Top Five of ‘03

Posted on December 31, 2003

Since either a list of New Year’s resolutions or a year-in-review is seemingly mandatory for all bloggers today, I think I’ll go with the latter and take a look back at some of the more notable events that transpired in my life over the course of the past year. So, you take the good, you take the bad, you take ‘em both and there you have my five most memorable moments of 2003.

5. Getting hit by a car (February)
Here’s a piece of advice that I learned from personal experience: just because a car stops for you at a crosswalk, it doesn’t mean that the driver won’t decide to put the pedal to the metal and run you down anyway. To make a long story short, my wife and I were walking across the grocery store parking lot back in February when we were both struck by a car. My knee was jacked up a bit (nothing serious), but my wife ended up with a concussion. It turned out that the driver was paying just enough attention to what he was doing to stop at the crosswalk, but not quite enough to make sure that nobody was actually crossing it before he continued on his way. Anyway, for about five months after the accident, I still got a churning in the pit of my stomach every time I crossed a street. I think that counts as memorable.

Over twice as evil as the average Doug

Posted on December 31, 2003

Quite possibly the funniest person I’ve ever met, the inimitable Evil Doug, has launched a new LiveJournal, so go and check it out. The Evil One is just getting started, but I’m willing to guarantee that good things are in store from his blog. Oh, and thanks to Kara for passing along the news.

Jess goes to Jersey

Posted on December 30, 2003

I’ve been promising photos from my holiday travels, and the first set is here! These shots were all taken in and around Princeton, New Jersey–some by me and some by my wife. First up is this shot taken at a fresh fruit market in downtown Princeton (click the thumbnail for a larger image).

We liked that one so much that we already have a copy framed and hanging on the wall here in our house.

If you’re a fellow Simpsons fan…

Posted on December 30, 2003

…run, don’t walk, to the nearest purveyor of fine PC and console games and pick up a copy of The Simpsons: Hit & Run today. Why must you own this game? Let me put it this way: earlier today, I was helping Homer (who, I should add, was driving Barney’s “Plow King” truck and wearing the stylish muumuu and cap ensemble from the episode where he attempted to put on weight to get classified as disabled and work from home) race to work at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, knocking over mailboxes, ramming other cars, “nudging” such familar pedestrians as Milhouse and Hans Moleman, and hearing Homer shout “I have no insurance!” over his shoulder all the while. Then, just when it looked like I wasn’t going to make it, I took a shortcut through the Stonecutters’ secret traffic tunnel and made my way on foot to Section 7-G just in time. And that’s just one short mission. What fan of The Simpsons could resist?

Back in action

Posted on December 29, 2003

I’m finally back home in the land of broadband Internet connections (with a brand new PC to boot), so expect my regularly scheduled blogging to resume tomorrow with some stories and photos from my recent travels.

Better than a lump of coal–and it moisturizes!

Posted on December 26, 2003

Despite what the Onion and Blogger.com might suggest, there are certain advantages to having your mom read your blog. For instance, I woke up Christmas morning to find a stocking hung by the chimney with care, overflowing with the various shaving products mentioned in this post from a couple of weeks ago.

Is it a little strange to receive an assortment of personal care products in one’s Christmas stocking? Then again, now that I think about it, maybe it’s a little strange for a 26-year-old to still receive a stocking in the first place.

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 24, 2003

It’s been a crazy week of traveling with stops in Philadelphia, Princeton, and now my parents’ house in Southwest Virginia. While the opportunities for blogging have been scarce, I should be back to my regularly scheduled ramblings within the next couple of days–complete with plenty of stories and photos from my trip. In the meantime, merry Christmas!

Three observations

Posted on December 22, 2003

First, the talking trash cans in the Atlanta airport seem somewhat unnecessary (and a bit creepy). Do I really need to be told to “please press down the lid and ensure that the trash in completely in the receptacle” every time I walk by–especially when it’s someone else’s trash in the first place?

Second, if you’re ever in Philadelphia, the best cheesesteaks are at Pat’s King of Steaks, not Gino’s.

Finally, a can of water chestnuts–organic or not–should never cost $7.50. Never.

Frosty the Gunman

Posted on December 20, 2003

I just thought I’d pass along this helpful piece of holiday advice that I heard on a radio advertisement yesterday: “No Christmas morning is complete without a gun under the tree.” Thankfully, we still have four shopping days left until Christmas.

Just in time for Christmas: Satyr Satire

Posted on December 19, 2003

Is it just me, or does this 2003 holiday postal stamp have a weird pagan vibe to it–what with the anthropomorphic reindeer, antlers, hooves, and Pan flute?

I’m just saying. Of course, I’m still not quite sure how the gaudy purple and yellow pants and suspenders fit in to the overall Dionysian allusion. Maybe it’s actually a depiction of the dreaded Luchataur–the half-deer, half-Mexican-wrestler creature of legend.

There and Back Again

Posted on December 19, 2003

Oh, I almost forgot to mention one of the best parts of my theater-going experience today. During the tense scene where Shelob is silently stalking Frodo, a guy in the audience stage-whispered to the screen, “Frodo, there’s a giant spider sneaking up behind you!” Normally, I’m not a fan of audience participation, but that one actually got a chuckle out of me for some reason.

Fool of a Took!

Posted on December 18, 2003

I caught a showing of The Return of the King this afternoon, and I was completely blown away. Even though the film managed to exceed my ridiculously high expectations, it was still a bittersweet experience to watch the series wrap up. The whole time, I couldn’t help but feel a little depressed knowing that it could feasibly be decades before I see anything else on the silver screen that rivals both the epic scope and nuanced storytelling of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I want The Return of the King to win the Oscar for Best Picture. I want the Academy to name Ian McKellan Best Actor and Sean Astin Best Supporting Actor. Heck, give Peter Jackson the Oscar for Best Director while we’re at it. I want the Academy to figure out some way to honor Andy Serkis and the special effects wizards at Weta for bringing Gollum to life and making him one of the most compelling characters I’ve seen on film in years. I want to hear Theoden’s rallying speech to the troops at Minas Tirith again. I want another chance to watch Gandalf share his insights on the adventure beyond death with Pippin just when it looks like all hope is lost. I want to go back and re-read the trilogy for the first time since my sophomore year of college.

Most of all, though, I want a copy of the Extended Edition DVD the moment it’s released next year. Oh, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Peter Jackson secure the rights to The Hobbit either.

Burrito economics

Posted on December 18, 2003

There’s a locally-owned chain of burrito restaurants here in Athens that my wife and I frequent from time to time. Basically, the place works like this: you pick what kind of tortilla, beans, and meat you want and then choose the remaining toppings–cucumbers, black olives, freshly chopped jalapenos, etc.–Subway style. Here’s the strange part, though; while all those toppings are included in the base price of the burrito, the restaurant charges an extra 30 cents if you want to add lettuce. How can you charge extra for lettuce when you’re giving away olives? Olives! I thought restaurant suppliers gave restaurants a couple of complimentary trash bags full of lettuce when they ordered their real vegetables.

It’s like buying a car and having the salesman say, “We’ll throw in the custom floor mats for free, but we’re gonna need a buck fifty for the Coconut Breeze air freshener.”

Toss another entry on the bonfire

Posted on December 17, 2003

Each week, the Bonfire of the Vanities “honors” the worst of the blogosphere, and it seems that the judges agree that it doesn’t get much worse than my Freaky Friday entry from last week.

Justify Her Love

Posted on December 16, 2003

Howard Dean may have Al Gore’s endorsement for the 2004 presidential election, but Wesley Clark has the Material Mom in his corner. Take that, Carol Moseley Braun!

Older Entries »

© Copyright Apropos of Something • Powered by Wordpress • Using Eye Candy theme by Brian Gardner.