Pics from RSL Game

I'm digging the new stadium in Sandy. If you haven't been to a RSL game - you're missing out.

Where is my mind?

I've had this padlock for at least 10 years. I first bought it to keep my school stuff safe during my PE classes at the BY. It accompanied me to Europe in '99 - effectively locking up my borrowed C-bag. You can even see the remains of the sticker the immigration people put on it in London. It spent the rest of its career securing my goods at the gym, until it was locking down our moving truck while driving to UT from Chicago. I must have dialed the combination hundreds of times over the past decade.
That's why it was so disturbing when I suddenly could not remember the combination. Sure it had been a few months since I used it, but still. As I stood in the Gold's Gym locker room, my mind was blank. The problem was that I had used the lock for so long, that I never bothered to write down the combination anywhere. I thought by then it would be hard-wired into my brain, like my social security number or my blood type (check that, I still can't remember my blood type).

At least I realized I didn't know the combo BEFORE clicking it on the locker. I kept racking my brain during the workout trying to remember the combo - I was sure I had it while struggling up the stairmaster, but no. I kept working on it all night until I finally decided to sleep on it. Morning did not bring the combination to my mind. I was really starting to worry when all of a sudden, as I was getting ready to leave for work, I just walked over and dialed in the combo. Where was that hiding? It's like my brain just temporarily misplaced that file or something. It is now clear as day in my head. Seriously? At least it came back to me - I would have hated getting a new one.

Photoshop Class Rocks

This is what we made in photoshop class today. I really can't think of anything more American than this.

Fringe Benefits

One of the benefits of working at a university is being able to take classes. I haven't signed up for a "real" class quite yet (still trying to find the wood shop class and contemplating medieval french philosophy - so many options), but I am taking a pretty good Photoshop class. It is only 4 sessions, but soon I will be retouching photos like a Soviet-era pro.

Food Poisoning

I had to leave work early yesterday because I had a mild case of food poisoning. Fun! I was sure it was the three-week-old ham that we had the night before, but nobody else who ate it was sick. There goes that theory. Maybe it was hummus I snarfed down while watching the first installment of 24 (which, by the way is very good so far). I can't figure out what it was, but something did not agree with my stomach. I even got to toss my cookies in a public toilet - thankfully it was super clean in the stall.

Thanks to Kris Tina who took care of me. I'm the biggest baby when I get sick, and she put up with it fantastically. Once I was ready to eat something, she even produced Gatorade and some deliciously salty chicken noodle soup - to quell my insatiable appetite for salt that I had all of a sudden.

Today - much better and a regular appetite. I am still determined to stay away from that ham.

Operation Humble Kanye

I have to admit that Stephen Colbert makes me laugh. I came across this article in the Red Eye (a free daily we read all the time while waiting for the EL in Chicago). I just like the entire thing Colbert has put together. Here is the article:

Colbert declares war on Kanye

Published December 3 2008

Stephen Colbert has declared war on Kanye West.

In an attempt to take over the top album spot on iTunes currently occupied by Kanye's "808s & Heartbreak" and drum up sales for his own Christmas album, the faux-news host launched "Operation Humble Kanye" on "The Colbert Report" Monday night. (Colbert's "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All" is currently in 16th place.)

Colbert knocked Kanye's recent declaration that he's the voice of his generation saying, "with all the auto-tuning on your records you're barely the voice of your own albums."

"You want to be the voice of a generation—get in line," Colbert continues. "It goes me, Obama Girl, the freecreditreport.com guys—then it's a tie between you and Crocs."

We eagerly await West's all-caps blog rebuttal.

RedEye


I particularly like the crack about the auto-tuning. You can see the article in its original home HERE. I really hope Colbert wins.

Choculus Update

UPDATE: I just want to make clear that I still love the Count Chocula - but after this morning of my entire breakfast consisting of just one bowl of the delicious treat, I have decided that it is just barely better than eating cotton candy for breakfast. I was hungry again before I even got to work. Granted, I have a long bus ride to get hungry on, but I was still really hungry. Deliciousness has its price.

Looks like I need to go back to some old fashioned oatmeal with berries if I want an actual breakfast. Count Chocula will now move from the food catagory to be a "treat" along with Twix and Jaycie's famous snickerdoodles.

Count Choculitis

Every year around Halloween I get the urge to eat Count Chocula. I know there is pretty much no nutritional value to the cereal - in fact it is probably sugar and recycled newspapers fortified with some vitamins - but I just have to have at least one box.

Happy Halloween Week!

Wall Art

My office walls are bare. I need to put something up, but I'm not really sure what. I think if I could have access to any painting in the world, I would like to try out this Rothko for a while:


I wonder if the BY has this in their collection and would let me borrow it . . . .

Word of the day

This morning my co-worker came in and asked if anybody knew the definition of irony. I think it was tied to some fun he was going through with one of our clients, but the point is that it made me think - what does irony mean? I mean, of course my answer to him was "well, it's like rain on your wedding day - or a free ride when you are already late." I mean that's what Alanis taught us right? So as a PSA, I thought it would be a good reminder to post the definition:

1) The use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning, OR 2) incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result.

Wikipedia has a pretty interesting article on irony. Also, it appears that an old photo of mine is indeed ironic. Now go out and find something ironic - even though it might or might not be ironic to be looking for irony . . .


Note: the definition used in this post is my edited version of the M-W.com entry for irony. Since I am a self-proclaimed KIA, I am allowed to do such things.

For my next home project

I found this Star Wars Home Theater randomly, but how cool would this be in your basement? I wonder if this same company could convert our condo into the Millennium Falcon . . . . It's the coolest home theater I've seen. (Make sure you click around and see all this little details of the project)

Update: I found another site that shows a few more views of the ultimate Star Wars Home Theater.

Space Age?

It is 2008, about 40 years since we hit the moon - so it’s puzzling to see foot cushions sold at the local Walgreen’s with the label “Space Age Material.” How is that impressive? I wasn’t going to but this insert, but if the astronauts use it . . . it must be cool. Maybe they mean that if we have these, we will be fast-tracked into space exploration. Or perhaps it is the result of material used in previous space explorations. However, we don’t still consider Tang or Velcro “space-age” even though they were developed by NASA. What is this mystery material? It certainly isn’t anything used by the Jetsons. I mean, are we even really in a space age right now. We go to space sure, but it isn't anything like was envisioned back in the day with people commuting to the moon or vacationing on Mars.

I guess “space age” does add some flair to plain memory foam, but come on, there is nothing futuristic or spacey about it. I declare it an illegal usage and will boycott the product. You should too.

This Made Me Laugh

I just really liked this cartoon:

Find it in its natural habitat at:

http://xkcd.com/37/

Or just check out the general website - some funny stuff, and some werido stuff:

http://xkcd.com/

Congratulations Herbie???

So I didn't watch the Grammys and I didn't tape the show either. But I did catch the recap on the news this morning. Am, I the only one that thinks Kanye West is very over-rated? I mean it's OK, but not what I would call groundbreaking or legendary. Whatever. My big surprise however, was for album of the year. Herbie Hancock? Seriously? So his jazz album of Joni Mitchell songs was really the best the recording industry had to offer? I will be the first to admit that I have not actually listened to the album - so I can't judge it on its merits. What I am concerned about is that the rest of America has not listened to it either. I listen to a couple of radio show podcasts about music (NPR's All Songs Considered and Chicago's Sound Opinion) which I consider a great source for music news and judgement. Neither of these shows had any mention of Herbie Hancock in any sort of round up of 2007. I'm not saying that it's not good music, I just find it funny that it won the best album of the year. I wonder why they are having such a hard time keeping their industry afloat . . .