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March 13 Know your bodyQuick quiz. Without looking, do you honestly think you could answer a series of questions about the back of your hand? How many wrinkles on the left main knuckle? Which way does the hair on your hand sit, from thumb to pinky or pinky to thumb...or wrist to fingers? Do you have any freckles on your hand? How many? Where are they?
Yes, how well do you know the back of your own hand? As the famous idiom goes...do you know the back of your hand "like the back of your hand"?
If you do know the back of your hand well...you deserve a handshake; you're keeping the dream alive. If not, like myself, then you'd agree with me when I say that it's a silly saying.
December 13 Something to sneeze at.We are all too familiar with the process. When it happens, it's as if our head is putting on a street performance and all other parts of our body take notice and crowd around to see what's going on. Yes, a sneeze has the amazing ability to stop all other activity while our head performs a delicate dance of muscle contractions and saliva spraying. And there's usually an encore. Sometimes more. If we do enough repeat performances, other entire bodies take notice and stop to watch. I'm sure if you got past 10 people would actually start chanting and clapping with each successive sneeze.
After our fit of spit and whatever other particles and liquid we've unconsciously felt we needed to shake around in our bodies has come to a close and we successfully gathered ourselves together, we're usually presented with a seemingly instinctive "bless you" or some variation. What does this mean? Does a mostly involuntary function of our bodies really put us in line for some type of religious consecration?
Let's look at a few of the explanations dealing with the origin of "bless you" to see if we can find some understanding to this reactionary reply.
Many people will point to Pope Gregory I as the original "Bless you" sayer. In an effort to combat the Black Plague that was going around at the time, he encouraged an increase of prayer and chanting. Sneezing was thought to be an early sign of one's having the plague, so saying "God bless you" was a way to prevent the plague from progressing.
Your heart stops temporarily when you sneeze. This untruth (the heart might skip a beat at best) has been compounded with a couple different extensions. One is that saying "bless you" allows your heart to start back up; another goes with the belief that your heart already returns to normal and saying "bless you" is merely confirmation that you have been blessed by having your heart start beating again. Another states that this stoppage of heart allows time for the Devil to enter. Apparently, it's much easier for Satan to enter into a temporarily stopped heart than one beating normally. An audible "bless you" seems to be enough to stop this powerful spirit creature, thankfully.
Some say that when you sneeze, your "soul" leaves your body. "Bless you" ensures the safe return of said "soul". Hopefully it hasn't gotten too far that it forgets which body it was fired out from.
A similar explanation says that the sneeze expels an evil spirit living inside you. Telling a sneezer "Bless you" would prevent that now homeless parasitic demon from re-entering their body.
Another suggestion is that a sneeze is a good omen that God will answer your prayers. Saying "bless you" in this sense is simply a way of making sure the sneezer gets his blessing.
The fact of the matter is this: There is no clear evidence that gives us a solid explanation as to why people say "bless you". The earliest writings that talked about sneezing and blessings never got into any detail as to why "bless you" is said. What we can conclude is that it wasn't important enough to be documented. Following this line of logic, we can rightfully conclude that the proposed origins/explanations are unfounded and not at all true. I mean, stoppage of the heart and dealings with angels and demons and former angels would seem to be pretty serious.
So from what we've learned, saying "bless you" after somebody sneezes is likely nothing more than a superstitious ritual disguised as politeness. People are raised to say "thank you" and "please" and "your welcome", as well as "bless you". Do you say "bless you" or some variant? Why do you do it? Perhaps it's because you've always done that and that's how you were raised. Or it just seems to be the polite thing to do. Either way, I'm going to safely assume most people aren't seriously thinking about saving your "soul" or preventing the plague or restarting your heart. The response is as involuntary as the sneeze nowadays.
How did something so questionably superstitious and mysterious work it's way into the category of manners? We all know there are no pieces of our soul flying out of our noses. We all know a sneeze isn't Phase 1 of the Black Plague. And we all know that saying "bless you" does nothing but merely acknowledge a sneezer's existence.
I don't say "bless you" when someone sneezes. I say nothing. I've gotten looks from sneezers for my silence. As if I'm the one dropping the ball there. Joe Schmo breathes a bunch of dust and tiny particles through his nasal passage, causing a chain reaction which results in him emitting a violent spray of tiny droplets from his face. I just can't see how it is polite to ask for God's blessing on such activity. What is said when someone coughs? Nothing. Why don't we do it for other bodily functions? Let's make a grain offering every time somebody's stomach growls! Hiccups? Blinking? Muscle spasm? Why can't we turn these things into causes for obligatory response?
My point is, even though most people will acknowledge the superstitions behind saying "bless you", continuing to say it under the guise of politeness is still too much. Reacting to something like that with a statement (which we have little idea of the origin of) only shows our ability at simple recognition and response. A robot could do that. There's other, more fitting ways to show we're polite. Break the mold and show you're a logical, reasoning person who isn't controlled by silly superstitions-- next time someone sneezes, and you honestly don't believe their life is in danger lest you utter the magic holy words, say nothing.
November 27 Alas, poor iPod. I knew him, Horatio.A device of infinite entertainment, of most excellent fancy. It hath bore me on its shiny back a thousand times, and now how abhorr'd in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it.
My trusty iPod has stopped working. It's not completely dead, though, as the above quote might suggest (picture myself speaking to a lifeless piece of my iPod). Think of it like a coma. One day it just stopped working and never recovered since.
But there is hope! As it used to say comfortingly at the top of the one-color display: DON'T PANIC. I have the best iPod specialists in the area working on it as we speak, so I feel it's in good hands. If they get it working again, I'll be very happy (I was sure it was a goner). But if not, I've had it for a few years, and it was good while it lasted. I'll hopefully be able to retrieve whatever I can from it and move on. November 24 A letter to Cold WeatherDear Cold,
Sorry to see you leave so soon, I was really enjoying your company. I really wish you would stay for longer than you do, it seems like each year your visits get shorter and less frequent. I know you have lots of work and stuff to do up north, but doesn't Freezing pick up the pace this time of year up there? I know how you don't get along well with Heat or Humidity, but those guys can be so tiring sometimes, I really would prefer your company. Now that you've gone Heat has come back and made me turn my A/C on again...and if you don't come back soon, Humidity is bound to come back for the winter.
How about this, you take a few months off, you need a break anyways. Come down to Florida will Cool until February, you can head back up then, and Cool will stick around for another month or so. You know you like it down here...sure all the old people yell at you for hurting their joints, but you don't have let that get you down. Plus, you'll have the beaches all to yourself.
Just think about it, OK? I miss you already.
Josh
(Made with Corel Painter IX) November 21 Ninja vs. Old ladyI scared an old lady the other day. We were working in a condo complex filled with geriatrics. And this old lady was slowly shuffling around our saw and cords. So I went to help her out...I was behind her, so I walked up and asked if she needed any help getting by...
She jumped, and yelled (yelled.) OH JESUS CHRIST! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? YOU STARTLED ME!
This was her expression of shock, and I immediately sensed that she was simply upset over the sudden increase in her chances of having a heart attack. I apologized and I think she accepted the apology, but she just kinda walked away all shaky-like (she was like that before the inadvertent ambush).
I have a knack for being quiet. Sometimes I find myself not making any noise as I walk, or very little. When I worked in a office, cubicles and small offices were perfect for silently sneaking around, every once in a while giving people the impression that I've just appeared behind them out of thin air.
I've never actually done that to anyone whose heart could've exploded from terror, although sometimes my inner ninja gets the better of me. November 19 What's in a name?Parachute Adams. That's my...what is that? Spaces ID? Public Nickname. Yes. And you'll find it in my Spaces address. As well as my XBox Live ID.
What does it mean? Why did I choose that? Is that really my official nickname?
You want a piece of my heart? You gotta start from the start.
A parachute adams is a fly fishing lure. I've never been fly fishing. I rarely fish, period. I've never seen an actual parachute adams (except pictures online). I got the name from a reference to the fly in a movie-- Best in Show, one of my all-time favorites. There was a quick scene where Christopher Guest was talking about different flies in a candid conversation...and he starts to list them: Wooly Bugger, Beadhead, Parachute Adams.
I'm not sure why, but the name stuck. It sounded to me like a name an old WW2 vet would go by. Good Ole Parachute Adams, Company "E", 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. So whenever I'd have to enter a name in a video game or for any other reason I would need a fictional name, I'd go with Parachute Adams. That's really all I use it for. My friends don't call me Parachute Adams or anything like that...I don't really have an official name...just Josh.
One strange thing I've noticed on a consistant basis is that most people will see the name and immediately think of Patch Adams, sometimes to the point of using that as a reference instead of parachute. It's just a fake name, so I honestly don't mind at all. I find it funny that it happens as much as it does.
Well, there's the brief history of my Public Nickname:
Best in Show. WW2 vet. Video games. Clown doctor. November 16 LookLikeI only have a minute to make this blog...so it'll be short.
Matt Damon was named as People's sexiest man alive. Congratulations to him and all the people who've been told they look like him. November 13 A question that's troubled mankind for years...Deep Thought took over 7 and a half million years to come to the ultimate answer for life, the universe and everything. It took me about 4 years to come up with what I see as the ultimate answer to an almost equally perplexing subject that many people just cannot seem to come with a truly satisfying answer for.
- What type of music do you like?
Before it was always lots of uhhhs and hmmms and plenty of the old standby "all kinds of music" often with it's sidekick "except ...". I never was satisfied with that, though. I sometimes wished I was so close-minded that I only listened to one type of music and so I could easily just say the sole genre I listened to and that would sum up the bulk of my musical tastes. But that's not me. I don't normally like rap or hip hop music but I do like the Jurassic 5, for example. So I find it hard to categorize my musical tastes into a certain genre. And I have a feeling that a lot of people are like that as well. So now I will explain to you, reader with varied musical tastes, how you can find a satisfying answer to the question above.
It all starts with Pandora Radio. For those of you unfamiliar with Pandora Radio, here's an excerpt from their website explaining the service they offer:
"...Pandora is based on the Music Genome Project, the most sophisticated taxonomy of musical information ever collected. It represents over seven years of analysis by our trained team of musicologists, and spans almost a century of music (and soon several centuries!)...Each song in the Music Genome Project is analyzed using up to 400 distinct musical characteristics by a trained music analyst. These attributes capture not only the musical identity of a song, but also the many significant qualities that are relevant to understanding the musical preferences of listeners...
"The Music Genome Project's database is built using a methodology that includes the use of precisely defined terminology, a consistent frame of reference, redundant analysis, and ongoing quality control to ensure that data integrity remains reliably high... The Music Genome Project is updated on a continual basis with the latest releases, emerging artists, and an ever-deepening collection of catalog titles... By utilizing the wealth of musicological information stored in the Music Genome Project, Pandora recognizes and responds to each individual's tastes. The result is a much more personalized radio experience - stations that play music you'll love - and nothing else." In a nutshell, you give them a favorite song or artist of yours and they set up a station that only plays music similar to that artist. This is a great way to find new music as well. Along the way, you can give a thumbs up or down to the songs that come up, which will help in choosing future songs that fit better toward your tastes. You can also add specific songs or even artists to that station. Let me explain how this allows you to answer the music question and things will make more and more sense. Each song they play has certain details and characteristics, a musical DNA, if you will (You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will.). The songs that are played in your station share most of the same "DNA". To see exactly what this is, follow these instructions: On an artist that's playing, click on the menu button - Then click on "Why did you play this song?" A tab will come up listing the different features of that particular track. (You can also see the features of a song on the individual song page itself) The features listed can help you see exactly what kind of music you like. The more songs you check, the more features you'll see. But you will see some more frequently than others. Make a few different stations, using different artists that you like. Check the features of some of the songs played for each station, make a list even. Take the most common ones and you have your answer. It will probably be somewhat like mine (these are just a few examples): Electric rock & acoustic instrumentation So when someone asks me what type of music I listen to, I'll say something like, "I like music with Folk and Punk influences, maybe something with vocal harmony or an acoustic sound to it." I can easily elaborate by including some more features from the genome list or simply listing a few examples of songs or artists. I feel much more satisfied saying something like this than some ultra-general like "I like all kinds of music usually". Just make sure you learn the terminology you use so you can explain yourself further if you need to. If anything, Pandora is a good way to get a conversation going. Explain how you're able to be so specific. Or where you heard about such-and-such new artist/song. One way or another, I hope you enjoy their service as much as I. If you do, leave a comment here or at my Pandora page and share your station. September 08 Rock on completely with some brand new componentsMy parents are out of town.
While they are out of town, they're getting their house repiped. Out with the old, leaky copper...in with the new PVC.
My dad asked me if I could coordinate the effort and be around the house while the plumbers were there.
OK, no problem. At the least, it's a day off of work (I work with my dad).
So I spent most of Thursday at my parents' house.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are my days I wake up early to go to the gym at 6. So I get to the house at around 7. The plumbers would be there at around 8, so I had an hour to start moving stuff around. I had to move some bureaus and desks to allow access to the pipes...basically continuing my workout to include sliding and shimmying furniture.
We do much of our carpentry work out of my dad's garage, and he likes to keep things. Well, it's more like he doesn't like throwing things away. So I had to make some room in the garage. Thankfully, my generation grew up on Tetris and other video games, so I take pride in my stacking and micromanaging abilities. After all the big stuff was cleared out of the way, I got to work unloading the stuff from the under the counters. It was at this point when I decided I would immortalize my boring day with a blog post.
First bathroom. Two giant stacks of towels, I think there may've been about 25, as well as few bottles of some kind of cleaner. So far we're still on the normal side.
Kitchen. My mom has stocked up on Saran Wrap, generic aluminum foil and plastic ziploc bags. If Florida snapped off the continent and we were seperated from civilization, we'd have enough foil and plastic wrap and ziploc bags to last for 20 years.
Master bathroom. I don't think they ever use the stuff under their sinks in their bathroom. It was a glimpse into an eventuality that we'll all see, perhaps even now. A collection of items and products you only use once, maybe a few times, and then put it under your sink. Along with that were some things my dad bought. I know my dad bought them because they were dollar store generic.
Life would be much less interesting without the little things like that, though. Another example is in my parents' lanai (front porch, whatever you want to call it). Just outside the front door is a single basket with a scant amount of fake flowers sitting in it. Not only is there a spare key obviously hiding under the flowers, there's a small flashlight in there as well.
But that's my mom, you gotta love her. Well...you don't technically have to, but if you knew her, you probably would.
I do.
And now I love my parents even more because their water works again, so I can use the bathroom or whatever when I'm there. There is more, but the next half of that day will have to wait till another post...this one is getting a little lengthy.
Hitchhiker's Guide Entry> Dollar Stores
200709.08 - A Dollar Store is a public commercial establishment where everything is one dollar. Or more. It's generally advisable to avoid Dollar Stores when possible. If you must have 2 bags of Orange Slices (2 for $1!) or a can of Treet, use caution while in the store. And never take a shopping cart, no matter how small it is. August 05 Bag O TricksI'm opening this post with a mention of the bridge collapse, but I'm not going to speak in length about it. Not that I don't care about it...Of course it was a horrible tragedy and my thoughts are with those affected. I'm sure everybody feels similarly. Besides, every news agency and website in the country is covering the story from every angle imaginable, and you know how I feel about that (no? read this.).
I want to talk about preparedness. I'm the type of person who likes to be ready for any situation. I've read the Worst Case Scenario books, and I'm this close to taking notes when I watch Survivorman or Man vs Wild.
  After watching a Mythbusters episode where they tried various ways to escape a car that's gone underwater, I thought it'd be good if I bought a small emergency hammer and a spring-loaded center punch, both of which will break a car window. The emergency hammer I put in the console in my car, and the center punch I put in my bag, which I take pretty much anywhere I go.Have you ever wished you had a camera with you, but didn't because you didn't feel like carrying it around with you everywhere. Or when you need a piece of paper, but can never find anything to write on or anything to write with? That's the reasoning behind my bag and its contents. Plus I don't really like keeping things in my pockets.
Here's a rundown of what you'll find in my bag:
A small notebook and pens - for whenever I need to write something down for whatever reason...or if a spontaneous Scrabble game breaks out, it's nice to have something to keep score on.
Camera - I also have a battery charger, just in case.
iPod + cables - to plug it in to a stereo/aux port/cpu or just to charge the battery
Pocket knives - 2...you know...in case I have to throw one of them
Plastic zip ties - I didn't have a definitive use in mind for these...but I thought they might come in handy. Maybe if I needed to make a citizen's arrest or something.
Nintendo DS Lite - This came in handy when I was in the Atlanta airport for 12 hours.
Socks - They serve a twofold purpose. I put my camera in one and the DS in the other to keep them from getting all scratched...and if I need a pair of socks.
Spring-loaded center punch - If I drive my car into a river, I can use that to break the window, and that's my way out (Mythbusters Episode 72, thank you | Video).
Slingshot & Bullets - This was a gift...and I love it...it's the old-school Y shaped slingshot.
Bank deposit slips - I hate asking for them from the drive-thru window.
Sharpies - In case I need to sign some autographs...
General misc. necessary things (Matches, Rubber Bands, Dental Floss, Altoids/Gum)
I'll soon be adding a compass and a flint.
There's so many things that can happen that we really can't prepare ourselves for. But there are things we can be ready for, and I feel a lot better knowing I may be able to bypass the whole *shoulda coulda woulda* step. June 12 Bel NienteSo the last episode of The Sopranos aired on Monday (12th).
"Oh, a fellow Sopranos fan?"
No, not really. In fact, not at all. It's not that I dislike the show...I just don't have an opinion of it. I never watched it, I don't have HBO, even when it comes on A&E or whatever I can't get interested in it.
I read an article about the Finale after it aired, though, and it sounds as if some fans of the show might be disappointed. From what I read, though, I think there's nothing wrong with that kind of ending.
People want closure...but the show is supposed to be, to some extent, realistic. How much more realistic is it to have nothing "closur-esque" happen? How many of us have a definitive point in our lives where we find ourselves saying "OK, my story is done. The end."?
Listening and reading about some of the reactions, I can see distinct line between a successful writer/storyteller and your average fan who thinks he/she knows better than them. It seems that in order for people to satisfied, Tony Soprano had to die. But nobody wants the main character to die...so, what? He solves all his problems and becomes King of New England. The credits roll and everybody is happy.
My guess is that people who liked the show just didn't want it to end. So it goes with human beings. We get something we like, we're happy...it gets used up or taken away or lost...we're no longer happy. We complain. If we can't talk to complain, or are particularly emotional, we cry. Eventually everything is back to normal and we have something else we've gotten that we find ourselves happily enjoying, silently dreading the moment when it's time is up.
Perhaps this is why we look longingly for things to look forward to. Which brings me to two similar things that I'm personally looking forward to (a nice segue, if I may say so myself)...movies, to be more precise.
First is a movie called Chalk. It's a mockumentary (same style as Best in Show or The Office) about teachers. I've heard a lot of good things about this movie...plus it's won a few film festival awards. Check out the site for the trailer and theater dates (plus you can draw on the chalkboard, so have a ball...)
Next is a film called Across the Universe. Honestly, I'm more interested in the music in this than the movie itself. I'm not a die hard Beatles fan, but (if you haven't guessed from the title and the fact that I just mentioned the Beatles) the movie is "an original movie musical", with the musical part being Beatles songs.
Enjoy...and tell me what you're looking forward to...
April 01 Lando will save us all.If you watch Lost, last Wednesday viewers were treated to a special, distinguished guest star playing a not-as-of-yet pivotal role in show, as himself.
William December Williams, AKA Billy Dee Williams, AKA Lando Calrissian played himself as an actor in a cheesy show. He had all of a child's handful of lines...so I don't imagine we'll be seeing any more of him.
How much do your parents have to dislike you to give you a name so similar to your last name? What's worse, they didn't even leave him the option of opting to go with his middle name by making it something weird like December.
"Thank you mom, dad. Now I'll have to go by Billy for the rest of my flippin life. When all my friends become adults and start calling eachother by their actual, full names, I'll just have to stand aside and keep my childhood alias. Oh, and double thanks for this awesome middle name. I'll only need the first letter...you can keep the ecember. I'm off to practice my acting. I'm going to be in tons of movies and tv shows and even some video games, even though people will only know me from one role."
And don't forget the awesome helmet, Lando... March 15 Yes, I'd like to open a Daylight Savings accountIn looking up some articles and such before making this post--as any studious former school newspaper journalist slash general geek should do before posting about current events in his blog--I made a frown. Not out of sadness, but out of pity and disappointment. The subject at hand was Daylight-Saving time. So I searched for "Daylight Saving". If my search engine experience were a conversation, it would go like this:
Me: I'm looking for articles about Daylight-Saving time...
Yahoo (righteously): Oh...did you mean Daylight Savings time? Heh.
Me: ...uh, no. I meant Daylight-Saving time, because that is what it's called. There isn't an S after saving.
Yahoo: Really?
Me: Yeah.
Yahoo: Well...that's what everybody writes. At least the majority...and I'm just a computer, programmed to act a certain way.
Me: True. But you were designed by some very intelligent people, they should be able to make sure you know the proper terminology for things.
Yahoo: ...CHECK OUT THE DEALS ON THESE AWESOME NEW 2007 SATURNS!! CLICK HERE--
Me: CLOSE. ...Seriously?
Yahoo: *shrugs*
Stupid intrusive top layer ads...
So yeah. Say it with me, Daylight Saving. Don't feel bad if you always said it with an S...that's how I said it until a few years ago. Major news companies, even some dictionaries still make the error, which is, in all fairness, quite mild compared to some others.
As of this year, the date in which Daylight-Saving time goes into effect (for the US and Canada) has been moved back 3 weeks; the ending date for DS also has been changed to one week later. This change is part of an effort to save/conserve energy. The idea is that the more daylight you have while you're up and about, the less lights you use. Also taken into consideration is the fact that, for some reason...having more daylight makes people want to go out and go shopping. So it also promises to have a positive effect on the economy.
Personally, I don't feel any different...and I definitely don't feel like spending money. In any case, taking all these mildly positive benefits into consideration, as well as the fact that it is already in effect, I hope the DS is beneficial, and not something that needs to be changed back to the way it was.
Most everything with an internal clock was programmed to adjust for DS saving time, but that was for the old time. People who relied on scheduling with Outlook or other programs for meeting times, delivery times and such now have to make sure they accommodate for the change. Most companies made available a patch or update, but not everyone was equipped for automatic updates, meaning users had to manually update some of their programs. This was, at best, a minor hassle for some. At worst, it was a frustration and/or a worrisome time, namely for those who rely on medical devices with an internal clock (glucose monitors, pacemakers, etc.), or for more important scheduling procedures (surgery, for example).
Also consider the effect this has on traffic. Many traffic systems are set to accommodate high-traffic times, and being an hour off for 4 weeks out of the year could make things very difficult for commuters. Thousands, sometimes even millions, of dollars are being spent in many cities to make sure their timers are up to date. Toll booths that offer discounts for certain times also need to be sure to adapt.
Hopefully the advocates of this energy bill took these things into consideration. For this change to actually save money, it would also need to surpass the amount of money it takes to make the necessary adjustments. This may not be right away, so hopefully this proves beneficial in the long run.
What worries me is that Congress has written an escape clause to the bill. If this doesn't seem to work, they'll switch things back to the way they were. This will, of course, mean that all that work needs to be done again to put things back. Money out the window. Money spent to research DS time, money spent to change DS time...
In my opinion, I never saw the need to change it. It will take a long time before it actually pays off for many of the people who are actually affected by it. Also, the fact that much of the benefits apply to retailers makes me wonder if it is really going to save people money. If the statistics are true, and more people are actually inclined to go shopping, that just means that more people are using gas. One hour of light use in a house doesn't seem too costly compared to however much it costs to run your car from your house to whichever store and back.
So don't be fooled by the sun! Go out and play, or sit in your house with the shades up and watch the money roll in...or...at least, watch your money not trickle out of your wallet into your electric bill.
That being said, I hope this change actually does work out, despite all the headaches that come with the change. What's done is done; and I don't see any drastic need to revert back, or change it again in any way.
March 11 Isn't that the Postal Service?I'm not annoyed by these advertisements. I like The Postal Service, and, while UPS isn't an outfit I commit much interest in, I've concluded that I enjoy the UPS Whiteboard commercials. In wondering why I actually like these ads, I've figured out something about myself: I enjoy watching people write. That's all. Carry on. November 02 The flight journalSo I made it safe to Sydney and everything is great. The weather is perfect, the city is awesome, the flight was...long. As promised, I kept a journal of the time-to-time happenings for the duration of the flight.
I tried to keep track of the time and hours, but eventually things got pretty confusing.
Saturday
5:00pm - 5 hours since leaving home - Miami
So far so good...we're waiting at the Miami Airport. I'm 2 months away from being 25, but the car rental place didn't penalize me. $25 saved, booya. And yet no major or minor setbacks.
5:55pm - 6 hours - Miami
Boarding. Red Hot Chili Peppers is playing on the radio in the plane, much to the amusement of the stewardess. She says to Jonathan "Where else but in Miami would you hear Red Hot Chili Peppers on the radio?" Blank stare. "Yeah..." with a courtesy laugh for good measure. "I guess they didn't get it," she says as we move along. Yep. Us and anyone else that isn't a stupid stewardess. Where's my in-flight snack?
7:45pm - 6 hours 45 minutes - Atlanta
First stop: Atlanta. Not too much excitement on this flight.
8:18pm - 7 hours 20 minutes - Atlanta
Our connecting flight was boarding on the other side of the concourse as we were getting off the first plane. No time to stop for dinner, let's hope they serve some food during these next 5 hours.
9:45pm - 8 hours 45 minutes - Somewhere between LA and Atlanta
There's a movie. It's Wordplay, a documentary about Crossword Puzzles. I don't believe I like documentaries.
10:58pm - 10 hours - Almost to LA
I stopped sketching on the cover of my journal and caught the end of Wordplay. The winner of the tournament in the movie was some kid wearing a Trogdor shirt. Burninate!
10 hours of traveling and I'm wide awake...Hm.
Sunday...kinda
2:45am (11:45pm PST) - 13 hours 45 minutes - LA
The preliminaries are over, bring on the formalwear. Unfortunately though, they just announced our flight was delayed 1 hour. Great. Here's a bonus: all the food places are closed. All I could manage was a bag of Cheez-Its and a PayDay. I'm hungry. I don't usually eat dinner at 3am, but now I couldn't if I wanted to, and I did ever.
One perk is that I picked up a small bottle of Johnson's Baby Shampoo to clean up at some point during the long trip to Oz. I may get to Sydney with 22 hours of funk on me, but at least my hair will be baby smooth. Plus I can get it in my eyes. I wonder if I can eat it, too...
4:10am (1:10am PST) - 15 hours - In the air
The plane is off. Seating arrangement seems good. Immediately next to me is a seemingly nice Australian lady...on the other side is Jonathan. Across the aisle is family with a small child and a baby. So far they seem OK, plus it's a few seats away, so I suppose as long as the baby doesn't explode or poop on me, I'll be fine. 14 hours and counting...
The many changes in time have gotten the better of me. I now record everything in Australian time.
9:00pm - Approximately 18 hours - 3 hours into the flight
Upon recommendation from my now asleep Australian temporary neighbor, I had a Scotch w/my dinner (it IS only 9pm in Sydney). I probably would've gotten one anyways, but whatever.
I watched my first movie of the flight. Posiedon. It was...mildly entertaining. If I wasn't so excited about going to Australia, I would've just said it sucked. Just seeing that Fergie was in it made me look longingly for the emergency exit latch. Take solace in the fact that almost everyone in that boat died. Spoiler.
9:15pm
Mythbusters is on. Ballistics gel is a wonderful thing.
Monday
3:35am - 8 hours 30 minutes into the flight
The past few hours have been mostly uneventful. Mostly sleeping. I got up for a bit to use the bathroom and stretch my legs. Watched some Australian TV shows, trying to pick up on whatever terminology I can. I printed out a conversion chart...I should study that so I can talk in understandable terms if the need calls for it.
I'm hoping to get a little more sleep before we land, which is in 5 hours or so. Playing Solitaire doesn't do anything to make me tired...suppose I'll read myself into drowsiness.
3:42am - I think they may be bringing around some food of some sort. I'm legitamately hungry. Nevermind. It's 3am, fool.
6:45am - Travelling for over 24 hours now...with 3 hours to go. I logged a good amount of sleep in, so I hope to be good to go when we get into Sydney. Of course, I'll need a shower. Perhaps 2 for good measure.
That's all for the journal...I'll be posting regular updates detailing my day to day activities...or at least what I deem interesting enough. Cheers, mates. August 26 Survivor: The Amazing RaceOut of all the hype that's been generated for the next wave of new seasons and TV shows, Survivor seems to have stirred the pot the most. The clammouring began at the announcing that they will be splitting the contestants up into 4 teams (of 5 players) by race: Asians, blacks, Hispanics and whites. The general reaction was easy to predict. But I can't help but shake my head at the cynics and critics who take the easy route and cry racism at this. Yes, they are divided by race, but how does that automatically mean that this is racist? Put a group like that in a room and tell them to divide up into 4 groups. I'd say at least half the time, you'd get the same divisions. Stripped down to the most general of concepts, that is just how we as humans are. How many of us have a circle of friends as diverse as the Captain Planet kids? I don't mean to say that I believe we all probably have friends that are only of our race, I'm sure that isn't true. My point is, while CBS didn't really NEED to divide the Survivors up by race, they don't have to ignore the fact that people of the same race tend to have, at the very least, a few things in common. But I must admit that isn't the best of arguements. We as individuals differ greatly from one person to the next, so we are drawn to different kinds of people. But all people are essentially equal, so I wonder: what do you see when you look at the teams? Five Asians? Five blacks, Hispanics, or whites? Isn't it just 5 people? Is there something I'm missing? Did it say somewhere that one group is getting better treatment than another? Usually people will complain about something if they think it is unfair. The only way one group gets elevated above another is by way of the members' individual capabilities, not by means of decisions or rules from the authorities of the game. Winning an event does not make one team the master race, it only means that that team performed better. Is it possible for people to see that instead of only focusing on the negative aspect? Perhaps this is a good chance for people to see that it doesn't matter how you divide up the groups, what is important is how that group works together. A few shows back, they divided up the tribes, men and women. I don't remember much complaining about that. Under the current popular scrutiny, such actions shouldv'e been deemed as sexist. But they weren't. It made for some really good competition, and the girls actually seemed to dominate for most of the game. Although, ironically, it was the stereotypical cattiness of the females that allowed the last remaining guy to win in a 6-to-1 gender battle. By such a negative reaction for this season, critics are exhibiting the same kind of prejudging that they are condemning. Have you watched Survivor? Mixing things up is what they do...sometimes right away. I wouldn't be surprised if they jumbled up the teams into nice little PBS-worthy groups of ethnic fruit punch before the first episode is over. And lets play this out, as well. At some point in the show, even if they keep the teams as they are, the game becomes an individual competition, and whatever teams exist are dissolved. Does anybody really think they will encourage ill will between races? Do you hear Jeff Probst saying, "And the white team wins again! Probably because of their inborn superiority as a race and the special favors we provided with only them..." Unlikely. The fact of the matter is, this will probably only result in boosted ratings for CBS. The downside is that while people are carrying on about how wrong this is, their seemingly good intentions on the subject of racial equality fail to go beyond the conveneince of an easy jab a risky PR move. August 08 A year's worth of pizza?So my friends and I were talking (not...all at the same time, mind you. Normal conversation and discussion, this), and on the subject of TV/internet/phone service, Lani mentions that the Dish Network (or somebody) was offering a "year's worth of pizza" as an incentive to sign up. The fine print, though, reveals that their idea of a "year's worth" of pizza was 12. 12 pizzas. One per month. Yes. This is a shame. They figure that, on average, we eat 1 pizza per month. It's a fair assumption, but it seems kind of disappointing...a whole year's worth is only 12? Have one big party and you've ordered in one night what takes some people a whole year to do. It differs greatly with my opinion of what a "year's worth" of something is. The best way for me to describe this is to break down my thought process and see how I come to the conclusion of my answer. The term 'worth' denotes that a value will be placed on something. In this case, the value is determined by the term 'year', which tells us how much and what type of measurement we are dealing with. So a "year's worth", to me, is something that is equal in (time) value to a year. Instead of estimating how much pizza the average to below average pizza eating person/family eats...I believe they should consider potential. How much pizza CAN you eat in a year? In order to get a true year's worth, we also have to think beyond the constraints of the physical laws that make us feel full, or tell us we have to poop...just forget all of it. It's just you, and pizza...the universe is kindly waiting outside while we figure something out. Realistically, you can eat a pizza in about a minute...some people are slow eaters (because we like to enjoy our food, sometimes, thank you), so we'll go with 2 minutes. A slice of pizza takes 2 minutes to eat. There's our foundation. Now, with 8 slices to a pie, that comes to 16 minutes per pizza. Doing the math, you'll find yourself receiving 90 pizzas every day. That comes to a total of 32,850. I want to write that number out: Thirty thousand, eight hundred fifty. Pizzas. To me, that is a true year's worth of pizza. Not some measly 12. I scoff at such tomfoolery. July 19 1920s and more...I forgot to mention how the 20's party went. It was the cat's pajamas. Actually...I put together some pictures of all the "characters" and Jay is writing up a review/recap of the night...so instead of writing a whole post about it, I'll just link to it HERE and you can read all about it. Here's some pictures for those of you too lazy to click on the link. Check back on the page, as the write-up is coming soon...
There's me as Al Capone...no relation to the historical fella that had the same exact name, though...it was just my character's name. Ay, fuhgettahboutit!
A while ago I visited a Space done by someone living in Hawaii, and asked her how it was living in Hawaii. Her response was surprising for a second, but I immediately understood after giving it some thought.
Sounds funny, but it makes sense. I'm sure it's nice to have the great beaches and scenery...but those things may just kind of blend into the background if you're trying to make a living there. July 13 Real Football.I made an effort to enjoy all I can from the World Cup, and I did pretty well. I was able to watch most of the games I wanted to watch. Soccer is not a big sport in the United States, but it really is a great sport. One of the things I believe is the cause for the lack of popularity of real football in the US is the fact that the sport is not very accomodating to advertising. Except for short break at halftime, there are no stoppages, which means no commercials. Some sports that televise their games have introduced extended stoppages during play strictly for commercials. But there are no stoppages in soccer. The timer never stops...not if the ball goes out, not after a goal is scored, not even if a player gets injured. But I find that very refreshing amid the many commercialized sports out there.
But this request is a two edged sword. What would it take for soccer to become more popular here? What would have to happen? At the risk of sounding like a hemp-wearing "I wish I lived in the 70s (you mean 60s) oh yeah 60s" named Zöe (you know her...she hangs out downtown or at the music store, and her name isn't really Zöe, she just likes that ö and Z names, so double bonus for her)...anyway...at the risk of sounding like this person, we live in society that demands above and beyond. Sports can no longer just be sports. They have to be reality shows, soap operas and courtroom dramas in order to get people reading the sports section of their newspapers. At what point do people realize the American Football championship game is wildly overshadowed and outshown by everything else that goes on that Sunday but the game itself? Who cares about the best plays of the game when you can review the top 10 commercials that aired that day? 50-yard field goal? Big deal! Did you see the commercial with monkeys in that office? I almost died...OH! and the one where they're in court and this girl with huge boobs has a wardrobe misfunction--because, they're making fun of that one time --you remember that?--where Janet Jackson's shirt came off--yeah...I remembered that, and...yeah...they were making fun of it...so... yeah....hey, what's web hosting? Enough about that, back to the subject at hand. I'm not the biggest sports junkie, but I've always respected and enjoyed the game of soccer. It has international appeal, it is a very physical sport, it's easy to play and yet takes much effort to be good at it. I'm sure the sport is not untouched by the kind of off-field drama and glamour that invite a whole new crowd to the game; but from where I'm looking, a soccer game is 2 halves of non-stop sport. And I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
One of my favorite highlights from the Cup: ENG:TRI (46') - England's John Terry (D) denies Trinidad & Tobago a goal at the last moment. You can watch the video along with other highlights from this page (click on video highlights...)
July 03 Chocolate covered mountains tops...Have you seen the new Snickers commercials? Where the guy is playing the guitar and singing some folk-ish song about Snickers. Some people may like it...it could be semi-funny, others may find it hilarious (there are always some people who, for some reason, allow themselves to be overly amused by ads...), and others may see it as just another commercial with a guy singing and playing the guitar. But I saw something unusual, and I'll tell you why. I'm a lefty, and as a lefty, I'm able to quickly recognize other lefties. Must be some kind of left-handed radar. It's nothing really special...it's just me noticing things people don't usually pay attention to. Like the hand people use to write, or how someone holds an instrument. When I first saw the commercial, I noticed he was playing left-handed, with a right-handed guitar. Granted, people who play the guitar would probably also notice right away he had the thing upside down. Usually, you can get a guitar made especially for lefties. You can't just take any old guitar and flip it over. The string layout, pick guard, saddle, nut and sometimes the shape of the guitar -- these are all parts of the guitar that need to be in the right position/order for whichever orientation the instrument is. But when you go to a music store, usually their selection of left-handed guitars is slim to none. Some southpaws just opt to do what we lefties have to do with a lot of things --adapt. Take a guitar, flip it over, and either do a custom re-string or learn to play upside-down. I just thought it was interesting to see guy on TV playing Hendrix-style and not with a left-handed guitar something that is probably easily accessible for a musician working for a big candy company. You'd have to be only acquainted with that style of play... Perhaps I'm looking into this way too much, but at least now you can make a clever observation and impress your friends: "Hey, that guy's playing left-handed with a right-handed guitar! Just like Hendrix.." "Wow, how observant! Here's the keys to my car and my watch." You may not believe me, but when the sun catches your eye from the glare off your new watch while you adjust the mirrors of your newly acquired car to their new position...you'll understand. |
I really enjoyed watching the whole World Cup to the finish. It would be nice if televised soccer games were as accessible as the World Cup games. Even though they were on in the early and mid afternoons mostly, all is well with a DVR.
One of the most famous musicians to do that was Jimi Hendrix, who restrung his electric guitars to play them left-handed (and then sometimes burnt them, but that's neither here nor there...well, maybe it's there, but it sure isn't here...). |
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