Friday, January 03, 2003
casually reading the comics (which i rarely do) and ran across this classic slam on apple macs courtesy of foxtrot
...and jen's far more interesting questions....
1) Other thank the obvious (looks) what makes someone ugly?
hate. esp. racism, sexism, homophobia...
2) How long have you been married?
13 years
3) Did you guys argue over your kids' names?
not argue, but it took a while and was tricky cause for many of the names one of us liked, the other would think of someone that they didn't like having that name
4) Have you ever had food poisoning? What was it from?
i don't know for sure. i guess there have been times when i've eaten something, then immediately had - uh, stomach issues. not sure if that is really food poisoning or not. to get on the soapbox a bit, this almost never happens anymore since i've stopped eating meat
5) If you won a vacation to any place in the world, where would you go?
rio! the beaches, the music, the lack of snow!
1) Other thank the obvious (looks) what makes someone ugly?
hate. esp. racism, sexism, homophobia...
2) How long have you been married?
13 years
3) Did you guys argue over your kids' names?
not argue, but it took a while and was tricky cause for many of the names one of us liked, the other would think of someone that they didn't like having that name
4) Have you ever had food poisoning? What was it from?
i don't know for sure. i guess there have been times when i've eaten something, then immediately had - uh, stomach issues. not sure if that is really food poisoning or not. to get on the soapbox a bit, this almost never happens anymore since i've stopped eating meat
5) If you won a vacation to any place in the world, where would you go?
rio! the beaches, the music, the lack of snow!
friday five
1. Do you wear any jewelry? What kind?
wedding ring. thin gold chain and cross which i got from my wife near the time we were engaged which i kind of view as my engagement ring, which i wear despite i am not really an orthodox christian. earrings when the mood fits
2. How often do you wear it?
wedding ring and cross - nearly always. take them off for yoga, swimming, etc after i lost my wedding ring while swimming (angel of a lifeguard found it) and because sometimes for those activities they kind of get in the way...
3. Do you have any piercings? If so, where?
2 in left ear lobe
4. Do you have any tattoos? If so, where?
no, have long considered getting one. current thought: a recycle symbol on outside of right calf/ankle
5. What are your plans for the weekend?
nothing concrete, uh, thanks for asking
1. Do you wear any jewelry? What kind?
wedding ring. thin gold chain and cross which i got from my wife near the time we were engaged which i kind of view as my engagement ring, which i wear despite i am not really an orthodox christian. earrings when the mood fits
2. How often do you wear it?
wedding ring and cross - nearly always. take them off for yoga, swimming, etc after i lost my wedding ring while swimming (angel of a lifeguard found it) and because sometimes for those activities they kind of get in the way...
3. Do you have any piercings? If so, where?
2 in left ear lobe
4. Do you have any tattoos? If so, where?
no, have long considered getting one. current thought: a recycle symbol on outside of right calf/ankle
5. What are your plans for the weekend?
nothing concrete, uh, thanks for asking
Thursday, January 02, 2003
all junk blog...
junk tv...
vh1 show about show biz couples has lead me to the following conclusions:
just when you think things couldn't get worse, they had a show about - as god is my witness - butts
commercial interlude: how in the world do the wild thornberry's deserve a feature film - spongebob would have made a WAYYYY better choice (speaking of which, the all time greatest episode (krusty krab training video) was on today)
junk food
the official potato chip rankings for 2002 have been released, they are as follows:
i think my mind, like my body, has turned to mush over the holidays...
junk tv...
vh1 show about show biz couples has lead me to the following conclusions:
- mutt lange must be drugging shania twain
- eric clapton has a lovely daughter - oh, wait a minute, that's not his daughter...
- someone said ozzy and sharon stayed together so long cause she's the only one to understand him. i think they mean literally - i.e. no one else has any clue what the hell he is saying
just when you think things couldn't get worse, they had a show about - as god is my witness - butts
commercial interlude: how in the world do the wild thornberry's deserve a feature film - spongebob would have made a WAYYYY better choice (speaking of which, the all time greatest episode (krusty krab training video) was on today)
junk food
the official potato chip rankings for 2002 have been released, they are as follows:
- snyder's kettle jalapeno
- lays lime tortilla
- some kind of really crunchy bbq - forget the brand - might be snyders too - they sell the same chip (at least they taste like it) as quizno's brand in their sub shops
- kc masterpiece bbq
- all the rest...
i think my mind, like my body, has turned to mush over the holidays...
in the cleveland area most folks are browns fans and as the football game was playing at the skating rink last night a little kid gave out a loud yell of "go browns". i love when fans show their support. the only issue was the game in question was the rose bowl between oklahoma and washington state. the browns don't play until sunday
gotta love youthful enthusiasm, though.
gotta love youthful enthusiasm, though.
Wednesday, January 01, 2003
after space ghost, i tuned into vh1s countdown of top one hit wonders. one hit wonder certainly is not meant as a complimentary term, yet, i think there is something to be said for being one. certainly the ideal is to have a long, productive career, with many creative peaks (of course, those always come with the requisite creative valleys), however what artists really ever do it. they are few and far between. most artists - even great ones - have a very brief period of peak artistic achievment - preceeded and followed, perhaps, by some good work. creating one, absolute, memorable hit seems better to me than miring about in mediocity for your whole career - or worse yet, never making it at all. some one hit wonders, i suspect, are one hit wonders precisely because their hit was just too good - they couldn't top it. a perfect gem of a record - a defining moment - however you want to call it...now, in many cases the hardcore fan of some of these one hit wonders might point to other great moments by these band (ex:the waitresses - christmas wrapping and square pegs theme), but c'mon...
my favorites from the countdown(sure i'll miss some) include: jeannie c. riley, harper valley pta (i mean they made a tv movie for it, i think, such is the power...); 4 non blondes, what's up; the waitresses1, i know what boys like (how can you NOT like a song whose lyrics include "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah");biz markie, just a friend; crash test dummies, mmm mmmm mmmm mmmm (actually i like ctd and prefer their follow up - forget the title (should be a tip off) - "someday i'll have a disappearing hairline, someday i'll wear pajamas in the daytime, ooohhh ohhh ohhh, afternoons, they'll be measured out, measured with coffee spoons, and t.s. elliot" - or something like that); faith no more, epic (played a karaoke drum machine to that at cedar point - i kicked ass); tom tom club - genius of love (damn you, mariah carey); meredith brooks, bitch; sir mix a lot, baby's got back; rob base, it takes two ("yeah, whoo" what a great rhythm track); thomas dolby - she blinded me with science; ? and the mysterians , 96 tears (YESSS!!!!! shoulda been #1)
how about yours?
1found out from the show waitresses lead singer - patti donahue died of cancer in 1996 - damn - are all cool people dead?
my favorites from the countdown(sure i'll miss some) include: jeannie c. riley, harper valley pta (i mean they made a tv movie for it, i think, such is the power...); 4 non blondes, what's up; the waitresses1, i know what boys like (how can you NOT like a song whose lyrics include "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah");biz markie, just a friend; crash test dummies, mmm mmmm mmmm mmmm (actually i like ctd and prefer their follow up - forget the title (should be a tip off) - "someday i'll have a disappearing hairline, someday i'll wear pajamas in the daytime, ooohhh ohhh ohhh, afternoons, they'll be measured out, measured with coffee spoons, and t.s. elliot" - or something like that); faith no more, epic (played a karaoke drum machine to that at cedar point - i kicked ass); tom tom club - genius of love (damn you, mariah carey); meredith brooks, bitch; sir mix a lot, baby's got back; rob base, it takes two ("yeah, whoo" what a great rhythm track); thomas dolby - she blinded me with science; ? and the mysterians , 96 tears (YESSS!!!!! shoulda been #1)
how about yours?
1found out from the show waitresses lead singer - patti donahue died of cancer in 1996 - damn - are all cool people dead?
spent the first few minutes of 2k3 w/space ghost and willie nelson
looking like a helluva year...
happy new year all!
looking like a helluva year...
happy new year all!
Tuesday, December 31, 2002
this is shaping up to be the most boring new years eve since i was about 12. my friend who often has new years eve parties - ones our whole family can attend - has, the last couple of years, not thrown his party - instead going on vacation in western canada skiing - imagine that - wanting to spend time with your beautiful wife in the beautiful wilderness instead of having a houseful of obnoxious friends and their families - you really gotta question some folks priorities. we had a party last year, but, while i had a reasonably good time - my wife found it boring - so she didn't want to go thru it again this year...
so...i heard on the radio some babysitter's were making $30 an hour for babysitting tonight - up from an approx. average of $5/hour. of course, i have no idea what my babysitter would charge as she has not returned our call to let us know if she is available. with about 12 hrs left in the old year, i'm starting to have my doubts...
so it's looking like a dinner out with the family, come home, watch the tube, play video games - maybe have a few snacks (hmmm - 2003 sounds suspiciously like 2002) - i'm not particularly heartbroken (remember, i am anti-fun)
sharon and stína, let me know what 2k3 is like so i know if staying up past midnight is worth it...
taking the kids to see harry potter again today at the cheap theater. i'm starting to wonder what is really my vacation - the time i spend teaching or the time i spend with my kids when all of us are off of school - hopefully a diversion like this will help pacify the house-bound little maniacs...
new years resolution everyone ought to adopt...do not refer to a female singer as a "diva" unless she can sing an aria to arturo toscanini's satisfaction...
so...i heard on the radio some babysitter's were making $30 an hour for babysitting tonight - up from an approx. average of $5/hour. of course, i have no idea what my babysitter would charge as she has not returned our call to let us know if she is available. with about 12 hrs left in the old year, i'm starting to have my doubts...
so it's looking like a dinner out with the family, come home, watch the tube, play video games - maybe have a few snacks (hmmm - 2003 sounds suspiciously like 2002) - i'm not particularly heartbroken (remember, i am anti-fun)
sharon and stína, let me know what 2k3 is like so i know if staying up past midnight is worth it...
taking the kids to see harry potter again today at the cheap theater. i'm starting to wonder what is really my vacation - the time i spend teaching or the time i spend with my kids when all of us are off of school - hopefully a diversion like this will help pacify the house-bound little maniacs...
new years resolution everyone ought to adopt...do not refer to a female singer as a "diva" unless she can sing an aria to arturo toscanini's satisfaction...
Monday, December 30, 2002
interesting discussion shaping up at melanie's concerning powerball winner's statements (per npr via melanie)
"The very first thing I'm going to do is sit down and make out three checks to three pastors for 10 percent1 of this check," he said.
He said he would provide $17 million to the three pastors and let them control the money and perhaps establish a Christian school.
"Seventeen million in the state of West Virginia will really do good for the poor," he said."
melanie was critical of these comments - stating the money would be better spent feeding the poor.
on one level, i very much agree with melanie. that would not be my choice of where to donate money. yet, on another level, i feel oddly compelled to defend his choice - even though it leaves me in the unexpected position of defending a member of a born again church (at least i imagine that's what he is).
(paraphrasing from my comments on melanie's blog) i find it hard to criticize any attempts at philanthropy. unless we have reasons to suspect his motives, i find it hard to criticize anyone who looks beyond their own selfish needs and attempts to help someone. to be sure, his choice of charities does not align with my values - but that's all that can be said - to go beyond that and attempt to question where it might be better spent, i feel, is attempting to impose one's own values. any charitable contributions, including mine to habitat for humanity or amnesty international could be put under a microscope and scrutinized and a more worthy charity argued for...could my money be better spent donating to a local soup kitchen, or for aids research or cancer research - who knows. i have made my choices based on my own values...when i have a spare $17mil i'll donate it to the cause i most want to benefit...
what do you think about this?
on a personal note - i sincerely hope melanie is not upset with me for my post here or in her comments...melanie is very intelligent and my posts are coming from a strong sense of respect for her and her views here - which, despite understanding on one level, i happen to disagree with - this time. obviously, i find this topic intriguing, largely because i find myself defending an action i would never personally take.
1it is likely he belongs to a denomination that does "tithing" i.e. mandatory donation of 10% of his earnings, which again, i don't necessarily agree with - but in this respect, he had no choice...
"The very first thing I'm going to do is sit down and make out three checks to three pastors for 10 percent1 of this check," he said.
He said he would provide $17 million to the three pastors and let them control the money and perhaps establish a Christian school.
"Seventeen million in the state of West Virginia will really do good for the poor," he said."
melanie was critical of these comments - stating the money would be better spent feeding the poor.
on one level, i very much agree with melanie. that would not be my choice of where to donate money. yet, on another level, i feel oddly compelled to defend his choice - even though it leaves me in the unexpected position of defending a member of a born again church (at least i imagine that's what he is).
(paraphrasing from my comments on melanie's blog) i find it hard to criticize any attempts at philanthropy. unless we have reasons to suspect his motives, i find it hard to criticize anyone who looks beyond their own selfish needs and attempts to help someone. to be sure, his choice of charities does not align with my values - but that's all that can be said - to go beyond that and attempt to question where it might be better spent, i feel, is attempting to impose one's own values. any charitable contributions, including mine to habitat for humanity or amnesty international could be put under a microscope and scrutinized and a more worthy charity argued for...could my money be better spent donating to a local soup kitchen, or for aids research or cancer research - who knows. i have made my choices based on my own values...when i have a spare $17mil i'll donate it to the cause i most want to benefit...
what do you think about this?
on a personal note - i sincerely hope melanie is not upset with me for my post here or in her comments...melanie is very intelligent and my posts are coming from a strong sense of respect for her and her views here - which, despite understanding on one level, i happen to disagree with - this time. obviously, i find this topic intriguing, largely because i find myself defending an action i would never personally take.
1it is likely he belongs to a denomination that does "tithing" i.e. mandatory donation of 10% of his earnings, which again, i don't necessarily agree with - but in this respect, he had no choice...
Sunday, December 29, 2002
horrible day skating - started out and skates didn't feel right - so i had them sharpened. while i was wwaiting i rented a piar - size 13 (my normal size) feet were swimming in them - and for me, as far as skates go - too big is bad (perhaps my own are 12.5 or even 12 - like shoes it depends on brand, etc...) so i get a size 12 - one blade had a big nick in it - blade kept slipping - switched again - a bit better - but still slippage problems - just as i was leaving got my skates back (they prob put a rush order on them - tired of seeing me) - tried a few laps to make sure my problems were skate problems - and they wore - worked like a charm - felt like a beginner there -perhaps all the sledding abuse i took contributed too - but what a waste - all this being said, i am pretty lucky if this counts as a bad day...
