Linky links - July 27

• From the Consumerist:
  
  

  Aquafina labels will soon say "Public Water Source,"
  

  
  
  

  Universal Music Group issues DMCA takedown notice on low quality video clip of 18 month old boy. Now the EFF is suing them back. Go EFF!

  
  
  
• XKCD, the best nerd comic of all time: "My profanity usage by cause".
  
  
• Pork:
  
  (09:34) jamesn: Guess how many earmarks in the House Defense spending bill
  (09:34) lancer: 250
  (09:34) lancer: :)
  (09:35) jamesn: It is a more patriotic number than that
  (09:35) lancer: hmmm
  (09:35) lancer: 17
  (09:35) jamesn: 1776
  (09:35) jamesn: http://porkbusters.org/DefensePork0726.htm
  
  
• The YouTube debates (democratic candidates), very nicely done!
  
  
• I was telling James the other day that lately when I walk around all I see are gigantic fat people, just extremely overweight. We decided maybe I was just hanging around in the wrong places, like the Papa Johns parking lot. Nope, that wasn't it: US obesity map.
  
  
• Scott Adams has some unique ideas about immigration. Scott has become my favorite blogger. If you don't know his name, you know his work: Dilbert.
  

I am now officially divorced

... I'll have to write more on this later. Right now my mind is kind of swirling.

Ok I'm back...

I've been waiting for this day for a long time now. Almost two years really. I finally filed in May, and thought it was going to take forever to actually happen. But I got the call today. Its final.

As soon as I heard that my brain kicked into this weird other gear that I'm not sure I've experienced many times before. Maybe gear is the wrong word...it was (and still is) more like in a blurry state of daze. My skin feels tingly.

I'm not upset, but I'm not happy. Maybe I am a little happy, but only the kind of happy feeling you get from a weight being lifted off your shoulders. Of course I'll never be happy that my marriage failed, though.

Woah this is weird.

The picture above is the actual hand of the one who left me. That's the actual ring that the one who left me decided she was not going to give back to me (I'm not going to get into that particular classy move). The picture below is one she did with charcoal, called "Two Faced". Funny how the meaning of that one changed looking back.

Ow, my back! Ow, my legs! Ow, my back and my legs!

This past weekend I did something that no overweight, out of shape, ageing 30 year old (or older) should attempt.

I woke up early Saturday morning and ran the Race For the Cure (5k). Hmph, no big deal, thats not so tough!

But then I left the race and headed straight to an all day doubles volleyball tournament. From about 9:30 until 6:30 I was there. Did I mention it was outdoor? In the Sun. Yes, the heat. Uh huh, mid 90's.

During the very first doubles game both my calf muscles cramped as I jumped to spike the ball. I guess I let them get to cold after the run. I took a shot of pickle juice, ate a banana, and rubbed on some Aspercreme and went on about my games with no further trouble. I even played pretty well (6 points behind 2nd place on my net). I did pay the price the next day, when it took me a couple tries to get out of bed.

So as I drove on to my tennis league match on Sunday, I wasn't exactly sure how well I was going to play. My tennis doubles partner probably wasn't happy with my game, and we got clobbered. :) My legs have recovered but back is still (even 3 days later) a little sore.

Another goal...

"Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men."
- Kin Hubbard

Race For the Cure

Yep, its that time again. Time for the Race For the Cure to support breast cancer research.

I'll be running on June 9th. If you'd; like to join me, send me an email. If you'd like to support the cause and contribute with a donation, you can do so online right here. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible contribution to the
address listed below.

Komen NC Triangle Affiliate
2314 S. Miami Blvd, Suite 154
Durham, NC 27703

A real marathon

Ho

ly

cow

North Pole Marathon.

Sahara Marathon.

Come race for the cure with me

Race for the cure info.
Email me if you will be there.

Knowing Yourself

When I had the phrase "I need to get to know myself" thrown at me during the process of separating from my ex, I questioned its meaning. I hate those words, they are nothing but a cop-out, in the same category with another meaningless phrase: "it's not you, it's me".

Yeah, I always thought "I need to get to know myself" was just a stupid thing to say. I mean, after 30 years of life, if you don't know who you are you must be braindead. Maybe you mean to say "I need to re-evaluate what I really want in my future", but certainly you must already know yourself.

I came across this quote on the Google personalized homepage literary quote of the day:

"Know thyself! A maxim as pernicious as it is ugly. Whoever observes himself arrests his own development. A catepillar who wanted to know itself well would never become a butterfly." -Andre Gide

Someone shares my opinion of the RIAA

Check out this fabulous product from Jinx.com:

Ok, so, we are STILL laughing every time we see this product on our shelves...LMAO! Nothing compares with the way it feels when that text slides across your butt. Sorry for the high price, but you're buying it for the novelty. When it comes to functionality, stick to Charmin.

Weebles Wobble But They Don't Fall Down

Remember the Weebles? I had some when I was a kid.

I feel a bit like a Weeble right now, in that my legs are feeling awfully wobbly. I played in a King/Queen doubles volleyball tournament thsi past Saturday. It was a blast but I could feel the resulting jello-ish-ness in my legs all the way through Sunday and Monday. Tuesday I couldn't take it anymore and I just decided I just had to go running before I throw away all the good progress I've made recently. I wasn't sure how far I'd be able to go on my tired legs, but I made it for a slow 4 miles. Now my legs are weebly wobbly again. :(

Speaking of old toys, I want to buy a Rubik's cube again, after seeing these people solve the cube in only seconds (I saw videos of it on the special features of the "Pursuit of Happyness" [sic] dvd.