Pub Quiz: It. Is. On.

Ed and I have been tossing around the idea of hosting pub quiz for a while now. Well, next Wednesday that idea will be realized. Let's get right to it. Here are the pertinent details:

Location: The Landmark @ 644 E. Olive Ave. in the heart of the Tower District
Time: 8 pm on Wednesday the 13th
Cost: $5 per person with a maximum of 6 people per team
Potential upside for participants: A little brain exercise, free drinks, cash and/or prizes, a shot at winning the jackpot

Now here are some other details. You should arrive early so you can sign in and pay for your team's entry. Make sure you build a diverse team because questions will span politics, world news, geography, pop culture, music, sports, anything is fair game including Kate Gosselin's terrible new weave. This is Trivial Pursuit meets Jeopardy meets booze. It's the real deal and it's fun and a great way to support a local place, hang out with friends, and learn things like the fact that Mt. Everest is indeed 29,029 feet above sea level at its summit. Remember how Clay Aiken wasn't actually an American Idol winner? Well now you'd better.

Also, we need your support. Pub quiz isn't fun if no one shows up. The more the merrier and the more money that goes into the jackpot. We're mixing economic stimulus and brain stimulus. So study, keep up with current events, maintain your alcohol tolerance, be there and be a square.

More bowling

So, the one piece of poplar was cut into three pieces and then six pieces and then 24 pieces. Then they were progressively glued back together and now with the help of some bone-crushing clamps and said glue, it's all one piece again.


Tomorrow morning will be the lathe work and carving to see if I managed to orient these green-colored wood pieces into anything interesting.

Too much information

Look, I know everyone poops and pees (to put it in mild terms). I'm a grown up. I know these things. There are just certain times and contexts when it's really, really not necessary to elaborate on those activities.

I try to interact with my coworkers on a friendly level, share common concerns with them, interact in a conversational manner, you know, maintain an amicable attitude, not make waves, etc, etc. So, when I hear from a coworker that their wife is going in to have some medical tests done, I share my concern and ask a normal question like, "Oh, is it serious?" expecting a response that lets me know if it's normal stuff, bad stuff, or whatever. You know, the basics of conversation and interaction:

"My wife is going in for tests."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Is it serious?"

"We're not sure yet, but she's having dietary issues."

"Well, I hope it's easily diagnosed and taken care of."

"Thanks for your concern."

You don't have to run through the gritty details. I'm not a doctor. I don't need to hear, "Well, whenever she eats protein-heavy food it gives her diarrhea and she vomits," especially considering she's not present and may not want those details shared anyway.

But hey, I hope they figure it out because that sounds terrible.

Waiting for the bus

The first and last parts of my drive to work take me down streets that a major bus route (28) also runs on so I often see people waiting for the bus while I zoom by in my little car. Very frequently, I see people straining their eyes down the street, or even stepping into the street to look and see if the bus is coming. It's bizarre to me. I even rode the bus for several months and never felt inclined to do such a thing. My peering down the street won't make the bus get there any faster.

Is it just a way to pass the time? Are people doing an impatient dance?

Super Super Bowl bowl

Well, since the surface planer went down, things in the shop have kind of come to a stand still. That sucks for two reasons. One, because I can't get any work work done and two, because I can't get any personal work done. I have a coffee table and a desk I'd like to get started on like two months ago.

So, in lieu of that, I started a small project. My coworker was kind enough to plane some boards at home for me. I'm gluing up a bunch of small pieces to be stacked and turned into a bowl. I got an email from an artist forum I participate in saying that a good project for January is to try and build a bowl by the time the Super Bowl starts. Get it?

So, here's a few of the pieces (poplar) being glued together like veneer. I'll post more pictures of my progress and then put it up for sale when it's done (assuming I finish it).

Wednesday Smile: a coming together of sorts

Here we have, for the first time, three kitty cats within a two foot radius which are not hissing or growling or pawing at each other in an aggressive manner.
I call it a kind of Mexican standoff, minus the guns. Or, if we want to be political, this is the beginning of the cold war where we find out which kitty cat backs down or lands a cat-commanded capsule on the moon first. Either way.

All I know is I'm glad to see Bepu, Domino, and Ivy all "getting along" together. It's a funny little grouping of unlikely roomies. Ivy, the too cute for words SPCA rescue. Domino, the pest of a kitten who couldn't be trusted to leave his previous elderly cat roommate alone. And Bepu, the central coast relo; now a reluctant, central valley feline.

They really all just came out to listen to my finally connected digital surround sound. I've had a Sony receiver and speakers and a Bose sub-woofer for 8 or 9 years just sort of collecting dust. Tonight, I finally wired it all back together and went to buy an optical audio cable (fiber optics are still so badass) to run from the TV. So awesome. We all watched the rolling gun fight that follows the bank robbery in Heat. Lots of snappy gunfire and echoing; insanely (and realistically) loud. The home theater is looking awesome. Now, to get that PS3 and some cable hooked up. Then I'll only be a couple years behind the times again. Oh, technological catch-up. Damn you 7.1 surround sound and 3-D televisions and smart phones!

Still my most favorite lolcat ever

I rediscovered this today.

It still makes me laugh. I think it lies in the subtle use of "w" instead of the "l". I can almost hear a cat yelling that.

And, it appeals to my sense of defensive driving.

Canada bans books on U.S. flights

Wowzers!

Books are apparently dangerous enough that they need to be checked on U.S. bound flights from Canada.

Edmonton International Airport spokeswoman Donna Call said the new rules mean all backpacks and rolling suitcases must be checked. Books, magazines and even children's toys must also be checked, she said. Finally, even exempt items will be limited, which means that a single passenger cannot carry-on a purse, a coat, a laptop and a diaper bag.

Way to go Canada.

Brit Hume: fool

So, Brit Hume goes on Fox News and announces that the way to fix Tiger Woods' life is to become a Christian. Of course, in the course of that, Hume denigrates Buddhism (the supposed belief system that Woods subscribes to).

HUME: He’s said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, “Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”

The classic, "My god is bigger than your god," argument. We all know that belittling another religion is a really good way to offend people (see: lots of war; also terrorism). Rightly so, Hume received negative feedback for his idiocy. Even better, a Buddhist quotes the Bible back at him in a rather pithy smack down:

I don't like to point out others' faults, but given the record I would think Christians would show a little more humility about offering advice to the sexually wayward. As Jesus once said, let those who have never sinned throw the first stones (John 8:7).

Damn. Does that sting Brit?

Of course, Brit Hume is an idiot and totally missed the hypocrisy of his behavior while he and Bill O'Reilly blather on about the persecution of Christianity:

HUME: I’ve heard a lot of terrible comments from people who claim that I was a pompous jerk who had no business mouthing off on the subject and that I shouldn’t have belittled the Buddhist faith and so on. I really wasn’t trying to belittle and demean. [...]

O’REILLY: But what do you think drives the negative comments about Christianity?

HUME: It has always been a puzzling thing to me. The Bible even speaks of it, that, you know, you speak the name, Jesus Christ, and I don’t — and I don’t mean to make a pun here, but all hell breaks loose. And — and it has always been thus. It is explosive. … It triggers a very powerful reaction in people who do not share the faith and who do not believe in it.

Yes, those negative comments about Christianity, precipitated by the negative comments about Buddhism. You're not being lambasted for your Christianity. You're being lambasted because you're a callous prick talking about something with assumed authority. If you want to pontificate about how Tiger Woods may turn his life around, perhaps you should have become a therapist and not a dumb-ass pundit.

Just stupid.

Two things about today

Dismantling a tool can be fun and frustrating at the same time. Lots of pieces to keep track of for three weeks.


And a general response to something else going on in my life regarding volunteerism. Vague directives and a lack of a foundation, coupled with rare communication and oversight are all bad things for me when it comes to doing a job well. Let's just say that if things don't change for the better or at least show promise to, I probably won't be volunteering for this again.

To my mind, it's clear that finding that right balance of strong solid management which doesn't trample individuality is a hard thing to find in this world. The reins always seem to be waaay too loose or waaay to tight. And all I know about it is how to point out where those failings are but not how to fix them. It's probably a personal thing for me, which is why I like working by myself or in pairs or trios with trusted allies.

It also doesn't help that I/we weren't working from a clean slate. It was a muddy start and I always felt like I was in murky territory that was half explored. Anywho, that's enough of my vague musings on trying my hand at something I probably shouldn't have tried my hand at.