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Wanna talk about number 1 oh my, me, my...

What did I do on Saturday?

A) Watched reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at home.
B) Played computer games.
C) Went dancing with some girls that I barely know.
D) Went to a bar and spent half the night talking to someone else's significant other.

The correct answer is C. Well, C and D actually. An acquaintance was rounding up some people for a night on the town and the timing was great for me. The funny part was that we barely know each other! She introduced me to her friends and basically the only things we knew were that we both enjoyed cycling. That doesn't make for a very long conversation. So we probably spent a good half hour talking about exactly what it is that we do.

So what is it about other people's SO's that make them so easy to talk to. Is it the fact that they are free to converse without worrying about whether there is a pickup going on? Do I somehow communicate differently, because I'm not "on the prowl"? Being the naughty woman that she is, surfer girl suggested that maybe some of these SO's were actually interested in me. Blah, she's just messing with me.

I hadn't been out in a group for a few weeks, and it's so much more fun than flying solo. Even though I barely knew everyone, people don't react by thinking "shields up" or "game on". When you're out on the town by yourself, there are basically only two options if you're relative social. One is being on the prowl. Two is trying to convince people that you're not on the prowl. Either option is somewhat sub-optimal if all you're looking for is company and conversation.

So maybe this is an observation that everyone else figured out ages ago, but most people can't dance. Newsflash, huh? I tend to feel very self-conscious in environments such as those because I don't think of myself as a good dancer. However, I can at least keep a beat and move to the rhythm. I'm no Fred Astaire, but I'm at least adequate. Oh well, food for thought in the future. I tried to get the connoisseur to go dancing the last time we were hanging out, but it never really worked out. Too much to do in too little time. Having the girl (or in this case 2) is all the difference in getting over that feeling of self-consciousness.

Pull My Chain - Toby Keith

Courtesy of Captain Capitalism...

Liz Phair - Liz Phair

I just saw the funniest damn thing I've seen in a long time. Apparently a new store called Busby Fitness just opened on Anderson Lane, just east of MOPAC in the same complex as Satay. There was a woman in a bee costume, holding a sign, and shaking her booty. Buzz-Bee, get it? Anyways. Drive by it if you get a chance... This might be a limited time offer.

Aquarius - Aqua

"The team was asked to pump the fuel out of their car," he said. "They left 15 litres in the tank and told us it was empty.

I'm glad to see that cheaters didn't win this time. It reminds of how our high school administrators had no backbone. A bunch of kids got caught cheating on homework a few times, and nobody ever did a damn thing about it. Probably fear of getting a lawsuit from an unhappy parent, worried about their kid's future. They were still members of the National Honor Society. Made me really appreciate being a member of that. Not.

I guess that's another reason why I always thought GPA was more or less irrelevant. On one occasion, I had a borderline grade in my 10th grade english class and got shafted, because of a class participation score. It was ridiculous, because I contributed more than all but one student, the nemesis. I got 0/8, while the girl sitting next to me got an 8/8 and she was a mute! On another occasion, I got a B despite having a 90+% test/homework average in my AP Physics class. We used to get credit for putting HW assignments up on the board, and people would literally run to the class, in order to get there first. How messed up was that?

Interestingly enough, I once got accused of cheating on a program in college. It was my very first CS class, a 1 credit "Intro to C" class that I took because I placed out of the first 2 intro programming classes. The homework was so Mickey Mouse that I didn't read it properly. I probably finished the damn thing in under 15 minutes and went back to working on Organic Chemistry. In the end, the prof took my word for it, and I still failed the assignment for not reading & following directions. Doh! She had wanted all the headers and comments in a very specific format and I thought those were just "guidelines".

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction...

This started out as a longer post, but it's getting late and I'll save the rest for another day...

While it's entirely possible that I've got a very faulty recollection of my childhood, I don't remember spending a lot of time looking at the stars. My guess is that light pollution had a lot to do with this. However, I have done it quite a few times in the past few weeks. Last weekend, I probably spent a good 15 minutes just relaxing and staring at the sky with a nice single malt in hand. It occurred to me that I don't know jack about constellations. I can find the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Orion. That's it. After finding links, I realized that they aren't even constellations, they're asterisms. Oh well. I guess that counts as the thing I learned today.

It didn't make for a very long game, but it certainly help put things into perspective. I don't know how much they pay the guy to change the light bulbs in those things, but he must not have a fear of heights.

Astro Lounge - Smashmouth

American students traveling abroad confirm the findings of a study indicating that Washington's unilateral approach to foreign policy has seriously undermined Americans' chances of getting laid.

Read more here.

Thanks to JMPP. I'm reading on a trial basis only, but it may be here to stay. If she really is a libertarian economist that enjoys all things Whedon-esque, it can't be all that bad.

The Woman In Me - Shania Twain

P.S. Just noticed that there is a new release of old songs on May 10th. Hmm...

Ladies, Treat Your Men Like Pets by Captain Capitalism.

Pets vs. men -- pets win from Tyler @ Marginal Revolution.

Both are quite good reads. Good enough that I decided to post it instead of going to sleep.

Savage Garden - Savage Garden

EDIT: Some interesting tidbits in the comments on CC.

JMPP:
"Well, if men acted more like cats, maybe we'd treat them more like cats. Affectionate, eager to see you, appreciative of attention, etc...."

Diane:
"You want to be treated like a cat? Observe cats. There is a reason heterosexual women and gay men like them. They are what we want most out of men. We want a partner, not a slave. We want someone who will love us and snuggle us, and who’s affection we have to earn, and who will work to earn ours."

He'd surely kick an ass or two... cause that's what Brian Boitano would do...

After that, he'd make his own South Park avatar here. Thanks to The Auto Prophet.

This is what I whipped up, complete with Etymotics and the Master of Puppets T-Shirt that I wish I had.

South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut - Various Artists

Tomorrow, I start my new job. I only have one thing to say...

When it's pouring outside and you have to use your windshield wipers, it probably means it's hard to see other cars. That means other people have a hard time seeing your car, too. Turn on your god damn headlights!!!

ARGH!

Kill 'Em All - Metallica

If you were everything you say
things would be different today
and if there has got to be an if -
get it over with
say anything, 'cause I've heard everything

Heh, Say Anything just came on the TV. I really ought to buy this DVD. Too bad I can't stay up to watch it.

EDIT: heh, 1.5 hours later I'm still here. Damn this movie is good.

Whatever - Aimee Mann

I came to knock you down...
I came around to tear your little world apart...

Quick question. What's worse than a flat tire half way into a bike ride? That's right. 2 flat tires. The first was legit. The second was likely due to an incompatibility. When I got home and double checked the box it was a 700x18-23 tube. My tire is a 700x25. GRR. I guess the guy at Jack and Adam's was wrong when he said that tube will work for "any standard road bike".

When I read reviews on my bike before I got it, there were two things that most of the people seemed to hate. The first was the saddle. The second is the tires. I couldn't be bothered to investigate "upgrades" at the time, but now seems as good a time as any. New tires are on the way that should be better in every way except price. I've managed to get used to the saddle, such that there is only mild discomfort after 60+ miles. However, it's still pretty suboptimal. When it gets a little sweaty, my butt tends to unintentionally scoot around too much, and that's suboptimal. Good thing I have a new job to support my latest in a long line of expensive hobbies.

Garbage - Garbage

Back when I went on my first long drive with the local car nuts, one of the most useful things to remember was that the person in front of me was basically driving the exact same car. Mild suspension tweaks between model years, some weight variances and whatnot, but 99% identical.

For those of you that aren't familiar with cycling, the number of gears on a bike is generally determined by the number of chainrings (up front) and the cassette in the back (nowadays 8-10). Mountain bikes almost always come with a triple chainring up front for a wider range of gears, while road bikes will have a double or triple. The smallest of the front chainrings is affectionately known as "The Granny Ring". As in, "only my grandma would need to shift to a gear that low to get over this hill".

Where am I going with this? On our group rides, 2 of the guys in our group have similar (identical?) bikes with a dual chainring up front. If they start a climb right in front of me, I can see the gear they are in. Machismo kicks in and I say, fine, I'm gonna put myself in the same gear and climb this hill. Sometimes I can do it. Sometimes I can't. More often than not, I end up getting my ass kicked on the really big hills.

I was starting to think that I was just a crappy climber when I stumbled across an interesting detail. The smallest gear on a dual chainring is usually smaller than the middle gear on a dual. In this case, I was trying to pedal with a 42T gear against a 39T gear. Assuming that we're both using the largest gear of the cassette (26T for me and 25T for them), I'm still in a higher gear!

Next time, I'm just going to drop down into the granny gear and go at my own pace. That way, when I can't keep up, I'll know that I can't keep up for sure!

Bacdafucup - Onyx

The battery on my Rio Karma just ran out. =( *sigh* User error is a bitch sometimes...

I need to bring my work CD player to the new office.

Master of Puppets - Metallica

A couple weeks ago I was having a conversation with someone about music, and I said something along the lines of "I've been listening to a lot of X, because I've been a bit bummed out and want to listen to something that makes me happy". I was blown away by the fact that they hadn't considered the fact that music is or could be a mood-altering device.

I had wanted to blog about it, but had forgotten about it, until I got passed a baton (well, sorta, hmpf). So here goes:

Music Volume
I'm probably the only person that doesn't want to answer this digitally, but I think I've got about 275 CDs and SACDs.

Last CD Bought
Hmm. I'm not sure. It might be Long Gone Before Daylight by the Cardigans.

Song Playing Right Now
Come and Get Your Love. From Another Night by Real McCoy.

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:
The litmus test for this one is probably which songs I also sing out loud. Most readers already know that I'm an album person. I almost always listen to a CD all the way through, so it's hard to pick just one song. Here goes.

Ex-Girlfriend from Return of Saturn - No Doubt. This album is awesome. It just is.

Give Me a Reason from In Blue - The Corrs. This can get ugly when I sing it, I can't hit those notes worth a damn.

Great Indoors from Room for Squares - John Mayer. I had shelved this CD for a while, since it falls into the category of "it reminds me of her". However, that time has passed and it's back into rotation.

I Feel Love (link to a video that doesn't do it justice) from The Complex - Blue Man Group. This is a remake of an old Donna Summer song. This was quite possibly the most intense visual experience I've ever had at a concert.

One - And Justice For All - Metallica. This is the other "most intense visual experience I've ever had at a concert".

That's Just What You Are from I'm With Stupid - Aimee Mann. Note that this is just about the only song that I will actually skip ahead to. Thanks to the Connosieur.

OK, I cheated. That's 6.

Five People to Whom I'm Passing The Baton:
Here's hoping they can figure out who they are. Of course, anyone else is welcome to comment and encouraged to do so!
1) Naye
2) The Buckeye
3) Bob
4) Candy aka "I Hate France"
5) My other puppy's mommy
OK, I cheated. Here are 5 more:
6) The Connoisseur
7) Volvo
8) Kikkoman
9) The Robot
10) JMPP

Enema of the State - Blink 182

Pissed off that your money is going to the middle east for oil? Well, start by not changing your oil when your dealer tells you to.

Link to the auto prophet.

Fresh - Gina G.

After playing basketball yesterday, I stopped at the Wendy's drive-thru. After handing me my order, he said, "See you tomorrow". I forgot that they did that. That's such a great idea. I love it!

The Spirit Room - Michelle Branch

Never want to leave
Never want to say what you mean to me

I went to shoot some hoops with some co-workers yesterday. The important thing to note is that I probably haven't played an actual game in about 5 years. I probably hadn't touched a basketball in maybe 3. These statements are not meant to be a disclaimer on my skill level, since I still kick ass. The point is that I hadn't played. Sports require specialized gear. Cycling shoes for cycling. Running shoes for running. Court shoes for tennis and racquetball. If I don't play sports, I don't buy the appropriate footwear. I took my pair of shoes that is likely about 10-11 years old back from high school.

After a handful of screens, blocked shots, and rebounds, I started getting into the groove of the game. After a missed shot, the opposing team took off on a fast break, and I was determined to track them down. As I planted my foot to go up for the block, my right shoe disintegrated. Yes disintegrated. The sole literally had split in several places and my shoe fell apart.

I've already started getting crap about it. I think I'm going to have to use the line of "I didn't get my first paycheck yet".

Looks like I need a new pair of shoes. Does Converse even make basketball shoes anymore? Does Converse still exist?

EDIT: OK, I'm lazy. Converse is here.

Affirmation - Savage Garden