Dave Mancuso dot Com

Yesterday we reconfigured every school for new IP addresses for Internet traffic. We had to touch every router, every printer, and a few machines. The amazing thing was that we did it in a few hours, and it worked. We left yesterday breathing a sigh of relief.

Then I came in this morning. The first thing I noticed was that the map on my network mapping computer was blinking red. I’d lost two elementary schools. Great. Why did my network break?

One school relayed its signal to us through the other, so I figured that the problem might lie with the relaying school. I drove down to check, and called our secretary to let her know what’s up. “Oh,” she says, “I wonder if it’s the snake.” The snake?

Yep. Apparently a huge snake fell on the power lines outside the school and blew a few breakers inside the school. By the time I got down there, the electrician had fixed the breakers. I rebooted the router and we were in business.

I never saw the snake. I don’t know who disposed of it. Just when you thought you’d seen it all…

My time is more limited nowadays, but it was nice to change the front brakes myself on my Legacy today. 195,695 miles and still going strong. They wanted $75 to replace brakes that cost me $19 at the parts store.

Of course, one of the front wheel lug nuts partially stripped as I took it off. I’ve never seen anything like it. Nothing can ever be simple with me.

But WD40 is my friend–it helped get the nut off, and the nut managed to rechase the threads when I bolted it back on. So it’s OK for now.

My bigger concern is why the two small bolts that screw the front discs/rotors onto the wheel are missing on both sides. I’ve been driving this way for 30,000 miles, so I don’t think that my wheels will fall off tomorrow, but I do plan to ask Larry about it when I take it in to him for inspection on Friday.

Once in 1983 (if I recall correctly), Bill Brownlowe and Elaine Zaleski were driving Irene Zaleski’s Vega up to the Poconos (where we were all camping) and the wheel started acting funny. They pulled off the turnpike’s Northeast Extension into a plaza and jacked the car up. The wheel fell off.

Yep, I’ve got a tangential story for just about everything–it’s just my way. I just hope that doesn’t happen to the Legacy.

On the way back from Ohio Saturday, Joe and I decided to swing by Penn State (my alma mater), since we’d just visited Kent State (Joe’s alma mater).

After a drawn-out search for dinner (my fault–I always have to explore every option) and a side trip to Eastern Outfitters, we decided to stop by The Phyrst. The Phyrst is a local bar at Penn State with extremely good vibes (I did meet my wife there on Saint Patty’s Day in 1988, after all). It’s in a basement on Beaver Avenue near Allen Street, if you ever get up there.

The bar (the literal bar inside the Phyrst) had been torn out and replaced with one along the wall last summer, but otherwise it was the same place I remembered. We settled in and relaxed. The place gradually filled up with people and a pleasant hum of noise permeated the room. It was relaxing, calming, almost soothing.

Until the voices suddenly thundered out from one of the tables:
“WE ARE TABLE NUMBER THREE! NUMBER THREE! NUMBER THREE! WE ARE TABLE NUMBER THREE! WHERE THE H#$L IS TABLE FIVE!”

Table Five’s answer was even louder. I’d forgotten about the “interactive” aspect of the Phyrst. Perhaps relaxed and calm weren’t the words I was looking for.

But it was a lot of fun. The Phyrst Phamily took the stage at ten and the traditional singalong began. Good times…look for yourself.

I saw another story about the end of production for the original VW Beetle.

Now if only they can get the new Microbus out the door…

It’s true–Neil Gaiman has collaborated with a number of artists to produce a 160 page hardcover story about the Endless–the Sandman and his siblings Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirum/Delight. This is big news. The original Sandman series was praised by Clive Barker, Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Dean Koontz, and Norman Mailer, among others.

You can read more about Neil here. The book comes out in September and should have a cover price of $24.95.

I saw The Hulk today with Joe and Dad. I seemed to be the only one who liked it, to put it mildly. Perhaps it’s that I had expected a much worse movie.

Also though, I think it’s because I had no expectation that the movie would maintain any allegiance to the comic book storyline. I had a strong feeling that Ang Lee would make a movie based on the themes of the Hulk, and I was actually surprised that I saw as much of the comic in the movie as I did today.

You can find a good review of the movie that mirrors my reaction at this page. You can find another at this site–this review is by Peter David, who wrote the Hulk comic book for years and wrote the novelization of the new movie.

After traveling over 700 miles to Kent State, Penn State, and a number of places in between. And we haven’t been arrested.

We honor the Eleventh Commandment and keep it Wholly.

🙂

Brad says on Truetech that Simon and Garfunkel may be getting back together for a reunion tour.

I have a hard time believing that this will come together, knowing the past attempted failures. However, I’ll be first in line if this actually happens. Even to hear a 60 year old Garfunkel voice.

One of my few regrets is not going to Central Park to hear Simon and Garfunkel play their reunion concert in 1981. It was the day before I left for college in Florida and my mother felt that I should pack. I should have thrown things in my bags and then booked like mad for NYC–I only lived two and a half hours away. Oh well. I have the CD, right?

Right.

Nothing made me miss their reunion tour in 1983, though. We drove up the Jersey Turnpike (counting the cars, of course) to Giants Stadium up near NYC. It was awesome. At that point, Paul Simon was going to name his Hearts and Bones album Allergies and he played us “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and “Allergies” for one of the first times in public.

Updates have been light in the last week, and my brother Joe is here from Guam now, so the next few days will be light as well.

So all I can offer now are promises–but what promises they are! I will strive to get some killer war stories to grab you and not let go.

First up to bat in a few days–Joe and chocolate cake. Doesn’t sound very exciting, does it? Well, Joe made a chocolate cake like no other you’ve ever heard of.

But you will.

At least, after Joe and I get back from Kent State on Sunday. Assuming we don’t get arrested. Be concerned. Be very concerned.

I’m not the only one noticing that the Hulk is waaaay overmerchandised. I’ve seen the Hulk on everything from pudding to candy to more. The pudding was at least green–the candy was simply bagged Hershey’s minibars with a picture of the Hulk on the bag. Try explaining that to a four year old who wants everything “Hulk.”

Check out a site that details this even more throroughly than I do.