Category: Uncategorized

Triple head

In computer-speak, the number of monitors connected to your computer is referred to as the number of “heads”. For many years I’ve been running a dual-head display, and when I first switched to two monitors, the upgrade was astounding. Now and then I’d attempted three monitors, but I finally “inherited” an old video card that supported a triple-head display so I figured I’d grab a spare monitor and give it a go.

Although I haven’t yet found a driving need for a third screen, I do find that it’s really nice to read the central display face-on. With dual heads, you’re always twisted slightly to the left or the right as you look at the monitors, but with three you can put non-essential things off to the sides while focusing directly on the task at hand.

So although I wouldn’t call this “life changing” in any way, it’s been kind of fun to have three 30″ widescreens glowing at me in my basement office…

Controversial

Laralee and I have a running argument (as in, a decade or more) about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie.  I, of course, maintain that it is… and much of the internet backs me up with “top 10 Christmas movie” lists.

I think getting a sweater like this will settle it.

Mathing

Zaque was preparing for his calculus test, and I asked him how it was going.

“Well, these questions just raise more questions. Like, ‘Bobby is flying a kite 100 feet directly overhead, and the wind blows it east at 10 feet per second.’
How is he flying a kite directly overhead? This is so unrealistic.”

Yep, that sounds about right.

Dream journal

Zaque is taking a psychology class this semester, and really enjoys it.  Their current assignment is to keep a “dream journal” for a few weeks, presumably to analyze those dreams. Here are a few entries in Zaque’s journal:

It was St. Patrick’s Day, and I dressed in SO much green that people literally fainted when they saw me.

Possible meaning: green=money

Kyer was a surgeon, but he ran out of organs, so we went out and stole them from people.

Possible meaning: organs=life?

I had to catch cats in an ice cream truck. The truck was to trick the cats into coming up to it. Then I’d grab them and throw them in the freezer.

Possible meaning: ice cream=tasty stuff; cats=good things

I got in an accident and ended up with a huge hole straight through my chest. Rather than fix it, we played a game where you would throw the ball through my chest hole to the other person.

Possible meaning: hole=problem, game=fun

I don’t remember my dreams, but if they’re anything like Zaque’s, I’m really missing out…

It’s a good day

Laralee just sent me this:

I found the house key down the crack by the dryer and I found a King Soopers gift card in the shoebox on the dryer that has $58.52 on it. Woo hoo!

Not only did she find the house key we lost months ago, but now we’re rich, too!

Fresh Cheetos are the best Cheetos

I’m sitting down to start working on my seminary lesson, and decided to have a bowl of Cheetos. You know, to get the creative juices flowing. So I tore open the new bag and poured myself a bunch.

Of course it’s a scientific fact that the best Cheetos are the fresh Cheetos, right out of a new bag. I’m sure these will help me prepare a great lesson.

Workin’ for a livin’

Zaque had a full-time job working as a camp assistant at the YMCA over the summer. He made good money, and as a result he was flush with cash for those few months. After tucking half of his income into a savings account (Mom and Dad are such killjoys, right?), he was free to spend the remainder on whatever he wanted. It turns out what he wanted was video games, video game add-ons, computer hardware for video games, and the occasional bag of Hot Cheetos or Takis.

As the summer came to an end and the camp wound down, we told Zaque he was welcome to get another job– perhaps at the YMCA– if he wanted to continue spending money at that rate. He chose not to, and the school year started. Not surprisingly, the financial well quickly ran dry. He was still going out to lunch with friends, and after a bit of questioning we learned that his friends had been supporting him. I told him it’s not cool to be a mooch, and he needed to either figure out how to pay his own way, or stop going out to lunch with friends.

Clearly there’s only one choice there, so he shopped around for another job and landed one at Get Air. It’s a trampoline park in town, and they needed some responsible teens with gymnastics or trampoline experience. Zaque had the experience, and apparently in the interview he managed to convey some semblance of responsibility, so they hired him.

He’s been there for a little over a month now, and he seems to enjoy it. Before his first day, he had to watch nearly forty training videos on YouTube, and answer some questions about them. They were the usual things about how to administer first aid, how to be a good example, and presumably how to set bones that break after crazy accidents on the trampolines. My favorite safety video, though, was the one about Foam Pit Extraction.

A Foam Pit Extraction is apparently what happens when a kid launches off a trampoline and lands in the foam pit, but can’t get back out for whatever reason (most likely broken bones). So now, every day after he comes home from work, I ask him if he did any Foam Pit Extractions. To date, he hasn’t.

Also, I think Foam Pit Extraction would be a great name for a band.