I-70 Mess

I have avoided much of the weekend-warrior I-70 mess due to the boyfriend renting an apt. in Silverthorne this winter - THANK GOD. That road is a complete mess on the weekends, save 11am-1pm, if at all.
Two weeks ago some friends and I were discussing this over coctails and one mentioned the "peak-driving-hours-tax". Of course we thought he was insane, but then the NYTimes of all publications notified me that yes, in fact, this is true.
Article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/us/13snow.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin.

Are you kidding me!

I know it has been a while since I have posted and hardly anyone checks anyways - but I have been busy and it has been a while since I read something outrageous enough to blog on (since quitting Acxiom I no longer have 7 or so hours a day to read random shit on the web).
So here you go - from my favorite news source the NYT - we have BULLDOZED an ENVIRONMENTAL AREA in Arizona.
The reason our government decided to do this - to build a border fence, duh.
So the Dept. of Homeland security decided to go there, and then after a suit brought on by environmentalists, the judge decided, yes indeed we WILL go there.
lordy mercy get us a new administration.

link

Ha ha. ha.

(click for larger view)

Senor Dirty Sanchez did make an appearance (!)

David Vitter, Republican Louisiana Senator who is up on the block for involvement in the "D.C. Madam" case has allowed his original script for a reaction speech to be leaked. This is what is wrong with America.

A sample: "Now the fact is, I'm a natural born lover's man. From the day I turned 17 and my mama took me out to the shed and taught me the truth about Southern love, I've had a taste for it — if you know what I mean. Nowadays, I like 'em short or tall, fat or skinny, blonde or brunette, young or old. Hell, I've even had me one of them chicks with dicks. Craziest night I ever spent. We did it all, and though I won't get into too much detail, I will say Señor Dirty Sanchez did make an appearance. "

I am unsure on the validity of this - 10 Zen Monkeys claims it is from a good source, so let's just ASSUME it is. I don't even know how to react. Gotta love the good ole' boys.

Read in entirety here.

Ohhh MSN Horoscopes, you know how to cut to the soul of me

Gemini (May 20 - June 20)
New opportunities may give you a chance to increase your financial standing and expand yourself professionally. Innovations that you have produced in the past have attracted the attention of those in positions of authority, dear Gemini, and the fruits of your labor may manifest at this time. Don't expect to be able to relax and enjoy them, however, as a lot of effort still lies ahead. Summon all your inner resources and charge on ahead.

What I think about/do at work these days.

With the day-of-notice approaching ever so quickly (2 days!) after being postponed about 800 times my days have been filled with much boingboing, petfinder, craigslist, etc. I provide the following two items in this blog:

ONE

Today I discovered "McSweeney's Recommends" which I recommend very much so.


Highlights:

"Baby Powder in Your Hair on Days When You Don't Have Time to Shampoo No one will ever know."

"Chilling the fuck out Chilling the fuck out is the way to go, actually. Just take a couple of deep breaths and go for a walk. Exercising is a good idea, too. "

and

"Jackets with pit zips Overheating can often cause you to freeze later. These little guys allow for proper venting. "

I would like to add Flat Earth Tangy Tomato Ranch Baked Veggie Chips. Very hippy sounding - very wonderful tasting.


TWO

Brozo and I had a brief conversation regarding the four foods you would take to a deserted island to eat for the rest of your life. Mine include:
1. Avocados
2. White Peaches
3. The occasional Illegal Pete’s burrito bowl (light rice, black beans, chicken, ½ corn ½ tomato salsa, cheese, black olives and guac)
4. Mountain Sun’s Annapurna Amber.

Brozo's:
1. Steaks
2. Peaches
3. Broccoli
4. New Belgium’s Skinny Dip Ale
5. Starbursts

Matt broke the only 4 items rule, and five is a much more even number – even though it is odd – so I will add 5. Beam & Coke. If I am deserted on the island I might as well have a choice of tasty alcoholic beverages to help pass the time.

The photo is purely for your enjoyment.

I did a bit of learning about symbology (made-up word) in college as an Anthropology minor. I like this site about the origin of everyday symbols.

Also, this guy made his NES controller into a cell phone. neat-o!

Both these links are ripped directly from boingboing.

Sad Thursday

One fun thing about living in Boulder is the Cruiser Ride every Thursday. Anywhere from dozens to hundreds of Boulderites clad in costume mount their cruisers and weave their way though our streets yelling "HAPPY THURSDAY", ringing their bells and spreading general cheer. This activity of course attracts a fair amount of belligerent Boulder Punks (read highschoolers and college kids) in addition to the free-spirit/hippy/yuppy/new-age "residents". No longer open to the public due to traffic issues and underage drinking, Cruiser Ride is over. While I have yet to join in, it was something I was planning - but now have lost the opportunity - that is unless I happen to make friends with the right people.
You can read the Daily Camera article (and entertaining Boulderite comments) here.
You can watch a Happy Thursday here.

This is the official Cruiser Ride site.

Jesus loves Dinosaurs

I once dated a boy who thought that dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time. His proof: the Flintstones. He also thought that babies were born in nine weeks. Not the sharpest knife...
Now he has a MUSEUM to back him up!
The Creation Museum opens its doors Monday just outside of Cincinnati in northern KY for those who want to have a good time, learn about Adam and Eve, and about their pet stegosaurus this Memorial Day.
Now, I love the Flintstones as much as the next gal, but I think the average American would agree this is ABSURD!! We are teaching children to ignore FACTS in favor for religious stories.
Maybe my bubble (read: Boulder) is shielding me from the reality that is conservative Christian right-wing Republican America.

From their website, just for kicks:

Museum mission statement
Exalt Jesus Christ as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer through a safe, wholesome, family-friendly center for learning and discovery that clearly presents major biblical themes from Genesis to Revelation.
This center will equip Christians to better evangelize the lost with a sense of urgency, through a combination of exhibits, research and educational presentations that uphold the inerrancy of the Bible.
This center will also challenge visitors to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and to accept the authority of the Bible by providing culturally relevant biblical and scientific answers from a biblical worldview.

Main theme
The Bible is true from Genesis to Revelation!

Link to the museum site.

Linkity-dink-dink

I am a big fan the NY Times. In the Magazine this Sunday there was an article on self-marketing by musicians and the American Public in general. It features a gentleman named Jonathan Coulton, a NY programmer who decided to make his dream come true he had to take life into his own hands. He quit his job and became a self-employed musician. His weekly assignment: a song.
He calls the process "forced creativity". "I learned that it is possible to squeeze a song out of just about anything,” The way the songs connect to the everyday man provide a mostly humorous genre, rife with sarcasm and opinions.
He streams these songs on his blog to get some attention with the option to download for a buck, and now ladies and gentleman, he is a minor pop-culture phenomenon. I recommend "Shop Vac" for a parody of Suburbia and "Code Monkeys" will hit home if you are now or ever had been employed by a technology company.
Elsewhere in the NY Times is Mr. Spock taking pictures of naked fat chicks. Since the NY Times censored the photos I went straight to the source, as I strangely wanted to look at naked fat chicks. Turns out Leonard Nimoy is not half bad at bw photography.
Evidently there are gun feuds in New Hampshire these days, and Bode Miller is part of one of the "clans". Holy Randomness Batman.

The lone not-so hard-core Boulderite

Sitting in my orthopedics’ waiting room for 45 minuets, reading "Outside" magazine (do I need to point out the irony?), I stumbled upon a very clever article by Marc Peruzzi, a Boulder compatriot. Boulderites love to be HARDCORE - at anything, preferably at everything. Hardcore Yoga, hardcore runners, climbers, bikers, trail-runners, tri-athletes (Boulder is the top triathlon town). Even better is that once a Boulderite finds a sport they like, they become specialized (bikram yoga, trail runners at altitudes above 11K, hard-tail mountain bikers, etc.)
Good lord it is exhausting to try to keep up. I like hiking, skiing, bouldering (which I’m sure will turn into climbing once I buy a harness), and a bunch of other GENERIC activities that living in Boulder provides easy access to. Don’t hate.
I HIGHLY recommend reading the following:
Caste AwayThis one is the inspiration for what I just wrote about.

and The Gore-tex VortexThis is is a well written article on the idiosyncrasies of the B-Town.

If by worst you mean BEST

The YouTube title for this video is "Worst Commercial Ever" but I think I would actually have TV if all the commercials were like this.


I got a tat in VA last week. I have wanted a turtle tattoo for 2 or 3 years (since the turtle/frog phenomenon), and about a year ago I decided to throw some mountains in the shell. Once my best friend and I moved away from each other we decided that the next time we were together we would actually get them, except we were in a wedding that weekend. The second reunion proved fruitful. Much love to MB for the design.




In other news two of my friends are moving back to VA and I have to have another knee surgery. goodtimes.

Britney is just straight crazy.

In high school I found it not strange that boys liked Britney Spears. She had a hot bod and claimed to be "not that innocent". Christina Agularia on the other hand I thought was straight trash. She dressed trashy, trashy makeup and trashy hair, you get it.

At what point did the lady musical sensations get together and decide to swap futures?

Christina has come to be one of the most respected female artists in pop music today while Britney has two kids in two years, gets divorced from her redneck wanna-be boyfriend, checks in and out of rehab in just 24 hours capped with a trip to the beauty parlor to shave all her hair and the tat parlour to put some ink on that skin.

(takes deep breath in, sighs in shame)

sweet jesus britney pull yourself together!

Bela is my Valentine, Fight Resumes.

Long time no post...but seeing as Matt and possibly Davis are the only ones reading this I'll digress...
While I swear off relationships and children, I find myself tied down to a 45 lb muddy, whiny, selfish fur-ball. Recently a co-worker posted a flyer to give away his cats. He loves the cats dearly but his two-year-old recently developed an allergy and he has no choice but to find a new home for them.
I have often asked myself: what will I do if I fall in love with a man who doesn't like dogs, or worse, is allergic? What if my future children are allergic? The first answer is simple: that would never happen. The second makes me want to start believing in god so I can pray it won't.
Slate covered this topic in a recent article that was a bit too surface level for my tastes so I Google'd deeper and found that 75% of random about.com readers agree with me.
"You can talk to them and they don't talk back, they don't criticize, and they're happy to see you no matter what." (here)

In completely unrelated news this sex muffin has a "Fight Resume". God I love the internet.

G-Dog

A skeptical child, I never fell for the Groundhog day myth in theory, but to this day I enjoy pretending like I believe. A benefit of of living in Pittsburgh is the proximity of Punxsutawney. While a rodent in Western PA predicting the ebb and flow of the impending season is all-together absurd for a resident of California, in Pittsburgh, eh, maybe it could be real...it is local after all.
This year Phil says early spring. That might be likely out East where snowfall has been limited and lackluster, but out here in the great state of Colorado thinking about spring is like dreaming it's Friday then waking up to Monday. Another few inches were dumped on us last night followed by the ever-fun high winds and sharp temperature drop. Winter indeed has us by the proverbial balls. I vote we get our own Pueblo Prarie Dog.
Here is a poem written by Phil:

El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west. Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.
Global warming has caused a great debate. This mild winter makes it seem just great.
On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing. Will we have winter or will we have spring?
On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today. I predict that early spring is on the way.

Hits!

I heart I Heart Huckabees, so much that I might become a Republican.

First medical MJ and now medical E? The first sentence is an incorrect sentence. MDMA is otherwise known as Molly, ecstasy has all kinds of other crap in there.

"This has not been intended to be a voyeuristic freak show where you get to look at the bizarre workings of the autistic mind."

I must be gay.

All this guy wants to know is why sheep are gay.



...and now my gift to you:

Being mad at a dog doesn't last long.

It was only a matter of time before I had a post devoted to Bela.

We have a broken fence. The fix-it guy fixed it after about a month, but he did not fix it well enough and now it is not latching properly.

Given the opportunity Bela (my dog) will escape to go gallivanting down the street with utter disregard for cars, bikes, people, really anything but herself.

Now I love Bela, she is my dog and we have a very close bond. She has some emotional issues and I don't blame her. Her first owner got her in college and immediately started not taking care of her. She then dropped out of school and left Bela behind for my other roommates and I to look after. Had I made the call, Bela would never been part of our lives. College is not the time to have a dog, and come to find out, neither is immediately after college. There are no weekends away without considerable planning, there is no leaving all day, the backseat of my car is essentially a dog nest.

I came home tonight to a sign on the gate saying "Please tie the gate. (with a string newly attached) Our neighbors are not dog collectors." Upon entering my house there was my roommate's boyfriend's sock laying on the floor and Bela running out of their room. That means since I left at 10am two bad things happened. 1. Bela escaped and took the other two dogs that are in my yard during the day with her. 2. She has been hanging out in Larina's room and eating her boyfriend's sock.

We are currently not speaking to each other.

When your dog knows you are mad at her she puts on this face. It says "I know I messed up. I am sorry. Please, I will tuck my tail down as far as it goes and dart my eyes from the floor to you until you pet me and tell me it is OK". I am a sucker. So far 30 min. and I haven't given in. It is an all time record.

I don't know what I would do without her. Bela has been with me at the very lowest of lows and at the highest of highs. But god help me I am barely sane enough to take care of myself.

The photo is when she is a puppy, but it's my fav.

Travel, Time

I am reading The Time-Travelers Wife written by Audrey Niffenegger.
Basic plot line: man travels from future to visit with his wife when she is age six and continues to travel in the past and sometimes in the future. He can not control when and where he goes. Their relationship is not ordinary.
I wish I could fall in love with someone who can travel time. That's so cool!

The 2005 International Time Travelers Convention claimed that "no confirmed time travelers visit us, yet many time travelers could have attended incognito to avoid endless questions about the future" according to an out-of-date website made by some MIT Engineering students (check out the calendar!!).

Since I have not nailed down any of my beliefs on religion, specifically the human interaction with the world, karma, destiny, origins of the world, relativism, etc., this all makes my mind spin in a frenzy of "ohhhh what if...". I highly recommend the book. I will let you know if I still do when I finish it.

click here for the wiki entry on "time travel"

Nobody lives in Antarctica

I got in a fight with someone recently, and I don't remember who it was, but I was arguing that nobody is "from" Antarctica. The other person was certain that people were in fact "from" Antarctica.
I was right.

Hits!

Oh Netflix, you are indeed le tits! Just when I was going to abandon you for Blockbuster (in-store swap-out being the deciding factor), you come up with an even better advantage.

Today I completed one full cycle on a stationary bike. This guy completed 85 hours.

What was so cool about being kidnapped that Shawn didn't want to go home? My guess is the freedom to smoke pot, get pierced wherever you want to, and gay sex. I hope not because he is kinda cute for a teenager. just kidding. not really.

I am a flaming liberal, including my belief that if I wanted to, I should be able to speak only in Spanish (or Dutch or Portugues) tomorrow and for the rest of my life while living in the USA and that is my deal because we have no national language, HOWEVER we do have a national currency.
I have actually been the victim of a similar discrimination: When the train crossed the border to Switzerland I had to pay an outrageous fee to purchase coffee in Euros. I say add a similar in-store "exchange" rate here if we are going to start accepting pesos.
(Warning: This link is my first step towards admitting there is an illegal immigrant problem.)

If you don't know about PostSecret you should. I am trying to figure out how to get our of work for the reading in Boulder on Wednesday.