to cane hill

On my personalized Google homepage, I have a module called "WikiHow," which gives me links to a different "how-to" article each day. They're often quite amusing. For instance, last week I read an article called "How to Make an Origami Jumping Frog." I didn't attempt it, but the instructions seemed quite thorough. A few days ago, I read "How to Start a Conversation With Someone on the Train, Bus, or Subway," which was quite possibly written by a stalker of some kind, but was interesting nonetheless.

Today on WikiHow, I learned the step-by-step process of starting a rock band. One of the steps is, of course, naming the band. According to the article, here are some suggestions for giving your rock band a "sweet name":

• Use a term from math or science. For example, Planck's Constant would be a cool name for a rock band. (I found this suggestion quite humorous considering that I have a friend in a band named String Theory, which they stole straight from a physics book.)


• Use a name that doesn't make sense. Some examples include Infernal Snow, Anti INFO, and Diving for Betty.


• Use a phrase from a road sign, like No Soliciting, Two Hour Parking, or Emergency Vehicles Only.


• Look to the objects around you for inspiration. Legal Notepad or 1960 Exercise Bike could both be cool names for a rock band.


• Find the nearest book, go to page 56, paragraph 2, line 3, words 5, 6, and 7. That will be your band name.

This last suggestion really intrigued me. I grabbed the nearest book (a Charlie Chaplin biography I'm reading for my film class), and I turned to page 56, paragraph 2, line 3, words 5, 6, and 7, and there it was. There were those three fateful words that would be the name of my rock band:

To Cane Hill

I thought it was a pretty sweet name--too sweet to not actually belong to a rock band. So I'm starting one. I can sing and play a mean cowbell, but I'm looking for two guitar players, a drummer, a bass player, and maybe a songwriter and a few backup singers. Let me know if you're interested.

the death of a camera: a eulogy

Oh, dearest Canon PowerShot A85...where do I begin?

From the moment I bought you at Circuit City in November of 2004, I knew we would become inseparable. You were always at my side when I needed help with a photojournalism assignment, and you helped me document all the unforgettable moments of my last year of college. Who could forget these classics?

The "Leah is displeased" face:
A riveting game of Trivial Pursuit:

Kamara's hilarious antics:

The root beer taste test challenge:

A late-night trip to Club Red in Twilight Zone style:

Yes, those were some great times you and I had together, PowerShot. You were a true friend. But you didn't stop after my last year of college. You were there for me through all kinds of other adventures:

Dinner after Mamma Mia:

Making great new friends:

Passing the legendary pink aviators on to the legendary Ross (girl):

Capturing Dad and Ross (boy) in their true element:

Learning to act like you appreciate high art when, in reality, you don't understand it and couldn't care less:

You were always there, PowerShot, through the exciting and the mundane, through the bliss and the sorrow, through the traveling and the returning home, through the exciting and the not-so-exciting events of my life. You gave it your all, even through your last two photos:

I am quite sad to have lost you, but I am eternally thankful that you never had the chance to see the end coming. Rest assured that Angie feels terrible for the beer bath that ultimately led to your death. It was truly an accident, and if anyone deserves to be blamed, it's the waitress who kept bring us the crappy keg beer that nobody ordered.

I will sincerely miss you, PowerShot. I hope we will meet again someday.

i love you, internal revenue service

I did my taxes this weekend. Leave a comment and guess how much money I'm getting back from the federal government. The person who guesses the closest without going over will get a prize!

(Hint: start your bidding no lower than $200.)

car trouble

So, I'm trying to be a good Honda owner by taking my car in for every scheduled maintenance. I've never actually taken great care of any of my cars, and they always seem to break down, fall apart, or otherwise render themselves useless in some form or fashion. I'm hoping that by following the maintenance schedule religiously, it might actually save me money in the long run.

A few weeks ago, I took my car in for its scheduled 45,000 mile maintenance (even though the odometer read 50k, but better late than never). I asked them to check out the transmission because, as my dad so eloquently put it, "It's not shifting right." Turns out, the poor Honda needed a new transmission.

Luckily, my car is still under warranty because it was a certified pre-owned Honda! My warranty covered everything--even a rental car to drive while old Hank (that's Honda's name, tentatively) was in the shop. I was hoping for some fancy new Honda to drive around, but this is what they gave me instead:














Isn't it amazing?! I thought it was hilarious! And you know, at some point, you have to admit that a mini van is really the most efficient way to drive, especially if you want to have room for tons of stuff but still get decent gas mileage.

I could definitely see myself in a mini van someday--me, Angie, and our 43 cats.