When the server hosting Making Light tanked at the beginning of May, I had just (the day before!) put in a bunch of time and effort updating and improving the nielsenhayden.com home page.

Everyone, be warned: when (not if) your server tanks, it will inevitably do so after you've saved a really important piece of work on it, but before the operators run their regular backup. Or the backup will be unreadable. Or Murphy will think of something else.
When you've spent hours creating something on the computer, and finally saved it, stop and listen. In your left ear is a little voice saying "OK, that's done, let's go have a beer and relax". But in your right ear, another little voice is says "MAKE A COPY! NOW! LATER MAY BE TOO LATE!" Listen to that second voice.

On topic: how I wish I lived in NY. Maybe one day Whisperado will go on tour across the pond.

Posted August 16, 2008 11:56 AM by John Stanning

Why don't you create something like a GoogleCalendar account dedicated to these gigs, then put a widget on the page that will automatically fetch the feed? Then you'd only need to add items to the calendar and they would be reflected on the homepage straight away without further intervention.

Posted August 16, 2008 1:26 PM by Giacomo

...we’re actually appearing outside of New York City tonight, at a bar-and-restaurant in Mahopac, New York called the Dockside Pub. Yes, way up in impossibly faraway Putnam County.

So, Whisperado is having its first tour?

(Okay, it's a short tour, but it's a start.)

Posted August 16, 2008 4:50 PM by Bruce Arthurs

Waiting on the INTERNATIONAL WORLD TOUR that includes such foreign and strange countries as Minnesota...

Posted August 16, 2008 7:14 PM by edward oleander

Wave at Green Chimneys for me if you go by Brewster.

Posted August 16, 2008 7:19 PM by Avedon

Putnam County?!?! My home county! Putnam Valley is where I grew up, but alas, the Dockside Pub is after my time.

By the way, Avedon, Green Chimneys is north and east of Mahopac. When were you there? I worked there one summer in the mid-80s.

Posted August 16, 2008 8:47 PM by Ginger

I hope the gig went well.

Posted August 17, 2008 9:16 AM by John Chu

If I recall correctly, Avedon went to the Green Chimneys boarding school for one or two years when she was a kid. Her roomate's father was this guy who played the piano. One day he came and played for them. A while later, he released this recording.

Posted August 17, 2008 10:59 AM by Patrick Nielsen Hayden

That's a cool dad!

I worked at the Green Chimneys Farm one summer, but didn't run into any famous musicians. I did have a run-in with some sheep though.

Posted August 17, 2008 1:32 PM by Ginger

Ginger #9: You now have my imagination working overtime.

Posted August 17, 2008 4:32 PM by Fragano Ledgister

Fragano @ 10: Well, they did warn me not to turn my back on those sheep. See, I was used to the main flock of sheep, which just mobbed me at dinner time (the trough was just large enough for all the sheep, but that meant any human was going to get caught in the squeeze and trapped until all the grain was consumed. It was a daily battle.)

No, this other bunch of sheep were different. To make matters worse, when I turned my back I also put down my buckets, which gave them an inviting target. Someone headbutted my butt, and my head hit the gate post. Even though I whirled around (one hand on my head, the other on my butt), the sheep were all at least 6 feet away, giving me the evil eye, and exuding a collective aura of innocence. All I could do was shake my fist at them.

I never turned my back on them again, either. I had to watch out for the roosters, too; I used to catch them stalking me. If you didn't pay attention, they'd sneak up on you and peck your legs.

In comparison, the shrieking peacocks and the hee-hawing donkey were mild annoyances.

And you thought Putnam County was a quiet rural area, full of peaceful vistas to gaze upon.

Posted August 17, 2008 6:40 PM by Ginger

Ginger #11: All I can say is 'ouch!' It could be worse, though, you could have been trying to pasture a goat in heat.

Posted August 17, 2008 7:40 PM by Fragano Ledgister

Fragano @12: "Pasture a goat" -- isn't that an exercise in futility, even without the hormones?

Posted August 17, 2008 9:43 PM by Ginger

Thanks for adding me to the MySpace friends list - Whisperado are probably a bit out of place among all the bands that Hedgeprog likes.

I would guess at gig in the UK supporting someone like Mostly Autumn is something unlikely unlikely ever to happen :)

Posted August 18, 2008 4:49 PM by Tim Hall

Ginger #13: Not really. If your rope's long enough.

Posted August 18, 2008 6:48 PM by Fragano Ledgister

Fragano @ 15: If your rope's long enough ..and if the nearest tree is not further than that rope will allow.

Posted August 18, 2008 8:37 PM by Ginger