February 2006 Archives
Four jobs you have had in your life:
- Heather's Gourmet Market. I did both cleanup duty there during the school year as well as regular shifts slicing up delicious meats and cheeses during the summer. Heather is my aunt and she wanted to start up her own gourmet market/deli and so she did-- it was probably around for 4-5 years, and man did we have great sandwiches. I think that's where I began actually enjoying food, trying new things and diversifying my palette. A few favorites that stick out in my mind: Boar's Head Hot Pastrami, Genoa Salami (especially on those hard italian rolls, mmm), and Salsalito Turkey. If you live in Utah, check out Harmon's and Dan's. They have have the good deli meats (Boar's Head). But be warned: once you've experienced Boar's Head deli meats.... All others will probably taste gross or at least bland by comparison. I'm a food snob.
- I can't remember the job title anymore, I was a technician or something for Cougarnet at BYU for part of my freshman year there ('97). This was back in the day when people weren't expected to know how to set up their own computers-- basically I would make appointments with students who had signed up to get Internet in their dorm rooms and go install an ethernet card (NIC) and configure it to connect to the Internet through the network. This was cool for a few reasons. First, I was proud of myself for getting a job on my own with skills I had developed myself that didn't involve food service or janitorial work. Next, I had a badge that could get me into girls dorm rooms outside of "visiting hours" (sounds like a hospital or nursing home, doesn't it?) and without supervision... Ahh the power. And if nothing else, I was a geek, so having a geeky job like that was great. It paid more than the jobs most students had on campus, etc. Good times for the computer geek.
- The next semester I was a janitor, haha. So much for having great skills or anything. This was great though-- I worked from 10pm till 1:30am or so (I think it was the Taylor building). I never went to bed before 3am my freshman year, so I wasn't staying up late or anything-- I was actually being productive during those hours (usually, heh. I still remember when my boss figured out that I had engineered my cleaning route to land me in the break room of this building right in time for Simpsons, hehe). All it was for the most part was vacuuming, dusting, emptying some garbages, cleaning some sinks, etc. Not as bad as "janitor" sounds. Of course at 1:30am, Jared and I (who was working across the street cleaning the Law Library during the same hours) would go hit Taco Bell or Pizza Pipeline and eat some late night grub. Good times.
- Call center / customer service. The fun times included Jeremy prank calling other co-workers (this was back when things were much more lax at the company 5 years ago), IM'ing with Brandon about coworkers we were sitting right next to (they KNEW we were talking about them 'cause we kept cracking up-- and of course we loved how mad it made them), me and Brandon convincing the boss to let us work a graveyard shift for a couple weeks during the olympics, all sorts of shinanigans that would take too much time/space to recall here.
Good question. I always have a hard time picking favorite movies... In no particular order:
- Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. Not sure what it is about this one of the three, but I watched it so many times and now I just turn it on while I'm doing other things because I know it so well. One of the best movies ever made.
- The Matrix I'll steal this one from Joel because I agree with it. This is one I enjoy every time I watch it. It's always thought provoking on a philosophical level yet has some of the coolest action sequences ever. A little something in there for everyone, really.
- Nightmare Before Christmas or Corpse Bride. I love Tim Burton's stuff, and these are just so imaginative visually, have great wacky music and characters, and so on. Jack Skellington rules. The "Nightmare Before Christmas" conversion of the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland doesn't do the movie justice, even though it's fun.
- Star Wars. Of course I watched these over and over and still do. I bought DVD bootlegs of the original trilogy made from the laserdisc versions before the official DVDs came out, and I was so excited. Usually I pop in Empire Strikes Back for Yoda's wisdom, heh. But every now and then I'll watch the others.
- The 'Burbs. Yeah I know the list only calls for 4 but I thought this one deserved mention as I watched it religiously repeatedly at one point in my life (as in every Sunday for a few months), and I still crack up every time I watch it. If you haven't seen it... Check it out. It's a classic that most people overlook.
- Sandy, UT - born and raised, live there now.
- Provo - "Provo Spain?" "Utah." Lived there a couple of times for school down there. Glad that I don't anymore ;)
- KwangJu, South Korea - One of the two places I lived in Korea for more than 3 months. Interesting that during my 2 year mission there, some of my lowest points were reached there as well as some of my highest.
- YeoChon, South Korea -- lived there for 8 months or so-- longer than anywhere else in Korea. Geographically speaking I miss YeoChon and YeoSu more than any other place I lived there. I remember the color of the ocean there, the palm trees, and tons of BBQ Chicken and stuffed crust pizza with Joel, among other things. Not too big, not too small-- just right.
These are shows that are currently being produced that I actually take the time to watch. Normally I'm not a big TV person.
- Lost. Nothing like downloading 18 episodes and watching them back to back to get you sucked into a TV show. I don't know what else to say but that I've been sucked in. One of the few movies/shows that I've visited fan forums for...it's so well written and jam packed with details. Besides, it's shot in Hawaii. I miss that place.
- Gilmore Girls. First time I saw this show I thought it was annoying. Funny that I usually watch it now-- another well-written show. Witty, funny, and geez, who doesn't want to live in a town like Star's Hollow?
- 24. Another addictive show. I can say I started half way through the 5th season and have only been watching for a matter of weeks, yet I'm sucked in. It's gripping. Looking forward to some marathon sessions of seasons 1-4 when I can find the time.
- House MD.Not the usual Hospital drama. They still sneak some drama in there with the main cast, but it's also funny, clever and well written (in my opinion). The plot sucks you in. What's WRONG with the patient?! Always entertaining.
Hmm. I'll make this shows I enjoy that have ended but you might or might not see on TV.
- Arrested Development. Sad that I got into it so late in the game. I love this show and how neurotic all the characters are. I always find myself laughing out loud at this show, sometimes hysterically (though that could be a product of watching several episodes in a row late at night on DVD). Technically it's been cancelled, but rumor has it that Showtime has picked it up.
- X-FilesYou still see re-runs but they're done making new ones. Almost every episode of X-Files is like watching a movie. There's just something great about how creepy and mysterious the show is. Another series for which DVD is a boon.
- Ren & Stimpy. Of course this show just fit my off-the-wall personality as a teenager. Hard to describe why it was so entertaining.
- Lastly, any cartoons that I loved growing up. These include Voltron, Thundercats, and He-Man. Couldn't go wrong with those shows.
- Orlando, Florida
- So. Cal (Laguna Beach, Orange County - Disneyland, San Francisco, etc.)
- St. George: Dad would take the fam on his business trips there when we were young. Sure it's only 4 or so hours away from home, but when you were little it didn't matter-- it was forever away and it was different enough from home that we loved it.
- Honolulu, Hawaii. Can't wait to go back. It definitely is a "happy place". Beautiful, relaxed, and fun.
- Spicy Grilled Pork from Sam Hawk (돼지 불고기). Mouth-watering (not to mention eye-watering-spicy) even when it's been refrigerated and re-heated. What other food is like that? I don't think another exists. There's a reason why I've gotten other people addicted to this stuff that have no other interest in Korean culture.
- Samgyupsal (삼겹살). Slices of side of pork grilled and eaten with rice, kimchi, ssamjang (쌈장), sometimes wrapped in lettuce sometimes not. Mmm...getting hungry. Another one of those few foods that really bring a smile to my face.
- New York strip steak from Lonestar. Best steak I've ever had. I wouldn't be a steak fan anymore if it weren't for this place, because otherwise it just doesn't appeal to me much anymore.
- Only four? Ok so a few others-- Orange Chicken from Panda Express, Steak tacos from Cafe Rio (with a little creamy tomatillo dressing on it), Pizza Benders from Italian Village, and BBQ chicken or extra cheese pizza from Litza's Pizza. I don't like food or anything, do I?
- Eating any of the above mentioned foods.
- Cozy in bed, sleeping
- Basking on the beach and playing in the Ocean (in Hawaii)
- Anywhere that's photographic / filled with great photo ops. away from home.
- Gmail.com
- Blogs of friends
- digg.com
- engadget.com. Yes, I'm a tech-whore.
For years I've been one of the people in the office who complains whenever someone makes popcorn. Why? Because it smells so dang good. I think popcorn is engineered to emit that aroma-- so that other people will want some. How the crap do you think movie theaters sell it when it's so expensive? So when you smell it in the office it's like torture because you can't have any.
I have some at home, yet never pop it. So today, one of those rare days when I packed a lunch, I saw the popcorn in the cupboard and figured what the heck-- I'll take it to work and maybe I'll actually pop it and eat it.
A little bit ago I needed to run down near the atrium, so I decided to hit the microwaves in the break room to pop my popcorn, since I'm working late. As I make the trek back to my desk, I think "YES. Now I'm the jerk with the popcorn that smells so good," and I try to contain a cackle. I wonder if the couple women a few cubes over can smell the popcorn. It only takes a few minutes before I hear Michelle say "Hey Mike... are you eating popcorn?" To which I reply with a "yes" that not only said yes but "yes and I know it's torturing you, haha". At which point my mind says "you should bring popcorn more often to torture people." It's lots more fun being the guy with the popcorn than the one just smelling someone elses.
Maybe this is why villains exist, and why I love Darth Vader. There's always going to be opposites, good and evil, etc. We all have our good and evil sides. You then have a few options. Be opressed by the villain, try to be a hero against the villain (no real fun there), or BE the villain. YES. Join the dark side. Do it. You know you want to..... Or you can choose to sit there and be tormented by the smell of my popcorn, it's all within your power.
Alas, I cannot torment you with the smell of this popcorn via my blog... but it does smell just like movie theater popcorn, oh yes. Be thankful you don't work anywhere near me, because I will be bringing in more popcorn to work to pop when people are more vulnerable, and I will design errands so that I can waft that popcorn smell all across the office...
p.s. I'm drinking this mexican fruit punch that's taking me somewhere I can't place. Like an amusement park sno cone or something... strange.
Ehehehe... I have to wonder how Apple nailed me on this one. I recieved 2 e-mail solicitations from Apple regarding Valentines Day. Based on their ads that I'd seen on their web site, I expected something similar, but no... they sent a message tailored to me.
Subject: Your valentine gift to you
Why tell me to get an iPod for my girlfriend when said girlfriend does not exist? What a perfect way to capitalize on all the single people out there, personify the iPod as a potential significant other to sweep me off my feet.
A couple days later I got another great e-mail from Apple:
Subject: Be your own valentine and save on an iPod
Body: Love at first sight. Use your educational discount and treat yourself to an iPod with free laser engraving. Get free shipping.
Hehehe... Valentine's Day. The day for the selfish single guy to treat himself rather than think about the fact that he's single ;-)
On a Valentine related note, I actually got one in the mail yesterday from Llew. You rock, Laura! (Have I ever mentioned that Llew is one of the coolest people I know?)
P.S. as far as an iPod for V-day... I think not. I'm waiting for April fool's day on that one...
This morning I was listening to X96 Radio From Hell (the morning show) and they referred to the Training Table as having "gourmet" burgers. Now I understand that there are places that sell expensive hamburgers that are slightly more exotic than your run-of-the-mill Burger King / McDonald's variety, but "gourmet"? I just don't know that ground beef can ever be called gourmet. Not to mention that of those fancy schmancy burgers I've tried, they still taste like hamburgers that just cost more. Maybe the training table is good, but gourmet? Meh. Besides, I bet everyone goes there just for cheese fries.
Second issue: are there any magazines out there actually worth paying money for? Where is the value? I was at Barnes & Noble last night looking at magazines. Admittedly I'd never go to Barnes & Noble for personal reasons: this was for school. I'm in a typography class and need a few magazines for class tomorrow. So I set about flipping through magazines looking for some that actually have good typography (I was looking at ads, mainly). But I figured if I was going to spend money on these, I might as well get something worth paying for (or at least something that I might read).
After surveying the selection and browsing through a few magazines, I realized I hate the idea of buying magazines. As far as reading material goes, there's so much on the internet that's free and readily available, why should I pay for a magazine that's not as up to date as what I can find online? And I had to laugh at how much trash there was. I contemplated buying the official "Lost" magazine, but from a school standpoint I couldn't justify it because there were like a totaly of 3 fonts in the whole magazine-- not much variety. But I might have read it ;)
So much of it was trash or stuff I could just get online, so I thought, hey-- what magazines to other people actually buy / subscribe to? What magazines are worth reading? There have to be some that are worth reading.
For what it's worth, I bought the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of "Communication Arts" (no problems there-- good publication encompassing all sorts of visual arts, well put-together and classy-- worth the money), a copy of some digital photography enthusiast magazine (I figured what the heck. At least there was a humorous article about how to interact with models, hehe), and a bopy of US News (seems like there was a tech article in there and I just needed another magazine-- US News was cheap ;) ).
I also flipped through a black and white photography publication-- it was more like an art book than a magazine. I've heard the argument of pornography vs. art, but I had to rethink my position on that while flipping through that book, hehe. Some photographers do seem to treat nudes as a fine art... but some are bordering on porn under the guise of "fine art" in order to sell their work / name. I'm sorry but how hard is it to just shoot a picture of a naked lady? It doesn't impress me that much. Show me something more creative. And why only women? Women are arguably the more beautiful of the two genders, but come on-- if we're saying the body is beautiful, don't you think they'd have a few fine art shots of the male gender? Or are we just leaving that for the muscle and fitness magazines? I guess I feel like some "fine art photographers" are objectifying women more than they are creating art-- which is too bad. It's not like women really need to be objectified more than they already are in society.
Also amusing was a magazine in the video game section, the theme being "Girls of Video Games"-- it was the equivalent of the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated-- it comes from a genre but focuses purely on hot (completely imagined-- CG or cartoon) girls. I flipped through that and chuckled. Why do I not find the objectification of fake girls as offensive? Or maybe I was amused at the video game geek crowd more than I was bothered by the treatment of women in the magazine. I still remember the first time I saw a "provocative" poster of the Tomb Raider girl Lara Croft in an electronics store in Korea... still makes me laugh.
Then there's the entertainment section. I know Mel subscribes to People magazine. As much as I think it's silly how enfatuated people are with celebrities' lives, I find myself reading it now and then as well.
Anyways, there was a load of crap there. Are there any magazines worth subscribing to or buying? It seems like even magazines that looked semi-decent were laced with enough trash to dissuade me from considering them.
I rarely rant about junk mail. I mean, everyone gets piles of it, right? Lately it's always "free Target gift card!" or "You've won a free laptop!" (all you have to do is fill out some survey, subscribe to some promotion, and sell your soul and all your friends' and loved ones' souls to the devil to get your prize!).
But for some reason this one bugs me: "Win Oprah's Favorite Things!" or "Win O's stuff!". WTH? I must be incredibly out of it to not give a **** about Oprah's stuff. What's Oprah reading? Well, my friend the Rock would remind you that IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT OPRAH LIKES! (Sorry for all you non-WWF/WWE types, The Rock is pure comedy. Does he even wrestle anymore? It's been forever since I watched that show, but when he was on, it was a riot.) Anyhow, there's no real point to this post except to get society's obsession with Oprah off my chest. Feels much better!
