So Pithy

Theoretically a wedding anniversary is a special day for both individuals involved. However, it seems like popular culture portrays them as being for or about the woman in the relationship. And I think I’ve realized why: traditionally, a bride took the name of her new husband, making the wedding anniversary also a sort of second birthday. Thus, only in a relationship where each spouse kept their own name or hyphenated their names can anniversaries ever truly be shared equally.

Maybe I better wipe off the extra sarcasm dripping off that last bit there.

Happy anniversary to my sweetheart! She may drive me crazy when I’m, umm, driving, but at least she thinks I have the body of a synchronized diver. (Unfortunately I think she’s more into the swimmers and gymnasts. Oh well, better than nothing, right?)

“The prehistoric reptiles known as dinosaurs…” Exactly! Prehistoric. So why is the History Channel featuring a show about prehistory? Please, it’s bad enough that it’s the “Hitler Channel” half the time.

In brief: if it’s from a time before written records, it’s not history anymore, it’s prehistory. Archeology, anthropology, paleontology, etc. all apply, but not history. Leave shows about prehistory to the Discovery Channel.

Funds for Highways Plummet As Drivers Cut Gasoline Use

A report to be released Monday by the Transportation Department shows that over the past seven months, Americans have reduced their driving by more than 40 billion miles. Because of high gasoline prices, they drove 3.7% fewer miles in May than they did a year earlier, the report says, more than double the 1.8% drop-off seen in April.

The cutback furthers many U.S. policy goals, such as reducing oil consumption and curbing emissions. But, coupled with a rapid shift away from gas-guzzling vehicles, it also means consumers are paying less in federal fuel taxes, which go largely to help finance highway and mass-transit systems. As a result, many such projects may have to be pared down or eliminated.

Here’s the thing: isn’t 3.7% fewer miles made up for by much higher gas prices? The taxes are based on a percentage of gas prices, so as long as Americans are spending at least the same amount on gas, it doesn’t matter if they drive less. And from what I’ve heard, Americans are spending more on gas, not less.

I thought the heat in Berlin was bad at the end of May and beginning of June, but it was nothing compared to the humidity here in the Midwest. Wow. Running in the morning, softball in the evening, going somewhere in the afternoon: it’s all miserable. In Germany, a long run would cause me to sweat, sure, but by the end I’d be pretty dry thanks to evaporation. No such luck here in Iowa, where there’s 112% humidity and thus nowhere for the sweat to go.

“Obama didn’t do anything for German unification … That’s not a criticism, but as a result there is no reason to grant him such a privilege.” So says Erwin Huber. Chancellor Merkel has made similar comments about the Obama campaign’s desire to have their candidate make an appearance at the Brandenburg Gate.

Apparently I’m forgetting the contributions Coca-Cola made to German unification that made their Summer Soundwave Tour finale at the same site last year an appropriate privilege. Or the many other events held there. Fortunately, it’s up to officials in the city government, not the federal government, to decide such matters. If they want to grant Obama–or McCain, for that matter–such a privilege, then good for them.

This is a list not of those things I miss most, or of those outrageous things I would wish to have but know I won’t (iPhone, TiVo HD, etc.) Rather, it’s a list of simple things I hope will be waiting for me when I get home home from Germany.

• pancake mix
• Honey Bunches of Oats and skim milk (for those days I don’t make pancakes)
• OJ (the beverage, please)
• rice
• materials for whatever I need to fix/replace (light bulbs and whatever else)
• cat litter

Precipitate is a pretty nifty new open source tool that makes Google Docs and Google bookmarks searchable via Spotlight on your Mac. The only problem? I tend to find everything using Quicksilver.

Solution: add /Users/[user]/Library/Caches/Metadata/Precipitate to your custom sources in the Quicksilver catalog (or add the next folder down, if you like.) Under source options set the depth to 3 (or 2 if you went deeper.) Then, for good measure, rescan the source. Voila! Google Docs and bookmarks show up in your Quicksilver queries, and they open in your default browser as expected!

I went to karaoke last night with some friends. Same place I went four years ago with some other friends, actually. Last time around one of the people in my group was a little drunk and serenading men and women up close, and another was very drunk and passed out in the restroom.

This time was different. For starters, none of us had any alcohol. Second, at one point the DJ played the Gummibärenbande theme, and nearly everybody in the bar sang along. Third, there was karaoke porn. Read the rest of this entry »

Apparently Berlin is where it’s at. As an American in Europe, Berlin was, if I’m not mistaken, one of the places I could have caught a fireworks display on Independence Day (in conjunction with the opening of the new US embassy, built on the same lot where the US embassy was located before World War II). Also, on Saturday the new Madame Tussauds opened in Berlin with some commotion as one man ripped Hitler’s head clean off (not that he didn’t have it coming.)

And now I hear that Barack Obama may be giving a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate. You know, á la Reagan. The word is sometime in July, but I expect it’s after I leave.