Adventures in My Mind
 |
 |
 |
 |
May 31, 2002
Just got a new digital video camera yesterday: the Panasonic PV-DV202. It's got all sorts of nifty features, including Web cam, stills, 16bit stereo sound, remote control, and a 680K CCD -- nearly all other cameras in its price range only have 520K. It makes a very nice image, especially outside; the resolution is fantastic.
I wanted to get the 852, which is a 1 meg CCD, but it was way out of our price range. If your looking for a nice entry level digital camcorder, I highly recommend the 202. It's very compact; very lightweight, and pretty easy to use. And at around $500, it won't break the bank.
Now if I can just talk Sami into getting that digital still camera that I've had my eye on ...
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 2:56 PM
May 30, 2002
Aidan and Mr. Cheese
We went to a B-day party at Chuck E. Cheese last night. It was Aidan's first trip, and as you can tell by the picture, he wasn't sure quite what to make of the whole thing. He thought he was going to get birthday cake, but instead he got this funny looking rodent. It didn't take him long to adjust, however.
While we ate all he could do was ask for "moh games, moh. moh games, peez!"
I may be setting myself up as a some type of social snob here, but I really couldn't believe the number of yokels there last night. It was like the Jode family reunion or something. I'm not kidding. The place was filled with the most thick-tongued Yinzers that I've seen this side of a Skynyrd concert. It reminded me of a joke:
Q: What do you get when you have 16 West Virginians in a room?
A: A full set of teeth.
Not necessarily a very funny joke, but it covers my impressions about last night quite adequately.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:48 AM
May 28, 2002
If you are spamming my Yahoo! mail account, stop it! You can't imagine how annoying it is to see that I have 20 or 30+ new messages only to find that all but 2 or 3 are spam.
If you're a spammer, I hate you! I also hate your family and friends for loving you! Nor am I very fond of your 11th grade English teacher for giving you a B+ on your term paper. That paper was a C at best and you know it!
And then there's Yahoo's spam filter ... Oh, yes. It does a good job of sorting out a lot of spam, but how do messages with subjects like Hot Teen Sex and Earn $$$ While You Sleep not qualify as spam? I've written the good people at Yahoo! to answer that question, but so far there has been no reply. When they finally do answer, I'm sure the response will be sufficiently coporatesque to piss me right off.
I hope that everyone had a good holiday.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:31 AM
May 23, 2002
This just in: Remains in my fridge identified as last month's Tuna Helper. More at 11.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:55 PM
May 21, 2002
Fun with waterballoons
These are some really cool videos of some Air Force guys popping waterballoons on a 0g flight. I wish I could do that!
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 2:28 PM
May 20, 2002
Went to the chiropractor today. A little stretching. A little massage. A little roller table. Mmm! Roller table! Then we had our hands painted and put our handprints on the wall. I chose a kicking yellow green that went well with Sami's blue and Aidan's red.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 4:51 PM
May 17, 2002
More strange search queries that lead to this site:
neil peart george clooney "To kill a mocking bird" ban teddy carroll (ok, not strange, but cool that someone search for me!) my dear cousin "retro cocktail hour" boba fet shirts evil teddy Plasticized Corpse Exhibit Pacific LX drumset spend money poor people stepford wives "reality tv"" goes to far"
and my favorite ...
tight trousers women in spanked
Have a good weekend!
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 4:24 PM
May 16, 2002
$20 BILL 9/11 ANOMALY
A strange little curiosity with no real value other than "wow" or "weird", but it makes me think about how we as a species search for message and meaning everywhere, even in something as strange as a $20 bill.
Stains on walls become the image of Christ. Light reflecting off of a glass building becomes the Blessed Virgin. Lens flares become UFOs. Floating logs become Nessy. Strange sounds at night become the Boogey Man. Fold money the right way and see the frightening image of the events of 9/11. If only we had known before; we could have done something.
What a superstitious and frightened race are we. It is from that fear and ignorance however, that our imagination springs.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:36 AM
May 15, 2002
Dear Sir:
Once again we are forced to ask you to refrain from giving our site free publicity. It is not within your rights to freely disperse our copyrighted URLs to the entire Web community. This serves no other purpose than to get our site out to a larger audience than our own marketing channels would allow for. This simply cannot continue. Our stubborn marriage to archaic business models that preach advertisment over exposure must be preserved at all cost.
Thank you, again,
The Management
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:14 AM
May 13, 2002
I'm looking forward to Warcraft III coming out this summer, but don't want to wait that long for a new game. Anybody have a suggestions for a new computer game for me to play? I've been playing the Baldur's Gate games and Age of Empires, but I grow weary. I like world building, warfare, and rpg. I don't like first person shooters; I've had my fill of Quake over the years. Even though it's the Baldur's Gate engine, I'm thinking about getting the Pools of Radiance. I remember playing the first version back in '88 when it was done in Basic with simplistic, animated bitmaps. It was still a blast though!
So if you have any suggestions, please send them my way. Thanks.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 1:10 PM
May 10, 2002
Finally got the mower back from the shop. $72 and a lot of back ache later, the lawn is cut. Admittedly, it looks good, but what a pain in the arse! I have not lost any of my childhood viewpoint regarding things like doing the dishes, making a bed, cutting the grass, etc.: Why do it; it's just gonna grow again. But now as an adult I don't have the luxury of those excuses. If I don't cut the grass, I'm sure that my neighbors will turn me into th people at the Vigilant Grass Cutter's Association. And who knows what type of tragedy would befall me and my family if that were to happen. So I cut. Again.
Have a good weekend.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 7:07 PM
May 9, 2002
Firstly, a thank you to Mr. Green for giving me the idea for today's post. And don't forget to visit Mr. Green's commercial site: Kitten Kommotion.
For many years now, I've considered myself a semi-practicing Buddhist. I say semi-practicing because I don't visit the temple, nor do I meditate much anymore. But the fact remains, that my spirituality is mostly governed by Buddhist philosophies, mixed liberally with Taoism, the foundation for much of Mahayana Buddhism.
I see my use of Buddhism much like the usage of anti-depressant medication. No really, don't laugh it works much the same way. Both are designed to get one to the "middle way," a place where you never get too high and you never get too low. The two places that, according to Buddhist doctrine, create the most desire, the root cause of all suffering. Of course Buddhism is without side effects like hyperactivity, heart palpatations, sexual dysfunction, dry mouth, loss of appetite, and in extreme cases, death. (Dontcha just love disclaimers?)
The main way that Buddhism keeps one on the middle way is the Eightfold Path, which says that to avoid suffering one must strive for:Right knowledge Right thinking Right speech Right conduct Right livelihood Right effort Right mindfulness Right concentration
I've found that sticking to this path helps one avoid all sorts of trouble, from arguements to stress to envy to anger. Of course, I require much work to truly fold these eight steps into my daily life, but I'm working on it.
For more information, check out So You Wanna Convert to Buddhism. It's a good primer.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 3:43 PM
May 8, 2002
I've already written about Jamie Kellner's viewpoint regarding not watching commercials. Here is a list of the Top Ten New Copyright Crimes that you need to watch out for. If Mr. Kellner has his way, we'll all be off to the big house for sure! (via Boing Boing)
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:35 PM
May 7, 2002
Jeez! How maudlin can you get? I just depressed myself with that last post. It's not like we've reached dire straits yet, but sometimes it does get a little overwhelming. Sorry.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the season finale of The Osbourne's tonight on MTV. I can't believe that I've been sucked into a "reality TV" show. But what can I say? It's like watching a live action version of the Simpson's, although much more incredulous. The children, Jack and Kelly, are in for a hard fall to reality one day. I just hope that big dust up isn't captured for posterity like their current immature (yes, even for teens) antics have been.
Ozzy is quite simply priceless. One can never tell if the years of drug abuse and current barage of prescription medications makes him so befuddled and confused or if it's all just a big act to get the rest of the loonies off of his back. Either way, it's quite funny. If only he could release a good song again.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 5:49 PM
I have nothing to say. That is, I have nothing of any value to say. I sit around the house all day with precious little to do as my mind rots away. I watch the news and don't give hoot about anything that I see there: turmoil, unrest, tyranny, injustice, inhumanity. It means nothing to me.
I just want to get a job and support my family.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 5:01 PM
May 3, 2002
We have some weird neighbors.
One is a greaser from back in the do-wop days, still sporting remnants of his duck tail. He's got a killer Victory motorcycle and about 15 lawn mowers. Every time we walk past his house with Aidan in the stroller he says the same exact thing: "Boy, I'll tell ya ... some guys really know how to travel." Every single time.
Another is a nice old man who lives a few doors down. He and his wife have lived in their house since it was built back in the late 50s. Every time we walk past his house he, too, says the same thing: "That's not little Jack is it?"
"No," we say. "This is Aidan," and walk on.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:06 AM
May 2, 2002
Dear Sir:
Please refrain from giving our site free publicity.
Thank you,
Management
You know, some people just don't get it.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 11:02 AM
