NEWS BLOW

Ok. I have a confession.

I’m a news junkie.

An Open Apology to the blogosphere

Gentlemen...and the few ladies that frequent this site.


It has been quite awhile since my last post. I assure you a couple are in the works. No more typing out my thoughts, time to bring in the revolution of video blogging.

Get Ready

The 80's vs. Today: Youtube Culture Comparison #2

So a few weeks back I posted the first in what is now a series on a look at our culture today and back in the 80's through the lens of the music video.

Why the music video?  For one, because the music video was new back in the 80's, so it's interesting to take a look back and see how music videos have changed and how they haven't.  And two, I like music videos.  I've also been focusing on the New Wave and Indie genres—for now—because many New Wave artists were the first to make really effective music videos, and because Indie artists tend to make, well, let's say interesting music videos.  Also they were/are both not quite mainstream but fairly popular.

This episodes choices both have a slight semblance of plot, which allows viewers to attempt to read between the lines and come up with a deeper meaning, even though there probably isn't one.  Classic strategy!

6 Month Anniversary of having lots of pool parties

It's winter. And no one wants to get SAD, so I think it's appropriate to reflect on how amazing of a summer I had.

Fish...and plants...and you acting like you care!

Apologies in advance for not being able to a) hold a camera still or b) own a tripod:

Don't you want to know what is in the tank? And don't you want to see the other tank too?

Winter Squash Soup

So this is something new—a recipe!

I enjoy cooking and I've tried a descent number of new recipes since starting grad school.  Some turn out better than others.  I thought this one turned out very well, so I thought I'd share.

Squash soup is definitely one of my favorite soups.  It fills me up with a warm, happy feeling as soon as I taste it, so it is perfect for long, cold winter nights.  It's also perfect because this is the traditional season for  squash, so its more sustainable than making, say, a gazpacho.

When I cook, I tend to read a few recipes and then roughly follow a combination of them, so I apologize for any inexactness hereinafter.  But it still turned out really well despite the lack of recipe, so I think it's a very modifiable dish.  It took me a little under two hours in total to make, but it doesn't require constant attention so I was doing other things while it was cooking as well.  So overall I think it's pretty easy, and yummy.

Ted's year end early new year update, Pt. 1

Hey guys.  Apologies for starting a post and then not finishing it until several weeks later rendering it obselete—and ancient by internet standards—on arrival.  I've done this a few times, and I still have some stuff that I need to update from this summer.

First a digression: when I started this post, I'm was cruising above central Florida at around 39,000 feet and 445 knots, using free holiday wifi.  I continue to be impressed by how our lives keep progressing towards total, constant connection.  This would have been unheard of a few years ago.

Anyway the point of this post is to give an update on what I've been up to the past few days, weeks, and months.  Why was I on an airplane over Florida?  Well I was on my way to Minnesota from the Dominican Republic where my sister just had her wedding ceremony.  I've told some of you about this but this is probably news to some of you that I haven't talked to very recently, which is a sign that we need to catch up.

Before They Were Big Shots...

400 & 300!

400 & 300. What do these numbers MEAN?

Well. Let's start with the number 400. It's our 400th post! Pretty crazy stuff. We've come along way and I am really proud of us keeping it up for so long!

And then there is the number 300. I'm less excited about this one. Can anyone guess why the number 300 is significant today? Could it be the name of my favorite movie? Could it be the number of times I checked my email in the last week? Or is it the number of calories in the meal I just had?

Caribbean Winter

For those of you whom I haven't updated, I live in St. Thomas, USVI now. Sort of.

For the next 4+ months, I will be spending the majority of my time in the U.S. Virgin Islands, shuttling between my house, my office, and the beach in a rental car driving on the left side of the road. I will likely return stateside for a week or so every three weeks, but this could vary significantly based on workload, etc. While I still pay rent and have a car in Minneapolis, I now have a permanent place while I am down here (i.e. not a hotel).

This entire experience is cool for a number of reasons:

1) It's currently winter. In Minneapolis, this means it is likely a negative temperature with windchill. In St. Thomas, it means that it's 75-80 degrees and the swells are a bit better for surfing.

2) I'm meeting lots of people I would never have otherwise met. Everybody who lives down here has a cool story (bro), and a lot of people are down here living their dreams instead of slogging away in a job stateside that they'd rather not do. This means they are interesting.

3) I get the snorkel/surf/scuba dive. I just bought a surfboard!! Let's go surfing now!

4) The work I'm doing is really cool, I'm learning a ton, and making myself more valuable. You know when you're in a situation where you feel like you're just bettering yourself? Getting good experience that you know will make you more useful in a specific role in the future? That's how I feel about the work that I'm doing right now, and that feels good. I like self-improvement.

5) I can haz visitors. The place I'm living is a guesthouse of a larger house, with no kitchen, but there's plenty of floor space and a queen size bed, so I can fit in one or two bros who make the trek down. Plus, the double doors open to steps that lead directly down to a patio complete with infinity pool (see here - same bay/view, different pool).

So, even though we may continue to push off Brocation 1.0 (Cuzco, Peru, anyone?), a Long Caribbean Weekend is beckoning.