Freaky Economics

This summer I plan on reading 11+ books. The first one in my installment of books I'm to read is Freakanomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. So far I LOVE it. Usually non-fiction has no hold on my interests pleasure-reading wise (hence why I'm trying to train myself to like non-fiction by reading...non-fiction). I think I like this one because 1) Economics is amazing and 2) Steven Levitt is amazing. It's been awhile since I found a recent economist that I like (Milton Friedman being the only one so far) and I'm glad that I came upon the book...as anyone who calls themselves an economist should (read it that is...you don't have to like it...)!

So, whilst searching for a picture of the book, I came upon an updated blog that they do! I wanted to share it because, well, I'll probably be reading it too! I've read one article so far and it's ok...it's the one published today about 'The Office' in fact... :D

No Joker Here!

Let me guess...you recognize this guy but can't put a name to him? Well, let me enlighten you, if so. This is Johnny Cash. The man in black, not country yet is, the GREAT BAMBINO!!! That's right Smalls, learn you're major American figures for Pete's sake!

Anyways, I had the wonderful privilege of drawing him this past General Conference session. I've picked up the habit of doing a large drawing project during those weekends because...though I'm sad to admit it...I fall asleep too easily. BUT! The person I draw has to be someone I like otherwise I always feel it's going to turn out bad in the end. As such...I'm surprised about how he turned out. My friend let me commandeer his cd collection awhile back and while I was flipping through them I stopped at the cds he has of Cash. I asked myself "Dare I go over to the other side? DARE I corrupt my music collection with country music?!" Well...I gave Cash a chance and so far he hasn't dissapointed me...too much. I don't know...there's a few of his songs that I REALLY like...but I don't like country unless I'm at a country dance and can act like a complete idiot doing square dances and such. Though after doing some research on his background (basically looking him up on pandora) I must admit I admire the man...and the picture of him turned out smashing! I had to wait two weeks for it to be done being framed and it was quite torturous because I didn't know if they'd smear it or not (it's charcoal)...but they didn't! :D

Random

Once again, I thought I'd try this new app of blogger. This article
surprised me in that it wasn't just to make you feel too inferior I suppose.
If this doesn't work again, here's the link
->http://www.johns-jokes.com/joke/of_the_day/946


http://johns-jokes.com//joke/of_the_day/946

Save the Words!

So I've had a tornatil mind as of late (turned on a wheel). You might quaeritate, why (to ask)? Well, I've found a new word that I love so much, my love for it would show up on an odynometer (instrument for measuring pain)! It is sevidical. Now I won't give you the meaning just yet, though I know it'll cause me to misqueme you (to displease). Why, you might quaeritate? Well, first I want to make a ducenarious list about how much I love the word (pertaining to two hundred)!

...

Not really. It means you're speaking cruel or harsh words. Don't get me wrong, if I see an epalpebrate person, I won't go so far as to do what is rude or unkind (lacking eyebrows). I'd become good friends with the person and unleash my witty sarcasm, to be sure! :D That's why I like it so; it works so well with sarcasm!

I've also been thinking about characters in books. I recently started and just as soon stopped reading a manga. In every manga/anime/comic book/movie/tv show they try to make their characters unique (like an epalpebrate main character or some such nonsense). So I've taken to things like observing how peoples eyes change when making a palmoscopy (observation of heartbeat or pulse, medically), or even siagonology (the study of jaw-bones). It always helps with my doodles...

Well...that's about it for this post. Unless I randomly throw in a word like mingent because otherwise I won't meet my quota of 10 new words (dischargine urine). To be quite honest there was no way to work it in without an odd feeling afterwards, and yet it was too amusing of a word to pass up! :D

FW: Snail Mail

So I wanted to try the new feature that blogspot put up, so bear with me if this doesn't come out too well. It's already weird enough that I'm e-mailing my blog (like seeing someone you don't know that looks exactly like you weird) my blog post.

As mentioned in a previous post (Le Grille, what the heck is Le Grill), I get a LOT of chain letters...they mostly have been coming from my friend (who affectionally calls herself KATIEKAT) and I do enjoy them. So I thought I'd share one of em. I don't really agree with this one...I don't like dogs...or stereotypes...But the last picture makes it worth it :D

 
 
                                                                                               

If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never say its not quite as good as his mother's  ...then adopt a dog. If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour, for as long and wherever you want ... ...then adopt a dog. If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn't care about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies ...then adopt a dog. If you want someone who is content to get on your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores ...then adopt a dog ! If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves you unconditionally, perpetually .. ...then adopt a dog. BUT, on the other hand, if you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness ., .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...then adopt a cat! Now be honest, you thought I was gonna say.. marry a man, didn't you? Send this to all the women you know to brighten their day.                            Send this to all the men just to annoy them! You... .....have a GREAT Day!!!

EASTER!!!!

I've been waiting for this day for a LONG time. Never does time move so slow than when you can't be sarcastic. No, all joking aside, I do celebrate Easter! This past week I've kept it in mind. But it wasn't until last night that I decided what I was going to do for the big-to-do-about Easter. Most people have dinner. Nuh-uh. Not in my family. Ok, maybe we do, but I more remember the breakfasts we have :D So after we open the copious amounts of candy and such found in our Easter baskets we have a nice little breakfast together. So I decided I'd re-inact this with my roommates!



Look at the cute little baskets! The Easter Bunny loves us! :D My favorite Easter story is that one year, my little brother got up in the middle of the night, walked RIGHT past the 'Easter Bunny' and went to the bathroom. He didn't even notice him putting out the baskets or anything on his way back to bed either. I've always liked the scene in my mind, it's amusing to be sure. I think it was the year that my sister finally decided to 'enlighten' us that the Easter Bunny doesn't exist. But my wonderful Father still insists that's who gives us the baskets every year, and I love it even if I can't be with my fam-bam this year for it.





Well...on to the Easter Baskets. I owe myoh so clairvoyant roommates an apology. I was the one who 'let' the 'Easter Bunny' into the apartment. I told them I didn't know who did it. Shame on me.

But the Easter baskets are SO CUTE!!! :D




AND THERE'S A DOMO-kun STUFFED ANIMAL!!! I love Mr. Domo










Isn't Easter great? I don't mind the commercialization too much, at least people are celebrating it and spending time with their families. If you want to remember what Christ did, as the Christian world will be so doing today, I believe the holiday will become even more special for you. As for me, I'll be going to church and listening to my favorite Easter Cantata all day (convieniently only showing in my home stake, pooh). Happiest of Easters!

Colors of the Wind

So this song has come up on my iPod shuffle with such consistency, I wanted to write about it. Colors of the Wind (sung by Judy Kuhn) can be found in the Disney classic (and historically inaccurate) Pocahontas. I love this movie oh so very much. It's one of the few movies that my family still owns on VHS. I have a few memories with this song. One, Divine Comedy (scroll down to Colors of the Wind). Two, the only Disney movie I've watched more than this one is probably Aladdin. Three, my Grandpa gave me that VHS I believe and it was really cool because he usually would give us magazines. Lastly, Christian Bale is in it!

Christian Bale plays Thomas! He (CB) is starting to become one of my more favorite actors. :D

It's a pretty sweet song none the less, and you can use it for so many everyday things! Like when you are arguing if rocks, trees, and pitchers have lifes, spirits, or names; you have something to quote! It's also one of the few other songs besides Moe Tab that I'll listen to whilst reading scriptures. When I was little it was a very deep thinking song. When I would start to judge others, I would remember that they are just like a bear or a sycamore tree.

Ok...so that last paragraph sounds a little light-hearted...really it is a great song and I have a high respect for it. :D

Why I'm Thankful For My Compy

I affectionately refer to my laptop as Compy. Usually I like to name my inanimate objects that I use in my life (for example, my piccolo's name is Phantom but I don't go around giving each pen I use a name, make sense?)...and though Compy isn't the most creative name, I have yet to come up with another...

This weekend I'll be using my laptop a lot in particular because it's General Conference. General Conference is a 2 day long, 5 session conference where the authorities of the LDS church gather together in Salt Lake City. They have prepared talks, akin to small sermons, on topics they feel the members of the church need to hear. It is broadcast across the globe via radio, tv, internet, and later in printed media. You can also go in person!

Well, this is where my laptop comes in. I'm using it to watch conference. I've already watched two sessions of the 4 I'll be viewing (one is specifically pointed towards the men of the church) and so far I'm liking it! Plus I only began (and ended) to doze when they started announcing the statistical data of the church. So that's a plus.

I wanted to make a plug for conference because most people out of the LDS church don't know what it is...AND if I'm going to write a blog about April Fools day AND since General Conference is much more important to me, I'd write one about it too. So if you'd like to watch tomorrow's sessions cause you're curious or because you were planning on doing so anyways, do follow this link and enjoy! It starts at 10 am and 2 pm Mountain Standard Time and runs for two hours per session. :) I suggest the morning one! :D

Les Polissons (The Pranks)

If you were wondering why I refered to yesterday as fish day, it's because that's what April Fool's day is refered to in France. I'll leave you to yourself to research that if you so desire, but I want to take this time to record down my 'pranks' for this year.

Of course I started the festivities early. I was reading Tuesday night when I noticed it was just past the midnight hour; I decided to make victim one of my room mates who were still up, namely Charity B. I just went with the traditional 'tall tale' and tried to see how long I could keep it going...which wasn't long at all. I told her ecstatically that I had decided to go on a mission for the LDS church! Sadly she's heard me say many times how I have no intention of doing so and I think that's why it didn't work too well...so you can see it was a discouraging start to my day.

Next I tried to convince people I was Mary Poppins. I think the only person who was convinced was the guy who called my name out at the Jamba Juice line... :D
Lastly, I had to pull a few pranks at work. I couldn't let my reputation as the devilishly creative person that I am go to waste. Though, disclaimer, they merely amuse me and aren't particularly devilish in any way.
But I did get my bosses! See I dressed up in a different uniform than usual at work today. Since I'm a 'Captain' I wear a white shirt and I get to be in charge of setting up the banquets for the catering company I work for. I didn't wear my usual uniform, wearing a black shirt instead signifying that I'm one of the wait staff that usually get ordered around, and it confused my bosses for a good 5 minutes, which amused me greatly. I also had someone else on my banquet wear a white shirt and lots of people were like "Was he promoted?" and it made us giggle.


But the creme de la creme was pulling a prank on my friend Tammy. Bwhaha. There's a background story behind this prank that makes it more poignant, but it's funny in and of itself without me sharing it. As I was still in charge of my banquet last night, I have the 'power' to tell my crew that they can go home for the evening. Tammy is the closer and if she's in, that means I loose this power and she takes over telling people to go home. Well...I informed her about 5 minutes before we got back to the 'home base' of Catering that I had let all of my crew go home...

Me: "Tammy, just letting you know I let all of my crew go home"
Tammy: (very quick response laced with venom) "What?"
Me: "Yeah...uh...I let my crew go home, they even signed out and everything."
(dramatic pause where you can almost see her fuming. You know when you know someone else well enough that you can just SEE it...yes...you do...)
................
.......
..
Me: "Happiest of April Fools Tammy!"

Needless to say there were some choice words after that directed towards me. That and I learned a valuable lesson. Don't play tricks on people who have the power to send you home...unless it's ABSOLUTELY worth it. And it was, oh yes, yes it was. *relishes it*

:D Well, I don't doubt these pranks are not the most creative (I should have brought poppers with me to school *sigh*). But I'm not that dedicated to the practice of pranks to actually purchase anything for them...as of yet...

Have a Fish

So today is April Fool's day. Yes I am peeved that I had to read my comics upsidedown. Anyways, I find myself in quite a predicament because I don't like to outright lie to people (or lie to people...); I usually drench it in sarcasm so if they're paying attention they'll know the 'truth'. But I can't do it now...as such my April Fool's is going to be quite dismal this year...

But it just gets more dismal by the minute!



http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-pistachiosapr01,0,2236742.story

This link will take you to an article on how pistachio's are being recalled because of a salmonella outbreak. I LOVE PISTACHIO'S! I really hope this is a prank...like, REALLY, it needs to be a prank. I buy a bag of pistachio's about every other week and if I don't get them I just can taste them all the time in my mouth...my taste-buds must be appeased! And it's a pistachio week! Guh. I guess it's good that I go without them for a bit...otherwise I might have to come to the realization that I sound like a pistachio addict...which I don't think is possible? And even if it's true...how bad would it be to be addicted to something healthy? No...all things in moderation friends. Yes, even pistachio's.

As to good news I guess I have a wonderful opportunity to prank about 15 people tonight at work...oh the possibilities... :D