21) I have a Superman shirt that I bought because, obviously, I like Superman. For some reason, every time I wear it, at least one stranger will call me "Superman" and talk to me as I were, in fact, the Man of Steel. The first time it happened, it was a crazy homeless guy, so I didn't think much of it. But the same thing has happened numerous times since then. "Hey, Superman, shouldn't you be out saving the world instead of getting an oil change?" "Hey, Superman, you better be careful doing laundry. You don't want to shrink your outfit." I don't get it. I'm just wearing a shirt; it's not like I'm wearing a cape and tights, too. I wonder if something similar happens to people wearing sports jerseys...
22) I got strep throat a lot when I was little. Eventually, they said if I got it once more they would take out my tonsils. I never got it again (well, not for many years). Apparently, my immune system responds well to threats.
23) Up until third grade, I wanted to be a paleontologist ... until I found out that, in reality, it's a pretty boring job.
24) Other discarded, or at least delayed, possible careers: teacher, video game tester, psychiatrist, reporter, president, bikini inspector.
25) I'm a picky eater. Once at dinner, a group of friends decided for every letter of the alphabet they would name a food I didn't like. With the help of the waiter who made up some obscure food for a letter or two, they succeeded.
26) I'm finicky when it comes to women, too. It's the Achilles' heel of my dating life. A lot of women catch my eye, but few can hold my attention.
27) I went backpacking around Europe with some friends for a month in the fall after graduating from college.
28) On that trip, I played cards with a cute French girl on a train that was stuck for an hour or so.
29) I did not make as much of an effort as I should have to hang out with a cute Dutch girl.
30) I did dance and make out with a really drunk older French girl at a jazz club. It was her idea, not mine -- mostly because we were right in front of her father.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
It's aliiiiive!!!
I'm going to try a little experiment and see what havoc my monster can wreak. You may notice the slightly unwieldy video clip in the sidebar to your right. As popular as online videos are these days, it seems a shame to let the viral revolution pass me by. So I'm going to post a different clip every week, probably on Mondays from now on, to give you an amusing start to your week. Plus, being in the sidebar, if you need a pick-me-up, you can come back to it without scrolling through past posts (because I post sooo often). If I can figure out an easy way to do it, I might even keep an archived list of video clips. And if you've got any suggestions, please send them my way via e-mail.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Me and my TV
For a look at the next season of TV, check out Gig Matrix. (More will be coming once the CW and Fox announce their lineups.)
In the meantime, my TiVo and I are still working out the kinks of our relationship. It's still taping a lot of things I don't want. The first thing I asked it to tape was "Robot Chicken" -- a show on the Cartoon Network -- so it immediately started taping every animated show it could get its grubby little digital hands on. For a while, I had all the Sponge Bob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer I could handle.
Clearly, I needed to nip this in the bud.
Me: TiVo, we need to talk.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: You need to stop taping all the cartoons that are shown in a given day. I don't want to watch that many cartoons. Stop treating me like a child.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: Look, I appreciate the gesture. Really, I do. I just think things are moving a little fast. That's all. I mean, we're still getting to know each other. I'm sure it will get better, but I'd just like some space.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: You know, a response of some kind would be nice.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: (getting angry) Fine. Be that way. I was just trying to communicate.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: You just need to back off, TiVo. Don't be getting all in my face with your "suggestions." You don't know me. So don't act like you do.
(I storm off)
Several minutes later, the phone rings.
It's TiVo:
"What's your favorite scary movie?"
In the meantime, my TiVo and I are still working out the kinks of our relationship. It's still taping a lot of things I don't want. The first thing I asked it to tape was "Robot Chicken" -- a show on the Cartoon Network -- so it immediately started taping every animated show it could get its grubby little digital hands on. For a while, I had all the Sponge Bob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer I could handle.
Clearly, I needed to nip this in the bud.
Me: TiVo, we need to talk.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: You need to stop taping all the cartoons that are shown in a given day. I don't want to watch that many cartoons. Stop treating me like a child.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: Look, I appreciate the gesture. Really, I do. I just think things are moving a little fast. That's all. I mean, we're still getting to know each other. I'm sure it will get better, but I'd just like some space.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: You know, a response of some kind would be nice.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: (getting angry) Fine. Be that way. I was just trying to communicate.
TiVo: (silence)
Me: You just need to back off, TiVo. Don't be getting all in my face with your "suggestions." You don't know me. So don't act like you do.
(I storm off)
Several minutes later, the phone rings.
It's TiVo:
"What's your favorite scary movie?"
Monday, May 15, 2006
Briguy by the beach
I spent a couple of days down in the Outer Banks earlier this week with my family. We expected beachfront property, and got a little more than we bargained for, but it was fun nonetheless.
In other news, it's been quite a week for technology in my humble life. It was E3, which is THE video game convention. There's a lot of coverage up on Gig Matrix that you should totally check out.
I also broke down and got Tivo. I had been afraid to do so for fear that it would be an enabler to my TV addiction. But, as one friend pointed out to me, "If you have a separate tape for every day of the week, you just need to get Tivo."
Which is a good point.
I've only started playing around with it, but it is pretty great. So many shows at the tip of my fingers... I can watch them anytime ...
Ah yes, I have chosen the form of the Destroyer.
And it is this.
In other news, it's been quite a week for technology in my humble life. It was E3, which is THE video game convention. There's a lot of coverage up on Gig Matrix that you should totally check out.
I also broke down and got Tivo. I had been afraid to do so for fear that it would be an enabler to my TV addiction. But, as one friend pointed out to me, "If you have a separate tape for every day of the week, you just need to get Tivo."
Which is a good point.
I've only started playing around with it, but it is pretty great. So many shows at the tip of my fingers... I can watch them anytime ...
Ah yes, I have chosen the form of the Destroyer.
And it is this.
Monday, May 08, 2006
100 things about me: 11-20
(Quick unrelated plug: First impressions of the Xbox 360 are up at Gig Matrix.)
11) On the playground when I was in preschool/kindergarten, most of the boys would "capture" the girls. I would be the one to rescue them. Thus, for better or worse, began my lifelong "knight in shining armor" complex.
12) I was in a grocery store commercial with my mom and brother when I was a little kid.
13) Whenever I buy a new article of clothing, I have to wash it. The idea of wearing it without doing so weirds me out.
14) I took piano lessons for many years when I was younger.
15) I'm trying to learn to play the guitar; at least if I could ever find someone who gave lessons during the day.
16) The two previous items probably explain why I'm a sucker for any music that involves the piano or acoustic guitar.
17) When I was younger, I would organize and clean when I was bored.
18) I want to go skydiving someday.
19) I have sung karaoke only once. It was to The Monkees' "I'm a Believer."
20) I did, however, sing in an a capella/barbershop group in college. I don't remember much of what we sang other than one traditional barbershop song and Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time."
11) On the playground when I was in preschool/kindergarten, most of the boys would "capture" the girls. I would be the one to rescue them. Thus, for better or worse, began my lifelong "knight in shining armor" complex.
12) I was in a grocery store commercial with my mom and brother when I was a little kid.
13) Whenever I buy a new article of clothing, I have to wash it. The idea of wearing it without doing so weirds me out.
14) I took piano lessons for many years when I was younger.
15) I'm trying to learn to play the guitar; at least if I could ever find someone who gave lessons during the day.
16) The two previous items probably explain why I'm a sucker for any music that involves the piano or acoustic guitar.
17) When I was younger, I would organize and clean when I was bored.
18) I want to go skydiving someday.
19) I have sung karaoke only once. It was to The Monkees' "I'm a Believer."
20) I did, however, sing in an a capella/barbershop group in college. I don't remember much of what we sang other than one traditional barbershop song and Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time."
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Crap cakes
Lest my ego get too out of hand in the kitchen, I had a humbling experience making crab cakes tonight for dinner. It seemed simple enough -- add the mix, mayonnaise and fresh crab meat. Put them in a hot pan for a few minutes on either side. Unfortunately, it didn't tell me how hot the stove should be and I ended up burning both sides. Plus, I need to be more thorough in separating wayward cartilage out of the crab meat next time.
Ick.
And two random thoughts:
1) For the love of all that is good in the world, don't go see "Silent Hill."
2) I bought an Xbox 360. I haven't had much time to play it, but it seems pretty sweet so far. Look for my thoughts on Gig Matrix soon.
Ick.
And two random thoughts:
1) For the love of all that is good in the world, don't go see "Silent Hill."
2) I bought an Xbox 360. I haven't had much time to play it, but it seems pretty sweet so far. Look for my thoughts on Gig Matrix soon.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
100 things about me: 1-10
What follows is a list of 100 things you may or may not know about me. I'm breaking it down into 10 item lists just to keep it readable and to get more mileage out of my posts.
I'm not always so great at sharing, but Jessica and Mightybob have done this and I've found it interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. Perhaps it will spread and we'll all learn a little something new about each other. So here goes ...
1) I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. This is not as exciting as everyone first thinks it is. We moved after three months, so I have no memory of it.
2) My earliest memories are of being pushed into an ant hill in preschool and having a bunch of ants on me, and having the chicken pox. I don't dwell much on my earliest memories.
3) There's a part of me that's convinced I have the ability to change traffic lights if I believe hard enough.
4) Every once and awhile, I'll put two fingers together like that girl in the old TV show "Out of This World" just to see if I've gained the ability to stop time.
5) I sometimes try to move objects with my mind, too.
6) As of yet, I don't seem to have any superpowers.
7) I subscribe to three magazines: Time, Electronic Gaming Monthly and Entertainment Weekly.
8) I'm kind of a neat freak.
9) Most of my closest friends have been girls since the third grade.
10) Yet I didn't have my first girlfriend until the summer after my freshman year in college. Go figure.
I'm not always so great at sharing, but Jessica and Mightybob have done this and I've found it interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. Perhaps it will spread and we'll all learn a little something new about each other. So here goes ...
1) I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. This is not as exciting as everyone first thinks it is. We moved after three months, so I have no memory of it.
2) My earliest memories are of being pushed into an ant hill in preschool and having a bunch of ants on me, and having the chicken pox. I don't dwell much on my earliest memories.
3) There's a part of me that's convinced I have the ability to change traffic lights if I believe hard enough.
4) Every once and awhile, I'll put two fingers together like that girl in the old TV show "Out of This World" just to see if I've gained the ability to stop time.
5) I sometimes try to move objects with my mind, too.
6) As of yet, I don't seem to have any superpowers.
7) I subscribe to three magazines: Time, Electronic Gaming Monthly and Entertainment Weekly.
8) I'm kind of a neat freak.
9) Most of my closest friends have been girls since the third grade.
10) Yet I didn't have my first girlfriend until the summer after my freshman year in college. Go figure.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
b:b:III (The Bachelor Bakes III)
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my greatest baking feat to date:
It doesn't look as nice as I would like, mostly because the frosting isn't as thick as I think it probably should be, but I made the whole thing from scratch (and that's two layers of cake, my friends), so I was pretty impressed with myself. I took it into work and it was devoured fairly quickly.
Of course, those vultures will eat anything.
Which is why I waited a good two hours before having my first slice.
Just to make sure no one kicked the bucket and all...
It doesn't look as nice as I would like, mostly because the frosting isn't as thick as I think it probably should be, but I made the whole thing from scratch (and that's two layers of cake, my friends), so I was pretty impressed with myself. I took it into work and it was devoured fairly quickly.
Of course, those vultures will eat anything.
Which is why I waited a good two hours before having my first slice.
Just to make sure no one kicked the bucket and all...
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
My luggage went on vacation and all I got was this T-shirt
Well, I've been back from my trip to Colorado since Sunday. My luggage arrived late Tuesday night. I'm not sure why, but judging by my past arrivals in Norfolk, it is now statistically more likely for me to NOT get my luggage when I fly home. Apparently, when I made the layover in Cleveland, my suitcase decided to stick around. And then, rather than fly to Norfolk the next day, it decided to fly to Portland, Maine. After hanging around there for a bit, it finally came home via Newark.
I hope it had a nice time without me.
On the bright side, the trip was really nice. The wedding and reception were fun (and featured, oddly, potatoes shaped like mushrooms), I got to see my parents and some friends from high school, do a little hiking and I got fitted for a kilt.
Yes, a kilt.
Two friends of mine are getting married later this summer and have decided to have a Scottish theme that involves the groomsmen wearing kilts. I give you a preview now (minus several parts of the outfit, but you get the idea):
Ladies, I'll start taking applications to be my wedding date now.
After I arrived home, a friend who had been to the ACES conference in, coincidentally, Cleveland gave me this shirt that she had gotten as a conference gift:
If you know me, you'll get it.
I hope it had a nice time without me.
On the bright side, the trip was really nice. The wedding and reception were fun (and featured, oddly, potatoes shaped like mushrooms), I got to see my parents and some friends from high school, do a little hiking and I got fitted for a kilt.
Yes, a kilt.
Two friends of mine are getting married later this summer and have decided to have a Scottish theme that involves the groomsmen wearing kilts. I give you a preview now (minus several parts of the outfit, but you get the idea):
Ladies, I'll start taking applications to be my wedding date now.
After I arrived home, a friend who had been to the ACES conference in, coincidentally, Cleveland gave me this shirt that she had gotten as a conference gift:
If you know me, you'll get it.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
What about me
I really want to like "What About Brian," the new show on ABC. It's got a guy named Brian as the main character and JJ Abrams is the executive producer. The premise is that Brian is a single guy in his 30s surrounded by married or engaged friends, so I figured I should watch to get a glimpse of my future in 5 or 10 years.
Sadly, my future seems to be filled with WB castoffs, doofus guys, predictable plots, fairly one-dimensional characters, not-so-great dialogue and musical montages because JJ Abrams doesn't know how to end a freakin' show without showing snippets of all the characters set to some sappy song.
(sigh)
Maybe my future will go more along the lines of "Life of Brian."
Sadly, my future seems to be filled with WB castoffs, doofus guys, predictable plots, fairly one-dimensional characters, not-so-great dialogue and musical montages because JJ Abrams doesn't know how to end a freakin' show without showing snippets of all the characters set to some sappy song.
(sigh)
Maybe my future will go more along the lines of "Life of Brian."
Monday, April 17, 2006
A day late...
... my Easter gift to you. I spent the beginning of my work shift on Sunday molding this out of Play-Doh. (Hey, it was a slow night.)
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Well, this is awkward
Sooo ....
It's been awhile. I feel bad about that. I meant to blog. Really, I did. I've just been ... busy. But I thought about you all. And I kept meaning to blog, I just didn't get around to it. I know it's not an excuse, but ... well, I'm making it my excuse. So what oh-so-important things have I been so busy with that I've been ignoring my blogging duties, you ask? Uhhh ... well, not much really.
Work is good, but I don't really like to talk about it. Super-secret spy stuff and all ...
I've been playing weekly games of pool.
I'm progressing quite nicely in the video game I've been playing, thanks.
I saw the Orioles lose badly to the Red Sox last week, but it was a fun day nonetheless.
It's definitely spring, which is great. I'm back to playing tennis regularly and hope to do some more hiking and biking and beachgoing soon.
I'm headed back to Colorado this week for a wedding, so that should be fun.
And finally, today is Easter, and in honor of that I wanted to find an audio download of David Sedaris reading his story "Jesus Shaves." (Hey, David Sedaris has just as much relevance to Easter as a bunny that delivers candy.) Sadly, I couldn't find it online. Esquire used to have it available, but now it's in the paid archives section. But someone else in the wide world of blogging was kind enough to type it out, so I hope she won't mind if I link to it. So read it, have a laugh and happy Easter!
It's been awhile. I feel bad about that. I meant to blog. Really, I did. I've just been ... busy. But I thought about you all. And I kept meaning to blog, I just didn't get around to it. I know it's not an excuse, but ... well, I'm making it my excuse. So what oh-so-important things have I been so busy with that I've been ignoring my blogging duties, you ask? Uhhh ... well, not much really.
Work is good, but I don't really like to talk about it. Super-secret spy stuff and all ...
I've been playing weekly games of pool.
I'm progressing quite nicely in the video game I've been playing, thanks.
I saw the Orioles lose badly to the Red Sox last week, but it was a fun day nonetheless.
It's definitely spring, which is great. I'm back to playing tennis regularly and hope to do some more hiking and biking and beachgoing soon.
I'm headed back to Colorado this week for a wedding, so that should be fun.
And finally, today is Easter, and in honor of that I wanted to find an audio download of David Sedaris reading his story "Jesus Shaves." (Hey, David Sedaris has just as much relevance to Easter as a bunny that delivers candy.) Sadly, I couldn't find it online. Esquire used to have it available, but now it's in the paid archives section. But someone else in the wide world of blogging was kind enough to type it out, so I hope she won't mind if I link to it. So read it, have a laugh and happy Easter!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
A 16,000 word posting
It only took me about four months, but I finally got around to getting a Flickr account and posting some pictures from my December trip with my friend Shutterbug to Moab, Utah. So enjoy.
And speaking of photos, if you haven't seen the Christian Science Monitor's slideshow of photos from Jill Carroll's homecoming, it's quite moving.
And speaking of photos, if you haven't seen the Christian Science Monitor's slideshow of photos from Jill Carroll's homecoming, it's quite moving.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
The more you know
Today's PSA:
Don't forget about daylight-saving time tonight. Spring your clocks forward because no one wants to wait an hour for you to show up tomorrow ...
P.S. This is not an April Fool's joke, although daylight-saving time does sometimes seem like it.
P.P.S. In honor of today, check out the Museum of Hoaxes, which has a list of past April Fool's hoaxes and promises to update with pranks being made today.
Don't forget about daylight-saving time tonight. Spring your clocks forward because no one wants to wait an hour for you to show up tomorrow ...
P.S. This is not an April Fool's joke, although daylight-saving time does sometimes seem like it.
P.P.S. In honor of today, check out the Museum of Hoaxes, which has a list of past April Fool's hoaxes and promises to update with pranks being made today.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Aw, geez, when did this turn into freakin' Oprah?!?
I thought this Washington Post article was an interesting look at relationships and those of us in our 20s. It seems a good chunk of us (38 percent) are not only NOT in relationships, but we're not even looking. I find myself a number in this statistic, so perhaps I'm biased, but I thought the article made a few interesting points. And it was nice to know that I'm not alone in putting my emphasis on other things (work, friends) rather than a committed relationship. It's not to say this group of people wouldn't date someone if the opportunity came along, we're just not actively seeking it out.
I have to admit that part of my apathy toward searching for a relationship has to do with skewed belief borne of watching too many romantic comedies: Eventually when the right person comes along, we will "meet cute" and it will pretty much be inevitable from there. (As will the miscommunications that lead to wacky hijinks, a break up, and a montage of me in a dark room getting lazy and fat before someone snaps me out of it and I go out to win the girl, which of course, I will.)
All of which is, of course, utter crap.
But it probably explains my multiple crushes on celebrities based largely on their characters in romantic comedies.
While a lot of younger people tend to get criticized for not taking relationships seriously enough, the article brings out an interesting possibility that maybe we take relationships too seriously. We want the perfect mate and perfect relationship, and neither one exists.
...
OK, when the heck did I start channeling Carrie Bradshaw??!?
To make up for all of that, I'm ending with a photo of a truck I saw the other day that made me laugh. Probably because I'm juvenile.
I think it's a boy truck.
I have to admit that part of my apathy toward searching for a relationship has to do with skewed belief borne of watching too many romantic comedies: Eventually when the right person comes along, we will "meet cute" and it will pretty much be inevitable from there. (As will the miscommunications that lead to wacky hijinks, a break up, and a montage of me in a dark room getting lazy and fat before someone snaps me out of it and I go out to win the girl, which of course, I will.)
All of which is, of course, utter crap.
But it probably explains my multiple crushes on celebrities based largely on their characters in romantic comedies.
While a lot of younger people tend to get criticized for not taking relationships seriously enough, the article brings out an interesting possibility that maybe we take relationships too seriously. We want the perfect mate and perfect relationship, and neither one exists.
...
OK, when the heck did I start channeling Carrie Bradshaw??!?
To make up for all of that, I'm ending with a photo of a truck I saw the other day that made me laugh. Probably because I'm juvenile.
I think it's a boy truck.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
You have chosen ... wisely
Obviously there's no right answer about which superpower to choose. They both have advantages and limitations (and those of you who mentioned it are right that you could only carry what you can lift now, which is problematic for carrying people).
One of the people interviewed on the "American Life" episode believes most people say they would pick flight, but would really choose invisibility because they could get away with more things. I'm inclined to believe there's a pretty big grain of truth to that.
As for me ... it's hard to say. As much fun as it would be to fly, practically speaking, its usefulness in fighting crime is somewhat limited. Kim points out that Invisible Woman was pretty boring at first, but so is Hawkman if you take away the mace and telescopic sight. Invisibility is a bit more useful and at least makes you a little harder to hit in a fight -- at least until the bad guys start using infrared or turning on the sprinkler system like in "Hollow Man." Of course, this is assuming one would use the power to fight crime and not for one of its many subversive uses, which is kind of a good reason to be wary about picking invisibility. I'd like to think I could handle the power responsibly, though.
But no matter which you pick, it's better than being able to talk to fish.
One of the people interviewed on the "American Life" episode believes most people say they would pick flight, but would really choose invisibility because they could get away with more things. I'm inclined to believe there's a pretty big grain of truth to that.
As for me ... it's hard to say. As much fun as it would be to fly, practically speaking, its usefulness in fighting crime is somewhat limited. Kim points out that Invisible Woman was pretty boring at first, but so is Hawkman if you take away the mace and telescopic sight. Invisibility is a bit more useful and at least makes you a little harder to hit in a fight -- at least until the bad guys start using infrared or turning on the sprinkler system like in "Hollow Man." Of course, this is assuming one would use the power to fight crime and not for one of its many subversive uses, which is kind of a good reason to be wary about picking invisibility. I'd like to think I could handle the power responsibly, though.
But no matter which you pick, it's better than being able to talk to fish.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Make your choice
First, my latest mondegreen. I didn't realize until recently when I downloaded the acoustic version of Rob Thomas' "Lonely No More" that what I had been hearing:
"Now its hard for me with my heart still on the mend
Open up to me, and I'll do your girlfriends"
was actually this:
"Now its hard for me with my heart still on the mend
Open up to me, like you do your girlfriends"
I had just always assumed the guy was a total cad looking to sleep with his girl's friends. Ends up, he's actually a sensitive guy looking for an emotional connection. My sincerest apologies, Rob Thomas. Although you probably give that line to all the girls...
Anyhow, my real reason for this post is to pose a question borne of one of my favorite shows of "This American Life" -- the one on superpowers. If you could choose between invisibility and flight, which would you pick? You'd be the only one with this power (or any superpower for that matter). And because questions about the details of this always arise, here are the caveats:
1) You don't have to be naked to be invisible. You could turn your clothes invisible, but not any objects you pick up.
2) You can fly up to 1,000 mph at any altitude within the Earth's atmosphere. For the sake of argument, we will say that you can do this comfortably.
So ... which would you choose, why and what would you do with the power?
"Now its hard for me with my heart still on the mend
Open up to me, and I'll do your girlfriends"
was actually this:
"Now its hard for me with my heart still on the mend
Open up to me, like you do your girlfriends"
I had just always assumed the guy was a total cad looking to sleep with his girl's friends. Ends up, he's actually a sensitive guy looking for an emotional connection. My sincerest apologies, Rob Thomas. Although you probably give that line to all the girls...
Anyhow, my real reason for this post is to pose a question borne of one of my favorite shows of "This American Life" -- the one on superpowers. If you could choose between invisibility and flight, which would you pick? You'd be the only one with this power (or any superpower for that matter). And because questions about the details of this always arise, here are the caveats:
1) You don't have to be naked to be invisible. You could turn your clothes invisible, but not any objects you pick up.
2) You can fly up to 1,000 mph at any altitude within the Earth's atmosphere. For the sake of argument, we will say that you can do this comfortably.
So ... which would you choose, why and what would you do with the power?
Monday, March 20, 2006
Cleaning out the mental closet
First off, some recommendations: I just finished reading Stephen King's latest novel, "Cell." It's great. It's sort of a modern take on zombies -- a signal transmitted through cell phones turns humans into ... well, not the undead, but something close and, eventually, even more disturbing. So if you like zombies or a good thriller, check it out. (For more zombie action, head on over to Gig Matrix.)
There are also several movies out that I would recommend: "Paradise Now" is a great movie, though it makes you feel like you just got hit in the gut by the end of it. But it's a powerful and compelling film about two childhood friends recruited to become suicide bombers. Definitely a thinker movie. "Munich" is similar in feeling, and it's also good. Other good, powerful, make-you-think movies that I've seen in the past few months that you MUST see if you haven't yet: "Crash," "Hotel Rwanda" and "The Constant Gardener."
I also saw "Night Watch" last night. While I wouldn't give it an "F" like Entertainment Weekly did, I can't decide if I should recommend it or not. It was very much like a Russian "The Matrix," which is kind of cool. But there wasn't much in the way of cool action; the similarities are mostly in trippy plot. And a lot of it is kind of weird. So ... umm ... I'm still not quite sure what to think.
If you like CGI storms, the Discovery Channel has a Sunday night show called "Perfect Disaster." It's cool if you like CGI storms, but bad if you worry about the end of the world happening. So far I've seen one on a supertornado hitting downtown Dallas in the middle of rush hour and a massive solar storm taking the entire planet back to the Dark Ages for anywhere from a couple of weeks to years. (That could happen in 2011, so if you have anything to do that involves electricity, you might want to do it before then.)
If you haven't already heard it, I strongly suggest listening to the "This American Life" program "Habeas Schmabeas" that aired recently. Even by the government's own admission, many of the people in Guantanamo aren't a threat at all, but they're still there because we've basically done away with habeas corpus. You can listen to it on streaming audio by looking in the archives at the site linked above.
After my earlier shopping experience, I did venture back to the mall to get some shirts, this time taking a female friend with me for protection. Now I have several nice shirts. The problem is that she gave me strict instructions about how to wash/dry them so they wouldn't shrink. Certainly this is advice I should pay attention to, and it's opened up this whole new world of doing laundry that I never paid attention to before. I've begun looking at the labels on ALL of my clothes. I had no idea so many should be washed cold and dried on a low setting or turned inside out before washing or have one arm in and one arm out while the dryer spins them all about. Of course, I haven't ever done anything more than wash and dry on the normal setting, so I wonder if it really makes all that much of a difference (though there are some shirts over the years that have shrunk a bit, but I always thought that was natural and unavoidable). Nonetheless, my laundry is now a lot more complicated. Such is the price of nicer clothing that you want to keep fitting, I guess.
Humph.
There are also several movies out that I would recommend: "Paradise Now" is a great movie, though it makes you feel like you just got hit in the gut by the end of it. But it's a powerful and compelling film about two childhood friends recruited to become suicide bombers. Definitely a thinker movie. "Munich" is similar in feeling, and it's also good. Other good, powerful, make-you-think movies that I've seen in the past few months that you MUST see if you haven't yet: "Crash," "Hotel Rwanda" and "The Constant Gardener."
I also saw "Night Watch" last night. While I wouldn't give it an "F" like Entertainment Weekly did, I can't decide if I should recommend it or not. It was very much like a Russian "The Matrix," which is kind of cool. But there wasn't much in the way of cool action; the similarities are mostly in trippy plot. And a lot of it is kind of weird. So ... umm ... I'm still not quite sure what to think.
If you like CGI storms, the Discovery Channel has a Sunday night show called "Perfect Disaster." It's cool if you like CGI storms, but bad if you worry about the end of the world happening. So far I've seen one on a supertornado hitting downtown Dallas in the middle of rush hour and a massive solar storm taking the entire planet back to the Dark Ages for anywhere from a couple of weeks to years. (That could happen in 2011, so if you have anything to do that involves electricity, you might want to do it before then.)
If you haven't already heard it, I strongly suggest listening to the "This American Life" program "Habeas Schmabeas" that aired recently. Even by the government's own admission, many of the people in Guantanamo aren't a threat at all, but they're still there because we've basically done away with habeas corpus. You can listen to it on streaming audio by looking in the archives at the site linked above.
After my earlier shopping experience, I did venture back to the mall to get some shirts, this time taking a female friend with me for protection. Now I have several nice shirts. The problem is that she gave me strict instructions about how to wash/dry them so they wouldn't shrink. Certainly this is advice I should pay attention to, and it's opened up this whole new world of doing laundry that I never paid attention to before. I've begun looking at the labels on ALL of my clothes. I had no idea so many should be washed cold and dried on a low setting or turned inside out before washing or have one arm in and one arm out while the dryer spins them all about. Of course, I haven't ever done anything more than wash and dry on the normal setting, so I wonder if it really makes all that much of a difference (though there are some shirts over the years that have shrunk a bit, but I always thought that was natural and unavoidable). Nonetheless, my laundry is now a lot more complicated. Such is the price of nicer clothing that you want to keep fitting, I guess.
Humph.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Lightning strikes
So I had the bowling fundraiser this morning. It was at 9 a.m. and a bit of a drive away, so I woke up at 7 a.m. after about four or fewer hours of sleep. We bowled three games. I was with four other guys from work, though I didn't really know any of them, so it was a little awkward at first. But it was a good group, and we more or less bonded by the end of it. And, of course, because we're guys, there was some good-natured competitiveness.
In the first game, I sucked. I barely broke 100 and just beat out another guy for not-last-place in our group. But halfway through the second game (about the time I would normally be waking up, incidentally), I hit my groove. I closed the game out with six strikes in a row.
Yes, SIX.
I finished the game with a new personal record of 191.
The third game had a pretty hum-drum start, but it ended up a bit above average at 136 thanks to three strikes in a row in the 10th frame. (I had 10 strikes between the last two games.)
So while I may not exactly be consistent, I did kind of feel like the Joe Nathan of bowling. And I'll take being a closer any day.
In the first game, I sucked. I barely broke 100 and just beat out another guy for not-last-place in our group. But halfway through the second game (about the time I would normally be waking up, incidentally), I hit my groove. I closed the game out with six strikes in a row.
Yes, SIX.
I finished the game with a new personal record of 191.
The third game had a pretty hum-drum start, but it ended up a bit above average at 136 thanks to three strikes in a row in the 10th frame. (I had 10 strikes between the last two games.)
So while I may not exactly be consistent, I did kind of feel like the Joe Nathan of bowling. And I'll take being a closer any day.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
A little pick-me-up
I think all of us mourning baseball legend Kirby Puckett -- and now Dana Reeve -- could probably use a little cheer.
So for fans of "How I Met Your Mother," here's a link to Barney's blog. It's legendary. So suit up and check it out.
And this is one of the funniest things I've seen in quite sometime -- especially since I think most of us can relate. You let the music take control, man.
So for fans of "How I Met Your Mother," here's a link to Barney's blog. It's legendary. So suit up and check it out.
And this is one of the funniest things I've seen in quite sometime -- especially since I think most of us can relate. You let the music take control, man.
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