First Time Dad:
I have decided to bring in a guest speaker for tonight. You guys can ask him anything you want but be cool okay?

FirstTimeDad added MehGyver

Archie:
I just caught up on the story so far

Uriel:
No promises.

First time dad:
Fellas say hi to Andre

Archie:
*faints*

Lettuce:
Okokok
First time dad:
Andrew

uriel:
Holy crap. I peed myself

lettuce:
Hi Andrew!

uriel:
Meh

MEhGyver:
Hey folks!

Uriel:
Gyver

Archie:
Andrew you are literally the account that introduced me to joke twitter. Also Hi I’m Archie.

First time Dad:
Andrew welcome to Twitter University!

M@tthew:
Hey, nice to meet ya

MEhGyver:
Hey Archie, Matthew!

Sonic:
Whoaa !
Uriel:
I don't know what chuck is paying you, but it's worth it.

Sonic:
Hi Andre

FTD:
Guys this is the guy that taught me to Twitter so ask him any questions you may have cause he is a rockstar in Jesse parts
these*

Lettuce:
I'm one of two John's in the room, but I also go by Lettuce

Mehgyver:
Chuck, you’re too sweet. Also I’m saying “In Jesse Parts” from now on

Sonic:


FTD:
Damn typos making me look foolish

Uriel:
Someone ask a question.

LEttuce:
I wish that I had Jesse parts

FTD:
Shut it Andre

Uriel:
Jesse has some tweets.

Archie:
Andrew where can I purchase Jesse parts?

Uriel:
Always been better tweets than mine

Mehgyver:
It’s her last name, “Jesse Parts”

Uriel:
Anyway. Hi andrew.

FTD:
Let’s start simple. Andrew how did you first discover joke twitter?


MEhgyver:
Hi!

LEttuce:
How in sweet good do you think of so many things? You tweet like 10 times a day, no?

FTD:
Also what are your hopes and dreams
Jk

MEhgyver:
Alright, let me get Chuck first then John:

Uriel:
And where do babies come from.

M@tthew:
I’m too dumb too know what I don’t know so I’ll just say I enjoy your stuff a lot and I think it’s cool that large accounts look to help others out.

FTD:
Dammit Uri

Uriel:
Ha!
Look, there's like a handful of ppl I try to impress, and this guy is one.

FTD:
Then shhhh and let him talk

Uriel:
So instead of impressing I'll make myself look dumb.

Meh:
So I was writing much worse jokes on Facebook. And all of them were REALLY long. Like multiple paragraphs when it could have been 2 sentences. I had never been on twitter until the day I made an account, but friends kept telling me it was a better place for this. So I signed up, started writing and found out it was actually a huge thing
That character limit really helped me become a better writer

AF:
Andrew!

MEH:
For John’s question, I probably get this one the most. First, it’s free time. If it’s a busy day I don’t write much, there’s not much you can do about that. But I write down EVERYTHING. I try to get the outline of a joke down if I can, but sometimes it’s a vague idea, sometimes I start chuckling and realize I have almost nothing, Zero way to convey what made me laugh, but something did, so it might just be a note like “sarcastic chipmunk,” but I put it down.
Also, a lot of times I get multiple jokes from the same thing

AF:
Nice to meet you

MEH:
If I have an idea I’ll often have 2 different ways I could go with it. I’ll use one, draft the other, and assume that I’ll be able to make enough changes to turn it into a different joke

LEttuce:
Do you have any writing strategies, that is, do you deliberately think "I will now try to do a misdirection tweet" or "let me pick words are look for puns", or is it always more organic?

Uriel:
How quickly do you return to those thoughts/ideas?

MEH:
Nice to meet you too, Andrew!

Uriel:
And how many do you forget once you go back?

Sonic:
Have you ever had periods of writers block ? Im.curious to know if you have a strategy to get back on track if you've ever suffered http://from.it

AF:
I'll add my question to the queue: Do you ever think of a joke but don't tweet it because it's not really your style/voice?

FTD:
You guys are on fire now let’s pause and let him catch back up!

MEH:
It’s not so deliberate, there are times when I want to write a certain way, but, whether or not I can find it, there IS a way a joke is funniest. Trying to make it into a conversation format when it should be a one liner will only take away from it. But headspace does play a role. I find around the time I’m ready for bed I tend to just bounce words around. I’m most likely going to get a pun then if I’m going to get anything. And it’s pretty common for me to work on a joke in a format and discover after taking a break and coming back the next day I had a conversation format tunnel vision, and was approaching it completely wrong. So this answers a little vague, I am affected by mood in what I’m able to write, but I WANT to make the joke whatever way it reads best. A lot of times that means taking a break
For Uri now
I would much rather get quick turnaround. If I feel like it’s a good joke, and will only be a good joke, a lot of times I’ll just post it right then. If I feel like it really has something, I’ll typically finish it in a day or 2, but try to hold back posting until I can take a few hours to do something completely different. I will tell you, if it’s a really good joke, and I know it, its ALWAYS better for me to sleep on it. Sometimes the next morning I look at it and don’t make a single change, but I know it’s right when I send it, and I wouldn’t have been sure the day before. When you’ve made 5 or 6 edits in a row, you don’t have the objectivity you will the next day. Occasionally a first draft is just perfect, in which case I’ll send it right away, but if you’re really editing a piece, and you really like it. Take a break. Just enough so that by the time you come back to it it feels new. That being said I also have 6 month old drafts because I cannot find the joke, but still like the idea. But those will almost never be the great ones
Sonic, I do, and I think like most writers I get frustrated and try to force it and everything I put out is crap

ARchie:
Adding a question if I may. The fellas in this room are ppl I genuinely find funny and like enough to promote. There are however plenty of ppl I feel a pressure to suck up to, since I am still a budding account reliant on the support of others. Is there a balance of kissing ass u would recommend? Also, and only slightly related how do u feel about favstar

MEH:
And I do that for 2 days and suddenly I can write again. I don’t think I did anything to make that happen, just eventually it goes away. So I force it because I’m frustrated and WANT to be writing, but the only valuable thing I’m doing is reminding myself it will go away on its own
Andrew then Archie

Sonic:
Thank you , im.struggling at the moment

MEH:
Andrew, very rarely, and I think it’s really just about whether I find it inappropriate rather than matching my voice. In the beginning I did, as I was finding my voice. The first time I said “fuck” in a tweet I struggled with it. I don’t really curse much in real life, but the joke wasn’t funny without it. And it’s not a bad thing to do, to decide you want a specific voice. There are plenty of accounts that are good because they’ve defined a style. But I like writing whatever makes me laugh. I’m okay if I lose some followers over it. I lose followers every day. But I gain more than I lose, and the freedom of feeling like I can put myself out there however I want at that moment is really worth the trade off for me. I think I’d be too stressed “trying to tweet like mehgyver”
Sonic, go easy on yourself. There’s not a writer in the world it doesn’t happen to. I’ve deleted over 50% of my tweets today because I could not get it right. Eventually I dig into some really old tweets I did before I had a lot of followers, make minor edits (or sometimes copy exactly) and repost it. See if the numbers are better this time, that little reward eases the frustration, helps me relax and not try to force it so much.
Archie, in my experience, you can’t really make it happen when trying to get the big followers, but it’s pretty easy to make it not happen.
I know when someone is trying to get my attention, rather than adding a reply because they’ve got a really good joke

FTD:
Andrew, for the queue: what was your favorite tweet of all time and what was he inspiration for it? Was it clear blood? Tell me it was clear blood.

MEH:
Retweet the things that make you laugh, no matter the account. Not because I’m telling you not to worry about it, I get it, I still would kill for pixelated boat to follow me, and called my girlfriend the day iamspacegirl did follow me. It’s just that there’s not a lot you can do. If you want to strategize, make sure your timeline has your best stuff at the top, when you see an account you really love is very active (if you have notifications on for them), sure, go through their recents or their favstar. But most likely they’re going to see you from others retweeting you. I VERY rarely find someone I like from a reply or them blowing up my favstar. It’s just writing good material that will get you spotted. Favstar, I don’t have pro at the moment, and really just miss being able to see more than my top 20 jokes. The trophies are kinda nice, I remember how excited I was when I got my first one, but now most of the time I just get stressed that I didn’t thank someone for giving me one
Chuck! So when I posted clear blood, it was immediately my most successful tweet of the time. It sat in my drafts for a month. Exactly as is, because I didn’t feel like it had a punchline. Eventually I took it to a workshop group and they told me they wouldn’t change it
I loved the idea, but I almost deleted that one without posting it

FTD:
The ending: tell my story! Made the joke!
Alright fellas bring some more! We are caught up

Archie:
Can we be friends after tonight?

M@tthew:
I really appreciate his time but all I’m thinking right now is that maybe Christopher Walken’s father was a comma salesman and that influenced his method of acting.
I don’t think that helps anyone

MEH:
Oh, and my favorite, I’m really not sure, but probably not one of my most successful ones. Though I do like horpses a lot, and my current pinned tweet, but that’s in part because I had to go all over Paris to get it

Uriel:
Horpses was hilarious.
Is hilarious.

FTD:
M@t...no! Noooo

Uriel:
Sometimes I'm happy twitter randomly Unlikes things so I can relike it.

MEH:
Archie yes
Matthew I think you have a tweet in there

FTD:
Question: when did you feel like alright, I can do this I’m pretty good at this joke twitter thing

M@tthew:
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to workshop on you.

MEH:
I felt pretty good about 6 months in. I think a year in I was actually good

M@tthew:
Yeah, do you have some that weren’t well received that you loved?

MEH:
I talked to a standup once that said he didn’t know a single comic that used material from his first year of writing. You do keep getting better
No worries, Matthew, and I do! I actually have an unpublished moments just titled “thought they’d do better”

Uriel:
How much time do you spend twittering a day, on average?

FTD:
No way that moment sounds awesome

Lettuce:
You said you delete a lot of tweets. Is that for the purpose of reworking and reposting them, or just keeping duds off the TL? What's the harm in having something so-so up?

MEH:
MehGyver @AndrewNadeau0
I couldn't afford those magic eye posters as a kid so I'd just squint at regular pictures and hope there was subtext.
Don’t retweet these, just to show you some from my moments folder. The numbers are only where they are because I mercilessly bumped them: https://twitter.com/andrewnadeau0/status/842538517704163328?s=21 …
MehGyver @AndrewNadeau0
FRIEND: Don't come on strong. {Later} DATE: Want to try some of my soup? ME: The spoon is too heavy.
https://twitter.com/andrewnadeau0/status/902764236312633344?s=21 …

FRAZZ:
I’m here and I’m late and hi mehgyver

MEH:
That one is my girlfriend’s all time favorite
Hey, John!
MehGyver @AndrewNadeau0
ME: You know if you learned to say “there” we could describe you as “knock-knockturnal”. MY PET OWL & BEST FRIEND: Who. ME: You’re so close, Barnaby.
https://twitter.com/andrewnadeau0/status/930219592752009216?s=21 …

Archie:
I audibly laughed at the spoon one just now

FTD:
That owl one!


FRAZZ:
I’m sorry I will go back and read the chat later but for now are we just asking questions?

AF:
Andrew probably doesn't remember this but he and I both had the same idea for a Christmas tweet, and I jokingly called him out on it. I had like 56 followers at the time. He retweeted mine, and it was the first time I'd ever gotten more than like one like. After that I had the bug. So thanks, Andrew.

FTD:
It an ask anything with MehGyver John

MEH:
Thanks, Archie! Back to question: Uri, I really have no idea, but if my day is free, I’m on and off all day. Sometimes just go on, tweet something, 30 minute break, check the feed for 5 minutes, 30 minutes later check again. But I tend to tweet in clumps. Either going through drafts, or I’m just in the right mindset, I’ll tweet something, go back to my tv show, then have another idea 5 minutes later

FRAZZ:
Ok I’m sure a lot of questions I’d have have already been asked so I’ll ask you something that’s probably different maybe

URIEL:
That's an answer. And thanks for the previous answers (and being here in general)

FRAZZ:
Do you do standup Andrew?

MEH:
Lettuce, there’s probably no harm in leaving it up. Other than the more followers you have the more likely someone will be a dick about it. But also I tweet so much, I figure if someone gets 4 new tweets from me on their timeline and none are good, they’ll probably unfollow. But most of the time I draft to rework it

M@tthew:
When you back to the archives and rework a joke do you leave the old version up?

MEH:
Hi, John! And I do remember that, Andrew, though I didn’t realize that was you. That was a solid joke, I’m glad you kept writing!

URI:
I'm gonna fanboy for a moment and say I was so excited the day you liked my Gollum horpses comment.

MEH:
John, I’ve done it twice, and do intend to do it more, just so I can develop the skill and branch out, but I like writing more than performing. My whole set is one liners. Modified tweets. Growing up my favorite comedians were Steven Wright and Mitch Hedberg. Eventually someone pointed out I could also do standup in that style, which I had somehow never considered before
I do leave them up, Matthew, just because people steal jokes, and I want the evidence I wrote it first
But if I REALLY like a joke and it keeps not performing, I’ll only leave the first one up and the newest, delete the middle attempts

M@tthew:
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

MEH:
The Gollum @ was good, even had someone else reply to it!

Archie:
Archie @BeginsWithKaye
It used to really bother me that we never had Mitch Hedberg and Twitter at the same time. It still does. but it used to, too.
https://twitter.com/BeginsWithKaye/status/984180209804079106?s=20 … Steven Wright and Mitch are my top comedians too. I’m shamelessly dropping this cuz if u loved Mitch u should agree

MEH:
lol, I actually listened to both of their albums today

URI:
Thanks. I was so freaked out that I had commented to "the" mehgyver. I didnt know if there were twitter rules or anything about that, and I'd put my foot in it a few times with others.

FTD:
Andrew just so you know I knew I could do this joke twitter thing when you reached out and complimented my if guys were treated like girls. You even shouted me out for the format.

Archie:
Ooh question. U mentioned getting stuck in the dialogue format. Any tricks to viewing a joke from another angle?

MEH:
Oh yeah, that was really good, I’m glad I could have an impact! You’ve really blown up since then!

FTD:
Thanks Buddy!

MEH:
Take a break, and when you come back to it start writing it again without reading your original version
If I get an idea for a totally new approach and then see the original I always get thrown off
Write the new one fully, then go back and see if one is better or if you can cherry pick from both
Also, go read somebody else’s work
Sometimes when I’m trying to branch out I’ll just pick a comic I really like and try to write a joke like they would. A large part of my style is because I tried writing like @KimmyMonte and really liked it

FRAZZ:
Ahh I got you. Haha I joined twitter two months so I could become a better writer and I could work on doing more jokes. Have you ever considered trying to write for TV shows?

Sonic:
This is incredibly helpful stuff , i may try to write another tweet

MEH:
I think I’d enjoy it, but I have no idea how to script write. I’ve seriously thought about taking classes to learn, but as of now it’s not the path I’m on. Are you a writer/comic outside of here then?
I’m glad, Sonic!

Sonic:
Thank so much for talking to us

FTD:
Alright fellas! Say thanks to Andrew, any last questions? He has given us over an hour, we gotta let him get back to living life

M@tthew:
Thanks for your time. Enjoy your night.

FRAZZ:
I do improv and standup outside of here, I took a couple online second city classes to work on script writing, I figured twitter would be a good way to get jokes out to the world.

Sonic:
Thanks Andrew , its been fantastic

MEH:
You all are very welcome, thanks for having me! I wish I could save this convo but have no idea how

URI:
Thanks andrew! Helpful advice all around.

MEH:
Last piece of advice (which is a little long)

FTD:
Save? You mean like a million screenshots?

Archie:
Real pleasure meeting u and truly helpful stuff. Please don’t be a stranger

URI:
Screen grabs (chuck are you doing that?)

Sonic:
I.screenshotted most of it

LEttuce:
Thank you!

AF:
Thanks, Andrew!

FTD:
Again fellas this stuff stays in here!
Talking to them Andrew not you

RUD:
Hello Andrew, I'm Christopher. I appreciate you taking the time to share with us this evening. It was a really nice of you to do this.

FRAZZ:
Thanks Andrew I really enjoy your tweets

URI:
Chuck, they guys and I talked offline, got you a present.

FTD:
Hang on. Andrew is typing one last piece of advice

Sonic:


MEH:
Take this as seriously as you want. I stopped seeing it as twitter and started seeing it as short form comedy. Figure out what you want YOUR account to be, and whatever that is is fine. If you’re good at this you will get trolls. Don’t worry about it. I won’t say just ignore it, because emotions don’t really work that way, but remember they’re not the ones that matter, it’s the people who you make laugh you’re writing for. And most importantly for yourself. So be fearless, take chances, try stuff out, whatever it takes to discover your voice. And once you do keep pushing boundaries. If Chuck is backing you you know you’re good. So have faith and keep writing!

FTD:


URI:
Thanks a lot andrew. I know we all look up to you - so this means a lot.

FRAZZ:
That’s an awesome tip


FTD:
Andrew what did you mean save it? Do you want Uri’s screenshots?

Archie:
Blessings, kind and funny man

FTD:
Or Sonics?

URI:
I'm gonna try to snag it from my computer too. See if it will take better.

Sonic:
Thank.you Andrew , im.feeling very positive about my twitter future now

MEH:
If anyone has it saved somehow, sure. I was hoping there’d be a way to copy and paste but I couldn’t

FTD:
Uri can you control print screen it?

URI:
I got you.

Sonic:
I'll keep my screenshots , but uri is going to do it i think

FTD:
We will get it to you buddy! Again thanks for your time and encouraging these Young Guns!

LEttuce:
Very helpful. Thanks again.

AF:
It's been a real treat, thank you again

MEH:
My pleasure, thank you all for having me, goodnight!

Sonic:
Brilliant and insightful stuff Andrew , thank you !!
FTD:


FRAZZ:
Thanks for everything! I wish I would have known it was eastern standard time haha

Archie:
Sorry for grabbing ur leg, Andrew...if u walk far enough from the room I will eventually let go

FTD:
John I clearly stated Eastern Standard.


FRAZZ:


FTD:
I kid John I kid

FRAZZ:
I’m young and stupid

FTD:
Guys shhhh he is still here


Sonic:
Thanks Dad , that was incredible, i may have a future on twitter after all , thanks for bringing mehGyver to talk to us , im.blown away

AF:
This is like on Community when Troy met LeVar Burton

FTD:
Also Andrew if you ever wanna stop bye and say hi let me know

MEH:
Sorry, trying to retweet you all before I left so I didn’t forget anyone. Talk amongst yourselves, I’m Irish Goodbying as soon as I’m done, which is admittedly less mysterious when you say it in advance

FTD:
Touché

URI:
Hahaha!

Archie:
EXCELLENT REFERENCE FOWLER

URI:
i just shamelessly retweeted some of my stuff so it's at the top
*hint, hint*

RUD:
Thank you for the love Andrew, and thanks again for stopping in

LEttuce:
Thanks for the RTs!

Uri:
Yeah. What he said

MEH:
I think that’s everyone, bye everyone!

MehGyver left

FTD:


Sonic:
Thanks for the RT's Andrew

FTD:
Ok now you can talk amongst ourselves

Sonic:


Lettuce:
*sigh* he's dreeeeamy

FRAZZ:
I’m stupid

Archie:
CHUCK U R A KING FOR THIS

LEttuce:
Yeah, kudos Chuck

Sonic:
Im still in shock over here

FTD:
Now he knows who each of you are.

Sonic:
Thanks so much Dad

FTD:
Great questions all!

RUD:
Did someone need this for the start time?

Sonic:
Im feeling real positive about twitter since i http://snuck.in to this room

URI:
Haha!
I have and 82 page word doc of this convo

RUD:
Also he rtd my pin so if he hit your pin make sure yall swap it out

URI:
Partially because it saves the avi every time.

Archie:
My notifications are back after his RTs lol. I gtg like an hour ago. This was amazing . Ur the best dean ever chuck. Gnight all

Sonic:
G, night Archie

URI:
I can try to clean it up a bit
Night Kaye

FTD:
The biggest lesson I wanted you guys to learn tonight is 500 followers or 28k followers we are all human. We have the same thoughts of not being funny, we have the same struggles, the same doubts

Honey Bee [Blake Shelton]

NPR recently told me a story about a family, possibly in New Jersey or somewhere in that area, that found some honey bees in their attic. Also a honeycomb, from which they got something like 25lbs of honey. Oh, and there 30,000 bees.

My very first thought was did they count each bee individually, or did they guess? My second thought was, how do you not know there are 30,000 bees in your attic? My third thought was, did they get to keep the honey?

I Got You (I Feel Good) [James Brown]

I keep hearing this song on the radio (on a local college station) and it just gets stuck in my head.



I sang loud
My voice cut through the crowd
As if I was anybody that might have something to say
Standing tall I seemed to know it all
But the only thing I know is that I've never known someone like you
I'm gonna figure out how it is

I got you
I got you babe
I held you
And I lost you

Time stood still
And I had my fill
Of all the things we did
And all the things we could have done
Looking back would you
Cut me some slack
For all the times I left you when I should have stayed right by your side
I'm gonna figure out how it is

I got you
I got you babe
I held you
And I lost you
---------------------------------
It reminds me an awful lot of M.Ward - who did this cover of David Bowie's Let's Dance. He's also 1/2 of the duo She & Him, with Zooey Deschanel. Here's a link to them performing on Conan: I Put A Spell On You.

All I Want Is More [Reel Big Fish}

Recently, the sushi place we go to closed down. i know, you're thinking PREGNANT WOMEN CANT HAVE SUSHI!!!!!! well, they can, but only certain things. that's not the point. we've been going to this place since we moved out here, and we love it, and we love the little owner lady, and we love the rest of the staff, and we're sad.

It's not their fault - the guy who owned the property they were in decided that defaulting on his loan was awesome, and so the bank foreclosed. they were "working" with the tenants to try to find them new storefronts, secure loans, etc. but those quotation marks were included for sarcasm, because they were doing sh*t all to help the business that were there. Then CVS, in it's infinite wisdom, decided that the grocery store on the opposite corner and the Walgreen's 1 block away didn't have enough competition, so they bought the property on the cheap and decided that any and all deals the businesses had made with the bank were null and void (which is their right) and they gave the tenants 2 weeks to move out.

So, our sushi place has been on the lookout for new digs, but they haven't had any luck. they took the names and email addresses of any customers who wanted to stay in the loop, and they've also started a facebook page. i hope they find something, cause they were awesome. I offered my design services once they find a place, to try and get some deals on materials, etc. and certainly to help lay the new space out. not sure if they'll take me up on it - they've done fine for 25 years (not always sushi, but still the same family) so i think they'll be okay, but i hope they ask me to help, cause that would be awesome, and something sweet for my portfolio. and, they're really nice people. since there is a near moratorium on going out to sushi right now, it was really the best time, but they better get something figured out, because KTO has requested sushi as her first meal post-baby.



ps - this marks my 100th post. who knew.

I Found a Whistle [MGMT]

Music!

It's not all new, but i've been out of the loop. I don't have my "Finger on the Pulse" as we say around our house.

Lately i've have The Civil Wars on repeat at work - not sure why, it's enough of a mix of music and lyrics to keep my occupied without being too distracting, i think. I've posted enough about them in the past, though, so i won't add another one.

The first musical entry for today will be Goyte. I don't know what that is, or how to say it, but this song keeps finding me on the radio, and i like it. video is a bit strange, though.



Our second musical feature for today will be Andrew Bird, in honor of the concert tonight, that we're going to attend with our friends M&M, and of course baby O. Baby O's first concert, and i couldn't think of anything better for him or her than the magic that is Andrew Bird. It's hard to explain A.Bird to people - he's more of a hear for yourself kind of musician. I'm sure i've posted a few of his before, but what's one (or two or three) more, right? These are from 3 different albums, all with their own merits. If you're only going to pick one, i'd suggest the first one, because that actually shows you some of the craziness. he plays all the parts himself, then layers them over each other to make a song. It's like 20 times more awesome in concert. That being said, the last one, tables and chairs, is one of my favorite songs of his.







there you go - some music. maybe not "new" but it could be new to you. hope you enjoy.






and, what the heck - have a link to one by The Civil Wars. I've Got This Friend

Sail [AwolNation]

This:



is a version of this:



macy gray should maybe not do covers, i think.

also, mr.awolnation sounds a lot like marilyn manson when he's not crazy angry/dark/evil.

Tell Me Baby [Red Hot Chili Peppers]

After the layoff in 09, and all the various fun that followed, we started calling 2010 the "Year of Change" then the job offer to go to dallas came, and we had to extend the year of change into 2011 - because dallas was not the change we wanted. Finally, when i was able to leave the "great" state of Texas behind - no some offense, texans - the first bit of being back in the same place was spent just enjoying living in the same house again. We spent evenings and weekends hanging out with each other, or with friends, just getting back to being us. We spent plenty of time ignoring the long list of things-to-do that lived on the fridge. At some point the holidays happened - halloween (which we love but weren't prepared for) thanksgiving where we had to avoid going to see my family, and then then christmas sneaked up on us, and we were hosting her family! So between July and January, all those possible projects got put on hold. When things did happen, it was always immediate attention needed type stuff, like fixing a garage door, or new appliance installation.

So we decided that we at least 2, if not 3 years of spring cleaning to catch up on. 2012 was going to be "The Year of Improvement" We started with a few small things - hang some pictures we've had sitting in the closet, clean the garage, sell some things, throw out boxes we don't need, etc. Just recently, the toilet in the master bath started to have issues, and since we've wanted to replace it and update with a fresh coat of paint, it was opportune. Also a good way to strike a slightly bigger item off the list. Since we were being optimistic, we also decided to get a new vanity, to increase storage. The problem is, the toilet plumbing has bigger issues, and now we're operating of the hall bath for ?? time, until we can solve all the problems. Thank goodnes for multiple bathrooms, right?

The larger issue is that this bathroom thing is in the way of doing things like nursery painting, which we need to have done before the baby arrives. Oh, by the way, we're having a baby. Looks like 2012 will be the "Year of Baby O." as well!

Sitting Waiting Wishing [Jack Johnson]

As a kid, I never understood my dad's reluctance to come home and play computer games with me. When i hit college and he finally embraced email, I couldn't get why he wouldn't come home and respond to things i sent him. His stock response was:

"i sit at a computer all day, why do I want to do it at home?"

This just baffled me - how could you not want to? The internet is awesome, and even if you're not internetting it up, there's always something to sort/organize/delete on the computer. He's a lot like me in that way. So the fact the he didn't want to be at the computer was entirely foreign and nonsensical.

However, the older I get, the more I finally see where he was coming from. I've even used his classic line a few times. It's not that I don't want to post blog entries, catch up with people via email, look at all the cute cat pictures with funny captions, or even sort/organize/delete various things on my hard drive. I just find that I have other things I need/want to do - tv, video games, reading, sleep. Also laundry, dishes, yardwork, home repairs. Oh, and this time of year, taxes. Maybe if I could spend time doing fun computer things I'd be more inclined to forgo those other items, but lately it's been researching vacuums, how to repair plumbing (that's a fun story), etc.

The problem is, I spend my "free" time on these things, and by the time I'm ready for fun, I'm fed up with sitting in the office with a meowing cat at my feet. And then things like blogs posts, emails and cat pictures get lost. I really do want to get back at this blog - i can't promise anything, but I'm thinking 1 or 2 posts a week for now, and well see how it goes. I mean, after all, i do have to spend some computer time sorting/organizing/deleting stuff.

I Feel The Earth Move [Carole King]

I've told some of you that new, improved content will be coming, and I mean it. But tonight, have this.

The Earth is Amazing. NASA proves it with their Astronomy Picture Of the Day website. Today's picture is actually a video. Watch it.

Why Can't We Be Friends [SmashMouth]

I'm not saying the friends we have aren't good enough, or that we don't have enough of them, but you can always use more, right? not that I'm after some sort of record number of facebook friends - cause i don't believe in facebook anyway. I'm just saying that there's nothing wrong with opening yourself up to a few more options.

as an adult, making friends should be easy, but it's not. i think mostly because i don't go places where you would normally think to make friends. no bars, no dog park (cause we don't have a dog) and no mixers - cause who goes to mixers? and generally, i don't like my co-workers enough to talk to them throughout the day, and certainly not after working hours.

so what's a couple to do?

look to those around you, that's what we did. actually, we weren't actively looking for new people to hang out with, but there's a couple our age who moved into the house semi-across the street from us, and they seem cool enough. for the however long (2 years, maybe) we've exchanged niceties across the street, and occasionally loaned tools or collected mail for each other. while i was at target, and then in Texas, they were on the lookout for jobs that might get me back in the field, or back home. we've always thought they were nice, and we've talked about hanging out with them, but how do you bring that up? do you go across the street and say "will you hang out with us?" "wanna come over and be our friends?" every scenario makes us sound like sad, pathetic middle school kids with no friends. so we never "made a move" so to speak, and just kept up the cross-street conversations.

but back in October we were talking about Halloween, and pumpkin carving, and how we were excited because we didn't do Halloween while i was in Texas. KTO and i got a little excited and hollowed out our pumpkins a little too early, so we only did 1 each, as opposed to 2 or 3 (which was the goal) due to size constraints i had to scrap my Dexter pumpkin. we were telling this to the neighbors and it turns out that they enjoy Dexter too, but don't have premium channels, so they always wait for the DVDs of the most recent season to come out. We have showtime, and we can get Dexter on demand, so we decided to stop watching the season as it was happening and then have the neighbors over to catch up on the season. we made it through the holidays, and last weekend we finally had them over for dexter-fest, part 1. we had lunch, chatted a bit, and watched 3 straight episodes of Dexter.

not only is the show awesome, but our mutual love of the show was a good way to break the ice and try to grow a friendship. and we've given very little thought to that we're starting this friendship over a show about a serial killer. hopefully that's not a metaphor for how our friendship will play out.

Rolling [Soul Coughing]

this man is clearly insane. CLEARLY.

tell me that some of these aren't crazy awesome.

buildings that people built out of legos

also

science that people built out of legos

and finally

christmas that people built out of legos

Rain King [Counting Crows]

While i was in Texas (and long before that) KTO would joke that i live "the life of the constantly amused" It sounds sweet and innocent, and it basically is, but it's also her go-to phrase when i do something silly or nonsensical, usually out of the blue while we're having a conversation. it could be anything from making noises to using myself as a drum to trying to balance a pencil on it's eraser. any small or insignificant action or task that keeps me occupied for any length of time, but is usually pointless. I'm not denying that this is the case - i fully admit to, and embrace, my moments of simplicity.

The thing is, i also find myself enjoying tedious tasks, and 'fruitless' pursuits, as well. I'm not talking about hobbies, and I'm not talking about TV and video games - the former can be very productive (and profitable) and the latter might not net any physical gains, but often provide mental satisfaction. I'm talking about things that basically eat your time and reap no tangible, useful results. I can spend hours at the computer, sorting and organizing files and folder. comparing the contents of my hard drive to the contents of the external backup. developing complex file naming conventions and renaming all the files to the new system. sorting music files into folders based on the origin of said files - all ripped files from CD in one folder, all digital downloads in another, all of KTO's music files in a third. Repathing and rebuilding my iTunes library after sorting said music files. Renaming and regrouping files within iTunes to eliminate the dreaded XXXXXXXX feat. XXXX and XXXX sub-divisions that so often happen (especially with the rap musics)

You may argue that backing up data is a positive thing. it is. but backing up data is tricky when you've renamed or reorganized a group of files and then try to compare the current collection to whatever your most recent back-up system happens to be. Also, finding the line between safety and hoarding when getting rid of files - once they're gone, they're gone - so how many backups do you need? what if the external drive fails - do you make one CD backup just in case? what if that fades or has an error? how much redundancy is too much. and will your backup CD of a backup CD make sense after you've gone 3 or 4 cycles forward in sorting and renaming?

I've also found myself spending hours sorting images from our cameras, too. This task i find a bit more useful, because it helps to eliminate "data clutter" and reduce our huge collection of photos to something more manageable. Purists may argue that film is better, and i don't disagree, but digital cameras allow us to be less sparing with our picture taking - we can just trim the fat later, as they say. KTO and I take this thought to heart, and we have a huge drive devoted to pictures from past events. every major (and several minor) holidays since about 2005. all sorts of special events - birthdays, zoo trips, family visits, etc. the problem is, we generally never do anything with most of those photos. i've created a relatively simple way of organizing picture worthy events - 4 digit year code, followed by event title (Christmas, Easter, zoo trip, etc) once you're in one of those folders, though, there's no way to determine what is what - they're just numbers and letters, based on how the camera titles pictures that day. so my first task is going through and getting rid of duplicates, blurry shots, etc. At first i was taking any and every "deletable" picture and dumping it into a folder for KTO to review, but after the 2nd or 3rd session, i got carte blanche to delete whatever i wanted. now, blurry pictures are one thing, but you never know when you're going to want another angle of something, so of course the entire collection, bad photos included, is backed up on the external drive. but the folder on the hard drive are thinned out. most of them, anyway.

Part of me feels bad for spending time doing things like this - after all, i could be productive in some other arena. however, my justification is that i do most if it during the nighttime hours, when I'm awake and KTO is sleeping, and when side projects and noisy endeavors would not be appreciated. And, sorting and renaming and comparing at least uses a portion of my brain, whereas TV is just mindless.

i tell you all that in order to tell you this: I just found an awesome program that lets you customize your desktop (windows based computers only) and puts all sorts of functions and information right at your fingertips. I'll never own a Mac, but i've never been partial to the simplicity and rigidity of the Windows operating systems. It seems like they're getting better, but they don't have the look or ease of use i would like. I'm not big computer nerd - i don't do a lot of computer games, or high level computer coding or anything, but i do like to easily get to the things i use the most, and i like to have a decent understanding of my computers storage and computing abilities. enter Rainmeter. this is an open-source (anyone can edit/update/improve) program that take up minimal harddrive space but packs a big visual punch. It's basically a set of control panels that gives you access to files and system information without having to go into the start menu or clutter your desktop with tons of icons. seeing as how i like to streamline my files and avoid digital clutter, this is just the thing for me. Being open-source, any user can modify and create their own panels and toolbars, and then share them with other users. after finding this program and downloading it, i spent some time tweaking it, and then spent some time searching for, downloading, and then re-tweaking other interface components. the program can be as complicated or simple as you'd like. some of the user-made files are easy and intuitive, other are overly complex and take a high level of computer coding to understand. since all i wanted was a way to simplify my menu navigation, i settled for one of the more standard, basic level interface styles. I've altered some of the settings, and have finally gotten it to a clean, easy to use set of toolbars, and I'm now running a pretty minimal desktop.

click to enlarge

you can see that i have no extraneous icons, except for my recycle bin, which is a bear to remove in windowsXP. on the side, my rainmeter setup has a clock/calendar, a small weather bar (pulling info from weather.com) access to my harddrives - one click on the drive letter will take me to that drive, just like going to "my computer". after that i have a recycle bar, which will take the place of the recycle bin once i can ger rid of it. then i have system usage info and network traffic, to monitor basic computer functions. after that, a media player toolbar, and then a program launch bar - with all of the programs i use most frequently. as i said, Rainmeter can get as complicated as you want, but this meets my needs, and i consider the time i spent setting it up as some of the most productive hours i've spend in front of the computer in recent times. I highly recommend the program, and if you have any questions about it, i will totally help where i can.
**i am in no way affiliated with or paid by Rainmeter to endorse their product, i just love it that much.

now go out there an do something worthwhile, or fruitless, or just find a simple task to amuse yourself for a while. all three work for me.

Living in the Fridge [Weird Al]

we wish you a merry kitchenmas.....

so this year, instead of the usual $25 limit we place on gifts for each other , we decided to go all out and get new appliances. our dishwasher was shooting craps - the rack was rusty and ruining our silverware, it didn't really seem to clean so well anyway, and it was plain old boring white. Our range was un-level (not to be fixed, no matter how much i tried) and didn't hold heat so well. Also didnt have self clean - who has a range w/o self clean in this day and age?! The fridge was fine, but if you replace the other two, might as well do them all. We got some mid-range whirlpool units, in stainless steel. Fridge has water and ice (and ice bin in the door- strange, i know) It also has fancy blue LED lights, and warning tones, and some sort of ESP or sixth sense that will detect hot food and ramp up the cooling for a while. The dishwasher needs some sort of drying agent, which we didnt realize when we bought it, but what are you going to do about that? Range has self clean, and some sort of semi-convection whatnot, and is a newer flat surface technology than the last one we had, which is good. Also it is a cat magnet, for some reason.

Apparently the new thing is SS with grey/silver sides ("monochromatic" for those in the know.....) Since the range and dishwasher had bits of black (lots of it in the case of the range) we wanted the fridge with the black sides - which is a special order, apparently. rather than wait on all three, we had the range and dishwasher delivered together, and the fridge schedule for later. The range and dishwasher came on the 10th, the fridge came this past weekend. The range was "installed" when it was delivered - the dishwasher just lived in the corner of the kitchen in the box (which the cat loved) till this weekend. I wanted to get the new fridge in and the old one out before i started to monkey around under the sink. Everyone is in and working now, but it was a bit of an adventure.

Here are some things I've learned regarding new appliances:

-measure your old appliances, then measure the hole they were in, then measure any and every opening or hole or hallway you plan to bring those appliances through. I double and triple checked the openings in the kitchen cabinetry, and then we almost didn't get the fridge up the stairs or past the half wall.
-if you think you can "just take the door off the hinges or pop out the sliding door" to make delivery easier, double check that you can actually do that. i though i would just work that sliding door out and make it easy on the delivery guys - no such luck - could not get it out of the track. didn't realize that till they brought the stove onto the deck. oops!

-delivery guys hate, HATE, split level houses.
-delivery guys are crazy. they'll try anything, like wiggling a fridge through an opening with 1/8 inch clearance on either side.
-delivery guys are not necessarily the best people to "install" anything. plugging in a stove and sliding it in the hole? no problem. attaching the water line to the fridge - apparently rocket science.

-energy star appliances, while efficient, run more and longer than old appliances. our dishwasher cycle will range anywhere from 1.5 to 8 hours, says the manual. i guess they've gone to higher water pressure and lower hp motors. same with the fridge - "don't be concerned if your refrigerator cycles on more frequently than your old one" thanks, instruction book. i actually would have been concerned, but now i wont be.
-
no matter what your confidence level, it might just be a good idea to have the store install the dishwasher. new dishwashers have a tall tub, which means the motor and other workings sit closer to the floor. also, they maximize the amount of space they fit into - and every fraction of an inch helps. and good luck keeping that insulation tight to the unit. i think we've got plenty of it bunched up near the opening, and none in the back of the unit. the house wasnt very cooperative, either - here are some things to think about: did the old homeowners install new flooring at some point, but stop short of the dishwasher hole - that's gonna cause a problem. did your house settled a bit, and now your opening isn't 100% square and true? that's gonna cause a problem too. our house had both of these conditions, and about 1 hour into installation, i was ready to just tear out the whole kitchen and start over.

-it is my recommendation that every one of you make it a habit to open and close your shut-off valves (all of them) at least once a year. i think maybe even twice a year. Every time you adjust your clocks for daylight saving time, give the ol' valves a workout. the one for the dishwasher didn't quite close all the way, and neither did the hot water shut-off on the water heater - ever tried to install equipment while your pipes were leaking? that made the electrical hookup really interesting.

-if you get a new fridge, take all the stuff out of the old one, put it in a cooler till the new one comes to temp, or throw it away. whatever you do, let the delivery guys get the old one out of the house. or get yourself an actual furniture dolly. mine doesn't have the small wheels or the fancy glides, or straps. so we dollied the fridge to the landing, couldn't get the dolly out from under it (thanks, giant wheels), so we took it back up, then me, Karen's dad and the neighbor just tipped the fridge back and carried it out of the house like a dead body.

but they're all in, they all work, and they look great, so it was all worth it, i guess. though now i believe what they say about stainless steel and fingerprints.

hope everyone has a good holiday. stay safe, and warm, and don't kill your families.

Mother [Danzig]

forgive me if i've been remiss in my duties as a blogger. i'm spending my time doing things around the house and spending time with friends and family. i say those like they're more than what they actually are - but still, it's some sort of reason for being absent. i feel like i dont have cool things to blog, now that i'm back at home living the normal life with my wife and cat. i'm sure i could think of things if i tried - and maybe i will.

for now, i want you to have this song. while my relationship with my mom (both parents, actually) is a bit strained, it doesnt mean i'm blind to the emotions or connections that should be there. somewhere deep down they probably are there, really, but it just takes some digging to get there. regardless of my own situation, this song speaks to that relationship between a mother a son, and it chokes me up every time. it makes me think of Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, which i also cannot get through without tearing up.


Aloe Blacc - Mamma Hold My Hand

Beg for It [Chris Brown]

You may remember from this post that i love me some remixes. Also, i love covers (but have posted far to many to link to). This musical gem is both a remix and a cover, and i am currently in love with it. I liked it enough as it was, but when finding out it was a cover with remixed tendencies i was super excited.

The cover/remix is by a Norwegian hip-hop group. The original is Franki Valli and the 4 Seasons (from 1967). I'm pretty sure video 2 is actually from a recent show - I can't seem to find an upload of the actual original recording.

Hope you like it.

Run Like Hell [Pink Floyd]

i don't do marathons, or 1/2 marathons, or 5k runs, but i would totally do this one. It's a 5k run that happens in Baltimore, with obstacles, mud pits, and zombies. Contestants strap on a flag football belt and run, willy-nilly for the finish. If you make it to the end with one of your flags still attached, you "live".

check it out:


Run For Your Lives 2011 from Alexander Turoff on Vimeo.

Don't [Jewel]

this has got to be the worst song of all time. this is a band (?) made up of a husband and wife duo, and their friend, who is probably thinking he wishes he would have never told them he could play drums. enjoy!

Jungle Boogie [Kool & the Gang]

It's a sad hold over, but it's what i've got for now. have this video, from the guys who brought you smooth criminal. they've just released a CD, this is the next single - as if string remakes of popular songs actually make the singles charts.....

I Want You Back [Jackson 5]

There's a series of CDs out there called Verve Remixed which are chock full of goodness. It's a lovely mix of classic songs from Verve Records, remixed by many of today's best (and totally unknown) DJs. There's also the occasional DJ that we might have heard of in there, too. This collection has led to a rash of imitators - i'm looking mainly at the Pink Martini crowd - bu there are others as well. I honestly don't care about who started it, or who does it better - i like it all. So when i found out there was a group doing other remixes, i had to check it out. There's Motown Remixed, and there's also a series called Remixed and Reimagined. In Dallas, one of the teachers had the Motown Remixed CDs, and I borrowed them and fell in love. Here I present to you one of my favorite tracks off the first CD.