Random Personal Stuff

Moved to New York

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Well, hello to all my friends still stuck back in Kansas. I am settling quite nicely into my new life here in New York City. Here's a picture of me driving over the Brooklyn bridge. Pretty cool, huh? I took this in my own car while I myself was driving.

Yes, life certainly is different now. I went out touring the city the other day. Here's a picture I took with my camera at the transit museum. It's awfully strange taking public transportation everywhere. Much different from life in Kansas City.

Here's a picture of my new apartment. It's smaller than the house in Kansas City, but -ha! - that's New York life for you! Life in the big city, yessir.

And here's a picture from the hallway (just so you definitely know it's my new place!):

Well, off I go. Very busy here in the city, and I've got all sorts of new New York friends to go hang out with!

(Look: Legos!)

...that are stressing me out now but will be over soon.

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:01:00 +0000

The way I see it, my life is going to be a lot simpler by next Wednesday.

1) Halloween: We're having a party for the office kiddos. Our room has a mad scientist theme, and I signed up to make this "Mad Machine" for kids to walk/crawl through. It looked really good in my head, but it has been a thorough disaster in practice. I just want to get it over with.
2) Halloween: Am I wearing a costume? If so, when? And what? Interestingly, I have too many good ideas instead of not enough.
3) Halloween: It's our first Halloween in a house, so the first with trick-or-treaters. Do I have enough candy? (Or did I buy too much?) Is the lightbulb on the front of the house burnt out? I think it is.
4) Halloween: And will I get home from the office party early enough to have people over like I planned? Jesus.
5) K-State/KU Game: Seriously, if we look as bad as we did against Tech, I'll have to rip something to shreds.
6) K-State/KU Game: Perceptive is tailgating this game and instead of inviting the family this year, it's employee + guest. That's not a problem - totally understand. We're big and stuff. But since Eric and I have tickets, I got two more for my folks. Unfortunately that only comes with two wristbands for the tailgate...so I think I need to buy two more. Boo.
EDIT: We just got an email about additional tickets and wristbands for employees and immediate family. Huzzah!
7) Class: Our group has a presentation on Monday. I don't think it's going to go very well. But hey - at least it's our last presentation! Yay!
8) Class: ...and in dealing with the presentation, I've been pushing back the other work. It has to get done at some point. See also: it's the last presentation.
9) Election: Holy crap. The election. If I weren't stressed about the outcome, if NOTHING else I'm ready for the 10-15 emails per day from the KDP and Obama campaign AND the text messages AND the phone calls to stop. Yes - I know I can vote early. Yes - I voted. Yes - I voted for Obama. Yes - I'm signed up to volunteer this weekend. GO AWAY!!!
10) Election: So stressful, it deserved two.

Waiting for Wednesday.

...that make me a huge dork.

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:47:00 +0000

1) I'm officially a fan of NPR on Facebook
2) ...and yes, I donated to my local station during the recent pledge drive.
3) It makes my day when my comments on The Economist's website are recommended.
4) I can name recent Secretaries of State more easily than recent finalists on American Idol.
5) I think the only thing that could make Terry Tate, Office Linebacker, any funnier is adding Sarah Palin to the mix.
6) I do math puzzles for fun.
7) This picture is hanging at my desk. And I get a lot of positive comments about it.
8) Also at my desk is a list of the Top Ten Things Heard from a Klingon Programmer and an XKCD comic that puns on the word 'pointers'
9) I reuse my plastic bags.
10) {{Your reason here! Leave it in the comments...}}

**EDIT: Here's another one. I opened my "fun-size" pack of Peanut Butter M&Ms I brought for lunch today, and sorted them all into piles by color. (If only that's where the dorkitude ended...) There was one yellow M&M, one blue M&M, two green M&Ms, three orange M&Ms, and five brown M&Ms. "Oooh!" I thought, "lucky me! Fibonacci M&Ms!"

Still riding to work

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:30:00 +0000

...or trying to, anyway. 40 degrees seems to have been my limit so far, though I'd like to go colder. I noticed the hourly weather tracker I use has added three new graphs: one for snow, one for sleet, one for freezing rain. I'm thinking anything on those graphs at all means "Take the car, you idiot!"
This morning was quite nice. Left before the sun was up, and it was very peaceful.

These past few weeks have been nuts. I'm not sure where everything is suddenly coming from, but it seems like I'm never home. I've had a couple people off craigslist contact me to come look at something and I have to tell them, "Well, I've got 7:45-8:30 on Tuesday, or between 5:30 and 8 on Wednesday, or before 11 on Sunday. Does any of that work?"

I never know what to write here.

ORLY?

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:50:00 +0000

So I was on The Economist's website reading their article about the 2nd presidential debate. One of the comments on the article ended this way"I'm terribly weary of snark. To candidates: calm down, agree to disagree, discuss details. In short, debate just as high school students learn to do in debate classes."

This tells me one of two things. Either this person is 87 years old, or they learned everything they know about debate from The Great Debaters. Now at first I disputed his point, saying that running a presidential debate would be terrible. Now... now I think it is the best thing ever and I am dying to see it.

Imagine. Obama/Biden (code D1) vs. McCain/Palin (code R3). They flip for sides before the round. The affirmative must defend their policy platform, while the negative attacks. Since they can't exactly defend status quo, but no fair offering counterplans. At the second debate, they swap sides.

Joe's the 1A. He's got crazy gravitas and he'll give a mean 1AR. Joe Biden has never dropped an argument.

Besides, Barack has to give the 2AR. With that kind of speaking ability, he'd have lay judges eating out of his hand. Obama'd have the theory down pat.

John's got the 1N. They figure he's gotta open for the team, plus, honestly, I bet Sarah'd give a really terrific 2NR: "Now, Tom, don't let him stand up here and say we didn't talk about spending, 'cause it just i'n't so!" Oh, she'd be a slimy debater for sure. "If we can save just one unborn baby... it's significant!"

Of course, one of them would probably insist on going maverick...

I want to see them pull off a Politics DA... "My opponent wants to do this, which will make me win, which leads to nucl-- oh shit ... hold on..."=

Other great moments from this debate:
"According to me in October 2007...."
"...could cause a loss of biodiversity, which leads to extinction (Miller 06)"
"Yes, Tom, the order will be the Spending DA, Medicare DA, topicality, then a flowed underview if I have time."

On the other side?
John has to be the 1A. Sarah couldn't handle the 1AR. Frankly, I don't think either of them could. John would waste a minute of his time saying "My friends" at the beginning of every sentence, and Sarah's flow would be nothing but a squiggly picture of a moose.

Barack and Joe would tear them apart in the neg block. Joe Biden has never once dropped an argument.

What would the resolution be?
Resolved: The citizens of the United States shall elect a president and vice-president, under whose leadership the United States Federal Government shall establish policies to form a more perfect union, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

The more I think about this, the more I want to see it... presidential debate? 90 minutes. high school debate? oh -- 90 minutes. The only problem?

Debate is elitist.

...that give me hope (1 thing)

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:56:00 +0000

Just one thing to share today, but I think it's something really beautiful. It's easy when following the news to become depressed or cynical... to believe that everyone's either selling something or being duped by the pitch... to believe you have severely underestimated the general stupidity and cruelty and selfishness of the masses. So here's something I offer to you when you're feeling down and need to have your faith in humanity restored.

KivaVision.

Enjoy -- and don't say I never gave you anything.

...books I've read recently

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:59:00 +0000

I've read 50 books since Feb 14. The date is just coincidental - that's when I started tracking. The last 10 on my reading list (oldest first)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Blood of Mystery (The Last Rune #4) by Mark Anthony
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Dead Beat (Dresden #7) by Jim Butcher
The Gates of Winter (The Last Rune #5) by Mark Anthony
The Supreme Court [in progress]
La rebelión de los niños by Cristina Peri Rossi [in progress]
Proven Guilty (Dresden #8) by Jim Butcher
What's the Matter with Kansas? by Thomas Frank [in progress]
White Night (Dresden #9) by Jim Butcher
Small Favor (Dresden #10) by Jim Butcher

...I'd pack to travel with the Doctor

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:35:00 +0000

Now, the first trip you usually just get caught up in. But after that, you get a chance to go back to your flat and grab a few things. Here's what I do:

1) Write a note for Eric and my mom. Moms always slap the Doctor, and that's bad.
2) Pack an overnight bag with deodorant and contact solution. Maybe a change of clothes. At least clean underwear.
3) Running shoes. Good for running from nasty aliens. Always lots of running.
4) MacGyver kit time. In absence of my own sonic screwdriver, I start with a Swiss army knife
5) Fishing line (dental floss okay in a pinch)
6) Small conducting metal ingots (coins okay in a pinch) - good for shorting or creating a circuit.
7) Cell phone. You'd think you wouldn't get coverage out there and then, but you will.
8) Lighter - still on the MacGyver thing. Maybe a flashlight. Flame or light - always tough. Both if I can find 'em quickly.
9) Ballpoint pen. Good for disassembling for tools or writing.
10) Camera. Totally.

...on my mind today.

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:36:00 +0000

1) Fixing the four new critical bugs that got assigned to me yesterday. after I'd managed to clear my list. Go figure.
2) Finishing my homework (homework!?) for the week
3) Figuring out why I cannot upload files to Blackboard.
4) Tonight is Wednesday Weekly - hurray!
5) Gotta remember to TiVo the DNC tonight, given that it is Wednesday Weekly
6) DNC watch party tomorrow...
7) Giving a presentation on giving presentations for class. So meta!
8) Am I going to swim practice tomorrow?
9) Wow, Hillary did a really good job last night. I've gone back and forth on this one, but today, it's "Aw, she would have been really great..."
10) Speaker at work this afternoon. Not gonna get much work done. Will have to make that up at some point... wonder when.

...coming up on my calendar.

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:06:00 +0000

1) swim practice, 6-7pm
2) homework (homework!??), 7:30pm
3) Kiva translations, Wednesday
4) Kansas City Irish Fest, Friday
5) swim practice, Saturday
6) Williams Fund Tailgate, Saturday
7) KU Football home opener against Florida International!, Saturday
8) Labor day - no plans. Kind of a nice change.
9) swim practice, Tuesday & Thursday
10) First Friday fun

Now what's unusual here? Normally it would never take me a week to get to the next ten items on my calendar. Must be a pretty quiet week. Look at that - no plans on Sunday or Monday. I'm sure that'll change. I have a way of stuffing the gaps.

And a special bonus list, The One Thing That Concerns Me About Barack Obama:

1) He's a White Sox fan. I just don't know if I can vote for someone like that.

Right is wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:31:00 +0000

I read once about a model who insured her legs for millions of dollars because they were so critical to her professional life. I wonder what that sort of insurance would cost me....

Biking has really taken a toll on my right leg. Why right? Because you mount and dismount to the left, which means the right leg is the one moving. The bike is to my right as I walk it. The chain and gearing mechanism is on the right.

As I said, my right leg is a mess. I have scabs and even a couple scars all up and down my right shin from the pedal coming around and biting me, or from hitting it while walking my bike. My knee is skinned in three different places from an accident this morning (turns out slick tires aren't called slick for nothing). I have a bruise the size of my hand on my inner thigh with a bump that feels like a tendon running through the middle of it. That's from a slight, ah, misjudgment while mounting. The top of my right thigh has thumbprint-sized bruises all over it.

I have no idea what they're from.

Metablogging

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:47:00 +0000

No, dear readers, I haven't abandoned you. I've just been reading blogs a lot more interesting than my own...

For no particular reason but that I want to shout it to the world, here is a list of 20 things that Tony (of TKC) hates:

Things Tony Hates:
1) Gloria Squitiro
2) Mayor Funky
3) People from So. Johnson Cty
4) People from No. Johnson Cty
5) White people
6) Anything white people like
7) Cyclists
8) The Kansas City Star
9) The Power & Light district
10) Light rail
11) Ignoring National Enquirer stories
12) Everyone in Kansas City government
13) White people
14) First Friday
15) Wiccans
16) Foot massages
17) Gloria Squitiro
18) Mayor Funky
19) Gloria Squitiro

And our grand finale...
20) Anyone who is not Tony.

...in other words, I'm done reading. At some point, you're not hip and edgy anymore, you're just an asshole with a blog.

Good Corporate Citizen

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:23:00 +0000

I know I don't have a huge reader base or anything, but I want to give a shout-out to Phillips for being good people. I've used one of their Sonicare toothbrushes for...oh, years now. It's a Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable battery with a charger base. But, after this this many years, the battery has died and I'm left with a non-replaceable lump of toxic metal. I don't really think much of this design, but...maybe they had their reasons. So I call up their customer service line today and ask if they have any sort of a return program where I can ship them my old toothbrush and they'll either recycle it or dispose of it responsibly. And they do! Very exciting.

So good job, Phillips. I will happily continue to give you my business.

Observations

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:48:00 +0000

A couple more observations from the seat of the ol' eBike, and, following that, the first in a new series.

I've figured out that of speed, range, and minimal exertion, I can have any two of the three. I can go fast for a long way, but I'll be working hard for it. I can go pretty fast with almost no effort, but only for a very short distance. Or I can go for a long way with very little effort, but I'll be going very slowly. The last one is the option I lean towards most in my commute.
I've found the best way to optimize battery life and assist while not making the motor overheat is to take a little bit of assist nearly all the time. Just a little. No gunning it. Then I adjust the gears to where I'm exerting myself...just a bit. Not too much, but not not at all, either.

There are a few different drivers I hate. Here's the profile of one of them: He approaches fast from behind me, brakes suddenly. Even though the lane is clear to pass, he idles behind me. I can almost see him stewing and fuming. Finally, he gives up, rapidly accelerates in a huff, and cuts close in front of me. You, Mr. Large Black SUV in the Target Parking Lot, win Douche of the Day.

And now the first in what may or may not become a new series: "Peculiar Things I Am A Bit Of A Snob About." Today's peculiar thing: tan lines.
I've little but contempt for the perfect tan - you know: the delicate and even bronze tone with nary a tan line to be seen? Those tans can only be gotten through dyed lotions or bakebeds. Tan in a can. Cancer on a mat. I'm proud of my farmer's tan, dorky as it is. A tan with lines - many lines, uneven lines - means you worked for that tan. You worked outside or you swam or went running out of doors. You spent a week on the river rowing. Hell, you watched a ball game and roasted half of your face. You earned that tan. It's all-natural.
No fake bake, no tan in a can. You earned that sucker. And you girls whose only tan lines are from the strings of your bikini? You missed the train.

Tuesdays with Lawrence

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:46:00 +0000

It's becoming a habit, I suppose. Last week we did Bunker Hill and Free State Brewery. This week we went a little further south on Mass St. and ate at a new (to us, at least) restaurant, Genovese, and saw Nightwish at the Granada.

The restaurant, Genovese (that's Jen-oh-vay-say, not Jen-oh-veez), is Italian brought to you by the people who brought you Mexican at La Parrilla and East Asian at Zen Zero. It advertises itself as northern Italian cuisine with fresh seasonal ingredients. Well, I can't tell northern from southern, but I could tell local and fresh. The basil on our flatbread appetizer tasted like it had been plucked from a plant just before reaching our table. We did their Tuesday special - 2 people split one appetizer, one soup or salad, one pasta or pizza, and one dessert. More than enough food, and everything was just wonderfully delicious. It's a great option in Lawrence for Italian food - especially if places like Teller's or Paisano's aren't in your budget.

After dinner, the concert. Nightwish is a symphonic metal band. If you're into the genre, you may object to the classification - I've heard fantasy metal, progressive metal, operatic metal - whatever. It's amps, guitars, drums...a female vocalist and symphonic instrumentation. And they put on a hell of a show. Awesome high energy, decent but not over-the-top lighting and smoke effects, and a good mix of their songs. I was screaming like a little fangirl by the last couple songs. Go check out a couple of their songs on YouTube or something.
I was surprised at The Granada also. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but that was my first time being there. Being smoke-free makes it really nice. And it had better ladies' bathroom facilities than the Beaumont (honestly, guys, 2 stalls?). The reentry policy was also more forgiving, which ended up being useful. Finally, it had a lot of multi-tiered standing area, which meant even if you're, say, 5'4" and got there a little late, you might still see some of the show.

Back to reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:40:00 +0000

And now, back to your regularly scheduled blogging:

Bunker Hill
This movie is brought to you by the same fellow who did "C.S.A," KU film professor Kevin Willmott. General premise is a little like Jericho - small town in Kansas becomes isolated after disaster. There is no electricity, and the cars won't start. The townspeople, scared and lacking any information, start on their own personal revolution, ending in demagoguery and xenophobia. Targets of their rage include the town's single black man, gay man, Pakistanis, and independent thinker.
It's not exactly a feel good movie. It ends with an old-fashioned Western-style shootout in the town's square. In a lot of ways, it draws heavily on the Western tradition. The modernity comes in the post-9/11 way these townsfolk justify their new militia and gunbarrel justice.
I was terribly dissatisfied with the ending, which is abrupt and inconclusive. Maybe I'm just a peon movie watcher spoiled on Hollywood endings, but I wanted a LITTLE more closure.

It's only playing at Liberty Hall, and closes Thursday. But if you like a movie that'll make you think about how people respond in crises - try to make it out there.

Beware of God by Shalom Auslander
A delicious little collection of short stories. It's a couple hour read if you do it in one sitting - which you might be tempted to do - but the short stories make it easy to break up if your reading tends to come in 10-15 minute chunks.
The short stories deal largely with our human relation to (obviously) God and the Hebrew God and Judaism in particularly. They vary from absurd to tragic to funny - a very dark humor - all enough to entertain without being cheeseball fluff.
In one story, a man in a near-death experience discovers that God is a giant chicken. In another, two hamsters anxiously await the return of their Savior, Joe. In still another, an average man thwarts God's carefully laid plans for his death, forcing God, Death, and Satan to take matters into their own hands on Earth.
Read this book. Read it now!

Materialism? Maybe.

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:20:00 +0000

Trying though I am to take to heart the lessons of Unclutterer and other Live Simply blogs and columns...there's still stuff I want. Here are some of the items on my wish list...

1) A new threshold for our front door. This one's definitely more on the "need" half of the spectrum since it would mean tremendous energy savings. You can currently see daylight at the bottom of the door on the hinge side.
2) An outdoor clothes dryer. With a couple different mounting stands, we could set this up either indoors or outdoors, and seriously reduce the amount we have to use our dryer.
3) Patio furniture. Table, 4-6 chairs...and an umbrella would be ideal!
4) Panniers for my bike (such as these, for example). Much as I adore the Third World Chic of the milk crate strapped to the back of my bike, it has a couple drawbacks. One, it butts up against my seat and means I have to sit way forward and can't take advantage of the nice soft seat. Two, it's a lot harder to remove and carry into a store with you than the bags would be.

So if any of you want to buy me a present, I just provide this as a convenient starting point. :-p

You don't get a title today

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:05:00 +0000

Woe be unto you, Creepy Blogreading Guy, aka "Secretary of Keeping it Real"... I'm on to you. And your Double Wide IPA-loving life of lies...

Moving right along.

Today was the first day of KC's Bike Week. Naturally I rode to work. Then (and here's where I start questioning my mental stability) rode home, was home just long enough to change clothes and change bikes, rode to the Trek Store, went on a group ride, then rode home. 28 miles total today. And I spent *nearly* the entire time from 5pm-8pm on a bike. But we saw some really pretty areas of northeastern Shawnee and western Merriam, and it was a lot of fun. A lady from City of KCMO came out with freebies to promote bike week. We got little zipper packs made from reclaimed bike tubes and bracelets from reclaimed... climb ropes? I think? Anyway, they're both branded "green guru" which makes me happy. :)

Oh, I've been delinquent in giving you reviews. Today's loser: Home Delight Chinese Buffet. Located at SMP and Quivira, just west of the HyVee, this one is a real must-miss. My first clue should have been that all the staff was more, ah, Hispanic-looking, soccer-watching, and Spanish-speaking than your normal Chinese buffet. And in addition to Egg Foo Young, the buffet sported flautas. And nothing was particularly good. So kids, in your lust for Chinese buffets, I urge you to look elsewhere.

Letsee...haven't really been to any movies lately...oh! We played Mario Kart for the Wii at David's apartment in Omaha when we went up for his graduation. I'm NOT generally a Mario Kart lover - I usually spend more time running into walls, going the wrong direction, and getting generally grumpy than actually doing any "racing." This one, though, was really fun! I used the little steering wheel attachment, which I thought made it rather nice, though the "gamers" of the bunch were generally derisive. Screw them. But yes - a very fun group game, and friendly to non-Mario Kart freaks.

Finally - FINALLY - got and read "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" by Michael Chabon, which was all the rage on public radio shows last summer. I requested it from the library, and apparently so did everyone else. Makes sense that public radio listeners would be public library users. Buncha leeches. So though I requested it in June of 07, I got it at the end of April. It was good - glad I hadn't been EAGERLY awaiting it for that long - but I liked it. It's definitely a mystery novel, which isn't usually my genre of choice (as you may have noticed). But Chabon has a really nice way of weaving a whole bunch of threads together into a tidy package that at the end makes you say, "Oh, well that's nice then." without being a sentimental piece of tripe or another action-adventure novel. If you like mysteries or even just non-genre fiction, check it out.

Good night, and good luck.

Driving Lessons from my e-Bike

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:49:00 +0000

So for those of you who haven't talked with me lately, I bought an electric bike over spring break. Second hand - pawn shop in Scottsdale. I love it. First, a couple FAQs:
Q: How does it work?
A: There's a 36V battery stored in the frame. You can ride it like a real bike, then use the thumb throttle to kick in motorized assist.
Q: So you could ride it like a motorcycle?
A: You could, but you wouldn't get very far before the motor overheated and/or the battery died. It's definitely an assist; I'm pedaling the entire time.
Q: How far can it go?
A: Not really sure - I haven't pushed the limits. It depends, of course, on your terrain and how much assist you're using. On my 6.5 mile, hilly commute to work, depending on the assist I take, I arrive with anywhere from 50-90% battery remaining.
Q: How fast can you go?
A: Again, not really sure. I don't have a speedometer, and I really don't trust its supposed rating of 20mph. I hear the motor stop assisting on some downhills, though, so I know it does have a max, and I know I've reached it.
Q: Do you still ride your old bike?
A: Yeah, I use it for recreational or athletic rides, or when I'm riding with someone who doesn't have a motor. Also, since the battery adds SO much weight to the e-Bike, I use my mountain bike for very short, relatively flat trips; it actually uses less energy for me.

The past couple weeks, I've been using my eBike a lot for commuting and running errands, and also begging rides of off people from work. I filled up my gas tank for the first time today since April 15th. That's roughly twice as long as I had been going during the winter. I've also been employing a few driving practices learned from my eBike to increase my mileage by about 2mpg.

1) Judicious use of the gas pedal: Energy is energy, right? Whether it comes from my two legs, a battery pack or a gas tank. And the less of it I use, the better. Riding the eBike gives me a very clear picture of how much energy I need to get through a hill. Driving in the same way helps me save gas.

2) The shortest route isn't always the best: Sometimes, a route that's slightly longer, but much flatter or with fewer stoplights may actually use less energy.

3) Drive by RPMs, not MPHs: My increased mileage was mostly done by keeping my RPMs under 3000. Your RPMs may vary - the early model CRVs were built on a Civic chassis, so they take more power than the engine really wants to provide. Eric's been working on keeping his under 2000; I can't even move away from a stop light under 2000.

4) Slow down and enjoy: You start biking enough, you don't worry too much about getting there in a hurry. It's odd, but I've found I *do* often have the time to do my errands by bike. I can do this in my car, too. My car performs MUCH better at 60-65 mph than at 70 or faster. Though I get some strange looks on the freeway, I haven't gone faster than 70 in a few weeks, and have been generally trying to keep my speed around 65. Similarly, on city streets, if my RPMs dictate that I'd do better at 35 or 40 than 45... well, I can usually manage that, depending on traffic.

5) Stuff is closer than you realize: Start mapping this stuff - most places you want to go (at least for errands and entertainment) are less than five miles away. Just think about it. It doesn't feel like it, but five miles will get you a long ways from home around here. I don't go anywhere in my car anymore without considering whether I could do it by bike.

Signed,
your hippie friend.

You like musicals?

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:11:00 +0000

On Sunday, we went to go see "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)" at the Quality Hill Playhouse. It's a parody of various musical stylings, featuring five mini musicals, each modeled off a different famous writer/team - such as Rodgers and nHammerstei or Andrew Lloyd Webber. It's a small cast - four actors and the pianist - and each plot features the four actors in the same role (Hero, Heroine, Villain, Mentor) and generally the same plot - the Heroine can't pay her rent.

But the parodies are spot on, and even when I didn't recognize the writer's name (for example, "Kander and Ebb") it was pretty clear by the time that particular segment finished.

And we kept laughing the whole time, laughing until my side hurt and smiling until my cheeks hurt. The singers were extremely talented, too, with great voices and a knack for using them in just the right way for that moment of the show. If that level of talent is normal for Quality Hill, I'd definitely come back.

The playhouse itself is a small venue - maybe a couple hundred seats, tops. We were in row G...the back row. The lobby is tiny and unimpressive, but the bathrooms are nice. The small stage area means you're not relying on a sound system either, and the singers and instrument(s) are plainly there in all their natural beauty.

The Musical of Musicals at Quality Hill is playing until May 11, and I'd encourage that anyone who's been to a few musicals and enjoyed them go see it.

A Generation of Rhetoric

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0000

We have ants. Crazy ants. I'm trying to be a good little eco-hippie, though, and NOT respond by spraying toxins all over my house and property.

So we've cleaned up the food in the kitchen that they're attracted to, wiped down the counters with a vinegar and hot water solution, and traced them back to the gap in the window sill they're using to seal it up. It worked... for awhile.

But last night, we left our dirty plates sitting on the counter overnight. And this morning, the bottom plate was BLACK with ants - a thick stream of them marching from the window sill, across the wall, down the cabinet, across the counter, and to the plate. So I was late to work cleaning all that up, getting rid of the ants, and sealing yet another gap.

A really good person (better than I, perhaps) would see this as an opportunity. The ants are helping us find all the gaps in the wall where cold and hot air will enter, and they're also encouraging us to keep the kitchen clean. Sparkling clean, in fact.

But...uggggh!! They're creepy and crawly and gross! And Eric was at the point this morning, though he's been supportive of eco-hippiness before, of suggesting ant killer.

I reminded him that we'd decided they were okay outside, under the deck where they live. It's only coming in that's a problem. He retorts: "Maybe they're not fine under the deck. We must fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here!"

At that point I declared victory since using Bush rhetoric clearly nullified any reasoned argumentation.

Later, though, I bit my own critique. Eric argued that our current counter-ant strategy was no longer succeeding. I countered: "It is working. Our strategy is working, and we will continue stay the course. We are winning against Al-Antae in OurDeq!"

Yeah, I lost that round.

Taj Mahal

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:21:00 +0000

Decided to eat from the "KCUR MemberCard" list last night, so we headed out to Waldo to indulge in some Indian food from a little place called Taj Mahal.

For atmosphere, I like Korma Sutra better - mostly for the owner there, whose enthusiasm is infectious. And also, Korma Sutra's OP location is closer to us.

But the food was really very, very good. If I found myself in the Waldo area and was hungry, I'd definitely look them up. Both Eric and I were in mild gastrointestinal distress last night, but I'd attribute it more to overeating than any flaw in the food...we took home no leftovers, you see.

So that's that. Good stuff.

Stardust

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:22:00 +0000

Well, I probably won't actually get to that backlog promised in the last last post, except perhaps by special request (ie, you writing in the comments that you want to know about something). So to satisfy my throngs of eager readers [*snicker*], here's my latest review:

I read "Stardust" over the weekend, then watched the movie. Now, I will say that I read the book in Spanish, so it's possible that I missed something in the translation... that it might have actually been funnier or maybe deeper... but frankly I don't think so.

I found the book to be disappointing and the movie to be better, but still confusing. The book was, for the most part, written like a children's book, almost a deliberate imitation of The Hobbit (which I hated). Characters go along, do things, run into almost no difficulties, and when they do, they extract themselves with teeth-grinding simplicity. 80 pages in, nothing had really happened. At 100 pages, the "mission" of the book is accomplished, and all that's left is getting home. The problem with seeing it as a sweet children's book would be the explicit language (more an issue in English than it was in Spanish), one fairly graphic sex scene, and a couple scenes of rather descriptive violence perpetuated against a unicorn. These scenes were all the more discomfiting because they're so unexpected in this sort of book. It's like you're watching..."Aladdin" say, and Jasmine suddenly takes her top off while Aladdin yells "Holy fuck! Check out those knockers!" ...and then you're right back to the regular movie.
It lacked depth, it lacked character development, it lacked conflict. There are two other groups of people chasing the star, but it never really all comes together in the grand finale the way you'd expect; the other plot lines just peter out before the end.

The movie was better...in that it wasn't a total waste of my time. We get the grand finale, which is really quite good, and there are some scenes of visual humor that were really entertaining - though they had little to do with the book, that was a good thing in this case. My only beef with the movie is that some of the funny bits were WAY out there - ie, the smart-alecky ghosts and the gay pirate - that I found myself wondering whether the movie was deliberately a spoof/parody or whether it had just ended up that way. There were parts that took themselves seriously, and parts that I said to Eric, "Okay, this HAS to be a parody of a fantasy movie." Anyway, it was a cute bit of fluff, but I'd still recommend going to see "The Golden Compass" for those wanting a bit of high fantasy to go with their evening.

I have a collection of Gaiman's short stories coming in from the library soon, so I'm pretty excited about that.

Book Larning

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:57:00 +0000

When I attended the kick off of The Big Read project last year, one of the questions on their readers' survey was: "How many books did you read last year?" It's a simple enough question, and one that all too many Americans, statistically speaking, would have a difficult time answering greater than zero.

I should have started it earlier, but in the middle of February of this year, I started keeping a list of the books I was reading. Here's my list so far - though I swear I think I've forgotten a couple...

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke [incomplete]
The Mighty and the Almighty by Madeleine Albright
Empire by Orson Scott Card
Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection by Isaac Asimov
Tales of the Black Widowers by Isaac Asimov
Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare by Isaac Asimov [incomplete]
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare (with Asimov guide)
"As You Like It" by William Shakespeare (with Asimov guide)
"Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare (with Asimov guide)
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman
The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman
Memo to the President Elect by Madeleine Albright
An Isaac Asimov Second Omnibus by Isaac Asimov (including "Pebble in the Sky", "The Stars, Like Dust", and "The Currents of Space")
The Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
Time's Eye by Arthur C. Clarke
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Simple Prosperity by David Wann [in progress]

So here's where it gets difficult to count, difficult to answer the simple question, "How many books have I read?" For example, do I count Jonathan Strange... since I didn't finish it? (Probably not - I wasn't even halfway through when I put it down) Or Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare - it's a reference book. I've read in the book, but certainly didn't read it cover to cover. Also, does each Shakespearean play count as a separate "book" for counting purposes? Similarly, in the Asimov Omnibus - that included three separately published novels, each in the 150-250 page range. Was that three books? Or was it once since it was published into one binding?

I guess my best answer to this question is: 13 - 20 in two months.

Basketball and a Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Sairen) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:02:00 +0000

Before I get back to my regularly scheduled reviews, I have some thoughts on basketball. First a preview of upcoming reviews:
* Jimmy Eat World's new CD, Chase this Light
* The new KC Live! restaurant "Tengo Sed Cantina"
* Mexican restaurant, Fronteras in JoCo
* The Codex Alera book series
* New DVD release, Death at a Funeral

- so stay tuned!

And on to basketball.

Obviously there's been a lot of talk lately about KU, UNC, and Roy. I admit, I still harbor some bitterness. Don't get me wrong - Self is a great coach, maybe even a better coach for KU. If I could swap back, even before last night's game, no way. So why bitter? Here's my extended analogy to explain the bitterness:
Okay, so here I am, Kansas. And I'm dating this guy, and we're pretty serious. Sure, there'd been a couple rough spots, but that was all in the past, and we're together. Not quite engaged, but people know it's coming. Engaged to be engaged or whatever that is. And even though people keep asking, "Hey, when are you gonna get married?" and heaven knows we've talked about it enough, it just never seems to happen.

So then suddenly, this guy's ex-girlfriend calls him up, asks if they can go out to dinner, just catch up whatever. Before I know what's happened, he friggin' dumps me and goes back to his ex! And then, get this, they get married. That's his championship - he goes to back to his ex and they get married.

Back to me, Kansas. So I get a new boyfriend, and he's awesome. Probably better for me right now than the old guy. But I'm still pissed off at him for breaking my heart. Finding a fabulous new guy eases part of the bitterness. Meeting up with him at the high school reunion and showing off helped, too. That's when we beat them. Getting married myself will ease the rest of it.

So that's what I'm waiting for - our wedding, our championship. Beating them was step one - winning it all will end this silliness completely.

I told you it was one hell of an extended analogy.

And seriously, my priorities are way out of whack today. If I found a genie today, this is about how it'd go:

"You may have one wish."
"Oh! KU wins the national championship tonight!"
"So shall it be don-"
"Wait! World peace! I meant world peace! Shit! And end to hunger - oh, come on, no do-overs??"

Yep.