Calculators and Conversations

Calculators and Conversations (use this link to go to the Gabcast site, where you can download the episode for use on your m3p or CD player)

On today's episode, we discuss a Lowercase People article, get some new contact info, and hear music from Telecast and Mae. Sorry it's kind of long this week, but it's good stuff! Enjoy and let me know what you think...

Telecast
Conversation Between Mute Math and Mae
Mae
Download sample from Tooth & Nail (including Mae's "Someone Else's Arms")
PrivatePhone

Contact me: jillmdblog@gmail.com or 203-437-4531

WOTW 10/29/06

Howdy. Welcome to the word of the week, which I trust you will use responsibly and often this week. Enjoy!

-nefandous (nĕ-făn'dus) adj. --> unmentionable, unspeakable
Ex: The cause of his illness was nefandous, so onlookers were kept in suspense about why the man had four feet.

And now for a random fact:

Early astronomers thought that each day of the week was ruled by its own heavenly body, and as a result every day is named after an object in our solar system. It's easy to see how Saturn, the Sun, and the Moon are commemorated in Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The other four days, Tuesday through Friday, get their names by a more roundabout route, from Tiw, Woden, Thor and Freya, the Anglo-Saxon equivalents of Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus. Feminists will be happy to note that we should thank a goddess it's Friday.

That's all I have for you today, folks. Stay warm and well-informed in the upcoming week (mainly by reading my blog!). Au revoir.

Fondly,
Dr. J

PS - I should note that most of the random facts presented in the WOTW are brought to you courtesy of Scot Morris' excellent Book of Strange Facts and Useless Information, which is unfortunately no longer in print. So thankyou Mr. Morris.

The Strangest Music Video You'll Ever See

Yes, they are a real band. Yes, I do listen to them. Find out more at www.danielson.info.

Would you like some cream cheese with that mold?

Note: This post contains graphic depictions of sporaceous fungi. Please use discretion; you may not want to read this while eating if you are of the squeamish type.

Alright, so the other day I was looking in the cabinets for a little evening snack. I found some chips and salsa and thought that sounded good, so I looked for some cream cheese to go with my salsa. I was very excited to find a big container of luscious Philadelphia cream cheese in the fridge. But when I opened it, do you think I found this...?

Oh no. No creamy delicious cream cheese for me. Instead, I found this...

Anyone up for some mold?

Mae I Tell You About Some Great Music?

Welcome to a review of The Everglow by Mae. Mae is an inde-
pendent (though soon to be signed to a major label) rock band whose name stands for "Multisensory Aesthetic Experience." Lead singer Dave Elkins has a lovely voice; it has an almost conversational quality about it, and it is very pleasant to listen to. The music on this album generally uses pretty basic rock structure, but they sound very good, and they make excellent use of the piano. The lyrics on the album are always very good, sometimes excellent. The Everglow is bookended by an outdated but clever "Prologue" and an "Epilogue," which contribute nicely to the feeling that this is an entire listening experience. The first song, "We're So Far Away," is definitely the best track on the album and is the best song I've heard this year. It showcases a beautiful blend of vocals, piano, and strings. This track has a great transition to "Someone Else's Arms," which is the next best song on the album with great rock guitar and soaring vocals. "Suspension," the album's first single, is very catchy, probably because it has more pop influence than other tracks. The next four songs (from "This is the Countdown" to "Breakdown") start off nicely, but they each get a little bogged down and a little boring after a minute or two. "Painless" is the best of the four with some great piano moments. The album picks back up with the pretty, ambiguous "Mistakes We Knew We Were Making" and then continues with four songs that are lyrically, vocally and musically excellent. The album ends with "The Sun and the Moon," which is almost as beautiful as "We're So Far Away," but runs about two minutes too long. You can listen to quite a few of Mae's songs on purevolume or on their MySpace page, or you can buy the whole album on iTunes. Very highly recommended overall. Highlight tracks: "We're So Far Away", "Someone Else's Arms", "Cover Me", "Anything"

Amazing Radio and Rich Young Rulers

Amazing Radio and Rich Young Rulers (this link takes you to the Gabcast page, where you can download the file to listen to on a personal audio player)

On this episode of audioblogging goodness, we discuss the best internet radio around, changes to my blog, and we hear music from Half-Handed Cloud and Derek Webb. Better sound quality this week too!

Half-Handed Cloud
Pandora Internet Radio
Derek Webb
Get your free download of Mockingbird at FreeDerekWebb.com!
New Email: jillmdblog@gmail.com

Blog Evaluation...

It's that time again. It's time for me to remind you that you can sign up to receive email updates every time I post on this blog. You now have two ways to do this. You can either go to our Google Group site and click "Join This Group" (you need to create a Google account to do this) or you can just tell me you want to receive them and I'll add you to the list. To do this, leave a comment or email me at jillmdblog@gmail.com (the new special blog email address!). You should do it. It's fun to get email.

For our second order of business, I am asking you to talk to me. Evaluate me. Tell me what you like and what you would like to see different in this blog. Do I post too often? Too infrequently (yeah right!)? Are posts too long? Too short? Is there too much text? Too much video/audio? What do you most look forward to? What do you skip? What would you like to see me write about? How do you feel about the site layout/color scheme? Please let me know, so that the work I put into blogging will be enjoyable to you! You can leave a comment with your suggestions or email me (again, it's jillmdblog@gmail.com). I look forward to hearing from you...

Fondly,
Your favorite blogging doctor

WOTW 10/22/06

Hey everyone! Welcome to the word of the week. I hope you enjoy using this word in your everyday conversations. Remember that this will help you to cement the word in your memory, and it will share this wonderful knowledge with the rest of the world! Here it is, folks, our newest WOTW:

-hypobulia (hī-pō-bū'lĭ-u) noun --> difficulty in making decisions
Ex: I experience hypobulia when choosing beverages. Coke? Diet coke? Coke with cherry? Caffeine-free diet coke? Coke zero? Coke with lemon? Diet coke with lime? Ahh! This is why I drink water.

And now for this week's random fact (it's kind of a story, actually, but oh well...):

During Prohibition, a popular (and legal) consumer item was the "wine brick" - compressed grape concentrate sold in a dozen varieties such as Bordeaux, Riesling, and even Champagne. The sly "warning" on the package made everything clear: "Do not dissolve this in a gallon of water and let sit for 21 days. If you do, it will ferment and turn into wine. That would be illegal."

Alrighty, folks, have a great week. Bye bye bye.

Dr. J

Naptime, anyone?

That's one tired cat. Pretty cute, though.

We Love Trees in This House

Hey hey hey! Now that fall is upon us and the trees are looking lovely, I thought it would be a good time to do a little tree tribute. I love trees. I love these pictures. You will too. So enjoy.

Mela knows how to have a good time.

Red trees are my favorite.

Kiwi Trees (aka Tree-covered and snow-covered moutains in New Zealand)

This one is poetic.

This one is poetic too.

Beautiful Irish trees and sky. Makes you just want to hop on a plane and go there, doesn't it?

So there you have it - beautiful trees. If you live in New England, go outside today and enjoy the changing leaves before they all fall off and turn brown and it's too cold to go outside. If you don't live in New England, I'm sorry for your loss. Have a great day anyway. Bye.

Your leaf-eating friend,
Jill

Sufjan Stevens

Note: I usually do 3 music reviews in one post, but I'll be focusing on 1 artist per post for the next few music reviews, because they are mmm mmm good (and I am running out of money to buy music with)!

Sufjan Stevens is a musical genius. Genius! There is no scale that could measure the originality of Sufjan's music. The very nature of it defies categorization - I haven't heard anyone that sounds quite like Sufjan. I have heard people call Sufjan Stevens the modern Mozart. I don't think I would compare him with Mozart (who I love), but his albums are like grand compositions that are unheard of in modern music. If you can think of an instrument, there's a fair chance that Sufjan has used it in his music. He has guitars, pianos, trumpets, strings, glockenspiel, a chorus of voices, and that is only a small sampling. His 2005 album Illinois is the second in what will be a series of albums about states (the first was Michigan). It has 24 tracks, some very short (6 under 1 minute) and some very long (9 longer than 5 minutes). 7 tracks are instrumental (a couple have vocals with no words), and the rest have Sufjan's voice and often a chorus of women's and (sometimes) men's voices. Illinois is like a history of Illinois mixed with Sufjan's own personal history, and it is a masterfully woven story. There's a pretty good chance that, like me, you won't love Sufjan the first (or 2nd, or 3rd) time you listen to his music. It is really an acquired taste, but this music is brilliant and refreshing and I encourage you very highly to give listening to Sufjan a fair chance. You can listen to some of his music on purevolume or you can buy the whole album on iTunes. This is an album that really should be listened to as a whole, but in case you are impatient, here are some highlight tracks: "Casimir Pulaski Day", "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us", "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhh!" (I love those strings!), "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step-Mother!", "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts"

Did I Step On Your Trumpet?

Did I Step On Your Trumpet?

On this edition of audioblogging, I talk about a great online magazine, discuss when the world will end, and play music by Danielson and Switchfoot. Sorry about the static in the beginning - it goes away after about 40 seconds. Just in case you didn't know, you can stream (listen to) this audio post directly on the site... just click the little play button.

Danielson (the song is "Did I Step On Your Trumpet?" from the album Ships)
lowercase people
Switchfoot
"Daylight to Break"

Good Ways to Spend Your Spare Change

Hey everyone. Today I'd like to share with you a couple organization that I support and that I really believe are doing some great work.


The first organization I want to talk about is Gospel for Asia, which is a group that trains native missionaries to minister in Asia, primarily in India. A native missionary is someone who is originally from the region, so they already speak the language and know the customs, and they are more readily accepted than a foreign missionary would be. These missionaries are ministering in the 10/40 window, which is home to 97% of the people in the world who have never heard the gospel. There are many other facets of GFA's work, including building schools for young children, radio ministry, printing Bibles, and providing clean water for villages. One of the things I love most about GFA is that 100% of money you send for any of these things goes straight to the field. They are a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), so you can be sure that they are being held financially accountable. If you would like to learn more about GFA, you can visit their website, where you can also request a free book, Revolution in World Missions, which explains more in depth GFA's purpose and vision. If you think GFA sounds great, then feel free to check out Missionary Sponsorship for $30/month, or you can sponsor a child through Bridge of Hope for $28/month. This is an organization whose vision is really in the right place, so I hope you'll take a little time to learn more about them.

The other organization that I'll be talking about today is Blood:Water Mission, which was established by Dan Haseltine and the other members of Jars of Clay. Blood:Water Mission's website states that they are "committed to [providing] clean blood and clean water to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, to build clean wells in Africa, to support medical facilities caring for the sick, to make a lasting impact in the fight against poverty, injustice and oppression in Africa through the linking of needs, talents and continents, of people and resources." They break it down like this: one dollar provides clean water to one African for one year. Not bad, huh? And I love the fact that the guys from Jars of Clay have actually spent (and will continue to spend) a significant amount of time in Africa, actually working with the people there. From what I've read, they really seem to have their hearts in the right place in this endeavor. Blood:Water Mission is also financially accountable - they are a registered 501 (c) 3 organization, and no more than 20% of the funds they receive are put towards administrative tasks. Check out www.bloodwatermission.com, where you can donate your money or your time towards a great cause! You can also check our their MySpace page to learn more (and hear some great music!).

I know that a lot of us feel like we can't (or don't want to) give money to charitable organizations, because we don't know if they're reputable or we don't have enough money. Well, I just gave you 2 groups that I promise are reputable, so there goes one concern. And I promise you that every person reading this can spare some money to help other people. It might mean giving something up - your morning coffee, digital cable, name-brand food and clothes, your addiction to buying music (oh, or maybe that's just me)... I'm sure the list could go on and on. What has worked for me is putting aside 10% of my paycheck to spend on organizations such as these two. I get it direct-deposited into a separate account, so I don't even notice it's missing. So what I'm trying to say is that there are ways that we can be global-minded and sensitive to the needs of other people, even if we can't go to Africa or India to help people out. Let me know if you can think of other ways to contribute to great causes or any organizations that you love, because I know that there's a lot more I could be and should be doing. Alright, have a great day!

Jill

WOTW 10/15/06

Yo... here it is, the most wonderful part of our weeks - the WOTW! I like this week's word, because it gives us language to describe something we do quite frequently. Remember to use this word as much as you can in order to share your knowledge with your friends and neighbors! Here it is:

-litotes (lī'tō-tēz) noun --> the use of understatement to avoid criticism or for dramatic effect
Ex: When she lost millions of her company's dollars, the woman employed litotes and told her boss that she had "misplaced a few dollars".

And now for the random fact of the week:

A filet mignon should taste better in San Diego than in Denver: human taste buds are more sensitive at sea level than they are at higher altitudes.

There you have it, folks. Have a wonderful week and don't forget to eat your vegetables!

Fondly,
Dr. J

Meow

Here are some more funny kitties for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Clean Hands or Death?

Alright, I lied. I said I was going to talk about Purell hand sanitizer today, and while I am going to talk about hand sanitizer, my main target will not be Purell. We are now entering the season of cold weather and dry hands, and I'm sure we all wonder what we can do to keep our hands moisturized. Here's one thing you should not do: do not use hand sanitizer. Now, I'm a big fan of clean hands... I work in a daycare, I need to keep my hands clean. And that means washing my hands about 789,083 times a day. You would think that using a nice little hand sanitizer would protect my hands from getting dry, but here's the thing - even a "moisturizing" hand sanitizer can be comprised of over 60% ethyl alcohol. Here are some more disturbing facts that I will let speak for themselves. The facts come from the MSDS (material safety data sheet) for a generic sanitizer and the MSDS for Purell. One MSDS labels two of the main ingredients in the sanitizer as "Hazardous Ingredients". Another MSDS states that "chronic exposure can result in skin irritation and contact dermatitis." Aren't we supposed to use it every day? One MSDS contains an entire, long section about "Fire Fighting Measures". For hand sanitizer. In a work environment, the suggested PPE (Personal protective equipment) when using hand sanitizer is goggles and gloves. Gloves? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose? Here's one more quote: "After working with this product, be sure to wash before eating, smoking, drinking, or applying cosmetics." So don't use hand sanitizer to avoid the drying hand-washing process, because you'll need to wash them anyway so you don't spontaneously combust. Now you know: hand sanitizer is bad; hand-washing is good.

Book Readings and Music

Book Readings and Music

Sorry that the sound quality isn't great on the music; recording on a phone obviously has drawbacks (like my arm gets tired from holding it up to the speakers). But go listen to the good version on purevolume...

www.purevolume.com/mae
www.whatismae.com
www.purevolume.com/sufjanstevens
www.sufjan.com

The Brothers Karamazov

Hola, mes bons amis. This is blog book review numero uno. If you know me well, then you now that I've always loved to read. You might wonder, then, why I haven't done a book review before. The reason is this! I haven't actually finished a book in months. This can be attributed to a couple factors; one is that my book was over 700 pages long. Another is that listening to podcasts is generally far easier than reading, so I haven't been doing a whole lot of reading lately. But yesterday, I finally finished the grand, enormous The Brothers Karamazov by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky.

In this novel, Dostoevsky sometimes takes the first person view as an eyewitness to the actions taking place and sometimes just uses the limited third person, focusing on various different characters. In fact, he combines these two voices quite seamlessly. When writing in the first person, Dostoevsky speaks with humility, and treats the reader as an equal in watching the events of the story unfold.

In most fiction novels, the plot is the main focus. That is not the case in The Brothers Karamazov. In fact, the plot of this book is really quite slow and lacking in action. There is really one major plot development, which only occurs after about 400 or 500 pages of character development. Another unique aspect of this novel is that Dostoevsky pretty much lets you know what's going to happen in the plot well before it actually happens. In fact, there is only one unanticipated plot point in the book, and it is not particularly vital to the overall story.

Like I said, there is very extensive character development in this novel; in fact, that is the main focal point of the story. This book has an exorbitant number of main characters. Really, you need detailed graphs to keep them all straight. Well, I figured it out after a few hundred pages, but it is confusing at first. The great thing about Dostoevsky's character development is that he doesn't portray any characters as simply evil or good. Every character contains attributes of goodness and evil, and Dostoevsky spends countless pages examining his characters' moral and spiritual ambiguities. In spite of the lack of plot, this book was extremely entertaining, because of the way it looks at people and relationships. The major themes of this novel are romance, familial relationships, crime and punishment, religion and theology, sin and redemption. I very highly recommend The Brothers Karamazov if you are prepared to make a deep emotional and temporal commitment.

Ok, that's enough. Check back tomorrow for an audio blog with a brand new server. Ok, have a great day! Au revoir, mes petits chemins de fer.

Jill

Keith's Party

My (not so) little nephew Keith just turned two yesterday! Here are some picture and video highlights from his party...

My sister is such a clever cake decorator...

Mother and Liz

LUKE!

So many presents for such a little boy!

Kim (smiling) and Andrea (not smiling)

Mmm... Keith loves cake...

...but he loves presents more!

How many people does it take to get a toy out of the packaging? The world may never know...

Keith wasn't very interested in the police coat & hat I got him, so I wore it instead. Just call me Officer Jill.

Sabrina and Keith (I really like this picture)

And last but not least, here's a little video of everyone at the party. Great fun...

You can see more videos from the party on my YouTube account. And if you're in a video and don't want to be posted on the internet, send me a really compelling argument and maybe I'll consider doing something about it. Alrighty, folks. I hope you all have a great day. Check in tomorrow for the long-awaited book review! Au revoir...

Jill

WOTW 10/08/06

Hey folks. Welcome to the word of the week... we are back in full force this week with a wonderful word and an insightful random fact. Remember, as always, to use this word as much as possible in everyday conversation in order to enlighten the masses. Here's our fantastic word, friends:

-fedifragous (fĕd-ĭf'ru-gus) adj. --> treacherous, deceitful
Ex: Telling your mother you brushed your teeth when you really didn't is a fedifragous (and unsanitary) act. (Not that I ever did that as a child!)

And now, for our beloved random fact:

A single cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in just seven years.

Alrighty, I'm off (to see the wizard), so I hope you all have a super-fantastic week. Leave me a comment and tell me a little-known fact about yourself. C'mon, we're all friends here. :) Ok, the end.

My fondest regards,
Dr. J

PS - Yep, these pictures are of a hot air balloon that I just happened to see floating through town today, so I followed it and captured it on film. Pretty cool, huh?

Activate

Hey all... I was going to do a book review today, but I haven't finished my book yet, so I thought I'd post another video from the music I reviewed. This is "Activate" by Stellar Kart - it happens to be one of their songs that I really enjoy. And it's a funny video, so I hope you enjoy it too. Au revoir!

Day Late Friend

Here's is Anberlin's "A Day Late". I'm not generally a big fan of music videos, and they all look kind of spastic in this video, but I thought this would give you a quick and easy way to listen to some of the music I reviewed. Enjoy...

Two Gems and a Headache

Hey hey, here are some reviews of music that I have bought and listened to lately. I will put links for all three of them to places where you can go and listen to some songs for free, so be sure to check them out! Ok, let's get into it...

First up today is Derek Webb, whose most recent album, Mockingbird, was released late last year. Webb's music is classified as "folk rock," and I think that's a pretty fair description. Musically, there is not much variety on this album, but this style works very well for Derek Webb. Think lots of acoustic guitars, soft drums, piano, and a smattering of various other instruments. Webb has a voice that is very easy to listen to. It's not perfect, and it won't blow you away, but it's very nice; somehow he manages to be both mellow and passionate. Perhaps the passion comes from the deeply honest and emotional lyrics, which are undoubtedly the best part of this album. Webb isn't afraid to bring tough subjects to light, and he forces his listeners to make decisions about topics such as social justice, materialism and war without pointing fingers at anyone but himself. In fact, Webb is so committed to the message of his music that he is offering the entire album absolutely free until December 1, 2006. You can get it at FreeDerekWebb.com. You do need to tell 5 friends about the album to get it, but feel free to use my two email addresses (jilllawton@sbcglobal.net, laji123@optonline.net) if you don't want to send it to other people. Or you can check Derek Webb out on purevolume, where you can listen to a few songs before deciding whether to download it or not. This is free music at its best, people... go take advantage of it! Highlight Tracks: "A New Law", "A King A Kingdom", "Rich Young Ruler", "My Enemies Are Men Like Me".

This next album is one that I was very excited about getting. In fact, I spent $12 on it on iTunes (I don't know why it's more expensive than everything else; it only has 13 songs), and it has probably been my biggest musical disappointment this year. It's Stellar Kart's album We Can't Stand Sitting Down. Now, I should be fair; in small doses, Stellar Kart sounds very good and is very fun. Stellar Kart's website describes the music as "fun, frantic, frenetic music," and that is a very accurate description. Ironically, lead singer Adam Agee described the album as "diverse," but nearly every song on this album sounds exactly the same. You get 12 pop punk rock songs that never give your ears a break (with the exception of the heartfelt "Angels in Chorus"); even the songs that try to be ballads never quite succeed. I'm sure that Agee has a good voice, but this album does nothing to showcase it, as he manages to shout his way through most of the album. As far as lyrics go, these are meaningful and well-phrased, but they present nothing that we haven't heard before. With all that said, this is an entertaining album to listen to, but you have to be in a very high-energy mood to get through the whole thing. You can listen to some of Stellar Kart's songs on purevolume, or you can find the whole album on iTunes. Highlight tracks: "Activate", "Always Waiting", "Finding Out", "Angels in Chorus".

Last up tonight is an album that is quickly becoming a personal favorite: Anberlin's Never Take Friendship Personal. This is alternative rock music at its best. This album is full of sweeping melodies, catchy choruses and magnificent guitar action. It's very nice. Lead singer Stephen Christian has a great, unique voice, and he actually sings his music (except in the dark "The Feel-Good Drag", in which he very effectively utilizes the screaming technique). This album's lyrics show a level of maturity that is rare in modern music, and they choose to write about real material without falling into sugarcoated nonsense. Their songs discuss love, with both its joys and its dysfunctions. I'll break it down a little for you: the first 8 songs on the album are excellent, really high-quality music. Then comes "Audrey, Start the Revolution", which isn't a bad song, but the lyrics feel a little disjointed to me. The intrumental "A Heavy Hearted Work of Staggering Genius" is the only song on the album that I dislike; it just seems kind of pointless and is not particularly enjoyable. Luckily, the album ends on a strong note with "Dance, Dance Christa Paffgen", which clocks in at 7:06, but which is yet another slab of musical genius. You can listen to or download (for free!) some of Anberlin's songs on purevolume, or you can find the whole album on iTunes. Highlight tracks: "Paperthin Hymn", "Stationary Stationery", "A Day Late", "The Feel-Good Drag".

Ok, this is long, so bye.

Jill

Podcasts are Fun

Howdy. If you are a new reader to my blog, or if you weren't paying attention last time I wrote about podcasting, and if you are not technologically savvy, then I better give you a quick definition of podcasting before we start. Podcasts are a lot like radio shows, except that you download them from the internet and listen to them at your convenience. There are podcasts about pretty much any conceivable topic, so you're sure to find something you like. I use iTunes to find and download my podcasts, but you can also use a website like Podcast Alley to find podcasts. I'm just going to review two podcasts today that I have really been enjoying lately.

Just in case you haven't noticed, I am a word lover. I was in a state of ecstasy when I found this podcast. It is a podcast by three men, Dave, Howard and Howard. They are all teachers, and they are all very intelligent, and they too love words. So they sit around and talk about words and language and the way we use language. Sound boring? Well, it's not. These guys are really entertaining... they use relevant real-life examples when discussing language, and they incorporate music into their show that is relevant to the topic. Their one consistent, weekly segment is "the rude word of the week", which is sometimes very rude, but more often than not, it's pretty benign. They give the show a rating each week (eg. PG, PG-13, R, etc.) to let you know if they are going to discuss offensive or vulgar language. These guys really offer great insights into language; they make you think about the ways you use your words, and they teach you a lot without making you feel like you are in school! They just changed from podcasting every week to every couple weeks, but they are still going strong. Check them out at www.thewordnerds.org or on iTunes.

Maybe you listen to the Bored-Again Christian, and you wish you could hear Just Pete talk more. Maybe you like to listen to people talk about random things. Maybe you like to laugh. If any of these things are true for you, then you should listen to Illinoise!. It's basically just a couple (Just Pete and NASA Janet) from a small town in Illinois talking, but they are so insanely funny. They have some very funny bits, such as Robot Theater, Haiku Reviews, and Bad Science. And they play music. And did I mention that they're funny? They haven't put out a new show in a couple months, but you can find all the old shows on their website or on iTunes. I would recommend checking out the first few shows, anyways. I just crack up when I listen, and my family thinks I'm crazy, because they can't hear the funniness. Hahaha...

Ok, go check those out and be enriched and laugh a lot. Have fun.

J-dawg

Wedding Pictures

Hey everyone... this weekend, my family and I traveled to a very remote village in NY for the wedding of my cousin Nathan and his now-wife, Tamara. It was a very beautiful location, and the service, though cold, was very nice, and the reception was a lot of fun (with excellent food!). Here are some picture highlights...

Keith and I when we took a break during the ride.

This is the cabin we stayed in - it was right on a lake with mountains in the distance.

Lloyd, Mother and Lukey getting ready to go to the wedding.

This is where they had the wedding... you can see the stuff left where the ceremony was in the lower right corner of the picture.

The groom (my cousin) and mother of the groom (my aunt) dancing.

I know this one's kind of fuzzy, but it's Keith dancing with "Potta". You can see the bride (Tamara) in the back.

Mother, Ann, and Memere enjoying the reception.

Keith was the life of the party! He's a dancing fool (look at that face!).

My Aunt Shell and Uncle Paul came in from CA for the wedding.

Getting ready to go home again - Lukey is such a doll! (He's almost always this happy, I swear)

Mom, Luke, Liz, Keith, and me in front of the "scenic overlook".

Here are the mountains at the scenic overlook... too bad it was cloudy, so you can't see how beautiful it was. It was beautiful, though.

Ok, that's all for now. I bet that looking at these made you feel like you were there, didn't they? But then again, if you're reading this, there's a pretty good chance that you were there. Alrighty, if you were someone who was there (or if you just really like random photos) and you would like all of the pictures, just let me know, and I'll email the whole album to you. Buh-bye, my friends.

Jill

WOTW 10/01/06

Hi guys. I'm very tired tonight, so this will be very short. Just remember to share this word as much as you can this week! Here it is:

-inficete (ĭn-fĭ-sēt') adj. --> dull, unfunny, deadly serious, humorless
Ex: Driving in a car with screaming babies is inficete unless you create impromptu rap songs with your sister.

Ok, thanks for reading folks. Check my blog tomorrow for some pictures of the wedding (and some very nice mountains!). Have a nice day...

Fondest regards,
Dr. J