Kopaka's Ice Engineering

Red, green, yellow, my moderator-ship pre-dates proto energy, maybe White, dark green (and then people decided to torpedo it down to 4.3 :angry: ), light blue, purple was valid about 15 years ago, do you have one for Mars? I could look up the name of the Orion star, but I'm just getting over seeing a nebula (or was it star dust?) near the belt in a telescope the other night. Seriously, for all the times I've looked at Orion, I had never seen that cloud around the top of the scabbard. -KIE, not really keeping count.

The "E" word no part-time brass player wants to hear when he's just busted his chops by playing for the first time in 12 months. Also the title of an article in yesterday's paper I thought was very interesting: Just some food for thought, and the ears... -KIE

*maniacal laughter* -KIE

My girlfriend & I watched it last night. Well, most of it. We couldn't stomach it past the cars blowing up. -KIE

Why no more blue jackets?

Amanda & I went on a vain attempt to pass the night together earlier tonight. It was an epic series of failure, à la a previous mall encounter. (That watch now says 2 AM, by the way.) I was reminded of another favorite anime of my college days, and set out, with Amanda, to go find it so that I could introduce her to another storyline. We went to fye at the Esplanade Mall, and they didn't have it (Which one? You'll find out at a later date.), but, amazingly, they could order it. Order placed, waiting begins. We then head to Olive Garden, to try their new stuffed lasagna dishes. Unfortunately, Olive Garden is packed out with about an hour's wait. Okay, so we go to her first choice: IHOP. (She'd forgotten about Olive Garden before I brought it up.) Afterwards, to go work off some calories, we went to All Star Lanes, just up Williams Boulevard from IHOP in Kenner. Place was packed out. Literally packed out, as Friday night was league night, and no lanes would be open until 9:45, about 2 hours wait. Okay, so we decide to go catch a movie. Rumor said another pirate film had opened today, but by the time we got to the theater, they weren't showing that one for the rest of the day. Instead, we watched I Am Legend. While it is a standard ruse for a guy to initiate a thriller-type of movie to elicit some clinging from his girlfriend, it doesn't work if the guy can't stomach the film. News Flash: neither of us are thriller-type movie people. We walked out 5 minutes after the cars were all detonated. I don't know how it ends, and I'm not sure I want to know. I think this falls under the category of "making memories", but I just want to get some sleep tonight, that's all. -KIE

Omi in a blue jacket? NO WAY -KIE, a former cartpusher

Been busy for the past week. Anyone noting the entry ID number on this post will notice that this is from last year. This is true: I started writing an entry about what I got for Christmas. I started in draft, and got really busy. For any of you wondering, a partial list is below: WHAT I GAVE: Amanda:a Victoria's Secret gift card (Juvenile comments from the peanut gallery will be deleted.)a bottle of perfume: Ralph Lauren Bluea $20 IOU because underarmour.com can't keep their inventory straight. Other: A Yankee Candle-in-a-jar to the "$20 Dirty Santa" pool, eventually to Forrest Forbes.A golf disc each to my brother & sister-in-lawAn Eeyore mug & pin (which will be converted to an ornament) to my momA Team Fortress 2 wall poster, showing off Sasha, the Heavy Weapons Guy's mini-gun (thing weighs over 340 lb, I can't imagine there's much "mini" about it) to my brotherAn LSU straw hat to my dad (FINALLY something he'll wear)A beating to the Wii computer in Wii Boxing: 4 knockdowns but no knockout. I swear that clock is much too fast.WHAT I GOT:XM Radio (from Amanda)A nifty little pot scrubber from the "$20 Dirty Santa" pool (beats getting one of the 5 bottles of Crown Royal, or the bottle of Amaretto, or the fifth of Jack Daniels, or...)$30 gift card to Tangier Outlet mall in Gonzales, LA (from Mom & Dad)$25 gift card to JC Penney (from Mom & Dad)$50 gift card to Walmart (from Mom & Dad)A nice corduroy jacket (from Mom & Dad) (Came in handy: I had only packed T-shirts and the temperatures dropped to freezing in Monroe.)A spiffy blue McNeese polo shirt, with an unnecessarily athletic fabric (from Mom & Dad)$50 in Best Buy gift cards (from Amanda's parents & sister & brother-in-law)$10 cash (from Amanda's paternal grandmother)Embarrassed at Wii baseball. I knew hitting was my weak point, but good grief: I scored 1 run in 6 games against Amanda! (3 were 0-0 ties)This past weekend, Amanda & I went to Lake Charles for Saturday & Sunday. Why? Well, I needed a haircut, and I was thoroughly unimpressed with SuperCuts last time: I could get a better $8 cut at home than what I paid $14 for here. No, the price of gas didn't justify, but the existence of family did. While we were at my parents' house, the local news ran a story about a Titanic exhibit at the old courthouse in town. I got the opportunity to show Amanda one of the most non-cookie-cutter fast food joints in Louisiana (a Wendy's that used to be a Hardee's that used to be a bank lobby), the place where I worked the summer & winter before going to Ohio (and meeting her ), and where 4 Gators on the Geaux (some cast concrete alligators scattered around Lake Charles, another entry) SHOULD have been. Unfortunately, some miscreants have sought to vandalize these bits of local art (like Seattle does pigs). Like I said: another entry. Back to the exhibit, I'm not sure if any of you have been to a Titanic exhibit, (and I think that this is a thing they do at most of them), but they gave us each a boarding pass of a passenger of the ill-fated ship. Mine: Benjamin Hart, a second class passenger en route to Canadia. He didn't survive the wreck. I don't know if I'd feel a bigger connection if I had a relative on the ship, but in all honesty I don't care that much. I chalk it up to Man saying "I've accounted for everything; this plan I have made cannot fail." and God replying "Ha. I'll show you what your ego net you." With all the engineering statements and all the ice in the water, there's something to be said for tempting fate. Time to go back into hiding. Geaux Tigers. -KIE

You will let me know as soon as you install Team Fortress 2. This was not a request. -KIE

You haven't blogged since last year...how long has it been since LarryBoy made a cameo here?! -KIE

My head hurts. What year is it? In all seriousness, we don't have a giant glowing ball of light bulbs. Instead, New Orleans has a pot of gumbo. Amanda, her mom, & I rang in the new year at Jackson Square this morning. Despite 5 false-starts, we had a first New Year's kiss, and, heeeee. Sorry, the stupid grin just came back, and I can't seem to shake it. My bowl picks are a mess, and I'm sick of coughing & blowing my nose (caught something at the end of last week). But 2008 is looking up. I'm looking forward to so much this year. So many things that the lot of you will never hear. And still, I'm happy and excited. Happy New Year, folks. -KIE

Poinsettia United States Naval Academy (+9½) over Utah Utah 35, Navy 32 New Orleans Florida Atlantic (-2½) over Memphis FAU 44, MEM 27 Mobile..er, papajohns.com Southern Mississippi (+10½) over Cincinnati CIN 31, USM 21 New Mexico New Mexico (-2½) over Nevada UNM 23, NEV 0 Las Vegas Brigham Young (-6½) over California-Los Angeles BYU 17, UCLA 16 Aloha, er, Hawaii Boise State (-11½) over East Carolina ECU 41, BSU 38 Motor City Central Michigan (+9½) over Purdue PUR 51, CMU 48 Holiday Arizona State (+1½) over Texas-Austin UT 52, ASU 34 Champs Sports Boston College (-3½) over Michigan State BC 24, MSU 21 Emerald Maryland-College Park (+4½) over Oregon State ORST 21, MD 14 ev1.net, uh, GalleryFurniture.com, er, Houston, um Texas Houston (+3½) over Texas Christian TCU 20, HOU 13 Meineke Car Care Connecticut (+3½) over Wake Forest WF 24, CONN 10 Liberty Central Florida (-2½) over Mississippi State MSU 10, UCF 3 Alamo Pennsylvania State (-5½) over Texas A&M-College Station PSU 24, A&M 17 Independence Colorado-Boulder (+3½) over Alabama-Tuscaloosa ALA 30, COL 24 Armed Forces United States Air Force Academy (+4½) over California-Berkley Sun South Florida (-6½) over Oregon Humanitarian, uh, MPC Computers Fresno State (+4½) over Georgia Institute of Technology Music City Florida State (+1½) over Kentucky Peach, er Chick-fil-A Auburn (+2½) over Clemson Insight Oklahoma State (-4½) over Indiana Hall of Fame, er, Outback Tennessee-Knoxville (-3½) over Wisconsin-Madison Cotton Missouri-Columbia (-3½) over Arkansas-Fayetteville Gator Virginia (+5½) over Texas Tech Citrus, er Capital One Florida-Gainesville (-9½) over Michigan Rose Southern California (-13½) over Illinois-Champaign ...that's almost too many points, but still, the Illini have no business being in that game. Sugar Hawai'i (+10½) over Georgia-Athens (I smell a shootout.) Fiesta Oklahoma-Norman (-6½) over West Virginia Orange Virginia Tech (-3½) over Kansas-Lawrence International Ball State (+10½) over State University of New Jersey GMAC Tulsa (-4½) over Bowling Green BCS Louisiana State-Baton Rouge (-6½) over Ohio State Last year: 22-10 (19-13 vs. spread) This year: 7-8 (6-9 vs. spread) Key: Correct Correct versus spread only Correct straight up, but not against the spread Incorrect -KIE, who reserves the right to update and republish this throughout the bowl season.

I want a Pavarotti voice 'cause I'm a scary Connick A solo show with the philharmonic No fake Monet Hey the real Van Gogh A Seventeen, Cover Girl, Vogue, Cosmo (Woo hoo hoo) It's a beautiful thing (Woo hoo hoo) To be loved by you (Woo hoo hoo) Oh that'll be enough to get me through It's a beautiful thing I'll take the Rockies gift-wrapped or the Grand Tetons. Add a truckload of those cherry bonbons A '54 fire red collector's car A doggie-bag trip to the money super bar (Woo hoo hoo) It's a beautiful thing (Woo hoo hoo) To be loved by you (Woo hoo hoo) Oh that'll be enough to get me through It's a beautiful thing There's no trade Nothing could persuade I'm no fool You're so beautiful Yeah, so beautiful Yeah 16 bar cow bell solo, with 8 bars of guitar and 8 bars of whistling (Woo hoo hoo) It's a beautiful thing (Woo hoo hoo) To be loved by you (Woo hoo hoo) Oh that'll be enough to get me through It's a beautiful thing (Woo hoo hoo) It's a beautiful thing (Woo hoo hoo) To be loved by you (Woo hoo hoo) Oh that'll be enough to get me through It's a beautiful thing (Woo hoo hoo) It's a beautiful thing (Woo hoo hoo) It's a beautiful thing (Woo hoo hoo) Oh that'll be enough to get me through It's a beautiful thing

But what about the sword-chucks? -KIE

New Orleans.

Against all manner of common sense, I am writing a blog entry at work. Right now, at 9:00 PM. On Sunday. I should be accomplishing what I'm here for. After all, I start full-time at the Joseph S. Yenni building tomorrow, actually in 11 hours, while certain elements of a submittal are still not yet done. And yet, I feel compelled to recount the events of this weekend. Besides, my computer is doing its thing right now, so there's not much else I can do to speed it along. TubaChristmas Alexandria 2007 was loads of fun. Tomiku again beat me out for the furthest distance traveled (245 miles from Thibodaux vs. 220 miles from Metairie vs. 182 miles for this guy from somewhere in east Texas), and I'm curious what it was he got. Still, I've now got 10 buttons, so I win. Lady K, I realize you couldn't make it. It's okay. There will be next year. And if not next year, well, there will be some point in the future. Don't give yourself a stomachache over it. Amanda & I took our time getting back to New Orleans, and upon our arrival, we mellowed out/warmed up for about 45 minutes, and then went stargazing. There was a meteor shower that peaked Thursday night/Friday morning, in the Gemini constellation. I forget the name. To avoid the light pollution, we drove out to Edgard, and pulled over into a sugarcane field. 47° F wasn't that unbearable, but the 15 mph wind out of the north, whistling through the cane that went unharvested, chased us back in the car after a mere 10 minutes. No meteors, but we did see Mars. (I would've never guessed that was a planet and not a star.) Christmas on the Boulevard was great too. No musical necktie went off during the performance this week, either. Amanda left about 20 minutes ago after having helped me partially empty my office. I'm being run out of this office so all personal effects need to vamoose. The cupboards look a bit bare with all my stuff out of here. And yet, I'm not gone myself. I'm losing my office window, but gaining a new set of downs, to borrow a term from a football game I'm missing out on watching with Amanda. I'm going to be learning all the stuff that couldn't have been taught in school, and won't be part of the PE exam in April. And I'm sacrificing my internet access to do it. That's right: no more midmorning postings from KIE. Oh, I'll still post here. But, the times will be much closer to prime "server overload" time. Thus, if you like what you've read here for the past year and a half (because it does go back that far), please bookmark the link or put it in your favorites, as it will likely become a bit more difficult to find for the next year. And still, I should be working. G'night, everybody. -KIE, who republished this because he forgot something.

Not to be nitpicky or anything, but the first day of Christmas is December 25, not December 14. Similarly, the twelfth day of Christmas is January 6, not December 25. Anyway... -KIE

Just don't dump salt on the fries, else your patrons' cardiologists will dislike you even more. -KIE

204½ lb., 24.5% body fat. Spring training for softball is in two months. Christmas isn't even here yet, and I need to get back on a diet. And I didn't even get to enjoy any eggnog. *sigh* -KIE

I'll wager it doesn't block mine. -KIE

Epic. The only word for it: Epic. -KIE

An MTV for music? How novel! Let's call it "Music TeleVision." Oh wait. -KIE

This is why I always put my credit card back in my wallet before leaving the cashier. Of course, that's not to say I haven't misplaced my wallet sometimes. Just never outside my apartment. -KIE

"...Comet Tuttle last seen in 1980, before most of us were born..." Gee, thanks for rubbing in my age there... -KIE, born in 1979

Don't forget to pick up the OB while you're at it. I want to play TF2 with more BZPers than just one of my bosses. On BZP, not at work. -KIE