My fashion IQ is low. I've been slowly picking up best practices. What I've learned so far:
A. Don't wear brown shows with dark pants.
B. Belt is good.
C. Shoes and belt should match (get a reversable one, black/brown)
D. Other things being equal, solids are more formal than checks or stripes.
E. Other things being equal, black is more formal.
F. Some of your clothes should fit, rather than being baggy (doesn't mean tight)
G. Try to find pants that flatter your ass. That usually means looking in a mirror when trying them on.
H. My wife is right.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
New Year's Resolution
New Year's Eve I wrote Playing to Your Weakness. The thesis was that to have a real chance at keeping a resolution, it had to appeal to one of your weaknesses. That might sound odd since resolutions are usually about doing someting better, but that's the kind of cynic I am. I have made my resolution for this year.
The other day I ran across a design at www.cafepress.com that gave me a chuckle. I saw it was available on postcards. I thought, "If you got that postcard from me, you'd think I was cool." Eureka! I have my resolution. Most of my family and friends are geographically distant. I'm not good about keeping in touch.
It can be cool stationairy, cool technology, whatever, as long as it makes me seem cool.
The other day I ran across a design at www.cafepress.com that gave me a chuckle. I saw it was available on postcards. I thought, "If you got that postcard from me, you'd think I was cool." Eureka! I have my resolution. Most of my family and friends are geographically distant. I'm not good about keeping in touch.
I hearby resolve to kee in better touch this year by communicating in ways that make me look cool.
It can be cool stationairy, cool technology, whatever, as long as it makes me seem cool.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Turning 35
January 17th was my 35th birthday. I took off an hour early to go home and celebrate with my wife. Not only were we celebrating my birthday, but we were having Christmas, for us.
I parked in the driveway and headed for the mailbox. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jae bend down and pick up a piece of paper. I stopped when she said, "Oh shit."
"What," I asked.
"This is a check. It was in our bedroom."
Forgetting the mail and the groceries in the back of the car, we rushed round to the back door. Still closed and locked. Must have been a window then, but they all have bars. How?
We entered the kitchen through the back door. Cabnets and cupboards were open; rags from under the sink were strewn on the floor. It was cold. Colder as we headed for the living room. All the windows have bars, but the swamp cooler vents, vented, through one window in the living room. The swamp cooler was lying on its side on the ground, next to the blocks it used to be on. Scattered in pieces were the interior cover for the vent, the insulation. The bedroom was the other room that had been ransacked. The contents of dresser drawers were emptied out on the floor. He took the change jar off the dresser.
The cops came and went. I went and told our neighbors, so they could be on the alert. Ben and Neena came over to wait with us, and on learning it was my birthday, offered to take us out for dinner. We went to the Saigon 2000 Restaurant and Emissions Testing. They make these great sandwiches with the same pork they put in the Bun. On the way home, Jae was talking about the cleaning up, and said that it wasn't any worse than if we ever threw a wild party. That got a laugh, and some riffing on the theme:
"Hey, remember that party where the swamp cooler got pushed out the window?"
"Yeah, and all the sex toys came out of the dresser!"
"That was a good party."
While putting stuff back in the drawers of the dresser, I found a treasure I had almost forgotten. I inherited a watch from my Grandpa Hamm. The watch was just a cheap plastic watch, but the sentimental value it carried was huge. I wore it a little bit, and then one of the corners that holds the strap broke off. For my next birthday, Jae found the case of an old, silver pocket watch, and encased Grandpa's watch inside. I keep it in a black velvet bag in my drawer, and hadn't noticed seen it for a couple years. Finding it reminded me of Grandpa, of how much my family means to me, and how great my wife is.
We exchanged presents, after cleaning up. Jae had found this great photo mat that holds multiple different sized photos. She used it to frame pictures of her, me, my parents, my siblings, and my Grandpa Gentry. It reminded me of Grandpa, of how much my family means to me, and how great my wife is.
Later, as we sat together reading and sipping mulled wine, we could see Ben and Neena's Christmas lights, still up on their fence. It was one of my best birthdays.
I parked in the driveway and headed for the mailbox. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jae bend down and pick up a piece of paper. I stopped when she said, "Oh shit."
"What," I asked.
"This is a check. It was in our bedroom."
Forgetting the mail and the groceries in the back of the car, we rushed round to the back door. Still closed and locked. Must have been a window then, but they all have bars. How?
We entered the kitchen through the back door. Cabnets and cupboards were open; rags from under the sink were strewn on the floor. It was cold. Colder as we headed for the living room. All the windows have bars, but the swamp cooler vents, vented, through one window in the living room. The swamp cooler was lying on its side on the ground, next to the blocks it used to be on. Scattered in pieces were the interior cover for the vent, the insulation. The bedroom was the other room that had been ransacked. The contents of dresser drawers were emptied out on the floor. He took the change jar off the dresser.
The cops came and went. I went and told our neighbors, so they could be on the alert. Ben and Neena came over to wait with us, and on learning it was my birthday, offered to take us out for dinner. We went to the Saigon 2000 Restaurant and Emissions Testing. They make these great sandwiches with the same pork they put in the Bun. On the way home, Jae was talking about the cleaning up, and said that it wasn't any worse than if we ever threw a wild party. That got a laugh, and some riffing on the theme:
"Hey, remember that party where the swamp cooler got pushed out the window?"
"Yeah, and all the sex toys came out of the dresser!"
"That was a good party."
While putting stuff back in the drawers of the dresser, I found a treasure I had almost forgotten. I inherited a watch from my Grandpa Hamm. The watch was just a cheap plastic watch, but the sentimental value it carried was huge. I wore it a little bit, and then one of the corners that holds the strap broke off. For my next birthday, Jae found the case of an old, silver pocket watch, and encased Grandpa's watch inside. I keep it in a black velvet bag in my drawer, and hadn't noticed seen it for a couple years. Finding it reminded me of Grandpa, of how much my family means to me, and how great my wife is.
We exchanged presents, after cleaning up. Jae had found this great photo mat that holds multiple different sized photos. She used it to frame pictures of her, me, my parents, my siblings, and my Grandpa Gentry. It reminded me of Grandpa, of how much my family means to me, and how great my wife is.
Later, as we sat together reading and sipping mulled wine, we could see Ben and Neena's Christmas lights, still up on their fence. It was one of my best birthdays.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Next iPod question: Cases
My last iPod post started quite a comment thread on multi-ipod households. Here's the next frontier for me, since I can't afford that second iPod as stereo replacement: cases.
I need a case. That quickly became clear. I'm carying it around enough that I don't want one that leaves the screen and wheel accessible. I want to protect those parts as well. I'm thinking some like this.
I need a case. That quickly became clear. I'm carying it around enough that I don't want one that leaves the screen and wheel accessible. I want to protect those parts as well. I'm thinking some like this.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Where Did All the Time Go?
Answer: iPod. All my unstructured computing time I'm spending on the iPod. The blog suffers.
More about that
More about that
Monday, January 02, 2006
Raw
Yesterday I was in the far back yard, watering shrubs. A young man came stumbling down the alley. He said a mumbled hello to me, and then yelled something at me I didn't catch. Not odd in this neighborhood. "Another drunk in the alley," I thought. He didn't look like a vagrant. I figured he was a student still celebrating the New Year.
A couple minutes later he stumbled back and leaned up against our fence. His speech was hard to understand. I caught something about he shouldn't take it out on me, and something like, "...my cousin beat me down and back..." He hadn't been stumbling, he was limping. When he talked, it looked like there was blood on his teeth, and his mouth appeared swollen.
He leaned there for several minutes and kept apologizing. I kept forgiving him. I didn't ask if he wanted a ride to an emergency room, or if he wanted me to call the police. I kept watering the yard. He limped off.
A couple minutes later he stumbled back and leaned up against our fence. His speech was hard to understand. I caught something about he shouldn't take it out on me, and something like, "...my cousin beat me down and back..." He hadn't been stumbling, he was limping. When he talked, it looked like there was blood on his teeth, and his mouth appeared swollen.
He leaned there for several minutes and kept apologizing. I kept forgiving him. I didn't ask if he wanted a ride to an emergency room, or if he wanted me to call the police. I kept watering the yard. He limped off.
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