whoops... a belated happy holidays everyone!

I love the giant wreath :) It was a great Xmas but now I'm very much ready to move on to the new year!

A picture is worth a thousand Swedish meatballs

Somebody needs to tell the folks at IKEA that some words translate poorly into the English lexicon. I think this item can be used in conjunction with other IKEA products called HËRPES and TÖB TOPPS.

100th Post! Yippee! When do I get my gold fountain pen?

It was bound to happen sooner or later :)

Iron Chef

Okay, so I'm not quite a chef per se, nor am I made of iron or iron-like in any way (and judging by the bulge of my shirt, I'd be more of a doughy or marshmallowy chef). But I'm cooking!!! Yesiree bob! I'm in the kitchen and making delicious food for folks – in this case, mini bleu cheese bacon fennel burgers. Mmmmmmmmm.... mmmmmm... GOOD! I know making food isn't such a big dealio for many, but considering that the best thing I could cook up a few months ago was a can of chili, I'm pretty stoked :)

The porcelain bunny was trying to get an M&M all night. Maybe he was just looking at them... anyway, I wish we got more party pictures, but suffice to say it was a lot of fun! A big thanks to all who were there :D

YouTube now TheirTube

Not sure how much I like the fact that Google owns YouTube. After all, they had to pull a lot of interesting content off for fear of lawsuits. On the upside I just watched highlights from the latest Sharks game – apparently the suits have figured out that people like watching video on the internet and now they're posting "official" content. Of course, the way hockey ratings are going, they might as well save some money and just skip broadcasting and post entire games online!

Thy Xmas party cometh

So tomorrow there's a gathering of close friends at our place. And of course, with such a big occasion looming and there bound to being lots of photo taking, I've developed a zit right in the center of my giant forehead. The vastness of the real estate that surrounds it not withstanding, the zit also appears to be framed by my trademark eyebrows ("trademark" ~ "caterpillar-like"). Sigh... I guess I'll be doing lots of photoshopping soon. In the meantime, I'll notify the FAA so they can alter the flight paths of planes landing at Oakland International.

Why the world needs good designers...

I saw this strange ad that isn't for Netflix (tricky!). For some reason, someone thought it was good to show an image of a woman kissing a snowman that looks like he has a giant tumor (or another head) growing out the side of his face. Truly bizarre art direction!!

Friday night was a lot of fun - guys' night out in SF. It almost was called due to severe inclement weather, but Tony saved the day by pushing us out the door and assured us it wouldn't be raining when we got to where we were going. Shockingly (and I really was shocked) it wasn't raining by the time we got into town. Who would have thunk it? Like I said, it was a lot of fun, but here are my drinks in order of disappearance (to the best of my memory): beer, beer, white russian, black russian, irish car bomb, beer.

I think that might be a lot for an occasional drinker like myself, but I'm sure not anywhere near what many people take down in one night. That being said, I was pretty much hung over for all of Saturday, Sunday, and probably a little bit of Monday (did I mention I have a lingering cold or something as well?). Let's just say I'm not going to be wanting anything with alcohol in it for some time!

Sigh... I've looked (and felt) better...

UPDATE: So I saw the ad again and it is a Netflix ad after all! Shame on you Netflix for having such a cool look and besmirching it with such an awful photo!

Yabba Dabba Poo!*

So I've finally moved into the world of serious limb and digit chopping off power tools. The other day I used this bad boy to make a 6 inch 30˚ angled cross cut for a small support for the bracket of a new clothes rod in the closet. I was very anxious before I began, but it was all over in less than a second, and it was a big rush (which kinda reminds me of another first-time experience, but I can't quite recall what.) This particular model has a 'live' indicator, work LED, laser to blind foes with, and it even cuts wood!

*What Fred Flinstone exclaims when he steps in what Dino has left behind. (I just made that joke up and I don't know why I find it so funny - I just do. I was going to make it "Yabba Dabba Jew!" and reference Mel Gibson somehow, but that didn't work out.)

Sne Buh Nuh

I'm feeling nonsensical today.

Shhhh!!! I'm internetting...

How can it be Friday already??? That's what I want to know! I guess between being sick and playing Guitar Hero, the week just flew on by. After taking last week off for vacation for Thanksgiving and not getting any work for another week, I'm starting to freak out a little. Do they remember who I am? Am I out of favor? Was I replaced? So many neurosis, so little time. (seriously, I hope they give me more work soon!)

I'm typing this entry with my new fangled keyboard from Logitech. It's been a long time coming I guess, but I finally got around to wanting to replace my 4+ year old mouse and ended up getting a combo set from Logitech's "Laser" series (soon to be followed by a "Blazer" and "Taser" series I'm sure). I had serious input device envy after Cathryn got hers!

It's super flat and has all sorts of dohickey buttons that I can customize (I have a one-touch button to launch Bejeweled 2 – yes, it's a sickness). The mouse can control volume and to and fro in the browser on top of its normal mousely duties. Best of all, they're both wireless! Which doesn't really mean anything for me since I'm usually chained to the desk, but at least I feel more like a bona fide professional now because I've heard that anything wireless is cool.

Lastly but certainly not least – I often enjoy a wonderful gift Haydee got for me a while back in the form of a nodding Sunshine Buddie. By chance my parents came over and my mom got to finally see it during the day when it works. It made her so happy in the simple way that it works for me, that it was an easy call to know what I'm going to get her for Xmas (I got a green little guy off of eBay – the green one is for health). Now if I can only figure out what to get my dad. Parents are so hard to buy for!