What's New

What's New at Rob's World! What's new, changed, or improved recently.

Welcome to my most humble Web Site. I've been working on it on and off for nearly nine years now. I guess it's my way of keeping a journal. Buried between these pages you'll find all my secret desires, and passionate beliefs. Unfortunately, or luckily; I can't help but share them with the rest of the world. If you've found something amongst my web pages that has helped or entertained you in some way, then I've done what I've set out to do. I'll keep plugging away at the site; hoping to improve and expand it until it's complete. When's that? Robert L. Vaessen

This document is the "What's New" web log from 2004

Last night I watched a movie and Kim made me a Perch dinner. As you may (or may not) recall, I brought back a bunch of perch with me when I came back from Wisconsin. She fried them up to a golden brown, and I made a tartar sauce. Yummy, numshish, scrumshish perch! We also went for a little drive around Lowry. There are some very nice luxury homes there, and we wanted to see their Christmas decorations. We had a good time.

Monsters! The party certainly has had it's share of encounters during this adventure. Most of the encounters have been with cold based monsters, and the last sessions encounters was no exception. I added one new entry: The Chraal is a very dangerous cold elemental. Two party members nearly lost their lives after encountering this heavy duty monster.
Who's Who? As a result of the last two sessions, I've updated entries for two NPCs, and added one new one. The party learned more about Piyarz and Sion. I also added an entry for Auberge the 'warden' of the Tower's hostel.
Thanks to Mark and Sean, I've posted three journal entries. Follow the party's exploits by reading the journal entries submitted by the players.

I've updated the 3E campaign page with the new game date (8 Jan 2005) and a note regarding the continuation of the campaign. Due to a change in my job, our D&D meeting schedule is going to be changing. No I'm not ending the campaign!
I updated the House Rules document. I added a bunch of additional references to the 'Rule Books Used' and 'Allowable character classes and races' sections of the house rules. The changes begin on page 4, and include many new rulebooks and six new races. Since there were no changes or additions to the rules, I didn't print a new copy for use during game play.
A new player character race. Mark (a player in our campaign) recommended and wrote up a new race for use in our campaign. I did a little editing and added some disclaimers. The new race: the Stone Gnome, is available for download/viewing on the 3E Campaign page. Players now have another campaign specific race to choose from.

9 Nov - I'm driving the Volvo to Wisconsin. I stayed overnight in Dixon Illinois; birthplace of Ronald Reagan.
10 Nov - I'm driving the Volvo to Wisconsin. I arrived in De Pere around 1030 in the morning. I caught the in-laws off-guard. They'd gone out for a walk.
- I unpacked and relaxed for the rest of the day.
- I stayed at the Kuchta's (Kim's parents: Ted & Sharon) from the 10th - 17th of Nov.
11 Nov - I hooked up a DVD player to the Big Screen TV.
- Ted and I shopped for, purchased*, and assembled a computer desk.
- Watched Shadow Dragon - The Ninja movie.
- I had a few beers (George Killian's Irish Red).
12 Nov - I hooked up the G4.
- Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles.
- I visited with the Konshak's (Pat & Dale's parents) & the Garrity's (Rob & Jimmy's parents). I dropped off many DVD copies of 'Shadow Dragon - The Ninja Movie' at the Garrity's.
- We (Ted, Sharon and I) ate lunch at El Azteca's in De Pere. A mexican restaurant (other than a Taco Bell) in De Pere. Imagine that! The food was fantastic and the service was great.
- After lunch we went to a coffee place next door (Freddie's Coffee Shop), and had something called a 'Snowy White Mocha'. An incredibly rich, frothy concoction that was refreshing, stimulating and delicious!
- We (Ted, Sharon and I) ate dinner at Farr's Grove. A friend recommended the place, and Kim's parents said that they used to eat there a long time ago. We ordered the Perch (Yellow Perch) as recommended. Unfortunately, the coating was bland, the coleslaw was uninspiring, and it seemed that there was no seasoning on the fries. The bar (not a restaurant) was very crowded, smoky, and loud. My leather coat touched the ground because the table and chairs were very close to the floor. I wasn't very happy about that! The service was poor, due to the huge number of people in the place. We were disappointed.
- We watched The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.
13 Nov - I worked on the computer.
- Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles.
- Bought* a new printer (An Epson C86) for the G4.
- Bought* a surround sound entertainment system.
- Watched part of Shrek 2.
- We ate Bluegills for dinner.
14 Nov - We went to church.
- Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles.
- I went to See Pat & Becky Konshak. Boy their boys sure have gotten big. Saw the new house. Gave them a DVD copy of 'Shadow Dragon - The Ninja movie'.
- Ted and I went to a Green Bay Packers football game. Yes, we went to an actual game at the stadium! Thanks Ted. Ted's brother had tickets that he sold to us. I had a fantastic time (aside from the beer in plastic bottles).
- We ate a late dinner (after a somewhat confused and frustrating pickup from the game) from Subway. Good sandwich's, as usual.
15 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles.
- Ted and I connected a telephone in the computer room.
- The cable guy came, and he hooked-up the computer for a cable internet connection. I spent about two hours configuring everything (internet, email, browsing, chatting) and making sure it was working properly.
- Checked my email! Wow, I went a whole six days without email!
- I was supposed to hook up with Jimmy sometime this afternoon/evening, but something must have come up because he never returned my calls, and I never did get to see him.
16 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles.
- Ted & I hooked up the surround sound system. This was no small task, and it took us about 6 hours.
- I configured the G4 to use iChat. Later, I realized that audio won't work with iChat on the G4, because the version of iChat on the G4 doesn't include an audio component.
- I worked on the computer.
- I drove out to see my cousin Mike Vaessen. Saw his new house, met his room mate, and then we went out to catch a bite to eat at a restaurant called Grazies Pasta Company in De Pere. An excellent Italian restaurant. I drank a micro brew beer (they make their own) with my specialty pizza (Something Called a WisconsinZa. I asked for the Pale Ale, but the waitress brought me something darker, some sort of Bock with decent body, a sweet flavor, and a hint of bitterness.
- Ted and I watched Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai.
17 Nov - I worked on the computer for a bit.
- Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles.
- I packed up the Volvo.
- Leonard (Alice's husband) drove Alice down to Ted & Sharon's.
- Alice & I drove to Valders in the Volvo.
- Alice, Eileen (my sisters) and I ate lunch at Eileen's (sandwich's).
- We drove to Manitowoc to shop at 'My Parent's Basement'. I bought a D&D book (the Complete Arcane), a couple of card games (Ogre Bash and The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow), and ordered a D&D book.
- Eileen, Alice & I went out to eat for dinner at 'CC Willows super club'. Kevin cooked our meals for us (He's the head Chef at the Willow's, and Eileen's husband. He's a great guy). I had lemon crusted salmon and deep fried frog legs. The salmon was cooked just enough to ensure that it was warm throughout. Not made into jerky, an unfortunate but common mistake when it comes to salmon. The frog legs are an old school favorite of mine. You can't seem to find them outside Wisconsin. The meat is white, firm, and has a distinctive but mild flavor. The food was awesome. As a birthday gift (for Eileen), I paid for her meal. She tried to refuse, but I had made prior arrangements.
- I discovered a new tooth-pick at the Willow's. The owner (Moldy. No I have no Idea why he's called Moldy), introduced me to the 'Brush pick'. Available at Walgreens, I'll never go back to regular tooth picks again!
- After The Willow's closed for the evening, we all (Alice, Eileen, Kevin and I) went back to Eileen & Kevin's to watch 'Shadow Dragon - The Ninja movie'.
18 Nov - Alice and I went for a walk around Valders. It sure is a small town. We walked for about 3 miles or so.
- We played a round of 'Give me the Brain'.
- We ate Pizza for lunch.
- Alice & I left Valders. Eileen had to go to work that evening, and Alice had to be back home. We stopped in Manitowoc to pick up the book I ordered. My book was ready (A leather clad 30th anniversary, 3rd edition D&D Players Handbook). You can guess how much that cost!
- I drove from Manitowoc to Pound. Along the way, some road rage fool (towing a boat) just about forced us off the road.
- Drove from Alice's place to my parents house.
- Unpacked, ate dinner (Sauerkraut, bologna & boiled potatoes). Sure brought back memories of the Polish/Germanic cooking influences in my family.
- That evening, I came down with a fever in the evening.
- We (My parents and I) watched 'Shadow Dragon - The Ninja movie'.
19 Nov - I went for a short walk with Mom. Approximately 1 mile. I stayed at my parents place from the 18th - 24th of Nov.
- I was low on cash, so I tried to use my ATM card. Unfortunately, I forgot my pin!
- I still wasn't feeling 100%, so I took a nap, and relaxed for most of the day.
- Saw a flock of wild Turkey's in the back yard. There must have been 15 - 20 of them! I got a couple of photos.
- I enjoyed a 'back home' treat. Pickled eggs. Or, as my mother sometimes calls them, 'Cackle berries'.
- That evening we had leftovers and watched 'The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra'.
20 Nov - I'm still not feeling well. I woke up with a fever, and felt a little queasy for the better part of the day.
- Mom and I played 'Settlers of Catan' card game.
- We ate left-overs for lunch. I had some more pickled eggs.
- Mom and I went to eat at the church. They had a hunters dinner. It was basic home cooking. The best part was the outstanding volunteers who catered to our every need.
- Mom and I played Dominos. I actually beat the queen of Dominos by 118 points! Mom has been playing Dominos ever since I introduced the game to her back in 1992? She usually plays once or twice a week.
21 Nov - I'm feeling better today. I even went for a walk. I had to wear blaze orange from head-to-toe. Mom was afraid that the hunters would shoot me. It's deer hunting season in Wisconsin.
- We (Mom and I) went to church in Crivitz.
- We ate lunch at home.
- We drove to Suamico to see Don & Dorothy (Dad's sister), and their new house. It's a great house. The windows and door treatments were really nice. I liked the garage that had a walkdown stairwell to the basement.
- While I was at Don & Dorothy's. I received a bunch of documents and photos for my genealogy research. It'll take a while, but I plan to scan them all, add them to my database and post them.
- We ate dinner and watched the Packer Game on t.v.
22 Nov - I went for a walk. I walked for about five miles, and took a bunch of pictures.
- Mom and I played some card games. Fluxx & Groo.
- Ate lunch. Soup and Sandwich.
- I read a book. No I didn't finish it. I was feeling kind of tired, so I laid on the couch and read for a while.
- Ate dinner. I can't remember what we had.
- Watched a little t.v. and went to bed.
23 Nov - I went for a walk. Walked about 3 miles.
- Mom and I drove to Marinette. We had to go to Wal-Mart. While we were there, I picked up a couple of movies.
- It was a lazy day. Mom and I played some games, ate a little lunch, and I read a little.
- In the evening, We (Mom, Dad and I) watched the movies I bought.
- Watched 'The Terminal' with Tom Hanks.
- Watched 'The Chronicles of Riddick' with Vin Diesel.
24 Nov - I went for a walk. Walked about 3 miles.
- Mom and I played dominos. Mom won.
- I had a Thanksgiving meal at Mom & Dad's place. Mom, Dad, me, Alice, Leonard, and all the kids (Gregg Jr., Leo and Brooke) were there.
- I took some photos of the kids.
- I packed up the Volvo and drove to De Pere in order to meet Kim at the airport.
25 Nov - I picked up Kim from the airport on the 24th, and we stayed at Kim's parents from the 24th of Nov, through the 1st of Dec.
- Ted & I went for a walk. Approximately 3 miles.
- We (Kim & I) ate a Thanksgiving meal at the Kuchta's. The house was full. (Kim & I, Ted & Sharon, Kary, Keith & Charlene w/Chantelle, Amber, Leah and Austin
- After Thanksgiving we watched a movie. We watched 'The gods must be crazy', a NetFlix movie Kim brought with her,
26 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 3 miles.
- Spent the day shopping.
- Ate lunch at El Azteca (see above).
- Had a Snowy white mocha (See above).
- Met Dale & Michelle. Ate dinner at Bilotti's (We had Pizza).
- Saw Dale & Michelle's new house in Denmark Wisconsin. Too bad it wasn't light out.
- Played a couple of card games: 'Give me the Brain' and 'Ogre Bash'.
27 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles.

Went to Gever's barbershop. I needed a Shave and a Haircut.
We had some family photos taken at Ambrosius studio. (Kim & I, Ted & Sharon, Kary & Mark w/Emma & Sam, Keith & Charlene w/Chantelle, Amber, Leah & Austin.
We ate lunch at Tony Roma's. The food was fantastic, but the service was absolutely horrible. 14 people, and we only had one server. I guess he didn't want to split that 20% tip.
We (Kim, Sharon, Ted and I) watched a couple of movies. Watched 'Being There' and 'The gods must be crazy II'.

28 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles.
- We (Kim & I, Sharon & Ted) went to church.
- We had breakfast at the Golden Basket. A family favorite. Great service, excellent food, and a warm atmosphere. Apparently the Vice President thinks so as well. Dick & Lynn Cheney ate there during a 2004 campaign stop.
- For dinner, we (Kim & I, Sharon & Ted) went out to eat at Rock Garden supper club (A family favorite).
  - Going out to eat was the cover story for a Super Secret Surprise Retirement Party that Kim arranged for me. Fantastic! I suspected that something was going on, but I didn't know the details. Kim arranged for forty guests (Friends & relatives), the meal (The food was fantastic), a display of some of my awards, a guest speaker (Rob Hodges - A former supervisor) . What a fantastic woman!
  - I had a fantastic time at the party. I took a bunch of photos, and got to say hi to a bunch of friends and relatives. Thanks Kim!
  - As most of the guests haven't served in the military, I think some of them were confused about my retirement. They couldn't believe I was retiring at such an early age! I even had to explain it to a couple of people.
  - People brought gifts for Kim & I. The hilite gift of the evening was an antique watch. A restored pocket watch that my Grandfather had owned at one time. My sister Eileen had it restored (Eileen also designed this invitation). It's very beautiful, I'll treasure it always. As Kim says 'We have to get you a vest, so you can wear it'. My sister Eileen want's me to carry it with me, but I'm a bit hesitant to take it with me to work. For now it's the center-piece on our fireplace mantel.
- After the party we went home and watched 'Office Space'.
29 Nov - I went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles.
- Kim and I stopped in Green Bay to visit with Aunt Marge and Michelle. It was good to see the two of them. While I was there I helped set up the Christmas tree. It was a bit depressing, as this was the first time I'd been in the old house since Grandma and Grandpa died.
- After we left Marge's place (Grandma & Grandpa Vaessen's place on Webster Ave.), Kim and I drove up north to Alice & Leonard's place in Pound.
- We visited with Alice & Leonard. We had the traditional Jashinsky feast. Chilled Jumbo shrimp, Crab Rangoon, Fillet Mignon, Twice baked potatoes, a salad and drinks. Alice & Leonard sure know how to entertain. I'm still full!
- After dinner we watched the Packer game. We watched the Packers crush the St. Louis Rams.
- At half-time we left and headed back to De Pere. We got back to De Pere in time to see the end of the Packer game. The score: 45 to 17 Packers!
30 Nov - I went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles.
- We ate breakfast.
- We did a little shopping. I went and got some Emu meat. Bought Emu jerky, Emu sticks, Emu sausage, and Emu burgers. Bought some snacks, water, Cheese curds and a cooler. The Emu comes from the farm of a friend. Bob & Luanne Staszak run the Lazy-S Farm on the Western edge of De Pere (It's in the Oneida Indian reservation).
- I met my aunt Joan for lunch at the 'Hazard', a bar and grill in De Pere. I had a Reuben on mottled rye, and some of their home made potato chips. The food was really good. I had a good visit with Joan.
- That evening, Kim made one of my favorite dishes. Spicy chicken with capers and olives. Fantastic!
- After dinner we watched a couple movies. Yojimbo and Planet of the Apes (The original 1968 release).
1 Dec - I went for one last walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles.
- We (Kim & I, Ted & Sharon) ate breakfast.
- We (Kim & I) packed up the Volvo for the drive back to Denver. Chock full of gifts, Yellow Perch, Cheese curds & dirty laundry.
- We ate lunch at 'Kroll's West', then we went back to the house. I've since discovered that we can order Kroll's hamburgers on-line!
- We drove to Austin Straubel and said our goodbyes to Kim.
- We drove back to the house, and I drove out for Denver a few minutes later.
- I drove until 2300. I can't remember the name of the town where I stayed over night, but I sure was tired.
2 Dec - I finally made it back home to Aurora. Now the unpacking begins.

I've updated the 3E campaign page with the new game date (4 Dec 2004) and a note regarding the continuation of the campaign. Due to a change in my job, our D&D meeting schedule is going to be changing. No I'm not ending the campaign! Kim and I are going to be taking a little time off, so there won't be any meetings during November. Our next meeting will be 4 December.
Monsters! The party certainly has had it's share of encounters during this adventure. Most of the encounters have been with cold based monsters, and two of last sessions encounters were no exception. I added two new entries; one for the 'Snowflake Ooze', and one for the 'Rejkar'.
Who's Who? As a result of Saturday's session, I've updated entries for three NPCs, and added one new one. The party learned more about Piyarz, Derwyth and Shalfey, and Derwyth provided the party with some information about Piyarz's student, Sion.
Where now? The party is currently on their way to a Dwarven mining community named Dunfee in order to get some supplies. I added Dunfee and the Galena mountains to the places listing, and did a couple of other minor updates to this document.
Thanks to Mark, I once again posted a journal entry. Follow the party's exploits by reading the journal entries submitted by the players. This session's entry comes courtesy of Ashedyn. It sure would be nice to see a journal entry from someone else's point of view every now and then... Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, no what I mean?

It allowed me to import my current movies database (Old database is in AppleWorks format).
It allows me to manually add DVDs or VHS tapes.
It imports extended data from various on-line movie sources (imdb.com, Amazon, etc.).
It imports movie posters (cover shots) from on-line sources.
It allows me to have customized fields.
It allows me to track loaned movies (It even has an email reminder capability).
It allows me to save the database in various formats.
It has a template based, customizable, HTML output mode.
It's inexpensive. $18.00
It's heavily supported and updated.

“A memory restored, lost youth recaptured, or simply folly followed. Everyone involved in this project remembers those days with great fondness. Perhaps this small piece of vinyl will let you experience our joy in reliving those ‘Glory Days’ when we were Kings.”

The DVD was produced/re-mastered from a VHS transfer by Robert Vaessen in October of 2004.

Monsters - The party encountered three new monsters during the last session. A Breathdrinker, which stole Alcarenque's life, a group of Shades, and a Shadow Mastiff.
Journal entry - I posted a journal entry which Mark submitted. Thanks for the input Mark. I recommend that the players (Especially Nicholis!) read this journal entry before we play our next session.
The campaign page has been updated. I updated the next game date. That's the 30th of October in case you're wondering.

"Notice: The official FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list is maintained on the FBI World Wide Web Site. This information may be copied and distributed, however, any unauthorized alteration of any portion of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives posters is a violation of federal law (18 U.S.C., Section 709). Persons who make or reproduce these alterations are subject to prosecution and, if convicted, shall be fined or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both."

"Unfortunately, we are unable to currently determine the truth of the statements in the Yahoo! GeoCities page you are reporting. We can certainly sympathize with your position and wish to take appropriate action.

Yeah, right. That's lame. There is no need to determine the 'truth of the statements' in the page I reported. What they should be doing is verifying the un-truths of the web page I reported. It took me a little less than a minute to figure out that the web page was an altered form of the FBI's official most wanted list. For some reason they appear incapable of seeing that this is an alteration. Oh, but that's not all...

"Please forward any personally identifying information regarding that situation to us -- such as a copy of your photo ID with full name. The more information you can give us, the more thoroughly we will be able to investigate this situation. State that you are the individual posted and would like the material removed. Indicate the exact location and name of the file in question and sign the document."

"Hello,

Thank you for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care.

Thank you for informing us of possible abuse on Yahoo! GeoCities. We have investigated the site and taken the necessary action. Please continue to notify us of any content you believe violates the GeoCities Terms of Service, located at: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/geoterms.html

Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care.

Regards,

Yahoo! Customer Care"

Monsters - The party encountered the "Wild Beast Men" from their visions. These creatures are the Derro that Derwyth told them about. They also encountered a giant green mold, shaped like an "X".
Wherenow - I added and updated a few entries for new places that the party learned about. Places near and around the Tower of the Heavens.
Journal entry - I posted a journal entry which Mark submitted. Thanks for the input Mark. I recommend that the players read this journal entry before we play our next session.
The campaign page has been updated. I updated the next game date. That's the 16th of October in case you're wondering.

The missing menace: Someone who is supposed to sign your checklist, but they're never around. - Go to the next item on your checklist.
Between '1000-1200': A checklist item which can only be completed between certain hours. - Go to the next item on your checklist.
Only on Monday or Friday: A checklist item which can only be accomplished on a certain day. When combined with item number 1, you're having a bad day. - Proceed to next checklist item.
Only 'So-n'-so' can sign your checklist: Only a specific person can sign your checklist. - You may be able to bluff your way past this hazard. If you know that the item being signed off isn't important (i.e. doesn't apply to you), you might be able get someone else in the office to sign for you. This depends on a couple of factors. Your rank, the rank of the person who normally signs, the rank of the person doing the signing, other pertinent factors... If you can't get someone else to sign you can do one of three things. - Go on to the next item, come back later, or forge a signature. The later is not recommended, and should only be attempted in rare circumstances.
Fill out this form: A common stalling technique - Fill out the form and continue on to the next item.
Bring me a shrubbery: A devious sub-quest. Sometimes an agent of evil will request that you bring them some sort of paper-work, copy of your orders, proof of life, etc... Do your best to comply with the request. If they sign before you comply, you may be able to disregard there request. It depends on what they requested.
Bad directions: Go to building 86, room 54: Building 86 doesn't exist, it's been torn down, or there is no sign indicating the building number. - If you're lucky, there's a phone number. If you're unlucky the phone number is wrong. Seek assistance from a veteran of the checklist. Find help from someone 'in charge'.
'Not Applicable': A dangerous pitfall. Some N/A items can be lined through and disregarded completely. Sometimes they cannot. Only good judgment and experience will help you here. - Line through the item and proceed to next.
Out of order: Some checklists are in order, some are not. You may encounter a checklist which requires you to complete items 12 and 13 before item 6 can be signed off. - Proceed with caution.
No agent listed: An all to common predicament. Sometimes a checklist may indicate that you are required to complete an action, or obtain a signature, but no office/representative is indicated. - Seek assistance from a veteran of the checklist. Find help from someone 'in charge'.
Catch-22: Occasionally, you will encounter a checklist conundrum of this magnitude. For example: Finance will not sign-off on their portion of the check-list until your commander has signed your leave forms. But the commander insists on a completed checklist before he will sign off on your leave forms. Oh the humanity! - Complain bitterly, and get one party to concede a signature. This pitfall could prevent your 'Final Out'.
The hostage taker: This could be an unpleasant or painful experience. You're pressed for time, but this person wants someone to talk to, or they insist on convincing you that you should sign up for the 'Survivor Benefit Plan', despite the fact that it's your decision, and you've decided not to. You're held hostage. You can't outprocess without a completed checklist, and they're showing no signs of giving you their signature. - Express indignation, go over their head, forge their signature (risky proposition). Hopefully, no one ends up crying, swearing, or leaving the office in hand-cuffs.
The hidden item: Sometimes a checklist contains a hidden surprise. What's that, you didn't see the item between items 7 and 8? I'm sorry, you can't complete your 'Final Out' without that signature. - Arrrgghh, go back and get the signature. Paying close attention will prevent this snafu.
Thirty days prior: Most of the time, you'll get five duty days to complete your checklist. Sometimes the checklist will contain items that are required many days prior to your five days of out processing. - Check the list as soon as you get it. If you're a senior military member, people like you, you had short notice, etc... you might be able to bluff your way past this requirement.


	What's New at Rob's World! What's new, changed, or improved recently. Welcome to my most humble Web Site. I've been working on it on and off for nearly nine years now. I guess it's my way of keeping a journal. Buried between these pages you'll find all my secret desires, and passionate beliefs. Unfortunately, or luckily; I can't help but share them with the rest of the world. If you've found something amongst my web pages that has helped or entertained you in some way, then I've done what I've set out to do. I'll keep plugging away at the site; hoping to improve and expand it until it's complete. When's that? Robert L. Vaessen
	This document is the "What's New" web log from 2004
	December 29, 2004 Vacation update Today I udpated a photo gallery (as promised). Pictures I took while Kim and I were on vacation in Wisconsin. If you were there you had just about as much fun as Kim and I. If you weren't there, well, there's always next time. Kim & I had a fantastic time, and we already miss everyone from back home. If we're lucky some of them can come visit us next year.
	December 27, 2004 Boxing Day O.k. that was yesterday. Kim and I went to a party at a coworkers house. Al & Carole threw a 'Boxing Day' party. They were stationed in England at one time, and brought back some curious customs. While the 'Boxing Day' celebration lacked in customary celebrations, we had a good time as Al & Carole graciously fed and hosted a house full of guests. Drinks & dinner were enjoyed by all. Software favorites One of my favorite programs underwent a minor upgrade this week. GraphicConverter moved up from its 5.4 release, the most recent version is 5.4.1b1. GraphicConverter is an image converter and manipulator. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price ($35.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. Available in 68k, OS9, and OSX versions. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, but don't just take my word for it. Even Apple has written a glowing review. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box. My computer - PowerMac G5 Today I updated my computer profile. I updated some information and added links to images and web pages.
	December 25, 2004 Merry Christmas It's amazing how those two words could be so controversial, yet not be that controversial. It's as if we'd nothing better to focus on. Merry Christmas is not offensive. Yet some believe that the use of the phrase constitutes some sort of religious elitism, or at worst some sort of bigotry. I don't see what all the fuss is about. Kim and I are having a merry Christmas, and I hope you are as well. If you're not Christian, I hope you're having a nice day. Last night I watched a movie and Kim made me a Perch dinner. As you may (or may not) recall, I brought back a bunch of perch with me when I came back from Wisconsin. She fried them up to a golden brown, and I made a tartar sauce. Yummy, numshish, scrumshish perch! We also went for a little drive around Lowry. There are some very nice luxury homes there, and we wanted to see their Christmas decorations. We had a good time. This morning we opened Christmas gifts. Thanks to our family we got a lot of nice gifts. I must have been especially good, because there's a Volvo XC90 in the garage! Now all we have to do is pay off all those credit card bills. I think this is the first time we've ever had to carry a balance on the cards. Now I know where the banks make all there money. White Hat ISP What's a White Hat ISP? A White Hate ISP is an ISP that doesn't tolerate spammers. They shut down the accounts of people who spam from their network, and they go after spammers who abuse their network. Their aren't that many of them around, and sometimes I think there are more Black Hat ISP's than there are White Hat ISPs. The other day (Dec 8th), I received an email response from a White Hat ISP, and felt like sharing their response (I did some format editing, but I didn't change the content of their message) with you: Dear Robert, Thank you for taking the time to contact the BT Customer Security Team about your concerns with unsolicited email (i.e. spam or junk mail). I'm sorry to hear about this inconvenience. I have carried out an investigation into this and have taken action against our user to stop this happening again. I'm sorry to say, though, that I won't be able to give you any more information about the user in question. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused and please do not hesitate to contact us with any further enquiries or comments. Thank you again. Yours sincerely, Pauline BT Customer Security Team http://www.abuse-guidance.com BT is a founding member of the Internet Watch Foundation, ISP Abuse Management Forum and the Internet Content Rating Association.
	December 24, 2004 D&D® We played D&D twice since Kim & I returned from Wisconsin. The new quest is underway. The party managed to recover a meteorite that they saw in a vision, and now they 're trying to figure out what to do with it. Here are some additional updates I've recently completed since returning from Wisconsin. Monsters! The party certainly has had it's share of encounters during this adventure. Most of the encounters have been with cold based monsters, and the last sessions encounters was no exception. I added one new entry: The Chraal is a very dangerous cold elemental. Two party members nearly lost their lives after encountering this heavy duty monster. Who's Who? As a result of the last two sessions, I've updated entries for two NPCs, and added one new one. The party learned more about Piyarz and Sion. I also added an entry for Auberge the 'warden' of the Tower's hostel. Thanks to Mark and Sean, I've posted three journal entries. Follow the party's exploits by reading the journal entries submitted by the players. Thanks goodness for Google! Yesterday I inadvertantly over-wrote an entry on this web page. Then I wrote over the on-line version. Effectively destroying the content completely. I didn't even know what I had deleted! The entire entry for the 7th of November was wiped out! That's when I realized that Google has been caching my entire web site. I did a search for "Rob's World whatsnew". Lo' and behold I was able to recover my deleted entry by using Google's cached version of my web site. I guess those web spiders aren't all bad.
	December 23, 2004 2004 World Forum From 17 - 20 June; I volunteered at the 2004 AEI World Forum. The World Forum is held every year in Beaver Creek, Colorado. At former president Gerald R. Ford's personal invitation, the forum is attended by prominent business leaders, public officials, and scholars. Participants discuss the most critical economic, social, and security issues facing the United States and the world community. After the event, I wrote an press release article for an Air Force publication. It took some time, but it was finally published in the October issue of the 'Spokesman'. It took me some time, but I just added it to my 'Think Tank' web page. D&D® We played D&D twice since Kim & I returned from Wisconsin. The new quest is underway. The party managed to recover a meteorite that they saw in a vision, and now they 're trying to figure out what to do with it. Here are some updates I've recently completed since returning from Wisconsin. I've updated the 3E campaign page with the new game date (8 Jan 2005) and a note regarding the continuation of the campaign. Due to a change in my job, our D&D meeting schedule is going to be changing. No I'm not ending the campaign! I updated the House Rules document. I added a bunch of additional references to the 'Rule Books Used' and 'Allowable character classes and races' sections of the house rules. The changes begin on page 4, and include many new rulebooks and six new races. Since there were no changes or additions to the rules, I didn't print a new copy for use during game play. A new player character race. Mark (a player in our campaign) recommended and wrote up a new race for use in our campaign. I did a little editing and added some disclaimers. The new race: the Stone Gnome, is available for download/viewing on the 3E Campaign page. Players now have another campaign specific race to choose from. That's it for now. There's definitely more updates coming. D&D updates, and other updates. But I'm only one person, and I need to take a break every now and then. Merry Christmas, happy holidays or whatever makes you happy this time of year.
	December 21, 2004 Fools! aka 'Woe is me' I so despise the utterly incompetent. This week I've been exposed to some highly inept administrative workers. This break I learned the following disappointing facts; which reveal the aggregiously inept cogs in our system. Someone sent me the Northrop Grumman employee benefits package from 2002. Yeah, they sent me an obsolete TRW benefits package. Some of the material dated back to 1999. I can't sign up for my Northrop Grumman benefits until I have one of the following things. A 'fob'; it's a random number generator used in order to get onto the NG corporate web site. Current enrollment forms. The forms for the new 2005 benefits. Northrop Grumman bought TRW, and the division I work for (used to be part of TRW) is transitioning to new benefits. I didn't receive a benfits package or enrollment forms on my first day. My HR office didn't have them. I called the benefits toll free number. 'Oh, that's been changed, call this number instead. Oh, we don't do that, I'll transfer you'. Click..... I'll fax you the forms you need. I never heard from that person again, and they never faxed me any information. Luckily (It had to be sheer coincidence), I received the correct forms and current benefits package in the mail. Oh yeah, military finance managed to screw up my state witholding twice. It looks like my retirement pay, and last paycheck will be taxed by California. Now I guess I'll have to ask them to screw it up for me again. The clinic I went to a couple of weeks ago sent me a bill, despite the fact that I'm active duty military. Lovely. I selected one of the clinics listed on the referal paperwork that Tri-Care sent me, and now I'm getting the bill! So much for a nice enjoyable break, where I can get a bunch of web work done. Instead, I've been spending my time dealing with administrative snafus and putting up with inept administrative workers. D&D Do you play D&D? Are you trying to figure out which sort of character you should play? Here's a link to a quiz that will help you decide. This little quiz asks you a bunch of questions, you answer the questions, and it calculates (based on your responses) which character type (Race, class(es), alignment, and deity) you'd be most comfortable playing. The generator kicked out the following for me: A Neutral Good, Half-Elven, Ranger/Paladin who worships Mielikki. Neutral Good Paladin? Is that legal? I don't think so. I've been doing a little surfing. I discovered a couple of cool links for thos of you who play D&D. First is a site with flash animations of a comic called 'Knights of the dinner table'. The other web page is the official 'Knights of the dinner table' website. Finally a comic strip similar to 'KODT" is the 'Order of the stick'. Check out the links, I'm sure you'll enjoy one of these web sites, 'Monkey-Boy!' Newsletter If you're one of the subscribers to my newsletter, you may be wondering what happened to the November issue. Well, I've finally made a decision regarding that issue. I won't be sending a November issue. I'm still to far behind on this journal. A lot of stuff happened during November, and I regret not being able to catch up as quickly as I had hoped. When I send the December newsletter (1st week of January), It'll be a double issue. It'll cover November and December. Software favorites There have been a few software updates in the past couple of weeks. Most importantly was an update to my operating system. Other than that, one of my favorites also inched up another version. GraphicConverter Moving up from the 5.4 release, the most recent version is 5.4.1b0. GraphicConverter is an image converter and manipulator. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price ($35.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. Available in 68k, OS9, and OSX versions. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, but don't just take my word for it. Even Apple has written a glowing review. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box. Mac OS 10.3.7 Recently, (15 Dec 2004) I updated my operating system. Mac OS X (Panther) went up one notch to OS 10.3.7. Here's a recap of the improvements and bug fixes. The significance here is updates to some of my pages. As a result of my OS update, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html, feedback.html, mycomputer.html.
	December 20, 2004 My new job I started working at my new job on the 6th of Dec. I've been working 12 hour shifts, and I worked this weekend as well. Working 12 hour shifts has made it very difficult to get any web page updates done. I'm on break today and tomorrow, so I should be able to get some web page updates done. Other Games While visiting my sister, we paid a visit to a favorite games store; 'My Parent's Basement' carries an excellent selection (although small) of 'Other Games'. Just the kind I like to play. While there I picked up a new game: Ogre Bash - A card game of sets. Players must collect specific sets of cards in order to win a hand. A good strategy game, but a poor marketing strategy. The name and game theme (Ogre bash), really doesn't have anything to do with the game. I think it was simply a ploy to target a specific segment of the population. I've since updated my Other Games page. While on vacation. I played a bunch of other games with various willing 'victims'. I played the following card games: Groo, Fluxx, Ogre Bash, Give me the Brain, Settlers of Catan.
	December 16, 2004 My new job I started working at my new job on the 6th of Dec. Eventually, I plan to update my BIO page to reflect these recent changes (Military retirement, transition to civilian life, a new job) in my life. Until then, I thought I'd mention a quote I found recently. I plan to add it to some of my outgoing email. If you're a signals analyst or programmer, you'll probably get it. If not, don't worry. "There are 10 kinds of people in this world; those that can read binary, and those that can't."
	December 15, 2004 Update Wow! Kim arrived home on the 1st of December, and I arrived home on the evening of the 2nd. It took us a while to unpack, unwind, and get back into the swing of things. I'm still trying to catch up on Rob's World!. The synopsis below, took me quite a while to update. Christmas, retirement, a new job, and the vacation in Wisconsin have really taken away a lot of my time. Now that the synopsis is completed, I'll start updating some other pages. Software favorites More updates to my software favorites page. There have been a few updates since I took my vacation. Safari, Graphic Converter, Stuffit Deluxe, and BBEdit have all had updates. GraphicConverter (Two recent updates - 5.4b1 and 5.4 release) is an image converter and manipulator. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price ($35.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. Available in 68k, OS9, and OSX versions. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, but don't just take my word for it. Even Apple has written a glowing review. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box. Safari: Apple's default web browser for OS X, is way ahead of the pack. Apple's browser contains a plethora of incredibly powerful features. I wonder why Microsoft stopped developing IE for Mac? I'm currently using version 1.2.4. (v125.12). Battle of the browsers. Netscape versus Internet Explorer. Those are your choices right? Wrong! Think different! Think Mac! Choose Safari, the new kid on the block. A fast (The fastest available for Mac) but full featured browser, which performs like a pro. Tabbed browsing, URL snap-back, a powerful but elegant bookmark implementation (with built-in import capability), Google search integration, built-in pop-up blocker, multiple standards (HTML, XML, XHTML, DOM, CSS, JavaScript, and Java, plus QuickTime, Flash and Shockwave plug-ins), and a host of other features. Just one more reason to Switch! It's won a place as my default browser, give it a chance and it'll soon be yours. Stuffit Deluxe, (now at version 9.0.1.) along with the freeware Stuffit Expander, allows me to compress and encode any files that I upload to my web page. It's not really necessary for Web page authoring, but I've found it to be essential for MAC users who use the internet. Version 7.0 offers MAC OS X (Upgraded for Jaguar) compatibility, and additional unix file format/permission capabilities (using .sitx format). Stuffit Deluxe allows me to create archives in many different compression formats, segment the archives, save them with a password for protection, and it even facilitates emailing of the compressed files. Stuffit expander (for Windows or Mac) can decode, decompress, and un-archive just about any compressed file you might encounter on the internet. It's a must have for anyone surfing the web. BBEdit (now at version 8.0.3.) is a high-performance HTML and text editor for the Macintosh. It is designed and crafted for the editing, searching, transformation, and manipulation of text. BBEdit provides a vast array of general-purpose features which are useful for a wide variety of tasks, and includes many special purpose features which have been specifically developed in response to the needs of Web authors and software developers. It's an absolute must for any Mac enthusiast. Window's users eat your heart out!
	December 3, 2004 Synopsis of our Vacation As I was approaching military retirement, I had 60 days of leave to use. During the time frame, Kim (25 Nov - 1 Dec) and I (9 Nov - 2 Dec) took a well deserved vacation. I drove to and from Wisconsin, while Kim flew there and back. 9 Nov - I'm driving the Volvo to Wisconsin. I stayed overnight in Dixon Illinois; birthplace of Ronald Reagan. 10 Nov - I'm driving the Volvo to Wisconsin. I arrived in De Pere around 1030 in the morning. I caught the in-laws off-guard. They'd gone out for a walk. I unpacked and relaxed for the rest of the day. I stayed at the Kuchta's (Kim's parents: Ted & Sharon) from the 10th - 17th of Nov. 11 Nov - I hooked up a DVD player to the Big Screen TV. Ted and I shopped for, purchased, and assembled a computer desk. Watched Shadow Dragon - The Ninja movie. I had a few beers (George Killian's Irish Red). 12 Nov - I hooked up the G4. Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles. I visited with the Konshak's (Pat & Dale's parents) & the Garrity's (Rob & Jimmy's parents). I dropped off many DVD copies of 'Shadow Dragon - The Ninja Movie' at the Garrity's. We (Ted, Sharon and I) ate lunch at El Azteca's in De Pere. A mexican restaurant (other than a Taco Bell) in De Pere. Imagine that! The food was fantastic and the service was great. After lunch we went to a coffee place next door (Freddie's Coffee Shop), and had something called a 'Snowy White Mocha'. An incredibly rich, frothy concoction that was refreshing, stimulating and delicious! We (Ted, Sharon and I) ate dinner at Farr's Grove. A friend recommended the place, and Kim's parents said that they used to eat there a long time ago. We ordered the Perch (Yellow Perch) as recommended. Unfortunately, the coating was bland, the coleslaw was uninspiring, and it seemed that there was no seasoning on the fries. The bar (not a restaurant) was very crowded, smoky, and loud. My leather coat touched the ground because the table and chairs were very close to the floor. I wasn't very happy about that! The service was poor, due to the huge number of people in the place. We were disappointed. We watched The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. 13 Nov - I worked on the computer. Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles. Bought a new printer (An Epson C86) for the G4. Bought* a surround sound entertainment system. Watched part of Shrek 2. We ate Bluegills for dinner. 14 Nov - We went to church. Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles. I went to See Pat & Becky Konshak. Boy their boys sure have gotten big. Saw the new house. Gave them a DVD copy of 'Shadow Dragon - The Ninja movie'. Ted and I went to a Green Bay Packers football game. Yes, we went to an actual game at the stadium! Thanks Ted. Ted's brother had tickets that he sold to us. I had a fantastic time (aside from the beer in plastic bottles). We ate a late dinner (after a somewhat confused and frustrating pickup from the game) from Subway. Good sandwich's, as usual. 15 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles. Ted and I connected a telephone in the computer room. The cable guy came, and he hooked-up the computer for a cable internet connection. I spent about two hours configuring everything (internet, email, browsing, chatting) and making sure it was working properly. Checked my email! Wow, I went a whole six days without email! I was supposed to hook up with Jimmy sometime this afternoon/evening, but something must have come up because he never returned my calls, and I never did get to see him. 16 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles. Ted & I hooked up the surround sound system. This was no small task, and it took us about 6 hours. I configured the G4 to use iChat. Later, I realized that audio won't work with iChat on the G4, because the version of iChat on the G4 doesn't include an audio component. I worked on the computer. I drove out to see my cousin Mike Vaessen. Saw his new house, met his room mate, and then we went out to catch a bite to eat at a restaurant called Grazies Pasta Company in De Pere. An excellent Italian restaurant. I drank a micro brew beer (they make their own) with my specialty pizza (Something Called a WisconsinZa. I asked for the Pale Ale, but the waitress brought me something darker, some sort of Bock with decent body, a sweet flavor, and a hint of bitterness. Ted and I watched Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. 17 Nov - I worked on the computer for a bit. Went for a walk with Ted (Kim's Dad). Approximately 4 miles. I packed up the Volvo. Leonard (Alice's husband) drove Alice down to Ted & Sharon's. Alice & I drove to Valders in the Volvo. Alice, Eileen (my sisters) and I ate lunch at Eileen's (sandwich's). We drove to Manitowoc to shop at 'My Parent's Basement'. I bought a D&D book (the Complete Arcane), a couple of card games (Ogre Bash and The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow), and ordered a D&D book. Eileen, Alice & I went out to eat for dinner at 'CC Willows super club'. Kevin cooked our meals for us (He's the head Chef at the Willow's, and Eileen's husband. He's a great guy). I had lemon crusted salmon and deep fried frog legs. The salmon was cooked just enough to ensure that it was warm throughout. Not made into jerky, an unfortunate but common mistake when it comes to salmon. The frog legs are an old school favorite of mine. You can't seem to find them outside Wisconsin. The meat is white, firm, and has a distinctive but mild flavor. The food was awesome. As a birthday gift (for Eileen), I paid for her meal. She tried to refuse, but I had made prior arrangements. I discovered a new tooth-pick at the Willow's. The owner (Moldy. No I have no Idea why he's called Moldy), introduced me to the 'Brush pick'. Available at Walgreens, I'll never go back to regular tooth picks again! After The Willow's closed for the evening, we all (Alice, Eileen, Kevin and I) went back to Eileen & Kevin's to watch 'Shadow Dragon - The Ninja movie'. 18 Nov - Alice and I went for a walk around Valders. It sure is a small town. We walked for about 3 miles or so. We played a round of 'Give me the Brain'. We ate Pizza for lunch. Alice & I left Valders. Eileen had to go to work that evening, and Alice had to be back home. We stopped in Manitowoc to pick up the book I ordered. My book was ready (A leather clad 30th anniversary, 3rd edition D&D Players Handbook). You can guess how much that cost! I drove from Manitowoc to Pound. Along the way, some road rage fool (towing a boat) just about forced us off the road. Drove from Alice's place to my parents house. Unpacked, ate dinner (Sauerkraut, bologna & boiled potatoes). Sure brought back memories of the Polish/Germanic cooking influences in my family. That evening, I came down with a fever in the evening. We (My parents and I) watched 'Shadow Dragon - The Ninja movie'. 19 Nov - I went for a short walk with Mom. Approximately 1 mile. I stayed at my parents place from the 18th - 24th of Nov. I was low on cash, so I tried to use my ATM card. Unfortunately, I forgot my pin! I still wasn't feeling 100%, so I took a nap, and relaxed for most of the day. Saw a flock of wild Turkey's in the back yard. There must have been 15 - 20 of them! I got a couple of photos. I enjoyed a 'back home' treat. Pickled eggs. Or, as my mother sometimes calls them, 'Cackle berries'. That evening we had leftovers and watched 'The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra'. 20 Nov - I'm still not feeling well. I woke up with a fever, and felt a little queasy for the better part of the day. Mom and I played 'Settlers of Catan' card game. We ate left-overs for lunch. I had some more pickled eggs. Mom and I went to eat at the church. They had a hunters dinner. It was basic home cooking. The best part was the outstanding volunteers who catered to our every need. Mom and I played Dominos. I actually beat the queen of Dominos by 118 points! Mom has been playing Dominos ever since I introduced the game to her back in 1992? She usually plays once or twice a week. 21 Nov - I'm feeling better today. I even went for a walk. I had to wear blaze orange from head-to-toe. Mom was afraid that the hunters would shoot me. It's deer hunting season in Wisconsin. We (Mom and I) went to church in Crivitz. We ate lunch at home. We drove to Suamico to see Don & Dorothy (Dad's sister), and their new house. It's a great house. The windows and door treatments were really nice. I liked the garage that had a walkdown stairwell to the basement. While I was at Don & Dorothy's. I received a bunch of documents and photos for my genealogy research. It'll take a while, but I plan to scan them all, add them to my database and post them. We ate dinner and watched the Packer Game on t.v. 22 Nov - I went for a walk. I walked for about five miles, and took a bunch of pictures. Mom and I played some card games. Fluxx & Groo. Ate lunch. Soup and Sandwich. I read a book. No I didn't finish it. I was feeling kind of tired, so I laid on the couch and read for a while. Ate dinner. I can't remember what we had. Watched a little t.v. and went to bed. 23 Nov - I went for a walk. Walked about 3 miles. Mom and I drove to Marinette. We had to go to Wal-Mart. While we were there, I picked up a couple of movies. It was a lazy day. Mom and I played some games, ate a little lunch, and I read a little. In the evening, We (Mom, Dad and I) watched the movies I bought. Watched 'The Terminal' with Tom Hanks. Watched 'The Chronicles of Riddick' with Vin Diesel. 24 Nov - I went for a walk. Walked about 3 miles. Mom and I played dominos. Mom won. I had a Thanksgiving meal at Mom & Dad's place. Mom, Dad, me, Alice, Leonard, and all the kids (Gregg Jr., Leo and Brooke) were there. I took some photos of the kids. I packed up the Volvo and drove to De Pere in order to meet Kim at the airport. 25 Nov - I picked up Kim from the airport on the 24th, and we stayed at Kim's parents from the 24th of Nov, through the 1st of Dec. Ted & I went for a walk. Approximately 3 miles. We (Kim & I) ate a Thanksgiving meal at the Kuchta's. The house was full. (Kim & I, Ted & Sharon, Kary, Keith & Charlene w/Chantelle, Amber, Leah and Austin After Thanksgiving we watched a movie. We watched 'The gods must be crazy', a NetFlix movie Kim brought with her, 26 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 3 miles. Spent the day shopping. Ate lunch at El Azteca (see above). Had a Snowy white mocha (See above). Met Dale & Michelle. Ate dinner at Bilotti's (We had Pizza). Saw Dale & Michelle's new house in Denmark Wisconsin. Too bad it wasn't light out. Played a couple of card games: 'Give me the Brain' and 'Ogre Bash'. 27 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles. Went to Gever's barbershop. I needed a Shave and a Haircut. We had some family photos taken at Ambrosius studio. (Kim & I, Ted & Sharon, Kary & Mark w/Emma & Sam, Keith & Charlene w/Chantelle, Amber, Leah & Austin. We ate lunch at Tony Roma's. The food was fantastic, but the service was absolutely horrible. 14 people, and we only had one server. I guess he didn't want to split that 20% tip. We (Kim, Sharon, Ted and I) watched a couple of movies. Watched 'Being There' and 'The gods must be crazy II'. 28 Nov - Went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles. We (Kim & I, Sharon & Ted) went to church. We had breakfast at the Golden Basket. A family favorite. Great service, excellent food, and a warm atmosphere. Apparently the Vice President thinks so as well. Dick & Lynn Cheney ate there during a 2004 campaign stop. For dinner, we (Kim & I, Sharon & Ted) went out to eat at Rock Garden supper club (A family favorite). Going out to eat was the cover story for a Super Secret Surprise Retirement Party that Kim arranged for me. Fantastic! I suspected that something was going on, but I didn't know the details. Kim arranged for forty guests (Friends & relatives), the meal (The food was fantastic), a display of some of my awards, a guest speaker (Rob Hodges - A former supervisor) . What a fantastic woman! I had a fantastic time at the party. I took a bunch of photos, and got to say hi to a bunch of friends and relatives. Thanks Kim! As most of the guests haven't served in the military, I think some of them were confused about my retirement. They couldn't believe I was retiring at such an early age! I even had to explain it to a couple of people. People brought gifts for Kim & I. The hilite gift of the evening was an antique watch. A restored pocket watch that my Grandfather had owned at one time. My sister Eileen had it restored (Eileen also designed this invitation). It's very beautiful, I'll treasure it always. As Kim says 'We have to get you a vest, so you can wear it'. My sister Eileen want's me to carry it with me, but I'm a bit hesitant to take it with me to work. For now it's the center-piece on our fireplace mantel. After the party we went home and watched 'Office Space'. 29 Nov - I went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles. Kim and I stopped in Green Bay to visit with Aunt Marge and Michelle. It was good to see the two of them. While I was there I helped set up the Christmas tree. It was a bit depressing, as this was the first time I'd been in the old house since Grandma and Grandpa died. After we left Marge's place (Grandma & Grandpa Vaessen's place on Webster Ave.), Kim and I drove up north to Alice & Leonard's place in Pound. We visited with Alice & Leonard. We had the traditional Jashinsky feast. Chilled Jumbo shrimp, Crab Rangoon, Fillet Mignon, Twice baked potatoes, a salad and drinks. Alice & Leonard sure know how to entertain. I'm still full! After dinner we watched the Packer game. We watched the Packers crush the St. Louis Rams. At half-time we left and headed back to De Pere. We got back to De Pere in time to see the end of the Packer game. The score: 45 to 17 Packers! 30 Nov - I went for a walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles. We ate breakfast. We did a little shopping. I went and got some Emu meat. Bought Emu jerky, Emu sticks, Emu sausage, and Emu burgers. Bought some snacks, water, Cheese curds and a cooler. The Emu comes from the farm of a friend. Bob & Luanne Staszak run the Lazy-S Farm on the Western edge of De Pere (It's in the Oneida Indian reservation). I met my aunt Joan for lunch at the 'Hazard', a bar and grill in De Pere. I had a Reuben on mottled rye, and some of their home made potato chips. The food was really good. I had a good visit with Joan. That evening, Kim made one of my favorite dishes. Spicy chicken with capers and olives. Fantastic! After dinner we watched a couple movies. Yojimbo and Planet of the Apes (The original 1968 release). 1 Dec - I went for one last walk with Ted. Approximately 4 miles. We (Kim & I, Ted & Sharon) ate breakfast. We (Kim & I) packed up the Volvo for the drive back to Denver. Chock full of gifts, Yellow Perch, Cheese curds & dirty laundry. We ate lunch at 'Kroll's West', then we went back to the house. I've since discovered that we can order Kroll's hamburgers on-line! We drove to Austin Straubel and said our goodbyes to Kim. We drove back to the house, and I drove out for Denver a few minutes later. I drove until 2300. I can't remember the name of the town where I stayed over night, but I sure was tired. 2 Dec - I finally made it back home to Aurora. Now the unpacking begins. *Purchased for computer, internet connection and surround sound system were made by Ted. I hope he enjoys his new multi-media house. I took some photos using my digital camera. Unfortunately, I didn't take enough of them. You can find the photos here. I may add more later.
	November 10, 2004 Vacation! I'm on vacation! and I'm taking the Volvo with me. I'll be away from Denver until the 2nd of December. As you can imagine, the web pages probably won't be updated until then. I'll check my email occasionally, but I'll be busy having fun. Maybe I'll see you in Wisconsin? Well, it's time to take off. See ya later!
	November 9, 2004 Black Hat ISP The other day (The 6th of November) I reported a spam message to the originating mail server. The email was a run of the mill 419 spam (Nigerian inheritance scam). The only reason I reported it was because I received 6 copies of the same spam. Anyway, I actually received a response from the administrator of the mail server responsible sending the email. Imagine that! The funny part of the message? He doesn't want me to report spam! Check it out; here's the response I received: Dear Sir, We have received your email. Please note that this mails come from cyber cafés. We are very sorry that you were a victim of Spamming but let me assure you that supernet300 does not support or endorse any spamming efforts. If the spammer is a registered client of supernet300, the account will be deactivated and client invited to be advised on how to stop Spam. If he/she allows spamming again from his network, then his account will be deactivated for 2 weeks without refund. A third time will last 1 month before a termination takes effect. Unfortunately, terminating cyber café accounts means discouraging those small-scale investors whom have put in their hard earned money into the cyber cafe business while the crooks walk away freely. We would appreciate if the recipients can stop responding to such emails. With time, nobody will tell the culprits that the fraud is no more lucrative. Please help us. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we thank you for bringing this to our attention." Now that's funny! They thank me for reporting the spam. But they don't want me (or anyone else) to report spammers using their service, because that might mean they would lose a customer (The Cyber Cafe' investors). At least he's being honest. So, why do they even bother with a pretense? This is why spammers get away with spamming you ceaselessly. They're paying to have email services, and the email service providers are happy to take their money. They don't want you to complain about the spam. Just shut up and take it! Most of the email services that are spam havens, operate complicitly. They feign ignorance, incompetence, or try to shift the blame elsewhere. This guy admits the spam came from his system. He just wishes we'd stop reporting it. We should shut-up and take it. Well, as you can imagine, this incident is having the opposite effect on me. If the email service provider can't keep the spammers off the Cyber Cafe' systems, then the Cyber Cafe' systems SHOULD be shut down. I'll continue to report spammers, despite the less than encouraging results. Maybe, when email becomes ineffective (due to the volume of spam), maybe then something will be done about spam. Until then, I carry the fight forward.
	November 8, 2004 Karate Joe Comics It's been quite a while since I made any changes to my Karate Joe pages. Just in case you're a new visitor, or it's slipped your mind. Karate Joe is a comic I wrote and illustrated back in the 80's. It's available (all three issues!) at the link shown here. What's the change? Well, I redid the main page (using Dreamweaver MX 2004), and I posted pdf versions of the comics for download. So, what are you waiting for? Enjoy! Saving Throws It's been quite a while since I made any changes to my Saving Throw page. Otherwise/less descriptively known as the 'Mixed Chart' page. This page relays some house rules (For your Face-To-Face (f2f) Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) campaign. If your run your own campaign, or you're a player in my current campaign. You may want to acquaint yourself with the rules on this page. They are applicable in our current campaign. I basically re-wrote the page using Dreamweaver MX 2004. There's no real changes to content, I just revamped the tired looking page. Monsters I made some minor updates to the list of monsters known by the party (The characters in my 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign).
	November 7, 2004 D&D® We played D&D on Saturday night (The 30th of October). The new quest is underway. The party managed to recover a meteorite that they saw in a vision, and now they 're trying to figure out what to do with it. Saturday's session saw a lot of combat. We even had a couple of near deaths. Unfortunately, we were missing a couple of players. One is 'blind' (read the October 26 entry), and the other was completely exhausted from a deployment. Here's a listing of all the updates made as a result of that meeting: I've updated the 3E campaign page with the new game date (4 Dec 2004) and a note regarding the continuation of the campaign. Due to a change in my job, our D&D meeting schedule is going to be changing. No I'm not ending the campaign! Kim and I are going to be taking a little time off, so there won't be any meetings during November. Our next meeting will be 4 December. Monsters! The party certainly has had it's share of encounters during this adventure. Most of the encounters have been with cold based monsters, and two of last sessions encounters were no exception. I added two new entries; one for the 'Snowflake Ooze', and one for the 'Rejkar'. Who's Who? As a result of Saturday's session, I've updated entries for three NPCs, and added one new one. The party learned more about Piyarz, Derwyth and Shalfey, and Derwyth provided the party with some information about Piyarz's student, Sion. Where now? The party is currently on their way to a Dwarven mining community named Dunfee in order to get some supplies. I added Dunfee and the Galena mountains to the places listing, and did a couple of other minor updates to this document. Thanks to Mark, I once again posted a journal entry. Follow the party's exploits by reading the journal entries submitted by the players. This session's entry comes courtesy of Ashedyn. It sure would be nice to see a journal entry from someone else's point of view every now and then... Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, no what I mean? So, until December, that's it for any D&D entries. I'm looking forward to my vacation, but I'll miss our regular meetings. I can't wait to get back to the gaming table. I hope to see you there.
	November 6, 2004 Mac OS 10.3.6. Today I updated my operating system. Mac OS X (Panther) went up one notch to OS 10.3.6. Here's a recap of the improvements and bug fixes. The significance here is updates to some of my pages. As a result of my OS update, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html, feedback.html, mycomputer.html. Oh yeah, with the new OS came a new version of Safari. I'm now running version 1.2.4. (v125.11) Safari: Apple's default web browser for OS X, is way ahead of the pack. Apple's browser contains a plethora of incredibly powerful features. I wonder why Microsoft stopped developing IE for Mac? I'm currently using version 1.2.4. (v125.11). Battle of the browsers. Netscape versus Internet Explorer. Those are your choices right? Wrong! Think different! Think Mac! Choose Safari, the new kid on the block. A fast (The fastest available for Mac) but full featured browser, which performs like a pro. Tabbed browsing, URL snap-back, a powerful but elegant bookmark implementation (with built-in import capability), Google search integration, built-in pop-up blocker, multiple standards (HTML, XML, XHTML, DOM, CSS, JavaScript, and Java, plus QuickTime, Flash and Shockwave plug-ins), and a host of other features. Just one more reason to Switch! It's won a place as my default browser, give it a chance and it'll soon be yours. Genealogy: The Vaessen family lineage. Thanks to some considerable assistance from some Dutch Vaessen's, I've been able to trace my family history back to 1526 (With a partial history back to 1125). If you're interested in the history of the Vaessen name, check out my Vaessen family genealogy pages. The information was compiled and posted using 'MacFamilyTree' software. The software is capable of importing or exporting genealogy data in various different formats, including GEDCOM standard .ged files. If you are a member of the Vaessen family, or you're interested in the Vaessen family history, I welcome any corrections, additions or elaborations. Please feel free to write me with any relevant information.
	November 4, 2004 Software favorites Another update to my software favorites page. The author of GraphicConverter has released another full version of the software: Version 5.3. The software that just keeps getting better! GraphicConverter is an image converter and manipulator. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price ($35.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. Available in 68k, OS9, and OSX versions. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, but don't just take my word for it. Even Apple has written a glowing review. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box. Movie listing I've been tweaking the output of DVDPedia. I didn't like the default HTML output, so I downloaded some templates (You have to be a Forum member in order to download the templates). I wasn't happy with those either, so I deconstructed some template code, and tweaked it to fit my needs. I also tweaked one of the programs resource files. The graphic used for movies that lack a poster is too big. I resized it using GraphicConverter. So, I've been tweaking code this morning. So far, I'm happy with the results.
	November 3, 2004 Hail to the Chief! President Bush has won a second term. I didn't vote for him, but he's my President and Commander in Chief. I respect the man and I will do my best to effectively carry out his orders. I love this country, and I'm glad that I have the right to vote. Congratulations to everyone who worked hard for the President's re-election. Movies The recent purchase of some new software (DVDPedia) has allowed me to do something I've wanted to do for some time now. DVDPedia is movie cataloging software. It has all the features I was looking for: It allowed me to import my current movies database (Old database is in AppleWorks format). It allows me to manually add DVDs or VHS tapes. It imports extended data from various on-line movie sources (imdb.com, Amazon, etc.). It imports movie posters (cover shots) from on-line sources. It allows me to have customized fields. It allows me to track loaned movies (It even has an email reminder capability). It allows me to save the database in various formats. It has a template based, customizable, HTML output mode. It's inexpensive. $18.00 It's heavily supported and updated. What does this mean to you? You will now benefit from the 8th feature I listed. I've updated my movie collection, putting it into this new software, updating the listings, converting the ratings, and outputting the listing. So, check out the New and Improved movie listing! I hope you enjoy it. If you notice any artifacts/remnants from the old listing, I'd appreciate it if you pointed them out to me. One major change is the rating system. I've switched from a 1 - 7 rating system, to the "Industry Standard" 5 Stars rating system.
	October 31, 2004 Happy Halloween! Kim and I dressed up in costume to hand out treats this evening. Here's a picture, just in case you're interested. Kim is dressed as the 'Fair Maiden', and I am dressed as the 'Evil Advisor'. We wore the same costumes at last nights D&D meeting (see below for more about the meeting), and we had a good time handing out the goodies to all those little ghouls and goblins. The weather was horrible. It started raining around 1730, and switched over to snow around 1830 or so. That's what kept the volume down. We didn't see many 'trick-or-treaters', and most of them were carpooled by concerned parents. The cap of the evening was a movie. Kim and I watched the 2004 remake of George Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead'. Yeah! That was scary. If you'd like to read my review, point yourself at my reviews page. D&D® We played D&D on Saturday night (The 30th of October). The new quest is underway. The party managed to recover a meteorite that they saw in a vision, and now they 're trying to figure out what to do with it. Saturday's session saw a lot of combat. We even had a couple of near deaths. Unfortunately, we were missing a couple of players. Once is 'blind' (read the October 26 entry), and the other was completely exhausted from a deployment. I've updated the 3E campaign page with the new game date (4 Dec 2004), but the journal entry is going to have to wait a couple days. *I'm going to have to shovel in the morning!*
	October 28, 2004 Shadow Dragon - The Ninja Movie. I just reached a breakthrough in a project I've been working on since April of this year. As soon as I bought my new computer, I knew I had to complete this project. Back in the autumn of 1984, before I entered basic training, my friends and I shot a movie. No, it wasn't a porno! We rented a video camera, someone wrote a script, and we gathered our friends. As total amateurs, we did our best to make a movie. Ambitiously undertaken by a group of rank amateurs in the autumn of 1984, and undaunted by our total lack of skill or experience, our crew set out to produce a movie of epic proportions... Or at least amuse ourselves for a couple of weeks. What followed was our movie: Shadow Dragon - The Ninja Movie. Shot directly to VHS, it was transferred to digital video in the summer of 2004, remastered and re-edited using iMovie, and forever preserved on a DVD. I finally succeeded in producing a final cut of the Ninja Movie. I had some HUGE problems with iDVD and DVD production, but I eventually overcame all the obstacles, and I'll be carrying some precious cargo with me on my trip to Wisconsin next month. “A memory restored, lost youth recaptured, or simply folly followed. Everyone involved in this project remembers those days with great fondness. Perhaps this small piece of vinyl will let you experience our joy in reliving those ‘Glory Days’ when we were Kings.” This movie represents our/my youth, and my friends and I often quote from it. Sharing an inside joke or two, while reminiscing on our youth. It will make a great Christmas gift for some of my oldest friends. The DVD was produced/re-mastered from a VHS transfer by Robert Vaessen in October of 2004. Software/Hardware used: Hardware: Analog to digital conversion performed by Mike Vaessen (Robert’s cousin). DVD re-mastering and production performed by Robert Vaessen using a PowerPC G5 with 1.8Ghz 64bit dual processors. Operating system was Mac OS 10.3.5. An Epson Stylus Photo R200 printer was used to print to DVDs. Software used: MacTheRipper for media extraction from pre-production DVD. MPEG StreamRipper for to segment the digital video. GraphicConverter, Gimp, and AppleWorks for production of graphics and titles. Apple’s iMovie for editing, titles, transitions, sound/audio manipulation and addition of film elements. QuickTime Pro and an MPEG2 plug-in for digital video encoding/decoding. ffmpegx a Mac OS X front end to various Unix digital video tools for encoding, rendering and production of transport stream. DragonBurn to transfer data to DVD. Epson Print CD to produce and print graphics on DVDs. D&D® I scanned and posted a character portrait for Eilownwy. Another drawing by Jason's room mate, very well done. The new illustration was posted to the "Who's Who" page. I still need a character background for the following characters: Rezigrene, Alcarenque, Eilownwy and Zeddishous. I need character illustrations for the following characters: Alcarenque (currently using Lumiarti's illustration) and Zeddishous. I also added a new house rule to the campaign recently. The house rule has been added to the House Rules document, and I've also posted it here for convenience. If you're a player, you should definitely read and heed. SPEAKING DURING COMBAT: During combat, a character* may only speak when it is their turn, unless they have an Intelligence bonus. If a character has an intelligence bonus, they may speak during other characters turns as well as their own. All characters get a minimum of one speaking turn per combat round. The minimum/default speaking turn may only be used during that characters turn. Characters with an Intelligence bonus receive (Intelligence modifier -1) additional speaking opportunities during the combat round. Intelligence 14-15: +1 speaking opportunity Intelligence 16-17: +2 speaking opportunities Intelligence 18-19: +3 speaking opportunities Etc. See 3.5 PHB pg 8. A character may not speak more times than there are characters involved in the combat. For example: Two player characters are fighting a Troll. Character A. has an 18 Intelligence. He may speak during his turn, during character B's turn and during the Trolls turn (he's counted as a character). Character A. may not speak a 4th time during the combat round. A character may always refrain from speaking. In addition, a character may refrain from speaking during his/her turn, while still retaining the ability/reserving the right to speak out-of-turn. Provided the character has an appropriate Intelligence modifier. When characters speak 'out of turn', they may do so before or after another characters turn. Characters may speak during an opponents turn as well. Once again, they may speak before or after the other characters turn. They may not speak during another players turn. They may not interrupt that characters turn with their speech. Under no conditions does speaking 'out of turn' create a 'command word' activation situation. Characters may only use verbal 'commands' (to trigger spells, magic items, spell like effects, etc) during their turn. In order to facilitate this rule; players will not be prompted to speak or not speak during any turn (by the DM). Instead, they should act on their own, prefacing 'in character' speech with the phrase "I'm speaking here". A raised hand may also be appropriate to draw attention to your action/speech. Keep in mind that a combat round only lasts six seconds. Characters may not use their speaking turns to recite great epics, give long elaborate speeches, or offer intricate instructions/suggestions. The DM may impose a time limit if he/she feels that characters are abusing this rule. Character implies player or non-player characters, including monsters. Software favorites* Another update to my software favorites page. The author of GraphicConverter has released another update to the software: Version 5.3b1. The software that just keeps getting better! GraphicConverter is an image converter and manipulator. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price ($35.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. Available in 68k, OS9, and OSX versions. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, but don't just take my word for it. Even Apple has written a glowing review. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box. Photos Kim and I went for a drive in our new Volvo. A short little jaunt up into the mountains. A park we haven't been to before: Golden Gate Canyon state park. The Volvo got a good workout, a little bit of dirt and gravel, but nothing to extreme. While we were there we took some photos and discovered a fantastic lookout spot. The park is located north west of Golden, Colorado.
	October 26, 2004 Happy Annibirthday! 19 years ago, Kim and I got married on my birthday. Why did we get married on my birthday? Well, we didn't plan it that way. It just sort of worked out that way. I was on leave following completion of an advanced school/course in Pensacola, Florida, and I had three weeks of leave before I had to report to my first permanent duty station. The banquet hall wasn't available on the first weekend, and some guests couldn't make it on the third weekend. My birthday was on a Saturday, and it just happened to be the same day that we booked for the wedding and reception. Purely coincidence. It certainly makes it easy to remember our Anniversary. So, once a year Kim and I celebrate the Annibirthday. This year we couldn't afford much of a celebration (We've had a lot of expenses lately), we spent the day at home. I spent most of yesterday and today, struggling to complete a video project on the computer. Hopefully, we can have a little better time next year. Software favorites Another update to my software favorites page. Another new version of BetterHTMLExport (version 2.0.19) was released this week. BetterHTMLExport now allows you to build your own web page templates! BetterHTMLExport is an iPhoto plugin which you can use to create web pages from iPhoto galleries. You can control the web page output much more efficiently than the you can with iPhoto's built in web page output controls, you have additional output options, and you can download, save, and use templates to create highly professional looking web pages. Or, you can build your own templates! This plugin is definitely worth the cash. I was tired of spending hours tweaking my photo web pages. BetterHTMLExport lets me spend my time more wisely. D&D® We played D&D on Saturday night (The 16th of October). The new quest is underway. The party managed to recover a meteorite that they saw in a vision, and now they need to figure out what to do with it. If you read the last journal entry, or the last D&D entry in this log, you may have read about Alcarenque's death. Well, Nicholis' character didn't die. We were just playing a little joke. Unfortunately, it turns out that it wasn't a very funny joke. Nicholis missed the meeting because he was involved in another car accident, and he's legally blind! Yeah, so who's laughing now? Certainly not me. Nicholis has a degenerative disease that affects his corneas. Well, it's gotten so bad that he can barely see anything at all. He's going to undergo cornea replacement surgery over the next two months. We probably won't see him until after the new year, but Kim and I are praying for a successful outcome/recovery to/from his surgery. I'm sure someone will step up and play Alcarenque during his absence. With the return of my G5 from the shop, I now have copies of his character for our sessions. I've since replaced the last journal entry with the 'official' version. I sincerely apologize for this ill-timed joke. Get well soon Nicholis.
	October 24, 2004 Software favorites A recent update to my software favorites page. A new version of BetterHTMLExport (version 2.0.18) is now running on my copy of iPhoto 4.0.1. I also purchased the latest upgrade to Stuffit Deluxe (version 9.0). BetterHTMLExport is an iPhoto plugin which you can use to create web pages from iPhoto galleries. You can control the web page output much more efficiently than the you can with iPhoto's built in web page output controls, you have additional output options, and you can download, save, and use templates to create highly professional looking web pages. This plugin is definitely worth the cash. I was tired of spending hours tweaking my photo web pages. BetterHTMLExport lets me spend my time more wisely. Stuffit Deluxe, along with the freeware Stuffit Expander, allows me to compress and encode any files that I upload to my web page. It's not really necessary for Web page authoring, but I've found it to be essential for MAC users who use the internet. Version 7.0 offers MAC OS X (Upgraded for Jaguar) compatibility, and additional unix file format/permission capabilities (using .sitx format). Stuffit Deluxe allows me to create archives in many different compression formats, segment the archives, save them with a password for protection, and it even facilitates emailing of the compressed files. Stuffit expander (for Windows or Mac) can decode, decompress, and un-archive just about any compressed file you might encounter on the internet. It's a must have for anyone surfing the web. My computer - PowerMac G5 My G5 was had some serious problems this month. Problems so difficult that I couldn't fix them. The problems began on the 4th of October, and I troubleshot the problem for two days before I had to take the machine in to CompUSA. The problems weren't fixed until the 20th of October. After the repairs I found a few omissions, and made a few corrections to my computer profile. Good News! NetFlix recently lowered the price on their services! Lowered their price. That's right, you heard right, *they LOWERED their price*. They started out at $19.95 a month, went up to $21.99 a month, and now, are you ready for this? You might want to sit down. They've lowered their price to $17.99 a month! (For 3 movies out at a time). NetFlix is awesome. It's easy to use - Pick your movies on the web. It's cheap - Only $17.99 a month. It's convenient - No need to go drive to the rental place. It's got a huge variety of movies - Over 25,000 at last count. Another feature that I'm beginning to appreciate; Movie recommendations. The more movies you rent, the more movies you rate. Rate movies and NetFlix recommends movie, rate a lot of movies and NetFlix gets better at making recommendations.
	October 23, 2004 D&D® We played D&D on Saturday night (The 16th of October). The new quest is underway. The party managed to recover a meteorite that they saw in a vision, but at what a cost! Alcarenque is dead! I guess that's the price you pay for not showing up and not leaving a copy of your character with the group. :-( Monsters - The party encountered three new monsters during the last session. A Breathdrinker, which stole Alcarenque's life, a group of Shades, and a Shadow Mastiff. Journal entry - I posted a journal entry which Mark submitted. Thanks for the input Mark. I recommend that the players (Especially Nicholis!) read this journal entry before we play our next session. The campaign page has been updated. I updated the next game date. That's the 30th of October in case you're wondering.
	October 22, 2004 Movies & Music I just completed updates to two of my media pages. I added some recent DVD purchases to my movies page, and updated my main music page. In addition to these front door pages, I also updated the collection pages behind them. Adding two new CDs to my Music listing, and several new movies to my Movies listing. I also updated my movies review page. Books Another one of my media pages. I put three more books 'on the shelf'. I now have seven books lined up to read. That should be enough for a while. One of the books I added was a recommendation from a visitor to Rob's World!
	October 20, 2004 My computer - PowerMac G5 My G5 was had some serious problems this month. Problems so difficult that I couldn't fix them. The problems began on the 4th of October, and I troubleshot the problem for two days before I had to take the machine in to CompUSA. Well, CompUSA thought they found the root of the problem. They replaced the logic board (aka mother board), but that didn't fix the problem. So, I had to take it back again. They replaced the mother board and a processor on the second time around, and this time the computer is working fine. Thank god I've got that AppleCare warranty! I would have spent nearly a thousand dollars in repair fees. As a result of all this repair work, I've got a lot of updating to do.. I'll start with the new hard drive. I added a new SATA hard drive to my Mac. 200Gb drive that I plan to use as a backup drive. I used Apple's built in backup software to create a backup, but something's didn't work quite right. I think I'll take a look at Carbon Copy Cloner. I've updated the computer profile to reflect the addition of the new hard drive. Sugar Grove A favorite among visitors is my NSGA Sugar Grove page. It contains some information about an assignment to one of the remotest tours in the continental U.S. I often get questions regarding the base, the community, and what it's like to live and work at the little station known as 'the Grove'. I recently updated the web page to include some information about the nearby public school. Software favorites Another update to my software favorites page. The author of GraphicConverter has released two more updates to the software. Version 5.2.4b1 and the latest release, 5.3b0.. The software that just keeps getting better! GraphicConverter is an image converter and manipulator. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price ($35.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. Available in 68k, OS9, and OSX versions. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, but don't just take my word for it. Even Apple has written a glowing review. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box.
	October 18, 2004 A drive in the mountains On Sunday, Kim and I took a drive in the mountains. We drove up into the Rockies, Northwest of Golden, Colorado. We drove up to a state park — Golden Gate Canyon. A vista in the mountains. Some great views of Colorado's greatest peaks. We took the XC90, of course! Drove on some dirt roads, got it a little dirty. We took a lot of pictures, but I'm going to wait until I've got the G5 back before I put them on the computer. It was a good day. The weather was great, and the skies stayed clear until 1300 or so. By then we were on our way home. My computer - PowerMac G5 My G5 is having some serious problems. Problems so difficult that I couldn't fix them. The problems began on the 4th of October, and I troubleshot the problem for two days before I had to take the machine in to CompUSA. Well, CompUSA thought they found the root of the problem. They replaced the logic board (aka mother board), but that didn't fix the problem. So, I had to take it back again. They think they've got it now. Another mother board and a processor this time. Thank god I've got that AppleCare warranty!
	October 16, 2004 My computer - PowerMac G5 My G5 is having some serious problems. Problems so difficult that I couldn't fix them. The problems began on the 4th of October, and I troubleshot the problem for two days before I had to take the machine in to CompUSA. Well, CompUSA has thought they found the root of the problem. They replaced the logic board (aka mother board), but that didn't fix the problem. On Friday they called and said the computer was ready for pick-up. Unfortunately, they couldn't boot it at the front desk, to show me that it was working. They don't have a Mac compatible monitor at the front desk. That monitor looked Mac compatible... Well, anyway; I took the machine home, and it wouldn't start up! It seemed to be the exact same problem as before. I tried starting it with nothing connected and that didn't help... Suffice it to say, that after an hour of troubleshooting, I had to call CompUSA and return the computer for a second round of poking and prodding. They weren't too happy with me or my computer... How dare I imply that they didn't fix the problem. "Obviously, the problem must be on 'your' end. Some sort of environmental factor..." Blah, blah, blah. They seem to think that it must be the keyboard, the mouse, the power outlet, the monitor, or me. Yeah, whatever. I've tried all that. The keyboard seems to be working fine here... typitty, typitty, test, test, test! Back to the testing bench! The new vehicle Kim and I have been planning this for some time. For over a year now, we've been thinking about a new vehicle. With my retirement imminent, the Jeep on it's last leg (see below), and the acceptance of a job in Colorado, the time has come to start finalizing our plans. News Flash! It's official! We're now the proud owners of a brand new Volvo XC90. Oh yeah, the smell of new leather, the thrill of a strompin new SUV. Thankfully, this little baby is just the right size for our garage. Not too big, and not too small. What kind of features does it have? Well, I could bore you with a long list of features, but you can go to the Volvo web site if you want that kind of detail. Here's a little appetizer: We got the following packages: AWD (Full-time 4WD, of course), Premium (Leather, moon roof, etc), Versatility (3rd row seating,etc), Climate (for cold & nasty weather), 18" wheels, and the back-up indicators. The price? Embarrassingly high. That's about all I'll say. We saved a bunch by getting a 2004 close-out if that's any consolation. The 2004 model actually cost us less with more options (Versatility, 18" wheels, back-up indicators), than the 2005 model would have cost. I'm ready for the trip to Wisconsin (Next month), and any driving adventures that might present themselves in the future... Hmmm, maybe a nice little drive in the mountains is due?
	October 13, 2004 Moles! We've got moles! Moles in our yard. Under the lawn. Burrowing, digging, skulking about in underground tunnels! They? I'm not sure how many there are, but they've infested four yards in my immediate vicinity. Unfortunately, that means we'll need some sort of coordinated attack in order to get rid of them. That's about as likely as meeting all my neighbors. I think that these moles have discovered a great survival strategy. They're living along the fence lines, bordering on four properties, they can simply retreat across the fence-line to the refuge of another unsuspecting resident. These particular moles are likely the Eastern variety. According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, they are in Colorado, but the most recent distribution maps didn't show them in the Denver area. Well, I got news for you buddy. They're here! The tunnels, the volcano shaped eruptions of dirt, the tell-tale signs. There's a new menace in Denver. The suburban mole! Top Ten Fugitive Imagine my surprise. On Sunday I was doing a Google search on my name (I occasionally do a search on my name, internet domains, and copyrighted material) when I came across my name on the FBI's top ten fugitive list! Surprising indeed, but I wasn't laughing, that's for sure. Here's what I think is happening: Some kid/joker in the Netherlands (The web page is in Dutch), decided to play a joke on his buddies. He copied the FBI's official ten most wanted fugitive's list, substituted five of his friends for five actual fugitives. Unfortunately, for me at least, my name is the same as one of his buddies. So, this prankster posted an altered for of the FBI's list on his web site. My name is number one on the list, right next to Usama Bin Laden. Now, either this joker can't read English, didn't realize what he was doing, or he just doesn't give a damn. Because, what he's done is a violation of U.S. law, and would be considered slanderous in just about any nation. The fact that it's illegal is even posted right on his web site. He actually copied the FBI's warning /notice along with the rest of the official page. "Notice: The official FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list is maintained on the FBI World Wide Web Site. This information may be copied and distributed, however, any unauthorized alteration of any portion of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives posters is a violation of federal law (18 U.S.C., Section 709). Persons who make or reproduce these alterations are subject to prosecution and, if convicted, shall be fined or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both." Here's where it gets irritating. As you can imagine, I was less than amused at this discovery. I immediately fired off an email to the author of the web page and his hosting service. As you might have suspected, that didn't help much. The email to the joker responsible for the website simply bounced. A hotmail account that has no doubt expired due to inactivity. The email to his hosting service resulted in a ridiculously lame response. "Unfortunately, we are unable to currently determine the truth of the statements in the Yahoo! GeoCities page you are reporting. We can certainly sympathize with your position and wish to take appropriate action. Yeah, right. That's lame. There is no need to determine the 'truth of the statements' in the page I reported. What they should be doing is verifying the un-truths of the web page I reported. It took me a little less than a minute to figure out that the web page was an altered form of the FBI's official most wanted list. For some reason they appear incapable of seeing that this is an alteration. Oh, but that's not all... "Please forward any personally identifying information regarding that situation to us -- such as a copy of your photo ID with full name. The more information you can give us, the more thoroughly we will be able to investigate this situation. State that you are the individual posted and would like the material removed. Indicate the exact location and name of the file in question and sign the document." What! You have got to be kidding. My personally identifying information! Are you out of your mind? What good would that do? It might prove that I am who I say I am, but it wouldn't provide any useful information with regards to the web page in question. These folks are way off track. Anyway, I sent them an email back, explaining that I wasn't going to provide them with any sort of personally identifiable information. I tried to get them back on track. I explained (again) that they are hosting a web page that is in violation of U.S. law, and that the web page was slandering my name. I indicated how the page was altered, directed them to the FBI's official wanted list, and told them that I would turn this over to the FBI if they weren't willing to take appropriate action. So, what was their response? "Hello, Thank you for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care. Thank you for informing us of possible abuse on Yahoo! GeoCities. We have investigated the site and taken the necessary action. Please continue to notify us of any content you believe violates the GeoCities Terms of Service, located at: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/geoterms.html Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care. Regards, Yahoo! Customer Care" O.k. That's promising. So I check, and the web site is still there. I wonder what their "necessary" action was? Perhaps it was replying to my email? Perhaps it was laughing at my misfortune, and going back to the usual round of office gossip? In either case, I was tired of this futile discourse with a disinterested and incompetent help desk. On Tuesday I called the local office of the FBI. They took all my information and said that they would investigate the incident. Perhaps they'll have better success getting the web page removed. My computer - PowerMac G5 My G5 is having some serious problems. Problems so difficult that I couldn't fix them. The problems began on the 4th of October, and I troubleshot the problem for two days before I had to take the machine in to CompUSA. Well, CompUSA has finally found the root of the problem (I hope). The computer needs a new logic board (aka mother board). I still think that the problem goes deeper. But hey, if replacing the logic board fixes the problem, I'm all for that. They've ordered a new logic board, and if things go right, I should have my Mac back by Friday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
	October 10, 2004 D&D® We played D&D on Saturday night (The 2nd of October). The new quest is underway. The party is currently investigating the site where the meteorite fell to Oerth. The meteor's impact has revealed a lair of "Wild Beast Men", and the party is currently planning an assault to recover the meteor. Monsters - The party encountered the "Wild Beast Men" from their visions. These creatures are the Derro that Derwyth told them about. They also encountered a giant green mold, shaped like an "X". Wherenow - I added and updated a few entries for new places that the party learned about. Places near and around the Tower of the Heavens. Journal entry - I posted a journal entry which Mark submitted. Thanks for the input Mark. I recommend that the players read this journal entry before we play our next session. The campaign page has been updated. I updated the next game date. That's the 16th of October in case you're wondering.
	October 9, 2004 Military retirement The final day gets closer still. On Friday I completed my final out-processing requirements. After obtaining leave numbers from finance, I completed my final out with the separations section. At this point I've been relieved of all military duty requirements. It's basically a waiting game now. During the next few months, I'll be busy getting paperwork and pre-employment requirements taken care of for my new employer. Kim and I will also be busy buying a new car, visiting our parents (back in Wisconsin), looking for a house, and transitioning fully to the civilian side of life. The new vehicle Kim and I have been planning this for some time. For over a year now, we've been thinking about a new vehicle. With my retirement imminent, the Jeep on it's last leg (see below), and the acceptance of a job in Colorado, the time has come to start finalizing our plans. We've decided on the vehicle (with a backup in mind), and started to plan our dealer negotiation strategy... That's when I came upon the AAA auto sales program. It's actually a broker service. AAA membership gives us access to this broker service. The AAA brokers are salaried by AAA, so they have no incentive to jack up the price when they're looking for our vehicle. In addition to being salaried by AAA, the brokers deal with fleet sales managers instead of the standard showroom sales person that a walk-in customer might deal with. The fleet managers are also salaried. That's another layer of no pressure sales. The broker will even look for the best load deal. I told him that our credit union has a 4.25% new car loan for 48 months. He said he'd see if he could find something better. So, the AAA broker will canvass all the dealerships in the area, and try to find the best deal that meets our needs, and shop for a loan rate. No foot work for Kim and I. No high pressure sales tactics. No deceptive dealers. No stress, no hassle, no heartache. Oh yeah, did I happen to mention the best part? It bears repeating... The service is free! "Go for it Mr. Broker man. Find us that awesome deal!" And with those magical words, our car search has begun.
	October 8, 2004 My Jeep It's the end of an era. Long live the Jeep. Kim and I purchased the Jeep back in 1987. My parents loaned us the money, and we paid them back as quickly as we could. Unfortunately, it didn't help our credit at all, as neither of our names were on the loan. The Jeep has been a loyal friend and adventurous companion over the past 17 years. We were stationed in Italy when we bought the Jeep, and it was a great vehicle to have for the rough countryside of Southern Italy. It let us explore the countryside in ways that many others could not. The Wrangler (our Jeep) is a great icon of the American spirit, and I felt like an American every time someone turned their head to catch a glimpse of the G.I. in his Jeep. The Jeep had it's share of problems. It was the first year they made the Jeep (Never buy a first year production model), and there were plenty of defects that had to be recalled, corrected and repaired. Kim and I spent a lot of money keeping the Jeep running, but it sure taught us a lot about perseverance. In the end, it's six cylinder, 4.2 liter gasoline engine (Orphaned by 1988) was on it's last leg (so to speak). With the engine going bad, and problems with the transmission, Kim and I couldn't bring ourselves to spend $3-4 thousand dollars needed to keep our friend around. We knew it wouldn't pass emissions (The Denver area has some rather strict emissions restrictions), and the benefits of a life extension were outweighed by the financial considerations. On Friday I sold the Jeep. I had a list of 38 phone numbers, and I started calling at 0900. By noon I'd gone through 27 numbers, and the Jeep was sold. I didn't get as much as I had hoped to get, but it was the best offer I received. I don't think any amount would have been enough, but it was time to say goodbye to my old friend. We will miss our Jeep. Driving across the countryside in an open-air jeep is a thrill that's hard to describe, but I'll give it a try: It's freedom, pure and simple. Adventure, no holds barred. Liberation, with no man-made boundaries to hold you back. Drive on red Wrangler, drive on! *We'll miss our Jeep...*
	October 7, 2004 Military retirement The next phase has begun. I'm currently out processing. What a pain. What is out processing.? If you're a civilian (and haven't served), this may be the first time you've heard this phrase. Anyway, I'm going to tell you... I inherited the motor-mouth gene from my dad, or so they say. Anyway, I was going to tell you about out processing. Out processing.: An administrative function performed by military members just prior to a change of station, separation, or retirement. The individual who is out processing., is given one or more checklists (in my case four), upon which are listed various agencies, offices and specific instructions. These checkslists must be completed in a specific order, in a specific period of time. Failure to complete the checklists in a timely manner could delay a military members departure, retirement or separation. It's an incredibly grueling treasure hunt, where the treasure is the coveted 'signature', and the reward is freedom from duty. The military member is sometimes thwarted or opposed in his efforts by any of the following hazards: The missing menace: Someone who is supposed to sign your checklist, but they're never around. - Go to the next item on your checklist. Between '1000-1200': A checklist item which can only be completed between certain hours. - Go to the next item on your checklist. Only on Monday or Friday: A checklist item which can only be accomplished on a certain day. When combined with item number 1, you're having a bad day. - Proceed to next checklist item. Only 'So-n'-so' can sign your checklist: Only a specific person can sign your checklist. - You may be able to bluff your way past this hazard. If you know that the item being signed off isn't important (i.e. doesn't apply to you), you might be able get someone else in the office to sign for you. This depends on a couple of factors. Your rank, the rank of the person who normally signs, the rank of the person doing the signing, other pertinent factors... If you can't get someone else to sign you can do one of three things. - Go on to the next item, come back later, or forge a signature. The later is not recommended, and should only be attempted in rare circumstances. Fill out this form: A common stalling technique - Fill out the form and continue on to the next item. Bring me a shrubbery: A devious sub-quest. Sometimes an agent of evil will request that you bring them some sort of paper-work, copy of your orders, proof of life, etc... Do your best to comply with the request. If they sign before you comply, you may be able to disregard there request. It depends on what they requested. Bad directions: Go to building 86, room 54: Building 86 doesn't exist, it's been torn down, or there is no sign indicating the building number. - If you're lucky, there's a phone number. If you're unlucky the phone number is wrong. Seek assistance from a veteran of the checklist. Find help from someone 'in charge'. 'Not Applicable': A dangerous pitfall. Some N/A items can be lined through and disregarded completely. Sometimes they cannot. Only good judgment and experience will help you here. - Line through the item and proceed to next. Out of order: Some checklists are in order, some are not. You may encounter a checklist which requires you to complete items 12 and 13 before item 6 can be signed off. - Proceed with caution. No agent listed: An all to common predicament. Sometimes a checklist may indicate that you are required to complete an action, or obtain a signature, but no office/representative is indicated. - Seek assistance from a veteran of the checklist. Find help from someone 'in charge'. Catch-22: Occasionally, you will encounter a checklist conundrum of this magnitude. For example: Finance will not sign-off on their portion of the check-list until your commander has signed your leave forms. But the commander insists on a completed checklist before he will sign off on your leave forms. Oh the humanity! - Complain bitterly, and get one party to concede a signature. This pitfall could prevent your 'Final Out'. The hostage taker: This could be an unpleasant or painful experience. You're pressed for time, but this person wants someone to talk to, or they insist on convincing you that you should sign up for the 'Survivor Benefit Plan', despite the fact that it's your decision, and you've decided not to. You're held hostage. You can't outprocess without a completed checklist, and they're showing no signs of giving you their signature. - Express indignation, go over their head, forge their signature (risky proposition). Hopefully, no one ends up crying, swearing, or leaving the office in hand-cuffs. The hidden item: Sometimes a checklist contains a hidden surprise. What's that, you didn't see the item between items 7 and 8? I'm sorry, you can't complete your 'Final Out' without that signature. - Arrrgghh, go back and get the signature. Paying close attention will prevent this snafu. Thirty days prior: Most of the time, you'll get five duty days to complete your checklist. Sometimes the checklist will contain items that are required many days prior to your five days of out processing. - Check the list as soon as you get it. If you're a senior military member, people like you, you had short notice, etc... you might be able to bluff your way past this requirement. These are just a sampling of some problems you might encounter while completing your 'Checklists'. It's a daunting task, filled with administrative pit-falls. It reminds me of an old game by INFOCOM, called 'Beauracracy'. When the grueling quest is over, you'll possess one or more completed checklists. Completion of the checklists will permit you to advance to the 'Final Out' phase of your out processing. Once you are done with your final out processing appointment, you're free and clear! My computer - PowerMac G5 My G5 is having some serious problems. Problems so difficult that I couldn't fix them. The problems began on the 4th of October, and I troubleshot the problem for two days before I had to take the machine in to CompUSA. I called a 1-800 number for technical trouble shooting assistance, but that didn't help either. I've pretty much narrowed the problem down to some sort of system controller or bus problem. The computer is locking up completely at aperiodic intervals. It's also having problems booting up. It doesn't appear to be hard drive or memory related, as troubleshooting has pretty much eliminated those possibilities. I don't like the fact that I had to entrust my computer to someone else's hands. I have no idea how competent these CompUSA technicians are, and I dread the worst. My primal fear is that their first line of dealing with any problems is a complete zeroing of the disk, and OS reinstall! Oh my aching hard drive! I hope that they don't do that. I sure am glad that I bought that 3 year AppleCare warranty! If you'd like to learn a little bit about what my PowerMac G5 is like, you can check out the web page which describes my system. I'm currently using my PowerMac G4 to write/update my web pages.
	October 3, 2004 Job Search On Friday (the 1st of Oct), I made my decision. I accepted the Northrop Grumman offer. So, I'll be working shift work again, but at least I'll be doing S

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