Banished Words List

I'm a big fan of words, and all the unique "quirks" that accompany them. I'm guessing this has its root in my love of reading and all of the time I spend at work writing. So, it wasn't hard to predict that I absolutely LOVE this list of the most overused words of the past year. The list was put out by, of all people, Lake Superior State University, and it looks as those they receive nominations from the public for these words throughout the year. For those who want a little sneak preview of what words made this infamous list, both "epic" and "fail" are on the list.

A gem of the Internet

The Internet has quite a bit of good, useful information, quite a bit of trash, and tons of just meaningless, irrelevant information (no comment on where this blog fits among those categories). But every now and then you manage to come across an Internet site that is absolutely amazing. And thanks to a link posted on Facebook by my friend Harvey, I am now able to share such a site with my loyal blog readers (both of you). Prepare yourself to be blown away, and then go check out Awkward Family Pet Photos. If you cruise to that site, you will be able to see awesomeness like:

Summer Book Report

I'm not sure that I have ever blogged about how John Steinbeck is one of my favorite America authors. Like many Steinbeck fans, my interest began after reading "Of Mice and Men." After that, I read "Cannery Row," "Tortilla Flat," and several others. On a trip to the world's best bookstore, I ended up buying quite a few Steinbeck books that I had never read. Since then, most of those books have just sat around and gathered dust on my bookshelf.

On a whim, I decided to rescue one of these books from their dust-capturing mission. "Travels with Charley: In Search of America" is Steinbeck's account of his 1960 cross-country road trip with his dog Charley. Not surprisingly, the book was excellent. Steinbeck had a very introspective eye and an unparalleled ability to describe his observations in a colorful and easy-to-read style. One of the things that was so interesting to me was how many of the themes that Steinbeck confronts during his 1960 roadtrip are still unfortunately present in America today, fifty years later (consumerism, fast-paced life, racism). For me, the book was the perfect blend of light summertime reading fare while still being very thought-provoking.

[Sidenote: Steinbeck came through Seattle on his roadtrip. I found a webpage that described part of what Steinbeck wrote about Seattle. As a current resident of the Emerald City, I found it especially interesting.]

Two tidbits of awesomeness

#1. Check out this ad for Uzbek Airlines. Who comes up with their marketing slogans? "Good Luck" - really?!?



I found this lil' gem on the fascinating world of Twitter. If you're not on Twitter yet, check it out. If you are, follow me!

#2. Check out this bumper sticker that I snapped a picture of. There is just so much to love about this bumper sticker, but I think the best is the picture of the poor logger who is caught in the owl's talons, but he still is managing to hold on to his axe!

Fun with Photo Booth

One of the fun programs included on my MacBook Pro is Photo Booth. This software, combined with the built-in iSight camera, have quickly become a favorite of my kids. OK, OK...I've actually had fun with it too. Photo Booth does this fun 4-plex series of photos just like you would have taken in the photo booth at the carnival.

Check these photos:

Blogging from a new computer

I think I blogged awhile back about how our 4Runner was broken into. Well, as a result, I am now blogging on a new MacBook Pro computer. I haven't fully explored all of the features of this awesome computer but it was definitely love at first...sight/touch/feel. This is a great computer.

How sweet are these!

Wow. Words cannot begin to describe. If you're looking for ideas for my next birthday/Christmas gift, consider this a subtle hint.

Really, Seattle Times? Really?

I would have possibly let this slide if it had appeared in the Seattle P-I, what with the fact that the P-I shuttered their print operation this last week, but this latest occurrence of my pet peeve comes courtesy of The Seattle Times, now Seattle's only daily newspaper. For those of you who may not remember, I have a slight irritation when I see misspelled words or poor grammar in public places (See here, here, and here for examples). The qualification about "public places" is important, as I have no problem with misspelled words in emails, letters, text messages, or other personal form of communication. My hackle is raised (yes, I did just use the word "hackle") when someone who obviously should know better (i.e., journalists) make very noticeable mistakes. But enough background, check out this misspelling that appeared on the front page of yesterday's online version of The Seattle Times (I've drawn a yellow box around the text at issue but click on the photo to see a larger version):

"100,000 in state breating easier"

Music I'm currently listening to...

I love music. I'm not a musician, although I did play saxophone and drums in middle school band and I've got a guitar gathering dust in the garage (doesn't really qualify me as a musician, does it?). I've often thought that in another life it would've been fun to be a music critic or work for a record label. Going to live music concerts is one of Missi and my favorite date activities. I usually have music of some type going - whether it is soft, instrumental piano music while I work, or music playing off the computer while I work around the house or cook breakfast on a Saturday morning. If you don't know about it yet, you should definitely check out Pandora. This is a great service that allows you to enter any artist you enjoy and then Pandora will find other artists with similar sounds. It's a great way to learn about new artists and listen to them before buying their entire album.

Besides Pandora, here are a few of the artists I've been listening to lately:

Blind Pilot

I first heard about Blind Pilot when I was back in law school and someone sent around an email to the student body saying, "Check out my friend's band called Blind Pilot." I listened to a few songs on their MySpace page, didn't think too much about it, and totally forgot about them. Fast forward to about 6 weeks ago, when my coworker invited me to go to their concert. Missi and I went to The Triple Door, had front row seats, and were completely mesmorized by what we heard. Blind Pilot hails from Astoria, Oregon and is technically only a two-piece, but they travel with a six-piece band backing them. Plus, I think it's pretty cool that the band actually toured up and down the West Coast by bike. That's right...they rode their bicycles, hauling all their gear behind them. There is even a documentary in the works called "We are the Tide" (the name of one of my favorite BP songs) that should come out later this year. I cannot recommend this band highly enough.

Here is Blind Pilot's MySpace page.

Here is Blind Pilot's blog.

You can also find quite a few videos of them on Youtube, just search under "Blind Pilot"


The Decemberists

These days, The Decemberists are really well-known. They are an indie rock band from Portland who often base most of their songs on some type of historical story or myth. For example, the title track from their album "The Crane Wife" was based on a Japanese folk tale that lead singer Colin Meloy came across in a Portland bookshop. I am very, very excited about their new album called "The Hazards of Love" that is coming out in March. I'm sad to say that I haven't had an opportunity to see them live in concert, but if you want a taste of what a Decemberists show is like, I highly recommend listening to the recent concert available on NPR's All Songs Considered. NPR is also going to be streaming a concert from SXSW where the whole "Hazards of Love" album will be played. Another testament to the band's theatrical side came from a friend who saw their show in Bend, Oregon and said that the band staged a reenactment of Lewis and Clark's discovery of the Northwest. How cool is that?

Another thing I like about The Decemberists is their quirky sense of humor and their unique vernacular (I am, after all, a huge fan of the written word). Take, for example, this recent excerpt from an email I received from The Decemberists:

"Adored Mailing List Recipients,

While it has been less than a week since our last petulant Relatively Unobtrusive e-Missive graced your inbox, we Decemberists feel it important to remind you, gentle Recipient, that the public ticket on-sale for Phase One of The "A Short Fazed Hovel" Tour 2009 starts today! Simply follow this simple, user-friendly chart to deduce the applicable date for your city"




Ray Lamontagne

Ray Lamontagne is a soulful, dark, introspective character who plays stripped-down music, which I love (and conversely I can't stand "over processed" music). He recently put out an album called "Gossip in the Grain," which is great. I also highly recommend listening to his concert from the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C., also available on NPR's All Songs Considered.




I'm also dabbling around with M. Ward, Andrew Bird, My Morning Jacket, DCFC, ALO, Tea Leaf Green, and a few others, but I'm always looking for suggestions for new music. Got any?

Social networking sites

There have been tons of articles written over the past few years about the advent of social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook. A certain law student even wrote a law review article about some of the legal issues that arise on such sites. Well, Missi and I are fully immersed in the movement/trend/fad. We both have "profiles" on MySpace and Facebook, although we don't check our MySpace profiles very often. We also update our Facebook "status" on a fairly regular basis, which just gives a tiny snapshot of what we're doing at that moment. If you're not on Facebook, I would encourage you to join! It's a great way to connect (or re-connect) with people.

This is my Facebook profile.

This is Missi's Facebook profile.

Always a classic...

The other day I randomly thought about one of my favorite Youtube videos of all time - if you haven't seen the Mini Mall you HAVE to watch it.

Pretty hilarious studio portraits

I can't really take credit for these photos, as they were linked to by Uniwatch), but they are pretty hilarious nonetheless. These are actual photos from Olan Mills, Sears, and other portrait studios.

Combination Train Whistle/Moth Preventer

Makes perfect sense, right?

Random Musings

While relevant anytime, it is especially important during this Christmas season to visit The New American Dream and Advent Conspiracy.

I recently re-connected through Facebook with an old friend from high school, Serenity (Thornburg) Coulombe. She and her family are traveling across the country in an RV named Big Buster and "loving on homeless people." You can follow their journeys either through her blog or her husband Andy's blog.

Speaking of blogs, several friends from Eugene recently started their own. If you're so inclined, check out the Wallace blog and the Lavassaur blog.

In a display of sheer geniusness, our friends Ryan and Susan have finished their annual Christmas music video.

I wish I could be in San Diego on December 30.

I sure feel old when I get sore after sledding and having a snowball fight with the kids. And it wasn't like we were doing this type of sledding.

I really apologize if anyone reading this blog does this, but I really don't understand why anyone would put a wreath on the front grill of their car.

My dog loves the snow.

Seattle absolutely shuts down when they receive any snowfall. Like as in, shutting down over 100 bus routes when it snows! But if stuff like this happens, I guess its no suprise that the city shuts down.

I love that my son calls a "toboggan" a "tog-boggler."

With the snow falling outside, and more expected tonight, I'm excited to make a big pot of warm chicken noodle soup for the family.

We've been listening to a lot of Pandora lately. Check it out if you haven't done so already.

I'm currently trying to work my way through three books:

1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
2. Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski
3. Chasing Daylight by Erwin Raphael McManus

Looking for a gift for the person who has everything? Might I suggest a Snuggie?

Favorite Sites

Here's a quick list of our family's favorite websites~

John~
oregonlive.com
ducksportsnews.com
blogger.com
Missi~
yahoo.com
myspace.com
craigslist.org
Drew~
lego.com
webkiz.com
Samantha~
barbie.com
http://jodfijhoihjidofbjotiyuofgj.jfohbfyig/(ummmmmm, .com I guess!)
Apparently, Sam got on to the computer to practice her "skills". We went to our history on the Internet, and saw this on here. Couldn't resist:)

This is WAY too addicting!

I'm usually not one who cares much for those forwards that tend to make their way across the information superhighway via countless email forwards, but I really liked this one. Here is the body of the email that I received:

Air Force Test
This will drive you nuts!! Have fun!
The object of the game is to move the red block around without getting hit by the blue blocks or touching the black walls.
If you can go longer than 18 seconds you are phenomenal. It's been said that the US Air Force uses this for fighter pilots. They are expected to go for at least 2 minutes.
Give it a try but be careful...it is addictive!!

Here is the link to the game.

My high score was 19.919 seconds. How long can you last?