Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Love Hate Elephants

(Warning: bad language ahead)

This is one of the funniest things I've read in awhile.


Also, an awesome word: "unwieldy." The word itself is what it means. It also makes your mouth do funny things when you say it. (Insert dirty jokes in the comments.)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I love this (and by "love" I mean "can't f-ing believe"):

We cannot attract and retain the best and the brightest talent to lead and staff the A.I.G. businesses — which are now being operated principally on behalf of American taxpayers — if employees believe their compensation is subject to continued and arbitrary adjustment by the U.S. Treasury.

— Edward Liddy, chief executive, American International Group

1) Last time I checked, docking bonuses for bringing down THE ENTIRE ECONOMY was not considered an "arbitrary adjustment." It's a very rational adjustment.

2) As others have said, these are the best and the brightest? Clearly not, what with the whole BRINGING DOWN THE ENTIRE ECONOMY thing.

3) I think I know a finance guy who is in need of a job. His name is EVERYONE WHO USED TO WORK AT BEAR STEARNS. Let me see if I have his number around here...


Monday, March 16, 2009

Should I buy this?

I love Gonzo

Propa-gaaaan-dhi

Went to see Propagandhi on Friday. Found out that they pronounce their name with their Canadian accent in full effect: Prop - a - gan - dhi. I have been calling them Prop - a- gahn - di for years.

The show was sold out and fantastic. The main floor was a mass of wriggling testosterone, with bodies squwanched together up against the stage, a circle broken open in the middle for dancing, and the rest of the crowd in the back just trying to enjoy the band. Then there were the people up in the balcony, myself included, who had a perfect bird's eye view of the band and the stinky mess of humanity below. I feel a bit too old to be down there, legs numb from standing on tip-toes to see the band.

First off, every single member of that band looks like they are all of 25. They're not.

Second off, the bass player Todd wore gym shorts for the show. Gym shorts! No hip, too-tight pants, no attempt at looking nice. Gym shorts. I loved it.

And lastly, they played Anti-Manifesto, which is one of my favorite songs of all times.

Friday, March 13, 2009

A more accurate rendering

Updated version of the apartment. Still not totally to scale, as I don't have AutoCad or anything. However, after measuring, this version more closely resembles the actual dimensions of the apartment. Notice how much smaller it is this time around, when I'm not drawing it from the idealized version in my head.

(Not shown in the drawing: my scaled-down decorating budget.)

Dickensian

I don't consider myself a Dickens fan (I only ever read the Cliff Notes to David Copperfield, Longest Book Ever), but I have a deep love for A Tale of Two Cities. This is partly due to the use of my favorite literary mechanism ever: parallelism (I'm sure my Mathlete sister would approve). It is also partly due to the famous opening lines: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

That pretty much sums up my life right now:

Best of times: new apartment in Astoria, moving in with Drummer Dan, less rent.

Worst of times: layoffs at work, benefit cuts, possibly salary cuts.


Less applicable is my actual favorite part of the opening: "...it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity..." I just really like the words "epoch" and "incredulity." I could probably write an entire entry on words that I like, but I doubt anyone would find that interesting. (Preview: "catalyst" and "sarcophagus" Bored, right?)

[Updated floor plan to come, once I figure out how to scale it in InDesign. I can't do proportions any more. My Mathlete sister is disappointed in me.]

Monday, March 9, 2009

A rough sketch, by request

Not the one we originally thought we were getting, but we love this one more. Not drawn to scale, or drawn with a ruler, or drawn carefully.













Click to see it bigger.

The solid shapes are things that are already there. The outlined shapes are things we will be moving in with or (hopefully) purchasing.

Green are doors. Yellow are windows.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Hunting Apartments in the Wilds of Queens

This weekend was long and arduous, but the results are worth it: we have found an apartment we love. Though it lacks the two things we really wanted (laundry and outdoor space), its proximity to the local laundromat and Astoria Park is close enough.

The apartment's real charm is its proximity to something more important: people we like.

...and the subway.

p.s. to The Drummer: eeeeeeeeeee