not dead yet.

a while back i ordered a d/a converter, in the hopes i could plug it into the toslink digital out on my sony receiver/amp and then plug the other end into an rca analog in also on my sony receiver — in effect, making a d/a bridge for the sony since it doesn’t have an internal one. i plugged everything in and turned it all on, but it didn’t work. i also attempted to go analog straight out from the d/a converter, which didn’t work either. i don’t think i was getting anything from the digital out toslink jack. i didn’t spend much time messing with it yet. i got the d/a converter on sale for a decent price (this one is one of very few i could find at all online, much less that was reasonably priced), so even if it doesn’t work i’m not out too much. and i can probably find something to do with it.
the background on why i wanted to do this can be found in the context of other posts here, but basically it’s so i could get digital audio input data to be played out over analog outputs…specifically, to get an airport express using toslink in to my receiver to also play on a remote set of speakers hooked up via analog rca connections.
while i was ordering the d/a converter (toslink and digital coax to rca analog), i went ahead and also picked up a set of security bits. so now i’ve got 4 spanner bits, 3 torq bits, 4 tri-wing bits, 12 (6 metric, 6 english) security hex bits and 9 security torx bits (that’s hex and torx bits with holes in the center of them). that should help me get into any number of things manufacturers have decided to put weird/security screws on.
on the 29th i missed the radio show. intentionally. shock! horror! why? so i could go to the cake concert at the verizon wireless theater downtown. i hate paying a bunch of money to see a band in a huge venue (i almost never do it), but i regret never having seen cake — whom i adore — back in the late 90’s or early 00’s, so i paid the $40 and went. and missed the radio show. the hrc is also a big fan of cake, so when i told her about it she wanted to go too. i thought there’d probably be an opening band, and as with most shows it’d start late, so we showed up around 8:25pm. cake was already playing. they finished a few minutes after 10pm. but they took a few breaks, and the audience had to go through clamoring after them audibly to get three encores. it was a good show, but not as good as i’d imagined it would be. we met loopylow (a radio show listener) at the show, and barrett had thought he’d pop over to catch some or most of the cake set after the radio show…but obviously that didn’t work out. as we were leaving they were handing out free promo flyers/prints, which was cool. i’m still not sure the experience was worth $40 though (plus another $7 for parking). but i can say i’ve seen them, so i don’t have to regret that anymore. now i can instead regret not having seen them back in the day.
the next evening the hrc and i had planned to get supper, but it ended up being later than planned so our options quickly narrowed (houston after 10pm does that). we decided to step outside the areas we live in and headed to the heights to onion creek. while we were sitting outside eating, there was a table of a dozen or so people talking loudly and joking and such near us. at some point one of the people got up and said they need to leave. as they were hugging people goodbye, i glanced over and saw their face. i heard a couple of the people say “later john!”. it was john leatherwood. the last time i saw him was probably…2005? oddly, we randomly ran into each other at a stavesacre show at fitzgerald’s, which is just up the street from onion creek — and neither of us lived in the area this time or then. i also traded a couple of emails with him in nov 2008. anyway, as he was leaving, i said “john.” “john.” “hey john!” he looked over right before he went around the corner of the building and halfway smiled as he slowed down because he heard his name, then he sort of developed a look of non-recognition and walked past the corner and out of sight. i kind of laughed and said “huh, i guess he didn’t recognize me.” a few seconds later he walked back around the corner. i guess it took a few seconds for his brain to reconnect the neuron paths to where ever my facial pattern was stored. we talked for a few minutes and he gave me his phone number. he asked about jack and sue. it turns out the gathering was a get together for his 20 year high school reunion. it’s weird we ran into each other like that. (at least there are reasons we’d both be at a stavesacre show.) maybe we’ll actually plan to meet up sometime.
friday during the day i ended up missing going to lunch with co-workers, so i decided to head to a dairy queen for lunch and then stop by stubbs on telephone to check out the harleys and hondas. i still like the look of my vtx1300, and the power seemed to be okay for me, but i’m trying to decide if i want to go back to the known or try something new since i have the forced opportunity. of course, trying something new will pretty much guarantee i will be spending between $3-$10k more than if i just got a new replacement of the same bike. on the way back to work i rolled 70k on my pickup.
friday evening was the technology bytes geek gathering at coffee groundz. i got there early and was there for several hours. it was a pretty good turnout. one of our young callers showed up and was selling old computer equipment. i bought a dvd-rom and a cd-rw.
saturday i ate lunch at goode company bbq on kirby, then went to talk to the mechanic about putting a new engine in my bel air. he was interested and talked to me about logistics and plans, so hopefully i’ll get that rolling here within the next week or two. (i’ve got that 0% interest card burning a hole in my pocket because the clock is ticking on the introductory rate period.)
saturday afternoon i applied online for pre-approval for a motorcycle loan through the credit union i use. i was pre-approved for the amount and term-length i asked for, but they didn’t mention a rate. (the site said between 5%-10%, which is a pretty big range.) i called to try and find out what the rate would be and had to leave a message. as of today they haven’t called me back.
saturday evening sue came by to hang out with me, so we ended up spending a few hours sitting outside at coffee groundz. sue was wanting to just sort of get out and about for awhile sans kids and chill. we settled on coffee groundz since it has outdoor seating and serves beer and wine, as well as food and coffee drinks. afterward, on the way back to my house, we drove by poison girl. i had forgotten about it in my list of possibilities, and sue has never been there. i think she’d like it. so at some point i’ll have to introduce her to that place.
sunday i ate lunch with the potts, then in the afternoon i went to amy’s ice cream with them. originally an hour or two after lunch i was supposed to go up to first baptist to see the kids perform in a children’s choir performance, but i laid down on the bed and ended up accidentally taking a one or two hour nap and missed it.