|
|
Whoops I was supposed to go to a board meeting for the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association this morning, but instead I went to McDonalds in search of their delicious hangover-curing grease... Last evening started out innocently enough, trying to squeeze in 18 holes of golf before it got dark. I wasn't exactly prepared for the cooler of beer Drew pulled out of his ass, but I drank it like a good boy. Then we met up with Karen & Gretchen, and it must have been the Flaming Dr. Pepper that did me in. I must have passed out on the floor while playing with Pekoe, and woke up around 4 AM to find him upstairs chewing on dirty laundry (no surprise there). I think its time to move the party to Jitterz - home of bottomless Jesus Mountain coffee and free DSL.
posted by Brad at 4/30/2005 11:32:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Han Solo in Legos I ate my fair share of Legos as a child, so this makes me downright hungry...  Since this reference might go over some heads, here is a picture from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back that shows Han Solo (Harrison Ford) entombed in carbonite courtesy of Darth Vader.
posted by Brad at 4/29/2005 10:21:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Mashups As far as Wikipedia is concerned, mashups are the equivalent of Bastard Pop - the "combination of the music from one song with the acapella from another." I've been checkin' some of these out lately, and wanted to share two of the best I've ever heard: DJ Earworm mashes Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama vs. The Beatles - For No One vs. George Michael - Freedom '90 vs. Aretha Franklin - Think in No One Takes Your Freedom Mashup of the Week podcast brings us Stevie Wonder vs. Destiny's Child in Bootystition Let me know what you think.
posted by Brad at 4/28/2005 08:56:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
WARNING: Geek Content Ahead I've received some "feedback" that my posts sometimes lean a bit geeky, but - hey - that's who I am baby. Instead of changing that, I figured at least a warning would help. When (not if) I move my blog to Movable Type, categories will take care of that, yo. First of all, its annoying that the Tablet Input Panel doesn't work with Firefox, even though an extension supposedly addresses the issue in earlier verSHONs. As a result, I'm forced to dock the input panel at the top (handwriting recognition sucks) or bottom (nowhere for my hand to rest) of the screen. Either way, I can only write one line at a time. To illustrate how annoying that is for me, I will give you a taste... Since I mentioned categories earlier, you should probably know that Dmitry is now tagging his linkblog contributions with dk. That way I can't be held responsible for any of his "debatable" links. Finally, I need to upgrade to a camera phone - there are far too many times that I want to snap a picture and don't have my somewhat bulky A60 by my side. Like the rainbow outside of Dress Barn tonight. </geek post yaay="true"> 
posted by Brad at 4/27/2005 10:47:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Why do I donate blood? I just finished giving my 3rd pint since moving out here, but I always find myself wondering why I'm there in the first place. I always have this nervous anxiety up until they stick the big needle in me, but yet I inexplicably keep coming back. Maybe it's the hottie volunteer nurse ladies? Or the random coupons for free food & drink. The spread of Grandma's cookies sure doesn't hurt either. Whatever it is, I always feel good afterwards - kind of like when I work out. I suppose I should mention that I'm "writing" this post on the Tablet in Notepad. The plan was to sit outside Borders with the dog and connect via T-Mobile, but they don't have any chairs out as it is rainy. Instead, I am huddled under an awning at a nearby Dress Barn with Pekoe's leash strapped to my thigh. He is thoroughly entertained by passing vehicles/pedestrians, while I'm trying desperately to keep the high tech equipment semi-dry. Hope your evenings are as action-packed as mine...
posted by Brad at 4/27/2005 10:33:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Haircut Time A man I've never met just confirmed that it's time for a trim... Hey! Did anyone ever tell you that you look just like Harry Potter all grown up?
posted by Brad at 4/26/2005 10:36:00 AM | permalink |
3 comments
Tablet Blog
  I've scribbled blog posts on my PDA before, but never on a screen this big! I think the pen input is going to take some getting used to, but I can never have too many gadgets... right Susan? We're watching The Incredibles now, but earlier this evening Pekoe donated $1 to the Make-A-Wish foundation to earn us some free ice cream cake.  Yum.
posted by Brad at 4/25/2005 10:28:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Please Send Gifts Today is the 1 year anniversary/birthday of The Myth, a date I have been eyeing on the calendar ever since I started blogging last spring - hard to believe how much this has become part of my life over the past three hundred some posts. I had hoped to celebrate the occasion with a new blog design or something, but now I'm just trying to squeeze in a post before Grey's Anatomy starts in 4 minutes. I finished taping in the garage this morning, just in time to get ready and head down to the Asparagus Festival. We spent a shameful amount of time waiting in line for deep fried asparagus, and also partook in beer(s) from a tin cup, a rigged hole-in-one competition, and frozen cheesecake on a stick. We're starting to develop a regular clique of friends out here...gosh it only took 9 1/2 months.
posted by Brad at 4/25/2005 12:46:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
I'm Scared Susan is reading He's Just Not That Into You... 
posted by Brad at 4/23/2005 05:33:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Podcasting Deux We're at Borders this afternoon, logged on with yet another T-Mobile HotSpot free trial. I must say that just about everything here is superior to Barnes & Noble - less crowded, better coffee (with free refills!), more comfortable and available seating. Of course, my B&N employee discount card doesn't do much good here... It seems that my post about podcasting has generated some follow-up questions. To explain further, I started by downloading free software called iPodder, which includes a directory of Podcasts that includes DNDS. Speaking of Dawn & Drew, Show #93 started off real raunchy, and was a bit too long/rambling for my tastes. I need to look for some podcasters who are all about brevity. After picking the podcast subscription(s) I wanted, it automagically downloaded the most recent mp3 file which somehow appeared as a new playlist in iTunes (other music management programs apparently behave the same). Sync my iPod (or other mp3 player, you get the idea), and viola! How to create a podcast? I'm definitely the wrong guy to ask. I'd like to try it someday, but in the meantime there are lotsa resources online ( howtopodcast.org, about.com, windowsdevcenter.com, or just ask Google). Basically, you use a microphone to record mp3 files and then post them on the internets somewhere that people can git 'em. Susan just said that she'd record a podcast with me, as long as she gets to pick the topic. Stay tuned...
posted by Brad at 4/23/2005 03:25:00 PM | permalink |
3 comments
Mr. A-Z If you're a Jason Mraz fan, you probably already know that his new album drops on July 26th. I just got an "exclusive" street team e-mail with links to a "Making of Mr. A-Z" video. Not sure if these will work for the general public, but it can't hurt to try. Windows Media: 100K | 300K | 450K Real Player: STREAM Quicktime: 56K | 100K | 300K | 450K 
posted by Brad at 4/22/2005 06:18:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
Dawn & Drew I listened to my first ever podcast this morning on the way to work. What's a podcast you ask? Wikipedia has a decent explanation: ...publishing audio files to a website that allows users to subscribe and receive new files as they are posted. Most podcasts are spoken word...they allow individuals to have a self-published, syndicated radio show...can be thought of as an audio magazine subscription...the internet equivalent of TiVo (for audio). The Dawn & Drew Show is produced by self-described "married bestest buddies, podcasting from our 1895 farmhouse living room in southeast Wisconsin." The combination of their racy banter and the fact that I'm from SE Sconnie made this seem like a logical first step into the podcasting world. Show #92 features some amateur jaw harp performances, several anecdotes about bodily fluids in strange places, and discussion of an adult video that a listener sent to their dog Hercules. Listen at your own risk...
posted by Brad at 4/22/2005 03:19:00 PM | permalink |
3 comments
The System is Down What are the odds that Blogger is "temporarily unavailable due to planned maintenance" at the exact moment I decide to finally blog? It says they should have been done 30 minutes ago, so it must not be going well. I suppose I can't complain too much, since it's a free service and all. Anyways, I wanted to comment on how much I hate pop-up ads, with the exception of those awesome Orbitz flash games. The plane, hotel & car-shaped mini golf course had me entertained for a good 15 minutes, but I can't seem to consistently ace the plane hole (#1), so I gave up with 4 as my best score. Speaking of free services, Google yesterday launched a beta of My Search History, which keeps track of what you're searching for and uses "Automatic Related History Detection" to remind you of related searches you've done in the past. Talk about locking a user in your service, nice work g00g. Blogger isn't the only site affected by system outages - Homestarrunner.com has been affected two times.
posted by Brad at 4/21/2005 09:58:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Not Recommended
  Especially avoid taking these together, the side effects are undesirable.
posted by Brad at 4/18/2005 11:59:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
Free Cone @ Ben & Jerry's Tomorrow
posted by Brad at 4/18/2005 11:23:00 AM | permalink |
0 comments
Does Pekoe look like an Ewok? We went for a walk in the park today, and a passer by made a comment that our dog resembles an Ewok...   I think he might be right.
posted by Brad at 4/17/2005 11:30:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
startsomethingpc.com It appears that Microsoft and the Industrial Designers Society of America are up to something. They've got a dramatic video posted to startsomethingpc.com, which promises that
...but not until April 25th. Don't worry about subscribing to the RSS feed, I'll keep my eye on it and report back when "something" is revealed.
posted by Brad at 4/17/2005 03:07:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
It's 9 PM Even with daylight savings time helping out, it's dark out there. Yet, our neighbor to the north just started operating a weed whacker in his back yard? What? Anyways, Susan is out "buying things she doesn't need with money she doesn't have" (her own words, although out of context here), so I've had to entertain myself today. I polished off Bringing Down the House, which was a pretty interesting read about card counting MIT students (thanks Alicia). Most of the day, however, was spent hanging drywall in the garage. I'm going to pretend that I know how to tape the seams tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have a before & after picture that just might blow you away. Pekoe got a haircut today, so now I'm the lone shaggy male of the house... 
posted by Brad at 4/16/2005 10:55:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
DaGoogle Heather knows I love artsy Google so much, she called me the instant she saw it... 
posted by Brad at 4/15/2005 11:04:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Tax Shenanigans Over 55 million people have e-filed their 2004 IRS returns as of last Friday, but only 7% have taken advantage of the IRS' Free File Program (which has no restrictions). At roughly $40 per e-filed return, that's over $2 billion in unnecessary fees paid to the likes of Intuit (TurboTax) and H&R Block. Why are people throwing their money away?
posted by Brad at 4/14/2005 06:07:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
98 Phillips Vineyards Lodi Syrah
 Our libation of choice this evening to accompany salmon persillade, sauteed mushrooms & horseradish mashed potatoes. Definitely showing it's age with sediment on bottle neck - I was steered away from buying more of this wine on a recent trip to Michael David (formerly Phillips) Vineyards, since it is apparently "past it's prime." All I know is that if Susan likes it, then we've got a winner. Very soft, with muted cherry and tar flavors.
posted by Brad at 4/12/2005 11:16:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Tree
 Squaw Valley, Olympic High run
posted by Brad at 4/12/2005 11:08:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Mild Heart Attack I think I just suffered a mild heart attack, when I looked at my work calendar in Outlook to discover that EVERYTHING WAS GONE! I was especially concerned because of a new policy at work where old Outlook e-mail, tasks & apppointments are "cleaned up" (aka deleted) automagically. As it turns out, Susan had changed the system date last night while trying to figure out what day we officially became California residents. All is well now, but it's kind of scary how much I rely on something that can disappear so easily.
posted by Brad at 4/11/2005 11:01:00 AM | permalink |
2 comments
Owie A significant percentage of my face is wind/sun burned from skiing at Squaw Valley today - should make for interesting explanations at work in the morning. I shouldn't complain too much though, since conditions were 1000x better than the first time we were there - and the lift ticket was free due to our previous hijinx. That was about the highlight of the weekend - Susan was nice enough to come along despite the fact that her torn ACL will keep her off the slopes for (at least) the rest of calendar 2005. Thanks to our 4th goaround with a free T-Mobile hotspot trial, she was able to slay her taxes while sipping a latte in "a cute area." Seems like everywhere we go (except Stockton) has "a cute area" according to Susan...
posted by Brad at 4/11/2005 01:15:00 AM | permalink |
0 comments
Taxes Taxes Taxes True to my propensity to procrastinate, I'm just starting to do my taxes this week. I've been rather quick to plug in a couple W-2 forms on some website and pray for a refund in years past, but being audited made me want to try and understand taxes in general a bit better - not to mention that relocating and buying a house have thrown in the whole "itemized deductions" thing. Throw in the fact that I'm somewhat anal and the upshot is that I've condemned myself to hours of printing & reading huge PDF files from various .gov websites. Cry me a river, right?
posted by Brad at 4/08/2005 01:27:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Infidel! My linkblog is back up on the right over there - still not sure why it disappeared though... Speaking of links, this LA Times article is interesting - I can't believe that 19% of wine sold in the US is blush?!? Highly random story - an unfamiliar screenname popped up on my AOL Instant Messenger a long time ago (at least 18 months) and made some random comment, but was offline before I could reply to see who the heck it was. Fast forward to present day, and that same screenname pops up... RANDOM Hi honey, how has your day gone? bradleypjohnson who is this? RANDOM Amy RANDOM This is Brad right? bradleypjohnson yes RANDOM Well, hi. Why did you ask who i was you dork bradleypjohnson because i'm confused bradleypjohnson amy who RANDOM Confused? RANDOM WHAT? RANDOM You know who I am, don't you? bradleypjohnson i don't think so RANDOM Is this really Brad or are you screwing around bradleypjohnson this is really brad, but i can't think of someone i know [with that name] RANDOM Then why are you on my buddy list bradleypjohnson i'm not sure bradleypjohnson how do i know you? RANDOM Have you ever talked to this screename? bradleypjohnson i think i tried to once before RANDOM Why? bradleypjohnson but i don't remember adding it to my buddy list bradleypjohnson i can't remember bradleypjohnson it's been on my list for a long time RANDOM How did you get it? bradleypjohnson i don't know RANDOM Sir, I have to go, do not contact this screename again because I need to speak to you and my mother can't know I have talked to you. I will contct you in a halfhour from [another screenname]. OKAY??? bradleypjohnson okay bradleypjohnson i guess RANDOM This is [RANDOM's] son and it is very crucial I speak to you and vital my mother does not find out bradleypjohnson that's fine RANDOM You will understand later, I PROMISE!!! bradleypjohnson great thanks RANDOM Thankyou, goodbye RANDOM signed off Weird enough yet? 30 minutes later... CONCERNEDSON My mother is married to my father and in the last year, we found ou that my mother was having an affair. Once it was "over", she had told my dad the name of the man. She said his name was Bradley Peter Johnson. What is your middle name? bradleypjohnson peter CONCERNEDSON What are the odds that you were on my mom's buddy list and she just happened to use "your" name as her lover? That is why I said, "Hi honey. How has your day gone"? bradleypjohnson i'd say pretty remote odds CONCERNEDSON I was hoping to collect some personal info from "you" to carry on to my dad bradleypjohnson you've got to be kidding me CONCERNEDSON Are you sure that you do not remember ever talking to [RANDOM] or putting her on your buddy list? bradleypjohnson i'd say about 99% sure that i did not add [RANDOM] to my buddy list bradleypjohnson i've been wondering who that is for a long time CONCERNEDSON Because if not, this is a really weird situation. If she didn't get the name from seeing yor email, than she guessed and just happened to then get you on her buddy list!!!!!! bradleypjohnson here's my guess - your mom met this "bradley peter johnson" on AIM, and maybe had to reinstall or re-add him to her buddy list bradleypjohnson and she guessed that his screenname was bradleypjohnson CONCERNEDSON The odds of something like this happening are like one in a million, honestly bradleypjohnson probably made some random comment to me a long time ago, and that's why i've been wondering who the heck johnstun9 is bradleypjohnson i don't think that is totally unbelieveble CONCERNEDSON But we found out "his" name before you were on her buddy list. I had checked her email for my dad just a couple days after the discovery bradleypjohnson when was "the discovery" CONCERNEDSON About Feb. of 2004 CONCERNEDSON no no no CONCERNEDSON before then because we had CHRISTmas seperately because of it. My parents were sperated then CONCERNEDSON Id guess Oct. 2003 bradleypjohnson i'd believe that, like i said it has been awhile that i have been wondering this I have no reason to belive this isn't a true story, but at least now I know who the heck that person is on my buddy list!
posted by Brad at 4/06/2005 06:04:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
Syndication Overload I need to unsubscribe from some RSS feeds - I seriously can't get my head out of the aggregator long enough to write in my own blog! Since I read a lot of blogs in related categories (wine, technology, GTD), there are often multiple posts on the same/similar topic. Can someone please invent some technology that is smart enough to eliminate those duplicates for me? That would be great. I'm watching the 2004 US Poker Championship when I should be heading to bed - why do I enjoy watching poker on TV so much? I must think I'm learning something. Or something. The Twins
posted by Brad at 4/06/2005 01:10:00 AM | permalink |
2 comments
Battle of the Box If this is true, what are we going to do with our new wine fridge?!?
posted by Brad at 4/05/2005 12:16:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
...and we're back. Not that I actually went anywhere, since the plans to use that Squaw Valley voucher were dashed late last week. Hopefully this weekend will work out, except I should probably get those pesky taxes done soon. Susan partied hard with coworkers on Friday night - I sat home and wept about not having any work friends. At least I learned a lot about Schedule A & D deductions though. Except, isn't A & D the ointment my mom used on diaper rash? I played 8 excruciating hours of poker on Saturday night, highlighted by the fact that I didn't actually lose any money. Note that this is quite an accomplishment, considering that I was playing against Miss "I've never played before but have ridiculous cards every single hand." Sunday was landscaping day - we moved 11 or so plants in the backyard and planted some sweet purple flowers in the front. It's really awesome that our garden doubles as a litter box for the neighborhood cats...  Violent, but good.
posted by Brad at 4/05/2005 12:57:00 AM | permalink |
0 comments
Introducing Brad.com As many of you know, I'm somewhat of a computer/internet enthusiast. I was trolling around WHOIS records the other day, and boy was I surprised to see that brad.com was available!!! I registered it immediately, and only then started to think about what I would do with the new domain. Since my dad has some unused server space at discountasp.net, I decided to create a free web hosting service to encourage others to publish their own websites. Many of you (including Bob himself) might not realize that bobinsurance.com is actually hosting several websites already... Brad.com will occupy the rest of the server, and hopefully we will see lots of little websites popping up soon! 
posted by Brad at 4/01/2005 03:17:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
No Joke I rolled up some Sushi for dinner last night, and managed to cut myself for the 3rd consecutive time. The first couple happened when the knife slipped as I tried to "stab" the core out of an avocado - you'd think I would have learned after the first time, but apparently not. Most recently, I sawed into my left index finger while making the final slice of the evening. This one is a real pain in the, uh, finger - since I spend a shameful amount of time using a computer keyboard every day...  Did I do a good job wiping the blood off?
posted by Brad at 4/01/2005 01:39:00 AM | permalink |
0 comments
|
Archives