| jesse leo dot com - 2009 | ||
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7/2/09: -- A collection of truly horrifying vintage ads... (via Guy)
6/30/09: -- Sad to hear - decorated Danbury Police officer passed away recently. Didn't know him at all personally, but knew him well from countless Industrial League hoops games over the years. He was a fierce competitor, and I'm told a great person and an asset to the force. -- One of the many fine gifts I received for my recent b-day was a gift card to GameStop (thanks Kate!). So in a fit of lust I sprinted to the nearest GS branch to pick up Conduit for the Wii. Only after arriving on the scene did I realize I'd forgotten my gift card. Arrggh! Ran home to retrieve it, and it was then that I decided to see what people are saying about the game. Turns out pretty much every review is lukewarm at best. So for once my forgetfulness actually served me well, I'll sit on my gift card 'til something better comes along... -- Soul Train is on Youtube! The Soooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuullll Train ! -- You've probably heard by now that Madoff will get 150 years in the slammer. What's up with sentences like that? Do they keep the rotting corpse in the cell all those years after he dies? Slate explains here. 6/29/09: -- So yeah, the IDEAS Conference. Just like last time around in Boston, we came home with a renewed sense of purpose, hope and determination. There were lectures on safety, raising siblings, school, potty training, and many others. Of particular interest to me was the talk on nutrition. If you have kids, regardless of where they are developmentally, you owe it to them to do two things right off the bat: 1) get them on a good multivitamin and 2) get them on Omega 3 fatty acid supplements (there are some great products to bypass the fishy smell/taste, just google it). I could go on and on... And also, just like Boston, we came home with a heightened sense of just how lucky we are. Aidan can walk. Run. Speak (hell, sometimes he won't shut up). Smile. Laugh. Swim. And 100 other things that so many of these kids will never even come close to doing. Every bit of anger/resentment I've ever felt over how not fair it is that our child was born with a disability evaporated in Indianapolis. Feels so petty to have ever had such thoughts in the first place. Count your blessings, folks... -- New iPhones: too hot to handle? -- Back from Indy, all is well. A terrific conference, so much information to digest. I'll try to steal a few minutes to put fingers to keyboard tonight. 6/25/09: -- Attending the 2009 IDEAS Conference! So far so good, but we're running on vapors - about 45 minutes of sleep and a handful of goldfish crackers. I'll try to get caught up tomorrow. P.S. - Stunned and saddened that Michael died. Yes he became something of a freak show over the years, but I choose to remember the genius... 6/24/09: -- How could I have forgotten to mention the greatest gift of all? Jake is potty trained! Just like that. Not 100% mind you, there are still going to be a few accidents here and there. But it was like the light just switched on. We've been using toys to motivate him and it started working all of a sudden. Now of course we need to cough up a fortune to keep this motivation going, but well worth it. Now if only his brother would follow suit, maybe we'll learn a thing or two at the conference... -- Hit 38 yesterday! Honestly there's been so much going on that this one came and went without any feelings of dread. And this is a good thing! The next one, I'm told, is a lot worse because you are right there on the cusp of fo... fo... I can't even bring myself to type that number. I did receive some great loot, thanks to all. My sister played an unimaginably cruel prank on me, more on that later. Just remember, dear sis, revenge is a dish best served cold... More craziness today, as we're leaving for the airport at 3AM tomorrow or some absurd time like that. Haven't even packed yet. Do we bother going to bed? Ah whatever, I'm sure the IDEAS Conference will be worth a few missed winks... 6/22/09: -- Happy belated Pops Day to all you dads. No time to blog today, so I'll be quick: my highlights included my first ever pedicure! The Missus got me a gift card to a local spa and signed me up for the "Men's Sports Pedicure", which is basically the same as a woman's pedicure minus the paint. But oooooooooh it was heavenly, corns & bunions begone! Other highlights included not slaughtering our children, who must've gotten a hold of a giant bag of espresso beans and ate every last one... they were nuts! ... a nice barbecue up at my dad's with burgers, homeade fries and a sinfully chocolatey cake... capped off the night with a pulse-pounding ep of True Blood... 6/19/09: -- How screwed are those journalists in N. Korea? Guess that was a rhetorical question... -- Have the box of Kleenex ready, and I don't mean that in a good way. Pixar grants a dying 9-year old girl's final wish, a personal screening of the movie Up. Absolutely heartbreaking... But wouldn't it have been great if the employee flew to her home in a balloon powered house? We saw the movie, it's terrific by the way! -- Vote for your fav show, the Tubeys are coming! Personally I only watch like two of these, and you know what? Doesn't feel like I'm missing much. -- So the AT&T U-Verse setup got off to rocky start, while the TV stuff seemed to work fine the internet was kapoot. I had to jump on the phone and finally got a hold of a savvy fella who set things straight. Still a few adjustments I need to make (want to lock down our wireless network a bit more), but so far so good. Until the bill comes. 6/18/09: -- More trouble in the sky, this isn't helping (refer to yesterday's post)... 6/17/09: -- And since we're talking reviews, this one is of particular interest to me... -- We came, we saw... first review of Ghostbusters Wii is in. Looks like goofy fun. -- This is getting ridiculous, check out this screenshot from weather.com for our area. Not shown are two additional rain days that couldn't fit on screen. -- At the rate planes are dropping out of the sky these days, I'd be a liar to say there hasn't been the occasional moment of reservation about next week's trip to Indianapolis for the IDEAS Conference. Silly, I know... 6/16/09: -- Ok today I buy my last iced coffee at Dunks, my latte factor is spiraling out of control... 6/15/09: -- Niiiiiiiice... Druggie mom puts baby up for grabs on Craigslist. -- Every once in a while the thing you're so excited about actually turns out to be every bit as awesome as you'd hoped. Season 2, Ep 1 of True Blood was just that, we're more hooked than ever. Here's a recap of the 'sode (With a typo! I'm shocked! Can you find it?). Next Sunday evening can't get here fast enough! -- A snoozer of an NBA Finals has come to a close, Orlando never really had a chance. Video recap here, for the two people on the face of the planet who may be interested. At least the terrific second and third playoff rounds made up for the overall lameness of the Finals... -- Monday, why dost thou come so fast? 6/12/09: -- Excitement over Sunday night's season 2 TB premier is reaching a fever pitch, we're considering putting red dye in our drinks and wearing plastic vampire fangs for the occasion... -- Kid gets smacked by a meteorite, lives to boast about it. -- Holy mackerel, 11 million Safari downloads since new version announced a few days ago. 6/11/09: -- Aaaawwww, Prez hand-writes a note to teacher asking that a student who ditched class to attend his town hall meeting be excused. Wouldn't it be great if the teacher was a disgruntled right-winger and the kid gets detention anyway... -- Taking the plunge: Ditching Charter and going all in with AT&T U-verse. I did the math 100 times with the rep on the phone, we'll actually be saving $20 a month and getting more goodies. If there is a catch, it's a pretty darn sneaky one. Some neighbors have it and say it's terrific. If nothing else it'll be a nice thumb in Charter's eye, gawd they're horrendous. Of course I'm filled with anxiety about that first bill, tell me I'm doing the right thing here, someone, anyone... ? -- Ah, guilty pleasures. Been staying up waaaay too late re-watching season 1 episodes of True Blood in preparation for Sunday's season 2 kickoff. Lafayette can't be dead, he just can't be! 6/10/09: -- I've never been a huge fan, but Apple has updated Safari and it's officially my default browser again. I dunno, it just seems... nimble. Come on Firefox, whatchoogot??? -- Possibly the most badass game trailer I've ever seen. I mean seriously, why don't they make a movie like this or something? -- Advice for nerds on how to flirt with confidence... 6/9/09: -- Aidan received his pre-school diploma yesterday ! 6/8/09: -- Aww, Bret Michaels takes a tumble... -- Apple just announced the new iPhone 3Gs - I must have it NOW !! Just in time for my birthday :) And if you're really feeling generous they also announced a drool-worthy new Macbook Pro as well... -- Folks are expecting some big announcements from Apple at today's 2009 Worldwide Developer Conference, live blog here. -- Aidan's pre-school graduation ceremony today ! 6/5/09: -- Enjoying new Dave. Not blown away, but a great listen nonetheless... -- Starting to believe my wife's theory that the Air France passengers are stuck on some purgatory-esque island, Lost style. The debris found yesterday was not from the crash afterall... -- July should be an interesting month for iPhone nerds... -- So it seems no one knows for sure what sent David Carradine to that great Shaolin dojo in the sky, though the web is buzzing this morning that it may have been a result of self-induced asphyxiation resulting from some kinky stuff he was into (article here). Hey, if ya gotta go... 6/4/09: -- Painting Pachyderm - For the life of me I can't tell if this is real or not. Amazing, though. -- NBA Finals start tonight, huzzah! I'm sure the League is pissed that King James will be watching from his living room, but there's always next year... -- Attention Starbucks snobs (I admit, this applies to me sometimes - but ONLY if there isn't a Dunks nearby with a drive-through) - snacks & bakery goodies are about to get healthier... -- Sad: David Carradine dies at age 72 (best noted for his roles of Caine from Kung Fu & Bill from Kill Bill). 6/3/09: -- Slate has an initial review of bing, and guess what? It's pretty darn good... -- Lame: China blocking Twitter, Flickr, Hotmail, Youtube and similar sites as the Tiananmen Square 20th anniversary approaches. Silence, dissidents! -- Wired: Apple can afford to coast with its next iPhone release and still kick everyone's butt. This may or may not be true, but I'm really hoping for some awesome new functionality. My 1st gen is getting long in the tooth, not to mention the battery is flakin' out on me... 6/2/09: -- An awesomely Dilbertian collection of office eCards, some of these are a riot (thanks CP!)... -- Wired: Earth could be habitable for another 2.3 billion years. Well that's a relief... 6/1/09: -- A compilation of the Top 10 movie catchphrases of all time. I can't see how they forgot to include Thinkin' of tryin' out for a SCHOLARship from The Breakfast Club, but whatever... -- Last known Titanic survivor has died. Except of course for Rose Dewitt Bukater, who was last seen exploring the Northern Atlantic in a submarine looking for a priceless brooch she foolishly chucked overboard... 5/29/09: -- Slate: eBay isn't completely useless afterall. -- Picked up a brainless thriller novel to kill some time at Grand Central Terminal today. I'm not above cheap thrills, and this one is damn good so far... -- Spending Friday at the NYC office, which translates to zero sleep the night before as I lay awake worrying that I'll miss my train. But I do enjoy the downtime during the commute, not much else to do but sit, read and/or snooze. 5/28/09: -- Some lucky bastid in S. Dakota woke up a $222 million Powerball winner. I'd have to say that would be a delightful way to start off the day... -- After way too much coaxing Maria finally convinced Jakey to not only allow a helmet on his head, but to actually ride a pony (pictured here)! Way off in the background if you look closely you can see Aidan astride his own steed, but this equestrian stuff is old hat to him... -- Baseball is way deadlier than you think... 5/27/09: -- NPR's summer book list is up. Whaddya think? Nothin's really jumping out at me... -- No smiling allowed. And they might just ban fun as well... -- Airborne packaging has undergone subtle changes of late, possibly a result of their recent lawsuit catastrophe? Doesn't matter much to me, I still love the stuff... (via boingboing) -- Betcha didn't know that Hurley (the big dude from Lost) keeps a blog... 5/26/09: -- Sad - Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daugther killed in freak accident... -- M$ has ambitious plans for search. I just don't see them de-throning Big G anytime soon. To "google" something is so ingrained in modern culture... To Bing something just doesn't have the same kick to it. -- Tip o' the day: don't double-wash the dishes. Don't know about you guys, but if I skip that step we end up with big yucky food particles clinging for dear life to the forks... -- Well you won't see me wearing Birkenstocks or petting owls anytime soon, but there's definitely something about being up north breathing that clean Vermont air... came home feeling cleansed somehow. Crazed (boys challenged our sanity a few times during the ride home) and sniffly, but cleansed. Lots of time doing absolutely nothing in a back yard you could get lost in - just what I was hoping for. Glorious weather. Breakfast next to an authentic babbling brook. Honey and Mother's doggies logged more exercise this weekend than they had cumulatively in the past 6 months. Hit the outlets for half a day, found some great deals. Pony rides for the boys. Aunt Kos' world famous Mexican Salad. I could go on and on, but suffice to say there are worse ways to spend a long weekend. 5/22/09: -- Heading north to Vermont this weekend for a sanity check - the clean mountain air and a little bit of factory outlet store window shopping might be just what the doctor ordered... Or maybe we'll come home even more insane than we already are, these boys of ours don't always travel well... -- The taxman cometh... I almost feel badly for her. Almost... 5/21/09: -- Vancouver Olympic athletes expected to reach new "highs" during the upcoming 2010 games, read on... -- First review of Salvation is in. In a nutshell: Loud. Bleak. Awesome. I'm thinking the only way for me to do this properly is to make a day of it - rattle off this one and 'Trek in one big popcorn binge-fest sitting... And no, there are no plans to see Angels and Demons, if for no reason other than the fact that I can't stand Tom Hanks' hairdo. -- I am SO getting this for the beach this summer... 5/20/09: -- She's 39 again ;) Happy Birthday Kate! For your gift we'll consider forgiving you for leaving us here while you're in BVI next week! Maybe... 5/19/09: -- Tips for getting that upgrade at the airport. -- Attended a children's party last weekend which featured pony rides, a goat, bales of hay, homemade cupcakes and bad music. But as you can imagine it yielded some terrific photo-ops! 5/18/09: -- Dissed ya Vista: The respected Gartner Group basically advises companies to skip right over Vista and hold out for Windows 7... -- This is officially getting weird: Started following MC Hammer on Twitter yesterday (doesn't everyone?). He mentioned something about No Doubt in one of his recent tweets, I guess they did a show together or something. Last night I dreamed that Gwen Stephani died tragically... WTF? 5/17/09: -- No that's not a booger, the missus took the plunge and got a nostril pierced (here)! Just when I thought she couldn't get any hotter... 5/15/09: -- Snuggie bandit apprehended... -- Happy Birthday Pops, 51 never looked so good :) We'll be up this weekend for haircuts and chaos. What do ya want for your birthday anyway, in case there's anyone out there who may be a bit behind in his/her shopping (hypothetically speaking of course)? 5/14/09: -- So there were two events last weekend that started this whole thing. The first was prompted by our moronic neighbor, with whom we've had several run-ins over the years. Poor old fellow, doesn't have much going for him and as such goes to great lengths to assume the role of the Condo Rule Enforcer. Parking spots are closely monitored, noise levels measured, etc. It's all he has in his little life. Anyway, he came home and noticed that ours and our neighbor's kids had smeared some chalk on our (not his) front doors. Well under section 38C, paragraph 7 of the condo rulebook this must be a violation of some sort. In two shakes of a lamb's tail he had the security guard documenting the issue, and our friends (the other neighbors, the ones that we like who have kids) ended up scrubbing the doors later that night. Keep in mind this is just one of a bunch of episodes in this saga, but this one irked me a great deal... The second event was the stellar time we had on Mom's Day (described below, 5/11 post). In one sunny afternoon it became crystal clear what's missing from our boys' upbringing: a yard. As a condo dweller I'm in a constant state of anxiety whenever the kids run free outside our home, much (but not all) of this stemming from the aforementioned neighbor. This is compounded by a dreadful feeling that we're being watched at all times. Maybe it's all of those windows, who knows? But for whatever reason I just can't relax. And how much fun can one really have on a small strip of concrete? But last Sunday all it took was a soft chunk of my grandmother's gorgeous lawn, three rubber lizards and a picnic blanket to entertain the guys for hours. And H-Dawg as well - she darted back and forth, rejoicing in the fact that she actually had enough room to stretch her limbs and accelerate to a full sprint. More than once I caught her rolling back and forth on her back, either chasing a hard-to-reach itch or simply rejoicing in the beautiful green stuff. It might take 8 months or it might take 3 years. But one thing's certain: we're outta here. 5/13/09: -- Coffee art. Cool. -- Must have this! -- Don't know which is worse: realizing you have no half and half after you've poured the coffee, or discovering there's no milk after pouring a bowl of cereal... 5/12/09: -- Heard Wouldn't It Be Nice on EHM the other day. Probably my favorite Beach Boys tune, and arguably on my top20 all time list. But it makes me sad: unless I'm mistaken it's about a young couple (my guess around 15-ish) lamenting the fact that they're too young to spend every moment of every day together on account of their age. Tres romantic, yes, but I can't help but worry that their youthful 5/11/09: -- I... I... I don't even know how to comment on this (via dunstan)... -- Hate on the NBA all you want, but the playoffs have given us some terrific games so far. Come on, ya can't beat last night's Celts/Magic finish. Of course Marv Albert could make a stamp collecting convention sound exciting, but that's besides the point... -- A terrific Mom's Day. Wifey took a well-deserved break at a local day spa where she was (hopefully) pampered to the brink of ecstacy, then spent some qt with her good friend TJ. She closed out the evening with her novel, her cat and a dog (pictured here). I met with my Mommy at HER mommy's for a front lawn picnic - snacks provided by Kate and entertainment provided by my sons. Every so often the stars, planets and moon perfectly align and they play together so well... warms my grouchy heart. Yesterday was just such a day, watched them catch bugs, play with toy lizards and get dirty for hours. Anyway, happy Mom's Day to everyone! Not enough hours in the day to visit all of the mothers in my life, but we were thinking of you all. 5/8/09: -- Since we're on a Star Trek kick (see yesterday's post), how could I resist posting more cheesy awesomeness... I vaguely remenber that big lizard guy (creature #2) from my youth and being terrified of him. -- Sad: A little black stray cat we've seen lurking around the dumpster for the past few months was apparently hit by a car. Some kindhearted neighbors had him/her in a box with some blankets, and were anxiously awaiting a return call from the local Animal Welfare place. Truthfully he really didn't look good, I'm hoping if it's his time to to go it happens quickly and painlessly... 5/7/09: -- So The New Yorker hates the new Star Trek flick, apparently. I for one intend to see it if only to get a closer look at the young, incredibly hot Uhura. I hope this doesn't offend die-hard trekkies... -- Cannot. Get. This jingle. Out. Of. My. Head. AAAAAAAHHH! Make it stop! -- Oh, to be a basking shark. For decades scientists couldn't figure out where the heck they disappear to every winter. Turns out they vacation in the Caribbean... 5/6/09: -- Lucky bastid: Best Job in the World winner has been selected, and a stooge by the look of him. I could so do that job, sigh... 5/5/09: -- So yesterday I tried the daunting P90X Plyometrics workout. Nearly had a cardiac arrest, but made it through to the other side still alive. And I don't mind saying that I was rather proud of m'self for finishing. Later that night Wii Fit tells me that my fitness age is 47. I give up... 5/4/09: -- I'm quickly learning that when people ask what I'll be doing for Maria next Sunday, "Why? She's not my mother." isn't necessarily the best response... -- Hydroxycut = bad idea. There are no shortcuts, folks... 5/2/09: -- Haven't said this since the 90's, but... Go Bulls? -- A 50-1 wins the Derby? Damn! Anyone know what the payout was? If only I'd had a copy of Biff's sports almanac... 5/1/09: -- -- Found my next novel... -- Yeah, they were twenty bucks. I had a moment of weakness. So sue me. While visiting a faux-hippie shop in Cape May last Sunday I caved to desire (hey, wouldn't be the first time) and splurged for a pair of terrific faux-hippie shorts. Hey they look the genuine article, and rest assured they will see plenty of wear over the next few years... -- Ah jeez, Jakey has a stomach ache & barfed, and is now complaining about being sick in general. Not cool, what with everything I'm hearing on the news... -- Derby this weekend, not that anyone will be watching. But I found this interesting, here's the dirt on the dirt... 4/30/09: -- The torture technique that doesn't make the headlines, an interesting read. -- Said it before and I'll say it again: never met an episode of G-Squared that I didn't like, if for no other reason than the magnificently crafted wise-cracks. Slate has posted a great tribute. Rest well, Beatrice. You were a firecracker. 4/29/09: -- Why didn't anyone tell me that lower-jaw dental work is far more traumatic that upper? I plopped myself into the chair this AM for what I anticipate to be my last filling - EVER, worry free and smiling. After all I've had this procedure done a zillion times in the past year, what's one more? Well jeez - the fun started when the doc jabbed the javelin-size needle - the one you usually don't feel - directly into the nerve... Zzzzzzz! Felt a jolt of intolerable agony. "Well at least we know you'll be good and numb", joked the Doc. "We must've hit the nerve." Nerve, indeed... 4/28/09: -- Since we're talking games today, it goes without saying that the online -- My life officially begins when Punch Out for Wii comes out next month. Curious that they dropped Mike Tyson off of the game title (in passing it's worth mentioning that back in the day I was probably one of the top 10 Mike Tyson's Punch Out players in the country. No, seriously). Well, maybe not that curious. The man's a train wreck... 4/27/09: -- Asked the cat to send a few emails on my behalf... -- When my step-sister first started talking a year ago about a possible April wedding on the beach, we thought she was nuts. Harsh winds, 40 degree temps, driving rain... what were they thinking? Ah but what a picture-perfect day for it on Saturday down in Cape May, couldn't have drawn it up any better. So just what the heck is this - an unusual but not unheard of heat wave, or The Revenge of Al Gore? Let's face it, going from 50's and 60's to 90 in about a day is a bit odd... 4/24/09: -- Apple celebrating one buh-buh-buh billion App Store downloads. Amazing for such a short time. And man, that billionth downloader is lucky, winning about ten grand worth of Apple goodies. Coulda been me ! 4/22/09: -- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Saddened to see the excellent John Corbett has been reduced to plugging burgers for Applebees. Of course to me he'll always be Chris from K-Bear, the role he was clearly born for. And of course to my wife he'll alway be the hunky Aidan, who was Carrie Bradshaw's love interest for several episodes of Sex and the City (and possibly a contributing factor in our choice of names for our first born perhaps? Only we know for sure and we ain't tellin')... 4/21/09: -- Participated in Kent Quiz Night again this year, and did horribly. Considering we took 3rd place a few years ago, this year's showing was downright inexcusable. I blame no one but myself - my teammates carried the load while I floundered, missing on a number of gimmes (I won't even name them here I'm so ashamed). Well I have a year to train, already bought the entire Encyclopeida Brittanica and am well into the A's. Did you know that the invention of the earliest aqueducts, though often attributed to the Roman Empire, is actually credited to the Egyptians and Harappans? Fascinating stuff... 4/20/09: -- Back to back days of 70 degree optimism this past weekend... wouldn't trade that feeling for a million bucks. Gotta get the Cabriolet ragtop running again, any VW grease monkeys out there that can spare an hour or three? 4/16/09: -- J'ever have one of those days where it wasn't even 9AM yet and your to-do list was already longer than Santa's naughty/nice list? 4/14/09: -- The Presidental Pup has arrived! -- A chart outlining the # of pirates killed by each US president (via buzzfeed)... -- Climbing up onto the counter is strictly forbidden, and they know that. But the temptation of leftover Easter candy, Craisins and dried sugary mangos was just too much for them to resist. So I came down from a shower and found both boys enjoying a jocund little picnic (click here). Of course I tried to sternly reprimand them, but this proved ineffective between the giggles... 4/13/09: -- The workouts begin in earnest this week. No, this time I mean it. My gift to myself: look like D'Angelo by my b-day. Ok maybe not, but I'd at least like to be conditioned enough to run up and down the court without needing to call in the paramedics. -- Slate asks: why do we Tweet? No idea, but I'm completely hooked... Now if only I could convert a few dozen Facebook'ers to join my little flock... -- Aidan has off from school this week, some nonsense about spring recess or whatever. Normally this would inspire terror, as the notion of keeping he and his brother entertained all day for five straight days is akin to cleaning out the Augean Stables. And my lovely wife has done a Yeoman's job of it so far (I know it's only Monday, but she's got a full itinerary of fun things planned for the week!). But I gotta tell ya - it's been such a relief not having to get him awake, fed, supplemented, pottied, dressed, brushed, backpacked, lunch money'ed and ready for the bus at 8:19. I actually made it to the office with 6 minutes to spare today... -- CONFIRMED: Polar Bears will bite you if you jump into their enclosure. Thanks, idiotic German woman, for your research on this topic. -- Double cause for celebration yesterday, Nanclyn's B-Day landed on Easter Sunday! Started off the day with a brisk hike/egg hunt atop Skiff Mountain in Kent. Brrrrrrrr... full winter gear and plenty of snotty nostrils. But a quality hike, making a note of that one for a warmer day. I vaguely recall that stellar view of Kent from my youth, methinks we've done that one before in a previous life. Then it was southward to Grandma Nanclyn's for cake, coffee, and screaming at the boys to get off the furniture. Suffice to say we all slept heavily last night... -- DWade drops double-nickels at MSG... 4/12/09: -- Where the Wild Things Are. By God, it's Where the Wild Things Are. Based on the trailer this will either be brilliant or just downright creepy. Or maybe both... -- Happy Easter! Or maybe not so happy if you're a whacked-out extreme devotee who subjects yourself to floggings and crucifixion each year at this time. But who am I to judge? 4/11/09: -- Where are the Secret Service guys when you really need them? -- Must. Have. This. Part 2 (scroll down to 4/7 post below). 4/9/09: -- Are NY Firefighters conspiracy theorists? I know I sure am. Proud of it, too. Building 7, sheeple, Building 7. What was the formal conclusion, some diesel tanks exploded and caused the whole place to collapse into its own footprint? Please. Ah now look, you've got me going again... -- She Breaches! Whale stuck in NY Harbor, headed towards Coney Island. Don't suppose it wants a ride on the Cyclone? -- Vaccination debate is absolutely RAGING over in the comments section of dooce.com... -- A small but jocund pizza party for Grandma Rie-Rie the birthday girl last night, capped off with some sinfully gushy chocolatey pie stuff and cawfee. Happy B-Day Grandma! Thank you for all that you do :) 4/8/09: -- Microsoft: 97% of all email sent is spam. And 88% of it ends up in MY &*$#ing inbox... -- Extremely rare shark captured in the Philippines, and is promptly eaten... -- This episode of Monty is SO us. 4/7/09: -- Must. Have. This. 4/6/09: -- Lame: Facebook yanked my wife's video on Autism Awareness, citing copyright infringement (don't Alicia Keys' lawyers have anything better to do?). For now it's still on Youtube, though I'm sure they'll soon follow suit... -- Ford Focus versus BMW 3-Series: MS takes a swipe at Mac Users in a recent NW article. And I get it, those "I'm a Mac" ads, while cute, did nothing to dispel the perceived elitist Mac attitude. I've said it before, those ads made me want to punch the Mac kid in the nose. But Unicorn tears? No. How 'bout a computer that works well, runs an OS that shows some modicum of intuitiveness & won't be obliterated by spyware/malware, and one that will hold its value for many years? The few hundred bucks saved at checkout cancels out after about a year. -- Is there no end to my mechanical skills? Not only did I go ahead and add windshield wiper solvent (see 4/3 post), I jump-started grandpa's car and replaced a brake-light bulb in the Pilot. 4/3/09: -- My Personal Journey Towards Handiness: Come on fellas, back me up here: it's not as easy as it looks. But I did it, yes, I DID it! A windshield wiper blade popped out on me for no apparent reason en route to work today. After a fair amount of tinkering and swearing I was able to re-attach the damn thing, and I'm pleased to report it's working properly. What next, topping off my own windshield washer fluid? Sky's the limit! 4/2/09: -- My talented wife assembled a terrific video in honor of World Autism Awareness Day. -- Free pizza anyone? -- Interesting read: Why parents swear by ineffective autism treatments. I'll give you a hint: It springs eternal... -- Loaded up around $500 on the Sears card recently for new tires, ouch! But damn, what a difference. Always felt that tires are one area you don't screw around with. It'd gotten to the point where I'd cringe driving over the smallest bump and flinch taking sharp corners... -- Today is World Autism Awareness Day. To celebrate this event Aidan got on the bus with the tantrum to end all tantrums... 3/30/09: -- OSX: Eight years and counting. -- Continuing down this expensive but necessary road to dental wellness, I had a Grand Canyon-sized cavity filled this morning. Comparing this procedure to my recent wisdom tooth extraction, I'd have to say this was worse - the sounds, smells and sensations associated with drilling (found a bone fragment in my mouth as I was checking out, EEWWWW) are ghastly every time. But I'm so glad it's done. Along with two or three other things I'd have done differently in my 20's, taking better care of the choppers is definitely one of 'em. A cautionary tale for you youngsters out there... But now, since sensation is slowly creeping back into my jaw, SOMEONE GET ME SOME FOOD! -- Visited an indoor water park yesterday with the fam. Normally when visiting places like this I can't get past the floating band aids and general skeeviness, but the boys were having such a good time that it was easy to overlook such unpleasantries. Plus there was enough chlorine in the water to dissolve all but the heartiest germs... 3/27/09: -- Kinda takes the guess-work (and the fun, perhaps?) out of finding your shirt size... -- Who needs Steve, anyway? -- Nice freaking shot... 3/26/09: -- He's three! God help us... 3/24/09: -- Dooce's book hit the shelves today, I'm sure it's selling like hotcakes. Where does that expression come from, anyway? Are hotcakes the same as pancakes? And if that's the case I don't see them selling particularly fast (unless it's Sunday morning at Denny's). If anyone can shed any light on this please email me immediately. And if anyone reads dooce's book let me know how it is. In some future life I do plan to start reading again. Someday... -- It's official: yoga is not for wussies... 3/23/09: -- Woz, you're a disgrace to the geek community... -- A cautionary tale: mind what you tweet, peeps... -- Want to pump up your muscles for a good cause? Bring those perky pecs to WestConn! 3/20/09: -- Best. iPhone App. Ever. (thx CousinJoe). -- End of Line: Can it really be ending tonight? Makes me sad. Four years of Battlestar Galactica episodes, each more amazing than the last. Might have to break out a bottle of bubbly for the two-hour series finale... By the way if you don't know the origins of "End of Line", well, maybe you were never a good candidate for a show like BSG to begin with ;) 3/19/09: -- Julia does the perfect omlette. "More eggs makes a rather leathery omlette. The best and the tenderest one is made out of 2-3 eggs." Man oh man I've been doing it so wrong all these years, no wonder the boys never eat mine... -- Yet another sign that the apocalypse is upon us: the 6th most downloaded song from the iTunes Music Store is called "My Life Would Suck Without You." Guess things could be worse, it could be #1... 3/18/09: -- Watch those bananas! World's deadliest spider discovered in grocery store... "Within minutes you will have breathing problems, you'll start to lose control of your muscles, you'll start to drool and within 20 to 25 minutes you'll probably collapse on the floor and die of asphyxiation..." 3/16/09: -- Picked up a timeshare catalog today, closed my eyes and proclaimed that whatever random page I open up to RIGHT NOW is where I will vacation next. Took only a few tries to find Oahu... -- This is awesome: a health club has designed a bus stop bench that displays the weight of the person waiting for the bus, presumably enticing him/her to join based on public humiliation (via Kottke)... -- NYT: Imus has prostate cancer. -- Ok fine, I admit it - I liked Slumdog... Happy?! 3/14/09: -- Thinking of starting a new website, can someone check if the domain name officiallysickofbeyonce.com is taken? -- Cyberduck is rapidly overtaking Fetch as my favorite Mac FTP client. But for text editing I don't see Smultron beating out BBEdit anytime soon... -- Worked late yesterday and blew off an Industrial League hoop game. Then missed today's Saturday morning pickup games. Jake was up around 3:45 screaming at the top of his lungs, nightmare I suppose. All of this racket of course woke up Aidan, who tossed about and babbled for an hour before falling back asleep... It's official: at this juncture life does not allow for anything outside of work and children. 3/13/09: -- Cop got behind me en route to work today. Forced... to drive... 25... alllllllll the way.... Candlewood Lake Road.... ugh. 3/12/09: -- Daddy Didn't Raise No Sissy Boy: I'm told that Jake wimped out at his first Little Ninjas class earlier this week, hiding under a table while the other kids karate chopped, kicked, and had a great time. Art class supposedly went much better... -- My nomination for moronic conversation of the year: Wife: "Since when does the Mystery Machine have GPS and a DVD player?" Me: "In the new episodes it's a modified Honda Odyssey." It goes without saying that the new episodes to which Jakey is addicted can't hold a candle to the Classic Scooby Doo I grew up with. But I'll admit that the new theme song is growing on me... 3/11/09: -- My birthday is still several months from now, but for any of you early shoppers out there, this tops my most wanted list... -- Some sick individuals in this world, read on. 3/9/09: -- Ciruit City: Good riddance to bad rubbish. Serves you right for referring me to the manufacturer for a defective product you sold to me. Stand by what you sell! It was only a pair of headphones, but I've been carrying that anger around with me for about 3 years... -- This is hilarious, but you won't get it unless you've seen those NYT commercials... -- At first I didn't see the point. But I'm slowly starting to like Twitter more than Facebook. The beauty is in the brevity... Tweet me! -- A cruel tease of a weekend, Saturday was gorgeous enough to warrant t-shirts, open windows, and sunny happy sentiments. But just like that we're back to soggy and shivering. That settles it, I'm moving to FL... 3/6/09: -- The deed is done (see below)... Ugh. Remember that scene from Marathon Man? This was worse... Ok just kidding. Truth be told it wasn't so bad at all, I was in and out in about 20 minutes. Fillings are far more traumatic. There was discomfort, don't get me wrong - and a totally skeevy feeling as the roots were ripping. But just like that it was over. -- It's been a thorn in my side for years. Not so much from pain (though in the past few days it's become unendurable at times) - more so from the knowledge that there's a wisdom tooth waaaaay back there that I'm unable to effectively reach with a brush - and as such it's developed a doozy of a cavity burrowing ever deeper. A nagging item on life's to-do list, a ticking time bomb that's been scheduled for defusal since I don't know when. So at 2:20PM today it's getting the ol' yankola. Can't wait... 3/5/09: -- Smart Loans for students. It makes a lot of sense from where I sit... -- My guess is that some toys, when their batteries are almost dead, do strange things in their death throes. That can be the only explanation for Buzz Lightyear's act this morning at 3:27AM: "I am Buzz Lightyear. I come in peace." He also did his patented: "To infinity and BEYOND!" Through bleary eyes I implored him to shut the hell up, as Buzz has no OFF button as far as I can tell. Worse, his battery can't be removed without the help of a screwdriver. I half expected the Candid Camera guys to jump out of the closet. Given my temperament at that moment it wouldn't have gone well for them... 3/3/09: -- Big beefy chunk of space rock zipped by earth the other day, missing by a hair's breadth. Am I the only one freaked out by this? It would've been catastrophic! -- Update (see below) - First the bad news: the Honda techs were unable to duplicate the idling problem, the car made a liar outta me. The good news: there was no charge for looking :) -- Really bad time, Mr. 2003 Honda Pilot, to have a strange idling problem. -- So just how much stronger than us wimpy humans are chimps, really? -- New Macs! I gotta tell ya, the Mini continues to be the best deal that no one talks about. Paired with a decent monitor and cheap-o mice & keyboards, they've been standard issue at work for years - sturdy little servants for sure. If pressed to find a soft spot in their armor, I'd say they seem to run a little hot. Also it's a pain in the 'tocks to add memory. Those aside, they're a very passable desktop solution for the price... 3/2/09: I was just saying last week how "over" winter I am, and that spring can't come soon enough. Nuttin' like a foot of the white stuff to give ya a kick in the arse. But it is beautiful, I must say... 2/27/09: -- Yummmmm ! -- Housing conundrum - so everyone's saying we need to redo our mortgage immediately, as rates are at an all-time low. We've got a guy helping us with it, and it comes down to this: spend $350 for an appraisal. If the value is where it needs to be (unlikely), we could potentially knock a nice chunk off our mortgage payment. If the value is as crappy as I think it is, it's $350 down the crapper and we're no better off. What to do? -- Beatles. New stuff from Adele. Then some Marley. Then my all-time fav Chris Isaak tune. Ben Harper next (his older stuff, thankfully), then a little Van Morrison. EHM is really growing on me (see 2/5 post below)... -- So what's the going rate for a hit these days, anyway? 2/26/09: -- In case you haven't seen this, it's pretty damn funny... 2/25/09: -- A note to my teeth: I know I promised you that this is the year we finally get some of those old issues taken care of: upper wisdoms will be yanked (ugh, can't wait), & the filling or two needed in the upper-left area will be done. Just need more time, please bear with me... -- Pasta: you don't need as much water as you think (thx Kottke)... -- Ya catch the big speech last night? He talks a good game, and his calm, confident manner is contagious (though the standing O after standing O every time he so much as belched was a bit too cheerleaderish for my liking). But even if his ambitious plans flop miserably, confidence is exactly what people need right now. Well done, Mr. President... 2/24/09: -- World's shortest escalator... -- Ok so now that I'm back above 85% health-wise, what excuses do I have left for not working out? None? Ok, fine, I'll do it. 2/23/09: -- A shot of yesterday's MARVEL-ous cake! -- And just like that, he's five years old! Makes me sad. Yesterday's Marvel hero-themed party was a success due to meticulous planning by the missus - every mouth was well-fed, and chaotic fun was the order of the day. There was even an appearance by the Caped Crusader himself (yes Jeremy, photos will be posted). The celebration continues tonight at his favorite - Mickey Dees. Won't you join us for a Happy Meal? 2/19/09: -- Using techniques usually used to locate endangered species, a Geography professor claims he has determined the probable (90%) location of OBL (via Kottke). -- I generally don't go home sick unless my aorta has been severed and blood is cascading all around the room. But yesterday was pretty bad, it was getting to the point where I'd find myself hanging out in the boiler room every few minutes to keep warm. Doc gave me some antibiotics which have already made a world of difference. Thanks for all of the well-wishes, it does in fact look like I'll survive afterall... 2/17/09: -- Jenny McCarthy's crusade to establish a vaccinations/autism link took a crushing blow recently. Though we don't believe this whole argument necessarily applies to our situation, we're often asked our opinion on the matter. Truth is I just don't know. But I do know that anytime lots of well-placed people stand to lose loads of money, all bets are off... -- Aaaaaaaand I'm sick again. Looking at the calendar, there have been... one, two three... about six full days in 2009 where I have enjoyed good health. This is getting ridiculous. 2/16/09: -- A serious tattoo application session took place the other night (above), even after Jakey's limbs were completely covered with images of creepy crawley critters he was asking for more. I was the hit of my recent basketball game, receiving numerous compliments on the half-faded dragonfly on my forearm. If only I'd done the "Mom" on the biceps, then I'd have truly struck fear in the hearts of my opponents... 2/14/09: -- Happy V-Day! To love birds everywhere, hope you get some quality time (wink wink) with your husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner/booty call/whatever. As for us, we'll be stuffing our faces with chocolate and slurping a bottle of bubbly we found leftover from 12/31/08, hopefully the boyz will cooperate and go down early! To celebrate this romantic holiday, Slate has compiled a nice collection of vintage photos of couples making out. Tastefully done, of course. Smmmmmmmoooooch ! 2/13/09: Michael Phelps I ain't - Even though I'm in the workout slump from hell, I generally consider myself reasonably fit and able to find an extra gear when needed. Well the other night I donned some goofy goggles and set out to try a few laps in an olympic sized pool... MEDIC! -- UNIX geeks, break out the champagne... 2/11/09: -- WAPO: 10 lessons BO can learn from the Dubya years. 2/10/09: -- J'ever watch a movie that was so damn cute you wanted to actually pinch it on its chubby lil cheeks? Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is just such a film. Nice soundtrack to boot. The one tragic flaw, and you'll see this in many films, is that the "good guy" girl (would that be protagonist? I dunno) is far better looking than the "bad guy" girl. Should be the other way around methinks. But who am I to nit-pick? Great movie. And if I ever have a daughter (God forbid), Paulie Bleaker - errr, Michael Cera - could totally take her to the prom... 2/9/09: -- Fell asleep to From Russia with Love. Woke up to Never Say Never Again. Caught smatterings of Diamonds are Forever, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and The Spy Who Loved Me throughout the day. Fell asleep to For Your Eyes Only, woke up to The Living Daylights... You get the idea. MAJOR props to Encore for hosting a Bond Marathon all bloody weekend long. Had there been a supply of adult diapers on hand I might not have gotten up at all... 2/7/09: -- Stuuuuck! Stuuuuck! Stuuuck! - Advice from my "Worst Case Scenario" daily calendar on what to do if your tongue is stuck to a frozen pole: Step 1: Do not pull your tongue off the pole - A sharp pull will be very painful. Step 2: Move closer to the pole - Get as close as possible without letting more of the tongue's surface touch the pole. Step 3: Warm the pole with your hands - A tongue will stick when the surface of the pole is very cold. The top few layers of the tongue will freeze when it touches the pole, causing bonding. Place your gloved hands on the area of the pole closest to the tongue. Hold them there for several minutes. If hot water is available, pour it on the tongue and pole. Step 4: Take a test pull - As the pole warms, the frozen area around the tongue should begin to thaw. Gently pull the tongue away from the pole. You may leave a layer or two of skin on the pole, which will be painful, but the tongue will quickly heal. 2/6/09: -- Learned a neat bac-o-matic trick today. Click here to reload my site, bacomatized! 2/5/09: -- Discovered a cool new station - WEHM out of Lawng Gisland. Stream at once... 2/4/09: -- Colorado man faces a decade in the slammer for threatening Obama. Dumbass. 2/3/09: -- Go ahead, mock my sweater vests. But Newsweek says grandpa clothes are all the rage. And they say that because I wear them. -- Playing hoops last night I jammed my finger so badly that for a moment I considered amputation as a means to stop the pain. But then I remembered that I'd need that finger to flip people the bird, and decided against it. 2/2/09: -- What started off as the Boring Bowl ended being a cliffhanger classic, even if you only watch for the commercials. That was one helluva tippy-toe grab by Santonio Holmes with just 35 ticks left, I mean come on- you couldn't make up an awesomer finish. Is there even such a word as awesomer? And the commercials? Eh. Since I can't really remember many of them they couldn't have been that good. I remember chuckling out loud at the Pedigree ad with the exotic animals, but maybe that's just because I've secretly always wanted a wild boar for a pet... Anyway, here's the full rundown if you weren't watching. 2/1/09: -- Will we all remember where we were and what we were doing the day Google bombed? The site is not loading for me at all right now, 8:17AM. Guess it's off to Yahoo! 1/30/09: -- Came across this old pic of my '93 VW Corrado VR6. Ask me today which was the best car I've ever owned and this one would be my answer. Ask me again in 40 years and I'll say the same. My God it drove like a dream, shifting was butter, absolute butter. In time I established a psionic link with this vehicle - she and I would mind-meld when I got behind the wheel, and driving was truly effortless. I wouldn't shift or steer, I would simply think about shifting and steering - she would respond with laser precision. But as time went by and the miles added up, she slowly broke my heart like only the best lover could. The rub on these cars was always the little things that would go - electric seatbelts... the sunroof... the cracking fog lamps... under the hood she stayed solid, but one by one the bells & whistles began to die off. And trust me, every trip to the mechanic was a $700 spot. So when I sold her to some boy with a backwards baseball cap, it was with loads of regret. But it was time... 1/28/09: -- Movie Review: The Wackness, starring Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck. 6 1/2 stars out of 10, and not just because of the bangin' 90's hip-hop soundtrack (though that helped). No new ground is broken here, but the performances were damn cute and the script damn clever. Fire up your Netflix queues. 1/27/09: -- Word to the wise: don't order the fish balls... -- Amazing compilation by various news photographers of their favorite Bush shots, with explainers... 1/26/09: -- A Pun a Day... Wife was checking out the 1/24 post (below) about the otter and asked if we could get one. How could I have responded with anything other than: "We can't afford an otter pet." 1/24/09: --Otterly cute. I so want one for a pet... 1/23/09: -- CNet's review of Windows 7 Beta: a damn good OS. Let's hope MS can redeem themselves after the disaster that is Windows Vista... -- How could I stay mad a him? Was giving Jake a "time-out" the other day, which entailed dragging him into my dark icy office (junk room, actually), plunking him down in the chair and making him sit still for two minutes. At first he was fine with it, but suddenly blurted out "Get me outta this creepy place!", a line he obviously stole from Shaggy. I started laughing of course, thereby ruining any possible disciplinary effects of the "time-out"... 1/22/09: -- Here it goes, the first ever restaurant review on jesseleo.com! Arturo's of Bethel: sometimes, just sometimes, a meal can be delicious enough to make one forget about somewhat scatterbrained service and too-close-together tables (heck, I've been forgiving Sesame Seed for some 15 years now). And damn it was some good Mexican fare, everyone at Mimi's recent birthday dinner gathering ordered a different entree and everyone was satisfied. Very generous portions, and a nice kick to the 'ritas - they certainly ain't stingy with the Tequila. I'd go back for sure. Just not on a weekend... 1/21/09: -- How to properly give a homie handshake... -- Everything you'll ever need know about the new Obama-mobile. By the looks of it you could fire a bazooka at the windshield from about ten feet away and the passengers wouldn't even notice... -- Good Riddance - By the end of his presidency the old jokes weren't even funny anymore. Bush should just vanish into obscurity and let the historians have their way with him. BO delivered a terrific speech yesterday (though it wasn't enough to cover up for the horrendous dance moves he would attempt later that night). Particularly memorable were the jabs taken at his predecessor when he spoke of the petty partisianship that has been infesting Washington, and when he spoke of choosing hope over fear, etc. It's fine to be gracious and applaud politely as the torch is passed, but these were things that needed to be said and BO didn't disappoint... 1/20/09: -- US Air to passengers of downed flight: $5 grand for your troubles. -- Innaug Day - I dunno, I spose there's something to be said for "being a part of history". But to me it's kind of like Times Square on 12/31 - why not celebrate from the cozy comfort of my own living room, with constant access to food and A BATHROOM? If I can steal a few moments away from work I'll be perfectly content watching BO take the oath on CNN. No need to be a part of the shivering masses in DC... 1/19/09: -- MLK Day - Coexist, people. It's what he would've wanted... 1/17/09: -- So I guess the App Store is for real, eh? -- In the history of birthdays, no one is more deserving of a great day than thou, Mother. See you tonight for a 'rita!! Or maybe even two! 1/16/09: -- Rescue in progress. Man that water looks cold... -- It was a toasty 8 degrees as I drove to work this AM. So... sent in your application yet? -- It's a few years too late for me, but someone I know please get this gig so I can live vicariously through you! 1/15/09: -- The nightmare I had the other night was exponentially scarier than anything Stephen King ever concocted. To summarize: I must've been in the undertaking business (a la Six Feet Under), because having a cadaver in the attic seemed to be a matter of course. I was annoyed with myself for not having zippered the body up in plastic before shutting off the lights and locking up for the night. So I had to go back to take care of it - in the pitch dark, with just a flashlight. Of course. So I open up the attic door and it looks very much like the old attic staircase in the house I grew up in (which still evokes terror in me to this day) - wooden, rickety, very haunted-house-ish. I shine the light upstairs and catch a glimpse of... something. Foul black eyes. Decomposing brown skin. Long, stringy strands of crusty hair. And then there's a hollow, terrifying groan, which may actually have been a laugh. It, whatever It is, starts descending the staircase towards me very quickly - not taking steps, It was almost sliding somehow. It's just a few feet away as I try to slam the door, but for some reason the door has transformed into unwieldy tent flaps which won't close completely. It's so close... I fumble with the flaps... ... then I woke up. 1/13/09: -- Watched a presentation by a MetLife representative last night on how to properly provision for a Special Needs child should we depart this world unexpectedly. We'd had a similar meeting last year, but really didn't do much about it other than get a basic life-insurance policy running for me. But this is important: if you have anything, anything at all, allocated for our boy in a will, insurance polcy, or whatever - we thank you 100 times and we love you for it. But stop it. Immediately. Take it out of his name, whatever it is. There is an absurd law in existence that could render him completely ineligible from any federal assistance should funds in excess of $1600 be left to him. Ridiculous but true. Everything must be left to a Trust for him, which we'll be setting up hopefully sooner than later. Could you just imagine? Because of this silly little law of which no one is aware, the kindest intentions of a distant family relative could lead to millions of missed dollars in federal help. We'll post more info as we get it. -- Wired's Top 10 Animal Photo Contest submissions. Some of these are absolutely stunning. Is there anything more glorious than an exotic bird's plumage (see entry #6)? A-parrot-ly not (nyuk nyuk nyuk). 1/12/09: -- How to Completely Waste a Sunday - Normally the notion of wasting a Sunday involves coffee, breakfast in bed, NPR, the NY Times (Arts & Leisure section), a bathrobe, etc. But here's what really happened: I was sick and spent the day groaning in pain and/or barfing, wishing a meteorite would come plummeting from the heavens to end the misery. The boys were no doubt wishing the same thing, as they were on the brink of boredom-induced madness... 1/11/09: -- Move over Doc Brown! Here are the steps to convert your car to run on refuse... 1/8/09: -- Where the Wild Things Are, coming soon to a theater near you? I'll see it so long as my dinner is still hot when I get home... -- Slate ponders which dog breed may be the least loyal. Mother, I'm sorry to say it - the news on Springer Spaniels ain't good... 1/7/09: -- Because I'm wild and crazy like that: Nuked some 3-day old chicken nuggets today using the microwave's "Beverage" setting to see if it would yield different cooking results. Alas, they tasted the same. Now I don't want to hear anyone accuse me of not having a life... 1/5/09: -- My Gods, is a new BSG episode just a week away? Ok maybe ten days? Well it's time to catch the frak up! Here is the previous one for all you rookies... -- So just what IS the status of Steve Jobs' health? All I know is that as his health goes, so goes AAPL... -- Showed Aidan the Michelle Obama book and asked him who they two people on the cover are. "Doctors" he replied. Let's hope so, buddy. Cuz they've got their work cut out for them. 1/4/09: And now back to your regularly scheduled blogging: I'm rebooting. My brain. My soul. My outlook on... everything. Take two parts Scrooge on Christmas morning. Sprinkle in Tigger, while being careful to avoid Eeyore. Throw in certain pieces of Mark Twight's Twitching, minus the anger. In '08 being angry aged me about 5 years. Exist for family, exist for laughs. Work hard. Play harder. Clichés, yes, but good ones. Mind, this won't be an easy year - mucho belt tightening. Hell, pull our belts off and hock 'em on craigslist. Did I make the same resolution(s) last year at this time? Probably. But I mean it this time. | Sites Worth a
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