What's up, world. Oh me? Not much, just having a personal photo shoot featuring the shortest hair of my adult life and terrible lighting. I think I ask other people to indulge me way more than my fair share but guess what, it's about to happen again. Check it.
Commentary: It was really hard to keep it to only two peace signs. My skin does not really glow supernaturally. Side and top views are apparently important inclusions. My bangs do poke my eyeballs sometimes. It is not the worst thing ever; neither is it the best. I'm pretending the off-center pictures create a more interesting layout. All of these pictures do look better in their original size, I think. You can click on one or more for proof. Let me know if you want a recommendation for a nice salon in Provo--they even offer you a beverage when you arrive. Unless you hate my haircut, then you probably don't want to go there. Not even for the can of soda with a straw stuck in it. Bravo has the best reality shows, besides SYTYCD.
You know how sometimes somebody will ask you about somebody else in a very general way, as in, "oh, you're dating someone new? What's he like?" Or maybe something along the lines of, "so tell me about your boss." They're not looking for any specific information, just whatever little bits of that person you find worthy of sharing. In most cases I hate this type of question, because come on, what is there to say? With most people I love dearly, despite the fact that they are completely awesome, there's not really any great way to convey their utter coolness to someone else just with a few summarizing statements. "Well.. he/she likes music, and things that are fun. Sometimes he/she says interesting or funny things. Other times he/she's in more of a quiet mood, and doesn't talk as much. Umm.. I'm sure he/she has some hobbies." Yeah, not so fascinating. But! There is one person whom I love to be asked about. Because he may very well be the Most Interesting Person I Know, and it's so easy to quickly spout off loads of intriguing tidbits about him. And it just so happens that he fathered me. Presenting Gary Lee Keck, ______ extraordinaire. There is nothing this man cannot do. Scuba dive all over the world in exotic locales? No problem. Build an entire house from start to finish with his own hands, including all electric/plumbing work? Ain't no thang. Be King of the Army? Check. Work as a prison guard at Shawshank? Old news. Repair antique mechanical clocks to get them working and beautiful again? Uh, only every other day. I could go on and on, but I feel that format is quickly becoming tiresome. Suffice it to say, my dad is incredible, and I love talking about him. Okay, he may be a little overzealous with punctuation in emails, but besides that he is the absolute tops. There's never been a moment when I wasn't positive that my dad is capable of solving each and every one of my problems, and he very generously does so all the time. In fact, I wish he were here right now because instead of all the hassle and cost I'm about to endure on account of wrecking my car's bumper, he would have it fixed and looking better than ever lickity-split. And I'm so glad that he was the lucky bachelor who won my mom's heart and hand (shout out to my mom's awesomeness--she had three options). Happy Father's Day, Dad-Dad-Daddy-o. Love ya, mean it.
P.S. Busi-ness?? Mankind was my busi-ness!! P.S.2. Oh-solmio-it's-a-rigatonio P.S.3. What? (you know, because, deaf) P.S.4. Isn't out yet, get on it Sony.
Sorry, if you're not a Keck, you miss out on those jokes.
Orcas have been known to co-operate with humans in the hunting of whales. One well-known example occurred near the port of Eden in South-Eastern Australia in between 1840 and 1930. A pod of Orcas, which included amongst its members a distinctive male called Old Tom, would assist whalers in hunting baleen whales. The Orcas would find the target whales, shepherd them into Twofold Bay and then alert the whalers to their presence and often help to kill the whales. Old Tom's role was commonly to alert the human whalers to the presence of a baleen whale in the bay by breaching or tailslapping at Kiah river mouth where the Davidson family had their tiny cottages. This role endeared him to the whalers and led to the idea that he was "leader of the pack", although such a role was more likely taken by a female as is more typical in Orca cultures. After the harpooning, some of the Orcas would even grab the ropes in their teeth and aid the whalers in hauling. The skeleton of Old Tom is on display at the Eden Killer Whale Museum, and significant wear marks still exist on his teeth from repeatedly grabbing fast moving ropes. In return for their help, the whalers allowed the Orcas to eat the tongue and lips of the whale before hauling it ashore. The Orcas would then also feed on the many fish and birds that would show up to pick at the smaller scraps and runoff from the fishing. The behaviour was recorded in detail in the 1840s by whaling overseer Sir Oswald Brierly and recorded in his extensive diaries. It was recorded in numerous publications over the period and witnesses included Australian members of Parliament. The behaviour was recorded on movie film in 1910 by C.B Jenkins and C.E. Wellings and publicly projected in Sydney although the film is now missing. In 2005, the Australia Broadcasting Corporation produced a documentary "Killers in Eden" on the subject. The documentary featured numerous period photographs taken by C.E. Wellings and W. T. Hall of the phenomenon and also featured interviews with elderly eyewitnesses.
Thanks, wikipedia! *Alternate title: Just when you thought killer whales couldn't be any more awesome (they can).
¤ Sometimes I weep (on the inside) because no guy will ever fall in love with me for my cooking. I will not prepare you an amazing meal. I'm sorry, for the both of us. ¤ There are two female full-time employees in the Faculty Office Building, and two women's restrooms. I am rather territorial over the south end one. Walking in to encounter another patron in said restroom is generally the greatest shock I experience in my life. ¤ The Faculty Office Building used to be called the Staff Office Building, but the name was changed once the People In Charge realized the inevitable abbreviation frequently used to refer to the edifice. Hilarious! ¤ There is one reality competition-based show that matters, and this is it: So You Think You Can Dance. ¤ If you've ever been concerned that I might one day become an intravenous drug user, please put that worry straight to rest. Needles are not my friends. ¤ This funny little bullet symbol is made, in Windows at least, by holding down Alt and typing 0164 on the right number keypad thingy. ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ See? ¤ Heated pools are actually the key to happiness. In case you've been wondering about that. ¤ Nine constitutes more than a couple. Forgive me.
