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I found two great free paisley brushes, one by debh945 on Deviant Art and the other from Obsidian Dawn. You can download my paisley photoshop psd file here if you want to see how I did it.]]>
All I'm asking is for the snow to stop for a few hours - if not for the children then just to allow me to go to Safeway and bring some dignity back into my life.
]]>In somewhat lighter news, my vacation cold has cleared up and we'll have to see how long my [kennel] cough lingers this time around. Every time I get a cold at home I go through the same back and forth with my mom about echinacea and whether it actually does anything. It usually ends up with me relenting and taking five pills that I truly believe do nothing.
I find it hilarious that my father not only subscribes to TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, and People Magazine (his rationale is that he has to use his airline miles to get something), but that he actually reads them. There are many, many publications that I get for free and never feel compelled to read — the ironically named "Executive Intelligence Review" comes to mind.
Yesterday I caught a great Fresh Air interview with Mike Judge. There's a great segment where he describes coming up with the voice for Hank Hill at 12 1/2 minutes in. I decided to check out his newest show called The Goode Family. I didn't even hear it until after it was canceled. It's an animated show about an über-PC/vegan/eco-friendly family that struggles with modern life. There are 12 episodes out there and they are hilarious. At least watch the pilot if you can and hope that another network picks it up for a second season.
]]>Since Costco sells coffins, I wonder if they have a discounted family pack. Note to self: don't die in Minnesota if you want to be buried in a Costco casket: it's not one of the 34 states where you can buy your own. Think about it: If Costco Caskets are outlawed, only outlaws will have Costco Caskets...
I tinkered with the site design again today. I think it's much cleaner with less reliance on images. If you're viewing this in Internet Explorer, you're definitely missing out. At the very least, try out Firefox 3.5 or better to see the glorious round corners and alpha-level transparency.
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Barney Frank, from his 2009 Commencement Address at the American University School of Public Affairs. Video and Transcript Here.
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Had an excellent adventure to Theodore Roosevelt Island on the Potomac yesterday. The trails were nice enough, and at the center of the island is perhaps the strangest presidential monument I've seen. In addition to the Stalin-esq statue of Roosevelt, there were giant stone tablets devoted to State, Youth, Manhood and Nature. There were also giant non-functioning cement fountains. It's definitely worth checking out, just keep your eyes out for ridiculously huge snakes.]]>
Last Tuesday I was robbed at gunpoint a few blocks from my apartment by three teenagers. A lot of my stuff was taken, but nothing that couldn't be replaced. I'm just happy to be unharmed. My neighbor, R, was jumped at the same time — I hadn't met him before, talk about a weird situation to get acquainted with someone. We were separately walking home from the Metro around 9:30 and the kids followed us. I was on my phone talking to E in Minneapolis and I was not paying attention to my surroundings as I walk. Then it was too late and there was a gun to my head and in 20 seconds it was over. I'll hold off on some of details about the kids and the weapons since the investigation is still open and ongoing.
Since both of my mobile phones were taken, I had to call 911 after borrowing a phone from K, my next door neighbor (she was incredibly helpful too). I gave the police a report — they were very quick to respond to the scene, showing up at the front door before the dispatcher was finished taking my info. I went to bed a bit shaken and paranoid since they had taken both my keys and had my address on my driver's license. I've since changed the locks to my apartment.
]]> The next morning I got an e-mail from R, a guy who also works on The Hill, saying that he found my backpack and some of my stuff in an alley behind his house. It's funny, that's the only time where carrying around business cards with me has actually paid off. I was able to recover my notebooks, some headphones, and my Kindle (which was actually was the most valuable thing I was carrying). Not only did this guy return my stuff, but he is the one who is solely responsible for the leads the police currently have. Once this stuff all gets resolved, I think I may have to call Tommy Wells' office and ask that R be given some sort of commendation for everything he's done to help with the case. What he's done is so far above-and-beyond what I've come to expect from strangers in this city; he truly cares about his neighbors and about finding justice.I'll try to keep posting updates as they happen.
]]>He played his strong suit first by saying he's unemployed and he's trying to get out of his apartment because he keeps fighting with his current roommates. He bluntly asked if either of them are vegetarians (my friend's housemate, M, is) before explaining that he despises his current vegetarian/vegan roommates. He volunteered that he had a thousand dollar futon (??) and a toaster oven because he hates slot-loading toasters (Philistine). He then hit me up for a job (heh) and made a fool of himself by mimicking the cat (don't ask – it was too painful to write about). I kinda feel bad for the guy because he's got to keep looking and I feel like he's not going to catch a break anytime soon.
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