Dearly Departed Tours Edit

This sounds super cool to me: Dearly Departed Tours

I think for my birthday I'd like to get a group together to go. The van holds 13 passengers, so if I could gather that many, or close to that many we could basically have a private tour. I know it's a bit pricy at $35 a pop, but it's not like there's any competition. And maybe he'll give us a group discount.

Days I could be free: May 14 , 15, 21, 28, 29 or June 4 or 5

Please comment to let me know if you're interested at all, or if you think I'm too creepy to know anymore. Friends are welcome, because I'd love to fill the van.

Don't Panic

It's not the end of the world, even though I actually got off my ass and went to a movie before the rest of the world.

My dad got tickets to a preview screening of Hitchhikers Guide, and we went last night. I should say, a full 4 hrs and some minutes before we were supposed to see it. Really, it wasn't much of a preview, but you'd think it was a super advance screening with all the crap about searching bags for recording devices. whatever.

so we waited in line for a good long time. we ended up getting there about 1.5 hrs before the movie actually started playing on the screen. This gave me plenty of time to do my reading. I tried to do a bit of people watching, but, there wasn't anything fantastic to watch. I don't know how people got these tickets but it seemed to be sponsored by ESPN radio and KABC radio, but the only person i heard say where she got the tickets also got them from her work. this wasn't really a hardcore nerd screening. I'd say it was at least 35% female. Ages ran the spectrum. I only saw one dad and 8 yr old daughter carrying towels (although my dad threatened to, and I vetoed him). There was a disappointing turn out. For some reason LA Weekly reserved an entire row of the theater for people with special passes but only about 5 people showed up. I saw those people and they weren't reporters, so I don't really know who they were. For a movie, it was a crowded theater, but for a pre-screening show, it wasn't packed solid.

I have no idea how to write movie reviews without giving away all the good bits, and I don't want to ruin it for y'all, so I won't bother trying. I'll just say Ebert is a jerk I read his review this morning before I left the house. But of course I knew that ever since he gave that tiger movie a bad review because it anthropomorphized the tigers. (For gosh sakes it was a kids movie about tigers, were they really supposed to only care about killing, mating and territory)

I have to say the entire experience was rather pleasant. When you go, make sure you get there on time, the opening really is the best part of the movie. The design was fun. And because of my love of sad, pathetic creatures, Marvin was adorable!

Since it's been a good 10 years since I read the books, I don't remember all the details, but I think the movie stays true to the spirit of them. Unlike the books, and rinky dink BBC show the movie is quick, quick, quick. Lots has to be left out, but I don't think it suffered. There was one key thing left out, not really key to plot, but key to random bits of trivia that I remember. It isn't really a spoiler, but I'll keep mum for now.

I do wonder what the movie is like if you've never read the books.

Cynthia's things-that-cost-about-$1 guide

I have my final paper that I haven't even started due in less than 2 weeks. expect a lot of procrastination posts

Marukai 98 and More! : as you well know, the marukai 98 cent store used to be my favorite thing on the planet. I was already planning my wedding using 98 cent dishware and snacks. the only thing this store couldn't offer was the alcohol. that has all changed, of course. since the start of this year they've all switched over to 98 and stores more. Previously you could buy all sorts of wonderous items that brought nothing but joy and goodness to all the land. And, it all cost 98 cents. Currently this store just makes me sad. I can no longer recommend it.

99 cent only stores : This is my replacement for the 98 cent store. The absolute best stuff they sell doesn't compete with the absolute best stuff Marukai used to sell. But going there makes me happier than going to the current marukai. and, according to the website, they're in MOCA.
I used to snub my nose at the 99 cent stores. They were dirty crappy places that dirty, crappy people shopped at. But recently this has changed. Nice, shiny, new stores have popped up in better areas. I very much like the one right near campus in fullerton. They are very good at filling my random snacking needs, and pretty ok about filling my random crap needs. spice girls video for $.99! absolutely, I need one! but if it cost .25 more, never in a million years! This weekend I bought 4 pairs of fishnet stockings, in various colors. do i need them? absolutely not. will i even wear them? probably not. are they a steal at .99? yes, yes yes! sometimes, they even have alcohol, not that i've tried it, but sometimes an impressive array of malt beverages are available.

and unlike the 98 cent store, you can buy useful things at the 99 cent store. I was very wary about the grocery section at first. but slowly i've been warming up to it. it started off with some bagged salad and some ranch dip-- didn't die. then fresh produce, tomatos, strawberries--didn't die. today, i've given my ultimate trust to them and i'm going to try the 3/.99 yoplait yogurt. if i don't die, it'll be a fantastic purchase. the baked goods are decent. I haven't tried loaf bread and crossaint things, but i regularly eat the bagels (5 in a bag) and sometimes the english muffins. that's an entire week's breakfast for .99!

all of this, and they haven't raised prices since they opened in 1982

Target's $1 section: when they first started this section i was still in love with the 98 cent store, and I wasn't going to pay 2 cents extra for stuff that wasn't as good. but the quality of the section has increased, and (obviously) marukai's quality has decreased, and you can find some fun junk there. they seem to cycle the stuff in and out of there pretty quickly. i don't go to target that often, but every time i do they have different stuff. currently there's a line of girls night out plastics. with everything from ugly little men to hang off your glass to plastic cups and shot glasses to a plastic tray, that i was able to talk myself out of last minute that reads "gin and bear it" there are also some gardening things, and a plethora of crappy software titles.
Also at target, you can buy a small icee for about $1.20. that's the best deal in town, ever since they stopped selling them at sam's club. unfortunately, target is one of the stores that sells the promotional flavors rather than the traditional red and blue. so, some days you're stuck with candy cane or lemon-lime, and the value for your $1 lowers signifigantly.

ebay : you can buy any number of fantastic things for about $1 (plus any amount of shipping from $.37 to as high as you can count). the possibilities are endless with ebay. think that $.99 happy meal toy is a steal? better make sure they're not charging $8 to ship something that most likely can be shipped for $.50. jerks!

McDonalds $1 menu: an array of wonderfully unhealthy fried and fatty things can be purchased for about $1, and also a side salad. My favorite was $1 tuesdays when you could get the chicken nuggets. but alas, no more. fries however, still $1 and still really good.

Costco: seeing how I work not to far from a costco, people often go there for the super cheap, super fast, lunch foods. for $1.50 you can get a hot dog and a drink. because I try to avoid hot dogs, and don't particularly like soda on a regular basis, this has very little appeal to me. but you can get giant churro for $1. GIANT. If Spats (is that the one?) makes you feel like a giant, then this churro will make you feel like a lilliputian. if they sold this thing at disneyland they would probably charge $8 for it. and depending on the day, sometimes it actually tastes good too.

$1 store in the Albertson's plaza on artesia and western: mostly party supplies, crappy kitchen utinsels and things i don't care about. I did escape, somehow without buying dolphin shaped ice trays. I haven't been in a while. there's could be more stuff.

$1ish store by Lydia and Zack: kinda grungy and rundown, like the neighborhood. but, last time we checked, chock full of hilarious Jesus material that's not meant to be funny at all.

dollar days/dayz/daze bins at the grocery store: just say no. nothing good can come of these. ever. except sometimes, sidewalk chalk, if that's the sort of thing you need.

$1 store on redondo beach blvd and hawthorne: I haven't been yet. it's an inconvienent location to leave the parking lot. but, who knows what treasures may abound?

adopting a starving child in a third world country: according to the commercial for about $1 a day, less than the price of your morning coffee, you can feed, clothe and keep immunized from horrible 3rd world diseases your very own child. in return they send you a picture of the little brat, and force it to write you letters that will make you feel like a horrible person until you sell all your possesions and give all your money to chairty. I don't recommend this option as it will give you nothing that is cute, pink, plastic, from japan, or candy. and i'd bet the letters will be written in better english than half the 98 cent store stuff.

Some day my prince will come? and smack me?

Fairy tales linked to violent relationships

bevmo over the rainbow

I tried to visit bevmo during my lunch break today. I passed the sign for it a few weeks ago, and I thought it was weird that I hadn't heard anything about it, and it just appeared. I'm super tired today, and pretty much lacking motivation to do anything. Including my homework due tomorrow. I figured a shiny new store full of alcohol would cheer me right up.

Turns out, bevmo isn't open yet. It opens next friday. And boy does it look fantastic! I pissed of a few drivers while I was trying to peek inside. But I don't care. I'm counting the days until next friday when I can go inside. This is the first bevmo I've seen that wasn't in Berkeley, even though I've heard rumors of one in Long Beach.

But the cool part of the story is that this new Bevmo is opening in the same store that used to be a Super Crown Books. How fantastic is that? If they existed simultaneously it would be like everything I ever needed in the same space. Even my new cafe press shirt knows it's a perfect match. I am very much amused. There's nothing like botique vodka in a room that used to be full of discount books.

wheee!

I don't like whole grains

So, the new food pyramids are out. I can't see them, but supposedly they're up. Let's hope the website is fixed sometime before they release the next fad.

Based on pure sight, I think they've made the fat/desert category less
visible. Alcohol is also included in this category. I don't know if it was
even mentioned before. And I'm not about to do the 5 minutes of research needed to find out.

I already eat a lot of fruit and veggies, and increasingly more dairy. For some reason I've bought into the idea that yogurt is good for you, even though it's full of strange things. The new category that replaces the previous carbohydrate category is "grains" and they want you to eat more whole grains than refined. Healthy yes, but I hate whole grains.
They're all whole and obvious and stick in your teeth. I do like oatmeal,
but not plain, and when you add all the sugar and fat needed to make it
taste good, it may just outweigh the benefits.

Also, popcorn is a whole grain, apparently. I guess so, it fits the whole and sticks in your teeth criteria. When was the last time you ate plain, air popped pop corn? or
knew anyone who did. According to the love of my life, Alton Brown, you can
hardly even buy an air popper in California, they've way fallen out of
fashion. Although they're still available in less cool states. (if anyone
else said this, I'd challenge it. but i'll believe anything he says). So
whatever disease you get from not eating whole grain, I'm sure I'll die
from. In the meantime I'll just have to eat double the refined grains
pretzels, bread, noodles, pancakes and breaded, deep fried food all day long!

They seem to be doing a good job of hiding the info on sugar. Normal people-- the kind who would think the Google part of my reference final is hard-- wouldn't find it. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I love sugar, and I don't believe it's bad. Surely a cup full is less healthy than an asparagus spear. But, I believe that it's much healthier than any sort of 0 calorie sugar substitute. Anything besides water that has 0 calories is too creepy to consume. But no one is mentioning that

And here's the section on trans-fat. but no one is mentioning all the creepy things they're starting to experiment with something that isn't on the short list to be regulates
One day, maybe i'll be able to reconcile my pure and utter disgust with fake sugar and the fact that I have no qualms about genetically modified food. Maybe it's because I believe genetically modified food will taste good, and I know for a fact that fake sugar does not.

So, throw away that old food pyramid you have lying around from 4th grade health, and let the new administration decide what you should eat. I wonder how much money this will cost for schools and things to get new materials.

Me? It's almost summer, and every week I'll be scouring the sale ads for an ice cream maker. I don't know if I should get the kitchenaid attachment for my mixer, or buy a cheaper stand alone model.

in other food news:

CDC Links Extra Pounds, Lower Death Risk
take that food pyramid and being healthy!

Peer pressure

Since all the cool kids are posting about their homework, I'll start too.

I have my horrible Management and Organization class which is basically eating my soul. It's asking me to believe, no endorse, management skills, techniques and procedures that my common sense tells me are pure and utter crap. You're either born a leader or you're not. You can either handle work without crutches or you should work in retail. Bleh. I have my final paper due May 7. I can barely make sense of the topics, much less pick one and do the research needed to write it. Bleh. On the up note, I have a presentation on Virtual Reference on Saturday, which actually has been a good excercise for me because we're actually working on implementation of something concrete, rather than kicking around murky ideas that mean nothing. Also, it's the first time i've used powerpoint. I'm pretty impressed with it.

To make matters worse, My cousin is having a "put wedding favors together" party on May 6. If I don't finish the horrible paper early, I can't go!

My Reference class, up till this weekend has been a bit too easy. No paper, no book and plenty of Google. I wish my ethics weren't so good, otherwise I'd post my final. I may end up posting part of it anyway, just so y'all can see. I'm pretty sure that everyone who reads my blog could pass. I got the final yesterday morning, which was good, because I got a good chunk of it done instead of sitting here bored at work.

This weekend though was horrible. I kept making major structural changes and I kept correcting the grammar, and it kept not sticking. I was ready to cry and scream. I think i finally got it to stick, though I'm too afraid to look at the final draft that was turned in. That assignment wouldn't have been hard if my group didn't keep ignoring my changes. Honestly, I believe that we would have failed the assignment for not following the instructions if I didn't put the smack down.

If anyone wants to write my Management paper, I'll totally trade assignments with you.

The people at the Vatican just may be smarter than me

I just occured to me that I have no idea how to how to make smoke turn colors. Sure, I could just start burning a bunch of stuff and see what color it smokes. But I don't think that's how they do it over there.

Also, I learned a new word today from visiting the vatican site. Actually, it's an old word, according to the OED it's obsolete. At first I was confused because the term was "Vacant See." Surely, I thought, they can't mean vacancy. The Vatican has more quality control than that. And it turns out, they do!

See
-- A seat of dignity or authority; esp. a royal seat, throne. Hence the rank or position symbolized by a throne. Obs.
--c. transf. and fig. (One's) place of abode; esp. the dwelling-place of a monarch, a god, or the like. Obs.
-- 2. Ecclesiastical uses. a. The seat, chair, or throne of a bishop in his church; = CATHEDRA 1. Now only arch.
-- b. The office or position indicated by sitting in a particular episcopal chair; the position of being bishop of a particular diocese.
-- c. spec. Chiefly with defining word, the Apostolic, Holy, Papal, Roman See, the See of Rome (rarely the See): the office or position of Pope; the Papacy; the authority or jurisdiction belonging to the Pope; occas. the Pope in his official capacity.

Am I the only one who doesn't know this definition?

I guess by not being catholic you miss out on a lot of stuff. Chatting with my co-worker who grew up catholic in poland and went to college steps from the vatican, this whole pope thing actually makes a difference to her, and more importantly, makes more sense to her. All of this "shrouded in mystery crap" that the American news keeps forcing down our throats is just normal for her.

Have you guys heard the one about the pope?

It seems the Pope died. St. Peter told him, "You've been such good Pope, I've been authorized to give you whatever you want." The Pope said, "I want a room, and a copy of all the original manuscripts of the Bible and the early church." Because an original doesn't exist on earth. A bit later Peter and the angels heard a great commotion coming from the Pope's room. They rushed in to see if he was okay, but he was not okay. He was clearly upset. "What's wrong?" Peter asked. "It's an `r', it's an `r,' it's an `r'!" said the Pope, pointing to one of the manuscripts lying open on the table. "It was supposed to be `celebrate!'

Car magnets

I've been quiet for as long as I possibly could, but the anger has just been building up inside.
I don't know how it is where y'all are, but here in the suburbs, where I drive through 7 miles of suburbia a to get to and from work every day, you can't escape them. All of those freaking cars and their magnetic yellow (and/or red, white and blue) ribbons.

I have 2 main problems with these things:

1. They didn't show up very long ago. WAY after we sent our boys on a mission they couldn't possibly win. One day they just showed up at the supermarkets and people just bought, bought, bought, because they're super cheap. One person gets one, then everyone on the block follows suit. This really is just jumping on the bandwagon. This wouldn't be such a problem, but:

2. People don't seem to understand the the concept of proper accessories. Much like the super fat girls who wear the retardedly tight shirts with their bellies hanging out, people try to fit the car magnets where they just don't fit. On pickup trucks and many SUVs the ribbons fit nicely on the back of the vehicle. It's a perfectly appropriate way to display their patriotism (or possibly their need to follow the flock) But, as much as people jabber about EVERYONE owing an SUV, most people don't. And they try to make their car ribbon fit on their tiny little trunk panel. But the car is too small, it doesn't fit. So, rather than find an appropriate sized symbol of patriotism, they just angle the damn thing. I don't know why this pisses me off so much, but it makes me want to ram my car into the other. The worse is when they actually have the damn ribbon turned 90 degrees. And I just realized that when they do that it looks like a Jesus fish. I don't know if it's intentional, but I'm betting not.

I'm pretty sure official flag code has something to say about displaying flag ribbons sideways. And I know that words (support our troops, God bless America) on a flag are a no-no. And for some reason, I respect flag code, even though I'm not entirely clear why I believe the US has exclusive claim on things that are blue and white starred with red and white stripes.

Turn your car ribbons right side up people, for goodness sake!!! Find something that actually fits your car.

Bleh.

Happy Tax Day everyone

It's also my Dad's birthday. Talk about a reasonable excuse for not getting your papers in on time. Labor.

Apparently, Americans Spend 6.6 Billion Hours on Taxes

For individuals wondering how long they will spend on tax forms, the taxpayers' group said it takes an estimated 26 hours and 48 minutes to prepare the Form 1040 and its most common supporting schedules. That includes keeping records, learning the law, preparing forms, copying and mailing.

That actually is less than last year, when taxpayers could have expected to spend 28 hours and 30 minutes on the same forms.

I'm a DIY sort of girl. I see something in the store and think "I could make that for pennies on the dollar." and sometimes I actually do. But for some things, it's much easier and better to pay a professional. These categories include car washing, Chinese food, and taxes.

I don't know much about the financial state of affairs. I've succeeded in doing my FAFSA a few times. I've been on a healthy savings plan for a while. But I tried doing my taxes once, and that was completely the end of that for the rest of my life. For the small fee of $55 and probably less than 20 mins of my time I turned in my crap to my family's accountant and 2 weeks later my refund was in the bank. I haven't done my taxes in like 3 years and I'll never do them again.

You have no idea how much better my life is because I've delegated taxes to someone else.

In the future, I imagine, taxes will be completely automated. Of course that will also be the day everyone gets a flying car. From what I understand H&R block and others are violently opposed to everything that makes taxes easier to deal with (free online filing etc) and lobby against it every chance they get.

I *heart* nerd boys

Conference falls for gibberish prank

Whoever finds me a husband who will do something like this will win a prize.

Stacked

It wasn't awful. I've certainly watched much worse shows. It even entertained me sometimes.

Observations in no particular order:

The show makes no secret of the fact that Pam Anderson is easy and has big boobs. Just because this show takes place in a corner bookstore and not a beach doesn't mean they have to make her wear any more clothing.

Christopher Lloyd is O-L-D, really, when did that happen?

A large part of the show is spent pretty much disparaging self-help books, the authors who write them and their retarded, trite advice. This show is a vehicle for Pam Anderson and her boobs, who do they think is watching it?? I bet it's a majority of people who keep self-help authors in business. They need to be careful not to offend their audience.

I heard Pammy on the radio yesterday. She said the show was like the opposite of Cheers, something like dumb people (herself) going into a smart place (bookstore) rather than smart people going into a dumb bar. You know how else it's like Cheers? the Intellectual, slightly uptight book store owner and his super frigid ex-wife.

So, Pammy is tired of making bad choices about men, and she needs a change and decided to accept a job at the bookstore. she leaves us with these words of wisdom about the bookstore: "this'll be the perfect place to stop meeting hot guys."

Not show related: Pammy is a outspoken supporter of PETA, but finally, someone figured out how to handle them.
KFC in Texas Greets PETA With Sprinklers

Know what's creepy?

this:

EPIC 2014

It takes a bit to load, and it's kinda long. Be sure to watch it at midnight with all the lights out. It'll give you chills, or maybe that was my cold wet hair.

It was my library link of the day for Sunday.

And speaking of those, 2 weekends ago my link was to Stacked, which premieres tonight. (I have to say they do a good job of not sending scholarly articles on weekends). So, I'll watch, expect a recap tomorrow if it's worth it.

Library Miscellany

As google probably already told you, it's National Library Week.

Like National Frozen food month or corn dog day or National Candied Orange Peel Day or whatever it's sure to be overhyped by the participants and generally ignored by the public. Google has already gotten over it, and took the link down from its graphic.

Why am I so cynnical, shouldn't I be all for something that will promote my future career, and help provide me with job security? well, some days I like the ALA and some days I don't. But either way, it is a force not to be reckoned with, not to mention cocksure.

Now, it's in ALA's best interest to promote the hell out of libraries. If librarians didn't pay their membership dues, they wouldn't have any money. And EVERY librarian worth his or her salt, along with a few others who work in libraries, and many students have ALA memberships. In fact, pretty much any American librarian (and even Canadians) who aren't members are suspect. Mostly this membership entitles you to a monthly magazine that anyone whos anyone, along with everyone else, reads. Also, you get "discounts" on ALA sponsored things.

So, after you pay your $200ish (like $50 for students) per year, plus more to join the sub-groups, you get to shell out more cash. Currently the ALA store is undergoing maintenance. So I'll have to work from memory and post links later. For, like, $50 your library can pay for the right to use a 300dpi jpg of this year's Library Week image. for, like, $100 you can get the .PSD file and do a bit of editing yourself. Lets ignore the fact that while you can do much more with the raw photoshop file which makes it more valuable, the raw file is raw, and it takes one extra step to make the jpg. You're not buying the rights to this photo, your paying for the right to use it on free things like flyers and printing your own damn posters etc. Once again, the cash you put down does not allow you to use the picture on things that people pay for, things that will make you money.

The picture is UGLY with no spirit, like corporate art tends to be. I know a good handful of people who'd make their own damn picture for $50 and a chance to be widely reproduced. I don't know how much ALA paid to get that graphic, surely there's someone on staff who makes the graphics, and if that person wasn't making it, he'd just sit there twiddling his thumbs. And I know that it costs exactly $0 in materials to send a graphic, assuming the ALA already owns a computer. I also know that the ALA's website is HUGE and it would not be prohibitively expensive to just post a few files online and let people download for free. In fact, I'm sure it would be pretty much free.

In contrast the MCLS is offering summer reading materials at very reasonable prices.

In conclusion: yes, we want to celebrate libraries, and we want people to visit frequently. But do people really care about arbitrary celebration weeks. Because I'm way over arbitrary celebrations that don't include cake. So, just say no when it comes to retardedly expensive corporate type art. I'm sure there are plenty of local artists and stuff who would gladly donate some art for use.

The ALA exists to serve the public, not the other way around. But much like centralized government, they are totally out of touch with local needs, and need to be reminded.

Other library news:


New Zealand's National Library to build a Digital archive

Happy with that online fashion blog? Proud of those flirtations you made in the dating chat room?

Let's hope so. From later this year, it may become part of the nation's heritage, available for all New Zealanders to look at today and in the future.

(ok, maybe they're exaggerating a bit)

Also, Library Mad-libs those things were so fun in elemantary school. (it's pdf, watch out)

And, Have you used an online reference librarian yet? I'm doing a project on 24/7 reference, and I keep being impressed. It's not 100 % perfect yet, but they're doing a good job.

EDIT:
ALA Store downloads

Bleh!

U.S. to Require Passports at Border Entry Points

Not that I make spur of the moment, weekend trips to Canada or Mexico. But for people who live at the borders, I'm sure this is even more annoying to them than it is to me.

How do you make an asparagus roll?

Push it down a hill!

But really, have you ever wondered what an asparagus roll is? I didn't until last night, when it was on the menu.

The Union Cattle, a trendy sort of steakhouse that tranforms completely into a bar at night, in the vein of the Cattle Ranch (only nicer and smaller, with slightly cheaper parking), got a new menu. (not updated yet on the website). And they advertised in the paper 50% off all food m-th of this week. So I went yesterday. and it was great, nice cuts of beef, good sides, but a bit pricy. At half off I managed to spend $24. The leftovers I had today for lunch were equally as good as yesterday. I think sitting overnight gave the bacon a good long time to soak into the meat.

Most of the appetizers sounded pretty normal: onion straws, shrimp cocktail, quesidillas etc. Then there was the asparagus roll. I can't remember how it was described, but all 3 of us, independently figured it would be some sort of dumpling/hush puppy type thing. I think we're conditioned to think that "roll" usually denotes a round piece of bread. Instead we get a platter of something that looks 4 full asparagus stalks wrapped in white bread. white bread is about 4-5 inches long. the asparagus was about 8-9 inches long. "oh, so that's an asparagus roll" was the general consensus.

Here's how I imagine this works, even though I'm pretty sure the whole thing is actually baked together:

take some kind of square white bread, cut off the crusts, smoosh it flat spread one side with butter, grill lightly. add bleu cheese to the not grilled side, add a hot piece of asparagus to melt the cheese a bit and roll. repeat 3 times. serve with a side of bleu cheese dressing.

as a whole, it was pretty okay. I'm glad my curiosity is satisfied, but I would't order it again. and at $2.75, it wasn't much of an investment. the asparagus was cooked strangely, or maybe it was just strange itself. it was pretty dense and a little too mushy on the outside for finger food. and eating the part involving the bread roll gave me a familiar sensation that took me a minute to place. the bread was mushy on the inside exactly the way that the hot dogs covered in pillsbury crescent rolls from my childhood were. so maybe this is a good way to get kids to eat vegetables.

More about UCC. they have 4 of their own beers, a pale, an amber, a hefe, and something else, but based on the colors represented, maybe a dark one? obviously, i tried the hefeweizen. it was decent, nothing special. It was served with one of those fancy drink slices of lemon, not something substantial enough to add much flavor. But for only $3 it may be the best deal in the place. I know I definitely got there after happy hour, so i'm inclined to believe that's the price at all times.

They have a mechanical bull. It costs $5 to ride. No one was drinking very heavily, and only the young children were playing. Yes, if you're a kid a mechanical bull looks like fantastic fun. But if you're a bit more grown up and you understand why grown ups like the mechanical bull, it's just a little creepy. Creepy like the article in last week's daily breeze about teaching children belly dancing, because it builds self-esteem.

Paraphrased: "It cost's $5 to ride the bull?? even for girls?? isn't that the whole point of the bull, to watch hot girls ride? shouldn't it be free? don't you think they sell enough drinks to make up for the cost?" says Ryan

Yes, of course I agree. Girls shouldn't have to pay for anything, especially things related to, and suggesting sex. I was outraged when the bouncer tried to make us pay full price to crash Matt's bachelor party. But nothing ever came of the conversation. Maybe though, one night after a few too many $3 beers, some kind-hearted boy with ulterior motives will pay my way on the mechanical bull. Or maybe I'll break down and pay the $5 myself, which will cause plenty of ulterior motived boys to talk to me.

wow, this post got really long.

you'll shoot your eye out

Christmas Story Home Sold on eBay

I can't believe I didn't get a chance to bid! I totally would move to Ohio. I think that's where they're from in Family Ties. And you know I love my Alex P. Keaton. Basically that's all I know about Ohio.

Who wants to come with me when the Christmas Story museum opens?

Happy April 1

It's another psuedo-holiday and there are no festivities, and no cupcakes for me.

Google's prank is ok. Neopets' prank is a little bleh. There's not much difference between the ridiculous "new" pets and the ridiculous real pets. Kevin and Bean's celebration is cool. although I'm sitting here at work rather than taking part in the debauchary that may or may not actually be happening at venice beach. There's some lame story on yahoo news about some software company marketing he revolutionary new product that actually turns out to be speaking. ha, talking about something common place in language that makes it seem extrordinary, i've never heard that one before.

does anyone know of anything good? taco-liberty-bell good?

i'm bored. if i was less bored and more motivated there'd be links in this post.

USA sleuth

In class this weekend we all have a short bibliographic instruction (known as BI in the library world) assignment. it actually sounds kinda fun, everyone is assigned a source, then the prof asks a question and if your source can answer the question then you tell everyone a little about your source and how to use it.

So my source is www.gpoaccess.gov, the entire freaking government printing office. some other people have tough sources like that. and some people have things like imdb, the OED and world book encyclopedias. a freaking dictionary, what can you possibly say? look words up alphabetically.

either the professors hate me or they think i need a challenge. i do need a challenge, and this is a useful one. but if they hold me to the same standards as the person who gets imdb, that's completely unfair.

so if anyone needs to find something printed by the government, i'm your USA sleuth. although, everyone who reads my blog is computer literate enough to use the site without any help. the only hard part is that i need to memorize the fringe information they keep on the site, just in case.