This afternoon I had the day off from work, so I met with my mother and my sister for lunch. At some point, the following exchange took place:
Me - Oh that's right, you like onions.
Sis - I don't like onions, I looove onions.
Me - If you love onions so much, why don't you marry them? ...Because, you know, you could do that in North Carolina. [whispered] ...Unless they're gay onions. Then it'd be illegal.
Mom - In Georgia, we call those vidalia onions.
Me and Sis - [stunned silence]
Me - ...just because they're sweet doesn't mean they're gay!
Mom - [laughing] I have no idea where that came from.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
What the Internet can do for you.
Earlier today I needed to do a little look-up on an uncommon animal, specifically the Walia ibex (an endangered species of Ibex native to the Semien mountains of Africa). Just a few moments ago I needed to look up the address of a restaurant where I'll be meeting an old friend later this evening. However, my search engine was still primed to "Walia ibex", and the the location it defaulted to – before I could even enter the address I wanted – was for "Ethiopisch Café Restaurant Walia Ibex", an Ethiopian restaurant in Amsterdam!
How cool is that?
PLUR!
How cool is that?
PLUR!
Monday, July 20, 2009
It was generally agreed upon...
..that after last night, I am no longer allowed to freestyle.
"I got Lene callin' on me like I'm Doctor Jones
Bustin' up in yo case just like I'm Sherlock Holmes
I got good pronunciation 'cos I know phenomes"
"I got Lene callin' on me like I'm Doctor Jones
Bustin' up in yo case just like I'm Sherlock Holmes
I got good pronunciation 'cos I know phenomes"
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Go, Go, Go
Today I found Speed Racer on DVD for only $7.00, which is an excellent price - I remember the first time I tried looking for it after it was released, it retailed for almost $20.00 - a price I found surprising considering the mixed reviews it got in the theaters. Naturally, I couldn't give up that kind of opportunity, and I sat down to watch it as soon as I got back home!
Personally, I LOVE the Speed Racer film - although the motion and colors can be quite a lot for some people to handle (I understand that the movie's "epileptic" presentation was one of its biggest criticisms). Considering the intentional camp of the film, I think it's very well-acted, with an impressive emotional depth and a focus on some important themes such as loyalty, responsibility, and family relationships. While one could make an argument for a hidden level of complexity to the film that's not immediately apparent, it's actually the film's straight-forward simplicity that I love about it. Although patently unrealistic, there is almost no ambiguity about each character's role - the bad guys are thoroughly despicable (in many and varied ways), and Speed and his family are unequivocally good, honest, and wholesome.
So much of what I'm exposed to in the media these days seems to promote and rely on themes of confustion, uncertainty, and powerlessness. The Matrix is a contemporary cultural icon, and shows that decieve both their characters and their audiences (like Lost, and to a lesser extent the pantheon of CSI shows) are notoriously popular. By contrast, Speed Racer is simple, straight-forward, and unambiguous. Sometimes it's refreshing to have a hero who's just that - a hero.
Anyways, as far as Speed Racer goes, a fine piece of cinema it ain't. It's a ton of fun to watch, though, and I'd recommend it to anyone who can let loose enough to let themselves enjoy a fun and fast-paced movie, even in spite of the sensory overload you may experience!
PLUR!
Personally, I LOVE the Speed Racer film - although the motion and colors can be quite a lot for some people to handle (I understand that the movie's "epileptic" presentation was one of its biggest criticisms). Considering the intentional camp of the film, I think it's very well-acted, with an impressive emotional depth and a focus on some important themes such as loyalty, responsibility, and family relationships. While one could make an argument for a hidden level of complexity to the film that's not immediately apparent, it's actually the film's straight-forward simplicity that I love about it. Although patently unrealistic, there is almost no ambiguity about each character's role - the bad guys are thoroughly despicable (in many and varied ways), and Speed and his family are unequivocally good, honest, and wholesome.
So much of what I'm exposed to in the media these days seems to promote and rely on themes of confustion, uncertainty, and powerlessness. The Matrix is a contemporary cultural icon, and shows that decieve both their characters and their audiences (like Lost, and to a lesser extent the pantheon of CSI shows) are notoriously popular. By contrast, Speed Racer is simple, straight-forward, and unambiguous. Sometimes it's refreshing to have a hero who's just that - a hero.
Anyways, as far as Speed Racer goes, a fine piece of cinema it ain't. It's a ton of fun to watch, though, and I'd recommend it to anyone who can let loose enough to let themselves enjoy a fun and fast-paced movie, even in spite of the sensory overload you may experience!
PLUR!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Barefoot in the kitchen
This is a bad habit of mine. When I'm inside the house, I have a terrible aversion to footwear, unless I'm bitter cold and can't feel my toes already. And so, when I cook (which is more often than it used to be, but still probably not often enough), I tend to do so barefoot.
Some time ago I embarked on a similar endeavor, and with disasterous results. I was frying something in a skillet,and a drop of hot oil *popped* out of the pan and landed right on the top of my foot. After that time, I vowed never to cook whilst barefoot again.
Quite naturally, I was good on my word for all of 2 months before falling back into my old habits!
This time, however, things were a bit different. For one thing, I managed to avoid injuring or burning myself. More importantly, though, was the content of the food. In a lot of ways, I'm true to my roots - I grew up eating lots of meats and breads and potato starches, and so when I actually get myself into the kitchen, it's as natural for me to think "casserole" as just about anything else. Well, my sister is a vegetarian, and at her suggestion I used Morningstar brand "crumbles" (a vegetable-protein-based meat substitute) instead of the lean ground beef I would have normally cooked.
All in all, it was a good choice - the Morningstar defrosted and cooked quicker than the meat would have, and I didn't have to go through the additional step of draining that ground beef usually requires. And whilst the Morningstar did have a noticeable texture difference from regular ground beef, in the context of the casserole, it was hardly a problem at all.
I've not experimented with other Morningstar products, but so far they've received a positive opinion from me. I wouldn't use the crumbles to, say, make burger patties...but I imagine there's another product that's better suited for that purpose.
I am not vegetarian, and have no real intention of adopting a vegetarian diet, but I do try to monitor my meat consumption, especially red meats (this is both easy and difficult for me to do - the menu of the restaurant I work at is very meat-heavy, but we prepare far more poultry than red meat). It's nice to know that there are viable substitutes out there that are both readily available (the Morningstar came from the nearest grocery) and easy enough for a lazy cook like me to prepare.
...Because when one spends all day cooking for other people, the last thing I want to do it come home and have to cook for myself! ;-P
PLUR!
Some time ago I embarked on a similar endeavor, and with disasterous results. I was frying something in a skillet,and a drop of hot oil *popped* out of the pan and landed right on the top of my foot. After that time, I vowed never to cook whilst barefoot again.
Quite naturally, I was good on my word for all of 2 months before falling back into my old habits!
This time, however, things were a bit different. For one thing, I managed to avoid injuring or burning myself. More importantly, though, was the content of the food. In a lot of ways, I'm true to my roots - I grew up eating lots of meats and breads and potato starches, and so when I actually get myself into the kitchen, it's as natural for me to think "casserole" as just about anything else. Well, my sister is a vegetarian, and at her suggestion I used Morningstar brand "crumbles" (a vegetable-protein-based meat substitute) instead of the lean ground beef I would have normally cooked.
All in all, it was a good choice - the Morningstar defrosted and cooked quicker than the meat would have, and I didn't have to go through the additional step of draining that ground beef usually requires. And whilst the Morningstar did have a noticeable texture difference from regular ground beef, in the context of the casserole, it was hardly a problem at all.
I've not experimented with other Morningstar products, but so far they've received a positive opinion from me. I wouldn't use the crumbles to, say, make burger patties...but I imagine there's another product that's better suited for that purpose.
I am not vegetarian, and have no real intention of adopting a vegetarian diet, but I do try to monitor my meat consumption, especially red meats (this is both easy and difficult for me to do - the menu of the restaurant I work at is very meat-heavy, but we prepare far more poultry than red meat). It's nice to know that there are viable substitutes out there that are both readily available (the Morningstar came from the nearest grocery) and easy enough for a lazy cook like me to prepare.
...Because when one spends all day cooking for other people, the last thing I want to do it come home and have to cook for myself! ;-P
PLUR!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Venture by Night team structure graph, v.2.2.1
This is a social network graph I created with GraphViz to represent the team structure within the Venture by Night Requiem game. This graph is an updated draft. It may contain non-current information, but is close to complete. Click on the image to enlarge it.
blue = team mates
solid blue = reports to
green = upper management
dashed line = no longer works with listed individuals
red box = inactive
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