Friday Pretentious Fun

With Monty Python.



Man, the video didn't load at first? That is weirdness.

First Day on the New Schedule

My shift starts at 7, so I need to be on the road by 6:15. That means I get up at 5:30. Do you know how early that is?

It's Gosh Darn Freaking Early.

I was nervous that I would sleep through my alarm, so I woke up every hour on the hour all last night. I got up on time, and in fact, I got on the road a little early.

Just FYI. It is really cold, and really dark at 5:45am.

The commute was actually quite nice. There was traffic, but it was steady and we moved at a good pace. Unlike the other side of the freeway, which was looking like a parking lot. (at freaking 6 in the morning!)

I got to work a half hour early, so I stayed in the car and read, and then watched the start of the sunrise.

The START of the sunrise. That is freaking early man.

I got my labcoat today though. And that makes me the luckiest girl in the world.

Nan's Challenge

What could be more geeky than Vasser Quidditch players?

How about Czech Live Action Role Players (LARPers)?



Or their American Cousins?



Lightening Bolt!!


Or there's always the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA)


I actually participated in the SCA while at USU. That armor is heavier than crap. Which is just one of the reasons why I became a ninja instead of a crusader.

Oh honestly!

Now I love Harry Potter, but I don't love it enough to play dodge ball while skipping around on a broom.



So, is the snitch just hidden somewhere random on campus or what?

Found via Ace of Spades

That Oscar Movie

I love the Soup. This preview about Oscar movie cliches is brilliant.

My favorite line: "and Johnny Depp, doing something weird."

Heroes: Exceptionally Late Edition

AAHH!! I miss one freaking episode of the entire season and it's the one where Mr. Evil Glasses GETS SHOT??!! Are you kidding me?!

That's okay though, because he's only mostly dead.

Oh well, here's my recap:

Maya the Moron deserves whatever she gets. Die Maya Die!!

I so did not need to see Sexy Shower Sylar. Die Sylar Die!!

Perhaps they could take out each other, thus satisfying the "2 Heroes Shall Fall" clause of the previews prophecy.

Adam is evil! At last we know for sure.

Peter is still really gullible. And suddenly very concerned about Irish girl. Did he remember her last episode or something?

Last Week: ON Heroes:

Peter: Oh yeah, There was this Irish girl that I left behind in a horrible disease ridden future. I should, like, try to rescue her or something.

Adam: Santa Claus also wants you to pick up the winning lotto numbers while you're in the future. To, you know, help fund the Save the World Campaign.

Peter: Well, if Santa says it's okay, and it's to save the world, then sure!

Anyway, back to my recap.

Ando gets left behind. Again. Why do they keep doing this? Have they forgotten how awesome Ando is? Free Ando!!

Nikki will live.

Could Mohinder get any more preachy? I can't even give you a fashion report anymore because he keeps showing up in that indestructible white suit; speechifying with quivering, righteous fury.

Copycat girl apparently forgot that she watched a bunch of karate movies and got kidnapped by thugs. Maybe her copycat talents have a time limit?

Veronica Mars got injured somehow, and also apparently forgot that she can shoot lightening out of her hands.

Come on Veronica, don't let Claire push you around!!

This should be Flyboy's last week, so that's a plus.

I feel like I'm missing something. Did I miss something? What do you, the viewers at home think?

Hah!! BSA does Sudoku!

boomp3.com

Just for Nan

It's not youtube, but it's still internet wierdness.

More spoofs from the London tube lady.

boomp3.com

London Funny

The lady who records all the voice warnings for the London subway "Mind the Gap" system has recorded some spoofs. They are quite amusing.

boomp3.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm home for the holiday, so blogging will be exceptionally light. I'll post again next week, after my first day as a mad scientist.

AWWA!!

My fellow ninjas bought me a CSI t-shirt, and then it went around the office and everyone signed it and marked it with their thumbprint.

How cute is that?

Also, we had a vendor lunch today with all the office ninjas. I was the first one in (since I'm not doing a whole lot today) and the vendor says "So how do you like working here."
and I reply "It's great! This office is awesome."
And he says "You can be honest with us."
and I said, "I am. It's my last day!"
He laughed until he realized I was being serious, as I gathered my free lunch and made myself comfortable for a presentation on stuff I will never ever use.

The best part though, was as all the other ninjas came in, the vendor lunch started morphing into a "Corbeau farewell party."

The vendors looked annoyed, but we calmed down eventually, and listened politely. Those first few minutes were a lot of fun though.

LAST DAY!!!!

Boo-YAH!!

In honor of this historic occasion of my last day as an office ninja, I bring you this special Onion News Report on Ninja Parades.


Ninja Parade Slips Through Town Unnoticed Once Again

Monday Night Fight

On Monday nights I go to a Krav Maga self defense class in Chinatown. The class doesn't start until six, so usually I go to the park and read. Thanks to daylight savings time, it's now too dark and cold to read outside. So I go to the class, and hang out in the little lobby area.

Monday I got there pretty early, about 5:15. There was a bag class going on, and the instructor was an extremely muscled man with a high and tight and a military style of motivation. (Turns out he used to be Navy Air Crew, we'll call him Navy AC). Anyway, he only had one girl there for bag class, and since they're offering free trials this month, he invited me to join.

It was a lot of punching. Lots and lots of punching. So much punching, that I wore through the skin of my knuckles, even though I was wearing gloves. When I wasn't punching the bag, I was jump roping.

That took me awhile to get started. The last time I jumped rope I had a crimped ponytail on the side of my head.

Anyway, it was a really good workout, and I got some good one on one instruction. Especially after a couple of sets, when the other girl kept trying to curl into a ball. And the instructors would yell out "Move around. Walk it off, you're going to faint!" Then they would ask me if I felt okay and I'd grin like an idiot and they'd give me another set.

She also kept trying to cheat on her push ups, and since Navy AC was military, that just meant we kept doing more push ups.

She quit before the class was over, and then Navy AC taught me slapping. Because learning to back hand the snot out of someone without breaking your fingers is an important life skill. It was also loads of fun, and slapping makes this really satisfying THWACK sound when you hit the bag.

He gave me ten minutes to rest before I started my Krav class. My arms were shaky, my shirt was soaked, and I had a stitch in my side. The other girl gave up and went home instead of staying for the next class. My partner for class looked at me and said "Wow, you look really tired."

We did more push ups in the group class. I just flopped to the ground, panting, until the up command was given and then I'd roll up. It's MUCH easier to cheat on push ups in a big group. I used my finely tuned "rest while the Petty Officer isn't looking" skills that I developed in boot camp.

We started drilling, and learned some new techniques. That was fine with me, as it meant standing around in a circle to watch the instructors. We were doing eye strikes when my partner said "I feel faint" and she had to go sit down.

So I'm trying to practice them by myself, when Navy AC notices and says "What happened to your partner?" I told him and then he had me come over and work with him and another student without a partner.

This student though, was a big fellow. I'd say over a foot taller than me and at least a hundred pounds heavier, all muscle. And it was just in time for "Body Conditioning" where we learn how to take a hit.

Big Fellow looked just as nervous about hitting me as I felt about getting hit. His first punch barely tapped my stomach. I actually rolled me eyes and said, "you can hit me harder than that." So the next one became a light tap. Then Navy AC got in his face a bit and the NEXT hit doubled me over and popped my mouth protector out.

This was enough to bring the head instructor over who said something like "You can HIT her, but don't kill her." Navy AC was laughing and saying "It's okay She's TOUGH." and then of course, I was thinking things like "The tough instructor thinks I'm TOUGH" and then my mouth was saying "Yeah, I'm fine. I can take it" because apparently I'm insane. The Head Instructor said "Okay, but for ****-sake make sure she's breathing correctly."

I've heard a variation on this phrase many times in my life. For example, when I was in the Navy, me and another vertically challenged sailor were tasked with taping off the boiler pipes in Engineering so they could be painted. The PO in charge said "I'm going to send you in one at a time for 5 minutes each. Be careful, work fast, and for ****-sake don't let any of the pipes touch your bare skin."

Or another instant, when I was hanging upside down over the back of the ship and the PO in charge was instructing my safety, the last phrase was "and for ****-sake don't drop her." Since I was hanging over the screws (propellers for you landlubbers) I thought this was excellent advice.

Anyway, I took a couple more hits, and learned how to flex the ab muscles through breathing so it didn't hurt as much.

At the end of the class Navy AC raised his fist and we punched knuckles. That was awesome.

I was exhausted though. I came home and iced my knee, and almost fell asleep during Heroes.

Tuesday....I spent the day in PAIN. Agonizing pain. That's why I'm writing this a little late. Every time I thought about writing it up yesterday, I'd also think "Or I could just sit here, and read this webcomic a little more. I'll write this afternoon, when I feel a little more rested. Maybe when I get home. Maybe tomor..zzzzz."

VA Vanity Plates

This doesn't suprise me at all.

Vanity plates are everywhere out here. Just this morning I was admiring the cleverness of a red volkswagon beetle called "Tomato" or the car that was "L8 AGIN"

I guess it gives you something to read while stuck in traffic and, of course, it's so helpful when you need to offer commentary about that specific car's driving skills.

Heroes--Flashback!

So in this episode we learned about what happened in the four month lapse between seasons. It filled in a lot of backstory, but wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be.

Here's my recap:

Hey it's DL! He's alive! Oh no wait, he's dead again.

Is it just me, or is Peter really gullible? I mean honestly, he believes everything anyone tells him.

Nate should be dead. Honestly.

Ma Petrelli brought out her cold mean side, keeping her family's mutant powers secret by telling Nate's wife insanity ran in the family.

That's cold.

I also want to know how Mrs. Patrelli and the Haitian are connected. He also helped her during the first season.

Alejandro of the death twins has horrible taste in women. Poor guy also had the worst wedding ever.

Veronica Mars is a sociopath!! Also, for a girl who's been in a facility for 16 years, she does pretty well driving around a foreign country.

Nikki has another personality named Gina. Prompting me to wonder, ala Wakko Warner, "Just how many people do you have in there?" Having several personalities all warring for control could be interesting, but I bet we only saw her for the whole random side trip to LA to kill off DL.

So, is it Adam/Good Bob/Bad, or is it Bob/Good Adam/Bad. Who will really save the world?

Monday AMV

It's my last week as an office ninja. How wierd is that?

Here's one of my all time favorite Naruto fights, Shikamaru vs. Temari.

Friday Fun: Deep Dark Secret Edition

After I moved to DC I was reading the comic pages in the Washington Post and discovered a soap opera comic I had never seen before.

It was Mary Worth, and I'm hopelessly addicted. I can't help it! I started during the amazing Aldo stalking storyline, where our brave elderly heroine, Mary Worth, was being stalked by a Captain Kangaroo look alike named Aldo, which ended when he got drunk and drove off a cliff to die in a mangled fiery blaze of glory.

This was followed by even more unintentional hilarity when an old lady "psychic" named Ella moved into Mary's living complex (Charterstone), and the two had a war about which old lady meddler would rule the hapless denizens.

Currently, Charterstone is embroiled in the torrid love triangle of Dr. Drew Corey, Dawn and Vera (Oh those wild young people! Will they ever learn?) and which is especially remarkable since it has a minimum of Mary meddling.

This is my deep dark secret. Even after the Post dropped Mary Worth from its pages, I'm still following it online. Fortunately, there are others like me, and so we have this youtube tribute, the Drew and Vera saga.



UPDATE:

In case you doubt the awesomeness that was the Aldo Kelrast story line, here's a fun fan movie of Aldo stalking Mary, Benny Hill style:

Ha!! Take That Xmen quizzes!!

I think it's fascinating that I scored closer to Emma Frost than Rogue. Must be all the slightly evil mind stuff.

Most Comprehensive X-Men Personality Quiz 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Storm Storm is the seconday team leader of the X-Men. She has a peaceful personality but must be careful since her emotions control her powers. She loves gardening and is afaid of tight spaces. Powers: Control of the Weather Storm 70% Colossus 65% Cyclops 65% Nightcrawler 60% Emma Frost 60% Rogue 55% Jean Grey 55% Wolverine 50% Iceman 30% Gambit 25% Beast 20%

Dang IT!!

Man, I was THIS close to Shadowcat.

Best Comprehensive X-Men Personality Quiz. Non-cheatable! created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Cyclops Codename: Cyclops Full Name: Scott Summers Mutant Powers: Optic blasts of intense light-beams. Scott Summers was an early follower of Xavier's dream and a mutant that suffered all his life.As a young boy, Scott and his brother, Alex Summers, were with his parents on a plane of his dad. But then, a SHIAR ship destroyed the plane, capturing both Scott´s mother and father. Just before being kidnapped, Scott´s father, Major Christopher Summers, gave a parachute to his sons and dropped them out of the plane. The ´chute didn´t open, and Scott first manifested his mutant powers, as he used his optic blasts to slow down the fall. The boys were found in a forest, sleeping. Alex was adopted by a family, but Scott was sent to an orphanage, that was owned by Nathaniel Essex, a.k.a. Mr. Sinister. Sinister discovered the genetical potencial that lied within Scott, and began to make experiments on him. Many years later, Charles Xavier found Scott by using Cerebro, and took him away from the orphanage. Before he left, Sinister took away Scott's memories of his time there. Cyclops was a member of the original five X-men, and there he fell in love with another teammate, Marvel Girl, or Jean Grey. Eventually, he met his brother, Alex, who now went by the name of Havok, and later his father, who now called himself Cosair and was leader of an alien vessel that fought in space. Cyclops 85% Shadowcat 80% Professor X 70% Banshee 70% Iceman 60% Nightcrawler 55% Rogue 50% Wolverine 45% Jean Grey 45% Beast 45% Archangel 40% Colossus 35% Storm 20%

Sweet!

You Are Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"We saved the world. I say we have to party."

What Superheroine Are You?

To be honest though, I only took this quiz because I got Cyclops on the "Which Xmen are you?" quiz.

Cyclops bugs me.

I mean, honestly:

You Are Cyclops

Dedicated and responsible, you will always remain loyal to your cause. You are a commanding leader - after all, you can kill someone just by looking at them. Power: force beams from your eyes

Which of the X-Men Are You?

Ah, Bien Sur

I should have known. Why did I even bother with this silly English-type quiz? After all, is my name not Corbeau?

Pass the Camembert.

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated. You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's Your Inner European?

More Fun Blog Quizzes

Here's something called The Blog Readability Test

Basically, it determines the level of education required to fully comprehend a blog. Especially one filled with as many subtle nuances as mine.

Here's my ranking!

Get a Cash Advance

This is fine with me, as I loved my undergrad years. Obviously it was my keen analysis and deep insights into Heroes that have gotten us to this illustrious level.

Also, I always try and run the spell check.

Out Damn SPOT!!

This morning, while I was getting ready for a work a small blob of toothpaste fell off my toothbrush, and onto my dark blue shirt.

There it sat. A big white spot right in the center, where I would keep my S if I were Superman.

Nuts.

So I scrubbed it off. It came back. So I used some soap and scrubbed. Of course now I had a big wet spot, but I needed to leave, and figured it would dry behind my coat during the train ride into work.

I get to work, take off my coat, and there's the white stain, bright and cheeky as ever.

Dang it!

I got a Shout wipe from a friend, and over the course of the morning have scrubbed at my spot 3 different times to no avail.

Obviously this is no normal spot. It's a spot of the undead. A zombie spot. A vampire spot. A monstrous mutant monster spot constantly regenerating in its quest to make me look really stupid. The only way to kill such a monster is to cut off it's head, pour salt on it and then burn it.

Of course, this is a stain on a shirt so my options are a bit more limited.

I'm considering an exorcism. Or dry cleaning.

And today one of my samurai is taking me out for a congratulatory/farewell lunch at Bobby Van's on NY Ave. (Hmmmmm, four star beef)

Nothing says classy like having toothpaste emblazoned on your chest.

Heroes--With Startling Revelations!!

This episode reminded me of why I got all wrapped up in this show in the first place.

The pacing was fast, the plot neatly interconnected, and the story full of stunning revelations!

Lets go over some of them:

Turns out the virus that Bob and Co. are manufacturing will wipe out 93% of the world's population.

And that boys and girls is why we don't design uber-bugs. Didn't any of those people see The Stand? The movie in which Molly Ringwald sets a whole new standard for "whiny?"

Back to Heroes, Ma Petrelli remains classy, even in an apocalyptic future. I think her power may be a really subtle compulsion. Think about it. Everyone ends up doing what she tells them to. Peter even recovers a bit of his memory, just because she said so.

And now, for my list of astonishing revelations. All Astonishing Revelations will be duly noted with an exclamation point of wonder and surprise at the end.

Irish girl gets left behind in an unpleasant future!

Jessica/Niki gets infected with the super drug!

Mohinder is a horrible spy!

Claire becomes relevant again!

Parkman grows a pair!! (That one was shocking enough for two exclamation points of wonder)

Molly wakes up!

Bob may or may not be evil!

Honestly, has anyone figured out his agenda yet? I haven't. Truly, he is a worthy of opponent for MEG.

Hiro is his own boyhood hero! (I totally called that, and I loved his little Ye-haa! yell)

Kensei is Adam!!!! I totally DID NOT call that one! Hiro helped create the Big Bad who's been actually controlling the Big Bad!! And also, he may or may not be evil.

Love that ambiguity.

I can't wait for next week, which promises to resolve even more plot issues. Yeah!!

Monday AMV

Vader plays the blues on this busy Monday morning.

Morbidly Awesome

Now that I've become all too familiar with the process of decomposition, I have decided that cremation is the way to go. And since I refuse to give up the deadly processed pork products that even now are crippling my colon, you can imagine my excitement at this awesome Star Trek funeral urn.



By all means, stick my ashes in that baby.

But you know, the casket from the Wrath of Kahn might make me change my mind:



Decisions, decisions.

Chocolate Covered Jeeps

And in more food news, seven contestants licked their way through 700 pounds of chocolate for a free Jeep Cherokee.

Story with Pictures Here.

Now I love chocolate, but I don't think I could lick it off a car. Especially off the grill. Go outside and check out the grill of your car. I bet it's covered in mashed bug guts. I'm sure these chocolate covered jeeps were new, but I wouldn't be able to get over the psychological hang up of licking the grill.

I'd constantly be checking for crunchings and munchings.

Do you think they gave them glasses of milk? I mean that's a lot of chocolate to lick. Wouldn't your tongue go numb in self defense?

Bacon Scare!!!

I don't know if you guys have been following all the hoopla over a study released yesterday linking bacon to colon cancer. It was all over the morning news here, reported in somber, serious tones for the immanent peril threatening us all.

"Hmmmm" I thought "tasty tasty bacon." Later I went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner, where I ordered a pizza with the following ingredients:

-Mozzarella
-Goat Cheese (yummy!)
-Sauteed red and yellow peppers
-Japanese Egg Plant (Also yummy! Surprisingly!)
-Crumbled applewood smoked bacon

It was soooo good. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my monitor.

I also had a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel this morning, so obviously my love affair with bacon continues unabated.

So, what to have for lunch? BLT? Egg salad with Bacon? Turkey club? Fillet Mignon?!

What's your favorite bacon dish?

Friday Fun

I'll admit that even more than Vader's awkward flirting, I love this clip for the pink Vader suit.

Where did they get that thing? Is it homemade? A modified Vader costume spray painted? It fascinates me.