Dave Mancuso dot Com

I’ve mentioned theremins before, but TechTV’s The Screensavers had Bob Moog (pronounced like “mode,” not “mood”) on tonight. He demonstrated a theremin (actually, a theremin virtuoso musician played the instrument). Dr. Moog is selling the instrument on his website, and a kit model is only $349, which is a steal.

When I was at 30th Street Station, outside, waiting for the SEPTA train, I noticed that all the steel girders had these weird little strips of spikes all along them. They were like little stalagmites sticking up. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that they were put there to keep the pigeons off the griders. Sure enough, on the few girders without spike strips, several pigeons were roosting.

That’s a lot better solution than the recorded cannon boom they play at the Park City Mall to scare birds away. That freaks you out if you don’t know what it is.

Part Uno
Me: (Singing a song to Denise that she didn’t know.)
Denise: Don’t give up your day job, Dave. Hey–I wanted to tell you something. What was it? I can’t remember, but it was important.
Me: Well, apparently not as important as picking on your husband and telling him not to quit his day job.
Denise: Ha-ha, Mr. Funny Man.

Part Deux
Me: Drew, you were answering some tough questions at music class today–good job!
Alyssa: But Daddy, he never answers questions.
Me: He did today.
Alyssa: Yeah, but he only answers questions if the parents are around.
Me: Well, Miss Tattletale, I saw him answering questions, so I’m giving him a little praise.
Alyssa: No way, Daddy! He didn’t pray at all! Even once!

Part Tres
Me: (Trying to settle Alyssa down at the dinner table–I make the clap, clap, clap-clap-clap sound her kindergarten teacher uses to bring the kids to attention)
Alyssa: (Looks at me and laughs, but doesn’t respond at all)
Me: Alyssa, you know that sound, right?
Alyssa: Sure I do, Daddy.
Me: So what do you do when I clap like that?
Alyssa: Nothing, Daddy.
Me: Why not?
Alyssa: Because you’re not my kindergarten teacher, that’s why.

Part Quatro
Drew: I want that, Daddy! And the other one too–and the Transformers toy and (ad infinitum, ad nauseum)
Me: You know the family rule, Drew–“You can’t have everything in the world you want–where would you put it all?”
Drew: Um–I could make room in my closet.

Denise found this on the floor tonight, a to do list from Alyssa:

Hmmm. This from the kindergartener who is just learning to read. She’s apparently learning (or teaching herself) how to write and spell now, at least phonetically.

I’m not sure how she’s going to make the tent, though. If I leave the sewing machine out at night, maybe we’ll find out–she’s pretty resourceful (or stubborn, however you look at it). Like father, like daughter!

I lent Jeff and Lisa the van last week and the dropped it off at Dad’s on Wednesday. I decided to take the train in to Philly to pick it up–that way I avoid dragging Denise, the kids, and a second car along for the ride.

It’s interesting going to Philly this way. It was pretty fast, despite a couple of stops. Only an hour and a half, and I was in 30th Street Station. This train station is huge. The ceiling in the main lobby is a couple of hundred feet up–the room is so big that some pigeons are flying around in here, mistaking it for a roost or something. No one pays any attention to them.

Huh. Oh well, off to Ridley via the Septa rail system. Funny–the last (and almost only) time I went on that route I ran into Kim Fatzinger, who told me about poor Rick Stefanowicz passing away. That would be, um, 1988 at about this time of year.

Time flies.

I just found out that Nicole and Brad (and probably Mike and Dan), who are ten years younger than me, have never heard (or even heard of) I Don’t Like Mondays by Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats.

Never.

I don’t really know what to say–I’m into pop culture obviously (although there are huge holes in my knowledge–see John Davies or Kevin Corcoran or Sam Caggiula for a real collective awareness). Nevertheless, I’m shocked when a piece of pop like this disappears from the cultural consciousness.

If you go to the iTunes Music Store and search for “I Don’t Like Mondays,” you’ll get the Boomtown Rats version as well as a Bon Jovi cover (with Geldof) and Tori Amos’ version (I realy have to work harder at appreciating Tori’s music–she always sounds so depressed).

Thanks to my lovely wife for this link, a 1961 automobile in-dash (actually under-dash) record player!

It’s here at Consumer Reports. Ah, the halcyon days of my old 45s…

Saw this last night, but I figured I’d made enough posts for one day. Here’s the online test.

I scored 35, which means that I’m definitely a libertarian, but not very extreme. This is probably due to the fact that I don’t advocate overthrowing the government (according to the quiz, I lose points because I actually believe that government is necessary to keep society functioning–go figure).

It’s a radically new concept in automobile engineering–will the public go for it?

Seriously, this is an exhibit from the Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont. It does show the kind of style that I hope to see in the upcoming 2007 new VW Microbus, though.

🙂

(click on the picture to go to this exhibit at the museum–the Quicktime VR movie is pretty cool)

(Thanks to Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for the link).

Check it out at the Bush/Cheney website.

Like Goddard’s site, I can’t help but think that this could be used for evil purposes…