the shards of broken glass

TomTom One Review

2007-08-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, 4 months since my last post.

This morning I purchased a TomTom One GPS/navigation device. It's my first time I've used any GPS device before, and I must say I am very pleased.

Here's the basic rundown of what the TomTom One does. It has maps of the US & Canada. When you turn it on, it tells you where you are. You can tell it where you want to go by a number of different ways: address (and you can save addresses as "favorites"), city, and POIs. A POI is a point of interest. It has a database of various things like restaurants, airports, hotels, etc.

POIs are very handy. For example, say you aren't familiar with the area you're in, and you want to get some McDonalds for lunch. You tell the TomTom you are looking for restaurants, type in "mcd" on the touchscreen, and then select McDonalds. It will come up with a list of McDonalds' that are near you. Select the one you want, and it tells you how to get there. You can expand the POI database by connecting the TomTom to your PC via a supplied USB cable, and download updates from their website. Having a POI database is very nice because you don't have to keep track of addresses for stores, restaurants, etc.

So, after you've figured out where you're going, you start driving along... and the TomTom will display a real-time map of where you are. It tells you how far away your next action (turn/merge/exit/etc) is, and what direction that action will be. A voice will warn you saying things like "Turn right in 800 yards". Once you're at that point, you'll see arrows on the map showing you exactly where to turn, and the voice will say "Turn right now".

If you make a wrong turn, it will automatically readjust and create a new route for you to get to your destination. This is done almost instantly. I tested it today by making some wrong turns and it came up with alternate routes that worked every time.

It has an SD slot so you can add additional maps, POI databases, etc.

All this, in a device that will easily fit in my back pocket.

I couldn't be happier with it and I'm wondering two things: 1) how have I lived without something like this my whole adult life, and 2) why didn't I get one sooner?

Pros
---
It's the perfect size. Any smaller would be too small, any larger would be too large.
Extremely easy to use, intuitive interface.
Screen is easy to read, even in daylight.
Cheap (comparing to other GPS units) -- $200-300 depending on where you shop.
Very fast, great with directions, comes up with alternate routes nearly instantly if you make a wrong turn.

Cons
---
Battery life is only about 2 hours (which is worth mentioning, but to me is a non-issue since I only plan on using it in my car where it will be plugged in to the cigarette light adapter)
Doesn't have text-to-speech (so it won't read the names of streets to you). This, again, would be nice but isn't a really big issue since I can see on the map in real time where I am supposed to be turning, so the street names are irrelevant.

Use your local library!

2007-04-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a note about the Hennepin County Library system. It's GREAT!

Up until a couple of months ago I hadn't used a library in probably 6 or more years. Things have really advanced quite a bit with how you can interact with the library system via the internet.

For example... If I want to reserve a book, I go to the Hennepin County Library website, find the book I am looking for, and tell them which library I'd like to pick it up at when it's available. You can see what position you are in (in other words, how many people have reserved the book and how long you might have to wait). They send you an email when the book comes in. Simple.

You get email alerts when books are due.

I've really been enjoying using the library and doing a lot of reading I might not have done otherwise. I used to have bad habits of buying lots of random books that just collect dust on my bookshelf. When I check out a book from the library I have an incentive to read it before the book is due, so I've been getting a lot more reading done.

Check the library out if you haven't recently. It's very nice :)

What's New in J's World

2007-04-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

Let's see.

I'm moving to a new apartment on May 1st. I have to be out of my current apartment by April 30th at noon. Oh, the joy of having to leave most of my belongings in a truck/trailer overnight.

It should hopefully be worth it. My current apartment is quite expensive, and has a lot of fancy amenities that I never use. The amenities are the reason my rent is expensive. I decided to be more financially responsible and move to a comparable place that has very few amenities, and costs about $200/month less. Here's to paying off credit card debt.

Another thing I'm really looking forward to is getting rid of a lot of my stuff. Over the years I've had a hard time throwing things out. I recently read a few great books on finance -- Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey, and Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. One of the things these books helped me learn is to realize when enough is enough. Dave Ramsey calls the condition where people keep hoarding random junk stuffitis.

I've been going through old things and finding boxes and boxes full of 10 year old JUNK MAIL. Things that aren't even remotely useful. I can't believe I've saved this stuff. It's felt good to start throwing it out.

Over the last week or so I've given away the following items:

About 35 shirts
A practice guitar amp
Air purifier
Old computer
17" computer monitor
Some random computer books

I'm just getting started, too. The whole moving/cleaning process is hopefully going to help me clear a lot more clutter out of my life.

Friday the 13th

2007-04-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Lo took me to a drag show on Friday night. It was my first time.

Here's a picture I took:

That is all.

4/4

2007-04-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

It's review season, and just yesterday I found out that I've earned a 13% raise effective April 1st. I just hope that isn't an April Fool's joke.

Other interesting stuff... a little over a week ago a friend and I drove out to Chicago to see IAMX (iamx.co.uk) perform live at Schuba's Tavern. An excellent show, well worth the drive. I didn't take my camera to the concert, but I found someone else's pictures from the show here.

I'm moving on April 30th (which also happens to be my birthday). I just don't know where to. I guess I should start looking. :)

Electric Orange

2007-03-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Oh, how glorious it feels. I calculated my net worth today, and found that since 2 months ago I have cut my total debt in half. This was partially due to luck, but moreso due to me making some slight lifestyle changes.

My credit cards are frozen in a block of ice in my freezer. No joke.
My car is worth maybe $1000. I got lucky and my car was hit by someone in the parking lot at work. They were nice enough to leave a note, and I ended up getting a $750 check in exchange for the tiny dent on my fender.
I started managing my finances on foonance.com. It's free, simple to use, helps me figure out where my money is going, and tells me my net worth.
I got an account with mybillq.com. They send me an email when my bills are due. I don't like mail. I don't like keeping track of bills and due dates. This does it for me.
I sold lots of things I don't need -- like video games. I made almost $600 selling some video games I don't play anymore.
I reduced or eliminated some of my monthly bills, and added the savings to my monthly deposit with ING.
I stopped eating expensive frozen dinners, and stopped eating out as frequently. I started reading blogs like Cheap Eats and found ways to cook decent food at home for cheap.

The one thing I still want to change is my bank. I use USBank for checking. I've never liked them. I've spent hundreds of dollars on ridiculous fees. Their online banking is sub-par at best. The local branch is a run-down building with bad customer service reps. I've been wanting to change for a while, but I don't really feel that any of the other big name banks (TCF, Wells Fargo) are going to be any better -- and a lot of smaller banks and credit unions have awful online banking.

Which leads me to...

ING Direct. They're an online bank that you've probably heard of at some point. Since they are online only, they don't have to pay for the overhead of having local branches all over the country and can pass that savings on to their customers in the form of higher interest rates. For example, their savings accounts offer 4.5% APR. That's better than my 401k is doing right now.

I found out that ING is now offering a paperless checking account called Electric Orange. Here's the scoop:

3.0% APR interest on your checking account (this goes up if you have more than $50,000).
No minimum balance or monthly fees
Free MasterCard check card
They are part of the Allpoint ATM network, which is USA's largest surcharge-free ATM network. There are a lot of these ATM's in my area.
You don't get checks. This is a paperless account. If you need a check, you fill out what you need the check to be and they mail it to you. I hate checks. I often feel the urge to clothesline people who write checks when I see them at stores, especially when I'm behind them in line. They're archaic and really need to go away.
They offer overdraft protection and don't charge fees for overdrafts. In my case, they are giving me $165 in my overdraft line-of-credit. This isn't much, which is why I like it. My USBank checking account has a $1500 overdraft line-of-credit. It's nice to have, but I spend it all the time because I know it's there. If I don't have access to it, I won't spend it -- which is why this $165 buffer will help me keep my spending under control.

I signed up for an Electric Orange account a few days ago.

I like the idea that my money will earn interest for me while it is sitting in my account waiting to pay for bills.

I only go to an actual bank maybe once every 6 months, and it's never for an emergency. I have no problem mailing a deposit to them.

I'll keep you posted on how my new account turns out. I should be receiving my new card in a few days and can then slowly make the switch.

Maxed Out

2007-03-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

Maxed Out, a new documentary about credit card debt in America is going to be showing at the Lagoon in Minneapolis next friday, 3/16/07.

I'll be there, and, ironically enough, I'll probably be paying for my ticket with a credit card. I'm doing this with the hopes that it will provide inspiration for me to use my credit cards less.

Check out the trailer here.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-03-10T20:40:00.000-08:00

As part of my quest to save money, I've started cooking almost all of my meals. By cooking, I mean actually making things, not having shitty frozen microwave dinners anymore. Cooking is fun, and cheaper, so I'll share with you a delightful recipe for chocolate chip cookies that Lo and I made last night.

This is the recipe from the back of the Nestle Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsel bag, modified slightly:

----

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (original recipe calls for 1 tsp)
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (11.5oz package) chocolate chips
... and we omitted 1 cup chopped nuts from the recipe,
and added 1 package of instant vanilla pudding.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and vanilla pudding powder in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet(s).

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes.

----

We were inspired to make them this way after reading this website with chocolate chip cookie tips. They recommend letting the cookie sheet cool to room temperature between batches, and to keep the cookie dough cool in the fridge.

We found it works best to take the cookies out when they are slightly less than golden brown. They seem too soft at first, but after they cool off they are perfect.

Money money money money

2007-02-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

My biggest goal for 2007 is to get my finances under control. I've got about $7500 on some credit cards (with ridiculously high interest rates) that I need to get rid of. This is going to require drastic lifestyle changes on my part.

An incident that took place last Saturday gave me the motivation to really start looking at my finances. I was at work, parked in a parking ramp, and a coworker hit my car and left a dent in one of my fenders. My car is a piece of shit (maybe worth $1000), and honestly the damage doesn't bother me in the least. They were kind enough to leave a note with their information for me.

We got it sorted out, and I ended up collecting a $750 check from his insurance company yesterday, which I in turn used to pay towards a credit card. It feels nice to have made a slight dent in my credit card debt in exchange for the slight dent in my fender. :)

So, while I'm talking about finance, here are a few very useful websites I have come across:

- moneyhacks.org, blog that posts a personal finance tip every day. A lot of it is common sense, but it is good to be reminded of it on a daily basis.
- Get Rich Slowly, another personal finance blog written by the same guy that does moneyhacks.org. I'm addicted to it. Lots of useful information here.
- Cheap Eats, blog devoted to inexpensive food. I found this today. I made Ghetto Pizza from their recipe tonight. I think I've already found some things on here I'll be making on a regular basis.

I've also been looking for a good tool to track my finances. I've tried a host of different programs (both for Windows and Linux), such as Microsoft Money (which is the best of the bunch), Quicken, Gnucash, Grisbi, and Moneydance. I don't like any of them. Staring at complicated spreadsheets and non-intuitive interfaces makes me even more frustrated and depressed with my situation.

I came across foonance.com. Simple, simple, simple. You enter your accounts and the balances. You can then enter transactions as they happen and tag them. There is a cloud with all the tags you use, and the tags that are used more frequently appear larger. It really couldn't be any simpler.

I also setup an account at BillQ. You enter in your monthly bills and what date they are due. They will automatically email you a set number of days before each bill is due, and will continue to email you each day until you mark the bill "paid". Nice, simple interface -- and it helps to avoid late fees.

Next steps for me to save money:
- Cancel internet service for my phone ($30/mo)
- Cancel 2 different credit monitoring services ($20/mo)
- Have my cable internet reduced to the "normal" speed ($10/mo)
- Reduce my car insurance from full coverage to liability ($75/mo)

Linux vs Windows

2007-01-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

Linux is an operating system that is a free alternative to Microsoft Windows. I used to be an active member of the Linux community, attending weekly meetings, trying to raise awareness, etc... but that all ended for me a few years ago when I finally came to terms and realized that Linux just couldn't compete with Windows as a desktop OS.

That said, I've taken a few year break, and I came back to Linux a few weeks ago. Let's see how things have changed. I'll compare free Linux altenatives to their Windows counterparts. I'll be writing in particular about a popular distribution of linux called Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Linux

Ubuntu was a breeze to install. It comes as a bootable live CD, so you can boot the entire operating system off of a CD and try it out before installing it on your computer. It's a little slower than the real thing because it runs off of a CD instead of your hard drive, but it works well enough to give you a taste of Linux.

Once you boot into Ubuntu, you can click "Install" and it asks 3 or 4 questions before it begins installation. During the installation process you can play games, surf the internet, etc. This is light-years ahead of the Windows installation process.

It comes with a package manager called Synaptic. Basically, to install a program, you type in the name of what you want to install... it comes up with results. You click 1 button it will download and install the program for you. It really couldn't get any easier.

Ubuntu has been extremely solid for me. No crashes. Everything is very fast. Gnome (the desktop environment) is eye-pleasing and easy to use. Here's a quick glimpse at my desktop:

Ubuntu scores an A+.

Money saved vs. buying Windows XP Pro: $299 MSRP

GIMP Image Editor

Gimp is Linux's high-end image editing software. A free alternative to Adobe Photoshop. The thing I always hated about Gimp in the past is that, regardles of how powerful it is, I could never figure out how to find what I was looking for. It's not intuitive at all.

This time around I found a program called Gimpshop. It uses Gimp as the back-end, but it is modified so that it looks and feels like Adobe Photoshop. Don't get me wrong, Gimp is an extremely powerful image editor, but it doesn't have quite as many features as Photoshop. It has the ones that most people actually use, however.

I got a plug-in for Gimp called UFRaw that allows me to open RAW files from my digital camera. These files would take ~15 seconds to open in Photoshop for windows. They take about 2 seconds opening in Gimp.

I'll give Photoshop a slight edge for features, but Gimp gets a huge edge in speed... and for the price, I'd take Gimp any day.

Money saved vs. buying Photoshop CS2: $649

OpenOffice

OpenOffice is a free office suite that competes with Microsoft Office. It was originally derived from Sun's StarOffice package. It became open-source, and that is when OpenOffice was born. OpenOffice isn't just for Linux users, it is also free for Windows.

It's a great office suite. It's on-par with Office XP, but not quite as polished. Microsoft has gotten a lot of criticism for their Office suite in the past, but the last few releases they've made have been extremely solid. OpenOffice can save in MS Office formats, and it can read MS Office formats. It's obvious that MS Office has a strangle-hold on this market, so you won't be left out by using OpenOffice -- you can still read and save your documents in formats that your friends and colleagues can use.

My feelings on OpenOffice... it's a great, stable, no-frills office suite. It's not going to replace Microsoft Office in the workplace, but for casual use at home it is more than enough. Again, with cost as the factor, I'd pick OpenOffice.

Money saved vs. buying Microsoft Office 2007: $499

Grisbi

Grisbi is a free money management program, similar to Quicken. Has all the same features. Easy to use.

Money saved vs. using Quicken - $70

Just those few programs would cost over $1500 for Windows.

There are plenty of other programs I could mention, but these are the ones that I use on a regular basis. You get the idea though. I'm in computing utopia. It feels good not to be a software pirate... all the stuff I need is free and runs faster, in a more stable environment. Linux has come a LONG way since I used it last. This time I think I'll be sticking around for the long haul.

J's Fleshlight-less Holiday

2006-12-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. Lo didn't buy me a Fleshlight for Christmas like she promised, so I've been suffering. I've made it through week one of the three week dry spell while she's out of town for the holidays. The Fleshlight would have come in mighty handy.

That said, here's a list of the other items I received this Christmas:

Sweater from Urban Outfitters as well as some fancy socks from the Gap, from the voluptuous Lo. This almost makes up for the lack of a Fleshlight under the Christmas tree.
19" Widescreen LCD monitor from my parents.
Dress shirt from Banana Republic, from my brother
Stratego board game (vintage edition), from my brother
Scrabble board game (vintage edition), from my brother
Turtleneck shirt, from my parents
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band CD, from my brother
$80 cash from my brother

That's about it, excluding some small things not worth mentioning. I gave some nice gifts as well. All in all a nice holiday. Hope everyone else's went well!

My Sweet Lord

2006-12-18T23:22:00.000-08:00

I originally had this post saved as a draft and meant to post it on 11/29/06, the five year anniversiry of the legendary George Harrison's death. That said, it's better late than never to pay tribute to one of the most gifted songwriters of all time.

Here Comes The Sun, Live from "The Concert for Bangladesh"

11/29/02 marked the one year anniversiry of George's death. This was also the date that "Concert for George" took place, which featured a great deal of George's friends, family, and former band-mates -- including, but not limited to Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Dhani Harrison (his son).

The entire concert is a wonderful tribute, but this particular performance gets me every time. The "fifth Beatle", Billy Preston (he played keyboards on "Let It Be," "The White Album" and "Abbey Road") is on lead vocals for this emotional cover of George's biggest mainstream post-Beatles hit, "My Sweet Lord". This was also Billy's last public performance before he passed away this year.

My Sweet Lord, Live from "Concert for George"

R.I.P.

Your Chance To Meet J, Lo

2006-12-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

Lo will be performing in the University of Minnesota orchestra at Ted Mann Hall on the west bank at 7:30pm on Wednesday 12/13/06. I'm excited to go for two reasons: 1) I've yet to see/hear her play violin (I've been bugging her for a while), 2) I get to take pictures.

Recently I've been lacking either motivation or inspiration (maybe both) to go shooting... That changed last week as I had the opportunity to take Christmas card photos for some friends, and I also made a trip to the almost completely frozen Minnehaha Falls to take a few photos. Unfortunately I forgot some crucial equipment at home, so I couldn't take them the way I wanted to. Here are a few snapshots I ended up with:

(click the thumbnails for larger pictures)

That said, I think the orchestra will provide some interesting opportunities for me to shoot in a new atmosphere and I'm looking forward to it. I'll be sure to be quiet and only do it inbetween performances. :)

Ní hǎo, Beijing!

2006-12-11T16:16:00.000-08:00

A year ago I was tentatively planning a trip to Tokyo and Beijing that would have been taking place right about now. I fucked things up for myself by switching jobs and losing a bunch of vacation time, so there wasn't any way to make it work.

The idea for this trip has been brewing for a while. It makes sense -- my sister-in-law is from Beijing. Her family lives there and they are very wealthy. That means I have a free place to stay, free food, and I'd be with people who know the area. All I need to buy is a plane ticket (which is no small purchase, they're about $1000.00). Flights to Beijing stop in Tokyo as well, which is a place I've wanted to visit for quite some time.

That said, here's the latest incarnation of this trip:

I was invited to attend the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. :)

Elevator Etiquette

2006-12-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

I work on the seventh floor of an eight story office building. The most stressful part of my work day has nothing to do with my work duties, it is riding the elevator.

Here are some of the aggravating things I experience with the elevator on a daily basis:

People make elevator trips going one floor (also note that at my building the first four floors have escalators that never get used)
There will be at least a dozen people crammed into a single elevator, and there is almost always someone next to you coughing or sneezing, people laughing and having conversations across the elevator.
Someone will get in the crowded elevator, and will stand in the way of the photo-beam sensor in the door, so the door won't close until they move. This typically happens with their back facing the door, and they never notice because they're in the middle of a conversation with someone. There might be a good 15 second pause before someone interrupts them so they can move and allow the door to close.
People mistakenly push buttons for the wrong floor, so the elevator will stop on those floors anyway.
Disgusting perfumes/colognes/lotions/etc.
Large folks like to finish their lunch on the elevator. This, of course, is always when it is crowded. I'm sure they can't help it, but I really don't like being stuck in a crowded elevator next to a 400+ pounder who just couldn't wait to finish her Snickers bar.
People get on the elevator when it is going the wrong direction (getting on the "up" elevator when they need to go down, or vice versa). This ties up two elevators instead of one, because another elevator will come and stop on the floor they were originally waiting on as it would assume they were still waiting for it.

We are required to leave the office when we take breaks. With three breaks a day, and my coming and going to work, that makes five elevator trips on a daily basis.

I found a website that caught my attention tonight: elevatorrules.com

Here are some excerpts from these elevator rules:

"If you are going up or down one floor, use the stairs! This rule should especially be observed during peak traffic times like morning and afternoon rush.

Exceptions:
1. When you have a cart, stroller or large packages
2. When the elevator is empty
3. If you are disabled or injured"

"If you arrive as a door is closing, regardless of how many people are in the car, DO NOT press the button. The people in the car are already prepared mentally for their trip and do not need to be interrupted. WAIT for the door to close completely before pressing the button.

If you press the button by mistake, and a door stops closing, do not board unless asked. Politely apologize and wait for their car to leave."

"To determine whether you should board the car, determine if there is enough room for you and your buffer space. As a rule of thumb, there should be room for two people for every one that is attempting to board.

During high traffic times, you may find it necessary to board a car that is crowded. If there is not a verbal invitation to board, the passengers may welcome you by making room for you, consider that an invitation to board. If you are with someone else, do not assume that the invitation stands for all of you. It may be necessary to split up and agree to meet at your destination floor."

"You should stand as close to a wall as possible. Consider your destination floor and stand near the back if you are going to a high floor. If you know you are getting off shortly, stand toward the front. If you choose to stand near the buttons, understand that you may have increased responsibility.

Always allow as much space as possible between you and the passengers. Always stand facing the door."

I need to find a way to get these rules sent out to my entire building.

Actually, I made a vow today to never ride the elevator at work again. I have 14 flights of stairs to take each way. It's actually not that bad. Excercise is a great stress reliever. It's nice to get up and walk once in a while instead of sitting all day.

J... Rock Star?

2006-12-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know me, I play guitar (and half-assed play a few other instruments -- bass, harmonica, bells). I've been playing for about five years, and have been taking lessons for about a year and a half.

I've only performed entire songs in front of people three different times that I can think of.

Jeff Buckley - Satisfied Mind for my guitar teacher
John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads for my parents (this was ackward)
The Postal Service - Sleeping In for my first girlfriend***

I get nervous in front of people when I play like most people when they first start out.

Anyway, a co-worker/friend of mine is in a local band called Arson Plus. They're getting a spot every Monday night at Big V's in St Paul. I was told I could play a 15-20 minute opening set for them any time I want to get some practice. I've been putting a lot of thought into that and I want to try and put a small set together. Look out, ladies, J is coming to rock your world.

*** She turned out to be a drug addict and got knocked up by a crack dealer while she was in rehab. What a catch! PS - She's due in February. Everybody say it with me now... "JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!"

Carpet Cleaners of the World... Unite!

2006-12-01T22:55:00.000-08:00

I moved in to my current apartment about 7 months ago. My friend Amber and I went to Ikea together shortly after I moved in to get some odds and ends for my new place. One of the items I purchased was this rug:

I put it in my entry area, where it stayed -- until last Sunday. The carpet in my apartment is a light beige color. Last Sunday I decided to move the rug, and found that all of my beige carpet underneath where the rug sat had been stained green!

I had to work that day. It was slow, so I spent 8 hours at work reading about carpet cleaning. I learned all about the different kinds of carpet fibers, chemicals, steam cleaning machines, etc. I even went so far as to join a discussion forum for professional carpet cleaners. I posted on the forum asking for advice, and all of the professional carpet cleaners told me there is no way that I could clean a dye-transfer stain on my own, and that I'd need to consult with a pro.

I decided to ignore the advice from the professional carpet cleaning forum, and talked to my brother who owns a consumer-level Bissell carpet steamer. I borrowed the steam cleaner that evening. It only took about 5 minutes to completely eliminate the stain. I was pretty amazed at the results. I honestly thought my carpet was ruined.

I made sure to post my success story on the carpet cleaning forum. They all claim that the stain is just covered up with "cheap bissell soap" (though I emptied a tank full of green water that the steam cleaner sucked up). I was surprised at how the professional carpet cleaners seemed to take it personally that I didn't have to hire someone to clean the stain.

Here's my favorite response from one of them:

"stain back yet???

ding dong!

look who's coming for dinner

THE BIG BAD GREEN STAIN"

Sebastiao Salgado: Genesis

2006-12-01T07:44:00.000-08:00

In 2004 I came across a photo gallery that really had an impact on me. The photos were taken by Sebastiao Salgado at the Galapogos Islands. I remember reading that the gallery was meant to show what nature is like in areas where humanity has yet to destroy it.

I was trying to locate this gallery online this morning and discovered that the Galapogos gallery was just Salgado's first stop on an ongoing 12-year project called Genesis.

"I conceive this project as a potential path towards humanity's rediscovery of itself in nature. I have named it Genesis because, as far as possible, I want to return to the beginnings of our planet: to the air, water and fire that gave birth to life; to the animal species that have resisted domestication and are still "wild"; to the remote tribes whose "primitive" way of life is largely untouched; and to surviving examples of the earliest forms of human settlement and organisation. This voyage represents a form of planetary anthropology. Yet it is also designed to propose that this uncontaminated world must be preserved and, where possible, be expanded so that development is not automatically commensurate with destruction."

Here are a few photos from this project:

Click here to view the more of the ongoing Genesis project.

Unfortunately, the online gallery I just linked to seems to be the "home" of this project, and it doesn't contain most of the images I recall seeing from 2004. I'm going to have to do some more digging to see if I can find the rest.

Favorite Albums of 2006

2006-11-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

First off, let me say that I am not a fan of making lists and picking favorites -- especially when it comes to music. Just be aware that the order of these doesn't really mean anything. I'll link to mp3's of tracks from my favorite albums so you can check them out if you haven't heard them.

That said, here's the list:

Josephine Foster - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

This took me by complete surprise. It was recommended to me on David Pajo's messageboard. This album is Josephine's interpretations of 19th century German art songs. Never, this year or any other, have I ever heard anything like this. A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing posseses a beauty that words fail to describe.

Listen:
Josephine Foster - Wehmut
Pajo - 1968

David Pajo is probably my favorite living musician (more on this later). This is the follow-up to 2005's self-titled 'Pajo', which is a very tough act to follow as I consider it his best album. 1968 moves away from the stripped-down sound of his previous work. He's taken his own dark country/folk style, blended it with some George Harrison, and created something unique, complex, and familiar at the same time.

Listen:
Pajo - Who's That Knocking
Pajo - I've Just Restored My Will To Live Again
M. Ward - Post-War

I enjoyed M. Ward's music in the past, but never spent much time with it. I saw him perform live a few months ago at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown, and it was without a doubt one of the best shows I have ever seen. This doesn't really tell you much, but this is just one of those albums that I can't stop listening to.

Listen:
M. Ward - Chinese Translation
Silversun Pickups - Carnavas

Carnavas is the debut full-length from a very promising band, The Silversun Pickups. They sound like the love-child of The Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine -- but they bring enough to the table to make a sound of their own. I've had the chance to see them live three times this year and they bring an energy to their performance that is rarely seen.

Listen:
Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye
Silversun Pickups - Melatonin
The Elected - Sun, Sun, Sun

This album is, simply put, an indie/alt-country/pop masterpiece. I've listened to this more than any other album this year. It takes you back to a time when people listened to music because it made them feel good.

Listen:
The Elected - I'll Be Your Man
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Furcoat
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
Damien Rice - 9
The Knife - Silent Shout

Honorable Mention:
She Wants Revenge - She Wants Revenge
Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
Glen Hansard - The Swell Season
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Then the Letting Go
Tool - 10,000 Days
Johnny Cash - American V
Jolie Holland - Springtime Can Kill You
Mike Andrews - Hand on String\
TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
Van Morrison - Pay the Devil
Sondre Lerche - Duper Sessions
Cat Power - The Greatest
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
One for the Team - Good Boys Don't Make Noise

J's Imaginary Christmas List

2006-11-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Also known as "J's things-he-wants-that-are-too-expensive-for-anyone-to-buy-for-him-so-he-will-buy-them-for-himself-once-he-takes-care-of-some-credit-card-debt list".

AlienBees - Large Softbox and The Digi Bee lighting package.

I've always been a fan of available-light photography (not using flash). I've got fast lenses that are excellent for this, however, I've been getting more and more interested in exploring studio lighting. One of the inspirations for me is the work of Lithium Picnic. He is a master of studio lighting and portraiture.
Nikon 85mm f/1.4D lens.

This lens is known for being quite possibly the greatest portrait lens of all time. Photographers commonly refer to it as "the cream machine" for the bokeh (the out-of-focus areas) it creates. An absolutely stunning lens.
Nintendo Wii.

I still enjoy the occassional video game. These days I don't really have the time or interest to sit and play a game for countless hours like I did when I was younger. I don't consider myself a "gamer", and the Wii is targeted at non-gamers. Wii Sports looks like a lot of fun -- the controller mimics actions in real life. So, for example, to play golf you have to swing it like a golf club, or to play tennis you swing it like a tennis racket. It's something different and looks like a lot of fun.
Samsung 32" Widescreen HDTV LCD.

I need a new TV. Badly. My TV is a 25" Philips-Magnavox piece of garbage I bought when I was 15 for $150. It seems to be dying, there is a slightly dark bar that goes across the screen constantly. You can still watch things, but it can be distracting. I don't necessarily want the TV I linked to, just any new HDTV, 25" or larger will do. I never watch TV, just the occasional movie -- so this isn't a huge priority.
Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia (1933-1944).

10 disc boxed set, featuring Lady Day's complete works when she was on Columbia. I may have accidentally downloaded mp3's of the entire set, and I can say that it is spectacular. It's one of those things that I've always wanted to own, but it's hard to justify spending $170 on a boxed set.

Actually, I'll be happy if I get anything this Christmas, as long as it is thoughtful. :)

I've been putting a lot of thought into some gifts I am preparing for the holiday this year. I can't wait to see how things turn out.

Black Friday = Does Not Compute

2006-11-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

Does this look like a screenshot from a zombie film to anyone else but me?

Anyways,

I spent my Thanksgiving at work, for the most part. Can't argue with 8-hours pay at double time-and-a-half. They brought in catered Thanksgiving food for us. All in all, not a bad day.

I visited my brother after work, briefly (and beat him at Scrabble -- 281 to 221). At around 11pm he wanted to start preparing to go wait in line outside of Best Buy to get in on some of their Black Friday deals. I left to go home at about 11:45pm, and, at his request, drove past Best Buy (at Northtown Mall in Blaine) to see what the line looked like.

I was shocked to see easily over 100 people already in line at midnight. There were tents, sleeping bags, lawn chairs, grills, people just laying on the sidewalk asleep, etc. I was completely shocked as I was expecting maybe a dozen people at the most.

Best Buy does have some great deals this year, such as a $250 laptop (no rebates), 32" LCD HDTV for $470, 19" widescreen Samsung LCD monitor for $130, among many other things. These are called "door-buster" items. Each store will have maybe 10-20 of each. An hour before the store opens they will hand out vouchers for those door-buster items to the first people in line who want them. In other words the first 20-30 people in line are the only ones who will get the door-busters.

For all of the non-door-buster items (which is almost everything) they are available on a first-come first-served basis; waiting in line does NO good whatsoever. You could camp out overnight, or come to the store 5 minutes before they open and still have the same chances at getting everything else that is on sale. The doors open at the same time for everyone.

I've read reports of Best Buy stores having over a thousand people in line by the time they opened, and the first people in line started camping at 10am on Thanksgiving day. CompUSA's were averaging 300-500 people in line. All in all Black Friday has lost the mystique it once had. It isn't even worth bothering dealing with the herds of lunatic shoppers just to save a few bucks.

That said, I leave you with a photo essay of Black Friday 2005 that I came across for those who have never experienced it:
Black Friday Photo Essay

Update
I came across a video taken from inside a Wal-Mart store, showing the crowd as they entered the store on Black Friday. Multiple people get pushed over and trampled. I can't help but laugh, but it's truly sad how low people will sink to save a few dollars.

To Sheila, 7/17/1998

2006-11-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

Hennepin Avenue, Block E, 7/17/1998. The Smashing Pumpkins performed a free concert in front of an estimated 150,000+ in attendance.

It was my first concert ever. I was 16 years old and had to attend with my parents. Embarassing, but a small price to pay to see your favorite band perform live.

In 1995, the Pumpkins released the best-selling double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, where they launched themselves into the mainstream as icons of the alternative-rock era with hits such as 1979, Tonight Tonight, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, and Zero. Mellon Collie was The Smashing Pumpkins everyone knew and loved.

This concert was following the release of their 1998 follow-up to Mellon Collie, Adore. Adore was a complete departure from their previous work. It was recorded with the intention of being a quiet acoustic album following some tragedies that the band endured while living the rock & roll lifestyle. Jonathan Melvoin (keyboardist) died on tour of a heroin overdose. Jimmy Chamberlin (drummer) was kicked out of the band for using heroin. Billy Corgan had just gotten a divorce and lost his mother. The opening track "To Sheila" sets the tone for the album. To Sheila was also the opening track of the concert.

"lately i just can't seem to believe,
discard my friends to change the scenery
it meant the world to hold a bruising faith
but now it's just a matter of grace"

The crowd definitely wasn't expecting this from the Pumpkins that they knew. You can imagine how a quiet acoustic song went over in front of 150,000 drunkards on the streets of Minneapolis that just wanted to rock. The show wasn't entirely focused on Adore, and the Pumpkins showed they can still rock -- closing their set with a blistering 25 minute cover of Joy Division's "Transmission". Regardless of the fact that they could still rock, they were now playing music that wasn't targeted at the mainstream.

This tour was where the Pumpkins faded out of the mainstream and into the hearts of the few, such as myself, who appreciated direction the band was taking.

The best music, in my opinion, is that which takes multiple listens to appreciate -- and Adore was my first exposure to that. It became my favorite album of all time. To Sheila set the tone for the musical taste that I have had as an adult, and is the song that made me love music.

Listen: The Smashing Pumpkins - To Sheila

The Holiday Gift Plan

2006-11-20T23:49:00.000-08:00

I came up with a plan to eliminate the politics and stress of holiday gift shopping.

Buy two sets of gifts for each person. One set is something nice, the other set is something not-so-nice (Chocolates and a Jenga game, perhaps?).
Open the other persons gift(s) first.
Go into the other room where your gifts are being kept. Bring back an appropriate gift for them, based on what they gave you.
Return the leftovers.

I would never actually do this, but it's fun to think about.

Honey, can you grab the flashlight?

2006-11-20T23:26:00.000-08:00

I won't go in to details about how or why I came across this, but it was so bizarre and intriguing I had to write about it somewhere.

(not safe for work) fleshlight.com

The Fleshlight - it's an artificial vagina that is disguised as a flashlight. It's basically a pocket pussy inside a flashlight enclosure. This way you can be sneaky about it and not have to worry if you leave it laying around and guests come over.

I'm all for self-gratification, but I can't imagine being aroused by sticking it in a flashlight. Anyways...

eleanor, you've lost me

2006-11-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

vanity cries, why?
vanity wants everything and more
vanity must die