I just found TypeRacer, and let me tell you, it’s crack for nerds like me.

You race other people by typing paragraphs… the higher your WPM, the more races you win.

Like I said, crack, lol.

The Chop and I just got back from seeing the Swell Season (Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, backed by The Frames—did the movie Once) in Boston and they were completely incredible. If they come anywhere near you, go and see them, you will not regret it.

The group had gone for a walk before they started, happened upon a busker, got to chatting with him and found out he would be attending—so Hansard called him up on stage and he sang, played harmonica and Hansard’s own guiter. He was totally thrilled and incredibly good—he made sure to plug his website, so there’s a shout-out. 🙂

Again, if the Swell Season comes to town, GO SEE THEM.

They’re playing in Belfast on my birthday and I’m still trying to figure out how to convince Chop to take me. 😀

I love Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel… and by love, I mean adore. They are freaking hilarious. And this only makes me love the entire cast of How I Met Your Mother more…

I don’t know why, but this is very creepy to me.

Very, very creepy.

Montpelier is possibly the most awesome capital in the country. It’s small, quaint, quiet, clean, cute and nice. Literally, the entire place is like that. Chop and I didn’t get to spend too much time there as we got in late Friday night and left early Sunday, but I’ve been there before and this visit only reinforced my deep abiding love.

Most of the shops are unique (i.e., no chains)—this is actually the only state capital that doesn’t have a McDonald’s—and the restaurants and cafes are all locally owned and run. The weekend farmer’s market was packed with local produce and other goodies (Pakistani food booth anyone? samosas? artisan cheese?) and people. Granted some of the people needed a shower and a shave (kinda sorta hippieville), but everyone was very pleasant. Even their dogs were quiet and friendly.

If the Chop and I could find work up there (incredibly low cost of living = not a lot of high paying tech jobs), I’d move in a heartbeat.

And if by some sort of insanity the Republicans take the White House, that’s where we’re going. They wanted to secede at one point, so we figure they’re close enough to wanting to be Canada, to be Canada. 😀

On our way home from VT, I got pulled over. Yippee for me, sigh. I was doing 82 in a 65… erm… but it was the middle of nowhere VT!

Fortunately the guy was incredibly nice and only gave me a ticket for my expired registration. Yeah. I’m gifted. Not only did I have expired registration (it was from April and I MEANT to renew, but we had moved so that “required” me coming in to renew—as opposed to online—and the last time was such a nightmare, so I didn’t… oops), I also couldn’t find my insurance card. Oh, and my license and my registration didn’t have my current address, so we gave him Chop’s ID, which does.

I know, I know, it’s amazing I wasn’t hauled away in handcuffs.

The guy was incredibly nice and only gave me a ticket for my expired registration (I love VT, hi)—which saved me a bundle of money for the speeding (ticket price + rise in insurance = bad). I proceeded to set cruise control for the rest of the drive.

As an aside, this is my 701 post. I can’t believe I’ve had that much to say since June of 2005. Granted, I’ve moved three times, been seriously ill, quit one job, started another and met the love of my life… it’s been a busy three years.

I’ve decided… once the Chop and I get engaged, we’re eloping. Weddings are way too much work!

A good friend of his got married today in VT, and while the wedding was beautiful and it was lots of fun, we were so glad to get back to the hotel and shower. It was incredibly warm and muggy, with a lovely rain—and the ceremony was outside. Fortunately we were under a tent, but it wasn’t the rain that was the problem, it was the humidity. By the end of the evening, the dance hall was quite ripe.

I have never been so happy to be clean, lol.

Alright, so Microsoft isn’t growing at the rate they’d prefer (get rid of IE, there’s an idea), so they have new ads now.. with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld.

This is the first one, and it’s kinda hilarious. I’m still not going to by a PC from Microsoft, but at least they’re trying.

I called my mom today (I called her yesterday, too, but she didn’t answer) and after finally reaching her at work, I said, “are you avoiding me?” in a joking way.

Her response? Yes. Yes, she is avoiding me.

WTF?

She apparently doesn’t like it when I blog about her.

There is not enough alcohol in the world to deal with my family sometimes, seriously.