I was awoken this morning at 5:37am by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake in southern Illinois. Nothing appears to be broken and everyone is ok.

This was the first time I have every been able to feel an earthquake and it was very cool (because no one was hurt). The bed vibrated rhythmically with enough force to wake me up (though oddly not enough to disturb Libby). It was as if the house was on top of a clothes dryer. I could hear a constant grumbling sound, like a mellow clap of thunder lasting for about 20 seconds. Then it was over and everything was silent again.

UPDATE: Early this afternoon I (and my co-workers) felt another aftershock. It was milder and shorter than the initial tremor, but still surprisingly strong for how far away the epicenter was.

I know it’s bad form to post three times in one day but I MUST celebrate what just happened…

I GOT A Wii!!

I am so unbelievably excited, it’s difficult to describe. I just can’t wait for it to arrive… should be here in a few days.

Circuit City still had a few left when I checked out (a co-worker was trying to get one too). Thanks to WiiTracker for the tipoff.

Woot! Hulu is online:

You can watch television shows, sports, and movies directly (and legally) from the networks. It’s freakin’ awesome.

Oh man, I cannot WAIT for the fourth (and final) installment of the Indiana Jones series - “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”! Here is a preview trailer that was just released today:

Check out this video of “other” Mike’s vocal cords:

See how the vocal cords begin to resonate rhythmically after a short while? Isn’t that awesome! It’s strangely hypnotic to watch the actual vocal cords vibrate - I wish we could watch it as he spoke words or sang a song.

Additionally, I was surprised that our vocal cords look so much like female privates. In light of this new insight I’m thinking we need to call it something more appropriate… my vote is for “voice box vagina”. Or perhaps “vocal va-jay-jay,” for those who shy away from the medically correct “V” word.

For Halloween I put on a large blue sheet with cotton balls attached in various places. I also carried around a spray bottle. My costume was called “Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Showers.” Vincent also wore a costume to work - he was Mumm-ra the Ever-Living (from Thundercats)!

We looked pretty freakin’ sweet:

Vincent is pretty damn cool (in a geeky way), especially when it comes to costumes. He always makes his own, sewing most of the complicated outfits by hand. I’ve decided to share a collection of his costumes from over the years - MegaMan and Syndrome (from The Incredibles) are my favorites:

The reasons to keep paying for cable are dwindling: as of Thursday at noon “The Daily Show” is legally available online! The site already contains over 16,000 video clips, including the previous night’s show.

For once television executives seem to understand that a viewer online is the same as a viewer on the couch. Gee, what a concept.

Shannon, Libby, and I spent a long (relaxing) weekend in Virginia with Shannon’s parents. I’m back in Indiana now: Shannon and Libby won’t return until Thursday.

It’s eerie how quiet the house is… it feels still and lifeless. I miss my wife and daughter.

However, until they get home I will be enjoying the solitude. Tonight I’ve been listening to a lot of music and I wanted to share a few tracks that really tweaked my ears:

• Say It Right by Nelly Furtado from Loose
  I love the rhythmic layered sound
• Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne from The Best Damn Thing
  Grrrrl rock rules when Avril sings it.
• What Goes Around…Comes Around by Justin Timberlake from FutureSex LoveSounds
  Shannon’s favorite
• A Violent Yet Flammable World by Au Revoir Simone from The Bird of Music
  A wispy soft ballad
• The Bar Song by Jack Zerby from The EP
  A great, catchy song: worth your time

In case you are wondering where those last two songs can be found the answer is Amie Street, a novel DRM-free online music store. All music starts out free. As more people buy a given song the price inches up (to a maximum of $0.98/track).

If you recommend a song on Amie Street and it continues to increase in popularity they pay you a portion of the price increase, so there is a strong motivation for users to find good emerging artists and recommend them. This has a beneficial effect for the rest of the users, since new (good) music is quick to rise to the top.

Their site still needs a bit of work (I wish the guys from AllOfMp3 would give them some tips), but I can’t imagine buying my songs in any other way. Most songs/albums are cheap as hell, it’s LEGAL, and there is no DRM so you can play the music anywhere (iPod, computer, laptop, stereo, etc)!

About a week ago a robin had made a nest on the side of our swingset, but the nest promptly fell down due to weather or kids (we’re not sure which). I found her nest on the ground while mowing and wedged it back into place, and by the end of that same day she had laid her first egg:

We’ve roped off the area around her nest and made sure all the kids know not to mess with her eggs. Since then she has laid another egg (for a total of two) and so far seems to be doing well. Here’s hoping we have some baby birds soon!

Feeling stressed? The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society has a very soothing life-sized whale for you to watch swim by… perfect to calm the nerves for those late nights of feeding and burping

(via inkycircus)