school is fun!

this is me while typing the first paper I've had to write in, oh, almost 5 years. it's not even a big one. but I need to share this because this is how I felt and, sigh, it's going to last for a while.

this bag is not a toy

one of my most favorite lines! found this in some packaging at work with some new office equipment and now it's picture-definition numero uno.

not a lot to think about

I could do this myself and save some money and follow 52 steps and take out 800 mini screws from my laptop to replace/repair/evaluate my borked cd/dvd drive, or I could just buy a new MacBook. And get a free iPod and printer.

Hello tomorrow.

everyone needs to go

This is one of those places, like Yosemite, that even people who live in the valley may skip over visiting, even though people from all over the state/country come and see it (maybe during their trip to Yosemite). Well, it's stupid to miss and you're doing yourself a disservice. Today, the family went to the Forestiere Underground Gardens and it is totally amazing. Baldassare Forestiere worked for 40 years day in and day out (and I'm sure going a little nuts along his almost-hermit-like life, though they neglected to mention anything of the sort on the tour) on digging out 50 rooms, 20+ feet under the surface in 10 acres of hard pan Fresno land dirt. Crazy. The tour guide said he started digging to get away from the heat (I don't blame him), thinking of his parents' wine cellar. He had some genius ideas-- slanted flooring for proper drainage, skylights galore, plants and grafted plants everywhere, curved floorplan to increase wind circulation. Anywho, I'll save you the rest of the cool history lesson but just go and take your people. And what else was cool? There were a bunch of people on the tours! Go Fresno! My brother-in-laws idea: they should rent out the place for wine-tastings and intimate dinners.

APS

I got this email from ExchangeEveryDay, one of those early childhood things I subscribe to since I'm in the field, and actually read this one. The last two bullets-- classic examples of American Parents Syndrome.

A Norton Online Living Report, reviewed by the Center for Media Research, found some interesting and some concerning trends in online activity. For example:

• Out of thousands of children and adult Internet users surveyed in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Germany, France, Brazil, China, and Japan, 52 percent report having made friends online.
• 46 percent of users who made friends online said they enjoyed those relationships as much or more than friendships made offline.
• Parents in the U.S. reported their kids are online two hours a month.
• U.S. kids report spending 20 hours a month online.

basic tv

I see the same commercials over and over. (And on the lines of TV, I have complaints in general about the new DTV-- my antenna doesn't pick up channels 18 and 30.) I don't feel like I really even watch that much TV. But it's the beauty of DVR TV viewing, with the ability to pause, rewind and fast forward at the convenience of a button, and shit, skip commercials altogether!, that has poisoned my enjoyment of watching TV, for now I must wait through each 30-second commercial segment: Round Table $6 lunch buffett, the new 90210, the usual disgusting Carl's Jr. ads with the mouth/chewing/meaty-juices-dripping noises. The rub is the Wild Water Adventures commercial that pushes the new Ghost Slider ride. I see this blasted thing each and every time I turn on the tv, no matter how short of a time period. I couldn't find the commercial online so I grabbed a reminder for you from their website.



aaaaah!

and I hope you now have the, "Wild Water Adventure Park!" jingle in your head and can identify with the annoyance, irritation and repetition of this commercial.

xoxo, biz.

gotta find my passport

i did not know Greece looks like this