Ed's weblog

Shuttle

When I was 12 I refused to let my Mom take me to school until after the Space Shuttle launched. I HAD to see it, as it happened! All the kids were late that day. A previous generation saw the moon missions. I had the Space Shuttle. I was sure that this meant we'd have space stations and a moon base and we would go to Mars. And, yes, have flying cars (expectations were set, dammit). That first launch was magical.

None of which happened (well, we got a space station, but I wanted a 2001: A Space Odyssey type thing. And stations at the Lagrange points.

But we did have the shuttle, and it was cool.

Today the Endeavor landed in LA, bound for its final resting place. A bunch of us at work got to see it fly right overhead as we gathered on the roof of our building. It was awesome. It was also more than a little sad. There are no more Shuttles, and no plans to create a replacement. No plans for a moon base. No plans for human exploration of Mars. People have given up on much of what made these programs exciting: we were going out there. People were going out there. The final frontier, boldly going, etc, etc.

I find it all very sad. And I still want a flying car.

1993

I blame Rick for making me a hockey fan. Well, blame is a bit harsh, but still. He got me into it and I have been a LA Kings fan from the start (1989 or 1990? I dunno when). I remember well the last time the Kings went to the Stanley Cup finals against Montreal. Back then we had a line up that included Wayne Gretzky, Yari Kurry, Marty McSourley and Luc Robitaille among others.

This time the team is made up of a lot of good players that really want the cup, and have to fight for the respect of their peers and the sports press. There are no free passes and they get little recognition from the home town press. The LA Times website (which I won't link to because fuck them) doesn't even mention that the team won the western conference and it going to the Stanley Cup finals. There is only a picture in the photos module on the page. The sports section is all baseball, lamenting the Lakers loss and an article about the NFL. WTF.

I don't know where I was going with this, but right now it feels good to be a Kings fan. And that isn't something I'm used to. I just wish the press would give the team some respect.

Go Kings Go!

So, about the house we are renting...

The pluming sucks and it has termites. But other than that it's nice.

We got a house

We are going to be leasing a house! Finally getting out of this apartment. I'm excited to have a real kitchen again.

Dirty old Jeep

My Jeep is on its last legs. The only major part that hasn't been replaced in recent years is the engine. Just this week I had to have the transmission hoses and radiator shroud replaced (after said hoses were severed by the radiator fan because the old shroud had broken off at some point). I desperately need to have the coolant system flushed and I am worried that there will be more to come. I think its time to just get a new (for me) car.

So, about Vicki's transfer...

Yeah, she got it! As of April 1st she's LA based!

It's been a busy year.

In the last year we've lost two pets, moved across the country. I have been working harder than ever and mostly loving it. Vicki has been having to deal with commuting to Chicago from Los Angeles, which sucks. I have hopes for the new year, but they are tempered by doubts about the economy and other factors. We still own our house in Illinois and it is worth less than we owe on it. Also, being winter, we have no rental prospects, and the situation will likely continue until sometime in spring at the earliest.

Still, things could be worse.

Back on the Left Coast

I have to say it feels good to be back in LA. I forgot just how much there is going on here. And the weather (or rather the lack there of) is awesome. The only downside is Vicki having to commute to Chicago and being away for weeks at a time, but hopefully she will get transferred soon.

Sasha

Today we lost our dog Sasha. She had been battling colon cancer for some time and today we knew she couldn't go any further. We got her from a rescue shelter in 2006. She was the sweetest dog in the world.

Did I mention the panties?

Yeah, we have a cafepress store now. You can buy Litmus Green panties there.

Oh, and t-shirts, if you are into that sort of thing.

Perverts.

Thanks for coming out! (Again)

Thanks to all came out tonight (well, last night now). Flying 2000+ miles to play these shows has been a lot of fun, but jet lag just kills me.

Look for more gigs coming up. I don't know if I'll be coming out for those or not. We will see.

Oh and BTW...

So the guys all decided (and I totally support the decision) that they really want to keep doing gigs. Maybe not as frequently as in the old days, but Litmus Green is definitely back. I won't be playing with them (unless it's something really special), since flying 2000 miles every time there is a gig would be stupid and practicing by myself sucks. Lare has been a fantastic replacement and truth be told I asked him to join way back when for just that purpose. That and having two guitars sounds awesome. And to keep him from joining stupid bands out of boredom.

Anyway. Long story short (to late): Litmus Green lives!

You have been warned.

More pictures from the show!

Here are more pictures!

]]>

Shout out to Joe from Portland

I just wanted to say thanks for coming down to see us! Your kind words touched us all and really made a great show even better for us. Thank you, sir!

]]>

Video and Pics from 1/22/2010 gig

Here's some video.

Here are some pictures.