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Showing posts from 2012

So, that was 2012 huh...

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Well, that year had it's ups and downs, but I think was a pretty un-interesting year overall actually. Sure I got a lot done, but I just don't feel that sense of excitement and adventure I always hope for. I student taught (man, that seems like forever ago), finished being Circle K Governor, graduated with much family and friend hoopla, went to New Orleans for Circle K and got my wallet stolen, went to the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas; went to my first Anime convention in Maryland, met the Green Power Ranger; picked up Patsy from Camp, visited the Jersey Shore and D.C.; passed the Foreign Service Officer exam; worked on Senator Brown's re-election campaign down in Chillicothe, got him reelected (woohoo!) paid my credit cards down to zero with the earnings from that, now in the process of getting my student loans taken care of so I have no debt to my name going into early 2013. Got myself a PS3, a new phone, mom got me a digital pictu

What's in YOUR eBook reader?

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(That is supposed to be a play on "What's in your wallet?") Today's blog is on reading materials. This past Christmas, I got mom an eReader (a Kindle Fire, specifically) because we have all generally agreed the age of print media is on the decline, and all my friends' parents had eBook readers. And yet, ironically (but probably not in line with the definition of irony) -- my Christmas list had a bunch of books and DVDs on it. Books, the supposed dying medium, and DVDs, another group angry about illegal downloading along with music. (I admit, there was no music on my Christmas list this year - but in years past, while illegal downloading has been popular, I have asked for CDs for Christmas.) Stolen from Andrew Chittenden, over at Chittyland . I think it was Lily Allen who was all for illegally downloading her music, because she understood the necessity to make money through music in other ways - legal downloads, youtube watches, concert sales, band merchand

Marina & The Diamonds vs. Lady Gaga

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Okay, so I started this off kind of with the idea that Marina was copying off Lady Gaga, or at least there was an inordinate number of inspired-by scenes, but now I think I'm probably stretching a bit, and I'm actually coming to appreciate her music a bit more once I get over the fact she sounds a lot like Katy Perry. Still, what's done is done: and now I have these comparison shots and they have to go somewhere. It started with the above image, where I'm like "Oh. She's dancing in a white bath house. How very Bad Romance .  Then I noticed in Primadonna, the song that introduced me to Ms. Marina, that "walking around a rich person's house with a spot light on you" kinda sounded familiar. Low and behold, Gaga's been there and done that.   Then there was this confused dog. And I remembered Gaga serenaded dogs before! Only they didn't look as confused as Fido here on the right.  And if a dog is doing it, a cat's pr

The 2012 Christmas List: Part 1

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Patsy asked me yesterday if mom still asks me for a Christmas list. Ha! No, she doesn't, I try to make her one though because she's really... odd about buying Christmas presents. I'm all for presents not being as important as the love of family, and it's the thought that counts, but mom is of a more practical straightforward mindset: "all Gift-cards! So you can buy what you want." Nobody wants to wake up on Christmas and just have Gift-cards! We live in the instant gratification generation, and I can't buy that vest at Express on Christmas day. So I've constructed, for my friends and more as a thought excercise, what I want for Christmas this year. This will also help the week after Christmas during the sales when I'm all like "What do I want to buy that no one got me..." Section 1: Playstation 3 Games. So as you may or may not know, I just bought myself a Playstation 3 - and it has been a blast! I'm lovin the Uncharted series. So

'Merica: Another Reason it sucks to be North Korea

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So I was googling, and apparently North Korea had a successful "satellite" launch test? (I like this story better.) A test they have been trying since 1998, but has yet to be successful. It got me to wondering, what's North Korea up to? So I did some searching, and let me just say one more time how much I love America. Ya see, while googling, I found these diagrams of North Korean political prison camps and these images of a North Korean missile site. And it reassures me to no end that if these are the images we freely, publicly share on the news and the internet -- imagine what CIA and Covert Government programs must be able to see. Kudos, America, on being awesome, and sharing what several steps beneath our awesomeness looks like. I drew in those squares, where I took the following zoomed in pics. The North Koreans surely can't tell exactly how many canoes we have, at any given location. Unless we feel like sharing that information on Google Earth, whic

December means Cooking Show Marathons

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I've noticed, historically , that I watch more cooking shows in Winter than on average. Well, indeed lately I've been catching "Iron Chef" and "The Next Iron Chef: Redemption" and a few other shows here and there. Low and behold, my favorite TV Chef has returned.... Again! Haha, he's just good television! Marcel Vigneron, formerly of Top Chef season 2, season 8 (All Stars) and is back for The Next Iron Chef: Redemption after his "Marcel's Quantum Kitchen" got canceled after only 6 episodes. I tell ya one thing, he being my favorite TV chef, if I knew the show existed during it's run I would have tried to watch it -- but apparently I first heard of it after it'd already been canceled, so I only got to watch it on SyFy's website. But moving on. Did I mention "Eat at the Restaurant of one of my favorite Top Chef's" is #15 on my bucket list ? Carla, you qualify! Right this second I'm watching &q

The End of Unlimited Data

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Thought I'd post this image real quick. The GPS chip in my cell phone is starting to malfunction, after I've had the phone for approximately two years, so I took it in to get a new one. They told me I would need to give up my unlimited data plan to get a new phone, and they took a look at my data usage and told me that I used significantly more on average than the average plan. That to limit my data usage, I would need to in fact pay $40-50 MORE per month on top of my phone bill. That seemed fishy, so I said no thanks and walked out. Upon closer inspection of my usage though, I really don't use as much data as they made it seem under normal circumstances -- my time in Chillicothe not being normal circumstances. Haha, as you can see, I wasn't about to pay $150 a month to have I think 4-5 GB of data a month when I really only use like $1.5 GB of data in an average month. Still, the look on the guys eyes when he saw how much data I used reminded me of the Chinese

Right Click, Add "Fracking" to Dictionary

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Well, my friend Laura has been asking that I look into the documentary "Gasland" for some time now - probably since early summer, and I put it on my Blockbuster que (yes, still have one of those) at that time and they sent it to me probably in August. It's been sitting in it's sleeve since then (I even took it with me down to Chillicothe!) because I haven't had the time to give it the intellectual time I think it deserves, and at 2:11 tonight I think it's about time. So this blog will be my review, of sorts, of that documentary. Let me tell you my first impression of the anti-Fracking movement. I first heard of "fracking" when mom was signing petitions against it online, did some googling, it didn't sound particularly environmentally friendly so my instinct was to oppose it but learn more when necessary. Fracking eventually came to Ohio, and I had lots of things on my plate, didn't really have a chance or need to learn more yet. Then it l

Blogging as a Career

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I've been blogging since High School! (Maybe even middle school? But AOL & Myspace deleted those early blogs.) And the fact that these blogs are generally aimless is intentional, I just like having a record of my life that I can google/search for specific things if I need answers later. A lot of blogs are more focused, like the ones I follow about politics or the Foreign Service. "Tots weird, that is cray!" Haha, the above video -- a movie preview, sort of, that I saw at the movies the other day made me think about just how many bloggers there are these days! Both of the characters happen to be bloggers, just saying, interesting coincidence. Every now and then, while I'm giving arrogant if informed advice on things, I feel like I would have a pretty interesting lifestyle blog like Men's fashion or Twenty-Something lifestyle. (Can I point out that, after googling, there are a lot of blogs out there titled some variation of " Twenty Something Lifestyl

Wisdom Teeth Removal & My Day

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So I got all four wisdom teeth removed today, and I have to say my recovery is going much better than I expected because I started out with dirt-low expectations. So part of pre-surgery was not to eat or drink after 12 midnight because I guess some of the medication I was on could have made me vomit during the surgery (super ew.) That was easy enough, not even water though. So woke up super early, surgery was scheduled for 8:45 -- I go in, leave my dead phone in my coat. Step one is take off my outer button up shirt because I wore too many clothes cause it seemed cold, lol. They put a laughing-gas mask on me, and they ask if I have any questions, and the only question I have is: "So will I have crazy singing/dancing dreams like on Glee?" The nurse chuckled that that was the only question I had, and the Doctor came in, and they commented that they'd never heard of anyone having dreams under anesthesia. So they put a IV-thingie in my arm, and it really doesn't hurt

Black Friday and a Movie

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Well, I had an eventful enough Black Friday I think. Didn't partake in any late night shopping lines, stayed up late after my friend Danielle's Thanksgiving Wedding to play Uncharted 2 into the wee hours of the morning instead. (Favorite PS3 series, by the way!) Almost bought this for $19.95; did NOT buy this for $76.96. In the afternoon, Panda and I went shopping out at South Park Mall -- haha, managed to spend the whole afternoon there and only bought one thing between the two of us. I got Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life on DVD for a wopping $3! Almost bought some awesome dress clothes from H&M , but they weren't priced correctly and I wasn't about to pay Express standard prices on Black Friday. Then we went and saw Wreck It Ralph , which actually was better than I was expecting! I kinda hoped that the internet rumor I heard about GlaDOS from Portal being in it was true -- but it didn't take long for the logic of the in-movie universe to effectiv

Advice to a Struggling 1940s Department Store

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So last night I was watching the Marx Brothers movie "The Big Store." I *LOVE* the Marx Brothers, I have since I was very young and watched the movies with my dad -- and I'd like to think I got my sense of humor from my dad, because we used to watch all the old comedies like Gene Wilder and the Marx Brothers. And Mom's sense of humor is just awful. But anyway. My new DVD rack! Can you spot the Marx Bros. collection? Wow. Didn't know I had so many DVDs until they were stacked up to almost my height. So things you should know: The Marx Brothers, if you don't know, were like *THE* Comedian group of the like, late 1920s through mid-1940s. Their quick variety of humor (three brothers, Harpo, Cheeko and Groucho -- Groucho being my favorite) played in all kinds of different settings, one parodying Casablanca, another set in preparing for an Opera, this particular one was set in a Department Store that was going through financial trouble of some kind (in 1941.)

What Would Regina Wear: Mens Edition

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So the only TV show that I go all out to find a way to watch these days is Once Upon a Time . ( The Daily Show with Jon Stewart , and The Colbert Report would probably come in second, and I really don't go out of my way to watch these at all.) Instead, rather than wait the 24 hours for Once to get to Hulu , my boss (also a Once fan) has graciously invited me over her house to watch it on Sunday nights with her roommate! Love this job! My favorite character from the show, as I have past alluded to? Mayor Regina Mills (AKA: The Evil Queen), played by the lovely Lana Parrilla. The premise for the show, one more time, is "...all the fairy tale characters you know and love have been brought to our world by an evil curse, where they have lost their memories..." yadda yadda yadda savior, Maine. Anyway. As everyone knows, I do love Leading Women Bad Asses, especially when they rock a pantsuit! So I thought I'd post a bit about how I wish I had clothes that were mens

"I haven't loved you in a long, long time... so why do I feel this way?"

So out of the blue, a friend retweeted a link saying "If you still think myspace is gone forever, check this out..." and the video is awesome! It makes myspace look very reinvented, and I look forward to the possibility of MySpace making a come back! And am further entertained by the idea that for the next decade society will flock from MySpace to Facebook to MySpace to Facebook.... But the part that I particularly love is this music. The lyrics are perfect. It's a real song, about I guess a girl missing a guy but not really or something. But if you listen to it thinking it's about MySpace: Holy Cow! It's like, spot on transitioning from MySpace missing me, to my thinking their new website is Awesome! "Who am I to say, I want you back When you were never mine to give away... Who are you to look at me like that? I haven't loved you in a long, long time... so why do I feel this way?... If you break my heart a second time, I might never be the same..

Chillicothe Update

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Counties I work with... House I move into on Monday... My first pay day is September 21st, and it will be a full paycheck as far as I can tell, for the previous two weeks.

Observations on Captain Kirk's Quarters

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So I've been in a bit of a Star Trek mood lately, and right now I'm watching the movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country before bed. Having noticed a few things I'd never noticed before, I feel like I should publish them on the internet somewhere! Firstly, I have the utmost respect and love for the people who make the tiny details of Star Trek possible. Mike Okuda in particular, who designed all of the major Starfleet computer screen layouts. And a little random background in case your curious, Star Trek VI is the sixth Star Trek movie that came out a little after Star Trek: The Next Generation aired. It is the last film to focus solely on the original crew, and is set aboard the USS Enterprise-A (the second of six Federation Starships named Enterprise.) So, onto my observations! "...I can never forgive them for killing my boy." (Kirk's son David was introduced in Star Trek II, only to be killed by the Klingons in Star Trek III.) First thi

The Human Element

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In advertising, it's always important to reach an emotional nerve in getting your message to stick. Suburu comercials are pretty good at this, I think, because I always feel like they are speaking about my life! Especially my favorite comercial here: Lately I've seen a few more commercials I thought were worth picking out as particularly touching or sweet for one reason or another. Aww, boooo. This Johnson & Johnson comerical has requested no embedding. That's unfortunate, cause the comercials really sweet, so you should go watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COUUe76zVVA The following stands out -- in an age when we've torn apart BP because of their environmental failures, Shell... 0:55/1:00 ...has a kid reading The Magic School Bus!!! Whaaat!? A few months ago I couldn't even find any Magic School Bus books at a book store. I have now officially made a note in my head to favor Shell gas when applicable.

The Spells of Astoroth

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This will be a blurb post: while meandering the internet as I often do, I came across a magnificent movie/TV Prop blog "Hollywood Movie Costumes and Props" - and while perusing it, I came across a Bedknobs and Broomsticks reference I was not at all expecting! I look closer, and we have a never-before-seen page from the spellbook from the movie! Anyone who knows me knows I love owning props that make fiction seem realistic -- and the king of those props in my eyes are spellbooks. I was mystified and entranced by magic growing up, which is why Bedknobs and Broomsticks is one of my favorite movies, and Sabrina and Charmed are some of my favorite TV shows. Apparently, "The Spells of Astoroth" is on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in Simi Valley, California. I have to make it my goal to get to this exhibit before it leaves in April 2013!

BEEZ in my Lap, Part 1

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What an oddly exciting past 24 hours. And let me just say how proud I am of this blog's title, for reasons I'll explain in a few paragraphs. So what a weird past day I've had? Yesterday, Panda happy to have finally hit payday wanted a night out and I tried to assemble the troops - and Patsy was able to convince Kat to come out! We haven't seen her in forever; and Angela was up to joining us too, so we got some DELICIOUS Mike's Place (I always forget that place exists. It's so weird that Patsy just thinks of it as another place, even had a Birthday party there, but I think of it as a place I discovered for our group of friends in 2006. After a super-delicious and filling meal and drinks there, we met up with Panda and made our way to Bar #1. Which was pretty dead for a bit, so we went for a walk down the street to check the other bars within walking distance. After stopping outside of one bar, I said "Patsy, open the door and see if anyone's in th