So we had a good time on our trip to MD. Thanks to everybody who showed up for Friday’s dinner… it was simply awesome realizing that there are still some really good friendships with people who knew us when we knew nothing. Special thanks to Justin & Kelly, Jon & Michelle, Jen & Andy, Patty & John, Andrea & Genna, and those who made it to J & K’s house after the dinner to just talk the night away. You guys all rock.

I have more pictures than the ones below (many more!) but I think I want to just get the gallery module working on my blog to make this easier… converting each photo to thumbnail and web-reduced version by hand takes too much time.

1. Our first night in town, we sit down to sing through “Once More With Feeling”, the score to the Buffy The Vampire Slayer musical of the same name.
2. Justin sings his heart out as Giles. I believe this was “So tell me… Where do we go from here?”
3. Tickling ivories.
4. Christy went to the DC Mormon temple on Friday morning.
5. Self-portrait. I’ve gotten uglier with time.
6. She’s gotten prettier.
7. The dinner gang relaxes. Missing from picture is Kelly, at bottom left. You can see her and the bun in the oven in the first picture.
8. Andy & Jen strike a pose for the camera.
9. Relaxing at Coldstone with Andy, Jen, Justin, and Kelly.
10. This was the majority of the attendees at the 2006 QOHS 1991 15-year high school reunion. Can anybody name everyone from left to right? (Check it out in hi-resolution. 1.6 megabytes.)
11. A Real Wild Child. I won’t identify who she is online, but I just love this picture.
12. Christy, Laurie, and Bryan.

We also got a little video of the blackmailable “Chicken Dance” at the QOHS 15 year reunion for the class of 91:

Watch the silly 2 minute video. It is rather large, and is NOT a streaming video; dialup users beware.

— Matthew P. Barnson – – – – Thought for the moment: The difference between sentiment and being sentimental is the following: Sentiment is when a driver swerves out of the way to avoid hitting a rabbit on the road. Being sentimental is when the same driver, when swerving away from the rabbit hits a pedestrian. — Frank Herbert, “The White Plague”

I am wanting to attach an external HD as a back up / archive storage option for my wife’s PC. I am really needing it to back up her digital pics, but i suspect that I will use it to do a general back up too. Any reccomendations? I am guessing that i would want something in the neighborhood of 200GB or so (that way i am planning for growth)

Pat and Jim were a couple of drinking buddies who worked as aircraft mechanics in Eagle Pass, TX.

One day the airport was fogged in and they were stuck in the hangar with nothing to do.

Pat said, “Man, I wish we had something to drink!”

Jim says, “Me too Y’know, I’ve heard you can drink jet fuel and get a buzz. You wanna try it?”

So they pour themselves a couple of glasses of high octane hootch and get completely smashed.

The next morning Pat wakes up and is surprised at how good he feels. In fact he feels GREAT! NO hangover! NO bad side effects. Nothing!

Then the phone rings . It’s Jim.

Jim says, “Hey, how do you feel this morning?”

Pat says, “I feel great. How about you?”

Jim says, “I feel great, too You don’t have a hangover?”

Pat says, “No that jet fuel is great stuff — no hangover, nothing. We ought to do this more often.”

Jim says, “Yeah, well there’s just one thing.”

Pat says, “What’s that?”

Jim says, “Have you farted yet?”

Pat says, “No…”

Jim says, “Well, DON’T, ’cause I’m in Denver!!!!!!”

— Matthew P. Barnson – – – – Thought for the moment: I went over to my friend, he was eatin’ a pickle. I said “Hi, what’s happenin’?” He said “Nothin’.” Try to sing this song with that kind of enthusiasm; As if you just squashed a cop. — Arlo Guthrie, “Motorcycle Song”

Happy 4th of July, everybody!

July 13-16, 2006 is the annual Hellfire Rocket Launch from the Bonneville Salt Flats 90 miles west of Salt Lake City, UT. I don’t know if any Barnsonians save me are going to be in the area for it, but these launches are simply awesome. This year, they’re cleared to 15,000 feet for standard flights, and have launch windows to 25,000 feet.

For those unfamiliar with “model” rockets, this is some serious altitude, exceeding that of some surface-to-air missiles.

For all registrants, there will also be ample opportunity to fly all the “small stuff”, from 1/2A size on up. Although this is a regional launch for UROC, Hellfire has grown in popularity largely due to the unique setting: an enormous dry lake bed at over 4200 feet elevation, almost perfectly flat and smooth. It draws high-speed racecars and rocket-launchers alike because, well, where else can you launch a rocket to 25,000 feet and then watch exactly where it lands without it being over a hill or something?

The downside? Salt is intensely reflective… enough so that you’re likely to burn the underside of your chin and ears if you aren’t careful. Bring on the sunscreen!

Anyway, I’m excited. Gotta see if my daughter wants to register and set off her rockets at this event.

Here’s a video (warning: large) of what happens when you combine rednecks, fireworks, and boredom…

http://members.cox.net/thebrinkmans3/fireworkprank.wmv