Miscellany

My first-ever vlog post -- I bring you Karen and Amy playing Whac-a-Mole (Right click, save target as, or CTRL-click, save link as on a Mac).

And me, playing Whac-a-Frog. Yes, a few seconds into the movie I do say, "Do you have to get 'em in the lily pads?" (Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!) But in my defense, before we stepped-right-up to the booth, I was watching other people play, and they couldn't even get the frogs into the pond. The guy running the game said, "You gotta hit it like you're MAD at it!" I thought maybe you'd get a little prize for consistently getting them in the pond, but something extra big and cheesy for getting them in the lily pads. I should have known that would be way too easy.

For more, see my set of fair photographs on Flickr.

Also, a reflection on videoblogging: As I get ready to hit "Submit," I'm a little nervous and self-conscious. Videoblogging is different from straight-up text blogging, for sure; I'm putting myself out there in a way I haven't before, in an exceptionally goofy, silly moment at that. But it's honest, and risky in a good way, so I'll leave it up unless I'm asked to take the first one down. Please be kind.

I'm one of those Getting Things Done-heads, but until a week ago I hadn't made a tickler file. I already use it all the time:

A tickler file is a place for items you need to keep track of but don't need right at the moment, but which you know you'll need a few days or a week from now. You need 43 folders to create a tickler file, 31 for the days of the month, and 12 for the months of the year. Each day you look in that day's folder, empty it out, decide what to do with the items in the folder, and then move that day's folder to the back. Commonly suggested items for the tickler file include concert or plane tickets, reminder notes, etc. I put that stuff in there, plus bills I want to mail but not until I get paid, articles I want to read, scribbled notes I want to type up, etc. It's great. Usually people use manila folders, but I made mine out of old 2-pocket folders around my apartment and some from the office that were going to be thrown away. I made the tabs out of index cards. The file case I'm keeping the tickler file in was going to be thrown away too.

Also, some life hacks* I've found useful:

Media-related distraction? Hit the panic button! When I get the sneaking suspicion that I’m wasting valuable time on the internet, I hit the monitor’s power switch and wait until I get my focus back. This also works for TV, and even the phone.

[. . .]

Address Labels that charities send you are great for labelling things you tend to lose. Someone once returned an umbrella to my house. At work people return my pens and my stapler and tape dispenser stay on my desk

Finally, the Not Insane To-Do List, via (where else?) 43 folders.

* When I first heard the term "life hacks" several months ago, I thought, well great, there's finally an expression for what my mom has been doing avidly for decades. Next time I go home maybe I'll photograph some of her genius hacks.

I'm accompanying a couple of folks tomorrow to go see LICK! and then to see Heather Corrina's latest show. I have a lot of respect for Corrina's activist work, especially what she's done on Scarleteen, and listen to this description of LICK!

A show that's half play, half dance, and half comedy...it's a plancedy...and it follows five young men, self-proclaimed as "the sexiest dance company the world has ever known" as they come to the 2005 Minnesota Fringe Festival with one goal: to blow your mind. Join Ben, Brian, Bobby, Todd, and Kelly as they inject art into your soul with their great big syringe of sexiness.

By the way, locals: If you didn't catch Blogologue when it played at Bryant-Lake Bowl, you should definitely see it. The performers do dramatic interpretations of all kinds of interweb content, including inane pop-up ads, teen LiveJournals, choleric pundits, and the dullest blog in the world.

At the ATM in my bank, I found this:

I thought, cool, a find, I'll blog about it. So then I went to Hollywood Video, because I had a coupon, and, despite having never before bought candy at a video store, I was overcome with a craving for a Sparkle Jerry Cherry Laffy Taffy. I grabbed it, paid for it, and opened it as soon as I got in the car. Then I looked at that envelope on my passenger seat, mocking me. I ate the whole 42.5 gram bar of taffy in under a minute.

I was hoping I'd get "Southern Slang" by a wider margin. Oh well.

Via Scribblingwoman.

"Yeah, well, we need __________ about as much as 1990 needed Cheap Trick's cover of 'Don't Be Cruel.'"

I love Dooce's monthly newsletters.

It is, right? Right?