Just because I like keeping you posted on this stuff, I sat through another earthquake this evening. My second one. Yay!
It was minor - just a 3.0 - so it kind of felt like something bumped into the apartment, and it was over in less than a second. I actually had to look it up here to confirm it was for real; this was probably the kind of quake that, if you're a native, doesn't even count. Oh, the other big plus was that it was centered less than 2 miles from where we were sitting, so it was very convenient - definitely within walking distance.
In related news, I really don't like the word temblor. Really seems like there should be another "r" in there somewhere.
September 30, 2008
The chai-lites, or, Taste buds held hostage: Day 2
Having just loaded another $31 onto my Starbucks debit card, I've decided it's time to cut back - way back - on my daily chai tea latte habit. By one estimate (mine), I was spending nearly 70 bucks a month on the stuff, one tasty grande cup of lusciousness at a time. And, as I think you'd agree, that's approximately way too much.
Of course, I saved 40 cents every purchase because Starbucks waives the extra fee for soy milk when you pay with the debit card. (Yep, you're welcome for the tip.) And, come to think of it, I essentially got back 99 cents per week because Starbucks had these nifty little promotional cards for a free iTunes download every Tuesday. So, I was getting nearly $82 in value out of the deal each month, which is not too bad.
I won't even get into the caloric benefits of cutting back on my chai habit, but I will give you the link to the nutritional 411. Perhaps the strangest - and most annoying - aspect of this page is the revelation that, apparently, there are fewer calories in Canadian soy milk than in U.S. soy milk. Which is just great. First I have to deal with our dollar being worth the same as theirs, and now this.
Anyway, I've made it to day 2 of my chai-free existence, and I'm holding up OK so far. Thanks for asking. How long can it last? Stay tuned to SFTC for regular updates.
Of course, I still have about $20 left on my Starbucks card, so maybe I'll swing by sometime this week and pick up, um, a New York Times and some oatmeal.
To satisfy my chai craving, maybe I'll just start singing "Have You Seen Her?" every morning, because, well, if you know your R&B groups (or if you click through), you'll figure it out.
Of course, I saved 40 cents every purchase because Starbucks waives the extra fee for soy milk when you pay with the debit card. (Yep, you're welcome for the tip.) And, come to think of it, I essentially got back 99 cents per week because Starbucks had these nifty little promotional cards for a free iTunes download every Tuesday. So, I was getting nearly $82 in value out of the deal each month, which is not too bad.
I won't even get into the caloric benefits of cutting back on my chai habit, but I will give you the link to the nutritional 411. Perhaps the strangest - and most annoying - aspect of this page is the revelation that, apparently, there are fewer calories in Canadian soy milk than in U.S. soy milk. Which is just great. First I have to deal with our dollar being worth the same as theirs, and now this.
Anyway, I've made it to day 2 of my chai-free existence, and I'm holding up OK so far. Thanks for asking. How long can it last? Stay tuned to SFTC for regular updates.
Of course, I still have about $20 left on my Starbucks card, so maybe I'll swing by sometime this week and pick up, um, a New York Times and some oatmeal.
To satisfy my chai craving, maybe I'll just start singing "Have You Seen Her?" every morning, because, well, if you know your R&B groups (or if you click through), you'll figure it out.
September 26, 2008
Namely
I've always thought it worked out great - maybe a little too great - that there was a dude named Fuller who started a company that sells brushes, since fuller also works pretty nicely as an adjective for brushes. (Reminds me of a favorite recent line from House, M.D., when someone tells the title character, "I've heard of you," and House replies, "Yeah, it's the name. It's also a noun.")
And you've gotta wonder, what the heck else was Rick Wetzel going to do with his life besides start a pretzel company? (He must have made the decision before spaetzel was the major culinary force that it is today.) All of those other Wetzels out there must be kicking themselves for not getting into the flavored rolled-dough business, right?
What does this have to do with anything? Reading this New York Times article about the closure of Detroit's police crime lab - ah, shouldn't be a problem in a city like Detroit - I came across a quote from the city's former police chief, whose name is Ella Bully-Cummings. And I'm thinking that maybe she'd have been wise to just go by Ella Cummings. Hyphenated or not, if your name has "Bully" anywhere in it, maybe you find a line of work other than law enforcement.
And you've gotta wonder, what the heck else was Rick Wetzel going to do with his life besides start a pretzel company? (He must have made the decision before spaetzel was the major culinary force that it is today.) All of those other Wetzels out there must be kicking themselves for not getting into the flavored rolled-dough business, right?
What does this have to do with anything? Reading this New York Times article about the closure of Detroit's police crime lab - ah, shouldn't be a problem in a city like Detroit - I came across a quote from the city's former police chief, whose name is Ella Bully-Cummings. And I'm thinking that maybe she'd have been wise to just go by Ella Cummings. Hyphenated or not, if your name has "Bully" anywhere in it, maybe you find a line of work other than law enforcement.
September 25, 2008
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (cough, catch breath) ha ha ha
This headline just makes me laugh. A lot.
It would be like a news article about Starbucks employees with the headline "Baristas to make geometric quantization a priority." It just makes no sense - one does not go with the other. Starbucks without coffee? That would be a problem. (Starbucks without highly advanced mathematical studies? Not so much.)
By the same token, "Illinois politicians" and "ethics reform" shouldn't be used in the same sentence. (Unless the phrase "laugh derisively at" is in there somewhere.) I don't think the world as we know it would survive were government in the Land O' Lincoln to distance itself from ethics scandals and corruption. They go together, like ... well, like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong.
Fave part of the article is the (corrupt) Governor Blagojevich's quote in the last graf. He's a smart (ethically challenged) guy. But, uh, I don't think the reason Illinois politics is ethically bankrupt is that there aren't enough laws.
It would be like a news article about Starbucks employees with the headline "Baristas to make geometric quantization a priority." It just makes no sense - one does not go with the other. Starbucks without coffee? That would be a problem. (Starbucks without highly advanced mathematical studies? Not so much.)
By the same token, "Illinois politicians" and "ethics reform" shouldn't be used in the same sentence. (Unless the phrase "laugh derisively at" is in there somewhere.) I don't think the world as we know it would survive were government in the Land O' Lincoln to distance itself from ethics scandals and corruption. They go together, like ... well, like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong.
Fave part of the article is the (corrupt) Governor Blagojevich's quote in the last graf. He's a smart (ethically challenged) guy. But, uh, I don't think the reason Illinois politics is ethically bankrupt is that there aren't enough laws.
Intermezzo, international style
Ever have one of those days when you actually have something to write on your blog and that's really mostly what you feel like doing, but for the first time in forever, there's no time because you actually have work to do?
Stay tuned... I'll get my next assault on the English language up here soon.
In the meantime, you might be thrilled (well, moderately interested) and amazed (that is, unless you're watching the Feedjit widget at the bottom right of this page, in which case this information will just be redundant) to read that in the past week, SFTC has welcomed visitors from the U.K. - a place where people are free to refer to their cellphones as "mobiles" - as well as Thailand, Israel and ... could this be possible? ... Canada.
To our readers from abroad: Welcome! What's it like to live in a country with a president who doesn't do crap like this?
To the regulars: Wow, you're part of an international community of people reading very strange musings about insignificant stuff. Big time!
Stay tuned... I'll get my next assault on the English language up here soon.
In the meantime, you might be thrilled (well, moderately interested) and amazed (that is, unless you're watching the Feedjit widget at the bottom right of this page, in which case this information will just be redundant) to read that in the past week, SFTC has welcomed visitors from the U.K. - a place where people are free to refer to their cellphones as "mobiles" - as well as Thailand, Israel and ... could this be possible? ... Canada.
To our readers from abroad: Welcome! What's it like to live in a country with a president who doesn't do crap like this?
To the regulars: Wow, you're part of an international community of people reading very strange musings about insignificant stuff. Big time!
September 23, 2008
Frickin' laser beams
My beautiful wife has been saying since the beginning of primary season that the good senator from Arizona reminds her a lot - and by a lot, I mean "can't look at him without putting a pinky to the corner of your lips" - of famed Austin Powers antagonist Dr. Evil.
Say what you will, but the comparison proved particularly perceptive (shout out for alliteration) during McCain's acceptance speech in St. Paul a few weeks ago. If you were watching, you noticed him force a big, craptastic grin - almost painfully, it seemed - following most of his little zinger-ettes. Looked to me like the last piece of advice his handlers gave him after the speech was to smile a lot, and whenever those orders flashed through his brain, he methodically did just that.
All of which is sort of old news by now, but I'm mentioning it anyway because I came across this very closely related story on The Onion's web site. I think you'll enjoy it.
Oh, by the way, I found the Onion article thanks to a link from what I assume was a non-satirical article about Cindy McCain's past drug use (completely unrelated to the topic at hand, but kind of a fun read) on the Washington Post's site. Although the link was clearly under a heading that indicated "From Our Partner," with an Onion logo, this seems a little concerning. As if we needed more evidence of media synergy gone stupidly awry.
A friend recently told me that the Post was an excellent, serious newspaper, but if its web site is providing links to related "news coverage" on the Onion, then, uh, nah.
ANOTHER SFTC CONTEST: Free iTunes song of your choice to the person who comments first with the correct explanation for the headline of this post. Judge's decisions are final and all that.
Say what you will, but the comparison proved particularly perceptive (shout out for alliteration) during McCain's acceptance speech in St. Paul a few weeks ago. If you were watching, you noticed him force a big, craptastic grin - almost painfully, it seemed - following most of his little zinger-ettes. Looked to me like the last piece of advice his handlers gave him after the speech was to smile a lot, and whenever those orders flashed through his brain, he methodically did just that.
All of which is sort of old news by now, but I'm mentioning it anyway because I came across this very closely related story on The Onion's web site. I think you'll enjoy it.
Oh, by the way, I found the Onion article thanks to a link from what I assume was a non-satirical article about Cindy McCain's past drug use (completely unrelated to the topic at hand, but kind of a fun read) on the Washington Post's site. Although the link was clearly under a heading that indicated "From Our Partner," with an Onion logo, this seems a little concerning. As if we needed more evidence of media synergy gone stupidly awry.
A friend recently told me that the Post was an excellent, serious newspaper, but if its web site is providing links to related "news coverage" on the Onion, then, uh, nah.
ANOTHER SFTC CONTEST: Free iTunes song of your choice to the person who comments first with the correct explanation for the headline of this post. Judge's decisions are final and all that.
September 18, 2008
I've got a gift*
* to give to a one-year-old.
So I come to you for suggestions. What should I get as a birthday present for my (soon-to-be) one-year-old nephew? You might remember Max from such blog posts as this and... wait, no, just that one.
Anyway, he's very cute and very smart (you should hear him say "up" and see him stick out his tongue when I ask him where his tongue is), and he has a voracious appetite. Nobody demolishes a cheeseburger like my nephew.
(Quick aside: That reminds me that one of my most favoritest job responsibilites when I interned for an actual member of the U.S. Congress was running across the street to Burger King to get plain hamburgers for her dog. Good times.)
In light of Max's love of food, I was thinking about one of those cheese/sausage towers from Harry & David, but his mom might not appreciate that, and she's lactose-intolerant, so she wouldn't even be able to share the good stuff.
But some of you must have nephews, and most of you were one year old at some point, so help a brotha out!
So I come to you for suggestions. What should I get as a birthday present for my (soon-to-be) one-year-old nephew? You might remember Max from such blog posts as this and... wait, no, just that one.
Anyway, he's very cute and very smart (you should hear him say "up" and see him stick out his tongue when I ask him where his tongue is), and he has a voracious appetite. Nobody demolishes a cheeseburger like my nephew.
(Quick aside: That reminds me that one of my most favoritest job responsibilites when I interned for an actual member of the U.S. Congress was running across the street to Burger King to get plain hamburgers for her dog. Good times.)
In light of Max's love of food, I was thinking about one of those cheese/sausage towers from Harry & David, but his mom might not appreciate that, and she's lactose-intolerant, so she wouldn't even be able to share the good stuff.
But some of you must have nephews, and most of you were one year old at some point, so help a brotha out!
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