Sir David Attenborough’s What a Wonderful World
This is just my way of keeping track of all the ephemera that I find while traveling the intertubes.
Ask me anything
December 11, 2011
December 11, 2011
An Excellent Visual Comparison of Earthquake Strength
December 7, 2011
December 6, 2011
HMS Ocean doing a lipdub of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas”
Their deployment was supposed to have been 7 weeks. Turned into over 7 months.
From the description:
Realities of deploying:
15 babies born while the ship has been away (fathers did get home to see mum and baby)
5 people were sent home so they didn’t miss their own weddings.
1 sailor whose son’s third birthday is on homecoming. Family meeting ship
November 30, 2011
November 24, 2011
November 14, 2011
Nov 14: I’m thankful…
… for my dog Bailey.
She’s currently asleep on the couch next to me, snoring and farting in my general direction, but I love her anyways.
I almost gave her up. I got her 2 weeks after my first dog died suddenly. (I got my first major puffy wrinkle under my eye from crying about Cooper’s death.) I thought I could handle having another dog, and then I proceeded to cry whenever I interacted with Bailey.
So after a week I thought, oh well, this isn’t working, back to the rescue with her for a much better home. But then I got a text from the doggie sitter (it was her first day there) that Bailey was howling for me.
Oh, hell. She bonded with me and I hadn’t noticed.
So I kept her. If she hadn’t cared for me, then I would have given her up. But she bonded. Hard. The fact that I simply gave Bailey a quiet, relaxing, peaceful, non-abusive home (even if I cried around her) was apparently paradise for her. After awhile I reciprocated the bond.
I’ll always miss Cooper. But I love Bailey.
November 13, 2011
Nov 13: I’m thankful for…
… health insurance.
I went hiking today with a friend and our dogs. About a half mile in I stepped in a grass-filled hole and hurt my ankle. While at first it didn’t seem that bad, pretty soon it was apparent that I couldn’t just “walk it off”.
After hobbling back to the car, wrapping it, and a couple hours of ice, I decided (actually my mom decided, via long distance phone call) to go to the doctor.
It was annoying. I had to get an x-ray (while hopping around) and had to wait for the doctor for an hour (who gave me the diagnosis that I had “destroyed” my bifurcate tendon and that it would be a “pain in the ass” for 3 weeks.)
But you know what? Could have been a lot worse. I could have broken it. I could have destroyed one of my other tendons (I apparently destroyed the most forgiving tendon in the ankle). And I could have had to pay for it all out of pocket. Instead I paid $50 for a co-pay and $40 for a cane and meds. That’s annoying. That’s REALLY annoying, but I’m not going to go hungry because of this accident. I’m not going to lose my job. I’m not going to lose my apartment. And I’m not on the hook for hundreds of dollars.
My foot is currently elevated, wrapped to within an inch of its life with a bag of ice on it, and I’m not looking forward to hobbling down the stairs to take the dog for a walk, but it could have been so much worse.
November 11, 2011
Save the Rich by Garfunkel and Oates
November 9, 2011
November 9, 2011
The ultimate rage comic. Gives incredible perspective on what is actually involved in living a life. Yeah, you might think your life is over, but you may still have decades left.
November 9, 2011
Nov 8: I’m thankful for…
… a working car.
I’ve never been a person who pined for childhood. I love being an adult. The utter freedom of being able to get up and go somewhere is absolutely fantabulous. And a car is key to fully enjoying adulthood. Yes, I worry about global warming (and my expanding waistline), so I try to walk when I can. But being able to pick a remote spot on the map and drive there? Wonderful.
November 8, 2011
Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of Magic's HIV announcement
Wow, it’s been 20 years.
The most remarkable thing about this is, when he made that announcement, everyone thought he would be dead within a year. Yeah, he said he would beat it, but that’s like saying “Yeah, I have stage 4 cancer, but I’ll beat it.” You’d like to hope for the best, but you really expect the worst. I felt so bad for him, for his wife, who, IIRC, was pregnant at the time. I thought his life was over.
I am so happy for him, and for all the others who have survived what was once a gruesome death sentence, but is now a manageable, chronic illness. May a cure be found for all of them.
November 8, 2011
Sign of the Apocalypse #4,217: There’s a tropical storm* in the Mediterranean.
*OK, it’s tropical storm like, but still.
November 8, 2011
Nov 8: I’m thankful for …
… my iPod.
I’m not tied to my iPod. I don’t consider it a “necessity” of life. (Having been homeless during blessedly short periods in my life, I understand necessities.) But I’m very thankful for all the possibilities that the iPod represents.
My first album was an actual album. I got Michael Jackson’s Thriller as an LP. Before that I had various Disney soundtracks, which I thought were very neat since they had scenes from the movies on the record. I know what these are for. I know how to get a record player to repeat a song (you had to aim the handle just right in order for it to go back to the correct groove.)
But my iPod? I have thousands of songs on it. I can listen to Adele’s Someone Like You over and over without a thought. If I’m in my car and I feel like listening to some band, I just look it up on my iPod. Podcasts are awesome. Recorded lectures on Tolkien are pretty neat. And books on tape are a great way to pass the time in airports. All of these changes within a brief lifetime. And for someone who loves music, this is great.
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GPOY
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Anonymous asked: I'm the guy who wrote Civil War vs. WWII Presidents. I ment who would win in a fight. All of them are at the peak of their stregnths.
All right, so let me reset the question.
You asked:
Civil War Presidents (Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Harrison, and Mckinley) vs WWII...
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Play
Amanda Palmer – Vegemite (The Black Death)
This reminds me—I’m out of Vegemite.
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I posted this once but I still think we all can learn so much from it.
I encourage you to read this, it’s the best piece of advice I have ever...
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HOLY SHIT!
This video is on Kottke, Dangerous Minds, and TheDailyWh.at right now. Everyone is awesome.
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So you found a girl
Who thinks really deep thougts
What’s so amazing about really deep thoughts
Boy you best pray that I bleed real soon
How’s... -
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I’m gonna file this under things that get me annoyed: When people leave me ask messages (not on this blog, but my side blogs) telling me to queue...
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Wrote a little something for EW.com about my experiences at the MTV. Check it out if you’re so inclined.
