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Thursday, December 16, 2004
More on music from Leta:
Sara, I think I've found it...the worst song ever! I was driving home from work the other night and "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger came on the radio. I don't think it gets much worse than this song.
For the life of me I can't figure out what this song is about. I even looked up the lyrics online and I am still dumbfounded. "And you know that you're the only one to say...O.K." What does that mean?? How ridiculous! It doesn't mean anything. I say "ok" probably around 7,000 time each day. The inflection in the singer's voice would lead you to believe that he is singing about something deep and profound.
And who is Night Ranger anyway? Were they a one hit wonder band? Are they in some way connected to Night Rider?? Now that was a great show.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Leta's thoughts on popular music:
The correct answer, Leta, is: No, there is absolutely NO situation in which Celine Dion's music would not make things worse. It is only good as a distraction from something equally bad, like when a person bites their hand to distract themselves from the pain of a toe that has been just run over by a car or something like that. So maybe if you're getting root canal and the oral surgeon has run out of anesthetic, it might be appropriate to listen to Celine Dion's music to take your mind off the searing pain in your mouth and direct it to the searing pain in your ears.
So this guy at work had these CD's that he had put a bunch of songs from his MP3 player on and he let me copy them onto my computer. There's just over 700 songs in the file. I used to just listen to the songs I like, but I decided that I was going to make a project of listening to all the songs in order while I work. I have to listen to EVERY song and am not allowed to skip over or fast forward any songs. Some of the songs are good, some are bad, and some I don't know. It actually makes work more interesting and sometimes quite comical. For instance, I've been out at a taxpayer's all week. After flipping invoices for two days straight, I was bored out of my mind and thought things couldn't possibly get any worse. But no, I was wrong. Celine Dion's "My heart will go on" comes on and this makes things MUCH worse. I was thinking about it, and is there really any situation in which Celine Dion's music wouldn't make things worse?
The correct answer, Leta, is: No, there is absolutely NO situation in which Celine Dion's music would not make things worse. It is only good as a distraction from something equally bad, like when a person bites their hand to distract themselves from the pain of a toe that has been just run over by a car or something like that. So maybe if you're getting root canal and the oral surgeon has run out of anesthetic, it might be appropriate to listen to Celine Dion's music to take your mind off the searing pain in your mouth and direct it to the searing pain in your ears.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Christy and I try to buckle down and finish up our work on a new building for Holy Family University and insanity ensues...
Oh my. Stress does crazy things to the brain.
Sara: yo, c! the "secondary hot water pumps" section is bracketed. any changes to that system?
Christy: hmm....we don't have a "secondary hot water pump" system so much. we have 2 pumps, and they alternate being the primary pump based on runtime. i'm not sure if it's been looked at yet or not.
Sara: k. i'll check it out...
Christy: thanks, yo. can you make sure the "nun's gaming and billiards room" spec is up to date? i think they added another big screen tv near the wet bar. those crazy nuns.
Sara: haha! no prob. i'll double check the sizing on the beer lines while i'm at it.
Christy: they V.E.'d the mechanical bull, but it was probably a good idea anyway. they'd get their rosaries and habits caught on the moving parts.
Sara: safety first. say, do you have enough cooling capacity to make up for the heat rejection from all that sound/multi-media equipment in there? those are some monster woofers they've got!
Christy: crap! i didn't take that into consideration. this stuff always comes up at the last minute.
Christy: you know what? i completely didn't calculate in the wall of lava lamps either! that's going to need some serious perimeter cooling. shoot.
Sara: it's okay. i think we can fix this just tell me you based the ventilation on the IMC air-change rate for discoteques.
Christy: no, i used the "indoor carnival" rate. is that higher or lower than discoteques?
Sara: the air-change rate should be higher, what with all the barnyard animals. i just hope there's enough cooling. i can only imagine the amount of heat generated by a bunch of nuns once "Hot in Herre" starts blasting out of the speakers.
Christy: yeah, everyone in that music video is covered in sweat, and they're all wearing next to nothing. think what will happen when they're gettin' down in their long, black habits! we can't afford to let them get to "the roof is on fire" part. think of the NFPA implications!
Christy: "i - am - get-ting too hot. i'm gonna take my headpiece off"
Christy: "work it, sister franchesca! look at you go!"
Oh my. Stress does crazy things to the brain.
Monday, May 03, 2004
Reaction to the turkey incident:
Christy: Ha ha! Meat from heaven. Too bad wild turkeys don't have bigger brains. :)
Sara: I can't even imagine a turkey moving fast enough to kill itself. Do turkeys fly? I've only seen them walking around..
Christy: maybe someone shot it out of a large cannon.
Sara: ha ha! i knew those circus folk down the block weren't to be trusted! :)
Christy: "Shoot, Cletus! I didn't aim high enough, and I done nearly busted that family's window, and I think I killed Thomas, the Turkey Cannonball."
Sara: ha ha! ...or...my parents' property is adjacent to a high school. maybe it was some sort of football/marching band/chess club initiation or hazing ritual gone wrong!
Christy: Ha ha! Meat from heaven. Too bad wild turkeys don't have bigger brains. :)
Sara: I can't even imagine a turkey moving fast enough to kill itself. Do turkeys fly? I've only seen them walking around..
Christy: maybe someone shot it out of a large cannon.
Sara: ha ha! i knew those circus folk down the block weren't to be trusted! :)
Christy: "Shoot, Cletus! I didn't aim high enough, and I done nearly busted that family's window, and I think I killed Thomas, the Turkey Cannonball."
Sara: ha ha! ...or...my parents' property is adjacent to a high school. maybe it was some sort of football/marching band/chess club initiation or hazing ritual gone wrong!
Mom writes about a wild-life, er, -death encounter:
We had a little excitement here last night. Heard a big thud and a few smaller thuds and didn't know what happened. We checked a few rooms for books falling of shelves, etc. but couldn't find anything. Dad saw a few feathers in the bushes down by the family room slider but just couldn't imagine a bird could make that much noise. Diephouse's were here for supper so just as I sat down again I looked out the dining room slider and couldn't believe my eyes. A turkey lay dead in the backyard! Bruce and Dad decided to clean and gut the thing - an hour and a half project! Tomorrow night we're having them over for fresh wild turkey. Wasn't sure what to do with it so called Ergangs and invited them too and they will bring their deep fryer to cook it. We've got pictures to prove the whole story!
The impact knocked the picture off the wall downstairs which in turn knocked knick knacks off the table and on to the floor which explained the other thuds.
Wow. You don't see that every day.
We had a little excitement here last night. Heard a big thud and a few smaller thuds and didn't know what happened. We checked a few rooms for books falling of shelves, etc. but couldn't find anything. Dad saw a few feathers in the bushes down by the family room slider but just couldn't imagine a bird could make that much noise. Diephouse's were here for supper so just as I sat down again I looked out the dining room slider and couldn't believe my eyes. A turkey lay dead in the backyard! Bruce and Dad decided to clean and gut the thing - an hour and a half project! Tomorrow night we're having them over for fresh wild turkey. Wasn't sure what to do with it so called Ergangs and invited them too and they will bring their deep fryer to cook it. We've got pictures to prove the whole story!
The impact knocked the picture off the wall downstairs which in turn knocked knick knacks off the table and on to the floor which explained the other thuds.
Wow. You don't see that every day.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
More food talk. This time about that irresistible Secretary's Day cake:
Christy: mmpffffff....frosting....becoming....too....intense!
Sara: quick! somebody get that girl an insulin shot!...stat!
Christy: don't worry. those explosions you hear aren't terrorist attacks. it's just me, banging my head against the computer screen in a sugar-induced seizure.
Sara: good luck with that. just send me a frantic IM if you start swallowing your tongue or something.
Christy: it's okay. i'm over that now. i've now headed into an extreme low. i can't keep my head from rolling forward onto my keyboard, and i'm having odd suicidal thoughts.
Christy: darn secretary cake. :)
Sara: yeah, i'm really regretting that. why can't i just say 'no'? nancy regean is probably shaking her head right now.
Christy: for me, it's the free factor. it's there, and it's the hugest cake i've ever seen, and it's totally free. if they were asking 50 cents, 25 cents, even 10 cents a piece, i'd be like "no thanks, i'm not in the cake mood."
Sara: i'm with you. it's a definite weakness. thank goodness they're not running around offering free scoops of lard. i might be dead by now.
Christy: get your crisco here! 2-gallon jugs of crisco here for the taking!
Sara: ooh! where?!
Christy: mmpffffff....frosting....becoming....too....intense!
Sara: quick! somebody get that girl an insulin shot!...stat!
Christy: don't worry. those explosions you hear aren't terrorist attacks. it's just me, banging my head against the computer screen in a sugar-induced seizure.
Sara: good luck with that. just send me a frantic IM if you start swallowing your tongue or something.
Christy: it's okay. i'm over that now. i've now headed into an extreme low. i can't keep my head from rolling forward onto my keyboard, and i'm having odd suicidal thoughts.
Christy: darn secretary cake. :)
Sara: yeah, i'm really regretting that. why can't i just say 'no'? nancy regean is probably shaking her head right now.
Christy: for me, it's the free factor. it's there, and it's the hugest cake i've ever seen, and it's totally free. if they were asking 50 cents, 25 cents, even 10 cents a piece, i'd be like "no thanks, i'm not in the cake mood."
Sara: i'm with you. it's a definite weakness. thank goodness they're not running around offering free scoops of lard. i might be dead by now.
Christy: get your crisco here! 2-gallon jugs of crisco here for the taking!
Sara: ooh! where?!
Mirm and I discuss catered lunches and the ever-important meat/bread ratio:
Mirm: ...I often find sandwiches dry sometimes at catered events
Sara: these were. and no condiments were offered. i could have gone for some mustard or mayo.
Mirm: yelch...
Sara: "yelch" no condiments or "yelch" mustard & mayo?
Mirm: well technically, yelch to all three! :-)
Sara: :) what's your condiment of choice then?
Mirm: nothing
Mirm: makes sense huh?
Mirm: as i talk about dry sandwiches
Sara: :) so what would you suggest to juice up a sandwich. spreadable cheese? slimy meat? more tomato?
Mirm: hold the tomato please...
Mirm: hmm...nothing really
Mirm: thinking about what i get on my subway sandwiches & I usually get nothing
Sara: no dressing either, eh?
Mirm: nope...plain, like me
Sara: i can see where bread would make a big difference then, when you're taking a sandwich dry. moist bread would be key. and meat/bread ratio takes on greater importance as well.
Mirm: yes it does
Sara: subway does do a good job of loading their sandwiches up with meat.
Mirm: hmm...sometimes
Sara: not always? don't their sandwiches always have the same amount of meat? i thought they had the whole process pretty standardized.
Mirm: yeah...i guess i like lots of meat though
Sara: :) don't we all....
Mirm: hehe
Mirm: ...I often find sandwiches dry sometimes at catered events
Sara: these were. and no condiments were offered. i could have gone for some mustard or mayo.
Mirm: yelch...
Sara: "yelch" no condiments or "yelch" mustard & mayo?
Mirm: well technically, yelch to all three! :-)
Sara: :) what's your condiment of choice then?
Mirm: nothing
Mirm: makes sense huh?
Mirm: as i talk about dry sandwiches
Sara: :) so what would you suggest to juice up a sandwich. spreadable cheese? slimy meat? more tomato?
Mirm: hold the tomato please...
Mirm: hmm...nothing really
Mirm: thinking about what i get on my subway sandwiches & I usually get nothing
Sara: no dressing either, eh?
Mirm: nope...plain, like me
Sara: i can see where bread would make a big difference then, when you're taking a sandwich dry. moist bread would be key. and meat/bread ratio takes on greater importance as well.
Mirm: yes it does
Sara: subway does do a good job of loading their sandwiches up with meat.
Mirm: hmm...sometimes
Sara: not always? don't their sandwiches always have the same amount of meat? i thought they had the whole process pretty standardized.
Mirm: yeah...i guess i like lots of meat though
Sara: :) don't we all....
Mirm: hehe
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
March Madness is here....
Hey Sara,
It that time of the year when the Bergakker family competes for the honor of winning the NCAA basketball tournament contest. The prestige is so great from winning this contest that no one can remember from year to year who won the previous year let alone any year prior to that. None the less the competition is heating up again this year and the rules are being reviewed for the 2004 basketball tournament. Since games begin tomorrow at noon your entry must be receive by me the commissioner of the competition in order to be considered a valid entry. Fax (xxx-xxxx) or email entries will be accepted. If you choose not to enter the shame you will endure will be greater than finishing last, so don’t delay.
Love Dad
Hey Sara,
It that time of the year when the Bergakker family competes for the honor of winning the NCAA basketball tournament contest. The prestige is so great from winning this contest that no one can remember from year to year who won the previous year let alone any year prior to that. None the less the competition is heating up again this year and the rules are being reviewed for the 2004 basketball tournament. Since games begin tomorrow at noon your entry must be receive by me the commissioner of the competition in order to be considered a valid entry. Fax (xxx-xxxx) or email entries will be accepted. If you choose not to enter the shame you will endure will be greater than finishing last, so don’t delay.
Love Dad
Thursday, February 12, 2004
More IM fooling around (an exerpt):
Sara: oh, come on! you really should be centering Ben's birthday party around ME and MY needs. :)
Christy: maybe for his 28th birthday. somehow i neglected your geographical needs, my invitee of honor. :)
Sara: well, at least you've come to see the folly of your ways.... :)
Christy: how can i make it up to you? (gee, i'm so relieved she's at least talking to me still. stupid! stupid christy. THINK next time!)
Sara: yeah, you don't want to be on my bad side. i'm one bad mo-fo.
Christy: that's for sure....
Christy: i mean....um....i sure do like you, sara!
Sara: at least you recognize it. alvin just laughs when i say that, but i know. when people think sara b., they think major league be-atch. :)
Christy: i don't know if you're aware of it, but they've actually incorporated your reputation into the new employee information packet. section 2.3 under Human Resources: ...be careful when conferencing, working, conversing, travelling, or eating with Sara Bergakker of the engineering department. she's one bad mo-fo. contact the IT department or Belinda for troubleshooting."
Sara: oh, come on! you really should be centering Ben's birthday party around ME and MY needs. :)
Christy: maybe for his 28th birthday. somehow i neglected your geographical needs, my invitee of honor. :)
Sara: well, at least you've come to see the folly of your ways.... :)
Christy: how can i make it up to you? (gee, i'm so relieved she's at least talking to me still. stupid! stupid christy. THINK next time!)
Sara: yeah, you don't want to be on my bad side. i'm one bad mo-fo.
Christy: that's for sure....
Christy: i mean....um....i sure do like you, sara!
Sara: at least you recognize it. alvin just laughs when i say that, but i know. when people think sara b., they think major league be-atch. :)
Christy: i don't know if you're aware of it, but they've actually incorporated your reputation into the new employee information packet. section 2.3 under Human Resources: ...be careful when conferencing, working, conversing, travelling, or eating with Sara Bergakker of the engineering department. she's one bad mo-fo. contact the IT department or Belinda for troubleshooting."
