Men and Diets

So CNN has this headline today that made me click in: "NutriSystem lures men with pizza, sex"

And I said to Brian before reading, "I wonder if they make them choose."

hln

Mechanism

Uploaded this song to MacJams - playing around with GarageBand.

hln

Baby Update

I'm finally out of morning sickness (which was never really all that bad - just felt OFF, and it wasn't really just the morning) and in that "is she fat or she pregnant stage." I'm holding out another week for maternity clothes and getting by with rubber bands and loose shirts.

On Wednesday we will learn the baby's gender, and that's very, very exciting. I'm still waiting anxiously to be kicked (in any other context that's masochistic, yes).

Ironically, business travel has picked up, and I've had two trips in the last two months with the possibility of more to come. I'm really missing my former level of physical fitness (a distant memory) when it comes to heavy luggage, though I'm thoroughly amused by people who tell me I shouldn't lift anything.

I've put out a "no pink" alert to my mother who's very eager to shop for baby clothes. Red, purple, yellow, even blue for girls. But please don't pink my kid. I should be safe from this if we've got a boy.

I'll post gender (but I need to let Brian know first, so it may not be until Thurs).

hln

Verbal Genius Anyway

Took the "Mensa" test, the validity of which I question. I've seen at least 8 - 10 of these before just from little quizzes my mother the English teacher had access to and foisted upon me in my youth.

The test refers to itself too much. It'd be better if there were no overlap. I got 28.5 out of 33 - couldn't ever get the spelling right on one because it wasn't done in vernacular, but I had the terms right.

I'm no dummy, but I'm no genius, either. I'd say I'm just an excellent pattern matcher, which serves me really well in my job.

So, if you've visited the site and taken the test, did you notice the grammar error in one of the answers?

hln

Questioning the Data

According to this article in CNN, a study cites that "More than half of students at four-year colleges -- and at least 75 percent at two-year colleges -- lack the literacy to handle complex, real-life tasks such as understanding credit card offers"

Wow, we're in for a world of hurt if that's true. Later...

Almost 20 percent of students pursuing four-year degrees had only basic quantitative skills. For example, the students could not estimate if their car had enough gas to get to the service station. About 30 percent of two-year students had only basic math skills.

How about this - if it's close to E at all, find the nearest service station and fill up. If you're really that dumb, you won't even find the need to compare gas prices. Rocket science, no?

At the end of the article: "On campus, the tests were given in 2003 to a representative sample of 1,827 students at public and private schools." How about the more likely explanation - the 1827 students didn't give a rat's ass about this test.

The issue here isn't college. If these things are TRULY menacing problems, the problem is lack of a solid high school education. Everybody's got a weak spot (I had some stock do a 3 for 2 split, and the math for that wasn't immediate for even software developer me), but, really, people, I'm more likely to believe test takers didn't care/weren't applying themselves than I am to worry about college grads not being able to function in society.

hln

Terrorism and Poetry Readings

So I read on CNN: Bin Laden's No. 2 releases poetry tape

And the first thing that came to mind was Robert Burns' A Red, Red Rose

Can't you see it?

O MY Luve 's like a red, red rose
  That 's newly sprung in June:
O my Luve 's like the melodie
  That's sweetly play'd in tune!

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,     5
  So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
  Till a' the seas gang dry:

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
  And the rocks melt wi' the sun;  10
I will luve thee still, my dear,
  While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
  And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,   15
  Tho' it were ten thousand mile.

And in my mind he had a Scottish accent.

hln