2008 Feb 29
Video of Amy Walker, demonstrating 21 different accents. Awesome!
   
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2008 Feb 28
My friend Chris sent me a link to this genius ad for wind power. I love it!
2008 Feb 27
Wow, two of my favorite games in one AP review! (via Yahoo! News) This email subject line showed up in my inbox this morning: “thunderpoochie is now following you on Twitter!”. Thunderpoochie! Now that is a great username. Unfortunately, it seems to be one of those twitter accounts/users who is following thousands of people in order to generate traffic. However, it did put a smile on my face to see that name. 2008 Feb 26
Actually, the term is Pescetarian. Meaning I am going on a veggie n fish diet. Plus I will have dairy, but I think I will eventually go without dairy. Several years ago I was ovo-lacto-vegetarian, which is veggies+eggs+dairy. That was for a year. I don’t remember why exactly I did it, but anyways, I am doing it again, and I think it might be for good. I’ve just started to come around to the idea that eating meat and supporting the livestock industry is extremely harmful to the environment. Plus, the more I research vegetarianism, the more I am seeing the issues of animal cruelty in the livestock industry. It’s actually a pretty easy choice when you read about it and see some of the videos. Just do a search on the Smithfield Hog farms article in Rolling Stone and also check out www.meetyourmeat.com. Those reasons aside, I think the health benefits will be substantial. It’s only been a week since I stopped eating meat, but I feel so good physically, plus I feel good about doing something about the environment and reducing my carbon footprint, even if it just a drop in the bucket. 2008 Feb 25
This past weekend we spent a lot of time in the yard, getting ready for spring planting. In the front, we trimmed the plants in our flower beds and weeded a bunch. I pulled out some plants that the builder had put in for us. Now there is a large open area with plants. I am thinking of planting a smaller roser shrub there. We used to have several rose plants in the yard of our old house, and they were very nice. I cut up my arms pretty good taking care of those, though, so I am thinking of just having one or two rose bushes in our new yard. Mariko also planted a bunch of Annuals in the garden bed, then I put down a nice layer of mulch to keep the soil moist. In the backyard, we renewed the soil in our vegetable garden beds with organic soil mixed with compost. Mariko planted a tomato plant and transplanted some small Shiso plants. She also has some jalapeño and squash seeds that are going in soon. The thing I am most excited about is a new Methley Plum tree that we planted. It should take a couple years for it to bear fruit, but it’s going to be nice to eat homegrown plums. It’s fun to work in the yard since the weather is so nice right now. But come summer, the Texas heat will make going outside tough, so it’s good to get most of the heavy-lifting done now. 2008 Feb 23
I have been playing Professor Layton and the Curious Village on my DS for the past day, and I am totally into it. I have completed 18 puzzles so far, out of a total of 130. These puzzles are so great. They are basically brainteasers that you grew up with, but presented within the context of a mystery. The combination of plot mixed with puzzles, unique artwork, and great soundtrack (I love the accordion music) make for a wonderful gaming experience. The puzzles themselves are varied in difficulty, but I have been able to solve all of them so far while only receiving one hint. Another plus is that the puzzles aren’t timed (at least so far as I can tell), which makes it a relaxing game. My favorite games for the DS are Animal Crossing, Hotel Dusk, and Trace Memory. Professor Layton jumps to the top of the list for me, and I am glad that there are sequels coming out for it. Another cool feature is that in addition to the 130 puzzles that come with the game, you can download a new puzzle via Nintendo Wi-fi each week. As long as you have your wi-fi set up, the process is painless and easy. In the game, you follow Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke as they travel to the town of St. Mystere to solve a mystery. Along the way, you pick up smaller quests, and find items that you keep in your inventory. The movement around the town is semi-free form, but actually very guided. If you want to explore the town, Luke will hint that you should be following a different path. I kind of like this approach. I really enjoy the puzzles, but don’t want to be endlessly searching for them around the town. For me, the game mechanic is perfect! If you are into brainteasers and have a DS, this game is a definite must-have. It’s so awesome. Barnes & Noble > Border’s if you are in the market for a blank book. Plus B&N carries Moleskine. The selection at Border’s would be more appropriate for a Hallmark greeting card store: too many flowers and datebooks. Disclaimer: My experience with the N. Austin branches, and might not be representative of all stores. 2008 Feb 22
We went with another family to Shilla for some Korean BBQ. I had never been to Shilla before, but my wife and our friends had, and they love it, so I pretty much knew it would be good. We sat just off the main room in the raised area, where you sit on the wooden floor with small pillows to keep your bum from falling asleep. We were the only group in there, so the kids (4 of them) had lots of room to be rambunctious. We ordered a variety of meats: pork, beef, beef tongue, kalbi ribs, plus a noodle dish. It was all served fairly quickly, probably around 5 minutes after ordering. Our server (cute girl!) prepared most of the food for us at the little grill in the table. She cut the meat with a big pair of scissors into smaller sized pieces (perfect for the kids) and let us know when each type of meat was ready to eat. I am not sure if this level of service is typical, since it wasn’t very busy at the time we were there, but I expect that it would be. Besides the meat, which was all tasty and tender, there were lots of side dishes, typical of Korean BBQ restaurants. Also, large leafy greens were provided to wrap the meat in. I also like the fact that they serve sliced jalapeño and garlic so you can spice it up even more. I had a couple slices of garlic, which was great, but I feel sorry for anyone who comes near me today… I’d definitely go back to Shilla. It’s going to be tough to choose between Shilla and Korea House, but I think I might have to give the edge to Shilla. Read more reviews of Shilla at Yelp! |
