personal, activities comments edit

This weekend was made interesting by a trip to the Oregon State Fair. I usually go every year with my friend Torin, but we didn’t make it last year because it was raining. Luckily, the rain didn’t show up this year and the fair was attended.

Lots of cool things at the fair, and a lot of stuff I really wanted but didn’t buy for lack of funding and/or space. For example, I really wanted a Shopsmith Mark V 5-in-1 woodworking tool. It was so cool. In one machine, it’s a lathe, a table saw, a sander, a drill press, and a horizontal boring machine. It took the guy demonstrating the machine about six seconds to make this really cool table leg that had a sort of ring “trapped” around a section of it and then bore out a hole for a dowel to join it to a table. It was so amazing. If I had the money and the room for it, I’d have bought it. I’ve always been interested in building stuff, and they’ll even train you on how to use it and give you all sorts of self-study material to take home. Not bad, eh?

I also saw the Bernina Artista 180E, and wanted it really bad. Actually, looking at the Artista 200E, I want that one even more. These are sewing machines where you can scan in a picture and it’ll automatically figure out how to cross-stitch or embroider that picture (any size!) on whatever fabric you give it. Want a button hole? Stick the button up to the touch screen and the machine measures the button and makes the hole the right size. It threads the needle for you. Lots of cool stuff like that. Anyway, the 200E, which I’m looking at right now on the web site, actually has more stuff than the 180E, and it’s even got a color screen and runs Windows, right on the machine. How messed up is that? Not that I’m a huge tailor or anything, but I could get into the whole “sewing thing” if I had a machine running like that. A little on the expensive side, though, at nearly $4000 for the 180E. I can only imagine how much the 200E costs.

We also saw a pretty cool cheese grating gizmo that will grate both soft and hard cheeses for you. It’ll also shred unpeeled garlic and separate the peels from the garlic. I actually nearly bought one of those, but I didn’t because it would have taken away from my food money. They apparently carry these at Lechters Housewares, so I’ll have to go there and find one. I haven’t found it online yet, but I haven’t looked very hard, either.

So the fair was cool. I had my funnel cake, I had my BBQ beef sandwich… I’m a happy camper. That’s the fair.

On a whole separate note, I found out that Kristy Swanson is going to be in Playboy next month. Hell, yeah! I’ve had her on my top 10 list since the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. Woohoo!

Speaking of Buffy, I have the second season DVD set and the second disc is bad. So I’ve been trying to find a Fred Meyer locally to exchange it, but no Freddy’s in the Portland metro area has it. Unbelievable. So I’m still looking. Guess I’ll have to try again this weekend.

personal, music comments edit

I was going to write about this one yesterday but forgot. I remembered yesterday evening on the way home.

It rained yesterday. The weather report had called for rain (“chance of showers” usually indicates “it’s gonna pour”) for a week.

On the way to work, I saw this guy driving a convertible Mazda Miata with the top down. It was totally raining, as the weather report said it would. That got me thinking. Either that guy was a frickin’ moron and decided to ignore the fact that the sky was all clouding that morning, or he was utterly dedicated to having his top down that day, come hell or high water.

I vote “moron.”

Another thing I thought about last night on the way home: hip-hop music.

I hate hip-hop. There’s something about the way they can’t decide on a tempo or the way everything is so utterly ebonic that just turns me off.

However, I like hip-hop that features clarinets. Like Blu Cantrell’s Hit ‘Em Up Style and Dani Stevenson’s Yo, Yo, Yo. I’m not sure why I figure those songs are better, they just seem to be more catchy or something. Almost like there’s some implicit amount of class in the song if they can squeeze a clarinet into the mix. Maybe I just like clarinets.

American Idol last night rocked. I’ve been waiting for them to get a little more contemporary with the tunes, and they finally did. Nikki also finally found her niche, which is good, because based on last week’s performance I’d have voted her off. Now I’m thinking Justin needs to go. The best is still Kelly.

personal comments edit

Jenn and I were talking last night about, well, nothing in particular, and I took one of my random sidetracks as usual and she wondered why I had said something I did and how my train of thought had reached it. Stopping to think about it, I realize that I have very quick, very divergent trains of thought when it comes to conversations, and most of the time it has to do with a pop culture reference.

For example, this morning in the car I was listening to Kylie Minogue’s Fever album, to the song Love at First Sight, and I suddenly wondered what ever happened to Crazy Daisy Ed

How did I get there? It went something like this:

  • Heard lyrics to Kylie Minogue song: “I thought that I was going crazy / Just having one of those days, yeah…”
  • I wonder why she used “days, yeah” to rhyme with “crazy.” That doesn’t really work. What rhymes with “crazy?” “Daisy” works…
  • Crazy / Daisy…
  • Hey, I wonder what happened to Crazy Daisy Ed?

See how that works? That one was pretty simple. It’s sort of like “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” - any thought can be connected to any other thought. Just like that.

I framed my Bières de la Meuse print last night using a frame I had been trying to find a use for. The frame was 18” x 25” and the print is 18” x 24”, so I had to do a little trimming. The frame is metal, but I have this keen little saw and mitre box that worked just as well on metal as it does on wood. Yay, me! I didn’t quite make the cleanest cut on one of the frame pieces, so I had to Dremel it down… but I think I either used the wrong bit or maybe just went a little too hard on it because now there’s melted metal all over the bit and I’ve gotta get a new one. Oh, well. It was something to do that wasn’t watching television, so I can’t really complain. Plus, the picture looks really good in the frame, so all’s well that ends well or something like that.

personal, tv, movies comments edit

I was watching Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back last night and started to realize that movies totally shape the way I speak. I’m not sure if I actively try to change to speak like movies, or if I just sort of pick up on little phrases, but I know that there are phrases and patterns I pick up from watching these things. Now that I think about it, it’s usually more phrases than anything. For example, if someone has a collection of items and asks me which one’s mine, I’m hard pressed not to answer, “Mine’s the one that says ‘bad mother fucker’ on it.” Describing a chaotic scene? “Dogs and cats living together…”

I’m not sure I can control it. Maybe I don’t even want to. I guess I assume it makes me a more interesting person to talk to (especially if you know which movie I’m referencing) but maybe it just makes me annoying.

The new season of Alias starts on September 29. I’m so looking forward to it. Honestly, more than any other show I watch, I’m waiting for Alias. Those bastards know how to keep you on the edge of your seat. Plus, Jennifer Garner. Yow.

And they have Alias trading cards coming out. Gotta be gettin’ these.

Oh! Jenn and I saw Signs this weekend. I thought it was pretty good. I can’t say it’s my favorite M. Night Shyamalan movie, but it was good. If aliens really were to invade, I think it would happen a lot like that, rather than the more commercial-yet-action-oriented Independence Day. I’d recommend seeing it, but don’t look for the traditional M. Night twist-at-the-end. It was just a straight-up, good film. I don’t know that I’ll be getting it on DVD, though. It was good, but I’m not sure that I’d watch it over and over. Give it a run, see what you think.

Watching my Buffy Season 2 DVDs this weekend I noticed that on disc 2, title 3 (“Lie To Me”), starting at chapter 5, 1:52 into it until chapter 6, 0:16 into it, the disc won’t play. I’m not sure why. It isn’t dirty or scratched. I tried it in my PS2 and the same problem occurred. So it’s not the player, it’s something wrong with the disc.

I went to Fred Meyer to exchange it, but after finding that they didn’t have it and then calling several other locations, I am going to have to wait until Tuesday when they get a new shipment in. I even tried the Freddy’s by work, but no luck.

I did, however, exercise my distinct lack of self control and purchased a Mucha print (Bières de la Meuse) that I’ve been wanting for a month or so now. Couldn’t stand it any longer. I don’t think we have any room for it at home, but we’ll see. If not, it’ll go up at work. Love the Mucha.

I also bought a ratcheting screwdriver with a set of bits because we have tools around work but… no one can ever find them. It cost me all of $6 for the thing, so I can’t really complain. Now I’ll have my own screwdriver, so I’ll always know where it is.

No, you can’t borrow it. It’s mine.

personal comments edit

Jenn and I went out to dinner last night with Jenn’s friend Derek. During the conversation that ensued, I realized my life is pretty pathetic. It went something like this:

Jenn: Man, tomorrow’s Friday. Do we have any plans?

Travis: Not really. It’ll be nice to rest, though. I don’t feel like I get enough rest.

Derek: I know what you mean. What do you think you’ll want to do?

Travis: I dunno. Probably sit on my ass.

Derek: I love sitting on my ass.

Travis: Exactly. But… you know, I sit on my ass all day long, too.

Derek: Right. A hard day of sitting on my ass prompts me to hurry home…

Jenn: …so you can sit on your ass some more.

Travis: Wow. You know, I never realized it, but I’m really pathetic.

And it’s true. I sit all day long. Why do I feel so tired when I get home? I suppose you could chalk it up to stress and mental exercise, but you come tell that to this donut-like non-ab that I have surrounding my waist.

I borrowed my dad’s Ab Slide specifically for this reason - I need to remove the non-ab that has fastened itself to my frontal region. I’ve been using it fairly regularly (which is more than Dad could say), but I still have quite the lack of any muscle definition going on.

See, I have a problem with exercise: IT’S BORING.

Not just a little boring, a lot boring. Boring like watching the movie Gandhi. Plus I have flat feet and reasonably bad allergies, all of which point to not being able to really do much outside. I like swimming, but there’s no pool very close and I refuse to pay monthly to join a gym for such things.

Basically, I’ve come up with very few methods of physical activity that provide any feelings of positivity within me. I like swimming, bowling, roller skating, and riding bikes. That’s about it. So… Ab Slide.

Maybe liposuction.

I really wish those stupid electronic muscle stimulation machines worked. I’m so lazy.