Joining in the gadetgy fray, and race countdown

Ok, so after reading a friend's post, i may have changed my opinion on the iPod phone. Kudos to Apple for continuing their reputation as the pretty electronics people. I envision their employees as wearing high end jeans, tight ribbed sweaters, and cool urban kicks. Maybe a snarky t-shirt here and there, although that seems more of a PC thing.

I remember when the first combo telephone answering machines were coming out. I was nervous to purchase one, as I worried that if the phone broke, thus went the answering machine. It seemed wasteful in a way. Nowadays, more and more people are looking into smartphones, which allow you to carry all of your contacts, calendar, music, and files in one (quite compact) space. What if it drops into the bottom of your laundry basket, or the toilet, or is otherwise lost? I wonder if there is an emerging counseling field specializing in the loss of personal gadgetry and the high levels of inconvenience and personal pain that creates...

I guess you can lead a horse to totally cool water, but you can't make it give up its frugal nature.

In other news, I am five days away until my road race in Phoenix. I ran 10 miles on Sunday no problem (beautiful day, felt great) and haven't run since due to time constraints. That and my unwillingness to get up before 6am. Anyhoo, tonight is my last run (likely 5 miles) prior to the race. I can't decide if I'll be better off for such a light week mile-wise, or if that will hurt. Or if it just doesn't matter. In any case, I fly out to Phoenix tomorrow!

I have started collecting talismans for the race. I got a pair of socks from my wife, who can't make the race in person, which I will wear for the first time on race day. I recieved a beautiful, simple, handmade necklace from friends that I will wear as my only piece of jewlery. Another friend has been sending daily running-related inspirational thoughts and encouragement as an introduction to the running community, which has been really lovely and appreciated. In the less talisman but still fun bucket, I got myself a red Road ID bracelet, both for the race and beyond. As I run alone so much, I thought it would be a good idea.

There's a song brewing in my head about my recent 10 miler, particularly as I had to go through a tunnel that is long and dark. This tunnel previously served as my unofficial end of the line, limiting the distance I would go before turning around. Having run through it (and back) and survived, I think a victory song is in order. Stay tuned!

Going Postal?

File this one under, "Did you know?

The Postal Service created a song with more staying power than Cher on a "farewell" tour. What started as a fun side project for Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello produced a law suit from the actual Postal Service. According to Wikipedia:

In 2004, the United States Postal Service sent the band a cease and desist letter citing their trademark on the phrase "postal service". After negotiations, the USPS relented, allowing the band use of the trademark in exchange for promotional efforts on behalf of the USPS and a performance at their annual National Executive Conference. Additionally, the USPS website sells the band's CDs.

I checked it out - it's true. You can purchase a few of their singles on the website. It seems quite out of place, sitting side by side with a Ben Franklin DVD and "Ultimate Mancini." The description itself seems that it may have been written by Sherman, the kind postal worker who has worked the desk of a small town NH post office for the last 25+ years:

"How do you form a band when you live miles and miles away from your band mates? Telephone? Videophone? Airplane? Train? Boat? Car? No, you use the U.S. Mail. Ok, that problem's solved; all the tracks are laid, the CDs are burned, now what do we call ourselves? This was the question for Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard and Dntel and Figurine's Jimmy Tamborello.

They decided since the United States Postal Service was the lynchpin of their collaborative efforts, they would name their band, Postal Service.

Using the name Postal Service under license from The United States Postal Service..."

Think they've sold any?

I can't do this all on my own..

No, I know I'm no Superman.

Or am I? According to a recently completed quiz, my personality befits most closely the Man of Steel. While my theme song has no lyrics, I've certainly been used in any numberof songs. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a metaphor.


Your results:

You are Superman

Superman 80%
Robin 75%
Green Lantern 75%
Spider-Man 65%
The Flash 65%
Supergirl 60%
Wonder Woman 55%
Iron Man 50%
Catwoman 45%
Hulk 40%
Batman 30%

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

Tomorrow I shall sleep past 7

This week I felt like an actual New Hampshire resident. Yesterday I made the time to volunteer to help with the inaugural festivities of our Governor, John Lynch. My big political contribution? Handing out yogurt.

It was a fun job, actually. More than handing out local dairy goodness, it was more of a schmooze opportunity. Say hello and thank you to the state employees, try and foist a yogurt or three on them, make small talk. The only down side was that I had to be there at 6:30. Which meant getting up around 5:45. Psychologically, getting up before the first number reads 6 is tough.

The flow of the event was well done, with people entering the main hall (where I was) for coffee and yogurt, and then being directed either to a photo op line (with the Gov and his wife) or a breakfast line. Either the breakfast line was slow, or the photo line was fast, because it was clear that the wait was much longer for food.

In a weird way, I didn't want to leave the event. Between enjoying my minor task, enjoying the time I was spending with the other volunteers and staff, and just a general sense of happiness at being involved in a small way with our state government, I was feeling happy about being a New Hampshire resident. Maybe I don't need to head back to Boston after all... Ask me again in three years. :)

You are an obsession...

As I type this, I am sitting on the bus heading down to Boston. It is 6:40am, and there is traffic on the highway. I got my ass out of bed early specifically to catch the early bus and miss some of the traffic. What do all of you people do that necessitates getting up so early to drive into the city? The sun isn’t even up.

I am looking out the window at people sitting by themselves in their cars. Do they do this everyday? It can’t contribute to a positive temperament.

On the bright side, sitting on the bus frees me to do other activities. I’ve caught up on a few podcasts, including a Pop Candy podcast about people who obsessively collect things. There was a Pez collector, a Star Wars fanatic, and a man who collects Debbie Gibson memorabilia. Each of them verges on OCD, although they seemed reasonable about how much of their life savings they are willing to plunk down to feed the habit.

The last guy, the lover of all things Gibson, never came out and said he was gay. He used the word nerd, which is perhaps southern for gay. The Star Wars collector named his own Yoda tattoo as the favorite part of his collection. Does that even count in the technical sense?

As a sidenote, when looking for Debbie Gibson pics, I was amazed at the number of adult-oriented shots. I know she's all grown up and going by Deborah and has done a lot since her days as a Long Island young'un, but... Electric Youth no more!

I’d recommend the Pop Candy podcast if you have the patience to put up with the host, Whitney, who is a terrible interviewer. How she got this job is beyond me – it’s an argument for being in the right place at the right time. When she speaks with guests, you can tell they are clearly trying to lead her in a certain direction, but all she can come up with is what is on the cards in front of her.

In the recent collector’s discussion, the Pez lady was surprisingly interesting, and clearly knew the history of Pez. Her favorite piece was from 1947, created after the partition of Germany, and stamped “Made in the US Zone.” After laying out the initial story on this, the interviewee paused, waiting for the follow up. Perhaps a question on other dispensers that reflect history? No. Instead, the deeply relevant, “So do you actually like the candy?”

Rosh Hashawhat?

Every once in a while (read: weekly) someone makes some sort of weird comment pertaining to Judaism. Last week it was someone proclaiming to me, "It's a good thing I'm not anti-Semitic. Because I'm not."

Um, thanks?

Two weeks ago, prior to Christmas, the comment of the week went as follows:
Coworker: "Do you put up a tree?"
Me: "No, we don't have a tree."
Coworker: "Is that because of the whole Jewish thing?"

Um, yes?

And just now, as I was telling a coworker about the engagement party I went to this past weekend: "Is it going to be like a Bar Mitzvah? Or, what do you call it... A Jewish wedding?"

Bar Mitzvah, Jewish wedding, same diff.

nu wave never died

Warning: this will get stuck in your head. Perhaps the best track off the album... It'll fill any post punk/nu wave jones you might be feeling. Enjoy!