Thursday, August 31, 2006
And away we go...
So, here's the online dating profile that they didn't accept...
About Me:
This is the original Johnny!, not a reproduction -
Accept NO substitutes. Johnny has fully articulated
joints and can stand on his own*. He requires only 1880 C
per day and can generate almost 35 watts of brain power at
peak hours when supplemented with coffee. Johnny
enjoys a hard day of work and a hard day of play. The 6'0"
175 lb Johnny is tough enough for everyday use and costs
thousands less than other models. At 39 years new, he
should have many more years of service left in him, but
Johnny is a one of a kind model. He is therefore offered on
an "as-is" basis. Minor surface scratches are hardly
noticable, but some hair loss is evidenced on his head from
normal wear. Also, the right knee was replaced with one
from a very similar model. This in no way affects his
ability to dance or walk around Disneyland. Impress your
friends when you walk into a party with your
very own Johnny taking your arm. Your friends will marvel
when they see him open doors for you and take your coat.
This model also tells funny stories and listens somewhat
attentively.
NOTE: *Johnny's ability to stand on his
own is sometimes affected by atmospheric conditions.
Johnny is a highly effective remedy for bordom, but
should not be taken without professional consultation.
In studies, side effects were generally mild, but may
include puzzlement, feelings of amusement and giggle
attacks. Symptoms were not severe enough to discontinue use.
No user servicable parts inside. Attempting to access
attention by forcefully concentrating and inhailing
Johnny can be dangerous and will void the warranty.
Seeking:
Someone who's bilaterally symmetric. Articulated in both
motion and speech. It would help if she didn't have a
lengthy police record.
About Me:
This is the original Johnny!, not a reproduction -
Accept NO substitutes. Johnny has fully articulated
joints and can stand on his own*. He requires only 1880 C
per day and can generate almost 35 watts of brain power at
peak hours when supplemented with coffee. Johnny
enjoys a hard day of work and a hard day of play. The 6'0"
175 lb Johnny is tough enough for everyday use and costs
thousands less than other models. At 39 years new, he
should have many more years of service left in him, but
Johnny is a one of a kind model. He is therefore offered on
an "as-is" basis. Minor surface scratches are hardly
noticable, but some hair loss is evidenced on his head from
normal wear. Also, the right knee was replaced with one
from a very similar model. This in no way affects his
ability to dance or walk around Disneyland. Impress your
friends when you walk into a party with your
very own Johnny taking your arm. Your friends will marvel
when they see him open doors for you and take your coat.
This model also tells funny stories and listens somewhat
attentively.
NOTE: *Johnny's ability to stand on his
own is sometimes affected by atmospheric conditions.
Johnny is a highly effective remedy for bordom, but
should not be taken without professional consultation.
In studies, side effects were generally mild, but may
include puzzlement, feelings of amusement and giggle
attacks. Symptoms were not severe enough to discontinue use.
No user servicable parts inside. Attempting to access
attention by forcefully concentrating and inhailing
Johnny can be dangerous and will void the warranty.
Seeking:
Someone who's bilaterally symmetric. Articulated in both
motion and speech. It would help if she didn't have a
lengthy police record.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
who needs a cat?
Having a roommate like Kim is kinda like owning an outdoor cat. :-) Kim! Where are you?
Monday, August 28, 2006
Blech! Cows! (or Mmmm, not Moooo)
I went shopping at Trader Joe's today to get some of those really groovy enchilladas (yum). I also picked up some milk. I got home and poured a cup, when "OHMYGOSH! YUCK!" I accidentally bought cow milk! It really took me by surprise. I hadn't had cow milk in years. I almost forget what it tasted like. It's wierd. I already miss the nutty taste of soy and the sweetness. Now, that's a "yummy" noise.
Tofu may not taste like anything, but soy milk - Vanilla soy milk to be exactiful is quite tasty. Now, that's a taste I can get used to. I'm finishing up dinner now with my little paper plate and plastic cup.
And then it's off to answer some emails and do something about the item I won on eBay. A tiny little item. An item so unusual that most people (sadly) won't know the significance. An item to match my black rotary phone.
A genuine Tiffany & Co. sterling silver telephone dialer from the 1940's.
I'm considering getting it engraved. I hope Tiffany won't think it beneath them.
Tofu may not taste like anything, but soy milk - Vanilla soy milk to be exactiful is quite tasty. Now, that's a taste I can get used to. I'm finishing up dinner now with my little paper plate and plastic cup.
And then it's off to answer some emails and do something about the item I won on eBay. A tiny little item. An item so unusual that most people (sadly) won't know the significance. An item to match my black rotary phone.
A genuine Tiffany & Co. sterling silver telephone dialer from the 1940's.
I'm considering getting it engraved. I hope Tiffany won't think it beneath them.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Stuff
Well, I did it. I finally went out and got something to replace my plastic box\nightstand. Before the plastic box, I'd been using a cardboard box, which worked pretty well considering that if one side got ruined, I still had 5 more side to choose from.
After trying to find something I liked made with sufficient quality at Thomasville and Ethan Allen, I was starting to get discouraged. The quality just wasn't there, which is not what I would have expected for places like that. Partical board, laminates and shoty workmanship\materials lead me to believe that I'd be using a plastic box for the rest of my life.
What a minute?! A plastic box > real furniture? So, that's when I decided to really take a look at what was out there. I drove to several furniture stores and found some really shoty workmanship and extremely low end materials. I even tried IKEA last week. I was actually in the checkout line with a $50 nightstand in my cart when I chickened out at the last minute. Then, I happened to come across a modest furniture store near my work and took a look around. There were some nightstands that looked as close to what I've been looking for so far. Mission style with all oak construction. I opened the drawer and found metal rails like you'd expect. Not the full-on, heavy metal type of rails that I was looking for, but rails none the less. The best that Ethan Allen & co could offer was wood-on-wood dragging with wax to make it smoother. Ick.
As if someone else was going to beat me to it, I immediately slapped down my credit card. Then, I had to make a decision. One drawer or three? I liked the single drawer with the open area below, but I also liked the handsome three drawer type. I measured and remeasured everything to make sure it wasn't too big for my tiny master bedroom. I was going to chicken out again, because these were not exactly what I was looking for, and these would almost certainly not be the nightstands that I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
If you think I'm bad with deciding on a nightstand, you should see me try to buy a belt. It took years. :-) The only purchase I haven't had to research or compare was my truck.
I finally decided on one of each (lacking the ability to make up my mind). They rang me up and I carted them off in my truck.
In other "clutter" news, I also got a pushbutton telephone. w00t! It rings too. I tell ya, I'm getting so much stuff lately, I'm not sure I'll be able to move in one truckload anymore. :-)
After trying to find something I liked made with sufficient quality at Thomasville and Ethan Allen, I was starting to get discouraged. The quality just wasn't there, which is not what I would have expected for places like that. Partical board, laminates and shoty workmanship\materials lead me to believe that I'd be using a plastic box for the rest of my life.
What a minute?! A plastic box > real furniture? So, that's when I decided to really take a look at what was out there. I drove to several furniture stores and found some really shoty workmanship and extremely low end materials. I even tried IKEA last week. I was actually in the checkout line with a $50 nightstand in my cart when I chickened out at the last minute. Then, I happened to come across a modest furniture store near my work and took a look around. There were some nightstands that looked as close to what I've been looking for so far. Mission style with all oak construction. I opened the drawer and found metal rails like you'd expect. Not the full-on, heavy metal type of rails that I was looking for, but rails none the less. The best that Ethan Allen & co could offer was wood-on-wood dragging with wax to make it smoother. Ick.
As if someone else was going to beat me to it, I immediately slapped down my credit card. Then, I had to make a decision. One drawer or three? I liked the single drawer with the open area below, but I also liked the handsome three drawer type. I measured and remeasured everything to make sure it wasn't too big for my tiny master bedroom. I was going to chicken out again, because these were not exactly what I was looking for, and these would almost certainly not be the nightstands that I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
If you think I'm bad with deciding on a nightstand, you should see me try to buy a belt. It took years. :-) The only purchase I haven't had to research or compare was my truck.
I finally decided on one of each (lacking the ability to make up my mind). They rang me up and I carted them off in my truck.
In other "clutter" news, I also got a pushbutton telephone. w00t! It rings too. I tell ya, I'm getting so much stuff lately, I'm not sure I'll be able to move in one truckload anymore. :-)
Monday, August 21, 2006
Cruise 2007!
Mom & Dad found a cruise that I think will be really fun.
* Venice, Italy
* Dubrovnik, Croatia
* Corfu, Greece
* Olympia, Greece
* Mykonos, Greece
* Ephesus, Turkey
* Rhodes, Greece
* Santorini, Greece
* 1 sea day
* Naples, Italy
* Rome, Italy
October, 2007. 12 days would be the longest cruise I've taken, and 10 ports would be the most number of ports. I think I've been to four countries in two weeks before -- well, we were scheduled for more, but had to miss out on Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Even still, we were able to hit Miami (doesn't count), Jamaica, Panama and Costa Rica.
I really hope I'm able to go to this one. I would be going with my educational/architectural history hat on this time instead of my daredevil/party hat. More to come...
* Venice, Italy
* Dubrovnik, Croatia
* Corfu, Greece
* Olympia, Greece
* Mykonos, Greece
* Ephesus, Turkey
* Rhodes, Greece
* Santorini, Greece
* 1 sea day
* Naples, Italy
* Rome, Italy
October, 2007. 12 days would be the longest cruise I've taken, and 10 ports would be the most number of ports. I think I've been to four countries in two weeks before -- well, we were scheduled for more, but had to miss out on Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Even still, we were able to hit Miami (doesn't count), Jamaica, Panama and Costa Rica.
I really hope I'm able to go to this one. I would be going with my educational/architectural history hat on this time instead of my daredevil/party hat. More to come...
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Hawaiian trip report (long)
Hawaii 2006
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Well, I'm finally getting off my duff and blogging after about a month of vacations and work and other things that get in the way of ... well, what else is there except work and vacations?
Rosanna made all the arrangements. Usually, I feel like I'm the one organizing the trips, but this time Rosanna, a travel agent in a past life, did all the arranging. Flight, transfers and hotel came to $900. I figure it came out to about $450 airfare and $250 per night at the hotel. The hotel was in a great location too - right across the street from a Luau every night on the beach.
We went to a "free" breakfast given by the travel company we went through (Pleasant Holidays). It was more or less a "time-share" type high-pressure, "if you don't reserve this now, you won't be able to go" environment. The breakfast was really good though, so I just went along with what the girls were doing.
They ended up wanting to go to the Maui Diver's store where we saw jewelry being made. The interesting part for me was the casting of the rings. My former landlady, Marta, used to cast iron and make some really creative works. I felt a little odd being guided down these glass enclosures of people at work. I wondered how much more appropriate it would have been if the workers were all dressed up like Oompa Loompas.
We exited the factory and was greeted by the friendly folks who offered us champagne and had the girls try on some $15,000 rings and such. I asked about spare silver for my home project, but they said they couldn't sell anything that wasn't in the shape of jewelry. I thought as much, but as long as I was in a jewelry store anyway...
Then, we boarded a bus bound for Hilo Hattie's, a retail store boasting everything that is normally found at the ABC store - minus the beer. After an hour or so, we boarded a bus bound for the hotel. That filled up the entire morning from 7 to noon, so by this time, I think I was hungry again.
Oh, I almost forgot -- Rosanna won a door prize at the breakfast. Surfing lessons. w00t, but she didn't want to go, so I volunteered. More on that later.
Susi came down to visit with Anthony and the kids at a military pool/beach area on the Western end of Waikiki. I hadn't seen any of them for years - probably since Paul & Tara's wedding back in .... 2002?
Anyway, Susi looked great and the kids are really growing up. I also got a chance to talk with Anthony a bit. Last time I saw him, we didn't get to talk much. He's going back to Iraq in September - pray for him.
We went to Germaine's Luau which was a bit further than I had originally thought it would be, but Erin, our guide, made the time fly. She was able to pronounce my name correctly (the ! is audible). We sang campy songs and got an earful of bad jokes - the really corny kind that make you laugh because they're corny. Germaine's was nice, and I was able to get some decent pictures. I recommend it.
Then, it was time for my surfing lesson. I really didn't know what to expect at all, so I went in with no expectations. We got a quick lesson on land about how to get up on a board and headed out to the beach with our boards. Before I knew it I was paddling out to sea. Paddling, paddling, paddling. Wow, there's a lot of paddling in surfing. We'd paddle out to an instructor and they'd turn you around and tell you when to start paddling like mad in order to catch a wave. I ended up catching about 3 or 4, but never stood up. I was pretty sure that I'd fall, so I just enjoyed the ride on my knees. I was able to look around and witness the wave a bit better because I wasn't too concerned with falling off.
Of course all good things must end, so eventually I'd fall off and have to paddle back out. One time, I fell off and hit my foot on some coral. It split my foot open about 1 1/2 inches - ouch, but I think the salt water really helped numb the pain until I could get back on land where I could put some sand in it while walking along the beach. :-)
Since I was on my stomach for so long, the backs of my knees (the knee pit) really got sunburned. So, all in all - sore arms, cut foot and sunburn - I don't think I'll be surfing again any time soon. I'll stick to snorkeling.
I ended up getting one of those 50 SPF shirts that I saw some of the surfers wearing. I think it'll work out, but I think it will look odd if I'm the only person wearing one. Maybe I'll wear it while snorkeling around the Mediterranean next year.
On the last day, we went to Hanauma Bay for some of that world class snorkeling. I was a little disappointed though. Probably a combination of my better experience at another location we went to a few days earlier (hey, why isn't that day mentioned?), and a built up expectation of what it was going to be like. I had imagined lush lively coral reefs with abundant color and life. What I saw was 600 people per hour making their way into the water - stepping on the reefs as they went.
Well, I don't want to close on a sour note, so I'll chat about the other location we went to snorkel at. I can't pronounce the name (or most other names there). I ended up swimming out to a large rock that was jetting out of the water. There was so much going on there that I really wished that I had an underwater enclosure for my camera. I was just swimming along, not really paying attention to my surroundings as I probably should have when I turned my head. There was a HUGE green turtle about 8 feet away from me feeding. I slowing tried to back peddle since I didn't know if these things bite or what! I saw him right around the same time he saw me. He started swimming up to the surface, so I decided to pop up as well and get a peek. His head was like a big cantelope. He took a breathe and then dove. A few whisks later, he was out of sight. I didn't follow him. I just let him do his thing while I continued to look around at the coral and sea urchins. Occasionally, a really colorful fish would saunter by, and on a few occasions I would get caught up in a large school of fish flying through the water.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Well, I'm finally getting off my duff and blogging after about a month of vacations and work and other things that get in the way of ... well, what else is there except work and vacations?
Rosanna made all the arrangements. Usually, I feel like I'm the one organizing the trips, but this time Rosanna, a travel agent in a past life, did all the arranging. Flight, transfers and hotel came to $900. I figure it came out to about $450 airfare and $250 per night at the hotel. The hotel was in a great location too - right across the street from a Luau every night on the beach.
We went to a "free" breakfast given by the travel company we went through (Pleasant Holidays). It was more or less a "time-share" type high-pressure, "if you don't reserve this now, you won't be able to go" environment. The breakfast was really good though, so I just went along with what the girls were doing.
They ended up wanting to go to the Maui Diver's store where we saw jewelry being made. The interesting part for me was the casting of the rings. My former landlady, Marta, used to cast iron and make some really creative works. I felt a little odd being guided down these glass enclosures of people at work. I wondered how much more appropriate it would have been if the workers were all dressed up like Oompa Loompas.
We exited the factory and was greeted by the friendly folks who offered us champagne and had the girls try on some $15,000 rings and such. I asked about spare silver for my home project, but they said they couldn't sell anything that wasn't in the shape of jewelry. I thought as much, but as long as I was in a jewelry store anyway...
Then, we boarded a bus bound for Hilo Hattie's, a retail store boasting everything that is normally found at the ABC store - minus the beer. After an hour or so, we boarded a bus bound for the hotel. That filled up the entire morning from 7 to noon, so by this time, I think I was hungry again.
Oh, I almost forgot -- Rosanna won a door prize at the breakfast. Surfing lessons. w00t, but she didn't want to go, so I volunteered. More on that later.
Susi came down to visit with Anthony and the kids at a military pool/beach area on the Western end of Waikiki. I hadn't seen any of them for years - probably since Paul & Tara's wedding back in .... 2002?
Anyway, Susi looked great and the kids are really growing up. I also got a chance to talk with Anthony a bit. Last time I saw him, we didn't get to talk much. He's going back to Iraq in September - pray for him.
We went to Germaine's Luau which was a bit further than I had originally thought it would be, but Erin, our guide, made the time fly. She was able to pronounce my name correctly (the ! is audible). We sang campy songs and got an earful of bad jokes - the really corny kind that make you laugh because they're corny. Germaine's was nice, and I was able to get some decent pictures. I recommend it.
Then, it was time for my surfing lesson. I really didn't know what to expect at all, so I went in with no expectations. We got a quick lesson on land about how to get up on a board and headed out to the beach with our boards. Before I knew it I was paddling out to sea. Paddling, paddling, paddling. Wow, there's a lot of paddling in surfing. We'd paddle out to an instructor and they'd turn you around and tell you when to start paddling like mad in order to catch a wave. I ended up catching about 3 or 4, but never stood up. I was pretty sure that I'd fall, so I just enjoyed the ride on my knees. I was able to look around and witness the wave a bit better because I wasn't too concerned with falling off.
Of course all good things must end, so eventually I'd fall off and have to paddle back out. One time, I fell off and hit my foot on some coral. It split my foot open about 1 1/2 inches - ouch, but I think the salt water really helped numb the pain until I could get back on land where I could put some sand in it while walking along the beach. :-)
Since I was on my stomach for so long, the backs of my knees (the knee pit) really got sunburned. So, all in all - sore arms, cut foot and sunburn - I don't think I'll be surfing again any time soon. I'll stick to snorkeling.
I ended up getting one of those 50 SPF shirts that I saw some of the surfers wearing. I think it'll work out, but I think it will look odd if I'm the only person wearing one. Maybe I'll wear it while snorkeling around the Mediterranean next year.
On the last day, we went to Hanauma Bay for some of that world class snorkeling. I was a little disappointed though. Probably a combination of my better experience at another location we went to a few days earlier (hey, why isn't that day mentioned?), and a built up expectation of what it was going to be like. I had imagined lush lively coral reefs with abundant color and life. What I saw was 600 people per hour making their way into the water - stepping on the reefs as they went.
Well, I don't want to close on a sour note, so I'll chat about the other location we went to snorkel at. I can't pronounce the name (or most other names there). I ended up swimming out to a large rock that was jetting out of the water. There was so much going on there that I really wished that I had an underwater enclosure for my camera. I was just swimming along, not really paying attention to my surroundings as I probably should have when I turned my head. There was a HUGE green turtle about 8 feet away from me feeding. I slowing tried to back peddle since I didn't know if these things bite or what! I saw him right around the same time he saw me. He started swimming up to the surface, so I decided to pop up as well and get a peek. His head was like a big cantelope. He took a breathe and then dove. A few whisks later, he was out of sight. I didn't follow him. I just let him do his thing while I continued to look around at the coral and sea urchins. Occasionally, a really colorful fish would saunter by, and on a few occasions I would get caught up in a large school of fish flying through the water.
