toddcarruth.com

So Friday is going to be the day where I post my random thoughts for the week. I can tell you’re excited.

• Triple digits is too hot. There really is no need for it to be 100 degrees. But I will still take a 100 over 20s and 30s any day…
• On that same note, the only good 32 is if it’s snowing.
• I was crazy about the X-Files when it was on TV the first 4 or 5 years. But I’m not that jazzed about the new movie. Ehhh.
• The Dark Knight is over-rated.  I liked the movie. Really liked Heath Ledger but I don’t want to pay 9 bucks to see it again.
• The Movie Tavern in Bedford HAD a fantastic deal on Tuesdays. $5 for any movie all day. I said HAD because they stopped doing it last week. Bad idea. I was spending at least $20 total because I was buying extra food during the movie. 
• I like playing Halo on X-Box 360 with my sons.  In fact,  I wish I had the summer off so I had more time to pwn some newbs.
• In that same vein, my son rented Soul Caliber, a fighting game where you can choose your character including Yoda from Star Wars. He had been playing all day and even beat the game using Yoda.  I came home from work and, having never played before, beat him the first time while also using Yoda as my character. It was like good Yoda versus Bad Yoda. Impressed by my fighting skills, he was.
• Tried to go to an audition for a print commercial at lunchtime today but the line was so long just to get my picture taken, I had to get back to my real job before they could call me name. Dang!
• Tried those new steam bags where you add your own fresh veggies. Not bad but I need to work on the seasoning aspect.
• My boys start high school this month.  I can’t even begin to tell you how proud and excited I am for both of them.
• Might have some interesting news in 2 weeks. Stay tuned, as they say.
• This week’s random website is Cute Overload.com It’s especially good if you need to clear out your brain of any disgusting images you might have stumbled across on teh Interwebs. 

Rock on!

Just a quick day trip to San Antonio (todd, why are you telling everyone that you’ll be gone for the day? Don’t you know that any unscrupulous people reading your blog/website will obviously try to rob your McMansion in Tarrant County and make off with millions of dollars worth of uncut diamonds that you keep hidden in the basement?

Umm, anyway, gonna get a few shots of a convention going on that my company helped organize.  Speaking of my company, (the expo group) the twins each got a birthday card in the mail today, (their birthday is this week) from the president of the Expo group.  WIth a gift card to Barnes & Noble.  I don’t know about you but where I come from, that is somewhat awesome. And it’s not like there’s just 5 people working there. They have over 170…

Anyway, it should be a long and exhausting day but I like San Antonio and I plan to float down the riverwalk and drink a margarita at some point.  Maybe.

Oh and here is a random cool site I found today: http://www.instructables.com/

Hey, do you have a PS2? Would you like to buy the hottest video game for it?  Yeah, I’m talking about Rock Band, the interactive singing, drum-playing, guitar-strumming sensation that sweeping the nation!

All right, here is the story. I bought Rock Band for the boys (and me!) and we played the heck out of it for about a month.  But we just don’t have the time or inclination to keep it and so I have decided to “ebay it” and the auction ends tonight.

PS: If you live in DFW and buy it, I will personally deliver it to you. How about that?

Todd’s Rock Band On Ebay

Joss Whedon, the guy from Buffy and Firefly, had some time on his hands and put together a cheap yet cool little internet-only musical.  Check it out if you dare!

I don’t think of myself as the stereotypical male because I enjoy shopping (sometimes) and I enjoy cooking (when I have the time).  Um, I also like beer. And women.  But with a twist of lime. Oh, and the beer can have lime too.

Anyway, I came across this list of how to make the most of your grocery shopping adventure from the Consumerist who ganked it from the Guardian and I have added some personal notes to it.

1. Make A List! Shopping lists top every saving strategy we offer, and for good reason. Lists make for routine, disciplined shopping. -I make a list but then I still buy stuff that I forgot to put on the list.
2. Don’t Fear An Empty Fridge: Food grows mold, not interest. An empty fridge is a strong sign that your buying matches your consumption. - I actually tend to have a fairly empty fridge. Except for the leftover tuna that is now challenging the the chipotle hot sauce to a duel.
3. Approach Deals Skeptically: Just because an item screams “Two for One!” doesn’t mean that you need two. Make sure the item is something that you’ll use, and something that won’t expire quickly. - Great tip here. I’ve trained my self to look at the price per ounce before I buy a “deal.”
4. Avoid Supermarkets For Perishables: Buy your vegetables, meats, and fish at local establishments. You’ll spend less per visit, while honing your comparison shopping skills. In our neighborhood, the Korean vegetable stand is usually 30% cheaper than the supermarket around the corner. - Um, yeah. I think I’ll save my gas and just look for the freshest veggies I can find.
5. Buy Non-Perishables In Bulk: If you can store them, buy your pasta and rice in bulk. Just don’t try to buy more than one bag at a time. - I go to SAMS once a month and buy dog food, bacon, paper towels, toilet paper and contact solution.  Strangely enough, those are the same items that I plan on taking with me to a deserted island.
6. Buy Quality Products: Somewhat counterintuitive for those who focus exclusively on the bottom line, but if you pay more for a high-quality ingredient, you’re less likely to let it go to waste. - This can be tricky. Generic peanut butter is pretty much the same as Jif or Peter Pan but some products aren’t as good and you have to just learn from experience.
7. Grow Your Own Herbs And Salad: Herbs and salad expire quickly in the fridge. If you have the space, grow your own and save.- I tried growing some mint and cilantro earlier this summer. I got them confused and my burrito tasted like toothpaste.
8. Buy Whole Vegetables: Bagged lettuce? Washed carrots? Like any vegetable, they start to decompose as soon as they’re processed. - Another convenience versus practicality issue. Have you tried the bagged Salsa Salad mix?  It’s freakin awesome!
9. Be Storage Savvy: Keep your food fresh with proper storage. If you’re a fresh fruit lover, invest in an ethylene gas guardian to stave off spoilage. - A what? How about some generic Tupperware? I have some extra tops if anybody has any bowls.
10. Plan Your Meals: Planning is a key part of list building, and one of the best ways to prevent abandoned foodstuffs from clogging up your fridge. - I do try to think about what I am making for dinner this week.  Somehow frozen pizza always ends up on the list.
11. Cook! Don’t just follow recipes. Real cooks now how to whip that extra bit of coconut milk or leftover celery into a tasty meal. - What can I make from fuzzy 20 day filet mignon and black peaches? I know: Trash!
12. Cook In Bulk: Since you’re already at the stove, double the recipe and save the leftovers. - Actually, a pretty good idea. Whenever I grill I usually throw on an extra chicken.  And then slice it up for use in a salad.  I know, not that funny, but it’s the truth.

There are a few more items on the list but a lot of it is common sense, like taking your lunch to work instead of blowing $5 on a burger.

Or you can can do what I do and go out to eat with a collegue and pretend you forgot your wallet.

Someone turned me on to this site the other day at work.  It’s some sort of the conference that deals with Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The video that caught my attention deals with a gentleman named Benjamin Zander….”Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it — and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.”

I like most classical music and the fact that the Chopin song he plays in this presentation is one that I learned oh-so-long ago helped make this short video absolutely brilliant (in my opinion).

If you have a few minutes, I strongly encourage you to check it out.

TED and Benjamin Zander on music and passion (opens to a new window)

So, I was updating my Core Talent resume because I have an audition for a beer commercial on Tuesday when I decided to google my last two jobs and see if any pics that they took might have shown up on their website or in an ad.   What I didn’t expect is that I would be on the freakin’ front ????????page.

How funny is that?  I remember it being a fun shoot inside a real office building where we had to wait for real traders to finish working before we could start taking pictures. Notice that nobody is smiling because we are serious stock traders. I means business!

All that stuff you see on the computer screens was done in post.  We were either staring at black or just generic screens full of gobbledy gook.  I have a pencil in my hand and I remember drawing a snoopy cartoon saying “Sell! Sell!” on the real trader’s notebooks about 20 pages deep. He or she should have a nice surprise in about a month.

This one is my favorite.

More here

First off, I want to say thanks to everyone who has wished me luck on my new job. I am very excited about the direction that I am going although I fully expect to keep a finger or two in broadcasting in some way. At least a big toe. Seriously, being on the air is like a drug and EXTREMELY hard to stay away from so don’t be surprised if you see (more likely hear me) pop up somewhere.

On a different note, I went to my first heavy metal concert on Saturday night. I saw local band Sling at the Curtain Club and even met some of the band members who were friends with my buddy, Joe.  Now speed metal is not my type of music, but I could tell these guys were talented musicians plus they had some hot groupies.  Curse you ten years of piano lessons! Why didn’t I ever learn to play the guitar?

It was actually kind of fun watching the band from the upstairs bar and seeing 4 guys try to create a mosh pit. I was going to dive in and start thrashing but I had my good shirt on and I didn’t want hurt anybody.

Whatever.

ROCK ON!