Baby, some say it never went out of style

Photo update, see below. This photograph was taken with a Blackberry 8100 from a moving car; while tailing a city bus.

In progress

Folks, there are some HUGE things in the works. As those ideas percolate and develop from a pouch of primordial slime, here's a tidbit...

I am currently in the pre-planning stages of starting a new series here called Interview with an Unlicensed Physician. Totally true.

This is still in its infancy, but I'm feeling very confident about it. A combination of information (though not to be taken as medical advice) and a study-guide for armchair physicians everywhere, this series should prove a welcome addition to late-2007.

Here are excerpts from a recent email conversation.

Justin: If paramedics are called and the body is DOA, do they drop the body off at a hospital or at the city morgue? Would they ever bring someone who died of a heart attack to a hospital? Organ donor? Or basically if the paramedics show up and the person is dead they get shuffled off somewhere else?

Unlicensed Physician: The paramedics and police bring the body to the ER if there are any signs that the person is alive or was alive recently. ... It they have no vital signs (no heart beat, not breathing) and have signs that they have been dead for some time (rigor mortis), or have an injury incompatible with life (decapitation) they can be taken straight to the morgue.

Genius.

Especially when he describes decapitation as incompatible with life.

Illustration

With regards to my earlier posting on my invaded parking space, below is a photograph of the previously mentioned invasion. This is right off the presses, current to Saturday, 10/27/07.

Look at how the kick stand is over the line. And the drape of his motorcycle sheath is most certainly falling into my space. He taunts me by leaving the wheels on his side. Oh, how he taunts me. Or she.

The orator, Pt. II

It appears that the video link within the posting below wasn't functional over the weekend. From what I can tell, it's up and running.

Apologies for any wheel-spinning you may have endured.

The orator, Pt. I

For those of you who missed it live a few years ago, here is a video of my college commencement address.

I remember that writing the speech was a difficult process - particulary the parts where I attempted to come up with something that wasn't reminiscent of the "off into the world" speeches that I had heard before. The speech went through about five drafts, finally resting on this version. The bulk of the text was written while waiting on lines at Six Flags during Senior Week. Kudos to ZNog for helping me sort through the catalogue of dialogue lines on the table AND for encouraging me to eat a whole turkey leg right before riding the Batman ride.

Mixed signals

Just back from a weekend in Ann Arbor with Tiniest. The Michigan University campus is pretty close to what you'd expect for a school of that stature - rolling quads, interesting mix of campus architecture, and a main drag with independent bookstores, coffee shops, and an Urban Outfitters.

It was a great weekend getaway. As usual, eating was a HUGE part of the experience. With that in mind...

I strongly recommend you visit Zingerman's, a combination delicatessen/grocery that has a real slant towards organic and local ingredients. We bought more cheese than should be allowed to sit unrefrigerated on a four-hour drive.

On the other side of the coin, I strongly do NOT recommend you visit the restaurant pictured below. While I am unsure of its intentions in a rather unfortunate name, I would rather not find out by actually going inside. There are a few permutations that make me instantly lose my appetite.

A free haiku is offered to anyone who can give an acceptable explanation of this name. $100 to the owner of this restaurant if s/he participates in a interview with me regarding their corporate branding.



Ann Arbor, MI; 10/20/07 @ 6:00pm

No one listens

I wrote the title to this post before actually thinking of what I wanted to write.

The gist of it was the people tend to care more about the sounds of their own voices rather than engaging in the actual conversation they pretend to be in. Apparently, I was so interested in coming up with a witty headline that I forgot to pay attention to my brain that was trying to come up with something worthwhile to discourse.

And although this is not a first (for anyone), I do take offense that I have effectively tuned myself out.

Also on the subject of listening...

I happened to catch episode 1.02 of Cavemen. For those who haven't seen Cavemen, it's ABC's most recent effort to change itself into brothel. They've actually outdone themselves as the premise for Cavemen stems from television commercial characters.

However, it should be noted that I did laugh at the following scene:

- Two cavemen are looking at a website about Russian mail-order brides
- Another caveman comes in; this caveman is the most "modern human" of all of the cavemen, and tries to convince his compatriots that they should assimilate.
- The two cavemen looking at the website about Russian mail-order brides start talking to each other in Russian.
- The "modern" caveman looks at them sternly and asks them to stop talking in Russian.

I believe that this was a subtle reference the possibility that primative man may have crossed the Bering Strait. The Bering Strait separates Russia from Alaska and it has been hypothesized that man may have walked this distance in prehistoric times.

Or maybe it was a bullshit throw-away line and I wasted my laughter.

Someone please find me a writer from Cavemen to confirm the intent of this joke.