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Thursday, March 31

Shabbir Sucks




Meet Shabbir A. Khan, the San Joaquin County tax collector. He recently mailed us a little note to ask if he can borrow have $1,156.44! Supplemental Tax Bills (and owning a home in general) is grrrrreat!

Susan is in the other room going through dresser drawers, and has just sworn off acquiring any new pajama pants, workout clothes, capris, shorts and tank tops. Lots of interesting things coming out of her mouth...

Where the f*** did I get all these clothes?

posted by Brad at 3/31/2005 08:44:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Wednesday, March 30

Picked the Wrong Major :(

I was just gonna linkblog this, but then realized that it gave me another golden opportunity to hone my mad Excel chart skills...



According to a survey commissioned by the Institute of International Research, senior executives in the US think that marketing will be the most important area of expertise for next-gen business leaders. Operations came in 2nd, which I guess is good given my current employment situaSHON.

I picked this up from Adrants, which I recently started following. Not surprisingly, Marketing Today gave marketing an even higher score...

posted by Brad at 3/30/2005 05:37:00 PM | permalink | 2 comments

2 Comments:

  • Yeah - good news for me!

    By Blogger Laura, at 3/30/2005 9:47 PM 

  • Yeah, it does sound like you current job situation might change. Say yes to cereal, no to skipping breakfast.

    www.startribune.com/stories/535/5321719.html

    Vogts

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/31/2005 9:03 AM 

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Transparency

Inspired by the Flickr photoset I linkblogged, my interpretation is more of a Photoshop trick then anything else. I didn't set the actual desktop on the computer due to boring grey cube wall directly behind my displays...

posted by Brad at 3/30/2005 01:18:00 AM | permalink | 1 comments

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Doodlemania

Anyone who ever saw my shrine to artsy Google Doodles...



...knows how excited I was to see the Vincent Van Gogh doodle today:



Extra points if you can identify the 5 artists I had previously framed.

posted by Brad at 3/30/2005 12:48:00 AM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • Michaelangelo Buonarroti, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, and Andy Warhol. I would like to point out that Mr. Holl's answers were not completely clear and therefore the 5 bonus points should be award to me.
    Jason

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/30/2005 3:44 PM 

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Sunday, March 27

Typical Saturday...

Up at 4 AM with no dog to take care of, land in Las Vegas before 8. Prepare "Just Say No" campaign for timeshare sales tour, buy some timeshare a few hours later. Head towards the Strip, decide that Terrible's is indeed Terrible and fight traffic to the Luxor.

Employ "belly up" strategy at video poker bars to get comped drinks, then lose all your winnings because they notice you aren't playing the max bet required for free booze. (If I was winning with 25¢ bets, then why not with $1.25?)

Head for the acclaimed Bellagio buffet, but settle for Cafe Bellagio due to 90 minute queue. No semi-celebrity sightings at the bar this time, but we did get quite a few laughs from the highly irrevrent Vinnie Favorito Show.

Cap off the evening by earning the title of "worst navigator ever" - I fell asleep after giving Jan directions, and woke up to discover that we were in far north Las Vegas.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Easter in Sin City!

posted by Brad at 3/27/2005 11:54:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Friday, March 25

BOOKS!

I'm about to head to the lie-berry to pick up some books for this weekend's trip to Vegas, and it occurred to me that I've finished a few books since the last one I mentioned.

I don't tend to be much of a reader, but I find myself really "into" books lately so I'm gonna ride that enthsiasm as long as I can...


How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale (Jenna Jameson)

What I Expected: An interesting story about an interesting woman with an interesting history.
What I Got: 5 of the 6 "books" inside were fascinating and I had a hard time putting them down. Book 3 was 120 pages of Jenna & family reminiscing... "I remember when you came home from that, panting...We had police esorts after that..." etc etc. I own this book if anyone would like to borrow it.


Why Not Me?: The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency (Al Franken)

What I Expected: Dmitry suggested this as being highly entertaining and "mindless airplane reading."
What I Got: Laugh out loud mindless airplane reading.


The Dinner Club: How the Masters of the Internet Universe Rode the Rise and Fall of the Greatest Boom in History (Shannon Henry)

What I Expected: The inside scoop on the dot com era.
What I Got: Really good at times, this book focused primarily on high tech in the Washington DC area. It didn't really follow a logical flow of time rather than throw somewhat-connected stories at you one after another until it abruptly ends.

posted by Brad at 3/25/2005 10:43:00 AM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • I have heard good things about Jenna's book "How to Make Love Like a Pornstar". I did not honestly believe them, but now that I hear good things from you Mr. Johnson I will believe the hype.
    Jason

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/27/2005 9:41 PM 

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Thursday, March 24

ProcrastinaSHON

I need to go to bed but wanted to jot down two quick observations...

First of all, an e-mail from my dad this afternoon from Paris. It just seems weird that my parents are doing the traveling and I'm at home picking up wet dog poop from the backyard. I'm super happy for them, no doubt there will be oodles of stores and photos to share for a good long time.

Second, I was talking to Nick on the way home from work today - he was on his way to pick up an Infusino's Pizza for the second time in 3 days. He and Michael squeezed some Chinese in on Tuesday, and it just struck me how much my dinner habits have changed since moving in with Susan...

I now actually look forward to preparing meals at night that involve more than one dish and actual fresh ingredients. I bring in some interesting looking leftovers for lunch, and a fellow propellerhead called me "Iron Chef" the other day.

If you don't believe that, just ask Missy & Tim how well I prepare chicken on the grill ;)

posted by Brad at 3/24/2005 01:37:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Karoshi

...the Japanese term for "death from overwork," there were 160 official cases during fiscal 2002 in Japan. Another 43 people committed suicide because of overwork...


I'm not exactly teetering on the brink, but nevertheless thought this was interesting enough to share - courtesy of the April 2005 issue of Fast Company. They also had an interesting sidebar about corporate political donations, compiled by www.choosetheblue.com and www.buyblue.org.

I wasn't exactly shocked that Bed Bath & Beyond was the left to JC Penney's right, but what about Guinness vs. Budweiser? Revlon vs. Cover Girl? Progressive vs. Geico? Okay, that last one might be too easy.

Check out the graphic, yo.

posted by Brad at 3/24/2005 12:57:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Wednesday, March 23

Yum Yum Barf

Lean Pockets are del.icio.us (with the exception of having way too much sodium)...

1 = not quite enough for lunch
2 = definitely too much

posted by Brad at 3/23/2005 02:23:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Tuesday, March 22

Security Thru Obscurity?

So the Mac Mini is cute & cool and everything, but I have some issues with this
Flickr photoset...

It's a MINI, why are you putting it inside a case that makes it 300% bigger?

Do you really think that posting pictures of your "security" on the Internet is the most secure approach?

posted by Brad at 3/22/2005 10:50:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Bon Voyage

Mom and Pop are about to hop on this here plane, bound for 11 days on the other side of the pond...



Viva la France!

posted by Brad at 3/22/2005 03:54:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • My parents are flying to Dublin tomorrow--strange. Perhaps there is a international convention of parents in Europe somewhere--I am gonna guess in London. Those Brits just love themselves a good convention. All I know is if the Mouse and Jim start hanging out it could get pretty crazy.
    Jason
    ps--if you know of any good websites to find legal case briefs please send them to busta.jaso@students.uwlax.edu---I will be your friend forever.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/22/2005 6:00 PM 

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Squawk

As I was eating lunch and reading some feeds, it occured to me that I should proably write some myself. Last night, I discovered that I only somewhat enjoyed Big Fish and J Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay...

   

This past weekend in Truckee was one big adventure. We got there just before it started really snowing on Friday night, and I don't think it has stopped yet. That meant that we got to try out my new tire chains for the first time on Sunday - can't say I ever thought I would own a set of those.

Susan's injured knee is a torn ACL, so there was no skiing for her. The rest of us headed to Squaw Valley, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics and $62 lift tickets. It was raining at the base and the top featured pelting snow and 70+ MPH wind gusts, so basically conditions were ideal. We even got to spend an hour suspended at 50 ft when the chair lift cable derailed behind us!

Pekoe loved all the attention and seemed to really enjoy his first time in the snow. It was cute and all, until we went inside and his legs & "underside" were crusted over with snow dingleberries that were impossible to remove. Wet carpet, anyone?

posted by Brad at 3/22/2005 02:29:00 PM | permalink | 3 comments

3 Comments:

  • I echo your comment about Big Fish - actually I didn't finish watching the whole thing so it seems like I like it less than you did.

    By Blogger Laura, at 3/22/2005 7:29 PM 

  • Being stuck on a ski lift sounds like the scariest thing ever. I don't think I'll ever go downhill skiing because I'm a) afraid of hills and b) afraid of falling off/being stuck on the ski lift. At least now I can back up my fear by saying it happened to my friend.

    By Blogger Alicia, at 3/23/2005 9:08 AM 

  • How many pot smokers does it take to get the lift cable back on line? Exactly 6.
    Two to hold the ladder, two to hold the water bongs and two to drive the groomers.
    Christina

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/24/2005 9:52 PM 

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Monday, March 21

To Whom It May Concern

If it is ever determined that I am in a persistent vegetative state, please do not prolong my life.

posted by Brad at 3/21/2005 09:27:00 AM | permalink | 2 comments

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Battle of the Bottle

I've picked 33 of 48 games correctly thus far, which is definitely nothing to brag about. The only "incentive" I have riding on this year's tournament is a under $20 bottle of wine bet with Derek - who has only managed 31 correct thus far.

Since we have identical Final Four/Championship Game/Winner picks, it all comes down to Thursday night's matchup between Washington & Louisville. If the Cardinals win, it's all over but the crying for Derek...

Oh by the way we made it back safely from a snowy weekend in Tahoe, more on that soon(ish).

posted by Brad at 3/21/2005 12:57:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Friday, March 18

14 of 16

I picked too many upsets for the early games (Iowa, UTEP) - but ended Day 1 at 14 of 16 so I'm pretty content.

On the other hand, what's with bars running out of green food coloring on St. Patty's Day? Drinking regular beer seems wrong - we literally had to provide our own for the second half of the evening. Highly questionable.

Our kitchen/dining area was busy last night. Susan worked her magic on Pekoe with the clippers...



...and then I waxed on/waxed off my snowboard for the very first time:

posted by Brad at 3/18/2005 12:45:00 AM | permalink | 2 comments

2 Comments:

  • I'm currently 17 of 20 after the second day morning session. Why the hell did I pick Minnesota to win? Stupid, stupid move. If it's not hockey, the Gophers are going to choke.

    Vogts

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/18/2005 3:10 PM 

  • I'm currently 17 of 20 after the second day morning session. Why the hell did I pick Minnesota to win? Stupid, stupid move. If it's not hockey, the Gophers are going to choke.

    Vogts

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/18/2005 3:10 PM 

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Thursday, March 17

Perfection

I'm 4 for 4 with my NCAA picks so far - I better celebrate before Iowa loses to Cincy and my bracket goes to shit...

posted by Brad at 3/17/2005 02:49:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Wednesday, March 16

What are the odds?

This year's ESPN Page 2 Invitational Tournament features matchups of "in the news" topics that you can vote on NCAA bracket-style.

Thanks to Dmitry (who has been contributing to my linkblog for some time) for pointing out that 2 of the 4 regions are named after my childhood hometown and current address in California...

posted by Brad at 3/16/2005 11:15:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Tuesday, March 15

I Need New Contacts

With some assistance from AOL Yellow Pages, I recently made 11 phone calls to local optometrists and asked each the exact same question:

How much do you charge for an eye exam and contact lens fitting?




*No answer
**listed in AOL as "Eye Exam 2000" ?!?
***a.k.a. Stockton Optometry Group

Hopefully at least one other person on the internets will find this and be glad that I published it...

posted by Brad at 3/15/2005 06:59:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Jelly Belly Freak

Ever wondered what the best Easter candy ever was?

posted by Brad at 3/15/2005 09:15:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Monday, March 14

$1,301.50

If I get all 20 DMB tickets I just requested, the 'ol WorldPerks Visa is going to feel the burn...

Avg price (including fees)? $65.08

posted by Brad at 3/14/2005 01:13:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Sunday, March 13

ConfuSHON

We watched Dodgeball last night, and (silly me) I got Christine Taylor confused with Christina Applegate. Is this excusable?

Meet Christin...

...e Taylor...a Applegate


Whew - at least they were born in the same year. Otherwise I'd be really embarassed. Oh and the movie? Not as funny as I had hoped...

posted by Brad at 3/13/2005 08:53:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Backyard Snail

posted by Brad at 3/13/2005 08:40:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Saturday, March 12

Lunch

posted by Brad at 3/12/2005 08:00:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Blog Blog

Blogger has a blog, from which I discovered that Rosie O'Donnell has a blog.

posted by Brad at 3/12/2005 03:49:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Meow

I'ts always nice to hear from new readers...



I'm afraid, however, that Matisse seems more interested in Michael's blog.

It's beautiful here today (72°), so I took advantage of the opportunity to mow the lawn. This is now a two-step process, as I have to first remove piles of shit from the backyard to avoid being hit by mower-flung poo. The result is essentially a new buffet for Pekoe "I like to eat my poop but grass will do in a pinch" the dog.

posted by Brad at 3/12/2005 03:08:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Friday, March 11

The blog you were looking for was not found.

Um yeah. Apparently comments aren't so much working right now (thanks Alicia).

posted by Brad at 3/11/2005 03:31:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

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Hey Blockbuster

What gives? Over 70% of our "Q" is either "Short", "Long" or "Very Long" wait. Are we supposed to limit our requests to Shrek and Will Smith movies? This might be worth half what you're charging us right now...

I can be bought, though. Why can't I share our rental history and "Q" using RSS? That way, I wouldn't have to remember or look up images to blog about the movies we watch.

I'm certain that Blockbuster CEO John Antioco reads my blog, so this shouldn't take long, folks...

posted by Brad at 3/11/2005 02:42:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • I'm not sure about other netflixers out there, but right now on my queue, I have 6 short, long, or very long waits out of 149 movies on my list. Maybe you should consider switching to the other side?

    By Blogger Laura, at 3/12/2005 7:29 PM 

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Wednesday, March 9

33W

I find flavored coffee liquids to be disgusting, but black coffee scares me (I prefer a dollop of half & half if you must know).

You can't even taste the coffee over the artifical "Gingerbread" or "Amaretto" flavoring - maybe Nestle should just sell caffeinated versions of Coffee Mate so people can skip the coffee altogether?

But that's just me.

posted by Brad at 3/09/2005 01:22:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • Nestle should produce more caffeinated beverages seeing as how I would probably drink all of them this fun week of midterms. In happier news, I am currently planning the 1st Annual No-Travel Spring Break Drinking Olympics. If you know of anyone that will be in the La Crosse Area next week have them give me a holla. Such fun games as Edward 40 hands, beer slides, triangle of death, fives, case races, P&A and of course pitcher races will take place. I am still arguing with the IOC over which games will be added for the 2008 games.
    Wasting time while I should be writing papers and studying for midterms,
    Jason

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/09/2005 6:01 PM 

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Ring a Ling a Ding Dong

Southwest recently released Ding!, software you can download and run in the system tray of your (Windows only, sorry MRJ) computer next to all those little Instant Messenger client icons. They have averaged about 2 Dings per day, using catchy little phrases to get you to click on the link...

Start clicking before the clock stops ticking!


I think they're going to run out of cute things to say in a couple more weeks, so get it while you can. If you install before 3/15 and run for 30 days, they'll even give you 2 Rapid Rewards credits (1/8 of a free ticket, equivelant to about 3,125 miles).

posted by Brad at 3/09/2005 11:50:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Monday, March 7

2 Good 4 Linkblog

John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" is a great song, and this animation based on it's rhythm is a must see.

posted by Brad at 3/07/2005 03:36:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Ouchy

Is buttock the singular version of buttocks? If so, my left buttock is muy tender - I tried to get cute on the snowboard Saturday and instead caught my heel edge. I'd post a photo, but this is a family-friendly blog. Most of the time.

Come to think of it, I'm getting fillings on the left side of my mouth this afternoon so that entire half of my body will soon be rendered worthless...

posted by Brad at 3/07/2005 10:37:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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'snow Picnic



Me and Susan at Homewood (Heavenly is across the lake, going there in 2 weeks). We had a great weekend, with the exception of Susan's knee injury. It's swollen and hurty but hopefully not serious - stay tuned.

Lake Tahoe is absolutely gorgeous, but I'm kind of upset that I didn't take more pictures of the beautiful vistas. It was so warm in the afternoon that I skied with a long sleeve t-shirt, vest, and no gloves. You see, Susan used my car to drive another injured party from our group to the hospital - and I sort of left them in the trunk...

posted by Brad at 3/07/2005 01:07:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Friday, March 4

33333

miles on my car, sheesh.

So what is up with early March birthdays? Is there nothing better to do in early June than "it"?

Too bad I'm still paying off Christmas, or all these wonderful people might actually receive gifts from me ;)

We watched Open Water last night, it was well done but a rather bleak story. This weekend it is off to Tahoe (finally!) for some snowboarding, but I'll get some pics from our golf trip up before you know it...

posted by Brad at 3/04/2005 10:56:00 AM | permalink | 1 comments

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