My new favorite 'Office' moment

R.I.P.

(1963-2011) Perhaps it's just another casualty of the recession, or maybe we lost the will to search any further, but the Seti Institute is mothballing it's quest to listen for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life throughout the universe. The $3+million dollar a year project has lost its funding and without private donations, the program is unable to fund these operations.

Alien Admirals take note!

R.I.P.

(1867-2011) It's official, the Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company in Mumbai, India, the world's largest remaining typewriter factory has stopped making new units. The typewriter is fading into history.

This heavy, clunky device that was so vital to the well-being of my family until the early 90's serves me with many fond memories. The sound, the smell, the amazing IBM selectric series, the white out...counting lines.....the sound! Thank you typewriter! You are forever a nostalgic favorite!!

round about improvement

Finally! Santa Cruz County has a rotary!! It's not just a rotary...IT'S A MILLION DOLLAR ROTARY!!! (and the best part...I think we got it for free....can you freakin' believe it?) Obama granted us stimulus for this amazing engineering feat and in celebration I say the City erect a statue of our president no less than 20 feet tall, and he should point toward the wharf because that would even help the confused tourists know which way they should be going.

The city is preparing a pamphlet to introduce drivers to features of the roundabout but I guess the only confusion thus far belongs to the pedestrians..."The main problems we have observed are people who try and cross from one corner to the other corner, effectively stopping all traffic in the intersection as they saunter down the middle of the lane," (Project Manager) Spangrud said. "It's set up so drivers deal with pedestrians first, then the cars. We don't want pedestrians crossing through the middle of the roundabout...For pedestrians, the trick is using the designated crosswalk, which will be set back from the intersection. The crosswalk is currently marked with tape on the street."

Damned pedestrians I say! Show some respect and remember to bow to the mighty automobiles before crossing the rotary....and don't you dare forget who made it all possible!! Thank you Obama for this stimulating improvement to an intersection worthy of a pamphlet!

This guy...

...is Billy Six, a self-promoting goldminer/politician who is currently walking through Africa. Billy is hell bent on claiming his 15 minutes! I became more curious about Billy's story after hearing a piece about his recent travels through Libya. I guessed he was in his 20's and sure enough Six is 24.

Like many a young, eccentric soul, the wanderlust has turned him into a complete vagabond and NPR gave him 4 good minutes for it this weekend. I guess deep in our hearts (and more shallow for some of us) we can all relate and reminisce to that magical time when we tried to define what freedom meant by searching for it, regardless of the cost.

After digging deeper though, this guy really creeps me out. His well-crafted websites paint his true intent. Like the prototypical ADventure capitalist, Billy Six really just wants to stake his claim and/or fame and then head home a wealthy man who lives happily ever after. (NPR missed that part)

Exploiting Africa's mineral wealth as well as the generosity and kindness of its people was the real story for me.

The closer he walks toward the gunpowdery smell of NATO enforced revolution, Billy will be sure to find 11 more minutes. I gave him a minute.... so make it 10.

hmmmm:
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/10/135246285/backpacking-through-the-revolutions-of-north-africa
http://www.billys-reisen.de/index.php?id=307
http://www.billy-six.de/index.php?id=40

This guy...

...saved me $140! It's simple and it works and TRX isn't getting a dime from me!!

Tonight @ The Crepe Place

....hopefully I get in this time!!