Tuesdays with Muerte

My roommate Dan Randall and me at the 2013 AECT Convention in CA. Why Do I Always Wake Up 5 Minutes Before My Alarm Goes Off?   At the center of your brain, a clump of nerves—called the suprachiasmatic nucleus—oversees your body’s clock: the circadian rhythm. It determines when you feel sleepy and when you feel bright-eyed. It controls your blood pressure, your body temperature, and your sense of time. It turns your body into a finely tuned machine. That machine happens to love predictability. Your body is most efficient when there’s a routine to follow. So if you hit the hay the same time each night and awake the same time each morning, your body locks that behavior in. And that’s where things get sciency. Read the full text here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/53710/why-do-i-always-wake-5-minutes-my-alarm-goes#ixzz2l9AFPrZl What is Oxford Dictionary's 2013 Word of the Year?  Every year, Oxford Dictionary names a Word of the Year, the word “that is jud...

This delightful app  generated some deep poetry based on  words from my Facebook history (statuses, captions, comments, etc.). Let me know which ones "speak to you" in the comments below.  Batman is born, the gods flip a coin. ―Cersei Lannister If last night's snowfall were a valid form of U.S. currency... Thanks padres for coming down from Seattle for the Boy Who Knew Too bad, because it's a crappy site, and mice. I interviewed for a fauxstache. What are fun. Just won my first intramural tennis match in straight sets to Steve Jobs. Does anyone want to dunk astronauts under 2? Someone who works always generates a lot of water. There's no talking your way out of your way. FREE BACON! Boom, baby! I heard a cougar inside my wall.

" Final Fantasy VII   features a vast number of memorable characters, but there are few who capture hearts like Tifa Lockhart. She can hold her own against anybody, and doesn't need an 80lb sword to do it..." —Matthew Mueller To demonstrate how universally beloved the Final Fantasy VII story truly is, I have collected Tifa cosplays from every part of the globe—Poland, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Spain, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Brazil, England, Philippines, The United States, and France. Character: Tifa Lockhart, Square Enix Game:  Final Fantasy VII * Lady Shizuka  from Poland ( facebook )  Chiara * KiaraBerry  from Italy ( WorldCosplay ) Ri from Sydney, Australia (via  * AlchemyAllStars ) * NadyaSonika from Mexico (Space City Con 2013) ( Website ) Takai Riei from Singapore ( Website ) Kyra Kaira from Malaysia via * wkwebsite  ( facebook ) * Miss-Alice-M...

It's that special time of year once again—Fall Equinox!  Time for us all to pack away our Summer outdoor adventuring equipment and turn our attention to more domestic pursuits like, watching Netflix, sharing the latest lol cat images with our social media friends, snuggling up to a good book, experimenting with extravagant recipes, and—best of all—preparing for holiday-themed costume parties! Every so often, I get these flashes of inspiration regarding costumes for myself and others.  This post will serve as a drafting area for my 2013 Halloween costume ideas.  Please let me know if you are interested in me thinking up a costume idea for you! Me as Jack Sparrow Uncle Rob as Data Group Cosplay Idea: Me (Wash) and my friends as Firefly crew Whitehead kids as TMNT Rick and Heather Whitehead Rick and Heather Whitehead Noelle would make a great Belle Or Meg (as long as Phil cosplays Herc) Gordon and Jule as Qui-Gon Jinn and Leia T...

Gooooooo, Mighty Cou-gars! The 2013 Holy War is upon us, Cougar & U of U fans!   It's time to [ appropriately ] show our school spirit in anticipation of the last, rivalry game for two years. (View it: Saturday at 8:15pm on ESPN2.)  BYU's student body is getting especially excited, as evidenced by some of the new shirts seen around campus.  One particularly bright, BYU tee stood out to me, as I was strolling up the ramp by the Tanner building.  At a distance, it read Loyal, Strong and True —the mantra from the BYU Cougar fight song. But as  I neared Asian wearer, I noticed that the "L" in Loyal  had been replaced with the letter "R" for  Royal. Justification Preface Before I continue, you should know that I had just spent the afternoon reading an article on cultural competency , which cited examples (and non-examples) of how designers of global instructional materials need to be sensitive to language and cultural differenc...