palabras al azar

It's here

2005-01-09T20:29:00.000-08:00

The new blog is up....

http://valparaisanblogger.blogspot.com/

just what I needed

2005-01-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

I'm comin back.... expect a new blog within the next week or two.

2004-02-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

4 and a half months since my last post. I didn't really plan on going AWOL, but I haven't felt like blogging anything until now. If I haven't lost too many readers due to no updates, I may post more often.

What's new:

I'm busy polishing up my resume and talking with various companies about working with them once I graduate this August. I'm pretty optimistic about my chances of staying local to Niceville and my family and church, but it's possible I may end up elsewhere. Other than that, I'm [still] working fulltime at Papa Juan's and slowly making my way through these last few classes at UWF.

Here, in uber-condensed form, is what I would've posted about since my last post if I had posted anything [in chronological order]. Over the past 4.5 months, I've:

turned 21
seen Dierks Bentley [twice] and Montgomery Gentry and Charlie Daniels live at the Mullet Festival
lost a friend
stayed awake in downtown Atlanta for 2 full days
seen ROTK 6 times
had a friend go [literally] insane for a couple weeks
found out a friend is gay
weathered 2 weeks of a whole bunch of people trying to get me to join some Quixtar scam

Maybe I'll elaborate on some of that stuff later on.

For now, I'm gonna get back to the Super Bowl, so if you want something to do, go check out Jon Barlow's Howard Dean clip.

new (sort of) blogger

2003-09-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

Honi's got a blog now. She's actually had it for a month and I had no idea till she told me today. Then I felt obligated to blog about it. So thank Honi for the new post.

Ok I'm in my third week of school and

2003-09-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

I think this is going to be a good year. All my classes are fun, all my teachers are at least somewhat not-boring, I'm keeping busy with ACM, I'm getting paid more at Papa Juan's, I'm meeting lots and lots of really cool people, and I'm trying a few different churches around Pensacola (I'm not leaving Trinity or anything, but sometimes I don't feel like driving all the way to Valparaiso).

Stephen, James, Jason, John and I are all completely moved in now. Stephen, James and Jason have a townhouse 5 minutes away and John and I are still at the Fountains. We all have keys to both places, and we've designated mine and John's apartment (because it's closer to campus) for hanging out between classes, eating and being lazy, and the townhouse for napping and studying. I may post some pictures before long.

2003-08-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lapse....just haven't felt like blogging. Every minute spent online is precious, and I've got lots to do. I'm sure once school starts I'll need some form of escapism to keep me sane, so I'm sure I'll be blogging more often pretty soon.

All done

2003-08-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

We're all moved in. The set-up looks NICE. Our last apartment was so empty compared to this one. I'm gonna miss having a balcony, but it'll be nice being able to park right at the front door and not have to climb 3 sets of stairs. We'll also be doing without internet [not even dial-up], so I'll have to drive over to the computer labs [where I am now] to check my e-mail and whatever else. So if you don't see me online, call me. You'll have better luck reaching me that way.

Jeremiah, Jonny, John and myself went and saw Pirates of the Caribbean again [my third time]. If you haven't seen it go now for two reasons: Johnny Depp and Kiera Knightley[!].

Today

2003-08-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is the day where we move everything over into our new apartment. Sam, Matt, Micah and Devonte are gonna help John and I with the really heavy stuff. I got the keys to the place yesterday — it's small, but really pimpin'. Wood cabinets and counters, 2 big closets [we had to share 1 in the last apartment, so this is good], lots of trees, and far away from the road [so traffic noise won't be so bad]. Inspection is at 9AM tomorrow morning, then all we have to do is unpack everything and wait for the cable/electricity to get hooked up. Gonna be fun.

"Steak Raises Stakes for Kerry in Philly"

2003-08-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

According to this article via the Washington Post, Senator John Kerry may be in trouble come voting time for ordering a sandwich at a Philadelphia diner with Swiss cheese rather than Cheez Whiz. I hope this is just stupid speculation. I wouldn't vote for the guy to begin with if I did live in Philly, but not because he ordered something I wouldn't. God-fearing, wise men are good candidates — not a guy who's "in touch" with the general public [Kerry is neither].

article from The Hill on the true influence of blogging

2003-08-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

"There is no doubt blogging is something to think about. Blogcount has estimated that there are more than 2 million blogs, though many never touch on politics. Although estimates are that just 4 percent of the online community reads blogs, they are followed by a better-educated and more upscale, influential audience than that for talk radio. Bloggers claim that their musings and influence over journalists indirectly forced Trent Lott to resign as GOP Senate majority leader after his Strom Thurmond remarks." [...]

Today's Friday Five:

2003-08-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

I know it's not Friday, but I'm bored and I can post whatever I want, so here:

1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?

Wow. Now that I think about it, I really haven't been outside of Florida for quite a while. I was in Atlanta last February with Thanael and Shauna (at least I think that was last February...maybe it was this year?), I drove Arch to Mobile a while back but I don't remember when that was, and I have vague memories of driving through Alabama (maybe that was Andalusia?) for some reason or another. Most of my travelling as of late has been inside Florida.

2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?

Nothing real unusual...just the standard mixed-up layovers and lost luggage at airports and traffic accidents on interstates that add several hours to trips. I like to take weird detours every once in a while so I don't have to see nothing but interstate and trees for miles. That's sometimes interesting, but nothing bizarre has ever really happened.

3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?

Ireland, England, Scotland (in no particular order) or New Zealand and Australia.

4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?

Plane, when possible and/or practical.

5. What's the next place on your list to visit?

Atlanta this October for Radiohead (maybe).

2003-08-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

My friend Micah just found out the hard way why I stay away from Bacardi 151

'Yes' is the answer to your question

2003-08-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

I'd forgotten how good Meet Joe Black was. Sam and I watched that and Moulin Rouge on the way down to Tampa last weekend. Really made the 7-hour trip seem short.

I think I have some controllable form of bipolar. It seems like I'm never in an 'in-between' mood — it's always way high or way low.

I found out yesterday I could switch to another Alltel plan with unlimited nights and weekend minutes and 400 daytime [I was getting 750 n&w and 250 daytime] for the same price [$39.95] that I was paying previously. Man, I wish I had known that earlier. I've gone almost $300 in overtime minutes since I first got my cellphone back in 2000.

Sorry if this post doesn't seem coherent. Just had a few short thoughts I wanted to get out.

2003-08-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

this unmarked chopper flew up to the apartment earlier this afternoon and chilled for a good 20 minutes just hanging there a couple dozen feet over the pool. that was weird.

it...takes...so...loonngggggggggggg

2003-08-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

It really irks me when an automated phone system won't take voice commands. Most cellphones don't have touchtone, and seeing as lots of people use only their cellphones to conduct business, you'd think companies would try and accommodate them. It's also frustrating that banks take 3 to 5 business days to get anything done. I can't wait for the day when banks and other companies reach a level of speed and convenience that match the internet's capabilities. It'd be nice to get everything done the second you need it done. I've been able to get my end taken care of [mostly with help from Paypal] , now all I need to do is wait for everything else to catch up.

2003-08-08T01:15:00.000-07:00

yet another useless japanese product

baptismal regeneration

2003-08-08T01:08:00.000-07:00

I need to know more about this. I've kind of got it figured out for myself, I think, but I'd like to know what those wiser than myself have to say. Are there any books on the subject worth reading?

the immediate future

2003-08-08T00:53:00.000-07:00

This next week I've gotta get everything packed so we can move into a smaller apartment in the same complex on friday. I've gotta get the cable and electricity transferred over there, and I've gotta get the place cleaned for inspection. I've already got Mike's and Dan's old rooms all cleaned out, but the kitchen needs a good cleaning (not bad really, except for the fridge and oven). I've gotta make some calls and office visits to get Papa John's on campus during new-student orientation (bureaucracy is what's gonna make that a pain). I've gotta work on the church's website and get started on one for a guy at church. I need to squeeze an oil change in there somewhere. I need to see about switching to a better plan with Alltel — they've got plans that are way better than what I've got now for less than I'm paying now, and my contract with them was up almost a year ago, so it shouldn't be a problem for them to switch me. If it is, I'll just go somewhere else.

I really need to get on a more normal sleep schedule. I've got 08:00 classes this fall and going to bed 4 hours before is not going to work. I'm taking Business Communications, Programming In Java, Decision Support Systems, and Internet Marketting. All of these classes will be MWF and over by 14:30, which leaves evenings and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for work and studying. I'm actually looking forward to this semester. There'll be Chris and Amy's wedding, Josh and Chrissy's wedding, Radiohead in October, the Advance, and, of course, LOTR DVDs and Return of the King in December. Should be a nice rest-of-the-year.

the TPC Advance

2003-08-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

is this November (6th - 9th). The brochure's up. You can download the pdf here.

for those who weren't as impressed with the ROTK teaser...

2003-08-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Finally, work on the trailer will begin in late August.
It will be a type of "super trailer," over 2 minutes in length. Also, don't get your hopes up about seeing shelob in the trailer, she will be teased. You may see just a leg or any eye or just her lair, they really are not considering putting her in the trailer in all her glory.

Also, there is talk of adding a hidden ROTK preview to TTT EE dvd just like what was done with TFOTR EE dvd and TTT hidden preview. Nothing is certain yet.

[link to report from TheOneRing.net]

I just wanna chill and twist a lot / catch suns in my 745

2003-08-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

I like blogging, but sometimes it feels like a chore. It seems like a lot of bloggers are leaving, but I'm not going to quit yet.

I got back early yesterday morning from Tampa. Mike, Sam, and myself drove down to help Arch move into his apartment. That was a lot of fun — except for this desk that Sam and I had to put together [&$#! thing had 17 steps]. But I got to eat at Hops again [thus making it a necessity for whenever I'm in Tampa — 4 qualifies as tradition, right?], and we really had a great time drivin around tampa. The drives there and back weren't bad either.

This week I'm cleaning up the apartment so we can pass our inspection next friday and not have to give up our security deposit. We've been assigned a new apartment and have to work out all the moving details. Other than that and workin on ACM I've just been puttin in the hours at papa juans and making some extra dough [hah].

NEW ROTK TRAILER

2003-07-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

If you want to be transported to a level of euphoria unlike any joy or pleasure that has ever before been experienced by man save pure glorification of God, GO HERE & DOWNLOAD & WATCH. OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

UPDATE: New Line Cinema told TheOneRing.net to take the trailer down [apparently it wasn't supposed to be released for another couple of months], but I have a copy. So if you want to see it, e-mail me and I'll send it to you.

i could watch these little buggers drop all day

2003-07-28T22:41:00.000-07:00

DEFEND YOUR CASTLE

disinclined to acquiesce to your request

2003-07-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

poke the bunny one more time...

2003-07-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

just do it and see what happens

a good article on the economic implications of online privacy:

2003-07-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

'Privacy, Economics, and Price Discrimination on the Internet' [pdf]

for those (like me) who should brush up on their physics a little:

2003-07-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

a beginner's guide to the Theory of Relativity

2003-07-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Glock17. Everyone loves you. G-Dawgs and Cops alike
fancy you. Aren't you just special?

What handgun are you?
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how odd

2003-07-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

CBS, ABC, and MSNBC all mention on their respective websites the fact that NYC councilman James Davis was black, but fail to note that his murderer was also black — a fact I wouldn't have known had FoxNews not reported it. CNN even went to the trouble of citing two conflicting descriptions of the assailant while leaving out the most obvious recognizable feature that those at the scene all seem to agree on — his color: "Police Commissioner Ray Kelly described the shooter as a man wearing either a blue suit or a blue blazer. A witness described the shooter as a man in his 40s wearing a cream-colored suit." Given the media's propensity to immediately jump on and report as fact any wild speculation that comes their way, I find it hard to believe that this is coincidental.

Death

2003-07-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Years ago my parents told me I would eventually need braces. I was maybe 6 or 7 years old at the time, and the idea of having a stranger attach metal to my teeth scared me. I'd heard it was painful. My parents tried to reassure me, telling me there may be pain, but that when the time came it wouldn't be that bad. In fact, when it was over and my braces were removed, I'd be better off than before. I wanted to believe them, but I was still anxious, and decided to put it out of my mind and just have fun being a kid. I wanted to avoid the inevitable, but knew I couldn't, so I decided to just not think about it.

Years later I had my braces installed, worked on, and removed. It took a while, and yeah, it hurt, but it wasn't that much more painful than your average trip to the dentist. By that time, though, I knew the cost was nothing compared to the improvements my body would gain. To know this and still be afraid would have been senseless and foolish.

Death is kinda like that — the wiser you become the less you fear it. But unlike getting braces, you can't trust time alone to build your wisdom. You can't just not think about it and hope it'll all turn out okay. Death is something to be feared, but only for the non-elect. If our trust is in Christ, we will be delivered out of death and into eternal communion with our Savior. This should be enough to make death something to look forward to, but it's not easy. Our faith needs to be strengthened, and we can do this by reading and believing God's Word. 'For God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death.' [Psa. 48:14]

new 'Cheech and Chong' movie!

2003-07-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

"You know me -- if anybody wanted me to be in a movie with dope in it, I'm there," Chong joked. "But Cheech really protected the image. Those characters have been untouched, and now it's so fun to be back under that classic umbrella." [...]

on the subject of heritage:

2003-07-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Tartan Ties — this first article on the relationship between Scotland and the South was written by my dad and is a phenomenally better read than this article, A Sense of Place [credit to Jon Amos for finding this], but both are definitely worth checking out.

a little Chris Staples [of 238]:

2003-07-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

the plymouth overturned
the ground around it burned
it's true a ton of car
consumed in pretty reds and blues

black smoke
blocked out the sun today
but cars are overrated
I've got legs anyway

tribal tattoos are gay

2003-07-22T23:24:00.000-07:00

I think it's sad to see kids want so badly to get away from their home-towns. I see it all the time at school. Most of the students here can't wait to graduate so they can move out West or up North or anywhere, really, as long as it's nowhere as boring as this place. They want California or New York, but will settle for Atlanta or Jacksonville or Dallas. It's not just a matter of appreciating the South, though, it's a matter of taking pride in where you grew up and who your family is.

It happens all over America, too. We're one huge transient culture — nobody's comfortable for long in one place. There are those up North, believe it or not, who romanticize the South and dream of living here. It's not that I don't welcome such interest in our area, but I'm concerned for anyone who would forsake his own heritage for another, even one from such an undeniably great place as the South. There's something about how all these kids tattoo themselves with tribal patterns and eastern lettering that's kind of disturbing. Why is marking yourself with someone else's cultural symbols considered cool? Why do people want so badly to be something they're not?

Maybe some are ashamed of where they come from, and maybe they have reason to be, but there's nothing as worthless as switching from one Godless culture to another. The more wicked someone's culture is, the more reason there is to stick with it and rejoin it with Christ and His family. I guess this responsibility is too much for some people.

wow

2003-07-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

"Balram could not stop in time and banged into the trolley. The iron rods pierced through his neck. His head fell on one side, attached precariously to the spinal cord.

"He was fully conscious and all his organs were in command. Promptly, Balram straightened his head and tied a 'safi' (a thin cloth towel) around it and rushed towards Agra. Whoever saw the scene couldn't believe his eyes. The crowd that assembled around did nothing.

"When Balram tried to speak, blood oozed from his mouth. [...]

legislation and sausage

2003-07-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

Until the OCTODOG, these were the only two things you really didn't want to see get made.

temporal phenomenon

2003-07-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

As if being stuck inside the 20th of July yesterday wasn't enough, it was only 2 minutes ago that I realized it was the 22nd. I've been telling people it was the 20th all day....very unsettling. I mean, Sunday was really great, but Mondays and Tuesdays are good, too.

fhqwhgads

2003-07-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Most of you have probably been there before, but for those who haven't [and for those who've forgotten about it], here's Homestar Runner. Aside from the remarkably good flash-work, the rest of the site's pretty not-so-crappy also, if you ask me. Strongbad's E-mails are the awesomest part....here are the links to a few of my personal favorites: english paper, japanese cartoon, lures & jigs, invisibility.

really cool tech blog

2003-07-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

I've added a link for Gizmodo, a blog with posts about all the really cool tech-gadgets that are constantly being produced. Definitely worth checkin' out.

Also, if you get a chance, I strongly suggest you download Switchfoot's This Is Your Life [on the right sidebar] — good stuff.

2003-07-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Jen is back [!], but Jenn seems to have gone away :(

Good post from Josh's blog:

2003-07-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

While I'm on the subject of politics instead of religion, has anyone else noticed that the only time the courts invoke the fundamentally libertarian nature of our Constitution is when they're ruling on sex? The state tells us what kind of vehicles to drive (which your vehicle is the most IMPORTANT part of your life ;-) ), whether we can or can't start businesses, how to discipline our kids, where we can and can't live, what we can and can't do to our houses and property, what schools our kids go to, what they learn there, whether or not we can let other people smoke in the buildings we build, what kind of guns we can buy and when and for what reasons, who we can hire and fire, and how to "save" for retirement (put it in a 0% interest government IOU).

Apparently, those things don't have much to do with the kind of liberty the Constitution was designed to protect. But sex, on the other hand, sex is what this country is built on, dammit! [link]

Trailer for The Passion

2003-07-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Ain't It Cool News has it up.

2003-07-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

check out this utterly bizarre British TV spot.
[works better if you right-click it and hit 'Save Target As']

since when was an MPA rating relevant, anyway?

2003-07-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Strongly Cautioned. Some material in your journal may be inappropriate to younger or close-minded people. This signifies that your journal is probobly inappropriate for pre-teens. people should be especially careful about adding you because they could possibly be offended. Rough or persistent violent talk is absent; sexually-oriented nudity is generally absent; some talk of drug use may be present from time to time in your journal; You may find a fair amount of sex talk here.

What rating is your journal?
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the only thing worth eating

2003-07-09T00:17:00.000-07:00

Alas! CWSC is now and I am not there. Were that I had been conscious of the great discontent my absence would contrive against me. I miss the salad.

Some things I like about the South and where I live (in no specific order):

2003-07-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

The accent. The (mostly) warm weather. A church on every other block. Chick-fil-a. McGuire's. The way complete strangers treat you like family. Grits. The way you can't ever need help down here and not get it. Florida. Alabama. Georgia. Collard and turnip greens. Southern girls. The Family Advance. Hearing the occasional Christian song on a secular station. ATL airport. Southern girls (God bless 'em). Sausage is for breakfast, not dinner. The Church in Valparaiso. Cornbread. Wal-Mart. 238. The pure white sand and clear Gulf water of Northwest Florida. My family. The Sound. How every Southern state (not including New Mexico) voted Republican in 2000. The Christian Worldview Student Conference in VA. Southern Comfort. Hardee's is Hardee's, not Carl's Jr. Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville. Cracker Barrel. Good ol' boys. William Faulkner. The way many northerners hate us (we must be doing something right). Sweet iced tea.

2003-07-04T01:31:00.000-07:00

this looks like fun....

Adventures in Odyssey episode archive

2003-07-02T01:24:00.000-07:00

RESISTANCE IS OPTIONAL (but not recommended)

2003-07-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

During my broke-down-car-induced sabbatical from work, I’ve had a lot of extra time on my hands to do some things I’ve needed to do, and that’s kept me pretty busy. But that stuff hasn’t taken up all my time, so I’ve been reading a lotta Tolkien and downloading a few Simpsons and Enterprise episodes. Enterprise started out of a desire for some kind of TV show but no clear idea of what TV shows were worth downloading. I’d never seen it, but I used to love The Next Generation and even watched Voyager for a while. I sort of dropped out of the habit, but after downloading my first Enterprise last week, I’ve started to get back into it. Even the cheesy intro song (penned by Diane “How Do I Live” Warren) has grown on me. If you haven’t seen it, you should give it a shot. You know you want to.

I didn't post anything yesterday

2003-07-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

because I didn't have anything to post. Did you want to read about all the rain we got thanks to Bill? I don't really have much to post now, either, except to mention that I had nothing to post yesterday (in fact, Blogger erased the post I just made, so you're getting less than you would have). I feel like I should say something else, now, because you're here and that's what you want (maybe?).

I moved my monitor from the coffeetable to the floor in the far corner of my living room. This is where I post, and where I check my e-mail and do my work: in one of those one-piece floor chairs that rock (and they do) with my feet stretched out in front, a keyboard in my lap and an optical mouse sitting on top of the phonebook and a copy of Thompson and Strickland's Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases that I bought for my policy class this summer but never used. Shame, really, because it was the first brand-new textbook I'd gotten for less than $60 (and $60 is an awesome deal, but I don't have to tell you that if you go to school) and I was really looking forward to using it. I'm sure it will come in handy for when I open Bucer's, Destin.

Ok, I'm done. Now go read Rick's question on Southern hospitality, and the discourse that goes with it.

Found on Drudge: America to build super weapons

2003-06-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Pentagon is planning a new generation of weapons, including huge hypersonic drones and bombs dropped from space, that will allow the US to strike its enemies at lightning speed from its own territory.

Over the next 25 years, the new technology would free the US from dependence on forward bases and the cooperation of regional allies, part of the drive towards self-sufficiency spurred by the difficulties of gaining international cooperation for the invasion of Iraq. [...]

new site coming...

2003-06-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

Anybody know how to get blogger to post inside a textbox? I can't get it to read the code from inside the form.

2003-06-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

DMX arrested for swearing.

Out of Control

2003-06-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ex-Prez Bill Clinton on Media Mayhem

cool article from canada.com about The Passion:

2003-06-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

Mel Gibson says he attended Mass every morning while shooting his new movie, The Passion, because "we had to be squeaky clean just working on this." [...]

Send in the Penguins

2003-06-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

"Where are the they? Aren't there penguins living up in the Ice Bay of Forochel and the frozen north? There's a whole bunch of stuff about the Lossoth, the Snowmen who helped Arvedui when he was in trouble. If Tolkien goes to the trouble of creating the equivalent of Inuit tribes living in the coldest regions of the planet, then there must be penguins somewhere. Hey, after all, he was fond of Polar Bears (remember the Father Christmas Letters?). I love penguins -- it wouldn't hurt to have a little mention of one, would it? Remember that fox that was puzzled when he saw three hobbits sleeping in a fir-wood out in the country… that should have been a penguin. He would have been puzzled too."

(not really worth reading the rest of it, but here's the link anyway).

Wil Wheaton's blog

2003-06-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

He's the guy that played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Well, he's got himself a blog, and it's pretty cool. I was gonna post the link, but I came across the following:

"And you know what else? I am profoundly upset about war, dreams of war, and the Bush Junta. Patriot II? How the [word that rhymes with 'duck'] did this happen? How did we, as a culture, sit back and put these people in charge?"

So I decided not to. Free speech has its weak points, and liberal drivel is one of 'em.

this score's not right

2003-06-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

You are 2% geek

OK, so maybe you ain't a geek. You do, at least, show a bit of interest in the world around you. Either that, or you have enough of a sense of humor to pick some of the sillier answers on the test. Regardless, you're probably a pretty nifty, well-rounded person who gets along fine with people and can chat with just about anyone without fear of looking stupid or foolish or overly concerned with minutiae. God, I hate you.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

from Micah:

2003-06-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

Highlight the ones you've seen:

1 Godfather, The (1972)
2 Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
3 Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
4 Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)
5 Schindler's List (1993)
6 Citizen Kane (1941)
7 Casablanca (1942)
8 Seven Samurai (1954)
9 Star Wars (1977)
10 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
11 Memento (2000)
12 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
13 Rear Window (1954)
14 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)
15 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
16 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
17 Usual Suspects, The (1995)
18 Amelie (2001)
19 Pulp Fiction (1994)
20 North by Northwest (1959)
21 Psycho (1960)
22 Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
23 12 Angry Men (1957)
24 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
25 It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
26 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
27 Goodfellas (1990)
28 American Beauty (1999)
29 Vertigo (1958)
30 Pianist, The (2002)
31 Sunset Blvd. (1950)
32 Apocalypse Now (1979)
33 Some Like It Hot (1959)
34 Matrix, The (1999)
35 To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
36 Taxi Driver (1976)
37 Third Man, The (1949)
38 Paths of Glory (1957)
39 Fight Club (1999)
40 Boot, Das (1981)
41 L.A. Confidential (1997)
42 Double Indenity (1944)
43 Chinatown (1974)
44 Requiem for a Dream (2000)
45 Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
46 Singin' in the Rain (1952)
47 Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
48 Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
49 Saving Private Ryan (1998)
50 All About Eve (1950)
51 M (1931)
52 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
53 Raging Bull (1980)
54 Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
55 Se7en (1995)
56 Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
57 Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
58 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
59 Vita e bella, La (1997)
60 American History X (1998)
61 Sting, The (1973)
62 Touch of Evil (1958)
63 Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
64 Alien (1979)
65 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
66 Rashemon (1950)
67 Leon (1994)
68 Annie Hall (1977)
69 Great Escape, The (1963)
70 Clockwork Orange, A (1971)
71 Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
72 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
73 Sixth Sense, The (1999)
74 Jaws (1975)
75 Amadeus (1984)
76 On the Waterfront (1954)
77 Ran (1985)
78 Braveheart (1995)
79 High Noon (1952)
80 Fargo (1996)
81 Blade Runner (1982)
82 Apartment, The (1960)
83 Aliens (1986)
84 Toy Story 2 (1999)
85 Strangers on a Train (1951)
86 Modern Times (1936)
87 Shining, The (1980)
88 Donnie Darko (2001)
89 Duck Soup (1933)
90 Princess Bride, The (1987)
91 Lola rennt (1998)
92 City Lights (1931)
93 General, The (1927)
94 Metropolis (1927)
95 Searchers, The (1956)
96 Full Metal Jacket
97 Notorious (1946)
98 Manhattan (1979)
99 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
100 Graduate, The (1967)

by the way...

2003-06-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

The guy at the shop says there's something stuck inside my transmission. Wonder what it could be.....

I hope it's something edible. And tasty.

Isaiah had these on his blog the other day:

2003-06-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel shamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." -Jack Handy

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." -Henny Youngman

"When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. Sooooo, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!" -Brian O'Rourke

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." -Dave Barry

nice skate stunt

2003-06-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

Right-click this puppy and select Save Target As.

173 days left!

2003-06-26T23:39:00.000-07:00

UPDATE:

but you don't have to wait till December for your next LOTR fix — The Two Towers DVD will be out in August.

2003-06-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

blue blue windows behind the stars
yellow moon on the rise
big birds flying across the sky
throwing shadows on our eyes

leave us
helpless helpless helpless

My car broke down today (familiar territory). It's the first time this one's been in the shop. Pray that it won't cost too much.

2003-06-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

almost as fun as miniput:

2003-06-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! Games' Lemonade Tycoon

2003-06-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Weird Al is playing Gulfport, MS, in August. I just might go.

dang

2003-06-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Read this.

Chavez: "Yes, brother. How are you?"

2003-06-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

Castro: "Tell me and let me see if I hear you. Tell me you haven't returned yet."
Ferrero: "We have a problem with the line."
Castro: "I can't hear him. I hear certain words. I hear him say Fidel. And then I don't hear anything else. What do you think we should do?"

Ferrero explains to Castro that there was an issue with one of Hugo Chavez's suitcases that got lost when he went to Argentina last month. Castro was there, too.

Taken from the transcript of a call Fidel received recently from the same Miami DJs that pranked Venezuelan President Chavez back in January.

stupid cows

2003-06-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

a little okaloosa history

2003-06-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

"Okaloosa County acquired 3-miles of Santa Rosa Island in 1950. The acquisition of Okaloosa Island culminated the efforts of U.S. Representative Robert F. Sikes, who introduced the bill authorizing the transfer. The community of Destin, the world's luckiest little fishing village, was founded by Captain Leonard Destin in 1945. It adopted the ways of its New England founder."

"The creation of Destin's East Pass is one of the County's great stories. Mr. O.T. Melvin was one of the four men responsible for the freak occurrence. Heavy rains had built up pressure in the bay, at which time it was higher than the Gulf. The four men attempted to dig a small trench from the Gulf to the bay with shovels. The pressure-driven waters literally exploded through the small breach. The flood leveled a forest in the process. The old Pass, located further east, completely closed with silt within three years. Today, the Destin East Pass is maintained by periodic dredging. Mr. Melvin later regretted the changes that had occurred."

a few links for killin' time

2003-06-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

homeless serving as billboards.
vodka-sipping barfly goes up in flames.
strongbad e-mail #77: "suntan".
coca-cola launches float-flavored drink.
steve carell video archive.
the hospital.

Remix of the Song of Solomon

2003-06-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

Get this song and woo yourself a lady. Thanks to 'Thanael for the link.

2003-06-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

Since when is ketchup fancy?

fire alarms

2003-06-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

The building's fire alarms briefly went off last night and woke me up. Reminded me of the first week in the apartment last August when they went off in three of the buildings here around 4 in the morning. Drove everybody out of their apartments — except for Josiah and Ben, who apparently prefer sleep to hearing. Some punks must've pulled the alarms, I guess trying to revive the excitement of the party that was supposed to be the grand finale to summer and a kick-off to classes.

While Rick, John, Mike and myself waited out in the parking lot for the firemen to figure out how to cut the alarms, half the baseball team and a buncha other guys were talking about the fights that had broken out a few hours before. It started cuz some drunk dude banged on some random apartment door, and when the guy inside opened up, he was yanked out into the breezeway and got his head bashed into the concrete. Naturally, the baseball team and several other guys got into it, and two of 'em ended up in the emergency room. We could still see a nice-sized puddle of blood/flesh in the breezeway where that poor guy's head had been.

It was just fire alarms last night, though.

2003-06-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

I wrote my name in concrete today. A few months ago my roommate John found his uncle's name on a sidewalk from when he used to go to UWF in the early seventies. Wonder how long it'll be there.

AHHHHHH

2003-06-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Organizational Behavior is over. Good thing, too, cuz psychology is really dumb — or at least the stuff they teach us at UWF. I will say this, though. I've had really fun groups and I've had really productive groups, but the group I had in this class was both. We had a great time and got a lot of quality work done, even with one of our members going into labor the day before our final presentation. Wish all my groups could be this tight. The class was only 4 weeks, too (I think they do classes this way in Europe - I know they do in Finland, not sure bout the rest of the continent). I really liked that — most of my 16-week classes feel like such a waste of time.

2003-05-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

"Many are always praising the by-gone time, for it is natural that the old should extol the days of their youth; the weak, the time of their strength; the sick, the season of their vigor; and the disappointed, the spring-tide of their hopes." — Caleb Bingham

Mini-Put!

2003-05-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

2003-05-26T00:38:00.000-07:00

ten things I want to take (in no particular order)

2003-05-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

1. better pictures
2. the Sunset Limited to L.A and back again
3. a nap every once in a while
4. my textbooks to someone who'll give me more than 20% for them
5. a trip to New Zealand
6. the stereo away from my nextdoor neighbor
7. everything that isn't marshmallow out of Lucky Charms
8. time-management lessons
9. the chalk away from certain teachers
10. it easy

scary

2003-05-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Trucks hits bridge, bridge collapses.

coolness

2003-05-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

My friend Evie's brother Elias has a lead role in a movie directed by Gus Van Sant, the guy that did Good Will Hunting and Psycho.

I like this quote:

2003-05-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

'Then Melkor lusted for the Silmarils, and the very memory of their radiance was a gnawing fire in his heart. From that time forth, inflamed by this desire, he sought ever more eagerly how he should destroy Feanor and end the friendship of the Valar and the Elves; but he dissembled his purposes with cunning, and nothing of his malice could yet be seen in the semblance that he wore. Long was he at work, and slow at first and barren was his labour. But he that sows lies in the end shall not lack of a harvest, and soon he may rest from toil indeed while others reap and sow in his stead. Ever Melkor found some ears that would heed him, and some tongues that would enlarge what they had heard; and his lies passed from friend to friend, as secrets of which the knowledge proves the teller wise. Bitterly did the Noldor atone for the folly of their open ears in the days that followed after.'

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Quinta Silmarillion

Third Eye Blind's new CD "Out of the Vein"

2003-05-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Just heard it. While not their best (kinda hard to match their self-titled first CD), this one is pretty darn good, musically speaking. With only a little less sexual innuendo and more cussing, it's not exactly as pleasant as the last two CDs 3EB's put out, but the words are well-crafted and do a good job of provoking the imagination to forceful reflection — if only to thoughts of bad relationships, death of loved ones and depression. There are a couple songs on here that aren't complete downers — as is the case with Misfits and Good Man — but this album is not for the emotionally squeamish. Still, if you liked "Third Eye Blind" and "Blue," I would recommend that you give "Out of the Vein" a listen, if only to see how far the band's come along.

I don't normally browse around looking at furniture online

2003-05-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

but Jon Barlow had a link posted on his blog that I happened to click (I do that with most of the links he posts, and they're usually really good). Why does this cost $6,230? It's made out of fiberglass and I can only think of two ways to sit on it....with both feet in front of you or with your left leg propped up on the side. Very uncomfortable-looking.

Today's Friday Five

2003-05-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

1. What brand of toothpaste do you use? Crest Whitening + Scope

2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer? Charmin Ultra

3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear? Rainbows, payless/walmart brands

4. What brand of soda do you drink? Try not to drink soda....iced tea is my current drink of choice.

5. What brand of gum do you chew? Don't chew gum.

Unmanned drones to patrol our borders?

2003-05-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

Sounds good to me.

The Cog.

2003-05-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Organizational Behavior final project

2003-05-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

I need to come up with a final project for my OB class. It's due in 2 weeks. Basically we're supposed to take OB concepts and present them in some kind of childish creative way. For example, last semester one guy made a drink recipe book, but the ingredients were concepts. Some girl wrote a fictional story, and a buncha people made board games. I've got a couple ideas for mine, like either architectural graphs or classified ads. I'd like to come up with some other ideas tho. Anybody got any?

On May 27

2003-05-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Led Zeppelin is releasing new 2-DVD and 3-CD sets of rare and live performances.

I wonder which bands will be remembered 30 years from now. My vote goes to Metallica — and maybe the Goo Goo Dolls.

who's seen Matrix: Reloaded?

2003-05-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

According to Ain't It Cool News, well....read for yourself:

"Btw… watch the TV monitors, when the Architect is talking about the foulest most evil people of man’s past, they flash from Hitler to George Bush – I’M NOT *****ING."

Well hot dog... I can't wait to drop $7 on that! Seriously, this sounds like a stinker.

This can't be real

2003-05-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

2003-05-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

on the west side of town

2003-05-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

Jon: They want you to sign here and here.
Andrea: I feel like I'm signing divorce papers.
Jon: Well we did meet halfway.

even a broke clock is right twice a day

2003-05-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Read the comments.

I'm driving back to my apartment

2003-05-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

and I pass this silver Z-28 with 2 girls from my Policy class sittin' in it. They're 2 thirds of a group my team is competing with in our CapStone game. The third girl I left studying her capsim manual at the computer lab. She's frustrated because she's doing all the work, and the other girls don't seem to care. Right now their team is finishing dead last, and there's no way she or either of the other two are going to get a passing grade if they don't shape up. There's really nothing this girl can do about it, though, because in these teams, the majority rules. I pass the other two, and I just know they're justifying to each other their laziness, talking about how shocked they were that this girl would accuse them of putting social life ahead of academics, how even if they are somehow remotely responsible for this mess, they certainly didn't deserve the way the other girl mouthed off to them. But it won't help things any, and the other girl is going to keep working, and when final grades come in, she'll probably fail along with the other two. One team down, 10 to go! 5891 ANDREWS R0X0RZ.

Mmmmm....

2003-05-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

I found out how to make those cheese rolls Red Lobster serves.

Speaking of Rick....

2003-05-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

He posted something yesterday by the Iraqi blogger known as "Salam Pax." I read this guy's blog back as the war was starting, but he stopped posting for a while, so I stopped going. Apparently he's been able to get a lot more written and published, and it all makes a really great read. Here's an excerpt:

"They are like that in most of the cases, they sit looking a bit bored watching the looting. Sometimes, if it is not too troublesome, they will go check on what is happening if you jump in front of their tanks shouting 'Ali Baba, Ali Baba!!'. Cute, isn’t it? We have found common ground in the stories of 1001 nights. Everybody knows the story of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, but not everybody speaks English. So if you are lucky the Americans will come to check what Ali Baba is doing, sometimes they care sometimes they don’t."

2003-05-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Rick's got a new e-zine and web services company.