While transcribing some of my mother’s notes in the family Bible, I noticed that great grandfather spelled his name “Mase.” My grandfather spelled his name, “Mays.” That branch of the family tree originated in upstate New York and I’m not sure how my grandfather came to live in Missouri. But why the name change? Religious or ethnic angle? Was he on the lamb? Never heard a word about this growing up. Wonder if there’s a good story behind the change. I really don’t want to get hooked on the family tree thing but this is kind of interesting. (Update)
Somebody else’s hair
“Nothing gives you the upper hand like knowing the other guy is wearing somebody else’s hair.”
— Lawrence Block’s The Burglar on the Prowl.
Sprint DSL
Two years ago I signed up for ADSL service with a local ISP. 512Kbps down/128Kbps up…for $50 a month. Yesterday I switched to Sprint and now have 1.5Mbps down/256Kbps up…for $60 month. I was really dreading the switch but it went smoothly. And the Sprint reps were amazing. My initial contact (“Dave”) called frequently with updates and early this morning to be sure everything was working properly. I ran into a little snag during set up and called Sprint tech support. “Rocky” was in North Carolina (not Pakistan). He spoke English and was very helpful. Had me going in 15 minutes.
I’m now surfing at twice the speed for just pennies a day more. Since the early modem days (300 baud!) I’ve dreamed of a fast connection. Oh, if I only had a T1 line! Imagine my surprise when I learned that my DSL line is the same speed as a T1. Next challenge: going wireless at home. To be continued.
When you work together too long
Kill Bill: Volume 2
You either like Quintin Tarantino movies or you don’t. I’m a fan. Especially the dialogue. His characters say things that sound perfectly natural within the context of the movie but would never be heard in real life (whatever that is). I thought the same thing when I first saw David Mamet’s House of Games. Tarantino would seem to be a fan of David Carradine but was only 9 years old when Kung Fu was on TV. Same for Michael Parks, who is wonderful in Volume 2. Tarantino would have been six years old in 1969 when Jim Bronson rode his motorcycle across the country in Then Came Bronson. And while I know less than zero about cinematography, there was a wonderful, surreal quality to the second Kill Bill. I won’t even try to describe it. Finally, if for no other reason, see the movie for the yummy Uma Thurman.