Juggling Mike

If you are Christian then you know that yesterday was Jesus’ birthday, and if you’re the average person, you celebrated by buying and receiving gifts for everybody EXCEPT Jesus (because he’s dead, you see). My family fits in this category. I don’t really celebrate holidays anymore (including christmas, my birthday, etc), but I do enjoy buying gifts for my family. My rule of thumb is that the gift has to mean something. It means a lot more if there was thought put behind it. That said, I was given the corniest gift ever this year (literally), and I loved it.

There is a little backstory to this gift which I need to explain first. Dharti once called me up while I was eating. When asked what I was masticating, I replied, in between bites, that I was eating cream corn from the can. I know, I know, I’m bizarre but CORN = BEST VEGETABLE EVAR! Kids back in college thought I was poor since my lunch sometimes consisted of cans of veggies, but it was a regal meal to me.

Anyways, Dharti found this weird (as does everybody else who hears/sees me eating this) and it became a common joke between us over time. Enter Christmas. She gave me a gift basket with several wrapped items. I had to guess what they were, and I was totally confused. I figured one of them was a cd, but that was about it. To my surprise, it was the corniest gift basket ever. Every item, was literally corn related. The only thing missing was a unicorn, but they’re mystical animals and I’m allergic to horses. She said that she had some help from her friends with ideas, but I was mighty impressed by the overall idea.
Continue Reading »

4 Comments »

Yesterday, we were greeted with our first (real) winter storm of the 2008-2009 season. Starting this year, all vehicles must have winter tires installed by December 15th. Since the storm fell six day before this deadline, many cars hopelessly slid left and right because they were void of any traction. This happens every time. It seems people need a first hand experience to realize why winter tires exist. The first winter storm is also synonymous with traffic. It took me nearly three hours to get home last night from work. I heard even crazier horror stories from others who did not use public transportation.

Anyways, as much as the road conditions are hell, there is a serene beauty to the initial snowstorm. First of all, everything is white, untainted by the snowplows and the mucky slush from the streets. There is a calming presence that drifts with the icy wind that presses against your face. The heat from your bundles of clothing is similar to a warm embrace while the exposed skin pushes you forward to whatever destination you heading to. As much as I hate driving in winter, I find myself quite relaxed when unburdened with the rush to be somewhere.

After the snowfall from yesterday (about 8 inches or so), we were greeted by freezing rain this morning. Surprisingly, traffic was not too bad, and I got to work in a decent amount of time. After the rain fell, we were given another layer of snow, which fell in big fluffy lumps. My biggest regret this morning was to have not brought my camera with me to capture the beauty emitted by the trees and overall landscapes. I got back home just before 7pm, which meant that it was pitch dark outside. Not faltered by the lack of sunlight, I grabbed my camera and tripod and trudged through the snow to capture the best shots I could. I didn’t walk too far, but I managed to take several pictures. My 18-200mm was in the shop, so I used my 50mm 1.8 lens, which required me to move everywhere to properly frame my shots. A half hour or so later, with fingers frozen, I went back home and processed the images on my computer. The light source may have been artificial, but it definitely adds to the atmosphere of the pictures.

Here are a couple that I wanted to share. Feel free to leave any comments.

Continue Reading »

6 Comments »

I came upon the Pilooski edit of Beggin by The Four Seasons with Frankie Valli about ayear ago. It has been stuck in the cranium ever since. It is also the unofficial ringtone for one of my friends, and we often send each other emails with just one word in it; BEGGIN.. testament of how catchy that song was. More proof of the awesomeness that springs from the Pilooski edit is the fact that it was included in the CBS (Cybernetic Broadcasting System)Top 100 2006 list. You can get the lists as torrent downloads and are required listenings…

In order to spread the Beggin virus, here’s the three versions of the song that I know.

Original

Pilooski Edit

Madcon Edit
I am unable to embed the Madcon version, but since it is a rap version, and my least favourite, it doesn’t bother me too much. Still, check it out, as it may be your thing.

In other news, definitely check out the Cybernetic Broadcasting System online radio. It rocks. HARD.

No Comments »