Czeltic Girl

This is why you’re fat*

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 | Bloggity goodness | No Comments

Now I’ve never been a big fan of Cheesecake Factory. Their portions are stupidly big and their food is pretty mediocre. Plus, much a fan of air conditioning as I am, every one I’ve been in has been cold enough to store meat. (Pro tip: I should not have to wear a sweater to eat at your establishment in mid-summer.)

I’m even less of a fan of the place after reading this: Cheesecake Factory Calorie Counter.

Two words: Holy. Crap.

As Miz Christyl points out, “Yeah! Morning quesadilla — 2000+ calories. Your entire caloric quota for the day, done by 10 am!”

Guess it saves you the trouble of having to eat later in the day.

(*This is not why I’m fat. I’m fat because I like beer. And pizza. And beer and pizza. And my sofa. But Cheesecake Factory gets none of the credit.)

Please, no.

Friday, June 26th, 2009 | Fun With Teh Intarweb | 1 Comment

This is one of those things that seemed very funny at first, and then made me kind of sad, because Hollywood often thinks things like this are a good idea.

Storyboards from Michael Bay’s “The Great Gatsby”

Then again, it’s got robots.

Also, is Tom Buchanan in this movie? He’s kind of a pretty big part of the book. I noticed that Daisy has a robot named “Tom-E.” That can’t be Tom, right?

And I think I’m going to have to go re-read the book. All the times I’ve read it, I seem to have missed the Mayor Wolfsheim character. Then again, I missed the robots, so maybe I wasn’t paying very close attention.

Happy blog day to me…

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 | Bloggity goodness, Life in Czeltistan, You Call This News? | 3 Comments

See? Even Norm’s excited. Though were it not for Mr. m@, I’d never remember that June 24 is officially Czeltic Day. This year is the seventh anniversary. My, how time flies.

Isn’t age seven the “age of reason” for children according to the law? Gosh, I hope I’ve taught it well.

It’s been a long week, and it’s damned hot, so I’m looking to get off the computer (I’m pretty sure it’s using me as a heat sink). I’d write something witty about the last seven years and the changes the internet has gone through, but I’m feeling more melty than witty, and no one needs to hear any more grousing from me about the heat. (Oh, god. It’s only June. *weeps quietly*) So here are a few links I’ve come across in the last few weeks that I found fun or interesting. Hope you find them fun and interesting as well.

1. Morning people vs. Night people I fall strongly into the second camp. I’m a firm believer the day should start no earlier than 10am, but I can’t seem to convince the rest of the world that everyone can get enough work done between 11am and 6pm to make that work. It is nice to know though, that next time a morning person gives me that “damn, you’re lazy” look because I’m not awake early, I can point out that it’s just a difference in how our brains are wired. And, then since night people get stronger as the day goes on, I’ll wait until the morning person is settling in for the night to beat them up. They’ll never see it coming.

2. We want to watch Jurassic Park I love that they included the cat. You know you want to flag this as “best of craigslist.” You should do that.

3. So just what the hell are Grape Nuts? Did you say “flour?” Yeah, they’re pretty much what you think they are, but it’s still a good piece about them. Or maybe I just think that because I have a little place in my heart for Grape Nuts. You have to love anything that improves the taste and texture of your yogurt and makes a tasty meatloaf.

Oh, and before I go, let me take a minute and say thanks to all of you for stopping by. It always kind of amazes me anyone reads this. Hmm. Maybe I should add my Twitter feed so you have something to read more often. Yeah. I think that’s what I’ll give the blog for its birthday. Much better than a silly party hat. (I’m not giving the cat a party hat for her birthday this year, either. It took me hours to get the photo for it last year. Cats are not keen on headgear.)

No, no. I ordered the chicken.

Friday, June 19th, 2009 | Bloggity goodness | 2 Comments

Excuse Me, Waiter…? There’s a Large Bird of Prey in My Soup.

Lunch with an uninvited hawk, including photos. (Don’t worry, squeamish types. There’s nothing gross.)

Sometimes surprise lunch guests are the most interesting.

Picture day

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 | Design-y Bits, Tunes! | 2 Comments

Today’s post is all about photos — lovely collections of photos. (So, naturally, I do not have one posted for you to stare at. You’ll just have to click the links below.)

1) Nick Brandt has some stunning black & white photographs of African animals. They’re made all the more impressive by this statement from the photographer: “I get extremely close to these very wild animals, often within a few feet of them. I don’t use telephoto lenses.” Make sure you think of that when you see the photo of the sitting lionesses.

2) Six extraordinarily stubborn nail houses. And no, I didn’t post this because of Pixar’s “Up.” Until today, I knew nothing about Up, except that a) I haven’t seen one single ad for it anywhere, b) apparently everyone else on the internet has, and c) Nathan Fillion claims that you can use it as a robot test. Oh, and I know from everyone telling me so that it’ll make you cry. (Which, I guess, also tells me that it’s probably not a movie where stuff blows up a lot or there are evil, scary aliens. Damn.)

3) Astronomy Picture of the Day. One of my daily stops as I browse the intertubes. If you’ve got some extra time, go through the archives (or just click on the little left arrow button next to the word “Archives” in the footer). There are some really awesome sights to be seen.

4) Martin Wilson makes fun (and pretty amazing) works that use every frame of a 35mm roll of film to create a single larger work. I think Oranges and Lemons is my favorite.

(Big thanks to Coudal for the first two of these links. I will repay the favor with links for you as soon as I can find something cool before you. Be patient. That’s a tough task.)

But I have a crunchberry tree in the back yard

Thursday, June 4th, 2009 | You Call This News? | 1 Comment

We really need to institute a stupidity tax for our legal system, specifically for instances like this.

On May 21, a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California dismissed a complaint filed by a woman who said she had purchased “Cap’n Crunch with Crunchberries” because she believed “crunchberries” were real fruit.

Comments fixed

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 | Bloggity goodness | No Comments

You no longer have to log in to comment. Don’t know why that got switched, but everything’s open again.

Was wondering why the spammers suddenly got so quiet.

Whoa. I’ve got a doppleganger.

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 | Life in Czeltistan | 3 Comments

Check this out: Me or not me? (The fact she’s holding a newspaper really doesn’t do much to help you out, does it?)

I just wish I was still that skinny. (Did you know that you actually have to work to lose weight? Dammit. Where’s the weight loss option for us lazy people? This is the future. Where is my magic pill?)

Anyhow… thanks, Brian, for the tip. I think I’ll send her an email telling her not to rob any banks, though. I make enough trouble for myself all on my own.

Update: Mosey found her head shot, which is not quite sucha match. Still could be related, though.

Clearly not awake yet

Sunday, May 31st, 2009 | Life in Czeltistan | 4 Comments

A prime example of why I should never be taxed with anything too complicated before noon:

I had a couple things I needed to do before I could take a shower this morning, some of which involved seeing other people, so I got dressed rather than lounging around in my jammies.

Finally got the chance to hit the shower. As the water started hitting me, I realized something felt a little off. Looked down. Still wearing my bra.

Whoops. Think I need some more coffee.

So pretty

Thursday, May 28th, 2009 | Fun With Teh Intarweb | No Comments

This video is fairly short, but absolutely beautiful. It’s a time-lapse sequence of the galactic center of the Milky Way rising over a stargazing party in Texas.

And if you’re curious about his camera rig, filters, and other shoot info, check the comments. Between the poster and the commenters, specifics are pretty well covered. (So the link makes with the pretty and the education.)

(via Notcot)

We’re number 1! Err…um… #15!

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 | You Call This News? | 1 Comment

Hey, I’m just thrilled we’re listed at all in Prevention Magazine’s 25 Best Walking Cities. Way to go, Milwaukee!

Don’t know if I’d necessarily have named the Riverwalk as a main reason, but it’s a contributing factor. Having incredibly walkable neighborhoods like the East Side and Downtown are a big help, as is the lakefront and our fabulous park system. No shortage of good places to walk in this city, many of them with wonderful views. (And if it weren’t raining right now, I think I’d feel a walk coming on.)

Option 4

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 | You Call This News? | No Comments

Remember Sean Tevis, who ran for state rep in Kansas and used the XKCD-style comic for his campaign?

Well, he’s got a bit of a sequel in the works: Running for Office: Option 4. It’s a bit longer than the first comic, but it’s well worth reading through. (Bonus points for those of you who catch all the nerdy references.) (Double bonus points for those of you who are nerdy enough to read the source code and find the lockbox codes.) (Don’t worry. Digg already outed those. I’m not hurting anything.) (I’ll stop using parentheticals now.)

Want to help Sean with his plan for open government? Pass the link on to others. Spread the word. Want to help a little more? Throw a few dollars Sean’s way. He’ll put them to good use. Want to find a Sean Tevis to run for representative in your state? Good luck. If you find another one, let me know. I’d like one, too.

A follow-up to the Buy Indie Day post

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 | Screed!, Shameless Consumerism | 5 Comments

I found out about this from several online acquaintances today. It’s called the 350 Project and it seems like a pretty good idea to me. The idea is that you spend $50 each month at a local business.

It’s pretty easy to drop $50/month at a grocery store. And think how many times a year you’re going to get your hair done and your oil changed. Now how about that coffee you pick up every day? It wouldn’t really change much in your life if you spent that at a locally owned business rather than a chain. And while 3/50 is easy to remember, feel free to increase either of those two numbers (especially the last one). Every little bit helps.

I’ll hop off my soapbox now, but please do think about supporting your local businesses and helping keep brick and mortar stores in business. Keeping the money and jobs in your neighborhood is good for everyone. (Ok. It’s not quite as good for Amazon, but I think they’ll manage.)

Buy Indie Day

Friday, May 1st, 2009 | Shameless Consumerism | 4 Comments

May 1 is Buy Indie Day, which makes it an excellent opportunity to visit your local independent bookstore.

Yes, I know you can get things cheaper at Amazon or buy your books, music, movies and coffee at your nearest chain store. But indies offer things neither of those places do. They host author visits and local events, their profits stay within the local community, they’re far more likely to work with other local businesses to support local events and causes. And really, I’ve never found the service at any chain store to come anywhere close to the kind of service I can get at my local bookstore. The people who work there are serious readers and they’re eager to share their love of books with their customers.

One of my fondest memories of Schwartz Books involves a bookseller stashing away a book for me. I had purchased a book on Charles Rennie Mackintosh and he and I chatted briefly about Mack’s work. A couple months later, I stopped in the bookstore on a day that seller was working. A book of Mackintosh’s architectural papers had come into the store and he put the last copy aside for me in case I was interested. My visits to the store didn’t coincide with his schedule for several weeks, but he held onto the book. I’m glad he did. It was a fun surprise and a really interesting read.

So go visit your local indie today. Say hi to the booksellers. Ask them to recommend a book they love. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of interesting suggestions and you’ll go home with a book you’ll really enjoy.

Milwaukee area folks, check out Boswell Books, Next Chapter, The Little Read Book, Woodland Pattern or Mystery One (if I’ve missed anyone, feel free to leave a comment). For those of you in other areas, Indie Now’s got a list of local sellers near you.

A post not about swine flu

Thursday, April 30th, 2009 | Kitty! | 1 Comment

No, really. This entry is pandemic-free.

But it is about kitties. There — doesn’t that make you feel better already?

First up is a video from the best weather forecast ever. I think I’d be far more likely to believe a weatherman holding a cat than I would one who isn’t. Or maybe it’s just that I’m far less likely to actually be listening to the weatherman holding the cat, and therefore won’t know that what’s he’s forecast is incorrect. (And I’m not just saying that because this particular weather forecast is in German.)

And second, a BBC story on what must be the best library ever. Man, I wish my library had a cat who’d come to visit. I’d be there even more often than I am now. Ooh, better yet — a cat for the downtown library. How awesome would it be to climb into the lighthouse in the children’s library and find a cat curled up inside? (Gonna need to keep a close eye on the door to the rare books room, though. That’s probably not the best place for a cat.)

And quit popping your gum

Thursday, April 30th, 2009 | Life in Czeltistan | 3 Comments

Our HR director was running around the office today, putting up instructional posters about covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and putting out antiseptic gel containers. (Regarding the posters: I find it immensely sad that adults need to be told this.)

I was tempted to follow behind her, putting up my own posters to remind people to chew with their mouths shut, but I somehow don’t think it’d go over well.

Hey, someone made a card for me

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 | You Call This News? | 1 Comment

Thanks, someecards!

Somewhat related: Keep calm, m’kay. A whole bunch of us lived through 1976. No reason to think we can’t make it through this again.

Manners 101

Friday, April 24th, 2009 | Screed! | 5 Comments

My goodness, but this country needs a refresher course in eating in public. Why is it that the concept of “put food in mouth, close mouth, then chew” is so difficult for so many? Did that many people not have mothers or grandmothers?

Makes me crazy.

Ok. I’m done now.

Might as well throw in a Geritol chaser, too

Monday, April 20th, 2009 | Again with the hockey, Life in Czeltistan | 10 Comments

Went to get a beer at the Admirals game on Saturday. The bartender carded me. She looked over my ID, and as she handed it back to me, she told me, “You’re four years younger than my daddy.”

::blank stare::

::stunned attempts to calculate if bartender is actually old enough to serve me::

Ooh. Tempting. Oh, wait. No, it’s not.

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 | Life in Czeltistan | 12 Comments

I got a Flickr mail today from someone over at GQ, asking if they could use my Lafitte’s photos for a new online guide to New Orleans they’re creating.

Ok. With you so far, GQ photo person.

And then the email said, “Generally, we would never ask for something for nothing. However, at this time we are only able to give credit.”

Whoa. Back the truck up. First of all, if you generally don’t ask for something for nothing, then let’s stick with that policy. If you’re going to be in the habit of doing that, though, then maybe skip that sentence. Secondly, you’re a major, for-profit publication. I think you can spare a few bucks for a stock photo budget. To tell me my images are worthy of publication, but only if they’re free, is a bit on the insulting side. If you were a non-profit group, it would be an entirely different story. But to pretend Conde Nast doesn’t have a little money to offer for such things is, well “Condescending*.” I heartily decline your offer.

(*Many thanks to Tony & Sam for letting me pinch that term. It fits the bill quite nicely.)