Travsite.com: July 2006
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Off-Road Trip - Pilot Rock to Arrowhead
7/30/2006
On Saturday, we tried to make a day trip from Silverwood Lake up to Big Bear, and then drive around a bunch of trails in Big Bear. Due to many unfortunate circumstances, we barely made it up to Arrowhead. It was still a fun trip, and we got pretty dirty. Go here for the pics.
Labels: off-road
Trip to the Orange County Fair
7/28/2006
Jessica and I went to the OC Fair today. Along with deep fried onion rights, they sell 18" sausage dogs. I just had to try it.
Labels: food, orange county
Saving gas
7/20/2006
Today I discovered that there is an express bus route from downtown Fullerton, where I live, directly to the University Research Park, which is the commercial complex at UC Irvine where I work. The bus had plenty of room, was air conditioned and took the carpool lane all the way down the 55 freeway. I got to work in about 45 minutes door-to-door, which is about the same as it would take me to drive... except I got to read the newspaper instead of pounding my fists in traffic.Cost: $1.25
This could be a new thing for me.
Labels: orange county, work
Is Your Name Popular?
Here's something new: Enter your name and find out how popular it was across generations with NameVoyager.As you can see from the chart, the name "Travis" peaked in the 80's.
I made a few other observations:- "Jessica" was the number one name in the 1980's
- "Bertha" was on a severe decline throughout the 20th century.
- "Bart" fell off the charts after the first season of The Simpsons.
- I'm not sure why, but the name "Latoya" took a dive after the 80's.
- "Spock" did not make the list at any point in recent history.
Labels: random, technology
Backfire: Fiji Water vs. Cleveland
7/19/2006
I love this stuff....A snooty advertisement for Fiji Water boasts "it's not bottled in Cleveland".
Cleveland Water Department responds with a scientific comparison of the two waters.
It turns out that Fiji Water has more arsenic and other contaminants than Cleveland tap water.
When asked why they continue to drink Fiji water, Fiji drinkers replied "Because that's what the fashion magazine told me to do".
Here is the story.
Labels: random
Arnold and Mobile Phones
7/13/2006
Today I tuned in to the radio to hear Governor Schwarzenegger talk about his attempt to ban the use of non-hands-free cell phones in cars.Schwarzenegger's excuse: [Ahnold voice] "There are too many buh-tons".
Since I was sitting in traffic with nothing to do, I counted the buttons on the dashboard of my car.
78 buttons on my dashboard vs. 16 buttons on my cell phone.
If the buh-tons are so dangerous, we need to ignore cell phones and immediately legislate the use hands-free cars.
Labels: random, technology
Dog Beach in Huntington
7/09/2006
We went to Dog Beach in Huntington today. Moby looks pretty scary when he's wet.
Labels: orange county
Get ready for the OC Fair
7/06/2006
It's hokey, cheesy and a complete ripoff. So why do I return to the Orange County Fair every summer?- Farm animals. I hate cows and pigs, but I still walk through the agriculture buildings every year. Don't know why. It stinks.
- The Glass blower. I've seen it done 20 times over the years. I still have to stop and watch the guy heat the glass and blow on it. Weird.
- Quilting competition. I walk through the exhibit just because I can't believe that people have fun making quilts. Whatever floats your boat.
- Deep fried crap. Every year the carneys manage to fry up something new. Deep fried Oreos, deep fried Twinkies... I can't wait to see what they'll fry this year.
- The random exhibit. One year my Dad made me walk through the Weird Al Yankovic tribute tent. It was very informative.
- The infomercial booth guys. These brave, energetic souls put on wireless mics and do endless live infomercials trying to sell us revolutionary knives, cutting-edge vacuum cleaners or timeshares in Florida. Nobody can resist a good infomercial, so people gather around - but do they buy?
Labels: orange county
Happy Fourth of July
7/04/2006
What ever happened to all of the good fireworks? Bottle rockets, sparklers, Black Cats... they've all been replaced with booring sparkle fountains and Piccolo Pete noisemakers. Then we wonder why some people resort to shooting guns into the air.
A fireworks stand in Costa Mesa, filled with some of the least exciting fireworks since the Han dynasty.Labels: orange county