At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country?
(Sorry)
What the sun is doing to the earth right now:
(Screenshot of – what else? – a SolarBalls video)
Anyway. I was afraid we wouldn’t get a cool aurora show here because 1) it was kind of cloudy, 2) it seemed like everyone else in the world was already posting pictures of their light shows and we were still in complete darkness, and 3) that would just be my luck.
However, Nate picked the perfect time for us to go outside and we caught the lights just as they started to appear.
I took 100 pictures, but here are my favorite five:
This was my first time seeing the northern lights. WOO!
A Migraine Prodrome?
While on my run this morning, I started feeling really, really weird. I sometimes get this super strong “déjà vu”* sensation, and that was happening so severely this morning that I actually had to stop running for a second and just try to let my brain chill out before I could continue. I also just felt off all morning, and the combination of these things made me think that I was going to end up getting a migraine sometime soon.
And so guess what happened this afternoon?
Fortunately I was done with the ASHA adjudication meeting that I had to go to in the morning, but unfortunately I was about two blocks out from my office and on the way to FreshCo. Another fortunate thing though was that I noticed the vision stuff right as it started, which means I took some Excedrin immediately. The faster I take the meds as the vision stuff begins, the better it seems to do in terms of making the actual headache part more bearable.
So that was fun.
At least it didn’t happen while I was running.
*It’s not déjà vu, but that’s the closest thing I can think of to describe it. It’s almost like what I would describe a smell to be like in terms of how it permeates my sinuses and head, but it’s obviously not that, either.
TumbleUpon
So I was showing Nate how Tumblr works tonight and realized that I hadn’t really posted anything of substance on there for quite some time. Tumblr used to be my main jam, too, especially from like 2012-2015 or so.
I went back through my posts and holy hell, there’s so much:
- Sun/space stuff (but mostly sun)
- Metalocalypse stuff
- Clouds
- Leibniz
- Really dumb math/stats jokes
- Achievement Hunter
*Fallout 3 narrator voice* Claudia. Claudia never changes.
Also, the one post I ever made that got any likes/reblogs.
Edit: I FORGOT ABOUT THIS HAHAHAHA
I did an ART!
This is like my first ever legitimate attempt at doing anything with watercolors. It looks more like a drawing than a watercolor painting because I layered like a millimeter of paint on there, haha. It took me three hours because I had no idea what I was doing.
What do y’all think?
This is old news now, I guess, but…
Achievement Hunter, the group of hilarious let’s play nerds who basically kept me virtual company throughout my math degree at the U of I, is disbanding/shutting down.
I originally discovered them through Tumblr; or, more specifically, I discovered Michael Jones/Rage Quit through this video while working at Pima (I watched a lot of videos via Tumblr on that job, haha):
I didn’t know what Rooster Teeth or Achievement Hunter were for a while after that, but after watching enough Rage Quit vids on YouTube, another one of their Let’s Plays with more than just Michael in it got recommended to me. I think this was the first video I saw with Geoff, Ray, and Gavin:
Then I was hooked. I got my mom hooked on them too, haha.
Anyway in honor of the tons of laughs I got from them over the years, here are some of my favorite videos of theirs:
And all the Rage Quits I listed here.
Huh…
I just finished another pair of shoes (500+ miles), which meant that in addition to starting the new pair, I saved and exported the old pair’s mileage from my iPod so that I could start the count anew with the fresh pair.
As mentioned somewhere previously on this blog, I’m not actively going for a new mileage record this year (which has been incredibly demotivating), mainly because I’m pretty sure my entire family would want to throw me in the river if I were to obsess over mileage even an iota more than I did last year.
So when I checked my mileage progress for this year so far as I entered the new miles in my little spreadsheet, imagine my surprise when I found this:
- Cumulative miles from January 1 to May 2 in 2023 (my record year so far): 2040.27
- Cumulative miles from January 1 to May 2 in 2024: 2125.24
UM.
But then I realized that 1) I had not yet bumped up my daily mileage to 18 miles in 2023 by this point in the year, and 2) I had not yet run a marathon distance in 2023 by this point in the year, whereas I’ve done multiple marathons, multiple 50 Ks, and a 60 K so far this year.
Still, though, I was not expecting the mileage to be that close and for 2024 to be (even a little bit) higher.
I’m going to have to try really hard not to use this as a sign from the universe to go for a new mileage record.
Really, really, really hard.
Also, I’ve taken over 101 million (recorded) steps since I moved to Calgary, which is pretty sweet.
Guess What’s Finally Up to Date?
This blog.
Guess who cares?
No one.
A Plan
Howdy, y’all!
(I don’t think I’ve mentioned this on here before, but if I have, I’m sorry.)
Back in 4th grade, I wrote a really horrible (quality horrible, not topic horrible) story in a spiral notebook. It was the longest thing I’d written by that point, and back in like 8th grade I transcribed it into a different notebook because 1) the original one was in pencil and was starting to fade and 2) my handwriting in 4th grade was terrible. I still have the 8th grade copy:
(It’s starting to fall apart now too, haha)
I was thinking of typing it up at some point, so my new plan is to type it up chapter by chapter and maybe put each chapter up here as I get them ready, sort of like a little serialization thing. It’ll be like Charles Dickens, except, you know, terrible.
That will also force me to get the damn thing typed up, at least.
18 Years of Blogging
So guess what? Eigenblogger is an adult now.
That’s right: today is my 18th blogging anniversary!
The fact that I have a daily record* of my life for the past 18 years is pretty cool. Back when I first started blogging, I had no intention of it lasting anywhere near this long. Hell, I didn’t know if I’d make it to my proposed 50 days in a row back on May 1, 2006.
But I did, then just kept going from there. I guess giving into peer pressure – in this case, the peer pressure from my high school friends to join MySpace – is a good thing sometimes.
ANYWAY.
Today will be my 6,576th blog post. That means I have 3,424 more posts until I hit my ultimate goal of 10,000. Will I keep going after that?
Probably.
Assuming we’re all not dead by then.
WOO!
*I guess the word “record” is very loosely used here, as like 60% of the time my blogs have nothing to do with went on during the day on which they were written, but whatevs. An entry is an entry!
Thuuuuuuumb!
I can tell I haven’t drawn in a while because I was working on a drawing on Sunday and my thumb has been numb and tingly since then (because I hold colored pencils very differently than I hold any other writing utensil, apparently).
I want to keep working on that drawing, but I also kinda need my thumb for, y’know, work next week.
So.
(I’ll probably work on it later anyway, haha.)
Edit: I ended up ripping this drawing up before I finished it because it was ungodly ugly, so that was a complete waste of time.
FREAKING TAMPA BAY ARE YOU KIDDING ME
So I figured the San Diego Padres’ City Connect uniforms would never be dethroned as the best City Connect uniforms in baseball, but the Rays are giving them a run for their money.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ City Connects were revealed today and LOOK AT THESE THINGS.
(Source)
(Source)
Those are SO COOL. I love the fonts, the colors, the freaking SKATEBOARDING RAY…all of it. The only way they could be better is if the green glows in the dark.
Edit: AAAAAAA IT DOES
Houston, We Have a Big Bird
This is exactly the type of video that YouTube is for.
Sounds click-baity, but isn’t at all. Contains some weird facts about history plus info about a disaster. What more could you want?
(You know I love disasters.)
(Especially space disasters.)
Also, the comments are a mix of serious reactions from people who saw the explosion live and reactions of people speculating how much weirder it would have been if the recovery operation involved pulling a massacred Big Bird out of the wreckage. With some overlap between those two things, too.
A Question Nobody Asked:
“How do you blog when you’re away from your computer/internet?”
An answer nobody cares about: I type said blog in my “Notes” app on my phone while sitting in the bathroom away from everyone.
There.
Now go away.
TikTok on the Clock
Have some TikToks. ‘Cause I’m sad. There are a few that were added after today, too.
(Sound warning; turn your volume down)
Whoever invented this game deserves a Nobel Prize.
WHY IS THIS SO FUNNY
I Hate Myself! :D
That is all.
Unsettle Your Nettles
I don’t think I’ve ever felt unsafe walking anywhere in Calgary. Granted, I’ve never been downtown at night alone and have never walked through that weird little murder triangle neighborhood in Bowness, but I’ve never felt like I was in danger. Even on those early morning walks/runs at like 4 AM, the most unsettled I’d ever felt was in the dark bowels of Bowness Park – and that was more due to knowing there might be all sorts of random wild animals in there in the early morning than anything else.
But today I took a little jaunt through the neighborhood just south of North Hill Centre and I got the most creeped out feeling while in there. It was like I was being watched and that I was not supposed to be in that area.
I didn’t see anyone or anything like that…in fact, it was an eerily quiet neighborhood…but I got out of there pretty quickly. I’m usually right about those kinds of feelings, so I figured I should listen to it.
Tag Bag!
My occlupanid bag is here! Check it:
(The color looks dramatically different in those two pics, haha. It’s just the lighting.)
It’s super sturdy and well-made.
You can also grip it from the teeth if you don’t want to sling it over your shoulder with the strap.
It’s so weird and funky. I love it.
That was…creepy.
I just had this weird little micro-nightmare about our old house in Marana. I don’t think I’ve ever dreamt about that house, but in the dream there was all of this old blood all over the walls of my bedroom, but you could only see it when the lights were off. It was super creepy and full of weird vibes. I couldn’t convince anyone else the blood was there, even when it was right in front of them in the darkness.
Blech.
Sixty
It’s done, yo!
My first 60 kilometer (37.28 mile) run.
This was NOT The day to do this. I was not in the mood to run today, I felt like garbage this morning, I got up later than I wanted to, and I ran approximately 18 consecutive miles into 30 mph headwind.
(Hence the terrible pace)
But I did it anyway because I’m stubborn like that.
So this is currently acting as my virtual ultra for the Calgary Marathon. Will I do another one of these? Possibly, if for no other reason than to overwrite that terrible pace.
But the distance has been accomplished at least once, and that’s fine with me.
K TONE
K SURVEY
What’s your favorite color gummy bear?
They all taste the same to me, but I like the green ones.
What is the sexiest part of the opposite sex’s body?
Stomach.
Have you ever made up/sang a song for someone you cared about?
I have made up/re-written a LOT of songs, but never one specifically for someone I know.
Ever had a song sang about/for you?
Nope.
Is there a baby in the room with you right now?
No, thank god.
Do you know how to dance?
I can flail around like an idiot, if that counts.
Where do you sing the most, in the car or the shower?
I sing in the car when I’m with my mom. I used to sing in the shower, but now Nate’s always home and I’m shy about it.
What is your favorite thing that is green?
Broccoli!
What did your last text message say?
“Hahahaha.”
What is your middle name?
Marie.
What is the way to your heart?
Be weird. Be cool with me being weird. Have an obsession. Be kind to animals.
What do you smell like?
I literally have no idea.
What’s in your pocket?
I have no pockets!
Anything in your mouth?
I have no mouth!
Ever hurt yourself playing Wii?
No, surprisingly. Though the only thing I ever really did on the Wii was those little survey thingies.
Do you have freckles?
In the summer, yes.
How many languages can you say “Hello” in?
Five?
What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
Man, I have no idea. Something pre-Covid.
Ever jumped/fallen/been pushed in a pool with your clothes on?
Nope.
Are you wearing any clothes that you wore yesterday?
Same bra.
Name a song that you know all the words to:
Just one? Blinding Lights.
Are you in love with someone right now?
Yes!
What’s the last thing you watched on TV?
Like, actual cable TV? I think I watched part of an episode of Jeopardy when Nate was off having his last surgery.
What’s the last video game you played?
Quake.
Can you do the alphabet in sign language?
Yup!
Do you have an uncle named Joe?
Nope.
What word do you use when people pass gas?
Fart.
Do you wear glasses?
Yes.
What can you hear right now?
I’m making penne and broccoli; I can hear the water boiling.
Did you feel better or worse or the same yesterday?
About the same.
Ever been overseas?
Yes.
What are your plans for today?
The day’s almost over, bro.
How long have you had Facebook?
Since 2006.
What was your favorite childhood show?
TaleSpin!
Are you close to your siblings?
No sibbies.
What was your first job?
Working at Wendy’s.
Do you bite your nails?
I chew the HELL out of my nails. To the point where they’re so short they hurt.
Do you like your feet?
HAHAHAHAHAHAH
Do you sleep well at night?
I lay down. I go dead asleep. I wake up at some point. So yeah.
Has anyone ever given you the silent treatment?
I’m sure.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever had in your mouth?
For how long of a period are we talking, here, because that DRAMATICALLY changes my answer.
Are you friends with anyone named Earl?
Nope.
Are you vain?
Aren’t we all to some degree?
Has anyone ever threatened you with a knife?
Not seriously.
What would you do if the last person you kissed showed up at your house with a bunch or roses and a hand written poem for you?
Wonder when he left to go get said roses.
Do you ever watch The Simpsons?
Yup!
Have you ever sent an embarrassing moment of yours into a mag to be printed?
Haha, nope.
What IS your most embarrassing moment?
There are so many to pick from, friends.
Do you think you’re more cute or sexy?
Oh god. Neither.
Do you own any mini skirts?
Nope.
What’s the middle name of the last person you spoke to?
John.
Would you like to live in a hotel, or your own house?
House.
Are you good at knowing when people are lying?
Depends on how well I know them.
Do you draw little hearts and stuff with eyeliner next to your eyes?
Nope.
What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever lost?
My giganto keychain that had like 13 Tamagotchis on it. Well, I’m sure I’ve lost something more expensive than that, but I can’t think of anything else right now, haha.
Has your mom ever lied to you?
Probably.
Do you have a deep voice?
I would say it’s about average.
When’s the last time someone made breakfast for you?
Can’t remember.
Do you do something new with your hair practically every day?
My hair does something new with itself every day.
Name a song you’re addicted to:
Call On Me – Eric Prydz.
Has anyone ever licked your foot?
Ewwwwwwwwwwwww
Is there a Sonic where you live?
The hedgehog?
Do you smile with your teeth?
Unfortunately.
What did you eat for lunch today?
A pita.
What do you like on your pizza?
Olives. A crap ton of them.
Do you know anyone who lives in Newfoundland?
No.
How ‘bout Alberta?
ME!
Anyone in Canada at all?
Many people.
If you could trade houses with a friend, who would it be?
Nobody.
Are you a good person to come to for advice?
Nope.
NOBODY CARES
What normal people do when they’re sad and want to be happy again: listen to music, be with family/friends, go for a walk, watch a fun TV show, eat tasties.
What I do when I’m sad and want to be happy again: sign up for marathons
I HAVE A PROBLEM
Anyway, I’m signed up to do Bloomsday, several marathons, a 50K, and the Calgary Marathon Ultra (60K) over the next several months, so LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO
(I wanna die)
Roar
HAHAHAHA okay okay okay okay listen.
So it was really windy and quite cold this morning so I ended up wearing my headphones to keep my ears warm on my run. I was on my way down to Bowness when I heard this ad for Homes by Avi, which is a house building company up here.
Now, they advertise quite a bit on the station that I listen to, so I wasn’t really paying too much attention to the ad. They were talking about how you could experience nature right in your backyard in one of the developments they’re building in – there were all of these nature sounds and stuff like crickets, birds, etc. – and then I swear to god at the end of the ad there was a big bear growl.
But I couldn’t be sure…that is, until I heard the ad again on my way back to the bottom of our hill.
And yes: gentle sounds of nature including crickets, hooting owls, loons, chirping birds all throughout the ad, until the end, where the announcer was like “come enjoy life with nature” and the ad ends with a HUGE FREAKING BEAR GROWL.
I had to stop running because I was laughing so hard.
Edit: I listened to the radio for THREE HOURS to catch that ad again. Here it is:
That is the FUNNIEST THING I’ve ever heard, oh my god. I wonder if some poor intern kid was told “just throw some animal sounds in there” and just put that bear at the end.
Hilarious.
Just let me have my talking planets
I am 100% invested in SolarBalls now, haha.
I haven’t fallen this quickly into an obsession in a long time, and because I have no one I can rave to about it, y’all get in on the blog.
I love the characters. They’re all enjoyable and have their own distinct personalities and quirks.
I love the voice acting. It’s top notch and better than what you hear in many animated TV shows out there.
I love the animation. It’s so smooth and there are a ton of little details in there, like the designs of some of the moons, the little glow around Earth, Mars, and Titan to signify they have atmospheres, and the fact that Uranus (or at least his rings) is often animated to be tilted heavily to one side.
I love the story they’re telling and how they’re doing it. There’s a main story going on right now that I’m about 1/3 of the way through, but intermixed with that are shorter little one-off episodes that are almost like little “what ifs?” or “how comes?” (though some of those are starting to tie in to the main story).
It’s just fun, yo. I’m not having a great time right now and I don’t want to talk about it because people will be like “go see a counselor!” and I’ll be like “counseling is a scam!” and they’ll just get mad at me, so this is acting as an excellent little comfort show at the moment.
Eigenblogger 