1/17/08, 10:15 p.m. --
GWNCC Inaugural Roast!
I finally acquired my coffee roaster today, a FreshRoast Plus 8 ordered
from Sweet Maria's. This will nicely complement my awesome grinder,
which was a recent birthday acquisition from my parents (thanks Mom and
Dad!) I wasted no time in fumigating my apartment to the aroma of roasting
coffee (a very distinct smell for those not familiar with it -- and nothing
at all like coffee itself), with GWNCC Batch #1, a Brazil, currently
cooling on the counter. This little guy roasts a whopping 86cc of coffee
at a time, so it doesn't make a ton of smoke, and is several orders of
magnitude quieter than Sam's roaster. I think with a fan in the window
and the kitchen door shut, I could easily keep most of the smoke contained.
And perhaps if I can tolerate a darker roast, I could do a little more
than two 43-cc scoops at a time, but just the same, don't expect any
large shipments of GWNCC for awhile...
1/6/08, 10:17 p.m. --
DOG
It's a new year, which means it's time for my monthly update. On the school
front, I managed to survive what should be my last class ever. And just
mere weeks before I turn 27 ... about damn time, right? I certainly won't
miss it, that's for sure. And even though it's been 2 1/2 months since I
took the written prelim, I still haven't heard back, so I guess that means
there is still some possibility I could be ejected from fantasy camp...
Last month I also had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for four days to give a 15-minute talk at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. It was a massive conference (allegedly had over 15,000 registrants), which made it really hard to figure out which sessions I might even want to attend. I decided to play tourist instead (for the most part) and took in a fair number of the tourist opportunities SF had to offer, including the wharf, the bridge, cable cars, Chinatown, and all that good stuff. Also managed to find a few decent restaurants and bakeries. I'd love to go back someday when the days are a bit longer and I have more free time.
The big news, of course, is that I got a dog for Christmas. I had been looking for one ever since I moved into my current apartment, which allows dogs -- and with a little help from my mom, I found a really nice cocker-cavalier mix. I decided to call him Oscar, for obvious reasons. He's real sweet though, and so far hasn't had any real accidents inside. I think I can handle anything else as long as he's housetrained. I took him to the dog park today, and he seems to get along well with other dogs, even when they are 10 times his size (watching him try to sniff a 250-lb St. Bernard was a good laugh.) He's also been a real hit with everyone who has visited him, so I guess that's good. As an added bonus, I now don't have to worry about Sam showing up at my door again wanting to sleep on the couch, nor do I have to feel like I'm going crazy, as I can talk to the dog instead of myself. Oscar also really likes napping, so as you can imagine, we get along swimmingly =) I took some pics and put them in a gallery, you can see them here.
Last month I also had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for four days to give a 15-minute talk at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. It was a massive conference (allegedly had over 15,000 registrants), which made it really hard to figure out which sessions I might even want to attend. I decided to play tourist instead (for the most part) and took in a fair number of the tourist opportunities SF had to offer, including the wharf, the bridge, cable cars, Chinatown, and all that good stuff. Also managed to find a few decent restaurants and bakeries. I'd love to go back someday when the days are a bit longer and I have more free time.
The big news, of course, is that I got a dog for Christmas. I had been looking for one ever since I moved into my current apartment, which allows dogs -- and with a little help from my mom, I found a really nice cocker-cavalier mix. I decided to call him Oscar, for obvious reasons. He's real sweet though, and so far hasn't had any real accidents inside. I think I can handle anything else as long as he's housetrained. I took him to the dog park today, and he seems to get along well with other dogs, even when they are 10 times his size (watching him try to sniff a 250-lb St. Bernard was a good laugh.) He's also been a real hit with everyone who has visited him, so I guess that's good. As an added bonus, I now don't have to worry about Sam showing up at my door again wanting to sleep on the couch, nor do I have to feel like I'm going crazy, as I can talk to the dog instead of myself. Oscar also really likes napping, so as you can imagine, we get along swimmingly =) I took some pics and put them in a gallery, you can see them here.
12/1/07, 1:19 p.m. --
Winter ... in December??
So in the last month, I survived my written prelim (no word yet on
whether I failed though), hosted an incredibly entertaining Mplsfest
(which predictably involved a lot of eating and drinking, and backseat
beat-boxing), ran the Living History Farms
Cross Country race and attended the Menomena show with Brian & Ryan (all in the
same day, I might add), and attended Brent's wedding (congrats, btw)
during a relatively brief and busy Thanksgiving break that
was just barely long enough for Amesnesia to set in. And now, to finish
the semester and head back home for a much-anticipated break...
The big news for today though is that for the first time since I moved up here, it's actually snowing in December(!) I remember once upon a time a few people (including my mother, who lived up here at one point) telling me that it was really cold and snowy in Mpls, and that I would be silly to want to live here during the winter months. However, the last three winters have been (relatively) warm and dry; last year we had one of the rainiest Decembers on record, and my first year here we set some kind of record for latest snowfall of greater than 1" depth (end of January, I think). Maybe it's global warming or something, or just bad timing, but it's not exactly been the winters I grew up with, or was expecting, at least. Anyway ... I went for a run in the snow earlier (my favorite kind of run), and am now warming up with some Roastery of Sam (Guatemala), dressed in sweats and watching what could very well be our biggest storm of the season. I also have a paper that needs writing, but if all goes according to plan, I won't have to change out of my sweats until bedtime =D
The big news for today though is that for the first time since I moved up here, it's actually snowing in December(!) I remember once upon a time a few people (including my mother, who lived up here at one point) telling me that it was really cold and snowy in Mpls, and that I would be silly to want to live here during the winter months. However, the last three winters have been (relatively) warm and dry; last year we had one of the rainiest Decembers on record, and my first year here we set some kind of record for latest snowfall of greater than 1" depth (end of January, I think). Maybe it's global warming or something, or just bad timing, but it's not exactly been the winters I grew up with, or was expecting, at least. Anyway ... I went for a run in the snow earlier (my favorite kind of run), and am now warming up with some Roastery of Sam (Guatemala), dressed in sweats and watching what could very well be our biggest storm of the season. I also have a paper that needs writing, but if all goes according to plan, I won't have to change out of my sweats until bedtime =D
10/10/07, 11:17 p.m. --
Timing.
Since I last updated nearly two months ago (a long drought, even by
my standards), my sense of timing has been completely off. By that I mean
not so much that I've been busy, more that the last two weeks in particular
have seen a convergence of so many inconveniences, not the least of which
was moving. On top of trying to study for my written prelims at the end
of the month (the school's first chance to kick me out of fantasy camp),
I had to move, accomodate a visit from my brother, attend two concerts,
and study for a microbio test (which I did poorly on).
This all started when I failed in my housing search. The timing for that was shitty at best; most places near campus had filled up in the pre-semester rush by the time I had to start looking. And if Sam had decided to bail even one week sooner, I could have taken a 1-br close to work in a building managed by a friend of mine. Or maybe I could have gotten him to take Sam's place. But nooo, that would have been too easy. Instead I ended up in a mediocre 1-br apartment with a tiny-ass kitchen and no dishwasher or free laundry =( Next time I will just bite the bullet and find a roommate on craigslist rather than deal with moving. FTL.
Poor timing struck again when Brian showed up for the Arcade Fire show two weekends ago -- precisely the weekend I was moving. So it was nice to have the extra help, but I don't think he was bargaining for that. Incidentally, the show was fantastic; AF is every bit as awesome live as people say. I was sad not to hear either of my favorite songs off the new album, but the extra- long one-two punch of Lights Out - Rebellion (my personal favorite) at the end of the show more than made up for it. It was amazing, for lack of a better word -- I hope they come back sometime. I also went to see Bat For Lashes last Wednesday, which was a fun show but I was completely wiped, having done the big move the day before and all I wanted to do was go home and unpack or sleep. Ah well.
So now to stumble into the thrilling conclusion of my rant ... due to popular demand, I took some pics of the new place, now that I finally unpacked everything. (If you look at the aquarium closely you can see the pleco on the front of the tank; he's now accompanied me on 3 of my 4 Mpls moves, and is currently the reigning champion and sole survivor of Moving With Ben.) I suppose in a couple weeks I won't care since I'll be used to it, but it really sucks compared to the old place. I'm right on the river, so the location is way better than before, but that's all it has going for it. Also, as I'm living alone, there's no longer any Sam =( I haven't decided at this point if I actually miss Sam, or if it was more that I miss having access to the best coffee in the world, as well as occasional good laughs and tasty food. Or a ready companion for any, uh, 'adventures.' (Just kidding Sam--you were a pretty great roommie.) I'm actually toying with the idea of getting a dog, since I can have one now and I really do miss having one around (I could even name it Sam) ... but that's a rant for another day. The bottom line, as in all things in life, is a net effect of zero -- I'm basically where I started three years ago, at least in terms of living situation... yeah.
This all started when I failed in my housing search. The timing for that was shitty at best; most places near campus had filled up in the pre-semester rush by the time I had to start looking. And if Sam had decided to bail even one week sooner, I could have taken a 1-br close to work in a building managed by a friend of mine. Or maybe I could have gotten him to take Sam's place. But nooo, that would have been too easy. Instead I ended up in a mediocre 1-br apartment with a tiny-ass kitchen and no dishwasher or free laundry =( Next time I will just bite the bullet and find a roommate on craigslist rather than deal with moving. FTL.
Poor timing struck again when Brian showed up for the Arcade Fire show two weekends ago -- precisely the weekend I was moving. So it was nice to have the extra help, but I don't think he was bargaining for that. Incidentally, the show was fantastic; AF is every bit as awesome live as people say. I was sad not to hear either of my favorite songs off the new album, but the extra- long one-two punch of Lights Out - Rebellion (my personal favorite) at the end of the show more than made up for it. It was amazing, for lack of a better word -- I hope they come back sometime. I also went to see Bat For Lashes last Wednesday, which was a fun show but I was completely wiped, having done the big move the day before and all I wanted to do was go home and unpack or sleep. Ah well.
So now to stumble into the thrilling conclusion of my rant ... due to popular demand, I took some pics of the new place, now that I finally unpacked everything. (If you look at the aquarium closely you can see the pleco on the front of the tank; he's now accompanied me on 3 of my 4 Mpls moves, and is currently the reigning champion and sole survivor of Moving With Ben.) I suppose in a couple weeks I won't care since I'll be used to it, but it really sucks compared to the old place. I'm right on the river, so the location is way better than before, but that's all it has going for it. Also, as I'm living alone, there's no longer any Sam =( I haven't decided at this point if I actually miss Sam, or if it was more that I miss having access to the best coffee in the world, as well as occasional good laughs and tasty food. Or a ready companion for any, uh, 'adventures.' (Just kidding Sam--you were a pretty great roommie.) I'm actually toying with the idea of getting a dog, since I can have one now and I really do miss having one around (I could even name it Sam) ... but that's a rant for another day. The bottom line, as in all things in life, is a net effect of zero -- I'm basically where I started three years ago, at least in terms of living situation... yeah.
8/18/07, 6:07 p.m. --
THREE!
So yesterday marked the 3-year anniversary of my move to the Great White North,
and while I don't really have any impressive milestones to report, there's been
a few relatively-exciting things going down lately. To summarize:
- Due to our inability to design & build a bridge to last more than forty years, Sam has decided to bail on Nordeast and flee to the suburbs to reduce the length of his now-insane commute. While Sam has been my roommate for the greatest continuous length of time of anyone I've lived with, I can't blame him for not wanting to drive through the logistical disaster that the Mpls-StP roadways have now become (as if there were no problems before, right?). This means, of course, that I'm in the market for a new place -- my fifth one since moving up here three years ago. Great.
- I got a pretty serious lesson in notes/dollar a little over a week ago, when Samm and Erin came up for the Dream Theater concert. I had never seen them live before, though for Sam it was his fourth time I think ... and he assured me that they usually play for far longer than the two hours they were on stage in Mpls. Even if they are aging a bit, it was a memorable experience to see instruments (even keytars, lol) played like that. I got a much better idea of just how good they are, seeing how effortlessly they could hammer out so many notes/minute. I even got to hear a few of my favorite songs, or bits and pieces at least, due to the strange medley they played for an encore. Would go again, A+.
- I also broke down and joined facebook, that great waster of time, now that it's been given official endorsement by Steve. I wasted no time in max-ing out the amount of text on my profile page, so as to best waste people's time. Also, thanks to Sam, the graffiti feature has now consumed some of our collective time and artistic ability this afternoon. The potential for time-wasting seems endless; I can hardly wait to get sucked in =\
7/24/07, 9:17 p.m. --
HP ftw
I guess after this weekend's HP excitement I feel I should probably write
something about it. Silly as it may seem, I was just as excited as anyone
else, having eagerly anticipated this weekend since the publishing date
was announced. I even showed up at Borders at midnight to get my reserved copy --
only to find the entire lower floor jammed with people. I decided it
wasn't worth it and got my copy early Saturday instead. I did my best to
stay away from the internet and anyone who might spoil anything else for
me while I plowed through it; Sam, oddly enough, (though probably against his
instincts) graciously refrained from giving anything away =) I'm about to offer
my 2 cents though, even if it's more for my benefit than anything else
... just so you know, you've been warned.
Knowing that it was the last HP book (or should be, at any rate), I did my best to savor it rather than rush through as I had done with the others. I found that I rather enjoyed it this way, picking up little clues here and there that I may have missed otherwise. It was an awesome read, and as expected, considerably more dark than the others. The atmosphere is pretty tense to the very end, at least if you can allow yourself to be absorbed in the story a bit. Many characters, including some outside of the main three, are fully fleshed-out in a more or less satisfying fashion. Not surprisingly, the many intricacies of the plot are neatly tied up by the end, in perhaps greater detail than necessary at times. And while the focus is mostly on the main characters, it would have been fun to know more about what was going on with the rest of them, as it becomes crucial for the grand finale. While the somewhat predictable conclusion might have lost some of its dramatic impact by the end, it was still satisfying, especially from a plot standpoint. And definitely an enjoyable book.
However ... I still have a bit of a bone to pick with the ending, and I don't mean the now infamously-lame epilogue. I think my disappointment stems from the very end of the actual book, and while it's not enough to ruin the book or the series, it's been nagging me ever since I finished the last page yesterday. I don't think I possess the words to describe it properly, but the rather cheeky last note of the book was far from the more sentimental ending I had been looking forward to, or even had been expecting, as the other books all ended that way. (What can I say? I'm a bit of a sap.) I even turned the last page expecting there to be more, thinking "there's no way she would have ended it that way" ... boo. Alas, I'm not JKR, so it's hardly up to me to decide how it should finish, I guess. And the bottom line is that I've been in a funk ever since finishing it, as I'm pretty bummed out that it's the last one =(
Knowing that it was the last HP book (or should be, at any rate), I did my best to savor it rather than rush through as I had done with the others. I found that I rather enjoyed it this way, picking up little clues here and there that I may have missed otherwise. It was an awesome read, and as expected, considerably more dark than the others. The atmosphere is pretty tense to the very end, at least if you can allow yourself to be absorbed in the story a bit. Many characters, including some outside of the main three, are fully fleshed-out in a more or less satisfying fashion. Not surprisingly, the many intricacies of the plot are neatly tied up by the end, in perhaps greater detail than necessary at times. And while the focus is mostly on the main characters, it would have been fun to know more about what was going on with the rest of them, as it becomes crucial for the grand finale. While the somewhat predictable conclusion might have lost some of its dramatic impact by the end, it was still satisfying, especially from a plot standpoint. And definitely an enjoyable book.
However ... I still have a bit of a bone to pick with the ending, and I don't mean the now infamously-lame epilogue. I think my disappointment stems from the very end of the actual book, and while it's not enough to ruin the book or the series, it's been nagging me ever since I finished the last page yesterday. I don't think I possess the words to describe it properly, but the rather cheeky last note of the book was far from the more sentimental ending I had been looking forward to, or even had been expecting, as the other books all ended that way. (What can I say? I'm a bit of a sap.) I even turned the last page expecting there to be more, thinking "there's no way she would have ended it that way" ... boo. Alas, I'm not JKR, so it's hardly up to me to decide how it should finish, I guess. And the bottom line is that I've been in a funk ever since finishing it, as I'm pretty bummed out that it's the last one =(
7/15/07, 12:10 p.m. --
If you can dodge a wrench...
So... this weekend I played dodgeball. Although it didn't really take a
lot of convincing, I will admit I had some reservations in spite of the
incredible level of awesome Jory guaranteed it would be. I need not have
worried -- it was a great time. Somehow he managed to not only convince
half his office to play, but got in touch with the local pickup dodgeball
group, which was more than happy to bring all the necessary equipment,
help set up, and go over the incredibly complicated set of rules by
which the game is governed. It was pretty much as I remembered it from
the elementary school days, except that people can throw much harder now.
Oh, and hitting someone square in the groin with a well-placed throw is
still just as oddly-sastisfying as it ever was ... even if they manage to catch
it somehow before hobbling off the field to recover. I would definitely
go back, was a good time. Just need to convince Sam to play...
In arguably less-exciting but more relevant news, I finally got my bike pieced back together Thursday night. Initially all I was planning to do was replace cables and derailleurs (both of which were in bad shape), but before I knew it I had not only ordered new derailleurs, but had acquired a new saddle from a co-worker and bought a used set of decent brake/shift levers from a local shop ($3). Of course, that meant I needed new grips, too. And I found the old chain was too stretched to be useful with the new derailleurs. And the old stem was cracked and the brakes were in bad shape, so I took those off the old Bianchi. At one point I had the poor thing stripped down to frame, fork, and bottom bracket. Should have just bought a new frame ... or a new bike, way back when. Oh well. It works now (sort of), even though the front derailleur is undersized and still needs some tweaking -- they are a huge pain in the ass to adjust, by the way. Nice to have the bike back though!
In arguably less-exciting but more relevant news, I finally got my bike pieced back together Thursday night. Initially all I was planning to do was replace cables and derailleurs (both of which were in bad shape), but before I knew it I had not only ordered new derailleurs, but had acquired a new saddle from a co-worker and bought a used set of decent brake/shift levers from a local shop ($3). Of course, that meant I needed new grips, too. And I found the old chain was too stretched to be useful with the new derailleurs. And the old stem was cracked and the brakes were in bad shape, so I took those off the old Bianchi. At one point I had the poor thing stripped down to frame, fork, and bottom bracket. Should have just bought a new frame ... or a new bike, way back when. Oh well. It works now (sort of), even though the front derailleur is undersized and still needs some tweaking -- they are a huge pain in the ass to adjust, by the way. Nice to have the bike back though!
7/7/07, 9:12 p.m. --
Seven Day
In honor of this special blog-worthy date, I do have a small milestone to
report. In the wake of the mega-tag that occurred upon our return from a
highly-satisfying CL trip, one lonely tag was perhaps overlooked. I'll put
it up here again to mark the occasion. What I'm speaking of is the fact
that on the return journey from CL on Thursday, the Avenger rolled past
the 175,000-mile mark, somewhere just north of Faribault. I managed to
snap a picture while
driving, which is no small feat for a Janke. I have to admit that in spite
of the vehicle being mostly a Mitsubishi, and the fact that most of the miles
over its decade-long existence have been highway and it doesn't really get a
lot of use while the bike is
operational, I'm still shocked it's made it this far. If it can last until
200k, or at least until I'm done with school and have enough to buy a Camry
or some other equally-practical vehicle (lol), I would be supremely pleased.
Well done, Avenger, this post is for you.
6/24/07, 12:58 p.m. --
It's Summer ... meta-update time.
Been quite a busy summer so far (and a hot one at that), and in spite of
many potentially blog-worthy happenings, I've just been too lazy to put
anything up. Maybe that's just the nature of these things though, as it's
not like anyone else has updated in awhile either. At any rate, like a
good engineer, I think I'll just make a list, and you can read it as you
have time or care:
- First, congrats to Steve, who made his big move to Denver a couple weeks ago, leaving the skidmark of KC behind in the dust.
- The first weekend of June I went back to Ames to run the Dam-to-Dam 20K with a couple of friends I play soccer with. Naturally, I'd never run it before (despite living in Iowa for 14 years), so it would make sense to run it for the first time after having moved to Mpls. It went pretty well considering we had to get up at 4:00am to make the race on time, although it wasn't my best time ever (something like an 8:10 mile pace). The free food and beer afterwards made it worth it though...
- Somewhere around a couple weeks ago Andy purchased an Adcom preamp/amp combo from a guy here in Mpls, and I went to go pick it up for him, being the awesome person that I am ... although I may or may not have been compensated for my time. I got to see the biggest house I've ever seen, as the guy rented the top floor of some multi-million dollar castle-looking house in a nice neighborhood of Mpls; it had a fountain in the middle of the gated driveway, the quintessential lion statues at the front door, even a turrent-looking thing on top of the house. Inside it was enormous of course, with a huge wooden staircase, paintings, statues, the whole bit -- just like in a movie. Had no idea people actually lived like that, it was fun to see. Oh, and the Adcom's were pretty kickass; got them hooked up to the PSB's when I came home, and even I was able to tell the difference right away. I enjoyed them for a week before sending them to Andy, though I was sorely tempted to hold them captive until he came to pick them up. I will definitely be on the lookout now for something (hopefully) similar, as it was tough to go back to the t-amp.
- Two weeks ago, as most of you are aware, I finally broke down and got an eye exam at student health. Once again displaying the Janke knack for perfect timing, I scheduled the exam one week after it would have been completely free (due to student services fees paid during the semester), and ended up having to foot the bill for whatever insurance wouldn't cover. A few days later, with the help of Sara and her roommate, I picked out some frames and ordered the glasses. They arrived last weekend and I've been wearing them for exactly one week. I have to say that as of right now, I really don't like them at all, in spite of being able to see everything clearly; they are uncomfortable when worn for more than an hour or so, and mess up my peripheral vision. I suppose that just comes with the turf though, and I'll get used to it eventually. At the very least, I think they make me look smarter =\
- This weekend I got roped into running a leg in the Mpls Tri-loppet, which I guess is a recreational/urban version of a mountain triathlon (8K paddle/5K trail run/10K trail bike). My lab formed a team, with a pair of us paddling, myself doing the running, and a fourth student biking. Since most people competed as a single or doubles entry, it sort of felt like cheating, but our team did manage to take first in the men's general team category (out of three teams, lol) and I had the second-fastest 5K run split overall. Although it should be mentioned that the majority of people running the 5K also were paddling and biking, whereas I was just running... but oh well. It was a fun (though challenging) trail and I had never been to Wirth Park before; I would definitely like to get my bike fixed up and go back for some trail riding or running, perhaps. Was a good time, would do again.
5/29/07, 10:15 p.m. --
Nice delicious bass
Like a good Minnesotan, I spent my Memorial Day weekend on the lake, engaged in
such strenuous activities as fishing, eating, drinking, and napping -- an
incredibly exciting weekend no doubt worthy of the obligatory blog update. While my
parents and the dog headed up to the lake on Thursday, I waited until
early Saturday to join them. It would not be a normal family vacation, however;
I was joined rather unexpectedly by two of my fellow fishing buddies and
partners-in-crime: Jafar and "Doctor" Lee. It had been nearly 3 years since
this trio had made its last trip up to visit my grandparents and
partake in that time-honored tradition of lounging around in a boat on a nice
sunny day, drinking cheap beer from a can, eating sunflower seeds, swapping stories
and more than a few old jokes, and perhaps even doing a little fishing. This
time the fishing was more than excellent, as we hauled in more than enough
bass to keep us happy (even the Doctor managed to reel in a few). Nothing else
to add to the catch however, as the walleye must have quit biting right before
we arrived and the crappies were nowhere to be found. Still a good trip, and I
managed to take a few pics while I was there and added them to a small
gallery.
4/29/07, 7:45 p.m. --
"Welcome to my Barbeque!"
Inspired by the near-perfect weather we are (finally) having in Mpls and
the paltry grilling effort of last night, Sam and I went on a quest today
to acquire a GAS grill. Hopping aboard the trusty femcore van, we journeyed
to Home Depot, where we quickly found the only model within our price range
that was also not a complete piece of crap. Seemed pretty nice for the price,
though: 4 burners and 40k BTU capacity (sounded inmpressive to me), and some
extra burner on the side that will never be used. Twenty minutes later we were out
the door with our grill-in-a-box ... sadly, our quest did not end there,
as some assembly was required.
Over the next hour I did my best to get the silly thing constructed, but was unable to succeed before having to leave for soccer. Sam, daunted by even the most basic construction projects, declined to finish the job, citing some b.s. about not changing horses midstream. However all was not lost, as he busied himself in the meantime with doing his best Doc Wong impression and preparing some burgers and chops. I finished the construction when I returned 90 minutes laster, after which Grillmaster-in-training Wong stepped up and prepared a delightfully-tasty meal (thanks, Sam). It was a big success, and North Sherman now looks forward to a whole summer full of awesome grilling action (provided nobody decides to wander off with our precious grill.)
Over the next hour I did my best to get the silly thing constructed, but was unable to succeed before having to leave for soccer. Sam, daunted by even the most basic construction projects, declined to finish the job, citing some b.s. about not changing horses midstream. However all was not lost, as he busied himself in the meantime with doing his best Doc Wong impression and preparing some burgers and chops. I finished the construction when I returned 90 minutes laster, after which Grillmaster-in-training Wong stepped up and prepared a delightfully-tasty meal (thanks, Sam). It was a big success, and North Sherman now looks forward to a whole summer full of awesome grilling action (provided nobody decides to wander off with our precious grill.)
4/7/07, 4:19 p.m. --
Mind-bottling!
Lots of stuff has gone down since my last post, including an Amesfest (which
is always a good time), a couple worthwhile trips to the movie theater (Blades
of Glory and Grindhouse are both lots of fun and definitely worth the money),
cookie-baking (an adventure for me, at least), and a failed quest for a new
road bike (local shop had Trek 1200's for $450 -- sadly, none large
enough even for one of my stature). However, the big adventure was an attempt
to acquire a new bed...
For awhile now I've wanted a new bed: something bigger, since my current one was embarassingly small (but convenient for one who moves a lot, like myself); something comfier, since I was noticing my back and neck were getting sore, even with new pillows; and something quieter, since I was going insane listening to the squeaking the old one was making, even when I was not moving at all. No one believes me, but it was really quite weird, and I'm normally a heavy sleeper.
So this week I wasted a good tank of gas driving around looking for mattresses and bedding, most of which seemed to be located in the suburbs, unfortunately. I wandered in to so many stores previously I would not have been caught dead going into, and was even accused of *enjoying* the experience of bedding-shopping... however, I will contend that there was a point to doing it right the first time, so I wouldn't have to do it again =) Spending money on clothes and furniture is generally not my thing. The bed arrived Friday, and I finally found a comforter I could live with a couple hours ago. The new bed was broken in with a nap yesterday, and last night I got the best night's rest I've had in weeks. Great success!
For awhile now I've wanted a new bed: something bigger, since my current one was embarassingly small (but convenient for one who moves a lot, like myself); something comfier, since I was noticing my back and neck were getting sore, even with new pillows; and something quieter, since I was going insane listening to the squeaking the old one was making, even when I was not moving at all. No one believes me, but it was really quite weird, and I'm normally a heavy sleeper.
So this week I wasted a good tank of gas driving around looking for mattresses and bedding, most of which seemed to be located in the suburbs, unfortunately. I wandered in to so many stores previously I would not have been caught dead going into, and was even accused of *enjoying* the experience of bedding-shopping... however, I will contend that there was a point to doing it right the first time, so I wouldn't have to do it again =) Spending money on clothes and furniture is generally not my thing. The bed arrived Friday, and I finally found a comforter I could live with a couple hours ago. The new bed was broken in with a nap yesterday, and last night I got the best night's rest I've had in weeks. Great success!
3/20/07, 10:47 p.m. --
Flameburger: 1, Sam: 0
It would have been a disgusting accomplishment of gluttony--perhaps not far
removed from a certain miracle involving 5 slices of GPS&D in one sitting--but alas, it
was not in the cards this evening, as Sam fell victim to the Double Flameburger,
a formidable adversary in the form of 4 half-pound patties (that's 2 pounds
for those like me who need a spreadsheet to do math), 8 slices of bacon, 8
slices of cheese, and of course, the bun. When Sam placed his order the
cheery waitress sized him up quickly and asked if he was serious, to which Sam,
false bravado in place, replied in the affirmative, even adding that he
had been training. A valiant effort it was, but the mountain of meat was too
much, and after powering down a tad more than a pound and a half, he had no
choice but to beat a hasty retreat to the restroom. When freely offered the
prize for taking down the Double (a large and stylish yellow button),
Sam declined, counting it as fool's gold and vowing to return one day to rightfully
earn the badge of courage. Of course the effort was well-documented:
The Double Flameburger |
Sam is ready |
15 minutes in... |
Failure. |
3/1/07, 7:25 p.m. --
Adventures of Benbike
My poor Bianchi had perhaps its finest hour today, when I decided
to brave the elements and ride it in to work, in spite of the
impending Storm of Doom[tm] -- because that's just the kind of
badass I am. I think at one point an unheard-of
20" of snow was being predicted, although that figure
has been revised to a more modest 15" by now. Still nothing to
scoff at, and it was snowing pretty hard this afternoon (and
it's still coming down -- crazy).
Against all odds, I managed to successfully navigate home in 10"+ of snow (even though *most* of the roads were cleared off a bit), without falling off my trusty steed or being dismounted by a snow plow or negligent driver. Not that there weren't a couple close calls... I included some pictures for the fun of it, which were really the whole purpose of this post. Woo snow!
Against all odds, I managed to successfully navigate home in 10"+ of snow (even though *most* of the roads were cleared off a bit), without falling off my trusty steed or being dismounted by a snow plow or negligent driver. Not that there weren't a couple close calls... I included some pictures for the fun of it, which were really the whole purpose of this post. Woo snow!
Still at the lab... |
Home at last! |
2/22/07, 12:45 a.m. --
Captain's log
"The Captain has successfully returned to the U.S.S. Couch, after
venturing to the far NW corner of our great country to behold the
beauty of the Northwest, and in particular the great Pacific Ocean.
It were a rough journey, full of long jaunts in a fearlessly-driven
red BMW and a trusty Land Rover, scaling snow-covered mountains and
braving the slush-ridden slopes. This perilous activity is referred
to by the locals as 'snowboarding', and as the trek was fraught with many
an injury, we had to abandon hopes of conquering the mountain, and
instead set our sights on that fickle mistress -- a sunset on the
Pacific Ocean. After braving the choppy waters of the Puget Sound
in our greatly-undersized rowboat of a ferry, we headed off along the
treacherous Highway 101, passing through Olympic National Park,
stopping only for caffeinated sustenance in the Port of Angeles. A
brief rest was also made at Crescent Lake, where we prepared for the
final push to the sea. Against all odds, we arrived at Ruby Beach
just before sundown, only to find that Fortune had turned away her sweet
face, leaving us with nary a ray of sun to gaze upon, and only an
endless swath of colorless clouds to match the tirelessly-pounding gray sea.
The gentle rain that followed could have been Nature empathizing with
our own tears at such failure and tragic beauty -- or perhaps a
last mocking blow before we weighed anchor and headed to friendlier
ports in search of vittles and booze. After once again enduring painful
long voyage, we arrived in the harbor of Ocean Shores, and acquired
such a bounty of the sea as to be worthy of bearing the Captain's name!
Having assuaged our hunger and thirst, we shoved off anew,
surviving even a brief bout of scurvy before arriving safely in our
home port of Bellevue. Overall it were a journey worthy of the Captain
and his fearless crew of salty sea-dogs ... yarr!"
In all seriousness, the trip to the NW was really great, especially since I had never seen it. I think it was just as pretty as I could have hoped, and it's even the tail end of winter. And in spite of missing the sunset on the beach, the sort of rugged beauty of the area was really quite surreal (for lack of a better word). Would have been nice to see some snow, but I guess that's just not in the cards this winter. Special thanks to A+V for putting up with us, will have to make the trip back out sometime. (Was also good to see Andy and Lindsey, of course.) Naturally I took a few pictures, so check 'em out here.
In all seriousness, the trip to the NW was really great, especially since I had never seen it. I think it was just as pretty as I could have hoped, and it's even the tail end of winter. And in spite of missing the sunset on the beach, the sort of rugged beauty of the area was really quite surreal (for lack of a better word). Would have been nice to see some snow, but I guess that's just not in the cards this winter. Special thanks to A+V for putting up with us, will have to make the trip back out sometime. (Was also good to see Andy and Lindsey, of course.) Naturally I took a few pictures, so check 'em out here.
2/22/07, 12:23 a.m. --
STP/2
I know this update is a good week overdue, but I couldn't really let it
slip by without at least mentioning it. Last Tuesday, Sam and I had the
opportunity to see some bonafide rockstars when Army of Anyone played at
First Ave. The band consists of Richard Patrick and the DeLeo
brothers (Andy: please click
here and
here--thanks), and
a drummer who is no Eric Kretz. Now I don't know if these guys are
considered old and washed-up, but they still know how to freaking rock out,
even in a relatively small venue like First Ave. I enjoyed it a lot, and
I was almost certain Sam was going to propose to Robert before the end of
the show. I'm not sure anyone there cared a lot for the band's
current music, but they were smart enough to include some Filter and STP
songs, including Vasoline(!), Big Bang Baby, and (a pleasant surprise)
Piece of Pie for their loyal fans. And Richard can really wail,
once he gets warmed up, was not quite ready for that. Not sure what
else to say -- it was pretty awesome, and is (regrettably) the closest
I'll ever get to seeing STP play =(
2/10/07, 11:20 p.m. --
Rochester Wiikend
Fresh off our return from KC Fest '07, Sam and I decided to head off to
Rochester today for some hot four-way Wii throwdown action with Sam(m) and
Erin. Currently we are taking a break from some intense wii tennis and bowling
to watch The Protector (probably the most awesomely ridiculous ass-kicking
martial arts movie to come out in recent memory ... maybe ever??) I found out that
although I am still awful at wii bowling, I apparently have some tennis
skills, although not so much now that everyone figured out the power serve.
Oh well.
Been a busy week, maybe there will be another update later, as it was (relatively) eventful; I played ice hockey for the first time ever (making me officially Minnesotan I think), and went to Cirque du Soleil last night, which was pretty sweet but not nearly as awesome as the last one I saw. And OMG Seattle next weekend for snowboarding, and perhaps an Ames trip in the near future. Woo.
Been a busy week, maybe there will be another update later, as it was (relatively) eventful; I played ice hockey for the first time ever (making me officially Minnesotan I think), and went to Cirque du Soleil last night, which was pretty sweet but not nearly as awesome as the last one I saw. And OMG Seattle next weekend for snowboarding, and perhaps an Ames trip in the near future. Woo.
2/6/07, 9:03 a.m. --
I miss snow =(
To continue my rant about the weather lately ... I did some quick
research yesterday and found that according to the
NWS, Abilene, TX has
had nearly twice as much snow this winter as Mpls (18" to 10"). Texas for crying
out loud! That's pretty pathetic... GWN my ass. Also according to the
data, Mpls is on pace for its 10th driest winter ever, and is over 20"
defficient on the season. We'll make up for it in April though, I'm sure.
Also, just for the fun of it, here's a temperature plot from the St. Paul campus weather station from the last few days (not my choice on the color scheme, btw). We finally got above 0F yesterday afternoon (even if only briefly) for the first time since about 11pm Friday. Heat wave.
Also, just for the fun of it, here's a temperature plot from the St. Paul campus weather station from the last few days (not my choice on the color scheme, btw). We finally got above 0F yesterday afternoon (even if only briefly) for the first time since about 11pm Friday. Heat wave.
2/2/07, 9:04 a.m. --
Groundhog day in the GWN
Even if it seems like it will never snow again, the Great White (?) North
is still capable of feeling very winter-like, apparently. I took a
snapshot of weather widget before I went to bed last night:
Um, yeah, it's going to be a bit cold this weekend (even if accuweather tends to exagerrate a bit). My current plan is to curl up on the couch under every blanket I can find and sleep all weekend, maybe watch a movie or two. I made a big pot of chili last night (seemed like a good idea for cold weather), and I have plenty of tea left, so I'm all set. Stay warm everybody -- and Happy Groundhog Day!
Um, yeah, it's going to be a bit cold this weekend (even if accuweather tends to exagerrate a bit). My current plan is to curl up on the couch under every blanket I can find and sleep all weekend, maybe watch a movie or two. I made a big pot of chili last night (seemed like a good idea for cold weather), and I have plenty of tea left, so I'm all set. Stay warm everybody -- and Happy Groundhog Day!
1/1/07, 12:36 p.m. --
Happy 07
Happy 2007 to everyone -- hope you had a fun new years even and all
that good stuff. I got back to Mpls a few days ago, and although
I wasn't excited to be back, I suppose it's time that vacation
was over. Tomorrow I'll go back to work, and try to get something
accomplished for the first time in ... a very long time. Don't
have a lot to report otherwise, except that Sam and I got the
extra bedroom converted into storage/recycling, and arranged the
really large hallway/living room #2 into a more useful setting.
I
uploaded a few pics I took over the last week or so, mostly of
the dog and of the snow we got yesterday.
12/26/06, 7:06 p.m. --
101%!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We still don't have any
snow, but that's about all I can complain about -- plenty of food
and good times otherwise. As per our usual tradition, Brian and I
spent a few hours over the last few days re-playing one of our
all-time favorite games, Donkey Kong Country 2. This time however,
we decided that instead of racing though it as usual, we'd take the
time to beat every last inch of it. That includes all 75 kremkoins
and 40 DK coins, plus the five truly evil bonus levels and the insane
special version of the boss, King K. Rool (which somehow
brings the completion percentage to 101%, rather than 100% ... will
have to ask Rare about how that math works.) I am pretty sure that
I'd never played most of those bonus levels, so I think that even
after 11 years, I was able to find something new in the game,
and it was still fun -- the mark of a truly awesome game. That, and
it took less than 80 hours to beat =D
12/22/06, 12:32 p.m. --
Ahh.
I finally got my CFD final turned in last Friday, and already
got a grade on it by this week -- a B, which is barely passing
in grad school, but I'm glad not to have to take it again.
Whew! Got my other final turned in on Tuesday, so I've been
done with class obligations now for a few days ... not quite
used to that feeling yet, but it's very nice.
I am now back in Ames, after a 4+ hour drive from Mpls through pouring rain and snow and ice and everything in between, including the thickest fog I've ever seen. Took an hour just to get from my exit on 35W to Burnsville (about 15 miles) =\ Also, it's an odd feeling to be able to see nothing but the three hash marks in front of you, and no cars whatsoever ahead or behind. I imagine driving into a black hole would be simliar, except that you wouldn't be as worried about a deer suddenly appearing in front of your car... Needless to say it was not a pleasant drive, but I made it safely, and it's great to be back in Ames. Currently I'm enjoying the company of the new dog and sipping a cup of coffee, which I managed to roast without burning before I left(!) Woot.
I am now back in Ames, after a 4+ hour drive from Mpls through pouring rain and snow and ice and everything in between, including the thickest fog I've ever seen. Took an hour just to get from my exit on 35W to Burnsville (about 15 miles) =\ Also, it's an odd feeling to be able to see nothing but the three hash marks in front of you, and no cars whatsoever ahead or behind. I imagine driving into a black hole would be simliar, except that you wouldn't be as worried about a deer suddenly appearing in front of your car... Needless to say it was not a pleasant drive, but I made it safely, and it's great to be back in Ames. Currently I'm enjoying the company of the new dog and sipping a cup of coffee, which I managed to roast without burning before I left(!) Woot.
12/13/06, 2:34 p.m. --
ARRRRRRRRGHGGHGHGH >.<
I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate
hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate
hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate
hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate
CFD.
That is all.
That is all.
11/22/06, 2:45 p.m. --
GOING HOME.
I suppose I should have more interesting things to write about,
but unfortunately
the last month has been more or less consumed by homework (one
stinkin' class in particular) and the occasional project at work.
Sam and I were visited by Steve and Liz a few weekends ago, which
was pretty awesome, and this past weekend we camped out for an
hour at the Mtka Toys 'R Us to procure a midnight wii. My opinion
of the system is pretty well-known, so I'll spare you of any
rants here. Suffice it to say that the controller is pretty much
100% gimmick ... but new Zelda is a lot of fun =)
Biggest news of the week, however, is AMES. I have not been back since July, which probably marks the longest I've ever been away. Definitely looking forward to going home and relaxing for a bit, seeing the family and the dog, and of course all the comrades that will also be in town. Should be a good time, and there will most definitely be much eating involved. Should be hitting the road shortly, will see some of you soon I hope...
Biggest news of the week, however, is AMES. I have not been back since July, which probably marks the longest I've ever been away. Definitely looking forward to going home and relaxing for a bit, seeing the family and the dog, and of course all the comrades that will also be in town. Should be a good time, and there will most definitely be much eating involved. Should be hitting the road shortly, will see some of you soon I hope...
11/21/06, 11:50 p.m. --
I see the white of your eyes!
Given all the shows I went to over the last month and a half,
I felt it was time for a musical update. For whatever reason,
a good number of decent bands (including a few of my favorites)
were coming through town in September and October,
which meant that Brian and I were downtown about once a week. The Fine Line
in particular got a lot of our business, but it's a good
venue and they were getting most of the shows.
I think the awesomeness started back in September with Calexico, and although they didn't play Quattro, hearing Sunken Waltz live alone made it worth the cost, and the mariachi trumpets were probably more impressive live than I would have expected. It was when we walked out of this show that we noticed just how many bands were coming through during October -- Mew and Kasabian, then Gomez, and Mew again with their own show a week later, and Placebo (which I missed). I think the big surprise was Kasabian; I had not really heard of them though I recognized a few songs, but they put on an awesome show and I bought their new cd the next day =) Mew was great, even if a bit strange, but fun to hear live. The Gomez show, I'll admit, was a bit disappointing, mostly because I like their old music better and they were playing mainly new stuff. But the solo acoustic version of Sweet Virginia was fantastic, really pretty. Hearing In Our Gun would have made the show for me though. Oh well.
Somewhere in there I went to see the LOTR Symphony again (thanks Sara!), which I think was a bit better than the version I saw in DSM, even though we missed the first movement after showing up a tad late =| I hadn't listened to much of the soundtrack in awhile, so it was fun to hear again in that form. Is niiiice.
Last but not least was the Decemberists show a couple weekends ago. Unfortunately, given that I had really been looking forward to this show, it turned out to be a bit of a let-down, mostly because Meloy was sick, and even had to leave midway through the set, presumably to the bathroom. As a result I think they shortened the show ("we owe you one, Minneapolis."), and they mostly stuck to new stuff -- so no Eli or Mariner's Revenge =( =(. Maybe we just had a bad spot, but I'd kind of hoped they would be more impressive live. Maybe next time when they're at full strength =)
I think the awesomeness started back in September with Calexico, and although they didn't play Quattro, hearing Sunken Waltz live alone made it worth the cost, and the mariachi trumpets were probably more impressive live than I would have expected. It was when we walked out of this show that we noticed just how many bands were coming through during October -- Mew and Kasabian, then Gomez, and Mew again with their own show a week later, and Placebo (which I missed). I think the big surprise was Kasabian; I had not really heard of them though I recognized a few songs, but they put on an awesome show and I bought their new cd the next day =) Mew was great, even if a bit strange, but fun to hear live. The Gomez show, I'll admit, was a bit disappointing, mostly because I like their old music better and they were playing mainly new stuff. But the solo acoustic version of Sweet Virginia was fantastic, really pretty. Hearing In Our Gun would have made the show for me though. Oh well.
Somewhere in there I went to see the LOTR Symphony again (thanks Sara!), which I think was a bit better than the version I saw in DSM, even though we missed the first movement after showing up a tad late =| I hadn't listened to much of the soundtrack in awhile, so it was fun to hear again in that form. Is niiiice.
Last but not least was the Decemberists show a couple weekends ago. Unfortunately, given that I had really been looking forward to this show, it turned out to be a bit of a let-down, mostly because Meloy was sick, and even had to leave midway through the set, presumably to the bathroom. As a result I think they shortened the show ("we owe you one, Minneapolis."), and they mostly stuck to new stuff -- so no Eli or Mariner's Revenge =( =(. Maybe we just had a bad spot, but I'd kind of hoped they would be more impressive live. Maybe next time when they're at full strength =)
10/26/06, 11:42 p.m. --
More awesome.
As I was busy putting hiMac to use this evening, I came across
some 'old' pictures in iPhoto that I had taken a few weeks ago while
visiting my Grandparents up at the lake. For quite some time, my parents had been
trying to find a way to get some property or a house on the lake,
and about a month ago a couple lots went up for sale on the good
(east) side of the lake, and they bought one up right away. I got to
see it first hand, and it will be pretty darn sweet -- and only a
few blocks down the road from my Grandparents! Plenty of trees,
a nice view of the sunset, a deck already in place (all it
needs is a dock and boatlift!), and I think something like 100' of
shoreline. I am pretty pumped, but probably
only half as much as my mom. Should be good times, at least at
some point.
Now I know some of you think this is a little odd; why would you want to buy property in a place where you've been visiting for the last 20+ years? Why not go get something in a more exotic location, or somewhere thats more than a 6 hour drive away? I guess the way I see it, no matter where you go, you're eventually going to get to the point where some of the lustre wears off and it's not as exciting as you remember it being at first, so you may as well get a vacation place that has some history and sentimental value. Of course, being a nostalgist, this would be the way I see it =D Also, this particular lake happens to be my favorite place in the world to visit (not that I've done a whole lot of traveling), and it's the awesomest place to go for a nice zen weekend. Definitely what I would have done had I been in my parents' place; certainly glad they found something. At any rate, I posted a few pics for anyone who's interested.
Now I know some of you think this is a little odd; why would you want to buy property in a place where you've been visiting for the last 20+ years? Why not go get something in a more exotic location, or somewhere thats more than a 6 hour drive away? I guess the way I see it, no matter where you go, you're eventually going to get to the point where some of the lustre wears off and it's not as exciting as you remember it being at first, so you may as well get a vacation place that has some history and sentimental value. Of course, being a nostalgist, this would be the way I see it =D Also, this particular lake happens to be my favorite place in the world to visit (not that I've done a whole lot of traveling), and it's the awesomest place to go for a nice zen weekend. Definitely what I would have done had I been in my parents' place; certainly glad they found something. At any rate, I posted a few pics for anyone who's interested.
10/12/06, 9:17 p.m. --
New Hotness!
It's old news by now, but last Friday I finally broke down and bought a
replacement for the trusty old G4 tower by going to the Apple Store
in Roseville and lugging home a brand spanking new 20" iMac. (!!) Thanks
to a one-year interest free 'loan' from Amex, I will be able to pay it
off in comfortable fashion, barring disaster and/or astronomically
high gas bills this winter.
I am pretty confident I've never used a more kickass machine, and certainly have never owned one. The screen is super nice, perhaps even a bit too bright and almost more space than I know what to do with. It's also nice to have a zippier interface (the poor G4 just couldn't hang after awhile), and be able to use iPhoto without having to wait for a beachball every few seconds. I haven't quite put it thought a stress test yet, but I have run the small version of my work app a few times (it's ridiculously fast, of course). Very much impressed with it so far, and assuming I don't have the Apple Touch of Death[tm], it should last me a long time. Cheers.
I am pretty confident I've never used a more kickass machine, and certainly have never owned one. The screen is super nice, perhaps even a bit too bright and almost more space than I know what to do with. It's also nice to have a zippier interface (the poor G4 just couldn't hang after awhile), and be able to use iPhoto without having to wait for a beachball every few seconds. I haven't quite put it thought a stress test yet, but I have run the small version of my work app a few times (it's ridiculously fast, of course). Very much impressed with it so far, and assuming I don't have the Apple Touch of Death[tm], it should last me a long time. Cheers.
10/03/06, 10:58 p.m. --
Home sweet home.
Against all odds, I returned from my east coast adventure ... almost a
week ago, actually. All in all it was a pretty great trip. I arrived
bright and early in NYX (10am my time...) and Andy was nice enough to
get the day off to hang out with me and Doc Buck. Andy + LA did a
fantastic job showing us around, and I think for a first visit (irx gold, btw)
I got to see an awful lot: Ground Zero, Staten Island ferry/Statue of
Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge at night + Grimaldis Pizza (A+),
Times Square (more often than I'd ever care to, actually), and SPAMALOT
on Broadway. Also bought some Arrogant Bastard Ale and enjoyed a piece of
fantastic fudge cake at some dessert place in Andy's 'hood.
Many thanks for putting up with me for a couple days, sorry my leisurely
pace just slowed you guys down <3
DC was also pretty sweet, much more than I would have imagined. I took an Amtrak train down from NYC on Sunday morning, which was really pretty uneventful once I managed to find Penn Station. My hotel for the conference was about two blocks from Capitol Hill, so I spend most of the rest of that day wandering around the national mall. I had no idea all those museums were right there, I definitely need to go back to check that out. The conference itself was okay; I think the highlight was my (apparently) awesome poster garnering 3 votes for Best Poster. I think the winner had 7 or 8, so I can feel good about that, I guess. I also had a chance to visit an old friend, Luke, while I was there. Hung out with his crazy friends at some awesome towny bar in his neighborhood -- it felt like being back home in NE. Also enjoyed the best gyro EVER.
Overall, it was a good time, I'd definitely go back sometime ... but I will admit, it really felt good to get back to quiet and 'quaint' Mpls!
Click here for some pictures I took while I was out there.
DC was also pretty sweet, much more than I would have imagined. I took an Amtrak train down from NYC on Sunday morning, which was really pretty uneventful once I managed to find Penn Station. My hotel for the conference was about two blocks from Capitol Hill, so I spend most of the rest of that day wandering around the national mall. I had no idea all those museums were right there, I definitely need to go back to check that out. The conference itself was okay; I think the highlight was my (apparently) awesome poster garnering 3 votes for Best Poster. I think the winner had 7 or 8, so I can feel good about that, I guess. I also had a chance to visit an old friend, Luke, while I was there. Hung out with his crazy friends at some awesome towny bar in his neighborhood -- it felt like being back home in NE. Also enjoyed the best gyro EVER.
Overall, it was a good time, I'd definitely go back sometime ... but I will admit, it really felt good to get back to quiet and 'quaint' Mpls!
Click here for some pictures I took while I was out there.
9/21/06, 11:50 p.m. --
East Coast Expedition =O
At long last, I'm finally headed to New York City! Not necessarily for the
express purpose of visiting Andy + LA, but it's a side trip from the
required journey to D.C. to present a poster at the EPA's graduate fellows
conference (boring...). It will be awesome to see Mr. Buck in his native
environment, and he's all but guaranteed an awesome time. I'm sure it
will be lots of fun, even if I'm just there for a couple days before I
Amtrak it down to D.C. Although I hear D.C. is pretty sweet too, I hope
the conference isn't too much of a drag so I still have some energy to
go sight-seeing. Other than getting a chance to visit some old friends,
I think I'm most looking forward to how small Mpls is going to seem
when/if I make it back in one piece next week =D
9/2/06, 1:31 p.m. --
It were a good summer.
It's Labor Day weekend, and that means that the summer (for me, anyway)
is officially over. Class starts again on Tuesday, so I have
to go back to a (slightly) less-leisurely schedule. It's been a pretty
good week, so I don't mind sitting around doing nothing this weekend,
which is why I'm not going anywhere. That, and gas is still expensive.
To recap the week:
- I think to an extent I'm still recovering from last Sunday, when I played five (!) soccer games in one day, something I am pretty sure I've not done since high school at least. I couldn't walk normally until Wednesday. It's a shame U of M is dumb enough to have the playoffs for both the open and co-rec leagues ALL on the same day. Bleh.
- Monday was free food + beer day, as the annual new grad student lunch + bbq were held at the CE building. I think I spent $2 on a beer at the Library afterwards, and that was probably it. Hooray beer!
- On Tuesday, I ate thai with S,S,+B. A little pricy, and not nearly spicy enough, but it was tasty. Good times.
- Wednesday was poker night, and for the first time in months I made some money by coming in 2nd, netting a mean $13. Which came in handy for...
- ...Thursday, in which my bike got a flat (already), and...
- ...Friday, in which I went to lunch at Suzi's to enjoy a large Four Barrel with a couple comrades from the lab (both of whom are leaving the lab soon =( ). And I had a little left over poker winnings to pay for the usual Friday evening dinner at HKN. How exciting.
8/16/06, 9:15 p.m. --
TWO!
I can hardly believe it, but today marks my official two-year anniversary
of moving to the great city of Minneapolis! I was checking back through
the archives for the official first day,
and according to that post I had my internet/cable installed the day
after I moved in (gotta have priorities). Seven days later my bike got
stolen and I was officially initiated. A lot has changed since then,
actually. I managed to get a masters degree (mwahaha), acquire two
roommates, and live in 4 different buildings. I've played a lot of soccer,
no basketball or golf, and probably run close to a thousand miles,
in everything from 100 degree heat to -20 windchill, rain and snow.
I also started playing ultimate frisbee. I fixed up a nice replacement
bike for the Fuji that was stolen and learned a bit about bike repair.
Found a lot of nice bars and restaurants, and been on a pub mosey.
Met a lot of awesome people, and have even watched a few of them leave
the lab. Still working on the girlfriend thing, but that shouldn't
surprise anyone. And I think just about all my bestest buddies have
come to visit at some point. <3 you guys =D
To commemorate this special event, I guess I'll just include a brief update on my second round of repairs on the Bianchi, since bikes were the subject of my first Mpls posts. I ordered some parts a couple weeks back (1.5" road slicks, brake pads, pedals, and a bottom bracket tool) since the poor thing needed an overhaul, and the bottom bracket had come loose (I think the bearings just wore out.) So I had to go buy a new one of those, too. Got all the parts together last Friday and set up shop in the family room, and managed to actually get it pieced back together by Saturday in time for a quick test ride. (Sam was kind enough to tag a picture of the work in progress.) I bet it hasn't worked that smoothly since it was new, whenever that was. Can honestly say I've never owned this nice of a bike =D
And finally, just for the heck of it, another picture of the St Anthony Falls, taken from the roof of my lab this evening:
To commemorate this special event, I guess I'll just include a brief update on my second round of repairs on the Bianchi, since bikes were the subject of my first Mpls posts. I ordered some parts a couple weeks back (1.5" road slicks, brake pads, pedals, and a bottom bracket tool) since the poor thing needed an overhaul, and the bottom bracket had come loose (I think the bearings just wore out.) So I had to go buy a new one of those, too. Got all the parts together last Friday and set up shop in the family room, and managed to actually get it pieced back together by Saturday in time for a quick test ride. (Sam was kind enough to tag a picture of the work in progress.) I bet it hasn't worked that smoothly since it was new, whenever that was. Can honestly say I've never owned this nice of a bike =D
And finally, just for the heck of it, another picture of the St Anthony Falls, taken from the roof of my lab this evening:
8/2/06, 11:46 p.m. --
Home sweet home ... again (!)
As has become the norm for me in late July, I spent the last week or
so moving ... again ... for the 4th time in the last 2 years
(3 since last July). This time we're locked in for 12 months, so
barring disaster, I won't have to move for awhile. And naturally,
as was the case last time, we couldn't have picked a worse time
to move: Mpls had a stretch of 98F+ days Thursday through Monday.
I didn't know it was even possible to sweat that much. Moving is
bad enough without it being miserably hot and humid, and having
naught but one tiny AC for an entire duplex... soo glad that's over.
The new place is pretty kickass, though. More space than we know what to do with, really. We have a whole family-room-type area with nothing in it but a fish tank, and no clue what else to use it for. I can also go whole days without seeing my roommates now, which is pretty awesome. The new place has been remodeled throughout, so the floors are either brand new or refinished wood. The kitchen has new cabinets and a gas stove (!), and the bathroom features a new shower, sink, crapper, and -- perhaps most importantly of all -- The Preciousss: a full-size washer and dryer that doesn't operate on quarters. Woo. I think my only complaints with the new place are the near complete lack of closets for storage and almost no yard, as well as utility bills that will be considerably higher ... but we'll find a way to cope =D I added a new section to the gallery for duplex pictures so you can all check it out; some are from when we were moving in and some are from tonight.
The new place is pretty kickass, though. More space than we know what to do with, really. We have a whole family-room-type area with nothing in it but a fish tank, and no clue what else to use it for. I can also go whole days without seeing my roommates now, which is pretty awesome. The new place has been remodeled throughout, so the floors are either brand new or refinished wood. The kitchen has new cabinets and a gas stove (!), and the bathroom features a new shower, sink, crapper, and -- perhaps most importantly of all -- The Preciousss: a full-size washer and dryer that doesn't operate on quarters. Woo. I think my only complaints with the new place are the near complete lack of closets for storage and almost no yard, as well as utility bills that will be considerably higher ... but we'll find a way to cope =D I added a new section to the gallery for duplex pictures so you can all check it out; some are from when we were moving in and some are from tonight.
7/27/06, 12:19 a.m. --
So much awesome.
I didn't want the last post to leave a nice negative aura on
genisu, so I'll briefly mention what has clearly been
the highlight of my week -- going with Brian to the Muse concert
at the State Theater downtown tonight. I know I haven't seen
a lot of big shows, but this was easily the best thing I have
ever seen, by far. Freaking awesome. It was mega loud and raucous,
with enough embellishment and ad-libbing all around, while somehow
managing a relatively tight sound despite all the Muse-esque
bloat. Was a wonderful treat to see some serious rocking out, and
I can only think of one song (maybe two) I wanted to hear that they
didn't play...but more than made up for it by including Sunburn, my fave.
I would love to see them again if they ever play Mpls in the future.
Woo.
7/26/06, 11:54 p.m. --
Black Tuesday-ish.
I am pretty sure that yesterday marked a low point in my nearly
two years here in Mpls, as I lost both to the City of Mpls PD
and Mother Nature in the span of less than 24 hours:
- I have already told the story to a number of people by now, but yesterday I was awoken by my brother to find that the entire street had been emptied of cars to make way for 're-sealing' of the road, with the offending cars having been towed off to the impound lot. This happened to include both me and Brian's cars, but oddly enough, none of Sam's THREE vehicles... When Sam left for work at 7am he saw the street sweepers but allegedly thought nothing of it -- an hour later all the cars on the street had been towed off. After getting a ride to the lot, waiting in line for nearly an hour and shelling out $138 (not to mention being awarded with a $34 parking ticket -- thanks Mpls!), I made it back to the apartment in a fine rage. Although it was my fault for forgetting about the signs notifying us of the parking restriction (they had allegedly been there for 24 hours but I know they weren't there any earlier than after I ate lunch on Monday), we had less than 24 hours' notice, and somehow all three of us missed them, even when we piled out of Brian's car Monday night. *sigh* What a bunch of crap. And that was going to be my ds lite fund =|
- As if to mock our bad luck, we also noticed this morning that the hail storm on Monday night left its mark on all our cars as well. I don't plan on getting mine fixed -- the Avenger has more than it's share of battle scars, but I feel a bit bad for Sam, whose hapless Miata took a real beating =(
- Oh yeah, and the A/C in the living room has finally given up on life. Good thing we're leaving in a few days...
7/5/06, 10:26 a.m. --
Ames update bronze.
I guess it's old news by now, but last weekend saw the gathering of
a large portion of the old crew in Ames for a little July 4th
celebration. Might be the last one of those we have for awhile,
as the Miller Bros. will be completing their exodii in the
next month or so -- leaving Jess as the only member of the old gang
to hold down the Ames fort. Never thought I'd see the day where
almost all of us would leave Ames, but I suppose it's not all
that surprising. By the end of the summer we will be representing
Mpls, Rochester, NYC, KC, Columbus, and Amherst. And perhaps St. Paul,
if Sam and I can ever find a decent house to rent. Woot.
Many thanks to Steve, who more than delivered on his promise of beer by hooking me up with a sampling of everything New Belgium is currently offering, including a double-dose of my favorite (Trippel). Thanks Steve! Any time you need me to test drive a car for you, let me know =D
I also had the chance over the last two weeks to see some shows in Mpls, for the first time since last fall I think. Went to see Fiery Furnaces two weeks ago w/Brian, which was a kickass show. They really changed up their songs for the performance by shedding most of the electronic stuff and cranking the tempo up a bit. Was exhausting to watch, but a lot of fun. Last Friday I got to see Stuart Davis at the Varsity in Dinkytown, which (as expected) was a riot. I have never seen him play in such a large venue so I was a bit worried, but he was his usual crazy self and quite entertaining. His music is nothing special (although some of it is pretty hilarious), but is a decent guitarist (as far as I can tell) and knows how to get the audience involved. Will have to remember to see him again when he comes back through Mpls.
Many thanks to Steve, who more than delivered on his promise of beer by hooking me up with a sampling of everything New Belgium is currently offering, including a double-dose of my favorite (Trippel). Thanks Steve! Any time you need me to test drive a car for you, let me know =D
I also had the chance over the last two weeks to see some shows in Mpls, for the first time since last fall I think. Went to see Fiery Furnaces two weeks ago w/Brian, which was a kickass show. They really changed up their songs for the performance by shedding most of the electronic stuff and cranking the tempo up a bit. Was exhausting to watch, but a lot of fun. Last Friday I got to see Stuart Davis at the Varsity in Dinkytown, which (as expected) was a riot. I have never seen him play in such a large venue so I was a bit worried, but he was his usual crazy self and quite entertaining. His music is nothing special (although some of it is pretty hilarious), but is a decent guitarist (as far as I can tell) and knows how to get the audience involved. Will have to remember to see him again when he comes back through Mpls.
6/27/06, 12:25 a.m. --
"The little shrimp's grown into a whopping lobster!"
Last weekend was such an exceptionally busy weekend that I thought
it might almost be post-worthy -- although it involved little more
than lots of eating, playing soccer, and watching soccer. World Cup
second round is in full swing, and there were more than a few
interesting matches this weekend (inlcuding one reffing disaster
that included 16 yellow cards and 4 send-offs -- wtf). I have to say
the new emphasis on handing out the plastic has really ruined
some of the games, including the US-Italy match. Not cool. It still
beats working any day, though =D I also have found a team to play
intramurals with, and we had a couple games this Sunday. Felt good
to play competitively again, and I even scored my token goal of
the season! I did, however, manage to forget sunscreen and now
look something like a balding lobster...
Also got a bit adventurous and tried a few new restaurants this weekend (with some prodding from Sam + Sara): Holyland (a Mediterranean/ MidEast place), two Mexican places and, for the first time since I moved here, a Korean place. I have to say I was glad to finally find a couple decent Mexican places since that's the one genre we hadn't been able to get a lock on yet. That, and Korean and Vietnamese. Holyland, although a buffet, was pretty rad. I'd go back to get the super gyro any day. The Korean place was well worth the trek to Fridley; a bit pricier than we were anticipating but the bulgogi and bibimbop (and whatever fried chicken awesomeness that Brian ordered) were pretty top notch.
Speaking of Brian, HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY! Thanks for ruining your b-day present (tickets to see MUSE next month ... so pumped!!) And finally, congrats to Andy, who is finally the #1 Andy Buck in the world (and #1 in our hearts) -- according to google, at least =)
Also got a bit adventurous and tried a few new restaurants this weekend (with some prodding from Sam + Sara): Holyland (a Mediterranean/ MidEast place), two Mexican places and, for the first time since I moved here, a Korean place. I have to say I was glad to finally find a couple decent Mexican places since that's the one genre we hadn't been able to get a lock on yet. That, and Korean and Vietnamese. Holyland, although a buffet, was pretty rad. I'd go back to get the super gyro any day. The Korean place was well worth the trek to Fridley; a bit pricier than we were anticipating but the bulgogi and bibimbop (and whatever fried chicken awesomeness that Brian ordered) were pretty top notch.
Speaking of Brian, HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY! Thanks for ruining your b-day present (tickets to see MUSE next month ... so pumped!!) And finally, congrats to Andy, who is finally the #1 Andy Buck in the world (and #1 in our hearts) -- according to google, at least =)
6/7/06, 11:57 p.m. --
&$#@ing airplanes.
Happy Birthday to Steve, who
is old today(!), and also had the great fortune to spend a
good portion of his day waiting in a damn airport. Sorry it turned
out that way, I promise it would have been way better in, say, Mpls
or NYX. I'm sure you can make up for it tomorrow, since birthdays
are kind of overrated between 21 and 100 anyway =D Cheers.
6/4/06, 9:19 p.m. --
MSCEE (woo!)
On Friday I (finally) successfully defended my Plan B Master's project,
and although the presentation went a little long, I don't think it was too
terrible. I survived the questioning pretty well (it didn't take
too long), and proceeded to spend the rest of the weekend more or
less celebrating. It feels really really good to be done, and I can
now go back to re-locating my zen center (translation: being a
lazy grad student again.) Also, you won't have to read any
more updates about how I'm pulling my remaining hair out
trying to get crap done for the project and presentation, so I can
blog about more, uh, 'interesting' things...
Oh yeah, World Cup (omg!) starts in 5 days! Finally there will be something worth watchign on tv, and I will have yet another excuse to skip work during the day. Awesomeness.
Oh yeah, World Cup (omg!) starts in 5 days! Finally there will be something worth watchign on tv, and I will have yet another excuse to skip work during the day. Awesomeness.
5/31/06, 1:15 p.m. --
"Wandering lost in a fog of lame..."
I guess until further notice, genisu.com has been declared (not by
me, obviously) the Interim Center of the Internet, until a
new one can be found, or until the old
CotI is restored. I will do
my best to live up to the high expectations associated with such
a prestigious title.
In other news, Brian has successfully made the transition to Mpls, having been officially initiated with a trip to HKN upon the night of his arrival. D-day is now 48 hours away, after which the fun can really begin and I can start showing Brian the awesomeness that is MPLS. Yay.
In other news, Brian has successfully made the transition to Mpls, having been officially initiated with a trip to HKN upon the night of his arrival. D-day is now 48 hours away, after which the fun can really begin and I can start showing Brian the awesomeness that is MPLS. Yay.
5/21/06, 11:09 p.m. --
"Don't tease the octopus, kids!"
First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ANDY,
who joined the quarter-century club today. Welcome aboard. Hope you had
an awesome day. Also, congratulations on your new Macbook =D
Other than that, I don't have a whole lot to report, other than I'm starting to lose my zen with all the work I've been (trying) to do lately. Defense is in less than two weeks (June 2 is D-day), and really, I think I'm supposed to have everything done by the end of this week in order to give the committee a week to look through my paper. Oh well. Everything will be just fine I'm sure -- but as of right now June 3 can't come fast enough. I think Brian moves up here next weekend, so that at least gives me something to look forward to. Woo.
Other than that, I don't have a whole lot to report, other than I'm starting to lose my zen with all the work I've been (trying) to do lately. Defense is in less than two weeks (June 2 is D-day), and really, I think I'm supposed to have everything done by the end of this week in order to give the committee a week to look through my paper. Oh well. Everything will be just fine I'm sure -- but as of right now June 3 can't come fast enough. I think Brian moves up here next weekend, so that at least gives me something to look forward to. Woo.
5/15/06, 10:05 p.m. --
"Leave us. The dog eats strangers..."
So the past two weeks have been pretty frantic, what with trying to get my
class work all finished up and attempting to make some progress on my
research... which pretty much has to reach a good stopping point by the
end of next week. My defense is unofficially scheduled for June 2, so I have
three whole weeks to stress out over it =\
I got a brief reprieve this past weekend when my parents and grandparents came to town for commencement, which was on Friday. I know, I suppose it's technically cheating to attend before I'd actually graduated, but oh well. I'd rather do it now and get it over with than have to deal with it in December. Although, with how crappy the weather was on Friday there's a good chance it would be nicer in December. After commencement I was treated to a nice tasty dinner at Gasthof's, which serves up some pretty awesome German fare -- something I wasn't aware of before. I'd only ever been to the bar in the basement. When I have some money to spare I certainly plan to go back and take on something new. Plus they have some awesome beers on tap to wash it all down with. I'd highly recommend it, although I could hardly be considered a connoisseur of German food.
After dinner we went up to the lake. Although the weather was pretty crappy the whole weekend (until we left on Sunday, of course), it was nice to relax and get away from the Cities for awhile. I also had the chance to see Missy again (the new dog), which was a lot of fun. She's a real sweetie, and will become quite tolerable I think, once she mellows out a bit. Once again, I tried to take some pictures, but found that indoor photography is pretty damn hard when you know nothing about it. That didn't stop me from putting the latest attempts in a gallery though: go here for the latest.
I got a brief reprieve this past weekend when my parents and grandparents came to town for commencement, which was on Friday. I know, I suppose it's technically cheating to attend before I'd actually graduated, but oh well. I'd rather do it now and get it over with than have to deal with it in December. Although, with how crappy the weather was on Friday there's a good chance it would be nicer in December. After commencement I was treated to a nice tasty dinner at Gasthof's, which serves up some pretty awesome German fare -- something I wasn't aware of before. I'd only ever been to the bar in the basement. When I have some money to spare I certainly plan to go back and take on something new. Plus they have some awesome beers on tap to wash it all down with. I'd highly recommend it, although I could hardly be considered a connoisseur of German food.
After dinner we went up to the lake. Although the weather was pretty crappy the whole weekend (until we left on Sunday, of course), it was nice to relax and get away from the Cities for awhile. I also had the chance to see Missy again (the new dog), which was a lot of fun. She's a real sweetie, and will become quite tolerable I think, once she mellows out a bit. Once again, I tried to take some pictures, but found that indoor photography is pretty damn hard when you know nothing about it. That didn't stop me from putting the latest attempts in a gallery though: go here for the latest.
5/3/06, 11:35 p.m. --
An ode to belly travel.
This post is dedicated to Mr. John Grant,
who made the mistake of letting me know that he reads this page. John,
this is for you =) Now just get yourself
a working webpage, and all will be right with the world again...
Currently I am ripping the three CD's of this semester's concerts; I'll put the links here and upload the music overnight for anyone who's interested. I don't remember anything from the first concert being all that special, but there were a couple decent pieces from concert 2. If nothing else, the Weber from that concert is worth a listen just to hear our awesome solo clarinetist (he's pretty damn good), Godzilla is pretty entertaining even if a bit long, and the Mozart is the woodwind dectet I played in. Didn't sound too horrible, about as well as we'd ever played it I suppose. Enjoy =)
Concert 1: Concert 2:
Currently I am ripping the three CD's of this semester's concerts; I'll put the links here and upload the music overnight for anyone who's interested. I don't remember anything from the first concert being all that special, but there were a couple decent pieces from concert 2. If nothing else, the Weber from that concert is worth a listen just to hear our awesome solo clarinetist (he's pretty damn good), Godzilla is pretty entertaining even if a bit long, and the Mozart is the woodwind dectet I played in. Didn't sound too horrible, about as well as we'd ever played it I suppose. Enjoy =)
Concert 1: Concert 2:
4/27/06, 10:50 p.m. --
A winner needs a wand.
There has been sort of a drought of updates on the circuit lately, so I guess I will
lead the charge and put something up. Not that I have anything terribly
important to say, but that's never stopped me before! The show must go on.
I suppose I could say the last week or so has been very musical, at least moreso than usual. Had my final band concert of the semester last Thursday, and for the first time since moving to Mpls I had some friends in attendance! Unfortunately for them, I think they picked what was probably the longest of any concert I've been a part of so far =| Was kind of a long evening, but I think it went fairly well. The music selection wasn't super awesome, but the Godzilla piece was tons of fun, even if a tad bit gimmicky. Me and my faithful b.c. once again did our best bassoon impression in the double woodwind quintet, which sounded about as well as it could have considering we hadn't selected our music until about a month ago. Was a bit sad to return the clarinet for the summer though, as I've sort of grown attached to it over the last 3 semesters, and there's no guarantee that I'll get it again in the fall. I'd just been lucky so far to get the nice one, I guess.
Sam was also kind enough to make me a 3.5 hour (!) playlist on his G5's music share earlier this week. I was a bit apprehensive at first, given his penchant for screaming and growling and generally noisy-ass metal, but it was a good mix of light and heavy stuff, new and old and very old. Thanks Sam =)
Also, wtf's up with Nintendo. The wii? Will the gimmickry never cease!? C'mon Nintendo, you can do better than that. =\
I suppose I could say the last week or so has been very musical, at least moreso than usual. Had my final band concert of the semester last Thursday, and for the first time since moving to Mpls I had some friends in attendance! Unfortunately for them, I think they picked what was probably the longest of any concert I've been a part of so far =| Was kind of a long evening, but I think it went fairly well. The music selection wasn't super awesome, but the Godzilla piece was tons of fun, even if a tad bit gimmicky. Me and my faithful b.c. once again did our best bassoon impression in the double woodwind quintet, which sounded about as well as it could have considering we hadn't selected our music until about a month ago. Was a bit sad to return the clarinet for the summer though, as I've sort of grown attached to it over the last 3 semesters, and there's no guarantee that I'll get it again in the fall. I'd just been lucky so far to get the nice one, I guess.
Sam was also kind enough to make me a 3.5 hour (!) playlist on his G5's music share earlier this week. I was a bit apprehensive at first, given his penchant for screaming and growling and generally noisy-ass metal, but it was a good mix of light and heavy stuff, new and old and very old. Thanks Sam =)
Also, wtf's up with Nintendo. The wii? Will the gimmickry never cease!? C'mon Nintendo, you can do better than that. =\
4/18/06, 12:23 a.m. --
Blarg.
The last couple weeks I've found myself in the exact situation I have been
trying to avoid since starting grad school: my tentative defense date
looming on the horizon a month from now,
and my research project and the associated plan B paper
(yeah yeah, I know it's not a big deal, but still) nowhere near completion.
More specifically my program either gives bad results or just plain blows up.
It's been this way for 3 months now, and every time I think I've made
progress, something else goes wrong. I feel like I'm in a cartoon where
you're trying to stop a leaking dam, and every time you plug a hole with your finger
a new one forms somewhere else. And now I'm out of fingers. Arrgh. To top things off,
in my one and only class this semester the final project is due in two weeks, as
well as the last homework set -- neither of which I've started. About the
only good thing that's happened recently is that soccer finally commenced last week,
although I'm sure with the way things are going it will pour rain or snow every
Wednesday from now until summer =\ I also have my last band concert of the
semester this Thursday, which will be fun but a bit stressful. I realize,
of course, that things could be much worse, but as of right
now I wish it were summer so I could have all this crap behind me...
4/4/06, 1:35 a.m. --
Today's post brought to you by the letter 'V.'
So I realize this is old news and that this movie is no longer even on the radar, but
I went to see V for Vendetta a few weekends ago when it opened. I went into it
with pretty much zero expectations, and enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps it was
because it was actually a good movie, or perhaps because it held my attention
even during the breaks in action. Or maybe because Agent Elrond, I mean
Hugo Weaving, managed to kick all kinds of ass (literally and figuratively, I
guess =\) in spite of wearing a mask.
Or perhaps because I have a thing for Natalie Portman. But I digress. I just wanted
to make a post because last week Jory tracked down the quote I'd been meaning
to find, but had forgotten about.
I of course speak of V's opening line, which includes more V-words
than I was aware even existed in the English language:
"Voila! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-ˆ-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V." -- imdb
I got a kick out of it, at least. And now it's preserved here lest I forget about it! Also so I can check back before the next time I play scrabble.
I also beat ff3 tonight for the first time in many many years. I forgot how awesome that game is; I can't believe there are people out there who have played all the way to the end just to fall short of saving the world! It's so worth it =D 'Tis a shame they don't make games like that anymore...
"Voila! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-ˆ-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V." -- imdb
I got a kick out of it, at least. And now it's preserved here lest I forget about it! Also so I can check back before the next time I play scrabble.
I also beat ff3 tonight for the first time in many many years. I forgot how awesome that game is; I can't believe there are people out there who have played all the way to the end just to fall short of saving the world! It's so worth it =D 'Tis a shame they don't make games like that anymore...
3/20/06, 1:29 a.m. --
Ho-hum.
Spring break is now officially over, since Sam has finally returned to Mpls and
I have to go back to class tomorrow. As short as it seemed, it was nice to have
a break, and I definitely needed one. I feel a lot more refreshed now ... just
in time for a big presentation this week and a new load of homework. Oh well.
Over break I managed to make it home for a few days, and it was incredibly nice to be able to relax in the more laid-back and quiet Ames surroundings ... and be at home where I didn't have to make dinner or get up before noon if I didn't feel like it, etc. =D I also got to see my parents' awesome new dog for the first time, so of course that meant I took a lot of crappy pictures. I'll throw them in a gallery at some point, but for now just check them out here. She's a real sweet dog, very people-friendly (almost to a fault). I found out she has a name now; they decided to call her Missy, for better or worse. After getting used to having her around constantly for four days, it was odd coming back to Mpls with no dog. Definitely need to move one more time so I can get a dog...
Other than all the awesome basketball that went on over the past four days, I suppose the big news is that it finally snowed in Minneapolis. Ironic, considering that it snowed while I was gone, and also during *spring* break, well after anyone could really appreciate it. Just for my benefit, it snowed a little more after I got back, so I went out and took a few pictures. A few of you might recognize the van as the LKS-wagon, completely immobilized and at the mercy of the City of Mpls plowing crews. Fortunately for Sam, it was still here when he got back... =|
Over break I managed to make it home for a few days, and it was incredibly nice to be able to relax in the more laid-back and quiet Ames surroundings ... and be at home where I didn't have to make dinner or get up before noon if I didn't feel like it, etc. =D I also got to see my parents' awesome new dog for the first time, so of course that meant I took a lot of crappy pictures. I'll throw them in a gallery at some point, but for now just check them out here. She's a real sweet dog, very people-friendly (almost to a fault). I found out she has a name now; they decided to call her Missy, for better or worse. After getting used to having her around constantly for four days, it was odd coming back to Mpls with no dog. Definitely need to move one more time so I can get a dog...
Other than all the awesome basketball that went on over the past four days, I suppose the big news is that it finally snowed in Minneapolis. Ironic, considering that it snowed while I was gone, and also during *spring* break, well after anyone could really appreciate it. Just for my benefit, it snowed a little more after I got back, so I went out and took a few pictures. A few of you might recognize the van as the LKS-wagon, completely immobilized and at the mercy of the City of Mpls plowing crews. Fortunately for Sam, it was still here when he got back... =|
3/7/06, 12:26 p.m. --
"The shrimp's grown into a whopping lobster!"
Loot update: the LCD is nice, I still can't find a decent bass clarinet reed,
and the 4th t-amp has proven to be the magic one thus far
(I broke down and ordered *one* more). I think the key this time around was to
have a nice shiny new ac adapter to go with it. So far, so good -- I'm really enjoying
getting to use the speakers again, they're a ton better than my old ones.
On the fish tank front, things are still not going super. I bought some plants to keep the pleco company, and they are actually doing quite well. I have a new plantmonster -- it grows probably an inch a day, I've never seen such a crazy plant. The pleco has been growing like a weed, too. He's probably doubled in size since the move now that he started eating again, so I decided this past weekend that maybe I should add some more fish. I also decided it would be a good time to try to keep neons again. I have never had terribly good luck with them, for whatever reason. And thus far, this time around has proved no better than last, as I've already lost 2 of the 6 I bought on Saturday. *sigh* I thought these little guys were supposed to be tough. Guess it's a good thing I didn't go with the dwarf gouramis, which were considerably more expensive. Maybe I just better go get some guppies or danios or something to restore my fish karma...
Survivor: N. Sherman Edition. Four lucky neons left, who will win!?
On the fish tank front, things are still not going super. I bought some plants to keep the pleco company, and they are actually doing quite well. I have a new plantmonster -- it grows probably an inch a day, I've never seen such a crazy plant. The pleco has been growing like a weed, too. He's probably doubled in size since the move now that he started eating again, so I decided this past weekend that maybe I should add some more fish. I also decided it would be a good time to try to keep neons again. I have never had terribly good luck with them, for whatever reason. And thus far, this time around has proved no better than last, as I've already lost 2 of the 6 I bought on Saturday. *sigh* I thought these little guys were supposed to be tough. Guess it's a good thing I didn't go with the dwarf gouramis, which were considerably more expensive. Maybe I just better go get some guppies or danios or something to restore my fish karma...
Survivor: N. Sherman Edition. Four lucky neons left, who will win!?
2/21/06, 10:40 p.m. --
GENISU
That's right, I finally broke down and bought a domain! Not really, though.
I got a free godaddy domain registration with the LCD I just bought off
buy.com with the money Sam finally paid me for his half of the deposit...
so really, it and the monitor cost me nothing I wasn't already doing without.
Genisu, as far as I know, is not a real word. Doesn't mean a damn thing.
Which means it's the perfect name for a webpage. (Also, it met with Andy-approval.
In fact, so much so that he almost sniped the name from me.)
It's an inside joke that maybe 5 or 6 people understand, and I'll leave it at that.
You guys are the only ones reading this anyway probably, so there's no point in
explaining it =D
In other news, I got my third t-amp today, and it lasted all of 2 minutes before blowing up. Which led me to the obvious conclusion that the power adapter I was using has some major problems with it. The t-amp previous to this one didn't blow up, it just had one channel quieter than the other, which didn't really sound like an adapter issue to me. And the first one worked at home using a different adapter, but once I took it back to Mpls I tried a bunch of different adapters with it before realizing it was hosed, so I had no idea which one may have been the culprit. Now I know, three stinking amps later =| Had the dang speakers for two months already, and have only been able to enjoy them for a couple weeks, tops. Lame.
In other news, I got my third t-amp today, and it lasted all of 2 minutes before blowing up. Which led me to the obvious conclusion that the power adapter I was using has some major problems with it. The t-amp previous to this one didn't blow up, it just had one channel quieter than the other, which didn't really sound like an adapter issue to me. And the first one worked at home using a different adapter, but once I took it back to Mpls I tried a bunch of different adapters with it before realizing it was hosed, so I had no idea which one may have been the culprit. Now I know, three stinking amps later =| Had the dang speakers for two months already, and have only been able to enjoy them for a couple weeks, tops. Lame.
2/16/06, 8:47 p.m. --
Uwaoo~
I might have missed documenting my one year anniversary of moving to Mpls,
but thanks to Andy, I remembered to at least mark the 1.5 year anniversary...
which would be today. Woo. Hard to believe I've been here that long, but it
does sort of feel like I live here finally. Especially with the latest
moving debacle out of the way, and the apartment shaping up a bit...
I also have some good pet news, finally. After transferring the pleco to the old 10 gallon and adding some new plants and gravel this week, he seems to be doing fine. Easily the toughest fish in the world, considering he survived a move, electrocution, two water changes and at least three tank transfers ;) Also good news: my parents got a new dog a couple weekends ago! Can't believe my Dad actually consented to getting one, but it's about the cutest dog ever. Some kind of a fancy spaniel, a King Charles Cavalier or something like that. I have a couple pictures here, one my Mom sent me when they first got it, and the other from today. Dog's getting big already, I need to go see it sometime soon =)
Puppy, this week.
I also have some good pet news, finally. After transferring the pleco to the old 10 gallon and adding some new plants and gravel this week, he seems to be doing fine. Easily the toughest fish in the world, considering he survived a move, electrocution, two water changes and at least three tank transfers ;) Also good news: my parents got a new dog a couple weekends ago! Can't believe my Dad actually consented to getting one, but it's about the cutest dog ever. Some kind of a fancy spaniel, a King Charles Cavalier or something like that. I have a couple pictures here, one my Mom sent me when they first got it, and the other from today. Dog's getting big already, I need to go see it sometime soon =)
Puppy, this week.
2/5/06, 10:25 p.m. --
MOVING DISASTER =( =(
Ugh. (long post warning.)
I have already said how much I hate moving, let alone doing it for the second time in six months, but even without this being true it was still an incredibly crappy weekend. In addition to all the fun you can have packing, moving, unpacking, and cleaning, I manged to lose what few fish and plants I had. It was the coldest it's been in Mpls for nearly a month and a half, and so in the couple minutes' time it took to carry my poor dieffenbachia the one block to the new place (it was too big to fit in the van), most of the leaves froze and are now probably dead. This is the same plant that every time I move gets hacked down and re-potted, and keeps on ticking -- but it couldn't survive an error in my better judgment. The plant should be ok, but it will lose most of its leaves.
What's worse, however, is how I managed to kill off all my poor fish. I was careful when I moved them over, leaving as much water as possible and not sloshing them around too much. The barb, which appeared to be on his last legs anyway, was dead by morning =( The other fish appeared fine, but I noticed the water was colder than they were used to, since our new place hadn't warmed up yet. So I put in the heater and turned it to somethign reasonable to slowly heat the tank up. I left for a minute to go make coffee when I heard a loud POP and some splashing. Immediately I thought 'shit, I bet the heater blew up and fried the fish.' Sure enough, I get back to the tank and it smells like burnt metal and singed electrics, and the two bala sharks are belly up, but still trying to swim around. The heating element was mangled and the glass cap covering the heater, still intact, was sitting on the other end of the tank next to a sizeable crack in the tank wall, which is made of acrylic. The poor balas lasted another ten minutes before they died. Sorry, Andy =( Oddly enough, the pleco somehow survived the electrocution and seemed to be fine -- but when I got back from watching the super bowl he was laying on his side and twitching a bit. I transferred him to my backup tank, which I'd prepared the night before to make some more water for the good tank. As of right now he's still technically alive, but I doubt he'll last unless he's the toughest fish ever. What a shitty way to end a shitty weekend of moving =( =(
Just for fun, I took some pictures to document my horrible failure as a pet-owner. Needless to say, this is the end of the eclipse, which was a really nice tank:
R.I.P. Balas + Tiger Barb =(
I have already said how much I hate moving, let alone doing it for the second time in six months, but even without this being true it was still an incredibly crappy weekend. In addition to all the fun you can have packing, moving, unpacking, and cleaning, I manged to lose what few fish and plants I had. It was the coldest it's been in Mpls for nearly a month and a half, and so in the couple minutes' time it took to carry my poor dieffenbachia the one block to the new place (it was too big to fit in the van), most of the leaves froze and are now probably dead. This is the same plant that every time I move gets hacked down and re-potted, and keeps on ticking -- but it couldn't survive an error in my better judgment. The plant should be ok, but it will lose most of its leaves.
What's worse, however, is how I managed to kill off all my poor fish. I was careful when I moved them over, leaving as much water as possible and not sloshing them around too much. The barb, which appeared to be on his last legs anyway, was dead by morning =( The other fish appeared fine, but I noticed the water was colder than they were used to, since our new place hadn't warmed up yet. So I put in the heater and turned it to somethign reasonable to slowly heat the tank up. I left for a minute to go make coffee when I heard a loud POP and some splashing. Immediately I thought 'shit, I bet the heater blew up and fried the fish.' Sure enough, I get back to the tank and it smells like burnt metal and singed electrics, and the two bala sharks are belly up, but still trying to swim around. The heating element was mangled and the glass cap covering the heater, still intact, was sitting on the other end of the tank next to a sizeable crack in the tank wall, which is made of acrylic. The poor balas lasted another ten minutes before they died. Sorry, Andy =( Oddly enough, the pleco somehow survived the electrocution and seemed to be fine -- but when I got back from watching the super bowl he was laying on his side and twitching a bit. I transferred him to my backup tank, which I'd prepared the night before to make some more water for the good tank. As of right now he's still technically alive, but I doubt he'll last unless he's the toughest fish ever. What a shitty way to end a shitty weekend of moving =( =(
Just for fun, I took some pictures to document my horrible failure as a pet-owner. Needless to say, this is the end of the eclipse, which was a really nice tank:
R.I.P. Balas + Tiger Barb =(
2/3/06, 11:44 p.m. --
Moving again ... ugh.
So I thought I'd take this opportunity, while I still have internet, and do a little
update, as I'm not entirely sure we'll have internet at the new place until Sunday
at least. But Sam and I spent a few hours earlier this evening packing and moving
crap into the new place ... not my favorite thing to do anyway, but it also
happened to be the coldest evening we've had since December. Tomorrow
we'll finish the move and get the old place cleaned. I'll admit, I really
liked the old place, and I don't think the new one is nearly as nice, even with
new appliances and a dishwasher. I'm a bit skeptical of being on the ground
floor and having much smaller rooms, but I think part of this is just dreading
having to move for the second time in six months -- this time moving back to
the building adjacent to where I started. Lame =|
1/29/06, 9:56 p.m. --
FEJJJ
So Sam and I fired up Bubble Bobble on his Nintendo this weekend, and found, much to our
surprise, that the game was still pretty fun. And the weird sort of things I remember
from the game, such as the code to warp you to the impossible level 57, are evidence of
countless hours wasted on the game as a child. But I suppose there could have been
worse games out there than one where you play as a bubble-breathing dragon who is trying
to free his kidnapped girlfriend from the clutches of a raging drunk by capturing his
enemies in bubbles and subsequently popping them, and collecting fruits, food, and the
occasional alcoholic beverage while listening to same extremely happy, extremely
repetitve music loop over and over. Sam and I agreed that it was much better
in 2-player mode, although I theorize his opinion was tempered by the fact that
I once again had to carry the weight and actually beat the game for him ... =D
1/22/06, 7:27 p.m. --
Me: 1, php: ~0.
So I probably spent more time today working on getting my page cleaned up than I have in
months, and I bet it will be hard for most to tell exactly what I did.
But after a couple hours of fighting with o2, and dredging up what limited
knowledge I have of css and php, I managed to cobble together a gallery page
that now looks like it's a part of the rest of the site. Also got the
navigation bar to change colors appropriately (woo). The gallery pages
themselves are a little different, but at least don't look so plain.
Not sure I really like how it looks, but I'm tired of messing with it and
it looks about 11ty times better than it did before. Now all I need to do is
see if I can't add a few galleries that might be more interesting than
what's up right now...
1/18/06, 12:54 a.m. --
Sound of sounds.
After a brief return to Ames this weekend, Sam has once again proven us all wrong and
returned to Mpls -- presumably this time for good, although I have my doubts. He did,
however, bring some more loot back with him that may or may not come in handy in the
new place. If the N64 mysteriously gets left behind in the move, I won't be too sad,
however. I don't think Andy would be either.
In other (much belated) news, I acquired the recording of last month's band concert. For some reason, it seems a bit lower quality than the first concert of the semester, but maybe we just didn't play as well. There are more than a few rough spots, and a couple b.c. section solos that got drowned out =| I thought the toughest piece for me, the Mozart woodwind octet, turned out pretty decent. I can hear myself dragging ass on the repeated eighths, but I nailed most of the tricky runs and managed not to squeak during any of the solos. Not a real great performance, but it was fun to be able to hear myself. I also really liked the way the Prelude turned out, assuming you plug your ears for the first 30 seconds (we had some glaring intonation issues...) I especially enjoyed that piece because it was so different than any more-modern music I've ever played. I think it was written over 450 years ago. It was written in counterpoint, which means the song is devoid of any chord structure, or homophony, which is prevalent in post-Renaissance music ( wiki.) Instead, the main melody and countermelodies are played simultaneously (there is no true 'harmony' part), often beginning at odd intervals from each other, creating a really moving, smooth feel. Very cool. It was a lot of fun to play (and easy to get lost in, given that there's no well-defined phrasing), especially in the hall. At any rate, enough babbling. I can only really pretend to know anything about music. If you're still reading, here's your 'reward':
In other (much belated) news, I acquired the recording of last month's band concert. For some reason, it seems a bit lower quality than the first concert of the semester, but maybe we just didn't play as well. There are more than a few rough spots, and a couple b.c. section solos that got drowned out =| I thought the toughest piece for me, the Mozart woodwind octet, turned out pretty decent. I can hear myself dragging ass on the repeated eighths, but I nailed most of the tricky runs and managed not to squeak during any of the solos. Not a real great performance, but it was fun to be able to hear myself. I also really liked the way the Prelude turned out, assuming you plug your ears for the first 30 seconds (we had some glaring intonation issues...) I especially enjoyed that piece because it was so different than any more-modern music I've ever played. I think it was written over 450 years ago. It was written in counterpoint, which means the song is devoid of any chord structure, or homophony, which is prevalent in post-Renaissance music ( wiki.) Instead, the main melody and countermelodies are played simultaneously (there is no true 'harmony' part), often beginning at odd intervals from each other, creating a really moving, smooth feel. Very cool. It was a lot of fun to play (and easy to get lost in, given that there's no well-defined phrasing), especially in the hall. At any rate, enough babbling. I can only really pretend to know anything about music. If you're still reading, here's your 'reward':
1/8/06, 11:20 p.m. --
WoS(?)
Well a week ago I was still enjoying the peace and quiet of Ames, eating free food and
seeing the few friends that were still in town. However, that now feels like it was
months ago; I've since returned to Mpls, and Sam moved up here (G5 and all) on Friday.
So in the span of 5 days my living situation changed pretty dramatically ... but it's
not been too bad so far =P I've acquired fresh-roasted coffee, a replacement t-amp
for the one I fried (plus a power adapter and cables), a new wap that doesn't suck,
a free meal at HKN, and of course, a little company. And although Sam left most of his
Nintendo loot at home (surprise!), I think he officially lives here now, as he
actually went out and bought some groceries today. Will be interesting to see how
the housing search turns out, but I have high hopes that we can find a worthy candidate
for N. Sherman 2.0 that's relatively sweet and not too far out of the way.
1/2/06, 6:41 p.m. --
CtS: T-minus ~72 hours.
Well I have returned from my annual Christmas/New Years hiatus in Ames (which
oddly enough also corresponded to a blog-update hiatus), and as
is usually the case, I'm not really that excited to be back. I had a lot of fun
seeing everyone that was back (as well as the few remaining natives), seeing the
family, hanging out at home (free food!) and doing a lot of what everyone else
probably did for the last week and a half: eating, sleeping, more eating,
occasional reading, tv-watching, or even a little Four Swords for good measure.
Was a great time and I'm already missing Ames a bit =| As for Christmas loot,
the big acquisition from my generous parents was a set of new speakers (PSB Image B15's.)
I'm no audiophile, but they must be pretty good, as they've met with ABS TriNet approval.
I preemptively ordered a t-amp, which arrived last week, and should work pretty
nicely to power the speakers until I can afford a decent receiver. I'm pretty
pumped about all this, as I've never owned a good set of speakers before. I've
already noticed some subtleties in my music I'd never heard before,
which is awesome. Thanks Mom and Dad =)
I suppose the big news for the week is that (more than likely) by the end of the week I will have acquired a new roommate. And all this time, I figured Sam was just joking about quitting his job and moving up here to sleep on my couch... although I won't believe it until he shows up with a van full of crap. I suppose I will know he's serious when he moves his 8 crates of Nintendo loot up here -- but until then, I can only assume he's still joking =| However, it will be nice to have a little extra company (not to mention a bit more cash), and if things go sour, I can always look forward to being featured in a web comic devoted entirely to humilitating me on the internet!
I suppose the big news for the week is that (more than likely) by the end of the week I will have acquired a new roommate. And all this time, I figured Sam was just joking about quitting his job and moving up here to sleep on my couch... although I won't believe it until he shows up with a van full of crap. I suppose I will know he's serious when he moves his 8 crates of Nintendo loot up here -- but until then, I can only assume he's still joking =| However, it will be nice to have a little extra company (not to mention a bit more cash), and if things go sour, I can always look forward to being featured in a web comic devoted entirely to humilitating me on the internet!