, I received seven albums in the mail:

• Kim Richey, Chinese Boxes
• Fountains of Wayne, Traffic and Weather
• Ivy, In the Clear
• Shawn Colvin, These Four Walls
• Sarah Harmer, All of Our Names
• Joan Osborne, Pretty Little Stranger
• Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out

It's a good haul. I buy all of my CDs used (at SecondSpin.com), so finding a particular album is a combination of luck and patience. Maybe it's the holiday season, but a lot of good music became available all at once, so I jumped. According to iTunes, these albums represent Alternative, Country, Folk, Pop, and Jazz. My musical taste is growing in all directions at once.

I've listened to Brubeck and the new Fountains of Wayne, and I'm listing to In the Clear as I write this. All are excellent. When Fountains of Wayne is playing, I really listen. I want to hear every lyric, get every joke, see every image. Jazz is different. I tend to zone out, daydreaming, and only occasionally coming back to consciously hear the music. But the daydreams are pleasant.

I'm particularly happy that Kim Richey has come out with a new CD. Her album Rise is one of my favorites (Electric Green -- wow). I'll be happy if Chinese Boxes is half as good.