• Silver-level foxtrot: started with an unfamiliar beat pattern (slow slow quick quick?) that immediately destroyed my brain. I never fully recovered.
• Frame: my first time leading with, uh, full-body contact. My most-often used phrase: “Hrm.”
• Partnership & floorcraft: thank heavens I still remembered a couple tango moves.
• Smooth Ballroom Technique: I have no good pithy summary for this one, but it had some good info.
• MotherEffing Quickstep: the dance earns its name. I now know the basic step and a pivot turn to use at corners (so I’m pretty much pro), which finishes off a long-held goal of mine–to know a bit about every dance featured in Shall We Dance.

…followed shortly thereafter by a three hour ballroom dance. There’s at least one more workshop I want to attend tomorrow–I’m just not sure my body can hold up.

So even though I’ve been neglecting this place like crazy (save for updating WordPress and its plugins–fun fact! Brent hates outdated software, even for stuff he doesn’t actually use), I’ve amassed a small boatload of links and whatnot I’d meant to post from time to time. It’s time to clear out that glut and start fresh.

Home video commentaries: There’s a Bear, Chorophobia, and Not Where You Saw.

Herro Y’all: for all your blog-breaking title needs.

Tron dance party

Dear Photograph: nostalgia++

George Lucas Strikes Back: if you haven’t already seen this, it’s time to right that wrong. (And I don’t even care for Star Wars all that much.)

Literally unbelievable: I can’t can believe that this is ongoing.

Famous opening lines from novels updated for the modern age: adds a touch of class to my list of links.

…

Postulate: anything, taken to some level of expertise, becomes interesting to watch. That said, I don’t want to know how many hours people sank into these video games to become as good at them as they are.

VVVVVV no-death mode

Super Meat Boy speed run

World’s best Tetris player

I’ve also been dreaming more. A lot more.

…

Earlier this week, Nick and I went to a party somewhere in the university housing wilderness. Due to various blunders (mostly on Nick’s part, as I recall), we wound up arriving sometime after 1:00 am. Being horribly late was actually great for us, though, because it meant that most of the people who had come to meet Michael Jackson had already left. That’s right: I got to chat with the dead King of Pop. He seemed like a decent guy.

…

Last night I was involved in a Bollywood-inspired song and dance number on a picturesque bridge. I was dancing with some random cute gal, learning as I went, and doing much better than I could possibly do in real life. Even with this dream-boost to my abilities, though, the Supremes were handily upstaging me. Both Roberts and O’Connor were there, making it pretty obvious that this wasn’t canon.

I’m pretty sure it never stopped snowing yesterday, and while the temperature was above freezing, the new snow and melting snow met some sort of equilibrium where about an inch and a half of snow was maintained at all times.

There are something like three or four inches of snow on the ground as I type this, and while it’s no longer snowing, a pleasant snow-fog has appeared. No kids are playing outside this go ’round, and I haven’t gotten around to making any coffee yet, but I did just see one woman sled down my hill in her new SUV. I am newly thankful for two things: that I don’t have to go in to work this morning, and that I don’t own a house at the bottom of this hill.

Oh! Oh! First legitimate sledder just appeared on the scene… He’s sledding in the tire tracks of the SUV(!?)? He’s doing it wrong! BRB, internet!

But this post isn’t for a personal update! This post is for VD + UNICRONS!!!

The most recent package I received from RightStuf had this entertaining little number in it (I haven’t seen the show, but even I know that you never enter into a contract with Kyubey):

…

Another personal favorite is this card, however poorly Photoshopped it may be. Lastly, Andy got the first strike in the day’s Valentine Wars with these classy Hark! A Vagrant cards.

Apparently my neighborhood’s thing (remember that I live on a hill) is to sled down the middle of our street. I guess one inch of snow is sufficient for such endeavors, as people have been doing so constantly for the last hour and a half. (I’d guess the continued snow isn’t hurting.)

…and a kid just sled into a dog.

I’ve been sipping Russian Tea and watching the festivities from my office window, since while I can sleep through a yowling cat or crying baby I am still weak against thousands of children simultaneously screaming in a combination of joy (those on their feet) and terror (those sledding).

…and a kid just tried to assassinate a sledder using a bowling ball-sized snowball. He failed (didn’t lead his target).

The end is drawing near, though; next week should see my code’s maiden voyage. After fixing whatever bugs exist… we’ll see if I still have a job. Not sure what the odds are, there.

From @Matt_Alt, via Andy.