Journal of Post-Ralphaelite Thought

I talk about Google a lot but they are one of the more interesting Internet companies around. Today's topic: Google Ads. I use Google ads because they're easy--just sign up and stick some JavaScript in your page code. Okay, I've never made a dime out of them and doubt I ever will (since there are about 3 people besides myself who read this blog). What they are good for is the comic relief of occasionally odd connections you will see with the content on the page. For a long time, all I ever saw on Google Ads was ads for blogging software or services. What a sad comment on my blog. Today, I notice the ads are for a grave/monument page on Yahoo. WTF??? Then I realize I have a story about my aunt's funeral and about singing the Verdi Requiem.

Boss Number 1: People are complaining because you interrupt them. You are too pushy and aggressive. Boss Number 2: You are too nice and need to become more assertive. Be more engaged and speak up more often. Me: (Thinking) Where did I save the most recent revision to my resume?

I'm now working out of the Alliance Airport complex. It used to take me 25 minutes max to get to my old office. It was sort of ratty looking but there was a cafeteria on-site and places to eat near by. I could take the train and it dropped me a short walk from where I worked. Now I work at Alliance Airport, located in what was once grazing and farming land. Rather than face the paved deathtrap known as I-35W, I usually drive down Blue Mound Road, which takes one through once rural north Texas, now a holding tank for property owners waiting to cash in on increased property values. This includes a pass through Saginaw, the armpit of north Tarrant county. This morning I dutifully got up, made lunch, burned a CD of tunes to listen to on my 45 minute commute, and got in the car. When I turned the ignition, I got a whiff of toasting electrical insulation and saw a small wisp of smoke drift lazily from the vicinity of my steering column. So now I'm telecommuting. The service guy j...

I sang the Verdi Requiem this last weekend. Well, me and about 2oo other people. In addition to my church choir, I also occasionally sing with the choir that sings with our local symphony (as usual, details will be left by the wayside). It's all my wife's fault (as are most other worthwhile things I do). If you've never heard it, it's a great piece of music--very dramatic. The choir is made up of members of the community as well as students from the seminary under whose wing the choir is organized. The students tend to come and go but among the community people there are folks who have been members for dozens of years. Dan is one such member. It is the consensus among the basses who sit around Dan that he needs to retire. He's in his eighties, can't hear, is unsteady on his feet. But he's sort of a gruff old knothead, and no one is about to say to him, "Ever think about enjoying the concert from the other side of the stage?" Least of all our direct...

My grandmother's twin sister died earlier this summer. Most of her offspring were spread on opposite ends of the country, so to make a long story short, the memorial service/burial (she was cremated) took place last weekend. The funeral was in Rose Hill Cemetery, on East Lancaster, on the east side of Fort Worth. For those of you insufficiently immersed in trivia, this is Lee Harvey Oswald's burial place. I recalled this obscure fact when I heard where my aunt was to be buried. The group I rode over with elected to skip everything but the graveside service. As we were filing to our cars, I ran into one of my cousins, who was the sole representative of the Houston branch of the family tree. He said, "I got here early and found Oswald's grave. You can find instructions on the Internet." Which is good, since the employees at Rose Hill will not, citing the family's wish for privacy, tell you where it is. I said, "Gee, I thought about seeing if I could find it...

I am constantly amazed and impressed with the people behind Google. A friend send me an email asking what the name of the site was that had the maps that let you see satellite images, because a friend was forced to evacuate and wanted to see how much damage they had sustained. I started to respond that it was Google Maps (with the URL) but cautioned the images were typically a couple of years old. I was about to hit the send button when I decided to make sure. I entered "New Orleans, LA" on the location. In addition to the Map, Satellite, and Hybrid views was a button with a new view: Katrina, in bright red: satellite views of New Orlean AFTER the hurricane. What's available is currently pretty limited, but the fact that it's there at all is amazing. Most chilling: flipping between pre- and post-Katrina views of the Superdome. In the post-Katrina view the ripped up roof is clearly visible. On a couple of side notes, I went with my youngest and a couple of his buddie...