Tag Archive for: holidays

The Lateness of the Hour

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Welcome to late October and my also-late annual October post! Indeed it has been a busy month here at castle Cahill, what with anniversary and birthday celebrations to be had, a weekend getaway including a surprise meet-up with family, and a very busy schedule to keep as my mild mannered IT alter ego. As I write this, Halloween is about to fall upon the land, and you know that it remains a favorite holiday of mine.

I plugged in the Halloween version of the jukebox a little earlier than usual this year. While the listeners of this side hobby of mine are mostly family and friends – and despite adding new songs and ads each year, there’s always the risk of getting tired of the playlist. I’d say that was mostly avoided, but curse you Weebles Haunted House and your defiance of my playlist selection scripting logic!

I mentioned the weekend getaway to Disneyland that Shannon, Sam, and I enjoyed. Lots of great decorations and ambiance, but our experience was made so much better once we learned that my sister, her daughter and family were also there on the same day. We met up and spent some time together. Given the health challenges that my sister has faced over the year, it was good to see her in good spirits and enjoying herself. A great day was made even better when we received a text from Shannon’s cousin claiming that they were in Disneyland and thought they saw Sam in the crowd, asking if we were there, too. Well of course! So we also had a quick meet up with her and her family later in the evening. We all had a great weekend together, but I-10, you are still not my favorite.

October is also my birthday month, and while in years past it has sparked my depression around getting older and losing connections with family, I feel very fortunate as I complete this trip around the sun. I am grateful for my family, I treasure my decades-old friendships, and I’m thankful for the new friendships I’ve gained this year. Looking back on an earlier post, it’s refreshing to confirm that my feelings of gratitude have persisted throughout the year, and equally strange to me how real change has manifested in unintended and surprising ways.

I hope you enjoy the Halloween broadcast, and don’t forget to tune in for the big giveaway! Stay tuned for my next post, too, because Tron: Ares and I need to have some words…

Happy Halloween!

It’s Not Worth Losing Your Head Over!

It’s Alive! It’s Alive!

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It’s Alive! It’s Alive!

Well now, would you look at that? It’s Halloween time once again, not that our 100+ degree weather would suggest! Nevertheless, Shannon has been decorating the house for the season, Sam is coding this year’s Halloween update to his game, and the time feels right to plug in the jukebox and get into the spirit of things.

The jukebox is now broadcasting my annual brew of spooky (but kid-friendly) songs, movie trailers, ads, and more. As in years past, I’ve added some new treats, and maybe even a trick or two. You’ll just have to tune in and find out! Once again, Sam has helped with ironing out some more stubborn formatting glitches in the jukebox interface. That’s a good thing, too, as I’ve added the chat feature back to the jukebox. I invite you to participate in the séance!

Elsewhere, my collection of vintage computing, videogaming, and pop culture artifacts is (slowly!) being added back to the site. I suspect that effort will continue for some time yet. Thanks to some old friends, I’ve managed to add a few items that I’ve been seeking for a long time.

There are some good things coming up, and I’m excited to share them with you in the near future. Thanks for checking in! Oh, and… Happy Halloween!

No Big Giveaway at 9

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Stop It! Stop It!

Well played, Dr. Challis!

It’s a wrap! Another Halloween has made it around the block, parked at the curb, and nestled under a tarp until next year. While there was no big giveaway at 9 as teased (and that might be a good thing after all), we did our part to contribute to the neighborhood candy-consumption cause.

Happy Halloween! Oh, and we’ll see you again next year Dr. Challis!

It’s Time Again… Halloween!

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Something’s bugging poor Buddy

Welcome back! It’s time again to resurrect the jukebox and conjure up some Halloween spirits. This year, Sam shared in the gravedigging duties as the aging codebase that broadcasts the spooky vibes to your ears needing some fixing. That’s not surprising really, since this has been a tradition for over twenty-years now. The jukebox interface should now render properly on mobile devices (I hope?); it’s been on the to-do list for far too long.

New songs are being added to the usual favorites all month long, and a new chat feature has been added. Pleaes drop a comment there if you like what you’re hearing or have suggestions.

Enjoy! Oh, and Happy Halloween!