Your Mileage May Vary

Light up my room

Background Noise: Viva la Vida

Last Visited: Macy's, the brick and mortar one. Note to Macy's: stores should match the price of items on your website. I love the dress, but seriously, that's obnoxious. 

Random Thought: bored? go learn something 

Mood: another demo down...

Things have been nuts this week and last and i haven't had a moment to mention who the band was at the WWDC beer bash this year! (How could i have forgotten?) I was so thrilled to discover that after years (and years) of predicting Barenaked Ladies... they finally showed up!

So out when the plans for reservations at some quite restaurant with excellent food and even better drinks, and in came the game plan of me grinning like an idiot while singing and dancing along during their (brief) set. Andrew M. even rescued a guitar pick for me near the end; and i have to admit, suddenly, that very very very long day didn't seem bad at all. 

I have to say many many thank you's to Andy for letting me pretend to be him for the day so i could sit on some quite interesting sessions and make it to the bash at the end of the day. 

... on a closing note, do you think the new Elle Woods (gulp, oh my ears, my ears) would find these heeliarious heels, up to her, um, style standards? 

Expression:  

Some Enchanted Evening

Background Noise: restarting imacs, iphones; waiting for the icalbridge to sync for the first time
Last Visited: Dave & Liz's Engagement Pictures + Party Gallery
Random Thought: hello South Pacific - um, Emile is... unreal - gorgeous, with a voice to bring women to their knees... is it warm in here or is that just me?
Mood: happy half birthday to me...

So saturday was the big Dave and Liz's Engagement extravaganza - a photo shoot in the morning, and the party in the evening. I think everything turned out well; the party was fun, everyone got along, and i think we ended up with some nice pictures:

with one or two pictures from the party:

from left to right, this is Helena, JR, Me, Debbi, Louis, and Steve C. Just in case. (Don't Debbi and I look related in this picture?).

In other news, largely due to a piece on npr this weekend about Herbert von Karajan, I'm now the pleased owner of the complete Beethoven Symphonies and selections of Turandot by the Berlin Philharmonic. Excellent.

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Many happy returns

Background Noise: Hallucinations, Bud Powell
Last Visited: my facebook inbox
Random Thought: why is it that online stores selling women's watches always have an additional tab of information about the watch - so that along with "overview" and "details" you get "outfit ideas"?
Mood: oh what a beautiful morning

Larry Lessig gave a talk at TED a few months ago on how creativity is being strangled by the law; not only is it insightful, around the 10 minute mark there is a hilariously awesome video clip from "Jesus Christ, the Musical." Check it out.

In other news, i managed to do and file my taxes yesterday - and besides the minor momentary heart attack when i thought that i might owe $8K (don't worry, i don't), it turns out that this year, finally, once more, i'll be getting money back. Thank Goodness.

Interestingly enough, those lovely refunds of mine should be deposited in my checking account right about the time i'm landing in NYC... looks like i might have to do a bit more shopping than i had planned. Darn.

Also, I look on track to give myself one hell of an awesome half-birthday present; all of a sudden i'm looking very forward to monday.

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Money, Spending, and Technology Adoption Rates

Background Noise: seems like a GG afternoon
Last Visited: Horseback riding near Bodega Bay
Random Thought: we can't be lost, we don't know where we're going
Mood: good

OMG, i got flowers for Darwin Day! awesome!!!

Darwin Day is an international celebration of science and humanity held on or around February 12, the day that Charles Darwin was born on in 1809. Specifically, it celebrates the discoveries and life of Charles Darwin -- the man who first described biological evolution via natural selection with scientific rigor. More generally, Darwin Day expresses gratitude for the enormous benefits that scientific knowledge, acquired through human curiosity and ingenuity, has contributed to the advancement of humanity.

Now that is a holiday i can get behind.

Sort of switching topics, i find this chart by the New York Times displaying how American's spend their money quite fascinating; want to know the breakdown of the lowest, middle, and highest income brackets? want to watch adoption rates of technologies over the last 100+ years broken out by income? what to see how the general population breaks up their budgets as a comparison factor for how you live? It covers a lot of ground, and i keep seeing new things each time i look at it. Anyways, happy Darwin Day!

ps: sigh, Senate Approves Telco Amnesty, Legalizes Bush's Secret Spy Program

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Forget the Clowns

Background Noise: Miss America : Reality Check
Last Visited: iphoto, again
Random Thought: defnitions, while occasionally annoying, aid clarity
Mood: exhausted

My friends would shocked if they knew... how much balsamic vinegar goes on my salads; it's a bit rediculous If at first you don't succeed... try again, then reevaluate the parameters Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin? wishing for Gryffindor, most likely Ravenclaw I don't get mad. I get... really mad Ignorance is... unfortunate and should be avoided whenever possible What's your dream job? it was my current one; guess i need to get a new dream How many times is it acceptable to wear a pair of pants before washing them? that question is still under investigation Type control-v and paste the last text you copied. complexity is nature's way of telling you you're asking the wrong question What's the sexiest thing a member of the opposite sex can wear? a suggestive smile; the rest is negotiable Twizzlers or Red Vines? Twizzlers When was the last time you gave your parents a call? Sunday. Why do people watch reality shows? The same reason they can't stop watching train wrecks. What's one magical thing that happened today? the sun came out Do you recycle? Catch phrases? Sure, all the time. How many traffic tickets have you received? 4; 3 for speeding, 1 deriving from my general hatred of the dmv and mail. Blessedly, none are on my insurance company's radar anymore. The best things in life are... achievable When I want to be alone, I... go to my apartment I think I saw Carmen Sandiego in... Half Moon Bay, waxing a board, prepping for Mavericks What do you wish you had never done? je ne regrette rien There's more to life than... work I'd do just about anything for... those i love. The answer to the ultimate question is... Yes. What's the grossest thing you've ever eaten? Uni.

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I Sing the Body Electric

Background Noise: Well, the satalite is out, so... craptastic network friday night television. ew.
Last Visited: trying to check out the Disney Marathon
Random Thought: while i'm not one for resolutions, i'd like to be able to run the bay to breakers this year, at the very least; also, i'd like to try to catch Maverick's this year, since, well, it's kinda in town (assuming it happens at all)
Mood: pulling out of cranky

I'm debating changing my introduction metadata section above a little bit; while "background noise," "last visited," "random thought," and "mood" are interesting, as more than one person has mentioned, they're cryptic, and well, my answers tend to be even more so - granted, that's my fault: i tend to answer those sections for myself more than anyone else, and there are times when i'm quite sure only i would understand what i meant by them. But i digress.

I'm intrigued by facebook's status section; all debates about third person statements and verb and tense requirements aside, i've gotten used to filling in the statement "Anne...," and i have to admit, there are times - more frequent than i would guesstimate - where i have a quite good answer to that implicit question, but really don't feel like all of the facebook world needs to know that answer. So i don't write it down, and not only do my friends loose out on these little insights into my world [insert time for laughing about how rediculous that statement is] but I loose out on having a more accurate picture of my life for my archives here; hence my debate about changing my metadata template.

... though apparently my background threads haven't come up with any decision yet on the whole "to change or not to change" question, so for now, i'll leave things as they are.

Oh, and, off topic: don't you think the lead singer / guitarist in GH3 looks like younger-rocker-with-an-awesome-mullet-Kelly? I know my comparison picture kinda sucks (i should have gone more in depth with my google search, but, well, i didn't), but seriously... it's close to Kelly being able to ask for money from Activision. Seriously.

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I'll be home for Christmas

Background Noise: We need a little Christmas
Last Visited: the company store
Random Thought: i can't wait for snow
Mood: tired, but the end is in sight

To err is... inevitable When faced with a problem, I... try to solve it Quick! Write a two line poem: the flannel is adorable, warm, and cozy; but my toes are still chilly What's your favorite pizza topping? mozzarella with basil and a light tomato sauce, seasoned well; keep it simple

Pop Culture is... popular God is... also popular What's your magic word? "please"; also "thank you" I'd never leave the house without my... iphone, keys, or wallet What's the latest gadget you've bought? Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens My comfort food is... bread and cheese, any variant The 80's were a decade of... greed, stimulants, and strawberry shortcake I like to put ketchup on... pasta with parmesan Why are there so many zombies on Facebook? the end is obviously near When I'm bored, I... answer random interview questions What did you have for lunch yesterday? champagne, butternut squash soup with white truffle oil, baked brie with cranberries, walnuts, and crackers. lunch rocked. What would you name your pet monkey? Jack

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is a big enough girl to go for coffee on her own without an escort

Background Noise: The Promise, New Found Glory
Last Visited: various meeting rooms
Random Thought: i swear, though i appreciate and adore company, i can drive myself to 'bucks for a cup before my next meeting; really; i've been getting stuff for myself for quite a while now.
Mood: ... based on that "thought" i'm guessing i'm tired and cranky with a bit of smily thrown in for good measure

I need to remember to find a non-sucky way to use my phone while in London. The current options i heard about from AT&T don't fill me with too much confidence. Just a note to me. I also need to remember to exchange money, and do laundry, and find which bag i'm packing in, and buy a new pair of pants, and finish up my christmas shopping, and....

Oh. apparently i don't have to wait for company to head out for coffee. So i'm going to wrap this post up now... because i need a break before my next meeting. Seriously.

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Uni... ew.

Background Noise: BNL
Last Visited: monday morning rounds
Random Thought: i like this coat so much better at $40 than i did at $128
Mood: trying to ignore the headache

Our story begins midstream; I'm sitting at a Japanese restaurant with Nicolai and Zach after seeing the engrossing No Country For Old Men. We have ordered a random assortment of sushi for the table; when it is delivered, there is the standard assortment of raw fish perched atop rice, a mini roll, then the not so standard raw quail egg, roe roll, and... a sea urchin roll.

From the moment the plate was placed on our table i was distressingly drawn to the sea urchin; mainly because i honestly couldn't tell you what it was when it arrived. It looked, well, it looked like a piece of tongue that had sat in formaldehyde too long, to be honest; it was brown, it looked smushy, and well, pretty darn gross. Even as I ate around this... pile of brown goo atop rice surrounded by seaweed... i couldn't help but look at it; stare, really. I thought of many things that it looked like; tongue, brains, cat vomit, mushy worms... nothing really appetizing. I tried to convince myself it looked like plum pudding without the raisins, but that didn't work so well.

I settled with convincing myself that I wouldn't actually be the one who had to eat it - certainly Nicolai or Zach, they who eat sushi all the time, who speak a little Japanese, who are going to Japan in a few months, certainly one of them would find that piece of urchin delectable. Or something. Certainly at the very least it wouldn't be going in my mouth. Never. No way. Leave it on the plate worse case.

... yeah....

So, i must pay Nicolai back for making me laugh while the urchin was in my mouth thus preventing me from swallowing it quickly and forcing me not only to taste it but to become quite quite aware of it's "interesting" texture. I'm open to suggestions.

Expression:

You get all that just looking at a monkey?

Background Noise: Angels or Devils
Last Visited: extended whale watching pictures - thanks, Dave!
Random Thought: the power of music should never be underestimated
Mood: lead me to your door

So i've been talking about Absinthe for a while; certainly since Moulin Rouge reminded us all of the Green Fairy, but absolutely since that article in Wired talking about the major detective work underway to recreate "real" Absinthe (as opposed to the green tinted barely legal crap floating around at the time). There was that place in New York that was selling it... but i suppose it wasn't quite interested enough because i never ordered any.

But never fear! Our friends at St. George's Distillery (they of the amazing vodka over in Alameda) are riding to the rescue with what looks like some majorly high quality Absinthe - and guess what? It's legal! Bonus!

Also, apparently (and i really shouldn't be surprised about this), Lance Winters is one funny man - note the interchange while discussing the pain of getting the bottling (the bottle! not the alcohol, but the bottle) approved for sale:

The division of the Treasury Department that approves alcohol packaging sent back his label seven times, he said. They thought it looked too much like the British pound note. They wondered why it was called Absinthe Verte when their lab analysis said the liquid inside was amber. Mostly, it seemed to him, they didn’t like the monkey.

“I had the image of a spider monkey beating on a skull with femur bones,” Mr. Winters said. But he said that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau thought the label “implied that there are hallucinogenic, mind-altering or psychotropic qualities” to the product.

“I said, ‘You get all that just from looking at a monkey?’”

Awesome.

In other randomness, i think i've settled on the above look for my iPhoto Christmas cards this year. Lord knows by the time i actually get these ordered i'll probably have to hand deliver them, but that's not really the point. Really. It's the thought or something or other that counts. I'm fairly positive. I could be wrong. Maybe i'll look it up.

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