As a connoisseur of fine beers, I have a new one to recommend. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine style Ale. I would recommend finding a place where you can buy just one bottle ( like Topps ) as it is 9.6% alcohol by volume. It is a heavy beer, and somewhat bittersweet. It is totally enjoyable.

Go get one.

More information here [sierranevada.com]

Gene Kim ( yes, that Gene Kim ) is presenting at AzSAGE next week wednesday. If you are around Phoenix and have an interest in computer security, you should attend.

More information here [azsage.org]
More information on Gene Kim here

Our A/C here at the office has been out, off and on, for the past week. So here I sit, in a room with 3 other people, half a dozen computers, in Arizona. I do not get paid near enough for this.

So I took this personality test based on my birthdate. Here are the results.

Full of charm
cheerful
gifted
without egoism
likes to draw attention
loves life
motion
unrest and even complications is both dependent and independent
good taste
artistic
passionate
emotional
good company
does not forgive.

Well, they got the last one right.
Test found through here [blogarbage]

To anyone watching the Red Wings game tonight, I have one question.

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

I was reading the espn game log and Detroit had 7 penalties in the first period, including 2 for fighting. This is crazy. Looking at the penalties, it looks like Detroit should have had an average of .5 players on the ice at any given time. I'm sure we have a great defence, if we can keep the players on the damn ice. I'm glad I don't watch the games. It would have been one expletive after another.

Buy stuff from goats

I am going to find, torture, and punish the man or men responsible for polyphonic ringtones.

Looks like there will be a redesign in the near future, so I can make room for this [ allconsuming.net ]

From their "What is this site about" section:
"All Consuming is a website that visits recently updated weblogs every hour, checking them for links to books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Sense, and other book sites. Every book on this site has a list of all the weblogs that have mentioned it, and every weblog that has mentioned books in the past also has a page here listing which books it has mentioned. If you have a weblog, search for it here to see if we've picked anything up from it yet."

Looks quite cool.

Update on the gorgeous woman/lost cat episode.

So, I find a sweetheart little all black cat wandering around in the alley. Pick her up and wander over to the gorgeous woman's apartment. Knock, knock, wait. Oh, her cat came back. This is not the kitty you are looking for.

This is not the kitty I'm looking for

I listened to the funniest thing today, on the interweb.
Bill O'Reilly interview on Fresh Air
I am a fan of NPR for various reasons. Great shows like Car Talk, This American Life, and Science Friday. Now, I'm not saying I agree with the NPR political spin, because they are pretty left, but I have no love for Mr. O'Reilly. I just thought it was funny. It's good to see the left act like the right once in a while. Reminds me that in the great political circle, the extreme right is the same as the extreme left.

Oh, and Josh, if you're reading this, I hope everything is good where you are. I have no idea where you are in relation to the fires, but I can't get to your website.

Bosses: So, are we going to hit our release date?
Me: Yep. Shouldn't be any problems.
Bosses: Great! Then we want to add these new features to be included in the release.
Me: But if you add new features, we won't hit the release date.
Bosses: But you just said there would be no problems.
Me: *whimper*

My dad had surgery last week, he had a pinched nerve in his neck. This was last week wednesday, and when I talked to my mother on Sunday, my dad was totally disoriented, hallucinating, and doing things in a most un-dad like way. I just got word that my dad has an 'Organic Brain Disorder' due to overmedication. After doing some quick research on the web regarding this, I am a bit scared. From what I read here[healthcentral.com], I am totally nonplussed. To quote:

"Prevention for most of these disorders are unknown."
"Treatment varies with the specific disorder. Many of the disorders have nonspecific treatments, primarily supportive care to assist the person in areas where brain function is lost. Medications may be needed to reduce aggressive behaviors typical of some of the conditions in this category."

So basically, they don't know what is wrong or what, really, to do about it. This, again, is the hardest part about living away from the family. But they took him off the medications he was on, and now I guess we wait and see what happens. I just can't believe it. My dad has been in constant pain for the last 6-8 months, and when they finally do get around to doing the surgery, they make him fucking crazy. I don't think I will ever go to a doctor again in my life.

"Sixteen Candles," 16 Years Later

omgomgomg
A sequal to Sixteen Candles. Problem is, it's cable-only, and USA Network. So my hopes are limited.

So I was reading this [urban-dyke.com] about 'Marriage Protection Week', and I have to, in my own defence, proclaim this 'Who Gives A Bloody Fuck Who You Shack-Up With Week'. I have nothing against marriage, I've been married before, but it's a religious thing people, not a civil function. I don't personally believe that the government should give one whit who gets married to whom. It's none of their business. There should be no benefits or penalties for being married, having kids, owning land, or any of it.

A tip. Unless you want me to look at you like you're an idiot, don't come up to me and start talking to me in pronouns. I need to have a proper noun somewhere in there.
Remember, I can't hear the voices in your head.

Point of fact:
Listening to 'My Funny Valentine : Miles Davis In Concert" on loop is a good way to make the work hours move by

OK, so this gorgous woman, who apparently lives near me, came up and talked to me tonight. I would reccommend getting your affairs in order with the deity of your choosing, because this is definitely a sign of impending apocalypse. I was outside, petting the most spoiled stray cat in the world, and she walked up. We chatted, and she mentioned that her little black cat had gotten out. It is now my mission in life to find this cat.

She was really cute.

I have to find this cat.

The world is doomed.

BlaBlaBla
<Silly entry in which I describe my boring weekend/>

Picked up the new DIdo CD this weekend, which seems specifically designed to depress me. I don't think it's the songs, per say. I'm a firm believer that she could sing 'You are my sunshine' and depress the hell out of me. Something about her voice is just plain melancholy, at least to me. I like it anyway, thus confirming there is something definitely wrong with me.

Got 'Little Man Tate' and 'Searching for Bobby Fisher' from netflix also. Both excellent movies, and yes, I have seen them both before. I had forgotten how much I loved 'Searching for Bobby Fisher'. Such a great movie ( setting aside any possible inaccuracies ).

Been reading 'The Sound and the Fury'. That book is hard to read ( for me ). I think I am understanding it now, but I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure it's a great novel, I'm just not smart enough to understand it at the moment. I've been reading more and more about the American South, and will probably continue along this line ( and no, I'm not going to read Blood Meridian ). Any other suggestions would be most welcome.

In a twist of serendipity, I got my haircut on Sunday. The serendipitious part happened when the clipper girl asked me if it was still hot out and I said it was only about 90, and started comparing this to Michigan. Turns out, she is from Warren, and her mother is now living in Grand Rapids. We both agreed that it was much nicer out here, and that the monsoons are a small price to pay to not have to shovel snow or other such nonsense. Of course this wasn't the usual girl I go to, as she was busy with someone else.

Punk Ass Gear
Kick ass shirts like
this
and this

Automatic-Flush, No-Litter Cat Box
I totally need this. $380 is a small price to pay for never having to deal with litter again.

Quick note to Yahoo! news photo editors...
This is news
This is not

That is all

Actual conversation I had in the breakroom.
Him: "Looks like we are gonna get some rain"
Me: "Yeah. It's only supposed to get to 100 degrees today"

As seen on www.thelordoftherings.net:

"Leading up to the December 17 release of The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King, the final film Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy, New Line Cinema will bring moviegoers an exclusive, ONE-time-only in-theater event:

The Lord of the Rings Special Extended Edition Screening Engagement.
The schedule for this special theatrical screening series is as follows:

December 5-11
Special Extended Edition The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

December 12-15
Special Extended Edition The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Tuesday, December 16
One-time-only marathon of both the Extended Edition prints followed by the first screenings of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

I'm all about movie marathons, but that is something like 10 or 11 hours of movie.