Owner: Living in Small Sizes URL:http://livinginsmallsizes.com Join Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2007 20:47:24 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: A journal of (mis)adventures, transformations and observations from one man who moves his family to a small rural town. Site statistics:Click here
HD Is The New X 2007-09-09 18:41:09 Has anyone else noticed that “HD” (as in high definition) is the new “X” (as in extreme) in terms of branding? It seemed like everywhere I went in California there were billboards and product branding touting HD.
I went to see the movie Superbad in this awesome state of the art theater in Burbank, and before the movie started there was a long Toshiba ad about the HD-DVD experience. The tagline was, “the look and sound of perfect”. The next day I was at a Fry’s Electronics store, and while I’m used to seeing little HD stickers on all the home theater gear, I laughed when I saw a pair of headphones that had an HD sticker on the box. What does it mean to have HD headphones?
At the Burbank airport ABC’s channel 7 is very focused on letting you know how HD they are.
Hmm, this isn’t looking very HD.
Attack Of The Caterpillar 2007-09-09 17:25:30 While having a picnic at a local park Saturday afternoon, I felt something on my leg. I reached under the picnic table and brushed something off my leg. I immediately tried to process the sensation of prickly hairs and the surprising weight of the something I had touched. As I filled with adrenaline, I looked under the picnic table to find the largest caterpillar I have ever seen.
I was pretty creeped out for a while, and my sandwich never really tasted the same after the incident. I finally took the caterpiller over to a nearby tree to spare future picnic’ers.
Making A Scene At Everybody’s 2007-10-01 11:30:17 My daughter’s favorite treat is the soft serve ice cream by Radiance at Everybody
’s Whole Foods. It pains me to use the near-styrofoam cups they have there. I purchased “Let’s Do…Organic Sugar Cones” to well, basically save the world.
In one of the small aisles at Everybody’s I pried open the package to find a mere twelve cones surrounded in serious plastic. And the kicker: they are completely stuck together. I broke one off and while standing in crumbs I filled it with ice cream. The ice cream instantly dripped out of the bottom. So I wrapped it in a paper towel. Then had to weigh it. I used one of the “near-styrofoam” cups to hold the cone. I at least put the cup back. I just used it, I didn’t dirty it! In the end was my carbon footprint smaller or not?!
After we use every single one of the eleven broken cones, I’m tempted to try the waffle cones instead of the sugar cones. But, I think I will bring my ow
My Obama Honeymoon Officially Over 2007-10-01 11:24:59 It’s not looking good people! Obama
’s talking tough on Iran and frankly the more I listen to him the less I feel like he has a plan for anything. So just who the hell am I going to vote for?
Obama - taking tough on Iran now. sigh.
Paul - wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s unrealistic and followed by a mob of nuts. Dissolve the IRS? Um ok.
Clinton - why did she support the Iraq War Resolution? Why does it feel like she will just say whatever she thinks you want to hear?
Edwards - voted for the Iraq War Resolution, further war funding and still has that Kerry stink.
Biden - voted for Iraq War Resolution, only in the past 16 months has he spoken out against the war. Sounds like a Democratics version of Bush (minus the bad grammar).
Gravel who?
Richardson who?
Kucinich - still not sure why Kerry was chosen over him in 2004. Could it be his 28 year old wife?
Read more:Honeymoon
What Features Do You Want On Your DVD? 2007-10-11 21:33:43 One of my tasks as CTO of ScribeStorm is to come up with engaging features for new media platforms. Currently I’m focused on the HD-DVD format. For those that are not familiar with HD-DVD, it is a new type of DVD format that essentially provides three improvements over standard DVD:
High definition video.
Interactive menus (this means that you can pull up the menu window while the video is playing and not have to go back and forth between stopping playback and selecting new scenes or set up features).
Connection to the Internet. HD-DVD players have an ethernet port which allows you to connect the player to the Internet. This allows for data to be pulled from the web, right into the video playback stream.
What ScribeStorm does in the HD-DVD space is focus on building features that take advantage of #3. On that note I’d like to perform a little market research here and ask readers to post what they would like see in a connected feature. Meaning, what type of informati
A Fistful Of Enchiladas 2007-10-10 22:42:14 So far I’ve had a great week. For the past three nights I’ve eaten enchiladas with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. And no, I have no idea what the right wine is for enchiladas. What I do know is it was the bottle sitting on the counter at the time I produced a thirst, and it satisfied that thirst.
I think this was the first time I’ve made my enchiladas since moving to Fairfield, which felt like some sort of milestone: me cooking my version of soul food at home. Anyway, they’re all gone now, sorry. But here’s the recipe in case anyone else is in need of some gut busting cooking that gets better as leftovers:
INGREDIENTS
2-3 chicken breasts (preferably free range and fresh).
2 cans of Hatch red enchilada sauce (I prefer to use one can of medium and one can of hot), which can be found at Everybody’s. It’s very important that you get this particular brand.
cilantro
garlic
cumin
cayenne pepper
chili powder
oregano
salt
sour cream (preferably Read more:Enchiladas
Radiohead In Strings 2007-10-10 13:04:04 You have not truly appreciated Radiohead
until you’ve heard their music played by a string quartet.
These guys are modern day musical geniuses. I wish they’d play at Waterworks ;)
Live In Concert: Global Cooling 2007-10-09 20:10:15 The Facts:
This past Sunday Willi, Dawn and their daughter biked to Waterworks park to escape the heat and humidity. Despite the beautiful weather there were periods of time where there was no one at the park except for a band in the picnic shelter, amplified and playing music, and this family.
Dawn Says:
How totally surreal.
I swim out to the yellow floaty things at Waterworks. It’s mid-October and I’m swimming outdoors. That is trippy in and of its self.
This trance music starts up and I float on my back and look up at the clouds. The clouds are really great. I swim to shore and no one is at the beach except my husband and child… and a band. It’s playing music pretty loud and the whole scene is like some hippy music fest. Except no one is there. I exit onto the beach and do a downward dog. :-)
Willi Says:
It’s a Sunday. After a peaceful, yet long bike ride under stifling humidity, we get to Waterworks park. We have it all to ourselves except Read more:Concert
, Global
, Cooling
Insults From A Four Year Old 2007-10-09 16:31:17 Sunday while having brunch at Cafe Paradiso, my daughter and I were drawing with crayons on the table. I drew a clown and started to color in the hair red. My daughter grabbed my hand to stop me from coloring, picked up another color and said to me, “Daddy, clowns have grey hair.”
Mixing Alcohol And Politics 2007-10-09 12:32:09 I don’t know much about wines, however I do appreciate a fine tasting one. This is why I love going to the Wine Vault. Dick DeAngelis doesn’t carry a large variety of wines and that is alright by me. He concentrates on quality and affordability. I’ve gotten four bottles of wine from the Wine Valut. Each one has been awesome and reasonably priced. As I write this I am sipping a Grayson Cellars’ 2005 Cabernet; delicious and it was $14.99!
So I was perturbed when I walked by the Vault this weekend and saw a Rudy Giuliani poster in the window. How can I, a crazy-ass liberal, support a business screaming Rudy for President? And why is a business putting up a political poster?
Now back up about 20 years. I grew up in Keokuk, Iowa. Both my parents were small business owners. I once put a radio station bumper sticker on my car. My dad took it off instantly and told me that we could never have stuff like that on our car. We couldn’t show preferences like that. Read more:Mixing
, Alcohol
Octoberfest 2007-10-07 19:57:49 We ate outside at Petite Paris watching a swarm of bats eat mosquitoes. We were able to see bits of the car parade from there and lots of people we knew walking around. The square was actually hopping.
Maybe it was the wine, but I detected some serious excitement in the air. Did you see the bike police? Bike police in Fairfield! And the horse and carriage. It felt like a real city!
I just wish we would of gotten a babysitter so we could of gone to see the Jefferson County Green Band.
Make Global Warming A Priority 2007-10-05 17:05:18 Some evil Fairfielder’s want to make warming the planet a priority. How sad for us all. Maybe it’s just for this winter?
Read more:Global
Petit Paris: Best Sandwiches In Fairfield 2007-10-05 14:47:05 The Fairfield lunch scene on and around the square is pretty good, but lacking in the sandwich department. I love a good sandwich and so PetitParis
’ new menu has been a welcome addition to my lunchtime routine. You can get them on artisan breads with Kettle chips (yum yum crunch crunch) - all that is missing is a lunch box.
My favorites are the “Le Petit Paris” - swiss, hard boiled egg, tomato, lettuce, avocado, mayo and mustard. And the “Smoked Salmon” - smoked salmon, butter, swiss, lettuce and tomato. They are a little on the spendy side for a sandwich ($7), but they pretty much have no competition so I can’t complain (and go somewhere else).
If you order the Smoked Salmon sandwich I suggest having them add capers (no smoked salmon should be served without capers).
Read more:Sandwiches
Fall 2007-10-02 10:05:19 Fall started this week. I rode my bike this morning wearing a jacket for the first time in months, enjoying the crisp chill flowing around me as I pedaled. It’s been a long time since I had a real Fall. I cannot wait for the leaves to fully turn and take some hikes around the area.
My camera has been too idle for awhile. That needs to change.
Any suggestions for great hikes around Fairfield this Fall?
Little Boots 2007-10-17 15:45:22
I’m not a big fan of baby photos, with the exception of the ones I took of my own child. But I came across this photo on Flickr and just loved it! I am disappointed that I missed the opportunity to do the same treatment of my child’s chubby infant legs.
Little Boots
, originally uploaded by millylillyrose.
Fair Trade Chocolate 2007-10-17 12:35:32 I haven’t thought much about “Fair Trade
” products. And that goes for fair trade chocolates as well. But just in time for Halloween an email thread set me straight.
Back in April of 2001 the BBC reported on child slavery and chocolate. At the time, “it was estimated that 15,000 children had been sold into slavery on the Ivory Coast, producing cocoa which then goes towards making almost half of the world’s chocolate.” A police chief in the neighboring small town of Sikasso Mali was quoted as saying, “…the missing children reports are endless. It’s definitely slavery over there,” he said. “The kids have to work so hard they get sick and some even die. Many are imprisoned on farms and beaten if they try to escape. Some are under 11 years old.”
This was one of the first reports on the issue. That year under pressure from the US Congress, the chocolate manufacturers promised to start eradicating forced child Read more:Chocolate
, Fair Trade
The Escalating Breakfast 2007-10-15 20:30:57 I had a day of eating this past Sunday that only a pregnant woman could top. I’m not sure how it happened, but here it is:
Breakfast
: cereal.
“Lunch”: Scrambled Eggs and Toast.
“Dinner”: Blueberry Pancakes with Peanut Butter, Maple Syrup and Turkey Sausage.
It was delicious, and I never felt physically bad for eating that way. In fact my Sunday was best described as relaxing and comforting.
I’m curious what other people consider as “comfort food”. And, has anyone else ever had a three breakfast day?
Read more:Escalating
Eaten Alive 2007-10-15 20:17:04 When I first moved to Fairfield I met someone who was moving away. They said to me, this town would be paradise if it weren’t for the winters and the bugs. I got through the winter and it wasn’t a big deal. Since last November when I spoke to this person the bugs really haven’t been that noticeable. And then Fall started.
About 3 weeks ago, when we had our first cool night, I went down to my basement to find (and kill) no fewer than ten of some of the largest spiders I’ve ever seen outside a zoo. About 2 weeks ago I stayed out riding my bike till just before dusk and my daughter and I were bitten several dozen times in the span of several minutes by mosquitos. Last night I went to fetch a glass of wine I left unattended for an hour in the kitchen - sitting in the liquid were ten to twenty dying fruit flies.
And now, the past couple nights, my family has been waking up with big, scratchy red bite marks on our bodies. My wife woke up late last night with over Read more:Alive
Greenpeace Hates The iPhone 2007-10-15 17:24:23 Oh Greenpeace
. Why did you have to spoil my day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBF_AkaXRG4
How annoying. Like how hard is it to make a $500 phone green?
Read more:Hates
, iPhone
One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other 2007-10-15 10:11:37 This morning when I opened up my Google homepage I couldn’t help but notice how Fairfield stood out in my weather gadget. Makes us look a little dramatic don’t you think?
Not missing Seattle right now I can tell you that much.
Email From Obama 2007-10-18 09:20:26 These “personal” emails I get from Obama
Barack crack me up. I fall for them every time because when I scan my inbox I usually notice the message preview first. So anything that says “Will, hey buddy blah blah blah . . . .” gets my attention. Sometime I even get emails from Obama’s Barack’s wife. She knows me too apparently.
Not sure about most people but the more these messages are “personalized”, the more they smell of bullshit. I’d just rather get an email saying, “Dear citizen 439847-20398, here is why should give me money today . . . “
Will,
I’m leaving the Tonight Show studio and I wanted to share something.
Jay Leno just asked if it bothers me that some of the Washington pundits are declaring Hillary Clinton the winner of this election before a single vote has been cast.
I’ll tell you what I told him: Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare “Mission Accomplished” a Read more:Email
Ultimate Safari Home Video 2007-10-24 21:54:08 This is the most amazing amateur footage I have ever seen. It just keeps getting more and more amazing as it goes on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM
Read more:Ultimate
, Safari
, Home Video
Progress At The Fairfield Arts & Convention Center 2007-10-24 15:38:48 This morning as I passed the Fairfield Arts & ConventionCenter
I noticed it was starting to look . . . well no longer like a huge eye sore. Despite the cheap looking brick materials the buildings are looking pretty good. It would look even better if they could have built the east facing gutters on the auditorium a little differently.
If I was in charge I’d hire some top notch graffiti artists to paint some huge murals on the auditorium walls. But, alas, I am not in charge.
The website says their will be Trick or Treat on the 29th. Do they mean this year?
Most Popular Post To Date 2007-10-24 15:05:53 Every now and then I peek at the server logs to see how traffic is moving. Below is a list of four posts I’ve made over the past year on this blog. Can you guess which one has the most traffic to date?
Urban Behavior
That Post About Vivos
Obama 2008
Making Time For Satan
I’m Gay
Yes this is kinda like one of those sitcom episodes that is a collage of all the past jokes, stitched together in the guise of a new story. I make no apologies.
Townie, Roo or Straddler? 2007-10-24 10:06:19 The moment Dawn and I arrived in Fairfield we began encountering the assumption that we had moved to Fairfield to learn/practice Transcendental Meditation (i.e., join the movement). Upon learning that we were not TMers, there were two most likely responses: one of relief by long term Fairfield residents who were not involved in the movement. And one of confusion mixed with curiosity by TMers, who were apparently both surprised and excited that non TMers were learning about Fairfield.
It’s taken me nearly a year to understand and appreciate both reactions, as well as refine a short response to the question often asked of us. That response being something like, “Fairfield offers a unique blend of opposites. On one hand you have the values and simplicity of down to earth, small town America, and on the other hand you have the new age ethics, wealth and influx of world cultures of a baby boomer built hippy community.”
What I’ve found most fascinating about Fairf
Google Maps Southern California Fire Mashup 2007-10-22 20:14:37 My business partner (CEO of ScribeStorm working out of our Burbank office) called me this morning to tell me he was evacuating his family for fear of two fires near his home. He was unreachable by mobile phone for several hours while I tired to find more information. I was unable to get any clear details at CNN or LA area news sites. Then I came across this GoogleMashup
. Cool.
Looks like this mashup is pulling data from the LA Times, which is funny because I went to the LA Times website and couldn’t really get a good idea of what was going on. I thought about this for a while while navigating the Google Maps
mashup and it occurred to me that I would prefer to get all my news in the form of a Google Maps mashup.
Read more:Southern
, California
, Southern California
Rumors about the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi 2007-10-22 20:05:19 Please feel free to start or continue any rumors here and now. I’ll get the ball rolling.
The Maharishi does not visit the US to avoid a number of lawsuits against him.
The movement was originally formed as a wife swapping front.
The Maharishi recommends that every morning you rub yourself down with a specific oil and do something akin to flogging yourself and the process takes 6 hours.
If all else fails; snort Ghee.
The Maharishi says that the price of enlightenment is exactly one million dollars.
A few local roos believe it was worth one million dollars to not have to go to the dome anymore.
Enlightenment and an LSD trip appear the same to an outside observer.
Read more:Mahesh
What Is This? 2007-10-22 13:17:00 I have no idea. Found on the forest bed at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park in great quantity.
Small Town Living Just Got Less Small 2007-10-22 13:07:07 One of the joys of paying a parking ticket in Fairfield was the convenience and low cost. Parking tickets were $2 and could be paid by scrounging up a bunch of change from the car seats and ash tray and putting it all into the envelope that was the ticket, and then dropping it into one of the many drop boxes located all around the downtown area.
I got a ticket about three weeks ago and still haven’t paid it. The fee is now $10 and the city has removed all the drop boxes. I tried to take it to the court house and they told me I need to drop it off at the Police Station. Jeez, it’s like I’m a real criminal now. Gotta go turn myself in to the law.
It’s feeling a lot less small town today.
UPDATE: shortly after writing this I was running an errand and drove by a house with a pig running around in the front yard. So no need to panic everyone, nothing has really changed here.
Read more:Small
, Living
, Small Town
The Power of Iowa 2007-10-28 20:23:15 I lived in Seattle during the last three presidential elections. It basically didn’t matter who I voted for. Now that I am in Iowa my vote for the 2008 election feels important, larger than myself.
Iowa is the first state to pick its candidates. Iowa and New Hampshire’s primaries influence who others will vote for. We show the country who is electable. The common thought is you need to be one of the top three candidates in Iowa to go on. After Iowa and New Hampshire’s primaries a majority of candidates will drop out.
It looks as if the power is even greater this year. Iowa Democratic leaders stated they plan to hold the state’s caucus on Jan. 3rd. This will make our primary the earliest in history.
The early date was chosen to keep our status as first. States like Michigan, California, Texas, New York and Illinois all want to push up their primaries to early February. Political Wire and Iowa political blog Bleeding Heartland are speculating that Io
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