Beverages/Generic: Big K sodas

You can find Big K sodas at Kroger groceries. I've been a fan of their variety, taste, and relative cheapness for some time now. However, not all Big K soda is created equal.

Tastes good to me:

• Big K Orange Soda - There are two empty cans of this stuff sitting on my desk right now. To my tongue, it's got a bit more mellowed out taste than name brand orange sodas. To someone elses platter, it may seem as a little flat. I enjoy more fruit than bite.
• Big K Root Beer - It's not as full-flavored as the more expensive stuff, but I'm still all about it. Once again, it's pretty mellow-tasting.
• Big K "Dr. K" - This Dr. Pepper clone tastes about the same as it's expensive competitor. Unlike the root beer and orange soda, it does have a good bit of carbonated bite.
• Big K "Citrus Drop" - It does taste somewhat like Mountain Dew, but I like it a bit better. I don't have a good reason, either.
• Big K Grape Soda - I love fruit flavored soda. This stuff is tasty, but has some bite to it.

Not so fond:

• Big K Cola - I generally steer away from most colas... and this one is no different. However, it's just fine to mix drinks. (Much cheaper too...)
• Big K diet sodas - I rather dislike diet soda, but Big K diet soda is a new level of bad. The taste reminds me of drinking a room temperature, watered down non-diet soda.
• Big K *diet* Koolers - Koolers are pretty much non-carbonated sugar drinks in a can. Some of the non-diet ones are kinda good. The diet versions can be downright un-drinkable. I had a diet lemonade Kooler that was positively sour. I had a friend (who swears by diet drinks) have a sip. She had to spit it out.

You may be wondering how I get all these flavors without buying a 12-pack of every variety. It's quite simple. I buy the store wrapped (gigantic) packs of assorted Big K drinks. Whenever a 12-pack busts, they save back the good cans. This seems very common as the aluminum cans they use are a good bit thinner and more fragile than name-brand sodas. You can pick up a 24-pack for about $1.99, last I checked.

If you are determined, you can switch some flavors around between the wrapped giant packs and get exactly what you want. Nobody wants diet lemondade.

Click/Generic: what i've been looking at

Humor:

A friend pointed me toward the "Lasagna Cat" videos on YouTube. Yes, I'm aware they've been around for awhile. I'm slow. If you have been left out of the mix like I was, here's a light summary: Garfield comics acted out. A homemade music video follows.

Some of the videos make me laugh. Others nearly make me soil myself.



Website: http://www.lasagnacat.com/

Stuff I Feed Bad About Liking:

Today, I downloaded Joost. It lets you see TV shows and stuff over a legal P2P network. I was expecting something that would lag my computer and install browser "toolbars" without permission.

Although I didn't go crazy searching for spyware, I can say that Joost runs surprisingly well and is positively full of content. I even saw some Scissor Sisters videos I'd never seen anywhere else.

The video is rather high quality and the user interface is downright easy to use.

The downside? You still have to sit through commercials. Also, I'm sure they made it hard to copy the videos to any other source.

I hate liking something that seems to have such corporate approval, but I'm afraid they may have done a good job this time. If you want to keep people from pirating your material, make it easier to legally access.

Website: http://www.joost.com/

Good stuff on TV (described for the television attention span):

Transamerican Love Story - trans batchelorette , dating reality show that doesn't take itself seriously, loads of fun, look up the first episode on Joost (see above) or catch it on Logo

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy - deadpan kids show, beautiful animation, lots of intellectual humor, some adult humor (i.e. references to "Mom and Dad's 'special DVD'"), clowns hate tangelos, look for it on Cartoon Network

Those Snickers Commercials - fun costumes, robin hood, viking, pilgrim, the feast

ShamWow! Commercials - talking fast about a towel, woman claiming it changed her life, made in germany (a country known for towels?), enthusiasm over cleaning, call now?

Personal/Generic: where have i been?

So I'm back on summer break. Good 'ol hometown. There's not a lot to do here, but it is home. This last semester went well. Some of my comics have been published in the editorial section of the school newspaper, which has an estimated circulation of 30,000 people. I'm not sure the number is totally accurate, but anything within 10,000 of that number is OK with me.

I figured some more things out about myself, too. It's all a tad private, but I will say it's gone very well.

Having said all that, I'm ready to get back to blogging.

Stuck in My Head/Generic: Tegan and Sara

Artist: Tegan and Sara
Album: The Con
Song: Back In Your Head

Where I first saw/heard this: flipping through TV channels
Snap judgement: totally rad


I've had this song in my head for week, so far. It's a good thing, really. I first heard Tegan and Sara on NPR while driving back home for Thanksgiving and their interview brightened up an otherwise boring journey. I meant to look them up on last.fm when I got home, but I was totally exhausted.

While home for winter break, I've been enjoying all the extra channels on digital cable. I happened to stumble upon the video for 'Back In Your Head' as I flipped to LOGO.

You can look up biographical details on your own, since anything I could write in a few sentences might reduce them to a novelty upon first reading. (Not that any of it is at all bad.) Their music seems to stand on its own without gimmicky labeling.

More information:
NPR Music: Tegan and Sara's Walk in the 'Park'
Tegan and Sara - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tegan and Sara – Music at Last.fm

My Documents/Generic: old papers

Title: "Mood Disorders - Criminal Behavior and Violence"
Class: Forensic Psychology
Date: April 2006
Excerpt from: Heading under Fitness to Stand Trial

"Because of a good possibility for successful treatment [in the incidence of mood disorder], the forensic evaluator should always refer a client to treatment if he or she is experiencing an acute episode of illness before conclusively determining them unfit to stand trial. This, I might add, is probably common sense. "


Title: "Sexual Morality"
Class: Ethics
Date: Summer 2007
Excerpt from: "Part 1: Response to Traditionalism"

"The concept of perversion is interpreted by traditionalists as pure sin. Libertarians take a lighter view: variety. "

Click/Generic: what i've been looking at

Humor:

Lurking around at somethingawful.com, I found an installment of "Photoshop Phriday" that made me choke with something resembling laughter. It's titled "A Boring Day at the Airport." I'm at a loss for words to describe the silliness.

Website: http://www.somethingawful.com/d/photoshop-phriday/boring-day-at.php

Found on Wikipedia:

"Hedy Lamarr (November 9, 1913 – January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American Jewish actress and communications technology innovator. Though known primarily for her great beauty and her successful film career, she also co-invented an early form of spread spectrum, a key to modern wireless communication."

Apparently, she helped develop a form of frequency hopping (in the early 40's) that was the root of CDMA technology. Until recently, she was only remembered as a Hollywood starlet.

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr

Culture:

The "Commercial Closet Association" advocates for respect and equality in advertising portrayals of GLBT individuals. They also serve as a gigantic repository for some very fun ads, as well as a sizeable chunk of stereotypical and intolerant marketing.

I'm quite sure what to make of it all. From all the new positive and equality-promoting ads coming into mainstream rotation (at least on Bravo or MTV), I'd like to hope that companies are trying to be fair in marketing. (Indeed, many companies do seem to be making honest efforts.)

Either that, or they've realized that everyone's money is just as green.

Website: http://www.commercialcloset.org/

Good stuff on TV (described for the television attention span):

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace - live action on Adult Swim, didn't expect it to make me laugh so hard, too bad there were only six episodes

Project Runway (Season 4) - the only reality TV I can stomach, fun fun fun, secretly wish I could sew

"Santa Baby" Victoria's Secret Ad - pretty girl singing, wow, loss for words

An introduction...

It has occurred to me that I may be looking for a job in a few years, following my graduation. Most any career advice these days mentions cleaning up your online act, essentially whitewashing your life's experiences and opinions apart from the mainstream. I'm working too hard for my degree to ignore such advice.

Hence, I'm coming off my year's hiatus from journaling. My identity isn't a closely-guarded secret by any means. I'm just not going to wave it about for all to see. If you put my real name in a search engine, you'll undoubtedly see some cool accomplishments. I even made the AP wire once.

I can tell you a few things about myself:

1. I love to build, design, and invent.
2. I'm rather fond of photography and it's won me enough money to pay off my camera.
3. I am known to draw a terrible comic strip (coming to a photcopied flyer near you). I think it's funny. You may or may not.
4. I'm very liberal.
5. I will rabidly defend anyone who is GLBTQ (or something of that nature).
6. I run Windows XP Pro and Fedora Linux.
7. I have a weird obsession with rotary phones.
8. I'm a vegetarian.
9. I'm in a classic cowboy band, but it's not my kind of music at all.
10. I think hot pink is a bitchin' color.

I used to have a negative outlook on life, which has largely changed in recent years. That isn't to say I never get down in the dumps. I do, but I deal with it in much more constructive manners.

Social activism interests me. When I see "hate preachers" on campus, something inside me boils and I itch to do something positive about it. I only hate people based on how much they frustrate me as an individual. (i.e. A MySpace page full of Java applets and usesless Flash crap that slows down my computer.)

I keep my sexuality a little ambiguous, since it affords so much freedom of expression. Few people know what I really am, and it makes me giggle when they guess.

So now you know more about me...