TankChair Apr 20, 2006
The TankChair is a wheelchair with tank treads, enabling it to trudge through water, mud, sand, gravel, and other things.  The guy who came up with the idea was sick of girly wheelchairs that get stuck too easily.  (via Cynical-C) #technology
Good for you Apr 19, 2006
I grew up with a dad of many catchphrases.  Ranging from "I don't like your attitude" to "Max out your 401k", my dad always had something to say.  The one I remember most is, "Eat it; it's good for you". 

My dad had a garden where he grew various fruits and vegetables.  It was his hobby and our family's only source of food.  [That second part is a total lie.]  In addition to the normal foods like tomatoes and green beans, he also grew things that aren't meant to be eaten by humans:  kale, squash (3 different kinds), and okra.  He was all about eating greens (and yellows in the case of squash), so he'd also eat beet greens and other green parts of plants that aren't necessarily meant to be eaten.  So he'd bring some stuff in for dinner and try to get me to eat it.  "Try some beet greens."  I don't want any.  "Why not?"  I don't like them.  "How do you know you don't like them?  They're just like spinach."  I don't like spinach.  "Well try some anyway; they're good for you.  This isn't a democracy."  Fine.  *Chew, chew, chew, swallow, gag, attempt smile*  I don't like them. 

This was the pattern for many years when I was a kid.  At some point, my dad caught on to the fact that I wasn't gonna "grow into" liking green, leafy vegetables, so he gave up.  It become more of a democracy.  He would pressure me; I would say no; he would say, "Oh well, more for me".  My point is that his reasoning that a certain food was good for me wasn't enough to convince me to eat it.  If it tasted like grass, I didn't want to eat it.  If I had to force it down my throat, it wasn't worth whatever health benefit it was providing me.  Is healthy food worth eating if it tastes terrible?  I don't think so.  And it's not that I'm a picky eater.  I like often-hated vegetables like Brussels sprouts and asparagus.  Plus, I can force myself to eat just about anything, which I usually do for the sake of politeness if I'm eating at someone else's house.  But when I'm in my own house, I don't want to hear, "Eat it; it's good for you".  It's not gonna work for this guy [thumbs pointed at self]. #food
Ruth's Chris revisited (2) Apr 18, 2006
Today's my birthday.  I'm 24.  Hooray!  I'm no longer in my early twenties.  I'm in my mid-twenties.  That's scary. 

Anyway, we went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse to celebrate.  It was a somewhat similar experience to the first time I went:  Good food at a ridiculous price.  I'm not saying it was bad.  How could steak cooked in butter be bad?  I'm saying it wasn't much better than other places I've eaten at.  But I think it has something to do with my mindset about paying a lot for certain things that can be bought at much lower prices.  For example, I'm thinking about getting an expensive guitar.  Instead of getting the highest-priced model, I'm getting a middle-of-the-line model because I'm afraid I'd treat the higher-priced model like an antique.  The higher-priced one is better quality and probably sounds better, but it doesn't sound so much better that it justifies the added cost.  I think it's the same with food.  I can pay $30 for a steak, or I can pay $15.  Is the $30 steak that much better?  Wendy thinks so.  I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference. 

My complaint about Ruth's Chris is that I think there should be lots of perks and benefits, seeing that the food is so painfully expensive (though we once again paid with a gift card from Citibank, so it wasn't "real" money).  For $30, I got a little piece of meat.  Sure it was a good piece of meat that was seasoned well and cooked in some sort of butter sauce, but I literally didn't get anything else with that $30.  I had to order side dishes separately.  The least they could do is throw in a free dessert (which I got because it was my birthday) or give me a free drink.  Maybe they could do my taxes or call my parents to say hi.  That $30 didn't go very far.  Essentially, it went from my pocket to my stomach; a distance of about 6 inches.  That's not a very good investment. 

But oh well.  It was a good meal.  I got a lobster tail too, so I covered all the major species of meat.  A great way to spend funny money from Citibank is at expensive restaurants that you wouldn't otherwise go to. #food
Catching up Apr 18, 2006
I really don't like "catching up" with people I accidentally run into.  Let's be honest:  We weren't close friends in high school.  We probably never even had a single conversation.  So why are you pretending to be interested in what I do?  C'mon, you don't really care.  You're just trying to be polite.  And I applaud you for that.  But there's really no need for it.  I'm ok with a simple handshake and a "hey".  Let's just leave it at that.  No hard feelings. #psychology
Four point oh Apr 17, 2006
I'm glad I didn't try to be one of those 4.0 people in school.  I don't think it's worth it.  I only knew a few people in college who were in the running for a 4.0, and those people were super smart.  They didn't have to do much to get good grades.  And they actually liked classes.  These are the kinds of people who went on to grad school, which is something I'm glad I didn't make it into.  Sure, I got good grades and I'm technically "in grad school" right now, but it's not the same.  I have to put a lot of effort into school and I really don't enjoy classes.  Actually, I hate school.  But I think it would've been a lot worse if I was aiming for perfection.  To have to worry about every single grade on every single assignment and every single question on every single test, I would've gone crazy.  I'm ok with "pretty good". #education
Ig Nobel Prize Apr 17, 2006
The Ig Nobel Prize is a "prize" awarded to people who do research and invent things that "make people laugh and then think".  Reading the complete list of past winners is hilarious. #science
Running in the rain Apr 16, 2006
On Friday evening, I went running in the rain.  It was awesome.  I always have good experiences running in the rain, and I'm not sure why.  It might be that the rain takes my concentration off the pain in my calves and liver.  It might be that it makes it look like I'm really dedicated, when in reality I'm just a kid who's pretending to be doing a workout.  My favorite part is jumping in puddles.  I'll be running along, making it look like I'm serious, and then I'll do a two-foot stomp in a big puddle.  I guess that just never gets old. #sports
Delivery Apr 15, 2006
Getting things sent in the mail or delivered in a truck has always been a lovely experience.  I'm not sure why there are so many problems involved.  It seems like a simple premise:  A person buys something at a store or online, and that "something" comes to the person's house in a truck.  Simple enough, yes?  Apparently not.  Sometimes, when people order big things, they have to stay home from work so they can let the delivery people in their house.  That's fine.  It's better than having them leave it in the driveway.  But I/Wendy have had two problems with this in the past: 

One time, Wendy ordered a bunch of bedroom furniture for her apartment.  Then she picked a day for them to deliver it.  Not a problem.  So they call on the day of delivery and say what time they'll be there.  Some sort of problem happened, and the people weren't able to deliver the furniture that day.  We called the store and they asked us to pick a different day.  What they didn't realize is that people work for a living.  This work is done during the day.  To stay home for a delivery means not going to work.  The people from the store seemed to think this wasn't a big deal.  "Oh, sorry that the truck couldn't make it to your apartment.  That's out of our control.  Please pick a different day for delivery."  My solution seemed appropriate, "Wendy just took a day off work.  That means she used a vacation day.  A vacation day costs money.  The price is probably somewhere around $300-$400, before taxes and including overhead and things like that.  Why don't you just send along that money and we'll call it even?" 

Now the next fiasco:  We ordered a washer and dryer and they were supposed to be delivered to our house.  The problem is that construction is being done on both ends of our road, so the delivery truck apparently couldn't make it.  They said, "Here are your options:  You can pick it up at some warehouse in Timbuktu, you can pick it up at Home Depot, or we can *try* to deliver it another day."  Again, they missed a fundamental concept:  Normal people (term used loosely) can't take days off work in the middle of the week.  Sure, they can, but they like to use those days for useful things like vacations, not waiting for an appliance delivery.  The real solution is for them to deliver this stuff after the construction is done at the end of the day.  This is actually a viable option because construction ends at around 3 or 4, and the workers clear everything up so the construction doesn't even get in the way.  Did the delivery people see my point of view?  No.  If only everyone did what I said, the world would be perfect. #business
Dilbert likes water Apr 14, 2006
I've mentioned before about how our cats like the bathtub.  But I discovered a new thing:  Dilbert likes to drink water out of the tap like a dog.  He bites at each drop that falls.  What a strange little animal. 

#nature
Subway Apr 14, 2006
I talk about Quizno's a lot, but it's time to talk about my good old friend, Subway.  I used to eat at Subway all the time, before I discovered the magical goodness at Quizno's.  Tall guy Ian used to be a semi-evangelist for "Two-For-Tuesday", Subway's weekly special where you could get two sandwiches for the price of one.  But then I started trying new things at Subway, and like usual, I was completely unsatisfied.  So that's why I started going somewhere else to satisfy my sandwich cravings.  But recently, I've been a little overly satisfied at Quizno's.  Their sandwiches are really complicated.  Even their salads are pretty "meaty".  When you get something at Quizno's, you don't just get a little sandwich with some ham and cheese.  You get a sandwich with "primo" meats and cheese, along with several different special sauces, all of which are put through an assembly line toaster.  While the sandwiches are amazing, I felt like something a little bit simpler.  So I went to Subway.  Subway is like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book.  You get to decide what gets put on your sandwich, and you get to watch it being made so they can't slip in jalapenos when you're not looking.  So I ordered a sandwich with no cheese [1] or mayo or anything that might bring about my problem.  I got a nice simple sandwich where I could identify all the ingredients, and it was great.  Kudos, Subway.  You're still good. 

[1] One small problem:  Like all food ordering experiences, I had to clarify that I didn't want cheese.  For some reason, people don't get this.  I personally think it's pretty simple.  I said, "Can I have ham and turkey on a 6-inch Hearty Italian roll?"  She said, "Sure."  She did a few things and started making it.  Then she said, "What kind of cheese do you want?"  Here's what I felt like saying:  "Cheese?  Cheese?!  I don't want no stinkin' cheese, lady!  If I wanted cheese, I would've asked for cheese!  Did you hear me say cheese?  'Ham and turkey on a 6-inch Hearty Italian roll.'  That's it!  Just make my sandwich the way I want it!"  What I actually said was, "No cheese, please." #food