Randoms Log 1
It occurred to me that I’m a person who likes ramble. Lucky for you, I’ve kept that to a minimum here on this blog. On the other hand, this blog has been lacking some character lately so I thought I would incorporate a few ramblings into single posts every so often. Feel free to comment on any given ramble, or completely ignore them and wait until I post something worth your while. Cheers.
Hair
My hair appears to have reached a max-length. It’s grown longer than I’ve ever really had it. But now in the shower I’m starting to notice that hairs from my head seem to be clogging up the drain. I have a feeling I’m going to be losing my hair quicker than I think.
Driving
I can’t stand slow drivers. I understand folks driving moving vans or big rigs or it’s somehow obvious that you’ve got a motor problem where I can see smoke coming out of our hood. But besides those people, everyone should be driving fast. The speed limit should really be 85 MPH on all highways that are currently 65 MPH. And what’s with three lane roads that have 35 MPH speed limits. Have you ever driven that slow? Really, try it. It’s hard.
Canadian Beer
In all honesty, wasn’t as great as I thought it was going to be. After trying a dozen Hefeweizen beers in Vancouver, my conclusion is that America still makes better Hef’s (yes, even better than Belgium). People generally say American beer is crap, but it’s not true. It’s just that the only “American beer” people can think of is Budweiser, Miller, or Coors. Go out and try a Widmer Brother, a Blue Moon, a Sierra Nevada, or a Gordon Bierch. You know what I’m talking about.
The Portland Airport has free wifi
I think all airports should have free wifi. Just like the city of Mountain View.
Playing songs on repeat
I am creature of the “repeat song” feature that media players include. When I hear a song I like, I play it to death; over and over and over again. I amaze myself though that even when I’ve played a song 50 times over, I still won’t know the words. It doesn’t mean I’m not listening, it just means I’m listening to their voices, not their words. I consider a song successful if I feel the way the artist had intended, even if I didn’t understand the words.
Canon vs Nikon
This age old debate still seems to populate forums and mailing lists. I personally shoot with Nikon, and I have my own reasons why that I’m not going to into. But really, if you’re one of those people that still complains about this, you’re not taking enough pictures. The only thing that Canon and Nikon users can both agree on, is that they’re both better than Sony and Pentax.
I’ve been using Twitter for almost a year now and it’s hard to say why I keep using it. There’s a funny paradox that runs across my mind every time I send a message to Twitter. You see, I do it as a personal benefit to myself. Like keeping a little journal of snippets of what I’m doing as I live. I figure that one day it will actually be interesting to go back and read. On the other hand, I keep my Twitters public and I have “friends” on Twitter. With that in mind I always think to myself “people are going to read this, so I should be clever.” Often times, that keeps me from twittering anything at all. Every twitter I make, I think it’s going to be the last; until I send another.
Seriously. Still?
Camping
I have always said, and will always say “Camping without a camp fire is pointless.” If you didn’t have a camp fire, then you didn’t go camping. Period.
Bike to work day
About ten months ago it was Bike to work Day. Kind of like an Earth Day. You know, keep the car at home and pollute the earth a little less than you normally do. I took on this feat, however, I didn’t bike back home (I got a ride back). To this day, my bike has been sitting next to my desk. Perhaps the next Bike to work Day that rolls around, I’ll return home with my bike.
Sushi
About a week ago I tried Sushi for the first time, probably ever, and it wasn’t bad.
March 2nd, 2008 at 7:39 am
For another great American-made beer give Redhook a try.
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I totally know what you mean about listening to vocals but not hearing the words. Some of my favorite songs of all time I simply don’t know the words to. The voice is just another instrument to me in a way, but I still undestand the singer’s emotions. Nobody ever understands when I try to explain this!
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Yes, still Facebook. It’s the social network for the non-techies who haven’t yet discovered FriendFeed.
And I use a Canon PowerShot SD750 which I am very happy with. I won’t start a debate on which of Canon and Nikon is better, since I have never used a Nikon.
March 2nd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Haha. One thing about random blog entries is that you get random comments, which are perfectly on-topic :)
@Caustic: Redhook is quite good too. I’ve given that one a try a few times
@Raine: Yeah, I had a hard time simply explaining it within my randomness. My favorite male singer of all time is Eddie Vedder, and I never know 90% of the stuff he’s saying
@Voyagerfan5761: Haha. Nice one about FriendFeed. Also, plenty of my good friends shoot Canon. Nikon is in the minority of sales for overall cameras, but they’re right in the mix for SLR’s. I love playing with any new camera when I can get my hands on them. It’s always fun to try things out.
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Consider this an open invitation to come backpacking in Grand Canyon (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunaport/sets/72157602819145766/), where no fires are allowed, and then tell me it’s not camping. I know what you mean, though. I’d say, if you pull your car up to the camp site, it’s not camping.
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:29 pm
@Dustin Diaz: I have a point-and-shoot, not an SLR. I think my dad has a Nikon, though. It’s film. I wonder how long he’ll be able to keep it going… Seeing as how Kodak no longer makes film. :-/
March 3rd, 2008 at 4:11 am
All you happy people with your great stuff:P
But for me it’s the photographer who makes the pix and not the cam;)
I have “just” a Canon EOS 350D(Canon Digital Rebel XT), because i had not the money for a “real” proficam:/
I bought it 1 year ago, but i hated it…
It was to complicated for me, so i stoped it…
Since 3 weeks, as my releationship stopped i had to search something agains the brainfuck.
So i took the cam and “yea, atm i’m loving & and enjoying it
here’s a shot from yesterday http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragtek/2305602494/
i realy like it:)
March 3rd, 2008 at 5:50 am
[…] —Dustin Diaz […]
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:26 am
I got an album last week, and I’ve already play just one song 35 times, but I like to listen and understand the lyrics, well, not always.
Twitter also got me, but I dont have a reason already to do it, yours seems to be a good one.
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:56 am
The example I use to describe listening to vocals as instruments is Rock-apella. It’s the new term for contemporary pop, rock, alternative music sung completely acapella. If the group is good, you feel the emotion, you hear the music in the voices - the words are but additional notes.
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:19 am
hah, good luck with the biking!
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:30 am
I’ve actually cut camping trips short and gone home early due to not being able to have a campfire.
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 am
Dustin, you nailed it on the head with the playing songs on repeat and never knowing the lyrics. Also Raine, right on the money, just another instrument. All of this allows for me to truly enjoy doom/black/death metal as much as I do :)
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 am
@ragtek: I couldn’t agree more. The photographer makes the photo :) A philosophy I’ve subscribed to since day one.
@Brian: point taken. Still, no fire? Surely you could make it happen ;)
@Juan: I find it humorous to go back and see the “song played” statistic. And finding out you just heard something “35 times” is sometimes spooky. You think to yourself, “whoa, did I really play that thing 35 times?” And Twitter. Yeah…
@Dubious: I’ll remember that. Rockapella.
@Matt: Bike remains here.
@Scottie: Hahaha. Nice. I’d do the same.
@Andrew: Cool, I’m glad others feel the same as I’ve found in the comments.
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
I not:(
I thougth the Cam makes the photos*g*
Good cam = good photo
Bad cam = bad photo
but then i saw that good cam != good photo
its all about the man behind the cam AND the man who looks at the photo.
March 3rd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I completely agree with the speed limit. In fact, they should copy the driving system in Europe. The far right lane is 50mph and ALL trucks/vans must remain in that lane or else they get a ticket. The lane after that is 65 mph for people who want a little more thrill in life, and the left two lanes are 80MPH. How do people remember all this? They label the speed limits above the appropriate lane every 3-5 miles or so.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Sometimes I don’t think Eddie knows what he’s singing, but love the music, same with Serj.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Dude:
With a head of hair like that you don’t have to worry about losing it, unless of course baldness runs in your family. I’ve had a head of hair like that all of my 61 years and baldness runs in my family. If you don’t got the genes, then you’ll die with it.
In Maine, we drink the best … Shipyard, Geary’s, Katahdin. Try some.
Bo
March 5th, 2008 at 4:52 am
jea
a second beer discussion
on my board www.ragtek.org we also have now a dicsussion which beer is the best
its a neverending story
in austria there are just 1,2 realy good sorts
March 5th, 2008 at 4:54 am
another question:
do you “cache”(save the url in your db) your flickr images or do you take the newest on the fly?
March 6th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I just tryed Sushi for the first time last month and have been eating it weekly ever since, its good stuff!!
March 8th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I say ramble on as much as you like, we love reading whatever the rant is about anyways, by the way I love sushi to.
March 11th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I don’t know if hair falls out more or if it’s just more noticeable once it gets to a certain lenght; probably a little of both. Regardless, it doesn’t (necessarily) mean that you’re going to go bald. I had the same thing happen both times I’ve grown my hair out. I can’t help you with the drain thing, though. Never managed to get around that one myself.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:11 am
You should try Sushi more often - it’s great! :)
I second you on the driving speeds thing.
March 28th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Dustin, the more I read of these personal type blog entries, the more I realize we truly are brothers of some sort. We are way too much a like.
–Hair
LOL @ Your hair. I could never let mine do that… 1/2″ at the most for me
–Driving
No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to stay at the speed limit. I too find 65mph wayyyyy too slow and prudish. Guess that explains my $720 speeding ticket from VA back in Dec. :(
–Canadian Beer
America does have some fine beers. But Germany still has the whole world beat. Maybe I am biased because that is where I learned to drink…
–The Portland Airport has free wifi
I would go ape crazy if I had WiFi available to me wherever I went with my MBP. Let the WiFi proliferate!
–Playing songs on repeat
I am just glad it’s not just me. I almost feel guilt for the way I’ll buy a song and put it on repeat and ignore the rest of my library for days. I also don’t ever seem to learn the lyrics. Not only am I listening to the voices, but I tune in closely to each instrument. Must be the ~ 10 years of school band paying off. ;)
–Canon vs Nikon
I went cheap and bought an Olympus and now wish I had a Nikon or Canon. :(
–Twitter
For the life of me, I cannot understand why anyone would twitter.
–Facebook
No kidding…not only is it still around, it somehow gets progressively worse!
–Camping
Amen
–Bike to work day
Baaaaaaa-hahahahahah!
–Sushi
Funny thing. Last summer I tried the rolls for the first time and fell in love. Then a couple months ago I tried the raw slabs of fish on rice (what’s that called again?). Anyway, I also fell in love with that. It is some darn good stuff!