Mixed News

 

Well, I had hoped that this post would be nothing but good news.  But actually the news is mixed.



Let's start with the bad...


I sat for my final Microsoft exam for my MCSE/MCDBA this morning and failed.




I walked into the testing room this morning confident I would pass, but I knew within the first dozen questions that I was insufficiently prepared.


I'll just have to do better when I retake the test next month.



Now for the good news...


I am pleased to officially announce that after 3 1/2 months of dieting, I have lost 27 pounds and have reached my weight goal.





Justyna's positive example, along with a reduced calorie diet and moderate exercise, made getting in shape a mostly easy experience.  Having experimented with several diets in the past (also due to Justyna) I have to give props to Weight Watchers for having the most workable weight-loss philosophy:  eat less (and assign a point value to everything you eat), exercise, and most especially, document everything you do.


Regretfully, I don't have any cool before and after photos.  Those of you who haven't seen the new me yet will just have to be surprised.


I hope to be in even better physical condition by the time I finaly pass my exam.  My goal for this summer is to become a certified geek *and* also look good in a tank top.

To be announced...

 

Watch this blog space for two personal announcements, probably Saturday afternoon.

F*ck You and Your H2

Check out my favorite website (at least this week), FUH2.

Next time one of those gas guzzling, road hogging, selfish a-holes cuts you off in traffic, flip them the bird and take a polaroid.

Brad & Jennifer: the Real Story

 
Click here for the real story.

NIN: With Teeth

 



Went to Nine Inch Nails tour opener in Champaign this past weekend with Jim, Justyna, Shea, and Kathleen.







The concert was fantastic, lasting more than two hours and leaving the audience satisfied enough to leave without demands for an encore.  Despite many indications over the years, Trent Reznor still has a lot of energy left in him.

Contrary to the wildest suggestions Trent has not partaken of anabolic steroids.  But those of us at the show can tell you that he did have some difficulty digesting salmon he ate several months previous.







Enjoy some low-quality cameraphone videos of "I Want to F*** You Like an Animal" here and here.

Fun with Amazon Wish Lists

 

As my good friends are aware, I have a little bit of an obsession with Amazon.com wish lists.

To the uninitiated, let explain that Amazon.com has for the past decade offered a feature that allows you to track the gift desires of participating friends and loved ones.  Other online retailers offer this feature, but Amazon's is arguably the best because their online catalog includes not just their own stock but also links to products from other stores.  To the individual wish list compiler, this means millions of fantasy items to choose from!

The ostensive purpose of creating a wish list is to give loved ones a hint at what kind of presents you'd like to receive for Christmas, birthdays, graduation, parole, etc.

But the fun doesn't stop there!  For a good self-satisfying chuckle, you can add all kinds of things to your list--even items you have little hope of receiving on Christmas morning.  There are a lot of very weird items for sale on Amazon.com.


For example, my friend Shea's Amazon list includes a Land Cruiser/ Tank retailing at just under $20,000.

I hope there is room under the tree this Christmas!







The Amazon Gift Organizer is undoubtedly the most widely adopted service of its kind.  This means that in addition to knowing what all your friends want for Christmas, you can also follow the gift wishes of total strangers.  All you have to do is guess any combination of someone's full name, city, and/or e-mail address to see if they have a list setup.

I had no difficulty locating the wish lists for George W Bush and Jesus H Christ.

Now I know what to get the President to cheer him up during his impeachment!

I know I missed Jesus's birthday, but at least I'll be ready to buy him something in time for next Christmas.

Happy Groundhog Day!

 

Josh's Late Night Playlist

 
Inspired by Shea I'm posting a playlist of the songs I am listening to right now.  I picked these tracks at random but they seem to flow great together.

Gatorade is it in You	J Riko
Me and Giuliani (Wicked and Sexy Mix)	DJ Riko
Walk Like an Egyption Devil	DJ Riko
String Theory	Paul Van Dyk
(title unknown)	Zhanna Aguzarova
Unorthadox Daughter	No Lay
P's & Q's	Kano
O Escravo i Capoeira	Capoeira Senzala de Santos
Boss Tabla	TransGlobal Underground
Coming From the Top	Thievery Corporation
They'll Need a Crane	They Might Be Giants