Sunday, February 28, 2010

the smurfette principal

this is a great video about gender in cartoons. i love these sort of sociological discussions, and may work this video into an upcoming class discussion. it's twelve minutes long, and yes, requires sound playing ability. enjoy.

Friday, February 26, 2010

12 angry men and the fuego

this should be a pretty fun weekend. tonight, heather and i are going to take in 12 angry men. wow, that sounds terrible. i mean, we're going to see the play 12 angry men over at second space theater



i loved this movie and am excited to see how it is adapted as a live show. and, $16 isn't that bad of a ticket price. i think we'll probably go out to dinner before and make quite a night of it.

on saturday morning, i get to head up to turlock for a track meet. this could be interesting because they have a brand spanking new track facility. the bad thing is that i have to leave at 6:30 in the morning. ugh.

saturday evening i get to check out the fresno fuego vs the san jose earthquakes. i'm sure both teams will look a little sloppy, as they're both in their pre-season. hopefully it won't rain too hard on us.



and let me give a special thanks to fresno famous. i won the tickets for the fuego game on their website. it seems that no one enters their contests because i have quite knack for winning tickets off them.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

rest in peace

so, today is an odd sort of day. it feels right that it's raining.

this afternoon i was watching schindler's list after mowing the lawn, while i cut out a stencil for the last painting i need to finish before this weekend. my brother called with very bad news.

my uncle, whom had been battling cancer for the last few years, had passed away. we knew it was close, and he was in a home hospice situation. i don't know what to say here, or how much to say. my uncle was a man that i deeply respected, and enjoyed the times i spent with him. but, we weren't super close. i think my brother & sister in law were closer to him, and that's fine. i deeply appreciate all the love and support that my aunt & uncle have given my dad and my family. i'll miss him and feel for the loss that my aunt and cousins, as well as the extended family, are experiencing right now.

pittsburg airport video fun

stuck in an airport due to a snowstorm? what do you do? sleep? read? use the internet? why not screw around and film yourself?

that's what this woman did and it's awesome!



i especially love like the last 45 seconds.

Monday, February 22, 2010

monday haiku

been a while since last
monday haiku, whatever
it's still free content


shutter island was
thought provoking and well done
loved the aesthetics


need to finish rogue
paintings so they can hang in
ashtree next weekend

Friday, February 19, 2010

on procrastinating

i admit, i'll put things off sometimes. today's example is twofold. i need to finish up the syllabus for two classes that begin monday. normally, i have them finished and i would upload them to our online system at work and print out the copies for students today. not gonna happen. i'm pushing that off until sunday, and really i just need to alter a few details on previous syllabi.

the second example is my rogue paintings. neither of the two in progress are done. i've needed to work on them. i should be doing that. i think i'm going to have to force myself to get off the couch, stop surfing the internet, and work on those paintings. not exactly how the creative process works, but i've go to do it that way because i'm not getting things done and it's mainly because i'm just not doing it.

crap. it's so much easier to not do things.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

southwest and the kevin smith dilemma

you've all heard about kevin smith, famed director, being bumped from a southwest flight due to his weight. he was allowed on a later flight without issue but tweeted the hell out of the issue.

here's my thoughts on the issue:

-poor handling - the issue on the plane was handled very poorly. if smith was already seated, why bump him? why come up to someone on a plane and make a spectacle of the person? it just doesn't make sense to me unless they legitimately pose a danger to other passengers (in the event of an emergency). i also imagine that smith was a bit embarrassed or put off and probably didn't make the situation any easier on the flight crew.

-he should have been bumped - smith admits he regularly buys two seats because he prefers the comfort but was flying standbye and was only able to get one seat. that's fine, but he was seen to be in violation on southwest's 25 year old policy on size. if they have a rule about large people, and he normally buys two tickets, he shouldn't have flown in one seat.

-if he wasn't too big for one seat, and he later flew in one seat, he shouldn't have been bumped. it's not like he lost a ton of weight between flights.

now, i'm a larger individual, although i don't know if i'm as big as kevin smith. many people don't realize it, but my 6' frame usually runs around 250 lbs. now, i wish i was ripped like some pro-football linebacker, but i'm not. i don't always fit into seats very well on planes, but i'm not too big yet. and, i've flown on some itty bitty planes, and even spent a flight from salt lake city next to a guy that was probably a few inches taller than i was, and a bit heavier as well. it was uncomfortable, but i sucked it up and lived with it for the duration of the flight. i can empathize for anyone that has to sit next to me on a flight because they're probably feeling the same way. if i was too big to actually fit in the seat properly, i feel that i would have no right to impose upon the people seated next to me. airplanes are very close quarters, and size can present safety issues.

i saw a person speaking out on nightline against southwest and the airlines in general and compared the issue to height. while it is true that an extremely tall person's legs may block the row, they don't affect the aisle. and, a tall person's legs aren't going to be all up in your space.

Monday, February 15, 2010

the habit burger grill

the habit was getting a lot of buzz on twitter today, so i thought i'd check it out. i went online and checked out their menu before taking my wife there for dinner, and it seemed like it would be a decent meal.

once we located the place in fig garden village (it's at 702 w. shaw, west of whole foods, next to starbucks) we parked and walked in. we got there at just the right time because there was no one in line, but the line was soon going out the door. the decor is nice, but the inside seating is a bit limited. they do have a very spacious outdoor seating area, where we ate.

my wife is a little skittish on ground beef as we recently watched food, inc. and you see how scary meat packing plants can be. so, she ordered a veggie burger. this ended up being somewhat disappointing because it's just a gardenburger, which you could buy at a store and grill yourself. it was pretty bland, and she would recommend getting it with cheese to give it a bit more flavor. she also had the fries, which were pretty unimpressive. i tried them after they were cold, and they weren't so good.

myself, i wanted to have the pastrami sandwich, but unfortunately they were sold out. dang. so, i went with the tri-tip sandwich with barbecue sauce on sourdough. i had the onions grilled and skipped the tomato. i was rather pleased with my sandwich. the tri-tip was moist and the sourdough crunchy. the sandwich was a bit messy, but in a good way. i rounded out my meal with some onion rings which were pretty tasty.

i'll go back, at least to try the pastrami, but probably for other stuff, too. although, i must admit that charburger isn't a very appetizing name to me.

the habit burger grill
702 w. shaw
fresno, ca. 93704

here's their menu:















and here's our meals

Friday, February 12, 2010

whiskey toothpaste

yes please

pub quiz on famous

i'm fresno famous...again. yep, famous whitewater, the man behind the curtain over at fresno famous wrote an article about our pub quiz. click on over and give it a read.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

shake weight

someone told me about this revolutionary new workout machine and i finally saw the commercial



hilarious.

Monday, February 08, 2010

band reunion at a wedding

i still force myself to watch snl. i dvr it, and watch it when i have time. sunday evening, after the superbowl, i decided i'd check out this week's episode with ashton kutcher. there were a few decent moments, but overall i thought the episode was weak, as usual. as i was fast forwarding through one of the last commercial breaks i noticed there was only a few minutes left, figured the show was about over and stopped the episode. i deleted it, as usual, and went about my evening.

i missed the best skit. fortunately, my good friend teh internets had the video and i watched it tonight. awesome.





fred armison, you hard core god.

hammered

i don't advise that you drop one of these on your foot:



monday at track practice i was fixing one of our men's hammers. the swivel was smashed and i was replacing it with a new one. i set down the hammer ball on a bleacher bench and looked up to talk to one of my athletes. it's not smart to set a 16 lb. round weight on a less than flat surface.

before i knew it, the hammer had rolled off the bench, fallen about two feet and smashed down on my foot. the majority of the weight slammed right on the joint where my big toe meets my foot. big pain real quick. throbbing to come. now, stiffness and dull pain. hopefully lesson learned.

this also sucks because for the majority of many practices i'm on my feet. about an hour and a half after crushing my foot i was helping an athlete with shot put and was demonstrating some technique. a small little hop into position and ouch, yep, foot's still hurting idiot.

fortunately, it doesn't seem like i did any real damage to my foot. it's maybe a little swollen, but not a lot of pain to the touch. i'll be alright!

Sunday, February 07, 2010

dj woody returns!

there's a new crew of dj's in fresno or the greater fresno area. okay, i don't know exactly how new they are, but they are putting on shows @ audie's every 2nd monday of the month. this monday (2/8) features my homie woody. stylistically, i'm curious what he'll be playing. he's played dubstep, drum & bass, jungle, grime (i think) and more.



added bonus of this show, it's free.

Saturday, February 06, 2010

poor atm etiquette

here's what i think this person is saying, "dear society, eff you. i don't have enough sense, care, or respect to leave the atm while i am on the phone. instead, i will stand at the atm, blocking it from being used by others while i prattle away on the phone. i know i could easily take this phone call elsewhere, but i think that i am more important than all the people standing in line, patiently waiting for the other atm's to open up because i am occupying this one."



i went to the atm yesterday and encountered the above situation. as i walked up, there were four people in line, one who left as i got in line. at this bank there are 3 atm's, and this one was rendered useless by this person. i stood and stared, as did the man in front of me, at this woman as she talked away. mind you, it was sprinkling, and we all wanted to get out of the rain. but this woman showed no regard for others. her phone call was worth blocking the atm, WHICH SHE WAS NOT USING. i actually used the atm next to her when it was available, so i was privy to some of her phone call, which could have been taken somewhere else.

btw, i blurred out the face of the child because i didn't feel she deserved the public shaming (on the internet) just because she was there with a jerk. sadly, she was receiving plenty of public shaming as everyone waiting glared at them.

Friday, February 05, 2010

rotary storyland/playland membership

so, as a lifelong fresnan, i grew up going to storyland. loved the jack & the beanstalk slide, the animals in exhibits, and the whole experience. i continued to love it in recent history as well. i don't remember ever going to playland, but i would imagine that i did. in the last few years i've really come to love going to playland and riding the rides, even if i am terrified of one of them. to me, a day where i go to the zoo for a bit and then hit some rides at storyland is an excellent way to spend my day.

a few years ago, a guy i knew through seminary and other things, barry falke, took over as the head of rotary storyland/playland. as far as i can tell, he's done a great job improving the places, and really pushed to get fresno to see and use this great, local attraction. and, even the pricing has come together in a way that excites me.

check this out:
"It's almost time for the Parks to open! Saturday, Feb. 13 will opening day for the 2010 Season.

Because of your connection to Storyland & Playland, we want to invite you to utilize a special offer on our 2010 Fantasy Membership!

Our Fantasy Membership includes:

* Unlimited Rides at Playland
* Entrance into Storyland
* 15% off at concessions
* $2.00 off an adult entrance into the Chaffee Zoo
* $1.00 off a child entrance into the Chaffee Zoo
* Members only Movie & Ice Cream Social at Storyland
* $25.00 off any birthday party package


We know money is tight these days, and we want Storyland & Playland to be your affordable family entertainment. The special 2010 Fantasy Memberships are available at a special discount off our already affordable rates for a limited time. Prices for our 2010 Fantasy Membership are:

Family of 4: $125.00 Family of 4 with special offer: Just $99.00
Family of 5: $145.00 Family of 5 with special offer: Just $119.00
Family of 6: $165.00 Family of 6 with special offer: Just $139.00

This special offer on our 2010 Fantasy Memberships will only be available until Feb. 12, 2010. To take advantage of this amazing discount, simply click the purchase now button below, and enter the coupon code: promo2010."

i asked a few questions via facebook about the offer, like, what about families of 2 or 3? the demand hadn't been there previously, but they were willing to work things out, which is totally cool, imho. i also asked what defined family, and basically the two main (adult) members have to be members of the same household. the other two, well that's up in the air.

so, guess who bought a family of 4 pack. that's right, this guy. i know we've got nephews and a niece, plus a whole gaggle of friends and family that will be enjoying this package with us. i almost wish i had bought the family of 5 pack.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?

so, the title of this post refers to a classic episode of cheers, and here's the related clip.



now, i bring this up because last night at pub quiz i busted that line on a contestant. basically, a team challenged an answer. technically, their answer was correct, but it wasn't the answer we were looking for, much like cliff's answer in the clip above. so, in explaining why their answer wasn't right, i tossed that line at them. i don't think they recognized it. kids these day.

now, it's also funny because trebek shows up at the bar, accidentally (skip ahead to the 5 min. mark in the video below) and explains to cliff why it didn't work out for him.



btw, we had 105 people at pub quiz last night, and it didn't seem like it was just a swell of people due to the high jackpot. i think many of those people will be back next week but we'll see. the jackpot was won by a team that had been there all four weeks, and the winning team featured a member that has repeatedly tried out for jeopardy and has made it to the stage test level. here's to fran actually making it on jeopardy and not pulling a clavin.

post art hop show at tokyo garden

it feels like it's been quite some time since i've been to a post art hop show. honestly, i probably haven't been since november, or maybe december. so, tonight i'm excited to get out and go. and it'll be a good one.



rademacher
light fm
jonah and the whale
$5

Monday, February 01, 2010

monday haiku

avatar sold out
elementary my dear
watson not in holmes