Month: July 2006

So to all those that placed their wine orders, it’s arrived!
You are more than welcome to coordinate with me for pickup and payment. No welching!

It’s lovely stuff, it is.

So today has been a long day.
It started out with ‘s and ‘s son finally acquiring a long name, one that he’ll have to grow into, eventually. The bris itself was great, and the ol’ pack got together and we sat around and chatted and such. It’s like sneak preview of what’s to come when and then & get hitched. Much fun to be had by all.

At work I suffered a defeat, as I had to pull it together and finally admit to myself, and then to my boss, that I couldn’t complete a major task within the scheduled time frame, after battling it for over a day and a half. To those that know my style, know I rarely give up, and I know that if I had just another day or two to spend on the problem, I’d be able to figure it out. Instead, I suggested to my boss that we bring in an outside consultant to help out with it, and after understanding the other options, he agreed.

I hate not being able to conquer something technological.
Technology was made by humans, some of whom I am smarter than, and technology is supposed to help us accomplish what we set out to do, in a more efficient manner than without. But when delving into a monster system, which is highly customizable, down to the last little checkbox – that affects everything else, it can get a little hairy at times. Chalk one up to the boys a M$ for making it too hard.

In other news, if you are in Israel and have a GPS receiver of sorts, and something to connect it to, check out www.freemap.co.il. It’s a cool open source project that is built on collecting data by people using their GPS devices and then uploading the data to their server, having the data edited, modified and verified by anyone who can, and then downloading the updated map to your device, to assist you in navigating to your next destination.
I think it’s a cool idea. Giving the power of knowledge back to the masses.

Anyways, I’m going to sleep soon.

News, news, news.

To start off with, we finished the run of the cursed Scottish play a few weeks ago, and I’m glad it’s finally over. It was somewhat a harrowing experience for me, as I have never particularly held any fondness for the works of the Bard, coupled with the fact that it is, in fact cursed. Our Macduff got slashed and bashed multiple times in dangerous places by our own lead man. “Lay on, Macduff!” Fortunately, he’s a tough man and managed to continue immediately to the end, bleeding and gushing on the stage, costumes, props and all.

It turns out that I get a nice break from theater now, as I auditioned and got turned down. I don’t mind, although it would have been a great part. I think it’s because I don’t exactly fit the physical image of the young romantic – they are usually a lot slimmer. I’m perfectly happy to continue with the funny, sarcastic, pompous and overbearing characters I like.
Instead, I am thinking of directing a play later this/early next year – a collection of short skits, all with a central theme and quite funny. Watch this space for further news updates on this subject.

I pretty much finished the editing work on the DVD for “She Stoops” and am now in the post-production phase, working on the DVD structure, extra content, etc. It’s quite nice, if I say so myself. You’re welcome to bring a couple of DVD-R’s and make a copy.

At work, I finally got my end of year review, and it had positive results, even though I’m working harder than ever – installing a couple of new systems, all simultaneously and each more important the next. No rest for the wicked, say I.

This past week a I met up with some of the other Israeli podcasters downtown Jerusalem – and I was a late arrival, so I missed the bulk of the good conversation and a few of the folks. I hope that I’ll find time to listen to these folks and their hard work, and who knows? Maybe one day we can cross-guest and some more chatter going? Incidentally, if you’ve never heard my show, check out http://feeds.feedburner.com/miketheman.

On the podnews, I’ll be looking for someone to assist me in setting up a site, typically to include (embed) my LJ, my podfeed, an image gallery, and some form of connecting a Blogging package, such as Moveable type or something else to connect and post to my LJ. I know did this – any assistance would be great.

Finally, I want to let everyone know that there is a great offer on the table, and not for long. My brother-in-law works for the Yatir Forest winery, and they have surplus bottles from their development process that taste absolutely wonderful. These bottles of Shiraz, Cabarnet Merlot blend and the fantastic Pinot Noir were made with specific tasstes in mind, and after aging properly, the experts use some to blend and make the best and award winning ones. The rest are left out to be purchased by those in the know (such as me). You can read more about Yatir Winery or some more general details in English here.
Anyways, these bottles are going like hotcakes for only 25 sheks a bottle. I’m taking orders for the next week or so, so email me with any requests – you can get individuals or a case of 12 (mixed or otherwise), all the same price. I figure that the price and the winery’s reputation speak for itself, but if you have any questions, let me know.

That’s it for now. Signing off.