Anyone who would like to offer congrats on me ending this 11-day gap in posts, here's a suggested method. It's been a while (school does that to ya). What's new with me, then? Mostly school - hell, what am I saying? I've done nothing but school. Spent a weekend in Seattle recently, which was fun. Got some photos, saw some stuff. I found that it's a really easy city to navigate, and has a radically different feel from New York. In many ways I like NYC better, but Seattle is a much younger city, more open, more "hip." I could live in either one, but I don't know that I'd make it in NYC longer than 3 or 4 years. I could see myself in the Seattle area for the long term. Ben has applied for a job in Kent, which is a bit south of the SeaTac airport. Fortunately, I already know which bus route runs between Kent and downtown Seattle.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Postcard from Bizarro World
Hi all, having a great time. Installed MS Office 2007, and am loving it! The new interface is quite a bit different, but pretty intuitive and (gasp!) easy to use. If Vista is this much better than XP, they may give Apple a run for their money. Word to your mother!
XOXO
B
XOXO
B
Monday, September 10, 2007
Google Earth is dead to me
I was looking for Millennium Park (in Chicago, near Navy Pier) on Google Earth. I know where it is (just north of the Art Institute), but I couldn't find it. I looked at Microsoft's Live Search - their response to Google Maps/Google Earth, and it's right there. Pritzker Pavilion is so clearly identifiable, that I could tell at once what I was looking at. What does Google Earth have in that spot? A pasty beige rectangle dotted with construction equipment. WTF? Surely it isn't that hard to update your satellite imagery, Google Earth. Surely it isn't that hard to update your satellite imagery.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Poll results
Results of the most recent poll:
Q: The most exciting thing(s) about Fall semester is:
A:
....Learning new stuff! 4/6 (67%)
....Seeing classmates! 2/6 (33%)
....Commuting! 1/6 (17%)
....Living away from home! 0/6 (0%)
....The excessive workload! 3/6 (50%)
....Borrowing thousands of dollars! 5/6 (83%)
....Fast food and sodie pop! 5/6 (83%)
....Did I mention the commuting!? 1/6 (17%)
....Total! 21/6 (350%)
New poll up as soon as I think of a question.
Q: The most exciting thing(s) about Fall semester is:
A:
....Learning new stuff! 4/6 (67%)
....Seeing classmates! 2/6 (33%)
....Commuting! 1/6 (17%)
....Living away from home! 0/6 (0%)
....The excessive workload! 3/6 (50%)
....Borrowing thousands of dollars! 5/6 (83%)
....Fast food and sodie pop! 5/6 (83%)
....Did I mention the commuting!? 1/6 (17%)
....Total! 21/6 (350%)
New poll up as soon as I think of a question.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Spam and pinochle and cheesecake, oh my!
Over the weekend Ben and I went up to see Spamalot with Ben's dad. We drove up and met him for dinner at the Great Waters Brewing Company, and then walked over to the Ordway for the show.
==== SPOILER WARNING (highlight to view) ====
I enjoyed the show. The multi-media nature of it was intriguing, and some dialog was taken verbatim from the film. I felt that a lot of that was not delivered as well as in the original, although the French Taunter scene was very well executed. The bit at the end where Lancelot marries Prince Herbert - and says, "You know, in a thousand years, this will still be controversial" was a hoot.
==== END SPOILERS ====
The costumes and the set were really well done, and Esther Stillwell, who played The Lady of the Lake, did a great job.
We spent Saturday with Ben's folks, and his mom prepared some great meals for us. Thanks, Kathy! (Thathy) We also played a couple games of pinochle, which was fun.
On Sunday we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Kathy had never eaten there (though she had gotten cheesecake from them in the past). My first impression, upon opening the menu, was that they must be really struggling, financially. About 45% of the menu consisted of ads for everything from purses to jeans to American Express to Carnival Cruise lines. I wondered if I could order those things as well, but decided against asking our waitress (she seemed like the type who wouldn't see the humor in it, even if she did understand the point I was trying to make - which is also unlikely). I think my favorite was the ad for a website where I could look at the ads again, when I got home. The top of the page exhorted the diner "Enjoy our ads again!" - because they were so enthralling the first time around. The next remarkable thing about the restaurant is that about 80% of their entrees are "specialties." Really? That seems a bit ... ridiculous.
Nonetheless, the meal was good, and of course we also got dessert - I ordered a piece of cheesecake, and I believe Ben had one of their "specialty" desserts (not the cheesecake, which was odd, I thought, given the name of the restaurant - but I don't really know much about marketing in the restaurant biz) - it was a chocolate cake. Not a piece of chocolate cake, but an entire cake - at least, it took up the same amount of space. My greatest criticism, I think, is of the prices. Given that almost half of their menu is sold to advertisers, I would have expected the prices to be a bit lower.
==== SPOILER WARNING (highlight to view) ====
I enjoyed the show. The multi-media nature of it was intriguing, and some dialog was taken verbatim from the film. I felt that a lot of that was not delivered as well as in the original, although the French Taunter scene was very well executed. The bit at the end where Lancelot marries Prince Herbert - and says, "You know, in a thousand years, this will still be controversial" was a hoot.
==== END SPOILERS ====
The costumes and the set were really well done, and Esther Stillwell, who played The Lady of the Lake, did a great job.
We spent Saturday with Ben's folks, and his mom prepared some great meals for us. Thanks, Kathy! (Thathy) We also played a couple games of pinochle, which was fun.
On Sunday we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Kathy had never eaten there (though she had gotten cheesecake from them in the past). My first impression, upon opening the menu, was that they must be really struggling, financially. About 45% of the menu consisted of ads for everything from purses to jeans to American Express to Carnival Cruise lines. I wondered if I could order those things as well, but decided against asking our waitress (she seemed like the type who wouldn't see the humor in it, even if she did understand the point I was trying to make - which is also unlikely). I think my favorite was the ad for a website where I could look at the ads again, when I got home. The top of the page exhorted the diner "Enjoy our ads again!" - because they were so enthralling the first time around. The next remarkable thing about the restaurant is that about 80% of their entrees are "specialties." Really? That seems a bit ... ridiculous.
Nonetheless, the meal was good, and of course we also got dessert - I ordered a piece of cheesecake, and I believe Ben had one of their "specialty" desserts (not the cheesecake, which was odd, I thought, given the name of the restaurant - but I don't really know much about marketing in the restaurant biz) - it was a chocolate cake. Not a piece of chocolate cake, but an entire cake - at least, it took up the same amount of space. My greatest criticism, I think, is of the prices. Given that almost half of their menu is sold to advertisers, I would have expected the prices to be a bit lower.
I was out of town over the weekend, so of course...
I lost a crown (the dental kind). The tooth in question had been slightly pressure- and cold- sensitive recently, probably because the adhesive was deteriorating. Now every time I inhale abruptly, the flow of air over the little stub of tooth on which the crown once rested causes me a fair degree of discomfort.
Why does this (dental) stuff always happen (a) when I'm out of town and (b) on weekends? My last tooth issue was the temporary crown that came off during my field trip to New York this spring. Prior to that, I had a molar that was rotting out of my head when I was on a 4-day field trip to Door County in Wisconsin. WTF?
I wonder if maybe I ought to find a new dentist.
Why does this (dental) stuff always happen (a) when I'm out of town and (b) on weekends? My last tooth issue was the temporary crown that came off during my field trip to New York this spring. Prior to that, I had a molar that was rotting out of my head when I was on a 4-day field trip to Door County in Wisconsin. WTF?
I wonder if maybe I ought to find a new dentist.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
New excuse: "The Buick made me do it."
Catholicism demonstrates again why it is utterly pointless in the modern world with its 10 commandments for drivers. Seriously, what is the point of this inane drivel?
Favorite lines:
Holy Mother Church urges drivers to, among other things, "refrain from drinking and driving, and to pray you make it before you even buckle up."
I'm sorry, don't we already have a pretty strong cultural pressure against drinking & driving? And if I'm so unsure of my driving skill that I have to pray that I survive a trip to the mall, I really ought to consider riding the bus instead.
They "also warned that automobiles can be 'an occasion of sin' -- particularly when they are used for dangerous passing or for prostitution."
These two examples aren't exactly similar in the eyes of the law. Again, if societal pressure isn't keeping you from picking up hookers, I doubt this ridiculous edict will have any effect.
Some church guy says, "We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each year on the roads. That's a sad reality, and at the same time, a great challenge for society and the church."
Actually, I don't see the necessity for the church in this equation. Maybe they're desperately trying to assert some degree of relevance in a world that would be better off without them?
Church guy also notes "that the Bible was full of people on the move, including Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus."
WTF does that have to do with anything? Moby Dick takes place on a boat, but I haven't seen anyone suggest that it should be a guide for ocean travel.
"drivers can kill themselves and others if they don't get their cars regular tuneups"
So now will I be committing a sin if I don't get my oil changed every 3000 miles? How many Hail Marys will absolve me of that?
Saying the Rosary while driving is "particularly well suited to recitation by all in the car since its 'rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention.'"
Nice. Growing up in a strongly Catholic household, I can remember always having trouble keeping track of which little plastic bead I was supposed to be holding on to. Sounds pretty distracting to me.
Commandment number 8 reads: "Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness."
This is one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard.
Sorry to go on - I'll leave the remainder to your own analysis.
PZ Myers over at Pharyngula sums it up nicely:
Favorite lines:
Holy Mother Church urges drivers to, among other things, "refrain from drinking and driving, and to pray you make it before you even buckle up."
I'm sorry, don't we already have a pretty strong cultural pressure against drinking & driving? And if I'm so unsure of my driving skill that I have to pray that I survive a trip to the mall, I really ought to consider riding the bus instead.
They "also warned that automobiles can be 'an occasion of sin' -- particularly when they are used for dangerous passing or for prostitution."
These two examples aren't exactly similar in the eyes of the law. Again, if societal pressure isn't keeping you from picking up hookers, I doubt this ridiculous edict will have any effect.
Some church guy says, "We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each year on the roads. That's a sad reality, and at the same time, a great challenge for society and the church."
Actually, I don't see the necessity for the church in this equation. Maybe they're desperately trying to assert some degree of relevance in a world that would be better off without them?
Church guy also notes "that the Bible was full of people on the move, including Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus."
WTF does that have to do with anything? Moby Dick takes place on a boat, but I haven't seen anyone suggest that it should be a guide for ocean travel.
"drivers can kill themselves and others if they don't get their cars regular tuneups"
So now will I be committing a sin if I don't get my oil changed every 3000 miles? How many Hail Marys will absolve me of that?
Saying the Rosary while driving is "particularly well suited to recitation by all in the car since its 'rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention.'"
Nice. Growing up in a strongly Catholic household, I can remember always having trouble keeping track of which little plastic bead I was supposed to be holding on to. Sounds pretty distracting to me.
Commandment number 8 reads: "Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness."
This is one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard.
Sorry to go on - I'll leave the remainder to your own analysis.
PZ Myers over at Pharyngula sums it up nicely:
The Vatican can't put together a rational policy on contraception, a far more serious problem for the world and to which their beliefs contribute, but they can send out these trivial and irritatingly idiotic suggestions for drivers?
Friday, June 08, 2007
Summer Vacation, Part 2
It's been a cool and wet summer so far. I've done some yard work, been sick a couple of times, visited my family back in NoDak, and gotten a haircut. Next Monday (the 11th) is officially the beginning of my summer class - I need to get ready for that, I guess.
Hmm....
Wow, I'm boring.
Hmm....
Wow, I'm boring.
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