Things that make Speedy laugh so hard she makes the room echo

Is this poison ivy?

2009-07-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

From a poison ivy identification site:

Um... yup.

I would say...

2008-09-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

"I would say... I'm in my mid-thirties...", said Bernhard, Age 35, in all seriousness.

Moo

2007-08-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

The memory of a young girl 'moo'ing at a new Gateway computer box.

Karma (Don't wonder aloud)

2007-08-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

My buddy told me this story today:

He was having an awesome day. At about 8pm, when he and friends sat down to dinner and started eating, he asked out loud, "Can this day get any better?" As he asked, he bit his tongue, causing a small piece of skin to fall off. It pained him for the following three weeks.

A sighting

2006-12-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

A tow truck hauling a tow truck towing a USPS vehicle.

Yes, that is two tow trucks there.

How to Pet a High Strung Cat

2006-03-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

I found this on the HowTo Wiki. If you have ever owned a cat, it is hilarious. (in my opinion, of course).

1. Find your cat. If he or she is not readily visible, they may be hiding. Remember, cats can fit into seemingly impossible spaces, so check everywhere, including small crevices.
2. Once you've located him/her, sit down on a nearby piece of furniture.
3. Call your cat's name. They will respond either by looking at you; turning an ear in your direction; pausing from current activity (such as cleaning themselves); or slowly getting up, stretching, and leaving the room.
4. If he/she leaves the room, pause, take a deep breath, and start over at step 1.
5. If he/she acknowledges you, begin to pat your knee and call him/her again in a pleasing, high-pitched voice.
6. The cat should now be looking at you. If it turns away, make strange noises, like bird chirps, to regain their attention.
7. Increase speed of knee patting and tension in voice. At this point, your cat will probably move a few feet farther away from you.
8. Stop patting your knee and stand up. Pretend that you are looking at the ceiling. Slowly make your way towards the cat. It will probably stand, stretch, and leave the room.
9. You have your cat right where you want it, believe it or not. Return to your piece of furniture. Sit down calmly.
10. Open a book or magazine and begin reading silently. Really get into your reading material. Focus all your attention on it, ignoring the cat totally.
11. Out of nowhere, your cat will suddenly appear on top of said reading material.

(there were three more steps here, but they were boring and less funny. To see the entire wiki, go here: http://wiki.ehow.com/Pet-a-High-Strung-Cat

Retirement - a posting by my sister

2006-02-03T23:28:00.000-08:00

Background: My father has been retired over a year (though he is a consultant now). My mother has been retired just barely over a week. I live at home because I'm cheap and don't want to pay rent. Saving the money in hopes of perhaps being able to purchase a house at some point in my life.

So, this morning my mom tells me that she had to move my car 'cause a guy is coming to fix a scratch on hers. Fine, who cares. Half hour later, she calls the guy, who still hasn't come, to find out when he is going to get there. Then she goes outside. The guy calls back and I answer. He says he has her scheduled for tomorrow. I call outside to my mom and tell her what he said. She yells back "He said he was coming on Wednesday!"

Yeah....it's Tuesday.

I apologized to the guy on the phone and told him she was retired and had nothing to do. He laughed.

Then my mom came back in the house and said, "Damn it! Now I showered for nothing!"

Matchpoint Discussion

2006-01-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

About the movie Matchpoint, written and directed by Woody Allen:
[hallen] was the movie good?
[jshih] disturbing
[jshih] but well done
[jshih] very hitchcock
[Samo] I didn't like it.
[Samo] but it was well written
[hallen] bad, but good
[hallen] do you like other woody allen flicks?
[Samo] I don't think I've seen any
[jshih] yeah i've liked some others before
[jshih] i wouldn't call myself a huge fan
[Samo] my favorite live-action movie is pirates of the caribbean
[Samo] this was the opposite of that
[jshih] HAHAHA. yes it is, samo, yes it is.
[jshih] i like dark films, so this one satisfied my tastes
[dperttula] that was a great movie review. i think more reviews should be presented in terms of opposites
[Samo] i hate dark films
[jshih] i heart dark films
[Samo] jon and I should be "shih & and samo" and we could give 0-2 smiles for films
[jshih] lol
[Samo] this movie is one smile and one horrified look
[jshih] i'll give it one smile and 2 horrified looks
[Samo] you can't smile and look horrified at the same time

New Focus for this Blog

2005-12-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

At the suggestion of a co-worker, I'm going to focus my blog on "Things That Make Samo Laugh So Hard, the Whole Room Can Hear". Hee hee. Here is the first post.... It makes me laugh out loud every time I see these two pictures together.

Cleavage Shot!

Huh?

La Moto

2005-08-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

I just finished my motorcycle safety course this weekend and I passed the test at the end! So, I'll be getting my license in a few weeks, as soon as I get the certificate and make a DMV appointment. I had a blast this weekend learning. The turns are tons of fun and swerving was my favorite. It was totally like riding a bicycle. The first day, one of the instructors was watching us practice quick stops, and when I stopped next to him, he asked how long I'd been riding. I said, "Today," with a grin, and he was astonished. The second day, we had the test. I was completely nervous, had low blood sugar and had to go first. I messed up terribly on the U-turns and on the curve we had to accelerate around. I expected the U-turn difficulty, as I had never done it properly, but the curves were my specialty. As I was braking to go into the turn, I accidently twitched my left foot, so that I changed into Neutral. So, as I was turning the throttle to accelerate around the turn, I slowed down and all anyone heard was a rev of the engine. Phooey! Twitchy nerves! I was certain I had failed the test. Fortunately, it takes a fall, an unsafe act toward others or a whole lot of points deducted to fail, so I passed. But, I still felt crappy afterward, like I sucked anyway. I just really hope I can purchase a cycle soon. I have a new addiction... ;)

Cell Phones and Driving

2005-08-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know this topic has been beaten to death, dissected and then pulverized, but I have an observation that I believe to be a new spin on the issue. Oh, by the way, I remembered what my rant was and this is it, although it isn't much of a rant than an interesting observation while running/walking/biking. I started this on the date above, but now it is 8/20. I got really really busy and now I finally have some time to finish this.

First, people walked around with cellphones. It seemed like a neat and nasty invention. Neat in that one could contact anybody from anywhere, and nasty in that anybody could contact you at any time. Then, some company developed these earpieces, which made the cellphone users look like they were talking to themselves, or more embarrassingly, to you. At about the same time, more and more people started driving cars and talking on their cellphones simultaneously. One handed. But it doesn't end there.

Recently, I have had the pleasure of running lots and lots of miles on roads. On these runs, I usually share bike lanes with bicyclists. They are nice and don't run over me, and I try not to take up the entire lane. Give and take. Do you see where this is going? Well, about a month or so ago, I saw a bicyclist holding a cellphone in one hand, and the handlebars with the other. I thought that was a stupid person anomaly, but since then, I've seen at least 3 people on bikes talking on their cells! One handed steering and braking and weaving a lot, of course. Wacky! So, I just try to stay as far away as possible, but really, can't they stop and talk?

Internet Update

2005-08-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is your last chance to fix my computer! Last night I copied a ton of my files onto my spare hard drive, and tonight I will be formatting my Windows 2000 hard drive and installing XP. HOPEFULLY, by Wednesday, I'll have Internet!!!! I think I got everything. I have my music, documents, website, pictures, bookmarks, some downloaded executables, demo reel... Do I need to export my buddy lists? No, I don't think so... I think they are now stored on the server-side. All this discussion on the WIGD list I'm on and my mother reminding me that I'm missing out on pogo.com is making me miss my online game-playing, so I've become especially motivated to fix my darn computer!

I had something I wanted to rant about concerning running or biking, but I've forgotten. I'm going to write about my run on Monday evening in SpeedySamo, which contains a rant (and a nice surprise), but I'm pretty sure it isn't the same one as I wanted to write here.

Ahhhhh! I'm Free!

2005-07-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

It was SO HOT this weekend, and I don't have any air conditioning. I really need to plan my hot weekends away from home. I was so hot that I slept all day both days, so uncomfortable that I clippered my hair off (which feels much better now, ahhh, and actually looks good too), and so into the TDF that I watched the individual time trials from start to finish. Next year, I'm rooting for Landis. (Well, I was rooting for him this year too, but it just didn't happen, ah well).

Reading Catch-22 now, which started off really slowly, but now is getting more interesting as I learn more about each character and how they are all interrelated. I may have to re-read the book, just to catch the confusing first few chapters and look up the words I don't know. I'll do that after I re-read the Half-Blood Prince and look up the words I don't know...

Social Sine

2005-07-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. Today I received 3 invitations to stuff. I feel so popular! I'm doing fun activities the nights of tonight, Saturday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Possibly Sunday and Tuesday as well, but probably not because I HAVE to read Harry Potter #6. My boyfriend and my co-worker will be breathing down my neck to have their turn at it. The last time I was this socially busy was in November and December. Maybe my social life is a sine curve, but maybe this just reflects how busy everyone has been the last 6 months. We are finally cooling off at work... and the weather is nicer.

169 ip update

2005-07-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

Nope. My new driver is better, but I still get an Autoconfiguration ip address. Fart! Tonight I'm going to uninstall and then reinstall the wireless software and card, but I have this icky feeling that I'm never going to fix this. Does anyone have any ideas?

169.254.. crap

2005-07-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

Waaaaaah! My Internet has been broken since June. Attempting to fix. I put a wireless card in my ancient computer and it can see things fine, and it "connects" to the router, but it doesn't seem to want to get to the Internet part. I'm going to try to update my drivers tonight, but this same problem was occuring with a direct connection to my router. The routers don't seem to want to give me an ip address. Windows automatically gives me 169.254.blah.blah. Dude! I am SO frustrated.

The best sporting event in the world

2005-07-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

OMG OMG! I just found out that the Tour de France is starting on July 2nd... um wow! I guess thats tomorrow! I *love* that race. I love getting up at 4:30 in the morning to watch it, and I love the energy it gives me. Wow. This is going to be the first time I've been employed during the Tour. I wonder how that will pan out. Summer is most definitely here now! Early morning July, here I come! I just really hope that I get OLN at home. Otherwise, I'm going to have to go into work early or really annoy somebody by sitting in their living room while they sleep. I'll be back in 3 weeks!

Buzz Buzz Go Away

2005-06-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

When out running, I usually find myself on long paved roads with bike lanes. Bike lanes just beat sidewalks, even with their hands tied behind their backs; you don't have to avoid pedestrians, asphalt really *is* softer, and there are fewer cracks and inconsistencies in a bike lane. I try to run on the left side of the road, but sometimes getting to that side is a major inefficiency, so I run on the right occasionally. Nevertheless, an inherent problem exists between stupid/mean drivers and running in a bike lane. WHY DO THESE DRIVERS HAVE TO BUZZ YOU GOING 10+ mph OVER THE SPEED LIMIT?!?!? Buzz--as in driving fast and on (or over) the white line, as in too damn close to me. Grr. They have plenty of room in their lane. I think these drivers' problem is that they are either completely distracted and don't see me, or they have a negative value on their self-esteem meter. They probably can't run or don't exercise and want to scare anyone out of exercising so they have less of a negative value in self-esteem land. They must resort to a huge metal extension of their bodies because their bodies alone are worthless. (That last sentence is also how I feel about people who must accelerate as fast as possible an who tailgate and weave through traffic every time they drive, but that is a different rant). Luckily, most drivers are conscientious and some even cross into the next lane to give me space.

Credit Cards

2005-06-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

Does anyone notice how infrequently cashiers check ID for credit cards? Or even look at the back of your card for that matter? It completely bothers me, especially since I write "CHECK ID" in thick black letters on the signature bar on the back of my cards. Just my luck, I misplaced my license this weekend and of course both the places I paid with my credit card asked me for ID. The first one let me off the hook when I told her it was in the car. The second let me use my Costco card for ID, after talking to her manager.

Yes. I found my ID tonight and put it back in my wallet. Thanks.

Jaded

2005-06-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

On my way into work yesterday, I was remembering my feelings while I was still in school about going into the working world some day. It worried me that I wouldn't have summer vacation or winter break any longer, and that I'd have to actually work for at least 8 hours a day instead of working, and then taking a running break and working again. But, it's not bad at all. The past two years, I've had two weeks off at the end of December, and last summer I had the entire month of July, um, "off". I still have holidays and even vacation time. It helps that I absolutely love my job. I'd work all day and into the night if I didn't get hungry, my brain didn't fry itself, and I didn't pass out at my desk at dinner time. All in all, the working world is awesome. No, I'm not jaded yet. Give me 5 years, k?

I took a "What country are you?" Test online today, and I'm so glad I got this country... Tee hee. Here are the results:

The Netherlands
Your country is 43 concerned with morals, 77 prosperous, 58 liberal, and 42 aggressive!

Controlled marijuana use and euthanasia are legal in your country.
Congratulations! You're prosperous and you're self-assuredly liberal.
But you couldn't invade Belgium even if you tried.

For your information, the possible countries in this test include:
Haiti, North Korea, Albania, Russia, Vietnam, Turkey, Poland, India,
Singapore, China, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Libya, Tanzania,
East Timor, Lithuania, Indonesia, Iran, Canada, Israel, Sweden,
Australia, Germany, or the United States of America.

Runners Rage

2005-06-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

What I lack in low tolerance toward drivers while driving, I make up while running. I shake my fist at cars that cut me off, or pull out in front of me, or drive too close and too fast. Asses. If they pull out in front of me and then stop right in my path, they'll get a slap. BAM! goes my hand on the trunk. =) Sometimes I'll flip them the bird, and to people who know me, that is a big deal. However, I have a much higher tolerance for people on my runs. I'll say, "Mornin" or, "Hello." to other runners and sometimes to bikers and people walking their dog. If they don't say hi back, I'm usally ok with it, unlike some of my old runner friends who get really offended and pissed. BUT, I've been running this particular loop in the morning, and the last three times I've run it, I've said hi to this particularly skinny white Stanford girl, and SHE HAS YET TO SAY HI BACK. At first, I thought it was because I was wearing University of Washington gear. Then, maybe I said it too low or too late so she couldn't respond. But today, I said it loud and clear and looked at her and she saw me and didn't say anything back! I was so pissed. How rude! I'm not attempting to be friendly with her again. I called her a couple of names out loud when she was too far away to hear. Next time, I'll flip her off. Probably not, but thinking about that on my run made me laugh out loud. Heh.

Road Rage

2005-06-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

I consider myself a conscientious driver. I don't road rage, I rarely yell at the top of my lungs at other drivers, and I tend to let people in. Basically, it comes down to a forgiveness threshold, I realized today. Mine is "the three-strikes-out of driving". Some people have a one-strike threshold. Today, a van pulled right out in front of me. "Ok," I said to myself, "He didn't see me." Then, the driver proceeds at a rate far below the speed limit and the brake lights flash on and off for no reason. "Dude," I mumble. "What's up? Well, I'll pass him at the two-lane portion." So we turn left onto the main street and he starts hauling. "Asshole," I declare and zip by, 10 over the speed limit. Whatever, weird van driver.

Green Thumb

2005-06-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

Ok. So everyone I know has a blog. Peer pressure, ya know? The last time I tried this was in 2001, when I had to create my own webpage and host my "journal" on my website. Maybe this will last longer. Who knows? I may have more to say to the world now...

I was telling my co-worker about how my landlady has tomatoes growing on her plants already, and I have none and I planted earlier. Boo. =( Well, I came home today and inspected my beefsteak plant, and I have 3 little tomatoes now! I'm so excited! My first garden of my own, and it's growing! The plot of land is 4' by 8' and I have 2 tomato plants, 6 chiles, 3 soybeans and a dozen lettuce heads. I hope it works out.

Oh yeah. Welcome to my blog.