I left my email open at work yesterday.

Yesterday I left my personal email open on a work computer when I left the office to do a rental. My boss decided to have some fun. He started writing a letter to everyone in my address book. Luckily my gmail signed him out before he could finish the email. I found it in my drafts last night. I thought I would share it with you.


 


Subject: Ronald McDonald


Hi all,

I'm sure by now many of you have noticed I am growing my hair out again.  There is a strategy behind this and it will require your help to get the desired end result.  On April 14th of 2012, McDonald's will be replacing the current Ronald McDonald clown with a more consumer friendly "real-life" character.  That character will be me.  But in order to accomplish this I need your help.  Please


 


A few weeks ago my other boss left his personal email open and wasn't so lucky. An email actually got sent from "him". Here is that email.


 


Subject: Important


Hi all,

I am writing to let you know effective immediately I am starting my own woodworking company.  I will be exclusively making dressers with no drawers and cabinets with no doors.  Call me if this sounds like a good business plan and are willing to invest a minimum $10,000 to my company.  Cash only please.  Thanks


-Michael

My life on the interwebs, my new strategy, and what it is all about.


I have been exploring the interwebs for as long as I can remember. As I look back I could probably tell you what I was doing on the internet at any given age.


-When I was in the 2nd grade I went to Take-Your-Kid-To-Work-Day with my dad. We had a 56k modem at home (that is pretty much all anyone had back then, if they even had internet) but my dad's work had a T1 internet line. I spent a large part of the day on various Power Ranger fan sites. I spent so much time surfing for info about the Mighty Morphers that my Dad asked if I was even paying attention to what he was doing. I listed off what all the faders were on the soundboard from left to right.
-Sometime shortly after that I made my first Geocities page.
-In 6th and 7th grade my online activity was mostly on a message board for the band Barrage, my favorite band at the time.
-The beginning of 8th grade marked my entrance into the world of instant messaging. I had a crush on agirl from camp. She asked me if I had MSN-IM. I didn't but I said I already did and quick made an account, just to talk to her.
-I started my first blog in the 9th grade from the Moorhead High School library. It was after school, Knowledge Bowl practice had finished early and I was waiting until it was time for my mom to come pick me up.
-I joined Facebook the first day it was open to Northwestern College students and I was on Twitter before a lot of my friends even knew what it was.
-Just a few weeks ago I joined Google+, a new social networking site with great potential. It has some awesome features and some things it still needs to tweak a little to perfect. I am excited to see how it develops. With the recent addition of Google+ to my online arsenal I am changing my strategy for the internet.


Until now I mostly posted everything everywhere. My twitter was the same as my blog which was the same as my facebook. That is all about to change. My postings on the web are going to be diversified. Different aspects for each site according to its best functions. My website is going to be just for my bigger posts, real blogs, not micro blogs. If you want to know about the day to day happenings of my life, funny things I overhear, or little things that happen to me then you should follow me on Twitter. If you want to see all the fun things I find on the internet, hilarious videos, new gadgets,  or whatever else the internet holds check out my Google+. I am going to use Facebook less for posting things and more for actual communication with others, messages and walls and whatnot.


I think all these services (and plenty of other ones) are just trying to mimic the way we connect with people in real life. They try to replicate our relationships and imitate our interactions. Even though none of these services are as good as real life, face to face, actual hanging out, some of them have some pretty nice features. There are plenty of people I wish I could see more, sometimes schedules get in the way, sometimes distance, sometimes I don't know why it happens I just don't see someone in forever, but thanks to the wonders of technology in the age we live in we can still connect. That's what it is all about, connecting with each other.


So hit me up on the Interwebs. Friend me, follow me, circle me, whatever you want to call it.
Let’s connect.



 

I don't know why they feature Tom Cruise running so much all the time. He always makes such a funny face.

...but we all know I will still watch this movie not matter what "Look at me! I am running fast." face he is making.


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfZtFDA3ABU?wmode=transparent]

Modern Warfare 3 Reveal Trailer

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coiTJbr9m04?wmode=transparent]


Dear November 8th,


Please get here sooner.


Thanks,
Thomas

My favorite twitter conversation of today. Featuring @kelseylouise

Kelsey and some friends are on the way to Nebraska and saw an interesting semi. This is the conversation that followed.


Kelsey: We just passed a semi carrying hot tubs and a fire engine. #NEroadtrip


Me: It is the "things that have to do with water" semi. You didn't see the boxes of nalgenes or the thousands of tiny balloons.


Kelsey: or that has to do with hot things. Which explains the models. :) 


Me: I assume the models were riding in the hot tubs... #thatisthewaytoroadtrip


Kelsey: Oh most definitely. Except it's terribly cold, windy, and rainy so they didn't look very happy.


Me: That is why they have the hot tub. If I can hottub in -30 degrees they should be able to handle some rain and wind.


Kelsey: Well really I think they were just upset because their hair was getting all messy.


Me: Ahh... That is fair.


 


P.S. Check out Kelsey's Etsy Shop

I think I lied to the art supply guy...

Yesterday I went to try out Shish Cafe. I had a hot chocolate, the chocolate was a little too dark for my taste but it was still good. I sat for a while watching the people walk by on the sidewalk, taking advantage of the wifi, you know normal coffee shop type things.
When I left I wandered a block over to Wet Paint, an art supply store I had been to once before, years ago. (Wet Paint used to be the only place in all of MN to get Montana Gold spraypaint. Now you can get it at Dick Blick too.) I enjoy browsing art stores, even if I don't need anything or have any project in mind. I made a quick loop around most of the store but got held captive by their journal and notebook section.

I was taking my time in this section, looking for a gem hidden among all the plain boring notebooks. An employee came up to me and asked the question all of us are familiar with "Can I help you find anything today?" I answered what most people answer to that question "No thanks, I'm just browsing." What I was doing would probably be better characterized as window shopping. Did I already have a brand new journal in my bag that I hadn't even used yet? Yes. Would that stop me from buying another notebook if a good one caught my eye? Definitely not. The salesman asked me another queston that I honestly don't exactly remember, it was something about journals. In my head I said “Don't you know 'just browsing' is salesman code for 'leave me alone'” but what I actually said was “I like getting new notebooks almost as much as I like filling them up.” I eventually found a notebook that intrigued me enough to buy, then I had to find a pen to go with it. I have this weird thing where I will only use one pen with each journal. It adds to the character of the journal. I don't know when it started but it's the rule and I have to follow it.

Looking back on may statement it is not true at all. I like the feeling that comes from filling a notebook up completely but really it is not too often that I actually do. Off the top of my head I can only think of two journals I have filled every page of. I couldn't even count how many I have started and moved on from before reaching that final page. Just because I haven't covered every square inch of paper doesn't mean it isn't finished. Each journal is a chapter; some chapters are about more important subjects than others, some are longer, some chapters overlap each other chronologically, but they are all special. I can take the smallest glance at the cover of a journal or the color pen it is written in and tell you when I wrote it and what major events are in it. The plaid cover holds the story of the first time my heart was broken. The journal written in silver sharpie is from my senior year of high school, mostly written when I was supposed to be listening in AP physics. The journal written completely in code I wrote mostly between 3 and 6 A.M. while working as a redshirt at the student center desk.

While I like finishing a journal, I love getting a new notebook, not just another one like all the others, but something new, something different, something special. You get to examine it for the first time, feel the texture of the pages I love seeing the blank pages and wondering and imagining what is going to fill them. It starts with wondering the simple things. What pen should I use with this? Is this book going to be filled with doodles? Am I just going to be using this to write down little notes about things I can't forget? Is this notebook special enough to be an actual journal? Will I actually be able to journal in this one everyday or will I last my regular two weeks and then skip a bunch of days? Then it moves on to the imagining. Where will I be when I finish this journal? What will happen to me along the way and fill its pages? What girl am I going to like that this journal will be the first (and sometimes only) person I tell about her? What new things will I learn? How will I change over the course of this journal?

A new journal is limitless possibilities.

New notebook, new pen.


-1576748235

My Bag of Crap

Here is what I got in my bag of crap, starting with the most crappy working my way to least crappy.

Aqua Globes


Media_httpecximagesam_ulbsu


Maybe I would like these more if I had any plants...

Strawberry Reusable Shopping Bag


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Not really my style but it will probably get used for some weird reason eventually.

Woot Calendar
I think this is a bonus item. A 2011 calendar with different woot shirt designs for each month.

Nishika N8000 3D Camera


Media_httpecximagesam_ohjnd


A film camera that takes 3D pictures. You can either send you film to specialty developers and get you pictures developed as a lenticular print or get it developed to a cd and make a wiggle stereoscopic gif. I will probably do the latter. I haven't played with it yet but only because I have to buy some film for the first time in probably almost 10 years.

Overall, they might not be things I would have bought otherwise but I am happy with my bag of crap.

...anyone want some aqua globes?

Whistling has no effect on my ability to type words but greatly decreases my ability to type numbers.

Some Bobby McFerrin to brighten your day.

Ave Maria


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgvJg7D6Qck?wmode=transparent]


The Sing Off


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNlmU4nPySI?wmode=transparent]


Audience Participation


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6tB2KiZuk?wmode=transparent]

@kelseylouise You might like this song better than bruno. More honest.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-MZxXee3Sk?wmode=transparent]
Sorry for the lame slide show music video. It was all I could find.

Xoom Xoom Xoom

I am writing this post from my new Motorola Xoom.
I got a insanely good deal on a "used" one on craigslist. It was still in all its packaing and even had all the plastic protectors on it. It hadn't even been configured yet. It was exactly like it would be from the store.
So far I like it a lot and I think that feeling is only going to grow.

Just finished cleaning, organizing, and rearranging my room. I even organized all my cords and cables.


Img_20110305_145622


Img_20110305_145632


Img_20110305_145639


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Fantasy Baseball: Heroes vs. Villians


One night at Applebees Bingo we somehow got on the discussion of fantasy baseball. If our teams are fantasy teams why can't we have superheroes play? So we made the best baseball team possible, one filled with superheroes. Obviously a hero needs a nemesis so the next week we came up with their ultimate rivals, a team of super villains. We aren't sure which team would win a game, but we do know it would be the most interesting baseball game ever.


Super Hero All-Star Team


1st Base:  Stretch Armstrong
2nd Base:  Mr. Fantastic
3rd Base:  Darkwing Duck
Shortstop:  Flash
Left Field:  Nightcrawler
Center Field:  Spider-Man
Right Field: Storm
Pitcher: Ryu
Catcher: Hulk


Designated Hitter: Thor


Mascot:  Kirby
General Manager: Professor Xavier


Super Villain All-Star Team


 


1st Base:  Waluigi
2nd Base: Venom
3rd Base: Megatron
Shortstop: Dr. Octopus
Left Field: Green Goblin
Center Field: Darth Vader
Right Field: Mystique
Pitcher: Bullseye
Catcher: Bowser


Designated Hitter: Bebop & Rocksteady


Basecoach: Sauron
General Manager: Lex Luthor
Owner: Ozymandias


 

Dinosaur Knowledge vs. Age


Dino-knowledge

I distinctly remember sometime around 2nd or 3rd Grade I was missing school because I was sick. I probably had strep throat, I got that a lot. Mommy Kvamme was taking me to the MeritCare on University Ave in Fargo because the one right across the street from us was closed or something. I knew I was sick (I often knew I had strep before the cultures would be positive. They would incubate them for 24 hours and then tell me I had strep, I would reply "I told you that yesterday.") but I also knew I had a report on dinosaurs due the next day. I wrote pretty much my whole report in the waiting room for the walk-in clinic. I didn't have any books with me or anything, I just wrote out all the things I knew about dinosaurs. I also had to have pictures so I drew some of the coolest looking dinosaurs you have ever seen.

Zombie Flowchart http://is.gd/KIr9sZ

I have officially stumbled across the weirdest thing on Netflix.

It is called Example TV Mega Series 03-250250 


It just showed up in my Instant Queue. The show description is "A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes. A sample show with many episodes." The picture is just the Netflix Logo. It seems to be a test to see if shows can have lots and lots of episodes. This "show" has 250 episodes that all appear to be the same thing.



It starts out with long time lapse shots from what seems to be the Netflix campus. After that it is close ups of a fountain and panning shots of the campus. Then the only character shows up, a guy running with some Netflix envelopes in his hand. He places them on a table and darts back and forth oddly through some trees. Of course after darting through trees you have to somersault and cartwheel so he does some of those as well. And then a clip of him carrying a laptop... moonwalking.
It cuts to some footage of a little toy penguin riding a model train. That is followed by various shots of flowers and a time lapse of the moon.
Our favorite character is back. Oh look, he can bounce a soccer ball. Now he can throw it, and juggle it with an apple and a tether ball. Don't worry, he does tie the tether ball back on its rope, we know because we see it swinging like a pendulum.
A dramatic reading of some of Shakespeare’s "Julius Caesar" is followed without cut or transition to him making popping and clicking noises with his mouth. (Is that something they teach in drama class?)
One last time lapse shot before test signal patterns for the last two and a half minutes. 


It may seem a little odd but I think it is worth a watch. 64 other people have rated it on Netflix. It has an average or 3.4 stars out of 5. I gave it 5 out of 5.


I love the sound of a lone ice scraper echoing on an empty street at 6 AM.

My favorite new Android music player.

Motorola has built a new android music app called Connected Music Player. Rumor is that it is for the new Droid Bionic or perhaps the Cliq2; Whatever it is supposed to be on it got leaked and is now in the wild of the internet. It is also now on my Droid, and I like it.


I just started playing with it earlier today so I haven't been able to explore everything but here is (at least some of) what it's got.


- It plays your music. (duh) While you are playing music it uses TuneWiki to have the lyrics on the bottom of the screen. It even scrolls along and keeps up with what lyrics they are actually singing at the moment. The album art is show big on the screen, no fancy 3D cubes or anything but I'll get used to it. If you have some music on your phone that is "Unknown by Various on Untitled" there is SoundHound built in to figure out what it is. You can "blip" what you are listening to. (More on that later.) You can even set songs as ringtones.


- It plays not your music. You can also use the app to listen to music from other sources. It has SHOUTcast integrated for some internet radio for you. If internet radio is to new fangled and fancy for you CMP can also turn your phone into a "real" radio. You plug your headphones in and they act as the antenna. I don't have my headphones with me now so I haven't been able to test it.


- It plays music videos. CMP can search Youtube for music videos by artist or title. If you have a favorite music video that you just know you are going to watch over and over you can add it to your music video library for quick access.


- You can use it to find new music to listen to. Not only does it use TuneWiki to get lyrics for you but you can also find out what songs are on top of the charts and even see what TuneWiki users are listening to where. When you blip what you are listening to it marks it on their "Music Map" which can be searched by area. There looks to be about 20 TuneWiki users in the MSP area so far.


- It stops your music when you fall asleep. OK not exactly, it doesn't know when you fall asleep, but it does have a sleep timer. I don't know why no other music player I have tried doesn't have this built in. Just click settings and sleep timer and pick how long you want it to play before shutting off. Sadly you have to pick between 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes and can't just put in your own value but it is a start.


 


Read more about it here:
Droid LIfe
Download Squad


Or download it here


Cmp_qr

Speaking nonsense to strangers from Craigslist.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHd7PGHliTc?wmode=transparent]


I could see me and my friends doing this.

My favorite text conversation of today. Featuring Andrea Cunningham.

Andrea really likes elephants, so when I found this picture on the interwebs I sent it along to her. Here is the conversation that followed.


 


Me: Elephants!


Elephants


Andrea: Noooooooooo waaaaaaaaay. I knew u worked this morning so i thought maybe u saw an elephant on the way to work, and i was all excited. But that was great too. Haa


Me: Um... where would I see an elephant on the way to work?


Andrea: On the street duh


Me: Oh right... just down on Elephant Ave.


Andrea: No, snelling or rice or something. There is no elephant ave. Now you're just being silly


 


*Andrea just started blogging. Check her out.

I haven't worn my fivefingers in a while, I forgot how much different they feel, how many different muscles they use.

The most important things on my schedule this week: Legoland and Disney movie party.