If you somehow found this, my old blog, then kudos to you! Not even a change of URL will stand in the way of your blog reading! But now updates happen at ludwhig.blogspot.com. Ciao!
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The Sun in my Hair
It's GRE time. I'll catch you on the flip side. *cue impossibly cool rock music intro*
This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special
All is right with the universe.
I finally found a new blogger template I liked, got the widgets and third-party code running, and apparently the upgrade also restores my ability to delete spam when I need to. Don't ever end a sentence with to; every time you do, somewhere an English prof dies and that's how come we keep needing more of them. END THE GENOCIDE
I finally found a new blogger template I liked, got the widgets and third-party code running, and apparently the upgrade also restores my ability to delete spam when I need to. Don't ever end a sentence with to; every time you do, somewhere an English prof dies and that's how come we keep needing more of them. END THE GENOCIDE
Tomorrow holds such better days
This lyric provided by a playlist on this, my brother's computer. A playlist which cracks me up because of how easily Relient K and Linkin Park can coexist.
I must change this blog layout. Also, I seem to have lost the ability to moderate comments. So please, don't leave 10 pages of spam, or else I will be compelled to delete the entire post and don't go blaming me when things start disappearing from your house.
I have arrived in the frozen north, as Geoff calls it. It's not snowy but definitely cold enough. The drive up was uneventful. I have determined that driving through Arkansas and Illinois at night is better than during the day, just because you can't see the state at night. Seriously, take your pick; an endless agricultural desolation seen or a cold shroud of darkness unseen... give me oblivion any day.
I also noted that large cities, which could be construed as "cultural centers," have the best radio stations. The farther one drives into the country, the more one hears country and rap. How's *that* for your Tuesday dose of inflammatory comments? Can I have an amen from the peanut gallery?
I must change this blog layout. Also, I seem to have lost the ability to moderate comments. So please, don't leave 10 pages of spam, or else I will be compelled to delete the entire post and don't go blaming me when things start disappearing from your house.
I have arrived in the frozen north, as Geoff calls it. It's not snowy but definitely cold enough. The drive up was uneventful. I have determined that driving through Arkansas and Illinois at night is better than during the day, just because you can't see the state at night. Seriously, take your pick; an endless agricultural desolation seen or a cold shroud of darkness unseen... give me oblivion any day.
I also noted that large cities, which could be construed as "cultural centers," have the best radio stations. The farther one drives into the country, the more one hears country and rap. How's *that* for your Tuesday dose of inflammatory comments? Can I have an amen from the peanut gallery?
New Star Trek Casting!!!
OK, some of you know this, but for those who don't, I was... OK, am, a huge Star Trek nerd. As in, yeahhh.... huge nerd.
So anyway, there is a new eleventh movie coming out and it sounds *amazing*. It's a prequel to the Original Series and will contain Kirk/Spock/McCoy and that whole gang. Now most of us are thinking, "Whoa, who could ever play Kirk but William Shatner? And who could ever play Spock but Leonard Nimoy?"
Well, I am actually very impressed with the casting they have done thus far. I found a post over at the official website with links. And there's pictures! So be your own judge.
Kirk, to be played by Chris Pine
Spock, to be played by Zach Quinto (Sylar, if you keep up with Heroes, which I don't really)
To me, those are the two roles you *have* to get right and I am pleased. You can find pics of the rest of the cast here. They got the guy from Hot Fuzz to play Scotty, which actually works wonderfully well if you think about it.
Also, they are bringing back the role of Christopher Pike, as well as Spock's mother and father. Also, apparently there will be some flashback segments as Leonard Nimoy will play the part of Spock for a bit of the movie.
One of the coolest bits of news was that the main bad guy will be named "Nero," played by Eric Bana, who is simultaneously an Army Ranger in Somalia, the Hulk, a Trojan, and a Jewish assassin. Ladies and gentlemen, it really doesn't get much cooler. And with a name like Nero, can you say, "Romulan?"
I am most impressed by the choices for Spock and Uhura; I think they both look remarkably like the original actors.
The only headscratcher is Karl Urban in the role of McCoy. He played Eomer in The Two Towers and Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy... and that soul-sucking space knight in The Chronicles of Riddick. Sorry, but after seeing him ride through Middle Earth and try to kill Jason Bourne as a l33t European assassin, I don't think I will be able to hold a straight face when he turns to Kirk and says, "He's dead, Jim!" And how will he ever get the accent? But Australians are notoriously good at that. Because, as we all know, New Zealand is just the same thing as Australia. ;)
Also, I nearly want to say Chris Pine is too much of a pretty boy, but then again, Kirk *was* a stud back in the day.
So anyway, there is a new eleventh movie coming out and it sounds *amazing*. It's a prequel to the Original Series and will contain Kirk/Spock/McCoy and that whole gang. Now most of us are thinking, "Whoa, who could ever play Kirk but William Shatner? And who could ever play Spock but Leonard Nimoy?"
Well, I am actually very impressed with the casting they have done thus far. I found a post over at the official website with links. And there's pictures! So be your own judge.
Kirk, to be played by Chris Pine
Spock, to be played by Zach Quinto (Sylar, if you keep up with Heroes, which I don't really)
To me, those are the two roles you *have* to get right and I am pleased. You can find pics of the rest of the cast here. They got the guy from Hot Fuzz to play Scotty, which actually works wonderfully well if you think about it.
Also, they are bringing back the role of Christopher Pike, as well as Spock's mother and father. Also, apparently there will be some flashback segments as Leonard Nimoy will play the part of Spock for a bit of the movie.
One of the coolest bits of news was that the main bad guy will be named "Nero," played by Eric Bana, who is simultaneously an Army Ranger in Somalia, the Hulk, a Trojan, and a Jewish assassin. Ladies and gentlemen, it really doesn't get much cooler. And with a name like Nero, can you say, "Romulan?"
I am most impressed by the choices for Spock and Uhura; I think they both look remarkably like the original actors.
The only headscratcher is Karl Urban in the role of McCoy. He played Eomer in The Two Towers and Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy... and that soul-sucking space knight in The Chronicles of Riddick. Sorry, but after seeing him ride through Middle Earth and try to kill Jason Bourne as a l33t European assassin, I don't think I will be able to hold a straight face when he turns to Kirk and says, "He's dead, Jim!" And how will he ever get the accent? But Australians are notoriously good at that. Because, as we all know, New Zealand is just the same thing as Australia. ;)
Also, I nearly want to say Chris Pine is too much of a pretty boy, but then again, Kirk *was* a stud back in the day.
I seen you an' little stephen and joanna round the back of my hotel
So, this has been a most un-postful month. Thanksgiving was teh awesome, as hopeless denizens of the Tubes, the intertron, would express it. See Fjord's post for what was at the time a live update.
Today's cool BBC article involves a new high-res mosaic of Antarctica, soon to come to Google Earth, which sounds really cool.
Also today's Day in Pictures was particularly cool.
Cool cool cool I thought this post needed that word a few more times.
And other than links to other websites, seems I have precious little to say.
Today's cool BBC article involves a new high-res mosaic of Antarctica, soon to come to Google Earth, which sounds really cool.
Also today's Day in Pictures was particularly cool.
Cool cool cool I thought this post needed that word a few more times.
And other than links to other websites, seems I have precious little to say.
Love, love is a verb
Typo of the day! Writing an essay for one of my grad school apps and this sentence slips out. Oh, the importance of a few little letters...
"In addition to that semester's introduction to international policy, I taught two sections of conversational English through the university's English department, and privately tortured a man preparing for an English proficiency exam."
Well, it wasn't so far off the truth. He bought my lunch that one time...
"In addition to that semester's introduction to international policy, I taught two sections of conversational English through the university's English department, and privately tortured a man preparing for an English proficiency exam."
Well, it wasn't so far off the truth. He bought my lunch that one time...
A cracked, polystyrene man
So, I'm not an Oprah fan at all, even if Brad Pitt and George Clooney try to make it cool. It just doesn't do it for me.
However, one of the "Galactic Oprah Legion's" writers put up a simultaneously sad and hilarious article at CNN, which, if for no other reason, deserves mention for the story highlights just beside the title.
Also, this weekend, I played Guitar Hero III, ate a pita out of a metal stand, and saw Bolt sing in a pinstripe suit. What could be better.
However, one of the "Galactic Oprah Legion's" writers put up a simultaneously sad and hilarious article at CNN, which, if for no other reason, deserves mention for the story highlights just beside the title.
Also, this weekend, I played Guitar Hero III, ate a pita out of a metal stand, and saw Bolt sing in a pinstripe suit. What could be better.
The Busker?
This man is a champ. My new life ambition. ;)
If my car were a baby, it'd pretty much be needing a diaper right now. I'll let ya know.
If my car were a baby, it'd pretty much be needing a diaper right now. I'll let ya know.
Will you do the fandango?
I have never thought myself a TV junkie but there are about 5 good TV shows going recently. I only keep up with The Office and Prison Break (they will never be forgiven for taking away Sara Tancredi), but House has looked really good recently. I used to catch snippets of it at LETU and now NBC puts all their shows online. I'm kind of holding it off, so I can use it as a reward at some future reward-worthy time. ;)
The Office, in particular, has been brilliant recently. I am amazed at how many serious issues they can touch in the show, usually with Michael Scott's character. He takes political correctness to the extreme and, in his comedic way, shows some very real problems people have, and their ways of dealing with them.
In this last episode, the whole office staff have an impromptu discussion about the proper use of the word "whoever" and "whomever" and it is absolutely hilarious and brilliant. Also I love Youtube.
And then, there are the Youtube fangirls who will religiously catalog all of the Jim/Pam scenes into one Youtube clip. Icky mushy! And for some reason I can hardly keep myself from spelling catalog as catalogue. I think it's the English way? As usual, it seems the Americans scratched their heads, looked at a word of French descent, and said, "These here hum letters ain't necessary!" Snip snip.
I'm pretty much a Steve Carell fan because of the Office and after seeing Evan Almighty. Evan wasn't an especially awesome show, but he at least helped out the movie a lot. And actually I am looking forward even more to his upcoming film Dan In Real Life. And it will have Dane Cook! We'll see how that is.
Aaaaaand we have a cool snap in Texas! I pulled out a hoodie for the first time in months this weekend and it was wondahful. After several weeks off of coffee, I magically seem to want it again and it just tastes better when the morning is cool.
I went to a church retreat with Geoff-Geoff this weekend (that's really how I have him written in my cell phone). The theme was our hearts as the temple or house of God. A number of people from the congregation spoke and it was a good time to talk and think.
I didn't feel tip-top after dinner on Saturday so I skipped the last of the men's small group discussion. One of them came by afterwards, and, with a wink, told me that God had come down in a pillar of FIRE and that it was a once in a lifetime thing and I had missed it. That'll teach ya not to miss the meetings. ;)
The Office, in particular, has been brilliant recently. I am amazed at how many serious issues they can touch in the show, usually with Michael Scott's character. He takes political correctness to the extreme and, in his comedic way, shows some very real problems people have, and their ways of dealing with them.
In this last episode, the whole office staff have an impromptu discussion about the proper use of the word "whoever" and "whomever" and it is absolutely hilarious and brilliant. Also I love Youtube.
And then, there are the Youtube fangirls who will religiously catalog all of the Jim/Pam scenes into one Youtube clip. Icky mushy! And for some reason I can hardly keep myself from spelling catalog as catalogue. I think it's the English way? As usual, it seems the Americans scratched their heads, looked at a word of French descent, and said, "These here hum letters ain't necessary!" Snip snip.
I'm pretty much a Steve Carell fan because of the Office and after seeing Evan Almighty. Evan wasn't an especially awesome show, but he at least helped out the movie a lot. And actually I am looking forward even more to his upcoming film Dan In Real Life. And it will have Dane Cook! We'll see how that is.
Aaaaaand we have a cool snap in Texas! I pulled out a hoodie for the first time in months this weekend and it was wondahful. After several weeks off of coffee, I magically seem to want it again and it just tastes better when the morning is cool.
I went to a church retreat with Geoff-Geoff this weekend (that's really how I have him written in my cell phone). The theme was our hearts as the temple or house of God. A number of people from the congregation spoke and it was a good time to talk and think.
I didn't feel tip-top after dinner on Saturday so I skipped the last of the men's small group discussion. One of them came by afterwards, and, with a wink, told me that God had come down in a pillar of FIRE and that it was a once in a lifetime thing and I had missed it. That'll teach ya not to miss the meetings. ;)
Maybe we don't want to be found
I came across this picture and cracked up
Also, apparently I have lost the ability to write opening paragraphs (or at least ones without a link to the BBC), so here is something I thought really interesting about the Chinese economy.
Yeah, you probably don't leap out of bed and skip the cereal every morning just to read about the Chinese economy, but the tagline of the article definitely caught my eye: "Shanghai is the ultimate poster-child for the effects of globalisation on cities and regions."
Twice the foreign investment flows into the city of Shanghai alone than to the entire country of India. A million people have been displaced from the city center because of rising real estate values. And they're planning the world's largest container port on an island thirty kilometers off the coast... a thirty kilometer highway out into the sea to access it.
These are issues we see in other places in the world, but the sheer scale of the Chinese economy and population is what makes it amazing to me. It's a city of 21 million people. The mayor of Shanghai regularly makes decisions that affect far more people with far more consequences than the highest leaders of many countries.
OK, well, *I* thought it was cool anyway.
********************
Went to the Texas State Fair this Saturday. For a mere $12.50 ticket, I was given the privilege of paying $4 for a corndog and $2.50 for a root beer. I saw a man shot from a giant cannon, and I saw a hot air balloon basket containing a cow and sheep, sculpted in butter. I saw Charlie Brown quilts and wooden cowboy hats and ceramic Popeyes and oil paintings of Guinness and kittens and signs for things like fried funnel cakes, fried cookie dough and yes, fried Coke.
********************
My latest pet peeve with the GRE is the word comparisons. They pick words with completely disparate meanings and leave it up to you to figure out which definition they intend.
For example, I am supposed to figure out the relationship between "pluck" and "fawn."
Well, pluck can either be a verb about pulling feathers from a bird, or a synonym for courage. And fawn can be obsessed, twittering flattery, or a baby deer, or even the *color* of a baby deer.
And I am expected to conclude that we are speaking of courage and groveling, while completely engrossed with this new concept of pulling feathers off a baby deer...
Also, apparently I have lost the ability to write opening paragraphs (or at least ones without a link to the BBC), so here is something I thought really interesting about the Chinese economy.
Yeah, you probably don't leap out of bed and skip the cereal every morning just to read about the Chinese economy, but the tagline of the article definitely caught my eye: "Shanghai is the ultimate poster-child for the effects of globalisation on cities and regions."
Twice the foreign investment flows into the city of Shanghai alone than to the entire country of India. A million people have been displaced from the city center because of rising real estate values. And they're planning the world's largest container port on an island thirty kilometers off the coast... a thirty kilometer highway out into the sea to access it.
These are issues we see in other places in the world, but the sheer scale of the Chinese economy and population is what makes it amazing to me. It's a city of 21 million people. The mayor of Shanghai regularly makes decisions that affect far more people with far more consequences than the highest leaders of many countries.
OK, well, *I* thought it was cool anyway.
********************
Went to the Texas State Fair this Saturday. For a mere $12.50 ticket, I was given the privilege of paying $4 for a corndog and $2.50 for a root beer. I saw a man shot from a giant cannon, and I saw a hot air balloon basket containing a cow and sheep, sculpted in butter. I saw Charlie Brown quilts and wooden cowboy hats and ceramic Popeyes and oil paintings of Guinness and kittens and signs for things like fried funnel cakes, fried cookie dough and yes, fried Coke.
********************
My latest pet peeve with the GRE is the word comparisons. They pick words with completely disparate meanings and leave it up to you to figure out which definition they intend.
For example, I am supposed to figure out the relationship between "pluck" and "fawn."
Well, pluck can either be a verb about pulling feathers from a bird, or a synonym for courage. And fawn can be obsessed, twittering flattery, or a baby deer, or even the *color* of a baby deer.
And I am expected to conclude that we are speaking of courage and groveling, while completely engrossed with this new concept of pulling feathers off a baby deer...
Feed the hex on the country you love
Hahahahah!
The reason I find that so humorous is because Dr. Watson very nearly did the same in Visual Literacy, though under doubtless more innocent circumstances. On the other hand, *that'll* teach him never to assume a Youtube search will provide "that video" he had seen the night before. (Dangling preposition strike two! Slaaaaaay the heathen!)
If I start *one* more post with a link to a news site, I will start a separate blog for such things. Don't hold me to that.
So today I went to see good sir Evan (of the Yerkes clan) in jolly old Nac. We had good times swinging in Pecan Park and chatting in Java Jack's, discussing shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages, and kings. Actually that's a fairly accurate list of topics, probably minus the ships and sealing wax though.
It was Evan's first day working at Micky D's on University, so I dropped him off and headed for the cinema. I had already seen 3:10 to Yuma with Pebble, so I got a ticket for The Kingdom. I really liked it.
I had read a review beforehand that primed me for the show, which probably helped a lot. The movie has a good action-packed beginning and ending, but the heart of the show is about US/Saudi cooperation and politics, investigating a bombing.
One definite prop for the movie is the intro. They intersperse the opening credits with a news-narrated collage of media cuts, covering the modern history of US/Saudi relations. It's probably not even two minutes long but I felt it really put things in perspective and set a good stage for the rest of the show.
The surprise best actor is the Arabic state police chief, a character named Al-Ghazi. Jamie Foxx's performance also stood out. Both characters expressed the complications of the movie's issues.
My GRE book came in the mail, a harbinger of doom normally causing peasants to panic, but for some reason I am strangely psyched. The book claims the test is a 4+ hour ordeal but I wish I could take it tomorrow.
Soon though.
The reason I find that so humorous is because Dr. Watson very nearly did the same in Visual Literacy, though under doubtless more innocent circumstances. On the other hand, *that'll* teach him never to assume a Youtube search will provide "that video" he had seen the night before. (Dangling preposition strike two! Slaaaaaay the heathen!)
If I start *one* more post with a link to a news site, I will start a separate blog for such things. Don't hold me to that.
So today I went to see good sir Evan (of the Yerkes clan) in jolly old Nac. We had good times swinging in Pecan Park and chatting in Java Jack's, discussing shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages, and kings. Actually that's a fairly accurate list of topics, probably minus the ships and sealing wax though.
It was Evan's first day working at Micky D's on University, so I dropped him off and headed for the cinema. I had already seen 3:10 to Yuma with Pebble, so I got a ticket for The Kingdom. I really liked it.
I had read a review beforehand that primed me for the show, which probably helped a lot. The movie has a good action-packed beginning and ending, but the heart of the show is about US/Saudi cooperation and politics, investigating a bombing.
One definite prop for the movie is the intro. They intersperse the opening credits with a news-narrated collage of media cuts, covering the modern history of US/Saudi relations. It's probably not even two minutes long but I felt it really put things in perspective and set a good stage for the rest of the show.
The surprise best actor is the Arabic state police chief, a character named Al-Ghazi. Jamie Foxx's performance also stood out. Both characters expressed the complications of the movie's issues.
My GRE book came in the mail, a harbinger of doom normally causing peasants to panic, but for some reason I am strangely psyched. The book claims the test is a 4+ hour ordeal but I wish I could take it tomorrow.
Soon though.
