Dusty Chalk

I'm glad for him. So he's sleeping with one eye open?

I had Chinese last night. My fortune cookie fortune read, "There is a true and sincere friendship between you both." I was alone.

Happy Birthday, Dinny!

Really? I thought it did, especially the anti-gravity aspect of it. Looks just like a battery that had leaked and dried or something, though I realize this wasn't supposed to have batteries.

Holy shit, Pink Martini did a Christmas album? I'm driving my sister's car, which doesn't have iPod, but does have CD, so I stuck in one that I wouldn't mind on infinite repeat: Swallow the Sun, Plague of Butterflies.

& a good old sympathetic

Agreed, the dark chocolatey goodness is indeed almost more than a mere mortal can bear...bare...uh...take.

About to embark on Big Bang Theory, Season 3.

2004, but thanks for that. 195/55R15 is correct.

There's a whole magazine of music apps for the iPhone/iPad/iOS, and a couple pages devoted to Android and MS, as well.

Well...I don't know what's wrong with people. It's obviously an oblique reference to the communist hammer-and-sickle, not the crescent moon of Islam. Yes/no?

What?!?!? The first one was epitomical contemporary prog; the second was weird by alternating synthpop tracks, and this one sort of melded the two. I mean, they still have that sound (I think mostly because of the multiple lead vocals), but they're all different.

I am pretty happy with my cheap little Ikea foam mattress -- it 'inflates', like Duggeh said his did. I don't like this memory-foam shit, but only because I would never get out of bed ever again -- way too enticing and comfortable. I also really like -- for sleeping -- a firm mattress -- the most comfortable I ever slept was one of those exercise mats over a concrete floor -- just enough cushion to prevent the contact points from getting sore, but no more. If this sounds appealing, then I can look up which one it is, but really you should just go to Ikea and try them out, they have a wide variety of mattresses there, and a nice little lookup table to immediately tell you if it's something you'll like or not.

Here here -- I, too, would like to express my appreciation for anyone who is serving or has ever served. Thanks!

Will read the thread, but...wait, what? So you can't use it as a USB-DAC, but if you just give it the files, it can play them? That might be adequate. It really might be the perfect solution for everything.

I suspect the language would deteriorate into a lot of "hrm" and "pffft".

Deep in Thought, Dreamscapes -- this is instrumental post-rock of the Tortoise/Timeout Drawer variety, with some very heavy moments, epic guitar tones, and very catchy hooks. I can tell right now that this is going to become an addiction, just like Nowonmai did.

I Am Legend (the original story by Richard Matheson, not the Will Smith movie) has a bit of that, though not as much as you'd like, I think.

I:Scintilla, Dying & Falling

Thanks guys. That video makes it look almost horrific, especially with the screaming. Time for those demolition experts to find a new field of work. I vaguely remember seeing a documentary stating that the company that was largely the subject of the documentary did more than 50% of all demolitions, and for a reason. They would have been able to design the blast so that the structure collapsed upon itself, rather than there even being a chance of it going in the wrong direction.

Okay, so because I have access to another car (my sister keeps one at my place for when she's in town, which is rare), I didn't get around to shopping tires until yesterday. Found out I have a weird size, so unless I can find exactly what I want elsewhere, I'll go back and order from Costco. While I was there, I asked him if he could bring up when I got my tires. "2006." "How many miles?" "37,000. If you have any more than 50,000 miles on your car, then yes, you should probably get new tires." "I have over 115,000 miles on my car." "Well, you definitely got your money's worth out of them." "I would say so." I looked when I got back in my car, I was off a little bit: I have 126,000 miles on my car. I put 89,000 miles on 20,000 mile tires (I think -- worst case, I put 89,000 miles on 80,000 mile tires, but I don't remember them being that high, but I would allow 40,000 -- I remember the higher mileage ones being more expensive, and remember not buying the most expensive ones). And I still have thread left on the other 3, so I probably just needed an alignment. So of all the things that can be said about my driving, being hard on tires is not one of them.

What the hell is that, a bridge under construction, a photoshop, or...'other'?

You used to know a guy with yellow lips?

And you thought I was kidding about whittling.

I have synthesizers, but if/when I get an iPad, I'm getting that.