Wednesday, Vegetarian Restuarants, Co-op, Firefox 2, OCA Press Release, Nice

Happy beautiful Wednesday, friends! The rain's been very nice and done it's thing mostly at night, leaving crisp, clear days. This weekend should be in the 70s, too...very nice.

Picture of the day!

Michael with Nathan, Gary with Katie.

Orange County Atheists has its first press release - take a look here.

I finally downloaded Firefox 2. It's got some changes I'm not big on, but the fact that links that used to open in a new window automatically open in a new tab makes me oh so happy. The spell check feature for all forms is also pretty flippin' sweet.

I've asked this before, and I'm asking again: Would any local readers be interested in a sort of food co-op, where we could buy in bulk and share the foods, so we could enjoy the low cost without throwing half the stuff away? Those 5 pound bricks of cheese and flats of fruit are calling to me...

It looks like I'm going to start going to a bunch of new vegetarian restaurants for work - any suggestions? OC is preferred, but just outside county limits is fine too. I've got the following places I need to try:

- Wheel of Life, Irvine
- Au Lac, Fountain Valley
- Haveli, Tustin
- Rutabegorz, Fullerton/Tustin/Orange

Any others stand out? I know and love the Gypsy Den (Santa Ana/Costa Mesa) and Native Foods (Costa Mesa), but I'm always looking for more. Let me know!

Hope y'all have a great Wednesday - rock!

OC Atheists, Heroes, Dick Cheney Sodomy, Harry Morgan, Modeling, February

Happy Tuesday! February is almost over, cause it's like shorter and stuff. Today's date is also comprised entirely of 0s, 2s and 7s. Weird Al must love it.

Picture of the day!

Our baby really should be a model. Anyone know of any legit baby modeling agencies?

There's a thread about MASH at fark today, and someone answered the question I was thinking to myself yesterday: Harry Morgan is still alive. Just so you know.

This is a fantastic and funny accidental combo of headline and picture. Click for goodness.

Heroes is getting better and better. If you've missed it so far, NBC rules and has full episodes to watch online. They're doing all the geek things right with this one.

Lots of stuff coming up with Orange County Atheists. If you're the Myspace type, check us out there as well.

What's new with you, my friends?

200lbs, Pi(e) Day, Buttercream, Weekend

Happy Monday, friends! I had a great weekend, got stuff done around the house, and got to meet Nathan. Rock!

Picture of the day!

The girlfriend and Gary at poker in August. It's blurry, so sue me.

I made some buttercream frosting this weekend, because it's delicious. I also remembered why I shouldn't eat it much - I creamed two sticks of butter with a pound of powdered sugar. It's so awesome, it's horrible. On that note, I want to do more baking, but delicious baking is really not too good for you. If you're too thin and looking to gain weight, talk to me...we could work something out.

Less than 3 weeks until Pi(e) day!

Speaking of delicious eats, I've taken on a mini-goal: Get down to 200 lbs. before my birthday (April 16th). Men generally have an easier time losing the first amounts of weight, and I think it's a matter of just working at it to make it happen. I'm sure I can do it, I just need a little motivation. Let's go.

How was your weekend, friends?

Rockin', Comments, Visit, Birthday, Blue Skies

Friday! It's a beautiful blue sky sunny day after a cloudy rainy one yesterday. It looks liek a mat painting outside my window. Should be a nice weekend!

Picture of the day!

Baby and Daddy at the girlfriend's birthday last year. Note our matching hairstyles.

Happy Birthday to CS today!

Hopefully we're going up to see Gary, Emily and Nathan this weekend - as long as this is just allergies and not a cold. I'm hoping so...I wanna meet him before he starts playing basketball or something.

I know y'all are reading - but what happened to all the commenting? Drop by and say hello! I just like to know what's up.

I think that's it for today - have a great weekend and keep on rockin'!

Cupcakes, Night Off, Weird Story, Allergies, Almost March

Thursday again - another quick week. I'm likin' this, though it's weird that we're almost to March already. I'm already planning this year's St. Paddy's Pi(e) day event - details to come.

Picture of the day!

Chris on stage at the House of Blues during Gospel Brunch.

My allergies are killing me, both in my nose/sinuses and on my hands. I'm ready for my Zyrtec prescription to come in. Hopefully today's rain will help.

This is a very strange story: Ash Wednesday Mass Interrupted by Porno Recordings. Not the "Porno Recordings" part (that's just childishly funny), but this:

Church staff personnel removed the CD players, took them to the basement and called police, who sent a bomb squad, Johnson said.

The bomb squad blew up two of the players on a grassy area near the church, then kept the third one for analysis after determining the players were not dangerous.

What the hell?

I've got tonight "off" - anyone want to grab a bite to eat and/or a beer somewhere around 7? First round's on me.

I'm in the mood to bake. Who wants cupcakes?

What's up?

Quiet Comments, Britney, Mardi Gras, Primus, Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! 40 days (not including Sundays) until delicious Easter.

Picture of the day!

A slightly blurry but nonetheless awesome picture of Marek from New Years. Dunno how I missed this one. I'm putting it in the banner rotation too.

I forgot to wish Primus a happy birthday Saturday with Colleen and Nhan! What a day!

My Mardi Gras project yesterday was no where near as successful as I would have liked. I ain't gonna beg, but it's not too late to play. Cause you're cool like that.

The Britney train wreck continues, with rumors that she either had lice or was freaked out that they were gonna test her hair for drugs, and with her leaving her second rehab stint in a week. She could very well be dead before Sunday.

Friends, I hope you're having a good week - it's been very quiet on the comments. Come say hello!

Mardi Gras and related goodness!

Happy Fat Tuesday! It's Mardi Gras!

Picture of the day!

My BBQ, full of delicious meat! I'm giving it up for lent.

I wasn't going to post this to Insignifica, but Tori made me realize that life is short, and you gotta live it, baby. If you're easily offended, skip to the "all clear" text below!

It's that time again. Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday. If you're Catholic, a day of almost church-condoned debauchery. If you're not Catholic, a damn good excuse to party. If you're male, a day where the pervert in you is expected to come out and play. If you're female, a day for your boobies to do the same.

With that, my request for you! Send me a picture of yourself flashing. Interpret this however you like - some level of nudity, lifting your shirt, flipping me off...whatever you like. If you're nipple-phobic, a bra shot works too. Mardi Gras is about letting loose, doing something you might not do any other time. Have fun!

If you're a dude, you and your lady are both welcome.

In return, you get beads, of course. If you're happy with a picture of beads, that can be arranged. If you want the real thing, send me your address, and you'll get some, along with homemade king cake and other Mardi Gras treats. The better the shot, the more beads you'll get - I'm not opposed to shipping you a crate full of 'em. I'm happy also to satisfy any requests you have - just ask!

All clear. Family, small children, and circus animals may now continue reading.

It's free pancake day at Ihop! From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., they’ll give you one free short stack of their famous buttermilk pancakes. All they ask in return is for a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network. Simple enough for pancake goodness!

Well, since everything else in this post has been vaguely Christian related, I'll link to the story about the Pastor with 666 tattoo who claims to be divine. Classic cult dude. You'll hear more about him, I'm sure of it.

I hope you have a great day, friends! Happy Mardi Gras!

Pancakes, Britney, Campbell in OC, Cleaning, Gospel Brunch, Weather

Happy Monday, friends! Rainy and nice and cool here in Orange County, after a really nice and warm weekend. Such is February.

Picture of the day!

Jack, enjoying a beer.

Happy Birthday to Ryan today!

Chris and I went to the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues Anaheim yesterday. For a couple of people who don't believe in God, we had a hell of a good time. Sitting in the very front along the stage helped make it awesome, too. Thanks for the ticket, Mr. Clark!

After Gospel Brunch, I came home and cleaned...and cleaned, and cleaned some more. The Girlfriend and Baby were out and about, so I had the whole afternoon to just get things done. Very satisfying work - I totally cleaned up my office, including removing everything from the floor, vacuuming, cleaning out under the desk, disconnecting every wire from the computer and putting it all back neater, finally getting all the xmas stuff back to the garage, cleaned out my closet and drawers and put together a big bag of clothes to donate, and filed all the paperwork that had been building up on my desk. I don't think my office has been this clean in about a year.

This morning I went to see my congressman, who was doing a Q&A over coffee at the Peet's near my house. I was expecting maybe a dozen or so people to be there, but there were at least a hundred, including a lot of war protesters, some war supporters, and lots of retirees who have the time to come out at 9am on a weekday and meet their congressman. I only stayed about 20 minutes - I didn't have any specific questions, I had to get to work, and I was pretty sure the problems with the war weren't going to be solved there and then. But it was great seeing that kind of interaction, and while I don't agree with most of Rep. Campbell's politics, he's well spoken and can handle a crowd well.

How about that Britney freakout? I'm not usually one for celebrity news, but man, that's crazy.

What's new with you, readers? Any Mardi Gras plans? We're having pancakes. And pancakes rule.

Tori's art sale!

Help a sister out - buy some beautiful art. I own this one:

...and it's awesome. Take a look at what she's got.

Weekend Plans, SPPD, OCA, Poker, Tori, Birthdays

Happy Friday! In case I can't update tomorrow, Happy Birthday to Nhan and Colleen!

Picture of the day!

Halloween - Native Chris and Strongman Mike.

Congrats to Tori! May her new business thrive!

I'm considering dropping the baby off with her grandma and aunt and hitting the poker tables for a couple hours tomorrow. I should tell them that. The baby has also begun minorly freaking out if she sees us leave (even leaving the room is traumatic for her, at least for a couple minutes). Of course, she's usually fine after a few minutes. The allure of poker is strong.

We had a great turnout for the Orange County Atheists meeting last night. We typically have about 1/3 new people, of which about 1/3 return. Last night we were about 1/2 new people - hopefully we have a higher percentage returning, as well.

Tomorrow's party has turned into a small dinner, but I'm already looking ahead to St. Paddy's Pi(e) day on March 17. Keep the day open!

Any big weekend plans, friends? What's new and good with you?

Cheap Primm, Grand Canyon, OC Atheists, Homophobe Hardaway, Sunny Day

Good day and Happy Thursday! It's another beautiful sunny day in California.

Picture of the day!

Happy flying attack baby.

Man, I love this kinda stuff: "Tim Hardaway Says He Hates 'Gay People'". I'm amazed that in 2007, in the US, that a man who's traveled all over the country and met thousands of people can still say things like ""You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people," and "I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States." The guy MUST know a bunch of gay people, whether he knows it or not. What could make someone believe this, not to mention say it on a sports radio talk show? Insane.

Orange County Atheists

The next meeting of the Orange County Atheists will be held TONIGHT, Thursday, February 15 at 7:30PM at the International House of Pancakes at 18542 MacArthur Blvd in Irvine. If you consider yourself an atheist, an agnostic, a freethinker, a humanist, or are just curious, check out this month's event. If you're planning on attending please RSVP at our website forums. Hope to see you there!

Grand Canyon update: we're heading out there the week of May 20th for 4 days. I haven't been, so it should be a great trip. To avoid the long drive, we're stopping in Laughlin on the way up and way back. I'm looking forward to it.

In other cheap hotel news, the resorts at Primm (who hosted me for my last Nevada trip) send me coupons for 8 free weekday nights (in two night chunks) for February and March. I might just have to go back.

How's it going, friends?

Creepy Bush, Blogging, Shrimp Chips, Valentine's

Happy Wednesday, and Happy Valentine's Day! Do someone you love a favor: Show them you love them every day!

Picture of the day!

Sleepy mommy and baby, from our Santa Cruz trip in July 2006. The baby looks the same, and I forget how small she was until I see how big her bibs look.

Remember those "shrimp chips"? They were a crunchy snack, very airy, that tasted kinda, but not entirely, like something resembling seafood? I miss those. These Trader Joe's Veggie Sticks are good, but just not the same.

There may be even more blogging for me in the future. Can't say much now, but I'll let you know soon enough.

Others have mentioned this, but our president looks downright creepy when he laughs/grins while talking about something serious. He's also very, very bad at making jokes. Oi.

Maybe more later, friends. But I got some work to do!

Fresh Flower, Grand Canyon, Popups, March Holidays, Pancakes

Happy Tuesday, friends! One week until Mardi Gras, and that means Free Pancake Day at IHOP. Yum.

Picture of the day!

Chris tries to get on his garter at last year's St. Patty's Pi(e) Day party.

Speaking of such things, tomorrow begins the countdown to the March Holiday Season - Pi(e) day on the 14th, St. Patrick's Day on the 17th, and the Ides of March right in there for good measure. We had a great time last year, but it's getting harder and harder to get people to come out for anything, so we'll see what happens this year. Hard to go wrong with the 17th being a Saturday, though...

You may have noticed that I'm phasing out the use of the "_blank" tag in my outgoing links. I typically like people to not have to leave my page to view another, but as I usually don't like the surprise of a new brownser window popping up, and more and more people use tabbed browsing (and can middle-click a link for a new tab), I'm gonna stop using it.

Woohoo! Grand Canyon in May!

Please leave comments, friends. I beg of you. I'd write for me every day, but every new message is like a fresh flower (so says Rob). Have a fantastic day!

OC Atheists, Date Night, Chris's House, Tron Guy, Mystery Package, Weekend

Monday! I had a great weekend, spending lots of time with the munchkin. I also had all sorts of adventures finding a wireless ethernet bridge. It's mostly working. Mostly.

Picture of the day!

A bunch of beasts at the harbor in SF - I think taken while we were waiting for the ferry to Alcatraz.

Gary got a Mystery Package last week - Night Ranger's Greatest Hits from two women in Wisconsin. He doesn't know them, and other than the CD, the only thing in the package was a USA Today used for packaging/wrapping. I've gotten mystery stuff from people I didn't know before, but never a package. That rules!

A little bit of awesomeness: After posting the PC/Mac/Linux picture to my Livejournal account, Mr. Tron Guy himself, Jay Maynard, left a comment on it. That rules!

Congrats to Chris Clark, very nearly a homeowner! I can't wait to see his house. It seems like houses and babies were coming for our group all at once a couple years back, and it's happened again. Or maybe I just like to see patterns where there aren't any.

We're staying in on Valentine's Day - though last year we went to a brewpub restaurant and it wasn't that busy at all. But we're looking for a nice location for a date soon. Any thoughts in OC and surrounding areas?

The next meeting of the Orange County Atheists will be held Thursday, February 15 at 7:30PM at the International House of Pancakes at 18542 MacArthur Blvd in Irvine. If you consider yourself an atheist, an agnostic, a freethinker, a humanist, or are just curious, check out this month's event. If you're planning on attending please RSVP at our website forums. Hope to see you there!

What's new, friends?

PC/Mac/Linux

Wil linked to this today, and it made me laugh out loud. Enjoy your weekend.

If you're confused, you need more online media exposure. More about Tron Guy here and here. More about PC/Mac ads here and here.

Weekending, Crawling, Anna Nicole, Hallmarkiest, Ads, Quick

Friday! Another quick week! It's like it's all weekends, all the time!

Picture of the day!

Cloves and Cranberry Vodka. I wonder how it's holding up.

If you see something that's a good price in the Fry's ad (or Best Buy or Circuit City), let me know. Money, hole in pocket, etc.

It's almost Valentine's Day! The Hallmarkiest of the Hallmark Holidays. I consider myself one of the luckiest men in the world most of the time anyway, but having a girlfriend who doesn't want dumb token gifts and hates diamonds as much as I do makes me feel even luckier. Anything I get her is because I want to, not because she's expecting it. Does it get any better than that? I love you!

I posted about Anna Nicole in the post immediately under this one. Read.

Rumor has it that the baby crawled a bit today. She's been gearing up for this for weeks. She's scooting just fine and standing up like a champ. She's also having almost no problem getting from a crawl position (or laying down) to a sitting position. Neat!

Happy weekending, friends. Any plans or events? I wanna know!

Anna Nicole - pneumatic?

Poor Anna Nicole!

In the first line of their article on Anna Nicole Smith today, the Associated Press used the term "pneumatic", as in "Anna Nicole Smith, the pneumatic blonde whose life played out as an extraordinary tabloid tale..." (examples here and here). Now, while pneumatic does mean "having a well-proportioned feminine figure; especially: having a full bust", that is most certainly not the most common usage - in fact, no one here in a library of full time researchers had heard that one before. Commonly, it means "of, relating to, or using gas (as air or wind)", or more generally, "full of air".

While I don't know if the word was intended as a double entendre, it certainly sounds like one. It's kinda funny, but at the same time, on a first-day story of a likely suicide, that's pretty tasteless and crass for the largest news wire in the world, especially when plenty of other terms would have worked just as well - buxom, curvaceous, voluptuous, and full-figured all come to mind.

Blogging, Monkey, Caffeine, Pictures, Thursday

It's Thursday, again!

Picture of the day!

A beautiful view from the Huntington Library.

I really need to be taking more pictures, both of the baby and just stuff outside.

I still don't think I'm all the way awake here - I realized too late this morning that I was out of delicious caffeinated diet soda, and I really wasn't in the mood for coffee. So I went without, and I'm still paying for it. One of my rules for myself is when I realize I'm addicted to something, it's time to quit. I think 5-6 caffeinated sodas a day is too much anyway. The only thing that'll hold me back is that I don't like just drinking water with meals, and at restaurants you typically can't get diet un-caffeinated sodas. Bastards.

The baby's really started to drool less recently - when she was sick a couple weeks ago, we thought it was because of the dehydration, but it's continued. She's also standing with help, and climbs like a little monkey. It's amazing how quickly babies learn.

I've been slacking on my non-Insignifica blogging lately - The diet blog, the OC metblog and OCatheists.com are all kinda slow. I'll see if I have time to do some updating today.

What's new, friends? Post a comment - that's been quiet too. How's it hanging?

Gacy, Foggy, Cookies, Taxman

Happy Wednesday! The taxman was very kind to me this year, and I have my daughter to thank for much of it. Even after putting 2/3rds of it toward debt, I'll have a healthy chunk for Fun. Any ideas on Fun, friends?

Picture of the day!

Vanessa, myself, and The Hat.

Read my friend Cynthia's blog Food Frenzy. She makes delicious cookies!

We had our first foggy night in ages here last night - it was awesome. When I don't have to drive in it, fog is some of my favorite weather.

A warning to all my friends in the media and publishing industries: Check your captions.

What's new, friends? How's February?

Mexico, Stickers, Allergies, Vote

Tuesday! It's election day for a chunk of Orange County today, so if you're set to vote, go vote! This one, especially, is easy: just one person to vote for. Read more at Metroblogging.

Picture of the day!

The Girlfriend and The Baby in Sequoia in January.

Oi, my allergies are killing me today. And I'd been doing so well. Darn you, everything I'm allergic to!

I still need a local or internet print shop for stickers. Suggestions?

Is it weird or bad that I'm not at all interested in traveling or sightseeing in Mexico? I'm sure it's beautiful, but the idea of extreme poverty and very corrupt police just ruin it for me.

I'm low on things to talk about this morning - maybe I'll post again at lunch. Enjoy your day!

Public Art in the Paranoid Age, Sneakers, Myspace Improvements, Super Bowl Ring

Happy Monday, friends. Finally, Michael Doss has a Super Bowl ring.

Picture of the day!

A caged beast at the SD zoo, 2005. Extra points for anyone who removes all the cage lines and makes this look like a non-photo-shopped picture.

I love Myspace, but for as big, popular and full of money as it is, it sure has its problems. It looks like they fixed one recently - friends who have deleted their accounts used to show up as mystery white space on your friends list. Now you can delete the old space (it "freed up" 6 of my friends). Sad part is that for the most part, I can't remember who the spaces belonged to. Oh well. Here's to hoping Myspace solves some spam and fake profile issues next.

Do any of you gentle readers have my DVD copy of the movie "Sneakers"? It disappeared from its case, and I still can't find it.

I've considered what would be a good protest to Boston's poor judgment and overreaction to the ATHF adverts. Ryan from Dinosaur Comics pointed out this about Super Mario Bros. question mark boxes being put up in 2005, and how the bomb squad was called in for those, too (at one location). The problem with a good protest is that with many current attitudes among those in charge, anything that someone ELSE thinks is a bomb (even an empty cardboard box) can get you arrested. I don't have hard numbers, but I'd wager than a good 99% of "suspicious packages" have no connections to explosives at all. People are paranoid, and for no good reason: like I said last week, there hasn't been a rash of bombings in the US - not since some abortion clinics were bombed in the 80s and 90s.

So, what to do? The paranoid among us have control and the law on their side. Public art can get you labeled a terrorist. How do we fight this? How do we break through and get people to realize that they're worried about something stupid? Your suggestions are welcome.

Weekend, Full Moon, Rant, Tag Clouds, Quick

Happy Friday! It's been a very quick week, and I'm honestly surprised it's already the end. The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day, with no tornados or ice storms to speak of.

Picture of the day!

Food and melting candles from New Years Eve 2006-2007.

I posted it over to the Daily Links blog, but this is too cool: Neil Gaiman has his web elves create tag clouds for every word and every term he's ever written in his blog. I've been working with tag clouds a lot lately, this is a lot of fun to see.

I'm very surprised no one had anything to say about my rant against Boston officials yesterday. Overloaded already? Or just nothing to add?

The sky was as bright as I've ever seen it with a full moon last night - I could just about read by it. Just thought I'd share that, because it rules.

What's your weekend looking like, friends? What's new and good in your lives?

WLC Blog, Plumber, ATHF Bomb Scare, Halloween Pix, February

Happy Thursday and Happy February!

Picture of the day!

Deedee - sassy witch! Update! I used a very similar picture back in October as my POTD. Still, sassy!

That Halloween 2003 set is huge and needs tags - but it's a lot of fun to look through. Great party.

This morning, I'm mad - this whole Aquateen Hunger Force bomb scare crap is so absurd, so unreal - what were the authorities in Boston thinking? Some points that plenty of others before me have kicked around:

- It's a circuit board with LEDs on it - where exactly is the "bomb" hidden here? I'm no explosives expert, but it's really only in the movies where crafty psychos craft everyday items from explosive materials.

- Why would a bomber make his bomb light up so everyone could easily see it? Why would he use a cartoon character? Why would he do this all over the city in the open?

- Why did it take the bomb squad so long to determine these were no threat? Aren't they trained to recognize what's a bomb, and what's not?

- The light boards have been up for weeks in a dozen cities. None of them had problems recognizing them for what they were.

- No offense Bostonians, but why is everyone in your government that's talking about this a total moron? Some quotes:

- Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis called the stunt "unconscionable"
- Boston Mayor Thomas Menino called it "outrageous" and the product of "corporate greed."
- Democratic Rep. Ed Markey, a Boston-area congressman, added, "It would be hard to dream up a more appalling publicity stunt."
- Assistant Attorney General John Grossman said "It's clear the intent was to get attention by causing fear and unrest that there was a bomb in that location"

Did I miss the epidemic of small bombings across the country to warrant this kind of freakish reaction? We live in one of the safest countries in the world in terms of terrorism. This response would be a bit more understandable if there'd been a rash of bombings - but to my count, there have been exactly 0 small scale bombings in the United States of a "terrorist nature". And honestly, don't you think if someone wanted to cause death, destruction or fear, they'd plant bombs where no one would see them, and where they'd actually cause damage? A bomb in the mail set to go off at attitude. A backpack bomb on the subway, in a mall, in line at a club, or anywhere with people. A car bomb anywhere. Instead, we worry about something with wires and circuit boards, not unlike every electronic device in the world.

Bostonians, I don't blame you. But I sure as hell blame your reactionary government and police officials who got caught freaking out and are now looking for others to pay for their embarrassment.

Alright! In other news, we have a plumber coming today because the kitchen sink is backed up and leaking a bit. Hopefully that won't cause too many more problems.

Remember, the current posts from the weight loss blog are in the box in the left hand menu. It's updated whenever that blog is updated. Read and enjoy!