Whale Wars!!

Making its way around the news wire today is a story about a Japanese security ship ramming a Sea Shepherd Conservation Society catamaran. The story is pretty interesting, so you should go read it - here are the things that stood out to me.

1. The SSCS boat looks super-cool. Batman would be jealous: 2. There's a new ocean?...and it has been around for nine years?? I am a terrible geography nerd.

3. I have a renewed desire to watch this show.

4. I want to create and sail that ship around Lake Monona, singing pirate songs and drinking rum.

Seasonality Map

I came across a really useful, informative, and easy to use map today. The map tells what foods are in season, letting the user choose what state and month to display. This is something that I've been wanting to find for a while now - I've been going to the farmer's market for a couple of years, but I still don't have a solid grasp of all the produce that's in season in Wisconsin. The map isn't an exhaustive authority on all foods, but it seems to be a great start. After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma a few apartments ago* I got fairly interested in seasonal eating and slow food. Combine that with maps? I'm sold!

Map found at Epicurious.

*Maybe this is just me, but since I've been living in apartments I think I've started keeping time by them as well. I've got multiple calendars in my head now, and it's getting confusing. Calendar year, school year, field seasons, apartment years, baseball season...I need to consolidate my brain.

Alter Ego

This past weekend, I experienced the loss of a dear friend. Prior to going to a band concert on Saturday afternoon, I tore the sleeve of a blue (baby blue, if you will) striped shirt that I've probably had since before senior year of high school.
Not a crushing loss by any means, but mildly disappointing. Once I moved past the initial shock, the realization of what had occurred gradually dawned on me. Yes, friends. I, meek and nerdy Jeff Ingebritsen, am the Hulk II. Watch out, Edward Norton.


Just try to imagine the smile as a howl of rage and the arms being gigantic and aggressive rather than dorky and pre-teen. There you have it. Hulk II.

Distractions

It seems that my brain works best when there are several different tasks vying for my attention - in fact, while writing this post I am also watching Bull Durham (the overdubbed lines are fairly ridiculous), reading about the apocalypse, frustrating Calli with the sluggish pace of my writing, and playing one of the assorted games and puzzles that are oh-so-addicting. On a regular day, here are the ways I kill time:

Kenken
Hashi
Kakuro
Battleships
Pic-a-Pix
Crossword
Crickler
PlayFour
Sets

Also, I have completed/won more than anybody's fair share of Minesweeper, Freecell, and Solitaire. Good times.

Regrets

I regret two things today, and have decided to share them with the world to ease my pain.

1: I took too long getting out of bed today to write a more drawn-out post, and will be away from my computer tonight. I can't fail my resolution on January 2nd, so a short one will have to do.

2: My dad didn't stretch me out by letting me hang on clothes hangers when I was a child, then teach me a curveball and show me to Jim Hendry. Seriously, the man is giving money away.


January 3rd update: Apparently blogger decided that it didn't want Jeff to be able to keep his resolution, and completely befuddled me in my attempts to post this yesterday. You'll have to trust me that this was actually written and ready to go yesterday, readers. (Mom)

Jeff Ingebritsen: Lounge Pianist

Are you adding a note or a person?

To close out 2009, I traveled down to Freeport, Illinois to play piano at Cannova's. It's a nice Italian restaurant with a piano in the center of the dining area. I played from 5:45 to 8:45, mainly doing the usual jazz standards but mixing in some Beatles, Billy Joel, and Once music.
Going into the night, I was fairly nervous. I haven't actually done any restaurant-background-ambience type playing before, and the owner of the restaurant is a very talented musician in his own right. However, the night went "wonderfully."*

To see some photos from the evening, go here. If you want to taste some killer lasagna, go to Cannova’s. It was amazing, and I only got Calli’s leftovers. Even so, I had no complaints.

*sources may be less than objective, given that they are my:
mother
father
girlfriend


On a side note, I may have resolved to have something new on this blog each day of 2010. It’s 10:06 P.M. on January 1st, and here’s the first post of the year. I’m already pushing things - it does not look promising for my resolution...

Big Ten Expansion?

I created a map and chart examining some of the potential additions to the Big 10 - you can read the post at Buckys 5th Quarter, the Badgers blog hosted on SBNation. Go check it out!