Hey kids, just felt the need to share this list from The Onion.com AV Club (good reading, highly recommended.) The Way Of The Swayze: How To Be A Thoughtful Hunk. Yeah. That's right. And if you can handle that, then you're just one step away from Steve McQueen awesomeness. If not, well, then, there's always Chuck Norris...
"It's not getting up there that bothers me. It's staying up there that I mind."
-Steve McQueen, The Magnificent Seven
2007-03-31
2007-03-29
What's up, all you fine peoples out there in blogger land! I'm not ignoring you, honest, just crazy busy! Been working at the Gramercy alot, and since there's (still) no Internet access there, it's been kinda hard to keep up. But I haven't forgotten my faithful readers (both of you. Hi Mom!)
So, yeah, between the Gram and getting ready for the big Guster show at the Beacon, that's pretty much been my life. I think I've seen Amanda twice in the last two weeks, other than to say "goodnight" or "good morning." And even then, one of us is half asleep. But, hey, I could be on tour, right? Yeah.
Watched Casino Royale last week. I highly recommend it. Best Bond film in 20 years. Ok, well, maybe since Goldeneye. But still damn good. And I know it's been said, many times, many ways; but Daniel Craig is easily the #2 all time Bond, after Mr. Connery, of course. Many people have said that they don't really get in to Bond films, that they think they're boring and formulaic. Well, to those people I say this: yes, you're right. But not this one. There's actually a new script for this one. And it's good. Just make sure you go potty before watching, as it is a long film. Got it? Ok, moving on.
So, we have Mika coming up tonight at the Gram. I know you've never heard of him, but check it out. Very odd kind of British thing going on there, not really sure how to describe it except that it's kind of like he ate a copy of Yellow Submarine and just keeps pooping it out. The man at table 3 said EXTRA magic mushrooms on that salad, thank you.
So, here's some pics from earlier in the week. Enjoy!
Macy Gray, pop diva. Not really, she was pretty cool.
So, yeah, between the Gram and getting ready for the big Guster show at the Beacon, that's pretty much been my life. I think I've seen Amanda twice in the last two weeks, other than to say "goodnight" or "good morning." And even then, one of us is half asleep. But, hey, I could be on tour, right? Yeah.
Watched Casino Royale last week. I highly recommend it. Best Bond film in 20 years. Ok, well, maybe since Goldeneye. But still damn good. And I know it's been said, many times, many ways; but Daniel Craig is easily the #2 all time Bond, after Mr. Connery, of course. Many people have said that they don't really get in to Bond films, that they think they're boring and formulaic. Well, to those people I say this: yes, you're right. But not this one. There's actually a new script for this one. And it's good. Just make sure you go potty before watching, as it is a long film. Got it? Ok, moving on.
So, we have Mika coming up tonight at the Gram. I know you've never heard of him, but check it out. Very odd kind of British thing going on there, not really sure how to describe it except that it's kind of like he ate a copy of Yellow Submarine and just keeps pooping it out. The man at table 3 said EXTRA magic mushrooms on that salad, thank you.
So, here's some pics from earlier in the week. Enjoy!
Into Eternity: Canuck Death Metal.
Macy Gray, pop diva. Not really, she was pretty cool.
"I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer."
-- Douglas Adams
-- Douglas Adams
2007-03-20
So, I don't know how many of you enjoyed my random thought for the day, because apparently no one cares. But that's OK: it was a random thought.
Here's a not-so-random thought: while reading the news today, I noticed this little gem in the San Fransisco (not Frisco, never Frisco, they hate that) Chronicle: Bush Warns Dems to Take Offer in Firings. Now, I don't know about you, faithful reader that you are, but this article reminds me of another President, one who had a hostile Congress of the opposite party calling for his impeachment, albeit on a slightly more trivial matter. Gee, just who could that be? Oh, right, him. More on that here. And, I just want to say this: it may make me a bad American for never having seen his Presidential portrait before, but damn if that isn't the gayest looking Presidential portrait I've ever seen. I mean, why couldn't he just have Monica painted in there, in just the right position. Then it would be the coolest Presidential portrait ever.
And just look at the first paragraph of that bio. Here, I'll link to it again. Hard to believe, isn't it?
Anyway, getting back to Pres. Shrub, I just want to use this quote:
2. Bush says "there's a lot of politics in this town." like it's a friggin' revelation or something! Come ON! Politics?!? In Washington D.C.? No, I can't believe it. a nflkjas7feingu.!
Ok, that's enough of THAT. Look! Kittens!
Awww.....
So, I know I promised a rant about Ann Coulter and what a C-Word she is, but I'm thinking it's better to take this approach: ignore it, and it'll go away. At least, that's what I'm hoping this self-hating closet lesbian will do. Oh, did I say that out loud?
"If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex?"
Art Hoppe
Here's a not-so-random thought: while reading the news today, I noticed this little gem in the San Fransisco (not Frisco, never Frisco, they hate that) Chronicle: Bush Warns Dems to Take Offer in Firings. Now, I don't know about you, faithful reader that you are, but this article reminds me of another President, one who had a hostile Congress of the opposite party calling for his impeachment, albeit on a slightly more trivial matter. Gee, just who could that be? Oh, right, him. More on that here. And, I just want to say this: it may make me a bad American for never having seen his Presidential portrait before, but damn if that isn't the gayest looking Presidential portrait I've ever seen. I mean, why couldn't he just have Monica painted in there, in just the right position. Then it would be the coolest Presidential portrait ever.
And just look at the first paragraph of that bio. Here, I'll link to it again. Hard to believe, isn't it?
Anyway, getting back to Pres. Shrub, I just want to use this quote:
Bush said he would aggressively fight in court any attempt to subpoena White House aides.
"If the staff of a president operated in constant fear of being hauled before various committees to discuss internal deliberations, the president would not receive candid advice and the American people would be ill-served," he [Pres. Bush] said. "I'm sorry the situation has gotten to where it's got, but that's Washington, D.C., for you. You know there's a lot of politics in this town."
Two things bother me here. 1. The fact that Bush uses the same argument to cover up his reasons for firing federal prosecutors that disagreed with him as Clinton used to try to keep his staff from testifying about Monica. Where's the outrage, people? When ol' Bill used this tactic, the pundit-sphere (yeah, that's right.) went crazy-nuts. Yet why isn't anyone losing their mind over this?2. Bush says "there's a lot of politics in this town." like it's a friggin' revelation or something! Come ON! Politics?!? In Washington D.C.? No, I can't believe it. a nflkjas7feingu.!
Ok, that's enough of THAT. Look! Kittens!
Awww.....
So, I know I promised a rant about Ann Coulter and what a C-Word she is, but I'm thinking it's better to take this approach: ignore it, and it'll go away. At least, that's what I'm hoping this self-hating closet lesbian will do. Oh, did I say that out loud?
"If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex?"
Art Hoppe
2007-03-19
Hey gang, just a shortie before work today. A few observations:
1. Just who does Tom DeLay think he is? Now, many of you know, I try not to watch TV news shows because they make me angry and I start yelling at the TV. But I happened to catch part of Meet the Press with Tim Russert yesterday, and Mr. DeLay was talking about the Iraq war when he said this:
"FMR. REP. DeLAY: Well, I--it, it is my opinion that when you go to war, we ought to all come together. You can debate going to war, that's a legitimate debate. But once you have our soldiers and our, our young people dying on the battlefield, we should come together, and we shouldn't have what we had yesterday on the Mall of, of, of--in Washington, D.C. When the--those are not, in my mind--my opinion, patriots that are talking about impeaching the commander in chief, that are--that are--work as, as Tom's group works....
2. I don't know how many of you have heard about this one, but apparently some kid in Alaska decided it would be a good idea to put up a banner that said "Bong Hits for Jesus" at a rally when the Olympic torch passed through in 2002. His high school principal did not agree, and the case has finally reached the Supreme Court. Now, this is an important free speech issue and all, but I'd just like to say this: maybe some bong hits would be a good thing for Jesus and all his pals. Those people REALLY need to loosen up.
3. For those of you out there with "March Madness" and "Bracket Fever" and whatnot, this is just a reminder: there is a "rest of the world" and we don't care. Just a little something to keep in mind.
4. I don't know how many of you read the comics, but Non Sequitur has run a hilariously funny set of comics last week dealing with the media. You can check them out starting here: http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2007/03/13/.
5. I just found out that if you search Google for "backwards k," my blog is the number 4 entry! Tell all your friends, and let's see if we can get number 1!
And finally, a word from out sponsor:
"The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously."
Hubert H. Humphrey (1911 - 1978)
1. Just who does Tom DeLay think he is? Now, many of you know, I try not to watch TV news shows because they make me angry and I start yelling at the TV. But I happened to catch part of Meet the Press with Tim Russert yesterday, and Mr. DeLay was talking about the Iraq war when he said this:
"FMR. REP. DeLAY: Well, I--it, it is my opinion that when you go to war, we ought to all come together. You can debate going to war, that's a legitimate debate. But once you have our soldiers and our, our young people dying on the battlefield, we should come together, and we shouldn't have what we had yesterday on the Mall of, of, of--in Washington, D.C. When the--those are not, in my mind--my opinion, patriots that are talking about impeaching the commander in chief, that are--that are--work as, as Tom's group works....
MR. RUSSERT: But setting a date for--is setting a date for withdrawal...
FMR. REP. DeLAY: ...every step of the day, undermine--I think it's aiding and abetting the enemy. When you tell the enemy what your strategy is, that's aiding and abetting the enemy because they can use that strategy to come back and harm your soldiers."
2. I don't know how many of you have heard about this one, but apparently some kid in Alaska decided it would be a good idea to put up a banner that said "Bong Hits for Jesus" at a rally when the Olympic torch passed through in 2002. His high school principal did not agree, and the case has finally reached the Supreme Court. Now, this is an important free speech issue and all, but I'd just like to say this: maybe some bong hits would be a good thing for Jesus and all his pals. Those people REALLY need to loosen up.
3. For those of you out there with "March Madness" and "Bracket Fever" and whatnot, this is just a reminder: there is a "rest of the world" and we don't care. Just a little something to keep in mind.
4. I don't know how many of you read the comics, but Non Sequitur has run a hilariously funny set of comics last week dealing with the media. You can check them out starting here: http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2007/03/13/.
5. I just found out that if you search Google for "backwards k," my blog is the number 4 entry! Tell all your friends, and let's see if we can get number 1!
And finally, a word from out sponsor:
"The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously."
Hubert H. Humphrey (1911 - 1978)
2007-03-11
This post is in response to a post on my cousin Kristian's blog, Shocked and Awed. Read the post in question, along with comments here. For whatever reason, I'm having a hard time posting a comment on his blog, so I've decided to share my comment here, with all of you. Yes, it's political and yes, there's some harsh things in there, but that's the way I see it.
So, I just read the post from the other day, "Why a liberal can't vote Democrat." I just want to point out something: if you compare the casualty figures from Iraq to the casualty figures from Vietnam (something we're NEVER EVER supposed to do), you may notice a similarity.
In 10 years in Vietnam (1964-1975), approximately 1.5 million North Vietnamese died. In that same time, 58,226 American soldiers were listed as KIA or MIA, according to this website. In four years in Iraq, 3,162 Americans were KIA, and up to 655,000 Iraqi's (civilian and military) have been killed. That's about 207 Iraqis for every one American. Extrapolate those numbers to 10 years and you find that 7,905 Americans will have died to over 1.6 million Iraqis.
My point here is this: we killed 25 Vietnamese for every American that died in Vietnam, yet they still had the strength and the will to fight us. And they still turned to civil war as soon as the US left. In Iraq, we're killing anywhere from 17:1 (some estimates are as low as 55,000 Iraqis dead) to over 10 times that much, and they're still fighting. We can "stay the course" for 10, 15, or 20 years, the result will be the same. As it was for the British, and the Ottomans before them.
These people do not want Democracy, at least, not the secular democracy we're trying to force down their throats. Until the small minded religious views are sorted out, this part of the world will be nothing but a war zone, hostile to free thought and expression. Islam in this war is just a replacement for Communism, and as soon as the US leaves Iraq, it will devolve into sectarian violence (worse than it already has) and chaos, with local war lords controlling most of the country. There is nothing to prevent this, because the only people that can stop it are the Iraqis, and they're too busy arguing about something that happened 1300 years ago to worry about tomorrow. The longer Americans stay in this situation, the more of them will die. And, though it may make me a bad person to say it, they'll die for nothing. Because no one will be freed. No one will be saved.
Are the Iraqi's better off without Saddam? Only the Iraqis can answer that. Will 4,000 more American lives prevent the genocide that will come when the US leaves? Doubtful. I don't know if you're a betting man, but it seems to me that the safe bet is to leave, and try to contain the violence to Iraq. Pull US forces out of Baghdad and to the borders. Lock down Iraqi airspace. Keep the Iranians and Jordanians and Syrians out. Step out of the line of fire and let the Iraqis fight it out amongst themselves. Then maybe, MAYBE, there will be a chance for peace in Iraq. But no revolution of this kind (that would be religious, not political) can be achieved without blood. It just won't happen.
"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."
John Adams (1735 - 1826)
So, I just read the post from the other day, "Why a liberal can't vote Democrat." I just want to point out something: if you compare the casualty figures from Iraq to the casualty figures from Vietnam (something we're NEVER EVER supposed to do), you may notice a similarity.
In 10 years in Vietnam (1964-1975), approximately 1.5 million North Vietnamese died. In that same time, 58,226 American soldiers were listed as KIA or MIA, according to this website. In four years in Iraq, 3,162 Americans were KIA, and up to 655,000 Iraqi's (civilian and military) have been killed. That's about 207 Iraqis for every one American. Extrapolate those numbers to 10 years and you find that 7,905 Americans will have died to over 1.6 million Iraqis.
My point here is this: we killed 25 Vietnamese for every American that died in Vietnam, yet they still had the strength and the will to fight us. And they still turned to civil war as soon as the US left. In Iraq, we're killing anywhere from 17:1 (some estimates are as low as 55,000 Iraqis dead) to over 10 times that much, and they're still fighting. We can "stay the course" for 10, 15, or 20 years, the result will be the same. As it was for the British, and the Ottomans before them.
These people do not want Democracy, at least, not the secular democracy we're trying to force down their throats. Until the small minded religious views are sorted out, this part of the world will be nothing but a war zone, hostile to free thought and expression. Islam in this war is just a replacement for Communism, and as soon as the US leaves Iraq, it will devolve into sectarian violence (worse than it already has) and chaos, with local war lords controlling most of the country. There is nothing to prevent this, because the only people that can stop it are the Iraqis, and they're too busy arguing about something that happened 1300 years ago to worry about tomorrow. The longer Americans stay in this situation, the more of them will die. And, though it may make me a bad person to say it, they'll die for nothing. Because no one will be freed. No one will be saved.
Are the Iraqi's better off without Saddam? Only the Iraqis can answer that. Will 4,000 more American lives prevent the genocide that will come when the US leaves? Doubtful. I don't know if you're a betting man, but it seems to me that the safe bet is to leave, and try to contain the violence to Iraq. Pull US forces out of Baghdad and to the borders. Lock down Iraqi airspace. Keep the Iranians and Jordanians and Syrians out. Step out of the line of fire and let the Iraqis fight it out amongst themselves. Then maybe, MAYBE, there will be a chance for peace in Iraq. But no revolution of this kind (that would be religious, not political) can be achieved without blood. It just won't happen.
"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."
John Adams (1735 - 1826)
Good morning, kids. Hope you all remembered to set your clocks ahead today. Good, now we can get on with the silliness.
Popped on to Google News (now out of beta!) to find this little gem: Native American trackers to hunt bin Laden. All I really want to know is: WHY WEREN'T THEY SENT IN 5 YEARS AGO!!!! Sorry to raise my voice, but if this man is supposedly the number one priority for our government, then why has it taken so long and so many lives to send in the best trackers that we have? Could it maybe be that the government doesn't really want to find bin Laden? Could it be because the longer he is on the loose, the longer they can justify spending on ridiculous military programs? Could it be that Osama will be magically "found" somewhere around October of 2008, just in time for the Republicans to look REALLY good for the election? Or maybe in December 2008, as a final coup de gras to the Shrub administration? Can I add any more questions to this paragraph? Who wants to know?
Ok, now that THAT's out of the way, on to lighter fare: this week marked the re-opening of the Gramercy Theatre in NYC. The first night featured three bands: Beat the Devil, Monsters are Waiting, and stellastarr*. All three are "indie" bands (even tho stellastarr* has a record contract with RCA) and from Brooklyn. Beat the Devil and Monsters are Waiting were surprisingly good, in their own way. BTD was three people: a drummer, a bass/keyboard/bass drummer, and a female vocalist with a growl and harmonium. Very interesting, and when they put it all together, quite good. MAW wasn't bad either, very trippy and electronic, with a kind of pop/techno sound. More pop than techno. stellastarr* also played well, with a few catchy tunes, but I found them to be rather derivative: they were trying very hard to be an 80's band without being an 80's band. Think The Cure. Ah well.
So that show went well, and then Thursday was Charlie Louvin, with Laura Cantrell. We went from goth/electronica to classic country. We got both kinds a music here! Charlie Louvin is one half of the fabled country duo the Louvin Brothers, and at 79 years old, he puts on a good show. He's quick, lots of one liners between songs, and his voice is strong. He put together a fantastic band and gave the people a wonderful show.
Friday night we had a group of Liverpudlians (not to be confused with Lillipudlians) calling themselves Clinic. Their gimmick is that they wear surgical masks and scrubs on stage, while playing a kind of punk/pop that can only be described as repetitive. While they have a fairly unique sound and I did like one or two of the songs, hearing them over and over for 1 1/2 hours was a little tedious. But I digress. The band that opened for them was called Holy F*** (without the ***). While that wasn't my first reaction (it was more like "What the f***?), and it wasn't my final analysis, it wasn't terrible. They certainly had fun playing. And I did too, believe it or not. Their brand of electronic punk is perfect for lighting: go nuts, push every button and see what happens. Woo Hoo! Here's some pics from Friday:
Clinic
Well, that's about all for now. Keep your noses clean and don't forget to brush!
"Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river."
Popped on to Google News (now out of beta!) to find this little gem: Native American trackers to hunt bin Laden. All I really want to know is: WHY WEREN'T THEY SENT IN 5 YEARS AGO!!!! Sorry to raise my voice, but if this man is supposedly the number one priority for our government, then why has it taken so long and so many lives to send in the best trackers that we have? Could it maybe be that the government doesn't really want to find bin Laden? Could it be because the longer he is on the loose, the longer they can justify spending on ridiculous military programs? Could it be that Osama will be magically "found" somewhere around October of 2008, just in time for the Republicans to look REALLY good for the election? Or maybe in December 2008, as a final coup de gras to the Shrub administration? Can I add any more questions to this paragraph? Who wants to know?
Ok, now that THAT's out of the way, on to lighter fare: this week marked the re-opening of the Gramercy Theatre in NYC. The first night featured three bands: Beat the Devil, Monsters are Waiting, and stellastarr*. All three are "indie" bands (even tho stellastarr* has a record contract with RCA) and from Brooklyn. Beat the Devil and Monsters are Waiting were surprisingly good, in their own way. BTD was three people: a drummer, a bass/keyboard/bass drummer, and a female vocalist with a growl and harmonium. Very interesting, and when they put it all together, quite good. MAW wasn't bad either, very trippy and electronic, with a kind of pop/techno sound. More pop than techno. stellastarr* also played well, with a few catchy tunes, but I found them to be rather derivative: they were trying very hard to be an 80's band without being an 80's band. Think The Cure. Ah well.
So that show went well, and then Thursday was Charlie Louvin, with Laura Cantrell. We went from goth/electronica to classic country. We got both kinds a music here! Charlie Louvin is one half of the fabled country duo the Louvin Brothers, and at 79 years old, he puts on a good show. He's quick, lots of one liners between songs, and his voice is strong. He put together a fantastic band and gave the people a wonderful show.
Friday night we had a group of Liverpudlians (not to be confused with Lillipudlians) calling themselves Clinic. Their gimmick is that they wear surgical masks and scrubs on stage, while playing a kind of punk/pop that can only be described as repetitive. While they have a fairly unique sound and I did like one or two of the songs, hearing them over and over for 1 1/2 hours was a little tedious. But I digress. The band that opened for them was called Holy F*** (without the ***). While that wasn't my first reaction (it was more like "What the f***?), and it wasn't my final analysis, it wasn't terrible. They certainly had fun playing. And I did too, believe it or not. Their brand of electronic punk is perfect for lighting: go nuts, push every button and see what happens. Woo Hoo! Here's some pics from Friday:
Holy F***
Clinic
Well, that's about all for now. Keep your noses clean and don't forget to brush!
"Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river."
2007-03-06
So, today I learned a valuable lesson: your tiny screw up today can make someone else's life hell in ten years. Now, I had a nice little entry prepared for all about how much fun I had in Phoenix: about how great the company we rented the gear from was; how fantastic it was working for a client who actually took the time to make sure we ATE; how I got to play golf on Sunday, even tho it was only 9 holes and I played terribly; about how I ran into Charlie Moore (who apparently got my father so drunk on the night I was born... well, we won't go into that); about how I hung out with Rob Grasso (who apparently went to Clifton High with my Uncle DJ, and I quote "Oh, yeah, I went to high school with DJ. Wow, how old does that make ME?"); and about how awesome the Great Lawn that I lit looked (the hotel people were asking if we could just leave the lights there. I told them that wasn't my decision, but I'd be happy to come back and do it again.) But nooooooooooooo. No, tonight, I'm going to tell you all about how some toolbag 10 years ago ruined my day today by not following procedure.
You see, today started my run at the Grammercy Theatre in NYC. Last October, Live Nation bought the Grammercy and began turning it into a concert venue. When BML was hired to install the lighting rig, they tapped me to run it. Very cool. A great opportunity. But we can't pay you your full rate. But it's a great opportunity. And if I wasn't excited about it, I guess I would be more p. o.'d. But I digress. SO, when I got to the Grammercy today and turned on the dimmer rack, it started acting weird. None of the lights would come on. And one of the little warning LED's was on. The one that said "Over Voltage." I knew this was bad. Especially since this was the second dimmer rack sent in because the first was having the same problem. SO I pulled out my trusty meter to check the power: 109v on phase A (too low); 132 v on phase B (too high); 138v on phase C (Ludicrous speed, GO!). And 25v on the ground/neutral (really, really, REALLY bad. Like letting the magic smoke out bad.) Well, what to do? Go to the disconnect, start at the start, right? So, meter the disconnect: 123v on line A (good); 123v on line B (really good), 120v on line C (disco). And 0v on the ground/ neutral. Hmm... what could possibly cause THAT? (for those of you without electronics training, your normal, everyday, household power should be 120v, 60 Hz. This means that, 60 times, every second, there are 120v of electrical pressure on the line, creating the potential for work (measured in watts) to be done. Any variation of more than 10 v in this line can cause your electrical appliance to A. not work (too low) or B. burn (too high). So in this case, 138v is bad. Not as bad as say, 480v, but bad nonetheless. So, everyone got that? Good.) So, you're probably asking yourself, but Mikey, what does this have to do with the jerk 10 years ago? (actually, you're probably asking yourself, Self, why have you read this far into this crap? Don't you have something better to do, like emptying the litter box or putting bamboo shoots in your toenails? Well, I'll tell you: no, you obviously don't.) You see, the reason for my way off the mark readings is because some tool bag installed an electrical box with two neutrals, BUT ONLY CONNECTED ONE. And then he left the wire for the disconnected one HANGING LOOSE with NO INSULATION at all! So when I came along and said "Hey, this looks like my place to tie in to power! I'll just plug in here" and plugged in the neutral to the disconnected plug, it caused the power to run to the panel box that the bare wire was touching, creating a ground fault and potentially deadly situation. So, toolbag from Production Arts who installed this stupid panel: thank you, for wasting 4 hours of my life. And thank you, for ALMOST KILLING ME. I really appreciate it, and hope that the 15 seconds you saved by taking a shortcut were well spent, and not spent on crap like this.
Ok, I'm done now. You really should check out that last link tho. It's true, I'm convinced. Don't say I didn't warn you... sorry about the rant. Next time I'll have one on that dried up old c-word Ann Coulter, and her homo-hatin' ways, but I'm just tapped out right now.
You see, today started my run at the Grammercy Theatre in NYC. Last October, Live Nation bought the Grammercy and began turning it into a concert venue. When BML was hired to install the lighting rig, they tapped me to run it. Very cool. A great opportunity. But we can't pay you your full rate. But it's a great opportunity. And if I wasn't excited about it, I guess I would be more p. o.'d. But I digress. SO, when I got to the Grammercy today and turned on the dimmer rack, it started acting weird. None of the lights would come on. And one of the little warning LED's was on. The one that said "Over Voltage." I knew this was bad. Especially since this was the second dimmer rack sent in because the first was having the same problem. SO I pulled out my trusty meter to check the power: 109v on phase A (too low); 132 v on phase B (too high); 138v on phase C (Ludicrous speed, GO!). And 25v on the ground/neutral (really, really, REALLY bad. Like letting the magic smoke out bad.) Well, what to do? Go to the disconnect, start at the start, right? So, meter the disconnect: 123v on line A (good); 123v on line B (really good), 120v on line C (disco). And 0v on the ground/ neutral. Hmm... what could possibly cause THAT? (for those of you without electronics training, your normal, everyday, household power should be 120v, 60 Hz. This means that, 60 times, every second, there are 120v of electrical pressure on the line, creating the potential for work (measured in watts) to be done. Any variation of more than 10 v in this line can cause your electrical appliance to A. not work (too low) or B. burn (too high). So in this case, 138v is bad. Not as bad as say, 480v, but bad nonetheless. So, everyone got that? Good.) So, you're probably asking yourself, but Mikey, what does this have to do with the jerk 10 years ago? (actually, you're probably asking yourself, Self, why have you read this far into this crap? Don't you have something better to do, like emptying the litter box or putting bamboo shoots in your toenails? Well, I'll tell you: no, you obviously don't.) You see, the reason for my way off the mark readings is because some tool bag installed an electrical box with two neutrals, BUT ONLY CONNECTED ONE. And then he left the wire for the disconnected one HANGING LOOSE with NO INSULATION at all! So when I came along and said "Hey, this looks like my place to tie in to power! I'll just plug in here" and plugged in the neutral to the disconnected plug, it caused the power to run to the panel box that the bare wire was touching, creating a ground fault and potentially deadly situation. So, toolbag from Production Arts who installed this stupid panel: thank you, for wasting 4 hours of my life. And thank you, for ALMOST KILLING ME. I really appreciate it, and hope that the 15 seconds you saved by taking a shortcut were well spent, and not spent on crap like this.
Ok, I'm done now. You really should check out that last link tho. It's true, I'm convinced. Don't say I didn't warn you... sorry about the rant. Next time I'll have one on that dried up old c-word Ann Coulter, and her homo-hatin' ways, but I'm just tapped out right now.
- "Defining and analyzing humor is a pastime of humorless people."
- Robert Benchley (1889 - 1945)
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