Yeah, I know I haven't been blogging much lately. The new job isn't very conducive to personal activities like blogging, and I've been way too busy at home. (It's amazing how much a toddler can cut into your prime-time TV watching!)
Anyway, I saw this on Mystery Mommy's blog and thought it was cute. The ones I've done are in bold, with comments in italics.
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins Wild dolphins? No, but I did swim with dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys.
03. Climbed a mountain C'mon, I am an Eagle Scout after all. The tallest was Mt. Baldy in New Mexico (elevation 12,441), as well as at least one of the 4000+ peaks in the Adirondak Mountains (I forget which one).
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive No, sadly nothing more exotic than a Corvette and an SSR.
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree Because it was the only way to get down!
10. Bungee jumped Not on my list of things to do before I die
11. Visited Paris Not yet. :(
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten my own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than I could afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger My wife was a stranger until I met her. :)
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as I possibly could
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about my life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for my computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends Not many, but at least a few here and there.
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign It was already blown down by the hurricane, but it still counts, right?
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving Again, not on my list of things to do.
51. Visited Ireland Not yet. :(
52. Been heartbroken longer then I was actually in love with the person
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized my CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero As a kid? Sure. As an adult? Probably. :)
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud Aw hells yeah! They had a great mud slide at a campout we went to.
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love with someone and not had my heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites Assuming places like the Grand Canyon qualify as "ancient".
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than six hours straight No, always got bored after about 3.
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River I believe our family float trip was technically on the Snake River. I've also rafted on the Cheat and New rivers (WV).
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Received flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark I think I've tried it once.
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of my parents
93. Been on a cruise ship Not yet, but hopefully soon!
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised children Work in progress.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named my own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge Not the whole thing, tho.
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when I knew someone was looking I don't usually care if anyone is looking, so I don't notice.
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that I shouldn't have survived
105. Written articles for a large publication No, only for a small one.
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane Just a small Sesna.
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of mine below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi Bleh!
128. Had my picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something I care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one "important" author who I missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared and animal for eating
137. Skipped all my school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written my own computer language
141. Thought to myself that I'm living my dream
142. Had to put someone I love into hospice care
143. Built my own PC from parts
144. Sold my own artwork to someone who didn't know me
145. Had a booth at a street fair Technically it was a car show.
146: Dyed my hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved my head
149: Caused a car accident I'm an excellent driver. :)
150: Saved someone's life
Monday, September 25, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
Door-to-door fundraising... by email?
This morning I got an interesting email. It was a fundraising email, sent on behalf of my good friend's six-year-old son, selling gift wrap and chocolates to raise money for his elementary school.
My first thought was "Oh how cool! What a neat way to tap into the power of the internet and reach out to friends and relatives to help with your fundraising campaign. And it's so EASY -- no orders to take or deliveries to make, and the customer can take as long as he or she wants to pick out items."
But then another thought entered my mind. And it started something like "Boy, when *I* was a kid...."
Yep, when I was a kid, we did it "the old-fashioned way"... walked door to door to take orders (uphill both ways, of course). We didn't have no fancy-shmancy internet to do the work for us!
Seriously, though, while I love all the ways the internet has made our lives easier, there is still something to be said for door-to-door fundraising. It teaches kids social interaction, gives them self-confidence, and teaches them to handle rejection. It builds character, dammit! It also puts a FACE with the solicitation request. I mean I'm much happier to shell out $3.50 for a "single-serving" box of girl scout cookies when I see the friendly and enthusiastic smile of the girl I'm helping out.
On the other hand, I guess at six years old my friend's son is a bit too young to be out selling door-to-door, even if his mom went along. And does mom really have the time to tag along? Even with older kids, do you really want them going out door-to-door with all those pedophiles out there? And for the customer, would you rather support some random neighborhood kid who comes to your door (and how do you know they're really from your neighborhood?), or someone you actually know?
So I guess I'm on the fence about this one. I guess using the internet for school fundraising makes sense -- it's a safe and efficient way to contact people you know, especially those who live outside of your immediate area. And I'm sure kids will still be going door-to-door to solicit their neighbors, since they don't have email addresses for everyone! I just hope I don't start getting flooded with email fundraising solicitations in the future, and I hope email solicitation doesn't completely replace that character-building experience of trudging through the rain and snow just to have your hopes and dreams shattered by the mean old man at the end of the block!
My first thought was "Oh how cool! What a neat way to tap into the power of the internet and reach out to friends and relatives to help with your fundraising campaign. And it's so EASY -- no orders to take or deliveries to make, and the customer can take as long as he or she wants to pick out items."
But then another thought entered my mind. And it started something like "Boy, when *I* was a kid...."
Yep, when I was a kid, we did it "the old-fashioned way"... walked door to door to take orders (uphill both ways, of course). We didn't have no fancy-shmancy internet to do the work for us!
Seriously, though, while I love all the ways the internet has made our lives easier, there is still something to be said for door-to-door fundraising. It teaches kids social interaction, gives them self-confidence, and teaches them to handle rejection. It builds character, dammit! It also puts a FACE with the solicitation request. I mean I'm much happier to shell out $3.50 for a "single-serving" box of girl scout cookies when I see the friendly and enthusiastic smile of the girl I'm helping out.
On the other hand, I guess at six years old my friend's son is a bit too young to be out selling door-to-door, even if his mom went along. And does mom really have the time to tag along? Even with older kids, do you really want them going out door-to-door with all those pedophiles out there? And for the customer, would you rather support some random neighborhood kid who comes to your door (and how do you know they're really from your neighborhood?), or someone you actually know?
So I guess I'm on the fence about this one. I guess using the internet for school fundraising makes sense -- it's a safe and efficient way to contact people you know, especially those who live outside of your immediate area. And I'm sure kids will still be going door-to-door to solicit their neighbors, since they don't have email addresses for everyone! I just hope I don't start getting flooded with email fundraising solicitations in the future, and I hope email solicitation doesn't completely replace that character-building experience of trudging through the rain and snow just to have your hopes and dreams shattered by the mean old man at the end of the block!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
PBS Kids' Show Host Fired for Video
I can't believe that neither Corndog nor MysteryMommy have posted this yet, but if you and your toddler watch PBS Sprout and night and you've been wondering what happened to Melanie, here's the answer.
Apparently late last week, Melanie Martinez, the host of "The Good Night Show" on Sprout, was fired due to a video she had done about seven years ago. (Note #1: SHE brought the video to PBS's attention. I'm not sure why she waited till the second year of her contract, but kudos to her for voluntarily making them aware of it.) You can
read the article on MSN and also read PBS's official statement. Then you can watch the video here (probably not the kind of thing you want to watch at work, however).
Now at first glance I guess I can see where PBS is coming from. The material certainly isn't appropriate for children... but kids shouldn't be watching this sort of video in the first place! (And if they are, their parents need to be more vigilant about their children's web surfing!) Then my wife forwarded me an email talking about other kids TV stars with risque shows/films in their bio, and one name that jumped out at me was George Carlin. Wait a second! Isn't George Carlin the narrator in some of the Thomas the Tank Engine episodes, a show that plays a VERY prominent role in Sprout's "Good Night Show" programming? Is PBS now going to pull all Thomas episodes where Carlin is the narrator? And if they do, I'd argue that all of Alec Baldwin's episodes need to be pulled too, as he has certainly played roles more risque than Melanie's 30-second PSA spoof.
Apparently late last week, Melanie Martinez, the host of "The Good Night Show" on Sprout, was fired due to a video she had done about seven years ago. (Note #1: SHE brought the video to PBS's attention. I'm not sure why she waited till the second year of her contract, but kudos to her for voluntarily making them aware of it.) You can
read the article on MSN and also read PBS's official statement. Then you can watch the video here (probably not the kind of thing you want to watch at work, however).
Now at first glance I guess I can see where PBS is coming from. The material certainly isn't appropriate for children... but kids shouldn't be watching this sort of video in the first place! (And if they are, their parents need to be more vigilant about their children's web surfing!) Then my wife forwarded me an email talking about other kids TV stars with risque shows/films in their bio, and one name that jumped out at me was George Carlin. Wait a second! Isn't George Carlin the narrator in some of the Thomas the Tank Engine episodes, a show that plays a VERY prominent role in Sprout's "Good Night Show" programming? Is PBS now going to pull all Thomas episodes where Carlin is the narrator? And if they do, I'd argue that all of Alec Baldwin's episodes need to be pulled too, as he has certainly played roles more risque than Melanie's 30-second PSA spoof.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
The next John Mayer?
I know it's not Monday, but I just had to blog about this artist I learned about tonight. Teddy Geiger, a 17-year-old singer/songwriter/pianist/guitarist, was featured on tonight's America's Got Talent results show. There aren't too many songs that I hear and fall in love with immediately, but These Walls was fantastic. I don't know if this is the song that's already tearing up the charts, but if not, it will be soon! The other two songs on his website were excellent too. If you haven't heard him yet, be sure to check him out!
You know you're a dork when...
... your wife doesn't understand a dork cartoon and you explain it to her without hesitation.
(She didn't know what a D6 and D20 referred to.)
(She didn't know what a D6 and D20 referred to.)
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Bubbles and tigers and bears, oh my!
Two weeks ago I posted about the new words Little Miss has started using. Well last week she seemed to turn her vocabulary drive up to warp three. It's crazy the number of words she's come up with in just a week! Some of her favorites are:
ball
bubbles ("bo-bo")
tiger
bear
bath time ("bah tah")*
banana ("nana")*
shoes
socks ("doss")
Zuzu (our dog's name)
trash
blanket
Pooh ("boo")
... and the one that surprised me the most last week:
backpack
I'm not sure if she really knows what a backpack is, or if she just associates the word with Dora the Explorer. She has a Dora backpack, but she also said "backpack" when I gave her a Dora sticker... but there WAS a picture of backpack on the sticker too.
She's also started putting words together into sentences, such as "bye-bye dada", and some unintelligible sentences too ("ah ga gah ga tiger da da"). And she's really started responding to our sentences, such as "Could you put that in the trash?" or "Please pick that up." The best was at the chiropractor's when she actually put the doodle-pad back on the toy table without a fight. It's such a neat age.
One last funny thing... most toddlers learn the word "no" very early and love to use it, right? Not ours. For some reason, she's decided to say "uh uh" instad. But it's cute, and I guess it's less abrasive than hearing your toddler say "NO!" all the time!
In case you've forgotten, in three days Little Miss will be 18 months old.
* She's actually been saying these for a while but I forgot to list them in my previous post!
ball
bubbles ("bo-bo")
tiger
bear
bath time ("bah tah")*
banana ("nana")*
shoes
socks ("doss")
Zuzu (our dog's name)
trash
blanket
Pooh ("boo")
... and the one that surprised me the most last week:
backpack
I'm not sure if she really knows what a backpack is, or if she just associates the word with Dora the Explorer. She has a Dora backpack, but she also said "backpack" when I gave her a Dora sticker... but there WAS a picture of backpack on the sticker too.
She's also started putting words together into sentences, such as "bye-bye dada", and some unintelligible sentences too ("ah ga gah ga tiger da da"). And she's really started responding to our sentences, such as "Could you put that in the trash?" or "Please pick that up." The best was at the chiropractor's when she actually put the doodle-pad back on the toy table without a fight. It's such a neat age.
One last funny thing... most toddlers learn the word "no" very early and love to use it, right? Not ours. For some reason, she's decided to say "uh uh" instad. But it's cute, and I guess it's less abrasive than hearing your toddler say "NO!" all the time!
In case you've forgotten, in three days Little Miss will be 18 months old.
* She's actually been saying these for a while but I forgot to list them in my previous post!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Last Comic Standing and Rock Star Supernova
As if we don't use the DVR enough (with a toddler and all), Tuesday night is now the battle of the reality tv shows -- Rock Star: Supernova vs. Last Comic Standing. Jen and I were both huge fans of LCS (and even saw Ralphie May and Ant in Vegas a few years back) and huge fans of last summer's Rock Star: INXS. So being such a big reality TV fan, I said "well why the hell aren't I blogging about these shows every night?" So here we go.
Last Comic Standing -- first, I can't believe they decided to elimintate TWO finalists each week and basically cut the competition portion of the show down to four weeks. I want to see MORE of these comics each week! On the other hand, they did cut down on the house soap opera antics... although they kinda had to in order to have time for three performances each night.
As for the comics, I was really disappointed with about half of the finalists. I really don't know what anyone saw in Rebecca Corry. What's with the toilet humor? Not only are her jokes disgusting, but she's freaky-looking. And her kick-boxing antics tonight, along with her little pudge stomach sticking out, were just vile. I'm so glad she's gone. Kristen Key, on the other hand, had some great material in the audition rounds. Unfortunately she's so new that she must not have much written (and as we saw at the roast, she SUCKS at writing). She bombed tonight and deserved to go home, although I do feel bad for her.
So now we're down to five, and next week the TV audience finally gets to weigh in. Based on what we've seen over the weeks, I'm pretty certain the winner will either be Josh Blue or Chris Porter. I don't think the other three are even in the same league. I never thought Roz was very funny, and Ty Barnett is just ok. And I'm still not sure how Michele Balan managed to survive two head-to-head(-to-head) competitions.
As for Supernova... well, I missed the premiere episode last week but caught the results show, and tonight I was blogging about Last Comic while watching Supernova so I wasn't really paying much attention! I'm not as interested this time around since this is a brand new band rather than finding a new singer for an established band. Plus it's early, so I still have time to pick my favorites. Really nobody has stood out to me so far -- in fact a few times tonight I asked out loud "these are really the best singers they could find for this show?" Half of them are AWFUL! Last year there were three who stood out right off the bat -- Ty, Jordan, and Mig -- plus Susie McNeil, Marty Casey, and J.D. Fortune who turned it on later in the show.
Maybe next week I'll pay closer attention and see if anyone actually has any talent. But for now, my pick to go home this week is Chris Pierson. He was in the bottom three last week and an awful performance this week too. My other two picks for the bottom three are Zayra and Josh Logan. I have no idea what Dave Navarro was listening to when he said Josh could be one of the best singers he's heard. I thought he sounded like Kermit the Frog! Well hey, at least the house band kicks some serious ass!
By the way, if you like Rock Star: Supernova, be sure to check out Rock Star Go Home, where you can pick who's going home each week and compete for fantastic prizes!
Last Comic Standing -- first, I can't believe they decided to elimintate TWO finalists each week and basically cut the competition portion of the show down to four weeks. I want to see MORE of these comics each week! On the other hand, they did cut down on the house soap opera antics... although they kinda had to in order to have time for three performances each night.
As for the comics, I was really disappointed with about half of the finalists. I really don't know what anyone saw in Rebecca Corry. What's with the toilet humor? Not only are her jokes disgusting, but she's freaky-looking. And her kick-boxing antics tonight, along with her little pudge stomach sticking out, were just vile. I'm so glad she's gone. Kristen Key, on the other hand, had some great material in the audition rounds. Unfortunately she's so new that she must not have much written (and as we saw at the roast, she SUCKS at writing). She bombed tonight and deserved to go home, although I do feel bad for her.
So now we're down to five, and next week the TV audience finally gets to weigh in. Based on what we've seen over the weeks, I'm pretty certain the winner will either be Josh Blue or Chris Porter. I don't think the other three are even in the same league. I never thought Roz was very funny, and Ty Barnett is just ok. And I'm still not sure how Michele Balan managed to survive two head-to-head(-to-head) competitions.
As for Supernova... well, I missed the premiere episode last week but caught the results show, and tonight I was blogging about Last Comic while watching Supernova so I wasn't really paying much attention! I'm not as interested this time around since this is a brand new band rather than finding a new singer for an established band. Plus it's early, so I still have time to pick my favorites. Really nobody has stood out to me so far -- in fact a few times tonight I asked out loud "these are really the best singers they could find for this show?" Half of them are AWFUL! Last year there were three who stood out right off the bat -- Ty, Jordan, and Mig -- plus Susie McNeil, Marty Casey, and J.D. Fortune who turned it on later in the show.
Maybe next week I'll pay closer attention and see if anyone actually has any talent. But for now, my pick to go home this week is Chris Pierson. He was in the bottom three last week and an awful performance this week too. My other two picks for the bottom three are Zayra and Josh Logan. I have no idea what Dave Navarro was listening to when he said Josh could be one of the best singers he's heard. I thought he sounded like Kermit the Frog! Well hey, at least the house band kicks some serious ass!
By the way, if you like Rock Star: Supernova, be sure to check out Rock Star Go Home, where you can pick who's going home each week and compete for fantastic prizes!
Monday, July 10, 2006
Music Monday - Spamalot at the National Theatre
Last night Jen and I went to see Spamalot at the National Theatre. After the terrible seats we had for Les Miserables, I made sure we got orchestra level seats this time (row N). The show was hilarious and the cast was top-notch. This was also their last performance in DC, and the cast did seem to enjoy themselves and perhaps put a little extra energy into the performance.
Of course the draw of this "musical" isn't really the music, it's the comedy. (Although I was impressed with the music too.) You don't need to be a Monty Python fan to enjoy the show (although it helps), but I do think you must have at least watched The Holy Grail at least twice to have any idea what's going on, or why some of the scenes are so funny. I was especially impressed with how they managed to translate some of the funnier aspects of the movie into live theater -- the knight that won't die (I'm sure he has an "official" name... someone help me out here!) and the holy hand grenade/killer rabbit scene in particular.
I must say that after seeing the show, I am even more disappointed that I didn't get to see it during its initial run on Broadway. I would have loved to see Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, and David Hyde Pierce in the leading roles. But this cast was great too, and of course you can't help but leave whistling "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" all the way home!
Of course the draw of this "musical" isn't really the music, it's the comedy. (Although I was impressed with the music too.) You don't need to be a Monty Python fan to enjoy the show (although it helps), but I do think you must have at least watched The Holy Grail at least twice to have any idea what's going on, or why some of the scenes are so funny. I was especially impressed with how they managed to translate some of the funnier aspects of the movie into live theater -- the knight that won't die (I'm sure he has an "official" name... someone help me out here!) and the holy hand grenade/killer rabbit scene in particular.
I must say that after seeing the show, I am even more disappointed that I didn't get to see it during its initial run on Broadway. I would have loved to see Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, and David Hyde Pierce in the leading roles. But this cast was great too, and of course you can't help but leave whistling "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" all the way home!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
More words
Boy, I really do need to find more time to blog, don't I? Well life is crazy as always. I actually have my whole "10 best albums" list all typed up, just haven't had time to post it on a Monday! After all, you can't have Music Monday on Wednesday, can you?
Anyway, on to the point of this post... Little Miss is babbling more and more each day. She still doesn't have many "words" but she certainly has her favorite phrases and we can tell what they mean, at least somewhat. She has one that seems to mean "what is that" that basically sounds like "ah DAH dah!", and another that means "look what I have" that's just "ah DAH!"
She's also started mimicing our words, so it's tough to tell if she actually knows what a word means or if she's just mimicing. She can say sticker ("tick-aw"), daycare ("day-cuh"), and juice "jzhh jzhh", and tonight she said pizza which pretty much sounded like pizza from what I could tell. She definitely knows what stickers are... ask her if she wants a sticker and she'll hold out the back of her hand for you to put one on. The only thing that troubles me is some words she used to say really well (like "more" and "hi") have pretty much vanished from her vocabulary. It's very strange. But her favorite word now is "b-bye", which she says clear as a bell. Oh, and I swear she says "Trogdor".
Anyway, on to the point of this post... Little Miss is babbling more and more each day. She still doesn't have many "words" but she certainly has her favorite phrases and we can tell what they mean, at least somewhat. She has one that seems to mean "what is that" that basically sounds like "ah DAH dah!", and another that means "look what I have" that's just "ah DAH!"
She's also started mimicing our words, so it's tough to tell if she actually knows what a word means or if she's just mimicing. She can say sticker ("tick-aw"), daycare ("day-cuh"), and juice "jzhh jzhh", and tonight she said pizza which pretty much sounded like pizza from what I could tell. She definitely knows what stickers are... ask her if she wants a sticker and she'll hold out the back of her hand for you to put one on. The only thing that troubles me is some words she used to say really well (like "more" and "hi") have pretty much vanished from her vocabulary. It's very strange. But her favorite word now is "b-bye", which she says clear as a bell. Oh, and I swear she says "Trogdor".
Friday, June 23, 2006
Now THAT's cool...
LOL... just a random thought here. It's pretty cool to be able to surf the 'net during a blackout. Now that we have FIOS (which has a battery backup), we decided to put our wireless router on the UPS. So when the power went out a few minutes ago, while I was working on a draft blog on my laptop, I was able to continue typing and save my draft without missing a beat.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Music Monday - NIN and new CDs in my collection
Hi all! (Yes, all three of you who read my blog.) :) I know it's been a while since I've blogged, what with the new job and all, so I thought I'd better make a last minute Music Monday post.
Last week Jen and I saw Nine Inch Nails in concert at Nissan Pavilion. NIN is probably the hardest band I listen to, and not one I would normally buy tickets to go see... but I didn't buy them. We cashed in our DC101 listener network points for a pair of tickets. Hell, they couldn't even give away all the tickets -- the 300 section was 3/4 empty and the 200 section was about a third empty. But regardless, the show still kicked some serious ass. Reznor and the band started off strong and went the first five songs or so with incredible energy before coming up for air. (I wish I could find a set list... more searching tomorrow, I guess.) The light show and effects were amazing. I only knew about half the songs -- I only own one NIN album (their latest, Hand That Feeds) so I pretty much only know the radio songs. But I felt a little better when I noticed I seemed to be the only one rocking out to Dead Souls, a song that appeared on The Crow soundtrack. So I guess all these die-hard goth metal freaks really aren't that die-hard after all.
Latest additions to my CD collection
I really don't buy too many CDs these days -- with a collection of over 400, Jen has tried (in vain) to implement a "buy one, sell one" policy on our collection. But recently I broke down and placed a BMG order for some albums I've been meaning to get, and an Amazon order for some new releases. Today I got my BMG order:
Bo Bice - The Real Thing
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
Limp Bizkit - Greatest Hitz
Fuel - Greatest Hits
OK, I admit it, I'm a Kelly Clarkson fan. Call her my guilty pleasure. She was the first American Idol, after all (and you all know that I am an AI addict), and she is a fantastic singer. Plus her second album is a bit harder and edgier than her first, so some of her songs get airplay on the adult alternative stations that I tend to listen to. Bo Bice... well, I heard one of his songs on the radio and I liked him well enough on AI, so I thought I'd give it a shot. As for Fuel -- well, I thought I'd pick this up since it was rumored that Chris Daughtry (from AI) was going to be Fuel's new lead singer, but apparently he turned down the gig! Oh well... I still like Fuel quite a bit. And Limp Bizkit is a band I've always liked on the radio but never bought an album. A Bizkit hits album is perfect for my collection.
So what's in my Amazon order?
Billy Joel - 12 Gardens Live
Live - Songs from Black Mountain
These are two of just a handful of artists where I will buy a new album from them. Others (off the top of my head) include Dave Matthews Band, U2, Alanis Morisette, and Rush.
Coming soon, the 10 favorite albums in my CD collection!
Last week Jen and I saw Nine Inch Nails in concert at Nissan Pavilion. NIN is probably the hardest band I listen to, and not one I would normally buy tickets to go see... but I didn't buy them. We cashed in our DC101 listener network points for a pair of tickets. Hell, they couldn't even give away all the tickets -- the 300 section was 3/4 empty and the 200 section was about a third empty. But regardless, the show still kicked some serious ass. Reznor and the band started off strong and went the first five songs or so with incredible energy before coming up for air. (I wish I could find a set list... more searching tomorrow, I guess.) The light show and effects were amazing. I only knew about half the songs -- I only own one NIN album (their latest, Hand That Feeds) so I pretty much only know the radio songs. But I felt a little better when I noticed I seemed to be the only one rocking out to Dead Souls, a song that appeared on The Crow soundtrack. So I guess all these die-hard goth metal freaks really aren't that die-hard after all.
Latest additions to my CD collection
I really don't buy too many CDs these days -- with a collection of over 400, Jen has tried (in vain) to implement a "buy one, sell one" policy on our collection. But recently I broke down and placed a BMG order for some albums I've been meaning to get, and an Amazon order for some new releases. Today I got my BMG order:
Bo Bice - The Real Thing
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
Limp Bizkit - Greatest Hitz
Fuel - Greatest Hits
OK, I admit it, I'm a Kelly Clarkson fan. Call her my guilty pleasure. She was the first American Idol, after all (and you all know that I am an AI addict), and she is a fantastic singer. Plus her second album is a bit harder and edgier than her first, so some of her songs get airplay on the adult alternative stations that I tend to listen to. Bo Bice... well, I heard one of his songs on the radio and I liked him well enough on AI, so I thought I'd give it a shot. As for Fuel -- well, I thought I'd pick this up since it was rumored that Chris Daughtry (from AI) was going to be Fuel's new lead singer, but apparently he turned down the gig! Oh well... I still like Fuel quite a bit. And Limp Bizkit is a band I've always liked on the radio but never bought an album. A Bizkit hits album is perfect for my collection.
So what's in my Amazon order?
Billy Joel - 12 Gardens Live
Live - Songs from Black Mountain
These are two of just a handful of artists where I will buy a new album from them. Others (off the top of my head) include Dave Matthews Band, U2, Alanis Morisette, and Rush.
Coming soon, the 10 favorite albums in my CD collection!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Do I do too many things?
It's funny, but in conversations with my new co-workers, I've noticed just how many different things I currently do, in addition to the wide variety of things I've done in the past.
Currently I:
- work as a full-time web developer
- sell diecast cars from home (as part of Indypacecars.com)
- do occasional gigs as an audio engineer at Reston Town Center and Burke United Methodist Church
- do mystery shopping
- perform with the Redskins Marching Band
- participate in product sample testing and word-of-mouth marketing through BzzAgent
- am the father of a 17-month-old girl, as well as the principle cook and grocery shopper for my household
In the past I've been a/an:
- member of my high school rifle team
- Assistant Scoutmaster
- lifeguard
- journalist and photographer for my local newspaper
- ROTC cadet
- Lt. Governor in Circle K (collegiate service organization)
- recording engineer at a studio outside Philadelphia
- audio engineer at an amusement park
- delivery driver and prep cook for a sports bar
- HTML instructor
I guess I can understand all the different activities during high school and college... that's part of "finding yourself". The question is, did I maybe find too many different sides of me?
Currently I:
- work as a full-time web developer
- sell diecast cars from home (as part of Indypacecars.com)
- do occasional gigs as an audio engineer at Reston Town Center and Burke United Methodist Church
- do mystery shopping
- perform with the Redskins Marching Band
- participate in product sample testing and word-of-mouth marketing through BzzAgent
- am the father of a 17-month-old girl, as well as the principle cook and grocery shopper for my household
In the past I've been a/an:
- member of my high school rifle team
- Assistant Scoutmaster
- lifeguard
- journalist and photographer for my local newspaper
- ROTC cadet
- Lt. Governor in Circle K (collegiate service organization)
- recording engineer at a studio outside Philadelphia
- audio engineer at an amusement park
- delivery driver and prep cook for a sports bar
- HTML instructor
I guess I can understand all the different activities during high school and college... that's part of "finding yourself". The question is, did I maybe find too many different sides of me?
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Great American Backyard Campout
Reconnect with nature! Register for NWF's Great American Backyard Campout. It's free!
Thursday, June 01, 2006
The duck says "quack". So does the dog, the cow, the pig ....
Little Miss learned her first animal sound -- "quack". Actually, it's more like "dack" and comes complete with hand motions -- pinching fingers like a duck's bill. I guess she learned this at daycare because we didn't teach her! But the funny part is that currently all animals say "dack".
"LM, what does the duck say?"
"Dack! Dack! Dack!"
"That's right! What does the doggy say?"
"Dack! Dack! Dack!"
"No, the doggie says 'woof woof'. Can you say 'woof'?"
"Dack! Dack! Dack!"
"Um, honey, I think this one's defective!"
"LM, what does the duck say?"
"Dack! Dack! Dack!"
"That's right! What does the doggy say?"
"Dack! Dack! Dack!"
"No, the doggie says 'woof woof'. Can you say 'woof'?"
"Dack! Dack! Dack!"
"Um, honey, I think this one's defective!"
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
New job!!
I'm very excited today... next week I will be starting a new job as a web producer for the National Wildlife Federation! I know it will be a big change going from a tech company to a non-profit, but I'm thrilled to have the chance to get back to my creative side.
I'm probably crazy to even take the position since it pays the same, it's almost twice as far from my house (7 miles instead of 4 miles), and it's only scheduled to be a three month contract, but my current position is just so incredibly boring that I really needed to make a change. Also, they did say a few times in my interview that the position might go longer or they might like to bring the person on full-time. And if not, the job market seems to be pretty good right now and I don't think I'll have any trouble finding something new in three months if I have to. Or if we are able to manage our finances right, I might be able to become a stay-at-home dad in three months! Although I gotta admit, working at NWF really does sound like it will be fun. It's also the most fun I've ever had in an interview, which I'm sure helped me to get the offer.
I'm probably crazy to even take the position since it pays the same, it's almost twice as far from my house (7 miles instead of 4 miles), and it's only scheduled to be a three month contract, but my current position is just so incredibly boring that I really needed to make a change. Also, they did say a few times in my interview that the position might go longer or they might like to bring the person on full-time. And if not, the job market seems to be pretty good right now and I don't think I'll have any trouble finding something new in three months if I have to. Or if we are able to manage our finances right, I might be able to become a stay-at-home dad in three months! Although I gotta admit, working at NWF really does sound like it will be fun. It's also the most fun I've ever had in an interview, which I'm sure helped me to get the offer.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Because My Parents Said So
Hey bloggy people! Check out this blog for 20- and 30-something Jews (if you happen to be Jewish, that is).
My daughter
Aw, the hell with anonymity! You all have waited long enough... here's a picture of Little Miss.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Supply and demand and the law of averages
Today I got one of the dumbest chain letters I have seen in a while. (OK, they're all dumb, but this one really takes the cake.) It starts off talking about the price of eggs and how the demand for eggs affects the price... and how if people suddenly started buying fewer eggs at a time, there would be a glut of eggs at the supplier and the price would drop. Then it goes on to apply the same assumptions to the gasoline market. For those who haven't seen the whole thing yet, you can read it on Snopes.com.
The proposed scenario is that if people started buying only a few gallons of gas at a time instead of filling their tank, we would cause the stations' tanks to stay full all the time. Even before I read the response on Snopes, I immediately knew that this was a ridiculous assumption because the story completely fails to take into account the law of AVERAGES. And more importantly, the story doesn't talk about reducing consumption, only changing your buying habits.
Let's look at the facts. Let's say I buy 10 gallons of gas once a week from gas station X. Let's say there are six other people out there just like me that all fill up at gas station X. And let's go a step further and say we are the ONLY customers that buy gas at Station X. Maybe we all fill up on the same day (unlikely), or maybe we each fill up on a different day (just as unlikely), but no matter when we fill up, Station X still sells 70 gallons of gas that week, and he needs to order 70 gallons to replace it.
Now the next week all seven of us decide that instead of buying 10 gallons once a week, we'll all buy just 2 gallons at a time. But we still all drive the same amount and consume the same amount, so we now need to stop at the gas station FIVE times instead of just once. So what happens? Absolutely nothing. Station X still sells 70 gallons of gas that week, they just sell it in 35 transactions instead of seven. Yes, there might be a short-term surplus because on Monday the people who filled up on Saturday and Sunday don't need gas yet, and the person who filled up last Monday is only buying 1/5 of the normal amount. But that surplus will be quickly corrected, and by week two Station X is back to selling EXACTLY the same amount of gas per day as they did before.
If anything, the only thing this proposal would do is drive prices UP. Why? Because every time a customer uses a credit card, the merchant gets charged a flat fee for the transaction (usually $.20-$.30) plus a percentage of the sale. Whether the customer buys $4 or $40 worth of gas, that flat fee stays the same. So now Station X has to charge MORE in order to make up for the fact that they now have 35 credit card charges a week instead of seven.
The proposed scenario is that if people started buying only a few gallons of gas at a time instead of filling their tank, we would cause the stations' tanks to stay full all the time. Even before I read the response on Snopes, I immediately knew that this was a ridiculous assumption because the story completely fails to take into account the law of AVERAGES. And more importantly, the story doesn't talk about reducing consumption, only changing your buying habits.
Let's look at the facts. Let's say I buy 10 gallons of gas once a week from gas station X. Let's say there are six other people out there just like me that all fill up at gas station X. And let's go a step further and say we are the ONLY customers that buy gas at Station X. Maybe we all fill up on the same day (unlikely), or maybe we each fill up on a different day (just as unlikely), but no matter when we fill up, Station X still sells 70 gallons of gas that week, and he needs to order 70 gallons to replace it.
Now the next week all seven of us decide that instead of buying 10 gallons once a week, we'll all buy just 2 gallons at a time. But we still all drive the same amount and consume the same amount, so we now need to stop at the gas station FIVE times instead of just once. So what happens? Absolutely nothing. Station X still sells 70 gallons of gas that week, they just sell it in 35 transactions instead of seven. Yes, there might be a short-term surplus because on Monday the people who filled up on Saturday and Sunday don't need gas yet, and the person who filled up last Monday is only buying 1/5 of the normal amount. But that surplus will be quickly corrected, and by week two Station X is back to selling EXACTLY the same amount of gas per day as they did before.
If anything, the only thing this proposal would do is drive prices UP. Why? Because every time a customer uses a credit card, the merchant gets charged a flat fee for the transaction (usually $.20-$.30) plus a percentage of the sale. Whether the customer buys $4 or $40 worth of gas, that flat fee stays the same. So now Station X has to charge MORE in order to make up for the fact that they now have 35 credit card charges a week instead of seven.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Big Box Mart
My blog about immigration the other day eventually turned into a discussion of the evils of Wal-Mart... then today I came across this great cartoon at JibJab. Of course that's just the tip of the iceberg, although it does do a nice job of putting the problem into a humorous, candy-coated nutshell.
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