regbug

regbug @ 2006-01-10T10:47:00

2006-01-10T15:49:58Z

Ha ha! William Shatner is awesome. Not quite as cool as Adam West, but pretty cool. Join the William Shatner DVD club! I like that you can "get William Shatner's opinion before you go to the theatre or watch it on DVD!"

regbug @ 2006-01-05T22:27:00

2006-01-06T03:27:42Z

While making my lunch for tomorrow I dropped my box of raisins on the floor. When I picked them up and closed the box, I noticed some text printed on the inner flap of the lid.

"You are more precious than all the stars above."

I laughed hysterically and then felt uncomfortable. Who is prepared for that level of intimacy with a box of raisins?

It is spreading

2005-12-02T02:40:59Z

My dad called me up tonight and informed me that he had just bought an extremely fancy projector, extremely fancy cables and an extremely fancy screen. Oh, and an extremely fancy DVD player. This of course was sparked by his visits to Pittsburgh. He has converted the basement into a home theatre, that rivals anything that I could ever do here.

Christmas is going to be fun! And my sister's boyfriend just got the new Xbox. Ohhh and ahhh.

Battlestar....

2005-11-24T16:35:18Z

Courtesy of tepui, ri_cube and I are watching Battlestar Gallactica this Thanksgiving break. It is much better than I thought it would be.

When the new mini-series had originally aired on TV, I walked away after 20 minutes because, well, it just wasn't my dream to hook up with a hot woman who can do science, and that seemed to be the target audience of the show. But now that I'm past that bit, it's getting better.

Go hobbit!

2005-10-30T14:42:08Z

ri_cube and I watched the first two episodes of Lost this weekend. All I can say is, if our projector had been working, I would have had a heart attack. So good. Dominic Monaghan was good in his role too....except everytime I saw him on the tv I said "Go hobbit!" and clapped my hands a bit.

Help me!

2005-10-19T00:03:55Z

My parents are coming to visit this weekend and want to go to an Italian or Steak-y restaurant in Pittsburgh. Any ideas? The place has got to be able to take reservations but any suggestions are welcome.

There is no U2/Rick Santorum connection

2005-10-11T14:05:23Z

There are news reports that Bono and Rick Santorum have teamed up for a fundraiser for the lovely Senator at their Philadelphia concert. This is not true.

(From www.atu2.com) That said, the senator is, in fact, using the concert as a fund raiser. It appears as if the senator's people have rented a skybox for the evening, and are selling space (i.e. - tickets) to watch the concert with the senator at $1,000 per person. An @U2 reader has sent in a PDF version of Santorum's invitation, which we've converted to JPG -- use the link below to see it. We'd love to know if U2 has okayed all this, especially the use of their image on the fund raising invite.

Politics

2005-10-09T17:48:33Z

ri_cube and I have been playing multi-player Civilization, and I' ve learned an awful lot about politics during our epic battles against each other and the computer generated countries.

If the Aztecs surprise attack me, murder my settlers, destroy my roads and stomp on an early city? I'm remembering. And 1000 years later I'll firebomb their cities and wipe them off the map no matter how many peace treaties we may have signed.

I turn down somewhat strategic alliances with other countries because then I would be ganging up on ri_cube's country and it is too early in the game to do that. It just wouldn't be fair. So my citizens suffer.

My outpost cities take a lot of damage. Sometimes I don't even remember they exist and a bunch of people die before I muster up enough energy to respond.

Politics = fun.

The evil spreads....

2005-10-06T15:53:19Z

Nooooooooo!

Rachael Ray is pure evil. God help us all.

Heads up for Serenity fans

2005-09-27T18:00:31Z

There's a half hour Serenity special on the sci-fi channel tonight at 10:00.

Edit: And, um, here's some pictures from film's premiere.

TV shows that do not suck

2005-09-20T01:46:27Z

I don't really watch much TV these days (except for Netflix'd shows) but I finally gave in and watched Arrested Development tonight. And it was hi-larious. And then I watched the pretty good Kitchen Confidential (....I've been about to read the book for many months now) which had the actors Xander from Buffy, Harold from Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, and the little brother from Freaks and Geeks. And the star chef was reporter Wil from Alias. Oh, and there's a kind of hot British guy. So now I have 2 shows to maybe watch.

regbug @ 2005-09-06T10:47:00

2005-09-06T14:51:09Z

Hmmm. For the U2 Toronto show it looks like Dashboard Confessional will open. I remember Dashboard Confessional as whiny whiny whiny and I'm too old for that. The UK just got The Killers, Interpol and Keane and we get Dashboard Confessional. I hope the Pittsburgh opener is better.

regbug @ 2005-09-03T13:30:00

2005-09-03T17:30:50Z

ri_cube and I went out to dinner yesterday, something we almost never do. The restaurant was almost completely empty (at 6:20) and we were promptly seated at the worst table. After a polite request to switch tables, we were pointed to the second worst table. Did I mention that the restaurant was empty? And yet I am currently contemplating attending a movie tonight, where people will sit directly in front of me in an empty theater no matter where I sit and the person next to me will text message for two hours.

regbug @ 2005-08-12T09:59:00

2005-08-12T14:01:16Z

Say what you will about Coldplay, but they are an extremely good live band. Definitely one of the better concerts I have been to.

Porridge Pipes

2005-08-10T22:57:00Z

I think that some follow up needs to happen regarding susancalvin's reporting of porridge pipes in Scotland. So here is my half-assed expose.

I did a quick google search of "porridge pipes" and could only really find these people who visited Scotland and went on a tour who had anything to say about it. Then I called my father who was born in and lived in Scotland for 7 years who said "Oh, yes, of course there were porridge pipes" but it was difficult to understand him as he was laughing so hard. He then started talking about goulash pipes in Hungary and suntan lotion pipes in Florida and I quickly said goodbye.

Why are tour guides in Scotland telling people this?

So there is my expose. Feel free to add your own research findings.

Sheridan?

2005-08-09T19:49:59Z

I guess it's a normal sort of career path to go from President of the Intersteller Alliance/Universe to battling giant mutant fish-snakes.

Why Alton Brown is cool reason #513

2005-08-09T00:46:51Z

His new(ish) book has a Cheesy Poof recipe dedicated to a little boy named Cartman. This recipe needs to be tried.

There is also a recipe for pina colada waffles, mostly to have an excuse to serve rum for breakfast.

Why aren't more people on the Alton Brown bandwagon?

regbug @ 2005-08-07T21:10:00

2005-08-08T01:10:56Z

I just threw away the alarm clock/radio that I have been using since grade 4. I've used it through elementary school, high school, university and law school. It's now yellowed and horrible looking and...it's time had come.

There's something nice about using the radio as your alarm clock. But I wan't about to spend money on some new fancy alarm clock so I just got the basic "shrill beeping sound" model. I think I erred in judgment because I had a heart attack this morning when the damn thing went off. I switched from a model that was designed to soothingly wake you up to the equivalent of paying a surly innkeeper 50 cents to bang a pot next to your head and scream "Get The Fuck Up!"

regbug @ 2005-07-23T21:02:00

2005-07-24T01:05:31Z

This is funny.

Click on the recipe cards. You'll be glad you did.

regbug @ 2005-07-03T21:27:00

2005-07-04T01:29:03Z

A great weekend full of great food. Many kabobs and meat products, homemade Bailey's ice cream (if you do not own an ice cream maker, buy one, it will be your greatest purchase ever), fresh blueberries and blueberry muffins and two nights of brownies. Mmmm. Food coma.

regbug @ 2005-06-30T22:47:00

2005-07-01T02:48:14Z

I went to bed around midnight and woke up at 3:40 am wide awake. I went to the living room and turned on the TV and watched Space Ghost: Coast to Coast where the guest was Willie Nelson and a bear was running around behind the space glass. I'm still not entirely sure if I was awake or dreamed the whole thing, it was that bizarre.

regbug @ 2005-06-27T19:36:00

2005-06-27T23:47:04Z

I'm not that good with crazy people. I was walking to the library the other day and noticed a rather large shirtless man kind of wandering around. I had to walk past him and when I passed him by he started screaming and cursing at me. I wasn't really sure what to do so I completely ignored him and turned the corner.

I'm used to dealing with crazy people in a crowded downtown core, with people filling the sidewalks. It's no problem in Toronto to just ignore the crazy people because everyone else is, and their focus changes rather quickly.

But when the street is deserted...I guess I felt like I was being rude by ignoring him and it made me uncomfortable. Weird, eh?

regbug @ 2005-06-06T21:36:00

2005-06-07T01:37:17Z

The phone call: wife v. girlfriend.

ri_cube was just traveling, and on several occasions he left social events a bit early to call me (6 hour time difference). When he ducked away from the beach filled with bikini clad babes, he told people he was going to call his wife. Of course, people said. No big deal.

Now if J had left the party to call his girlfriend, would he be considered whipped? Or maybe everyone just assumes that if you are married your wife is the boss of you. And if you have a girlfriend people expect you to have some power.

regbug @ 2005-06-01T12:40:00

2005-06-01T16:41:49Z

When I arrived back in Pittsburgh yesterday, one of the lanes in front of my apartment was closed off with orange mini pylons because a giant moving truck was hanging out of a driveway and blocking the road. Jerk, I thought. Later, my dad and I went off to get some dinner and the truck was still there, only now a tow truck and group of men on cell phones who were sighing, wringing their hands and looking thoughtfully excited were gathered around the moving truck.

The giant moving truck had tried to get up a driveway that met the road at a very sharp angle. The truck had gone about 7/10's of its length up the driveway when the back end of the truck hit the road. I assume the moving truck driver then floored it when the truck got stuck, and then embedded the steel supports and stuff on the back of the truck into the road. The truck couldn't go forwards or backwards. The situation wasn't about to resolve itself, so my dad and I went to get dinner and margaritas.

On the walk back two hours later the moving truck was gone. The road and the driveway now have hugely deep grooves and cuts carved into in it. I bet the situation resolved itself with a lot of yelling, heavy machinery and sparks. It would have been cool to witness.

What kind of crazy shit are people going to be into when I'm 80?

2005-05-29T04:00:20Z

I went to my grandfather's 80th birthday party tonight. The hotel it was being held at was also hosting an anime/sci fi/martial arts/weirdo convention. It was rather odd to leave a room where the average age was about 60 to corridors and parking lots filled with people dressed like xena, strange day-glo puffy characters or some type of weird ninja type warrior. My grandpa and his elderly relatives and friends didn't know what the hell to think.

It was rather odd.