tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-328401762024-03-13T23:07:14.037-05:00Personal JournalsBjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-33956979091150057052008-10-03T10:47:00.004-05:002008-10-03T11:02:57.011-05:00VP Debate '08The Riverview Theater aired the debate on the big-screen last night, which made for quite an event. Obama/Biden stickers and shirts were everywhere, people were dressed like birds - Oh, WAIT! They were roosters. Holding signs that said WAKE UP AMERICA. ...just put that together. Anyway, while the VP debate may not end up deciding very much this election, there sure was a lot of excitement in the air - some of which has lingered on into today, at least. The following is an email response that I wrote to a friend that was supposed to meet us at the theater, but couldn't get in!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yeah, the debate is definitely the topic of conversation here at work today... surprised (or maybe not really) how much support she still has amongst the conservatives, in my office and across the nation. I hate that it casts me and other liberals I know as elitists when I/we say that Palin is dumbing down politics to appeal to the masses. On purpose. But that's exactly what I think. I don't know how to not be a jerk, but still ask for the credit and respect that I deserve as an (at least somewhat) informed member of society... again I'm already implying that I'm better than others. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> What to do? Anyway, the theater was definitely a great venue to watch, however biased. I am always most interested in knowing what people on the other side of the spectrum think during these nationally televised political events. But it's fun to get carried away too. (Carried towards the left.) :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> You're right that the Truth was hard to find though. Both candidates dodged questions. Biden was just a bit slicker about it. Palin was straightforward with her evasion. So Biden looked more like old Washington in some ways. A distant intellectual politician. (Gore? Kerry?) Palin was like W., without the jittery fear. (Although she did look more nervous than usual.) In any case, The People will take away from it what they're inclined to. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Fortunately Obama has been gaining ground, and Biden did nothing to hurt that, and the little that Palin helped McCain (by showing up, not falling on her face) won't add much to the equation. That's all that really matters. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Lastly, what was with all of the winking? It's like she's hitting on the country. Seriously. Stop winking at me Sarah.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>What did you think?Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-65405295665981586812008-09-23T13:34:00.005-05:002008-09-23T13:40:50.860-05:00Oh, is THAT who we're voting for?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SNk3DiSlevI/AAAAAAAAAPw/-2OkxLco7o0/s1600-h/barackvspalin.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SNk3DiSlevI/AAAAAAAAAPw/-2OkxLco7o0/s320/barackvspalin.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249287374560918258" border="0" /></a><br />Are we really that confused in this country? This ad popped up next to my email today, begging the question.Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-62447190106083670912008-09-12T10:53:00.005-05:002008-09-12T11:03:58.452-05:00Veep of the Hill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tvguide.com/images/pgimg/king-peggy-hill6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: none; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.tvguide.com/images/pgimg/king-peggy-hill6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I didn't make this connection, but I thought it apt/funny.<br /><br />The McCain Veep mission: find the real life Peggy Hill. Slam dunk.Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-55171461409818356012008-09-11T15:41:00.005-05:002008-09-11T16:01:59.024-05:00Geekin' out about Dropbox.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.getdropbox.com/static/images/dropbox_logo_home.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.getdropbox.com/static/images/dropbox_logo_home.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Finally! <a href="http://www.getdropbox.com/">DropBox</a>, an online backup and synchronization application, went public today, so I got my copy after months of waiting for a beta invitation. I don't see any reason why a person wouldn't sign up for their free service, where you get 2 GBs of storage that you can access from any computer that you have activated with the service. That means not only instant backups, but universal access to your files.<br /><br />Other services have a similar feature-set (Mozy, which I currently use), but Dropbox's more complete service features and tasty UI puts it way ahead in my book.<br /><br />The way Dropbox works, is that it makes a folder that acts the same as any other folder on your computer, but now when you add a file to the designated folder, you'll be able to open it on from the Dropbox folders you have on any other machines. Like magic :), Dropbox copies the files first to the web, and then down to you other machines so they're local always & everywhere. Crazy.<br /><br />So I'm really excited about Dropbox.Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-16105187485404537242008-08-12T14:32:00.002-05:002008-08-12T14:39:22.238-05:00Drivin' to CAIn 10 days Änna and I get to take a little vacation and drive Jeff's car out to sunny Palo Alto, CA! For those that don't already know, Jeff is Änna's dad, and he's starting as the VP of Development (or something like that) at a solar energy company called <a href="http://ausra.com/">Ausra</a> this month, which we're all very excited about. <br /><br />We're planning our route right now, so if you have any suggestions, we'd love to hear them. <br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=581+pelham+blvd.,+st.+paul,+mn+55104&daddr=omaha,+ne+to:salt+lake+city,+ut+to:palo+alto,+ca&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=41.20597,-107.765455&sspn=28.159124,44.208984&ie=UTF8&s=AARTsJo9zwiXuhzG3CfJGEsf1D6-G4_gCA&ll=41.20597,-107.765455&spn=23.113569,37.353516&z=4&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=581+pelham+blvd.,+st.+paul,+mn+55104&daddr=omaha,+ne+to:salt+lake+city,+ut+to:palo+alto,+ca&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=41.20597,-107.765455&sspn=28.159124,44.208984&ie=UTF8&ll=41.20597,-107.765455&spn=23.113569,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-55244548699199698572008-08-03T21:07:00.001-05:002008-08-03T21:07:52.533-05:00The Great Wall : Summer '08<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hagstrbh/2729606961/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/2729606961_f4bd7923e0_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hagstrbh/2729606961/">DSC00079</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/hagstrbh/">hagstrbh</a></span></div>Not THAT Great Wall. But still a great wall.<br /><br />Regrettably, I never took any pics of our construction of the Hagstrom-Great-Wall-in-St.Paul last year. Hopefully these pics of the 2nd installment will serve as enough of a reminder... to never do this again? <br /><br />No, it was fun really. And hopefully Änna likes what I've done when she returns home tomorrow. :) Photos on flickr (username: hagstrbh).<br clear="all" />Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-52261787011518928982008-07-27T20:35:00.003-05:002008-07-27T20:40:19.330-05:00Threadless ShirtSo I thought I'd try to submit a shirt to Threadless.com to see how that all worked. Turns out, if enough users vote that they like a shirt, and Threadless prints it, I can get paid. So vote early, and often. Even if you think my shirt is dumb. Image below should link to my shirt, titled "Kevin" bacon.<br /><a href="http://www.threadless.com/submission/172084/quot_Kevin_quot_Bacon"><img src="http://www.threadless.com/subbanner/172084/banner2.png" alt="My Threadless.com Submission " width="130" border="0" height="100" /></a>Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-50757457585319416102008-07-21T22:11:00.005-05:002008-08-01T16:28:30.272-05:00Tune Up Media<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tuneupmedia.com/img/logo.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.tuneupmedia.com/img/logo.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I was just using this awesome piece of software from <a href="http://www.tuneupmedia.com/">Tune Up Media</a> that helps clean up your iTunes music library, and I guess that I was impressed enough to recommend it to you here. (At least the Free Version that I'm demoing tonight.) Super easy, drag-and-drop interface, with something like 90% accuracy (they claim) in renaming/cleaning files. If your music folder was as messy as mine, from the old days of college file sharing, I'm sure you'll find this helpful. If I were still using Limewire, Bittorent, etc, I would definitely be buying the lifetime subsription for TuneUp, but for now I'll see how far I can stretch the 500 free cleans.Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-7087195343244675782008-07-21T14:07:00.000-05:002008-07-21T14:08:42.909-05:00Leopard vs. Crocodile<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FF0Lr--K4oo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FF0Lr--K4oo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Leopard wins.Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-92017476880969863542008-06-18T15:59:00.002-05:002008-06-18T16:07:50.814-05:00Hamburglar?No. Regular burglar.<br /><br />Some of you may have heard, but our garage was broken into the other week. Which blows. Both our bikes, my drums, the power saw, the cordless drill, a Bucket Boss FULL of tools, all gone. Plus they screwed up our garage door in the process. Insurance will pay for some, but we have to spend quite a bit to make paying the deductible worthwhile.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm not looking for sympathy, but advice. I'm thinking of getting an electronic drum set to replace the old, "traditional" one. Mostly for the quiet factor, but also to save space. And I've always thought them pretty rad. Does anyone out there have experience with these sets? Unfounded opinions? Either will do, really.<br /><br />I'm off, probably to buy some new tools.Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-45758983063416217402008-06-16T16:42:00.000-05:002008-06-16T16:43:39.017-05:00More Reverse Graffiti<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5lX-2sP0JFw"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5lX-2sP0JFw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reversegraffitiproject.com/">http://www.reversegraffitiproject.com/</a>Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-48822922989056424612008-05-27T11:45:00.005-05:002008-05-27T12:01:22.722-05:00Kickin' Off Summer Right.The Hagstroms are kickin' off summer right. Seems like we've packed in a whole season's worth of fun in to the last two weekends...<br /><br />We did this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7aZVlx6I/AAAAAAAAAOI/weFSa8MyzNs/s1600-h/ride_SteelVenom_1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7aZVlx6I/AAAAAAAAAOI/weFSa8MyzNs/s400/ride_SteelVenom_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205100593997531042" border="0" /></a><br />and went here...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7apVlx7I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/5d0AK6AStqc/s1600-h/p245482-Minneapolis_MN-Mall_of_America.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7apVlx7I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/5d0AK6AStqc/s400/p245482-Minneapolis_MN-Mall_of_America.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205100598292498354" border="0" /></a><br />and did this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7yJVlx_I/AAAAAAAAAOw/hhxmvDD0RoI/s1600-h/camping.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7yJVlx_I/AAAAAAAAAOw/hhxmvDD0RoI/s400/camping.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205101002019424242" border="0" /></a><br />and saw this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7bJVlx9I/AAAAAAAAAOg/eFuA8xTw1-U/s1600-h/Indiana_Jones_Kingdom_Crystal_Skull_%282008%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7bJVlx9I/AAAAAAAAAOg/eFuA8xTw1-U/s400/Indiana_Jones_Kingdom_Crystal_Skull_%282008%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205100606882432978" border="0" /><br /></a>and went to this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7a5Vlx8I/AAAAAAAAAOY/pQsMX2h9REY/s1600-h/soundset.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7a5Vlx8I/AAAAAAAAAOY/pQsMX2h9REY/s400/soundset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205100602587465666" border="0" /></a><br />and did lots of this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7bZVlx-I/AAAAAAAAAOo/cFG2CzdQ4SE/s1600-h/brats.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7bZVlx-I/AAAAAAAAAOo/cFG2CzdQ4SE/s400/brats.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205100611177400290" border="0" /></a><br />and even started one of these...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7yJVlyAI/AAAAAAAAAO4/sy_0FdSwyek/s1600-h/square-foot-garden-1082.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/SDw7yJVlyAI/AAAAAAAAAO4/sy_0FdSwyek/s400/square-foot-garden-1082.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205101002019424258" border="0" /></a><br />Thank goodness the work week is here so we can relax...Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-61052576156147290882008-05-13T16:20:00.004-05:002008-05-13T16:30:42.516-05:00Wife Chart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/05/images/maritalchart.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/05/images/maritalchart.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><p>How does your wife rank?</p><br />This is the first page of a 1930s chart used to give couples "feedback" on their marriages. I wish they had the whole list up... but I'm sure my wife would rank as "Very Superior" regardless. <a href="http://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/05/marriage.html">[full story]</a>Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-31969901589196732362008-05-13T10:27:00.002-05:002008-05-13T10:37:05.744-05:00Another blog that's just way way way better than mine.<a href="http://manbabies.com/">manbabies.com</a><br /><br /><p>Just photos of dads with their babies -- with their heads swapped.</p><br /><p><a href="http://manbabies.com/content/5"><img alt="ManBabies.com - Dad?" src="http://manbabies.com/images/5.jpg" border=0></a><br />GET MORE AT <a href="http://manbabies.com">ManBabies.com</a>!<p><br /><p>Simply genius.</p>Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-9530421806722686052008-05-05T10:31:00.002-05:002008-05-05T11:27:53.901-05:00Give a Man a Fish.Something a commenter posted on the <a href="http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/whats-the-smartest-way-to-spend-your-rebate/">Freakonomics</a> blog the other day struck a chord... He referenced the popular saying:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Give a man a fish, he'll live for a day.<br />Teach a man to fish, he'll live forever.</span><br /><br />The post got me thinking more about the analogy as it could be applied during all this Recession talk, and prompted me to try a <span style="font-style: italic;">Haiku</span> Redux of that same saying... <br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Give a man a fish...<br />because he was just laid off.<br />Was a fisherman.<br /></span><br />Maybe one of you more skilled in the ways of Haikus, limericks, etc., will come up with something better. :)Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-3285575306669665152008-05-02T09:13:00.001-05:002008-05-02T09:15:33.737-05:00Boomerangs to Babies.<a href="http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=81490">http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=81490</a><br /><br />But how would the babies drop, in space!?Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-14025625774563989532008-05-01T12:04:00.004-05:002008-05-01T16:16:47.901-05:00"Boomerangs In Space!"<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q2ozs0tPr4k&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q2ozs0tPr4k&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />So how does a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomerang">boomerang</a> work? Should this be confusing? <s>An airfoil can produce lift without air?</s> (Bjorn feels like an idiot as Lou points out that the dude is INSIDE the spaceship, so there IS air... Bjorn finds spaceman's boomeranging skills impressive nonetheless.) Discuss.Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-55949814435446742992008-04-24T12:12:00.003-05:002008-04-24T12:21:22.836-05:00The Lord's Prayer Redux : Leet Speak<a href="http://everything2.com/e2node/The%2520Lord%2527s%2520Prayer%253A%2520l337">[source link]</a>
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<br />I didn't know what 'leet' was before reading this, or at least I didn't know the specific term for typing with symbols instead of standard alphanumerics... but I found portions of this |-|!££@R!0$.
<br />Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-45394197743763637852008-04-21T10:00:00.002-05:002008-04-21T10:03:35.504-05:00Amazing Clock Design<a href="http://www.christiaanpostma.nl/">http://www.christiaanpostma.nl/</a><br />--<br />Simply one of the coolest clock designs I've ever seen... as long as you're ok with only having a general idea of what time it is. (I am.) :)<br /><br />On the clock page, link "3" shows a fast-forward illustration of what the clock looks like in action.Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-58991626524739202992008-04-04T16:05:00.001-05:002008-04-04T16:07:41.534-05:00$1000 from Shirt.Woot.com<a href="http://shirt.woot.com/Blog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryId=4469">Shirt.Woot</a> is paying designers $1000 for first run shirt designs!Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-66969561345476615332008-03-21T08:35:00.006-05:002008-03-25T11:32:15.779-05:00Long Overdue -- The Best Films of 2007 v3<span style="font-size:85%;">***<span style="font-weight: bold;">Or, from best to worst, the films that I saw in 2007.</span> I was waiting to make this list until I saw <span style="font-style: italic;">Gone Baby Gone</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford</span>, but I still have not seen <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm Not There, Rescue Dawn, Planet Terror, La Vie en Rose, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly... Balls of Fury...</span>***</span><br /><br />1. <span style="font-style: italic;">No Country for Old Men.</span> No surprises here. I loved it. So did most everybody. (Because it was that good!)<br />2. <span style="font-style: italic;">There Will Be Blood.</span> This was the hardest spot to pick. There are a number of movies I feel like I need to, or really want to, see again. This is at the top of that list... so it gets #2 in my list.<br />3. <span style="font-style: italic;">Juno.</span> I'm going to cut down on the comments here... But <span style="font-style: italic;">Juno</span> was good too. :)<br />4. <span style="font-style: italic;">Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. </span>I loved watching this movie. About the most fun I had in a theater all last year.<br />5. <span style="font-style: italic;">Once.</span><br />6. <span style="font-style: italic;">Atonement. </span><br />7.<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Michael Clayton.</span><br />8. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Darjeeling Limited.</span><br />9. <span style="font-style: italic;">Into the Wild.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />10. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Zodiac.</span><br />11. <span style="font-style: italic;">Across the Universe.</span><br />12. <span style="font-style: italic;">Gone Baby Gone.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">13. Death Proof.<br />14. The Namesake<br /></span>15. <span style="font-style: italic;">Ratatouille.</span><br />16. <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunshine.</span><br />17. <span style="font-style: italic;">Knocked Up.</span><br />18. <span style="font-style: italic;">300.</span><br />19. <span style="font-style: italic;">Sicko</span>.<br />20. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bourne Ultimatum.</span><br />21. <span style="font-style: italic;">3:10 to Yuma.<br />22. Charlie Wilson's War.<br /></span>23. <span style="font-style: italic;">Disturbia.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">24.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.</span><br />25. <span style="font-style: italic;">Waitress.</span><br />26. <span style="font-style: italic;">Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.</span><br />27. <span style="font-style: italic;">28 Weeks Later. </span><br />28. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Mist. </span><br />29. <span style="font-style: italic;">Super Bad. </span><br />30. <span style="font-style: italic;">Dan in Real Life.</span><br />31. <span style="font-style: italic;">Eastern Promises.<br /></span><span>32.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Breach.<br /></span><span>33.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> American Gangster. </span><br />34. <span style="font-style: italic;">Live Free or Die Hard.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span>35.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Lookout.</span><br />36. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Simpsons Movie.</span><br />37. <span style="font-style: italic;">Shooter. </span><br />38. <span style="font-style: italic;">Fracture.</span><br />39. <span style="font-style: italic;">Oceans Thirteen.</span><br />40. <span style="font-style: italic;">Transformers.</span><br />41. <span style="font-style: italic;">Blades of Glory.</span><br />42. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Number 23.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">(Now to see how many times I change my mind now that I have it all down on paper...)</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span><br /></span>Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-42333153585929981612008-02-11T19:47:00.000-06:002008-02-11T21:39:20.275-06:00Vasaloppet. You betcha.What was to be the culmination of my winter training took place yesterday out in the frigid plains north of <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Mora,+MN,+United+States+of+America&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=13&iwloc=addr&om=0">Mora, Minnesota</a>... It was to be the final test of how far back into this sport of cross-country skiing I could come in one season of moderate training, with a renewed attention to form and also a growing desire to once again broaden my enthusiasm for athletics.<br /><br />I signed up for the 35k division of the <a href="http://www.vasaloppet.org/">Mora Vasaloppet</a>, an annual ski event of international proportion, last November. For the past 8+ years, entering these big races (with their big, non-refundable entrance fees) has been a pretty risky proposition considering the strangely-snow-shy part of the world we've been living in. This season seemed a cinch though, and as my dad convinced me, registering for this race would give me the motivation I would need early in the season when I was starting to train. Thankfully the snow has stuck around, for the most part, and I've gotten in a lot of quality skiing: <span style="font-weight: bold;">at Como</span> (many times around that 5k loop this season), the excellently maintained <span style="font-weight: bold;">Theodore Wirth</span> (lengthening and broadening my training later in the season), a long weekend trip to ski the exquisite trail system at <a href="http://giantsridge.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giant's Ridge</span></a> in Biwabik, MN, and a warm-up competition in the <span style="font-weight: bold;">25k Marine Obrien Race</span> in late January. Pretty good, all and all.<br /><br />Unfortunately, little can prepare a person for skiing in fifteen-below-zero weather (w/forty below wind chills) -- and more than that, <span style="font-style: italic;">this person</span> does not WANT to be prepared to ski in that kind of weather! On any other day like with weather like that, you'd have to pay to get me outside. But as it was, I'd already spent enough in money - and mostly time, not to go out and give it whatever I had.<br /><br />And I'm glad that I did.<br /><br />It was cold. (Duh.) But I did it. And so did hundreds of other people. So I think that I would have totally felt like a tool if I'd stayed at home. I am, however, considering some of the other late-season races now, <a href="http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_plain_text.php?race_id=7215">not because I did poorly</a> at the Vasa, but I still never got to ski that out-of-my-mind-fast kind of race that I'd been hoping for. Maybe I won't even be able to do that this season, but I'm tempted to try again.<br /><br />Anyway, here is acool series of shots of the lead pack somewhere in the middle of the race. (It's an animated GIF, so hopefully that works in all y'all's browsers. If not right away, click to view it by itself.)<br><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/R7ES_-GKMVI/AAAAAAAAAOA/laFyVwYqNQ0/s1600-h/leadseries.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/R7ES_-GKMVI/AAAAAAAAAOA/laFyVwYqNQ0/s400/leadseries.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165931137780560210" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And here's a shot of me, some odd 125 people behind them.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/R7ERpeGKMTI/AAAAAAAAANw/xQdcdp7VyKk/s1600-h/old+bjorn.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/R7ERpeGKMTI/AAAAAAAAANw/xQdcdp7VyKk/s400/old+bjorn.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165929651721875762" border="0" /></a><br />Just kidding. Here is a picture of me though... trying not to fall over from what it looks like.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/R7ERpeGKMUI/AAAAAAAAAN4/gyPXFPPBKVI/s1600-h/bjornatfinish.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JGMHaB1Iu48/R7ERpeGKMUI/AAAAAAAAAN4/gyPXFPPBKVI/s400/bjornatfinish.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165929651721875778" border="0" /></a>Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-43992407047349268342008-01-31T08:43:00.000-06:002008-01-31T08:50:30.607-06:00Obama @ the Target CenterHello folks,<br /><br />Barack Obama is going to be speaking this Saturday at 1:30pm in the Target Center! Whether or not you like the man's politics, he's still one of the better speakers of our time, and could possibly be our next President! If you're interested in going, you have to fill out a form <a href="http://mn.barackobama.com/minneapolis">(here)</a> to get an E-ticket sent to you. (They say tickets are required. It was easy though, and I just got mine.) Otherwise you can go to one of the locations listed on the bottom of that page to get a ticket in advance.<br /><br />Let me know if you'll be out there, or if you want to meet on the way out.Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-109757813197585682008-01-22T09:26:00.001-06:002008-01-22T09:30:29.720-06:00Oscars '08Woot! The nominations are out, and for the most part, look great.<br /><br /><a href="http://a.oscar.abc.com/media/2008/html/printer.html">http://a.oscar.abc.com/media/2008/html/printer.html</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I AM GOING TO SEE <span style="font-weight: bold;">THERE WILL BE BLOOD </span>BEFORE THE OSCARS. </span>That's my mantra for the time being. :) Otherwise I've done better than usual at seeing all of this year's top films.<br /><br />What was your favorite film of '08?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32840176.post-86696379489778194842008-01-18T16:19:00.000-06:002008-01-18T16:26:51.351-06:00Presidential Milkshakes?A list I came across today.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(List under: I have no idea what this guy is talking about, but know exactly what he is saying...?)</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Presidential Milkshakes:</span><br /></span><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I drink your milkshake! -Daniel Plainview</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I drink your milkshake, even though I opposed drinking your milkshake four years ago. -Mitt Romney</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I drink your milkshake, but only if the Bible says it's allowed. -Mike Huckabee</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I may drink your milkshake for another 100 years, if that's what it takes. -John McCain</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I drank a milkshake on 9/11. -Rudy Giuliani</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I'll drink your milkshake a few months after everyone else does. -Fred Thompson</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I drink your milkshake, but I'm paying for it with gold. -Ron Paul</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">America deserves a new milkshake. -Barack Obama</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I will fight the corporations so that you can drink your own milkshake. -John Edwards</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I have 35 years of milkshake-drinking experience. *sob* -Hillary Clinton</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I peacefully drink your milkshake. -Dennis Kucinich</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">It depends on what your definition of "milkshake" is. -Bill Clinton</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I voted for drinking your milkshake before I voted against it. -John Kerry</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Global warming is melting your milkshake. -Al Gore</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">We're making good progress in the war on milkshakes, and make no mistake: we will prevail. -George W. Bush</span></p><a href="http://www.alltooflat.com/about/personal/sean/2008/01/presidential_milkshakes.html">link to original</a>Bjornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702310043582995987noreply@blogger.com0