Your Mileage May Vary

Riddle me this, Batman

Background Noise: You spin my head right 'round

Last Visited: places, you know, out there 

Random Thought: maybe getting up early for gym classes isn't so bad after all   

Mood: bracing for the week 

Funding for the State Parks is in danger because of the current budget crisis; the $6 vehicle entrance fee simply doesn't cover the $100m budget; the response from state government? Close the parks. A counter proposal has been made to raise the vehicle entrance fee to $15 - more than covering the budget needs and allowing the parks to stay open. Assembly Republicans, however, say no - that would constitute a "tax hike" and the proposal "likely" won't pass the 2/3rds vote required. 

I'm sorry, but, are these people out of their freaking minds?!?!

The population of the state (myself very much included) love the state parks - not only are they a great resource, a place to play, to explore, to protect the land, etc - the current fee is ridiculously low. If raising the vehicle fee (which, btw, doesn't prohibit someone from parking somewhere else and walking into the park for free,) makes the parks self sustainable, what is the downside? Additionally, surplus money could be used for park improvements, drawing in more tourists, generating more revenue, while not taking money from the general fund. 

People are willing to pay for the services they want. Let us pay to keep the parks open, please. 

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Sometimes a girl just has to buy her own flowers

Background Noise: A lil bit country, giving Keith Urban another try 

Last Visited: Bunches and Fleur de Cocoa, Los Gatos

Random Thought: baby pictures of coworkers? priceless.  

Mood: it's not possible to be in a bad mood on a beautiful day like this one 

It shouldn't be surprising that i'm a fool for beautiful things; flowers, fields, sunsets, sunrises, old buildings, new buildings, exquisite food, less than exquisite food, perfectly mixed drinks, high school baseball games, shoes, hats, march madness pools, perfectly tailored dresses, smiles, gently rocking boats, moments... i adore them all. (Obviously and more, but you know me and lists...) And spring in California? So full of so many of the things i love. Don't get me wrong, i'm desperate to get home for that beautiful Michigan spring, but i have to admit, California's charms are growing on me.  

So go ahead - buy some beautiful spring flowers, eat lunch outside, take a walk by the water, find a sunset stargazing hike; take pictures, take picnics, discover somewhere new, rediscover somewhere old, get a jump start on an adventure. Because i don't know about you, but i'm sick and tired of wondering if i'm being defined by the things i didn't say, the places i didn't go. So go on - start living outside, instead of inside your head or vicariously through a movie. 

I know i'm trying; because really? I'd rather try and fall than never give myself the chance to fly. 

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Not really ready to loose "Squeeze"

Background Music: Blossom Dearie, Someone to Watch Over Me

Last Visited: Yelp, Hacker New, reddit, and my Mail

Random Thought: I really need to live in London for at least three months; how hard would it be to make that happen this summer?  

Mood: jet-laggey 

Researchers at Reading University in England have come up with what they think the oldest words in the english language are; unsurprisingly, "I" leads the list, followed closely by "we," "two," and "three;" what can i say, our ancestors certainly found a way to distill what was important. 

Yet as fascinating as this list is - the list of what we needed to say so badly language had to be invented - a line at the beginning of this article caught my eye more than the rest: the words we might loose first. 

(Or, perhaps to be more correct, the next words we could loose from the language, as we have to have already lost a great deal of our earliest words, especially those that only existed before we discovered writing. Writing, which, as an act in itself is a pretty remarkable invention; our need to persist what we had to say was so great that we all agreed how to consistently, concisely, compactly describe what until then we had only said.) 

So what are these words we're bound to loose? And how did they pull these particular words out of the ether? And for that matter, do we have any say about whether or not we want to loose these words? Personally, I'm not ready to let go of "squeeze;" and, while i know i over-use "bad," i'm not ready to let it go either. What is a gymnast to do other than "stick" her landing? And what are little boys dissecting a worm in the summer going to scream besides "eww, 'guts'!" 

We have been trying to speak for tens of thousands of years and over that time words have entered and left our language as we migrated, met, experienced; words lost would not have registered or been recorded, they would have simply been washed away like writing in the sand when the wave came and went. For the first time, though, we as a civilization are able to identify and categorize what we stand to loose. I wonder if that will end up changing the outcome; maybe we'll be able to find a way to save those words from being erased from the sand. 

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The Day After

Last Visited: news feeds, bug feeds, status feeds, anything really except eapproval to file my expense report

Random Thought: 28 is starting off with a bang 

Mood: moving a little slowly this morning 

Yesterday i turned 28; it was actually an awesome day, busy (shocker), but great. Good moods, good food, good progress, good drinks, good debate, good fun. Yay. 

... There need to be posts with pictures, (new galleries: Philly, Elphaba's Day Out, Michigan: Fall '08,) but i really should actually file that expense report. 

Thank you to all the birthday wishes, it really was wonderful to hear from everyone yesterday. 

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Why? Because Science says so.

Background Music: something the Genius came up with

Last Visited: micha's status; apparently the only news feed i need

Random Thought: the true indication of the state of education today: Monopoly no longer makes you count your money 

Mood: posting against the wind

Has the Large Hadron Collider Destroyed the World Yet?  (... how about now?)

A large congratulations to everyone at CERN, Fermilab, and all of the many, many Universities who participated in actually getting to a successful test of the particle accelerator last night. The scale of the experiment and it's possible discoveries are mind blowing in scale and potential; how wonderful that we're all alive to see what will happen next.  

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Zoltan: Space Emperor... of Space

Background Music: No other Day, Rent

Last Visited: MGoBlog.com

Random Thought: having a new-old couch really makes a space look different; how lovely 

Mood: already late

I swear I'm not dead; nor am i still in Philadelphia (pictures soon, i promise) - i'm just crazy freaking out of my mind busy. 

... and no, i don't really have time to elaborate. 

Just figured i should drop by to, erm, say that. I'll be back later with musings on banning books, arts funding, and architectural oversight committees. Oh, and Vampires. 

Oh :) AND FOOTBALL!!! Go Blue!

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Gotta love the Morning Fog over the Mountains

Background Music: Eight Days a Week

Last Visited: The Eternal Value of Privacy ; Russia and NATO: running back to their Cold War corners; Fair Use must be considered before Copyright Violation DMCA requests; No really, Oil speculation has to stop; and the Bugatti is one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen in my life.

Random Thought: For some reason, knowing someone seriously injured in a motorcycle accident doesn't change my mind about wanting to learn how to ride one at some point

Mood: still waking up

This is going to be random. I heard on the radio this morning that there is a proposal on the table to hold a Constitutional Convention for the State of California due to the fact that the current one is nearly impossible to govern by as proven, partially, by the fact that there hasn't been an on time budget approved in the last 20 years. All i have to say? Do it. The system here is insane, and really, with the way things are now, the only measure that can really have a chance to work is a holistic one. 

  

       

I went back to Monte Bello on saturday - this time with my camera. You'll have to forgive the many pictures of me - there were times when i was the only real subject. Regardless, i had fun playing with a tripod for the first time and getting very, very, very dusty. (Like, both the inside and outside of my jeans completely coated in yellow-orange dirt, dusty; however, after i washed them, those jeans have been amazingly soft - so maybe i should take all my new pairs on a hike?)

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Hot Laps

Background Music: Like a Stone, Audioslave

Last Visited: Pictures from the Lexus Event at Laguna Seca: Julie's and Mine

Random Thought: I can't help it, i love driving; especially on fast, smooth, fresh asphalt; though taking on blind downhill corkscrews can be pretty badass too.

Mood: coming down from stress mountain

So some time ago, i'm guessing about 10 days or so, Nic pinged me about this event Lexus was doing at Laguna Seca; basically it goes like this: come drive our awesome new high performance car, the ISF, on the track at Laguna, on us. He couldn't go, and even though i was crazy busy, he pestered me until i picked up the phone to see if they still had any slots available; awesomely enough, they did; so, as the event was scheduled for the day after a deadline of mine, i signed up (I figured by that time i'd deserve a special treat.) 

And oh my i'm so glad i did. The big drive was yesterday, and I had a freaking blast. (Ben and Julie also went, though their time slot was earlier than mine, so i couldn't actually time Ben's laps.)

  

       

I have to admit, it wasn't all fun: i nearly missed my slot because i overshot the racetrack by nearly 6 miles (it was my first time going,) and i while i had an amazing instructor to drive with, the other two guys in my car? Left something to be desired as drivers; let's just say i haven't been so scared in a vehicle in a long time. But hey, the really bad one even made himself sick, so karma wins again. 

I can't truly focus on the low points though, because the highs were just so high. The times around the track i got to drive were a total blast, the car was amazing, and the hot laps with the instructor were just awesome. My only regret is i didn't get more time to drive myself.  

But hey, the track isn't going anywhere. I'll have to go again. 

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Giving Chainsaws to Two Year Olds since 2007

Background Music: Simple As it Should Be

Last Visited: oh my goodness i wrote something on my Soapbox

Random Thought: do. not. buy. plane. tickets. to. random. places. like. ohio. or. colombia. seriously. even. if. they're. on. sale. bad. 

Mood: messin' around

Ok; apparently, i'm still good, price wise, on tickets to New Orleans for Dave's bachelor party for Halloween - according to travelocity they're running about $228 round trip, which, quite frankly, is cheaper than it is for me to go home, so score. It's odd (and occasionally wonderful, really), where $250 adjacent will get you today on an airplane; i'm just saying. 

Now to plan when i'm flying, with who, and where we're staying before those ticket prices jump through the roof; because i have to be honest, New Orleans for halloween for $228 round trip sounds awesome, New Orleans for halloween for $400+? Not so much. 

Ok, time for random lists: 

- An essay from 1725 by the French philosopher Montesquieu

  - A Toy maker has created a gun that fires variable speed bullets

- Yes, willChangeValueForKey is defined in the NSKeyValueObserving Protocol

- This cat may actually have a cooler couch than me

- Why the long face? Here, Kitten will fix it

- apparently getting a 3G signal in Chicago is like playing the corner in roulette 

- My new shoes rule

- The W sure knows how to price based on the value of drunk stumbling distance

- For some reason, a dinner murder mystery at Moss Beach Distillery sounds really cool*

- This is why i'm not an accountant; i get it, but i'd have to shoot myself if i had to live it

... Wow, that was a random list; no cohesion at all. Ahh, well, it's my list, so there. And no, i'm not going to mention that thing about Christian Bale; let me keep my illusions about my heros, er, heartthrobs. 

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Because Dr. Horrible told me to

Background Noise: Mi Confesion

Last Visited:  the buildbot logs

Random Thought: somehow, nearly perfect isn't close enough  

Mood: overslept my alarm, slowly getting back into coding before my afternoon 'o meetings

So... the only "real" post i can think of writing today is moderately whiny and quite possibly depressing; so i'm not going to write it. Instead, how about a round up of my weekend? 

The Dark Knight? Awesome; though i need to see it again when i'm not so amazingly tired. The line wrapping around the theater beforehand and the ticket taker in the cheesetacular batman costume really added to the experience. I'm glad to have contributed to the $66.8M opening day tally. 

The rest of my weekend pretty much went like this: sleep, reading in bed, running, reading in bed, tapas like mexican food w/ margaritas, and more sleep. Also, Steve finally saw Wall-E and i got to join; lordy i love that movie. I don't care if Disney won't put up the cash to sponsor it for the best picture, it should get a nod anyways; especially the way this movie season is so far. Wall-E for president indeed. 

Oh, and sunday night? I had ice cream. It was awesome. 

... Kicking off today with some bizarre news, Katie Holmes turned down The Dark Knight because the film's message conflicted with her Scientology beliefs; also, according to MSNBC, Penguins are Mammals. Can I get an "oy" from the gallery? 

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Love your state, Love your beer

Background Noise: Midnight Coward, Stars

Last Visited: Steve & John's Wedding via Pete's camera Gallery

Random Thought: i don't think there is a more appropriate grooms cake for Steve than a pizza cake; how on earth didn't i think of it myself? 

Mood: needing a wednesday without meetings; so of course i'm in meetings all afternoon

I cannot stand here with a straight face and tell you that the best part of Steve and John's pre-wedding extravagani at Steve's house was the beer; because really, no one would believe me... myself included; it's not true, the beer was not the best part. But it was a fabulous cool part none the less. Why?  

Steve's Mom found Wolverine Beer! Love your state, love your beer; good slogan! (and you know? It tasted nothing like actual Wolverines. Thank goodness.)

... Sometimes it's the details i find the most enjoyable. 

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The Cost of a Chair

Background Noise: Brandy, Three Dog Night

Last Visited: inventory verification; and yummy stats 

Random Thought: i'm getting better at go karting; i wonder if the bruises inside my knees afterwards will ever stop though

Mood: i could use a few of Katrina's caffine breath mints this morning 

I've coveted this chair for a good long while now; i've been able to resist purchasing it for all that time because, well, there are just so many other things i can do for the price of that chair (for fun, let's put the average with tax at $2400): 

• 5.8 flights home (at the rate i paid for my ticket in july) 
• airfare and 6 nights in London at the rate i got in december  
• 40 nice pairs of shoes  
• 6 tickets to South Pacific  
• 30 bottles of 2003 Paraduxx Mallards  
• 240 poker buy-ins   
• 40 rounds of the gokart grand prix   
• 600 breakfasts a starbucks (including tip)  
• 40 full tanks of gas (at the rate i paid this weekend, roughly 14,000 miles of driving) 
• 2300 4x6 prints (after tax and delivery)   
• 3 prime lenses for my camera  
• 150 tank tops at the Gap  
• 85 tickets to the symphony   
• 300 drinks at the bar  
• 234 movie tickets  
• 10.4 flights to the general midwest  
• 12.6 flights to Vegas / LA / Seattle   
• a shark expedition from SF bay for 8  

... what i'm saying is that that money buys a lot. Does $2400 make for the most expensive chair ever? Certainly not. But compared to all of the other things i could do with that money... it feels quite pricey indeed. 

(Since i started writing this post i found out that not only is that chair currently on sale, the recliner variant is now offered in fabric in addition to leather at a significantly lower price; i'm trying very very very hard to forget that i know that little piece of information.)

(Oh, but it would be so nice to have a perfect reading chair....)

ps: Hail to the Victors, even in 1903, even in the snow; especially in the snow. 

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Perhaps it's the heat; or the scotch...

Background Noise: Simone Dinnerstein's Bach Variations

Last Visited: mobile me and the Apps Store 

Random Thought: Sometimes i don't read good 

Mood: here's to a slow morning 

“I wrote my friend a letter using a highlighting pen. But he could not read it, he thought I was trying to show him certain parts of a piece of paper.”  ~Mitch Hedberg

There is something languorously delicious in the concept of writing a letter*; for me it conjures images of summer vacation on or near the water with the shade, the breeze, and time, epic, grand, sweeping amounts of disconnected time where, with the lulling, lapping sounds of the waves and aided by a warm cup of coffee or a cold glass of wine you have the luxury of abandoning the frantic and frenetic sound-bite communications of the day for the sweeping prose of a letter; unhurried in meter and meandering in measure, you finally are allowed to grasp at the beauty of language and form in order to share a moment with another. 

Oh yes, from here in my over cooled office amidst the million emails and dozen ichat windows, my facebook inbox and wall, and the various feeds of constantly flowing information, taking the time to stop and read and write to someone outside of this fast-paced, overly focused world is quite delicious. Being allowed to, or asked to, take a moment and step off the track and write to someone who won't have heard your stories before, or have read that piece of news already, it's... yes, almost like a mini summer vacation. Almost like i'm on my boat on the water with the waves with time to breathe and choose my words. 

And i can almost forget how jealous i am of those who have more of their summer to enjoy on the water, with the waves and the breeze, the heat and the rain. 

Now, granted, I have a feeling a good deal of my current fondness for the concept of a letter comes from my trip home, the friends i met there, and how much i wish i was still on vacation (i need another week, at least.) And maybe as i sink back into life here at work i'll move away from enjoying the slower pace of decided back and forth correspondence. 

But for right now? Bring on the prose; hey, who knew writing not code could be this fun? 

 

*please note by 'letter' i'm referring to form and not pens, paper, and actual mail; we all know how much of a disaster writing letters would be for me if i actually had to mail something or, heaven forbid, check my real life mailbox for a reply.  

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Happy Birthday, Anne Girl

Background Noise: Into the Woods

Last Visited: 'bucks + chocolate == a very hyper me 

Random Thought: Is Carousel sold out through next July already? Awesome! And, um, also, Al? :) i might need some help getting tickets at that rate. 

Mood: surprisingly still has brownies left to hand out

100 years ago L.M. Montgomery published Anne of Green Gables - one of my favorite series' of all time; not that i really have favorites; but if i didn't this would be on the list, near the top; and not only because Anne spells her name the right way - with an 'e', like mine. 

... i... have forgotten what i was going to write next. I blame the caffeine and the chocolate. 

Perhaps tonight after sushi i will have to put in one of my Anne dvds... i do adore a trip to Price Edward Island every now and then. 

... but until then, maybe i'll go get some water to help me come down from this cloud. 

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The better to see you with, my dear...

Background Noise: Waves and the Both of Us

Last Visited: Busted Tees

Random Thought: Sometimes it's best to not commit until one calms down and thinks things through a bit more 

Mood: surprisingly still has brownies left to hand out

I was home for pretty much a week, which, i have to say, was wonderful. The weather was perfect - i even got a full fledged thunder and lightning storm! - the skies were crisp and blue with sunsets which nearly made me drive off the road they were so beautiful - driving; yes, lets talk about what i was driving when i was home, shall we? 

Because of the ever fluctuating car situation at home (it's a constant game of swap these days) my parents (bless them) decided that they would rent me a car for the days i had wedding things so i didn't strand anyone at home (generally a good idea). 

My Dad wanted me to drive something with good gas mileage; something different; something that maybe they'd consider purchasing for my sister or brother (so they could get their Acura MDX back, perhaps.) Enterprise was his choice for where, and as for the what, after the sales guy he talked to dissed the Dodge Neon, he chose {drumroll}... 

 

... this, erm, lovely and very, very, very yellow Chevy Aveo. Which caused a great stir any time i showed up in it and people, well, saw me. Steve C? Steve nearly ate grass he fell over laughing so hard. Mike screamed "holy god i thought it was a bumble bee!" Now, to be fair, although it does sound a teeny bit like a wind up toy when you rev the engine, it does move - i had it well above 85 at 3ish am more than one evening.  

But, hey, i was grateful to have a car to drive, regardless of what it looked like. And i'm thrilled my parents paid for it. And Elle? Dave? I think i talked the parents into at least something a *bit* bigger if they do help you get your next car(s). You're welcome. 

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