There are certain instints we're born with, the most basic of which is the instinct to survive as a species. This includes such activities as seeking nourishment, shelter, and reproducing.
After infancy, most folks wouldn't need too much help with these when it came down to it. It's written somewhere within the folds of our brains (or maybe that crazy cerebellum/brain stem area...can't remember).
So why, then, does my Mr. Goodbar come with instructions on how to open it?
"Lift and Pull here. Hold here."
Have things really become so bad that members of our society have forgotten how to open candy? I mean, it's CANDY, for cryin out loud!!! Not only does this fall under the whole nourishment gig...loosely...but we rehearse this as kids multiple scheduled times per year!
Man, we're in trouble. Next thing you know, we're gonna forget how to reproduce and then we're REALLY screwed!
(And only now as I read what I just typed do I realize the irony in that choice of words...)
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Joker's wild in IMAX
I've been a fan of the Batman movies (except for Batman and Robin...what a waste) since they came out, and even moreso with the most recent installment. I like many of the comic book movies but I think what sets this one apart is that it doesn't feel like a comic book. In any case, I dig it.
I think I'll be an even bigger fan of it in IMAX.
I think I'll be an even bigger fan of it in IMAX.
Getting under our skin
This past Sunday I volunteered at the Arizona Science Center through my job. The center currently has Body Worlds 3 on display and this weekend was the final showing, so to get as many people through the exhibit as possible they decided to stay open 24/7 until Monday at 12:00am.
If you're unfamiliar with Body Worlds, please visit their home page to get an understanding of what it is.
I'm not really interested in anatomy or science. I like to blow stuff up and know how to do that fairly effectively. I know what a deltoid is. I know how to make humans and, although I haven't specifically TRIED to make one, I suspect I know how to do that fairly effectively, too. That's about all I need to know, really. And I can honestly say that after seeing this exhibit I'm no more turned on to anatomy or science than I was before. That being said, it was VERY much worth seeing. The exhibit is a mix of the history of anatomy, macro-specimens ("entire" human bodies in various positions mean to show how the musculoskeletal, nervous, and cardiopulmonary systems are operating when specific actions are taken), and micro-specimens (cross-sections or examples of both healthy tissues and comparable diseased/disformed tissues).
The bodies were cool enough, I guess. I reallyl liked the javelin thrower, the archer, and the en pointe dancer. What was most interseting to me, though, were the samples of bones, joints, and tissues, both healthy and not. I'd never seen an artificial hip or knee. I'd never seen what liver cancer looks like. Or breast cancer. Or lungs with emphesema or cancer. It provides a completely new perspective on what some of these conditions do to our bodies.
(Oh, just remembered...one of the most unique "bodies" there is a human with basically just the veins/arteries/capilaries exposed. It was a male body. A father/uncle and a littler girl were passing by when the girl says, "Daddy why is his penis full of blood?" A legitimate question, but one you certainly don't expect to hear from an 8ish year old girl, and an even more legitimately funny scene when you see the dad's eyes widen and drag his daughter away without a resopnse.)
There was a section specifically dedicated to bones and bone slices at which point I submitted Hayden's resume. They like to slice brains, too, and if parents weren't careful then their kids left with a wrong impression of what a brain is. Many of the human bodies represented had their brains depicted in three slices only. Kinda weird.
Anywho, if you get a chance to see it I recommend going. It's different from anything else you've ever seen unless you're a Discovery channel addict, a coroner, a surgeon, or disgusting.
If you're unfamiliar with Body Worlds, please visit their home page to get an understanding of what it is.
I'm not really interested in anatomy or science. I like to blow stuff up and know how to do that fairly effectively. I know what a deltoid is. I know how to make humans and, although I haven't specifically TRIED to make one, I suspect I know how to do that fairly effectively, too. That's about all I need to know, really. And I can honestly say that after seeing this exhibit I'm no more turned on to anatomy or science than I was before. That being said, it was VERY much worth seeing. The exhibit is a mix of the history of anatomy, macro-specimens ("entire" human bodies in various positions mean to show how the musculoskeletal, nervous, and cardiopulmonary systems are operating when specific actions are taken), and micro-specimens (cross-sections or examples of both healthy tissues and comparable diseased/disformed tissues).
The bodies were cool enough, I guess. I reallyl liked the javelin thrower, the archer, and the en pointe dancer. What was most interseting to me, though, were the samples of bones, joints, and tissues, both healthy and not. I'd never seen an artificial hip or knee. I'd never seen what liver cancer looks like. Or breast cancer. Or lungs with emphesema or cancer. It provides a completely new perspective on what some of these conditions do to our bodies.
(Oh, just remembered...one of the most unique "bodies" there is a human with basically just the veins/arteries/capilaries exposed. It was a male body. A father/uncle and a littler girl were passing by when the girl says, "Daddy why is his penis full of blood?" A legitimate question, but one you certainly don't expect to hear from an 8ish year old girl, and an even more legitimately funny scene when you see the dad's eyes widen and drag his daughter away without a resopnse.)
There was a section specifically dedicated to bones and bone slices at which point I submitted Hayden's resume. They like to slice brains, too, and if parents weren't careful then their kids left with a wrong impression of what a brain is. Many of the human bodies represented had their brains depicted in three slices only. Kinda weird.
Anywho, if you get a chance to see it I recommend going. It's different from anything else you've ever seen unless you're a Discovery channel addict, a coroner, a surgeon, or disgusting.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Gettin' it done...
Mark Reynolds 3B
AZ Diamondbacks
Career numbers...
10 Games
37 AB
10 Runs
17 Hits
3 2B
2 3B
3 HR
11 RBI
3 BB
7 SO
OBP .488
SLG .892
AVG .459
He never played AAA in his life and has already tied Diamondback club records in his first ten MLB games. I seriously doubt he'll keep numbers like this for the season, but sweet mercy...this is seriously gettin' it done!
An .892 slugging percentage??? WTF?
AZ Diamondbacks
Career numbers...
10 Games
37 AB
10 Runs
17 Hits
3 2B
2 3B
3 HR
11 RBI
3 BB
7 SO
OBP .488
SLG .892
AVG .459
He never played AAA in his life and has already tied Diamondback club records in his first ten MLB games. I seriously doubt he'll keep numbers like this for the season, but sweet mercy...this is seriously gettin' it done!
An .892 slugging percentage??? WTF?
Friday, May 25, 2007
Some things you just don't forget
Sixteen years ago this weekend my best friend at the time, Stuart Rodgers, was killed. A drunk driver ran a red light and t-boned his family's car. Four were in the car that was struck, two died, one had a broken neck. The drunk driver was essentially unscathed and barely got jail time. He carelessly took two lives and I don't think he got much more than two years, if that.
I dare say that Stuart's death was the defining moment of my class's childhood/early adolescence. At our ten year high school reunion his death was still a topic of conversation. I've never driven intoxicated, nor have I allowed any of my friends to do so if I was around or if they called me. I remember walking home from school that day. Normally I took the bus, but I couldn't even read the numbers on the side of them or tell what time it was to know to go stand there. As I walked by a couple of his friends houses, I remember hearing their cries and sobs through their windows two to three hundred feet away. My homeroom teacher that year, Mr. Love, was a gentle giant. A huge man...over 6 feet, 300 plus pounds, with hands as strong as anything and a voice that would make you soil your shorts. We'd seen him angry but behind his anger there was always concern for our benefit. The day they told us, though, we saw him truly distraught for the first time.
As a class, as a school, as a family...we were broken.
What was neat, though, is that he was coming home from a SoCal vacation. Before he died, he and his family enjoyed themselves and that's how I try to remember him. Happy and smiling, just as he mad so many others smile and be happy.
May all of you have a happy and smiling weekend, too! Drive safely. Hug your loved ones. Come back on Tuesday refreshed and ready for summer baseball!
Take care, everyone!
I dare say that Stuart's death was the defining moment of my class's childhood/early adolescence. At our ten year high school reunion his death was still a topic of conversation. I've never driven intoxicated, nor have I allowed any of my friends to do so if I was around or if they called me. I remember walking home from school that day. Normally I took the bus, but I couldn't even read the numbers on the side of them or tell what time it was to know to go stand there. As I walked by a couple of his friends houses, I remember hearing their cries and sobs through their windows two to three hundred feet away. My homeroom teacher that year, Mr. Love, was a gentle giant. A huge man...over 6 feet, 300 plus pounds, with hands as strong as anything and a voice that would make you soil your shorts. We'd seen him angry but behind his anger there was always concern for our benefit. The day they told us, though, we saw him truly distraught for the first time.
As a class, as a school, as a family...we were broken.
What was neat, though, is that he was coming home from a SoCal vacation. Before he died, he and his family enjoyed themselves and that's how I try to remember him. Happy and smiling, just as he mad so many others smile and be happy.
May all of you have a happy and smiling weekend, too! Drive safely. Hug your loved ones. Come back on Tuesday refreshed and ready for summer baseball!
Take care, everyone!
Things they can't live without
In games like Call of Duty and other FPS's (first person shooters for those uninitiated parties out there), you have weapons to kill people with and armor to help you survive. When you run out of bullets you can't easily kill people in the game, and when you run out of armor you're gonna die pretty quickly. Sounds pretty basic, right? Right.
Funny thing is, our armed forces are largely the same way. The difference is they're not playing a video game right now. Bullets and armor aren't generally laying around in the streets to be picked up and used. Turns out that the enemy is a little smarter than that in real life.
Now the Army and the Navy, they get the funding. The latest and greatest goes to them, as do the vast majority of ordinance and munitions. The Marines tend to get the leftovers and hand-me-downs. One of the reasons they've survived congresional attempts to either have the Corps absorbed by another of the services or cut them entirely is because they can get the same job done for cheaper. They take what they're given and MacGuyver the crap out of it to accomplish the mission. Adapt. Overcome. Improvise. That's what they do.
So when the Marine Corps front lines say they NEED something, it's a pretty damn good bet that they're not jokin'. Apparently those needs aren't getting filled fast enough, if at all.
Now I understand supply and demand, I understand manufacturing time, and I understand budgeting. I really don't care what the root cause of the supply issues are, though, because I also understand how mines work. It pretty much boils down to this: when a mine blows up near a vehicle, either armor/cover is going to stop the shrapnel, or a Marine will.
The difference is armor doesn't die.
Funny thing is, our armed forces are largely the same way. The difference is they're not playing a video game right now. Bullets and armor aren't generally laying around in the streets to be picked up and used. Turns out that the enemy is a little smarter than that in real life.
Now the Army and the Navy, they get the funding. The latest and greatest goes to them, as do the vast majority of ordinance and munitions. The Marines tend to get the leftovers and hand-me-downs. One of the reasons they've survived congresional attempts to either have the Corps absorbed by another of the services or cut them entirely is because they can get the same job done for cheaper. They take what they're given and MacGuyver the crap out of it to accomplish the mission. Adapt. Overcome. Improvise. That's what they do.
So when the Marine Corps front lines say they NEED something, it's a pretty damn good bet that they're not jokin'. Apparently those needs aren't getting filled fast enough, if at all.
Now I understand supply and demand, I understand manufacturing time, and I understand budgeting. I really don't care what the root cause of the supply issues are, though, because I also understand how mines work. It pretty much boils down to this: when a mine blows up near a vehicle, either armor/cover is going to stop the shrapnel, or a Marine will.
The difference is armor doesn't die.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
A great day
May 23rd is a great day, because on May 23rd American Idol ended.
I can only hope that next year doesn't bring about a new season of it. I've gotta hand it to Fox, though...they're cross-promotional marketing geniuses.
I can only hope that next year doesn't bring about a new season of it. I've gotta hand it to Fox, though...they're cross-promotional marketing geniuses.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Hurry up and dead
His last words were as curious as his last meal.
"Go Raiders!"
What a legacy he's left behind.
"Go Raiders!"
What a legacy he's left behind.
Monday, May 21, 2007
My Office Hero
Yes, Dogbert is my office hero. What's not to like about him? He threatens people with cardboard tubes and attacks a problem with C-4 plastique high explosive when only a shotgun is warranted. He openly ridicules the intelligence of inferior life forms to their face and exploits them when it becomes advantageous to do so. In regards to his call performance, the information and advice he provides is beyond reproach and more honest than a wife who calls her cheating private investigator husband Richard, Dick. His talk time is below one minute but his first call resolution rate is higher than everyone else's (they're too afraid to call back to complain, but that's not the point). And, as depicted, he casts out office demons. What's not to like? I have oft lived vicariously through his actions and, in honor of my work hero, years ago I bought a little plushy of him and sat him on my desk.After I left the office back in '02 he went in a box that's been sitting in various closets from move to move until I recently unearthed him. Ah, the memories. The important part, though, is he's reclaimed his rightful place upon my desk, taking his thrown once again and returning to his righteous reign as Office Hero.
Hurry up and eat so you can die
A man has been on death row for nearly 20 years here in AZ for shooting someone in the head and stabbing him in the neck, then as an encore during that same camping trip he raped a woman while making her boyfriend watch.
He's finally waived his right to appeal his death sentence further (what a pleasant chap) and will be put to death tomorrow morning at 10am, AZ time.
After being held in a prison for twenty years, what do you think headlines his last meal?
Fried Okra, with sides of 4 buns and 2 slices of banana bread.
He's finally waived his right to appeal his death sentence further (what a pleasant chap) and will be put to death tomorrow morning at 10am, AZ time.
After being held in a prison for twenty years, what do you think headlines his last meal?
Fried Okra, with sides of 4 buns and 2 slices of banana bread.
No thanks
Pregnancy and child birth is a hot topic in my wing of the work universe right now. One person just came back from leave and we've got a couple more that will be taking leave in the forseeable future. So yeah...much talk about babies right now, which is bad for me since childbirth is something of a mild phobia of mine.
All the sudden I hear this question, "So are you gonna put the delivery on a webcam?"
Uh...wut?
I realize we're in the YouTube/VOD generation but are you kidding me??? If I ever have a child, I don't even want to see it being born (I'll be with the mother, don't get me wrong, but I'ma be focusin' on her and breathing and contractions and all that stuff...not the stuff below the equator), let alone someone else's child being born. Now I realize that the desire may be to have out-of-town friends and family be able to "share the moment" and that's cool - uh, I guess - but there's a huge difference between sharing a moment and sharing the insides of your child's mother.
There's plenty of human birth's on the Discovery Channel. Please don't add more onto the web.
All the sudden I hear this question, "So are you gonna put the delivery on a webcam?"
Uh...wut?
I realize we're in the YouTube/VOD generation but are you kidding me??? If I ever have a child, I don't even want to see it being born (I'll be with the mother, don't get me wrong, but I'ma be focusin' on her and breathing and contractions and all that stuff...not the stuff below the equator), let alone someone else's child being born. Now I realize that the desire may be to have out-of-town friends and family be able to "share the moment" and that's cool - uh, I guess - but there's a huge difference between sharing a moment and sharing the insides of your child's mother.
There's plenty of human birth's on the Discovery Channel. Please don't add more onto the web.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Television habits
We all know I like sports. Sports, sports, sports. At one point my TV was tuned into one of our four major sports networks for three months straight.
My love of sports stations was temporarily interrupted when I moved into the apartment while I enjoyed the many blessings of HBO and Cinemax. I'm starting to get over my love affair with those fine collections of channels and shows, though, and have mostly returned to sports.
Mostly.
There *are* a few shows that I like to watch that aren't sports-related. Here are some of my recent watches...
- House. Probably my favorite show on TV that doesn't involve a football. The dialogue is well-written and Hugh Laurie does a phenomenal job. The lady doctor in the differential is pretty hot to boot. I love the sarcasm, and House is the tragic hero we viewers tend to have a love/hate relationship with. I've always had an affinity for characters like that. Another similar character from literature is Sydney from A Tale of Two Cities. I wish I had their minds sometimes. I'm no dummy and I'm certainly crafty when I want/need to be, but they have a type of cunning that escapes me.
- Gilmore Girls. Yes, I like this show. I haven't watched for years because I didn't like how it was going after Rory went off to college. I still think...no, I know that she would have been better off with Jesse but the actor left in search for better paying gigs, so oh well. In the end he probably found it in Heroes. In any case, one of my other beefs is that Loralei and Luke are supposed to be together but she got back with Rory's father instead. Married the bastard, even, so I was mad. But she's ditched him again (I have no idea why) and tonight she kissed Luke. Amy Sherman-Palladino said she's going to give the audience a finale to remember...if the studio lets her (she's no longer a writer for the show, even though she created it and wrote it for years...the better years).
- Bones. I see some of myself in the lead male character, and I could see myself being attracted to the lead lady character...and her as a person because she's pretty hot, too. I saw a brief shot of them in wedding clothes on the alter in a commercial but I'm sure it's just a tease. I don't know that they'll ever get married, but they better be together at some point prior to the show being over or I'll be ticked off. Oh, and the lead guy also played a vampire human...what's not to like about that when you're a fan of vampires and you've seen stories in your mind about an angelic vampire human you created?
Oh, and Loralei is pretty hot, too. And she plays a pretty good game of hold'em to boot.
My love of sports stations was temporarily interrupted when I moved into the apartment while I enjoyed the many blessings of HBO and Cinemax. I'm starting to get over my love affair with those fine collections of channels and shows, though, and have mostly returned to sports.
Mostly.
There *are* a few shows that I like to watch that aren't sports-related. Here are some of my recent watches...
- House. Probably my favorite show on TV that doesn't involve a football. The dialogue is well-written and Hugh Laurie does a phenomenal job. The lady doctor in the differential is pretty hot to boot. I love the sarcasm, and House is the tragic hero we viewers tend to have a love/hate relationship with. I've always had an affinity for characters like that. Another similar character from literature is Sydney from A Tale of Two Cities. I wish I had their minds sometimes. I'm no dummy and I'm certainly crafty when I want/need to be, but they have a type of cunning that escapes me.
- Gilmore Girls. Yes, I like this show. I haven't watched for years because I didn't like how it was going after Rory went off to college. I still think...no, I know that she would have been better off with Jesse but the actor left in search for better paying gigs, so oh well. In the end he probably found it in Heroes. In any case, one of my other beefs is that Loralei and Luke are supposed to be together but she got back with Rory's father instead. Married the bastard, even, so I was mad. But she's ditched him again (I have no idea why) and tonight she kissed Luke. Amy Sherman-Palladino said she's going to give the audience a finale to remember...if the studio lets her (she's no longer a writer for the show, even though she created it and wrote it for years...the better years).
- Bones. I see some of myself in the lead male character, and I could see myself being attracted to the lead lady character...and her as a person because she's pretty hot, too. I saw a brief shot of them in wedding clothes on the alter in a commercial but I'm sure it's just a tease. I don't know that they'll ever get married, but they better be together at some point prior to the show being over or I'll be ticked off. Oh, and the lead guy also played a vampire human...what's not to like about that when you're a fan of vampires and you've seen stories in your mind about an angelic vampire human you created?
Oh, and Loralei is pretty hot, too. And she plays a pretty good game of hold'em to boot.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Advertising for KFC
I'm sure most of you remember that KFC used to be Kentucky Fried Chicken. It wasn't all that long ago that they changed their name so the majority of people alive still remember it and probably identify KFC with the longer, original name. So how strange is it that in their recent commercials they use the song Sweet Home Alabama for the accompaniment?
Some of you may also have read about/remember when KFC first went into China - their slogan "Finger lickin' good" was poorly translated and was read by many Chinese as "Eat your fingers off."
Mmmm! Tastes like chicken!
Some of you may also have read about/remember when KFC first went into China - their slogan "Finger lickin' good" was poorly translated and was read by many Chinese as "Eat your fingers off."
Mmmm! Tastes like chicken!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Bubble Moments
There are times - particularly at work - when I'll be in a group of people and I'll start looking up off into space after someone says something that, in my mind at least, provokes a thought. Well, more like a scene. The space into which I'm looking contains a "thought bubble" similar to what you see in comics where a separate thought or scene is played out, although in my mind they tend to be a little bit more graphic, more detailed. My old peer group at work had seen the thought bubble in action many times, frequently verbalizing a desire to know what was going on inside it. I told them that, despite their desires, no, they really didn't want to know what was going on. Moreover, I don't want them to know, either. The reason it's in a bubble and not verbalized is because, generally speaking, whatever is in that bubble can get me fired.
Now this isn't to be confused with a jaw-dropped, gaping-mouthed stare at an attractive lady. No, the thoughts in the thought bubble are of an entirely different quality. If you've ever seen Ally McBeal, she frequently would have or see thought-bubble thoughts. Also, in the movie The Upside of Anger, there is what I could consider to be quite possibly the most perfect thought bubble moment ever. Ever. A man's head blows up (but you really need to see the movie and the context to truly appreciate what makes it so great).
The thoughts are necessarily deadly, or even violent, either. They're just...expressive. Or maybe simply too different and off-the-wall for what I expect my present company to understand at the moment. Frequently I'll hear something and my brain will find it funny for some reason, full realizing that others around me just wouldn't find it funny at all. Not necessarily inappropriate whatsoever...just not funny...so to verbalize such a thought would do nothing but waste time and air and unnecessarily ostracize myself just a touch.
So if you see me looking up off into nothingness, just let it be. If you wanna see what's going on in there, just watch a few episodes of SNL, read a comic book, or blow up someone's head. Chances are one of those three will contain the right answer or at least something similar.
Now this isn't to be confused with a jaw-dropped, gaping-mouthed stare at an attractive lady. No, the thoughts in the thought bubble are of an entirely different quality. If you've ever seen Ally McBeal, she frequently would have or see thought-bubble thoughts. Also, in the movie The Upside of Anger, there is what I could consider to be quite possibly the most perfect thought bubble moment ever. Ever. A man's head blows up (but you really need to see the movie and the context to truly appreciate what makes it so great).
The thoughts are necessarily deadly, or even violent, either. They're just...expressive. Or maybe simply too different and off-the-wall for what I expect my present company to understand at the moment. Frequently I'll hear something and my brain will find it funny for some reason, full realizing that others around me just wouldn't find it funny at all. Not necessarily inappropriate whatsoever...just not funny...so to verbalize such a thought would do nothing but waste time and air and unnecessarily ostracize myself just a touch.
So if you see me looking up off into nothingness, just let it be. If you wanna see what's going on in there, just watch a few episodes of SNL, read a comic book, or blow up someone's head. Chances are one of those three will contain the right answer or at least something similar.
Hodgepodge Reloaded
- Imagine how awkward it is to tell someone at his own birthday party in his own house that you would like him to speak more respectfully of your friends
- Nyla has a renewed interest in power cords which has left us in something of a control/power struggle. I've had to re-establish myself as the Alpha; I use a spray bottle as a disciplinary technique sometimes and the cat has found herself very wet very often this past week. I have *no* idea what I'm going to do come Christmas-time. Hopefully she's grown out of her interest by then. I have my doubts about that.
- It was 105 degrees this weekend. Wheeee!
- I don't understand Burger King. Their name says they sell "burgers," or so we're meant to assume. So why do they call their Whopper the Whopper Sandwich? If I want a sandwich I'll go to Port of Subs or Subway, thank you very much.
- Mother's Day had a very strange feeling to it this year. The folks are going through some difficult times right now, and for the first time since I was in elementary school there was some real tension present during a holiday. The difference is the last time there was tension between my folks, I was also mad at one of them. This time I'm not. Just feels *really* weird.
- Nyla has a renewed interest in power cords which has left us in something of a control/power struggle. I've had to re-establish myself as the Alpha; I use a spray bottle as a disciplinary technique sometimes and the cat has found herself very wet very often this past week. I have *no* idea what I'm going to do come Christmas-time. Hopefully she's grown out of her interest by then. I have my doubts about that.
- It was 105 degrees this weekend. Wheeee!
- I don't understand Burger King. Their name says they sell "burgers," or so we're meant to assume. So why do they call their Whopper the Whopper Sandwich? If I want a sandwich I'll go to Port of Subs or Subway, thank you very much.
- Mother's Day had a very strange feeling to it this year. The folks are going through some difficult times right now, and for the first time since I was in elementary school there was some real tension present during a holiday. The difference is the last time there was tension between my folks, I was also mad at one of them. This time I'm not. Just feels *really* weird.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
What's your name, again?
Yesterday a friend of mine said she was likely coming out to AZ for the holidays and I told her she was welcome to stay at my place.
I've known her for a year and a half, but it didn't occur to me until four hours after I opened up my home to her that I don't even know her name. Heh...
(It's Jenny. I found out today.)
I've known her for a year and a half, but it didn't occur to me until four hours after I opened up my home to her that I don't even know her name. Heh...
(It's Jenny. I found out today.)
Over the top
I finally saw The Aristocrats tonight. I think it works better with The Sophisticates, but maybe that's just my mentality. I don't get the Brittish's preference of The Debonaires...that doesn't make sense to me at all.
Bob Sagat is a dirty, dirty man.
Two of the five voice actors for The Simpsons were included in the film, giving credit to part of why the show's been around so long. The voice actors are just damn, damn good. Turns out they can tell a joke in real life, too.
Gilbert Godfreid's telling was priceless, and the South Park version was absolutely hilarious!
"Hold on, Kyle..."
:-)
Bob Sagat is a dirty, dirty man.
Two of the five voice actors for The Simpsons were included in the film, giving credit to part of why the show's been around so long. The voice actors are just damn, damn good. Turns out they can tell a joke in real life, too.
Gilbert Godfreid's telling was priceless, and the South Park version was absolutely hilarious!
"Hold on, Kyle..."
:-)
I haven't paid since 1999
Fall of 1999 was the last time I paid for a haircut. Seven and a half years ago. I've rather gotten used to not paying to have my haircut. Saves a fair bit of money over time.
Normally I shave my head every six days or so but these past couple weeks just sucked the energy out of me. By the time I got enough time and energy to shave my head again, my hair was too long for a normal razor and I don't have any oil for my clippers, so off to the haircut place I go.
If I'm going for a beard shave and full haircut I'll go to the good barber not too far from work. All I needed was a buzz cut, though, and I wasn't about to pay $22 for that. Great Clips will work fine for my needs right now, thank you. Even just for a quick little buzz cut, though...
Twelve dollars (plus tip).
*ouch*
I realize $12 ever seven to eight years isn't so bad. I just don't like parting with money for something that I didn't want and is generally preventable.
Stupid $12 hair cut.
Normally I shave my head every six days or so but these past couple weeks just sucked the energy out of me. By the time I got enough time and energy to shave my head again, my hair was too long for a normal razor and I don't have any oil for my clippers, so off to the haircut place I go.
If I'm going for a beard shave and full haircut I'll go to the good barber not too far from work. All I needed was a buzz cut, though, and I wasn't about to pay $22 for that. Great Clips will work fine for my needs right now, thank you. Even just for a quick little buzz cut, though...
Twelve dollars (plus tip).
*ouch*
I realize $12 ever seven to eight years isn't so bad. I just don't like parting with money for something that I didn't want and is generally preventable.
Stupid $12 hair cut.
A different kind of meme
I got one of these sent to me in an email by an old friend and curiosity got the best of me. I'd like to see the movie when it comes out, if for no other reason than that I'm a fan of Nicole Kidman. The movie itself does intrigue me, though.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
It's just too scary
It's, in part, because of cases like this that I won't teach any more. Chances are all seven of these folks are guilty of the crime. The fact of the matter, though, is that any district who gets a semi-serious claim of sexual misconduct pointing to a young, single, male teacher is going to at the very least put that teacher on administrative leave. Even if the facts prove the accusers made up the story, there will always be a sliver of doubt...a shadow of "what if" that lurks in the students', parents', and teachers' minds and that is simply too uncomfortable.
Plus there's the prospect of a false case actually going to trial, in which case I'd have to make a claim against the $2M insurance policy I was carrying for legal services even though I didn't do anything wrong.
When I taught and coached, never once did I look at my girls in an inappropriate manner, let alone touch them or talk to them like that. The fact that seven different offenders have come to light in such a short amount of time only illustrates the fact that our metro area does have a REAL problem with this, and has for years. It truly makes me sad, and makes my stomach turn a little at the same time.
Plus there's the prospect of a false case actually going to trial, in which case I'd have to make a claim against the $2M insurance policy I was carrying for legal services even though I didn't do anything wrong.
When I taught and coached, never once did I look at my girls in an inappropriate manner, let alone touch them or talk to them like that. The fact that seven different offenders have come to light in such a short amount of time only illustrates the fact that our metro area does have a REAL problem with this, and has for years. It truly makes me sad, and makes my stomach turn a little at the same time.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
I went to Vegas, and all I got was this lousy infection
And no, I didn't get it from a hooker. That probably would have been more fun.
I was in Vegas last week for the GAMA (the game manufacturer's organization) Trade Show debuting the hot new 24 TCG and checkin' out the other new releases, of which there weren't really a lot. I was looking forward to the trip because it would be the first time in a long time I've been able to hang out with a couple of old friends, I'd see the first images of our new TCG, I was about ready for a little break from work...and, well, it *is* Vegas. But even with all the looking forward, something felt off about the trip before I ever left. I even told my boss about it, just feeling uneasy about whatever was going to go wrong.
Thursday night, it started to go wrong.
The previous night my buddy Hayden was spouting about how bad pneumonia sucks because the coughing keeps you up all night and your chest hurts and blah blah blah. Whateva Hayden. Suck it up. Then he took his PhD candidacy and turned it into a VooDoo Doctor candidacy and sent me the bad ju-ju in the form of a pre-pneumonia bacterial lung infection. Was hacking by the end of Thursday and feeling not fun, and by Friday morning I was debating running full speed into the corner of a wall. I almost went to urgent care that day before I left to come home, and in retrospect with 20/20 hindsight that would have been the better option. Of course I just thought I had a terrible cold at the time. Blah blah blah...suck it up.
Yeah, right. I was kept up all night and my chest hurt and after the med's wore off there was no more sleepin. Only coughin.
Monday I finally got the meds that I need, including this wonderful, orange-tasting, non-alcoholic syper-nyquil concoction that works just a little too well. Doc didn't release me to go back to work until today, but I couldn't stick it out. By 1 in the afternoon I had hit the wall and was having difficulty concentrating or keeping my eyes open. By 1:30, the towel was thrown in. I came home and ended up passing out on my floor, waking up in a half-delirious state about 4 hours later. I called a friend of mine whom I've dearly missed...might not have been the best time, but I didn't care. Catching up a little was far more important than waking up completely.
Anywho, that's where I'm at now. The trip was fun, pre-illness. Now I'm just trying to get better and return to normalcy in body and habit.
PS - My hit counter provider evidently went belly-up. Oh well, I guess that's what I get for free. In any case, the last number I remember was 1217, so I'll probably start it around 1250 once I get around to looking for a new company. Recommendations, anyone?
I was in Vegas last week for the GAMA (the game manufacturer's organization) Trade Show debuting the hot new 24 TCG and checkin' out the other new releases, of which there weren't really a lot. I was looking forward to the trip because it would be the first time in a long time I've been able to hang out with a couple of old friends, I'd see the first images of our new TCG, I was about ready for a little break from work...and, well, it *is* Vegas. But even with all the looking forward, something felt off about the trip before I ever left. I even told my boss about it, just feeling uneasy about whatever was going to go wrong.
Thursday night, it started to go wrong.
The previous night my buddy Hayden was spouting about how bad pneumonia sucks because the coughing keeps you up all night and your chest hurts and blah blah blah. Whateva Hayden. Suck it up. Then he took his PhD candidacy and turned it into a VooDoo Doctor candidacy and sent me the bad ju-ju in the form of a pre-pneumonia bacterial lung infection. Was hacking by the end of Thursday and feeling not fun, and by Friday morning I was debating running full speed into the corner of a wall. I almost went to urgent care that day before I left to come home, and in retrospect with 20/20 hindsight that would have been the better option. Of course I just thought I had a terrible cold at the time. Blah blah blah...suck it up.
Yeah, right. I was kept up all night and my chest hurt and after the med's wore off there was no more sleepin. Only coughin.
Monday I finally got the meds that I need, including this wonderful, orange-tasting, non-alcoholic syper-nyquil concoction that works just a little too well. Doc didn't release me to go back to work until today, but I couldn't stick it out. By 1 in the afternoon I had hit the wall and was having difficulty concentrating or keeping my eyes open. By 1:30, the towel was thrown in. I came home and ended up passing out on my floor, waking up in a half-delirious state about 4 hours later. I called a friend of mine whom I've dearly missed...might not have been the best time, but I didn't care. Catching up a little was far more important than waking up completely.
Anywho, that's where I'm at now. The trip was fun, pre-illness. Now I'm just trying to get better and return to normalcy in body and habit.
PS - My hit counter provider evidently went belly-up. Oh well, I guess that's what I get for free. In any case, the last number I remember was 1217, so I'll probably start it around 1250 once I get around to looking for a new company. Recommendations, anyone?
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Truly fitting
When I was in high school I weighed, at most, 140. And that was after a whole summer of doing nothing but hitting the weights, swimming, and eating grilled meats. I was toned like all get-out and was one of the strongest people in my weight class that I knew, particularly when it came to core strength, but I just couldn't put on pounds. Now flash a gaze at my friends and you'll notice that they're all double my weight and strength. I played defensive back...they were linemen and linebackers. They looked intimidating on their own...I looked intimidating like a toothpick.
In any case, we'd go to parties a lot and I was always the designated driver. As frequently happened at high school drinking parties with football players and egos, fights broke out. Now I was scrawny but I wasn't about to let my friends down and run out, so I devised a way I could assist. Right as it looked like someone was about to lay a punch on one of my buds, I'd interupt them with some kind of random loud shout, then toss out some screwball, off the wall line. Even louder. Something like, "GOAT CHEESE WRAPPED IN FLAGS IS GREAT FOR LACTATING BITCHES!"
(I read the phrase "lactating bitches" on the back of a dog food container once.)
The outburst would typically delay the attacker just long enough for my friend(s) to either run or throw a punch of their own, and thus my toothpicked existence was justified in the fight zone.
Enter 2007.
After seeing this on Shocho's blog I decided to do it myself with my general user name, Bygood. Low and behold...
That's definitely me on three levels. One because of the coffee, two because Odin is typically a summon in my favorite video game franchise of all time, and three because I would TOTALLY say something like that in a fight!
For what it's worth, here's the quote for my MMO character name, Shade:
In any case, we'd go to parties a lot and I was always the designated driver. As frequently happened at high school drinking parties with football players and egos, fights broke out. Now I was scrawny but I wasn't about to let my friends down and run out, so I devised a way I could assist. Right as it looked like someone was about to lay a punch on one of my buds, I'd interupt them with some kind of random loud shout, then toss out some screwball, off the wall line. Even louder. Something like, "GOAT CHEESE WRAPPED IN FLAGS IS GREAT FOR LACTATING BITCHES!"
(I read the phrase "lactating bitches" on the back of a dog food container once.)
The outburst would typically delay the attacker just long enough for my friend(s) to either run or throw a punch of their own, and thus my toothpicked existence was justified in the fight zone.
Enter 2007.
After seeing this on Shocho's blog I decided to do it myself with my general user name, Bygood. Low and behold...
That's definitely me on three levels. One because of the coffee, two because Odin is typically a summon in my favorite video game franchise of all time, and three because I would TOTALLY say something like that in a fight!
For what it's worth, here's the quote for my MMO character name, Shade:
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