misc December 10, 2008 | by josh | 3 comments

BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY!

While channel surfing the other day on the amazing quality of Verizon Fios TV, I came upon one of the new High Definition channels Planet Green, a station devoted to shows about ecological improvement.

Low and behold – BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY HAS RETURNED TO TELEVISION on a show called Stuff Happens (a title quite obviously a play on one of my favorite exclamatory phrases of all time).

Growing up, Bill Nye: The Science Guy was one of my favorite shows to watch.  Just hearing the theme music gets my attention even today!  Probably one of the contributing factors to my lifetime of nerdiness.

I watched an episode of Stuff Happens today about energy consumption in the sports world.  I was enthralled by *Bill’s explanations and on the fly calculations of why Baseball has the biggest carbon footprint among sports – a quite sensible explanation too.  They talked about some of the features of Nationals Park in Washington DC that make it the first green sports arena in the world.

Fascinating!

:)

* That’s right – first name basis!

misc December 9, 2008 | by josh | No comments yet

Why did I open my mouth?

So when I started this new job a few months ago, I said since I’m working remotely and traveling frequently I thought it’d be a good idea for me to have a blackberry.  No response.  Last week when I had to be tied down to my computer at the hotel until 1 in the morning one night, I said – “I NEED A BLACKBERRY!”

So today came my brand new blackberry. I was hoping to get the new Storm, but they couldn’t do that one yet on the company plan… meh.  So I got a Curve instead.  Nothing all that special, but it works.

But now it’s sinking in… all that contact… all those emails… no escaping it… ever…

How screwed is he now that Josh has a Blackberry for work?

  • Any amount of social life is now completely shot. (75%, 3 Votes)
  • It will be a convenience and increase productivity and lower stress. (25%, 1 Votes)
  • The battery will have a tendancy to die, thus no problem. (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 4

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misc December 8, 2008 | by josh | No comments yet

Happenings…

Alright.  So I just started this blog and already I’ve gotten lax about updating it.  I’m not going to cry about it though.  So I’ll do one big blog update on what’s been going on the past few weeks.

Thanksgiving was GREAT!  I hosted 15 family members at my house.  For the 3rd or 4th time, I FRIED the turkey.  Let me tell you – frying the turkey is great.  It’s a time saver, it opens the oven for other cooking needs, and it is the best tasting turkey you’ll ever taste.  And it’s safe – sure you have to be careful, but after doing this a few times now I’ve figured out what I consider a (nearly) fool proof and safe method of frying the turkey.  But that’s for another post.  My other culinary claim to fame again this year was my home made ice cream.  Oh so good.

Work is… well, it’s work. Traveled last week to Maryland for a few nights.  This job I took just back in September, suffice it to say I’m not all that happy with it.  Again, I could go on about it for quite some time but that will also have to be for another post, because it really deserves it’s own time.

The Club – Ok, I don’t think I’ve yet mentioned The Club Diner in this blog which is a real shame.  The Club is possibly the greatest place on earth.  Been there twice since my last posting.  When you go to a place and while gathering in the parking lot your usual waitress (oh Patti!!:)) has your usual drinks waiting for you at your usual table and usual seats – that’s how you know you’ve probably been there too much but have no intention of stopping.

In recent month’s visits to The Club I’ve been getting a usual of Pork Roll & Egg & Cheese on a Bagel – always good.  This latest visit, I decided to switch it up a bit.  Scrapple & Egg & Cheese on a Bagel.  I suggested this sandwich be added to the menu as “The Josh.” In review – it was good.  Quite tasty, but I find the generally soft texture of the scrapple doesn’t lend itself well to a sandwich.  You know how when you put too much ketchup on a sandwich it will ooze out the other side when you take a bite – that’s what happened here.

Christmas season is upon us, and I started decorating my house for my 2nd Annual Wacky Christmas Party!  One of my favorite decorations is my 4′ artificial pre-lit tree.  Why is this my favorite – because I elevate it up in front of my living room’s picture window so that it looks more like an 8′ tree.  Something I picked up from my grammy whom I miss dearly, especially with this being our first Christmas without her.  I’m probably going to keep adding lights in and perhaps outside of myhouse up until the day of the party.  And I’m gonna break out the fryer for some great ol fried turkey for the party.  Mmmm…

So in closing, Perhaps I should aim to have a new year’s resolution next month to blog more.  Maybe if I stop blogging all together between now and then, it’ll be easier to meet the resolution then.  Funny, I seem to have the same attitude about dieting – obviously overall counter productive…

movies November 20, 2008 | by josh | 2 comments

To Boldly Go…

Ok… Ok… Fine… I’m a Star Trek Nerd.  There.  Happy?  But you know you are too… everyone is at heart.  It was a terrible stigma you felt as a child and you were afraid people would add it to the list of things they made fun of you for and they didn’t really need another reason to pull your underwear over your head so you didn’t tell anyone.  But now that you’re grown up you realize that there’s nothing wrong with Star Trek.  Who wouldn’t want to go trouncing through the galaxy in search of hot exotic green Orion Slave Girl women and furry little Tribbles that multiply faster than bunnies in heat, or having some amazing one night romance with a woman from a strange exotic planet just because you’re JTK and the captain always gets the girl.  Come to think about it, Star Trek was really all about sex.  Even the famous Kirk vs. Spok of Amok Time was all because Spok was in his 7 year spunk.

So now the original cast has completed their trek, the next generation has come and gone, the deep space niners are deep sixed, and even the voyagers have made their way home.  All that’s left now is to do what all good media franchises do these days… go back to the beginning… well not all the way back to the beginning, but to the beginning just before the original beginning, er start.  Cause we already did the beginning beginning… beginning.

Star Trek’s next big screen installment, simply dubbed “Star Trek,” debuts May 8, 2009 and a few days ago the new theatrical trailer was released to the world.

If you haven’t yet seen the trailer, and are still reading this – obviously you should go watch the trailer because to read my Mindless Rambling for this long indicates you are as big of a Trek nerd as me and having not seen the trailer yet in such a state just makes you a looser nerd, a lower form of nerd which shames himself (note the lack of need to include both genders here).

So here are my thoughts on the trailer… in real time if you will… eh hem:

“What is this… Phantom Meanace…??? Robocop…?? Ooohhh that’s JTK… ok… nothing happening… nothing happening… big spaceship but nothing happening… right – the LOST guy is doing this one, he’s cool… hey there’s Spok, now he can cut people’s heads open and take their powers… nothings happening… WOAH FAST SHIP… WOAH SPACE BATTLE… nothings happening… YEAH – STOP HIM – CUT HIS HEAD OPEN… ok… FALLING FAST… SPACE BATTLE… DAMN STRAIGHT FIRE ALL WEAPONS… YEAAAAH TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF – THAT IS EXCITING (see – sex in trek)… cool… cool… monster… gigity… SPACE BATTLE… SPACE BATTLE… see the irony here is that now I do have to wait for almost 6 months, why do you toy with me…”

So in closing… it’s a movie trailer. Probably not a good indication of how good the movie is actually going to be.  If you think any different, then perhaps you should recall all the other times you prejudged a movie based on the level of excitement generated from watching the trailer.

One thing is for sure – on May 10th you will find lots of blogs from lots of nerds nitpicking all the flaws of how JJA destroyed the whole Trek canonical space time continuum and they won’t be able to enjoy a movie for just what it is… a movie.  Just like this is just a movie trailer.

But yeah… I’ll probably be one of those nerds who reviews it anyways on May 10th…

**What – did you actually think I was actually going to offer some insightful commentary on a movie trailer????

misc November 19, 2008 | by josh | No comments yet

Sick…

I’ve got that kind of sick going where everything hurts.  Everywhere.  It hurts to stand up.  It hurts to lay down.  Hurts to releive yourself.  Everything.

So I went to the docs today, they prescribed some medication.  Took it to the pharmacy to get filled, they couldn’t read the hand writing on the prescription slip.  So they had to call my doctor’s office for confirmation of the prescription.  Ok.  So I go home, take a nap.  Called the pharmacy and they still hadn’t heard back from my doctor’s office.  Bow.  Called up my doc’s office to get a move on, and they were closed.  No meds for me.

Bow.

misc November 17, 2008 | by josh | No comments yet

Drink Coffee!

OH!  That’s why I do stupid things… lots of them… fast… and entheusiastically!

I saw this sign at the coffee station in Denver office I was at last week.  Classic.  It explains so many things about me.

movies November 15, 2008 | by josh | 6 comments

Shaken, Not Stirred

Last night I saw the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.

  • Ridiculously Action Packed Car Chase Scene: CHECK
  • Insanely Physically Abusive Foot Chase Scene: DOUBLE CHECK
  • James gettin’ busy with a fellow she-spy or co-worker: CHECK
  • Excessive body count: CHECK
  • Evil genius trying to take over the world: CHECK
  • Alcohol abuse: CHECK

There hasn’t been a Bond movie made that I don’t enjoy – this was certainly no exception.  Being a direct follow up to Casino Royale, QoS does lack one of the Bond elements that I enjoy most – Q’s cool gadgets.  I understand that for these movies showing the beginnings of James Bond it makes sense that he might not get the cool toys being the rookie or whatever.  But something about James not having a laser beam in his watch that cuts through hardened steel or an invisible car or a super duper exploding click pen – just doesn’t seem right.

Casino Royale and Quantum are both building a storyline for a new criminal organization Quantum which to my knowlege is not mentioned in any of the previous Bond movies – perhaps they’re in some of the books, I’m not all that familar with them.  But it should be something good for the upcoming movie(s).

Interestingly enough – the phrases “Shaken, not stirred” and “Bond, James Bond” are not used in this movies.  Which is not unique to just this movie, so no great shakes there. (hah).

I do think it’s the type of movie you’ll have to watch at least twice to really appreciate it.  So who wants to go again?!?!??!!?  :)

How do you rate Quantum of Solace?

  • 4 Stars (67%, 2 Votes)
  • 2 Stars (33%, 1 Votes)
  • 5 Stars (0%, 0 Votes)
  • 3 Stars (0%, 0 Votes)
  • 1 Star (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 3

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travel November 14, 2008 | by josh | No comments yet

SNOW!

All week long people in Denver had been telling me that it doesn’t really snow in Denver proper – just outside of Denver.  Or at least when it does snow, it will melt away the next day.  And so far this year, no snow.  Until today, the day I’m going to the airport to fly home.  By time we got to the airport though, it had already stopped and the sun was out and the snow seemed to have melted away.  So I gues that’s all right.

The cleared snow in Denver however was not enough to keep my plane from delaying.  No – the far reaching delaying power of PHL airport took care of that.  Two hour delay due to some low visibility in the NW air traffic corridor or something like that.

Good trip.  You know, except for the work parts.

travel November 12, 2008 | by josh | No comments yet

Now that’s a sampler!!

Still in Denver!!

This has got to be the only time I’ve seen deer on the drive into and from the parking lot of the office.  This morning as I was driving in, saw a big buck hopping a fence – he had just crossed the road (why – cause he was jealous of the chicken! HAH!).  Then at lunch saw 3 does off on the hillside.  Someone said that half an hour earlier they were wandering through the parking lot.  And I saw the golden eagle’s nest which you can see on the rocks between which has a clear view of downtown Denver.  Probably one of the coolest offices I’ve ever been to!

The other night I ventured into the city to try out Breckenridge Brewery in downtown Denver.   Interesting enough, my GPS took me to their other site in the industrial neighborhood which is definately not downtown, but also the site where they brew and bottle all their product.  So it was cool.  Good BBQ – Kickin Chicken sandwich with smoked chicken and sausage with a homemade oatmeal stout bbq sauce.  I got the sampler, and wow – what a great selection of quality brews.  Their pale ale was interesting, had a bit of a sweet note which isn’t typical with any other pale ale I’ve had.  Their seasonal special is Christmas Ale which was a nice but somewhat standard strong winter warmer type ale.  But my favorite was the Vanilla Porter – it was rich and balanced with a great afternote of vanilla taste.  I give it two thumbs up overall.

Last night got a chance to visit some friends here that I haven’t seen since they moved out here last year.  With the two of them reading my blog now, that brings my total readership to… Three.  Unless you count that creepy guy from that other office I work at who kind of stalks me – his lazy boy obsession creeps me out a bit.  But anyways… went out with people from the office here tonight.  I know a lot of these people have worked together a long time – but I was amazed how close knit they all are, but also welcoming of new people just visiting (i.e. me!).  Good times!

Heading down to the springs tomorrow after work before heading back here and to the airport Friday morning.  Woo!

travel November 9, 2008 | by josh | No comments yet

Great View

Greetings again from Denver.  I was out exploring (i.e. trying to find a good place to watch this Eagles game, at least the first half which I watched out, but alas jet-lag is dragging me back to my hotel room to watch this great second half!)… anyways, so I took a drive down to the office I’m working at tomorrow.  Mind you, this office out here is literally in the middle of a county park.  Now a county park in Jefferson County Colorado is nothing like a county park in Camden County New Jersey.  This county park pretty much has mountains and hiking trails and deer.  I went past the office and kept going wanting to see what else was around.  Found a parking area for the park and some trails, so I went hiking up these switch backs.  From up this mini-mountain, there was a really cool view of the office from there.  Yes – the building in the distance in the picture above (about half mile / one mile, something like that) is the office I’ll be working at tomorrow.

Colorado is so cool.

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