Unpacking the Metaphor

Sometimes I say, "hey self, how about you get real good at writing?" Occasionally, I will give it a go. I'll spend a few minutes on one of my novels or type a quick story to add to my site. The problem is, I am a lazy writer. I will come up with something that, to me, is profound and amazing, but when I put it in letters it becomes trite and obvious. Writing is hard. I know this, but I give up. Hell, sometimes I will just make a list. I don't know who I am trying to kid. Lists are for groceries and errands... what's more boring than that?

My last post was a photo of my lunch. I thought eating cold chili directly out of a can with a used plastic spoon alone in my office while washing it down with a $4.23 8 pump 140 degree decaf mocha was some sort of symbol for my day (or life, really.) I thought it was interesting the label said both "chili" and "chilli" But, I let the photo sit there on its own. I didn't take the time to unpack the metaphor. Maybe I am afraid of admitting what it means, but more likely I'm just lazy. At some level I know this because I deleted the caption - "explanation left as an exercise for the reader" - just before I hit publish.

Last night someone said, "oh, wow, a picture of your lunch. How profound."

That's when it hit me. I'm wasting my reader's time by asking them to do my job for me. I got into the habit of scribbling down thoughts with words i do not care about. If I don't care about my words, how can I ask you to?

Will I change? I'll try.

Lunch

Infinite Read

I borrowed Infinite Jest from the library on July 20, 2009. About 50 pages into it I knew I was ready to commit. Weighing in at 1079 pages (and nearly 4 lbs,) and with the due-date looming closer, I bought my own copy exactly one week later. I know this because I'm still using both receipts as book marks. Yep, Infinite Jest requires two bookmarks to read. And, yes. I'm only half way through it after 6 months.

My copy of the book has been rained on, covered in coffee, ketchup, and Jamaican sand, torn, dog-eared, and cut in half. I did that last week to make it slightly more portable. In fact, taking a scissors to it felt really good. At this point I kind of want to rip each page into 42 pieces and feed it to the gigantic raccoon that lives under our porch. I won't, though, because I want to read it again.

Honestly, I can't really say why I like it. I can say David Foster Wallace did something really special here. I recommend giving it a shot.

I got interested in DFW after reading the transcript of his 2005 Kenyon College commencement speech. Have a look*. Maybe it will make you want to read IJ, too. I'll be happy to lend you my copy when I'm finished but, be warned, it kind of smells like sushi.

* The much better, un-adapted version can be found here but that site is weird. The transcript is copyrighted so when that site gets taken down you can always buy the book, borrow it from the library, or get the audio version on iTunes.

how i back up my macbook

I use USB drives with a combination of TimeMachine and a bootable disk clone for backup and disaster recovery. The bootable clone is there for when the disk drive crashes hard and I need to do work. The TimeMachine backup is there for when I say, "what ever happened to that file I deleted 2 months ago?" I use 2 identical external drives to safeguard against those "oh shit, my house blew up" moments.

I have a 200 GB drive in the macbook. I bought 2 500 GB drives and put them in USB enclosures. I partitioned both backup drives identically:

My 200 GB drive shows up as 186.3 GB in disk utility so I created one partition on the external that was 186.3 GB as GUID (not apple partition map). I immediately did a "Get Info", went to "Ownership and Permissions", and unchecked "Ignore ownership on this drive." This makes it bootable (GUID) and it maintains perms giving you a good, bootable clone of your internal drive.

Create a second partition that fills up the rest of the disk. This is where you will save your TimeMachine backups. My partition is 279 GB.

Configure TimeMachine to backup to the larger partition. Let it complete the first backup. (btw, I have TimeMachine set to OFF all the time. I only do backups when I want them... This is up to you.)

Open Terminal and cd to /Volumes to see how your external drive is mounted. Figure out which volume is the TimeMachine partition and which is your disk clone partition. My disk clone partition is called macBack500GB (not the best name, i should have called it macClone or something)

Anyway, once you figure it out, go ahead and clone your drive by running the following command.

sudo rsync -vaxE --delete --ignore-errors --progress / /Volumes/macBack500GB/

Beware of the slashes and be sure to change macBack500GB to whatever you called your clone partition. Make sure you don't accidentally type something wrong. this could destroy all your data and your TimeMachine backup if you screw up...

To test the clone, wait till the rsync is complete and reboot your machine. Hold the option key down as it starts and select the external drive. You will boot into your external drive and everything will look exactly like your main drive. great! shut down, unplug the drive. You're done.

Repeat the steps using the second backup drive. Take that drive to work and lock it in a drawer. You now have the offsite backup.

The next time you want to back up (sooner rather than later) simply plug in the drive and tell TimeMachine to do its magic. It should just work. When it finishes run the rsync command.

NOTE: If you're low on space the command might fail on large files. It does this because rsync makes sure the large file is completely copied before it deletes the original. In other words, you wind up with 2 copies of a large file for a second.

Mine fails on /var/vm/sleepimage and a 32 GB parallels VM file. Before I run rsync, i browse to my external partition and delete those files. I'm sure there are flags in rsync to fix this behavior, but I haven't bothered to figure them out.


tl;dr;

plug in the drive.

Tell TimeMachine to "Back Up Now."

delete the parallels VM from the external drive
delete var/vm/sleepimage from the external drive

sudo rsync -vaxE --delete --ignore-errors --progress / /Volumes/macBack500GB/

repeat for the second drive.


Special thanks to http://jwz.livejournal.com/801607.html for the tips on the rsync part.

UPDATE 20100707: after my laptop got stolen, i bought a new one with snow leopard. restoring it with Time Machine worked great. the next time I tried backing up the drive with rsync it hung. First on /private/var/vm/sleepimage then on others. After an hour or two of fighting with it I did a sudo port install rsync and everything works again. Apparently there's a problem with snow leopard's rsync.

My Vote for Best Street Name

James Cool Papa Bell Ave
St. Louis, MO 63106


View Larger Map


Cool Papa Bell on Wikipedia

twenty years of riding

In late 1988 I decided that I needed to be a snowboarder. Sure, snowboarding wasn't the most practical sport for a kid in the midwest with no means for getting to a mountain (or snow.) But, what's fun about being practical? I begged and begged for a snowboard. My first board was a birthday present in 1989, shown here on the right:



Yes, I learned to ride in combat boots. That board was a "Black Snow" Legend solid resin board purchased at Venture. At the time it was the only board with metal edges that we could afford. It started out black with silk-screened green and pink graphics. It eventually sported a hot, custom paint job by yours truly circa 1991. The boots were hand me downs from my oldest brother. They were standard issue air force steel toed combat boots. I had to wear 3 or 4 pairs of socks because they were too big.

That board has been to art hill, Hidden Valley, Arapahoe Basin, Copper, and Breckenridge. It would have gone to Keystone, but that was before they allowed boards. I learned to ski just so I wouldn't have to sit alone at the condo while everyone else when to Keystone for night runs.

I bought the Burton Air 55 and Airwalk Advantage boots at a consignment sale while I was in college. I finally had a real board. However, I never realized the boots simply didn't fit. They were so worn out when I got them I'd end up cranking down my bindings until my feet turned blue. Somehow I didn't think that was a problem.

My wife gave me a the Burton Clash (left) and boots for my birthday exactly 20 years after I got my first board. I haven't ridden it yet, but I can tell it is going to be amazing.

Best. Gift. Ever.

Thanks boo.

(more photos)

dry spell

I am particularly proud of a reply I made to a Porsche technical forum thread this week because it is the funniest thing I've written in months.

You really have to understand what tifosiman is doing in his reply before it makes any sense. That means that only about 3 people in the world will find it funny. To me, that makes it even better.

I am jdgunn.

link to thread

Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You

I washed a cheese grater with my bare hands.

Basketball Announcer

"2 in the paint, 1 in to sink, whooooaaahhh folks! that's a shocker."

(did he do that on purpose?)

Weekend

finished out the week's 10.5 miles early with a quick 2.5 mile run.

bros, chicken bones, breweries, and standing on the rooftops of stl history. Foam: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings on the jukebox and a wall of '70s pachinko machines. rad.

CL find of the month: practically new snowboard, bindings, bag and boots that fit for $50.

400 mile quest for parts. got nothing but sage advice: Find an easier hobby.

Bishop Allen

Ugh. This is turning into a music blog. I will post more stories about the Porsches soon (lots of news but I haven't had time to pull the photos together.) In the mean time, this is one of my favorite songs of late 2009:



This isn't the album version. It is more raw, but I picked it because of the video. Amazing, no?

I like Bishop Allen because they're all smart and stuff (Proof: They met while attending Harvard.)

I like this song because it made me hit wikipedia:

USS Monitor

Battle of Hampton Roads

Square Gets My Vote for Startup of the Year

I am a beta tester* for the new startup, squareup.com. The service is amazing. I can't imagine an easier way to accept credit cards on the go. As an added bonus, my profits nearly doubled in the first week.

I'm using it to charge admission to hobo fights on the street down here by work. Getting the fight started is easy. Find a hobo, mention something about the hobo down the street and vodka. Before you know it, a fight ensues. I won't let anyone stop to watch unless they give me a CC to swipe.

simple.


*not really.

Speaking of MusicIUsedToListenTo

After my last post I dusted off the "Crap I Used to Listen to" playlist which is chock-full-o Taking Back Sunday. The first song on shuffle happened to be Hit or Miss by A New Found Glory. I never noticed it before, but that's a whole lotta autotune:



It is especially obvious every time he says Thriller... but you can hear it on "long" and "someone" every. single. time. I love that the singer because now we have 2 things in common. Same name, neither one of us can sing.

I kid... I kid... My last name totally isn't Pundik.

Speaking of autotune, let's talk about music I'm listening to right now. Ra Ra Riot is amazing. Saw them under a hot tent at SXSW 2008 and became an instant fan. Have a listen and tell me if you hear what I think I hear in their song, "Can You Tell"



The oddly tuned floor tom (starts at 0:32 in the video) throws Wes Miles off key when he says, "It's hard to stay cool." Listen closely to "it's hard" and you'll hear what I think is the warble of a pitch correction. I might be imagining it, but I think his pitch is pulled down the whole time those toms are going. It doesn't sound quite right until the band kicks in. Sort of a shame, but you can't blame him. I think everyone who has spent some time in the studio has had these moments.

NeatThingsThatILike:Songs that Mention Other Songs

I think you have to be a fan of Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin) to appreciate the lengthy song, "Konstantine." I am a fan, so I effing love it.

Something Corporate - Konstantine


As an added bonus, I am also a fan of bands who mention other bands/songs in their songs. This works out quite nicely for me because right around the 5:52 mark we get the verse that says:

it's to jimmy eat world
and those nights in my car
when the first star you see
may not be a star
I'm not your star
isn't that what you said?
what you thought this song meant

Found the song:

Jimmy Eat Word - For Me This is Heaven


On a related note, I still (it's been what, like 7 years?) get a kick out of when Jesse Lacey of Brand New and John Nolan of Taking Back Sunday each wrote songs about their last telephone conversation. FFWD to 2:00 in Seventy Times Seven and 2:22 in "There's no 'I' in Team."

Brand New - Seventy Times Seven


Taking Back Sunday - There's No 'I' in Team

Say Anything (the band)

Five years and it finally hits me why I like Say Anything's ...Is a Real Boy so much. It is simple. The guitar tones are phenomenal and there are so damn many of them.

Thanks Max.

an office and a window

My favorite part about moving into a different space is getting to know the new sounds. Knocks, slams, footsteps, and whispers - Whose are they? What do they mean?

almost felt sorry for the feller.

We were at a show last night where a band called "As Tall as Lions" opened. At one point, the bass player and vocalist talked to the crowd about local sports and what not. The audience loved it. After the next song there was a little bit of a pause so the guitarist got on a mic and said something along the lines of:

"I did some reading up about your town before the show. The ice cream cone was invented here... so was iced tea. You guys must like iced things. [mumbles something...] in st louis."

The room changed.

He was right - those things were invented in St. Louis.

We were in Kansas City.

zero motivation

The engine in montgomery city was a bust. Kenny wasn't exactly truthful about its condition.

Things I do not understand: it's or its? i look it up almost every time i use it but, at the same time, I know... wtf?

The 968 chassis is amazing. The owner is in no rush so I have time.

The 924SE engine is out, on a stand, and apart in my garage. The cylinder walls aren't scored. Now what? Do i rebuild it?

My mind has seized. Not an original thought, idea, or action in weeks. Awful, really.

Did I tell you about BBQ alligator on the banks of the mississippi near the uss inaugural? that wasn't weird at all. Soulard market was amazing (I've never been.)

Open bar at the science center? yes.

Scored a set of used struts/shocks for Marcie super cheap.

Primer == my new favorite movie.

Marcie (the E36) had a bad week. Fuel pump died an ugly death. I removed the back seat and was able to keep her running by banging on the pump with a pry bar while driving. Not the safest thing on 44 during the morning rush.

Missing 2 shows because they sold out is dumb.

Working 2 jobs is dumb.

2 irish whiskey hangovers in 2 weeks is not dumb.

2 spaces after punctuation is dumb.

Hanging with Famous People

Here's a great shot of me and Forrest Kline chumming around at the Pageant after doing a dozen shots of Patron:



enhance (tap tap tap)... enhance (tap tap tap)... enhance (tap tap tap)...

Harper Lee

I love when an author nails it. Harper Lee got me twice in To Kill a Mockingbird. These aren't as powerful taken out of context, but I'm sharing anyway:

Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.

My stomach turned to water and I nearly threw up.