73 posts tagged “qotd”

How do you travel to and from work - personal vehicle, bus, subway/train, pedal power? What does it cost you per week in gas or fares?
Submitted by Jan.

I really hate when the print is small and the vox buttons do nothing.  

Anyhow, I travel to work by rocket ship.  Or my 2003 Honda Civic SI.  It's almost like a rocket ship; it's a hatchback.  It requires about twenty bucks a week in gas.  As long as I don't go far from home or work, that is.  This weekend will probably push that total up a bit.  

This is a really boring entry.  Damn.  Sorry.

I used to commute really far, about 50 miles each way to and from work.  That was back when gas was under two dollars and I had a car with considerably better gas mileage.  I can't imagine doing that now.  And for those of you that do it, I have great empathy for you.  But seriously, move closer to work.  It'll save you in the long run in every area.

President Bush lifted an executive order banning offshore oil drilling on Monday. Do you think this is a good solution to the high prices Americans are paying for gasoline?

This is really just an excuse for me to get on my soap box about this.  I think it's a terrible, short-sighted idea.  It has been estimated that all of the known oil resources (which includes the areas opened up for drilling) in the United States makes up about 2% of the world's oil resources.  Guess how much of the world's oil the U.S. uses?  Around 25%. 

Or so I hear.

Any relief that we'd see at the pump wouldn't come for a good minute, and it certainly wouldn't be anything to write home about. 

How about we start figuring out what the hell we're going to do when the oil runs out instead of further damaging the environment we've already done a really good job fucking up?  Or at the least, finish conquering Iraq so all of the U.S.' big oil companies can have no bid contracts.

Mr. Bush is sure on a roll this month.  First the FISA bill, now this.  I wonder what kinds of other things he'll do in the remaining months of his administration...

Have you ever broken a bone? If not, what's the worst injury you've sustained?

A broken heart.  *cries*

But seriously, I haven't really had any big injuries.  I sprained the shit out of my knee at the climbing gym in the summer of 2003, and I was on crutches for like, a month.  Of course, knees hold grudges, so it's still messed up.   A few months later, I was at the climbing gym again, and sustained a severe rope burn on the inside of my hand when I fucked up a belay and the rope ran about 5 feet through my hand.  2003 was a rough year for me and the climbing gym.  Just to add insult to injury, I also had an eye infection at the same time as the knee thing.  And a lot of confusion in my life.  Hell, 2003 was just a rough year all over.

  

What do you find interesting or unique about your family history?

On my dad's side, going back to the U.S. Civil War, I'm related to two brothers who fought on opposite sides; one for the North and one for the South.  I find that pretty interesting.

Going all the way back to yesterday, we had our mini family reunion at my cousin's place.  They've got quite a nice home, for all intents and purposes.  It's huge and in the middle of nowhere in a track home neighborhood in Chino, so it's quiet.  Track home neighborhoods remind me of movie sets.  Creepy.  Anyhow, I got to see all of these cousins and aunts and uncles that I don't see too often, which was pretty cool.  

I brought my tofu dog for the barbeque, and they had plenty of beer, which was fabulous.  I really only need one, but I especially need one at family events such as this.  They unnerve me a bit.  My dad's wife was really into pointing out my scar to people, which, because I have thick hair and I was wearing a hat, you couldn't actually see.  But she was really going at it, nonetheless.  And then everyone kept inviting themselves to our wedding, which was fantastic.  I have a gigantic family, and I sure as hell can't afford to invite all of them, especially when 90% of them will freak out and judge when they realize it's a Buddhist ceremony.  Well, it's between a Buddhist ceremony and my old production manager in a monocle and cape, just winging it.  Either way, judging will ensue.  

My vegetarian cousin was there.  She's also a masseuse, and she gave me a good 45 minute massage on her table.  We talked a lot about vegetarian and holistic health.  She was telling me how she just wants to meet nice, vegetarian guy, but it's been really hard.  She's in her fifties, and yeah, I can see how that'd be difficult.  I don't even know any hetero vegetarian guys my age.  She kept trying to give massages out and kept getting turned down.  I think she's a little bit of a black sheep in the family.  Much like me, but I'm much more closeted about it.  I try to be everything to everyone, which is totally healthy and productive.

Afterwards, we said our goodbyes and drove home.  All in all, it was pretty cool.  

  

If you could do anything you want tomorrow, what would it be?
Submitted by Becca-Pink.

Well, I've never been to Malibu, so I'd like to take a bike ride maybe from Venice or Santa Monica to Malibu.  Either that or go hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu.  Then, maybe do lunch or dinner at the Inn of the Seventh Ray in Malibu.  I hear it's pretty good.  And they have vegan duck, which is interesting.

Instead, I'll be working.  And when the majority of the studio gets to go home at 3:00 for the holiday, I'll be there until much much later.

Yay!

Out of anyone in your address book, with whom would you most like to have lunch today?

This is a weird question, but in the spirit of being irritated and uninspired, I'll bite.  Today, I was "forced" to have lunch with my crew.  Which is totally fine; I just didn't have much of a choice in the matter.  We ate sandwiches and watched the latest episode.  The cutting edge of pre-school television.  I realized that I almost know more Mandarin than Spanish, which I took in high school, and apparently, remember very little of.

And then, everyone was forced to care about June birthdays and eat cake with the thickest, most disgusting looking frosting that I've ever seen.

I'd really like to have lunch with my co-worker Allan.  He's on "the other" pre-school show.  He offered to teach me timing, and I want to learn.  I figure I can buy him lunch in return for a lesson.  It's something that's kind of considered to be the "math" of animation, but is good to know if you ever want to direct, and in the event that I want to pursue a career in timing, which pays pretty well, it's quite essential.

A little off topic, but I'm debating on if I want to get up at five thirty tomorrow morning in order to go to yoga.  Hrm... 

What's your favorite time of day and why?

I like late afternoon/early evening, just before sunset.  The world is bathed in a pre-dusk glow, and the best thing to do is have a beer or glass of wine outside, preferably on a patio while waiting for someone to bring me dinner. 

When I lived at the beach, I really took advantage of appreciating this time of day.  Now, not so much.  I'm usually either still at work or indoors cooking dinner.  And my place is sans patio and sans windows with a view.  Le sigh.

Occasionally, I really enjoy early mornings.  Usually, this is enjoyed while on vacation, preferably in Hawaii, near the ocean, before anyone else is awake.

Dammit.  I need to make more of an effort to enjoy this time of the day.

What's your favorite type of donut?
Submitted by tomatshonino.

This is a weird question which I feel completely compelled to answer.  I can't actually pick one favorite type of donut.  Donuts have animal products in them, but it's one thing (in addition to cake and cookies) that I haven't completely erradicated from my diet.  My goal is to be overall healthier, not overall miserable-er.  

I've always really liked the maple bar.  Maple is pretty delicious, and the maple bar is larger than the traditional, round donut.

The crumb donut is a recent favorite.  We have donuts every Monday and Friday at work, and while I rarely partake, every once in awhile, I grab a crumb donut in favor of the maple bar.  It goes perfectly with coffee.

Also a recent favorite, the Top Pot old fashioned glazed that you can get at Starbucks.  Its near 500 calorie content is worth it.  Unless you get a coffee drink with a bunch of sugar.  Then we're getting a little out of hand. 

I'm upset that I don't have pictures of these delicious donuts.  Boo to that.

Why do you blog?
Submitted by littleduckling.

The most obvious reason to me is that I want to connect with people who aren't necessarily in the area that I live, doing stuff that I do.  And if I find something that I feel is worthwhile on the Intertubes, I'd much rather share it this way than spam everyone and their grandmother's email accounts with crap that they probably don't want to read, but maybe will feel moderately guilty about deleting without reading.

Also, as I'm learning in one of the episodes that I'm working on at work, sometimes, if you're mad and you say what's making you mad, you'll feel better.  Or really any emotion.  Talking about crap helps.  And the whole neighborhood thing here is pretty cool.

And I really like that I can know what's going on in my friend's lives without being in the best contact with them.

I've gotten in trouble before on previous blogging sites, but I've realized that I really like writing, even if there's really no point.

Right now, as a project, I'm trying to figure out what childhood trauma makes me so quick to anger when people are condescending.  In the past several years, I've worked with a couple of different people who were extremely condescending, and it just absolutely enrages me.  I know I'm not alone in hating being talked down to, and I don't actually take the condescention (made-up word) personally, but it just absolutely enrages me.  At first, I was almost certain that it was the private Baptist school that I went to for most of my elementary years, but really, that just squelched creativity and my ability to interact well socially, at least until I got to public school. 

So I'm not really sure.  I'll have to do more thinking on this one.  I thought writing about it might help.

What could we do to create a world with less violence?

Kill all of the violent people.

Now that's not the correct answer, is it?  I think part of the correct answer involves getting rid of the justification for violence, which, in many cases, is some sort of religious document and/or leader.  And I don't want to place unfair blame on dudes, but I think testosterone has something to do with it as well.  Fundamentalism and testosterone.  And while I'm at it, I'll throw in a lack of education.

There.