Greg McElhatton

It takes up less space on the countertop. Really.

Dear Photos.com,

I know that many of your photos are cheesy and inappropriate. I’ve come to accept that. If I’m looking for a picture of someone who is angry, over half of the photos are over-the-top exaggerated poses with people chasing co-workers with hammers. It’s not helpful, but I at least know that’s coming.

I’m afraid I have to draw the line at your usage of the keyword “sneaky,” though. Out of the 308 photos in your library labeled as such, why is that 85 of them are of hamsters? I mean, hamsters are amusing, I get it, but 85? Really?

It’s very cute, and it gave me a good laugh, but it really isn’t helping me on this project.

Thanks for nothing,
Greg

I think I’ve mentioned here earlier that I am finding myself increasingly forgetful. I say “I think” because of course, I’m not sure if I have or not. I am afraid that I hit a new low today, though.

The worst part wasn’t forgetting to swap out the shorts in my gym back for pants, meaning after I went swimming this morning I spent the rest of the day a little cold because it was soooo not shorts weather. (I left for the gym in my swim trunks already.)

The worst part wasn’t discovering when I got into the car that I’d had a birthday card sitting on the front seat of my car since yesterday, when I went to a friend’s for dinner and forgot to give it to him. Whoops. (Fortunately, the wine and the bar of bacon-chocolate did make it inside.)

No, the worst part was that yesterday I’d bought a huge rice krispy treat half dipped in chocolate, half dipped in the white icing that this bakery uses for its black and white cookies, saved said treat to be eaten at work today… and then I forgot to eat it. I realized five minutes after I left the office that it was still sitting, hidden, in my office. (I hid it yesterday so I would not be tempted to eat it.)

Argh. Oh well. I guess I know what half of lunch tomorrow is, right? Provided I remember.

I cannot stop watching this, and I laugh even more every time.

Have you ever gone digging around on your computer and found something that you can’t really explain?

Because seriously, I have no idea why, exactly, I created an animated GIF involving a box of cereal. I’d like to think there was some sort of reason. For the moment I’m drawing a blank. Although I am a tiny bit worried. Surely I must’ve had something better to do when I created it a few years ago, right?

That said, I totally want some Lilo & Stitch cereal right about now.

You may or may not have heard that there’s a little event coming to DC in a week and a half. (No, I’m not referring to Mid-Atlantic Leather, although in an awesome coincidence of planning, it is running January 16-18.)

I’ve been amusing myself this afternoon by looking at the latest road closures for both DC as well as Arlington. It’s really funny the more you look at it. All five bridges leading in from Virginia to DC will be closed to privately-owned vehicles, for instance. I-66 is closed eastbound, as is Route 50, and I-395. Many roads are closed to pedestrians. It is going to be, in short, utterly nuts.

I, of course, am just chortling the entire time. I have food, I have a laptop so I don’t have to worry about heading into the office, and I only live about a mile and a half from Memorial Bridge which is completely open to pedestrians. So I might head in for the festivities knowing that I do not have to worry at all about braving the no-doubt-overly-jammed Metro system and I can hoof it home at any point. If nothing else I figure I will get really good photographs of utter insanty, right?

I will admit I’m a tiny bit envious of some friends who will be in places like Florida or Hawaii during all of the craziness. But at the same time, well, I’m rolling up the sleeves and preparing for an awesome storm of “did you just see that?” everywhere. Yeehah!

(The subject line is from the Arlington Alert e-mail about the weekend. “To prepare for this event, pretend a hurricane is coming during that weekend and expect large crowds, congestion, traffic and many delays. Getting around will be difficult at best so a common sense approach will be important. ” Hee hee hee.)

None of our parking lots around my office (or the ones just up over the hill) have assigned parking. So yes, we can park anywhere we like.

That said, I think this is perhaps taking things to an extreme.

And now, actual sound-effects from the latest issue of The Incredible Hercules (issue #122, to be precise), from Marvel Comics.

Saying that this book doesn’t take itself terribly seriously (and is more than a bit tongue-in-cheek) is, as you’ll quickly discover, the understatement of the century. Boy, is this book fantastic.

• Kasploooom!
• Skrrakkkabadooom!
• Crakkajamma!
• Sploingbrraahhhm
• Shrakwash!
• Skrim! Skraam!
• Shakaaam!
• Schmackooom!
• Gwap!
• Frmrrrl
• Aqwooooommm
• Splurrrgoi
• Lqwwwrrrggh
• Kakkakkraakk
• Obrrrrg!
• Unlrrqq!

Oh, how I love this comic.

While running at the gym today, my right foot started hurting, feeling like something was poking/pushing into the inside of it. I finally stopped, took off my shoe, and shook it out as well as ran my hand along the outside of my sock. Nothing.

So I ran my cool-down mile, and the whole while it is hurting more and more. Almost like a wire is jabbing into my foot at this point. I finish up, and head home. The whole way back home I am worrying a mile a minute. Have I hurt my foot again? Did something tear? Is it a sprain? Something entirely different? Maybe I should book an appointment with the podiatrist right away. Can he see me today? What about my 16-mile run on Saturday?

I (finally) got home, pulled off my shoe, and ran my fingers through it again. No sign of anything poking out that would be hurting my foot. So I pull off my sock…

…it’s a blister. Probably a little piece of grit was inside my sock and rubbing against the bottom of my foot. But that’s what all the pain was. And that, boys and girls, is how my head works at times. Why pause and think, “I’m sure nothing is wrong,” when you can freak out about it instead? *sigh*