Category: blahblah

Here’s another phrase I’ll release for the public good:

poppler effect
Pronunciation: pop-lur e-fect
Function: noun
1 : The volume of the music in your car is directly proportional to how bad it is.
2: Bad music travels faster than good music.
3: When played at the same volume, bad music will cancel out good music.

The measuring unit for this phenomenon is r&Bs. Like decibels (dB), it is a logarithmic scale. The SI system also uses c&w (country and western). The conversion rate is (r&B * 1.06) = c&w

when you wake up to this. We are exeriencing a hatch of ants or something and they’re getting bolder. I’ve been watching flickers eat ants from the cracks in the sidewalks, but none seem willing to come to our aid. Looks like I’ll have to start being more proactive.

To me, it seems the only thing more symbiotic would be if I just let the ants in to my mouth at night to do the cleaning. Michelle’s not so sure.

This spring I will be participating in a qualifying review as part of my graduate program to identify what I’ve done and what deficiencies exist in pursuing my research interests. I found out yesterday who was on my review committee, and also found out that one of the committee members would not be here for the entire month of May. So, after a flurry of e-mails, we established the review date for this coming Monday morning.

Oh crap.

So part of the review is to present the committee with a portfolio of previous work and a personal essay describing my interest in geography, what my research interests are, what classes I’ve taken and how they’ve contributed to my research interests, my future course work, my thesis topic, and my professional objectives. And it’s due 2 weeks before the review.

So in a second flourish of activity, I pulled together my previous coursework and crashed a late-night essay with an early morning editing session followed by Michelle’s more professional editing (“Shouldn’t this be more sciency?”). I managed to turn in the slightly abbreviated portfolio within 24 hours of finding out the slightly abbreviated timeline. Necessity can be a great thing.

Now back to my other two classes.

I set my alarm for 5am this morning, even though I knew it would be moot point.

4:50am: Barley gets up and walks up to the side of the bed, asking to get on.
4:58am: Tigger wanders over to our bedroom door and starts demanding attention.
5:00am: Alarm goes off, but I’m already so alert knowing that it’s going to go off I’m able to stop it just a matter of milliseconds after the first beep. Covers are reapplied to warm reduced and unmotivated core.
5:03am: Tigger feels we haven’t addressed his concerns quickly enough, submits a second request.
5:12am: Neighbor starts aging Honda and leaves for work. Workaholic.
5:16am: Neighbor cat with weird voice start’s it’s morning chatter.
5:18am: I have sufficiently rewarmed after having prematurely kicked off the covers. To the shower.

I just narced on an abandoned cadillac that’s been sitting in the same spot for a year now. It’s even in the aerial photography.

I just had to get that off my chest.

Starting tomorrow, I’m not going to leave you a message if I have to listen to 45 seconds of shitty R&B music to get to the beep.

Overheard on the Today show this morning regarding immigration law changes: “this issue is is splitting business owners and grassroot republicans.”

Grassroots republicans? Is that a nice way of saying racist?

My parents left Yakima yesterday with two u-hauls, a plan, and a check for their old home. What’s next? They’ve bought a junker here in Portland and are going to be spending the next couple months making it livable. I was able to help them a little yesterday as they unloaded stuff in to a storage shed. Naturally, it rained.

After one unit was filled, we had to back the 26ft unit up an indoor ramp to the point where it could no longer back up anymore (lighting, fire sprinklers, etc) which was just 4 feet short of the loading dock. As such, we had to move stuff from the front of the truck up the wet deck, then down the steep, wet ramp, then lift it up to the dock surface. Talk about “making it a challenge.”

Luckily, I was able to leave early for a dinner engagement, so I didn’t have to help them move the washer and dryer down the stairway at their new place. The new homestead is lovingly referred to as “the outhouse.” Several other more colorful names didn’t stick.

So you’re probably all wonder what Tigger has been up to since his brush with death. Maybe you aren’t. Well, he’s doing quite well. He’s become more social and definitely clingier than before, and he’s always thirsty. Not only thirsty, but picky about where his water comes from. For a while the toilet sufficed. Now Michelle’s leaving him a fresh glass of water each night (first picture at right).

He’s also back to the activity level of an 8 year old, and seems to be doing quite well. We give him grief (not that he listens) about putting in some effort around the house, and he finally paid attention.

Last night he was especially vocal, waking us at least 4 times during the night with some of the most bizarre alert moans. We ignored him but realized for once he wasn’t crying wolf. This morning we found a pile of twigs and junk on the floor that he’d vomited up. It must have been violent because there was blood.

Closer inspection revealed that it wasn’t twigs, but mouse tail. And the pile of stuff wasn’t junk, but the front end of a mouse! He finally earned his catch! Naturally, these images are kind of gross, but I took them, ate breakfast (cake & milk Troy), and downloaded the images while eating. They’re mostly just fascinating, but wait until you’ve finished your danish.

Anyway, he’s doing really well. He’s gained some weight back though his ass is still boney. Fortunately he’s not using a litterbox anymore, but there are small concrete-like stains on the wood now. Kitty litter is harder to clean than mouse blood. Go figure.

It’s been so long since I’ve dong an internet quiz, I’ve forgotten who I am.

You Are 70% Weird

You’re so weird, you think you’re *totally* normal. Right? But you wig out even the biggest of circus freaks!

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You’re always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you’re the one who keeps things going. “15 seconds to showtime!”

thanks for the links, Matt