June 25, 2007

Alamo Blog-a-Thon: True Love at the Alamo

(This entry is part of the Alamo Downtown Blog-a-thon.) I won't say that I found true love at the Alamo Drafthouse. But I'm pretty sure it helped seal the deal.... (read more)

Posted by chip at 07:32 PM to: My Happy Life
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June 16, 2007

Pet Adoptees Need to Chill Out

I just read that the Austin Humane Society lost their AC system two days ago and things are really heating up in there. I feel badly for the pets... (read more)

Posted by chip at 03:53 PM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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December 02, 2006

Welcome to Holidailies. Why the Hell am I Here?

I've been telling Jette for many weeks that I'd help her run the Holidailies web site this year, but there is no bloody way I'm signing up to post. I... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:41 AM to: Holidailies 2006, My Happy Life
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November 19, 2006

Ho Ho Ho! Happy Holidailies!

It's Holidailies time again. Holidailies is a community writing project for online journalers and other web writers. Participants aim for writing an article a day through the entire month... (read more)

Posted by chip at 02:25 PM to: Blogging 'bout Blogging, My Happy Life
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August 09, 2006

The Weddening

Tomorrow is the two month anniversary of my marriage. In early discussions, my then-fiancee and I considered two places for the ceremony: Chez Zee and Green Pastures. Somehow along the... (read more)

Posted by chip at 10:29 AM to: My Happy Life
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April 18, 2006

Post Office Adventure

It was 11:00pm and we had 30 wedding invitations to put in the mail. No problem, the Post Office has been advertising the heck out of their 24-hour, automated stations.... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:18 AM to: My Happy Life
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March 25, 2006

Best Day Ever

My birthday was last week. It was great. Lookey what I got:... (read more)

Posted by chip at 07:16 AM to: My Happy Life
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February 11, 2006

Life after Vinyl

I wrote earlier about thinking of parting with my beloved record album collection. Here is an update: it's gone. All 156 of them. I thought about picking out a few... (read more)

Posted by chip at 04:54 PM to: Artsy and Fartsy, My Happy Life
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February 05, 2006

Good Bye to Vinyl

My vinyl LPs—all 156 of them—were packed for over a decade. I unpacked them last year, when I moved in with my girlfriend. I had grand plans of setting up... (read more)

Posted by chip at 03:25 PM to: Artsy and Fartsy, My Happy Life
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January 15, 2006

Gail Minsky (1935-2006)

My mother, Gail Minsky, died suddenly last week, vicitim of an automobile accident. A memorial web site has been setup by the family.... (read more)

Posted by chip at 11:33 AM to: My Happy Life
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January 03, 2006

December Plan

It's good to have a plan. It's good when the plan works. Sometimes, it's better when it doesn't. I had a plan for December. I had just wrapped up a... (read more)

Posted by chip at 02:27 PM to: Holidailies 2005, My Happy Life
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November 25, 2005

Turkey or Tacos

Thanksgiving is a day for traditions, some traditional and some not so. This was to be my first Thanksgiving at home with my fiancee. It would be interesting to see... (read more)

Posted by chip at 01:07 AM to: My Happy Life
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August 26, 2005

Adventures in Label Reading: H-E-B Coffee

I was at the local H-E-B yesterday to pick up some coffee for the office. While reading the side panel of the store brand Columbian coffee beans, I was surprised... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:20 PM to: Austin, In Your Face, My Happy Life
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July 07, 2005

Back to Work

My contract at a large enterprise software company concluded at the end of May. I was going to take the month of June to catch up on projects, and then... (read more)

Posted by chip at 07:57 PM to: My Happy Life
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May 08, 2005

Back to the Bars

This weekend, Austin voters went to the polls. A referendum was held to extend the current smoking ban in restaurants to nearly all establishments, including bars and bowling alleys. The... (read more)

Posted by chip at 08:47 PM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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March 15, 2005

New Cat on the Block

There has been a new addition to the household. His name is Rufus T. Firefly. Maybe someday kittys will be available on order from Amazon, but we got this rascal... (read more)

Posted by chip at 11:41 AM to: My Happy Life
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Dewey Winburne Award

This year, I was one of the nominees for the Dewey Winburne Community Service Award. The award is given out annually at the SXSW festival. The award was given to... (read more)

Posted by chip at 09:31 AM to: My Happy Life
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December 27, 2004

My Day in Court

Now I know what they mean when they say, "The wheels of justice turn slowly." I told you last March about the lawsuit I filed in small claims court. Today,... (read more)

Posted by chip at 09:53 PM to: My Happy Life
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July 10, 2004

My Recession

Yes, it's been a while since I've last updated. I do, however, have an excellent excuse. Since I last wrote, I have become a money-grubbing whore who doesn't care about... (read more)

Posted by chip at 10:49 PM to: My Happy Life
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April 23, 2004

Happy Happy Waffle House

Only twice have I begged my girlfriend for something. I begged her to get a cat. She refused, saying maybe someday. I'm still begging her—been at it for months. She... (read more)

Posted by chip at 03:51 AM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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March 26, 2004

My New Lawsuit

I didn't get to sleep until 5a.m. this morning. Two things I have the most difficulty handling are money problems and conflict. I'm embroiled in a situation that is chock... (read more)

Posted by chip at 06:29 PM to: My Happy Life
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March 22, 2004

Birthday Oatmeal

Happy birthday to me Happy birthday to me Happy birthday to meee-eee Happy birthday to me... (read more)

Posted by chip at 01:19 PM to: My Happy Life
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March 16, 2004

SXSW: Paging Greg Bueno

Greg Bueno is stalking me. He isn't even attending SXSW Interactive, but every day I seem to bump into him. Saturday he follows me to Schlotzky's, under the pretense of... (read more)

Posted by chip at 05:51 PM to: My Happy Life
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March 15, 2004

SXSW: Warm, Dry, Happy

Day two of SXSW was much happier than the previous day. This time I remembered where I parked. I already discussed some of the great panels I attended and some... (read more)

Posted by chip at 03:11 PM to: My Happy Life
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March 14, 2004

SXSW: Cold, Wet, Grumpy

Onward to day two of SXSW. Day one ended not with a bang, but a sloosh. At the last minute I got pressed into service as a panelist for the... (read more)

Posted by chip at 09:57 AM to: My Happy Life
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January 16, 2004

No User Serviceable Parts

I know I've been terribly quiet lately. I've been too distracted to write much. This month, I left my long time South Austin apartment and relocated to the wrong side... (read more)

Posted by chip at 02:47 AM to: My Happy Life
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January 13, 2004

AT&T Lied

Remember this entry where AT&T customer service gave me the runaround? Remember how I had a nagging suspicion they lied just to get me off the phone? Well, yeah, they... (read more)

Posted by chip at 02:32 PM to: My Happy Life
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December 11, 2003

Adventures in Customer Disservice

My AT&T prepaid phone card stopped working. I punched in the PIN and it just said, "For assistance contact customer service." No indication what the problem is--let alone that there... (read more)

Posted by chip at 09:23 PM to: My Happy Life
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December 05, 2003

Please Explain this Evil

Can anybody please explain to me why Sprint PCS can offer the ability to add options to my cellular phone plan--and make it as simple as clicking a button on... (read more)

Posted by chip at 05:08 PM to: My Happy Life
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November 21, 2003

Bye Bye, Ma Bell

I just phoned SBC and asked them to terminate my phone service. Come Monday, I will be without wired phone service. Between cable Internet and cellular phone, it just wasn't... (read more)

Posted by chip at 03:16 PM to: My Happy Life, Spam, Technology
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November 20, 2003

My Sister, the Artisan

Link: A dazzling success: Franklin woman crafts popular beaded jewelry (link removed) My little pipsqueak sister just got a nice writeup in her local daily. She has been crafting jewelry... (read more)

Posted by chip at 05:55 PM to: My Happy Life
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November 18, 2003

On the Road: Bubba Ho-tep is Coming

Last week, I was disappointed to see that Lost in Translation had left the Alamo Village before I had a chance to see it. I was quite pleased, however, to... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:35 PM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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On the Road: Eight Hours in Hell Houston

Thanks to an unexpected weather event, the three hour drive from Houston to Austin took over eight. Floodwaters blocked I-10, forcing rush-hour traffic to divert through neighborhoods winding along one-lane... (read more)

Posted by chip at 11:25 AM to: My Happy Life
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November 15, 2003

On the Road: Blogging from New Orleans

It's nice to see that Austin isn't the only city that's discovered that wireless freakin' rocks. Even New Orleans has wireless. I'm currently sitting at PJ's Coffee (screenshot of lame... (read more)

Posted by chip at 11:25 AM to: My Happy Life
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October 23, 2003

JournalCon Wrap-Up

I've posted my JournalCon wrap-up elsewhere, as a guest entry on somebody else's journal. If you haven't seen it, would like to and can't figure out where it is, drop... (read more)

Posted by chip at 03:05 PM to: My Happy Life
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October 17, 2003

JournalCon Weekend

It's hard to believe it was almost three months ago I was fretting about registering for JournalCon. It's finally here and a lot has happened during that time. I've been... (read more)

Posted by chip at 07:48 AM to: My Happy Life
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October 10, 2003

A Tale of Two Auto Shops

The little red brake light was going blinky, blinky. Last time I saw one of those it involved pads and turned rotors and hundreds of dollars. I was getting the... (read more)

Posted by chip at 07:10 PM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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September 12, 2003

Goodbye, Friend

Yesterday afternoon, I lost my best friend. I've written how over the past month he's gone from sad to worse. Unfortunately, we never could get a diagnosis, and he kept... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:57 AM to: My Happy Life
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September 05, 2003

My Sick Pussy

Things with the kitty have gone from unhappy to worse. I'm trying to avoid negative predictions about the outcomes, but I am steeling myself for the worst.... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:30 PM to: My Happy Life
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August 29, 2003

My Unhappy Pussy

This is not one of my typical hard-hitting, entertaining (not to mention fair and balanced) blog postings. Instead, it's an article about my sad kitty cat.... (read more)

Posted by chip at 06:31 PM to: My Happy Life
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July 30, 2003

Pack my Bags, I'm going to JournalCon

Last week, I momentarily overcame my fear and trepidation and submitted my registration application for JournalCon Austin. Shortly thereafter I returned to my senses, and ever since I've been saying,... (read more)

Posted by chip at 11:19 PM to: Austin, Blogging 'bout Blogging, My Happy Life
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July 22, 2003

Deep Thoughts

I have been dangled by my ankle--and almost dropped--over the edge of ecstasy. Phew! This is to satisfy a dare. I'm sorry you people had to see it.... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:43 PM to: My Happy Life
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July 12, 2003

Bill Kennedy, in Memoriam

I just received news that Bill Kennedy passed away yesterday. I've been fortunate to know him as a friend, and privileged to have him as a mentor.... (read more)

Posted by chip at 04:51 PM to: My Happy Life
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July 09, 2003

Memo to Self

Dear Self, Your days are more productive when there is coffee in the cupboard.... (read more)

Posted by chip at 01:54 PM to: In Your Face, My Happy Life
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June 17, 2003

Weirdest Bug in Human History

Get out your rubber chicken and mojo hand. I have just discovered the weirdest, most mysterious bug ever encountered. I signed off on my broadband installation yesterday morning, but later... (read more)

Posted by chip at 05:06 PM to: My Happy Life, Technology
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June 16, 2003

Desolate Landscape

Happy broadband to me! It was over a year ago that I lost my broadband Internet connection. The cost of a business-class service became beyond my budget. Plus, my old... (read more)

Posted by chip at 11:26 AM to: My Happy Life, The Net
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May 27, 2003

Happy Anniversary

Six months ago I couldn't even spell blogger. Now I is one.... (read more)

Posted by chip at 09:50 PM to: Administrivia, Blogging 'bout Blogging, My Happy Life
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May 19, 2003

Big, Big Week

It's showtime! For the past several weeks I've been acting as an unpaid, volunteer lobbyist for EFF-Austin, slogging through a couple of bills currently before the Texas legislature. The session... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:16 AM to: My Happy Life
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April 23, 2003

Blogswap: Fear and Loathing for the Good Old Days

Link: Fear and Loathing ... My entry for Austin Blogswap Day has been posted to Jeremy Kraybill's weblog. The idea was that on Monday, a bunch of Austin Bloggers would... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:21 AM to: My Happy Life
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April 10, 2003

Drama--and Hypocrisy--at the Council Chambers

As previously threatened, I did attend tonight's public hearing on the proposed No-Smoking Ordinance for Austin. It was a surprisingly difficult experience. Further, I encountered an incident so bizarre and... (read more)

Posted by chip at 10:55 PM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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March 27, 2003

"Buy Our Cheap Crap"

Link: OSU-Tulsa Bookstore. I really can't complain about these lamers stealing the artwork from my website, because....uhhh....I stole it from somebody else. (And goodness knows where they stole it from.)... (read more)

Posted by chip at 05:04 AM to: It Amuses Me, My Happy Life
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March 26, 2003

Must. Resist. Temptation.

I have a comment submission form on my web site. Sometimes, I wonder why I've got a comment submission form on my web site. Over the past five years, I... (read more)

Posted by chip at 09:41 PM to: My Happy Life
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March 22, 2003

A Visit to the Journalers

Last night, I followed David's brave example and dropped in on the Austin Journal Writers' happy hour. It appears I have emerged unscathed, with minimal damage. Hopefully the same can... (read more)

Posted by chip at 03:25 PM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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March 08, 2003

Public Service Announcement

We interrupt this weblog for a very important public service announcement: Do not, under any circumstances, order the BBQ Sandwich at the convention center concession stand. Thank you, we now... (read more)

Posted by chip at 04:19 PM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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March 04, 2003

Blue Haze of Doom

It should have been a very good night. But it wasn't. Thanks to the management at Antone's, I ended up sick and convinced that Austin really does need to expand... (read more)

Posted by chip at 01:01 AM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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February 26, 2003

AFD Incident Number 308610

Incident Date: 02/16/2003 06:54:38 Remarks: This call was originally dispatched as a trash fire. On arrival we found heavy smoke that obscured most of the building and residents were in... (read more)

Posted by chip at 07:38 PM to: My Happy Life
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February 24, 2003

Ode to the Whip In

The Blog Day topic is What to do with Four Spare Hours in Austin. For me, this is not a theoretical issue. I had quite a bit of downtime this... (read more)

Posted by chip at 03:54 PM to: Austin, My Happy Life
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February 16, 2003

Three Most Important Things

This morning, I discovered the three most important material things in my life. Around 7 this morning, I was awoken by the smell of acrid smoke. I looked out my... (read more)

Posted by chip at 03:29 PM to: My Happy Life
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January 01, 2003

Happy New Year ... from a Bitter, Cynical Engineer

Happy new year! Or, at least, one that doesn't suck quite so awfully as the one that just ended. I want to see 2002 flushed down the toilet like a... (read more)

Posted by chip at 10:23 PM to: My Happy Life
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December 28, 2002

A cc Update

cc the cat was a total bitch last night. He's something like fifty pounds overweight and is on this diet that makes him completely miserable. He's not losing any weight... (read more)

Posted by chip at 08:26 PM to: My Happy Life
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December 13, 2002

May I Fix You a Nice Roast Beef Sandwich?

I believe the most powerful commercial use of the web is the most mundane: using it to deliver better service at less cost. Unfortunately, too many companies believe web-based customer... (read more)

Posted by chip at 12:09 AM to: My Happy Life
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