robglazebrook.com

I’ve made a few minor changes to the site in the last few weeks, and I keep forgetting to mention them, so I thought I’d take this opportunity (procrastinating at work) to quickly list them off. The ones I remember after all this time, at least. :)

First up, I added a search bar to the top-right corner of the page. It’s nothing fancy, just using Google to search my site, but it might come in handy to someone some day.

I’ve also re-added my archives to my blog (bottom of the sidebar). I think it’d just slipped my mind the first time. Actually, upon using my search bar to peruse my archives (how’s that for a mid-paragraph segue?), it looks like I was having a problem with my archives at one point, and I probably didn’t want to call attention to them.

I’ve also also tweaked the fonts slightly in the last month, so if the page looks slightly different all over, that’d be why. I’m not done with fonts, either: I plan to change the headings to flash text after a while to make them smoother looking.

Also, I’ve also also updated my portfolio website a bit. I don’t yet have as many samples of my work up as I’d like, but it’s good enough for now. My portfolio also now includes an updated version of my résumé. I needed one to apply for a part-time job earlier in the week (possibly more on that later), so I figured I might as well upload it.

Last up, I’ve added a new subsection to the sidebar called “Del.icio.us Bookmarks.” Del.icio.us, for all of those not yet in the know, is a web-based bookmarking system that uses tags instead of folders for organization (meaning one bookmark can be “stored” under several tags, making it easier to find when the need arises). It also allows me to search other people’s bookmarks, which is pretty cool. That’s where I found a Photoshop tutorial that taught me how to make smooth shiny-looking shapes like the one featured above. The sidebar now lists my eight most recent bookmarks. At some point, the Del.icio.us bookmarks will probably replace my miniblog, as it’s a lot easier to maintain.

Let me know if you’ve any comments on any of the changes, though they’re minor enough I doubt anyone does. :p

Hello, my generous little chipmunks! I guess it’s about time I let the cat out of the bag and let you all know that I let the cat out of the bag. Well, he didn’t come in a bag so much as a cardboard carrier, but that’s really only a matter of degree.

Short story shorter: I have a cat! :) That’s him pictured above, or to the right, or wherever. I got him last Wednesday, but I had to keep him a secret for a while, because he was meant to be a surprise for Dana and I didn’t want to spoil it by having her get bored and read about it on my website. It’s been known to happen. In fact, I heard her dad Googled me recently, so perhaps he’s a new reader as well. If so, hello again John, and I apologize in advance. :)

I suppose I should supply some vitals on the kitty, no? Well, he is a he, and he is eight months old. He weighed 9 pounds, 12 ounces when I took him in to get detasseled* on Friday morning, so I suppose he probably weighs 9 1/2 pounds now. *g* He still has however many claws cats are born with, though that may change sometime in the future.

His name, as of this writing, is Tuck for short, or Friar Tuck if you’re not into brevity. This is one of many names Dana and I have given him in the last week, and I can’t promise it’ll stick. His name was Xavier when I got him from the Ames animal shelter. I looked the name up and discovered it didn’t mean anything great for a cat, and I didn’t really want a primarily religious name anyways, so I started thinking of new ones. I started calling him Ketey at first, because that’s what I call all cats (the ‘t’ is pronounced with a velar flap, like the ‘t’ in “metal”), but Dana was worried people would just think we couldn’t pronounce kitty (I’m not convinced I can). I also wanted to name him Aristotle for his inquisitive nature, and shorten it to “Ari” (which means lion in Hebrew) in conversation, but Alicia goes by Ari so that was shot down also. He was briefly Bob for no reason, nearly became both Trogdor and King Of Town, and was Friar Mendy** for a whole day. Because he looks Egyptian to Dana and me, he was also very nearly Set, Imhotep, Osiris, or Anubis, but none of the descriptions of those gods were perfect for our kitty. On the Greek side of the pantheon, I argued for Pan (too close to Pam), Echo (was a female), and Muse (were also female). We settled on Friar Tuck (of Robin Hood fame) late last night, as the description of Friar Tuck was apt enough. He ended up with a religious name in the end regardless.

So! Tuck it is, for now. He’s a very sweet, friendly kitty, which is part of why I liked him. I wanted a cat that wouldn’t shy away from my friends. He’s also very inquisitive, which is also part of why I originally liked him; however, after the third time of pulling the cat out of the refrigerator or away from the candle, one no longer has to wonder how curiosity killed the cat. He’s completely housebroken and cleans himself regularly, so he’s already got a leg up on me. For my next trick, I hope to train him not to suddenly become lovey and needing of affection at 3am. Still, all in all, I’d say we’ve both made a remarkably smooth transition in the last five days.

* I prefer the term detasseled to neutered, and since it means pretty much the same thing, I say we go with it.

** This is in honor of Dr. Mendelson, who taught the class Dana and I had in common last fall. Towards the end of the semester, he suggested a week was long enough time in which to finish our papers, because after all, a week was long enough to fall in love. Dana and I fell in love that week. :)

I’m wasted on thought before I have my coffee, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before (but cannot yet link to because I have not yet had my coffee). The biggest problem with this is, it sometimes requires more brainpower than I can muster to ~obtain~ said coffee. This morning was a case in point. I made coffee when I got up at 9am, but kept forgetting to fill my cup until around 10am. At that point, I couldn’t find my coffee cup, so I wandered around the apartment aimlessly, whining slightly, until I found the cup in my bedroom (right where I’d left it, in fact).

Cup in hand, I happily walked into the kitchen, filled the cup full of hot water from the faucet, and stared at it stupidly for a few seconds. When it did not magically turn into coffee, I sighed, dumped out the water, and used the coffee from the coffee maker instead.

That’s still not as bad as what I did a couple weeks ago after not getting nearly enough sleep one night. That time, I walked into the kitchen, dumped out the old coffee filter, rinsed, put a new filter in, and promptly filled the filter with creamer. Again, I stared at it for a few seconds, thinking, “something’s not right…” before reality was kind enough to smack me upside the head. At which point I naturally cursed at the microwave, dumped out the filter and creamer, and gave morning another go.

In the past I’ve also tried making coffee without the filter, using far too many filters (gets water everywhere), stirring the coffee with a paper towel, and making a fresh pot of coffee with the ~old~ coffee instead of water. Hardee’s wasn’t joking: breakfast is hard.

A lot of people make resolutions this time of year. I’m not so hot on the whole resolution idea, because the word “resolution” sounds far too… well, resolute. I’m not currently in any sort of position to map out with any degree of certainty my next 365 days, so why make a bunch of promises that I may not in fact be able to keep? That sounds like a surefire way to set myself up for disappointment. Instead, I’ve decided to make a list of Iwannas. Iwannas are things I’d like to do, but it won’t be the end of the world if they don’t get done. I think it’ll be a nice way of setting some goals without the false implication of tenacity. So, without further adieu, and you all know how I do love my adieu (I do, I do!), here’s…

Robby’s Incomplete List of 2006 Iwannas:

1. Iwanna see a MajorGeologicalFeature. By this, I mean a mountain, or an ocean, or a desert, glacier, rain forest, Bill Gates’ house… something. See, I’m 24 years old, and I’ve never seen any of these things. It’s probably high time I do something about that. Dana happens to live in Colorado, which I’ve heard is home to a mountain or two, so perhaps I have a shot at this one.

2. Iwanna fly on a commercial airliner. Again, I’m (still) 24 years old, and again, I’ve yet to get this little milestone taken care of. To this end, I’m considering flying out to Seattle over spring break to visit ex-roomy Justin. Dana’s planning on coming with me, too. :) Of course, I have yet to clear any of this with Justin himself.

3. Iwanna graduate. Ooh, toughy, right? I should be done in May, assuming I get my arse in gear here in the near future and get to work on my Creative Component. I wouldn’t be entirely heartbroken if it took me until August, and I’m planning on sticking around the area anyway, but I’m going to shoot for May just the same. Either way, I’m pretty sure May and August both fall before December 31st this year, so my Iwanna would still be redeemable.

4. Iwanna lose some weight, or at least gain some muscle mass. Preferably both, but seeing as how I’m going for attainable Iwannas and not impractical resolutions, I’d settle for either. A 20 pound drop in weight would be great, but I don’t know how practical it would be since this last semester is bound to be pretty stressful, and I tend to eat when stressed, and Dana shot down my ingenious cocaine addiction idea.

5. Iwanna be more adventurous. Last year, the most adventurous thing I did was probably visit Dana in Lincoln just last week, which was 200 ~whole~ miles away. :p Perhaps Iwannas #1 and #2 will help me out in the adventure area.

Can anyone think of any other Iwannas I should add to my list?