Mike Nicholson

Today was one of the days that make me wonder how I can better make the best of my short time on Earth. I spent the previous two days of the long weekend relaxing at home and doing exciting chores like preparing my tax documents for processing.

Today the weather was looking up and Winnie and I needed to leave the house. It was still record breaking cold, but at least the sky was very clear and sunny. This is not the best weather for Frisbee on the beach, but a sporting drive with the heat on and the top down seemed like a great idea.

With that, Winnie and I hit the road and took in some rays and saw some nice views. The trip progressed as is typical including a stop at the Ono Hawaiian Grill for some short-ribs. Typical, that was, until I saw something on the ocean horizon to the west of Devil’s Slide that I had never seen before.

There was a small white pointy thing in the distance. What could this be? An oil rig? No, there’s no oil out there! A ship? No, it’s way too big. An iceberg? No, we’re way too far south. It must be an island that I’ve never heard of.

That night some quick clicking with everyone’s favorite internet map site revealed that it is indeed an island. This small, white island is called Farallon's Island. It’s barren, desolate, pungent smelling (apparently), and beloved by nature-watchers. It actually became so white as a result of excessive animal derived white wash (a.k.a. poop).

As I surfed around to find out more about the island, I found many photo-blogs and sites about trips there to see the wildlife. These trips did not seem particularly inciting, as they almost universally included stories of massive seasickness, but they did seem quite memorable and adventurous.

This, of course, made me crave adventure. Am I making the most of my time? Did I just waste a (cold and rainy) weekend? No matter crying over spilt milk… Who’s up for excitement? I’ve never climbed a mountain before…

p.s. Thanks for the great picture John Harker

Posted by at 1:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Chased? Yes… searched? No.

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?
No.

3. When was the last time you went sleigh riding?
Never

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
This depends on the person.

5. Do you believe in Ghosts?
Ghosts are as real as dreams.

6. Do you consider yourself creative?
More creative than the questions in this survey, yes…

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
Yes

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?
Who?

9. Can you honestly say you know anything about politics?
I know enough to not bother learning more, so no.

10. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes. I’ve played a ton, but I’m still no good.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
I have been many times, but never for a good reason.

12. Do you kill bugs that are in the house?
Yes.

13. Have you ever cheated on a test?
Yes.

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around. Do you go through red lights?
No. That’s an expensive ticket, and some pedestrians wear black.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
No.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?
Duke sucks!

17. Have you ever Ice Skated?
Yes.

18. How often do you remember your dreams?
Not for very long.

19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you were crying?
I do not remember. It’s been more than a year.

20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?
Yes, of course.

21. Do you believe in love at first sight?
No.

23. Do you know who Ba-Ba-Booey is?
No. I suppose I’m not hip any more.

24. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Yes. To not do this is profoundly stupid.

25. What talent do you wish you had?
I wish I could speak many languages.

26. Do you like Sushi?
Yes.

27. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?
No.

28. What do you wear to bed?
Boxers.

29. Have you ever been caught stealing?
Nope. I’ve never stolen, so it’d be hard to be caught.

30. Does size matter?
Yes. Lighter cars are faster, handle better, and are more fun to drive.

31. Do you truly hate anyone?
No.

32. Rock and Roll or Rap?
Since when has anyone called it rock and roll? Rock, of course.

34. Do you have a relative in prison?
Not any more.

35. Have you ever sung in front of the mirror like your favorite singer?
No.

36. Do you know how to play chess?
Yes, but I do not have the patience to do well.

37. What food do you find disgusting?
Balut

38. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours?
No.

39. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
Not really. More often I’ll complain about them being a C.D. (you know who you are).

40. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?
Often at the workplace when they’re correct and some manager is… well... not.

41. Have you ever been punched in the face?
Yes. You should see the other guy though…

42. When is the last time you threw up from drinking too much?
After a beer drinking session at the Mission Ale House shortly after I dropped my only masters degree course.

43. Have you ever walked out on a movie at the theater?
No, but I was sure tempted to at King Kong.

44. Do you ever sit through a bad movie, just to see how bad it can get?
Yes: Blair Witch 2

45. Would you consider yourself obsessed with anything/anyone?
Not really.

46. Have you ever met someone famous that you really wanted to meet?
Nope. I’m not a big follower of those famous people.

47. Have you ever been stood up?
Yep, a few times long ago.

48. When's the last time you screamed at the top of your lungs?
I do not remember. Probably some time as a young child.

49. Did you ever do something that you didn't want to, but did anyways just to fit in?
Probably, but nothing comes to mind right now. I’m more often the person who comes up with the fun idea and pressures others into it.

50. Was this fun?
No!! Yar!! This was too long!! YAr!

Posted by at 7:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've been tagged for these surveys countless times... Time to do one.

Four jobs I've had:
1. Product Engineering Intern (aka master the pico-probe) at Xilinx
2. Computer Scientist Intern (aka granite table scrubber) at NASA
3. Senior Technical Sales Consultant (aka title inflation example) at I-many Inc.
4. CTO and partner in MRM Realty LLC.

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. The Matrix
2. Titan AE
3. Apollo 13
4. Star Wars – A New Hope

Four places I have lived:
1. Des Peres, MO, USA
2. Santa Clara, CA, USA
3. Pittsfield, MA, USA
4. Belmont, CA, USA

Four television shows I love to watch:
1. Futurama
2. Star Trek – The Next Generation
3. Top Gear
4. Bleach

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Maui, HI, USA
2. Hong Kong, China
3. The ocean near the keys, FL, USA
4. London, UK

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Corned Beef
2. Imo's Pizza
3. Unaju
4. Beef Chow Fun

Four websites I visit daily:
1. search.yahoo.com
2. news.yahoo.com
3. fark.com
4. boingboing.net

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Hong Kong
2. Hawaii
3. The Moon
4. Camping in the woods

Four bloggers I am tagging:
Everyone who reads my blog already did this survey (I think). But I’ll try anyway.
1. John
2. Jeannie
3. Lorraine
4. Phung

Posted by at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Apparently everyone knew about http://www.unitednuclear.com before I did, but wow anyway.

This site sells all sorts of stuff that you can kill yourself with from the pictured magnet (powerful enough to break bones), to dangerously radioactive materials, to chemicals that can be easily combined into very destructive explosives and thermites. The prices aren't too bad either.

Maybe it's time to start building dangerously powerful toy rockets or just plain cool thermites (great for melting a hole in the engine of your foe's car).

Posted by at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)