Your Mileage May Vary

Take me Over

Background Noise: Candleburn, Dishwalla
Last Visited: Mail: Notes
Random Thought: there is something outrageously soothing about yellow lined paper
Mood: so much better

There are moments in life that can revise how we've looked at entire months; today i had one of those moments; luckily for me, the last few months are looking so much better right now. I'm not really going to elaborate, but, i had to say something.

So my mom reminded me this evening that i have three weeks before i go home for Christmas. Now, on the very major upside, that means i'm a) going home and b) going to London!! in the very near future which is seriously happy news, but, that also means that i need to get cracking on Christmas presents and other general errands related to both trips. Dude, at the very least i'm pretty sure i'm going to need a coat. Just a thought.

And of course, December being here means that December will almost be over (hey, i'm going out of the country here), which means January is soon, which means if i want a prayer of getting everyone to go to Tahoe for a week in early February i need to get cracking on looking at vacation rentals. And February leads to spring which means NAB and New York again for more theater and wonderfulness and... you see how my year is already folding in around itself? I'm kindof horrifically impressed by how quickly i can blow through 2008.

But before i wander out of this year, i have to play with at least the concept of sending out Christmas cards - especially since iPhoto has that fun greeting card feature (lord, with how much i talk about Apple stuff you'd think i worked at the company or something...). Now if i only had a picture a *bit* more appropriate to send to my family....

Expression:

Breathtaking

Background Noise: Scenic World
Last Visited: jr's gallery.mac.com
Random Thought: i'm not really ready for Christmas music yet...
Mood: not ready yet

Pictures! Ok, so, the only two pictures in this group i can claim credit for are the one of Dave and JR, then the one of JR; and i suppose i can pseudo claim credit for the sailboat only because i pretty much forced the guys to take pictures of it even when they were sure there wasn't enough light... but that's pretty much it.

Oh, i should back up: last sunday Dave, Liz, JR, and I went Whale Watching in Monterey. Such a fabulous adventure - really a ton of fun, i'm so glad we went and really, this only proves that we need to take more trips exploring the bay - however, i didn't bring a camera, so i can only show you a bit of what the trip looked like by piggybacking off the guys pictures.

Like these:

Want to see more? Check out the rest of JR's pictures.

... and i need to get this commit in before my meeting at 3, so i have to leave you here. Ciao.

Expression:

Raindrops on Roses

Background Noise:What Not to Wear marathon
Last Visited: the couch in the library at Dave's
Random Thought: i could go see a movie. or i could order pizza and not move for another 3 hours.
Mood: fatigue |fəˈtēg| noun 1 extreme tiredness, typically resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness : he was nearly dead with fatigue. • a reduction in the efficiency of a muscle or organ after prolonged activity. • weakness in materials, esp. metal, caused by repeated variations of stress : metal fatigue. • [with adj. ] a lessening in one's response to or enthusiasm for something, typically as a result of overexposure to it : museum fatigue.

So it's the day after Thanksgiving and the world is flooding stores (real and virtual) to buy lots and lots of stuff for those they love (and those they don't but buy things for anyways) for the December holiday of their choice. And even though everyone and their eight cousins is trying to tell you and the unwashed masses what to put in their shopping carts, i figured i might as well weigh in too - after all, where else can i push my agenda if not on my own blog?

Ok, here we go: here, in no particular order, is a random collection of things i love, things i want, and things i think you might all like too:

	Seriously, is there anything more to be said about the iPhone? I adore it.
	Oooh, Barracuda, let's Paint it Black and Rock and Roll All Night. The Knights of Cydonia will be along later, fyi, so order more pizza before they get here.
	The world is a fabulously interesting and beautiful place; show us how you see it.
	Show it to us a bit clearer.
	Happy Holiday scents don't have to be overpowering, expensive, or hard to find; Method's products against dirty can be found at Target.
	$5 towels were great in college; but now we're a little older, be nice to your bare skin and buy towels and linens in better fabrics. Your bare self (and any guests your bare self may have) will thank you.
	Frame stuff; pictures, paper, tshirts... frame it and put it on a wall - preferably one you're allowed to put nails into.

Switching gears, i'm coming to the sad realization that my week off a) went way too quickly b) didn't really feel like a vacation until today and c) is rapidly coming to an end; especially since sunday i have 3 airport runs scheduled (SFO, SJC, SJC). Now, i don't mind Anne's Taxi Service - really, i don't - but i'm kinda sad that i haven't maximized my time off. I'm too tired for it to be friday; too drained, too sore, too beaten to get back up and start fighting just yet.

... Though, on the up side, the 30 day countdown to going home for Christmas and going to London has begun - which, really, is one of the best happy thoughts out there.

Also on the plus side, my goal for this week was to not eat Starbuck's Gingerbread 3 meals / day every day, and i'm very pleased to announce that i have cleared that goal with flying colors. Meals consisting of gingerbread so far? 0.

Ok; time for me to figure out if i'm going to continue hanging out in the library semi-awake, or if i'm going to head back home (swinging through Target), find non-pizza based food, and being semi-awake there. Hmm... decisions.

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Score One for the Surfers

Background Noise: angels & airwaves: I-Empire
Last Visited: facebook! barb's back!
Random Thought: i need new pjs
Mood: i am a camel.

We exist in a universe described by mathematics. But which math? Although it is interesting to consider that the universe may be the physical instantiation of all mathematics,^[1] there is a classic principle for restricting the possibilities: The mathematics of the universe should be beautiful. A successful description of nature should be a concise, elegant, unified mathematical structure consistent with experience.

-- A. Garrett Lisi, An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything, Introduction

"An impoverished surfer has drawn up a new theory of the universe, seen by some as the Holy Grail of physics, which as received rave reviews from scientists." -- digg

The theory proposed in this paper represents a comprehensive unification program, describing all fields of the standard model and gravity as parts of a uniquely beautiful mathematical structure. The principal bundle connection and its curvature describe how the E8 manifold twists and turns over spacetime, reproducing all known fields and dynamics through pure geometry. Some aspects of this theory are not yet completely understood, and until they are it should be treated with appropriate skepticism. However, the current match to the standard model and gravity is very good. Future work will either strengthen the correlation to known physics and produce successful predictions for the LHC, or the theory will encounter a fatal contradiction with nature. The lack of extraneous structures and free parameters ensures testable predictions, so it will either succeed or fail spectacularly. If E8 theory is fully successful as a theory of everything, our universe is an exceptionally beautiful shape.

-- A. Garrett Lisi, An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything, Conclusion

Expression:

A Bit-Longer-Than-10-Second Interview

Background Noise: Mike Gravel on Forum, KQED
Last Visited: Rand's Office
Random Thought: oh my god i have next week off; thank you, thank you, thank you.
Mood: medium rare

So, i have this account on Facebook; now, i don't really need to go over the whys and wherefores of the book - you've either heard about it so much you a) have an account or b) explicitly don't want an account. Generally i find Facebook randomly entertaining; sure it's great to see everyone's status messages and be able to know at a glance what's going on (i am an information junkie), but really, i love the random applications. Especially the movie reviews and the 10-second interview.

So far i have reviewed 1537 movies; it's fast, it's easy, and if i want i can add comments beyond my star rating. Partial? Of course it is - but cycling through a few movies on quick review is also a really great 5 minute break.

Another great randomly interesting waste of time? The Interview. I'm just going to give up calling it "10-second" because i'm pretty positive i've blown a couple of hours answering or skipping questions over the last few months. But actually taking a step back, the net result of the interview is kindof interesting; and since several of you don't have accounts or don't remember your passwords and so can't actually just go to my profile and read my ramblings, here's the interview. Enjoy:

What's your favorite blue food? magellan gin. or blueberries. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? someone who changed the world What should you really be doing right now? leaving work, finding dinner What question would you ask God? Kevin Smith's question was pretty good

What was the best advice you ever received? get it done now, argue about who's fault it was later How many days past expiration are you willing to drink milk? -3 What's your favorite type of cheese? gruyere Metric or Imperial units? base 10! What will your wedding band be made out of? platinum Naked food fights are... messy, but worth it In a previous life, I was... apparently an Irish sailor Glasses or contacts? contacts You can see my place, but don't look in my... kitchen; lord knows i don't What would you do for a new car? depends, what kind of car? What's your least favorite thing about the Coriolis Effect? the fact that i had to look it up What makes you blush? compliments When the aliens arrive, I hope they bring... flowers I love the scent of... lavender; mint; and lemons; rain; freshly cut grass; fall; a new snow; water; my grandmother's farm; and baking bread; a crisp morning; strawberries; a strong cup of coffee; white truffle oil; a fire with pine branches; man; and popcorn when it's dark. I'd say that vegetables are... full of sunlight-energy-power! Which sport is the best to watch? college football Boxers or briefs? boxers please If you had to get a tattoo, what would it be? funny, i keep asking myself the same thing What's your favorite book? A Girl of the Limberlost; at least it's one of them Love or lust? one isn't as much fun without the other Five star hotel or a tent in the woods? who's paying? If you were coated in jelly, what flavor would you prefer? Thimbleberry? I always mispronounce... Thimbleberry What was the first thing you bought when you got your first credit card? You know the funny thing? I can't actually remember. Probably books freshman year of college - i know i got my card outside Ulrich's. Where would you like to go on vacation? See the map to your right What's your favorite candy? Honestly? I'm not really a fan of candy When the world ends, I will be... ignorant of it I sleep on my... bed? Have you ever been to Narnia? only in my dreams How often do you cook? less than i'd like I wish I had never seen... that they're making Xanadu: the Broadway Musical What's the worst show on television? there are too many contenders for that title How do you like your coffee? from zingermans Early riser or night owl? night owl, no question PC or Mac? um, duh In retrospect, do you wish you had studied harder or had more fun? this is one of those dangerous questions, isn't it Where was sexy before Justin Timberlake brought it back? thankfully sexy wasn't in danger before or after My parents should've known I'd be trouble when I... programmed every VCR i could get my hands on to tape Strawberry Shortcake. When i was 2. What's the most embarassing song in your collection? "The Girls of Rock and Roll" from The Chipmunk Adventure Beauty or Brains? they're not mutually exclusive Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall? Fall Are you a country mouse or a city mouse? City Mouse

... And hey, since this post is already epically long, i'm going to also plug Love in the Time of Cholera which opens this weekend. Also, if you haven't seen Lars and the Real Girl, please go; really. I'm also curious about Gone Baby Gone, No Country For Old Men, Beowolf, Mr. Migorium's something something Imporium, August Rush... hey, good thing i have all of next week off-ish.

I so need a break.

Expression:

Blue Books

Background Noise: Chuck?
Last Visited: my amazon wishlist
Random Thought: i should really hurry up and get this checkin done so i can leave. and do something productive, like shopping, or watching a movie.
Mood: Greenwich!

While there is something quite lovely about being in the office when no one else is here (i can play my music as loud as i want, get stuff done, etc, etc), it gets old. Quickly. Which, on the one hand is a good thing because it's sunday and i shouldn't be here. But while i am here, if you're wondering what books i'm generally finding interesting at the moment and you're bored and in need of reading material, here you go:

Ok, as a closing note, has to be said: my office is way too hot. Seriously. I know that keeping a building this spacious is a very hard, intricate problem, but... this is really just ridiculous.

Expression:

The Deal

Background Noise: Back to Black
Last Visited: many many pages
Random Thought: i need to remember to always have a water bottle in my office; no exceptions. except... right now. and for the next 5 minutes.
Mood: cute sweater + cute denim pencil skirt + cute sassy boots; god i love fall.

Last night when i was home lounging in bed and generally being exhausted The Deal showed up on HBO. I watched it twice. I wish i could actually find the words to describe how simply fascinating the backstory of how Tony Blair and Gordon Brown came to power is; sadly, this morning, i'm finding that i don't quite have the way with words that i'd like. The only thing i can offer is, if you have any interest in politics and have access to HBO, track down the next showing and spend an hour immersed in the british political scene from the 80s through the 90s.

The Deal was produced by the team behind The Queen, and interestingly enough, while here in the US The Queen debuted first with The Deal appearing to be an afterthought, in actuality The Deal was filmed first - and hence Michael Sheen's performance as Tony Blair from piece to piece was a proper progression in both age and depth instead of an exercise in how to make an actor appear younger. What i find to be even more fascinating, is that The Deal was filmed before Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister for Tony Blair - thus the film first only hinted at the potential future instead of explaining how we arrived here after the fact.

Also, Tom Stoppard has a new play: Rock 'n Roll.

... which we should all attempt to see. Seriously.

Expression:

I'm a Sheep... Sheerer

Background Noise: Beirut
Last Visited: Al's Blog
Random Thought: i need to learn how to spell "persistence"
Mood: help me find my way

I don't know how you feel about it, but you were male in your last earthly incarnation.You were born somewhere in the territory of modern Ireland around the year 925. Your profession was that of a seaman, cook or carpenter.

Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Bohemian personality, mysterious, highly gifted, capable to understand ancient books. With a magician's abilities, you could have been a servant of dark forces.

The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
Your task is to learn, to love and to trust the universe. You are bound to think, study, reflect, and to develop inner wisdom.

Do you remember now?

This post? was started at 9:27 this morning. And i'm writing this line at 6:25pm pretty much because i realized i *still had this tab open* and had yet to actually post something.

Yep, that was my day. The craziness in between then and now. And technically i'm not *quite* done (again) but... i might just say that it's friday and i don't want to be at the office much longer. We'll see.

But really? This weekend? We fall back! An extra hour of sleep! At the moment that's seriously one of the sexiest things i've heard in weeks....

Go Blue tomorrow! Time to beat up on our kid brothers... sorry Sparty.

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