Normally I don't post these viral “What ________ are you?” quizzes,
but this one was fun enough to take (although the ordering of the answers
really needs to be randomized to make it less predictable) that I'll make an
exception. But only because it's part of my evil plan, of course.

What Type of Villain are You?
Category: Random
Comments (0)
It wasn't supposed to rain today, and I still haven't bought fenders. So now
I'm very wet again. This weekend, I'm definitely getting fenders. Really.
Category: Random
Comments (1)
To really get things started right, I'm adding a bonus round to this quiz.
I was thinking about the famous quote about the rule against ending sentences
with prepositions, generally attributed to Churchill: “This is the sort
of (English | bloody nonsense | arrant pedantry) up with which I will not
put!” As I thought about it, I realized that it is not only awkward, but
grammatically incorrect as well. What is the error?
Category: Language
Comments (8)
That's right, it's back by popular demand! I fully intend for it to be a
(semi-)regular feature, and in celebration of that commitment I have created
a new language category (and moved my previous language-related posts into
it).
This week's quiz has a whole host of answers, so everyone can be a winner.
Yes, you there, you could be a winner! Step right up! 100 points per correct
answer! The goal is to give the origin of as many of the following names for
days of the week as possible—no full etymology necessary, just the root
meaning (i.e., who or what it is named for):
English: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
French: Dimanche, Lundi, Mardi, Mercredi, Jeudi, Vendredi, Samedi
German: Sonntag, Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag
Have at!
Category: Language
Comments (3)
I am, as you may know, a huge online comic junkie. One of my favorites,
PvP, has been running a recent
series
about
jury
duty,
and shortly after it started, what did I receive in the mail but my very own
summons to jury duty. Then, when Laura made a crack about how I
wouldn't be selected because I'm too informed and somewhat interested in law,
this
was the very next comic.
I have to admit, the idea is intriguing, and I'm sort of hoping I'll be
picked (although I'm sure that if I were it would be some really boring case).
The only downside is that I'm not sure it's going to mesh at all with my
work schedule, so we'll see how that works out.
Maybe I should start watching reality TV or something to temporarily rot
my brain if I want to increase my chances of being picked.
Category: Life
Comments (2)
I am getting really tired of reading press releases from iPod competitor
wanna-bes saying that their product is better because the iPod can
“only” play music from the iTMS, whereas their product can play
music from “all the other major online music stores.” First off,
they should be sued for saying it, because it's completely untrue. There is
another new-fangled source of music that they may have heard of called
“CDs”, which iPods have no problem with, so this vendor lock-in
they try to make people afraid of is completely made up. But lets look at just
online music stores now, and take a moment to count all the major online music
stores other than the iTMS:
*chirp* *chirp* *chirp*
And we're done! Hey, here's a tip for all the iPod wanna-bes out there:
users don't care about your FUD. I doubt anyone has ever returned an iPod
because they couldn't get music onto it easily enough. Instead, if you want
some market share, try, you know, making a better product. Think different.
I've got to run. I need to get a better VCR, because this lame model I have
only plays VHS, and none of the other major video-cassette formats.
Category: Geek
Comments (0)
So in early December, when I ordered Laura‘s laptop, it went from
Shanghai to Anchorage to Indianapolis to my door in Cupertino in about
36 hours. That wasn't even any kind of rush shipping. I was highly
impressed.
So far, my iSight has been in transit from Sacramento for almost 2 full
days. It spent 20 hours in a sort facility. 20! And now, 12 hours
after leaving San Jose on a delivery vehicle, it still hasn't managed to
find me yet. I'll tell you, Cupertino's not that big, and our receiving
department really isn't that hard to find.
Apparently I need to order more of my stuff directly from warehouses in
Shanghai, where they don't ship things by strapping them to a narcoleptic snail
with no sense of direction.
Category: Random
Comments (0)
Sometimes it's great to just decide to embrace a heavy(ish) rain by deciding
to not care that you'll get completely soaked and bike home anyway. And in that
respect, it was... what I failed to consider, though, was the dirt aspect that
comes with not having any fenders. I don't think my coat and backpack were
very amused.
Category: Random
Comments (0)
Clearly, “punctuality” and “not getting behind” are not on the list. But better late
than never, so here they are:
- Keep up my French
- Learn basic German
- Keep dancing
- Keep exercising
- Read more
- Justify my KeyStation now that I have my old basic piano books
- Keep in touch with people at least slightly better
In short, do more of the sorts of things I like to do but often neglect in
favor of doing pretty much nothing at all.
Also, apparently, not sleep much.
Category: Life
Comments (1)
Rather than try to give a full (and boring) account of my vacation, which
would never get done anyway, I'll simply share some random vacation thoughts:
- Winter vacation is surprisingly short out here in the Real World™.
- Crossword puzzles are dangerously addictive.
- Working for a sexy, well-known company is totally the way to go when it
comes time to attend a (pseudo) high-school reunion.
- Yes, Hero is still that good the second time.
- No matter how many times I read almost nothing on vacations, I'm still
convinced it's important to take two or three books with me.
- Presents are very, very exciting when you are three and a half.
- The iTalk
may be more expensive than writing reminders to myself on paper, but it's way
more fun and a lot harder to lose.
- Pfeffernüsse is quite tasty.
- Friends don't let friends visit Powell's
with a credit card.
- There's a reason that samba baterias generally play outside.
- Snow is much prettier on forested hills as I drive by than it was piled on
the sidewalk and by the side of the road as I slogged to class.
All in all, a very successful holiday.
Category: Random
Comments (0)