tumbledry

Beauty synonym

Just learned a word I have absolutely never heard before. Pulchritude, meaning beauty. Attempts to pronounce it begin now.

Bamboo fabric

While taking a shower this morning, I was reading the fabric content of our wedding-gift washcloths. 70% cotton. 30% bamboo. Bamboo? Interesting. According to Wikipedia, bamboo fabric is:

  1. Naturally antibacterial
  2. Capable of absorbing 50% more water than cotton
  3. Doesn’t build up a static charge

I haven’t been able to find any primary literature backing up these claims, but the washcloths sure are nice.

2 comments left

Picture Hanging

Dental student + picture hanging. Not a good combination. But, damn, are those pictures straight.

2 comments left

Hobbit House

From an email from Mykala this past May. Apartment Therapy presents: Hobbit House in Wales.

Paternity Ward

Nicholas D. Kristof - Crisis in the Operating Room:

Outside, her husband, Allahdita, was grieving but philosophical. “It is God’s will,” he said, shrugging. “There is nothing we can do.”

That’s incorrect. If men had uteruses, “paternity wards” would get resources, ambulances would transport pregnant men to hospitals free of charge, deliveries would be free, and the Group of 8 industrialized nations would make paternal mortality a top priority. One of the most lethal forms of sex discrimination is this systematic inattention to reproductive health care, from family planning to childbirth — so long as those who die are impoverished, voiceless women.

4 comments left

Memory circle

For our wedding, we received an air freshener called “Clean Linen” by White Barn Candle Company. Mykala plugged it in today, and I realized that 5 years ago, someone (Dan McKeown?) in the dorms at St. Thomas had an air freshener that had the exact same scent.

So, according to my limited memory from my neuroscience course (ha, irony!), olfactory (scent) memories are quite intense, due to the proximity of olfactory neurons to the emotionally-intense limbic system. Soo, this scent is dredging up these fond, weirdly conflicted college dorm transition memories while I am simultaneously feeling these newly wed making-a-house-a-home transition feelings.

It’s a smell-powered memory-circle.

1 comment left

Honeymoon Foods

Mykala: “Maui onion rings with banana ketchup!”
Alex: “Sounds delicious!”
Mykala: “Sounds like a toot storm.”

1 comment left

Al Franken and the Odd Politics of Minnesota

I love my wife Mykala because she points out wonderful articles in the NYTimes for me. Independence Days - Al Franken and the Odd Politics of Minnesota:

“Minnesota Nice” is real. It’s why you see seed art at the Minnesota State Fair, a popular local art form, expressing all kinds of political and cultural thinking. It’s hard to think of another state in the union where you’d see gay-themed art made out of mix of flax and corn seed.

A proper wedding post will happen.

The Impossible Cool

And….. best new blog ever: the impossible cool.

Waiting for wedding envelopes to print!

Bachelor Party

Just returned from a wonderful night out (aka bachelor party) with my great friends Matt, Steve, John, Nils, Dan, Ryan, and Chris! We went to a great place in Maple Grove called Dave & Buster’s — featuring food, bar, and full gaming area. I came home with the prizes from the night — Gophers fan hand, Dave & Buster’s novelty soccer ball, and poker chips + cards + box! Awesome! So, it was exactly the kind of night I had in mind — nobody puked, nobody was naked, and everybody will be able to get into work tomorrow! I need to get out with these guys more often.

Many thanks go out to my best man, Mr. Matthew T. Prestegord, for putting this together. I had a great time!

Mis-match of the night: me vs. Rupert on wolf hunting. Chris: 3000+ points. Alex: no points.

Punchline of the night: “number munchers.” Courtesy Markoe.

Game of the night: well, that’s for us to discuss in the comments.

2 comments left

More