Highway 404

This is the best 404 error I have seen in a while:

You have reached Highway 404. In GeekSpeak, this means that you have reached the right website, but we've obliterated or renamed or moved the page you sought so earnestly. Don't be disappointed. It's just the Web. However, you might find what you're looking for in one of the following areas. Or you can ask our search engine nicely.

More lists

I'm taking up Carmi's challenge. AND I tag Dean and Eddie.

The total volume of music files on my computer:
About 700 mg. I recently reformatted my hard drive (SP2-related issue) and moved my songs onto DVD. So, I've only got what is on my iTunes right now.

The last CD I bought was:
Yikes. I bought my 13 year-old nephew Led Zeppelin II and the Beastie Boy's To the 5 Boroughs for his birthday last summer. That's it. I, um, share files sometimes.

Song playing right now:
I've got my iPod Shuffle going right now, and I wanted it to be on Misty Mountain Hop when I wrote this, but it has since gone on to Tears for Fears' Head Over Heels. Misty Mountain Hop would have been cooler.

Five songs I listen to a lot or mean a lot to me, in no particular order:
Yellow (Cold Play). I just really like this song. Also - this is one of my daughter's favorite songs, and musically speaking, it's nice to share that kind of stuff. She also loves Macy Gray, Avril Lavigne, and the Chad Kroeger song in Spiderman.

Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zeppelin). This song rocks. I can't explain why I like Zeppelin and The Who, but can't listen to Pink Floyd even if you paid me. It's one of life's little mysteries.

Catch (The Cure). It takes me back to my youth when I had a Robert Smith-eque hair-do (except blonde) and dated tall skinny guys who wore the same size jeans as I did (boy, how times change!). I could always put on lipstick better than him, though.

Bobcaygeon (The Tragically Hip). Another beautiful song. Actually, anything by these guys is great.

Have You Ever Seen The Rain? (CCR). I'm a redneck by birth.

Yeah, I'm a liar. So sue me.

Ok. I know I just said that I wasn't going to post very much for a while, and now, here I am posting again on the very same day, but a colleague sent me this link and I thought it would interest many of the people who read this blog.

EPIC 2014

This is a flash presentation that is set in 2014 and describes an institution or service called EPIC. It's about 8 minutes long. I think the ideas are pretty interesting and presented in a compelling format. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Away from Blog Auto Reply

As most of you have noticed, my posting lately has been sporadic at best. My offline life is interfering with my online one, and that's probably a good thing!

I won't be posting very much from now until September. But I'll still be reading your blogs!

Happy summer.

Trillian

Why God Made Moms...

I recieved this from a friend and thought it was so cute that I had to pass it on. I doubt that it's authentic, but who cares, it's cute anyway!

"Why God made Moms," answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions.

Why did God make mothers?

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

2. Mostly to clean the house.

3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom?

1. We're related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?

1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.

2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?

1. His last name.

2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?

3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mom marry your Dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.

2. She got too old to do anything else with him.

3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.

2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between Moms and Dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home, & dads just go to work at work.

2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.

2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.

2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back of her head.

Future Therapy Fodder

I've said it before. I'm not the best mom. While I may get an A for effort, it will be up to my son's future therapist to decide whether or not I'm responsible for all of his neurosis. Let me explain.

Frankie and Benjy decided to take me to see Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (again) for Mother's Day. When I say take, I mean that they came with me and allowed me to pay. It was a beautiful day, and I suggested that we go mini golfing instead, since I'd already seen the movie. But to no avail. They both wanted to see it. So off we went.

There were only about 10 or 20 people in the theatre (as I'd mentioned, it was a gorgeous day) so we had our pick of seats. We sat in the middle middle. We got our popcorn and contraband candy. I was helping Benjy into her special plastic booster seat when I looked over and was horrified to find Frankie with his finger knuckle-deep into his nose (even writing it now makes me want to gag). I said (perhaps too loudly, in retrospect, considering how quiet it was in the theatre):

"Look, you're not going to share my popcorn if you're going to pick your nose!"

The whole theatre broke into laughter, and poor Frankie sat there mortified, protesting, that he was just scratching an inside itch. We negotiated a hand wash disguised as a restroom break and life went on. Hopefully he won't be traumatized for the rest of his life. For now, it makes a cute little anecdote.

Poetry-Like

Soooo, my 5 year-old is in a poetry recital based on this little gem that she made up for her junior kindergarten class:

My flower's pink.
It doesn't stink.
It smells so good.
Like it should.

Look out Robert Frost.

The MOVIE Assessment

So...
I saw it. And, like Wheelson, I'm trying not to compare it to the books. It was a pretty good movie on its own - I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 on its own merit.

My favorite part was when they were painting the Grand Canyon. And I really liked the sighing doors and Eddie the Ship Computer. Also - Slartibartfast kicked ass.

1. It has been dumbed down somewhat for the mass market.
2. All of the characters other than Trillian are excellent. I'm not sure if it was Zoey or the writing, but Trillian is very one-dimensional.
3. Those who haven't read the books won't understand some of the things the characters do (i.e. the whole towel thing, why they keep putting on their sunglasses, why they smash the pretty crabs, etc.)
4. Those who haven't read the books won't get annoyed that they cut out all the best come back lines (i.e. "Yeah," said Zaphod with a sudden evil grin, "you'd just have to program it to say What? and I don't understand and Where's the tea? - who'd know the difference?")
5. It looks like they've totally left it open to do the next, er, book/movie.
6. The opening sequence was killer. I'm still singing the damn song!