December 2008 Archives

KickYouTube: Convert and Save YouTube Content in Four Keystrokes

December 31, 2008

In re-creating my playlist for Jason's Cassette From My Ex project, I was having trouble finding a track from Billy Bragg called "The Only One." The song was released on an album entitled "Workers Playtime," and came out in 1988. However, the only versions I could find were from... (read more)

Cassette From My Ex: Submitting a Story

Last May, I stumbled across a site called Cassette From My Ex - a site where people post the mix tapes that ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends gave them, back in the days when cassettes were still in use. Along with the songs from each tape, the participants also wrote up... (read more)

Editing the Guest List for the Wedding

December 30, 2008

This was one of the most excruciating things I've had to do, related to the wedding. With our extended families and relatives who need to attend, it's kiling me that there's not a lot of room left over. We have a pared down list, but good god, this was just... (read more)

Watching Lost for the First Time

December 29, 2008

This one will make Allison happy: near midnight, after the kids have gone to bed, Liz, Stacey, Shane and I decide to start watching Season 1 of Lost. Stacey and Shane have been following the series for some time, but never really saw the beginning. And so we all... (read more)

Jasmine Records a Greeting to Baxter the Bunny

December 28, 2008

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Jasmine Sings Into a Styrofoam Cup

While home, I found out some sad news: my parents will be closing their restaurant, Shen Yang, next week. Though it's been around for a few years, I guess it didn't make financial sense to keep the doors open... and so they're closing things down after the New Year.... (read more)

Opening Christmas Presents - Indianapolis, 2008

December 27, 2008

Although it was a day or so late, we still gathered up our gifts under the tree at my sister's house and had a belated Christmas together. After our big meal at Palomino, we all plopped down on the living room carpet and started opening gifts. Jasmine, passing out... (read more)

Celebrating My Dad's 70th Birthday

In addition to spending the holidays wiht my family, December marks two birthdays: Jasmine's and my dad's. This year (believe it or not), my dad turns 70! Despite my pleas and the attempts my sister and I made to organize and large get-together/celebration, he insisted on not having a... (read more)

Thick Fog, and the Long Drive to Indianapolis

December 26, 2008

En route to visiting my family in Indianapolis, Liz and I had to make a brief stop over at Midway. My sister had recently taken a trip, and left her wallet on the plane. By the time an incredibly kind person noticed and reported the wallet, the plane was already... (read more)

Christmas Day in Frankfort

December 25, 2008

For Christmas Day, we went to Frankfort for a mid-morning brunch with Liz's folks. Some of the details (and candles) on the table. Post-meal, Darryl and I get into a huge discussion about TED, zombie movies as a genre, and the tricky progression from television comedian to reputable dramatic... (read more)

Christmas Eve at Katie and Dan's House

December 24, 2008

For Christmas Eve, we went over to Katie and Dan's to open presents - look at all the gifts under that tree! There was a ton of great food, and I filled myself up to capacity. I was actually upset that I was so full, as that meant I... (read more)

Digging Out the Car (Again)

While we found a good spot for my car yesterday, it turns out the city plowed nearby and made it a little harder for us to move the car this morning. So, once again, I was out trying to dig my car out of its parking spot for a second... (read more)

Digging Out Tricia's Car

December 23, 2008

Liz and I spent a good hour or two, digging out Tricia's car from its spot. We sprinkled down a crapton of salt, but it was a kind neighbor's metal garden shovel that saved the day. We were able to crack through the layer of ice underneath the freshly falling... (read more)

Digging Out the Car

December 22, 2008

My car was parked on Logan Boulevard, just shy of the Milwaukee intersection. While I got a great parking spot when we left for Atlanta, I came back to find it fairly locked into place. I spent about an hour or so with a plastic snow shovel and an ice... (read more)

Warm in Atlanta, Cold in Chicago

December 21, 2008

This is the view out of our bedroom window, here in Atlanta. While it was fairly warm the entire time we were here, it wasn't (unfortunately) warm enough to go swimming. Fast forward a few hours from now, and we'll be back in Chicago... battling crazy cold weather. I... (read more)

Early Christmas in Atlanta, GA

December 20, 2008

Yesterday, Liz and I arrived in Atlanta, GA along with Tricia, Paige and Audrey. Because of the big snowstorm in Chicago, Tricia and the kids trekked over to our apartment and spent the night last night. We all packed our stuff into my car, and I drove everyone over ot... (read more)

Hello (Vacation) World

December 19, 2008

It's just after midnight, 12:04 AM to be precise. I'm officially on vacation, and won't be back in the office until 2009. Liz and I are slated for a flight out to Atlanta tomorrow AM, but given how the snowfall's just kicked in over the past hour... it's pretty much... (read more)

The Snow Gets Everywhere

December 18, 2008

Spotted this outside the Logan Square Blue Line stop. Feel free to add your own captions.... (read more)

Baxter Nibbles the Christmas Tree

December 17, 2008

As now seems to be the tradition, Baxter resumes nibbling away at the Christmas tree this year. She's been going at our tree somewhat aggressively the past week. My sense is that she's gotten a taste for it.... (read more)

Baxter 'Tocks

December 16, 2008

Sitting on the couch watching TV, I looked over and spotted Baxter all stretched out on the carpet. And of course, I had to go in for the zoom. Thanks, Cute Overload, for burning your meme into my brain. Note: as an FYI, doing a search on Cute Overload... (read more)

First (Real) Snow

Tonight, we had our first big snowfall (it started late in the morning, and just kept on coming down the rest of the day). Not a ton of snow (4 inches or so), but from the sounds of it traffic was pretty brutal. I heard that it took Bob... (read more)

Wakey Wakey: My Brief Appearance in Chicago's RedEye

Late last week, I was contacted by Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz from RedEye. Turns out she was doing an article on waking up early, and had stumbled across an old blog post I made, asking you all about your morning routines... and finding out what time you wake up. Sadly, I... (read more)

PlayStation Home and the Art of the Quincy

December 15, 2008

Earlier this weekend, I started to download Home for the Playstation 3. But in the middle of the install I happened across Penny Arcade's review (and thankfully so). After reading what they had to say I immediately cancelled the install. This morning, I came across a new term: Quincying. In... (read more)

There She Is: Final Step - Conclusion to Doki and Nabi Cat/Bunny Romance

December 14, 2008

For those of you following the fantastic Cat/Bunny romance of Doki and Nabi, the final story has been posted. Especially for those who saw the last episode, this is the fifth and final installment of the story arc. I gotta confess, I teared up a little bit when I... (read more)

Blue Mashed Potatoes Look... Bluer

December 13, 2008

A day or two in the fridge, and the blue mashed potatoes just keep getting blue-er. SO weird. Even though my brain says it can't have spoiled in just two days, the color gives me pause. Still delicious, but I did end up taking that first bite very, very... (read more)

Our Holiday Party

December 12, 2008

Tonight, Liz and I were hosting a holiday party at our apartment. We both had the day off to prepare, and this cleaning list has been sort of on-going for most of the week. Though most of the folks who arrived hung out in the kitchen and the dining... (read more)

Pho*ho*hoto Booth - Silly, Holiday Self-Portraits

December 11, 2008

Pho*ho*hoto Booth takes the Yearbook Yourself concept and applies it to the holidays. Retro 80's goodness. And - also a nice way to see what I'll look like, once I get that buzz cut for Christmas. Now THERE'S a haircut you can set your watch to!... (read more)

Time-Lapse Video of Antarctica

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Making Blue Mashed Potatoes

December 10, 2008

Last weekend, while we were out at Stanley's, we picked up a few blue potatoes. Liz had heard good things from a coworker, and we decided to try them out. Me personally? Never heard of such a thing. I knew of the regular potato and the red ones, but blue?... (read more)

Free Black, Solid Wood Bookshelf

December 9, 2008

We've got an extra black bookshelf (solid wood, shelves don't come out) that we're giving away for free. The only catch is you need to be able to pick this thing up by Thursday evening. Any takers, leave a comment. Delicious snacks not included.... (read more)

Emmis Interactive Holiday Party, 2008

December 8, 2008

Our company holiday party this year was at Rey's house in Barrington - complete with a bus that shuttled people from the city out to the burbs. While Liz and I drove, I'm regretting that decision as rumor has it there were many shenanigans (and a few rounds of... (read more)

Christmas Tree Decoration, 2008

December 7, 2008

As has been the tradition, Liz and I got a Christmas tree for the holidays. While we did the tree thing when I was younger, it sort of fell off once my sister and I got older. The tree I grew up with was a plastic one that we'd haul... (read more)

A Strange Moment Involving Race, at the Grocery Store

Walking in the grocery store today, I did a double-take when I saw an Asian guy wearing a "Virginia Tech" hoodie. I don't know if he actually went to VT, or whether he wore that deliberately for the effect it would have. I just know that moments after the double-take,... (read more)

Nano War Flash Game: Slowly Addictive

December 6, 2008

Nano War is an addictive little Flash game, but with a catch: it's a slow, addictive Flash game. The goal is to take over all the other cells. The first levels are fairly basic, but once you're able to deploy multiple units from multiple cells, it starts to get... (read more)

Emmis Interactive: Quarterly (Potluck) Meeting - 2008

December 5, 2008

Today at work we had one of our Quarterly Meetings. In addition to both Rey and Deb giving updates as to the status of the overall company, a lot of the managers highlighted the accomplishments their teams had over the past year. It's pretty crazy how much we've done... (read more)

Lunch is Served Up

December 4, 2008

Today the entire Design Team trekked over to Wow Bao. This was a celebratory group lunch, as TJ and Masha both had birthdays recently. Unfortunately, the large conference room was taken up and there weren't enough spaces kithcen. And so we improvised and pulled up chairs to the ping pong... (read more)

Busy Days

December 3, 2008

There's been a lot of activity the past few days. Slept in late this morning, and chose the warmth of my bed over posting on the site. Though I've got photos to share... it'll have to wait for the weekend.... (read more)

First Snow in Chicago + First Snow Flash Project

December 2, 2008

Though it wasn't a ton, yesterday marked the first official snow we've had here in Chicago. There have been a few days prior to now where I saw snowflakes, but yesterday was the first time it actually accumulated on the ground. In light of this, it seems fitting to... (read more)

Free Wii Giveaway @ Rachelleb.com

December 1, 2008

Rachelleb.com is one of the few blogs that I check in on, daily. Earlier this year, I made a post about a party she threw as part of her being a Nintendo Brand Enthusiast (Blogs That Actually Update, Female Gamers, and Paying Attention: Nintendo DS Lite Promotion). I got... (read more)