So last year, curgoth gave me the idea to throw a Tequila & Porn Party, and it turned out pretty well, so I think I'm going to do it again this year.

Only this year, it will be a Tequila, Porn & Chicken party (for which I plan to rent Porn 'n Chicken (not porn, but still entertaining)).

So, Saturday, February 12th, show up around (or after) 6pm. I'll provide the tequila, porn & KFC, as well as plenty of beer and probably some other edibles. Feel free to contribute to the video library, if you like, or just show up and join us in enjoying some good tequila, bad movies & greasy chicken.

heh ...

Not that I'll miss the old Outlook at all, but I can't help wonder, what are people who want to use Outlook instead of Outlook Express going to do if they don't want to use the Hotmail subscription service? Does this mean they can no longer buy Outlook outright (with Office, or whatever)?

This might actually be good for security, it'll lessen the number of Outlook users, now to just get them to resort to something other than Outlook Express ...

(I guess this would be a belated New Year's resolution, though I hate to categorize it like that)

Learn to turn down free/unexpected food!

Dieting in this department is impossible simply because every other day somebody walks by my office saying "yeah, there's [donuts/pizza/cookies/3-course-meals] next door!"

On a related note, I just had a bagel for a morning snack, and I have a slimfast in the fridge for lunch, so I will *not* help finish off the pasta/salad/cookies and whatever else they have in the staff meeting next door.

It's just that it smells so good (well, it smells like edible food, but that's really enough) ... *sigh*

Update: Already failed. Agreed to go out for lunch instead. Oh well, it's in the name of hanging out with a friend, I'll just have to order something healthy-ish.

oh man, this is just *harsh* ...

From glasseye: Poll: Nation split on Bush as uniter or divider

whoa, I can see my LJ page again ... it's revived from the dead! not quite as good as Shaun of the Dead, though.

and in the morning ... well, I'm not making waffles, but I'm going skiing! in case you couldn't tell, I'm kinda psyched about this, it should be plenty of fun. =)

and in the last of tonight's randomness-from-tom, this is kinda freaky ...

Okay, so, plans, we need to make them.

Improv:

Sunday sounded like it worked best for the most people, so I called them back and said I'd be going on Sunday. I have to get to the ticket window to claim my tickets by 7pm, so I was thinking of meeting at the Rock Bottom Brewery next door for dinner around 5pm.

So far, the following people have expressed an interest: me, zeuropa (& I assume krnlpanik), djvitruvius, Jackie & Roo, grayden, eldan, nein09, 31337zeke, bryanpi, vja2 & Angela.

That's one more person than I have tickets for, so if any of you won't be able to make it Sunday at 7, let me know please.


Skiing:

I was thinking about leaving for Brandywine around 10am on Monday, and hopefully spending most if not all of the day there. Please let me know if you're planning to come (you can just meet us there later if you like) and if you want to carpool. So who all's in on the ski trip?

Thanks to zeuropa taking me (and others) to the Improv when she won free tickets, I just won free tickets to the Improv as well.

He said I could go with up to 12 people (I'm assuming that includes myself) for free on Sunday, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, or for $1 (I'm assuming per person) this Friday.

Anybody interested in joining me, and if so, when? Getting together for dinner beforehand was nice last time, so I was thinking about suggesting doing the same again, though you can of course just meet us there in time for the show.

zeuropa & krnlpanik get first dibs if they want them, though.

Anyway, gotta run, but let me know if you're interested.

Anybody interested in going snow skiing?

Defcon was a blast last year and the year before, and I was really looking forward to going again this year. But my parents are offering to take my brother & I on a family trip that conflicts with Defcon.

Option 1:
Fly to Vegas after work on 2005-07-28, spend the weekend at Defcon, hearing cool talks, getting plastered, casino hopping, site seeing, and hanging out with numerous friends I only see a couple times a year before flying back on the evening of 2005-07-31.

Option 2:
Fly to Philly after work on 2005-07-22; hang out with some friends for the weekend (one I see every month or two, the other I only tend to see about once a year or so, plus, I haven't gotten out to visit them since helping them move there a few years ago), assuming they're available and don't mind the company; leave on a cruise on Sunday heading up to Nova Scotia and back, with other stops along the way; return to Philly and fly back to Cleveland on 2005-07-31.

If I do the Vegas trip, my parents will figure out something else to do with my brother and I, so I'm not really even giving up on the free trip by not going on it this particular week. But if I do decide to still go on the Vegas trip, my parents will also pass on the larger family trip (a few other branches of the family are all going on that trip too). My brother wouldn't so much care, he doesn't like them anyway, I actually think I'd prefer to go on a trip with just my parents and brother than the whole family too, and my parents say it's okay, but I just feel bad making them miss out on it and being the reason to start planning another trip from scratch instead. I feel selfish making them change their plans by turning down their very generous offer.

They told me to think about it and try to let them know within a week. I know what I want to do, I just feel really selfish doing it.

Okay, so, this is really last minute thing, but it seems like there's at least some interest in my hosting a New Year's Eve party this year, so if you're not sure what you're doing yet, feel free to come hang out at my place. I guess anytime after 4pm is fine.

I know Froggy's having a party too, so I don't want to take guests away from his shindig. But I won't mind if my party is a small gathering, though any of you are welcome. I should have plenty of beer and wine, but I of course won't complain if you decide to contribute to the cause a bit. =)

Just let me know if you're gonna join us!


PS -- I'm over a month behind in reading LJ now, so I'm really sorry, but I have no idea what's going on in most of your lives. I really do plan to get caught up still, but regardless, I'll start reading the current stuff again soon. Hopefully over xmas,

fyi, I will be playing in Veale after work today, as planned, but I won't be making it on Wednesday of this week, for any who were interested.

<La> Ooh, I think that pixel's a nipple!

So who's in?

As previously stated, I have a few games, Chez Geek was promised as well, and you're welcome to bring anything else you like. I'm still hoping somebody is interested in bringing some poker chips, too, but if people don't feel like getting a poker game going, that's cool too. Just let me know who to expect (specifically for dinner, and gaming, it doesn't really matter to me who goes to see the movie). Thanks!

The Columbia Journalism Review has a really interesting piece on how journalism and science both have similar goals focussing on objectivism and the pursuit of the truth, but how their approaches are often horribly incompatible.

A Unity Poem from Political Wire:

The election is over, the results are now known.
The will of the people has clearly been shown.
We should show by our thoughts, our words and our deeds
That unity is just what our country needs.
Let's all get together. Let bitterness pass.
I'll hug your elephant.
You kiss my ass.

How much more of this will it take for the public to realize that electronic voting is not perfect? It's just like old fashioned voting, only a lot more can go wrong and there's next to nothing to protect from such problems.

Don't get me wrong, electronic voting *can* be done, but none of these companies have put even a half-assed effort into it yet because everybody seems to believe that just making it electronic makes all their problems go away, and they're willing to pay exorbitant amounts of money to be told "don't worry, we'll take care of everything."

aloofcat found this neat site of election maps, for any of you who found my last post about that at all interesting. Though I notice Alaska and Hawaii were both omitted. Possibly for the sake of convenience in creating the maps?

Whatcha guys up to on Friday night?

I was thinking about having a gaming night kind of get together at my place, but then I was reminded that I, Robot is playing at Strosacker that night. So here's what I'm thinking:

Meet for dinner around 5:30ish on Friday (somewhere on Coventry, most likely, I'm open to suggestions), go to the 7pm showing of I, Robot on campus, and then meet at my place for some gaming around 9:30.

As far as gaming goes, I have Set, Five Crowns, Tripoly, Yahtzee, Scrabble (sorta, it's a crappy board), and plenty of decks of regular cards.

If possible, I was hoping some of you guys might also be able to bring poker chips and Chez Geek (and possibly other things like Lunchmoney, Munchkin, and really anything else you think might be fun).
Anybody interested?

Is anybody planning to go play racquetball with me after work this afternoon?