January 2012
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2011 New Year's Resolutions in Review
To begin my review of 2011, I’ll look at how I performed in regard to my resolutions. I had five resolutions for 2011: 1. run more 2. do more pushups, situps and squats 3. read one hour a day 4. floss and 5. cook at home more often.
1. Run More
While from a technical standpoint I ran more than last year, I in no way achieved the amount of running I desired. When I started working nine...
December 2011
2 posts
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“Here’s what you need to know, about life in general: any place that...”
– Anthony Bourdain in the New York, NY episode of The Layover
November 2011
3 posts
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Late-night Excitement
While in bed last night, the jingle of keys and repeated clacks of, what I thought, were doors closing stirred me. Initially my ears were perked in the direction of my bathroom wall and the neighbors concealed therein. As the racket proceeded, I vacated my bedroom in order to ascertain the cause and develop a new course of action, as wishful neglect was proving fruitless.
Shortly after exiting my bedroom, it became abundantly clear that the disturbance was instead coming from outside my very own front door! As I approached the peephole, my eyes rolled like a 16-pound bowling ball thrown by an overambitious eight-year-old; slowly and deliberately. The assumption being the similarly-aged male neighbor across the hall was returning from a rough night of boozing. He was so blasted he couldn't open his own front door, I thought.
As I lifted the peephole to peer out, the door pulsed towards me. And again.
Drunkard: Come on, nothings working tonight.
I hesitated. Would the drunkard stumble in as soon as I opened the door? Would they argue this was their apartment? I've seen several news stories over the years about drunks entering the wrong house or apartment and being found passed out in a bed or lounging on the couch the next morning. If I hadn't locked my door, it would have happened to me. After fetching a shirt, I took the plunge.
Me: I think you have the wrong apartment.
Drunkard: You're right. I'm sorry.
Me: It's no problem.
Drunkard: I'm really sorry about that.
And with that I closed the door. Should I have offered help in finding the proper apartment or maybe even building? After all, I'd never seen this individual in my building before. It was not my neighbor across the hall, but an older, black-haired, Caucasian, female stranger.
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“Do not put unauthorized cinnamon on the goddamn meeting table! That’s all...”
– Dan Dority in the Deadwood episode Unauthorized Cinnamon
I finished Deadwood a couple weeks ago and I think that’ll be the end of gorging on past TV shows for the moment. Deadwood is an excellent show, but an ever so minor step below the following shows I truly love: The Wire, Breaking Bad,...
October 2011
1 post
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Gwangju To Your Room: My Friend Pat →
dimmyjenfield:
This post is solely dedicated to my friend Pat.
Pat is a child-hood friend. We first met in the trivia club back in middle school. Since then, we grew as closer friends in high school and ended up falling out of touch throughout college and the beginning of our adult lives.
I always took Pat…
It’s funny to think back to Trivia Club, and that really our...
September 2011
1 post
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13 Assassins, Breaking Bad and The Wire
I spend a great deal of my time consuming media. Considering the amount of time devoted to this pursuit, it seems only natural to record my thoughts here. Often I see something truly fantastic and then let it slip off into the ether. I’m going to change that now, starting with 13 Assassins, Breaking Bad and The Wire.
“If you value your life, you’ll die a dog’s death.”
13 Assassins
Before...
August 2011
4 posts
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In the beginning...
Where to begin, where to begin.
So I moved to New Hampshire right as winter was ending (thank god). It snowed twice after I moved, and once enough to even have work cancelled. The image to the left was the view outside on the morning work was cancelled. The snowfall was waaaaay less than forecasted, and, since this happened on April Fool’s day, I was left wondering if my boss was playing a...
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4 Months... Wow
Recently, I have had such a desire to blog my thoughts and feelings, and yet I would always hesitate for one reason or another. I’ve decided to disable Facebook crossposting to eliminate one possible reason. I avoid writing a personal blog entry in the way I push laundry or dishwashing or taking out the recycling as long as possible. The task itself is simple and short (perhaps not short in...
April 2011
1 post
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March 2011
7 posts
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“A study published in The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin says that...”
– Shit! I guess that means when I think I’m looking gross I’m looking REALLY terrible to everyone else.
The New York Times via Brainmail
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“There are more vegetarians than Catholics at US universities.”
– Prospect (UK) via Brainmail
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“A study of 52 depictions of The Last Supper from the 6th century to 1996 has...”
– The International Journal of Obesity via Brainmail
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“Recruits going into the British army infantry have an average reading age of 7.”
– The Financial Times (UK) via Brainmail
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“China is the world’s second largest economy, although on a per-capita...”
– The Enterprise Blog via Brainmail
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“In 2008, Goldman Sachs paid a tax rate of just 0.6% on its profits for the year.”
– That’s seems about right, eh?
Harper’s (US) via Brainmail
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“I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there.”
– Herb Caen quoted in the Boston Globe via Brainmail
February 2011
3 posts
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“Firing people can give you a pretty good buzz, but it’s a poor substitute...”
– Dale Gribble in the King of the Hill episode The Exterminator
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January 2011
3 posts
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“In 1997 an Apple PowerBook cost $5,700. If, instead of buying a PowerBook you...”
– read in Brainmail and originally in Prospect Magazine (UK)
The absurdity of this cannot be overstated.
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“Of 187 mammal species thought to be extinct since the year 1500, one third have...”
– read in Brainmail and originally in The Week (UK)
Perhaps this means there’s still hope for Steller’s Sea Cow!
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New Year's Resolution: Floss or Die
A lack of flossing is not likely to actually kill me, at least not for awhile. However, we’ve all heard about regular flossing lowering your chance of heart disease as well as the more obvious and expected benefits. So why not give it the old college try.
October 2010
2 posts
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Cost of Living & Median Contract Rent Comparison...
The three cities I’ve lived in Florida (Valrico, Gainesville, Titusville) and the city in New Hampshire I’m moving to (Nashua). That’s Nashua way up in the top right and Titusville way down in the bottom left. Ouch.
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“George Washington’s salary was 2% of the U.S. budget in 1769.”
– The Wall Street Journal & Brainmail
September 2010
4 posts
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“The human body can be drained of blood in 8.6 seconds given adequate vacuuming...”
– River Tam in the Firefly episode Safe
I’ve been watching Firefly for the first time (clearly, I’m behind on the geek curve). I finished the second disc with Vaishali today. Final disc next weekend. Then Serenity, even though I’ve already seen that it should be about 100x better...
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“…I brought these two bottles of nail polish into the laboratory, and I...”
– From the very last bit of this TedTalk. Take that Shakespeare!!!
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August 2010
3 posts
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“You old enough to drive?”
– What the Badge Checker said to me today.
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I survived the long drive to Warner Robins, but it wasn’t easy. It seemed to start off smoothly, until about 35 minutes in, while talking to Vaishali, I realized I hadn’t packed any pants. No jeans, no pants for class, only the shorts I was wearing were fit to be worn anywhere. I’m usually pretty good about these things. I mean, I’ve forgotten my phone charger, but pants?...
July 2010
2 posts
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“What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and...”
– from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ commencement speech at Princeton (via kottke)
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“Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.”
– Heard in the TEDTalk Chip Conley: Measuring What Makes Life Worthwhile, and originally from The Real Enjoyment of Living by Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel.
June 2010
7 posts
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“You can’t just comb your hair different and expect Cindy to start liking...”
– Neal in the Freaks and Geeks episode Looks and Books
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“60% of Twitter users are aged 35+.”
– The Times (UK)
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The Dilbert cartoonist is a damn funny writer. →
This is hilarious and awesome.
(via shawp)
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“I’m Jewish. That’s no cakewalk either. Last year I was elected...”
– Neal in the Freaks and Geeks episode Beers and Weirs
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May 2010
4 posts
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“Technology that existed when we were born seems normal, anything that is...”
– Douglas Adams & Brainmail
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“Of all the people aged over 65 that have ever lived, 50% are alive right now.”
– New Scientist (UK) & Brainmail
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““Red tights and a cape?” Her voice was dazed and a little slow.
...”
– from Horns by Joe Hill
April 2010
1 post
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“For a time he read his Neil Diamond Bible by the firelight. He paused, twisting...”
– from Horns by Joe Hill
March 2010
3 posts
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