Clean Teeth

Looking for a new toothbrush? Here is a list of sites that can help you make an educated and informed decision.

The-Last-Photo-I-Ever-Took Contest

And the winner is:

Internet Proliferation

"What the heck did we do before the internet?" my brother and I were wondering aloud the other night. So it's not surprising to see that U.S. Census Bureau report released Thursday shows that the Web has become integral to both our daily lives and the economy.

What did we do before email and cell phones?

The Condo Conquest

Apparently, according to an unnamed source (ESTHER MARIA SWATY) I have not been very forthcoming on the progress of getting a condo. So here's where things are at: I will sign for the loan on Friday, the property will close on Nov. 2nd, and I currently plan to move in on Nov. 5th. We had the current owners repair the master bath, as the inspector (who made $225 by walking around the place for an hour and looking at stuff) discovered some water in the wall of the tiled shower with his really cool moisture meter. So my realtor says that we need to plan a walkthrough to check things out and make sure that this job was completed well.

Next on the docket: Getting a bed. And a couch. And lots and lots of other things that are important... like a pot. And a cutting board. And some mugs. And towels.

You get the idea.

The Controversial Cup

It looks like Starbucks will now feature a quote about God from Rev. Rick Warren, the author of The Purpose Driven Life. I wonder if this comes as a result from the Christian community having a reaction to the homosexual propaganda that has been on their cups.

How on Earth???

So I'm not sure how I'm gonna write a 50,000 word book in the month of November. The other day I was working on a paper for SLT... I wrote and wrote, slamming the words out, putting thoughts together quickly and succintly, and finished four pages, double-spaced, in an hour. I did a word count and came up with 1,300. I'm going to need to write on average 1,700/day to finish by midnight November 30th. That was a little....

Discouraging.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Here's how the British hold back the waters from flooding London:


And the Dutch solution to protecting an entire nation that mostly rests below sea level:

The Italians are defending their city on the sea, Venice:

And a sample of the brilliant engineering of the richest, most powerful, and most technologically advanced nation on earth:

Language

Some people look at all of these little squiggly lines and it means something to them. That is just amazing.

Microsoft WSYP

Latest and greatest from the world's leading software developer, Microsoft.

Nerd Rap

Ever play the Nintendo growing up? Of course you did. Ever heard of nerd rap? Yeah, well, YTCracker is in the hizzle, fo shizzle.

NaNoWriMo.org

Ok, so I made a vague and ambiguous reference to the fact that I am a Wrimo a few posts down. What exactly does this mean?

It means that I'm going to write a 50,000-word book in the month of November. Or die trying. I figure November is the perfect month to try a stunt like this because (1) it appears my schedule is wide open... the only things I'll be doing is three conferences totalling 17 days of the month, being in a wedding, throwing a bachelor's party, moving into my new condo, and desperately trying to get enough play practices in for this year's Christmas play at our church (Dec. 3-5). (2) Thousands of other people from 30 other countries around the world will also be attempting to write a 50,000-word book this month. (3) My friend Gus is among those people. (4) I've completely lost my mind.

How large of a book is 50,000 words? It's the same size as: The Great Gatsby, Brave New World, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Adventures of Tom Sawer, and Of Mice and Men. That's right, my friend, NOT a novella... a novel! Which would make me... that's right, a novelist! How novel.

Do I expect to succeed? No, not really. Will I write a lot of crap? Most likely. Will it give me a kick in the pants and jump-start the creative juices that are currently dammed up inside of my noggin'? Yeah, I hope so.

Today

Hesitation kills. Don't wait for the optimal time. There is no such thing. Don't wait until you are less busy. You will never ever be less busy. Life will only get more full, more taxing, there will be more to do. Why are you still waiting? Quit hesitating. Stop questioning. You won't be able to get everything figured out... it's going to require faith. You have to understand that this whole world, this whole universe, sits squarely in the palm of the Mighty Creator. What is there to fear? How will you go wrong? Put your trust in Him and step out! What are you waiting for?

Iraq

Here are some photos from Iraq that are so graphic, you will never see them in the mainstream media:

 

Hong Kong

This is Hong Kong.

I want to visit this place. Have you ever been to any Asian city? This looks like a good place to start. I think I would enjoy all the hustle and bustle--the little shops, the open-air markets, the restaurants and cafes. A million different people in a million different settings. And the beauty of the place must be impacting... a vertical city on the edge of the horizontal bay, ferries to and from Kowloon, the mountain as a backdrop. Someday....

Let the Games Begin

I am now a Wrimo.

Sushi

The first time that I ever tried sushi, it was with my friend Marisa and her boyfriend Pan. Yeah, like Peter. Except he was Japanese, and I'm not sure the nationality of Peter Pan... Neverlandian, I suppose. Anyhow, they suckered me into putting a dollop of that lovely green wasabi onto my first bite. "Oh no, that's not enough, put a little more on there--for the full flavor." Needless to say, it was a very fiery experience. Because of this initial run-in with sushi, I did not try it for the following decade of my life. Until I came to San Francisco a couple of months ago. I decided I would give it another run. I had some nigiri, a sushi roll, and teriyaki beef. The nigiri was ok (lots of raw fish), the sushi roll was nice, and the teriyaki was absolutely horrid. Being somewhat nonplussed by the experience, I mentioned to my coworker Josh Weltman that I didn't think I'd be in the mood for sushi again in quite awhile. "Oh, you'll be surprised. You'll get sushi cravings." And the strange thing is, he was right. Some evenings as I return late in the day, I speed over to QFC where they have a sushi bar with daily creations, and I pick up some crab rolls and a Saporo beer. Tonight I once again ate some sushi in the lovely city of San Francisco.

Everything about sushi is healthy. You eat it just knowing that life and vigor is being added to your body. No deep fried breading, no oils, no sugar, no salt (well, except for the soy sauce)... just basic, fundamental nutrition. Even the green ice cream had an odd healthy flavor, which I ate along with my dessert, pumpkin pudding.

Have you had any sushi lately?

360

So these gaming consoles are extremely cool. I'm not allowed to say too much more than that, but when they come out on November 22nd, go and buy one. If you like video games. Which you may not. And that's ok. I won't hold it against you. As a matter of fact, I don't even own a gaming console right now. Probably better that way... they can waste a lot of time.

BroBlog

I am extremely pleased to announce that my brother has given his blog a facelift and relaunched it. It is now very... green. And technical. Imagine Kermit the Frog as a software developer.

What a Rad Hotel!

Very hip... very mod... very posh. The Clift, downtown San Francisco.

Now you, too, can be a superstar.

Uhm

Gosh. I guess it's time to make a new post, before y'all max out the comments page.

Today I'm tired. And I'm not even in San Francisco yet. Since my calendar is not up and running, I'll take this opportunity to say that I'll be gone from tommorow, the 7th, through the 13th. Unfortunately I'll be working on my birthday, the 8th. Don't let that stop you from sending gifts to my home, where they could wait until I come back from the show, all tired and puttered out, dragging my feet into the house, only to find a bunch of nicely wrapped gifts sitting for me there on the table!!!! Wouldn't that just be!!!! Wonderful!!!! Ok, so wishful thinking never killed anybody. Except maybe the guy who wished for death.

Buying a home is scary. It distracts me from everything else.

Issaquah Condo

Some photos of the new place, as requested. (You might need to creat a Flickr account to view them.)

Wow!

Everything happens so fast.

But...

It looks like I am going to quickly own a condo! Crazy. I don't know if I am more excited or scared. It's quite a jump up from the small amount that I pay monthly to rent this room at the Staab's house. I look forward to that feeling of ownership, but I also feel the responsibility of it starting to push down on my shoulders. And the fact that I am stepping into a big chunky debt with a bank. I HATE debt, but unfortunately, this is the only way to get into the game. I would love to just pay cash on a place... "A couple hundred grand? No problem, let me write you a check."

Crows

On the way to church this morning I saw a black crow in the middle of the road, eating breakfast. As I approached at a good clip, this crow did what I have seen many, many others do. It casually hopped across the center line and waited for me to pass at 50 m.p.h. After I passed, it hopped back out and continued it's morning feeding.

And now my question to you: How many dead crows have you ever seen on the side of the road, hit by a car? Yes, I know you've seen possums, cats, dogs, squirrels, raccoons... but have you ever seen a dead crow? I'd love to hear if anybody has. Why haven't you? Because crows are really smart. How did they figure out that the yellow lines painted on the road means that the cars won't cross over and hit them?

BTW, guess what bird holds the record for the largest vocabulary? That's right, a crow, coming in at over 200 words.

These were my morning thoughts on the way in to church today.