My tulips that is. So I came out of the house this morning to find my tulips had been neatly lopped of. Just the tops! I was freaking out as I thought someone had come by and cut them off.
What a weird vandal. A bouquet vandal. Then my neighbors told me it's DEER. Deer...eating my tulips -- what a bummer...
4/22/2005
4/21/2005
Weekend party blues
So we're having a housewarming/cookout party this Saturday. Around 20 locals, brew, patio fun. Or not. T-storms are currently in the forecast. Crap. One good thing about California weather that I miss: never having to worry that rain will spoil your outdoor plans, since it never rains after March.
4/19/2005
This is the best description of an electric guitar ever written.
"There is something raw, incredibly dumb and utterly irresistible about the electric guitar. You can wank an electric guitar. It's a cock. It's a gun. It's a cockgun. You can peel back its shiny metal foreskin and stab its screaming purple head directly into a crowd's brain and fuck it to death - blasting chunks of utterly satiated punterflesh in every direction with every nerve shredding ejaculation. You just can't do that with a synthesiser."
I fancy myself a bit of a writer, but I bow to the wordsmith who penned that hilarious, yet amazingly accurate portrayal of why electric guitar is the coolest instrument on Earth.
Here's the full article.
I fancy myself a bit of a writer, but I bow to the wordsmith who penned that hilarious, yet amazingly accurate portrayal of why electric guitar is the coolest instrument on Earth.
Here's the full article.
How many little kids have to die before we'll install seat belts in buses?
Yesterday in Arlington a school bus crashed head-on into a garbage truck, tragically kiling one grade schooler. It's ironic because just last weekend my dad and I were talking about how reprehensible it is that we, as a society, have an unlimited amount of funds to bomb the living shit out of anyone, anywhere, anytime, yet we deem it "too expensive" to mandate and install seat belts on school buses. I remarked to him that, like seemingly every major regulatory change, it will take a major accident before this issue is properly addressed. Well, here it is. :-(
4/14/2005
Baby stuff and in-laws galore! DCOT lives!
Well, this has been a really babycentric weekend/week. My mom, dad, and aunt Agnes came in from WV and Jenny's mom came in from CA for the baby shower on Sunday. The baby received lots of great presents from the 20+ attendees, and Real Madrid beat Barcelona 4-1 at the Dad/Jody house. So all is well.
Jenny's mom is still staying with us, and she an Jenny have been exploring the cherry-blossom encrusted mall, shopping, and doing other fun mother/daughter stuff.
In other news, had the first DCOT (DC Over-Thirty) soccer yesterday. Only four of us showed, but we got a couple of passers-by and played 3-vs-3 between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Quite majestic, if you can somehow forget who's running the government right now....Anyway, I was glad to get back to playing non-competive (read: fun) soccer again.
Jenny's mom is still staying with us, and she an Jenny have been exploring the cherry-blossom encrusted mall, shopping, and doing other fun mother/daughter stuff.
In other news, had the first DCOT (DC Over-Thirty) soccer yesterday. Only four of us showed, but we got a couple of passers-by and played 3-vs-3 between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Quite majestic, if you can somehow forget who's running the government right now....Anyway, I was glad to get back to playing non-competive (read: fun) soccer again.
4/13/2005
The human race is trying as hard as it can to kill itself
It's a miracle that we made it this far.
Deadly Flu Strain Shipped Worldwide, Officials Race to Destroy Samples
Deadly Flu Strain Shipped Worldwide, Officials Race to Destroy Samples
4/06/2005
Cherry Blossom Time!
One of the coolest things to do in D.C. is to go down to the Tidal Basin (which overlooks the Jefferson Memorial) and take in the amazing cherry blossoms. The Cherry trees that ring the basin explode with color and a wonderful scent as spring makes its triumphant, and LONG overdue return.
We've got lots of inlaws coming into town for Jenny's baby shower this weekend, so the timing worked out fantastically for flower viewing. ¡Viva la primavera! Long live spring!
We've got lots of inlaws coming into town for Jenny's baby shower this weekend, so the timing worked out fantastically for flower viewing. ¡Viva la primavera! Long live spring!
4/05/2005
3/31/2005
I guess "STOOPID" and "DMBASS" were already taken.
Guy with the license that read TIPSY arrested for drunk driving.
Belly madness
Jenny's belly is getting out of control. And you should feel the little baby kicking inside there, it's too freaky!
If you put your hand on her belly, the baby will push it and kick it, I guess to say, "stop crowding me in here!!!!"
I'm in love and it's still three months away!
If you put your hand on her belly, the baby will push it and kick it, I guess to say, "stop crowding me in here!!!!"
I'm in love and it's still three months away!
3/28/2005
Grey day
Feeling very blah today, due to the Londonesque weather outside. Guess I'll trudge to lunch now.
3/24/2005
You want fries with that?
Okay, this is one of the more disgusting things I've heard of in a while. I guess a woman in San Jose, CA, was chowing down on some mmm-mmm-good chili at Wendy's when she chomped into a bigger than normal bit. Upon further inspection, IT WAS A FRICKING HUMAN FINGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DNA testing and, yes, fingerprinting to follow.
People, if you need any more reasons not to ever eat fast food, I don't know what's wrong with you....yuk!
DNA testing and, yes, fingerprinting to follow.
People, if you need any more reasons not to ever eat fast food, I don't know what's wrong with you....yuk!
3/21/2005
Crack! Ow!
While drying my head after showering this morning, I heard a large "crack" in my neck bones and, immediately after, sharp pains shot down my back to my beltline and my arm. Severe pain when looking down has continued all day. This sucks. I need a massage BAAAAAD.
3/16/2005
Geek Niche
I've got to hand it to these guys.
You've got to love the Internet when it fosters the entreprenurial dreams of a couple of D&D geeks who just want to sell dice, dammit.
Check this description of one of their dice sets, which is a perfect example of geek humor: "These stylish dice feature swirls of white against black, like wisps of smoke rising into darkest night. Or--you know--whatever. "
If you don't know what a d12 is, I don't really have space to explain it to you here. But suffice it to say that if you never found yourself and some buddies locked down in your parents' basement with a half-dozen 2-liters of Jolt and an insane amount of Rush cassettes and Cheetos on any given Saturday night in middle school, you probably wouldn't understand anyway.
Live the dream, dudes! And if any of you need dice, dicepool.com is where it's at.
You've got to love the Internet when it fosters the entreprenurial dreams of a couple of D&D geeks who just want to sell dice, dammit.
Check this description of one of their dice sets, which is a perfect example of geek humor: "These stylish dice feature swirls of white against black, like wisps of smoke rising into darkest night. Or--you know--whatever. "
If you don't know what a d12 is, I don't really have space to explain it to you here. But suffice it to say that if you never found yourself and some buddies locked down in your parents' basement with a half-dozen 2-liters of Jolt and an insane amount of Rush cassettes and Cheetos on any given Saturday night in middle school, you probably wouldn't understand anyway.
Live the dream, dudes! And if any of you need dice, dicepool.com is where it's at.
3/15/2005
Holy crap! Bomb scare on my corner!
So, my entire block was just shut down due to a suspicious backpack on the corner of L and 17th, NW, A FRICKING 1/2 BLOCK FROM THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO MY BUILDING!!!!!
We were able to watch out my coworker's office window as a Kevlar clad bomb squad cop positioned a small, remote-controlled gun next to the abandoned backpack, and then shot it with the remote-controlled gun! Blam! A bunch of papers flew out, but no explosion followed thank goodness. Whoever left that backpack on the streetcorner is in some deep doo-doo, methinks.
We were able to watch out my coworker's office window as a Kevlar clad bomb squad cop positioned a small, remote-controlled gun next to the abandoned backpack, and then shot it with the remote-controlled gun! Blam! A bunch of papers flew out, but no explosion followed thank goodness. Whoever left that backpack on the streetcorner is in some deep doo-doo, methinks.
Thanks for your support!
First off, let me thank those of you who have, on this blog and elsewhere, passed along kind words of encouragement to me since the death of my grandmother. I really appreciate the support. As Jenny and I have both said many times, we love you all!
Now, on to happier subjects.
It's not snowing in D.C., and we're all healthy and happy! Life is good!
Now, on to happier subjects.
It's not snowing in D.C., and we're all healthy and happy! Life is good!
3/09/2005
Goodbye Granny....
Well, tonight I got some very sad news. My grandmother, Charlotte, passed away tonight.
My granny was a heck of a lady. She's in most of my best childhood memories: the trips in the back of the car going to Myrtle Beach, cutting out construction-paper bats and pumpkins to tape to the windows at Halloween, roasting marshmallows over the gas burner at her house, even showing me how to build a little house out of rocks and moss for my army men when I was seven or so.
A couple of years ago I interviewed her and made a little documentary video of her memories. It was a big hit in my family and she was so proud of it. She said she was now a "movie star." The story was a compelling one: She grew up pretty poor in the coal mining region of West Virginia, but she made it through even the toughest of times after my grandpa, a miner, died when my mom was a baby. She re-married a Hungarian man, and she told me great stories about having to slaughter 10 chickens in a night to feed all her company on weekends because "my cooking was so good!" :-)
I'm so happy that she got to meet Jenny (and loved her a lot), and that she knew that we are going to have a baby.
I'll miss you granny. I love you very much.
My granny was a heck of a lady. She's in most of my best childhood memories: the trips in the back of the car going to Myrtle Beach, cutting out construction-paper bats and pumpkins to tape to the windows at Halloween, roasting marshmallows over the gas burner at her house, even showing me how to build a little house out of rocks and moss for my army men when I was seven or so.
A couple of years ago I interviewed her and made a little documentary video of her memories. It was a big hit in my family and she was so proud of it. She said she was now a "movie star." The story was a compelling one: She grew up pretty poor in the coal mining region of West Virginia, but she made it through even the toughest of times after my grandpa, a miner, died when my mom was a baby. She re-married a Hungarian man, and she told me great stories about having to slaughter 10 chickens in a night to feed all her company on weekends because "my cooking was so good!" :-)
I'm so happy that she got to meet Jenny (and loved her a lot), and that she knew that we are going to have a baby.
I'll miss you granny. I love you very much.
3/08/2005
It's Snaining!
Yesterday it was almost 70 degrees.
Today it's 33 degrees and snaining: snowing + raining simultaneously.
Lovely.
Today it's 33 degrees and snaining: snowing + raining simultaneously.
Lovely.
3/07/2005
Time travel
A few thoughts on time today.
First, is is me or do you also feel like 1993 could've been yesterday? Despite all evidence to the contrary (see hilarious photos at right, provided by the fantastic Mariangela), I really don't feel any different now than I did then.
I have changed...obviously. But on an everyday level, I still feel the same. I have this theory that everyone has a life-changing year or so, that once you've hit it, your personality and tastes are forever locked in that era. For a lot of us, including me, that year or so happens around your junior year of college.
I studied abroad that year and it completely upended my worldview and turned me into a vagabond for years, unable to settle down in one place or attach myself emotionally to one person (until I met Jenny, that is). In 1993 I found The Person Who Would Be Joe. Even now, my style, politics (see photo) and tastes (ignore photo) now are essentially "locked" in that era, which explains why every band out now both sucks AND blows.
What was your life-changing year?
On another time related front, check out the waffle theory. About fricking right.
First, is is me or do you also feel like 1993 could've been yesterday? Despite all evidence to the contrary (see hilarious photos at right, provided by the fantastic Mariangela), I really don't feel any different now than I did then.
I have changed...obviously. But on an everyday level, I still feel the same. I have this theory that everyone has a life-changing year or so, that once you've hit it, your personality and tastes are forever locked in that era. For a lot of us, including me, that year or so happens around your junior year of college.
I studied abroad that year and it completely upended my worldview and turned me into a vagabond for years, unable to settle down in one place or attach myself emotionally to one person (until I met Jenny, that is). In 1993 I found The Person Who Would Be Joe. Even now, my style, politics (see photo) and tastes (ignore photo) now are essentially "locked" in that era, which explains why every band out now both sucks AND blows.
What was your life-changing year?
On another time related front, check out the waffle theory. About fricking right.
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