Wow...

Every once in a while, I come across a YouTube video or forwarded E-mail or song that is just so amazing I have to post it here (as you may have noticed). Well, here we go again: "Mad World" by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews.



I first found this song through that video, the result of a YouTube search for "World in Conflict" trailers. This is, obviously, a fan-made trailer using the song, which it attributes to the Gears of War game soundtrack. Doing a little sleuthing of my own, I found that "Mad World" was never used in Gears of War (at least, not on the official soundtrack) but was used in the official release trailer. The song actually originated in the 2001 film Donnie Darko, along with an alternate mix:



Stay tuned for more such interesting tidbits, plus an in-the-works World in Conflict review!

Where Has Summer Gone? :(

Well, where'd it go, does anyone know? Lol, my attempt at Dr. Seuss... okay, nevermind. Point is, summer kinda flew by, which we always seem to say every year, but it seemed like this one especially flew by. And no, I was not having fun (half of the time).

For better or for worse, this summer my family decided to find a new house to live in until I'm off to college, and so I spent much of the past coupla months lugging furniture down stairs, arround obstacles, back up stairs, and into various new rooms. There's a company called "Two Guys and a Truck" that we were considering sueing because that was pretty much us: two worn-out guys and one brown old F-250 pick-up.

Apart from that, there were other demands, so numerous I can't recall them (seriously), and I was unable to accomplish several things I planned to, namely writing a manuscript. I've always wanted to write books, which seems to be a pretty common desire, but I've never had the time. So far, all I've got to show for a few hours' effort is two pages. Single-spaced, true, but still only two pages of what should be two hundred at least! Ah well, next summer then (yeah, right)...

In the meantime, violin, APs, and cross-country control my schedule.

Something Different, Or, to Quote Huell Howser: 'That's Amaaaazing!'

No, I did not have a religious experience, meet the president, climb Kilimanjaro, come out of the closet (not that that was ever an issue, or necessary; I'm not gay, not that that's a bad thing), get a sex change, or anything like that. No, I'm up near Lake Tahoe - I ran, I biked, and, just now, I mountain-biked.

I know, total anticlimax, I'm sorry, but it really was amazing, and having only just finished it, my blood's pumped on adrenaline, so I have to write about it. I'm hanging out in Serene Lakes, a quiet community off the Soda Springs exit from Interstate 80 that features two lakes, Serena and Dulzura (named after the daughters of some king; on Google Maps, they're called the Ice Lakes, hence the name of a nearby Ice Lakes Lodge). Situated in the world-renowned Royal Gorge cross-country ski area (that, being a downhill skier, I never took advantage of), it's really quite peaceful and picturesque, and just minutes from ski resorts like Sugar Bowl. Anyway...

[dinner break]

Just had the most amazing dinner, but I'll get to that. A friend of mine showed up around 5:00 and expressed a desire to take our mountain bikes on the trail; he'd just bought a new Cannondale, and I had an old Trek. I was quite willing to go, which kinda surprised him considering I'd just gotten back from a four-mile run a few minutes before, my second such run today. I told him I needed ten minutes and a coupla Gatorade shots, and I'd be good. Two such shots, a piece of toast with strawberry jam, and ten minutes later, we took off for a fire/logging road accross from the Ice Lakes lodge. I'd walked down part of the road before, but never far, or with a bike.

Was I in for it.

Going down the road, we followed Serene Creek as it winded down a ravine. Rocks and potholes were everywhere, and we had one helluva bumpy ride, made worse by the fact that we'd have to climb back up what we'd just rode down. We had to pull off to the side and hold our breath as a couple of pick-ups drove by, leaving whirling walls of dust for us to go through.

But what we found made it all worth it.

Unfortunately, I forgot to pack a camera, so these aren't my photos; top from http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2874239, bottom from http://gambolinman.blogspot.com/2005/08/north-fork-american-river-100-hours-of.html

By this time, we were dreading our return trip, so we decided to turn around and head back lest we add even more distance to be picked up later. The climb was hard, easy gears all the way up, but once we hit asphalt at the lodge it was smooth sailing all the way home, where, lo-and-behold, dinner was waiting: tacos, baby! Corn and wheat tortillas, grilled chicken, black beans, corn, lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, cilantro... perfection, just what we wanted after a grueling bike outing.
We'll definitely be back on that trail soon. With lunch, water, and a camera.

[Man-Eating-Badger] Begins

It's come to my attention that many readers (it's true, you exist!) find my chosen username interesting and somewhat comical, which is perfectly fine and dandy. But I guess it's time you all learned the story behind the name "Man-Eating Badger".

Unfortunately, my name's story was never nominated for any Emmys, or even made into a Hollywood blockbuster, but all the same...

It all started when... actually, I can't remember exactly where I was or what I was doing, but somehow I ended up clicking on what I thought was one of those faux-news links; y'know, the tabloids screaming about Bush's involvement in a 9/11 cover-up or something equally inane. Here's the URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6295138.stm

'We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area.' - Major Mike Shearer

I promptly fell out of my chair laughing before I could finish the article, which I could see was kosher BBC. One of my favorite lines: "UK military spokesman Major Mike Shearer said: 'We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area.'"

And that, kids, is how I came by the handle of "Man-Eating Badger."

Phobiaphobia - Fear of Phobias

Phobias are the most common mental disorder in the U.S. While not comprehensive, this phobia list offers a glimpse of the many phobias that can have a serious impact on an individual's life.

A
Achluophobia - Fear of darkness.
Acrophobia - Fear of heights.
Agliophobia - Fear of pain.
Agoraphobia - Fear of open spaces or crowds.
Aichmophobia - Fear of needles or pointed objects.
Amaxophobia - Fear of riding in a car.
Androphobia - Fear of men.
Anginophobia - Fear of angina or choking.
Anthrophobia - Fear of flowers.
Anthropophobia - Fear of people or society.
Aphenphosmphobia - Fear of being touched.
Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders.
Arithmophobia - Fear of numbers.
Astraphobia - Fear of thunder and lightening.
Ataxophobia - Fear of disorder or untidiness.
Atelophobia - Fear of imperfection.
Atychiphobia - Fear of failure.
Autophobia - Fear of being alone.

B
Bacteriophobia - Fear of bacteria.
Barophobia - Fear of gravity.
Bathmophobia - Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians.
Belonephobia - Fear of pins and needles.
Bibliophobia - Fear of books.
Botanophobia - Fear of plants.

C
Cacophobia - Fear of ugliness.
Catagelophobia - Fear of being ridiculed.
Catoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors.
Chionophobia - Fear of snow.
Chromophobia - Fear of colors.
Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks.
Claustrophobia - Fear of confined spaces.
Coulrophobia - Fear of clowns.
Cyberphobia - Fear of computers.
Cynophobia - Fear of dogs.

D
Dendrophobia - Fear of trees.
Dentophobia - Fear of dentists.
Domatophobia - Fear of houses.
Dystychiphobia - Fear of accidents.

E
Ecophobia - Fear of the home.
Elurophobia - Fear of cats.
Entomophobia - Fear of insects.
Ephebiphobia - Fear of teenagers.
Equinophobia - Fear of horses.

G
Gamophobia - Fear of marriage.
Genuphobia - Fear of knees.
Glossophobia - Fear of speaking in public.
Gynophobia - Fear of women.

H
Heliophobia - Fear of the sun.
Hemophobia - Fear of blood.
Herpetophobia - Fear of reptiles.
Hydrophobia - Fear of water.

I
Iatrophobia - Fear of doctors.
Insectophobia - Fear of insects.

K
Koinoniphobia - Fear of rooms.

L
Leukophobia - Fear of the color white.
Lilapsophobia - Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.
Lockiophobia - Fear of childbirth.

M
Mageirocophobia - Fear of cooking.
Melanophobia - Fear of the color black.
Microphobia - Fear of small things.
Mysophobia - Fear of dirt and germs.

N
Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things.
Noctiphobia - Fear of the night.
Nosocomephobia - Fear of hospitals.

O
Obesophobia - Fear of gaining weight.
Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.
Ombrophobia - Fear of rain.
Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes.
Ornithophobia - Fear of birds.

P
Papyrophobia - Fear of paper.
Pathophobia - Fear of disease.
Pedophobia - Fear of children.
Philophobia - Fear of love.
Phobophobia - Fear of phobias.
Podophobia - Fear of feet.
Porphyrophobia - Fear of the color purple.
Pteridophobia - Fear of ferns.
Pteromerhanophobia - Fear of flying.
Pyrophobia - Fear of fire.

S
Scolionophobia - Fear of school.
Selenophobia - Fear of the moon.
Sociophobia - Fear of social evaluation.
Somniphobia - Fear of sleep.

T
Tachophobia - Fear of speed.
Technophobia - Fear of technology.
Tonitrophobia - Fear of thunder.
Trypanophobia - Fear of injections.

V-Z
Venustraphobia - Fear of beautiful women.
Verminophobia - Fear of germs.
Wiccaphobia - Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Xenophobia - Fear of strangers or foreigners.
Zoophobia - Fear of animals.

*list from http://psychology.about.com/od/phobias/a/phobialist.htm

Amazing...

I recently saw an absolutely incredible animated short on YouTube, and just had to upload it here. So, here it is: "The Piano", a short film by Aidan Gibbons.


The song is "Comptine d'un autre été" by Yann Tiersen, and I actually discovered this touching animation after watching a (YouTube) friend's interpretation of it; needless to say, the interpretation made much more sense after first viewing the original video. Here is "Another Flight, Another Memory" by David aka RuleOfEngagement.



Click on the videos to view them at YouTube in bigger screens.

Running into Murphy

I suppose it's time I actually wrote a blog post detailing my daily life, as opposed to the usual review stuff that hardly qualifies this as a "web log" so much as a "vanity critics column". I was inspired to do so, quite frankly, by bowel trouble.

No, I did not shit on the Lincoln Memorial or anything so hilariously stupid as that. I'd best start at the beginning.

I like to think of myself as a thriving distance-runner fast approaching my first marathon (in reality, I'm still doing 5Ks, but half-marathons are definitely in the near future!), and so I try, every once in a while, to prove it by getting out of bed at an obscene hour (this particular morning it was 8:16-ish), lacing up my brand-spanking new New Balance neutral-cushioned boondoggle road running shoes ($80 on sale from Fleet Feet Sports), and, well, going out for a run. Actually, I try to finish at least 3-5 miles a day, in preparation for the upcoming school cross-country season (distances there vary between 3.1 and 3.7 miles, so they just call it 5K to make life easier). I'll go on at length about my extensive running past later.

Anyway, I do my little warm-up, stretch, and then BAM! I'm off like the wind, almost literally; it's probably the closest I've ever gotten to race pace in practice. Most runners I know will tell you that training as fast as you race is nigh impossible (at least, they should, otherwise I'm in trouble), so this was pretty amazing and awe-inspiring, so much so that I decided to, of all things, extend my planned short jog to its full extent (somewhere beyond 5 miles) to take advantage of this sudden boost in stamina.

And it worked. I ate those miles like Cream-o'-Wheat (which, btw, I've never had, always wondered what it tastes like, but it just sounds good here, so...); up hills, down hills, zigzagging through suburbia, past the old couples out for a walk and the occasional bicyclist (these tend to be the ones doing the passing, I'm afraid). Every once in a while, I'm graced with the view of some hot chick in a sports bra and miniskirt out for her own workout, but not today, which was fine by me - I was flying. I actually did sort of flap my arms going down one hill, got a honk from a passing motorist for that.

Anyway, back to the whole reason I'm writing an actual "web log" entry: so I'm coming up this last hill before this quarter-mile straightaway that I usually sprint home. I come off the hill, the burn in my legs kinda peaks and then lessens as my feet find level ground again, I go about a block and then - bleh.

Yup: my bowels spoke to me.

Not that I'm an intestine-whisperer or anything, but about then it hit me that I'd had oven-baked mandarin-orange chicken from Trader Joe's with brown rice and snow peas for dinner the night before, and I started to panic as I realized they (the chicken, rice, and peas, or what was left of them) wanted out, however was most convenient for them and least so for me.

So there I am, about another two blocks from my house (and a toilet!), my bowels coming unglued, sweat poring off me as I frantically guestimate whether or not I can hold it together for another five minutes, and I think: this would make a helluva blog entry. No kidding.

And for those of you who pooh-pooh the existence of Murphy, believe. Because I met his law in person.

As I'm waddling home, praying simultaneously that my boxers won't suddenly turn brown and that no cute girls suddenly decide to show up, my face feels wet. Thinking it to be sweat, I wipe my mouth, and look at the back of my hand. My nose is bleeding. Like, pouring.

All-in-all, not a bad morning. Sure, everything that could go wrong gastronomically almost did go wrong, plus the neighbors all think I've been mugged, but I got a near-perfect run (up 'til that moment) out of it, along with the reminder (in the form of a running high) that this is why we runners run. Despite the cramps and sores, the pain and injuries, the sweat and suffering, we hang in there for the run. It feels good, gives us that sense of accomplishment those high-falutin' team-building ropes courses always talk about, and that makes all the difference.

ManEating(and Running)Badger, signing off.

Oh, how could I forget? Here's to Lee (her blog, "Don't Bite Lee" (sounds like good manners), here: http://esaypoems.blogspot.com/) and her joyous and selfless recognition that a poor, lowly (and man-eating) badger commented on one of her posts. Please visit, and tell her the (man-eating) badger sent you ~!^ I'm so obsessed with that emoticon, I don't know why... anyway, her blog's great, I'd love to meet Lucy, I have a white lab-mix myself, Tanner (that's his name, I know, tons of imagination there) that I love to death despite that fact that I'm allergic to dogs. But I'll save all that for another day.

Cheers!