This boat is real!

If you don't know what boat I'm talking about, definitely check out this clip (I know its been out for a while, but I'll link it in case there are people who haven't stumbled upon it yet). Funny stuff man! Its NSFW since there is some profanity. Poseidon, look at me!

Boats. I was thinking about boats as I drove home from class today in a very severe thunderstorm. There was so much water that a boat would have probably been a better mode of transportation.

This was probably the most harrowing and nerve racking drive I've ever taken. Since its Thursday I'm on my 40 minute commute through the countryside to get to my class. There were some pretty gnarly storms rolling thru the area and I was hoping they would pass before I had to drive home. Unfortunately it was not the case...

I do enjoy driving and I've been in some inclement weather, be it snow, ice, rain or wind. But man, I had never been in anything like this. The rain was pouring down so hard it felt like I was going through an automated car wash. But, instead of a clean car and a scented pinetree shaped piece of cardboard and the end of your journey, your likely to end up in a ditch full of muddy water.

Needless to say visibility was very very poor. Ok, imagine the picture below, except its at night!

(Hmm...looks like this car wash is near an In-N-Out...yummy!)

While, I'm normally not a fan of lightning, I was actually glad there was so much of it. It was the only real way I could see anything. It was definitely sensory overload. It would be near darkness for a couple seconds then there would be a huge flash of lightning. With the rain I would have been tempted to pull over under and overpass, but I wanted to get thru the storm as quickly as possible. I liked the extra visibility, but I didn't want to end up like Powder.

There were also fun parts of the storm where the rain turned to hail. Not good times. Here is your WikiFact for anyone who's yet to experience hail: hail is a form of percipitation which consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice (hailstones).

Good thing the hail was pretty small. Probably smaller than the size of Dippin'Dots, but man, they were hitting hard enough for me to worry about dents in the car or a cracked windshield.

Wait...Dippin'Dots cannot go with a mention and no ring...so all the single ladies!

(I had to go with an extra large ring since there are two flavors...and two spoons for me!)

The thing that worried me the most on the drive was the possiblity of a tornado. While it would have been highly unlikely, there were reported wind gusts of 60 mphs. Not the best time to be out and about. I kept trying to peek at the trees when the lightning flashed to see if there were getting bent over by the wind. Thankfully, I got home nice and safe...now all I have to deal with is the flu!

(Yes, that is Mr. Tornado telling me to "know your rank!". What a dick!)

Glass cutters in full effect!

Well, I wouldn't say the weather outside is frightful. I am quite happy that there isn't any sort of precipitation. No snow, no ice, this is usually nice. However, I don't think you can put much of a spin on how COLD I feel. The forecast for today's high temp is 40 degrees F (that F is not for Fahrenheit, it stands for FRAK!) .

To help illustrate how cold it is for me out here to folks who may be enjoying a milder clime...let me show you what weather.com looked like when I got up to get ready this morning:

Eh...looks pleasant enough I guess, but "Feels Like 13"??? Not cool Mothernature...not cool.

I personally think that weather.com should be a little more concise when reporting the temperature. Here's how my forecast page labeling would have looked like:


Yes, that is a more accurate description of the weather outside. I can really relate to the "Feels Like" section.

Funny thing, decided to click the "Columbia Live Webcams". I was half hoping to see something risque or naughty...but all I got was this screen shot:

And the cow says: "Moo...and can you get me a blanket bro?"

I am currently taking a break from studying anatomy and physiology and thought I would add another feature to the blog. We'll call it Random Incorrect Anatomical Feature (or RIAF).

Today's RIAF:

Rahneus Aetus Takobeleaii :

- Located in the GI tract, anterior to the Greater omentum.
- Present in about 17% of the population -- usually associated with high metabolic rates.
- This is the muscle that speeds up digestion so you are able to excrete the food you just ate in about 7.25 minutes.
- Pronounced: "Ro" "knee" "Ate" "Taco" "Bell" "ei"


Oh, last thing for today. If you have more time to kill, definitely check out Ran's blog. He actually has pretty cool stuff on there. The Beached video he has on there is pretty ill.

Anyone need any more ice for their ORANGE SLUSHY!

Where the F*CK is the Sandman?

Mr. Sandman...bring me a dream...(bum bum bum bum)

Well, I'm officially F'd right now. Its currently 7:15 AM and I'm supposed to be waking up for a 9 am in class in an hour. Obviously I'm still awake...

I laid down into bed at 3:30 am -- which would normally have been enough time to sleep to get me thru class. Since the class is only 2 hours long, I make it fine thru class then come home and nap for a bit. I had been laying in bed, tossing and turning, trying to find the most comfortable sleeping position. I tried slowing my breathing and even thought about counting sheep. But as I counted sheep I started thinking about ABDC. Then I started thinking about BSG. After a while I peeked over to the clock and realized that two and half hours past and I hadn't even yawned yet!

Is this insomnia? I'm not sure, I've always been a night owl, but lately it seems its getting worse and I can't frickin get to sleep earlier. Eh, my sleep cycle is totally jacked right now.

Eventually I got out of bed. I remember my Psych 101 professor back in undergrad said that if you can't sleep, try not to lay in bed and do nothing- just get up and do something since it may tire you out. Now, my memory may be hazzy, but I'm prtty sure thats what he said. If not...well F it, I'm awake already.

Since I can't sleep, I figured it was a good time to blog. Also, I think I'm hungry cuz I think I'll blog about FOOD! Yes, I think food has officially surpassed sleep on my list of favorite things. The topic of food is both wonderful and broad, so lets narrow it down shall we?

As I was driving home from Anatomy today (which in case you were wondering is in another town 45 minutes away), I drove past many Quick Service Restaurants -- QSRs are they're known in the industry (fast food joints for your laypeople). It got me thinking about some of the different QSRs that surround me now.

The most evident and sinisterly lacking restaurant is of course In-N-Out. Lets go ahead and put a ring on it:


I believe the wonderful world of In-N-Out stops at the Arizona/New Mexico state line. Since its not a national franchise you have to be in the southwest to relish the "animal style".

I do have a confession however. While I may risk being ostercised for this comment: I didn't like the In-N-Out french fries when I first had them. Don't get me wrong, I grew to love those spuds, but I distinctly remember thinking they were quite bland when they first hit my taste buds.

Alas, I do miss In-N-Out. Shoot, even my mom misses In-N-Out and she's only had it maybe 4 times.

So what does the Midwest bring to this QSR Battle-Royale? We got Sonic Drive-in yo!

Ok fine...Sonic pales in comparison to In-N-Out and there are Sonic's in Socal too. But hey! Nothing beats the sweltering summer humidity better than an Orange Slush from Sonic! Dang, back in high school I used to freebase Orange Slush like I was replacing my blood with icey orange colored drink!

See, even sick old dogs love the Orange Slush. "The orange-like color and flavoring has 2 non-essential vitamins!". Does the orange slush make you feel better Fido? Woof Woof!

I would have compared Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. Since I had never seen a Carl Jr. until I moved to California. But it looks like the parent company for Carl's Jr. purchased Hardee's in 1997. That folks, is your useless WikiFact of the day. Thanks Wikipedia--we'll just assume you're correct!

Look! Same creepy yellow starfish. But, I guess that's better than a chocolate starfish. Ok, all the girls collectively say now: "Eww Ronnie!" (inside joke, ask Ronnie)

Shoot, I'd better wrap this up soon. However, its looking like I'll just make it an all nighter and just stay up and go to class.

Thankfully, there is one chain that I like that does have a presence here in town. Gotta love that lime & cilantro rice!


Mmmmm...Fine in 09 be damned for a day. I'll spoil myself with some carbs for lunch (or dinner depending on when I wake up from my nap) and get me a carne asada burrito bowl!

Ok, lets try this sleep thing again...

Update: Fido did make a full recovery. Thanks again Orange Slush!

Muscles are a beotch!

Yes, muscles suck! No, I don't mean these muscles...


I'm talking about learning the names of specific muscles. I'm in a brutal stretch in anatomy where we have a test in 4 straight classes, today is test number 2 in this gauntlet. I did well in the overall muscle groupings for the body but now we're into the specifics. Its all about shoulder girdle and arms for today's test.

Oh well, I guess its getting better, I can finally locate my Flexor digitorum superficialis from my Pronator quadratus. Good times!

Actually, the location of each muscle is relatively simple, the tougher part is identifying where they connect and what they specifically move...my score may get ugly tomorrow. The good news is that the professor does drop your lowest test score out of 11 exams, so tomorrow might be my mulligan.

In an attempt to do something social, I'll be heading out to Kansas City this weekend to hit up a Black Milk concert at RecordBar with my brother and some friends. It will be good to get away for the weekend. Should be chill...


SLTSFMM

You can't stop me now
You can't hold me down
You can't keep me here, I'm on my way
I've made it this far now
And I'm not burning out
No matter what you say, I'm not afraid

"Way away" by Yellowcard

Happy V Day!

No, I don't mean St. Valentine's day. Its my personal VICTORY day over the 3rd round of tests. I was most worried about this group of tests. As I left each class I felt that I could have scored anywhere from an A to a C on the tests.

I found myself second guessing some of my answers, however, it looks like I second guessed pretty well. I scored a 90, 98 and 99% in each class. Not too shabby! This means I'm still over atleast 96% in all my classes. Hopefully I can keep it up so that by the time the final comes around I'll only need a 40% or something to keep my A's. Word up.

Well, since today is the overly commercialized "Single Awareness Day" (or SAD as it will be referred to hence forth), I'll go ahead and be a fanboy and if I could chose my valentine it would be Maryss from Paris! This chick can dance...niiiiiice.
Sorry for the hatchet job on the cut and paste, I'm in a rush. I have a hot date with my anatomy text book that I have to get ready for. Holla!

Oh, in unrelated great news, my sister and my lil niece will be in town tomorrow for a visit. Can't wait to give little Olivienne some "smelling-kisses" and squeeze her fat michelin baby arms!

For all of ya'll with better things to do this evening...have fun and get romanticalizationed!

Say my name, say my name...

If no is around you, say...nah, I don't feel like Karaoke right now. I did, however, want to blog on the topic of names. I'm taking a quick break from reviewing the muscle system for anatomy and couldn't quite get the topic of first names out of my head.

Now, I am a fan of atypical names. I prefer names that have some originality and creativity. Maybe this is due to the fact that I share a first name with probably 1 out of every 5 men born of Latin or Hispanic ancestry.

I plan, future-wifey willing, to name a son Gryphon and a daughter Sonrisa (which is Spanish for smile). This way they can have cool nicknames. I would call the little heartbreaker "Grif", and I figure my daughter could go by Ris; pronounced "Reece". This way, I could call her my little Reece's Pieces. Cute, I know!


You might be asking: "Why is he thinking about first names?". And no, its not my biological clock. Hmm, do males have biological clocks? Physiologically speaking we don't, however I would like to have kids sooner than later, so I won't be 70 by the time they graduate high school.

The reason I got to thinking about first names was after finding out about 2 kids that my cousins currently go to school with. This first, a is girl named "Ledasha". My cousin advised me on how you pronounce it phonetically.

I thought, that's not a bad name, it has an Indian or Japanese sounding ring to it. The interesting aspect about her name is the actual spelling. Her name is spelled: "L-A". Yes, let me repeat that, without the quotations this time: L-A. That is how she signs her name. The "dash" is actually pronounced. Wild.

Not to be out done (and I'm not sure, but they could be related). There is a...I'm thinking boy... that goes to Jr. High with another cousin who's name definitely takes the cake for originality. If someone just told me this in passing I probably wouldn't have believed it to be true.

However, I read the name right off of a school honor roll mailer. You'd have to believe the school got the spelling correct, right?

I'm pretty sure this name won't be beaten this year, so lets go ahead and give it the coveted 2009 Weird-Metal-Spring Trophy! Awarded for most unique name not in a science fiction book.


In case you didn't catch the name on the trophy it's: X-Zay-Vy'oughn

No sh!t that's exactly how it reads from the school honor roll. By the way, congrats on maintaining that A- average X-Zay-Vy'oughn. I'm going to make a guess from left field and I think the name probably sounds like "Savion" or something like that.

Hmm, maybe I need to get on this hyphen and dash kick. Oh snap! I got it, my son will be "Gry-".

Thats pronounced "Gry" & "hyphen", hence kinda "griffin" sounding. F'ing SWEET! Err, that might not work as some might mispronounce it "Gridash".

So, that's what I was thinking about...

SLTSFMM

Breathe me in
I'm yours to keep
And hold on to your words
Cause talk is cheap
And remember me tonight
When you're asleep

"Fall for You" by Secondhand Serenade

Spring BROKE!

Now, the title of this post isn't supposed to reflect the current "negative" income on my personal balance sheet (though it easily could). It references my sad realization that I won't have a Spring Break this year. I had been hoping to make it down to Naw Linz (New Orleans) to catch the tail end of Mardi Gras...I guess my bead throwing skills will have to be saved for a later date.

"Something is poking the back of my head...did I leave the price tag on this hat?"

I checked my class schedule and there is an unfortunate overlap between my Semester and Quarterly schooling. As some of you know, I'm taking classes at two higher learning institutions to finish my final requirements as quickly as possible. The downside of this is that the next quarter begins during the week of my spring break.

However, I know I have nothing to complain about. I've just come off a very long sabbatical to end all of last year so there is really no need for me to be asking for more time off. Honestly, compared to work stress, classes and tests are a breeze! No one is yelling at you, there aren't any stressful deadlines, and if I just do what I'm supposed to do daily, then everything is peachy.

So, instead of joining the revelers down on Bourbon Street, I hope to get my eye sight corrected during the days I don't have school during Spring Break. With the laser surgery I hope to put an end to: unfortunate "air-guitar" catastrophes while driving back from Vegas, getting angry at my companions because I was "lost" in a club since I sacrificed vision for fashion, and I may even be able to play sports again without fear of getting hit in the head because I can't see the ball/racket/person hurtling towards me.

And, unless I read the brochure incorrectly, this Lasik surgery should grant me what I want most of all...

The ability to SHOOT LASERS FROM MY EYES!!!

(No property was destroyed during the production of this image)

Well...I may not get LASER BEAM VISION, so I'll settle for 20/20.

Off to review!


SLTSFMM:

Holding back, everyday the same
Don't wanna be a loner
Listen to me, oh no
I never say anything at all

"That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings

Sleep eludes me...

Well, so much for my resolution to fix my sleep schedule. Somehow, my sleeping cycle is all jacked up. I've already gone to bed twice this evening/morning only to lay down listless for about 15 minutes before just getting up again out of boredom. And I have class at 9 tomorrow morning.

I've tried different combinations: music on, music off, lamp on, lamp off, socks on, socks off. Crap. I'm tired but not sleepy. I've read my text books, I've made flash cards for my tests next week and I've watched an episode of Weeds (which I have gotten into as well). Nothings working...

So, I'm bored and decided to blog. Not much really interesting to report. Thankfully, still doing well in classes. I was pleased with the second set of tests, I scored 100% or over on all so far. But, with 3 tests and a lab practical next week, I'm looking forward to a very exciting and fun filled weekend of Nerdization. Who knows, maybe I'll go crazy on Saturday and go to Chipotle or something. FUN TIMES!

I did notice something strange on the Pantene containers while I was showering earlier this evening. The 2nd language on the shampoo bottle was actually French. I don't think I've really noticed French on many household cosmetic products before. Usually, the 2nd language on the directions are in Spanish (the conditioner coincidentally was in Espanol). How multicultural!

My point? Well, whenever I return to France, I will be able to confidently tell someone to "lather, rise and repeat as necessary". Oui!

Thinking of France got me thinking about travel. While I loathe flying I love travelling to other places. While I haven't had time to find a hypnotherapist to help me get over my fear of flying I did put together a list of places I'd like to go (I'll blog about these later). Oddly, the first place I thought of was Brazil for Carnaval. I found the picture where I look the most sleepy and tried to imagine myself in Rio...

Bonitinho! (that's Portuguese look it up)

Hmm...how else would my sleepy self look.

As a pirate?

How about the sleepy chef?

What if I was a sleepy flying nun?


Ok, now its just getting weird...I really need to sleep...

We were bamboozled!

Today in Biology lecture we covered a chapter on fermentation as it relates to cellular respiration. As we got into the commercial applications of fermentation, our professor casually mentions that we would be brewing beer in lab. A few heads did pop up with that notification.

Beer? Brewing beer? Brewing beer in lab for college! Hot-diggity-dog, what kind of academic jackpot have we hit here? While I'm not a huge fan of imbibing beer, the thought of using class time to brew alcohol is quite appealing. However, a nugget of doubt crept into my head. Maybe, I thought, maybe this was a ploy to increase attendance in lab. But no, the professor wouldn't do that; she wouldn't have fibbed would she?. This is an institution of higher learning, and by golly, if she wants to brew beer then call me San Miguel and lets get this brewery a'poppin!

After lecture I made my way towards the lab building, I was fancifully wondering if I would make a lager or an ale. I noted that the lab looked to have 100% attendance this evening. It seems that there are beer fans in class.

As we got settled, a grim realization seemed to permeate through the laboratory. We didn't see any barley, or hops, or enough hot plates to boil a lot of water. What we did see was a gallon of milk. Wait a gosh-darn-Anheuser-Busch minute. There ain't no beer making stuff here!

Hmm, what other commercial applications did we go over again? Bread, pickles, vinegar...wait, don't tell me. Don't tell me where making that. Milk...Heat...Coagulating enzymes.

FREAKING CHEESE!

We're making cheese!?!?! Instead of beer we're making cheese!?!?! I'm freaking Lactose intolerant. I hadn't had dinner yet and I can't think of anything worse than heating up milk to be able to skim off the cheese curds on a empty stomach. Let me illustrate my frustration:


Look how happy I am to be making beer! (I think I am in a monastery for some weird reason)


I think I just puked into the cheese!

Cheese!