Monday, January 25, 2010

Bubble Wrap Anniversary

So today is the 50th anniversary of bubble wrap.   I've been hearing this since yesterday.  If not for the news, I might have never have known this.   Like a lot of people, I've never been able to fight the addiction of popping bubble wrap.  Many find the stuff  a source of amusement and as a  way to alleviate stress.  Yeah, that seems to be true.  Kind of makes me wish I had some bubble wrap right now to pop in honor of the anniversary.   Nor did I know until today that "Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day" is celebrated on the last Monday in January.  

We get stuff at work wrapped in bubble wrap.  In order not to waste time as I open the boxes of merchandise,  I might briefly pop a bubble before tossing the stuff in the trash.  

Bubble wrap is an irresistible pop icon says this publication.  "Pop" seemingly used in more than one sense of the word. I couldn't agree more.  The above links lists some quirky uses of bubble wrap:
  • •Fruit protector - Place sheets of Bubble Wrap on the bottom of a refrigerator's crisper compartment to protect fruit and vegetables from bruising. •Winterize pipes - Wrap pipes using Bubble Wrap and string or rubber bands to prevent freezing. •Windshield protector - Cover the glass with Bubble Wrap to prevent overnight ice buildup. •Camping tent buffer - Place a layer of Bubble Wrap on the ground before staking your tent. The layer will help block moisture and add a layer of padded comfort - not to mention a rude awakening when you roll over in your sleep. •Drink cozy - Use tape and Bubble Wrap to make a soda-"pop" can cozy that will keep your drink colder for longer. Athletic padding - Use it to protect knees, elbows or backsides when learning to skateboard, ski, bike or other fall-down activity. Down side - if you're a klutz, everyone within earshot will know it.
Pretty weird, IMHO.  Would never have considered any of those things. 

And did you now that "Bubble Wrap" was actually a proper name that came to be improperly used used as a generic term like Kleenex, Crock Pot or Band-Aid?  And that "Bubble Wrap" was originally supposed to be marketed as wallpaper?  See the link in the first paragraph. 



Saturday, January 16, 2010

Same with this one...

You Are Fabulously Friendly
You're nice to everyone you come across, even if they aren't being particularly nice to you.
You genuinely like others. You love your friends, and you're happiest when you're a social butterfly.

You always have a smile, joke, or kind word for someone. You're kind to everyone, even if they aren't very friendly back.
You are simply a people person. You naturally make friends with almost everyone you meet.

I somewhat agree with this one...

You are a Dreamer
You tend to have your head in the clouds. You love to be drawn in to a whole other world.

You are a rational person. You like to think through ideas, and you like the thoughts that books spark.

You are a person with many different interests. You are fascinated by everything in the world.

You are a person who loves to acquire possessions. You can't resist a sale, and you own a lot of things.

The Princess and the Frog

Another movie I've been wanting to see and I got the chance today.  It was really great seeing a movie in Disney's old-school animation.  And it was a very good movie.  Everyone needs to see this.   The theather wasn't very crowded which might seem strange since today was Saturday, but my guess was that many have already seen the film when it came out a month ago. 
I seem to have trouble getting to movies in December when I'm busy getting ready for the holidays.  I'm glad to have seen this one.  

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Finished "Marley and Me"

I finished reading "Marley and Me" last Friday and now have  about a month before I get the DVDfrom Netflix.  As of today, the DVD is in slot 11 of my Netflix queue.  No plans as of yet to change the order, and if I don't move "Marley and Me" to the top slot, I will likely receive it in about a month.  No hurry right now. 

What is Your Karaoke Theme Song?

An other instance of these quiz results coming the opposite of  what is actually true. I don't like any of those songs.  And I do like "Candle in the Wind" or anything by Elton John.


Your Karaoke Theme Song is "Baby Got Back"



You're a total show off who is willing to risk looking like a fool to get a few laughs.

In fact, you'll go for the cheap laugh if you need to... because it's better than no reaction!



Your friends can count on you to get a party started, and you'll party hard until you can't remember their names.

You're charismatic, charming, and a total character. With or without a few drinks in you.



You might also sing: "I Touch Myself," "Oops I Did it Again," or "My Humps"



Stay away from people who sing: "Candle in the Wind"


Thursday, January 7, 2010

An Education

 An EducationI have been wanting to see this movie since I first heard about it last summer. I knew it would not be a regular-run film at my local movie theater, but it seems a possible candidate for their Wednesday Cinema Arts series. The cinema arts series is on hold in winter and summer due to many major films being released on Wednesdays during those seasons. I asked about the series last night when I went to see "It's Complicated." They said the series will be back, but they aren't yet sure when or what films they will get.  This would be a good one to show, along with "Precious," another film I would like to see without having to go out of town. I also happen to know someone who wants to see that one.  Currently both films are being shown at a Monterey, California theater that shows mainly art films, but it's been hard for me to go far out of town recently. I live in Hollister, California,  about 40 miles from Monterey, and this is the closest showing right now, other than those in San Jose or San Francisco.  I'm torn as to whether to try going out of town for this or waiting  to see if it arrives at my theater.  If it does, it will only be on for one week. Only one art film is shown each week.  I can't stand the possibility of going out of my way to see this and then finding it at my theater.  I've only been to one of these art films showings so far. This was last October when they showed "(500) Days of Summer."  That was a pretty good film.   Those of us in my hometown should have a chance to see art films and this series makes a good opportunity for that.  This movie should be one of the ones that comes to my town's cinema arts showings.  

Marley and Me


I decided to buy this book from my place of work. The movie has been in my Netflix queue since it was released. I had been wanting to see the movie since seeing the trailer in the theaters. This was before I knew about the book, however. Too often I've seen a movie based on a book without reading the book first. One exception was the "Twilight" series. Since I saw "Marley and Me" for sale at work, I thought I'd buy it and try to finish reading it before the movie arrives. It's currently in slot 12 of the queue and I have read up to Chapter 24 (of 29). I started to read the book last Sunday. So it looks like I will be finished before I get the DVD. By my estimation, the DVD won't arrive until next month sometime, unless I change the order of the films in my queue. Not yet sure about doing that, however.

So far, I have been enjoying the book. I have been warned, however, by others who have read the book that has made them cry.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Welcome to the new year and the debates

Hello and welcome to 2010. How to pronounce has been debate that strangely wasn't resolved before today began. Is it "twenty-ten" or "two thousand-ten"? A lot of people seem to want to go with "twenty-ten," which IMO, doesn't sound right. "Yes, we called years in the last century "nineteen__", but ""twenty" just doesn't roll off the tongue with the same mellifluousness as "nineteen," "eighteen," etc. Yet right now I am watching my local news and I have heard them say "twenty-ten" at least twice already. But a person being interviewed just said "two thousand ten." It's going to cause some inconsistencies if the "twenty__" use is adopted for this year and beyond. Will we still refer to events in the years 2000-2009 using the "two thousand" pronunciations? Will we still say the 9/11 attack occurred in "two thousand one"? Or that TV went all digital in "two thousand nine"? Likely the year 2000 was pronounced "two thousand" because it was for many years referred to as such when people spoke of the dawning of the new millennium. And no doubt we called the following year "two thousand one" because of the novel and its subsequent hit movie, and that the rest of the decade (2002-2009) used the "two thousand" pronunciation by analogy. 2000 was also called Y2K as people were worried their computers might read the year 2000 as 1900.

Other things that occurred to me. When I was in high school at our rallies, we would often shout out our graduation years referring to them by their individual numbers. I graduated in 1989, and we shouted it out as "one-nine-eight-nine." I only just began to wonder who the class of 2000 did this. "Two-zero-zero-zero" sounds too awkward to call out and "two-oh-oh-oh" sounds more like they're gasping in pain! We have also often referred to years by the last two digits when referencing things such as graduating classes, years of car models, or annual events or holidays. For example saying "the graduating class of '89." Though as far as I can recall, no one ever referred to 2000 verbally as "00", even though many wrote the year that way when they had to write the date on a check or a homework assignment. How would they have pronounced "00"? The subsequent year, however were occasionally referred to as "oh-one" through "oh-nine." But it going to sound strange say "the graduating class of '10." Ads for 2010 cars are actually saying the year in full, some using "two thousand ten," some using "twenty-ten."

We're just able to take shortcuts in English. It's obvious that it was easier to say "nineteen__" than either "one thousand nine hundred" or "nineteen hundred__" on a daily basis when using 1989 for instance to refer to the year. We must say it in full, "One thousand nine hundred eighty-nine" when using ti as a number and not the year. However, 1989 in Spanish is always "mil noviecientos ochenta y nueve" whether it refers to the year or a number (the latter usually written with a comma). The current year in Spanish is "dos mil diez." Numbers over 1000 in Spanish are never referred to as hundreds.

Another debate that has been occurring is whether the new decade has begun. Many say that 2001, not 2000, was the beginning of the last decade and of the current century and millennium, because there was no year 0. But many insist that were a now in a new decade and newspapers and other media are doing decade recaps of the best and worst of this and that.

Enough debating for now, let's begin to enjoy the new year!