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February 28, 2006
March's Life Update: 2-28-06
Well, King County finally contacted me about the Communications Specialist job. It turns out...
"Michael, we did make a selection of a very qualified candidate and he has accepted the position. You should be receiving your 'sorry' letter very soon.... I loved your enthusiasm and attitude and you did make a positive impression on me. Good luck in your job hunt and keep that good attitude."
A positive impression... fantastic. I make a positive impression on everyone. Apparently, though, I don't make a positive ENOUGH impression.
Whatever. I'm off to find yet more jobs to apply for. In the meantime, check out this picture of Hermione Granger drinking a Corona!
Posted by March at 07:07 PM | Comments (0)
February 27, 2006
Pictures of Aslan
There are three groups of people coming to marchdecember. The first group is comprised of my friends and family, who are looking for the latest news in our lives. The second group is comprised of Dan Lewis, who is mostly interested in looking at his hair. The third group, and this is by far the largest group, is comprised of people looking for pictures of Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Unfortunately, photos of Aslan have long slid off the front page. But I am, once again, offering the opportunity to look at these photos. But I do ask ONE thing of you in return.
I will show you the pictures of Aslan, but I request that you PLEASE leave a comment on this page..
You don't have to leave your e-mail, not even a name if you don't want, just type in "thanks for the pics" or "you are cool" or "what a waste of time" or "don't tell me what to do" or whatever. So without further ado...
So now post a comment. Anything. You're totally anonymous. Anything you want. It doesn't even have to be related. I just would like to see a little life around here. Come on... just do it now!
Posted by March at 05:38 AM | Comments (7)
February 24, 2006
Gotta Catch 'Em All: Asperger's
Remember how kids with Asperger's LOVE Pokémon? Well, it turns out there's probably a reason.
Echoing Asperger, the director of the clinic in San Jose where I met Nick, Michelle Garcia Winner, suggests that "Pokémon must have been invented by a team of Japanese engineers with Asperger."
Well, it turns out Ms. Winner is correct. The creator of Pokémon, Satoshi Tajiri, has indeed been diagnosed with Asperger's.
Crazy. A few people with Asperger's Syndrome indeed list Pokémon as an obsession of theirs. Others list obsessions like license plates, zip codes, maps, stuff like that. These people are AWESOME! They'd never accept me in their social circle, but still!
Also of interest: apparently many people with Asperger's don't feel like they act their age. They feel like their social age is considerably younger than their actual physical age. So Cerberus is in good company, I suppose.
Posted by March at 11:17 PM | Comments (0)
Majority of Today's Visitors Located at Fisher Plaza
It turns out our buddies over at KOMO appear to have found our entry about their visit with us regular Joes. It must be getting passed around the office, because almost half of our traffic today is from them. I can't tell who is visiting, but referrer logs do show a Kathi G. and a Connie T. That's kinda weird. Cause normally I'm watching them. And now... they're watching me. Also, I called Connie tiny. Oops.
Update: They probably are creeped out by this entry where I pretend I'm hanging out with Dan Lewis... as if that's a regular thing.
Update 2: A Dan L. and Eric J. dropped by a few minutes ago between newscasts. That's pretty cool! Seriously... I don't have a life and little things like this excite me. How sad.
Update 3: Steve P. dropped by around 9:50 tonight, so we've pretty much hit all the main anchors. We're missing Mike Dardis, Todd Johnson, and that new morning girl. (Denise Whitaker.) Mike signed his autograph with "Thanks for watching!" even though I told him I don't wake up that early. Good man, Mike, good man!
Update 4: Monday morning has arrived and I guess we're still popular with the KOMO gang. D. Whitaker and Todd J. dropped by. In case you're wondering, I only know this because the referrer tags show their usernames... the webpage is stored on a hard drive somewhere at Fisher Plaza, and I'm guessing they're hitting the server for the pictures or something.
Posted by March at 06:10 PM | Comments (2)
February 23, 2006
Rest in Peace, Vinny.
Today Vinny passed away. He was approximately 6 years old. He was a great, fun bird to have. Always happy, always singing and dancing. He cheered me up on more than a few occasions by flying in my room to say hello, eat some chips, or listen to music and dance on my shoulder. He loved to clean Chrissy's head, although she hated him, and he loved to take baths in the sink. His favorite food was cheetos, though I usually gave him a carrot in place of that to attempt to get him to eat something good for him.
For such a little guy, he sure made a big impression on my heart. He will be missed and loved always.
Posted by December at 01:22 PM | Comments (1)
Misleading: Average American Family Income Declines
Martin Crutsinger, the AP Economics Writer, has written an article that claims the average income of the American family has declined.
Oh, really?
The Federal Reserve reported Thursday that the drop in inflation-adjusted incomes left the average family income at $70,700 in 2004. The median, or point where half the families earned more and half less, did rise slightly in 2004 after adjusting for inflation to $43,200, up 1.6 percent from the 2001 level.
The median, or midpoint for net worth rose by 1.5 percent to $93,100 from 2001 to 2004. That growth was far below the 10.3 percent gain in median net worth from 1998 to 2001, a period when the stock market reached record highs before starting to decline in early 2000.
So it's true that the average family income has not kept up with inflation. It's not that people are being paid less... just that their money isn't worth what it was a few years ago.
But, the median value (which is a much better indicator) did not decrease. Why is the median value better? It eliminates the outliers that can make an average skewed. That average income includes your family, but it also includes Bill Gates' family.
But even if we do focus on the average income, let's remember that the period of 2001-2004 is one that includes a mild recession.
So wouldn't a better headline, and a more accurate one, be something like: "Despite recession, median income rose since 2001?"
Instead it just seems like the AP and/or Mr. Crutsinger (who is to blame is your guess) are trying to spin this report as bad news for the economy.
Posted by March at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2006
Get Your Own Free Web Page
Now you can get your own free web page, as long as you use gmail. Just to think... no one ever came up with this idea before.
Here's MY free web page! You get 100MB. I'm not sure I get it... but whatever. Google has lots of money to throw around.
Posted by March at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)
Star Jones and the Teacher
"I'm not stalking Star Jones!" A man was denied a teaching job because his blog contained humorous letters to Star Jones. After googling the teacher, the school asked about his "obsession" during the interview.
read more | digg story
Posted by March at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)
March's Life: 2-23-06
I didn't really get to finish yesterday's entry, but I put it up anyway. So where were we?
We went to my cousin's wedding, and then we went home. So Monday my friends at the Art Institute called me to let me know, surprise surprise, they didn't want to hire me.
Jennifer has been sick all week, and she's got big tests this week too. She hasn't gone to school for the last three days. And who knows if King County would like to hire me. They aren't answering my e-mail, but I don't really want to force the issue. It's like, I'd rather they keep thinking about it and pick me in the end.
Meanwhile, my dad tells me that an interview I did at Boeing went really well. It's just that the people who are applying for these jobs are way overqualified. I was competing against people with MBAs. The only reason they even considered me in the first place was because I'm my dad's son. The good news is they really liked me, and they didn't think I was too old or anything. In fact, they liked the maturity that comes with that. But I just didn't have the overqualifications of other people looking for the job. There were 200 people who applied for that particular job, and they interviewed seven, including me. The bad news is, 199 of those people didn't get the job, and 5 of them were overqualified enough to interview. So I have a lot of competition out there. It's tough. Plus I'm not seeing a lot of new jobs right now. Keep praying that King County will call me. That would be good for me.
Posted by March at 08:18 PM | Comments (1)
February 21, 2006
March's Life: Update for 2-22-06
One month from now I turn 31. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. Ah, who am I kidding? Once you're 30, you don't care for another ten years. Anyway, here's what I've been up to.
Friday night Jennifer got really, really sick and we took her to the hospital. She left feeling slightly better, or not, and we left probably a few thousand dollars poorer. How should I know? I'm sure they'll send the bill sometime, though technically all our mail is still bouncing. Hey, I haven't gotten the chance to go deal with that yet!
Sunday morning we hopped in the car and went to my cousin's wedding. It was held at The Old Church in Portland, and there was an equally beautiful reception at The Acadian Ballroom in (North?) Portland. That place was RITZY! We had our wedding reception in a crummy house next to the church.
Then that night we headed back home, but we stopped by the Vancouver Del Taco first. Question for anyone who has eaten there... is the Vancouver Del Taco next to a sewage treatment plant? Or is that just the natural smell of the Del Taco? Because it was AWFUL!
Posted by March at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)
Next-Gen BMW 3 Coupe
In a few days, the next generation 3-Series coupe will be revealed. Until then, we've got to rely on these photographs of a lightly camo'ed 3 in the wild.
Very nice!
Posted by March at 08:55 PM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2006
Aspergers and Autism Prevalent in Silicon Valley
Wow. I never really believed Cerberus' fascination with Pokémon was related to Asperger's. Apparently, I was wrong.
These days, the autistic fascinations with technology, ordered systems, visual modes of thinking, and subversive creativity have plenty of outlets. There's even a cheeky Asperger's term for the rest of us - NTs, "neurotypicals." Many children on the spectrum become obsessed with VCRs, Pokémon, and computer games, working the joysticks until blisters appear on their fingers. (In the diagnostic lexicon, this kind of relentless behavior is called "perseveration.") Even when playing alongside someone their own age, however, autistic kids tend to play separately. Echoing Asperger, the director of the clinic in San Jose where I met Nick, Michelle Garcia Winner, suggests that "Pokémon must have been invented by a team of Japanese engineers with Asperger." Attwood writes that computers "are an ideal interest for a person with Asperger's syndrome ... they are logical, consistent, and not prone to moods."
This is an old article, but one I hadn't read before, talking about the rising number of kids with Asperger's Syndrome and Autism in the Silicon Valley.
Posted by March at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2006
Howard Dean Thinks Cheney Should Not Remain VP
DNC chair Howard Dean believes that Dick Cheney should not remain Vice President because of the whole CIA leak scandal. Really?! Is Howard Dean actually THAT STUPID?
What does Dick Cheney currently do? He is the Vice President. His importance politically is minimal. Moreover, he is not going to be running for President in 2008.
Can you think of anyone who could replace him?
Isn't this a very, very bad idea? Dick Cheney is a pretty unpopular guy, if only because he is constantly attacked by the left, and he's not really the most charismatic person in the world. How about leaving the guy in office, instead of setting up a potential successor?
Or is it that people like Howard Dean know their words have absolutely no impact on the world? In that case, they can say anything they want, without consequence.
Posted by March at 03:02 AM | Comments (1)
February 15, 2006
You're Either Wrong or Right
Today at the corner of 522 and 104, a bunch of anti-war protestors. These people really believe they enjoy popular support, and to some extent they do thanks to the fact that they are standing just a couple miles from the Seattle city limits. But their belief that most people are against the war doesn't come from anything real, but rather from what they believe. Opinions are nice, but as Timmy would say (and where is he... I haven't been a very good friend lately) they are irrelevant, because believing something doesn't make it true.
There is a right. There is a wrong. You can agree to disagree, but that doesn't make you both right. Finally, someone else gets this.
But never mind that. Bush and his enemies can both be wrong, but they can't both be right. Either the war in Iraq is a necessary effort to secure American interests by proactively engaging the clash of civilizations with radical Islam, or it isn't. And so on and so forth.
Yes, yes, yes! There is a RIGHT in this world, even if we don't know what that right may be. There is one reality... just because you believe in something different doesn't make it valid.
So ask yourself... what is likely to be real? Were there WMDs in Iraq? Seems not. Did the Bush Administration make up reasons to go to war so that they could have access to cheap oil? Is that really all that plausible? Or was the Iraq war fueled by bad intelligence and a rush to judgment... bad mistakes to make, but mistakes nonetheless? Seriously... common sense here people. Bush wasn't entirely right. Who among us are? But he has his feet firmly planted in the ground. His "enemies" are flying high in la-la land.
Posted by March at 05:02 PM | Comments (0)
Congrats Levi
Congratulations on your new job Levi. You may not know what I'm talking about, but I had a dream last night, and you got a job with DEI and you'll be driving the new 02 car. Will you get an autograph from Dale Jr. for me?
Posted by March at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
February 14, 2006
Michael's Movie Minute
Introducing Michael's Movie Minute!
I will be providing movie reviews for those interested. They will consist of about a minutes worth of material, and will rate movies based on a five star scale. If you would like your movie reviewed, you can send your movie to me, or alternatively, not send it to me. It doesn't matter. For a minimal fee, I will provide fantastic reviews of your movie, even if it's terrible. Here's some examples of my fantastic prose:
"A historic masterpiece! _________ is the must-see movie of the year!"
"**** (4 stars)! John Travolta delivers his best performance yet!"
"Action-packed! A thrill-a-minute adventure for the whole family!"
"I haven't laughed this hard since (Pick One: Meet the Parents / Scary Movie / The 40 Year Old Virgin / Schindler's List)"
"Johnny Knoxville delivers another Oscar-worthy performance."
Sound good? Let me know.
Posted by March at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2006
Most Ridiculous Grey's Anatomy Ending Ever
So last night on Grey's Anatomy, there's a bomb and they successfully remove it from some idiot war re-enacter. Everybody survives... except the bomb squad guy. He walks the bomb out the door and then blows up. I mean, he's entirely destroyed, as far as I can tell. There is nothing left of him, apparently. It's hard to tell. It's just this shocking moment where you are like "what just happened!?" even though you watched the whole thing in slow motion.
But what makes the moment worse is the follow-up. The surgeons appear out of the elevator, and they are all smiles. Congratulations! We saved the guy with the bomb in his chest! We saved The Nazi's husband! HURRAY! HURRAY!
Nobody seems to have noticed that a BOMB just went off in the hospital and at least one, and possibly TWO PEOPLE DIED! Seriously, there is absolutely NO REACTION TO THIS!!! Nobody seems traumatized by this event... or in the very least a little bit shocked. A BOMB blew up in your hospital. People are dead. Should people really be standing around congratulating each other?
I was just in complete silence. And you know what the worst part of the whole thing is? Is that they actually had McDreamy head over to Meredith's house and they talked about their relationship. And it was GOOD! I mean, it was really good. I left thinking "I totally feel the motivation here!"
It was the most ridiculous ending I have ever seen. It was so incredibly bad, yet it was so incredibly good. And in the end, nothing changes. McDreamy doesn't want to be with is wife. George still can't be with Meredith. And the model and the jerk are still having sex. It's like the show just rewound all the way back to the beginning of the season.
Posted by March at 11:53 AM | Comments (1)
February 11, 2006
KOMO 4 Anchors Hang Out with Regular Joes
The anchors from KOMO TV 4 met up with us little people down at Third Place Books on Saturday night. (So no, I wasn't really chillin' with Dan.) They answered questions, shook hands, signed autographs, and dealt with their grateful (and sometimes bizarre) fans.
They took questions from the audience, and I asked what their most embarassing on-air moment was. The best may have been Kathi Goertzen, who many years ago was referring to the Ford/Carter Presidential Debate. Unfortunately, on air she referred to it as "Cord/Farter." Oops.
Some of the fans there must really be into KOMO, because they knew everything. Someone congratulated Todd Johnson on his twins. I spent a few minutes talking to him about Cliff Mass. I think Cliff told my class that Todd was the best weather guy in town, but I wasn't 100% sure on that, so I didn't say anything about it.
Other people wanted to complain. You could see that some of the things they said maybe caught the KOMO crew a little off guard. Geesh. Get a life people.
Mike Dardis is a morning anchor for KOMO, and he showed up a bit late. He did tell us to go out and have a good time, so we headed out to Dick's in the U District afterwards.
We were even interviewed by a freelance reporter for Journal Newspapers. I'm not certain we were the best interview... she asked why we had come. I could tell a lot of people had come from all over the region to see their favorite anchors. But Third Place is just down the street from us, so we basically came because we had nothing better to do. Still, the KOMO gang is probably the only anchors we would go see. For some reason they are more approachable, more like a member of the family that you let in the living room every night.
There weren't a lot of people there, so every one was very accessible and very friendly. For some reason Eric Johnson and Connie Thompson seemed to be very popular. Connie Thompson is tiny! She does the midday news.
Now, I have to admit something. I didn't say this there obviously, but for a long time I've been a KING 5 kind of viewer. But Jennifer loves KOMO, so that's the news we watch the most. They are pretty cool, especially now that we met them. I was pretty impressed by almost all of the news crew.
Most of all I was impressed by the anchors willingness to answer questions and to respond to complaints. These people are anchors for a major news station in a major market. Their newscast was recently voted the Best Newscast in America. They didn't have to bother with us, but they were very approachable and very friendly.
They had a news camera there, so watch KOMO 4 News tonight to see if you see us in the audience or anything!
Here's some pictures I took of the event.
Here's the KOMO gang. Left to right: Eric Johnson, Steve Pool, Kathi Goertzen, Dan Lewis, Connie Thompson, Denise Whitaker, and Todd Johnson.
Here Connie Thompson was doing a magical vanishing trick. (She bent down to put something on the floor... water?)
Dan Lewis... did he move in between these shots? Or is he frozen in time?
Jennifer thought Kathi Goertzen was very pretty, but she disappeared before I could convince Jennifer to get a picture with her!
Dan Lewis signing someone's autograph. Dan told me he was surprised there wasn't more discussion of his hair. He does have the most amazing hair and has for as long as I can remember.
We had a good time! Fun was had by all.
Posted by March at 09:17 PM | Comments (1)
Saturday Night: Chillin' with Dan
Tonight I had nothing better to do, so I went and hung out with my buddy Dan.
Posted by March at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)
School is Cool.
I was originally thinking I was going to have to drop my math class this quarter, due to failing one of the two quizzes I have taken in it, but luckily I pulled through on the first midterm and received a 92%, only four points away from the top score in the class! Sadly, that's the highest grade I've received on a midterm this quarter. In Chemistry I got an 85%, and on my biology (botany) exam, I received an 85% as well. I'm doing well on the quizzes, though (9/10 on the lab practical quiz, which consisted of looking at a bunch of cells and stuff under a microscope and indentifying tissues, cells, and functions of them), and in botany there will be some extra credit points that I can use to make up for the 85%. In my chemistry lecture, I just need to buckle down and study more, like I did in math. One of the difficult parts of this quarter for me is the fact that I'm basically taking four classes, since the Chemistry lab is a separate course with its own grade, instructor, quizzes, finals, etc. So it's been tough to balance out the study time between the four courses.
This has been the most exciting quarter, however, in terms of meeting people. I have a lot of the same people in both my Botany and Inorganic Chemistry class, and the majority are majoring in health sciences, so they'll most likely be in many of my classes in the future. Definitely they'll be in the next quarter of biology, since its only offered once next quarter. And the people in the Inorganic series will either fail it and have to repeat it (not uncommon), or they'll continue on with me to the second in the Inorganic series, and then the third. So it's nice to have the same people in your classes, and you really get to know them well. Also, they're very determined students, since they are pre-health sciences.
Anyway, the quarter is half over, so I just thought I'd update. I'm very excited because one of the people in my botany and chem class is right now medical technologist (and incidentally, he's also a nurse, my original major). He loves his job as a MT and says it is a GREAT career. He's only going back to school to pursue pathology in med school, because he ultimately wants to run the lab, but it's so nice to hear such positive things about being an MT. I've researched it a lot and I haven't heard anything really negative about it.
That's what's been happening in my life. Everyone pray for Michael for his recent job interview! He would be awesome at the job, so let's all hope they will see that too!
Posted by December at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2006
Job Update: 2-10-06
Well, I went to an interview yesterday at the King County Emergency Coordination Center (ECC). People keep asking me how I did. I always think I do well at these interviews, but I never get hired. I mean... it's an interview. I'm nervous. I don't feel like I do my best. But I'm a perfectionist who has to take Luvox in order to deal with obsessive and compulsive thoughts. Can you really trust me? More on this in a minute.
First, let's look at some comments from good ol' Velma.
Well, Michael. If it makes you feel any better, Levi and I got turned down from an apt. bc I make to much. HAH. I make 12 bucks an hour. We didn't even have levi's expected income in there. I think it's impossible to find something...We'll probably have to live with his parents for awhile. I either make too much or make too little. Never thought that 12 bucks would be too much. Levi has an interview ith Adventist Health here at 9am. (right now) So cross our fingers. He's had a hard time finding a job as well. Owell, at least we have my steady job as a manager at a subway. Nothing glamorous but pays well, and I get the hours I want.
Before I respond to this comment, I want to show you all something disgusting.
Ah, young love. Now, on to the comments. We're having a similar situation here. Our apartment complex wants us to resign our lease. But we don't really want to live here anymore. Unfortunately, right now I don't have a job so I can't really provide proof of income anywhere else. And the apartment complex says that we're in default and need to decide now. I haven't even mentioned to them that we've lost our mail keys. The whole mail thing is really stressing me out, so I'm just ignoring it. I figure the worst thing that can happen is the postal service will hate me. The only thing we get in there are bills and junk.
Anyway, so I went to this interview yesterday. Thanks to horrendous traffic, and my inability to accurately predict it, I was ten minutes late. I was pretty upset, but they were ready to go. They interviewed all day yesterday, so each interview was 30 minutes long, and ten of my minutes were up already. They were pretty accomodating though, and given that I was breathing like an overweight 30 year old whose just run from the parking lot, they seemed to be kind of understanding. Anyway, after twenty minutes and six questions, I went ahead and took a written test. I rocked the written test. That and my web skills test should hopefully make up for any negatives during the interview.
I really went with casual for the interview too. No tie... just a nice white shirt, with the top button undone, and my black Ralph Lauren sweater. I felt good, and so I felt that would help my performance. I mean, I'm trying anything at this point.
This job has absolutely NOTHING to do with economics, unfortunately, but it is a good job that plays to my strengths.
Apparently the new ECC building is winning praise for it's architectual something or other. You can see a picture of building here.
It seems nice. It's very nice inside. Jennifer says that's what happens when you work for the government. They have a way of spending money.
Anyway, this job would be totally awesome and I would love to have it. If they think I rocked, they'll pass me on to the director, who will interview me and decide if I'm the guy, or if somebody else is. So, let's hope I get this one.
Posted by March at 10:02 AM | Comments (2)
Ken Wants Barbie Back
After two years apart, Ken is begging Barbie to take him back. But apparently Barbie is enjoying the single life.
For her part, Barbie publicist Lauren Dougherty said Barbie "appreciates the new look Ken is sporting. He really looks great. But we'll have to stay tuned to see whether these two will get back together."
So don't hold your breath Ken. Barbie's been hanging out with this guy.
This is Kurt. He's surrounded by girls, so he has to look hot! Not my description. Barbie wonders who he's "crushing" on. My guess? A cowboy sleeping in a tent. Sometimes after a long relationship, girls just want to hang out with gay guys, cause they're non-threatening. Or maybe she's just attracted to gay guys. Maybe Ken and Kurt oughta get together and herd some sheep. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm just saying.
Posted by March at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2006
Roomba is a Good Boy
The day in the life of a Roomba... cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, going back to your power dock. Roomba's so cute! Don't you just want one? Not for vacuuming... it doesn't really do a good job, does it? Just... cause. It's like a pet.
read more | digg story
Posted by March at 01:28 AM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2006
BUY BUY BUY! Buy a home now or else!
Housing prices in the Seattle area continue to skyrocket, and things only look to get worse. Jennifer and I need to just buy a home as soon as possible. It doesn't matter if we can't afford it. We can't afford NOT to buy a home. Otherwise, I don't see how we'll ever live here. I won't want to. If I can't get a house, I'm leaving.
My sister bought her house back in the summer of 2004 for around $230,000. According to the new site Zillow.com, her house is now worth $342,342. In the last week, the value of the house increased $5,133. In one week!
And things don't seem to be getting better. This Saturday we went out looking at a couple new developments, just for fun, and one of them actually had a guide to getting financing for the homes. You'll have to take out TWO mortgages, they advised. Because the houses are too expensive for just one.
It's depressing! I hope I get a good job soon, so we can buy something. It might not be what we want, but we can spend a couple years in it and then sell it when Jennifer graduates. Of course, a starter home around here goes for $300,000. By starter home, I of coruse mean a shack. It's crazy!
Posted by March at 01:27 PM | Comments (0)
I Know Black People
I don't know how old this is, but you really shouldn't watch it anywhere where you can't laugh out loud.
Cause it's just that funny.
Posted by March at 12:52 PM | Comments (2)
Job Update: 2-8-06
Well, I went to my interview with the Art Institute of Seattle yesterday. They were nice and all... the pay is pretty weak, starting at $30,000. Is that even living wage? I'm kinda too old for that kind of game, but right now I'd take it. I wasn't real impressed, and I'm not sure they were real impressed either. I was kind of trying out a new more casual me in the interview, since I have a much more important interview on Thursday. Quite honestly, I'm kind of nervous, because I think I'm probably horribly underqualified for the interview on Thursday. Wish me luck. Pray for me. Sacrifice a goat. Whatever it is you do... do it.
Posted by March at 01:25 AM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2006
Ugliest Car in the World
It's the new 2007 Lincoln Navigator. And it is... ugly.
I guess after a while you might get used to it. I mean... ugly people gotta get some lovin' too, right?
Posted by March at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
Kevin Hench: Seahawks Were the Better Team
Fox Sports columnist Kevin Hench long ago predicted the Steelers to win. But Hench says he feels "dirty" being right, because the Steelers weren't the better team.
I've never felt so empty being right. I feel dirty. I wish I'd been wrong. The Steelers did not deserve to win this game. They were not the better team. O'Connor was right. Seattle was the better team.
So, Paul Tagliabue, how does a team lose when it outgains an opponent by 57 yards, controls time of possession and wins the turnover battle?
Like a crazed CIA analyst running through the halls of Langley screaming into open offices about some impending calamity, I've been shrieking hysterically about the terrible officiating in the NFL and warning that some day the brutal calls were going to affect the outcome of the Super Bowl.
That some day was Sunday.
Posted by March at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)
February 06, 2006
Head to Head: Gillette Fusion vs Mach 3
After a weeks worth of shaving, I can attest that the Gillette Fusion is the closest, smoothest shave ever! And even I'm surprised!
When I purchased the Gillette Fusion, I was prepared to announce what I already assumed. Of course, going into a product review with preconcieved notions is a big no-no. But since when does that matter to me?
The idea behind the Fusion is that five blades is for some reason better than three blades. Ever since the Schick Quattro was released, Gillette has been running a distant second in the number of blades squeezed into a disposable cartridge. Gillette has fixed that by spacing the blades closer together, allowing them to fit FIVE BLADES on one side of the razor. And get this, just because five isn't enough, and because they don't want Schick to be able to come out with a six-blade razor, they've got ANOTHER blade on the back side.
So does it work better? Well, initially I couldn't tell the difference. In fact, I found myself preferring the Mach 3 to the Fusion, at least in the handle department. The Fusion handle is larger, and more ergonomic, so it doesn't allow for the kind of diverse twisting and twirling needed for my challenging face.
But after a while, I got used to the Fusion. The Mach 3 seemed downright flimsy. Actually, it WAS flimsy. I don't know if it's just because it has a couple years of use and abuse, but I noticed the cartridge wobbled slightly on the Mach 3.
Where the Fusion really shines is the WIFE test. Using new cartridges on each, I randomly shaved one side of my face with the Fusion, and the other with the Mach 3. Surprisingly, my wife picked the Fusion side every time. She could even tell when I shaved BOTH sides with the Fusion.
And the Fusion really is less irritating. I hate to say it, but the Gillette Fusion really IS a better razor.
But... it's not THAT much better.
On a price/performance basis, I'm not sure I can really recommend the Fusion. If you are need of a new razor, you might as well get one. But if you recently got a Mach 3 or Quattro, you're not going to notice a considerable difference shaving with the Fusion. It's just not worth the money. Only buy it if you need it, or you like to waste money on the latest thing. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Posted by March at 10:21 PM | Comments (2)
Uplander Mom Update!
Remember earlier when I told you about the mom of four (or some number) kids that bought a Chevy Uplander only to find out it was a total piece of junk?
Well I took it upon myself to champion this poor woman, and to help her get a new van, or a refund for her old one.
And I am proud to say that today she has been contacted with an offer to purchase her van back. Now, in fairness, this has absolutely everything to do with threats from her lawyer, and nothing to do with me. But I did make this picture to make her and other Uplander owners feel better.
I think that was pretty constructive, don't you?
Posted by March at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)
Psycho Killer Update!
You may remember a few months back when a Plaid Pantry worker down the street was killed on the job by a psycho who was roommates with a King County Sheriff's Deputy. Turns out the Sheriff's Deputy was all Brokeback Mountain with the killer.
A former King County sheriff's deputy knew his roommate had mental-health disorders, drinking problems and brushes with law-enforcement officers before the roommate allegedly used the deputy's personal pistol to kill a Kenmore convenience-store clerk, newly released records show....
Besides being surprisingly gay, the Sheriff's Deputy was unsurprisingly incompetent. I see no reason why people like this get the privilege that comes with being a police officer. What does it even take to become a cop these days? Do you just have to go to Crown College? Isn't it a BAD sign that the primary audience for police academies is Jerry Springer viewers? I'm just asking.
UPDATE: Sploid claims the psycho used the Deputy's gun to kidnap and rape an unsuspecting homosexual a couple days before the murder. Outrageous.
Posted by March at 07:41 PM | Comments (0)
Job Update for Two Six Two-Oh-Oh-Six
Well, I got news on the job I interviewed last Monday for. Turns out there is a better candidate. Surprise! There's always a better candidate out there, it seems. At least this guy called me. I still haven't heard from the last loser who interviewed me for a job at Boeing.
And heaven forbid it is hard enough to actually qualify for a job these days, the good old federal government (as of today) is making it harder!
From now on, potential applicants must meet all the qualifications for a job, and demonstration of those qualifications must be shown on the resume. "I'm a quick learner" apparently doesn't cut it. Furthermore, a potential applicant must officially "express interest" in a job, and be careful not to "remove himself from consideration", even if said removal is unintentional. An example given is an applicant who expresses interest in working in Chicago, but is applying for a job that is in Boston. Oops! Don't do that.
These new rules are supposed to increase "diversity" in the workplace. Fantastic! I always wanted more diversity in the workplace. I didn't know how it could be achieved, but now I realize that ridiculous regulations are the answer!
Fortunately, most employers won't have to comply with the regulations until later this year, so there's always the potential that I might have actually found a job by then. I mean... I probably would have thought that six months ago, but whatever.
Posted by March at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2006
To Do: Get Motorola SLVR
Once upon a time Motorola made THE phones to have. Of course, that's back when a cell phone was the size of a brick. For a long time Nokia became the hip cell phone company... I've been using Nokia since about 1999. But I don't like any of the new Nokia phones, and most of the competition uses flip phones, which I really don't like. What to do?
Motorola to the rescue with their awesome SLVR.
Awesome! This phone does everything mine does, except more. It has a nicer screen, it has a VGA video camera, and 512MB of memory for MP3s and iTunes. Hey, that's 511MB more than my current phone! What a difference a year makes!
And I really need a new phone, because my current one is having all sorts of problems? What? Huh? Oh, apparently it's not having any problems at all. Apparently it's working fine.
One second.
....
All right, now my phone is having some sort of problems. Anyway, once I get a job, I'll have to see about getting a SLVR. It's very cool.
Posted by March at 09:51 PM | Comments (0)
Super Bowl Camry Commercial
This... this is really a stunning Camry commercial. Not only does it show off the next Camry, which is really nice looking, but it really illustrates where the domestics have gone wrong.
Wow. Even I want one now.
Posted by March at 08:31 PM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2006
Serena is a Famous Artist!
My sister is going to have her artwork displayed in the esteemed Covington City Hall! I guess it will be there with other famous Covington artists. I think we all know whose art will be the best.
Check out some of this work.
I don't know why but this one is one of my favorites.
Posted by March at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)
February 01, 2006
Conan Writer Visits Tech Support... in India!
This guy is getting tons of pop-ups on his computer, and they won't stop. So he calls NBC Tech Support... and he asks if he can just bring his computer to them. The woman on the line says she's in India. So he makes a special trip.
Posted by March at 07:57 PM | Comments (3)
Is This the 2008 Dodge Avenger?
We may have seen the first spy shots of the next generation Dodge Avenger (Stratus), thanks to an alert reader/photographer over at GMInsideNews. (The photographer writes to say his name is Matt Semeniuk. It's important, okay?)
It certainly has the baby Charger dimensions one would expect of the next-gen Stratus. Or is it something else?
UPDATE: This could also be a 2008 Chrysler Sebring. They are based off the same platform. In fact, it may very well be a Sebring, and not it's Avenger brother.
UPDATE 2: Jalopnik takes notice of the next Avenger... thanks to little ol' me! I get stuff mentioned on big blogs all the time. Now why can't I get any traffic myself!? (Come on, go see what got mentioned!)
UPDATE 3: Spy shot photographer Chris Doane confirms it's the next-generation Chrysler Sebring.
Posted by March at 02:20 AM | Comments (6)