Their plan of attack? The daily watching of The Wiggles DVD - and the only one we have - over and over and over. I find no redeeming value whatsoever in The Wiggles. None. Well, they do have some mighty colorful shirts, but that’s it.

Their plan worked, I must say, because I poked around with Myth some more last night. Wish I could say Myth was working but there is still something crazy wrong with the new Avermedia A180 Tuner card. I thought I’d found the problem after reading an entry in the MythTV wiki for the PVR-250 card. In short, it says that a A180 card’s drivers will sometimes get confused when a PVR-250 card is in the box.

I don’t have a PVR-250 card, but I did have its cousin, the Avermedia PVR-150. Removing it seemed to make things better in the short term, but after I moved my Mac Mini Myth frontend back to the big TV downstairs I was back to where I started.

On the bright side, though, I have revived my trusty Thinkpad T40 by use of an external monitor, USB keyboard and mouse. For those of you keeping score, this particular laptop died first, necessitating my need to buy the replacement T43. That “newer” laptop is the one currently DOA. While I can’t go portable with the T40, at least I can work at my desk without fear of hitting the wrong button and having my screen disappear (or worse, the system lock up).

Coach Tom O’Brien has carefully crafted the team into what it is today, and today the Wolfpack seemed utterly unstoppable. Any win is a good one against the Heels but this one was one for the record books.

We also took the opportunity to ride the bus to and from the parade. It was super easy, and though the bus only runs hourly on weekends we spent the extra time hanging out in Marbles. I think the kids enjoyed the bus ride as much as the parade itself.

Chief Dolan spoke about the state of crime in the city and what needs to be done to reduce it. He stressed again and again that it begins with the parents and the community, not the police, and I fully agree. It was easy to tell that while the chief would rather not put kids behind bars, until someone close to these kids can show them a better way he’ll keep locking them up. But he’d be much happier if these kids had mentors.

I was impressed at the chief’s sharp wit and his grasp of leadership trends. He also seems to have the genuine respect of his officers. I was also impressed that he’s a hands-on guy. When I called in a suspicious vehicle sitting in the park before the meeting, Chief Dolan himself responded to the call. Hands-on and big-picture: what a combination.

I admit I was troubled to hear that 90 officers have left the force in the past year, but I fully believe Chief Dolan will get the department back on track. It seems like Raleigh hit a home run when it tapped him for its chief.

(And I think its important to note that since Chief Dolan joined the force there’s been no sign of Godzilla. Coincidence? I think not.)

On a related note, one thing I hate about submitting my resume to sites like Monster and CareerBuilder is all of the solicitations I get from pyramid scheme-ish “business opportunities” or “affiliate marketing programs.” I’ve already sent three of them to the bit bucket this week.

Sheesh. Save the scams for the suckers, please!

I’m already planning a new and improved garden for spring (paycheck-permitting, ‘natch).

Hi everyone,

I know many of you have been asking for more news about Mark’s condition. Out of respect for the privacy of him and his family during this difficult time, I’ve been a bit reluctant to make any more posts about it. Also, there’s a lot of people who have known him for much longer than me and would probably be better chosen for the job of keeping people informed. At this point, though, it seems that this blog has become the primary source for information about what happened, and therefore, it’s the place many people are coming to for information about ways that they can help. It’s with this in mind that I’m writing this post tonight.

Over the last week, I’ve been talking with some of Mark’s close friends and colleagues about how best to show our support for him and his family. One encouraging thing in all these conversations has been a sense of cautious optimism. Yes, the damage done to his fingers was definitely serious and will take time to heal. But the surgery seems to have been a success, and it looks like much of it will be covered by his health insurance. That’s some very good news; these days, it’s increasingly rare for musicians to have any insurance at all. Also, Mark is one of the healthiest and most centered people around; if anyone has what it takes (physically, mentally, spiritually) to overcome this kind of challenge, he does.

So, taking all this into account, the consensus among those I’ve talked with is that it’s a bit premature to put together a “benefit concert” right now. Although Mark’s injury is every musician’s worst nightmare, it’s ultimately not life-threatening, and he has a good chance of an eventual full recovery. Everyone seems to be in agreement that the benefit concert idea should be reserved for moments that truly require immediate action; life-or-death situations such as those of Andrew D’Angelo and Dennis Irwin, recently.

Nonetheless, there is going to be an increased financial burden on his family during the coming months of his recovery. Taking on more private students (as he is intending to do) will definitely help, but may not close the gap entirely. And since so many people have expressed an overwhelming desire to help in some way, it seemed that a fund should be created for those who want to contribute.

So, over the last week, I’ve been talking to a number of people about how to set up this kind of thing. We’re currently looking into the best way to do it, hopefully so that it’s tax-deductable for the contributors and tax-free for Mark. That’s why there’s been a bit of a delay in getting it up and running. As soon we get things worked out and run it past him and his family to make sure they’re OK with it, I’ll post another blog.

Thanks, everyone, for caring…
Aaron

It will be a long, slow recovery, but everyone knows that Mark Turners have what it takes!

Sometimes a break from a regular job can offer a refreshing change in perspective.

I wish him well with his treatment.