The Buffalo Seven

"So yes, yes, on the one hand, 90 to 95% of the scientific community believes global warming is real..."

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:13:08 -0600

“So yes, yes, on the one hand, 90 to 95% of the scientific community believes global warming is real and that we’re causing it. But! On the other hand, it gets cold in winter! And scientists are paid!”

- Jon Stewart

Merry Christmas! artinmycoffee: State College, PA USA Saint’s...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:43:32 -0600

Merry Christmas!

artinmycoffee:

State College, PA USA

Saint’s Cafe

Submitted by Bien Concepcion

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-12-13)

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:18:48 -0600

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-12-13):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

11 Ways To Get Into The Holiday Spirt

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:50:00 -0600

11 Ways To Get Into The Holiday Spirt:

The Art of Manliness has put up a list of ways to help get you into the holiday spirit. You can read all their reasonings by following through on the link, but I’ll sum them up here.

I don’t know if there’s anything distinctly manly about the holiday season, but I do know that I’ve always really admired men who truly get into it. The men who don red vests and cheesy sweaters, who put up elaborate light displays and put on Santa suits, the ones who delight in finding just the right gift for people, and who just seem….jolly. Their eyes have that unmistakable twinkle of a man who hasn’t given up on the idea of magic.

These men understand that while you have to grow up, it’s important to maintain a sense of wonder about the world and its possibilities. That in a cynical age, it’s okay to let go sometimes and tap into our less jaded selves.

So if your holiday spirit-o-meter has been running low, here are 11 steps to letting in the sights, sounds, and tastes of Christmas and getting into the holiday spirit.

1. Turn on the holiday tunes.
I completely agree with this one. Listening to them a lot really does help me recognize what season it is. I agree with TAOM that it has to be good Christmas music, though. Charlie Brown Christmas by The Vince Guaraldi Trio and Christmas with The Rat Pack are two of my favorites.

2. Watch some old Christmas cartoons.
This can help. Trish and I were feeling a little un-Christmas-y the other day, and one of the things we did in the evening was to sit down and watch the old Charlie Brown Christmas television special. I don’t think that T.V. is the best way to get into the spirit, though.

3. Make some hot chocolate or eggnog.
Food is always a great way to define your seasons; restaurants have been doing it for a long time with seasonal offerings. Things like hot chocolate and eggnog definitely can help. I like to do things like peppermint mochas and eggnog lattes for December. Foods that you keep for one time of year and put effort in to bring them out each year will always help you get into the season.

4. Throw a holiday party.
This one is tricky. A really good Christmas party can help move you closer to the Christmas feeling, but if it’s not done just right, it’ll be no different than any other party. If you go all in as a host and do everything like decorate and make seasonal food and use seasonal music, it might just be the kick in the pants you need to get on all those other things you can do to get in the spirit.

5. Watch a Christmas movie.
I’d say that this is very similar to watching a Christmas cartoon. They can help, though, and for those nights where it’s too cold to go anywhere, curling up on the couch by yourself or with a loved one and watching something like It’s A Wonderful Life certainly can’t hurt your spirits.

6. Read some Christmas classics.
Another great way to get into the spirit. Reading through Christmas stories can really help you embrace the season a lot. Things like A Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, A Night Before Christmas can help a lot. Trish and I are taking it one step further by shifting our nightly bible readings to John’s gospel and going through the Christ story. For me, sometimes being reminded of why we should look forward to something helps me look forward to it a lot more.

7. Look at Christmas lights.
I really like Christmas lights. It’s a marker for the season that we don’t have any other time of year, and there’s always something beautiful about lights. Get out and go look at some. I remember in Edmonton there was Candy Cane Lane and the displays down at Hawrelak Park. Here in Winnipeg I’ve heard that the Lindenwood Area has good displays, as well as an organized display of Christmas lights at the Red River Ex Grounds. I find this to be a great way to do it, especially if you get your loved ones or friends together, as it’s a special outing to go do, and you get to spend time with each other and share in an experience.

8. Put up a tree.
This is also a great suggestion. For lack of a real Christmas tree this year (since our landlord won’t really let us have a real tree because we’ll certainly burn down the building), Trish and I spent the other day putting up some lights and decorating our hibiscus tree. I love hanging glass balls and putting lights on things. The decorations and lights also have the bonus of not only being pretty to look at, but I find they also offer a warmth to the space they’re in, which is great with the frigid temperatures outside.

9. Plan a holiday-themed date.
This is a great idea. I feel bad about it, but I never seem to be able to come up with the ideas or time to do this. Maybe this year…if not, next year for sure. Definitely a great idea and one I’d like to embrace more. Where in Winnipeg can I take a girl on a sleigh ride?

10. Go see A Christmas Carol as a play.
I did this once and I’d love to do it again. It really is a great story. A lot of people also suggest The Nutcracker. Live theater during the holidays is always a great experience and I highly recommend it.

11. Do Service.
This is always a great thing to do. Ultimately, one of the biggest focuses of Christmas is to pay attention to those who are less fortunate than so many of us. Ultimately, it would be fantastic if people’s attention to social issues would continue past Christmas Eve and throughout the whole year, but it’s encouraging to see that people at least spend some time realizing the need for those of us to have, to give. Give your time, your money, your food, your clothes, your whatever you have a little this Christmas, and you’ll get a little closer.

A few other things Trish and I are doing this year to help celebrate the season include moving the various people and animals in from our Nativity set around the house each week, telling the Christmas story through their placements. We both agree that decorating and doing things like making cookies and biscotti and special drinks and those kinds of things do help and can be a whole bunch of fun. Remember that one of the best things you can do is to include others in doing any of these things. People in your family, your loved one, your friends, others you know that don’t have a family around that might have a hard time being alone during the season; invite others in to share in these activities with you. Spend time with people, do fun activities that mark the time of year, and don’t get caught up in shopping. Gifts are part of it, for sure, but most people will remember the things you do, not the things you get.

What things do you do to help you get in the Christmas spirit?

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:43:45 -0600

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”

- Roy L. Smith

This is pretty unique! I’d love to see this in my...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:40:08 -0600

This is pretty unique! I’d love to see this in my latte.

artinmycoffee:

The Vulcan & The Unicorn - Latte Art

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-12-6)

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:59:40 -0600

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-12-6):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

Lake-Effect Snow Squalls

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:01:57 -0600

Lake-Effect Snow Squalls:

Lake-effect snow squalls are a fairly important meteorological phenomenon in the fall and winter for those who live near large bodies of open water, such as the Great Lakes in Ontario or Lake…

I love this photo; great color and contrast and excellent...

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:35:36 -0600

I love this photo; great color and contrast and excellent composition and timing. Follow through to Sam’s Flickr page to get a extra big and good version.

travelhighlights:

Lightning at Sunset by Sam Javanrouh

Centre Island, Toronto, Canada

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-29)

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:25:53 -0600

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-29):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

I think this is where Trish and I should go to reflect and...

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:21:04 -0600

I think this is where Trish and I should go to reflect and record.

travelhighlights:

Treehouse Point by Jasmine Fitzwilliam

“Yes, that’s right, folks. We stayed in a treehouse. Which was perched over a rushing river. This was before the thunder and lightning rainstorm started. It was the most incredible accommodation I have ever enjoyed, enhanced by the intense weather… it was fully heated and superluxe and just totally magic.”

Snoqualmie Valley, Washington, USA

Via iwantmybearsuit:notjanebond:fuckyeahtreehouses

Ironic

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0600

Well, here I am, near the end of one of the most beautiful Novembers that has ever happened here in Winnipeg, and I’m slogging away at wind chill statistics. I’m glad for it though; I’ve been working on this project for a while and it continues to grow and gain momentum. It’s sounding more and more like our findings so far will be presented at a national conference, which is exciting. It will likely be published later too. However, there is still plenty of work to do.

Married life is great. I probably have the best wife in the world. We’re super busy with lots of things: getting used to being married and figuring all that out, managing our work schedules and getting involved in several communities. Being married is great and if we can keep up how things have been so far, we’re going to have a great life together.

We’ve both celebrated birthdays lately, and our bible study group threw us a surprise little wedding shower. It’s been absolutely fantastic to see the communities we’re a part of show that we’re a part of them and that they care. After feeling, in ways, that I and we have been very alone in Winnipeg, our friends have done a fantastic job lately at making us feel more included and a part of things. Thank you guys.

I’m also working with a fellow member of saint benedict’s table on developing a new event for the community that involves movies. That shows some promise to and could be a lot of fun.

Wow. What a view. travelhighlights: Tigers Nest Monastery,...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:24:30 -0600

Wow. What a view.

travelhighlights:

Tigers Nest Monastery, Bhutan.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-22)

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:39:51 -0600

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-22):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

A seagull flies along the Alabama Gulf Coast at sunrise as...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:28:46 -0600

A seagull flies along the Alabama Gulf Coast at sunrise as Tropical Storm Ida makes landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

From Boston.com’s photojournal essay “On The Shoreline.” Click the image for more.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-15)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:22:06 -0600

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-15):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

A Plea For Help

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:04:58 -0600

Does anyone know how I can write a simple Cocoa application for OS X that generates a window that will display a progress bar and run some perl scripts?

Some Commenting Housekeeping

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:59:18 -0600

Apparently more than just a couple people view my blog, a surprise to me. Did you know that you can comment on any post I make? At the bottom of each post is a line that tells you how many comments and/or reactions currently exist. If you click on that, you will be taken to a new page that you can leave comments on. I’ve made it easier than ever for you to do that, too. You can now log in with a registered Disqus account, an OpenID, a Twitter account, or even your Facebook account. So if you see something you like or have an opinion, don’t be afraid to leave it!

I want to be here… scribkin: (via eidesis)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:33:37 -0600

I want to be here…

scribkin:

(via eidesis)

Rats! Happened while we were asleep on Friday night. I guess I...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:38:22 -0600

What?

Oh no :(

Rats!

Happened while we were asleep on Friday night. I guess I get to experience MPI now…