I wanted to write another really great Secular Sunday article, but instead I cleaned my desk (and my life is better for it). Instead, I'll just post this picture, which should bring a smile to any atheists' face:
You know it's time to turn on the heaters when your cat sleeps under the duvet on her own!
Friday Funday brings you some fun and interesting links from my travels around the internet. Funday links will open in a new window.
Passive Aggressive Notes [del.icio.us]
Not all of the notes are passive aggressive, but they're certainly funny.
Yet another edit of the retro-futuristic motion logos [del.icio.us]
These have been floating around the internet lately, so you may have seem this already. As someone who works in television, this is pretty cool. It's fun to watch this and recognize some of them!
Matrix XP [del.icio.us]
It's like facfic, but for The Matrix. And it's video. Actually, this is quite well done, considering. I'm undecided on whether I like it or think it's stupid, but I think that means that it just falls somewhere in the middle.
Real Matrix [del.icio.us]
Speaking of The Matrix, here's a video of Joe Eigo, who can flip himself all over the place, kind of like in The Matrix. It's very impressive, even if his website isn't.
How is babby formed? [del.icio.us]
If you clicked on the above with your speakers cranked way up and they got blown out, then I am truly sorry for your lots. Via I'm Quietly Judging You.
This is just a test entry to make sure my cron job is working properly.
What a busy weekend! Morah and I had originally planned to head up to Sandpoint, but by Friday, it was clear that the weather was going to be pretty drab all weekend long. We didn't want to be stuck indoors all day, so we decided to just stay around Spokane.
On Saturday, we met up with my parents and a bunch of family friends from Hawaii. They were in town to do some work on a house they own. We decided it would be fun to help them work on the house, so Sunday morning found us in Coeur d'Alene in grubby clothes.
Lately, I've been on this kick to learn how to do as much home building and maintenance as possible. Morah and I will very likely own a home in the near future, and I want to ready to tackle whatever comes our way. Morah spent most of the day working on the hedges in the front (they were a huge chore that took two people most of the day to get done). I tackled a wider range of jobs, starting with sanding and staining, then gardening (all that Ask This Old House really payed off here), then I built some new steps that were falling apart, and finally, I learned how to apply mud and tape to drywall. It was a long day, but the work wasn't too terribly difficult and I'm definitely glad I did it.
I took Monday and Tuesday off of work because I needed to use up my vacation days, and I don't like to be gone from work for too long at a time (since I'm really the only person who knows what's going on with the website).
Now, when most people take time off from work, it's to relax, right? I mean, they aren't called vacation days for no reason. Instead, Morah and I ran errands all over town. We went to Goodwill, and the bank, and the post office, and up to my parents' house. We went to Hastings, and Albertsons, and Costco. We went to a few other places to get things done that had been on "to do" lists for ages. It was a busy couple of days, but I'm glad we took the time to do it all. I think we can count this all toward my goal of get caught up.
Another bright spot in our otherwise busy days was that we tried to eat at restaurants we hadn't been to before. Most people take living in a city for granted. They think, "I live here, I can do that or eat there anytime I want." Few people actually do it, though. So in an attempt not to take Spokane for granted, we've been trying to explore the city a bit more. This includes eating where we've never eaten before. I had never had lunch at Mary Lou's Milk Bottle, and since we were headed north anyway, we decided to stop. Although it was panned by a local food critic, I thought the food was pretty decent. The milkshake was definitely worth going for!
Tuesday's lunch was a lat-minute affair, and we had planned to one restaurant, then decided on another that we happened to drive by (we were running a little late for an appointment). The Perry Street Cafe was a funky little place with less-than-attractive atmosphere, but the food was good. While I felt like it came a little later than it should have, we did still make it to the appointment on time.
Overheard while eating there:
Patron: "Do you know what that building is over there?"
Waitress: "It's a Buddhist temple."
Patron: "Have you ever been inside?"
Waitress: "No, I'm a good Catholic."
Wow.
Dinner last night took a while to figure out because we couldn't decide what we wanted to eat. We thought about going to a local tapas bar, but after looking at their menu online, we just couldn't justify spending that much money on that little food. Sushi, however, was tiny food that we were willing to spend a lot of money on, so we headed down to Shogun. This is typically known as a teppanyaki restaurant, but tucked away in a dark and deserted corner (seriously) is one of the best sushi bars in Spokane; at least, so I've read. Spokane isn't exactly a bastion of great sushi, what with the coast being three hundred miles away, so I've always been wary of sushi bars. One review called it, "equal to the places I've tried in Seattle." And it was really good! There was, perhaps, a bit too much wasabi on some of the nigiri, but I would definitely go back again. And when the bill came, I was pleasantly surprised. Morah and I both left stuffed and satisfied.
We were having so much fun hanging out together all day and trying new places to eat that neither of us wanted to return to work today. Alas, that sushi won't pay for itself.
On October fourteenth, Morah and I will be celebrating our first year of marriage by spending the weekend in Portland. Our plan is to arrive Friday afternoon and leave Tuesday morning, which gives us roughly three and a half days to check out the city.
There are a few places that we'll definitely be visiting, such as the International Rose Test Garden, the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, and Powell's Books.
However, neither of us has been to Portland before, so we're not really sure what there is to see and do. We've found a bunch of stuff online, but I'm sure there are plenty of things worth doing that we haven't found. Plus, the best advice comes from people who have already experienced it. That being said, I'm calling upon my blog readers who have visited (or live in) Portland, to give us some advice on the things we need to see.
Here's what we're looking for:
Friday Funday brings you some fun and interesting links from my travels around the internet. Funday links will open in a new window.
Sushi Conveyor [del.icio.us]
Someone went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, placed a video camera on the conveyor belt, and recorded it going around. I love conveyor belt sushi, and the looks on people's faces is pretty great.
How to eat sushi [del.icio.us]
While we're on the topic of sushi, this video teaches some important lessons about how to eat sushi (and how to do it without offending your Japanese hosts). I thought I knew what I was doing, but it turns out that I have been doing some things incorrectly.
Shadow Dinner Date [del.icio.us]
I love these types of performances, and this one is particularly good. Watch it a couple of times; there's a lot going on here.
DJ Sara and DJ Ryusei [del.icio.us]
Here are videos of a 5 year old and an 8 year old who kick ass at scratching. I'm totally jealous.
You Must Choose [del.icio.us]
This site gives you a choice between two things. Sometimes they aren't what I would consider equally stacked, but usually they are. It's interesting to see what other people select. My favorite choice so far: You're on fire and your pants keep on falling down, or you can't stop eating mustard right out of the container while getting papercuts on your eyes.
I know I said I wasn't going to post today, but I can't pass this one up.
I was going through my site statistics this morning and found some really bizarre searches that led people to my site. Many of them are variations on "a life less ordinary", but some of them left me scratching my head (I then Googled the phrase myself to figure out why my site was coming up). Here are some of the searches:
less brown - Okay, I can see why my site came up, but what were they looking for?
fandom perception obscenity - Uh, what?
hasemalphaginnojinglanaporphomism - I had forgotten about this! I wonder if they typed in the entire word.
"anal lube" brand - Nice.
"shane is dead" horse - It's amazing how fast this stuff ends up getting indexed.
"the it crowd" skirt - Is there really a skirt, or were they looking for my IT Crowd upskirt post?
"trust your technolust" t-shirt - Oh man, I have got to get one of these! Incidentally, searching for this in Google brings up my site as the first result.
959dbc6bdc15529df7739dadf2419f5a - Google doesn't know either.
_aa_ gee - This one threw me until I found out what page it was referring to.
beautiful 1vs100 contestant - Seriously? You think that's the search query that's going to bring up the result you're looking for?
call someone a tom brown - Wait, is my name a derogatory term?
cheating bride porn - lol! My site is awesome. -)
crisco anal lube and crisco as anal lube - Okay, I know why this brings up my site, but it's a little weird to think that I'm getting traffic from horny people who are actually willing to use Crisco as anal lube. Have you ever seen the stuff? Just buy real anal lube!
embarrassing photos anal lube - Apparently it just gets worse.
fat thomas brown - Hey!
is ingesting rust bad? - See, I'm not the only one concerned about this!
japanese cosplayers better than american - Do you really need to Google this to know it's true?
mostly underage kids writing underage kids porn - Umm...
not an ordinary box website - I'll say it isn't!
picture of anal lube - Oh man, more of this?
pig out in the park webcam - How badly do you want to watch other people eat?
signs an outgoing girl likes you tease - Honestly, why does this query bring up my site?
speedticketbeaters real - I told you their website sucks.
types of photo essays - Yeah, mine are a little... Different.
wikipedia. bo derrick - Really? My website?
how to kick over 5000 monkey meters - Some people just can't let it go!
is dan dunn the painter still alive - My site is, after all, the official blog of dead painters. But yes, Dan Dunn is still alive.
Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!
I wanted to write a post to wish you all a holy dayhappy holiday and to talk about what's been keeping me so busy lately.
As you can see, I haven't posted for almost a week, but it's been a busy week for me!
On Friday, my new iMac finally arrived! Morah and I carefully unpacked everything and got it all set up. I love, love, LOVE my new iMac! Not only is it frickin' huge, but everything looks beautiful, and the thing just works. For example, I plugged in our printer's USB cable. I waited for it to tell me that it had found the printer and was installing it, but no message came up. I opened up the printer preferences and, what do you know, there it was! The computer didn't skip a beat, it just recognized the hardware and connected to it without a fuss.
I know I have much more to discover, but so far, I'm loving having a Mac.
My time with my new toy was short-lived, however, as my parents picked me up and we headed up to Sandpoint. After being out of town all weekend (and through Monday) without internet access, I returned to work on Tuesday and began the final push to get our new website up and running. Today was more of the same and felt even more hectic than yesterday. Tomorrow is shaping up to be equally busy as the site officially launches.
What is about to-do lists that every time to whittle them down, they find a way of growing back up?
At any rate, I can't promise a post tomorrow, but Friday will, of course, have a Friday Funday. Don't think that I'm running out of steam; I'm just taking a week-long blogging break because life got in the way. I may be out of town again this weekend (the plans are shaky, but I could be away from the internet on Monday and Tuesday of next week), so there's a chance that I'll have to go another week without blogging.
Hey, at least I should have plenty to talk about.
Friday Funday brings you some fun and interesting links from my travels around the internet. Funday links will open in a new window.
This post made on a Mac. My new iMac!
LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE! [del.icio.us]
Um... Okay? I really can't say anything that would add to this video.
My Family Thinks I'm Gay [del.icio.us]
A funny song about a guy who's whole family thinks he's gay. The piano is too loud and kind of drowns out his singing, but it's still worth a watch.
Internet People! [del.icio.us]
You know them, you love them. Now there's a song about them.
The Mean Kitty Song [del.icio.us]
I laughed out loud at how accurate this song is. Via Open Mind.
How Much Do You Know About Movies? [del.icio.us]
Ok, film majors, let's have those scores! I managed 80% (and I'll admit, there were a couple of lucky guesses). Unfortunately, the questions seem to be the same every time.
Every day for breakfast I have a weight loss shake. They're great, because they're only 230 calories and they keep me satisfied for a few hours.
I don't know what kind of can they're in, but every day, I notice rust on the rim of the can, as well as the... Uh, spout? I'm not sure what you'd call it, but the opening where the shake comes out. There's never a lot of rust, but it is definitely noticeable.
Isn't ingesting rust bad for you? Should I not be drinking these every day? Or am I just being paranoid because of that guy who got lung disease from his microwave popcorn?
Nicole recently visited the still-standing log cabin used in the 1952 movie Shane. I've always enjoyed the film, not only because it's a good movie, but because it spurs heated debate about the end of the film. The argument that always arises is: Does Shane die at the end?
I'm of the belief that he does die at the end. Not only is it much more, as Nicole puts it, film awesome, but I think there's actually evidence to support the idea. Before we go on, take a moment to watch the last ten minutes of the film so you can follow along (or go rent and watch the entire movie. If you like westerns, it's worth it).
After the final gun battle, Joey says, "Shane, it's bloody. You're hurt." Thanks to this line, we know without a doubt that Shane has been shot. Although Shane's next line is, "I'm alright, Joey," I don't think you can really say for sure that he is. After all, he's talking to a child who idolizes him. Shane knows this, which is why he tells Joey to "grow up to be strong and straight" (a line that, in light of the rampant homo-eroticism in the film, I always find to be hilarious).
While re-watching the end of the film today, I noticed something that I never had before: Joey's face. After he shouts, "I know she does," the camera cuts back to Joey and his expression changes from one of hope, to one of confusion. Cut back to the long shot and Shane has slumped over a bit. "Shane!" Joey calls again. Cut back to Joey's face. From confusion to reluctant acceptance. He knows Shane isn't ignoring him. He knows Shane is dead.
As Shane rides away, we see him slumped over on his horse, which takes him out of town. But wait! Earlier in the film (not in the ten minute clip, sorry) we learned something important about the ride out of town: It passes through the graveyard. The very last shot of the film is Shane, slumped over on his horse, riding through the graveyard. To me, that's clear evidence of his death.
I think it's important for Shane to die. We need to see his mortality. We need reassurance that's he's human. If he's supernatural, that what he's just done isn't very impressive (especially since he got shot doing it). If he's human, he's a hero, and someone we can look up to.
But, as with all art, it's a matter of interpretation. I've interpreted the clues we're given in a way that I feel enhances the film. What do you think?
UPDATE: I just found another clip on YouTube that shows a little bit more of the ride into town prior to the gun fight. Shane rides right through the graveyard, foreshadowing his death.
What happened to Mel Gibson? Like Tom Cruise, he used to be pretty cool. I mean, come on, Mad Max? Gallipoli? Lethal Weapon? Braveheart? I liked him as an actor, and when he started directing, I thought he did a reasonably good job. Despite being atheist, I enjoyed the The Passion of the Christ.
But then there was the whole "sugar tits" incident; he's been accused of homophobia, anglophobia, and antisemitism; and he's pretty harsh on his critics. It seems that Mel is a deeply troubled man who might be using religion to atone for his sins.
His latest project isn't another blockbuster film, but a $37 million, 400 seat, private church in the hills of Malibu. It's a Catholic church, but it's not recognized by the Catholic Church, because Gibson has a beef with the Vatican II.
Gibson's an old-world kind of guy, and his church's daily masses are conducted in Latin. The church adheres to the nearly 500 year old teachings of Catholicism and requires female parishioners to wear long skirts (they're forbidden from wearing pants) and veils over their hair.
To further add to the oddities surrounding the church, the address and phone number are a secret, the grounds are surrounded by a fence, it's guarded by private security, there are video cameras discreetly monitoring the grounds, and access to the church is at the discretion of a guard at the gate.
Do I really need to comment further? It's clear that Mel's taken a dive off the deep end. I just hope they make Mad Max 4 before he's committed to an asylum or he drinks himself to death.
Friday Funday brings you some fun and interesting links from my travels around the internet. Funday links will open in a new window.
This week's Friday Funday is dedicated to the tragic passing of Luciano Pavarotti.
Nessun Dorma [del.icio.us]
The famous aria from the final act of Puccini's Turandot.
Vesti La Giubba [del.icio.us]
The heart-breaking aria from the conclusion of the first act of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.
Ave Maria [del.icio.us]
Franz Schubert composed Ellens dritter Gesang in 1825. Although originally in German, Ave Maria, as it has come to be known, is most popular in this Latin version.
Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti Medley [del.icio.us]
Pavarotti is joined by fellow tenor Andrea Bocelli for a stirring medley.
Luciano Pavarotti talks about his idol Giuseppe di Stefano [del.icio.us]
This video is short, but gives you a small glimpse into who Pavarotti was.
The Federal Communications Commission is reviewing high-speed internet practices and the Department of Justice dealt net neutrality a potentially deadly blow. They said that ISPs should be able to charge higher fees for certain internet traffic.
Worst of all, their press release dresses it up as though they've made some sort of wonderful suggestion. To say that, "regulators should be careful not to impose regulations that could limit consumer choice," when referring to net neutrality, shows a clear misunderstanding of the issue — if not outright ignorance.
My only hope is that the FCC eventually makes the right choice and protects net neutrality.
I've used PCs for so long that I can't remember the first time.
My dad had an IBM PC XT, and I can remember playing games from Big Blue Disk. I remember watching him use XTreeGold (how many of my readers remember XTree?). I remember DOS commands, which are still useful, and even fun (mostly because other peoples' eyes grow wide and they ask what you're doing. Leaving a Windows machine in a full-screen DOS shell creates much confusion for those who don't know how to close it).
The first computer I ever purchased ran Windows 95, and since then, each new computer ran some version of Windows. As I have previously pointed out, this is fantastically convenient for reasons relating to both hardware and software. Not since the Apple IIe I got from my grandfather ended its service to me about 15 years ago have I owned an Apple computer.
Last night, I bought two of them.
Morah hasn't had her own computer since her iMac finally bit the dust about three years ago. I guess all that moving in and out of dorms in college finally took its toll. Her new iMac will be a beautiful 20-inch model. As for me, I've wanted to return to the Mac OS for years. With evil Vista creeping its way through the PC world like a virus, it was clear to me that the time to switch teams has come. I look forward to the arrival of my top-of-the-line 24-inch beauty.
I expect them to show up mid to late next week. Morah and I can't wait!
This doesn't mean that I'll be throwing out all of my PCs, however. As a web designer, I'll need to check my pages on various browsers and on both operating systems. Plus, the laptop I have is a PC, and it's mighty convenient. So while I'll have a big, beautiful Macintosh sitting at my desk, I'll also have a PC sitting next to it, and one on the coffee table.
Can you tell I love computers?
I'm not usually one for reposts, but this is an important warning that everyone should see.
If you get an e-mail invitation to join a social networking site called Quechup, delete the e-mail immediately. Do not reply. Do not click on or visit any links within the e-mail. Simply delete it.
According to BoingBoing, Quechup, "anally rapes your address book, and violates user trust by spamming all your contacts."
The spammers keep coming up with new ways of tricking people into clicking on their nasty links, and this one is so convincing, that even a lot of wonks are falling for it. It wouldn't work on me, however, since I refuse to join social networking sites (I honestly don't see the point. Sorry, Alli and Nicole).
So be careful! Remember to use common sense and think before you open e-mails, forward virus warnings, and click on embedded links.
I laughed out loud when I read this article about French police confiscating holy water from pilgrims at the airport in Lourdes.
The Vatican has a new service to shuttle pilgrims from Rome to Lourdes and back. While in Lourdes, the pilgrims collected holy water in little plastic Virgin Mary bottles, which they attempted to bring with them on the plane. Unsurprisingly, the French police wouldn't let them bring the water on board the plane (apparently other countries are just as liquid-mad as the United States). As a result, the deadly liquid disposal bin by the security checkpoint was filled with dozens of tiny plastic bottle in the shape of the Madonna.
My favorite part of the story, and the line that made me laugh out loud, is that many of the, "passengers asked the police how they could be foolhardy enough to throw away the miraculous water."
We just got home from Pig Out in the Park where Booker T. Jones (of Booker T. and the MGs fame) played a gig. As I've previously pointed out, many of the artists that I like aren't touring anymore. When I found out that he was playing (for free!), that was all I needed to know that I had to go.
There was a lot of waiting around, and it was kind of cold, and I really wished we had camping chairs, but once Booker T. took the stage, it was worth being bored and uncomfortable. He played a bunch of songs from the era, and wrapped up the set with everyone's favorite, Time is Tight. I was probably the youngest person there who actually knew the name of the song and had shown up expecting to hear it.
ALLO v5.13 © 2008 Thomas J. Brown under a Creative Commons License.
Be my boss!
If you visit my Amazon.com PayPage, you can pay me as little as $1. I could be your underpaid employee!
