The soul of man is a far country, which cannot be approached or explored. — Heraclitus # Read more →
March 2010
Twitter: 2010-03-13
RT @margaretcho: Remember gomer pyle was a good cook and had a beautiful singing voice? I'm a lot like him. # Read more →
Less Like Waiters
Software professionals need to behave more like doctors and less like waiters. Stop taking orders and start helping. — Jeff Patton Read more →
How to Speak Dog
This is how to say “step away from the bone”: GRRRRRRRR! OK, enough academics! Here’s a cartoon I really like: — Lightning Read more →
Twitter: 2010-03-12
How to Stay Stressed http://goo.gl/RW1D # Read more →
Twitter: 2010-03-11
C. L. Max Nikias Named 11th President of USC: http://bit.ly/9qgs5c # Read more →
Ode to a Nightingale
Already with thee! tender is the night . . . . . . But here there is no light, Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways. — John Keats, “Ode to a Nightingale’” Read more →
Hockey Practice Will Never Be Cancelled
Under no circumstances will hockey practice ever be cancelled. Ever. Even on days when school is cancelled, practice is still on. A game may be cancelled due to inclement weather because of travel concerns for the visiting team, but it would have to rain razor blades and bocce balls to cancel hockey practice at your local rink. It’s good karma to respect the game. — John Buccigross, ESPN.com Read more →
Retirement Planning
Pig in a Poke
Pig-in-a-poke is an idiom that refers to a confidence trick originating in the Late Middle Ages, when meat was scarce but cats were not. The scheme entailed the sale of a suckling pig in a poke (bag). The wriggling bag would actually contain a cat (not particularly prized as a source of meat) that was sold to the victim in an unopened bag. A common colloquial expression in the English language, to buy a pig in a poke is to make a risky purchase without inspecting the item beforehand. The phrase can also be applied to accepting an idea or plan without a full understanding of its basis. — Wikipedia Nancy Pelosi: “But we have to pass the [health care] bill so that you can find out what is in it.” Read more →
Twitter: 2010-03-10
RT @eddiepepitone: Zagat's guide: best mental institution is Creedmore. Their chicken a la king will drive you nuts-great game room as well. # Read more →
Twitter: 2010-03-09
RT @Aimee_B_Loved: Katherine Bigelow really needs to end her speech with "SUCK IT, JAMES CAMERON!" # RT @letwits: CBSNews "Hollywood Sees a Bright Future in 3D" Sure they do. They can remake everything all over again. # Read more →
KO
You’re my worst case scenario for my career in 12 yrs: a pious, unlikable blowhard who lives alone. — Bill Simmons on Keith Olbermann Read more →
EppsNet at the Movies: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
There are two kinds of people in the world — those with loaded guns and those who dig. Let others spend the weekend catching up on Oscar nominees. We (re-)watched Sergio Leone fill the screen with boots, eyes and fingers in this classic Western. Although Netflix listed it as the 161-min version, the DVD they sent was actually the full-length (175-min) Italian version, so that makes 14 minutes of action I was seeing for the first time! By the way, did you know that Eli Wallach is still alive at age 94?! Read more →
Best Picture
(well, it might be that people see so many movies that when they finally see one not so bad as the others, they think it’s great. an Academy Award means that you don’t stink quite as much as your cousin.) — Charles Bukowski, “in and out of the dark” There are 10 nominees now for Best Picture?! I had no idea. The best movie of the year was Up. The other nine I didn’t see. If any of them were better than Up, then why didn’t I see them? Answer that one for me. Read more →
It’s a Big Day in America
Harry Reid: “Today is a big day in America. Only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good.” Read more →
Converting to Dog-Time
Because I’m pressed for time, I take the dog for a short walk this evening, just long enough to take care of the essentials. My wife is concerned that five minutes isn’t enough exercise for the little guy, but isn’t a five-minute walk equivalent to a 35-minute walk for dogs? Read more →
Cooking Tips (Given the Unidirectional Nature of Time)
“How long would you microwave this for?” my son asks, holding a bowl of refried beans and chopped chicken. “I’d start out with a minute,” I say. “A minute?!” “Yeah. Is that too much?” “It’s too little.” “Well, I’d rather start out by undercooking the food a little bit because I can always cook it some more, whereas once I’ve fried it into a flaming gob, I don’t have any recourse.” “You’re weak,” he says. “Okay, do it your way, Volcano Joe.” Read more →
Twitter: 2010-03-03
RT @letwits: "Exotic animals, kept in captivity, trained to perform". CNN anchors talking about….CNN anchors? # RT @SarahKSilverman: Spotted a homeless man w/a coat ovr his shoulders & full-on James Brown hair. He's the hardest wrkn man in no-business. # Read more →
Tips for Test Takers
My son has a math test today. He was up till 3 a.m. studying for it. In my experience, a positive mindset is essential to successful test-taking, so on the drive to school, I give him a piece of advice. “Walk into the classroom,” I say, “look at the teacher and lay down a challenge, like ‘Let’s do it.’” “It’s not her test,” the boy says. “What does that mean?” “It means every class takes the same test — Schneider, D’Antonio . . .” “THAT DOESN’T MATTER,” I say. “The important thing is to lay down the challenge. ‘Stop bitin’ on my styles.’ Granted, that one doesn’t make any sense, but it gives you the positive mental framework that you need for mathematical success.” Read more →