Robert Hall

This is a random non sequitor thread, I think. Where's Pingas when you need him?

I generally prefer covers of Dylan to Dylan himself in general--he's written some great songs. Though I do like some of his later work--the 'Time Out of Mind' album and the 'Wonder Boys' soundtrack in particular. In general, though, in the whole folk/rock/Americana space, I much prefer Bruce Springsteen...I never tire of hearing his mid '70s albums ('Born to Run', 'Darkness on the Edge of Town'), or his recent brilliant E Street Band albums ('The Rising', 'Magic', 'Working on Dream') and the rest... The best live performances I've seen in 25 years of concerts have been BS & ESB shows...

I like the slate and tan a lot...nice contrast. My Jeep is dark slate all over inside...I wonder if I could two tone it.

Nah, definitely not by myself. My buddy Craig from the U. of Michigan is a research scientist at Los Alamos National Lab. I've gone hiking in NM w/ him and his family several times since '97. I'm not much of a hiker, just a casual hike along established trails. Done similar hikes in Colorado w/ my buddies there. Rob

Yes...beautiful area..

I went for a hike in Bandelier National Monument outside Los Alamos about 10 years ago...beautiful area NW of Santa Fe...

I like Santa Fe, Taos and Los Alamos quite a bit also...I used to go down to Taos and Los Alamos (to visit friends from grad school) once a year or so when I lived in Colorado. Sedona, Prescott, Jerome, Payson and Sho Low are nice for small AZ towns. Been to Monterey a couple of times...I love the drive from there up to San Francisco via Santa Cruz and Pacifica...done the drive in a Mustang convertible and a Town Car from Hertz. So for those that live in So Cal, what would you think the prettiest town So Cal is? Rob

lazin' away in Margaritaville, written by one the Keys most famous residents, Jimmy Buffett. It's a great place to get away from it all and enjoy the sunsets and ocean. Still have some friends from HS living down there, not much to do besides fishing and drinking. Still, it beats the suburbs of Phoenix (Chandler, Mesa, and Gilbert all made the top 5 of Forbes most boring cities list). I'd like to explore more of New England..other than Boston and it's burbs, Cape Cod, the islands, and a little bit in NH and Maine, I haven't seen much. Since I generally prefer cities and suburbs, I can't really imagine living in a small town, but I do like visiting some when vacationing.

Further north than that, I think. Nunavuut and Yukon, maybe. I know a lot of cool people from Saskatchewan---Reginans in Denver--hard working, hard drinking hockey fans.

Aspen has it's sights, but it a bit too touristy...same problem w/ Telluride. I've been to both several times, they have their charm. I really like Silverton--much more remote and islolated, less touristy. Crested Butte is a neat ski town, very remote also. Astoria, Oregon and Seaside, Oregon seemed pretty nice to me, the weekend I spent in the area. I'm partial to Marathon, Florida and other Florida Keys small towns, having grown up there. Sugarcreek, Ohio is neat, a bit kitschy w/ the faux Swiss architecture (like some place in Michigan I've been and also Vail has some of that also-- but Vail is much higher end), but it's in a beautiful part of Amish Ohio, rolling hills and wide green valleys. I don't recall the names of the towns, but some little towns in the Lake George area north of Saratoga Springs, NY seemed to have some charm...was up there from Albany for a weekend in '01.

I can't imagine Americans buying Buick hatchbacks here...I would assume this will be only in sedan form w/ an automatic.

One of my closest friends from college was in Berlin when the wall fell, he was born in the US to German-born parents. He said it was a very special time to be in Berlin.

My Jeep got broken into when I was at a movie a couple years ago. They stole my iPod cassette adapter and 2 Foo Fighters CDs which I made the mistake of leaving out in the open...the white cord must have attracted the lowlifes. Broke out the driver's window. Did your Sony have a removable faceplate? I always took the faceplate off of the Sony units in my Mustang and Bronco when they sat outside years ago.

Sorry to hear that. Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed. I didn't know there was a Pittsburgh in KS. Then again, I've never been through KS. Like your new avatar.

In Phoenix, I have an independent mechanic shop (been awarded the BBB best in the city several times) about a mile away that I go to for everything. Battery, radiator, patch tire, oil change, etc. When I was in Denver, I had a Goodyear tire dealer across the street, went there for tires and shocks, went to Brakes Plus for brakes, went to buddy Ajith's shop for everything else. When I was in Colorado Springs, I took my Jeep to the dealer for most service, since it was still new then and under warranty.

And of course, the center of the universe for software and hardware technology is in the Bay Area also...with feeder schools of Stanford and Berkeley and immigrants from all over the US and the world coming to SF and the Silicon Valley for it's established companies and startups, and all the VC financing on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park. I've had the opportunity several times over the last 15 years to move to San Jose/Sunnyvale/etc but for one reason or another, haven't.

Do eskimos dream of moving to the suburbs and buying Priuses?

Happy Birthday!

My one Windows machine I still use has Vista, still works fine after 15 months. Don't see a need to upgrade it.

Very cool... I've never lived in LA, but have always had an affinity for it, it's architecture, and its history from the myriad movies, TV shows, and books I've read over the years. As far as theatres and other venues, I've been to a few concerts in the LA area---at the Hollywood Bowl, Gibson Amphitheatre (Universal City), and a couple on the Santa Monica pier (stumbled on a great free concert there about 5 years ago---Clarence Clemons and his band). I'll have to drive over some weekend this fall or winter and do some LA stuff--eat at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, etc. My 2010 could involve So Cal more than AZ, if my sister takes a gig in El Segundo she interviewed for this week...and I may land a gig in Irvine w/ some friends after my current contract in Chandler, AZ ends.

Surround sound cranked up loud listening to Pink Floyd The Wall. I can't help it, I love Comfortably Numb. Gilmy rocks. Love the cool fall weather, did some grilling...just had some delicious grilled pork w/ couscous and on my 3rd glass of pinot grigio. Party on... Rob

freedom fries (I actually heard a woman say this in a non-ironic way the other day)

Nah, just being accurate. For me, it's CB's eyes and face..great face and figure.

+1 on Catherine Bell..I've read she's Iranian, born in the UK.

Sounds like fun. My family's farm in Ohio was in a 1978 NBC TV miniseries, posting as a 19th century Amish house and barn.