System Issues...

ENIAC circa 1946

...take 4...

Apparently our computer system has morphed into a sentient being that hates my guts, so tonight we took HAL down and changed the disk controller board.  So far, so good, but time will tell...the witching hour has been between 1 am and 2 am, approximately an hour from now.  Can you say pins and needles?


A shout out to an etsy seller...we bought these very cool, vintage wall hanging cats from Fleaosophy and I highly recommend her shop...here are the cats in our living room:

Visit her shop on etsy...you won't be disappointed.

Later, mcm fans...

System Issues...

...are going to kill me...

Ok, so we're a little more advanced than that, but we're having major issues with a disk controller...too many 3 am wake up calls...as a matter of fact, as I write this it's 3:55 am and I'm just mopping up the third system reboot this week.  I should probably admit defeat and brew a pot of coffee at midnight while waiting for the clarion call.

An upcycled percolator lamp from BenclifDesigns  He has many very cool light fixtures on his site...you should check it out.

If this new and exciting routine we've settled into doesn't do me in before then, we're going to solve it with a system failover event this weekend...big fun.

In spite of these unpleasant circumstances, I generally like the middle of the night.  In a previous life I used to drive back and forth between Michigan and Maine, a 1,000 mile, 18 hour trip.  I'd always do it in one stretch, and my favorite part of the journey was from about 11 pm until 5 am...traffic was light, and for the most part it was just me and truckers counting the white lines as they zoomed by mile after mile.  On a clear night the stars would fill up my windshield and I'd mentally write that bestseller or solve my relational problems while sipping a large coffee and enjoying a Dunkin' Donuts cruller.

So Mr. Bob Adams of www.RonsonRepair.com has been working his magic on my Ronson lighters again...he serviced both my Junior Bartender and Maltese Falcon lighters:

Junior Barrtender lighter

He did a superb job of fixing the touch tip mechanism, and straightening and painting the base...here it is in action:

Here's the Maltese Falcon he repaired:

...and here's a video of it working:

In what appears to be a losing effort to drag this blog back into a mid century modern aesthetic I claim to adore (and in truth, I really do), here's a favorite item that stretches the definition the other way:

My Weltron 2005: radio, 8 track, record player

This was made around 1969 / 1970, and realistically, that's post-mcm...but it has that cool, atomic, space age vibe that was prevalent in the 50's and 60's, so I'm including it here.  A short video of it playing a CRC 45:

I'm home now, it's almost 5 am...as Yukon Cornelius once opined, let's get some shuteye!

Palm Springs...

What a fabulous vacation...we started here:

Chicago, IL

...and boarded this:

California Zephyr

...saw this:

 ...and this:

...got off here:

train station in Grand Junction, CO

...stayed here:

Hampton Inn, Grand Junction, CO

...caught a flight out of here:

Grand Junction Airport

...flew on this:

Grand Junction to Phoenix to Palm Springs

...and finally landed here:

Palm Spring airport, Sonny Bono concourse...yes, that Sonny Bono of Sonny and Cher infamy...former mayor of Palm Springs

...stayed here:

Desert Riviera Hotel

The people at the Desert Riviera Hotel are wonderful...couldn't ask for a better place to stay.

 ...saw this every morning:

the view from our room

...this every day:

...splashing in the pool, soaking in the hot tub, relaxing by the fire...

...and this every night:

I even swam lap here...no, I did not leave off an "s"...I did it once to prove I could, then collapsed in a lounge chair...

...we hung out with Marilyn:

she's taller than I remember...

...Karen's the beautiful one in blue...

...saw her house:

...and Ol' Blue Eyes' Twin Palms pad:

...visited Dino's place:

...and Elvis' home:

...and we visited the house where part of "Behind The Candelabra" was filmed...the story of Liberace:

The happy couple!

They filmed for 3 days here and used less than 3 minutes in the final cut.

...our love story beats Liberace's any day of the week and twice on Sunday...

...we had lunch at Sammy G's:

this was taken just before we were arrested for dancing in the fountain...

Karen's mug shot:

 ...and mine:

I am NOT a tourist...

...but it wasn't all fun and games...I did have to slave away at work in desperate conditions:

...could hardly sleep a wink in the luxurious, king size bed...

...and when I awoke it was back to the sweat shop...

...but at night we enjoyed the sights and sounds of Palm Springs:

...including pizza at Bill's, self-proclaimed "best of class in the USA"...hhmmm...

Their Stella Artois beer was pretty good...

...but all too soon it was time to kiss the sunshine and warmth good bye...

farewell, Desert Riviera...see you next March!

...and board that big bird and fly...

...goodbye, Palm Springs...

...the not so happy couple...

...especially when we arrived at our layover in Minneapolis, MN, and it was minus 15 degrees!

...we attempted to take the edge off with a consolatory meal at Ike's:

...and alas, we arrived back home to this:

...heavy sigh...how many more days until summer??

Grand Junction, Colorado

This will be brief...we were only in Grand Junction for one night, but we were quite pleased with our accommodations....and pleasantly surprised at the town itself.

Some background...we arrived here at the end of our first day of vacation...we traveled from Chicago, IL to Grand Junction on the California Zephyr (see my previous entry)...and this was simply an intermediate stop on our way to Palm Springs, CA...

...but what a pleasant stop it was.  A short taxi ride from the train station brought us to the Hampton Inn, and the hotel exceeded expectations.  Our room was very comfortable, they had excellent coffee in the lobby both day and night, and the complimentary hot breakfast was truly the best we've experienced in any hotel.

...off the train, waiting for our luggage...

...a local celebrity...

...in our room after a short taxi ride...

...a view of the city from our room...

...another view from our room...

...the remains of breakfast...it was excellent...

...funny how Marilyn still influences every day life today...some do, indeed, like it hot...

...on the way to the airport...

...Grand Junction is in what they call "the Grand Valley" b/c they're surrounded on all sides by mountains...

...outside the Grand Junction airport...

...our bird awaits...

Our stay in Grand Junction was brief, but quite pleasant...it's someplace we'd visit again...their downtown area is diverse, and the surrounding landscape invites exploration.  We'll visit here again in the future...

...but now, on to Palm Springs, CA.