Tibby In a Box

We decided to put Tibby in a box. Seemed like a good idea. Tibby didn't think so.



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Blog blog blog

Every blog I visit has an overall theme. Some are about cars, while others are about interior decorating. Some are even artsy-fartsy about photography, poems, and lyrics. They all contribute something, or provide insight about the blog owner. If that's the case, then what does my blog say about me -- especially after you watch this video? This is by far the creepiest music video I have ever seen. I love a good scary movie, but most of the time, they're not really scary. It's a collection of suddenly loud, "BYAH," scenes then it's over. This video is s-c-a-r-y. It has it all: creepy mansion, waning moon, demonic possession, scary hallways, ninjas, sword fighting (read: fencing), dancing Fonzies, goblets full of probably poison, a husky-voiced singer, and a whole lot of beefcake. And just when you think it couldn't get any scarier, you reach 3:34 and WTF??? A demonic choir boy flys at the camera. I almost peed myself.

Snow Day 2009

After all the skepticism, it actually snowed enough to matter. Here's proof.

Yellow Ledbetter, The Way I Hear It

Raylan always makes fun of me because I get song lyrics wrong. This video is but a small glimpse into how I perceive songs. Potato wave.

These are the real lyrics, but don't read these until after watching the video first.

Unsealed
On a porch a letter sat
Then you said i wanna leave it again
Once I saw her on a beach of weathered sand
And on the sand I wanna leave it again... yeah
On a weekend I wanna wish it all away yeah...
And they called and I said that I want what I said
And then I call out again
And the reason oughta leave her calm I know
I said i dont know whether
I'm the boxer or the bag
Ah yeah ehh....
Can you see them
Out on the porch
But they dont wave
I see them round the front way yeah
And I know I dont want to stay...

Make me cry

Ooooh I see
I dont know theres something else
I wanna drum it all away
Oh I said I dont, I dont know whether Im a boxer or the bag
Ah yeah ehh....
Can you see them
Out on the porch
But they dont wave
I see them round the front way yeah
And I know I dont want to stay
I dont wanna stay (2x)
Dont
Dont wanna
Oh... yeah... oooh...

The Keene Act And You

Remember, being vigilant is not a crime. Being a vigilante...is. Only 28 days to go.

Concept to Completion: Building a Pinewood Derby Car

This past weekend, my nephew Luke participated in the Boy Scouts' Pinewood Derby Race. He asked me to help build the car. Now, I was never a Boy Scout, and I had never built a pinewood derby car. But, I did take shop in the 7th and 8th grade and participated in the Technology Student Association (TSA). I had to build many CO2 powered cars that are very similar to pinewood cars. Needless to say, this was something I wanted to help with.

Prior to our first construction session, Luke had drawn out the concept on a sheet of notebook paper. We modeled the car as closely to the design as possible. After transferring both the side view and top view design patters to the block of wood, we used a band saw to cut out the pattern. Once we had the rough shape of the car, we used sandpaper blocks and a Dremel tool to smooth and polish the shape.

During our next construction session, we added weight to the car and applied the paint job. Hobby Lobby actually has a section for building these cars, and they sell custom weights. Regulations say the car cannot weigh more than 5.0 ounces, so our goal was to get as close to that weight as possible. Ideally we wanted 4.95 ounces to account for a margin of error between our scales and the official weigh-in scales. The stock version of the car including wheels, but no additional weight, registered 4.35 ounces. After adding recessed weight to the bottom and accommodating for wood lost in doing this, we got the car to weigh in at exactly 4.95 ounces. Overall, we probably invested 7 hours in the car's construction.

The day of the race, I saw so many creative concepts. The best had to be one shaped like a Nintendo Wii-mote. The track had three lanes with an electronic finish line. Race information was fed back to a computer which would indicate the winner and the scaled MPH of each car. Luke's first race was heat 2. Unfortunately, we got smoked by the other two cars. We ran 192.5 MPH and they both ran over 199. However, in the end, the two cars that beat us from that heat were two of the fastest in the competition. We won first place in every other heat. In the end, we had a race car that was in the top 10%. On average, our car ran around 195 MPH consistently.

Overall, I think it was a good experience for Luke. He learned how to shape a piece of wood into any design by using patterns. He even learned how friction and momentum impact the success of the race. This was our learning year. Next year, we'll be back with a much faster 200+ MPH car.

Red Bull Gives You Wings...Or At Least Taurine

Everyday this week, I've had to work late (heavy emphasis on the word "late"). I've been designing a stock quote application for a major financial institution. This is my first project that I've been assigned to work on from start to finish. Needless to say, it's been a learning experience. Two nights ago, I felt like I was in college again because I worked until 3 a.m. Now, in all fairness, I didn't start my evening workday until about 10 p.m., but still, it was 5 hours in addition to the 10.5 I had already invested that day. Anyway, I downed 2 Red Bulls during my "late nighter," and it worked! It didn't give me energy per se, but it made me more focused and not sleepy at all. In fact, I only got 4 hours of sleep that night, and I didn't feel the least bit groggy the next day.

On a completely different note, I found this video of these two little freaks both entertaining and somewhat disturbing. Does anyone else think they look like robots? Brace yourself at 0:39. You've been warned!

Weekend Update

I've never thought of jigsaw puzzles as a leisure activity, but that's exactly how the weekend started. "Pfee" came over, so while we waited for him to arrive, Raylan and I decided to put a puzzle together. By the time he arrived, we had most of the edges finished, so he helped us with the rest. We didn't finish the puzzle until Saturday, but the more I worked on it, the more I felt obsessed with finishing it. With every piece that I solved, I felt like that helpless nicotine addict swearing that "this is the last one." I could not stop working on the puzzle until it was complete, but at the same time, it felt therapeutic. Overall, I think it took us about four hours to finish it. I got to place the last piece. Wow, what a feeling of accomplishment! We all signed and dated the bottom, marking its completion. It now sits in a frame waiting to be proudly displayed somewhere in my office. From 1 to 10, how dorky is that? Let me know with a comment.

Later, we went to Chinese buffet with some friends. I personally prefer non-buffet Chinese food, but it's usually a better deal if you get all-you-can-eat. Scattergories was on the agenda following dinner. Somehow, I came in last place, but I did learn that "robots" can be used as an "R" word for things in the sky...the apocalypse is near (robots will take over the world like in Terminator).

Even later, we went to Starbucks at 10:30 PM. Apparently, the one here is now open 24 hours, because we didn't leave until almost 3:00 AM. I've never been a fan of thier coffee (or any coffee for that matter), but I did get to try a sample of heaven in a cup. I think it was called caramel apple cider(?). Try it.

Dr. Manhattan Viral Video

Awesome, simply awesome! This is a viral video showcasing the powers of Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen. It's perhaps one of the most thought-out viral videos I have seen. Enjoy!

4 8 15 16 23 42

Tonight, the addiction starts again. Lost season 5 begins tonight on ABC at 8/7c with an hour long recap of seasons 1-4. The new episode actually starts at 9/8c. I can't wait to hear those opening words, "Previously, on Lost." I didn't actually know about the series until halfway through season 2. I bought season 1 and caught up during season 2 and haven't missed an episode since. Raylan is just as hooked, so it's something fun we do together. If you haven't been following the show, I wouldn't recommend starting now, unless you watch all seasons leading up to this. The title Lost is not just descriptive of the state of the characters of Oceanic Flight 815, but an accurate description of its followers. Only two seasons left and there are still so many unanswered questions.

I just realized something. I've watched every season of Lost in a different home. Raylan and I first started watching lost at the Annex (the shoebox-sized apartment). Well, technically, we watched season 1 on dvd at the Annex and season 2 every Wednesday at David and Aaron's apartment. We watched season 3 at the Arbors and season 4 at the duplex. Season 5 will be watched in the new house. Without moving again, where am I going to watch season 6?

So, what do you do?

So far, I've found that one of the hardest questions for me to answer is, "What do you do at work?" I design interactive voice response (IVR) systems. Like clockwork, the next question is always, "Well what is that?" The only way I can explain it is, "You know those automated phone systems that people hate to talk to because they'd rather talk to a person? Well, I design those." I usually then get this look that someone might get when they reveal to people that they're a telemarketer. Whatever, I enjoy it, and it pays the bills.

Since this is my first post, welcome to my blog. Now, I've got to call Microsoft because my Xbox has the red ring of death...again. I'll probably have to talk to one of those "damned machines."

*UPDATE: My Xbox has decided to work again. The green ring of life is back.