Foo - Whatcha doin'?

lol ah, but are you also a fan of frozen yogurt? or maybe italian gelato:P

I am currently on BF telling you all that I am on BF.---wait..hey____huh?

lol ah, but are you also a fan of frozen yogurt? or maybe italian gelato:P
ooohhhh...gelato...I love that stuff. I ate it everyday in Italy and still lost 10 lbs. That stuff is incredible.

Thanks Beetl!
De nada!

speaking of ice cream...


Ever had the Edy's double churned stuff?

Oh man you gotta do it.

Its like 1/3 the calories, but its so creamy and rich I think I am eating ben an d jerrys. Seriously. Caramel delight is awesome...

Well imn about to finish the last 2 chapters of huck finn. Whew itll be much better reading it now than at 4:30 in the morning:D
Im also downloading some songs. Anyone have any suggestions for songs?

Well imn about to finish the last 2 chapters of huck finn. Whew itll be much better reading it now than at 4:30 in the morning:D
Im also downloading some songs. Anyone have any suggestions for songs?

Forget the last two chapters, I'll save you the trouble--everybody dies, The End.

Oh, wait...that was Hamlet.

:roflmao:

Wow thanks for trying to make me fail tomorrows quiz;)

Im also downloading some songs. Anyone have any suggestions for songs?

I downloaded a bunch of Ill Nino today...pretty good stuff

Wow thanks for trying to make me fail tomorrows quiz;)

Anytime, EJ, anytime. :D

OK, back from the YMCA...I've got a routine now.

Weekend ride - 42 miles @ 14mph average. Monday - spin class. Thursday - 45 minutes on the Concept 2 rower/600 calories.

I've been playing at getting in shape for about a year and a half. I'm finally getting serious.

:)

Oh, wait...that was Hamlet.
No wait...Romeo and Juliet...no Macbeth...no Julius Caesar...no Othello.

Shakespeare: The Original Gangsta' Rapper

:)

"You cram these words in mine ears against the stomach of my sense"

The Tempest, Act 2

OK, back from the YMCA...I've got a routine now.

Weekend ride - 42 miles @ 14mph average. Monday - spin class. Thursday - 45 minutes on the Concept 2 rower/600 calories.

I've been playing at getting in shape for about a year and a half. I'm finally getting serious.

:)
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Finished entertaining the prospective grad student I'm responsible for. Doing my consulting work next.

EDIT: Never mind. I forgot that I had already done my consulting work earlier today.

I've been playing at getting in shape for about a year and a half. I'm finally getting serious.

:)
That's great. :) Glad to hear it. How's your plans for getting a road bike coming along?

I just finished Huck Finn, and i thought the ending was ok...oh well im really tired since its 12:40am and ill be up around 5:30>_< . Seeya

Good luck on your test!!!! (You ARE having a test, aren't you?)

Just got off the phone with my parents. My Ford Focus is off my hands now, so one item down, one more to go before getting back to worrying about the fit of my jeans. The car's written off, and with no space to deal with it, I'm not willing to take the time to try to part out components for money. (Sorry jyo, no mirrors for you.) Just need to buy a car.

Maybe I'm a weakling in my ability (or lack thereof) to stand my ground, but my parents are doing a very convincing job of telling me that the difference in price between what they envision and what I envision is really no big deal. No big deal to them, no big deal to me. It doesn't help that they're using my personal fiscal tendencies against me. (Be frugal on the day-to-day, be careful with the extraordinary expenses, improve quality of life by splurging in the middle.)

The thing is, they almost have me convinced that even without their assistance, I would go ahead and buy a nice car if I thought things through carefully. It's not a day-to-day expense (not if paying cash since cost of operation isn't a big deal either way), and it's not big enough a purchase to make a noticeable impact on my long term finances (like, say, a house). And they might be right. I remember that as I was approaching college graduation, I was considering buying a BMW or Audi for myself (not expecting parental assistance) if I ended up with a decent-length commute.

I dunno... I'm more convinced I would like a nice car, but I still feel a bit silly getting one as a grad student even though I can afford it. (The six other people in my lab bay combined didn't spend over $30K.) And I still have reservations about having my parents buy me such a car. Even if it truly is no big deal to them. And I feel exceptionally silly about getting a nice car when for four days a week, it will just sit in my parking spot untouched. (But it would be such fun on the other days...)

Bored so I photoshopped a stock pic of the bike that I want.
http://jonbuder.com/images/jane_edit.jpg
That's what I'd do to it if I had one (remove brakes, most logos, lower seat, probably replace pedals too)

I'm tired, and I can't really think straight anymore. I try to think, and my mind just goes blank. I think that means it's time to go to bed.

And when I'm not trying to think, a part of me is just telling me to splurge for a nice car. It's a very one-sided argument going on inside my brain right now. After all, if I were married right now and my wife needed a car, I wouldn't mind if she bought something nice. (And how much she made or even whether she worked isn't a factor.) So since I have no wife, a part of my mind is telling me, I should just spend that money on myself.

And now I'm starting to daydream about girls. (That above argument some part of my mind concocted triggered this.) That's a risky activity at this time of night since a lot of time can potentially go by that way, cutting into sleep. Better to just go to sleep.

Okay, before wasting even more time, I'm going to sleep. Hopefully, I'll be able to sleep.

you could always dream about having sex with hot chicks :)

You shouldn't feel silly about this, jschen. Personally, if I had the choice, I'd go for the nicer car too. Something like Audi A4 Quattro (especially if I don't want to feel too guilty about transporting my bike on it :P) or BMW 3-series. I guess it depends on what kind of use you'll have for it. I like my Prius but I also go hiking a lot, and skiing, and needless to say - cycling. For skiing for example, I have to borrow my parents' SUV :rolleyes: Anyway, I guess my advice (helpful or not) is to just sleep on it and don't feel like you should have a crappier car just because you're a grad student. You'll have your PhD before you know it :)

That's great. :) Glad to hear it. How's your plans for getting a road bike coming along?
Bonus time is March 15. That's when I'll get really serious.

The top 3:

1. Specialized Roubaix Comp - Full 105 10
2. Serotta Fierte Steel - Full Ultegra
3. Lemond Buenos Aires '05 - Full Veloce

I'm also considering less expensive options, but none of them are getting me very excited!

I haven't ridden any of them yet. They are all within about $200 of each other, so the test ride will be the deciding factor.

:)

(Sorry jyo, no mirrors for you.)
That's alright, I'll just keep duct taping the mirrors until I decide I can't stand it anymore, then spend the $50 per mirror. I've already replaced one and it's still being held on by duct tape cuz of another car/truck sideswiping it.



I dunno... I'm more convinced I would like a nice car, but I still feel a bit silly getting one as a grad student even though I can afford it. (The six other people in my lab bay combined didn't spend over $30K.) And I still have reservations about having my parents buy me such a car. Even if it truly is no big deal to them. And I feel exceptionally silly about getting a nice car when for four days a week, it will just sit in my parking spot untouched. (But it would be such fun on the other days...)
Once again, it's JYo to the rescue. Get a Pontiac Solstice or Saturn whatever it's called convertible. Yes, it's small, doesn't have 4 doors, but it's a new platform, good performance, inexpensive comparably speaking and a ton of fun. A more expensive option would be the Honda S2000. The miata's just played out so don't bother w/ that.

I am drinking coffee and wondering what the heck I'm doing at work on such a nice day. We've just finished advocacy packages and they're off for edits (whoo hoo - but that, of course, means that the real changes are about to start).

Thanks, Siu (I think it was Siu) who suggested the ginger tea. Kid was sick for about 30 minutes the other day after going with grandma but otherwise has not caught the horrible flu going around our household.

You shouldn't feel silly about this, jschen. [...] You'll have your PhD before you know it :)
Yup, half way to my PhD. :) And then either on to a job or (if going academic) a post-doc stint. My sleeping on it has resulted in my wanting the nice car. If I would buy it for my hypothetical wife, I should be willing to buy it for myself.

If I'm spending that much, I'd expect a mix of comfort and performance. (This isn't a dedicated weekend canyon-carver! So no Lotus Elise or Ariel Atom. Not yet...) A reasonably linear, predictable response to inputs and confidence-inspiring feedback and handling dynamics matter more to me than outright performance anyway on my daily driver, assuming certain minimal requirements are met. For this price range, 0-60 under 7--preferably around 6, rear wheel or all wheel drive, seats that fit me perfectly, good pedal resistance, steering that feels near-telepathic. Current front-runners (haven't driven them yet, though) are the Audi A3 3.2, BMW 330i, Ford Mustang, Lexus IS350, and Pontiac GTO. (Just an alphabetical listing.)

I'm up (duh) bumming around and getting ready for work. Another recruiting-heavy schedule today. With my professor interviewing people (two people every 40 minutes, 7 interview slots), they'll probably get sent my way near the end of each interview slot to chat a bit more. And the reception with free beer, wine, and food is at 5 PM, so if I get in around 9 AM, my workday is necessarily on the short side. :)

Lex, glad to hear the flu appears to have stopped going around your household.

What about a Dodge Caravan? Handy for hauling things like bikes.

dodge :(

Finally catching up on this thread! Jeez, people! I take, like, 2-3 days off and this thing seems to be very similar to another thread, which shall remain nameless....;)

Okay, this is gonna be a long post. Several things to say, in no particular order.

Hello, my name is Karldar. I'm a Cancer. Hear me roar, um, no? How about click, click, clack, scuttle?:p

jschen, I see where you're comin' from on the car issue and I have to wonder if you've considered the Infiniti G35x. AWD, six-speed(I think, might be automatic-only, but they'd be stupid to do that), sporty, yet somewhat practical and not super-expensive. I think it looks pretty good, too. Going just from your short list, tho, I've heard really good things about the BMW and the Mustang. If I were buying for myself, I'd go with the Ford. If someone else were paying, I'd try to convince them I needed a BMW motorcycle.;) If money were no object, I'd get an FX45. I just really dig the way they look. *shrug* Anyway, good luck with the new car vs. integrity battle. P.S. I think you would make a great, but underpaid, teacher/professor. You have the ability to explain complicated processes very well. Even I understand some of what you write.;)

Siu, thanks for the ginger reminder. I think you might've mentioned that before, but I keep forgetting to pick any up. Note to self: "Self, make shopping list. Now, where's that pen? Damn it! Oh, there it is...."

Taerom, that theme from Mission: Impossible 2 that Limp Bizkit did is definitely one of their better efforts, in my opinion. I love how they incorporated the original tune into their song.

Lex, hope you're feeling better and the bug has departed....:)

Have I mentioned that, "I like pie!" lately? I don't like Pepsi, tho. It's evil...and too sweet, but mostly evil. Coke is the bestest, you losers!:D*

BeetL, congrats on the fitness routine. I'm working out, lightly, for about a half-hour five days a week now. Probably going to six next week. I feel way better since I started exercising regularly. Of course, I've been off the bike for a couple months thanks to 1)stupid weather:mad: and 2)lack of motivation. Going to order and put a down payment on a new bike tomorrow, tho. Woohoo! Might pick up some skates and hockey gear next month, too. There's a group of guys from work that have been playing lately.

Does the phrase, "Spanish Castle Magic" mean anything to anyone here? I upconverted most of my MP3's to 192kbps and, for some reason, all the tracks from Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits now have the afore-mentioned name/phrase as the artist. How the fudge did that happen? Any idears? I lost some files and other info, too. The names show up, but they're blank or they're now unknown according to my MP3 player's software even though they were correct before the conversion. Weird, man....

Okay, I know I'm forgetting some stuff, but that's all my poor wittle brain can handle right now. It's past my bedtime! Gotta get some sleep so I can workout later and play some Halo 2 on the ol' XBox Live. Woot!

*This line is directed at SBW and BDG, mostly.:p

I need to join your "Coke is the bestest" club, Karldar....you bring the pie.

dodge :(

Dodge makes you blue, Tex?

I need to join your "Coke is the bestest" club, Karldar....you bring the pie.
Long as you don't mind savory. I'm thinkin' chicken pot, personally. Sweet pie(and ice cream) for dessert, of course.:D

Oh, yeah! Right now I'm wondering why I'm not in bed yet. Stupid Karldar, go to bed!:mad:

Long as you don't mind savory. I'm thinkin' chicken pot, personally. Sweet pie(and ice cream) for dessert, of course.:D

I'm fine with that. Yum. Haven't had chicken pot pie in AGES. I'll bring some caramel apple pie. mmmmmm

Okay, now I have to go to the breakroom and get a coke....darn you....darn you all to heck. :D

I'm fine with that. Yum. Haven't had chicken pot pie in AGES. I'll bring some caramel apple pie. mmmmmm

Okay, now I have to go to the breakroom and get a coke....darn you....darn you all to heck. :D
You can keep the coke. I'll take the chicken pot :D and the Caramel Apple pie :D

I'm fine with that. Yum. Haven't had chicken pot pie in AGES. I'll bring some caramel apple pie. mmmmmm

Okay, now I have to go to the breakroom and get a coke....darn you....darn you all to heck. :D
Son of a biscuit! Now I think I might be too hungry to go to bed. Must...fight...hunger...pangs....

Ooooo, I know! I'll go brush my toofeses. That'll take care of it!

Im on my lunch break now and I have to study for 2 more quizzes:O Spanish and English that is. Wish me luck:D

Are we talking about food now?? :hungry:

Good luck EJ!

gracias:D

Son of a biscuit! Now I think I might be too hungry to go to bed. Must...fight...hunger...pangs....

Ooooo, I know! I'll go brush my toofeses. That'll take care of it!

You must have some really good tasting toothpaste if that'll take care of it. LOL

Im on my lunch break now and I have to study for 2 more quizzes:O Spanish and English that is. Wish me luck:D

Good luck! Hope you do well.

Does the phrase, "Spanish Castle Magic" mean anything to anyone here?

You're kidding, right? :eek:

Just finished a big improptu meeting in my project team. The other two members of the team were about to explode at each other. We're all a bit on edge, but I think and hope everyone's okay now. Now it's back to running reactions.


I think you would make a great, but underpaid, teacher/professor. You have the ability to explain complicated processes very well. Even I understand some of what you write.
Thanks! :) That's the greatest compliment someone considering becoming a professor could get. (In my opinion, anyway. Many others would disagree.) Better to drill a few key concepts into the students' heads than to cram a bunch of facts into them without a solid understanding. The other key difficulty, aside from getting at difficult concepts in a manner where students can readily understand, is showing them how to apply those concepts in a way where the students feel capable and confident to apply those concepts themselves. I'm getting better at it, but that part I'm definitely still working on.

As for cars, I'm very familiar with the Infiniti G35. My sister has one, and I've driven it on several occasions, ranging from dealership test drives to short trips around town to an 800 mile weekend trip. It's a fabulously comfortable and fast car that is very competitively priced. But it's not a car I'm particularly thrilled to drive. The steering doesn't really have the right feel for me and the pedals feel too mushy. (Too much "luxury car" setup, too little "sports car" setup.) Also, the suspension isn't particularly well sorted, and the car feels less buttoned down than a BMW 3-series or an Audi A4. I know I'm being picky, but if I'm going to spend that much, then I'm going to be ultra-picky.

I'm fine with that. Yum. Haven't had chicken pot pie in AGES. I'll bring some caramel apple pie. mmmmmm

Okay, now I have to go to the breakroom and get a coke....darn you....darn you all to heck. :D
Can I join the pie and Coke appreciation club? Chicken pot pie is awesome, but seafood pot pie kicks ass too.

Buenos suerte EJ!

Can I join the pie and Coke appreciation club? Chicken pot pie is awesome, but seafood pot pie kicks ass too.

Buenos suerte EJ!

I had to skip lunch and now this is just getting wrong. I am at some point beyond ultra-hungry now. *grumble*

Lex *the seafood addict*

JYo's seafood pot pie recipe:
1 pack of of pie crusts (3 to a pack usually) defrosted
Squid, shrimps (de-shelled), scallops, clams, oysters (smoked if you want), mussels, lump crab meat, etc.
butter and cream
frozen veggies

throw everything except the pie crusts in a pot, heat until the right consistency, toss in pie crust, cover w/ another pie crust, toss in oven until golden brown and delicious (GBD).

eat w/ a coke. great, i just ate lunch and i'm hungry again and my mouth is watering.