The iPod Shuffle

I was turned onto a trippy internet community-ish exercise - the iPod Shuffle.

The rules: first, set your iPod to shuffle.

Second, write down the first 10 tracks that come up, no matter how strange or embarrassing. No cheating. No "enh, that's not really a good representation of what's on my usual playlist." Forget it, slim - THE FIRST 10.

Third, publish the results on your weblog/website.

I just did it. Here's my list:

1) Beck - Good Stuff (Live)
2) Sheryl Crow - Love is a Good Thing
3) Beastie Boys - Stand Together
4) Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know
5) Michael Jackson - History
6) Matt Hoffland - Heaven Medley (There Is Coming A Day; Softly And Tenderly)
7) Ben Folds Five - Cigarette
8) The White Stripes - I'm Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman
9) Kasey Chambers - A Million Tears
10) John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Hard Times Are Over

Huh. It's a little more poppy and vanilla than I'd expected. To be honest, I was hoping for something a little weirder. Ah well. That's The Shuffle for you.

Send me yours!
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Spent the morning at Willow Medical Center. Ear infection.

Feeling much better now that they've flushed my ear canals and given me antibiotic drops... aren't you glad you tuned in today?

(Fun with nurses:

As close friends and family know, I've been deaf in my left ear since kindergarten. Consequently, I can't always tell when it's stopped up with wax. The nurse who was flushing funk from my ears was amazed that I had no awareness of the copious piles of garbage that had built up in my left ear, but she demonstrated all the appropriate pity when I mentioned to her that I'd been half-deaf since age 5. Finally, she extracted a huge gob and showed it to me.

"Ew," I said. "Gross. Wait a minute... I can hear! After all these years - a miracle!"

Her jaw dropped. "OH MY GOD! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"No," I admitted, "but that would've been pretty cool, wouldn't it?")
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Matt Stechschulte is a good Columbus buddy that we moved away from, just as Carey and I were starting to enjoy getting to know him and his wife. Anyhow, I usually don't read e-mail forwards, much less publish them on my website, but I was so intrigued with the one he sent earlier today, I felt it necessary to share with the world.

A friend of his received an invoice from a tire company. It's below (click to enlarge):



The implications are mind-blowing. An invoice ministry! Much more effective in winning potential saints than fishy car magnets or the "Footprints" poem hanging on the wall of your cubicle.

Hey, I'm not making fun. At least the Marysville Service Center had the good sense to wedge the Good News in there before they hit the customer with that 7% sales tax. Hats off!

posted by Jeremy Bear 7:12 PM

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Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Vanity?

DAD: Oh, before I forget - I need the help of you and your Blogger friends.

ME: Yeah?

DAD: Yeah. You know I've had those vanity plates for awhile, right? "RBEAR 1".

ME: Sure.

DAD: Well, I've decided to retire the RBEAR 1 and get something different. I'm tired of having my name on there.

ME: What are you going to get?

DAD: I don't know, that's why I'm asking. I saw one in Florida that was pretty good. It said "T 1 UP". Like "Tee One Up." Like golf. I thought that was pretty clever.

ME: Right, right. Okay, so you want me to give you some ideas?

DAD: Well, I thought maybe you could make it like a contest or a sweepstakes. Have everybody give suggestions and we'll pick the best one!

ME: Ah. Well, what are the prizes?

DAD: Uh. I don't know. The privilege of being mentioned on your blogger maybe?

ME: Ehh... I don't usually ask people to do anything for the sake of my online journal. It's kinda...

DAD: Oh, okay, I see. But you can mention it, right?

ME: Sure, no problem. I'll throw something on there. Who knows? Maybe you'll get a couple of suggestions.

DAD: Great!

ME: Well, I just pulled into work, so I gotta go.

DAD: Okay, bud. Oh, one last thing...

ME: Yeah?

DAD: Don't put my e-mail address on there. I don't want to give it out.

Labels: dialogue

posted by Jeremy Bear 8:40 AM

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Monday, January 24, 2005

Temperatures in the mid-80s, and y'all can suck it

Granted, it's a little hotter than normal around here for January, but I keep hearing reports of near-zero climes in and around my old stomping grounds and I can't help but shoot a smug-ass wink & grin at all you Nanooks that shook your collective heads and clucked your tongues at Carey and me when we were packing up for So-Cal.

So, while you're all praying for your cars to warm up and watching your breath freeze in front of you, hopefully the thought of old Jeremy and Carey Bear in t-shirts and shorts, barbequeing on our balcony will ease the pain.
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Notice anything funny about Josh's "beard"? Look closer - IT'S BEES!

I keep forgetting to mention this, but how about a round of blog-applause for Josh Smith, huh? I went to high school with this jamoke who grew up to pen a clever little weblog of his own, bless his heart.

During the Christmas season, Josh hosted a very special Christmas contest (go ahead and read all about it here) in which participants were invited to come up with a clever interpretation of a Christmas ornament he made as a child. This Narcissus of the 'Net was even kind enough to provide an ornament template, complete with a photo of himself.

And, cheery soul that he is, he awarded some lovely Borders prizes to every participant. It's a public service blog! A groovy love-in! It's a snuggly hug on the internet, man! Needless to say, I'm glad I participated and I'm eagerly anticipating my brand new sketchbook. Hooray for Josh!

See? It pays to read and write internet journals, dude. What's your excuse?
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And speaking of the mighty blogosphere, it seems like friends and loved ones everywhere are beginning to spread their wings and throw themselves into the glorious gusts of internet stardom. In the past week or so alone, three different individuals have come to me and asked how to start up a weblog of their own.

Mad props to my very own boss, Drew Mehl, for jumping onboard with his own blog. If I know Drew, he's committed to keeping it interesting... and the guy will, without a doubt, agonize over each and every word. Well, good on ya, Drew, and blog ho! You'll soon be making sweet love to that "Publish Post" button without a second thought. Consider this your very first link from a reputable source... now, how about a raise? (Yuk yuk yuk!)

Oh, and my good friend Chad Meshek has a brand new website too. He says it's still in development, so I won't link to it just yet.

Whoops.
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Argh, this seems to be turning into one of those blogs about blogging. Well, it can't really be helped, can it?

I've had a couple of Blogger Buddies ask me why I've neglected to take advantage of some of the really cool perks of having a website journal... like, where are the links to friends' blogs? And how about providing a way to leave comments? And, what, no link to my Blogger profile? No permalinks? What gives?

Well... as far as the link list goes... I suppose I'm just deathly afraid of leaving someone out and pissing them off. I know, it's ridiculous. I'm always ecstatic when I find a link to my JeremyBear.com on someone else's website, so it's really no excuse. I suck. Look at me: I SUCK.

And the comments bit... hhh... dude, I'll be straight: I haven't provided a guestbook or a way to leave comments because I'm convinced it would depress me. At least I can sort of delude myself into thinking that people read these posts if I don't provide a method for leaving feedback. I can all-too-easily envision cobwebs growing in my comments box and the thought makes me a little nauseous. Honestly, have you ever met anyone less secure in your life? I'm an ass. Look at me: I'M AN ASS.

Can't remember where it was, but I read an internet article recently that discussed good blogs vs. bad blogs. Good blogs, it said, invite the outside world to join in and discuss universal issues of popular importance. They're cutting edge and they offer unique information that can't be obtained elsewhere. They're professional-sounding and should be treated as any other widely-published media. Bad blogs, on the other hand, are self-indulgent and trite. They only discuss what's already been discussed elsewhere. They're self-serving, masturbatory exposition that leaves the world no richer.

Um, if you're someone who keeps your own weblog, you're probably snickering... if you're not, I'll let you in on the gag:

There are no "bad" blogs.

The whole idea of a critical view of a weblog is pretty ridiculous in itself. How about a critical review of your niece's diary, for all the sense that makes? "An interesting start, but it sort of dragged in the middle. Didn't really say anything new. A little more effort, and this could be a passable diary, but, as is, it's a little self-indulgent."

My opinion? There's really only one thing you can do to make your journal suck: don't write in it.

(Though I gotta admit: I can't help but chuckle when I run across blogs with a single entry, dated 12+ months ago:

Well, this is the first day of many years of blogging! Who knows where this crazy thing'll go... I promise it'll be interesting, though! Be sure to check back often - it's gonna be a wild ride!)

posted by Jeremy Bear 8:08 PM

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