Halloween

OK Halloween isn't until tomorrow, but I went to a couple Halloween parties with some friends last night. It was quite a night, as we headed out around 7PM and didn't get home till after 4 (or 5 if you don't factor in turn-back-the-clock).

Friday Post

Since it's Friday, and I don't get to dress any more casually than I usually do (well I could, but PJ's aren't really my thing...), so instead I take a more casual approach to being productive. Instead of filling up my precious downtime by whining about how other people don't blog often enough, I thought I'd post something myself.

First, in science news, I've come across some interesting tests online that look at how your brain works. The first test determines to what extent your brain exhibits male or female traits. The second test rates your ability to determine if people's smiles of real or fake. It's harder than you might think. 'Scientists' have some rather mundane theory that our brains are programmed to NOT be able to judge people's actual emotions based on their facial expressions so that people will get along better. Come on, scientists, I think my nephew could have come up with that one.

In other news, I actually have a halloween costume this year, for probably the first time in about 15 years. You'll have to wait to see the pictures though.

In sports news, I've started swimming a couple of times a week at the gym. Maybe if I keep it up, I'll think about doing a triathlon next spring. My excuse has always been that I'm terrible at swimming, but I'm definitely getting better now. Once I get that down, my new excuse will be that I need a road bike, since my current bike is more of a mountain bike-ish concoction, and not a very advanced one at that.

Stay classy, readers.

Formatting

Wow, that previous post, while highly entertaining and exquisitely written, destroyed Blogger's beautiful layout of this very webpage.
That reminds me of something I was reading about blogging recently. It said that having a blog on LiveJournal, Blogger, etc, will very soon be the equivalent of having a geocities webpage, or an aol/yahoo/hotmail email address. Namely, that you aren't nearly as savvy as your purport to be by having an online presence in the first place. Legitimate blogs should be hosted on a 'legitimate' site, such as a news site, your own personal homepage etc., in order to enhance their credibility. But I have plenty of credibility so I'm not really concerned

The reason the first item reminded me of the article is that I found it rather disappointing that blogger couldn't handle some extra large graphic, or some oddly formatted html from an awful quiz webpage. On the other hand, maybe the page still looks fine to you and it's just my relatively small monitor that squeezing things around.

Is this worth blogging about? sure why not

Like most people, I believe myself to be rather funny. However, unlike most people, I actually am funny. And cocky, but that's a different story. I'm usually rather averse to these inane "quizes" that people most online, but one had gotten my attention a few times lately: The 3 Variable funny test. I've seen various people post their results in blogs, myspace profiles, etc., etc. It's interesting that the test sort of assumes everyone is funny, as it doesn't measure whether or not you are funny or how funny you are, but rather, in what ways you are funny. So, for those of you who I've been keeping entertained all these years, here's a highly unscientific breakdown of just why, exactly, you find me so hilarious.

the Ham (38% dark, 42% spontaneous, 21% vulgar)

your humor style: CLEAN | SPONTANEOUS | LIGHT Your style's goofy, innocent and feel-good. Perfect for parties and for the dads who chaperone them. You can actually get away with corny jokes, and I bet your sense of humor is a guilty pleasure for your friends. People of your type are often the most approachable and popular people in their circle. Your simple & silly good-naturedness is immediately recognizable, and it sets you apart in this sarcastic world. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Will Ferrell - Will Smith The 3-Variable Funny Test! - it rules - If you're interested, try my latest: The Terrorism Test

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 19% on darkness You scored higher than 41% on spontaneity You scored higher than 12% on vulgarity

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

I have to say, I'm quite flattered at the comparison to Will Ferrell, and surprised at the reference to Will Smith, though I did watch The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air when I was younger. At least they didn't say I enjoy his musical outspout.

Mexico pictures are up

See them here.

Enjoy!

Lesson Learned

Last weekend i went to Mexico. Before the trip, I was trying to get people to go with me, but no one wanted to, or was able to make it. In particular, I was a little disappointed that I didn't have a female companion to take with me.
It turned out to be OK, as I had a great time anyway, and I'd never traveled alone before.

At the Inn I stayed at, there were a few other groups of people vacation as well. There were three or four couples, and a group of about ten older guys, mostly from LA. It seemed like a core group of 4-5 friends, and each had invited some other friends. One thing that was really striking to me was how the group of guys seemed to be having a WAY better time than all the couples that were there.

So, the lesson of the day was that taking vacations with friends should not be overlooked. Theoretically I should have already known this, since I've taken a bunch of vacationsn with friends (Vegas + Whistler, twice each), and they've all been amazing. But sometimes I'm a slow learner.