Bad Blogging Ideas #174
Once I get a fancy new video camera, I should do a week of vlogging.
Because the only thing that could make this blog worse is forcing you to look at my ugly face and listen to my grating voice as I spew the same boring nonsense at you from a different medium.
TACHING
What’s the only thing better than teaching stats?
Teaching an evening class of stats!
(Which…I guess…is still teaching stats…just…just humor me here.)
I talked to Jim today and not only does it sound like I’m going to get to teach in the spring (which is like the first summer session at UI), but I’ll get to teach the super late “none of the other instructors want this timeslot” evening class of 217. That means I can spend ALL DAY WALKING before going in to work, especially since I’ll already have my class notes mostly prepared (due to teaching 217 this semester).
That’s going to be awesome.
Now I just need to somehow get a course to teach for fall, haha. I will do everything in my power to make this a permanent thing.
Sennheiser HD 231i: A Review
Nate got me an early birthday present today: a pair of new headphones! Specifically, a pair of Sennheiser HD 231i (which is apparently not available in the US??).
Anyway, we were at a Best Buy looking for a headphone/microphone combo for Nate’s brother, and I of course wandered over to the “music headphones” section of the store. That’s where I saw these Sennheisers.
Honestly, my first impression was that this tiny pair seemed rather out of place alongside the other Sennheiser models, which all looked capable of space travel. That impression remained as I picked up the demo pair from the little rack. They were super light. As in, “light as my $5 Walmart headphones” light.
But the sound was awesome.
I’ve never owned Sennheisers, but I’ve only ever heard good things about them. And the demo pair did not disappoint with the music selection that it had. But how would they fare with my music?
- Sleepyhead (Passion Pit) – Even though I have quite a few songs that are higher on my Top 50 list than Sleepyhead, this is still my standby “test” song for any new headphones. And the HD 231i passes the test of making the amazing chorus sound just as amazing as it should. The bass is heavy but not too heavy, and it doesn’t overwhelm everything else.
- O Magnum Mysterium (Lauridsen) – The voices in the choir sound very bright and “unique,” as in it’s like you can hear the individual people but it still all blends together. It’s almost like you’re listening to them live.
- Act My Age (One Direction) – I like a pair of headphones that lets me hear a part of a song that I can’t hear with other headphones. I was unaware of this until I tried this song with the Sennheisers, but there’s this really cool bass slur behind the first “I won’t act my age” in the chorus that really makes the song like 50% better to me. So that’s pretty snazzy.
- Hide and Seek (Dan Wright cover) – I’M GONNA CRAP MY PANTS the bass sounds so good. That’s probably because you’re able to hear all of Wright’s iterations of the song together—the bass parts, the treble parts, and everything in between—so nothing is too overwhelming.
Conclusion: no, I’m not getting paid by Sennheiser. I really, honestly like these headphones. I’m no audiophile or anything and I’m pretty sure I’ve blasted boulder-sized holes through my eardrums over the years, but I appreciate how balanced the sound is from these. I like headphones with a lot of bass, but pretty much every other pair of headphones I’ve tried that has that nice bass sacrifices the sound of everything else to achieve it. These don’t. That’s awesome.
Get ‘em.
Whiiiiiiiiiiiiine
My head hurts.
My soul hurts.
I AM A MATERIAL GIRL
Hi.
Here’s more random nonsense I want to buy, because for some reason the you’re-like-a-shopaholic-but-not-really-because-you-rarely-actually-buy-any-of-this-stuff part of my brain is all hyped up this year.
sdkjfhaskldjfhalkdjf
I hate this stupid blog and I hate my stupid self.
The end.
Song-a-long-a-ding-dong
Tried to do this without repeating a song. Was difficult.
1: A song you like with a color in the title
Blue Lips by Regina Spektor. A very powerful, emotional song.
2: A song you like with a number in the title
40 oz. Dream by Good Charlotte. Good Charlotte reminds me of high school because I listened to the entirety of The Young and the Hopeless approximately 9,000 times over the course of like three years. I’m glad they’re back and still sound awesome.
3: A song that reminds you of summertime
Gold (Thomas Jack Radio Edit) by Gabriel Rios. This was a download during our 2015 summer road trip. Good times.
4: A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget about
Nothing Else Matters by Metallica. I love the song, but holy hell does it remind me of Rob. No thanks.
5: A song that needs to be played LOUD
That Hide and Seek cover by Dan Wright. The only way you can fully appreciate this cover is if you murder your eardrums with it. It’s worth it, trust me.
6:A song that makes you want to dance
Gone by JR JR. This might be because the music video is a bunch of disembodied legs dancing, but you never know. Also, the song’s got fantastic energy.
7: A song to drive to
Sausalito Summernight by Diesel. Heck, it’s about driving.
8: A song about drugs or alcohol
Willst Du by Alligatoah. It’s in German, but yeah. It’s definitely about drugs.
9: A song that makes you happy
Jealous by Chromeo. I remember hearing this song on the radio the first time and thinking that it had kind of this old-school type feel to it. It’s very energetic and always just makes me a little happier whenever I listen to it.
10: A song that makes you sad
10,000 Miles by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Can’t handle it, man.
11: A song that you never get tired of
Sleepyhead by Passion Pit. I will never tire of Sleepyhead.
12: A song from your preteen years
Ha. I Want You Back by ‘N Sync. I used to dance to it in my room. And I still maintain that ‘N Sync was better than the Backstreet Boys. Fight me.
13: One of your favorite 80’s songs
O Superman by Laurie Anderson (1981). This song gives me chills every time I listen to it, not joking.
14: A song that you would love played at your wedding
WEDDING HAS HAPPENED ALREADY! We didn’t have any music. Um…Beneath Your Beautiful by Labyrinth always made me think it should be a “first dance” song as a couple. It’s super sad-sounding, but in a good way.
15: A song that is a cover by another artist
Dare You to Move by the Vitamin String Quartet (originally by Switchfoot). I always thought the original was pretty emotionally stirring, but this cover is beautiful.
16: One of your favorite classical songs
Holst counts, right? Then I pick Jupiter. Just because it’s so perfect.
17: A song that would sing a duet with on karaoke
God, I don’t know. I don’t know any good duet songs apart from Summer Lovin’, and that’s overdone anyway. Back in the Rock Band Era, we would always all sing together The Electric Version by The New Pornographers, so I’ll say that. Not really a duet song, but it works.
18: A song from the year that you were born
Orinoco Flow by Enya was apparently from 1988. Coolio!
19: A song that makes you think about life
O Magnum Mysterium. While I prefer the sung version, we actually played this in concert band in spring semester 2007, which is where I first heard it. I consider that semester to be my “age of enlightenment” period in my life (which is the most pretentious thing to say EVER), and I just associate this song with that amazing experience of gathering new knowledge and making new connections between thing.
20: A song that has many meanings to you
Paradise by Coldplay. I don’t know if it necessarily has many meanings, but I associate it with the last half of 2011, when everything was going to hell in my life. I listened to this song a lot and thought a lot about what the next step in my life should be.
21: A favorite song with a person’s name in the title
Alejandro by Lady Gaga. This was one of Gaga’s songs that I liked instantly, and the music video is pretty awesome, too.
22: A song that moves you forward
Orange Sky by Alexi Murdoch. Another song that I first heard during a very crappy part of my life (grad school, round 1). It’s a very calming song that contrasted with my constant anxiety at the time. Helped me chill a little.
23: A song that you think everybody should listen to
It’s so hard not to say Sleepyhead for like half of these you have no idea Madness by Muse. Very emotional. Very pretty.
24: A song by a band you wish were still together
Uh…Teenagers by My Chemical Romance? I’m blanking on other bands I have that have broken up, so I’ll go with that.
25: A song by an artist no longer living
The only dead artist I can think of right now is Michael Jackson, so I’ll say Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.
26: A song that makes you want to fall in love
Goodnight & Go by Imogen Heap. This was my go-to fantasy song when I was falling very hard for a certain someone awhile back.
27: A song that breaks your heart
Silhouette by Owl City. Good lord, what a heart wrenching song.
28: A song by an artist with a voice that you love
Us Against the World by Coldplay. I love Chris Martin’s voice. I also love that weird little throaty warble thing it does when he sings notes that are just a little below his range. This song has a few such notes.
29: A song that you remember from your childhood
You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon. My mom used to play the “Graceland” CD a lot when I was a kid. This was always my favorite song on there.
30: A song that reminds you of yourself
Goooo by TNGHT, for no other reason than when I first heard this song, I felt like it was a great musical representation of me as a person.
Oof
Do you like Beyonce? Can you tolerate Justin Bieber? If so, check out this excellent mashup of Single Ladies and Sorry. The Biebs just provides the instrumental while Beyonce provides the lyrics. It actually works very, very well.
Are fake potatoes imitaters?
This guy gets it. He gets it.
Haha, and I’m right there with the “using emojis ironically” thing. It’s so tempting because it’s like “what in the fuck random garbage nonsense can I portray with a poop, six buckets, a dime, a plus sign, and three more poops?” but then I have to back off and not actually start, because it’s a slippery slope, yo.
It’s like Twitter. At first you use it for garbage Tweets like so:
But then, after a while, you start—
…okay, never mind.
I mushed two surveys together
What’s something non-political you’re rooting for nowadays?
The Mets! Even though the season hasn’t started yet.
What were the circumstances–and who was the recipient–the last time you were part of a standing ovation?
I have absolutely no idea.
What’s a cheer you remember from high school or college?
“In heaven there is no beer / that’s why we drink it here / ‘cause when we are gone from here / our friends will be drinking all our beeeeeer!”
Yes, that’s a cheer. Welcome to U of I.
What inanimate object in your residence deserves applause for its outstanding role in your life this past week?
My iPod. As usual. The little trooper puts up with me walking 3+ hours a day even in ridiculously cold weather.
When was the last time a group of people clapped for you?
My students applauded when I finished my last lecture last semester. Though they might just have been happy the class was over.
Where did you grow up?
The ‘Scow
Where do you live now?
Calgary!
What do you think about religion?
Bah. I don’t care if other people practice it, just as long as they’re not harming others by doing it. It’s not for me, though.
When did you start using online social media?
What counts as social media? Do the old Yahoo! chatrooms count? If so, 2001 or so.
What did you study to be?
Everything I could get away with.
How are you at this point of your career?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job, but there’s no permanency to it right now, so that’s stressful.
Do you use your real name on a blog?
Ha, yeah. I don’t really care.
Do people you work with read your blog?
Maybe? If so, HI PEOPLE I WORK WITH!
Are you on the job market?
Only if a “permanent” version of my job is hiring.
If you could go back in time to meet someone famous but now deceased, who would it be?
…really? DO I REALLY HAVE TO SAY IT AT THIS POINT?
Somebody’s bbllloooOOOOOOoooggggiiinngg!
(It’s me)
Nostalgia Party Throwback 2K17
So I still feel like about 27 different layers of garbage, so I’m going to post stuff that reminds me of random nonsense from ye random olden days.
- I played a lot of this. I still suck at basic math.
- This one, too.
- This song and music video will always remind me of 10th grade, since we’d always turn on MTV during Sports Med (yes, I took Sports Med. I have no idea why) and this was a popular vid back then.
- This show was always on late at night when I was a kid and spent Friday and Saturday night at my dad’s condo. Does anyone else remember this?
- Space Ghost: Coast to Coast was always a late night thing, too. I did not understand that show as a kid.
- Oh, Cartoon Network. I miss the way you used to be.
More recipes because I HAVE A PROBLEM
And that problem’s name is Foodgawker.
- Oven Baked Scrambled Eggs
- Broccoli and Chicken Pasta with White Sauce
- Croissant Breakfast Sandwich
- Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
- Sautéed Vegetables (this looks so good, holy crap)
- Really good looking chocolate chip cookies
- Animal constellation cookies!
Enjoy.
GUN IT
I have absolutely nothing interesting to say today, PLUS I feel like a box of butts, so have a really interesting/useful site that details the differences between similar terms or objects.
In This Blog: Claudia Has Too Many Tank Tops
They’re like $3 each and they’re colorful. How am I supposed to control myself?
Well I Feel Awful
So I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I have been incredibly sad since the beginning of the year. I mean, I usually get a little down around New Year’s because New Year’s, but this year it’s just been terrible.
Like, I haven’t felt this sad in a long, long time.
I wish it would stop. It’s killing my motivation and productivity.
GUESS WHO FELL DOWN THE STAIRS
(It was me.)
It wasn’t a full flight of stairs, but they were metal and icy and pretty damn painful to tumble down. Whacked my butt, arm, and side pretty good. Upshot: I didn’t break my iPod! Or, y’know, any bones.
That’s what I get for trying to take a shortcut.
(Sorry, there’s not a lot going on right now.)
Edit: well that’s probably the biggest bruise I’ve ever had. My butt looks like it got hit by a comet.
Oi! Poop!
I’ve walked 90 miles in six days. I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before.
Can I keep this pace up for the rest of the year? Probably not. But I’m going to try.
THE END!
Friends don’t let friends have friends
Oh my god.
I have no idea why this is so hysterical to me, but it is. I’ve been laughing for like 20 minutes.
I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM, *YOU* HAVE A PROBLEM
(I have a problem.)
I think I am physically unable to be out of school for any extended period of time. Hell, I work in academia and still want to go take classes.
Certificates that I’d like to get include:
- Creative Writing (I really loved the writing classes at U of I. I just like being able to read other peoples’ stories and get feedback on my own. It also actually forces me to write, because, y’know, grades)
- Database Administration (knowing SQL would be very beneficial if I ever have to get a non-teaching job)
- Graphic Design (because it sounds fun)
- Integrated Digital Media
- Video Production (again…sounds fun)
- Visual Design
Yeah.
I just want school forever, is that too much to ask?
SHHS
It appears that I’ve started to move away from hearts and more towards circles now. Meh.
HOLY HEAVENLY BODIES, BATMAN
Everybody stop what you’re doing and listen to this right now:
This is one of my favorite songs in the solar system (HA! Get it?) and this arrangement is phenomenal. The slow section from 3:17 to 5:25 is just…nnnnnnf. Beautiful. If that doesn’t hurt your soul (in a good way), I’m pretty sure you’re dead.
Edit: Apparently, Holst originally scored all the planets (except for Neptune) for piano duet. Interesting.
Walking 2016
WELCOME TO 2017!
I’m in the worst mood ever right now, but that won’t stop me from reviewing my walking mileage from last year. I murdered my goal distance (which was 2,000 miles) and set a new personal record for miles walked in a year. Let’s do it: my walking stats for January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016.
Total number of walks: 292
Total mileage: 3,722.31
Total number of steps: 8,048,970
Total calories burned: 248,164
Total walking time (minutes): 54,059.54 [that’s about 37.52 days]
Average speed (mph) per walk: 4.059
3,722.31 miles is approximately the (great circle) distance between Anchorage, AK to Jacksonville, FL, or between Washington, D.C. and Madrid, Spain.
So I guess I walked across the Atlantic Ocean last year!
Here are my total distance graphs by week day and by month.
June was a good month.
Let’s do better in 2017!
Claudia’s 366 Days of Music: Year 7 – A Review
Hello, foolios! So year 7 of this project is now complete. It was a pretty damn good year for music, so without further poopin’, let’s get down to the review.
Total songs: 366
Total time: 24 hours and 29 minutes
Total size: 2.54 GB
Mean song length: 4:02.25
The Five Stars
Listed in order of acquisition!
Lone Digger by Caravan Palace
Hula Hoop [Mark Ianni Bootleg] by Omi
Tightrope by WALK THE MOON
Hide and Seek (A Capella Cover) by Dan Wright
Gone by JR JR
Jealousy by Robert DeLong
Kids by OneRepublic
Tilted by Christine and the Queens
The five most beautiful/touching songs of the year:
Hide and Seek (A Capella Cover) by Dan Wright
Silhouette by Owl City (this is such a heart-wrenching song, holy hell)
Romeo & Juliet : Act IV, Scene LII, Death of Juliet performed by The London Symphony Orchestra
The Revenant Main Theme by Ryuichi Sakamoto
The Overall Top Five
Tightrope by WALK THE MOON
For the second year in a row, WALK THE MOON takes top spot here. The fast tempo of this song is great, and I love the fact that it switches from 4/4 time to 3/4 time for the chorus. Not a lot of “popular” songs have a time change like that, let alone such a prominent one.
Gone by JR JR
This song has the best energy. I love the drums and the whistling. It makes me want to dance.
Tilted by Christine and the Queens
I might be a little biased with this one, as I just recently downloaded it and am still in the “zomg must listen to this 50 times in a row” phase, but there’s not a single thing I dislike about this song. It’s got such a unique sound and is simultaneously upbeat and kind of haunting. I’ve had it stuck in my head ever since I downloaded it.
Hide and Seek (A Capella Cover) by Dan Wright
Better than the original, in my opinion (sorry, Imogen!). Can I have a favorite chord of the year? If I can, it’s definitely the chord at 2:49. I love it.
Hula Hoop [Mark Ianni Bootleg] by Omi
As anyone can probably tell by looking at the songs I tend to post on here (or just by looking through my yearly music lists), I have a soft spot for remixes and mashups of songs that I enjoy. This is an example of that. The original Hula Hoop is okay (I think it’s got 3 stars from me?), but in keeping with the apparent theme of this year’s top five, this remix has a lot more energy and oomph to it. Kind of techno-ey.
Now, pie charts!
Pop dominated in terms of the number of songs downloaded, but things were a little more even in terms of playcount.
Onward to year eight!
Eigenblogger 