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everyday minutae interesting links

popemobile? hell no, but this is what god would drive if he needed wheels.

so how many of you were aware i’m looking to part with my beloved z car (in my profile pics) in the next few months? well i was going to sell it to a friend just after my birthday and likely swing toward the infiniti g35 sport coupe, the sister (or older brother, depending on how you look at it) vehicle to the z. that is, until this morning… i discovered something else. take a peek, but grab and toss on a diaper first:

infiniti coupe concept

the infiniti (g35) coupe concept, shown at the 2006 detroit auto show last month. it’s expected chance of being produced is supposedly 100%, and the press release mentions it as the next release, pointing to a 2007 model, released late-summer/early fall. i can’t wait.. what do you all think?

The Eminem Show

listening to:
The Eminem Show
Eminem

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everyday minutae miscellaneous thought of the day

crap photos, you may be guilty.

so the other day i was ranting about the state of fradulent information posted by minors. well here’s another nitpick on the photos people post.

first is the ‘bedhead’ photo. you know the ones… where it looks like the person was caught unexpectedly while enroute to the bathroom in the morning; all pale-faced and sick-looking. it’s fine that photos like this occur, but please folks, there is nothing flattering about them, so why post them to the world as the (sometimes only) image to be THE image most representing of yourself?

second is the ‘foreign/strange child’ photo. in these, we often see the person share the spotlight with a child, usually one that isn’t their progeny, but rather a godchild, niece/nephew, friend’s kid, etc. i find two issues with this. first, kids are supposed to be cute…that’s how nature makes them, so we don’t pitch their whiny asses out the door when they get annoying. by posing with a child, unless the kid is really ugly or you’re far above average in the looks department, you’re going to look worse by comparison. second, because the focus is split, people often feel the need to disclaim the child isn’t theirs, perhaps to eliminate the thought we all probably have anyway upon seeing someone with a young child: that you might be a whore or some other equally negative connotation. this disclaimer usually manifests itself in one of two ways: a byline which appears in text near the photo (“not my kid!”), or a disturbingly messy scribble over the photo from MS Paint’s airbrush tool, usually in pink or black, and always with such sloppy craftsmanship that with even rudimentary skills of handwriting anaylsis, your opinion is overshadowed by the discontent that the person may be mentally incapacitated to some extent. i mean, if you’re going to ‘retouch’ a photo, let’s put a little more effort into it so it doesn’t look like the work of Big Bird on an LSD binge while being autoerotically asphyxiated by snuffleuppagus’ fuzzy proboscis.

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everyday minutae

this will be my last post…

of 2005. happy new year everyone!! 😀

Before the Robots

listening to:
Before the Robots
Better Than Ezra

Categories
everyday minutae thought of the day

TOD: gifts & the miracle drugs of wisconsin

thought of the day: in what scenario is receiving not better than giving?

after a week and a half respite, am i ready to go back to work next monday? i doubt it. don’t get me wrong, i’m quite excited to be starting my new responsibilities (as well as sloughing the old), but there’s just something about being without responsibility for a spell that really makes one question the unfortunate necessity of having to slave one’s life away just to survive. then again, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with even the most tedious toil, and i personally believe the more gruelling and labourious a task, the more rewarding and satisfying one feels upon its completion.

anyway… fast-forward about a month; that’s how long it’s taken to write this entry…

two weeks ago i spent a 4 day weekend out in eastern wisconsin, ultimately to attend u2’s vertigo tour playing in milwaukee, 9/25. let me just say that the four hour drive was nearly unbearable, no matter how many creature comforts i surrounded myself with: my ipod, the plush leather seats, cruise control, multiple zone climate control, etc etc. i guess all the “things” in the world just don’t make up for the simple company of another human being, which i believe would have improved the quality of such a long drive. don’t get me wrong, the trip overall was more than worth the effort, but i can talk about that in just a bit.

Categories
everyday minutae

roller coasters aren’t always things of amusement

it’s certainly been a roller coaster of weeks, this; plenty of ups and downs to share, and i’ll try to summarise, because as we all know, i get awfully wordy if let run amok.

i suppose it’s best to go chronologically, at least for recitation’s sake. last weekend was a bit of lost intention. instead of travelling up to spend a beautifully scorching couple days at the lake, i instead planned to hang with my cousin and play volleyball with some girls he’d met a couple weeks prior… that was the only thing keeping me home and unfortunately it fell through, and tentatively postponed until this weekend, which also fell through. i guess that’s a sign that i wasn’t meant to meet these ladies.

tuesday was saddening as i learned my uncle had passed away. it wasn’t a surprise, as his battle with regaining health was a gradual loss at that, so there was no initial shock or disbelief to overcome, just the wake of sadness. for me, ron was always one of the highlights of each summer’s family reunion, since he always had stories, advice, and other general wisdom about nearly anything i could imagine; and because he was from a different part of the country (deep south)–with its own culture, customs, etc–it was both differently insightful and a special, rare occasion. it’s strange how we as human beings are always chasing one horizon or another, yet in the end we only ever reach one, and have little more to show for it than becoming the benchmark and horizon for someone after us.

thursday was interesting… i happened to come in early due to a malfunctioning internal sleep clock, and found myself thrust into a meeting–fashionably late–where i learned i was being promoted, finally, after two years. the finest details have yet to be worked out, but i’m incredibly thrilled with this new opportunity, even if it means i won’t be directly involved in the design and production of the materials so many people have come to know as my work. at least now i can finally order those business cards with the proper title; i’ve been holding out since my promotion has been ‘just around the corner’ for the better part of this past year, and everyone knows how i like wasting things.

for whatever reason, it seems as if i had more to report, but apparently this is the end for now. progress on the photography gallery is slow but sure; i’ve put many, many hours in, and have only a margin over 100 to show for it, with at least a few hundred more to go; should be interesting to see the time sheet when i’m finished.

Songs of the Unforgiven

listening to:
Songs of the Unforgiven (a morbidly delightful concept album)
Crash Test Dummies

Categories
everyday minutae poetry

seuss, foos, and your eyes new (poem)

it’s the end of another week… my oh my how the time does fly. crikey.. i’ve been on this seuss-ical binge of unwittingly rhyming almost everything i intend to say. it’s some sort of fun, but i can only imagine how tiring it must get for those around me. but then i was never one to censor myself in favour of expressing someone else’s preference.

speaking of rhyming, i just finished putting some polish upon a poem i’ve been trying to write since the end of last year; and until last weekend up at the lake floating carelessly about in the paddleboat, i just couldn’t get enough substance out of the idea. i’m not going to share my inspiration (or in this case, personal declination) for writing it, but a savvy few might figure it out. again, i write with a strange bipolar specificity where things are both vague or ambiguous enough for anyone to read their own ideas or life experiences in, yet simultaneously explict about a common singularity.

anyway, my ‘listening to’ link below is a pre-release of the new foo fighters album, in your honour, due out in a few weeks, that i’ve been tirelessly listening to the past few days, and can say without a doubt it’s the best album so far this year (despite all my other pre-release copies, including coldplay, black eyed peas, oasis, even better than ezra (which is a great album in its own rite, by the way)); i can’t stress enough how brilliant and listenable it is. be sure to pick up a copy!

new poem: your new eyes

In Your Honor

listening to:
In Your Honor
Foo Fighters

Categories
art & photography everyday minutae

sunny revenge of the treadmill

today is the first sunny day both this month and boy have seen. yes, it’s partly cloudy, and blustery as all get-out, but dammit does it ever feel good right down to the core of me to stand outside and have the warm sun cancel the cool breeze, with the full-headed trees’ leaves all applauding the wind’s concert.

i’m trying to arrange some of my recent photography… spring always tends to be the most photogenic in terms of colour variety, with everything in bloom and the the hang of the sun in the sky just-so, casting itself so uniquely this time of year. i’m going to try and refrain from any further photos of myself until i get more requests… it’s a mixed bag, i tell you, to try pleasing everyone at once. for every two people who want more, one person comments how many there already are. i have a good mind to go through and tidy that gallery up as it is. i have plenty of new drawings, paintings, etc that i’m working on scanning, resizing and whatnot so i can update the art gallery. it’s been so long it seems, and i certainly haven’t been idle the whole time. i’ll try to post a few new items below nonetheless.