Today, having exhausted my recent Colbert episodes, I return to Tosh.0 to find that there is nearly nothing worth putting into my blog. Because of the lack of funniness recently, I think we can agree that this video's at least worth a shot (you'll appreciate the pun later).
In case you're wondering how my day is going, I only need quote my conversation with Amanda on gchat: "She nuked her brain into the stone age". Not that you can guess what it's about, but I think you empathize through your own experiences and I hope your day is looking up. :)
I'd also like to give a shout out to those unfortunate souls who are already starting school. This is probably the longest summer break of my life (May 6 - Sept 20) and I am loving it. Sure, I can't wait to get back to those good old seats that I did so much napping in, but I'm enjoying the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing a good hard real day's... wait. No, that's not what work feels like at all. Ok, I'm jealous of you guys for your school sessions starting early. I'm ready to officially be a grad student, in class and working on figuring out what a project might look like or include.
I just google-mapped where I'm going for work tomorrow, and after it found the location it just started revolving around the globe. In fact, it continued to revolve even after I refreshed the page with driving directions, coming back to rest in Afghanistan, which is definitely not where I'm going to work tomorrow.
And then I found this chicken video on the comment bar of Tosh.0.
30 August 2010
29 August 2010
Church this morning
I told Amanda that a blog is definitely in order about church, and as hers will be different than mine, I encourage you to read 2 opinions on the matter.
Today, we were early to church. Please, hold your applause. I know it's amazing that we were early, especially to those of you who have heard horror stories of us being late by up to a half hour after leaving earlier than required from home and getting lost in bad detours or bad weather or misinformation on church times, etc. Well, today we were early to church and that would've been great except it was because we got up an hour too early. I know this is typical on daylight savings, etc., but once again for us it was just another day of failing to remember what time church started. Instead we got to enjoy a little early Sunday am chill time at the 36/37 Starbucks before we headed back to the church. While I'm on the subject, I have to say that the Starbucks up there might look a little shady on the outside and rough because of a terrible paving job, it's a pretty nice place on the inside. I enjoyed just sitting and watching people and waiting for my coffee to cool off which didn't happen until we finally got to church.
When we walked in to church, I ran into an old 4-H advisor, which was cool and we got seated in time to see the processional (also rare). The priest opened with a redneck joke and that's where I pretty much lost my concentration for the next hour. "Why's a redneck murder so hard to solve? Because the DNA's a match, and there's a lack of dental records." This isn't to say he didn't make a nice recovery by tying this into God's matching DNA for us as children and then a need for humility in the sermon, but I still lost a lot of focus in exchange for new-found appreciation of the priest and church. I definitely feel like we are welcome there and that is a really good feeling after so much church shopping.
With that, I encourage you all to explore another beautiful day before we suffer through another exhausting boiler of a week.
Today, we were early to church. Please, hold your applause. I know it's amazing that we were early, especially to those of you who have heard horror stories of us being late by up to a half hour after leaving earlier than required from home and getting lost in bad detours or bad weather or misinformation on church times, etc. Well, today we were early to church and that would've been great except it was because we got up an hour too early. I know this is typical on daylight savings, etc., but once again for us it was just another day of failing to remember what time church started. Instead we got to enjoy a little early Sunday am chill time at the 36/37 Starbucks before we headed back to the church. While I'm on the subject, I have to say that the Starbucks up there might look a little shady on the outside and rough because of a terrible paving job, it's a pretty nice place on the inside. I enjoyed just sitting and watching people and waiting for my coffee to cool off which didn't happen until we finally got to church.
When we walked in to church, I ran into an old 4-H advisor, which was cool and we got seated in time to see the processional (also rare). The priest opened with a redneck joke and that's where I pretty much lost my concentration for the next hour. "Why's a redneck murder so hard to solve? Because the DNA's a match, and there's a lack of dental records." This isn't to say he didn't make a nice recovery by tying this into God's matching DNA for us as children and then a need for humility in the sermon, but I still lost a lot of focus in exchange for new-found appreciation of the priest and church. I definitely feel like we are welcome there and that is a really good feeling after so much church shopping.
With that, I encourage you all to explore another beautiful day before we suffer through another exhausting boiler of a week.
28 August 2010
Boo Blue!
I dedicate this post to Gail as I steal 2 great Youtube videos for the blog. We had a pretty cool bonfire last night and I'm getting ready to head out and help Liz and Chris move today. Yup, after an extremely long day of work (bet you never guessed from my posts yesterday) it's nice to have a weekend ahead of us.
27 August 2010
Youtube Politicians?
Yep, I couldn't believe it when I saw it, but Youtube has collected a playlist of political ads from across the US. This literally left me just jaw agape in the grad office. I couldn't even believe I saw it.
In case the guy riding a horse and his list of experiences didn't scream right-wing (oh, and by the way he was running for Ag. Commissioner in Alabama), then whipping out the gun at the end probably did the trick. And while we're on the topic of Alabama, I think this one's right in the same flavor.
And I don't know if this link will work for you or not, but it should be jumping spiders fighting.
In case the guy riding a horse and his list of experiences didn't scream right-wing (oh, and by the way he was running for Ag. Commissioner in Alabama), then whipping out the gun at the end probably did the trick. And while we're on the topic of Alabama, I think this one's right in the same flavor.
And I don't know if this link will work for you or not, but it should be jumping spiders fighting.
BBC News
I was surfing my latest headlines and today was definitely a winner. There's lots of links to choose from here so go ahead and scroll through the ones that appeal to you the most. I realize that I could've put more links to news about the war, or environmental disasters or murders or political debates, but frankly I'm tired of hearing about the war from people who have no idea what's really going on. I'm tired of hearing about the oil spills and other earth messes because just like George Carlin (skilled, sailor of a comedian), I'm tired of hearing about people wanting to save the planet. Almost everyone who really says they want to help the planet turn around and don't act on it. It's not that I don't care about the planet, I just want to really help it instead of reading a bunch of forest killing books about how some journalist Ph.D. thinks they're going to fix the problem. So let's be amused by the news...
While we're talking about renewable energy, check out this long shot. Less energy potential than the solar panel, and look how well that one's really taken root compared with other energy options.
This fire tornado is truly apocalypse-like and awe-inspiring.
Absolute props to this hero in China who's on China's 'got talent' show playing the piano with his feet. No offense to the Chinese government but is the video real? And why did you allow his parents to keep him if he has no military potential for your country?
Leave it to Ohio to get into the top-viewed news on BBC, and for this? What really gets me is the comment at the end that most of the interactions between the 2 groups have been friendly, despite the fact that the preachers were supposedly preaching hate.
Just in case you wondered what our solution is to the ever-constant problem of helicopter crashes in combat and training, it would appear that we're just going to pull the human crews out of them. Yep, Lockheed Martin is planning to begin testing unmanned helicopters in Afghanistan soon.
And then there's research that tobacco plants actually signal/call for other bugs to come in an eat their predators. Very awesome.
Finally, maybe this ad from my Pandora will play smoother on better internet than what I'm using on campus right now, but I thought this was a creative way to advertise against drunk driving.
While we're talking about renewable energy, check out this long shot. Less energy potential than the solar panel, and look how well that one's really taken root compared with other energy options.
This fire tornado is truly apocalypse-like and awe-inspiring.
Absolute props to this hero in China who's on China's 'got talent' show playing the piano with his feet. No offense to the Chinese government but is the video real? And why did you allow his parents to keep him if he has no military potential for your country?
Leave it to Ohio to get into the top-viewed news on BBC, and for this? What really gets me is the comment at the end that most of the interactions between the 2 groups have been friendly, despite the fact that the preachers were supposedly preaching hate.
Just in case you wondered what our solution is to the ever-constant problem of helicopter crashes in combat and training, it would appear that we're just going to pull the human crews out of them. Yep, Lockheed Martin is planning to begin testing unmanned helicopters in Afghanistan soon.
And then there's research that tobacco plants actually signal/call for other bugs to come in an eat their predators. Very awesome.
Finally, maybe this ad from my Pandora will play smoother on better internet than what I'm using on campus right now, but I thought this was a creative way to advertise against drunk driving.
Yum, centipedes....
This fellow or one of his relatives was just walking across the grad office floor until I spotted him. I probably shouldn't have mentioned it because as soon as I did the girls went running for a shoe to finish his poor excuse of an existence. Good thing we still don't believe insects are sentient, right?
(insert aghast face of animal rights movement leftist, sorry but I didn't have that image on stock)
Anyways, the poor fellow met his timely end and another guy was drafted to throw him in the trash. Frankly, with the timing of killing him by a girl's desk just as she walked in for the morning was perfect. I had trouble stopping laughing. If it speaks to how bored I am this morning as I enter data, that is the most entertaining thing that has happened all morning.
Amanda and I started running yesterday morning. It's really nice to have a jogging companion because I like to run without music just as much as I like to run with it, but I like having company to support me in my efforts even more. I feel just a little bit less stupid out running with her and trust me, I feel pretty stupid out running in public. Biking is a form of exercise that comes naturally for me. Running has never come naturally to me and I look absolutely half as stupid as I used to when I run but I think that's only because I'm fatter so that my body can't do all the weird contortions it did in mid-stride like it used to. Nevertheless, running is my new thing until the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot as I try to drop another 10ish pounds from my current weight of 225 - 230.
I love Gordon Gee
And for today here is reason number 1. That's the spirit! We have a picture with him from the Pelotonia which will be posted as soon as I have it from Liz.
It's great to be a Columbus area native and to feel that rush every fall when football season comes around. Today, Amanda and I picked up the first 3 tickets of the season from the Schottenstein Center. I'm not going to lie. I'm stoked about having OSU tickets, but there's no way that these games can be as exciting as going to an MSU game because when OSU plays a team, their opponents nearly never have a chance of winning. However, with MSU while I was a student there we were almost always the underdogs or fighting some form of adversity. I will miss you MSU, and Shadows runs through my mind more often than I thought it would. Captain Joe, you were right. KIN is where I practiced the 2 most important things from MSU: Position A and the Shadows.
For your entertainment today I credit 2 friends for posting this on Facebook this morning. I will warn you that this is definitely potentially offensive for language (for those readers who might be offended - don't visit it) but I know there will be those who find it humorous and in today's culture there is nothing in it as shocking as what kids have to hear in elementary school.
It's great to be a Columbus area native and to feel that rush every fall when football season comes around. Today, Amanda and I picked up the first 3 tickets of the season from the Schottenstein Center. I'm not going to lie. I'm stoked about having OSU tickets, but there's no way that these games can be as exciting as going to an MSU game because when OSU plays a team, their opponents nearly never have a chance of winning. However, with MSU while I was a student there we were almost always the underdogs or fighting some form of adversity. I will miss you MSU, and Shadows runs through my mind more often than I thought it would. Captain Joe, you were right. KIN is where I practiced the 2 most important things from MSU: Position A and the Shadows.
For your entertainment today I credit 2 friends for posting this on Facebook this morning. I will warn you that this is definitely potentially offensive for language (for those readers who might be offended - don't visit it) but I know there will be those who find it humorous and in today's culture there is nothing in it as shocking as what kids have to hear in elementary school.
26 August 2010
Pictures
As promised, attached are pictures, first of one of the kittens. There are four total but coincidentally enough they've turned up missing and we're pretty sure our neighbors are to blame again. Anytime we get decent cats around, our neighbors steal them or they turn up "missing". I just don't get it.
Secondly, inserted is one picture of me and Chris at the end of Pelotonia10 Day 1, and then click here to see a picture of me at the finish on Day 2.
If anyone is looking for MSU tickets for this fall, please look forward to a link on my facebook. I'm trying to get rid of the whole season minus the MSU vs. Notre Dame night game and all I'm trying to do is cover cost, so they're a great buy.
Finally, I just wanted to throw in a picture from Amanda and I's little pure Michigan trip last year to Lake Michigan in Grand Haven. I miss being in Michigan in the summer. Either that, or I miss the job flexibility that I had last year which enabled me to go places like that. Done get me wrong, I'm far happier being here in Ohio with family and my wife, but I miss my friends and the state of Michigan a lot. I miss it even more now that everyone is moving back to East Lansing for the fall semester. I just got a text last night from Drew asking if I was going to be in town and I think that's when it hit me more than ever how many people I've left behind in one place that will be dear to me for a very long time. Thankfully I have good friends here, both new and old, to fill the gap and spend time with.
23 August 2010
Reflections of a great ride
Reflections on the most challenging thing in my life thus far - I’m just gonna talk as I see it in my head.
Amanda is amazing. I can’t explain it because I’m truly amazed by her. Her true worry for my well-being expressed in her face. Her true devotion exhibited by stopping in to see me at Logan on my way back alone because she “just happened to be near there”. Her pride apparent in the hug and kiss she gave me at the end and the smile when Chris and I came into Athens. Her dedication to a cause I jumped into made obvious by her encouragement through training and her waking me up and stretching my muscles in Athens before I jumped back on the bike, feeling like I was going to throw up. I can’t enumerate the plethora of ways in which she supported me through this ride.
To my sponsors. As I signed up for this ride, I knew that I wanted to help raise money for cancer research while getting into a better fitness level for my own future health. What I didn’t realize was both the scope and the depth of the Pelotonia in Ohio. All along the route there were people lining the ride and cheering with signs and cowbells. So many cancer patients and children with memorial signs were along the route, thanking the riders for their efforts and I just thought it’d be good to pass on to you how much your contributions were appreciated by the people of Ohio and I know the research towards a cure for cancer will provide hope to people all around the world. Thank you for your support of me and please look forward to next year as we try to put together a team which will require about $10,000 in donations. We’re going to need your help.
To the family of Michelle Kazlausky, I would like to express my deepest sympathy for the fact that she is never to return from a cause which she believed in so decisively. I will continue to pray for the family. I can agree with the statements in the article about frustrations with cars/trucks on the road and I think Chris agrees also that there were some very rude and inconsiderate people who behaved as if they gave no thought to how we would survive after they shoved us into the shoulder and guardrail or who decided it would be a great idea to gun it into a tight spot assuming that the bike would just vanish or miraculously stop. People need to learn to be safer on the road around bikers. I realize bikers can be rude as well, and if you’re one of those people, you need to behave better because you’re giving the rest of us a bad name.
My body aches. Chris had marching band practice and so on day 2 he needed to opt out because he has tryouts coming up soon. I can understand that, but it was increasingly difficult as day 2 progressed to do the ride solo. I’ll admit, I made better time on day 2, but that’s because Chris set the better pace. Instead I tagged behind faster riders on day 2 and passed many people. The only things holding me back on day 2 were broken spokes going into Logan and helping a girl in the hills fix her bike chain. To that girl and to the guy going on the 102 ride in a single gear, I give mad props. Both of them took the same course that I struggled through with a 70’s classic, but they had even fewer gears than I did. To the rest of you, congrats on a good ride, but we worked harder on our bikes. I’m so happy to have finished on my LeJeune. And as I rolled her into Baer Wheels on High St., the tube finally burst (which I assume is from a bad spoke installation), so hopefully she’s put back together soon. My knees are absolutely killing me, but in truth I know that my knee is considerably better than it had been before I started training and it has made miles (pun intended) of improvement since the wreck last summer. Plans for next year include getting an iPod (or offbrand) on an armband that plays music by stereo. Conversation alone can’t get me down there and back… I need some music and headphones are banned. Second addition is a new bike seat. Sure, my bike is original, but let me tell you… that seat is a little too original.
Anyhow, that’s the most intense thing I’ve done in my entire life, ranking near but more difficult with MSU tailgating and “education”, hiking the Grand Canyon and getting married (which turned out to be easy).
Amanda is amazing. I can’t explain it because I’m truly amazed by her. Her true worry for my well-being expressed in her face. Her true devotion exhibited by stopping in to see me at Logan on my way back alone because she “just happened to be near there”. Her pride apparent in the hug and kiss she gave me at the end and the smile when Chris and I came into Athens. Her dedication to a cause I jumped into made obvious by her encouragement through training and her waking me up and stretching my muscles in Athens before I jumped back on the bike, feeling like I was going to throw up. I can’t enumerate the plethora of ways in which she supported me through this ride.
To my sponsors. As I signed up for this ride, I knew that I wanted to help raise money for cancer research while getting into a better fitness level for my own future health. What I didn’t realize was both the scope and the depth of the Pelotonia in Ohio. All along the route there were people lining the ride and cheering with signs and cowbells. So many cancer patients and children with memorial signs were along the route, thanking the riders for their efforts and I just thought it’d be good to pass on to you how much your contributions were appreciated by the people of Ohio and I know the research towards a cure for cancer will provide hope to people all around the world. Thank you for your support of me and please look forward to next year as we try to put together a team which will require about $10,000 in donations. We’re going to need your help.
To the family of Michelle Kazlausky, I would like to express my deepest sympathy for the fact that she is never to return from a cause which she believed in so decisively. I will continue to pray for the family. I can agree with the statements in the article about frustrations with cars/trucks on the road and I think Chris agrees also that there were some very rude and inconsiderate people who behaved as if they gave no thought to how we would survive after they shoved us into the shoulder and guardrail or who decided it would be a great idea to gun it into a tight spot assuming that the bike would just vanish or miraculously stop. People need to learn to be safer on the road around bikers. I realize bikers can be rude as well, and if you’re one of those people, you need to behave better because you’re giving the rest of us a bad name.
My body aches. Chris had marching band practice and so on day 2 he needed to opt out because he has tryouts coming up soon. I can understand that, but it was increasingly difficult as day 2 progressed to do the ride solo. I’ll admit, I made better time on day 2, but that’s because Chris set the better pace. Instead I tagged behind faster riders on day 2 and passed many people. The only things holding me back on day 2 were broken spokes going into Logan and helping a girl in the hills fix her bike chain. To that girl and to the guy going on the 102 ride in a single gear, I give mad props. Both of them took the same course that I struggled through with a 70’s classic, but they had even fewer gears than I did. To the rest of you, congrats on a good ride, but we worked harder on our bikes. I’m so happy to have finished on my LeJeune. And as I rolled her into Baer Wheels on High St., the tube finally burst (which I assume is from a bad spoke installation), so hopefully she’s put back together soon. My knees are absolutely killing me, but in truth I know that my knee is considerably better than it had been before I started training and it has made miles (pun intended) of improvement since the wreck last summer. Plans for next year include getting an iPod (or offbrand) on an armband that plays music by stereo. Conversation alone can’t get me down there and back… I need some music and headphones are banned. Second addition is a new bike seat. Sure, my bike is original, but let me tell you… that seat is a little too original.
Anyhow, that’s the most intense thing I’ve done in my entire life, ranking near but more difficult with MSU tailgating and “education”, hiking the Grand Canyon and getting married (which turned out to be easy).
20 August 2010
Cera hit by a bus...
In case you ever were interested in MSU football tickets, I'm trying to get them moved this weekend before Amanda and I put them on Ebay. I got them for half of face value on discount and I'm just trying to get my money back on them. I had to buy the set to get Notre Dame tickets, of course I could've gotten them other ways apparently, but now I just need to move the rest of the season.
Thanks to Michael for the Youtube of this morning, where Michael Cera gets hit by a bus.
This might be the last time that I have time to post here before I ride the Pelotonia this weekend. The final tally in pre-ride training is 10 lbs lost, and never more than 30 miles biked. I'm sure hoping this goes well. I guess what I'm most concerned about is the bike seat and how sore I'm gonna be by about mile 40, or how sore I'll be on Sunday when I ride back. Anyhow, the big rally is tonight and I'm very excited to see Counting Crows in concert.
I'll see you all on the other side.
Thanks to Michael for the Youtube of this morning, where Michael Cera gets hit by a bus.
This might be the last time that I have time to post here before I ride the Pelotonia this weekend. The final tally in pre-ride training is 10 lbs lost, and never more than 30 miles biked. I'm sure hoping this goes well. I guess what I'm most concerned about is the bike seat and how sore I'm gonna be by about mile 40, or how sore I'll be on Sunday when I ride back. Anyhow, the big rally is tonight and I'm very excited to see Counting Crows in concert.
I'll see you all on the other side.
18 August 2010
Chinese and Biking...
... go together like, well, like, um... Chinese food and biking don't go together at all. They don't go together while the food is still in your digestive system at all. After a long day at work before lunch I came home and Amanda (still sick) and I ate lunch at around 4ish after I finally found the New China Express place. I really enjoy the food (this is the second time we've had it) and they are great portions for good prices. Amanda was negatively surprised by the quantity of onions that came with her beans and beef though, fyi.
Anyhow, great food, and about 90 minutes later I figured since I only ate about 2/3 of mine that it would be safe to venture out for a bike ride. Well, I rode for about 100 minutes, including all the traffic lights and near-death experiences that follow a biker anywhere near civilization (and if I bike away from civilization, the crappy roads tear my bike apart), my stomach was really churning by the time I reach halfway. I could feel it trying to surge back to previously visited parts of my esophagus and so the real struggle for the rest of the bike ride was to convince my body that I needed the nourishment for the rest of the day. End of story. Moral of the story: Chinese food is good, but it's better when you don't plan on doing anything after you eat some.
On a totally unrelated topic, Amanda has been reading Harry Potter again in anticipation of the new book coming out and today she asked me about Boxing Day. Well, I know that Tiffany probably told me at least twice about it, but I had to look it up again. For some reason, I had thought it was on Thanksgiving...? But it's not. Instead it's like a lower-class Christmas of sorts. Very interesting and I apologize in case Tiffany ever reads this because I should've remembered before.
Anyhow, great food, and about 90 minutes later I figured since I only ate about 2/3 of mine that it would be safe to venture out for a bike ride. Well, I rode for about 100 minutes, including all the traffic lights and near-death experiences that follow a biker anywhere near civilization (and if I bike away from civilization, the crappy roads tear my bike apart), my stomach was really churning by the time I reach halfway. I could feel it trying to surge back to previously visited parts of my esophagus and so the real struggle for the rest of the bike ride was to convince my body that I needed the nourishment for the rest of the day. End of story. Moral of the story: Chinese food is good, but it's better when you don't plan on doing anything after you eat some.
On a totally unrelated topic, Amanda has been reading Harry Potter again in anticipation of the new book coming out and today she asked me about Boxing Day. Well, I know that Tiffany probably told me at least twice about it, but I had to look it up again. For some reason, I had thought it was on Thanksgiving...? But it's not. Instead it's like a lower-class Christmas of sorts. Very interesting and I apologize in case Tiffany ever reads this because I should've remembered before.
Big Game Hunting
Well, among stories I've heard, I've never heard a better big game story than that of Lauren's uncle(?) with half of a lion's head mounted on his wall. However, this one is pretty crazy, and I'm glad the kids will be hopefully punished for trespassing and attacking another person's property.
17 August 2010
Zuchini, Penguins, Kittens and why I love Windows 7
Amanda and I were out at the house yesterday, and we took the time to see both the new kittens and also to raid some onions from the garden back at the house. If there's 3 things my family did well on this year it was pumpkins, potatoes and onions (which we always grow well, funny...) My part of the garden looks like a prairie grass display that got out of hand but the rest of the garden has held up well to the tough family schedule and we took tomatoes and onions, as well as zuchinis from Josiah's garden.
Since the cousins are on vacation, the duty fell to our extended family to watch Josiah's garden while they were gone. Let me start by saying that Josiah has one heck of an impressive garden. That boy has really gotten into it. And then to top off the fact that he's got sunflowers 8 ft tall, sweet corn maturing in cycles, edible cantaloupe and tomatoes growing in experimental plantings, he's got broccoli coming up just now. It's amazing how well his garden has turned out and props to him for such a good job. Obviously, the fence keeping the critters out and Patricia helping him weed are two bonuses as well, but it's obvious how hard he's worked by the bountiful produce his garden presents. We stole a couple of huge zuchini and took them back to the house where I promptly learned in Amanda's absence how to get a zuchini shredded up for chocolate zuchini bread. I washed and peeled the zuchini, and then cut it into thirds, then quartered those thirds and then they were finally small enough pieces to fit into the manual feed for the food processor which I assembled and safely (or at least without injury) used to shred the zuchini. Be impressed, Mom, because I only knew how to use it from our times of cooking/baking back in elementary school.
We had enough to make 3 loaves and then also freeze some extra. That used up zuchini number one, but the second is still waiting outside for his doom. And man, oh man was that bread good. It made for a perfect dessert to follow the ribeye steak, potatoes and corn on the cob that we made on the grill. I also had my own experiment in baking sunflower seeds, but I have a few minor improvements to make in that department before I'm willing to share them with the world. Thanks to Jacob for unwittingly volunteering his plants yesterday while he was out fishing.
As I said, we also were at the house to see Brandy's new kittens. If you know Brandy, you'll be shocked to see how cute and normal the kittens look in the pictures. I don't have the pictures into my gmail inbox yet but I will post them as soon as they arrive. We have one gray kitten, one all black kitten and 2 black and white kittens. There's absolutely no doubt who the father is - that mangy old Benny.
For my Youtubes of the day, I would like to recommend this penguin video of penguins in a zoo chasing a butterfly. I found it on Taylor's facebook and agree that it is a good way to put a smile on someone's face. If that doesn't, then listen to the pig puppet remind you once again as we honor the approach of flu season (it's always approaching) that H1N1 is a misnomer not related to the porcines at all.
Finally today I'd just like to briefly put into words a few of the reasons that I love Windows 7. I've been using it since last November and haven't looked back since.
1) Have you tried that little button in the right hand bottom corner which displays your desktop? Time saver!
2) I was able to redirect my documents saving so that it didn't use the OS drive like some idiot at Dell had thought would be a good idea. Sure, you could've done that before? The kicker is that I know little about computers but still got it done in 2 minutes.
3) I can run stuff from Macs that my older computer would freak out about. Maybe this isn't 7 but it's the software that came with it.
4) I love how much less it glitches up than Vista. Now I can truly multi-task and actually feel like I'm getting more done. I don't waste time waiting for the system to catch up with itself every 20 seconds.
5) The ability to drag over open document icons and create a visual shadow of it without actually selecting it saves me hours when I'm doing data entry between tables.
Those are my top 5 reasons for today, but I'm sure there will be more to come.
Since the cousins are on vacation, the duty fell to our extended family to watch Josiah's garden while they were gone. Let me start by saying that Josiah has one heck of an impressive garden. That boy has really gotten into it. And then to top off the fact that he's got sunflowers 8 ft tall, sweet corn maturing in cycles, edible cantaloupe and tomatoes growing in experimental plantings, he's got broccoli coming up just now. It's amazing how well his garden has turned out and props to him for such a good job. Obviously, the fence keeping the critters out and Patricia helping him weed are two bonuses as well, but it's obvious how hard he's worked by the bountiful produce his garden presents. We stole a couple of huge zuchini and took them back to the house where I promptly learned in Amanda's absence how to get a zuchini shredded up for chocolate zuchini bread. I washed and peeled the zuchini, and then cut it into thirds, then quartered those thirds and then they were finally small enough pieces to fit into the manual feed for the food processor which I assembled and safely (or at least without injury) used to shred the zuchini. Be impressed, Mom, because I only knew how to use it from our times of cooking/baking back in elementary school.
We had enough to make 3 loaves and then also freeze some extra. That used up zuchini number one, but the second is still waiting outside for his doom. And man, oh man was that bread good. It made for a perfect dessert to follow the ribeye steak, potatoes and corn on the cob that we made on the grill. I also had my own experiment in baking sunflower seeds, but I have a few minor improvements to make in that department before I'm willing to share them with the world. Thanks to Jacob for unwittingly volunteering his plants yesterday while he was out fishing.
As I said, we also were at the house to see Brandy's new kittens. If you know Brandy, you'll be shocked to see how cute and normal the kittens look in the pictures. I don't have the pictures into my gmail inbox yet but I will post them as soon as they arrive. We have one gray kitten, one all black kitten and 2 black and white kittens. There's absolutely no doubt who the father is - that mangy old Benny.
For my Youtubes of the day, I would like to recommend this penguin video of penguins in a zoo chasing a butterfly. I found it on Taylor's facebook and agree that it is a good way to put a smile on someone's face. If that doesn't, then listen to the pig puppet remind you once again as we honor the approach of flu season (it's always approaching) that H1N1 is a misnomer not related to the porcines at all.
Finally today I'd just like to briefly put into words a few of the reasons that I love Windows 7. I've been using it since last November and haven't looked back since.
1) Have you tried that little button in the right hand bottom corner which displays your desktop? Time saver!
2) I was able to redirect my documents saving so that it didn't use the OS drive like some idiot at Dell had thought would be a good idea. Sure, you could've done that before? The kicker is that I know little about computers but still got it done in 2 minutes.
3) I can run stuff from Macs that my older computer would freak out about. Maybe this isn't 7 but it's the software that came with it.
4) I love how much less it glitches up than Vista. Now I can truly multi-task and actually feel like I'm getting more done. I don't waste time waiting for the system to catch up with itself every 20 seconds.
5) The ability to drag over open document icons and create a visual shadow of it without actually selecting it saves me hours when I'm doing data entry between tables.
Those are my top 5 reasons for today, but I'm sure there will be more to come.
16 August 2010
Stoning
Yeah, like the Biblical style, apparently. Just in case you've forgotten why we're overseas, here's a reminder. I don't care if you vote right or left, but I highly doubt that you would support this lack of freedom. The question to be asked is do we have the obligation to share our views about freedom with everyone else? I believe we are hypocrites if we don't.
Tazing
Previously Colbert talked about a science experiment where meth-sheep were tazed. Crazy, right? But he continues this week with even more ridiculous tazing "news", including an 86 year old who is now filing a lawsuit against El Reno for being tazed? I can't even believe it. I guess they had some new technology that needed broken in?
Advertisements
Today, I'm going to try and embed advertisements. Getting me started today is the Levi's ad I just watched with a guy walking across America.
I guess after watching this ad I was struck by two things. Advertisements have come A LONG WAY from where they were when I was a kid. And you think that's something, go to a flea market or a junk shop, or even Cracker Barrel and you'll see how much they've changed since your parents were kids. I don't think we're more complicated than people at that time, but we have so much more access to the global market that I feel like advertisers now have to take every step to gain the competitive edge. Sure, we still have some very stupid ads that don't make any sense at all such as this Dodge commercial I saw last night, yet the commercials are so much more complex than they were.
And there are all the great ESPN commercials. But with a sports dominance like ESPN has, then why do they even advertise in the first place? Of course you're going to watch ESPN, they've bought out all your favorite shows and they don't do the same crappy footage that networks like Big Ten play on TV. And while I was searching, I heard Chris Spielman tell why he came to OSU.
Here's a great example of terrible physics. I'm no physics geek by any means, but these kind of ads bother me a lot for their inaccuracies.
Sure, we enjoy making fun of accents and peculiarities about languages and cultures, especially how they are funny amidst our own culture, but this one is still my favorite. The rest of the company's ads aren't nearly as good as this one.
If you think about it, the ads that you're most likely to tell your friends about are either the really terrible ones or the funniest ones. So then, do you ever wonder if companies make awful ads just to grab more attention? Or are they just that unaware of the people they are appealing to to understand what will interest them. I can understand bad ads from the past when we had less discriminating taste, but if you can't advertise well now, then just use the radio.
I guess after watching this ad I was struck by two things. Advertisements have come A LONG WAY from where they were when I was a kid. And you think that's something, go to a flea market or a junk shop, or even Cracker Barrel and you'll see how much they've changed since your parents were kids. I don't think we're more complicated than people at that time, but we have so much more access to the global market that I feel like advertisers now have to take every step to gain the competitive edge. Sure, we still have some very stupid ads that don't make any sense at all such as this Dodge commercial I saw last night, yet the commercials are so much more complex than they were.
And there are all the great ESPN commercials. But with a sports dominance like ESPN has, then why do they even advertise in the first place? Of course you're going to watch ESPN, they've bought out all your favorite shows and they don't do the same crappy footage that networks like Big Ten play on TV. And while I was searching, I heard Chris Spielman tell why he came to OSU.
Here's a great example of terrible physics. I'm no physics geek by any means, but these kind of ads bother me a lot for their inaccuracies.
Sure, we enjoy making fun of accents and peculiarities about languages and cultures, especially how they are funny amidst our own culture, but this one is still my favorite. The rest of the company's ads aren't nearly as good as this one.
If you think about it, the ads that you're most likely to tell your friends about are either the really terrible ones or the funniest ones. So then, do you ever wonder if companies make awful ads just to grab more attention? Or are they just that unaware of the people they are appealing to to understand what will interest them. I can understand bad ads from the past when we had less discriminating taste, but if you can't advertise well now, then just use the radio.
15 August 2010
Kick it up a notch....
Usually I associate that phrase with some terrible office rally speech, or some new sales pitch at Wal-mart, or Bdubs' 11th sauce that has yet to rear it's ugly head. Instead today marks the day when I want to set aside 30 minutes to document my thoughts, feelings and feeble accomplishments every day.
Reading this one blog that I subscribe to and realizing he has now limited himself to 2 hours per day for blogging, I understand why some peoples' blogs are so superior to mine. But then there are people like my dearest Amanda who still post meaningful and recently especially good blogs and yet don't spend half of their life in doing it. I'm looking for this next couple of months to be a period of growth for my blog which launches it into a larger readership and more frequented category. Mind you, that means it has to become less obviously personal. I don't like to share my personal thoughts and feelings with nearly anyone and for this reason don't even keep a journal. However, I can still keep all of my best friends informed via this blog on what's going on in my life whilst entertaining the other readers on this blog and I think if you know me well enough you'll be able to read between the lines and hopefully piece together a more personal biography of me and my life during grad school. Who knows, I might even start a new blog specifically for grad school just like I did the off-shoot for my agricultural discussions. Who knows, I might even really start into ad and reviews on here as well, even though I doubt you actually make any money doing that stuff.
As this week begins and I am no longer sick, I decided I needed to take the time and sit back and reflect on how this summer is going. I'm not here to fill you in on all of the details, but I am really surprised by how fast the summer flew by. And while I'm finally over the fact that my undergraduate years are gone, it was a hard shock to have Gail come down and visit for the last time last week before she moves out to Minnesota. I think that really struck the reality in my that I'm into a new stage of my life in school. Obviously the wedding did that but my life with Amanda seems so natural and wonderful that I wouldn't describe it as a harsh shock at all. Sure, it's crazy at times around here - I really wonder what our neighbors must think of us - but it's been as seamless of a transition as I could've asked for and every day I thank God for her.
What I really mean to say is though that as I've gotten older, every year has had more and more of a routine to it. It seems like just yesterday that I was starting my summer on pig farms and the sun was coming up earlier and earlier. Well, by the time that the novelty of my new job had worn off (and trust me, that didn't take long) I started into the pattern of just counting the samples, and calculating the time required for jobs. Well, then came the chores around the house. Sweeping the floors or putting away the dishes just fit itself into the other facets of my everyday life so conveniently that it wasn't long before we'd broken into the double digits on washer and dryer uses and the DVR didn't seem like anything other than a way to record the weekly series. (By the way, my weekly series is definitely The Colony. Sure it still has an element of control that I don't think a reality series should have, but given the camera footage captured, it has been an entertaining summer show to watch.) Then the TV fit into the idea that I was just getting from one show to the next, or looking forward to the next evening when I fed the fish, or the next Sunday when I went to church. Family, friends and Amanda have been the only breaks to this onslaught of life this summer that is relentless in its pursuit of tomorrow. Every second that I can spend with them is the time that is precious, captured in the moment and they are what have made this summer so great. Without them it has just been an endless progression towards the start of the school year and a repetitive monotony that I think has just made the summer blur together until it finally seems to have flown by.
And that gets back to just why I think this blog is going to be so important. This is a way for me to express myself to people in the next few months and will serve as my experiment to truly evaluate publicly what I am doing and is an opportunity for me to focus on those things which make me happy. I think we only truly realize how happy we are once we're looking back, and I want to appreciate life as it comes instead of spending so much time in the past.
On that note, my movie review for today is "Rachel Getting Married". Yeah... no offense to anyone who found this either introspective or entertaining, but I found little meaning or comfort in a movie so poorly shot and terribly scripted. There are few movies that Amanda and I give up on, but this is definitely one of them. I've sat through my share of cheap movies, but it's the not the budget the limits this. It seems as if the directors went for this subtle approach to portraying a family in its dysfunctionality, but this has already been done a million times. And besides, doesn't Brothers and Sisters do this so much better? Instead, this show has scenes that drag on forever with it unwitty script while you're forced to endure inferences at topics which should seem to be critical to an actual plotline if there had been one. The choppy cinematography did nothing but exacerbate the problems this movie already had. In summary, don't watch, but if you must, you can borrow it from us. :)
Hopefully some storms can show up this week to lower the temperatures and humidity before Chris and I suffer through a 200 mile Pelotonia this weekend. The current temperatures and humidity have been combining for weather that stifles the body and soul.
Reading this one blog that I subscribe to and realizing he has now limited himself to 2 hours per day for blogging, I understand why some peoples' blogs are so superior to mine. But then there are people like my dearest Amanda who still post meaningful and recently especially good blogs and yet don't spend half of their life in doing it. I'm looking for this next couple of months to be a period of growth for my blog which launches it into a larger readership and more frequented category. Mind you, that means it has to become less obviously personal. I don't like to share my personal thoughts and feelings with nearly anyone and for this reason don't even keep a journal. However, I can still keep all of my best friends informed via this blog on what's going on in my life whilst entertaining the other readers on this blog and I think if you know me well enough you'll be able to read between the lines and hopefully piece together a more personal biography of me and my life during grad school. Who knows, I might even start a new blog specifically for grad school just like I did the off-shoot for my agricultural discussions. Who knows, I might even really start into ad and reviews on here as well, even though I doubt you actually make any money doing that stuff.
As this week begins and I am no longer sick, I decided I needed to take the time and sit back and reflect on how this summer is going. I'm not here to fill you in on all of the details, but I am really surprised by how fast the summer flew by. And while I'm finally over the fact that my undergraduate years are gone, it was a hard shock to have Gail come down and visit for the last time last week before she moves out to Minnesota. I think that really struck the reality in my that I'm into a new stage of my life in school. Obviously the wedding did that but my life with Amanda seems so natural and wonderful that I wouldn't describe it as a harsh shock at all. Sure, it's crazy at times around here - I really wonder what our neighbors must think of us - but it's been as seamless of a transition as I could've asked for and every day I thank God for her.
What I really mean to say is though that as I've gotten older, every year has had more and more of a routine to it. It seems like just yesterday that I was starting my summer on pig farms and the sun was coming up earlier and earlier. Well, by the time that the novelty of my new job had worn off (and trust me, that didn't take long) I started into the pattern of just counting the samples, and calculating the time required for jobs. Well, then came the chores around the house. Sweeping the floors or putting away the dishes just fit itself into the other facets of my everyday life so conveniently that it wasn't long before we'd broken into the double digits on washer and dryer uses and the DVR didn't seem like anything other than a way to record the weekly series. (By the way, my weekly series is definitely The Colony. Sure it still has an element of control that I don't think a reality series should have, but given the camera footage captured, it has been an entertaining summer show to watch.) Then the TV fit into the idea that I was just getting from one show to the next, or looking forward to the next evening when I fed the fish, or the next Sunday when I went to church. Family, friends and Amanda have been the only breaks to this onslaught of life this summer that is relentless in its pursuit of tomorrow. Every second that I can spend with them is the time that is precious, captured in the moment and they are what have made this summer so great. Without them it has just been an endless progression towards the start of the school year and a repetitive monotony that I think has just made the summer blur together until it finally seems to have flown by.
And that gets back to just why I think this blog is going to be so important. This is a way for me to express myself to people in the next few months and will serve as my experiment to truly evaluate publicly what I am doing and is an opportunity for me to focus on those things which make me happy. I think we only truly realize how happy we are once we're looking back, and I want to appreciate life as it comes instead of spending so much time in the past.
On that note, my movie review for today is "Rachel Getting Married". Yeah... no offense to anyone who found this either introspective or entertaining, but I found little meaning or comfort in a movie so poorly shot and terribly scripted. There are few movies that Amanda and I give up on, but this is definitely one of them. I've sat through my share of cheap movies, but it's the not the budget the limits this. It seems as if the directors went for this subtle approach to portraying a family in its dysfunctionality, but this has already been done a million times. And besides, doesn't Brothers and Sisters do this so much better? Instead, this show has scenes that drag on forever with it unwitty script while you're forced to endure inferences at topics which should seem to be critical to an actual plotline if there had been one. The choppy cinematography did nothing but exacerbate the problems this movie already had. In summary, don't watch, but if you must, you can borrow it from us. :)
Hopefully some storms can show up this week to lower the temperatures and humidity before Chris and I suffer through a 200 mile Pelotonia this weekend. The current temperatures and humidity have been combining for weather that stifles the body and soul.
12 August 2010
Lysol
Lysol, my best friend in the beginnings of the rabbit industry. The companion which sterilized anything, killed spiders and mites, and gave me piece of mind (and possible cancer from inhalation). Yep, this is the same Lysol that has a new product of which I'm a big fan. Now, granted that you all know I'm rarely the type to wash my hands from the barn before eating, or to shy away from dirt or scum (except for the hideous fishy smell the other day - Oh, how I love you, Amanda), but I do relish the idea of a soap dispenser which doesn't gather bacteria in a place that I have to expose myself every time I want to wash my hands. I just saw it advertised on TV today, so it can't be that old, but I assume it didn't just hit the market since I don't watch TV often by anyone's standards. Anyways, I got excited so I blogged about it.
Speaking of fish, I think that I failed to blog the arrival of our new family member, Jensen. I have always wanted a fish ever since Jeremy didn't get to keep his any more. So now we've got a pretty blue betta fish. I am really excited and we've got him sitting on the piano now. He seems to like the music and Amanda and I have something to take care to practice for getting a puppy next. :)
Speaking of fish, I think that I failed to blog the arrival of our new family member, Jensen. I have always wanted a fish ever since Jeremy didn't get to keep his any more. So now we've got a pretty blue betta fish. I am really excited and we've got him sitting on the piano now. He seems to like the music and Amanda and I have something to take care to practice for getting a puppy next. :)
11 August 2010
Back in the "office"
So after the state fair is over, I'm finally back in the office today and already searching the internet for the weekly entertainment. Check this stuff out from Tosh.0. For those of you who don't watch this show, I wouldn't expect it all to be the most PG or PC stuff you've ever seen. That's kinda the point of comedy, at least it is for me. I like to see comedians that make fun of everyone, and if I can laugh at other people, I guess it's fair for them to laugh when it's my turn... Trust me, everyone gets their turn. If you don't believe me you should ask Amanda about me hitting my head on the shower rod this morning - getting into the shower, or me going out to water the flowers this morning and finding out that it rained on my shoes. Or if you want a really good laugh, you can catch up with me in 2 weeks and ask me how this bike race idea went. Speaking of bike races, thank you to all of my sponsors for their generous support - I am fully sponsored and ready to race.
Anyhow, these clips are to lighten up your day like they did for me.
In this next one, I truly struggle to find something comparable that we've ever done at home.
Here's a great shot showing exactly why you don't jump off the swings at the top. I imagine her head hurt like the day I tried to surfboard a slip and slide.
I think somewhere there's a basic rule that your stomach can only hold so much. Apparently this guy far exceeded it...
And....
And this is actually unbelievable to me. Props to the dude for learning something in the lessons he apparently took.
And then there's Colbert. Stephen Colbert never ceases to amuse me with his witty script, timely "news" and frankly, between him and BBC, I feel like I get all the news I need now. There's a lot of different stories going around about this flight attendant, and while I fail to see how he's such a hero for quitting his job, Colbert's better documented version of the story does help me see how frustrated the attendant was. Honestly, I don't blame the guy. People on planes are so ridiculously selfish and animalistic, self-serving and always in a hurry to get to their next gate just to wait 2 hours for the connection. I just don't get it...
PS. Comedy Central apparently doesn't write HTfML any better than I do, so hopefully the links work better than the embedding didn't.
Anyhow, these clips are to lighten up your day like they did for me.
In this next one, I truly struggle to find something comparable that we've ever done at home.
Here's a great shot showing exactly why you don't jump off the swings at the top. I imagine her head hurt like the day I tried to surfboard a slip and slide.
I think somewhere there's a basic rule that your stomach can only hold so much. Apparently this guy far exceeded it...
And....
And this is actually unbelievable to me. Props to the dude for learning something in the lessons he apparently took.
And then there's Colbert. Stephen Colbert never ceases to amuse me with his witty script, timely "news" and frankly, between him and BBC, I feel like I get all the news I need now. There's a lot of different stories going around about this flight attendant, and while I fail to see how he's such a hero for quitting his job, Colbert's better documented version of the story does help me see how frustrated the attendant was. Honestly, I don't blame the guy. People on planes are so ridiculously selfish and animalistic, self-serving and always in a hurry to get to their next gate just to wait 2 hours for the connection. I just don't get it...
PS. Comedy Central apparently doesn't write HTfML any better than I do, so hopefully the links work better than the embedding didn't.
04 August 2010
Updates
These days I still spend a lot of time on the road visiting hog farms, but lately we've had some timing setbacks and so I've been at home, entering data and preparing for visits. This opens up my tv-watching time since most of this stuff requires little thought at all. All I really wanted to say was it is shocking how unbelievably bad television gets as it gets earlier in the day. I've seen just about all of the worst stuff there is... But I think I've found a show to occupy my interests when Bones, NCIS or House isn't on. That show is "The Colony".
The premise behind the show is that these people were selected to try to survive in a 10 acre area after a faked biological disaster. It appeals to me because of the rough creative nature that is necessary to survive in this manner. The ingenuity of some of the characters on it, whether fake or not (always the skeptic here) is kinda fun and thought provoking in a different manner than just watching medical or crime shows.
One other thing to throw out there. If you're interested in seeing wedding pictures of my most favorite and the most beautiful woman I know, they're right here. She was so beautiful that day and I can honestly say that I must have been the happiest man alive. I am so happy to have Amanda with me for the rest of my life. She is my greatest support and uplifts me every day. I really enjoyed the day and will post the honeymoon pictures next once I get them uploaded. Anyhow, I just wanted to share pictures of our special day. Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of us and our relationship - I look forward to your continued support throughout our marriage and hope that we return the favor.
The premise behind the show is that these people were selected to try to survive in a 10 acre area after a faked biological disaster. It appeals to me because of the rough creative nature that is necessary to survive in this manner. The ingenuity of some of the characters on it, whether fake or not (always the skeptic here) is kinda fun and thought provoking in a different manner than just watching medical or crime shows.
One other thing to throw out there. If you're interested in seeing wedding pictures of my most favorite and the most beautiful woman I know, they're right here. She was so beautiful that day and I can honestly say that I must have been the happiest man alive. I am so happy to have Amanda with me for the rest of my life. She is my greatest support and uplifts me every day. I really enjoyed the day and will post the honeymoon pictures next once I get them uploaded. Anyhow, I just wanted to share pictures of our special day. Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of us and our relationship - I look forward to your continued support throughout our marriage and hope that we return the favor.
01 August 2010
BP stocks, anyone?
So I've been thinking recently. With that BP guy fired and the environmental disaster on its way to recovery, now is the perfect time to buy into BP stocks. They're bound to go up now, assuming that they can once again convince people not to hate them and to buy their gas. Anyhow, I'm including the stock report for your own information - make up your own mind as the next months progress. Amanda's not the same kind of risk taker that I am, so we'll be putting money in the banks instead.
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