I feel somewhat like this photo at the moment. I am certainly looking forward to the weekend.

Nobody talks here. That’s the first rule of The Laundromat.

The second rule of The Laundromat–don’t break the first rule.

If you break the first rule, you will be shunned. It’s sort of like being Amish only with more zippers and synthetic dyes.

My friend Curt posted a link to a fun activity on the South Park website in which you can design your own South Park character.

Curt used it to design himself as a South Park character. This inspired my attempt here. If I lived in South Park, I would look similar to this:

P.S. I don’t have cable, so I don’t watch South Park much, if ever. If I did have cable, I would probably watch it from time to time. Yet I would feel disgusted, guilty, and oddly satisfied by the whole experience.

P.S.S. Up until about a week or so ago, I had a beard.

Sweet! I’m ranked #5 on the Yahoo search for “scrubs epiphany toilet.”

It’s always good to be known for the important things in life.

Last weekend was cold AND there was snow on the ground!

This weekend, the sun is out and the temperature is hovering around 70 degrees. I love Texas!

[Editor's Note: As a Texan, I am convinced that this sort of drastic change in weather happens nowhere else on the planet. I believe Texans are taught that fact somewhere around the 2nd grade. As far as I'm concerned, anything north of Dallas is currently under several feet of snow and will be that way until sometime in June. ;-)]

Speaking of iTunes…

I recently purchased an album from the iTunes Music Store called Birds Of My Neighborhood by The Innocence Mission.

I had never heard of this group. I bought it on a whim after listening to only one song sample. It was a really good song. The song was on the Jars of Clay Celebrity Playlist. (An Apple marketing ploy that obviously works.) That recommendation didn’t hurt much, so I bought it.

I listened to the entire album for the first time tonight. Incredible.

There is a deep poetry to every song. There are swirls of emotion in the lyrics, vocals, and guitar. I’m quite impressed.

They’ve released a new album earlier in the year. It’s called Befriended. I think I might have go find it in the next week or so.

NPR music critic Christian Bordal reviewed Befriended in October 2003.

Pepsi and Apple teamed up to give away 100 million free songs. One in every three iTunes-marked Pepsi bottles is a winner. Pretty cool! Free music. Gotta love that.

The problem is that I use iTunes, but I don’t drink Pepsi.

This is Texas. We drink Dr Pepper. It’s a known fact: All Texans drink Dr Pepper.

I know some of you will argue with me on that. You’ll say, “Well, I live in Somewheretown, Texas and I drink blah blah blah.”

In that case, let me repeat myself… This is Texas. We drink Dr Pepper. (I am in no way affiliated with the Dr Pepper marketing division, but I certainly could be if they’d like to be my sponsor. Call me.)

Let’s get back to Pepsi and iTunes. I bought my first special bottle tonight. I tried to use a low-tech hack that I had read about earlier today. (Tilting the bottle let’s you see under the cap, sort of.) Well, I don’t have the hang of it yet. It was a loser. The bottle was fogged up.

I’ve put the Pepsi in the fridge for later. I need to finish my Dr Pepper first.

OK… random little poll…

Go over to http://tenyearsofmylife.com/. Click on the “About The Project” link at the top-right. Scroll down to the bottom.

Who thinks that I look a bit like Matt Haughey, the creator of tenyearsofmylife.com?

I think it’s the nose and glasses. Maybe it’s one of those glass-and-nose sets that you can purchase at the novelty shop.

OK, now you can go back and look through the pictures. My current favorite photo from the site. It had me laughing quite a bit.

First, I have to say up here at the top, so that it isn’t misunderstood: I’m truly grateful for the job that I have. It pays the bills, puts food on the table, and lets me have a pretty decent life.

I just find that working for a multinational conglomerate often lacks a personal touch. Here’s why…

I am approaching the five-year mark at my company.

For the first year anniversary, I received a lapel pin with the company’s name on it. My company’s name has changed twice since I received that pin, so it might be a collector’s item at this point.

In the last week, I have received a rather nice brochure congratulating me for my five years of service. In appreciation for that service, I get to pick one of 18 objects from the brochure as my personal award. This will be the expression of my company’s gratitude for my work.

I have my choice of the following: a crystal vase, a crystal bowl, four watches, two necklaces, two bracelets, a pocket knife, a pen, binoculars, a briefcase, a clock radio, and three desk clocks.

All are emblazoned with a company logo and a blue sapphire set in gold. The brochure has magnified the emblem by a factor of 3 so that it is possible to actually see the sapphire.

The inside cover of the brochure reads as follows. This is labeled as the Executive Message. No names. No signature.

Our company is successful because of the skills, ideas, and efforts you and others contribute to the company. Your dedicated service helps to continually improve our reputation as a leader in our industry.

As we celebrate your milestone service anniversary with our company, I want to extend my best wishes and express our sincere thanks for your contributions to our company.

Please accept this award as an expression of our gratitude. Thank you for choosing to grow with us. We hope your award, like your service, will become increasingly valuable with time.

There’s nothing quite like having a third-party company handle your awards program to express how much you truly care. :-)

I’m looking forward to receiving my clock. It’s a nice one.

Best idea ever: an epiphany toilet!

The janitor installed a toilet on the roof of the hospital. It has a great view! It was supposed to be a secret but word got around.

Scrubs is such a great show! One of my favorites.