Signal vs. Noise?
February 1st, 2006Too cool for school-ers can skip this post. I’m with Hicks (again). Chuffing Nora.
Heather got tagged with the four meme and when I asked if she was going to tag me, I asked her not to, but told her if she needed somebody who wouldn’t hold it against her, it would be okay. Then we queued up the soundtrack to Cinderalla Man and hugged. Plus, I don’t normally do these kinds of things. But I’ve found some great links from the various responses and so I’m not going to join the snooty crew on this one. I’m playing hardball with Chris Matthews. Because I can’t quit him.
Four jobs I’ve had:
- Flower delivery person
- Bass drummer for an amusement park marching band
- Mail opener/Filer for the IRS
- Temp data entry clerk for the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco
Four movies I can watch over and over:
- Any of the Coen brothers works, but I’m partial to Raising Arizona
- Spinal Tap
- Rushmore
- Metropolitan (Whit Stillman’s paean to rich Manhattanites and the deb ball season puts a late-20th century spin on the manners and mores in J. D. Salinger’s mid-20th century short stories, but for me especially Frannie & Zoey)
Four places I’ve lived:
- Brigham City, Utah
- San Francisco, California
- Manchester, England
- Oakland, California
Four TV shows I love to watch:
- “60 Minutes”
- “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”
- “Arrested Development”
- “The Office” (both versions)
Four places I’ve been on vacation:
- Paris, Idaho
- Beaufort, South Carolina
- Apalachicola, Florida
- Bardstown, Kentucky
Four of my favorite dishes:
- Hash Browns (shredded and probably not technically hash browns)
- Mashed Potatoes
- Moules Frites (mussels & fries)
- Gnocchi
Four sites I visit daily:
- Dooce (and not because I’m trying to get in her pants)
- flickr friends
- 3hive
- Metafilter
Four places I’d rather be right now:
- In bed. There is a logical extension here, but people are sick and … yeah … moving on.
- Somewhere very warm where the sun is up past 5:30 pm.
- Planning a snowboarding trip for Friday
- Done
February 1st, 2006 at 8:49 pm
I love, love, love moules et frites! Do you make this dish yourself? If so, do you prepare the frites in the proper Belgian tradition? Potato afficianadoes eagerly await your answer.
February 1st, 2006 at 8:56 pm
Whoa, yes, ‘Metropolitan’! A study of Episcopalians as ethnic group.
February 1st, 2006 at 9:22 pm
You can come here. It’s warm and sunny and lovely. But still freakishly Republican and bizarre, so you’d totally feel at home.
February 1st, 2006 at 10:55 pm
I have to brag here: Rushmore was filmed at my high school in Houston, TX. Glad you like it.
February 2nd, 2006 at 1:45 am
I’ve been reading Heather’s blog for about a year and enjoying the hell out of it. And then today it occurred to me: I should totally be reading Jon’s blog as well. And so I wanted to say hello and thank you two for being awesome. Also: gnocchi = thumbs up.
February 2nd, 2006 at 1:52 am
I love The Office! Haven’t seen the British version yet but it’s on my Netflix list.
February 2nd, 2006 at 2:04 am
Heather has you beat on the movie part. She mentioned the greatest movie ever created…outside of porn.
“Was it a dream where you were where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid, with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?”
You had me at Mashed Potatoes though.
February 2nd, 2006 at 7:01 am
aren’t ya gonna tag anyone? you must be too good for tagging.
February 2nd, 2006 at 7:40 am
If shredded hash browns are wrong, I don’t want to be right.
February 2nd, 2006 at 7:51 am
Boarding, word
I’ll have to try this famed mussels ‘n fries thing - I’ve only just got into shellfish so this should be interesting.
February 2nd, 2006 at 8:08 am
Given your four listed foods, I take it you like potatoes??
My favorite was the bass drum player for the amusement park. Did you wear a little cap too?
February 2nd, 2006 at 9:49 am
Ah, The Office! Both Offices, in fact. I take it you’ve seen the Christmas Special of the BBC one. Brilliant.
February 2nd, 2006 at 10:24 am
Bonfires — IMHO, the Christmas Special was the absolute BEST of “The Office.” Can’t bring myself to watch the American version, tho. Just wouldn’t be the same without MacKenzie Crook as Gareth.
You have good taste, Jon!
February 2nd, 2006 at 10:34 am
Wait, I thought it had to be shredded to technically be hash browns. Otherise, isn’t it american fries?
I know it’s all potatoes, but it’s DIFFERENT. Must be shredded and crispy. Mmmmmmmm, throw in some onions and mushrooms and I may never get up from the table.
Alright, I just gained five pounds writing that.
February 2nd, 2006 at 11:24 am
I will be watching tv with you, not with Heather. That way there will be no fighting over the remote. (Umm-m-m, we can sneak in Project Runway, too, right?)
February 2nd, 2006 at 12:57 pm
Jon, the brothers’ surname is “Coen”. I’m a big fan, too. Did they once have an “h” and later drop it? The thought had never occurred to me.
February 2nd, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Franny and Zooey is by far Salinger’s best work. Always love to hear other people talk about it.
February 2nd, 2006 at 1:27 pm
Jean, gah! fixed. Thanks for that catch.
pagalina, too busy and too lazy to tag others.
February 2nd, 2006 at 2:16 pm
I, too, got tagged with this one. I’m glad to see that you have also “broken the chain” by not tagging four more people.
If only people could repeat this mantra: “Friends don’t tag friends with Internet memes”
February 2nd, 2006 at 6:56 pm
Tom, Audrey, cha-cha-cha!
February 2nd, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Oooooooh Rushmore! Wes Anderson filmed that at my school (he’s a fellow alum) and used a bunch of the students in the movie. I got to meet Bill Murray and let me say that he is a fucking badass. Funny as hell and twice as snide. I fell in love instantly.
February 4th, 2006 at 6:41 am
The volume goes to 11…11 is better than 10, it’s louder…..
(okay if that line isn’t from the Spinal Tap movie, I’ll feel really stupid, but I’m pre-coffee, so whatever Trevor.)
Also, vodka is made from potatoes. Yay for potatoes!