Ninja Gifts and Gas Station Mayhem

I've been away from the blog for a while because I've been really busy with work. I'm getting ready to go to a conference in a week and a half, and up until this week, I didn't really have much to present. Sure, I had lots of "proof of concept" models and lots of attempted simulations, but nothing solid to show for myself. Thankfully, I finally got some good stuff this weekend, so I'm taking a break from my computer to make a blog entry. (Oh, wait, I'm still using the computer...darn!)

So, today I'd like to talk about askaninja.com. I recently discovered this website, and I'm really impressed with how utterly hilarious a guy in a B-movie ninja costume can be. My favorite episode so far answers the question, "What is the ideal gift to get a ninja?" An exerpt:

Something black? Giving a ninja something black is like giving crazy to Angelina Jolie. It's like giving guns to Master Chief. It's like giving boobs to Dolly Parton. We already have plenty.

I love this simile for several reasons. First, it touches every form of mass media (movies, video games, music, and television). Second, no matter how many times I hear it, I can't decide which comparison I find funniest. I mean, Angelina Jolie is definitely a superfreak, but Dolly Parton's boobs need their own zipcode. Then again, Xbox claims that half a billion games of Halo2 have been played on Xbox Live, so all of nerdville seems pretty enamoured with Master Chief and his guns. Finally, the charm of this little quote lies, in some degree, in the delivery, so you'll just have to watch it for yourself.

Now, if I were going to make a list of things in my own life that are like giving something black to a ninja, I'd have to include:

--It's like giving leadership development classes to Hanione.
--It's like giving dirty laundry to the Photon Cowboy.
--It's like giving cat litter to Arwen.

Well, on that note, I'm thinking I ought to get back to work, so can I get home tonight to my Photon Cowboy. Before I forget, I wanted to bring you today's "Why can't people just do things my way?"

WCPJDTMW--Gas Station Mayhem
Oh my way to work today, I stopped to get gas. As usual, the gas station was a mob house. As I entered the lot, two other vehicles pulled away, leaving two pumps open in a row. To my surprise, the car in front of me stopped at the first open pump, blatantly disregarding the pull-forward-so-the-car-behind-you-can-also-fill-up gas station ettique. Fortunately, nobody else came from the other direction to take my pump, so I filled up without a problem. My point is that I wish people wouldn't be so clueless about their surroundings. Hello?! Just pay attention, people! Check your mirrors! Pull forward to the next free pump! Sheesh...