A Sketch of Life

Sofia the Lion Tamer at Wellington Zoo, New Zealand - 4th January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:23:00 +0000

I suppose this is supposed to make me think, "Gee, what a brave little girl." But it doesn't. It makes me think, "How wronged is this lion in pretty much any scenario imaginable?"

Gemma Correll

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:56:00 +0000

Found this artist via a friend's blog and she's wonderful. Here's her full site.

Netflix Stats

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:29:00 +0000

I'm less than thrilled with NetFlix's recent change of pricing structure. More than that, I think it downright sucks. But regardless I have to respect their infrastructure capability from an IT Geek perspective. I even read their tech blog. Anyway, came across this today:

View the full size image

Netflix Raises Prices... World Ends

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:03:00 +0000

1974 flashback

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:02:00 +0000

This struck me as post-worthy for 3 reasons:

1974 is a special year
I LOVED Kiss until I was 8 or 9 years old. Not so much after that. :)
Gene is, indeed, a Jew. I love how the other guest picks it up in about 30 seconds.

Moo Salon

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:18:00 +0000

2011 Roxy Chicken Jam Mascot contest!

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:06:00 +0000

My Blackberry Is Not Working! - The One Ronnie, Preview - BBC One

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:50:00 +0000

IT-guy humor but should apply to just about everyone.

Macabre of Knobs

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:54:00 +0000

Over the holiday break it was pointed out to me that our house had greatly varying styles of door knobs. Truthfully, in buying a foreclosure a year ago we had so much to do that it had never occurred to me to examine the knobs. As they were all replaced I was able to capture just what an insane mish-mash of knobs there are. Of 9 rooms including two closets, there were SEVEN different types of knobs. The photo really speaks for itself. It's pretty hilarious. What the hell was the prior owner thinking? Did they have a knob fetish?

Dear Lean Cuisine

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:45:00 +0000

Dear Lean Cuisine,

I eat your food rarely. That means that I usually eat real food that came from a farm. That being the case, however, your frozen food is pretty tasty relative to "frozen meals" that don't cost $17 and claim to be organic.

But I digress. I am writing to inform you that putting small pieces of cooked bell pepper (regardless of color!) do not enhance pasta, rice or anything else. If you want to insert vegetables into the frozen concoction then please insert vegetables, not colored bits of overcooked foulness.

Love,
gp

Stripes

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 22:11:00 +0000

Thoughts on the Gulf spill

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:16:00 +0000

Random thoughts on the gulf oil disaster in the making
1) Few videos on the internet are worth watching but the one below is indeed.
2) Oil-covered animals = jail
3) You think it's bad now? Wait for the first hurricane to drop oil-rain on some poor schmuck's red Corvette. A joke? No, just wait.

The 2 Minute Seder

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:58:00 +0000

THE TWO MINUTE SEDER (COMEDY)

Coffee Snob

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:16:00 +0000

I'm pretty much a self-professed coffee snob -- not so much a connoisseur but rather I know what I like and what I don't like. Which isn't to say I don't drink the swell, because I do. I have the world's cheapest self-brew espresso maker in my office and I occasionally get desperate enough to use it. That's about as low as I go. I won't drink the office coffee made with metallic-flavored water and dried out grounds. For a while I was only Italian Coffee Maker at home but it got old and I found that it was never enough for the neighbors when they stopped by. So I got smarter, older and lazier and have since moved to only French Press. As much as I enjoy a solid cup of home brew, it's never the same as a good espresso at the local Kean coffee, at my brother's house (he's a lifelong aspiring Barista) or even the delicious espresso shot I had at an Italian gas station in the summer of 2008.

Last week I was in the Pacific Northwest, home of the 24-hr coffee drive-thru on every street corner. You have to love the ambition. You'd think people living in gray rain would want to sleep more, not stay awake to watch the rain. But perhaps it's more a matter of requiring something to pep oneself up during those long winters. Either way, I do appreciate the culture and have mixed feelings upon every visit. On the one hand, I'm jealous of all those great locations for a solid cup'a'Joe. On the other hand, I'd be dead broke because I'd probably stop everyday, twice a day.

Anyway, to my point, I had a cup of "coffee" so interesting while visiting Bellingham, WA this past week that I had to blog about it. Dee Dee and I went to Lettered Streets Coffee House which used to be Toad Mountain Coffee House. Their specialty drink immediately caught my eye. It consisted of a spiced tea blend, brewed and then reduced down to a concentrate. Then they add cream and a shot of espresso and serve in a lovely Italian Cappuccino mug. Fantastic. The creme had hints of cardamom, probably from the spice blend. But as I got into the cup it was a light, frothy blend of brew that I can't even describe. The bottom of the cup became more like a latte. My guess is that a natural separation occurs and the tea aspects float to the top while the espresso moves toward the bottom. Either way, it was fantastic. I don't recall what they called it but I'm sure Dee Dee will comment on this blog entry with the name.

As fanatical as some folks are, I've never quite seen anything like this, so enjoy your "normalcy". This makes insistence on cold-brewed iced coffee made from burr-ground hand-picked free-trade organic beans look childish.

How to Brew a Good Cup of Coffee from Ben Helfen on Vimeo.

Surprised Kitty

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Tangerine does this but not this quickly. Cracks me up.

Gary's speech on Healthcare

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:28:00 +0000

For those who don't know I've been in Toastmasters for 2 years and recently I developed a speech that had excellent reviews. As such I gave it as a test speech at a contest and subsequently was invited to another Toastmasters club to give it a 3rd time. They captured it on video. Maybe it's meaningful to someone out there in the blog-o-sphere.

Hitler finds out no camera in iPod touch

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Admittedly, I'm an Apple fan-boy. I have owned and used a Macintosh since 1986 and have no intention of changing platforms. I wait with baited breath while Mr. Jobs takes the stage and announces products. I schedule time on my calendar at work to make sure I know what is coming, what was real and what was rumor. So perhaps that's why this strikes me as hilariously funny. Warning: you won't find this the least bit humorous if you aren't a follower of Apple rumors. But if you are, you'll piss your pants laughing.

Kitten vs Polydactyl Lion

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:56:00 +0000

How to open a banana

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:01:00 +0000

My co-worker David turned me onto a blog that a friend of his writes. The selling point to me was the "How to Open a Banana" video. As a self-declared monkey (hey, at least I admit it) who loves bananas, this is absolute genius.

Tele-Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:26:00 +0000

D'Plane (crash), D'Plane (crash)

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:18:00 +0000

In March of 2009 I notated on this very blog that planes were falling out of the sky faster than the descent of Bernard Madoff's net worth. I sketched out the crashes on 1/15, 2/12, 2/25, 3/22 and 3/23. Unfortunately for all of us, the trend has NOT stopped. So much so that a second post is needed. Without further adieu:

6/29/09 - Yemeni plane crash kills 150+
6/1/09 - Air France crash from Rio to Paris kills 220+
5/20/09 - Indonesia plane crash kills nearly 100

Now then, I have no real point here. I just traveled on no less than 6 flights from west coast to middle-USA (CO/TX) to east coast and back with little to speak of except expensive water and indigestion. However it's disconcerting that these giant planes (nearly all Airbus planes I will note) just fall out of the sky. The average is MORE THAN ONE PER MONTH. I leave for 4 flights on Thursday. Someone feed the kitties if they plummet, ok?

Paranoid yet?

Tech World is Repeating Itself

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:14:00 +0000

Maybe it's because I've now been in the tech world for several decades (at least in terms of tracing information on a DAILY basis, reading trade publications and now internet publications, etc.)... but I'm seeing a pattern here. Read the following excerpt from T-Mobile.nl relating to the new iPhone:

"600 MHz is notably faster than the current iPhone and iPod Touch which run at 412 MHz and 532 MHz, respectively. Until now, the 2nd Generation iPod Touch has been the fastest device in the lineup by a good margin. Meanwhile, the previous generation models where also limited to 128 MB of RAM, so the new device offers twice as much which could be a welcome change to developers."

Hmm... does this sound to anyone JUST LIKE the late 90's? Pentium III processors had the exact same specs and yet those seem to be in the distant past now. It's not that the technology is the same. Far from it. It's 100-1000x smaller, more energy efficient and fits into a handheld device now! It produces visual effects beyond what could have been imagined 10 years ago. But the pattern is there. Life is completely repeating itself. That means I am both old AND wise (the latter only because I recognized the trend to be nearly identical to 10 years ago!). I suppose it's no different than the claim that came decades before and continually resurfaced. The same claim that still comes up here in my workplace: the "paperless" office is coming. Yah, right.

DC Store is live!

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:35:00 +0000

6 months of hard work. The Sr. VP of Retail, Nicholas, brought to my attention today that I've been launching sites non-stop for 2.5 years as of today. Holy Christ.

VIL
52200040

Vroom Vroom Vroom: Dexter the Car, 13 years later

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:11:00 +0000

I drive a 1996 Acura Integra. His name is Dexter. He's Hunter Green. He has 175,000 miles on him, never been in the shop for a mechanical problem (knock on wood) and still gets me to and from work on the busiest freeway in the USA, 52 miles round-trip every day of the week. He's our sole source of transportation on the weekends because C has a company car that should be used for work-purposes only. I love Dexter.

Dexter's birthday is this month. I got him 13 years ago right after he was born at Euro Motorcars in Bethesda, MD. And yes, that means since I live in CA I got the opportunity to drive him across the country. But there's more to it than that.

A lot of shit happens in 13 years. Dexter has outlived over a dozen "relationships" and Lord knows how many dates I picked up with him idling nearby. He's outlived one marriage to see the blooming of a second. He's driven me to EVERY SINGLE FULL TIME JOB I HAVE EVER HAD SINCE GRADUATING COLLEGE. Yes. I know. Amazes me too.

He's lived in the city, the suburbs and in climates as diverse as swampy, humid and occasionally icy to dry, maritime-based foothills. He's lived over a mile high and right at sea level. He was neither tuned up for one or the other. He just runs. And runs. And runs.

This past week C's father (head mechanic at a local repair shop) helped me out by installing the SECOND timing belt and water pump Dexter's had. He also put some new struts on there. Yes, I wore down the struts on a Honda product -- and they were far from "shot" although they were weakening. I've been through 3 sets of tires with Dexter (approx 60k each set with a few punctures between).

There was an article on NPR recently where someone was discussing the changing car culture. That GM invented the concept of changing models annually to drive sales and how that may change as the landscape of auto-consumerism changes worldwide, especially in the USA. I am absolutely amazed that people would actually BUY a new car annually. What the hell for?

All told, I can't say I haven't had many thoughts about new cars over the years. Three years ago I researched and test drove some cars while visiting my Mom (it seemed like good Mother/Son bonding at the time but really I ended up driving 75% of them with a salesman while she sat in the dealership so it's not an activity I recommend, anyway, I digress). I've looked at convertibles and other Acura's. I've driven my brother's new Acura (his old car is an Integra, by the way; a 1993 model that also still runs like a champ, albeit with less mileage on it).

The sole reason I can think of to get a new car is safety. At the time I purchased Dexter he was as safe as can be. Dual air-bags, anti-lock brakes. Those were "state of the art" and started to become standard in the mid-90s. Fast forward. Now side-curtains, lane-departure warning systems, in-car GPS-based alert systems and back-up cameras are all normal features (and they all have dashes "-" in them as did the 90's features!?). There was a 60 Minutes show 3 years ago that I caught. It compared "Cars a Decade Later" and it was 1996 vs 2006. The safety changes were astounding. I immediately started researching. After all, the 405 freeway averages 78mph in the morning and afternoon commutes and I do not really have a death wish. But when it came down to it Dexter seemed perfectly adequate versus the small, fuel-efficient car I would have wanted anyway.

Dexter has been "rebuilt" twice. Once when I rear-ended an Avon Lady in a Pink Cadillac (yes, it's true!) in 2004 and once when someone hit me in a DC private parking lot in a rental car and left me the nicest note in the world. But he still looks tip-top. My neighbors used to make fun of me because I would be out washing Dexter almost every weekend. And I recall when I first started working that I'd always have a "proud" moment when I would fill his tank to the top and drive into the city (where I lived) for the weekend.

He is also better traveled than most Americans. I drove him from the east coast to Colorado and back twice. And to California as mentioned earlier. He's been to Northern CA and down to San Diego on the left-coast. On the right coast he's been to the TOP of Maine (think Canada border tippy top) and as far south as North Carolina. And everywhere between down South. He's been camping at the Grand Canyon, driven across the length of Texas, revved over a railroad tie in a concert parking lot outside a dark amphitheater (not bad for a ~12" clearance on a sporty car), rear-ended the Avon Lady (I know I mentioned that but in retrospect it's pretty amusing), shuttled my entire family to all sorts of places and provided me with freedom to be me even in Southern CA, land of the car culture. I've hauled furniture with his fold-down seats and giant hatch, driven through blizzards on ski trips (he does NOT like ice so I don't feed him that often). I've taken apart his entire front panel, installed "new feature" stereos for my iPod and even replaced his speakers, tail-lights, etc. Anything that's efficient and provides comfort. I'm not one for bling or "upgrades" to my Integra although it's a popular SoCal past-time with certain cultures.

For the past 7 years he's been garage-kept and he will continue to be until he retires. I don't know if I'll ever trade him in. I think his blue book is under $2k. The last time he was rebuilt in 2004 the insurance company was wavering whether his blue book was worth more than the damages. We scraped by that time. No, I think I'll drive him into the ground at some point, even if he's a 2nd vehicle. And that's that. I have no point. I just love my car and most people don't love theirs. Sucks for them. Choose more wisely next time. You'll be glad you did; even 13 years later.

Motion and Facial Recognition in the new XBox sensor

noreply@blogger.com (GP) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:43:00 +0000

The Wii was nice but it was never compelling enough for me. I'm not a big "gamer". But motion controlled videos? And facial recognition? That's pretty slick. Unfortunately, Microsoft's reality is usually less than perfect vs the demo. Either way it'll be interesting to see what comes of this technology.