Ash and I finally got to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Wednesday. It was very entertaining and very funny, although the songs were rather lame. Anyway, this isn’t a review, it’s a story…

Our friends Anthony and Ken already had tickets, but they offered to help us rush the show so we could see it with them. Sure enough, all four of us won the lottery. In fact, the four of us were the first four names called. We only needed two tickets, though, so we let them give out the other six to other lucky people.

I tried to upgrade this site from Movable Type 3.17 to Movable Type 3.2 beta 5, and all hell broke loose. First of all, I did back it up, but I didn’t know that the backup of the database was corrupt until it was too late.

Version 3.2 wasn’t working because of memory limitations from my hosting company, but I couldn’t simply downgrade because 3.17 couldn’t read the newly-upgraded data in the database.

When I tried restoring from backup, 3.17 wouldn’t work because the database was corrupt. And I was still using a Berkeley database instead of MySQL (because the Berkeley database previously wasn’t “broke,” so I never fixed it), so I couldn’t look at the data to fix whatever was wrong.

Anyway, I eventually used a combination of some Berkeley tables from the backup and some Berkeley tables that had been upgraded, and I was able to convert this combination to MySQL using Movable Type’s conversion script, and then I could go into MySQL, fix what was wrong, manipulate the upgraded data to the way it was before, and successfully use version 3.17 again.

So now I’m running on 3.17, and it’s working very well, and all of my data is intact except some anti-spam settings and some trackbacks (which I never cared about anyway). And now I’m using MySQL, which is handy because I can fix things that break in the future, and I can easily make changes to all entries at once using SQL.

Tomorrow they’re supposed to announce the official release of version 3.2, and I’ll most likely try it again. But at least this time I have a textual backup (in the form of a SQL script) of the database, so if something goes wrong, I can downgrade again.

Knock on wood.

Where we normally have fliers for book signings and company parties, someone posted a campaign ad for Christopher Walken for President in 2008.

Apparently there’s also a web site devoted to this cause, and although I’m sure it’s a joke, I can’t help but think that he would be a very effective President.

I’m listening to Elegies: A Song Cycle right now. It’s a musical revue by William Finn from a couple years ago. As much as I love Spelling Bee, it’s really sad to me that a lot of people will buy the Spelling Bee cast album and think that simplistic music is all William Finn has to offer.

So if you’re buying Spelling Bee and want to buy something else (to qualify for the free shipping), please consider also buying a better example of his work, like Elegies.

Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years, Songs for a New World, et al) released a new album a couple weeks ago. It’s not a musical; it’s just a collection of random songs he wrote. But this time, he sings them:

Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes

Some of the songs were cut from (or at least written for but not used in) his musicals. If you’re a fan of The Last Five Years, this album is a necessity because it includes the song “I Could Be in Love With Someone Like You,” which was cut from The Last Five Years (and replaced with “Shiksa Goddess”) because of a lawsuit from Jason’s ex-wife.

For those of you not into musicals, you might still give this album a listen. It doesn’t sound like musical theatre… I think I’d describe it as “piano blues” or even “country without a drawl.” If someone else has a better classification for it, I’m open to suggestions.

I hate it when eavesdropping backfires. I was sitting at Chili’s and listening to another table’s conversation. “So-and-so cheated on so-and-so with a medical student,” and it started getting really juicy. But then, “She hired a witch, who sent her back in time to do it all over again.” Dammit, it was a television show!

Normally I don’t do surveys, but I actually like this one. Or maybe I’m just more bored than usual.

1.When you look at yourself in the mirror, what’s the first thing you look at?
My hair… it’s always doing something interesting, like leaning precariously to one side.

2.How much cash do you have on you?
Fifty-nine dollars. Usually I have even more. After all, this is New York, and although there are a lot of muggings, most places still take cash only. I swear, new technologies (like credit cards) always come to New York last.

3.What’s a word that rhymes with “TEST”?
Nest! …or.

4.Favorite plants?
To be honest, I’m not a big fan of plants. I suppose I like some trees, but I can’t think of any specifically offhand. Banyan trees are pretty cool, I guess. Oh, and there are some edible plants that I like simply because of what they produce, such as cacao trees. I hate flowers, though, because they die.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
My friend Sharie holds that honor. I think she was calling to ask me to help her move. Oops.

6.What is your main ring tone on your phone?
Normally my phone is on vibrate, actually. But when it’s not on vibrate, it’s… hold your excitement… the sound of a ringing phone.

7.What shirt are you currently wearing?
I’m wearing a striped dress shirt that Ashleigh got me for either Hanukkah or my birthday. I can never keep those holidays separate in my mind because they’re within a few months of each other. Anyway, it’s a white base with tan, brown, green, and blue stripes. I’m also wearing a red t-shirt that features a squirrel playing the drums.

8.Do you “label” yourself?
Only when someone leaves the Dymo out. Haha, just kidding. But seriously, I think I’m some kind of computer geek/drama geek/emo kid/person who’s too old to have a label but doesn’t know it.

9.Name brand of your shoes currently wearing?
Diesel. Funny, since I’m usually in Converse. But today, instead of the red Converse, I decided on the red Diesels with velcro. It was just a velcro kind of day, know what I mean?

10.Bright or Dark Room?
I’m not sure if you’re asking which I prefer or which I’m currently in. If you’re asking which I’m currently in, it’s definitely bright. It’s an office. I couldn’t get much work done in a dark room. Well, unless I were a photographer. And actually, come to think of it, since everything I do is on the computer, I suppose I could still do it in a dark room since the monitor is its own light.

11.What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
Amanda and Deirdre both took this before me, and I think they’re sisters. Oh, and I think they’re both amazingly talented and beautiful, and I want like ten thousand of their babies. Also, I miss making fun of Amanda with Deirdre. And I miss making fun of Amanda with Amanda.

12.Ever “spilled the beans”?
Sure, I suppose. I can’t think of a specific incident right now, but I’m sure I have.

13.What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping. Actually, it’s more likely I was tossing and turning. When the air conditioner comes on, I get too cold, but then when it turns off I get too warm. So I’m constantly moving the blanket on and off of myself during the night, as the air conditioner turns on and off. I know, I should just leave it on or off all night, but then I can’t use the super-cool “energy saver” feature.

14.What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?
It said, “boarding for boston. see u next week,” and it was from Brandon. He’s getting on a plane to go to Boston, and then he’s coming to New York after that, so I’ll see him while he’s here.

15.Do you ever click on “Pop Ups” or Banners?
I think I sometimes click on banners, actually. I visit a lot of computer-oriented blogs, and they often have ads for really cool gadgets and things. So sometimes I click those. Not pop-ups, though. Usually those are for things I don’t want.

16.What’s a saying that you say a lot?
I’ve noticed a few one-word sayings I’ve been using lately, including “clearly” and “sweet.” Okay, so I lied. A couple, not a few.

17.Who told you they loved you last?
It was either my mom or Ashleigh. Ash said it in a text message earlier, but then I talked to my mom on the phone, and I can’t remember whether she said it or not.

18.Last furry thing you touched?
Besides myself? I think the last furry thing I touched was actually Sharie’s cat, Charlie. He’s a cute kitty.

19.How many hours a week do you work?
Well, I’m at work for about forty hours a week. I don’t know how much I actually work, but it’s theoretically slightly less than that. Maybe thirty-nine.

20.How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
None. In fact, I’m really surprised that this question is on here. Most people are using digital cameras these days, especially if they’re people who have blogs. I mean, sure, my grandma might still use film, but I think she’s unlikely to be filling out this survey anytime soon. Granted, if I sent it to her in an email, she’d prob’ly fill it out. But the fact is, I really don’t care what my grandma’s main ring tone is.

21.Favorite age you have been so far?
I bet a lot of people answer their current age, but I bet a lot of people who fill out surveys aren’t in their mid-twenties yet. For me, my favorite year was either the year that I was twenty-one or the year that I was twenty-three. For anyone who knows me, those years include West Side Summer and the summer of the Beavs.

22.Your worst enemy?
I really can’t think of a worst enemy, so I’ll use the philosophical cop-out and say “myself.” Or maybe “time.” But really, time is what will lead me to dinner tonight, and I like dinner.

23. What is your current desk top picture?
It’s a collection of five white circles of various sizes on a bright blue background. I made it myself. There’s no particular reason for it; I just like circles.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
“They used to be a fixed width because of NEON. I can’t remember if that’s true for SAP though. I think it is. You might ask Chris or Josef instead; I have a feeling they’re closer to the answer.” See? I do work!

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to go back in time to fix all of your mistakes, which would you pick?
Clearly I’d pick the million dollars, because I believe that nothing is a mistake. Everything is either a good experience or a learning experience, and I wouldn’t be who I am without my past being exactly how it is. Everything always works out better in the end as a result of whatever happens; that’s just how it is. So where’s my million dollars?