Helium Oxygen
Posted on | February 9, 2008 at 5:07 pm | Comments Off
A warm, beautiful day today in Colorado, and here I am inside paying bills and writing a blog entry. I ain’t gonna write much though.
I’ve been getting a lot of hits on my blog the past few days due to web searches pointing to this entry that I wrote last week. The hits are due to its title, Bromine Barium. I titled the post after the elements used to make the logo in the TV show I reviewed in that post, Breaking Bad. The logo of the show has a partial periodic table of the elements, with “Br” (Bromine) at the beginning of the word “Breaking” and “Ba” (Barium) forming the first two letters of “Bad”. I thought it was just a cute creative affectation since the “hero” of the show is a chemistry teacher. But now I’m guessing it’s more than that, and that those two elements are somehow involved in the making of the drug that the character on the show is cooking up, since the searches leading here also include the name of that drug. So, sorry potential drug lords: no recipes here. Move along. Gosh darn it, I’m so naive.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 38°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Open Your Eyes” (Dreams So Real)
- “I Go Astray” (Jason Falkner)
- “The Speed of Life” (Sun & the Moon)
- “The Nondescript I” (Graham Smith)
- “Nadine” (Frank Black)
- “Children Of The Revolution” (Lloyd Cole)
- “Midnight Show” (The Killers)
Latre.
Everything But The Kitchen Sinkhole
Posted on | February 8, 2008 at 10:56 pm | 8 Comments
I complain a lot. So maybe I should make a list of the good things that happened to me today. Which will most likely be followed by the bad, just to balance things out.
- I was able to run this morning, for the first time since Sunday. The sidewalks were pretty clear of ice, although the intersections were still bad and I had to be careful around them.
- The commute into work this morning was zippy. Sixth Avenue was actually clear for once. I think it was because of the giant I-25 sinkhole which closed off that highway. Since I-25 was closed, there weren’t as many people clogging up 6th Ave trying to get onto the Interstate. Good thing I don’t live up north though.
- I successfully replaced the battery in my 3rd Gen 30GB iPod this morning. It was pretty easy and only took 10 minutes or so using the included prying tool and instructions. I didn’t damage it, and the new battery seems to work fine. I listened to the iPod all afternoon at work and it didn’t come close to running out of juice. The only minor problem I had with the replacement procedure is that there’s one point where you have to thread the battery wires under the corner of the motherboard, and the wires on the replacement battery were thicker than the original ones. I ended up having to loosen the motherboard a bit and lift it up to get the wires under it. I saved a lot of money replacing the battery myself instead of having Apple do it, and I got a sense of satisfaction out of it.
- During that marathon iPod listening session, I finally finished 2fs massive 158-song listening diary. There was a lot of good stuff in there that I hadn’t heard before, and it gave me some good ideas of bands to check out in more detail. However, there was also a lot that wasn’t quite my cup o’ t. Nevertheless, I resisted the urge to skip to the end of a track if I didn’t like it, which was pretty hard on some of those longer droner songs. Thanks for putting the thing together, 2fs, but ummm…. how about hiring an editor next year? I especially liked the “album” of covers. Joe Jackson doing Steely Dan’s “King of the World” time-jumped my brain back to my college days instantly. I could almost smell the smoke.
- I watched last night’s episode of Smallville, which featured the long-awaited return of Green Arrow, and the first appearance of his future paramour Black Canary. The good: BC’s costume – I love that they kept the leather and the fishnets, though I wish she had longer hair. The bad: They turned her into a right-wing mercenary. Although by the end of the episode, GA had convinced her of the error of her ways and she was on her way to joining his nascent Justice League. And this episode was a bit of a break from the Kryptonian soap opera that has been the focus of this season, which was good. With the introduction of Clark’s cousin Kara (Supergirl) this year, they’ve really been delving into the goings-on on pre-explosion Krypton, and it turns out that Krypton wasn’t much different than the locales of other WB/CW programs like Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill. Hijinks and hormones-a-plenty. I guess even alien planets have their melodramatic situations. I’m somewhat disappointed that Superman’s mom Lara Jor-El (played by movie Supergirl Helen Slater) is kind of a slut. And wow, there sure are a lot of Kryptonians on Earth (in both the past and the present). Though this is all different and unusual for the Superman mythos, I’m still longing for the previous season, with it’s burgeoning crowd of heroes from the comics (including the Martian Manhunter!) and its focus on pretty boy millionaire Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. This episode (and the previous one with Bizarro and Brainiac) hearkened back to the best of last season. And we finally got a resolution to the Lois/Oliver romance, although that was dripping a bit too much with irony, knowing what’s ahead for Lois and Clark.
- It looks like the Writers’ Strike may be almost over. Here’s hoping they get what they want/need and don’t just cave in to pressure.
And a couple of “good thing” leftovers from last night:
- When N and I went out to dinner, the little girl at the table next to us, who looked to be about 2 years or so, came over and hugged me as her family was leaving the restaurant. We had been making funny faces at each other throughout the meal. I thought it was very touching, but if I were the parents, I’m not sure I’d be so keen on her embracing strangers. I think she was with her grandparents, actually.
- Lost continues to enthrall and I’m glad it’s back. This week’s episode was better than the season opener and moved along at a good clip. Putting the focus on the “rescuers” (the “boaties”? the “freighties”?) and their back story was an interesting choice that paid off. And things seem to be moving pretty fast, for once.
And the bad from today:
- My Prius doesn’t seem to be getting as good gas mileage since I got it back from the body shop. It’s averaging around 39 mpg instead of the usual 46. I can’t imagine what they could’ve done that would affect that, since the engine and drive system and all weren’t damaged. Maybe I’m just driving it differently, since I was so used to the rental Cobalt.
- Work was pretty chaotic and busy, even if I was able to listen to the iPod. Although I guess a busy workday is better than a boring one. The time did go pretty fast.
- N and I didn’t get together today. I’ll see her tomorrow though.
- My neighbors down the street are having a big party tonight and didn’t invite me! Their guests parked in front of my house though.
Hey, the good wins!
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 29°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Green” (Dandy Warhols)
- “Credit” (Buzzcocks)
- “Don’t Wait” (Elefant)
- “One to Three” (Les Savy Fav)
- “The Hidden Flame” (Bill Nelson)
- “Not Like You” (Poster Children)
Pet Peeve of the Day: How come whenever I wash my jeans, they always come out of the washer with one leg inside out? It happens no matter how many pairs of jeans I have in the wash. It’s always just one leg. Very annoying, since I have to fix it before putting it in the dryer, and I get my hands and arms all wet. There’s some weird physics at work there, I’m sure.
Latre.
Tsunamilanches
Posted on | February 7, 2008 at 10:09 pm | 2 Comments
I got nothin’. Didn’t even jog today because of some lingering ice/snow on the ground, so no iPod songs to post.
Okay, I do have one thing to say. Remember how last Friday I talked about the Thundersnow we got? There’s actually a Wikipedia article about this rare phenomenon, that already mentions our storm. I found out about this from a blog entry in today’s YourHub print edition. A tree was destroyed in the storm, and a house damaged. These are indeed the End Times.
Now I’m just waiting for MudHail. And Hurriquakes. Wasn’t all this in the Book of Revelations?
I’m sorry! I repent! I do believe!
Latre.
Bromine Barium
Posted on | February 6, 2008 at 10:16 pm | 6 Comments
Done with the “day” titles at last!
I just watched the first two episodes of the new AMC original series Breaking Bad. I’m not sure how an original show like this ends up on the “American Movie Classics” channel, but like the channel’s other original show Mad Men, it’s aimed squarely at folks who don’t really seem to fit the demographic. But I applaud AMC for putting on this kind of edgy, adult show. They’re the new FX or HBO. (Note I haven’t actually watched Mad Men beyond the first episode, but I do have the whole first season recorded and plan on getting around to it eventually. The first episode had me very intrigued.)
Breaking Bad is a “dark comedy”, the story of a high school chemistry teacher named Walter White, played by Malcolm In The Middle patriarch Bryan Cranston. Walter is 49 and has two dead-end jobs (he works at a car wash as well as being a teacher), a younger, pregnant wife (Deadwood’s Anna Gunn), and a teenage son with cerebral palsy. He’s a dull guy, though he really loves chemistry, and his students give him a hard time. Could it get any worse? Of course! One day he also find out he has inoperable lung cancer and a year or two to live, even though he’s not a smoker. He doesn’t do what you or I would do and tell his family about it. Instead, he decides to start making and selling crystal meth, with the aid of an old junkie student of his (played by Aaron Paul), supposedly so he can get some money to allow his family to live more comfortably after he’s gone. As plans go, it’s a pretty desperate and stupid one. And, this being TV, filled with complications. But y’know, without all that, there wouldn’t be a show. The show’s creator is Vince Gilligan, who was responsible for some of the more demented stuff on The X-Files over the years.
This is indeed a dark comedy, one that’s similar to, but even darker than, Showtime’s Weeds, which I didn’t think possible. The two episodes shown so far have depicted a roller coaster ride with hardly any time to breath. Things happen pretty fast on this show. It’s definitely more “dark” than “comedy” and like a lot of shows these days, it doesn’t totally give you someone to root for. Walter seemed like an okay guy before he went crazy, but I had little empathy for him before or after his transformation. He definitely is the kind of geeky high school teacher you’d want to pick on if you were his student, and you wonder why he ended up with a hot, younger wife. I’m trying hard to find something to like about his character, but aside from wanting to take care of his family and his geeky interest in science, there ain’t much there. He’s still kind of a blank. This is definitely the age of the anti-hero on TV, and I think things may be going a little too far. I really want to sympathize with the guy, but he’s just makes stupid decisions and doesn’t have much of a personality. (I think I’m rooting more for his stupid drugged-out ex-student accomplice.) Walter has to keep doing worse and worse things, his veneer of civility begins to crack, and he separates himself further and further from the rest of society. Yet, I’m sure the show is going to prove to us that even though he’s dying and he’s doing bad things, He’s Never Felt So Alive.
Speaking of edginess, the show does feature violence, gross-outs, “sexual situations” and dialog, intensity, and some profanity, much like the FX stable of original shows. The “S” word is spoken. The “F” word is too, but it’s been “rubbed out” (i.e not bleeped, but they kind of muffle it) like BBC America does to Torchwood*.
I’ll probably keep watching the show for awhile, since it is somewhat unusual and has its entertaining moments, though I’m building up something of a tolerance for “shocking moments” in these kinds of shows. The acting and writing are generally good, even if the premise is a bit wonky and totally unbelievable. I never thought I’d say this – I must be getting old – but sometimes I long for a conventional good guy who is pure of heart and all that. But I guess I’ll settle for the Nebbish Who Does What He Must. At least I can relate to him a bit more personally than I can to Rescue Me’s Tommy Gavin or the plastic surgeons on Nip/Tuck.
Latre.
* – I’ve actually been watching Torchwood on HDNet rather than BBC America. The new episodes are delayed a couple of weeks, but at least they show them uncut (the episodes are actually longer) and uncensored (full frickin’ profanity and more nudity), and the picture quality is some of the best HiDef I’ve seen (BBC America doesn’t do HD yet). Those Brits sure know how to do it right, but it’s weird that to get the full experience, one has to watch it on a different channel than BBC’s domestic outlet.
Peaceful Easy Tuesday Blogling
Posted on | February 5, 2008 at 8:37 pm | 4 Comments
Ever have one of those perfect moments, when all seems right with the world? Those seem to be happening less and less to me of late. It always seems like there’s some underlying worry or discontent underlining even my most happiest of times. I think that’s partly because I have a lot of trouble being in the moment and I’m always thinking of what the future holds.
Since I left my car at work last night, I had to take the bus in this morning. I guess I’m glad I did. The morning commute, as I predicted, did look pretty bad. It had snowed all night and was still snowing when I left home. Although it probably was not bad enough for me to have had big problems if I had driven, other than the extended commute time. It’s hard to feel Zen-like on the bus, though maybe I’ll get there eventually. Work was fairly chaotic in the morning and I had trouble getting my mind into the right space.
So for lunch I decided to walk over to Mt Fuji and get some sushi. By that time, the snow had stopped, the sun was out, and the roads were getting clearer. But it was cold, and there was slush around and I couldn’t avoid getting my shoes dirty. Nevertheless, the couple-of-blocks walk to the restaurant wasn’t too bad. I ordered the two roll lunch, which includes miso soup and salad. I forewent the usual gyoza, as I’m trying to cut down. For my rolls, I had Alaska (salmon and avocado) and Spicy Crunch Tuna. I grabbed the latest Westword and started reading. When the food arrived, it was just perfect. I like that Mt Fuji’s rolls are 8 pieces instead of 6, so it was just the right amount of food. Sitting there, reading Westword, munching on wasabi/soy-dipped rolls and occasionally glancing out the window at the sun-dabbled newly-fallen snow, I experienced one of those perfect moments. And it was a moment that lasted the entire meal. There were no other thoughts and worries in my head – just the food, the environment, and the reading material. I wanted that moment to last forever. Even though I’ve learned to become a less solitary person lately, I think the solitude of that moment is part of what made it perfect. Sometimes I just need to be with myself. I need to retreat inside of my head in order to get out of my head.
But eventually I had to pay the bill and get back to work, and the chaotic morning became a chaotic afternoon. Still, I’m glad I had that respite in the middle of the day. It made it easier to deal with what the afternoon wrought. Plus, I saw some ducks frolicking in cold Cherry Creek on the walk back to the office, and that extended my moment a bit.
So what’s your perfect moment, and how often do you experience it?
Pet Peeve of the Day: Sesame seeds on sushi rolls. My dear, late friend Bryce used to order his sushi without sesame seeds. I didn’t think you could actually do that, and I didn’t think they really bothered me anyway. Then one day I decided to order that way, and found that yes, I do prefer them sans seeds. So that’s one more way I try to honor and remember Bryce. If you’re with me at a sushi place and I order without seeds, cut me some slack and don’t look at me funny.
Latre.
I Don’t Like Mondays
Posted on | February 4, 2008 at 9:14 pm | 1 Comment
Edds and Onds:
- As I figured would happen, I didn’t win anything in the SuperBowl pool. And I have mixed feelings about the Giants winning; although maybe I just didn’t care that much. Didn’t even pay much attention to the game until the 4th quarter, and I didn’t even see many of the commercials. Sounds like it wasn’t much of a good commercial crop this year anyway. One thing I noticed is that when halftime started and the sports guys were giving their first half recap, you could hear Tom Petty playing “Free Falling” in the background. When they were done with the recap, they went down to the field and the Petty concert was just starting, and “Free Falling” was like the third song he played. So that makes me think that the concert wasn’t really live. The people who were there saw the show right when halftime started, while those of us watching TV saw it delayed until after the recap. I guess that’s one way of avoiding another NippleGate. So am I totally out there, or is that what happened? Maybe Petty played “Free Falling” twice, and the first time was as a warmup?
- My first iPod, the 3rd Gen 30GB, has a dying battery and is down to around two hours of play time on a charge. I was thinking that the new headphones I was using were draining the battery faster because they supposedly use more power. I’m not even sure if that’s possible or a valid concern – I’m sure you hardware engineering types out there could edify me. But I did my own tests and determined it didn’t really matter whether they were hooked up to the headphones or not – the battery still drained at the same quick rate. So I’ve ordered a replacement battery kit from one of those online battery retailers. I’ve watched the installation videos and I don’t think I’ll have any problem replacing it myself. This is the iPod that I primarily use for listening at work or at home, and in my iHome alarm clock. (The 4th Gen 40GB is the car iPod, and the 3rd Gen video nano is for exercising.) I suppose I could just keep it plugged in while using it, but I don’t like having to worry about carrying an adapter or dock around. So we’ll see how well this replacement battery thing works out.
- We got another snowstorm today, and I decided to try something different. The storm started midday and the roads looked pretty slick by late afternoon. So instead of driving home and getting stuck on the roads-as-parking-lots, and risking my shiny rebuilt Prius, I decided to leave the car at work in the parking garage and take the bus home (including Light Rail for part of the way). I think that was a pretty good decision, seeing as how everyone, including the bus, was really sliding around out there and traffic was moving slowly. Plus, it looks like the commute tomorrow morning is going to be just as bad. Hmmm, this mass transit thing is actually becoming a viable alternative.
Pet Peeve of the Day: Dying batteries. The one in my cell phone also isn’t holding much of a charge these days either.
Latre.
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