7.22.2011

meep

not much new to report from los angeles. it's been a bit warm lately, which is a shame because there hasn't been much reason to go to the beach. damn la nina. folks will be in town for a petanque tournament this weekend, so that should be fun. other than that, just enjoying the summer and thinking about how to use my vacation time this fall. suggestions are welcome.

7.15.2011

link right

been reading good ol' cyanide and happiness lately. classic. here's a taste.

7.14.2011

7.13.2011

toothsome

got a bit destroyed at the dentist yesterday, but pretty much recovered today. after four-odd years without health insurance, i was expecting the worst when i went in for a cleaning. turns out, i had a bit of plaque but nothing too serious. we'll see once they review the x-rays though.

looks like a slow summer month at work. thinking about where to get away this fall. gotta use up some of this vacation time. any suggestions?

7.07.2011

hang 'em up

score one for the real journalists. murdoch's craptastic news of the world is going down in flames after its scummy reporters allegedly hacked into the voicemail messages of celebrities, relatives of dead soldiers, and a missing 13-year-old girl. naturally, they reportedly deleted some of the messages on the teenager's phone to make room for more scoopable material, giving false hope to the parents and jamming up the police investigation. oh well, at least they got some gory details and sold a few more papers.

in other news, i tracked down a few onion-like briefs i wrote up during my college days for a now-defunct site i created called enough necktie (it's an anagram). might have to revive it someday. here's a favorite:

President George W. Bush issued an embargo on all Swedish-made goods today after a meatball allegedly of Swedish origin became lodged in his throat during a fundraising dinner at the White House last night.
"We cannot continue to allow these acts of terror to take place on American soil," President Bush said. "Every American has a right to swallow their food without fear."
Witnesses of the event said the president seemed to be enjoying his dinner when he suddenly stood up with a panicked look on his face.
"His face turned red and he started waving his arms around wildly," said a White House aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "One of Cheney's paramedics gave him the Heimlich and the meatball came flying out, still in one piece."
Secret Service agents dove on the remaining meatballs still on the president's plate of spaghetti, knocking them to the floor. Three people were injured in the resulting scramble to get out of the room, raising the casualty count to four victims. After a thorough examination, the president's throat was downgraded to Level Yellow, still on alert for any suspicious activity.
Experts say the embargo will have a grave impact on Swedish massage therapy centers, which have seen a 72 percent decrease in clients. In addition, Ingmar Bergman films have been removed from public libraries and the administration has announced the creation of the Freedom Prize as an alternative to the Nobel Prize.
UPDATE: Preliminary research indicates that the meatballs were most likely Italian in nature. President Bush said he stands by his earlier statement that the Swedes were involved in the act of culinary terrorism.

7.06.2011

dawn of the ted

a recent convo with the girl for your amusement:

me: if there's a zombie apocalypse, would you like me to kill you before you are infected?
girl: no way dude
me: no way?
girl: no way.
girl: you want me to kill you?
me: sure
girl: ok. i'll kill you. after I become i zombie :)
me: is that a new app?
girl: ahaha
girl: i, zombie. it's like i, robot.
me: i, see
girl: yep. for the compassionate zombies with existential crises and a desire to simply know our role in the world

independence

spent the long fourth of july weekend (i got friday off too) relaxing and not doing too much of note. spent monday morning at zuma. i left west la at around 9 and thought i'd get there before most of the crowds showed up, but i was lucky to find one of a few remaining free parking spots along pch. despite surf reports that suggested the pacific would live up to its name, there were a few sets rolling in, so i jumped in to bodysurf a bit and discovered the water has warmed up considerably in the past few weeks. without the protection of my wetsuit, however, i got a bit sunblasted. couldn't quite reach that spot in the middle of my back, and did a slapdash job of coating my front, so i ended up a motley mix of red and tan. oh well, it's all faded by now.

looks like there might be a bit of swell in the water this coming weekend, so i'll probably head back up the coast. i doubt it will be as crowded, but you never know. i might have to spend my time dodging screaming kids and flabby ex-jocks as they splash about in the whitewater.