The Myth & The Majesty

Caffeine is arguably the most popular drug in this country. Over half of American adults drink coffee daily; another 30% drink it occasionally. The US -- with around 5% of the world population -- accounts for one-third of soda sales world wide. In the meantime, energy drinks have reached a somewhat unnerving level of popularity. It's so ingrained that ThinkGeek  has an entire section devoted to caffeine paraphernalia. [Raise your hand if you'd like a coffee mug with a caffeine molecule drawn on it! For the record, it's hard to type with one hand raised.] I have never considered myself dependent on caffeine. I've never been a gotta-have-a-cup-of-coffee-before-work person and while my Pepsi habits have been bad over the years, it's always been because I was craving ... Pepsi. And carbonation. However, there's a catch: while I didn't consider myself dependent, my body had some different ideas. I was drinking coffee pretty much daily. I didn't drink it

So an hour and a half(ish) ago, a chopper from one of the area hospitals landed in front of a neighbor's house. It doesn't appear that anyone there was in need of it ... Instead, it seems the chopper is having mechanical difficulties. Certainly makes the afternoon more interesting. Wish I knew what was going on, though...

As today's hot topic, I send you on to xkcd , the kind of site that wouldn't exist without things like Creative Commons ... which exists largely because there was no SOPA. Mr. Munroe has plenty of information linked on his site if you're curious about what exactly is going on here. As a blogger and for that matter a child of the information age, the thought of any kind of Internet control makes me a little squeamish. The vagueness of SOPA, however, makes me truly nervous. However, I would be remiss if I didn't add, "Don't take my word for it." Really, don't. Please read a little on your own and figure your own course of action. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to write my representative.

  From last year. Can't take pictures like this yet this year... 

Dumbest thing I've said today: "How spoiled have we gotten that suddenly 17 degrees is so freaking cold?" Strictly speaking, I have things I should talk about. Like the wedding. The wedding was fabulous. And after I finish "fixing up" a couple of pictures (they were taken in a rather dark room), I may post more. For now, I have little to say of use. It's finally acting like winter. My discovery of podcasts last fall has wreaked havoc on life in general. The latest: The Nerdist , introduced to me by BBC America. A fellow nerd interviews people that make nerds like me happy. Like the Eleventh Doctor. (And the Tenth.) The cast of "Community." Patrick Stewart. [Warning to other podcast fanatics: yes, this one has an explicit rating. Yes, it's for a reason.] Similarly, I've been reminded several times in recent history of why I love The Onion . Sometimes you need to read something that just doesn't take itself too seriously.

I get to go to a party this weekend. With these yahoos. I swear, I tried to find a shot where Neubs wasn't trying to lick someone. That creeper in the background up there is getting married. It should be a good time. And actually, the yahooiest of our bunch isn't in this shot but will be at the wedding as well. (His pseudonym here starts with an E and rhymes with "D-Train.") It's been awhile since I've been with the whole gang and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Even if there are a few too many engineering conversations. Time for a family reunion, kids!

[Note: As many lists as I've seen out there, this is one that I started myself based on personal observations. Yes, I have at least witnessed every last one of these. Because of that, a good chunk of them are specific to chemical engineers. Exactly five of these are things I haven't done.] * 1. You've ever considered a day with two non-work-related conversations a social success. As always, there's an xkcd for that. Thanks again, Mr. Munroe. 2. You've ever found yourself using Excel to chart some aspect of your social life. 3. You've ever used the phrase "entry and egress" in real life. [Side note: I just did this. Tripped over a cord and muttered about having to clear up my entry and egress. And then came the requisite head-smack.] 4. You've requested electronics for Christmas. Not the cool ones like iPhones or mp3 players -- the others, like external hard drives or a new motherboard. 5. You've ever taken a test for fun.

We had a fantastic week with family -- one of my dad's brothers and his crew were here before Christmas and just left a couple hours ago. Meaning, of course, that the week was filled with conversations, games, and waiting in line for the shower. Now the company has left, the house is almost undecorated, and we're hitting that last-day-of-vacation-mid-afternoon-stretch. There's a fire in the fireplace, the books have come out, and at some point in time someone turned on the Jimi Hendrix. This was always my least favorite day of the year growing up. I wasn't excited about going back to school. I hated undecorating. It was usually cold and icky outside and by this point, Mia Sorella and I weren't always getting along anymore. When I got to college, it meant another week of vacation. After college, it was just another day before work again. Now... Now it's just Monday. An odd feeling to be sure, but at least this way I can enjoy the calm. Besides, there

And so it begins. Happy New Year.