Friday Fives

1. When you hear the word "Dandelion" what comes to mind? Yellow weedish flower in a lawn or the grey, snowlike puffball, perched to explode into the air?

Dandelions are the bane of my summer existence, because of the lawn. See, they are pretty tame until you mow over one. Once you to that, they sprout like five heads.

2. Any New Year's resolutions? Do you keep resolutions or routinely break them like a child's Christmas toy the day after the holiday?

Historically, for just such reasons as you mentioned... I don't make them. I haven't made one in years really. Last year I said I wanted to learn to drink black coffee, because I am too high maintenance with coffee. I need sugar and cream and all that crap. So, I wanted to be a man and drink it black. Problem is, I am apparently the only person who can make a good cup of fresh coffee without it tasting terribly bitter. So, I still drink coffee the foofy way when I am out... but only out of necessary. Yep, I am a coffee snob.

3. Do you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. How do you cope with all the darkness and cabin fever?

No way, I love the winter. I love snow and weather and cold. I also love any excuse to sleep in and relax at home watching DVDs. Me likey Winter, because growing up in Phoenix we didn't have Winter.

4. Merle Haggard asks the question: "Are the good times really over for good?"

Are the good times over? No way, brohan... the good times have barely even begun. Every day I live I build better friendships, and somehow keep getting paid more. Also, one would theorize that each day I am getting at least a little better at guitar. Every day is good, and I can't wait for tomorrow!

5. You've rented a sky-writer to propose to your significant other, but it's completely overcast. What will you do?

Skywriter? What, are you gay? I just recently got married, and have been thinking about the proposal for quite sometime. It was critical that there be no outside influence. I didn't want family or coworkers or weather anywhere near. Every second was carefully orchestrated in my head. Of course, the actual execution was a bit sloppier, but the heart was there. In fact, I'll tell you a little romantic tale (which is frankly none of your business). I bought the engagement ring the day before Valentines day. I wanted to do a romantic proposal on Feb 14th (because Valentines Day would be easy to remember for anniversary, see). Anyhow, once I had the ring I was so excited and nervous that I couldn't wait. I proposed to her the night I had the ring in my hand... Feb 13th.

the President fails the world again

Ok, I have not said a single thing about Bush in two months. I left him alone to run the country, and even publicly acknowledged that he won fair and square. I have to write about his response to the Tsunami though. In the wake of the biggest natural disaster in history, the President took four days to make a statement and show his face. Why? He was on vacation. I am sure you have heard he spent over a third of his first term on vacation. Whatever, that is in the past. However, when 100,000 people are killed and at least that many missing, guess what vacation is over. In fact, as the world's most powerful and influential person... his vacation should have been over within an hour of the news. What a colossal asshole!

Four days? Four days! I guess we now understand why he sat in that classroom for 7 minutes silently while the United States was under attack. Politics aside, there are all things that make us a community - I believe a disaster is one of those things.

As for the 35 million dollars he proposed in aid, know that his inauguration party set for January is costing 50 million. As Roy said, how about sending that 50 million over to the East and having a 'Texas BBQ with a few hundred people in a football stadium? Not only would it do wonders for our public image, but you could charge spectators $30 a person to come and see & hear the president. Heck, hold it in Texas stadium.

anyhow, four days to acknowledge 100,000 dead... because he was on vacation. What an asshole!

* I have put up a new link to the Red Cross' online donation site on the left. This is your chance to keep last year's resolution to do more for charity. I am also aware that it took me 5 days to acknowledge the disaster here, instead choosing to gloat about my iPod. I will take my lumps for that. I am going in tomorrow on my day off to work at the Red Cross' call center though... so I ain't all talk.

iPod 

Ode to my iPod

ok, I got an iPod for Christmas. It rules, and I will tell you in detail why. I was never interested in an MP3 player because I don't like headphones so I saw no use for them. I was wrong. I also got a little transmitter thing that clips to the top. It broadcasts the iPod to any radio station set to a specific station (mine is 87.9 FM). So now I can play the iPod in my car, on my home stereo, and at work (on my little radio I have at my desk). So I used to be a mess, because I have hundreds and hundreds of CDs... and they are everywhere around the house and in my truck. I also am currently using 3 different CD sleeves for roadtrips that hold 50 Cds each. The iPod has rendered ALL of this obsolete. Right now I have 3758 songs loaded on it, which takes up about 70% of the available 20 gigs. Using a formula of 12 songs per CD, I have 313 Cds loaded on my iPod.

It is what I have wanted to do for years. Get rid of all my CDs and have a centralized server type system for all my music. Now I have that, and it is the size of a deck of cards. No more looking for Cds, dealing with scratched CDs, or looking through jewel boxes wondering where I put which Cd where. So I guess I have another 100 or so CDs I can load on it... but the bulk of the work is done. If we assume the average song is 3 minutes, I have 187 hours of music on it already. I think that will do the trick for the 12 hour drives I do to Arizona twice a year.

I initially wanted a new CD player for my truck, one that would play MP3s... so I could I listen to continous music without switching CDs every 40 minutes. That would have been $200. I certainly don't need that anymore either. I have fluctuating music tastes, and so was making mixed Cds a couple of times a week to accomodate my mood. I no longer have to do any of that either.

Aw, crap!

So I was driving through Northern Arizona and checking out random radio stations in the market. I just hit the seek button and see what comes up. More often than not, no matter where I am, it is Country. Blech! So after a few tries I come across Prince doing 1999. Cool, I thought, and turned it up. Next was Wham doing Careless Whispers. Make jokes if you want, but that is a great song. After that we had Bon Jovi rockin. I was quite please with this station, and decided to stick with it even through a commercial break. When they came back from the station break, I heard the news I had always feared...


Welcome back to Northern Arizona's home of the Oldies

What? Huh? What did he say? Oldies? No way, Oldies is crap my parents listen to. Worse, Oldies are the crap your parents listen to. I am only 32, and hip. I got the new U2 album, I listen to Tool, surely Oldies don't apply to me. I did a search. Turns out Oldies do apply to me. I am such a loser. I guess I'll just go home and load up my iPod with Pat Benetar now.

I am home

over 2 thousand miles later and I am home from the holidays. Speaking of Miles, you may know I took my cat, Miles, with me on the trip for medical reasons. Have you ever wondered what a 12 hour drive sounds like with an angry sick cat? Wonder no more, compadres... because I have the precious data you have been awaiting. It sounds EXACTLY like you would think it would sound. 12 hours of angry meowing! Funny? no. Funny is when he pissed and shit himself somewhere outside of Albuquerque and I had to clean him up at a gas station winshield washing station at 3 am in 30 degree weather.

Wanna know what that looks like? Here is a pic of Miles taken the day before we left. He had to have this thing on through two weeks of travel, and you know how much cats love cars.



No worries though, lesson learned on cat travel. Plus, his owie is all healed and he is healthy and happy. Oh yeah, one last thing... I got an iPod for Christmas. I am pretty stoked and am playing with it now. Anyhow, chances are my next few posts may be iPod driven if this thing works like it should. It appears it will hold all my CDs (about 300-ish) and can broadcast (with an Attachment) to any nearby radio. This means it will replace my Cds all together. It will work in my truck, at my desk, and on the home stereo too.

Hope your Christmas was great, and we'll talk soon! I drove 10 hours today (world landspeed record from Arizona, by the way) and just got in. Need to go to bed as I have to work tomorrow.