» News in Brief

We’re movin’ on up

staci baird — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:37:59 +0000

Well we’re movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.

–Lyrics from Movin’ on Up the theme from The Jeffersons TV show

We really did move up. Up one floor to the penthouse. Okay, only kidding, not the penthouse, but it is the top floor in our building. The new apartment has a better layout for entertaining and a much bigger kitchen. More pics of the new apartment posted on Flickr…

One of my friends thinks I’m destined to open a moving company some day.

My mother, and my friends swear I must hold some sort of world record for the number of times I’ve moved. So just for fun, I put together a list of all the places I’ve lived (that I can remember).

From 1992-1996
Lawrence, Kansas

My very first apartment was a one bedroom at Berkley Flats
Then my best friend came back from basic training and we moved into a two bedroom at Berkley Flats
Village Square basement apartment, which flooded not soon after we moved in, so we had to move to…
Village Square second floor apartment
Studio apartment at Trailridge Apartments
House on Ohio Street
Shared one bedroom at Sundance Apartments with best friend, Cary until we moved to a two bedroom at…
1241 Ohio Street. The apartments behind Yellow Sub/Glass Onion at 12th and Ohio
Attic level studio at 13th and Ohio then got lucky and moved to the bigger…
First level studio in the same house

1996-1997
Kansas City, Kansas, lived in a two bedroom in Lenexa. Had a series of roommates – Andy, Shannon, John…but I stayed put. Well, I switched bedrooms a couple times.

1997
Moved back to Lawrence and shared a three bedroom, three bath with Nina Jo and Larry. After summer school, moved to Topeka and lived with parents until moving to Seattle in December.

1998 – 2003
Seattle, Washington

One bedroom at 1st and Broad
Two bedroom, two bath on Capital Hill that I shared with “The Ponger”
West Seattle, shared two bedroom, two bath with LisaLisa Pisa Gumm
One bedroom in Issaquah but only for a few months, then upgraded to a…
Three bedroom in Issaquah
Stayed with James for the summer
Arkona Apartments (with indoor swimming pool in the basement. I always thought it looked and smelled like a petri dish
Two bedroom in Bellevue

Seven moves in five years.

2003-2006

Topeka, Kansas: Temporarily stayed with parents then it was off to…
Lawrence, Kansas: and an attic apartment at the bottom of 14th and Tennessee (walked up that damn hill to the J-School Monday through Friday)
Overland Park, Kansas: Duplex
Eudora, Kansas: Lived with mom for a bit
Lawrence, Kansas: Shared two bedroom apartment with Jay (before we dated) at Highpointe Apartments

2006
Knoxville, Tennessee
Awesome loft at Sterchi Lofts with awesome views of downtown Knoxville.

New York, New York

Stayed with Adam at Hudson Crossing until I sublet…
Charlie Pineapple’s “two” bedroom in Hell’s Kitchen
Cat sit “Sampson” for friend of a friend in Brooklyn near Grand Army Plaza
Back at Adam’s for a few days until I returned to Knoxville

2007
Knoxville, Tennessee
Back at the awesome downtown loft

2008
San Francisco, California
4540 – number five
4540 – number ten

I have moved a lot. But what can say? I guess I’m always looking to move up.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game

staci baird — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:34:52 +0000

LucasArts reveals more info on Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game for Wii and Nintendo DS.

LucasArts Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game for Wii and Nintendo DS, originally uploaded by Girl Journalist.

The Clone Wars

staci baird — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:38:16 +0000

Visit the Clone Wars website to watch the latest Clone Wars movie trailer.
Learn more about characters like Ashoka Tano.
Browse the gallery of characters, vehicles, scenes and concept art.
Download avatars and wallpaper.

Flunking the California driver’s (written) exam

staci baird — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:32:52 +0000

Maybe I should buy this poster?

Yes, I flunked it. This is why I don’t (and obviously shouldn’t) drive a car.

I probably should have studied the California Driver Handbook. But really, who over the age of fifteen studies for a driver’s exam?

Besides, I hate standard tests. HATE them! In fact, here’s a dirty little secret my mom is really going to love… when I took the GRE, I got kinda bored, so I just started randomly picking answers. Yeah. I did that. Hmmm “A” “B” “C” “D” “E” “F” “A”… it made the test go by a lot faster. It also made my GRE scores embarrassingly low. (Big thanks to Professor John Broholm for believing in me enough to let me in the j-school grad program on probation.) But seriously, how is that test supposed to measure my creativity, my energy and my ability to multi-task? Lame.

So, yes I flunked the California driver’s exam… but the good news is, I still got my license!

I anxiously watched the DMV clerk hovering over my test with a red pen. As a new applicant, I was allowed to miss six or FEWER questions. I had to stand on my tip-toes and lean over the counter so I could count the red X’s… X (that’s one). X (that’s two). X (that’s three). X (that’s four). X (that’s five). Oh oh. X (that’s six). Oh oh. X (that’s seven!). FAIL!

I just knew I wasn’t going to pass. I nervously told the clerk that I don’t drive much, if at all, anymore. “I’m a mass transit girl,” I proudly proclaimed. I also pointed out that the “rules” are a bit different in Tennessee, where I just moved from. So the kind lady asked me a couple questions over again until I got one right. When she handed me my temporary ID, she said, “Just for the record, no one in California drives like their supposed to.” That was encouraging, I think. Was she saying I’ll fit right in?

I know you’re dying to know, so here are the questions I missed:
1.Is it illegal for a person 21 years of age or older to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) that is ___ or higher.

.10% – One tenth of one percent
.08% – Eight hundredths of one percent
.05% – Five hundredths of one percent

My first guess was .05%. WRONG!
My second guess was .10%. WRONG again!
The correct answer is .08%.

5. This yellow sign means:

Medical services ahead
There is a “T” intersection ahead
Another road crosses yours ahead

Now this is just downright embarassing. I said “There is a “T” intersection ahead.”
The correct answer is “Another road crosses yours ahead.”

9. When driving a vehicle with air bags, you are safest when seated;

At least 10 inches away from the steering wheel
Within 6 1/2 inches of the steering wheel
With your head positioned directly above the steering wheel

I guessed “Within 6 1/2 inches.”
The correct answer is “At least 10 inches.”

19. If you park along the right-hand curb facing uphill you should:

Keep your wheels facing straight ahead
Turn your front wheels to the right
Turn your front wheels to the left

I said “Turn your front wheels to the right.”
The correct answer is “Turn your front wheels to the left.” Duh! I knew that.

22. If it starts to rain on a hot day, the road is the most slippery:

For the first few minutes
After it has been raining for a few hours
After it has stopped raining

I said “After it has been raining for a few hours.”
The correct answer is “For the first few minutes.”

29. You are entering a freeway. You should check traffic by:

Looking over your shoulder
Using inside and outside mirrors only
Checking all mirrors and turning your head

I said “Using inside and outside mirrors only” because I turn my head and I figured that was probably not the right thing to do.
Correct answer is “Checking all mirrors and turning your head.”

30. Merging onto a road is safest if you:

Slowly move into the nearest lane so other drivers will make room for you
Drive on the shoulder of the road until there is an opening
Wait for a large enough gap in traffic to enter the road

I said “Slowly move into the nearest lane so other drivers will make room for you.”
The correct answer is “Wait for a large enough gap in traffic to enter the road.”

If you’re looking for some fun, you should try taking one of the five sample Regular Driver Class C Written Exams available on the California DMV website. Test Number 5 is my personal favorite.

Death linked to GTA IV?

staci baird — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:46:53 +0000

Last night, in the park, our dog killed a small, furry animal.

The dog nanny left the gory details on a note for us in the kitchen:
Cody was bad today without meaning to be. He killed a small animal at the park. It just popped out of it’s hole for a second and he had snapped it in half before I could pull him away. Even after I told him to drop it, he kept shaking it around and got blood on himself and me. I tried cleaning it off him but there may still be some blood in his fur.

I was shocked. Shocked! How could my innocent baby do such a thing?

Jay and I were discussing the incident over IM today and he said, “It’s because I brought GTA in the house.”

Does this dog look like a killer?

All seriousness aside…
As proud new Playstation3 owners and geeks in the gaming industry, of course, we had to buy GTA the second it hit the stores. I admit though, I have yet to play it. I just sat back and watched Jay for an hour. Then, I got bored and picked up my MacBook. I’m not sure I will ever play the game. It’s not fast-paced enough for me and their hands are too big, way out of proportion with their bodies. (Have I been spending too much time staring at character models? Yes.)

However, I am intrigued by the game and the millions of people who bought it. What’s the appeal? Jay and I have had several conversations on the topic and I’ve asked a lot of questions. Still don’t have any answers.

In the end, whatever the fascination is about, I don’t believe it’s fair to blame the game for people killing people (or dogs killing small, furry animals).

I am one of the last people who would condone unnecessary violence. But the one important fact to note is that the game never explicitly requires you to kill anyone. That is a choice the player makes.