Things that get me through...

When work is beating you down, watch a video.

People send links to videos around to each other all the time lately. YouTube is so big Google bought them. It's like a viral marketing campaign - you never know what you're going to get. It might make you sick - it usually makes you laugh. People like to laugh. So watch and laugh if you will.

The first video is "Le Grande Content" - Turn up the volume a bit so you can hear the speaker's voice. I like the simple imagery with hidden meaning... like the toilet that pops up when talking about learning about death as a kid from your pet hamster.

The second is "Poodle Fitness" - One of a series of "fitness" videos made in Japan by Panasonic for the 2004 Athens Olympics. So in answer to your question - yeah, it's real. I think it's kids in costumes and maybe dog heads composited in there later. In my work-stupor I thought they might be real dogs or even CG dogs for about 30 seconds... but then I convinced myself that dogs don't have hips set up to work like that...

Monterey Bay Aquarium

This past Saturday we drove down to Monterey and went to the aquarium. I had to get out of the house and go do something that would totally occupy my mind and keep it off work - or else I might go crazy.

These seals (sealions?) were sunbathing on the beach along the walk to the aquarium. SWEET! It's neat to see sea life up close in an aquarium, though I don't think they enjoy swimming in circles all day long. A lot of the animals were rescued from oil slicks and starvation and stuff, so it seems like they're trying to do a good thing as well as teach people about the ocean. They tried really hard to inform people what fish are endangered and which are safer to eat in addition to trying to convince them not to pollute or litter in the oceans. The building and exhibits seemed kinda small for $25 each, but it is California coastal land space... I guess it was better than Boston's, but not as good as Shed's in Chicago.

Monterey Bay Aquarium LINK

Anyways, it was fun even though it was crowded. We really enjoyed the last hour when most of the people had cleared out to go eat. We went and found some clam chowder and fried oysters. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl = AWESOME. (I'm sure actually having it IN new england would have been better somehow...)

New Year's Eve 2006

Last night we went up to SF to Craig & Jess's place. A bunch of people came over and we drank and snacked the night away. There was a talent contest and I displayed my musical skills in manualism. Although Matt was better on his guitar, I won the contest. I played "Auld Lang Syne", "Vader's march" (for all the Lucas people there.) and "The Star Spangled Banner". By the end I was pretty beat - I need to practice more to be able to do more long distance running. Maybe I should make some videos and put them up on YouTube.

LOL Yeah, right - I'll let ya know if I ever do that...

Christmas 2006

This year we went up to visit my sister and her husband in Idaho. It was a crazy trip up with lots of bad weather to slow the drive, but the drive back down was clear and awesome. We saw the mountain range of eastern Oregon and all the northern California mountains too. Shasta is HUGE. We had a good time staying with the Bath family and celebrating Christmas with them. I had fun playing Guitar Hero with Tim & Michelle. You can check out the pictures HERE.

Merry Christmas & God bless us, every one.

Orgasm for Peace Day!

Yeah you read that right.
Today is the day to have an orgasm and immediately after, think about world peace. The organizers say you can direct that orgasmic energy for the good of all - 'Tis the season I say!
Read about it HERE or just do your part on your own!
Today is the day to change the world for the better and have fun "doing it."
LOL

It's Christmas time with Maria

Hey! Click on the picture to see my sister and Santa jamming out. I thought it was funny that I took two pictures of Maria and Greg with Santa that were nearly identical so I made an animated GIF out of them. Greg is making moves on Ms. Claus... It's kinda funny if you're a member of the Harlow Clan. I thought it wasn't working, but it must be my browser at home that is broken...

Thanksgiving in Arizona

It's been a while since I posted last. We went to Arizona to have Thanksgiving with Maria - So that's where I'll start.

It was a good trip. We drove in one day but got stuck in L.A. for 3 hours in traffic. We went 60 miles. It sucked. I never want to go to L.A. Ever again. Well - I don't want to drive there ever. People are crazy. We almost witnessed an accident on the way back - we saw plumes of smoke rise up and all the traffic stopped. I quickly darted out to the commuter lane because it was still going and we drove past a woman who had rear-ended a truck. She was in shock and got out of her car in the middle of traffic. The engine was smoking so I don't blame her.

We made it to Wickenburg OK. Tired but OK. The next day was Thanksgiving so we hung out and cooked and ate all day. It was awesome. Just AJ, Maria, Greg and me. Greg and I played Wii a bit.

Friday we went on a hike up Vulture Peak. (Close to The Burg) It was fantastic. The peak gave great 360 degree views of the landscape. It was a tough rock-scale up to the top, but worth it.

Saturday we went up to Prescott and Jerome. That was fun. They are little towns up on the way to Sedona. We took small highways that wound all around the mountains up and down. It was awesome. On the way back we scored the longest unassisted coast - 7.25 miles. I like to see how far the car can coast. It's like a game while I'm driving. This was late at night so no one was behind me to care. Usually the Prius doesn't fare so well on coasts because it's so light - but with extra people in the car we did awesome.

Sunday we went to Sedona. This time we took the highway and Greg's car. No coasting. That place is stunningly beautiful. Like a picture book that's larger than life. My lame pictures don't tell 1/2 of the story. Speaking of pictures, you can see a bunch on this web page HERE.

I'll post more stuff this week of more recent happenings.