Random

[urbpan]

I know there are zoo themed videogames out there, where you design exhibits or group animals together by type or whatever. But a realistic zookeeper game would essentially be a floor cleaning simulator. And then I could say, hey man, that isn't realistic! Where's the different textures of animal poop? Where's the stench?

Horrible icy morning today. I stepped out onto my sidewalk and just barely avoided falling on my ass. I minced my way (sorry Alex, I was wrong, swaggering on ice doesn't work) the half mile or so to the city lot to get to Alexis' car. At one point Charlie wanted to abandon the mission, but we were past the pnr. Then I hacked my way into the car, and v-e-e-e-r-r-r-r-r-y carefully backed out of the skating rink I mean parking lot. I didn't want to reenact this well worn video from a Portland ice storm:

So about this Facebook thing. I haven't totally figured it out, but it really seems like livejournal is more intuitive. Or maybe since I've been on lj for more than 5 years it just feels that way. It's neat to contact people you haven't seen in a while, but what if you were trying to avoid them? Also, are there really things that you want to scream to the world, your coworkers, your drinking buddy, your boss' wife, and your grandma? I suppose that applies to lj too, but at least I know how to make a post friends only.

Saw Master and Commander last night. I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought it was. The naturalist stuff was cute (taking measurements of tortoises that were completely ignoring them) but not much else grabbed me. I felt like the message that "surgery was painful back then" was repeated unnecessarily. Two surgeries: a limb amputation on a child, and a bullet removal done by the surgeon on himself. Oh, and some brain surgery, too. There were more surgeries than naval battles. A one armed ten year old boy leads a decisive defeat of French privateers! And it ends as though we'll tune into another episode next week. (I realize that it's based on a series of novels.) My mother in law loved this movie, also Apocalypto. The only thing I can think they have in common is that they are period pieces with scenes of surgery without anaesthesia. Make of that what you will.

Edited to add: Here's a fun toy for aracnhophiles.

Comments

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

that video from one of our ice storms is hilarious and terrifying. my friend lives next to the balcony from which this was shot, and indeed, to call it a treacherous hill is to make the understatement of the year. i could barely get up it ON FOOT; i had to sort of claw my way up while holding onto branches of the shrubs growing along the sidewalk. and going back down was worse! i fully expected to fall and ZING! all the way down to the twisty bottom. good times in hilly spots when ice storms come a'callin....