Spilling ink between handing out candy, and I have yet to post a Halloween greeting. Put out a few pumpkins from our jaunt at the pumpkin patch (http://sumocats.blogspot.com/2010/10/tega-v2-at-pumpkin-patch-tegav2.html) but just couldn't muster up the will to carve them today. Guess we'll just cut them open for squirrel food. Here's an ink Jack O'Lantern instead. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Woke up early and stayed late to dodge the crowds for the Rally to Restore Sanity, covering a lot of ground in-between. Thus, I am bushed today, glad to be sitting and waiting for Trick-or-Treaters.
Despite the weariness, I could not be happier to have gone. The dueling performance of Peace Train by the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens and Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne was worth it just on its own. Was practically tailor-made for Tanya and me.
Enjoyed the company of our new couple friends as well. Nice to have finally met another couple that we can relate to as a couple (and hopefully vice versa). I call them an alternate universe version of us, similar in the big picture but different in the details.
Good music, good company, and good message. Not that the crazies on the fringe will appreciate that. The Tea Partiers like to talk about the Founding Fathers of our country as if they all agreed on everything, but they didn't. Jefferson remixed his Bible. Franklin warned against prejudicial revenge. Washington advised against political parties. They were rational sane human beings. Wouldn't it be great if we were all that way? [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Took a tour through the rally to snap some signs. Sun was a bit too bright for my sign, but some people noticed as we walked about. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Was only a little after 9 when I lost AT&T at the Rally to Restore sanity. Verizon seems to be the only network prepared for the crush, as demonstrated by the vans and trucks we passed on the way in. Should have sprung for a Verizon Mifi mobile hotspot. Scratch that. Folks next to us were holding up their Verizon phones trying and failing to get a signal too. 200k connected users in one spot will overload any network. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
AT&T service finally crashed beneath our collective weight. Got about an hour until the actual event begins. Packed in here like crazy people but everyone remains civil and courteous. So pleasant. My USB battery pack is letting me down, but since there's no phone service? There's not much drain. Still, I should look into a smarter charger. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
I know rationally a 13.3" display is big for a Tablet PC, but coming from a 14.1" display, the Fujitsu Lifebook T900 actually felt a bit small to me. But after using the TEGA v2 for a few days, it's now sinking in how massive this thing is. Also, reminded of just how nimble I am with pen input after going without it. Pen + multi-touch is definitely how I roll. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
My new best friend Stevieblue (http://www.stevieblue.com/) isn't just spilling ink, but he's also shown off how he does it with a screencast on YouTube (http://www.stevieblue.com/2010/10/for-sumocat-part-ii.html). Fun couple of screenshots he's thrown in. He even uses ritePen for ink macros and the screen grab, just like I do. Great work Stevie. Thanks for spreading the word. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
My persistent vanity search brand management scan turned up a couple of fresh ink blog entries from a fellow called Stevieblue (http://www.stevieblue.com/) who I've seen on the Twitter as @istevieblue. He's spilled some ink Sumocat-style using Windows Journal (http://www.stevieblue.com/2010/10/postscript_12.html) and the chisel tip, as well as in Evernote (http://www.stevieblue.com/2010/10/for-sumocat.html). (Homer is back to his usual weird self, thanks for asking.) He perfected the posts with Links in Ink via my Build 52 (http://www.markandtanya.us/scribbles/Build52.html).
Very attractive work. Good balance of style and legibility. As you may have noticed here, my entries are looking a bit more "fluid" due to the slicker screen and pen contact on the Fujitsu Lifebook T900 (http://www.gottabemobile.com/2010/09/14/fujitsu-lifebook-t900-is-my-new-tablet-pc-sort-of/). Makes my strokes faster and sloppier. Perhaps I should mark my ink blog eras based on my primary tablet at the time. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
I never even liked him that much on the Drew Carey Show, but after seeing him in Office Space and guest shots on several TV shows, I've become a fan of Diedrich Bader (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diedrich_Bader). Every time I see him, I have to say his name. Diedrich Bader is fun to say. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Looks like the plan to rebrand High-Fructose Corn Syrup (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2010/09/hfcs-rebranding-as-corn-sugar.html) as "corn sugar" has run into a legal speed bump (http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/09/sorry-corn-refiners-the-name-corn-sugar-is-already-taken/63269/). Turns out that definition is already used in a way that cannot apply to HFCS. Guess they'll just have to keep peddling that poison under the same old name. Still wondering why high-fructose corn syrup can't be sold in stores like every other sweetener. And no, plain corn syrup sweetened with HFCS doesn't count. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
After a few weeks of meandering in a malaise, I'm finally coming up on big family events which until now have entailed hospital visits.
Locally and immediately, Tanya's father and uncle are in the area following their mother's recent injury. We'll also be meeting up with a couple of friends for events, including the Rally to Restore Sanity (or March to Keep Fear Alive). (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2010/09/rally-for-sanity-or-march-for-fear-i.html)
Later, we'll be in San Francisco to spend time with my closest cousin and her family, followed by a close friend's wedding back here. My mother will be with us for both of these. Feeling pretty excited about it all, especially coming off a fairly rotten week. Maybe it'll kick me into spilling ink more frequently. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
