Olympic National Park

File under "Beauty within a half day's drive from home". This past weekend, I went for a little jaunt out to Olympic National Park to visit a friend. (Ma was generous enough to leave me her car when she went out of town.) While ONP is beautiful anytime, it is even more beautiful in the rare chance there is sun. We totally lucked out with two days of semi-sun and only rain at the appropriate times when it helped set the mood. In addition to enjoying Lake Crescent and tromping on the Olympic Discovery Adventure Trail, we headed out to Dungeness Spit in an [successful] attempt to follow the sun. Oh, and it should go without saying that geocaches were involved all around. Overall, even though the seemingly ubiquitous sickness of late hindered out plans a little, it was a great chance to catch up with a friend, bask in nature's glory, and get away from the routine* of my life.

Sunday March 2 2008

File under: travel

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on Mon 03rd Mar, 2008 12:49 pm PST mandy said: yeah, i don't think "routine" was the right word ************************

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FC 21 - Pre-penny

Annie again delivers this week's comic with her unique MSPaint style. Coloring the comics that are submitted is becoming a favorite weekly task of mine. It allows me to add a little artistic input to the comic but without requiring any artistic skill. Here soon, I will work up a fancy post that shows the evolution of the process from submission to production. This comic idea was the second one I ever came up with when I decided to start my comic series (which, as you remember, was originally only slated to run one month). No one has been brave enough to tackle it until now. I really like how it turned out and only can hope that I get the concept across well enough in the caption to do justice to the awesome drawing. (Sorry for the late post. The internet isn't quite as accessible here in the Olympic National Park, where I am enjoying a little vacation)

Friday February 29 2008

File under: comic

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on Fri 29th Feb, 2008 04:51 pm PST Andrew said: For serious? $20 for that busted ol' chair? ************************

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Freshly Baked Bread

Whenever I hear about someone baking his/her* own bread, two things occur to me. First, there is always some excitement and pride in his/her* voice. It seems like s/he* feels a very strong ownership not only in the product but in the process and the recipe. Second, I realize how much I like baking bread and tell myself that I simply must do that sometime soon. Since there is no time like the present*, last night I dove in. I used the same "recipe" that I've been using for years: bloom some yeast in some warmish water, then add some salt and flour. Since this recipe relies heavily on the baker's interpretation of "some", the bread always seems to turn out a little different. One thing is always the same though; it comes out of the oven warm and always seems to make great toast*. Add a little peanut butter and homemade jam and you've got yourself a treat. Someday I might branch out into fancy breads like ciabatta, challah, etc. but this time around, all I was wanting was the feel of dough beneath my palms and an aroma to fill up the house. Done and done.

Wednesday February 27 2008

File under: food

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on Wed 27th Feb, 2008 03:04 pm PST Saxtor said: Challa at yo boy! Baking bread is da BOMB!* ************************ on Wed 27th Feb, 2008 03:17 pm PST mandy said: looks yummy! i want some ************************ on Sat 01st Mar, 2008 06:09 pm PST Dave B said: Bread is tasty, even though I don't often bake (or eat it) much these days.Regarding the use of "their" as a non-gender third person possesive, uber-grammarian/linguist/psychologist Steven Pinker believes that your desired mode of expression is actually correct...at least from the standpoint of an inherent "language instinct" and "universal grammar" that he asserts human beings possess. ************************ on Mon 03rd Mar, 2008 08:15 pm PST Dan B said: Try branching out and making bread using a sponge (not the one in the sink). As far as the his/her, why not use "one's"? ************************

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Content du Wren

I am a student of the internet. I've learned my career skillz from it, honed my communications skillz on it, and been kept current on countless [usually pointless] cultural trends via it. As you all know from some of the projects and websites I've posted about before, my technical internet skillz are above average, if I do say so myself. An arguement could probably be made either way on my communication skillz. As for the cultural trends, I'd like to present an argument in my favor presently. One of the things about the internet that so often boggles my mind is the amount of content that is created so frequently. Somebody is out there writing up those top ten lists, programming those addictive flash games, and compiling those LOLcat* photos. So in the interest of giving back to the internet a small portion of what it has given me, I've created these 3 bits of content. I was thinking of posting them all separately so as to try and capitalize on the fickle permalinking internet masses, but 1)none of them is good enough to warrant a solo post 2)BdW isn't really a place for non-personal, internet trend-based content (for the most part) and 3) I've got a huge affinity for the number 3*. So, here you go, content du Wren: Internet Memes: My take on the internet masses' take on Despair, Inc.'s take on Motivational posters. Manliness Quiz: Quizes are all the rage on the internet. Here's mine. Thread Voting: One of the most common links of "content" that I come across in a day is a compilation of stuff on a given topic. While it doesn't really count as content, because the true creative genius is just stolen from elsewhere, there is a bit of a organizational thought that goes into it.

Tuesday February 26 2008

File under: misc

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on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 12:47 pm PST soreyes said: history of the lolcat from the mouths of cats- http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/02/17/video-ken-burns-esque-history-of-the-lolcat/ ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 01:53 pm PST Saxtor said: Hmmm, I thought it went like this: http://tv.boingboing.net/2007/11/26/laugh-out-loud-cats.html ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 10:30 pm PST Jule said: you consider surfing a sport? Rambo a movie? Computer geek a profession? ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 11:57 pm PST Horge said: Woo-hoo! I scored higher on the man-o-meter quiz than I expected! Let's hear it for H0rge ************************ on Fri 29th Feb, 2008 01:25 am PST dave said: i was bummed at my manliness quiz, especially after my cleverness for selecting 'factory worker' since i am a teacher [in japan]. ************************

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Cute Kid in a Suave Hat

Everybody loves a picture of a cute kid, right? It seems to be all the rage these days. Granted I can't claim any responsibility for this kid being as she isn't a direct descendant or anything, but I can still capitalize on the cuteness, right? But* in hopes of making this a less blatant attempt at using a picture of a cute kid to fill an otherwise slow time here at BdW, I will say this: see that super-suave hat Punky is wearing? Yeah, I made that. Lately I've been pumping out the hats like an underemployed guy who occasionally knits to make the time pass a little more quickly, which is to say not like a factory or like my income depends on it, but more than last year. So here's another picture. It is a little better picture of the hat but a much worse picture of Punky. She anticipates the flash when she knows she is getting her picture taken, so she kind of squints her eyes and adopts a "Dude, Where's My Car?" facial expression.

Sunday February 24 2008

File under: pics, misc

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on Sun 24th Feb, 2008 10:01 pm PST Ryan Walters said: What is Punky's real name...? ************************ on Sun 24th Feb, 2008 10:07 pm PST Wren said: Kipunkares. You can see why we call her Punky now, eh? (Would you expect anything else judging by the other names in our family?) ************************ on Mon 25th Feb, 2008 05:39 am PST dave said: with that alternative picture of punky, you don't need a comic this week. i'm still laughing. ************************ on Mon 25th Feb, 2008 06:23 pm PST gretchen said: seriously, cora ages like those people with that disease that makes you age really fast. next picture she's going to look like she's 90. ************************ on Mon 25th Feb, 2008 06:39 pm PST Root Mama said: You gonna share your hat pattern? ************************ on Mon 25th Feb, 2008 07:49 pm PST Saxtor said: Wren, knit from a pattern?! That'd be about as likely as upgrading from Internet Explorer 2.5! ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 08:29 am PST Wren said: Saxtor's right (except about the I.E. thing). Knitting patterns don't really mean a whole lot to me because I only know one knitting stitch. I did, however, learn that if you accidentally change directions when you are knitting, you can end up with those nifty little ribs. ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 09:26 am PST mandy said: you should make animal hats too. kids and puppies? can't go wrong. cute pets-in-hats pictures works wonders on the ladies... ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 09:28 am PST mandy said: ************************ on Fri 29th Feb, 2008 06:59 pm PST Ryan Walters said: In the spirit of faux-French embodied by this blog's title, this post should have been titled "Très Cute." ************************

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FC 20 - One Sly Apeman

This Friday's comic is again MS Painted by Annie from the D.C. area. (For all of you paying attention, it is the same Annie as before and no she hasn't moved from Florida. I was just about 1500 miles off in my geography before. You know how locationless the internet sometimes is*.) Oh, and I added some color and "layering"*. The idea for this one came when I was down in Yelapa last month*. While we didn't see any snakes, I did see a couple scorpions. Oh, and I did try my share of pick up lines. They turned out about as successful as I imagine Mr. Tarzan's are is to.

Thursday February 21 2008

File under: comic

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on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 09:24 am PST mandy said: yeah, pick up lines shouldn't include dangerous scenarios... ************************ on Sun 02nd Mar, 2008 05:20 pm PST Sean said: What's he doing with his hand?? ************************ on Sun 02nd Mar, 2008 07:50 pm PST Saxtor said: "Pick up line" suggests words. What we have there is the first "pick up attempt." AWOOGAH! ************************

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Wednesday is Crossword Day

I know these crossword are getting old for the majority of you. As for the other three people that actually look at them, I assume the novelty is even wearing out for you. Does that mean I'm going to stop creating them? No. Will I stop posting about them? Maybe. This one, however, should be the last one for a while, as I am soon to enter the working world again* (at least for a short time) and I won't have all this time to kill. I was tempted to call this crossword BOOBLESS and let it stay as an inside joke until you solved it, but I figured that would be too tactless, so I've called it CALCULATOR SPEAK. I hope that isn't too much of a give away. Because I incorporated more theme elements, this one took me much longer than the previous ones but I can't say if that actually made it any better. Anyway, if anyone out there is actually doing them, I would love feedback. Do you think any would be newspaper worthy? Maybe not NY Times yet, but perhaps USA Today? Are you at least having a good time doing them? Should I give up on this an refocus on, say, making sudokus?*

Wednesday February 20 2008

File under: games

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on Wed 20th Feb, 2008 03:29 pm PST Nesbitt said: Have you ever tried takigaki? I saw one on an airplane, looked like fun. sort of like minesweeper crossed with sodoku. ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 09:22 am PST mandy said: i would much prefer sudoku, but i'm a number cruncher like that ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 10:06 am PST Saxtor said: But Sudoku isn't a number game at all, it's a logic game. You can play it with NO difference using pictures, symbols, etc. If it was a number game, I'd expect it to involve problem solving and clever number play, just like crossword involves problem solving and clever word play. The ultimate grid-based logic game is Picross, which like Sudoku uses a grid and numbers, but creates pixel art images or designs. There are tons of ways to play it, but two web-based versions are located here and here. ************************

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Troothpicks Update

This blog is supposed to be a log of the exciting things in my life, right? Things that I would share with people who I would like to be in contact with more often but am not for various reasons*? Well, when I do finally get around to catching up with people, one of the things that they always ask about it how troothpicks is going. If that doesn't just lend itself to a blog post* then my name isn't, well, you know*. Yeah, so troothpicks! This holiday season was a smashing success thanks to the various BdW readers that participated in the mutually beneficial exchange of goods and/or services. In fact, in only a week long period, I almost made back all my invested money*. From here on out, it is profit, baby...profit to the tune of $5.00 an hour! Anyway, I was never in it for the money, right?* So with the holiday season's market research successful, I figure it is time to widen my audience. As luck would have it, that website I made a while back in exchange for free ad space, Sponsor My Loans, has completely taken off media-wise with coverage in all sorts of fancy places. Since troothpicks ads are all over the page, the traffic on troothpicks.com has increased with the traffic of sponsormyloans.com. In short, people who I don't know are checking things out! I've already got a number of inquiries about custom picks and one from an adoring fan who wants to sponsor the idea to the tune of $10,000*. Alas, no new orders...yet. Besides ever expanding web traffic, I'm really close to making the retail debut of troothpicks. By the end of the week, I've promised myself that I will have printed up enough stock to be able to visit local novelty stores and beg them to put my product on their shelves. (I plan on working on my puppy dog eyes in a mirror before hand.) Maybe troothpicks are more of an impulse buy rather than a premeditated, fill-out-the-credit-card-info type of thing. Anyway, I'll keep ya'll posted. (Oh, and Horge, I totally fixed that typo too.)

Monday February 18 2008

File under: misc

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on Mon 18th Feb, 2008 11:42 pm PST Horge said: Good job Wren! About the expansion, more than fixing the typo (but good that too :) I'm more than happy to have contributed to bringing troothpicks out of the red. Or black. I don't know these color-specific economics terms. Or really any economics terms' meanings, for that matter... ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 09:21 am PST mandy said: troothpicks will totally take off once complimented with my affirmation boxes ************************

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CoPost - Living At Home

I get guff for living at home. My friends have more or less gotten over it, but new people usually have a field day (at least after they've gotten to know me well enough to a) learn that I live at home* and 2) feel comfortable giving me guff*). It's all good, though, because I realize the humor in it, esp. when taken in the context of today's societal impression of adult children living at home. Plus, I'm comfortable in the way my situation is set up. Anyway, in having to defend myself to people* over the years, I've come up with a pretty strong argument both for the general case of living with one's parents and for my specific case. In fact, I feel so strongly about it, I wrote a persuasive "article"* for RealWorldReally.com, a blog geared towards the soon-to-be college graduate. Just like my last cross-blogging experience, it was really fun. I like the format of the semi-anonymous, pseudo-academic article. I hope you (and the millions of readers at both blogaboutbeer.com and realworldreally.com) do too. I'm planning to do another one soon, so stay tuned. Okay mom, now you can go wild with your oh so witty retort in the comments. I can take it.

Saturday February 16 2008

File under: misc, writing

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on Sat 16th Feb, 2008 09:38 pm PST Mom said: Wren, If this is your way of telling me that you're moving a spouse into the OutBack hold it right there, I get to vote my 51% of company shares on that one. ************************ on Tue 19th Feb, 2008 05:20 pm PST Jule said: Wait, you live at home? Oh, I would hardly call the outback a home, more like a nest. ************************ on Wed 20th Feb, 2008 06:36 am PST Jenn said: I clicked on your link to read the article and it said "Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn't here." Where did it go? ************************ on Wed 20th Feb, 2008 10:08 am PST Wren said: It sounds like RealWorldReally had a bit of a hiccup in their server setup. Things look like they are back up and running over there so the link should work now. ************************ on Thu 21st Feb, 2008 01:25 pm PST So Trendy said: http://novanewsnet.ukings.ca/nova_news_3588_12891.html ************************ on Fri 22nd Feb, 2008 08:57 pm PST Keith said: Wren,I used to tease my parents that my plan was to live at home until they moved out. It was a fine plan, I should have stuck with it. You are on a good course, so hang in there. ************************ on Tue 26th Feb, 2008 09:18 am PST mandy said: you should be confident in whatever lifestyle you choose especially if it matches your personality. as i have always said, it's not of anyone else's business. i think a lot of the stigma that comes with living with the rents is associated with landing that dream career and having to move from where you grew up to someplace close to work (no boatyards in michigan). you are lucky to be able to find a career close to home AND get along with the rents (luv your mom), many people aren't so. i personally find it difficult to live with roommates, let alone my parents, but that's my issue and i can't judge other people based on what works for me ************************

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FC 19 - Magical Sunset

See? I told you it would be relevant. Well, not relevant in a northwest kind of way because the sunsets are few and far between this time of year (except for that one Purty One). No, I figured this one kind of fit with the whole Valentine's Day theme. I will have to give partial writing credit on this one to River and the whole veggie bus clan. It came from a sunset we all saw together, but River provided the cynicism necessary to turn it into a great comic (although I'm sure that wasn't his aim.) Also, I got my go to artist Deanna to draw this one and I think it turned out great. (She is especially proud of the buns on the dude.) But don't let this comic distract for more than a moment from the task at hand. Go write a poem. Make it a good one. I like good poems. (Actually, I like the not as good ones just as much.)

Thursday February 14 2008

File under: comic

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on Fri 15th Feb, 2008 02:41 pm PST mandy said: the romantic moments wasn't ruined by science, it was ruined by the dude with the hot buns, lame! ************************

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