If You're Ever In Boulder, CO
Make sure you go downtown and catch a street performance by The Zip Code Man. He's freakin' amazing. He knows the location of EVERY zip code in the U.S. and international ones, too. I saw him several years ago when I was in Boulder for a K-State/Colorado football game. I yelled out all the zip codes I knew, including 66962 for the tiny town of Palmer, KS (pop. 100) where my grandparents live, and he got them all correct! I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Anyway, that's my random thought for the day.
- posted by Jason @ 9:41 PM |

 
Hard Up For Some Good Hip-Hop?
Check out DJ Premier's discography. I did and I discovered a treasure-trove of excellent tracks produced by this Gang Starr legend that I had been overlooking for all these years. I've been a Gang Starr fan for several years but I'd never bothered to check out Premier's other work. Well, I guess it's better late than never. Now I have several 'new to me' songs to enjoy. I've had much better luck reusing and recycling some old hip-hop than trying to listen to the new stuff that comes out these days.

Here are some of my favorite DJ Premier collaborations to which I've been bobbin' my head lately:

"Mathematics" by Mos Def
Anything on Jeru The Damaja's first two albums ("The Sun Rises in the East" and "The Wrath of the Math")
"Unbelievable" by The Notorious B.I.G. (I've enjoyed that song for years, but never realized Premier was behind it)

I also came across "Ms. Fat Booty", by Mos Def, while looking for "Mathematics." It's not a Premier song, but it's good anyhow. Nothing else on Mos Def's "Black on Both Sides" album grabs me like those two tracks do.

So, those are my suggestions. Check'em out and tell me whatcha think. Also, do you have a secret to hip-hop listening success? If so, let me in on it!
- posted by Jason @ 2:27 PM |

 
Quite Possibly the Sexiest Matchup in the History of the NCAA Tournament

- posted by Jason @ 12:18 PM |

 
Letter B

When I find I can't remember
What comes after
"A" and before "C,"
My mother always whispers,
"Letter B."

She told me "B" starts
"Big" and "bird" and
"Ball" and "bat" and "battery."
Yes, buh-buh-buh-buh-buh means
Letter B.

Letter B, letter B, letter B, letter B.
She whispers "Buh-buh-buh means Letter B."

And when I feel downhearted,
Mother whispers
"B" words constantly,
Like "bib," "Bob," "Bulb," and "bubble,"
Letter B.

Now in my hour of darkness
There's a sound I know will comfort me,
It's the buh-buh-buh-buh-buh of
Letter B.

Letter B, letter B, letter B, letter B.
My mother whispers "B" words,
Letter B.

Letter B, letter B, letter B, letter B.
My mother whispers "B" words,
Letter B.

Letter B, letter B, letter B, letter B.
Bless the "buh-buh" sound of
Letter B.

Please don't whisper these "B" words to any downhearted Jayhawk fans.

Bucknell Bison
Bradley Braves

Those words aren't likely to comfort KU fans in their current hours of darkness.

Are there any other "B" schools left to knock them out of the tourney next year? Maybe the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure. Or how about Brandeis. Do they play D-I basketball?
- posted by Jason @ 11:36 AM |

 
Seton Hall Took A Beatin', Y'all

Since K-State failed, yet again, to make the Big Dance, I decided to adopt the Wichita State Shockers (No, not that shocker. It's actually short for Wheatshockers. We midwesterners like to brag about our crop harvesting skillz. See Nebraska Cornhuskers.) as my team for the NCAA tournament. They certainly got off to a good start, garnering their first NCAA tournament win since 1981 by slamming Seton Hall 86-66.

Tennessee's up next. They looked less than impressive in squeaking past Winthrop. I think the Shockers have an excellent chance to pull off the upset of the #2 seed. We shall see.

¡Bailamos!
- posted by Jason @ 9:07 PM |

 
Got Change For A Billion?
$1B Bank Notes Discovered

U.S. authorities have seized 250 counterfeit bank notes in billion-dollar denominations from a man who smuggled money into the country. The 250 bogus Federal Reserve notes had dates and were stained to make them look old, but no such currency exists, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman. According to The Associated Press, the man has been charged with cash smuggling, but no charges have yet been filed in connection with the1934 issue counterfeit notes. "A billion is a substantial number. We want to ensure that no one was duped or fleeced by the passing of these documents," the customs spokeswoman said.

This recap of a 2001 forgery had me laughing, too.

In 2001, a man bought a sundae at a Dairy Queen in Danville, Kentucky using a phony $200 bill--with George W. Bush on it--and received $198 in change. The back of the bill featured a picture of the White House with lawn signs saying things such as "We like broccoli".

Jeez, I can't believe people fall for this stuff.
- posted by Jason @ 12:12 PM |

 
Disarm You With A Smile
The following is a "personal DNA map" produced by my Personal DNA Report.



Of the several lines in the report used to describe me, this one is my favorite:

"You quietly observe a lot about the world, giving you a keen sense of both how things are and how things should be."

The whole report pretty much hit the nail on the head for me. Take your own quiz if you get the chance. Thanks to Karol and Dawn for pointing this one out.
- posted by Jason @ 7:12 PM |

 
What The Hail?!

We got our first taste of the thunderstorm season early this year and I was lucky enough to drive through it on the way back from the airport. At least we didn't get the baseball-size hail that some areas got. That would've taken out the windshield. Yikes! My car received enough new beauty marks from the smaller stuff. Looks like I may have to make my first insurance claim.
- posted by Jason @ 2:25 PM |

 
Malfunction, Malfunction
I'm tired of wasting time talking to computers on the phone when I'm trying to get some real customer service from a freakin' human being. Thankfully, I found this database, which give tips on how to quickly get to a person at many of the worlds major companies. What a novel idea!
- posted by Jason @ 10:02 AM |

 
Real-life Simpsons
Simpsons fan? If so, you'll get a kick out of this real-life version of the into from The Simpsons.
- posted by Jason @ 9:57 AM |