the circus is coming to town

Our entire apartment building is going to be fumigated for termites next week. They had a big meeting this morning about what we'll have to do to prepare. We have to pack up or seal food and medicine, but besides that it sounds like it might not be too big of a deal. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see our huge building covered with a tent.

Headline of the Day

Bush uses 'Internets' to reach 'The Google'

Joann's Sign

I thought it was kind of funny to think about User Interface Design for a bathroom in a fabric store, instead of the usual tech stuff I'm surrounded by.

In Anticipation of Borat

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is coming in a couple weeks. I'm very excited. Here's an excerpt from an article NPR did on the Kazakhstani embassy response to Borat that made me chuckle.

Ten Borat "Facts"

Kazakhstan embassy spokesman Roman Vassilenko disputes Borat's facts on Kazakhstan.

Borat says: Kazakhstan is the No. 1 exporter of potassium.
Vassilenko says: Kazakhstan's oil industry is responsible for the country's economic boom.

Borat says: Prostitution is one of the major industries in Kazakhstan.
Vassilenko says: Women in Kazakhstan are more likely to be doctors, lawyers, and teachers than prostitutes.

Borat says: The traditional Kazakh beverage is fermented horse urine.
Vassilenko says: The traditional Kazakh beverage is fermented horse milk.

Borat says: The Kazakhstani greeting is "jagshemash."
Vassilenko says: "Salamatsyz ba" is "good afternoon" in Kazakh.

Borat says: The Running of the Jews is a favorite pastime in Kazakhstan.
Vassilenko says: Horse racing and other games on horseback are popular at Kazakhstani festivals.

Borat says: The "2003 Tulyakev Reforms" are responsible for such freedoms as women being allowed to ride on the inside of a bus.
Vassilenko says: Kazakhstan's biggest governmental change in recent history was its independence in 1991. Women have had the right to vote in Kazakhstan since 1924.

Borat says: Kazakhstan's space program launches chimpanzees and toddlers into orbit.
Vassilenko says: Kazakhstan participates in the International Space Station program, and hosts the station's docking site in its steppes.

Borat says: Kazakhstan's embassy spokesman Roman Vassilenko is an "Uzbek imposter."
Vassilenko says: Vassilenko is a proud patriot of Kazakhstan. His country is home to many migrant workers from its northern neighbor Uzbekistan.

Borat says: Borat has no connection with comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, and would support Kazakhstan if it decided to sue him.
Vassilenko says: Another spokesman for Kazakhstan once said his government "reserved the right" to legal action against Cohen. No specific threat of a lawsuit was made or intended.

Borat says: Gays in Kazakhstan once had to wear blue hats, and are executed by hanging.
Vassilenko says: Homophobia is a social ill in America.

Caspar David Friedrich

Monk by the Sea

The Clear Tigers

Nathan, one of John's friends from high school and college, is a musician living in NYC. He took last year off from work to make and record an album. He studied as a classical composer at Columbia and also studied under La Monte Young (a well know minimalist composer) in New York. We recently got a link to a few of his songs, and we've been listening to them a lot. Nathan does all the vocals and intrumentation.

The Clear Tigers

Boo!

The Uber Giant Eats You Tube

Fleet Week

This weekend we went up to San Francisco and stayed with our friend Mike. It was Fleet Week and there were a few other big events going on, so the city was packed. On Saturday we made the trek from Telegraph Hill to the wharf to see the Blue Angels. There were a lot of sailors in their dress uniforms- so many of them looked so young! We made our way to an out of the way pier- all of them were lined with people.


The Blue Angels were a lot of fun to watch- I hadn't seen them before. It was a little amusing at first- everyone looking towards the sound of the planes, when they would actually be on the other side of the horizon by the time the sound reached us.




On Sunday afternoon we headed to Britex, the king of all fabric stores. It was amazing- four stories of every type of fabric you could imagine. I always get the urge to start sewing projects when I go to these types of stores. Maybe one of these days I'll manage to really learn how to sew. We did pick out some blue and gold fabric for a chair we've been wanting to recover.



It was a good weekend!

Moonlight Run

Friday night I ran my first full 5k! Jen and I drove up to Palo Alto, and were able to meet up with Elaine, Elizabeth, and Judith in the crowd. It was a lot of fun to run by the light of the moon. Next up might be Bay to Breakers in the spring!

Slankets

I'm usually cold at work. I used to be able to use a little portable heater by my feet to combat the extreme air conditioning, but recently we had a power situation because there were too many people hooked up to one power source. So the heater has been temporarily banned until the problem is fixed. One of my fellow cold coworkers discovered an ingenious invention- USB heated gloves! They are amazing. Looking at the website for this led me to discover the slanket. I so want one.

Swedish Invasion

Here are two fun music videos from my 2 new favorite songs:

You Can't Hurry Love - The Concretes

Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn & John