Peter’s Soapbox

I’m Single

I just got a letter from the Windsor County Family Court, ordering my divorce. A year and a half later, I’m finally free. I’d like to again thank all of my friends who were so supportive during this trying time, because it sure as hell wasn’t easy.

Love and peace to all. It’s a good day.

All I Want for Christmas

Note: this post is for the benefit of friends and family members who say they “have no idea what to get me.”

World peace. I’ll settle for a lot of aikido practice.

A car mount and charger for my iPhone 3Gs. My iPod recently vanished. I suspect the worst – that it fell out of my pocket during a recent snowstorm. Therefore, I need to use my iPhone as an iPod as well. That’s okay, except the battery life is terrible. Also, when I do try to use it as a GPS, it would be nice if I could have it dash-mounted.

Learning Python (Animal Guide). Okay, seriously, I asked for this book for like three years in a row, and nobody got it for me when it was only 384 pages. Now it’s over 1200 pages, and we’ll all suffer because of it! Me because it’s tripled in size, and you because of shipping costs.

Daemon The security community loves this book because, while it’s a work of fiction, all of the attacks are real and the scenarios possible, which is what makes it really scary. The companion book, Freedom (TM) also comes out in a couple of weeks.

An espresso machine. A big one. The professional kind you see in coffee shops. A dual-header. I understand if this one has to be a combined Christmas and birthday gift because it would be silly for me to expect someone to spend $8000 or more on just one gift-giving event. That’s okay. I understand.

A Zircon Ultrasonic Measure with Laser Targeting. Tape measures are so 20th century.

Gift certificates to thinkgeek.com or Amazon.com

Heatbox and That 1 Guy Rock Higher Ground

Last night I saw That 1 Guy at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT. Regulars of my blog may recall I saw That 1 Guy last year in the same venue. As with last time, he provided a great amount of entertainment. His stage presence (along with the Magic Pipe) is great, and he interacts wonderfully with the audience, this time including antics such as passing out giant mustaches while directing laser beams out across the crowd (hence, the tour name “Mustaches and Laser Beams”).

However, I have to say I was even more impressed with his opening act, who goes by the handle “Heatbox.” Continue reading Heatbox and That 1 Guy Rock Higher Ground…

What a Month!

I think I’ve had my busiest October ever. Here’s a quick summary:

• Fall gasshukku with Hiroshi Ikeda shihan at Shobu Aikido of Boston.
• Mountain biking with my new (to me) Sinister Splinter (affectionately referred to as “the Tractor”).
• Work work work work work! Audits and migrations and troubleshooting, oh my!
• Reading: The Road by Cormac McCarthy and Nmap Network Scanning: The Official Nmap Project Guide to Network Discovery and Security Scanning by Gordon “Fyodor” Lyon

I plan on elaborating on all of these points.

Eventually.

Perhaps.

Sinister Retrograde Chain Suck

I’ve been trying to decide on my next mountain bike. I really like my old Tomac Six Shooter – a versatile, light, nimble all-mountain bike. However, for some of the trails I tackle, something a little heavier-duty is called for. Continue reading Sinister Retrograde Chain Suck…