Saturday, January 18, 2003
p.s. i am, of course, not an alien. i was joking. i am sure most of you realize that, but just wanted to be sure so that:
my *serious* answer to what kind of alien i would want to be is one of those aliens who pretty much just messes with folks in rural areas for no obvious reasons - you know, crop circles....
why? sounds like it'd be fun. why else?
- i would not be followed by tommy lee jones and will smith
- my readers would not think i am psychotic (assuming it is not too late for that)
my *serious* answer to what kind of alien i would want to be is one of those aliens who pretty much just messes with folks in rural areas for no obvious reasons - you know, crop circles....
why? sounds like it'd be fun. why else?
apparent dissatisfaction with the friday five has cause many bloggers (many - in this sense, means me, jen and apparently now emily - see previous postes re:alice in wonderland/celebrity mole) to take things into their own hands. emily, for example, took matters into her own hands. here are her questions which she invites us all to answer - see her blog for her answers...
If you were an alien, what would you be and why?
what do you mean, if?
If you could be any color, what would you be?
green
If you could have a super power, what would you have and why?
invisibility - seem to be very useful and great for mischief - though, of course, i would use my powers only for the good...
If you could be a fiction genre, what would you be and why?
dr. seuss - perhaps not a genre in itself, but close to it...his worlds look like fun ones...
If you could go anywhere on Earth, where would you go?
rio!!!!
If you were an alien, what would you be and why?
what do you mean, if?
If you could be any color, what would you be?
green
If you could have a super power, what would you have and why?
invisibility - seem to be very useful and great for mischief - though, of course, i would use my powers only for the good...
If you could be a fiction genre, what would you be and why?
dr. seuss - perhaps not a genre in itself, but close to it...his worlds look like fun ones...
If you could go anywhere on Earth, where would you go?
rio!!!!
blogcurry®
inspiried by the segment on icelandic music (see previous post), i picked up a cd by sigur ros. (i know, david you recommended this band to me a while ago; i trust you are too much of a gentleman to say, "i told you so..."). i would tell you the title of the cd, but i have no clue. the packaging is lovely, but virtually devoid of words, only including the band's name and web site - and a small sticker has record co. info. along with some lovely photos on translucent paper. the cover has two things that look like ( ) i heard someone jokingly suggest the title was "two sausages kissing..." but anyhow - very atmospheric, dreamy music...i love some of it - not sure what to make of some of it - reminds me, in part of radiohead - less in a literal sense than in my initial reaction to both are similar - i am guessing this one will grow on me...
in desperate need of mindless entertainment, i rented and watched blue crush. that has to be the best made bad movie in history - the surfing shots are breathtaking - literally - really gives you the sense of being surrounded with water - the story - well, seems to have been written by sixth graders - albeit bright ones - but you know - it's like going to mcdonalds and ordering a big mac - you know what your getting and they deliver it - so what's the problem...
not sure how many, if any of you practice yoga regularly - i've found it lately beneficial to shift around in the poses to get it just right - i.e. in a fwd bend - deliberately let my weight go into my heels, then into my toes, then settle to where it is just right - kind of the three bears approach to yoga
finally, in literal curry news, had my favorite curry (navaratana (sp?) - mixed grilled veggies) at my favorite restaurant (cafe tandoor )why did it take me so long to recall the name - early senility)) - first piece of advice for new vegetarians - seek out (for lack of a better word) ethnic restaurants - you won't feel like a second class citizen - great to have a restaurant where as a vegetarian, you can look at the menu, see a bunch of selections and pick the one you want as opposed to picking from the two or three options - and even then not being sure there are no "hidden" ingredients (and, an aside to restaurant workers - know your food - i have been misinformed horribly on a few occasions)
anyhow - not much on the agenda today - did my homework - a trip to the library and prob will rent undercover brother tonight as my need for mindless entertainment has not been sated by blue crush, not by jay and silent bob strike back from last weekend...
inspiried by the segment on icelandic music (see previous post), i picked up a cd by sigur ros. (i know, david you recommended this band to me a while ago; i trust you are too much of a gentleman to say, "i told you so..."). i would tell you the title of the cd, but i have no clue. the packaging is lovely, but virtually devoid of words, only including the band's name and web site - and a small sticker has record co. info. along with some lovely photos on translucent paper. the cover has two things that look like ( ) i heard someone jokingly suggest the title was "two sausages kissing..." but anyhow - very atmospheric, dreamy music...i love some of it - not sure what to make of some of it - reminds me, in part of radiohead - less in a literal sense than in my initial reaction to both are similar - i am guessing this one will grow on me...
in desperate need of mindless entertainment, i rented and watched blue crush. that has to be the best made bad movie in history - the surfing shots are breathtaking - literally - really gives you the sense of being surrounded with water - the story - well, seems to have been written by sixth graders - albeit bright ones - but you know - it's like going to mcdonalds and ordering a big mac - you know what your getting and they deliver it - so what's the problem...
not sure how many, if any of you practice yoga regularly - i've found it lately beneficial to shift around in the poses to get it just right - i.e. in a fwd bend - deliberately let my weight go into my heels, then into my toes, then settle to where it is just right - kind of the three bears approach to yoga
finally, in literal curry news, had my favorite curry (navaratana (sp?) - mixed grilled veggies) at my favorite restaurant (cafe tandoor )why did it take me so long to recall the name - early senility)) - first piece of advice for new vegetarians - seek out (for lack of a better word) ethnic restaurants - you won't feel like a second class citizen - great to have a restaurant where as a vegetarian, you can look at the menu, see a bunch of selections and pick the one you want as opposed to picking from the two or three options - and even then not being sure there are no "hidden" ingredients (and, an aside to restaurant workers - know your food - i have been misinformed horribly on a few occasions)
anyhow - not much on the agenda today - did my homework - a trip to the library and prob will rent undercover brother tonight as my need for mindless entertainment has not been sated by blue crush, not by jay and silent bob strike back from last weekend...
Friday, January 17, 2003
the class i'm taking uses macintoshes
*gasp*
where's the right mouse button on these damned things
flatscreen monitor does look pretty darned cool though...
*gasp*
where's the right mouse button on these damned things
flatscreen monitor does look pretty darned cool though...
ohio penguins kick butts of candy assed california penguins
..and after all the psa's about flying while drunk...
and this isn't even from the onion which has a lot of good stuff this week...
..and after all the psa's about flying while drunk...
and this isn't even from the onion which has a lot of good stuff this week...
friday five
i was originally going to boycott this one as the conspiracy theorist in me believes it is a thinly veiled attempt by jen to grill me for more info about my job (see previous post). i have no hard proof of this, of course, but i will be dispatching a team of UN inspectors to new mexico. if they fail to find evidence, it will, of course, prove that she is hiding it.
1. Where do you currently work?
a community college - computer science instructor - also on the side do some simulation work for other divisions
last summer and future summers (i hope), nasa - as part of a summer faculty fellowship
2. How many other jobs have you had and where?
a bunch - if i can count straight this early - at least 5 software development gigs, part-time instructor, custodian, office assistant
3. What do you like best about your job?
the academic environment - the relative freedom and being in a culture where learning is valued and a priority as opposed to just earning money...
4. What do you like least about your job?
ah, the smoking gun, not so fast, jen...
5. What is your dream job?
skate tester for salomon
i was originally going to boycott this one as the conspiracy theorist in me believes it is a thinly veiled attempt by jen to grill me for more info about my job (see previous post). i have no hard proof of this, of course, but i will be dispatching a team of UN inspectors to new mexico. if they fail to find evidence, it will, of course, prove that she is hiding it.
1. Where do you currently work?
a community college - computer science instructor - also on the side do some simulation work for other divisions
last summer and future summers (i hope), nasa - as part of a summer faculty fellowship
2. How many other jobs have you had and where?
a bunch - if i can count straight this early - at least 5 software development gigs, part-time instructor, custodian, office assistant
3. What do you like best about your job?
the academic environment - the relative freedom and being in a culture where learning is valued and a priority as opposed to just earning money...
4. What do you like least about your job?
ah, the smoking gun, not so fast, jen...
5. What is your dream job?
skate tester for salomon
i caught part of a segment on pbs frontline/world about music in iceland. the segment was really hyping the music scene - describing it as fresh and innovative. of the bands i saw, i liked Apparat the best. i hope to see the segment in it's entirety if it is replayed. in the meantime, perhaps our own dear lovely viking queen kristi v can fill in the gaps...
Thursday, January 16, 2003
questions from jen
1) What is one thing you regret?
of the ones i care to share, should have had more fun, took more risks etc. when i was younger and had less responsibility. corollary: wish i did not slip into a long period of inactivity
2) What does your spouse do?
she is an RN in radiology
3) What did you want to be when you were a kid?
when real little, a priest - when a bit older, a journalist
4) Are you happy with your career now or do you see yourself changing careers again?
good question, hard to say what the future brings. this could be a whole series of posts and i still would not answer the question - so i am not going to try. please ask me simple questions like "explain god in one sentence"
;-)
5) What was your first rated R movie?
wow - who can recall that far back. probably something with clara bow in it. ok, seriously, i can't recall for sure, but probably either shampoo or taxi driver - assuming they were R rated - or even that there was ratings back then...i remember at the time i saw them (both first run, at the theatre) they were, for an impressionable youth as myself, a bit, um, intense., though in different ways..
1) What is one thing you regret?
of the ones i care to share, should have had more fun, took more risks etc. when i was younger and had less responsibility. corollary: wish i did not slip into a long period of inactivity
2) What does your spouse do?
she is an RN in radiology
3) What did you want to be when you were a kid?
when real little, a priest - when a bit older, a journalist
4) Are you happy with your career now or do you see yourself changing careers again?
good question, hard to say what the future brings. this could be a whole series of posts and i still would not answer the question - so i am not going to try. please ask me simple questions like "explain god in one sentence"
;-)
5) What was your first rated R movie?
wow - who can recall that far back. probably something with clara bow in it. ok, seriously, i can't recall for sure, but probably either shampoo or taxi driver - assuming they were R rated - or even that there was ratings back then...i remember at the time i saw them (both first run, at the theatre) they were, for an impressionable youth as myself, a bit, um, intense., though in different ways..
perhaps one of my more literate readers can remind me: was it 1984, alice in wonderland or someplace else where someone says soemthing like, "words can mean anything you want them to mean". this is, of course, always true in politics as well, as advertising and now that i think of it, in pretty much every aspect of society these days. but i was really thinking about this last night when watching "celebrity mole", where the word "celebrity" apparently means, 'a person not related to you, nor a personal friend, that after a couple minute explanation by the show's host, you look and say, "oh yeah, i kinda remember him/her (i think)'" the folks on that show are celebrities in the same sense i am an inline skating champion (remember: i did win a trophy - though, under cloudy circumstances that i don't even recall completely - but it's on my desk, none the less)
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
jewel working on new album
i have no real reason to post this, except she tends to spark spirited discussion...
i have no real reason to post this, except she tends to spark spirited discussion...
i dreamt i was working on a software development project, and mick jagger came in and wanted an enhancement. his enhancement made sense, but to my credit, i followed proper procedure and did not just rush off and do it.
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
was watching a tape of 2 episodes of a new favorite show global extremes and i couldn't bear the hypocrisy of being a couch potato watching all these active folks doing all these amazing adventures, so i skated around my neighborhood. it ain't mountain biking in moab, but, hey, it was pretty darn cold (20 F), so that's a start...
in related news, next week is national skating week
in related news, next week is national skating week
Monday, January 13, 2003
Sunday, January 12, 2003
went for my first winter-time trail run today
despite what you might think (and i feared) trail-running in the winter isn't horrible - at least not today, at least not on the trails i run...
it is pretty cold today (prob about upper teens-lowers 20's F when i ran) but clear and the sun is out...
actually there are advantages and disadvantages comparing winter and summer trail running...
all in all, will try to do it again - perhaps i will look for better clothing to wick away moisture (i love it when i can use sporting goods store terms like that)
now, on to skating, yoga, alias...
trying to squeeze the most out of the last hours before classes start...
despite what you might think (and i feared) trail-running in the winter isn't horrible - at least not today, at least not on the trails i run...
it is pretty cold today (prob about upper teens-lowers 20's F when i ran) but clear and the sun is out...
actually there are advantages and disadvantages comparing winter and summer trail running...
- no skeeters or other bugs in the winter
- sweat less profusely in the winter
- NO problem keeping the water cold in the winter
- is uncomfortable when you stop in the winter - just being slightly sweaty makes you real cold
- everything hurts more in the winter
- winter scenery is nice - but so is the summer
- less people/dogs to worry about on the trail in the winter
- air smells better in the summer
- better performance in the summer
- hypothermia vs. heat exhaustion - another wash
all in all, will try to do it again - perhaps i will look for better clothing to wick away moisture (i love it when i can use sporting goods store terms like that)
now, on to skating, yoga, alias...
trying to squeeze the most out of the last hours before classes start...
