So so awesome

I’m on a bus! Using wifi! On a bus!!! What bus is this? It’s the Megabus that goes from New York to Baltimore/DC. I’m on the top level of this double decker bus (with skylights). I’m headed down to Maryland to go to a surprise party for my friend’s husband and two of his best friends, and so far the day has been great. I’m using my pretty new luggage, which I’ve already been complimented on several times. It’s so warm that it truly is ridiculous, and since I’m headed south, it’s only going to be warmer in Maryland (I didn’t take a coat, which my mother commented on). My hair is mostly cooperating, and it usually improves throughout the day (let’s see what happens if I end up falling asleep on the bus). I get to see my cousin in Baltimore, who’s going to get me over to Annapolis for the party. I’m going to get to wear a dress that is new in the sense that I’ve never worn it, but which I’ve actually had for a couple of months now. So many good things!

Here’s the bus, inside and out. Pictures were taken on my Nokia n85.

Glasses are your friend

Skimming the section of my blog that gives the title of my last five posts, I saw one enitled “This is why I have three brothers?” And I was like, I do??? because, of course, I have only one brother. I knew that (this is not the type of thing that people usually forget), but I couldn’t figure out why I would have lied about something so basic. Looking more closely, I realized that it said, “This is why I have three broswers.” That made much more sense. I see now that I should not try to make my way around the internet if I am not wearing my glasses, as bad things will happen.

Much better

Just days after switching to Firefox 3.1 beta 2 and losing the functionality of some of my add-ons, 3.0.7, and official update, was released. Out of curiosity, I switched to it. I think it may be a little slower, but all of my extensions work again. As that chick on the OC said, God doesn’t give with both hands, right?

Initial impressions

Safari 4 beta is super fast when compared to Safari 3, but is not appreciably faster than Firefox 3.1 beta 2. I’m glad I upgraded both of them, though. This version of Firefox is able to load sites that I used to have to turn to Safari or Opera to see. I don’t know why. Maybe the problem had to do with my add-ons, as several of those did not make the transition to the newer version. The only one I really miss is Tab Mix Plus. I found it invaluable, and can’t wait until it is updated to work with this beta.

I am updating this post to add that neither the newer of the newer versions of Firefox and Safari could handle searching my hotmail account, and Opera handled it without any problems at all. So I guess I really do still need the three.

This is why I have three browsers

I was thinking of Neil LaBute the other day, and then last night I saw a poster for Reasons to be Pretty, his new play. I was like, SCORE! The poster had the following URL on it: http://www.doesthisplaymakemelookfat.com. I went to the web site today using Firefox, which I recently made my default browser. The site opened, but I saw nothing. I tried it in Safari, and behold, the nothingness became stuff. So now I know more about the play, which is something (I guess).

Then I wanted to try out Safari 4 beta, to see whether it can live up to the claims made by Apple. The download page on the Apple web site didn’t work for me in Firefox (0 for 2 today) or Safari (1 for 2), but it did work in Opera 10 alpha, which I think is odd. I just finished the install and am about to restart, and once I’ve messed around with it for a bit, I’ll post my impressions. I guess, actually, that I should go get Firefox 3.1 beta 2 while I’m at it.

I’ll be in my bunk

This web site that sells Ex-Masturbator shirts has been around for a while, but the MetaFilter thread on it is hilarious and kind of makes the ridiculousness fun all over again.

Boo…hiss!

I love love love being a grownup, but hands down, filing taxes must be the worst thing about being an adult. I’d love to pay somebody to do this for me, but I don’t have any complicated investments or anything like that to justify the cost or use of somebody else’s time.

Things that do not surprise me

I haven’t lived in Lynchburg, VA for six years (man, the years have flown by!), but I haven’t forgotten what it was like to live there, either. Every now and then I catch up with what’s going on there by visiting the web site of the News and Advance, the local newspaper. I was saddened, but in no way surprised to see this article about Liberty University’s position on evolution (hint: not favorable towards). I know a lot of people who I respect and think the world of who do not believe in evolution either (we agree to disagree), but I think that a whole institute of learning should probably know better than to endorse an untestable, untried, unprovable theory based on the an account written when people still believed that offering sacrifices of animals, vegetables, and PEOPLE could appease the gods.
My kind of alma mater, Randolph College, comes out looking infinitely more reasonable here.

Duh

Dear Burn Notice,

You cannot have a character played by Lucy Lawless and expect the audience to believe that she is some sweet mother who is suffering because her son was kidnapped. Lucy Lawless is visual shorthand for AWESOME ASSKICKING WOMAN. How is it possible that the casting people didn’t know this??? I was looking for the gun pretty much from her first scene.

Thank you, though, for putting Lucy Lawless and Bruce Campbell back together again. The fake emotional stuff between Evelyn and Michael made me, for the first time, understand exactly how this show could be on the USA Network, but the healthy dose of scary scary hitwoman made me remember why I love it so.

Your fan,
Nicole

She who hesitates…

I knew knew knew that I wanted to go to Jason Mraz’s Birmingham, UK concert this coming April. I already have a ticket to his Dublin show, but I thought that I might as well see him a couple of times while I’m in the UK and Ireland. I’d even gone so far as to amend my hostel reservation in Dublin to allow me a stop over in Birmingham. So why didn’t I just buy my ticket??? I mean, I bought my Dublin ticket a couple of weeks before I got the plane tickets, so what possible excuse could I have? Today I tried to purchase a ticket, and the concert appears to be sold out. Bother! Now I’m left hoping that 1) new tickets will become available through Livemaster (or whatever they’re calling themselves these days), or 2) I can find a reseller whose prices do not make me feel scalped.

Even if I’m not able to get a ticket, I think I’m still going to head to Birmingham. I read a lot of good things about it online that make me think it will be worth visiting, and that will be something, right? Plus, there is a chance that somebody might be selling reasonably priced tickets outside of the show, although I need to see what the law in the UK says about buying/selling in that situation. Wouldn’t want to run afoul of the law on top of everything else!