2/7/2005, 11:19pm
Today’s picture was inspired by Jim, who discusses colour and contrast in his most-recent entry. This is from just in front of the leasing office. The yellow tint is from the sodium lights used around the apartment complex.
Dim sum on Sunday was excellent; apparently at this particular restaurant (T. C. Choy’s Asian Bistro, 301 S. Howard Avenue, Tampa), dim sum means “mostly shrimp prepared in various ways”. But I shouldn’t pooh-pooh, it was actually quite tasty. And they had sticky rice! I would have had no idea what it was, had Kai not shown it to me at one of Jeff’s BBQs a couple months before.
And my 2004 taxes are now filed — as in, completely gone — I did a 100% paperless e-file this time around, via Tax Act. This is the second year in a row that I’ve used them, and I gotta say, given how simple my tax situation is, it wasn’t really worth the $9.95 I paid. But, it certainly does a good job of hand-holding for someone who isn’t used to the tax system. I got hooked on them last year, because with it you can file for free (the catch is, with the free version, you have to print out and file by postal mail). Sadly, I owe a chunk of money again this; guess it’s time to file an updated Form W-4 with the boss.

So.. the Superbowl game was actually close. 24-21, New England Patriots over the Philadephia Eagles. Not being a fan of either team, at least that made the night interesting.
But the commercials — oh the commercials. IFILM has ’em.
Let me rank my favorites — the ones I think are most memorable. Now, we’ve already talked about them at work, so I can’t claim the order I list is completely unbiased… Out of all the commercials I saw last night (and without visiting the IFILM page to jog my memory), these were my favorites:

• Guy jumping out of plane after beer (Miller lite?) [as it turns out, this was a Bud, not Miller ad: “Bud Light: Parachuting”]
• Career Builder.com (“Sir, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to name a product ‘The Titantic’”) [CareerBuilder.com: Kissing Monkey Butt]
• Cat Killer [Ameriquest: Cat Killer]
• Chevrolet design studio [apparently, this wasn’t even a Superbowl ad — not sure it’s Chevy, but it’s the one where a guy in a design studio throws out drawings of prototyped cars, and the ad cuts to a field where half-designed cars are plummeting out of the sky]
• Toyota Hybrids [Toyota Hybrid: Get Moving]

Okay, now that I’ve gone back to find the real names for each of these, the IFILM pages has jogged my memory some.. here’s a few more that were great:

• Ford Mustang – Frozen in Fargo
• GoDaddy.com: Strapless
• Michelob: Rich and Smooth

Update, 1:22pm: Here’s another link to the commercials, if the first one doesn’t work for you.
Update, 12:40am 2/9: Here’s a few shots of the party, courtesy Darren’s Dad:
The kick is good!

Food coma:

Sorry about that. It’s getting to crunch time at work, so I’ve been working late (I was there 7.5 hours today); I’m also playing Ultimate a lot these days, which means, twice a week, I’m home for 1/2 an hour on the PM-side of the clock.
I do have some good news to report, though. The new hard drive is installed, and holy crap, it’s like I have a brand new computer. I had no idea so many things depended on the speed of my drive. Things I’ve noticed are faster: scrolling in Mail.app; scrolling in iPhoto; creating a new Finder window; pressing the back button in Safari. Just to give you an idea on speed of the drive, I was able to copy my … well, it’s late, and I’m tired, just know that it was *fast* 🙂 I didn’t realize it before, but I think my slow computer was limiting my creativity. If that makes any sense.
But what good would good news be without a little bad? Remember those minute-long lockups? Well, they’re fewer, but they still happen. I think it’s my optical drive (DVD-CD-RW) which is causing the problem. The only time I experience problems, I’ve got a DVD in the drive. Plus, it’s making funny sounds. Guess it’s time for a replacement! I’ve already taken a peek around.
Finished Season 5 of Buffy last night. They wrapped the season up so nicely I’m surprised they didn’t include a big bow on the box. I’ve got no idea where they’re going to go in Season 6, but I’m intensely curious. I’ve already looked up the prices on the DVD set — $44 at both Target and Amazon. Hmm. Wonder if I can get it cheaper anywhere else…
Tomorrow I’m heading to dim sum in the morning with Leonard, Eric and Sonia up in Tampa, then it’s down to the Rose Center to watch the Uberbowl. I think that’s what it’s called. Anyhow, the commercials should be excellent.
And, oh yeah! Pictures from last weekend’s drunken romp are now up.
Have a good weekend!