Windows Vista Ads Bite

Okay, have you seen any of the new Microsoft ads? I just don't get it. I thought this $300 million campaign was to fight back against the Mac vs. PC ads by Apple. Apple's ads are great and highlight Apple's ease of use and features. So far, the Microsoft ads haven't highlighted anything except the complete disconnect of the company, mainly Bill Gates, from the "real" people, as Jerry and Bill call us.

The first ad showed Bill and Jerry running into each other at a discount shoe store. Was the discount shoe supposed to be Windows? I don't really get it...it's mostly like the show Seinfeld: a show about nothing.

The second ad is Jerry and Bill living with "real" people. Again, I don't get it. They don't connect with the "real" people and leave. What are they trying to say? Windows Vista doesn't connect either so get rid of it?

Another ad just has a bunch of people saying "I'm a PC," and some other lines, but mainly that one. There are a couple versions of this ad, but they are basically all the same. Okay, great, but what operating system are you using?  

The latest ad features a bunch of people just saying, "Wow!", when they see something extraordinary, and then a guy at the very end saying wow to a feature of Vista...and then an AMD logo pops up. What the? Is this an ad saying Vista works on AMD processors? I dunno, weird.

The Apple ads really push Mac versus PC, not necessarily just Windows. So, Microsoft is running a campaign to promote the PC. But Linux runs on PCs too. Why isn't Microsoft running Windows ads?  This whole ad campaign may just bite them in the rear given that several PC makers are contemplating their own operating systems, Linux systems, and end runs around Windows.

I think I'll stick with my Mac, and use Windows XP only for those programs that aren't available for Mac.

A Bit Shy of the Goal

Back in December I publish a post about gaining a few pounds since moving to Bakersfield. I weighed in at 203.5 lbs. at that time. Since then I packed on a few more, bloating up to 209! I've finally come around to my senses and have really started watching what I eat.

The Elks lodge gym didn't work out. I went a few times, but the facilities are limited. Now the lodge is closed two days a week as well. So, I've skipped that and have really just been trying to do work around the house like gardening, house repairs, swimming (and cleaning it), playing with the dogs, etc.

I've yet to get on the bike trail. With the weather being as warm as it is right now, I don't think I'll be starting that anytime soon. Some days you can just sit around and sweat off a couple pounds. Of course once you rehydrate, all the weight comes back!

Anyhow, with the little bit of exercise I get around the house and watching what I eat, I've been able to drop from that peak of 209 and am now hovering between 194.5 and 196.5. I actually saw 192.5 one day, but after the weekend BBQ, I haven't seen it since. I'd like to be at 190 by the end of the month and 180 by the end of the year.

So far for posting on this topic on a weekly basis. Quarterly would be a success, but I'll see what I can do since it kind of helps hold me accountable to my goals.

Here's to good health!

Take a Bite at Nikki's

Nikki's Smokin' BBQ is located just off Garces Circle on 30th. I've only eaten at Nikki's once, but I've had sandwiches to go many times. My first time there was with my wife on a Sunday afternoon. I had the tri-tip sandwich and my wife had the pulled pork sandwich. 

The tri-tip in my sandwich was a little dry, but full of flavor. We both had sides of fries, which were great. My wife let me try her pulled pork sandwich. Wow! Outstanding. The pork is full of smokey flavor and moist, just the way it should be.

Ever since, I've always ordered the pulled pork sandwich to go whenever I'm in the mood. I've recommended this to others, and they have all liked it too. I usually get the side of fries for convenience, but occasionally I"ll get the coleslaw which is also very good...cold, crisp and with just the right amount of dressing. The pulled pork is great without any sauce, but Nikki's usually includes a container of BBQ sauce and a container of salsa. Either is great with the sandwich, but neither is necessary.

If you're ever in the mood for a great, hot sandwich, take a bite of the pulled pork sandwich at Nikki's Smokin' BBQ.

A Fish Bite

My wife and I enjoy going out to dinner at least once a week. When we lived in Orange County there was a great English pub called The Olde Ship just down the street from our home. The pub has the best fish and chips we have ever had: large pieces of fresh battered cod and steak chips. The batter is great and the fish is always fresh...and they have a great selection of beer and scotch!

When we moved to Bakersfield, we thought we'd never find a good fish and chips plate in town. To our surprise we've found two places with fairly decent fish and chips offerings: Fishlips and Mossman's. Fishlips is located downtown and has a pub atmosphere with live music on some nights; they've recently remodeled and the place looks great...the change of lighting would have been enough but they upgraded everything. Mossman's is located at Westchester Lanes, a bowling alley.

Both restaurants are similarly priced and both are about equal in terms of flavor and quality. Fishlips has a few different offerings like shrimp and chips, but Mossman's offers different sides if you'd like to have the fish but not the chips. We like both and rotate our visits. Our last visit was on Sunday at Mossman's.

We both ordered the same dish: the Old Timer's. Instead of chips they serve a great tossed salad with a house dressing. The salad is large and very good, so if you're not in the mood for a whole lot of fried food, this dish hits the spot. As usual, service was good, the drinks were cold and the food was prompt. The salad was fresh and cold. They serve a roll with the dish, but I rarely eat it. This time, I shared one with my wife...it was slightly warm, but very hard, not typical quality at Mossman's.

I had a heaping of battered cod chunks, maybe six pieces about 2 ounces each. Everything was going fine until I bit a small piece off one of the chunks...very chewy, rubbery. I figured since it was a small bit off the larger chunk that it didn't have enough meat so it over-cooked. Wrong! The whole chunk was rubbery. Something was very wrong with this piece, I couldn't even cut through it with my fork. No big deal, the plate was huge and I had plenty to eat...10 ounces out of 12 is fine.

However, I overheard another patron sitting nearby complain to the cook about the same thing. He saved his rubbery piece before the waitress took his plate so he could give it to the cook. The cook said he thought they received a bad batch of fish because they had several complaints recently. Well, I hope they get through that bad batch quickly because if I get another piece like that, I'll probably head to Fishlips before I order another bite of fish at Mossman's. Heck, I may even head to Orange County for a really good fish and chips plate!

A Computer Bites It

It's been a while since I posted anything. Well, I have good reason: my computer bit the dust just before Christmas. What an inopportune time for such a disaster. With the Christmas season already taking a huge bite out of funds, an unexpected expense like a new computer was not welcome news. Plus, with all the time spent with visiting family and going out of town, who has the time to set up a new computer, transfer all the backed-up data, and re-install all those programs? No has the time, but you have to make it when your business relies on a computer and internet access.

I ended up buying a Mac since I think the hardware is much more reliable than any PC maker, and the software is very user-friendly and offers better features, in my opinion. Since there is no software for my business available for Mac, I also had to buy virtualization software. I spent the entire week after Christmas getting files transfered, installing software, and getting re-organized. Then I spent the next few weeks getting caught up on my work, thankfully it was slow between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Everything is pretty much running smoothly...thanks in part to a huge memory upgrade: 1 GB is standard on the iMac, so I upgraded it to 4 GB. The upgrade process is very simple, and the RAM was fairly inexpensive through Newegg. Getting used to some of the new features in Leopard and getting the virtual PC up and running, easily with Parallels, was the biggest part. Running dual monitors on a Mac is a piece of cake compared to my PC and actually offers some additional features that my PC didn't have: separate desktop backgrounds for instance.

I'm very happy with the way everything turned out. Even though this was an unexpected expense, the results, as expected, are excellent.