Flickr "Christmas Egg"

I saw this on Lis' blog, who got it from her friend Bill (credit where it's due, after all): Flickr's Christmas Easter Egg - egg nog, maybe? - that lets you add certain notes to photos that will show up as Santa hats and beards. Check it out on my Flickr page if you want to see it in action. [Update - it looks like you have to view an individual photo for the note to show up, it doesn't show up on the index page]

Wow, the notes feature is kinda cool unto itself, I had never used it before...

Are 'Good Losses' a Myth? O Christmas Tree!

I had never bought into the idea of the 'good loss', but yesterday's loss to Notre Dame might change my thinking. MD looked a lot like last year's team for good portions of the game - and that is not a compliment. Too much individual play, too many careless passes, not nearly enough 3-point defense.

We already have our Chirstmas tree this year, unlike last year's ten-days-before-Christmas purchase. There's just something very comforting about coming home from work in December, when it's already dark out, to the tree lights peeking through the blinds on the front window. It's not a big tree, but it's got a good shape, and is quite healthy considering its sundering from its roots. It could be a lot taller considering how high our first-floor ceiling is, but this isn't the year for us to be buying a $80 or $100 tree - a $50 tree suits well enough.

In Heaven There Is No Beer...

...that's why we drink it here. Yes my friends, it's that magical night that only occurs once year, Saint Patrick's Day Eve. A night when beer drinkers everywhere stay up late, decorating their kegs, dusting off their collection of pint glasses, hoping that this is the year that the leprechaun sneaks in and leaves a pot o' gold or, even better, a dark ray of sunshine (a case of Guinness, people, try to stay with me please).

How often do the leprechauns actually make it to people's houses to leave their gifts? Not very, unsurprisingly - it's a busy time of year for them after all, lots of celebrating to do! They've barely recovered from that nasty month-long Christmas season nogg-induced hangover/coma by early February, and then Mardi Gras comes along (what, you think that the little dudes don't celebrate Mardi Gras? Leprechauns are Catholic, you know), then their signature holiday the month after that - it's a bit of a rough time most years. Then, even if they do make a visit, you still have to measure up; have you been a nice or a naughty drinker this year? Do you offer to buy rounds, make fun of those haughty and imperialist English whenever possible, and visit your Irish friends in the hospital? Or do you offer your friends cheap beer when they visit, confuse Ireland and Scotland, and begin beer-related discussions with the phrase, "Guinness is OK, but..."? The answers to those questions may very well determine whether the luck o' the Irish is with you tomorrow - I hope for your sake that you've represented your fellow drinkers well over the past year.

As if Saint Patrick's Day could be any more special, this year it not only falls on a Friday, but coincides with the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Maybe I'll devote an entire post in the near future to the criminality of neither Saint Patrick's Day nor the NCAA 1st round being national holidays. But for now, my bracket is kicking some serious ass! As of this writing, 11 of 12, with the late games looking decent as well. That probably means that I'll go 5 for 16 tomorrow, but hey whatever - tomorrow's for celebrating, no matter how the games end.

Halloween 2005 Photos

Jenny, in her traditional Japanese costume (w/authentic kimono!)

Me, as a garden gnome!

Scooby & Shaggy! (aka Amy & Matt)

Andrew as Shaun (of the Dead) and Liz as the Swedish Chef!