I used to have a 1975 Plymouth Fury when I lived in Tallahassee - these pictures will give you an idea of what I used to roll in (way back in 2003):
This was only one piece of a 1995 Sega game that actually never got released (I can't imagine why). As part of Penn and Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors game, players had to pilot a bus through the desert from Tucson to Vegas. You have no passengers, and you can only go a maximum of 45 mph. And it’s real time. Even worse, the bus veers to the right just enough so that enterprising players can’t just tape the button down and go do something else for eight hours. If you do veer off the road, your bus gets towed back to Tucson… also in real time. The scenery never changes. And if you make it to Vegas, all you have to look forward to is the return trip. You will score exactly one point if you make the one-way trip.
Here's some tongue twisters I found in Uncle John's Fast-Acting Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader:
No, I'm not talking about Christian Ponder, FSU's starting quarterback. A little while ago, I published a blog about things to ponder. I received such an influx in mail from dedicated readers about these so-called "ponderisms" that I decided to do a follow-up post. (Are you buying it? You're not? What was the giveaway? Oh, I know - the 'dedicated readers' bit. Yeah, I thought that was a bit of a stretch!) Here are some more to add to the list... 
I know, style updates are becoming rather frequent around here, so maybe the exclamation point wasn't necessary. I decided that the last layout was too hip...I couldn't pull it off. So I switched to something a little more boring.
Recently, I've started running more intensely every morning. I'm now running 3K at least three times a week, and my goal is to reach 5K. Let me stop for a sec because I know what you're thinking...what's with all this metric system mumbo jumbo? Well, it seems like runners like to measure things in meters, and I admit that "3K" sounds more impressive than "1.89 miles". So, I'm going to use the metric system. (Here's a quick primer: 1 mile = 1.61 km, and 1 km = .62 miles.)
I recently noticed this on Facebook. I'm all for a positive self-image, but I have yet to create a fan page for myself. (Hmm...that gives me an idea!) Seriously though, I guess he's just trying to sell the image. In today's world, you've got to get noticed. But if he starts Twittering from the huddle, I'm going to be upset. (Though I admit it would be pretty cool!) 
Last week, the social networking giant announced they were cutting 30% of their workforce due to the fact that they suck. OK, so they really pointed the finger at increased competition. (Woohoo! Go Facebook!) Hopefully society will learn the lesson (though it's doubtful) that individuals can't be trusted with fully-customizable layouts, text colors and background images. The urge to blind one's "friends" with horrendous, debilitating eye strain is just too great. Or, people have no understanding of visual style, readability or aesthetic comprehension.
Look out, folks! There's a ninja in the White House -- and it's Barack Obama. The president, irritated by a fly during a TV interview at the Executive Mansion last Tuesday, took matters into his own hands. Said Obama to the persistent fly: "Get out of here." But it didn't.
Today's forecast in Panama City: High of 99 degrees, with a heat index of 110. Sheesh! What is this, Florida?!?!
Here's Weird Al's first billboard! It's for the "Al's Brain" 3-D show and exhibit at the Orange County Super Fair.
Here are some awesome Star Wars-themed cakes. The Millennium Falcon above is a product of Cakes by Jyl. Pretty cool, and very detailed! Nice work, Jyl.
This R2-D2 cake was actually a wedding cake, and comes from 1886 Cafe and Bakery. The cake was the bride's idea, and here she is striking the famous "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi" pose:
This next cake is also a wedding cake. This scene of a fallen AT-AT in the Hoth snow is my personal favorite, and it also has some pretty fine detailing. The whole wedding was themed around Star Wars, and you can check out pics of the ceremony and guests here.
Is it just me, or do those cupcakes look like Ewok faces?
No, this isn't some mushy post about helping out Mother Earth -- it's about Rock-N-Roll!! I recently started a recycling program at work, and set up some boxes in our department to collect plastics for recycling. Today I was checking out the volume of bottles in my boxes, and saw some caps on a few Pepsi bottles that looked like the symbols from Rock Band (the drum set, guitar, bass and microphone). The cap had a promotional web address and there was a code on the inside. There wasn't anything on the label at all. 
Recently, my wife and I were chatting with some friends on Animal Crossing about texting abbreviations. You know, like BRB (be right back) and IDK (I don't know). We were trying to think of more obscure ones that the others may not know, so my wife thought it would be funny to type XYZ. Unfortunately, "typing" with the Wii remote means guiding your pointer to letters on a keyboard and pressing the A button. In her haste, she entered ZYZ and we both thought it was hilarious (yeah, we're a little nutty).
I recently told my boss that I would be willing to collect recyclable products (bottles, cans) from our area at work and take them to the recycling bins that I pass on the way home. Not only did she think it was a great idea, she made me Captain of Finance's Green Initiative. Pretty cool, right? Now I get to recruit some lieutenants and draft some plans. I'm going to insist that from now on, everyone at work call me "Captain Ben" - or at the very least, "Cap'n".
Okay - so the new resolution is to write a blog at least once a week. Wish me luck! (Oh, and BTW, this one counts for this week).
My resolution for 2009 is to write a blog entry every day! I know it's going to be hard work, but I want to try my best to document the events in my life for future generations. Wish me luck!
My wife is helping out with the fall carnival at her school, and they all had to come up with some fun little games. She decided to do the old "Guess-How-Much-Candy-Is-In-The-Jar-And-You-
Win-It-All" game, using Peanut M&Ms and Dubble Bubble gumballs. The jar said how many gumballs were inside, but you KNOW that the winner of the contest will invariably take the gumballs out and count them as soon as they win. (Kids are nutty.) So we had to count them. The M&Ms had to be counted anyway, as their packaging was a little more cryptic. Their contents were measured by weight (54 oz.), not quantity. I took the gumballs, and my wife took the M&Ms.
I was curious to see how close the gumball count would be to the number printed on the label ("about 679"). When it was all said and done, the final count tallied 690 - 686 normal gumballs and 4 freaky ones (see image). That's an 11-gumball bonus!Just found these on the camera and wanted to share:
Mine's the one on the left that appears to have been ran over by the tractor. Admittedly, they look better in the dark:
I was regularly getting emails from people who thought the site was interesting, and had suggestions on songs. I even got an inquiry from Al with Froggy 98 FM in Lincoln, Nebraska asking if I could transcribe some Brad Paisley songs for a contest. I found links to my page on other pages, and even found the address listed in some Canadian government documents for interns (on the "just for fun" page).
ALWAYS research the player you are trading for - a name alone is meaningless. This cannot be stressed enough!
NEVER let your trades hang for more than a week. You will forget about them.
NEVER offer a trade in the heat of frustration. The players you are mad at one week may become stars the next.
NEVER regret a bad trade. Interpret your foolishness and misfortune as a personal challenge.
As you can probably guess, this all started when I got mad at New England one week and sent a trade offer to a buddy of mine. I offered QB-Matt Cassel, WR-Randy Moss and RB-Edgerrin James all for RB-Reggie Bush. I was sick of Moss being hot/cold/hot/cold, so I figured I’d dump him for Bush. I added Cassel and James as extra incentive. Well, the trade didn’t get accepted right away, and I forgot about it. Moss had an awesome week, and my feelings changed. 
But I never remembered to retract the trade. So you can guess how “surprised” I was when I saw that my trade had been accepted! Add to that the fact that Reggie Bush is out with a concussion and not expected to return this season! It’s like I just dumped 3 good players for nothing. Now I've got to work my tail off to be competitive for the rest of the season.
So let my mistake be a lesson to you all...DON'T GET BLINDSIDED!!
I don't usually use this blog to discuss political affairs, but since the election is now over, I just thought I'd share some of my impressions of this historic event.
Obama motivated and inspired this country like never before. His words have given hope to all kinds of people, from ambivalent college kids who used to think their votes didn't matter, to jaded baby boomers who've become sick of voting for "the lesser of two evils." Obama seemed to create voting excitement for them all. Our governor, Charlie Christ, had to declare a state of emergency to extend early voting hours in Florida due to the long lines. And on November 4, polling places across the country were flooded with voters, many of whom were lining up around the block. I heard several stories of people who had voted in the same precinct for years and never had to wait – but yesterday they stood in line for an hour and a half. And you know what? They were happy. They were energized. They were glad to see new faces taking their right to vote seriously.
Whew! It was an exhausting seven-month ordeal, and I'm glad it's over. But by the time Spring Training rolls around, I'm gonna be jazzed about the new season, I just know it. From the pre-rankings and the draft right up to the end, it was a demanding game that required daily attention. And you know what? It was all worth it! Woo-hoo! Yeah!
This is Greg Patillo, flute beatboxer. I know it sounds ridiculous, but he rocks! He really gets into it at 30 seconds in. You can find him and other flute beatboxers on YouTube - just search for Flute Beatboxing. Actually, chances are you've probably already seen this video - it's had 15.2 million views!
There are some video clips that show him in what looks like Central Park jamming along with a rapper. If I saw them on the streets of New York, I would never get to where I was going because I would stand there and throw coins at them ALL DAY (I'm a fan, but I'm cheap).
The glory was short-lived however...last weekend I only got 4 of 10 right. *Sigh* Well, there's always next week!
