3.31.2007

The Plague 2.3

coma inducing, more like it.

The Plague has returned to the House of Nerd. This version is much nicer than the previous. Let's say I've upgraded from Plague 2.0 to Plague 2.3. No bronchitis this time, just your standard sore throat/hacking cough of your everyday upper respiratory infection. What fresh hell is this?!!!!

At least productivity has not abated. I haven't missed any work (aside from going to the Doc's), I've done my taxes, and I'm scoping out apartments.

I think the overall message for April Sickness is quite simple: Sod off, mate.

3.28.2007

John Black Whistle

Even more disconcerting than waking up with a sore throat for the second day in a row was waking up with a John Black whistle. This particular ailment is horrible.... simply horrible: the dreaded nose whistle.

My sister and I refer to any type of nose whistle as a John Black whistle after a character on Days of Our Lives. For whatever reason, the fellow who plays John Black on Days seems to believe some really serious exhaling and inhaling is in order anytime there is anything of import going on. Perhaps he did it once when he first started on the show and some sarcastic director told him how fantastic the heavy breathing/nose whistle was, leaving that belief firmly planted in his mind.

Maybe I'm too harsh. He could have sinus issues that dovetail nicely with dramatic moments. Perhaps we are all heavy breathers. We're just unaware of our own seriously loud inhaling and exhaling because we don't have a boom in our face to pick up the sound and broadcast it to the outside world.

Maybe its not such a bad thing after all. Of course, I only say this because my nose whistle went away.

Uh..... yeah. I'd like to say this post, this kind of drivel, is the direct result of no Winter, Spring, or Summer breaks. That, however, would be dishonest. I can write crap at any time of the year. Hope all you punks on vacation make it a good one.

3.26.2007

in miniature, in reverse

giant match

As I've explained a time or three, I love things in miniature. They're so amusing. Tiny burgers, Smart Cars, miniature horses... you get the idea. Of course, the fun of miniature is predicated on the existence of a normal-sized original.

I bring this this up because I've never really thought too much about the reverse, really small (even normal sized) things made large. In many ways, this is the more difficult one to handle. For example, where could one possibly put a rocking chair that stands 30ft. tall? Something like that has only one possible home... the slightly creepy, circa 1950s roadside motel. There are other entertaining bits as well... I mean, just think of the fun to be had with those giant pencils that little kids can barely put their little hands around, the giant "match" lighter (see picture), those wacky over-sized sun glasses (not the kind from 1980s fashion), etc. etc. etc.

Add this to the discard pile of the random musings of my mind.

Finis.

3.24.2007

poor high school photography; or, things I know, pt. 2

leaf/heart
Last October I struck out on the open road for an afternoon while unemployed. I took with me a camera and the hope that a scene would present itself. Well... that and the hope that I'd soon have a job. Time for a revised "things I know" list.

  1. I've go mad photographic skills, yo! Uh, wait... My photographic skills haven't improved since high school, which means I'm a bad high school photographer.
  2. I still cook damn fine biscuits and gravy.
  3. October remains the greatest month on record.
  4. I will never title my resume on craigslist, "Help Me Help Myself."
  5. The anonymous voices from beyond the great padded walls of a cubicle that punctuate ambient office noise invariably sound like TV and movie characters. Of course, this is all predicated on the simple act of people surviving cut-backs....
  6. Academics are not the only ones who make up or appropriate words to suit their purposes. In a return to Reaganomics, the term "Right-Sized" was used as a proxy for "down-sized."
  7. The real world desperately needs Spring and Winter breaks (I don't want to push it with summer breaks).

3.21.2007

news

Cheers!

Cheers. I got word from on high, they still like me at work despite the Rooster incident (see above picture and don't ask questions).... Huzzah!

So lift a glass to good news. Good news all 'round.

3.19.2007

List for a Flickr Account

Why people need Flickr (caveat: those people mainly being my friends):

  • Cool people generally take cool photos
  • you can't always see them, ie: they're 500 miles away or on another continent
  • sometimes you need a place to put pictures of food
  • same theory as maintaining the blog
  • images of shoes and/or feet do really well
  • safe storage of your digital images (insofar as that particular medium is safe)
  • American Apparel images, such as this gem of KFR and ReBecky

This particular American Apparel image came from the quarter-end potluck in the cave.
american ap. ad.

3.15.2007

Another Haiku

I wrote these little gems while waiting to meet a friend. And yes, I had a Guiness in front of me.... Happy Thursday, all.


A song to Guiness
Budweiser of Ireland
without the crap taste


Thunderdome of Broad
Mock my ass, challenge my walk
Sucks to your asthma!


Really, that whole last Haiku should be said with the same little British accent and with the same feeling as Piggy in Lord of the Flies.

3.13.2007

I'm such a nerd...


Okay, okay, last quiz for a spell. I couldn't help it. Last night C. asked a very important question we all must face: What if you're not the Austen character you thought you were? Or perhaps more appropriately, what if you were Lydia Bennet or Mr. Collins? I've always suspected Elinor Dashwood could be my Austen alter ego. If they want to say I'm more like Elizabeth Bennet, so be it.

You scored as Elizabeth Bennet. As one of Austen's most beloved characters, Elizabeth Bennet represents what most women would like to become: strong, independent, and loyal. Of course, she has her faults including a stubborn will of iron and a clinging to first impressions. Overall, Lizzie is bright and lovable...something to admire and aspire to.

Elizabeth Bennet

84%

Elinor Dashwood

66%

Jane Bennet

63%

Emma Woodhouse

59%

Marianne Dashwood

47%

Charlotte Lucas

44%

Lady Catherine

31%

Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females)
created with QuizFarm.com

3.11.2007

Somehow I don't think my southern Baptist grandparents would be (or would have been) too happy with these scores.

You scored as Paganism. Your beliefs are most closely aligned with those of paganism, Wicca, or a similar earth-based religion. You may also follow a Native American religion.

Paganism

75%

Buddhism

75%

atheism

46%

Hinduism

42%

Satanism

42%

agnosticism

42%

Judaism

29%

Christianity

29%

Islam

21%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

3.09.2007

Pooky, Defender of the Cube

Pooky, Defender of the Cube.

My friend gave me this little pooch yesterday as she didn't know when/if I'd be leaving and it was just too much to ask to hold onto it. Pooky is, in fact, a purse. So... what is one to do when the purse strap unclips to form a perfect silver leash? You walk the dog. Dogs on parade! Pooky made a few stop-ins yesterday, gave a little bark shout-out to her peeps. Along the way she became friends with a monkey named Monks... Pooky and Monks, stories for another day.

3.08.2007

~Lawrence Ferlinghetti

I am waiting for the Great Divide to be crossed
and I am anxiously waiting
for the secret of eternal life to be discovered
by an obscure general practitioner
and save me forever from certain death
and I am waiting
for life to begin
and I am waiting
for the storms of life
to be over
and I am waiting
to set sail for happiness
and I am waiting
for a reconstructed Mayflower
to reach America
with its picture story and tv rights
sold in advance to the natives
and I am waiting
for the lost music to sound again
in the Lost Continent
in a new rebirth of wonder

3.07.2007

Beatrix Bill

Shell
Gather 'round, dear reader. I have sad things to report. Take a moment to recall Beatrix Bill, beloved snail of Kristi and Preston. We had a burial, perhaps celebration of life is more accurate, here last December for the beloved snail BB.

I have to report that evil grave robbers, marauders that move in the dark, have disturbed Beatrix Bill. I found the ghastly scene yesterday afternoon on a stroll in the back yard while in search of more hyacinth. Unsuspecting and unprepared was I, for the snail lived a quiet modest life...

The family requested a quiet reburial as burial at sea still remains outside their reach. Thank you for your support in this difficult time.

3.06.2007

The Field Marshall


Thanks to Diluvienne, I decided to find out what some hack, a professed disciple of Mr. Carl Jung no doubt, had to say about my personality. Probably should have waited for a coffee break, but why delay the fun? According to a Jung Typology Test, I'm eNTj, the Field Marshall.

Strength of the preferences %
Extroverted
- 22
Intuitive
- 75
Thinking -
12
Judging -
89



More specifically, I am:
  • slightly expressed extrovert
  • distinctively expressed intuitive personality
  • slightly expressed thinking personality
  • very expressed judging personality
A few bits from their explanations.
1. "ENTJs have a natural tendency to marshall and direct. This may be expressed with the charm and finesse of a world leader or with the insensitivity of a cult leader."
... a *CULT LEADER* Beware of outsiders and be sure to drink the KoolAid on the way out.
2. Other famous eNTj people: Richard Milhouse Nixon (!), General Norman Schwarzkopf, Whoopi Goldberg, Candace Bergen, Newt Gingrich, Patrick Stewart, Margaret Thatcher, Sigourney Weaver, and Steve Martin.
... I take such pleasure from the fact that I'm placed with such a group.... We've got Tricky Dick, Stormin' Norman, Murphy Brown, Jean Luc Picard, the Iron Lady, Ripley, and a Festrunk Brother (think, "We're two wild and crazy guys!").

I might have something larger to say on the topic, but my scores for Extraverted Thinking, what you might call "Unequivocating", are quite low. As the web site tells, "Experience teaches many ENTJs that restraint may often be the better part of valor, lest one find oneself victorious but alone."

3.05.2007

A Walk

Ladybug!

I had the most delightful walk yesterday with Morgan. Too many moons passed between the last walk shared and yesterday. Nature rewarded us with sunshine, temperate weather, and fun scenes.

Elephant?

3.04.2007

Italy and France

I did say last night was a night of international adventure. I bought Bread and Tulips not too long ago, a fantastic Italian film. This image is from one of my favorite scenes... in the movie the main character, Rosalba, basically rediscovers herself along with the joys of life. The accordion helps her down that path. And lets face it, I'm a sucker for accordions.

The other movie of the night, the trip to France, came through a really great film called Ma Vie En Rose. Oy. This film about a boy who knows he is really a girl (God just made a mistake... that extra X didn't make it down the chimney and fell in the garbage so he got a Y instead) is so good. Go out and rent it.

So, International night of adventure! Vietnam, Italy, and France.

Fee-Fi-Fo-Pho

Pickled Cucumbers
Last night was a night for international adventure. Countries visited: Vietnam, Italy, and France. I had Pho, a delightful Vietnamese beef broth soup, for the first time. Yum! As movies had a place in the line-up of events, we ordered the Pho to-go and perused the Asian market next door. It is so entertaining wandering around, checking out the variety, deciding where to be adventurous and where to be prudent. We went with the pickled cucumbers, not so adventurous. But they were packed in soy sauce, so ultimately they tasted like soy sauce with a vaguely pickle texture. The lady who worked there told us the pickles were best served with garlic... she was right.
Pickled Cucumbers and garlic
Also entertaining, Pho requires large bowls. I do not have large enough bowls to accommodate the noodles, beef, bean sprouts, cilantro, etc. etc. etc. Thus mixing bowls acted as a stand-in.
Pho in Mixing Bowl
Yum Yum!

3.03.2007

breaks & margaritas

Huzzah! The sun is making an appearance! It may only be temporary, but its somethin'. Out of nostalgia and blogging laziness, I offer pictures.

Fall really is my favorite season, especially the transition into fall. Here's a photo from the archives: a trip to gather appropriate autumnal bits for decoration. This is my attempt at a hay mustache, a pencil thin mustache.
mustache

I think I chose to have a margarita last night in a vain attempt to bring out some sun because its always sunny when you drink Margaritas... well, that and I was at a Mexican restaurant. You feel as if it is sunny. I won't take credit for the sun actually emerging today.
giant margarita

Because KFR enjoyed the sun, despite himself, I thought I'd add a little SC sun to my page. Had to dig back to get this one as well. I'm not entirely sure I haven't posted this a number of times already. But I don't care. A November day in Santa Cruz.
Ocean View

3.02.2007

exercises in futility

We've moved into March, thank goodness. February was really getting on my last nerve. I present a list, exercises in futility for February. These are some observations of mine, nothing that I'm saying loud or large. There were also moments of exception, but you know what they say.... As exercises in futility, these things will largely continue on my end. Such is life.
  • cough medication
  • sunglasses & thus sun
  • watching Lost
  • Communication Breakdown, Led Zeppelin
  • playing pool with Jeff
  • sleep
  • migraine medication (it's had its moments....)
  • trying to like mushrooms
I know I'm forgetting some stuff. But rest assured, things will continue on a normal path...
So lets give a shout-out to March. Huzzah!

ps: Congrats on the swank gig, Kristi!