Tuesday, February 17, 2009

O Canada

Last weekend while shopping I told the clerk that "I don't need a bag." With the use of the words "don't" and "bag" in one sentence, I drove her to ask if I was from Canada.

I laughed really really hard.

Then I said nooooooooooooo in a Wisconsin accent :)

Monday, February 09, 2009

The Business of Layers


Tonight I attended a Kalb Report event - a George Washington Forum on journalism. The topic was "The Business of Business Reporting." Alexis Glick of Fox Business Network, Diana Henriques of The New York Times, Steve Pearlstein of the Washington Post, and Ali Velshi of CNN joined Marvin Kalb to talk about the role journalists in shaping how the American public thinks about business and the economy, particularly at this time. One of thoughts I most enjoyed was shared by Steve Pearlstein who writes for the Washington Post and said that Americans have been spending 6% over our means... meaning we spend $1.06 for every $1.00 we earn. He said we need to spend $0.96 for every dollar we earn... a downsize of our personal economies. An interesting way to think about it.

One of the presenters was Alexis Glick from Fox News. I identified with her as a young professional though she has attained a bit more thus far by way of becoming famous and outspoken. Look at this lady with a husband and three children. I'm placing myself on the Alexis Glick ten year plan for happiness and success.

Then after the intense session on a gloomy economy, a woman approached my friend and I. Perhaps she wanted to ask about my career as an attorney, I thought. Maybe we would engage in conversation about our alma maters, ran through my head. But what she asked perplexed me more than the event. She asked, Where did you two get your hair cut? The layering is fantastic. Unbelievable commentary.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

BASE

Tonight I saw six short films at the Banff Mountain Film Festival about extreme mountain sports. The most tempting to me, even topping extreme mountain hiking/skiing, and extreme mountain climbing, was BASE jumping. To be a BASE jumper, apparently you need to jump from each of the four:

* Building
* Antenna
* Span
* Earth


These jumps have led to many fatalities due to the jumpers proximity to their object and numerous other reasons. Also common are arrests and convictions because often the object being jumped from is not an approved one.

Due to the high risk involved in BASE jumping, I am going to opt for jumping up and clicking my heels together but not actually jumping off anything. Baby steps. I cannot even imagine jumping from the Eiffel Tower.

Monday, February 02, 2009

True Confessions

1. I ran Saturday morning in 25 degree weather that clearly erased my ability to function. I fell down. Just fell. Right there near my friend's apartment. I fell. There was no ice. There were no jagged brick sidewalks. I just flew onto my hands and sprawled on the sidewalk with my headphones laying about. True confessions.

2. I postponed buying a cool Lykke Li ticket (Swedish indie rocker) because fees ran the price up to be about $7 more. I let the cheap skate side of my brain get the best of me and the tickets sold out. As a result I didn't get to eat a hamburger for dinner before the concert. I have been hungry for a hamburger since giving blood several weeks ago when the nurse told me to eat more hamburgers. That Lykke concert was clutch because I ate a hamburger before I saw her last fall. But no. I was too cheap to purchase a ticket ahead of time. True confessions.

3. I bought a multitude of John Vanderslice tickets 2 minutes after they went on sale Friday. He sings a song with my name in the title. I bought more tickets than I have friends. True Confessions.