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Friday, July 30
Where the hell are the ballons?
Some of you might have been watching the Democratic National Convention all this week. I was one of them (big frickin surprise). Some of you might have just watched John Kerry speak last night, and the lucky ones watched John Kerry's speech on CNN, and kept watching after the speech was over. The whole affair went without a hitch (unless you count Al Sharpton speaking 14 minutes over his allotted time, but the speech was actually pretty good), until the very end. Apparently, tons of balloons were supposed to drop from the ceiling, and instead they trickled down slowly. An interesting comment was made by a CNN pundent that a similar mistake happened after Jimmy Carter's speech, and it was seen later as a bad omen. I'm not one to believe in bad omens (not anymore at least), but I am one to laugh hysterically at the mistakes of Big Media. All week, CNN has done a crappy job with their Audio. They made everyone wear these sleek little white rock star microphones, which seemed to cause a lot of static. Additionally, everytime they cut away from an interview or a pundent, we could still hear that person talking for 5 or 6 seconds afterwards in the background. It happened several times, but Bob Dole took the cake after his last words before Kerry's speech, you could hear him in the background muttering about someone getting him his "paycheck". CNN seemed pretty oblivious to their problems. So much so, that at the very end, after Kerry's Speech, the voice of the Convention's producer, Don Mischer, was being broadcast over the images of Kerry, Edwards and their wives smiling and waving. I don't know if it was a mistake or if they wanted to add a "behind the scenes feel" to the broadcast, but it was damn annoying to listen to. Until he started getting angry. Like I was saying before, the balloons weren't coming down. CNN even pointed their camera's up at the ceiling of the Fleet Center, and you could see thousands of Balloons being held by netting (or something). Meanwhile, in the background Don Mischer was saying things like: "Go Balloons" "Balloons are go" and when that didn't seem to work, he said: "Backup Confetti" "Go Confetti". Then he started getting angry at the "balloon people", and said the following: "Where the hell are the Balloons? Go Balloons! What the f-ck are you guys doing up there?!" I wasn't sure I heard that right, and so I rewound my trusty DVR, and he did indeed say the F-word on national television. Kate and I had a good laugh. CNN was oddly silent for a short time, and then they hesitantly admitted "there might have been a profanity uttered over the air".
Maybe CNN can broadcast the voices of protesters for the Republican National Convention. Then we can hear the other 6 words you can't say on television.
posted by: Zung @ 10:26 AM
Wednesday, July 28
A shout out to my homes
This here's a holla to those folks who make my life the badass thang that it is, who give me they love, they support, they benjamins. Mom and Dad, yo. I salute you. Word. No, seriously; parents are pretty cool creatures, and I've been, to use an overused but utterly true word, blessed. I have just about the greatest parents ever - and anybody who has me them can probably agree on their rocking-ness. They're smart, they teach and encourage me, they've given me reasonable limits as well as considerable freedom to search and learn things on my own, to make mistakes, to be my own person, even if that means developing ideas and tastes different from their own. I only hope that when I'm a mom, I can do by my kids as well as my folks did by me.
posted by: Bliss @ 3:14 PM
Monday, July 26
The more things change...
As promised Zung and I have been talking about the changes to the site over the last few weeks... But with the weeks that are coming I don't expect that we're going to have time to get together and implement some things. It's just so little time this summer.
But never fear things are going to be happening and we will see you all at the meet next month! *Believe it or not!*
We're also asking for links from anyone who has a site. We're going to make up flyers to pass out and see if we can't grow our national and (some would hope more international) support.
We want to grow TKOP!
Get the fertilizer!
posted by: Skeeve @ 6:07 PM
Friday, July 23
I wonder how maple syrup and Disaronno tastes?
I spent my day off today galavanting through Vermont. We went to the King Arthur Flour store, where we dropped a hundred dollars on baking supplies for Kate (why doesn't Vermont have cute little country computer stores? Then I'd have an excuse to spend a bunch of moola on parts just because we were on a mini-vacation). We also stopped by the Simon Peirce glass making factory, where we had a neat little tour. It made the day a little less hot and humid after stepping out of a 100 plus degree factory. After that we went over the bridge in Brattleboro to New Hampshire and shopped at the State-run, tax-free and cheap liquor store. Suffice to say, we have enough to drink until we make the trip again in the fall. But I do suppose the highlight of the day was Kate eating her first Vermont Maple sugar candy. I warned her, but she had a few anyway and then slipped into a glucose induced coma.
I'm pretty damn tired too from driving all day, so this entry is fated to be brief. Vermont was fun, and the maple syrup is cheap. If you're ever in Wilmington on Route 9, have some pancakes at Dot's. They were the best damn pancakes I've had in awhile.
posted by: Zung @ 6:09 PM
Wednesday, July 21
Bite the wax tadpole.
I don't drink much caffine... You really don't want to see that. Trust me.
When I drink caffine it's really alot like what used to happen to Beavis on the cartoon. I start shouting nonsensicals and talking about my bunghole. Bungholio... It ain't pretty.
So, what is it that compels me to drink caffine when I feel ill? Perhaps I just want to get over it faster. Perhaps I'm a sucker with a thing for pain.
I started out the day with a MochaChino. And just now at a party at a friends I had 4 (count 'em 4) Cokes.
So, I'm on a caffine buzz and not particually tired. Add on to that the somewhat queasy feeling I've had all day, and the sore and blurry eyes and I don't think I'm going to get much quality sleep tonight.
And I still am interested in buying some of this to try.
I'd never sleep again.
posted by: Skeeve @ 11:16 PM
Tuesday, July 20
Have a heart.
A plea, if I may: When you go to the restaurant and your waitserver is kindly but slow - When you are in a store and the item you want is not readily available - When you are shown, politely but firmly by someone in the service industry that you are wrong in an assumption - BE KIND. A service job does not in any way indicate a sudden loss of humanity; be the person a waiter, stewardess, manager, register jockey, custodian, stockboy, or any other manner of service professional, they are doing a job for a paycheck, just as much as any businessperson. Don't bitch them out for a minor inconvenience. Definitely don't harrangue them for something that is, ultimately, your fault. When in doubt, stick to the old saw that instructs you to treat them just as you, in their place, would -want- to be treated. Because retailers are people too.
posted by: Bliss @ 9:10 AM
Friday, July 16
How much is a robo-vacuum?
As I might have mentioned or not mentioned before, my fiance Kate graduated this May with a masters in social work. She's since been scouring for a job, and met with many disapointments in her search. But her efforts finally paid off this Thursday, because she was offered a full time social work position at a prominent hospital in our area.
This changes things. For the last few years, I've been working hard at different jobs to pay all the bills while she went to school. Other than that, I'm not very good at much else besides cuddling and telling her how beautiful she is. Kate is a great cook and a baker, she balances our checkbook, is the backbone of our social life, and has a supernatural sense of responsiblity that I lack. Now she can add "bringing home the bacon" to that list of all the wonderful things she does.
So my first thought when she got the job was, "I'm still useful, right?"
Apparently the answer is "yes", since we've been in love for almost six years, but I feel that theres a bit of competition about to begin. What can I do to keep up with all the wonderful things she does now that the value of my skills have plummetted? I'm thinking planting a few viruses on her computer should keep me interesting enough for a few weeks, but after that I'm screwed. I guess what I'm avoiding here is a dreaded word that most men fear. Cleaning.
You know that free time I spend playing unreal tournament? That will be allocated to scrubbing the toliet. Downloading MP3's will be pushed aside for more dishwashing time. Scanning for spyware will have to wait until I've vacuumed. The only web I'll be seeing is one preceeded by "cob".
So if you see less of me, it's because I've been downsized at home, and I'm working some serious OT to keep up. (But seriously, we're both really happy about the new job, and I'll probably be able to cut down on my hours at work because of it. So I can, um, clean.)
posted by: Zung @ 5:06 PM
Monday, July 12
July flies by...
It's going to be a short summer.
I mean, here we are in the middle of July. In a little more than two months Bliss and I will be married! I'm really looking forward to it.
So, August will be here before we know it and September will be shortly on it's coattails. It's really true what my Grandmother said when I was a kid... The older you get the faster time goes.
When I was a kid birthdays seemed so long apart. It took an eternity until the next one. The wait for Christmas was unbearable.
posted by: Skeeve @ 8:10 AM
Thursday, July 8
No coffee for me thanks.
Everyone has a unique working environment. They all have their quirks, aggravations, drawbacks and benefits besides being paid. Personally, I've reached my breaking point several times at my current job, for which I've held for a just over a year. Each time I've thought, this is it. I'm quitting. But I never do. I'm what you might call a "personal assistant", although my boss never actually calls me that. She often refers to me as her "secretary", "office manager" or "computer guru" (She can't remember the differences between a fax and an email. A dead mouse could be her computer guru). She's a Sales Representative of a national lighting company, and her office is in her house. I answer phones, send faxes and handle all the banal paperwork. She doesn't seem to have a firm grip of the events around her everyday life. She's forgetful, anal retentive, obsessive, Neurotic, controlling, suspicious, heavily medicated, a recluse, and jumps ten feet in the air when a door slams. No single story can put it in perspective for you, just take my word for it. Working for her is like playing frisbee with a blind dog.
This week, she was expecting company from out of town, something that has not happened in a few years. She dug out an old coffee maker and asked me to clean it. I soon discovered that it was quite dirty, and had a large amount of lime deposits throughout the filtration system. Unfortunately, I could only take apart the machine to a certain point, and I knew there was more lime to be removed. Hot water wasn't doing the trick with the lime I could reach. I had to scrub.
This is where her infinite wisdom stepped in and said: "Lets run some clorox through it."
I was at a loss of words. Usually, when a stupid idea arises at work, I just nod and smile, and do it anyway, because she pays me $13 an hour. This time I just stared at her. She responded to my stare with: "I'm guessing you don't think that's a good idea." I nodded and told her that clorox was probably much worse than the dust and lime that was in there. I was reminded of the old lady who swallowed a fly.
A little later, she tried to "sell" the clorox idea to me again. I thought that perhaps I had dreamt the first suggestion, and was having an incredible moment of Deja Vu. I insisted that she shouldn't do it. I left that afternoon without succeeding in cleaning the coffee maker. The next morning she informed me that she had cleaned it herself with a pipe cleaner. I didn't ask if she used the clorox. I just went back to faxing and answering phones.
Although I think I'll pass on the coffee this week just to be safe.
posted by: Zung @ 11:07 AM
Monday, July 5
Happy days off...
The American 4th of July means many things to many people. I know I have many memories of nearly blasting my hand off with some "fireworks" as a kid, and as an adult. (TKOP does not condone the lighting of illegal fireworks, kids. Check with state and local laws as the whither or not this represents a terrorist action.) Sparklers, snakes, poppers, firecrackers, bottle rockets and the occasional roman candle have all had thier wicks tickeled by my flames. But here I ask you this... What kind of person brings thier own (illegal in NYS) lowline, corner of the road fireworks stand sort of fireworks to a professional show?
So after going up to the lake to help celebrate my Bro's natal annaversary, we were heading back the long way on 29, and I just asked Bliss "Soooo. What do you think we have dinner in Saratoga and watch the fireworks up there." to which she said "Yeah! That sounds good."
Now, Saratoga is a great town to people watch. There were so many people this year it was amazing. Morons drove in from all over (present company excluded... Unless you were in that moron family behind me who the little girl who wouldn't stay near her parents. (And I could understand why, dear lord...) and then the next couple who had the ADD child wondering away in front of us. So most of the actual sitting in the park time was in a "Come back here" sandwich. First the girl behind us and then the boy in front of us and the yuppy parents never just gave them a smack as *MY* father always would have. They just yell and whine and use empty threats... "One more time and we're going to leave." Oh, please. I couldn't GET that lucky.
So as we're sitting there someone lights off thier getto fireworks. Now as far as I can see... Bringing your own fireworks to a professional disply is sort of tacky. It's like bringing your cheap ass guitar to a concert and plugging it in and forcing the crowd to listen to you...
Lastly... What the &%*$ happened to the flags!? Where are the red white and blue buntings and streamers and the little miniature flags? THere was not one, NOT ONE, miniature flag to be seen at the Saratoga fireworks. There were glow sticks... There were glow circles... (Some people wore thiers as neclaces, and some as crowns/halos) there were light sabers fer gods sake... (May the Forth be with you?)
Bliss and I had a great time, tho. Sitting in our tube folding chairs... (Talking about how in our day everyone used to bring the old square aluminum folding chairs... And now it's all the black tube sling chairs... We got ours free from the bank.) Eating doughboy's and wrapped up in a quilt Bliss made... If I can just block out all of the other stuff, it was rapture.
As it is, we made some happy memories that day.
posted by: Skeeve @ 7:07 PM
Friday, July 2
The Buy more food diet
Every few years, the united states is gripped with a new diet craze. Some fizzle out quickly, others last long enough to become part of pop culture. But the one thing they all seem to do is generate more food products. Each diet usually has some sort of "angle" (ie; a way to keep popular foods, well, popular). I can choose from over 5 kinds of Wheat thins to meet my dietary obsession. And no diet has seen as much marketing as the Atkins diet. Everywhere you go these days, there always seems to be a "low-carb" option. Resturants are designing low carb meals. Supermarkets are stocking more low carb products. Even Coca-Cola, the largest soft drink distributor on the planet, has created a "low carb" regular cola (What, no diet version?). I've seen products advertising "low carbs" that I wasn't even aware even HAD carbs (low carb ice cream? Pudding?). I swear to somebody else's god, if I see low carb water, I'm gonna beat the next 200 pound 5 year old I see. People, just stop eating more than your body needs! Walk or jog everyonce in awhile. Of couse, I'm one to talk. I'm well over my ideal weight, I love to eat, and I love to sit on my ass all day. But it's time to stop fooling ourselves into thinking we can keep eating whatever we want as long as it says "blah blah blah" on the package. I think I'm going to go to a steak house and start throwing dinner rolls at people. Really hard. When they all start chasing me out of the resturant and down the street, I'll turn and shout "I've freed you of your atkins chains by running! Go forth, and eat bread!"
But they'll prolly just eat me and talk about how low carb I am.
posted by: Zung @ 11:38 AM
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