Hurricane Katrina

broderic on August 28, 2005

By this time tomorrow, New Orleans, LA may be a relic of the past. Hurricane Katrina (a name befitting a dominatrix) is bearing down on the city. She’s a Cat 5, a powerful one. Hopefully, every unessential person has been evacuated. Depending upon the path Katrina takes, the damage will be unpredictable.

Here are some links to interesting commentary on what such a devestating hurricane means to hit dead center on New Orleans.

Some interesting article.
Chris Mooney
Chris Mooney again but in The Washington Monthly.

Too random

broderic on August 24, 2005

For vacation last month, I bought an iPod shuffle. The 1 gig model. It works fine for what it does. Yet, I don’t like it. It is uncomfortable to me because I ususally like listening to a tune right this moment. I want to hear a song, now, but the shuffle doesn’t allow me to get to it right away. You must truly like to hear songs randomly to appreciate it.

Keeping you updated

broderic on August 20, 2005

Sometimes it is hard to keep a blog. The dog days of summer seem to be best to keep me from posting an entry here at browsermetrics. Anyway, I want to keep the channel up and have a few posts before the end of August so that this month in the archive won’t look so bare.

Some time soon (or as quick as I can get my lazy ass to do) I will post my 2005 vaction journal. I liked the way I did the first one and it was a nice way to keep this blog interesting.

I would also like to tell you about my starting to excercise again. I am going to the gym so that when I ride my road bike, I can climb the small hills we have here. I need to be able to power through and climb a 4% grade for at least a mile. Or maybe go to a more modern triple chainring and 10 gear combo. At least then I can spin over the hills. I think I will go to the gym to build some strength in these legs first before forking money for a new road bike.

I haven’t watched a movie lately. They all seem to truly suck right now. Hollywood’s box office receipts are in a slump this summer. The quality of blockbusters they are pumping out contribute the slack numbers.

I am attempting, again, to read Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell. I have gotten through the first three chapters, again. And again I haven’t picked up the book in 12 days. I did finish Inside the Postal Bus. That was good. Not great. The writer, Micheal Barry, is a professional cyclist from Canada riding on the US Postal, now Team Discovery Channel, as a teammate of Lance Armstrong. While it was a fascinating look at inside the great team, he did not ride in any of Le Tour with Lance. It was disappointing when he talked about watching his teammates on TV. He did go throught the Vuelta a Espana. B-

Yummy. Yummy. Yummy. I got love in my tummy.

broderic on August 15, 2005

The best cookies in Baltimore. They are crisp and buttery. I had an discussion on why they are the best cookies and it comes down to there crispy, crunchiness. Thank god for the end of the soft cookie era.

Here’s a recipe for crispy chocalate chip cookies from Alton Brown. If you make some, please send them my way.

Quick Summer Reviews

broderic on August 8, 2005

It’s been a while since I have posted a review on this blog. It seems that the last thing I told you guys that I have seen was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s also been a while since I posted anything. I have seen some movies since last month and also read a book. So my movie viewing habit continues unabated and my quixotic quest continues slowly but surely. Here’s the ratings for the last thing I saw and read.

The Dukes of Hazzard 2 of 5 stars. (I would’ve given it 1, but there was some funny business with an armadillo helmet and Sean William Scott carried the day)

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. A- (You know you like a book when at the end you wish you could learn more about the characters. This deserves a longer review and/or a discussion.)

Alternative Deaths of Albus Dumbledore

broderic on July 23, 2005

The death of Dumbledore as written by other writers. I have not got the book just yet (I still have plenty to read on my nightstand.) but I do believe the speculation of who dies this time out. My wish was that it was Ron. Oh well maybe I will get to reading the latest Harry Potter in Septemer.

Movie Review: Charlie and The Chocalate Factory

broderic on July 23, 2005

Tim Burton’s version of Roald Daahl’s Charlie and The Chocalate Factory was an unexpected pleasing movie. Very different than my childhood favortie Willie Wonka, yet eerily similar. Plot very much the same. Supposedly, Tim Burton’s film hewed to the book much better. The most striking part was the music. The lyrics are directly from the book, but the backing rythms are today. I didn’t like it. I missed the campy oompa loompa songs of the earlier one. Danny Elfman is really becoming an annoying composer.

3 of 5 stars.

Quixotic Quest: A July book review

broderic on July 19, 2005

How to be Alone by Jonathan Franzen. A collection of essays which deal with reading or writing. It is about the insular world one escapes to when reading. As well as other essays about living the world.

It was the book I brought on vacation. I only read half of it.

B-