Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, December 6, 2017

    • I was watching an episode of the current season of ‘Mr. Robot’ and Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind” was played. It’s been eons since I heard that song and I forgot how great it is. I really appreciate it when a show finds the perfect song for a scene. You know, the ones where the rhythm or beat is just right and the lyrics relate to what’s happening.
    • Tesla Model X Car Shows Off Its Christmas Mode Easter Egg With Coordinated Music and Light Show
    • The Onion – Alabama Forced To Release Thousands Of Sex Offenders After Inmates Deny Charges
    • ‘Plurale tantum‘ is what you call a singular object that only has a plural form, like pants or scissors.
      • Scissors is an example of a plurale tantum, or an English word that only has a plural form that represents a singular object. (Plurale tantum is not a plurale tantum: its plural is pluralia tantum). Though pluralia tantum name single objects, they are grammatically plural: “the scissors are on the table,” “my pants are in the dryer.”
    • You really just need to read the last paragraph for the answer – Is it safe to eat deli meats with that metallic sheen?
    • Cinemark launches Netflix-like subscription plan
      • Cinemark on Tuesday unveiled Movie Club, a monthly plan that lets people buy a movie ticket a month for a discounted price of $8.99. It also allows members to roll over unused tickets every month, bring friends at the lower price and offers bargains on concession stand items.
    • Skydiving Santa crashes into tree, pole before hitting Florida beach – St. Nick was carrying Elf on the Shelf
    • Bono and The Edge made their first appearance on Howard Stern’s show. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened earlier. I haven’t listened to it, but this link provides a very detailed written rundown of their conversation.  Here’s one part of the conversation I’d like to share which has a Texas connection:
      • After all doubt had been removed that his son was going to make it as a recording artist, Bono’s father agreed to come to one of U2’s concerts in Texas — it was a chance for Bono to show his dad just how much success he had achieved. Seated out in the crowd, a spotlight shone on Bono’s dad as Bono announced from the stage that this was his father’s first time in America. “He just shakes his fist,” Bono said of his dad’s reaction, explaining he was doing it in good humor. After the show, Bono said he and his dad sat alone together in his dressing room. “I thought I saw a kind of a real tender look in his eyes,” he recalled. And while he thought his father was finally going to tell him how proud he was, instead he told his son, “You’re very professional,” something Bono considers a true compliment given his father traditional Irish tepidness.
    • We all should be like this dog and simply enjoy the moment.

Posted in Personal | 2 Comments

Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, December 5, 2017

  • I’m looking forward to this cold front because I don’t like the idea of running the AC during in December.
  • For the last year or so I’ve been trying to identify my biases. It’s been really interesting trying not to immediately become emotional or form an opinion and trying to understand why I might initially feel a certain way. It’s been especially unique when applying this to sports and politics, but also in the workplace as well as to personal relationships and even strangers. I’ve discovered a lot more things influence me than I’d like to admit.
  • SNL was hosted by Irish actress Saoirse Ronan. During her monologue, her American accent was excellent. Sometimes I’m really amazed at how well people from other countries can speak with an American accent. I was shocked when I learned Hugh Laurie (House M.D.) was actually a Brit, same goes for Damian Lewis (Homeland). However, I wonder if there are any American actors who can nail a foreign accent so well it fools the natives of those lands. Somewhat related, I used to think there was no such thing as an American accent, that it was considered “normal” English. I didn’t think that because of American exceptionalism, but because you don’t hear accents during songs. Ozzy Osbourne and Adele certainly don’t sound like they are across the pond when they sing.
  • In other Irish related things, I read something intriguing about how Bono came up with some of the lyrics of U2’s new album. Irish poet Brendan Kennelly told him to write the songs as if he was already dead. Doing so caused Bono to view his approach totally differently, especially since a lot of these songs are directed at his wife, children, and other loved one. Think about it, writing a letter to someone you know you will encounter is totally different than writing a letter of finality. You are more willing to lay it all out there as you won’t experience any repercussions and it’s your final goodbye.
  • For a handful of Christmases, I got into the snow village craze but then I lost the desire and decided they were a waste of money. However, I just discovered a National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation snow village and any sane person could justify that purchase since the item would priceless.
  • When we finished putting up our outdoor Christmas lights and it was time to turn them on for the very first time, like Clark Griswold, I made the family gather out front and sang “Joy to the World” right before I plugged them in.
  • The Languages That Take the Most (and Least) Time to Learn
  • Quentin Tarantino might be making a Star Trek movie
  • The Joys and Sorrows of Watching My Own Birth – Shelby Vittek reflects on the bittersweet experience of watching herself be born — and her now-divorced mom and dad become parents — again and again.
Posted in Personal | 3 Comments