The Lumberjack Song comes from Mozart's "Don Giovanni"

Listening to "Variations on "La Ci Darem La Mano" Op 2" by Chopin, which is a take on Là ci darem la mano, Don Giovanni's and Zerlina's duet in Act 1, Scene 2, of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Don Giovanni..

Both have a riff very familiar to fans of Monty Python's The Lumberjack Song. : o )

Prius car care

Washed and dried the car, then applied Armor All to inside & out...finally have some time to stop and maintain it a bit.

FLOOR MATS
http://priuschat.com/threads/opinions-on-mat-color-for-bisque-interior.54378/

SHOP VAC
http://www.amazon.com/ArmorAll-AA255-Utility-Wet-Vacuum/dp/B003M2F7NI/

NAVIGATION UPDATES

The 2005 Toyota Prius contains a Generation 4 DVD navigation system; updates seem to come out yearly as follows:

U20 = 2005 = 5.1
...
U27 = 2012 = 12.1
U28 = 2013 = 13.1

Toyota supplies the same navigation systems across the various models. The navigation system accepts DVD+R DL media.

LICENSE PLATES
I have decided to try the zip tie approach for the front license plate:

BULBS
http://priuschat.com/threads/light-bulb-list-2005.16413/ (scroll down for a more accurate list)

MAINTENANCE
http://priuschat.com/threads/just-got-a-used-prius-first-things-to-look-for.93831/

• Hatch squeaks when opening
• Interior bulbs burned out
• License plates
• Vacuum interior
• Navigation DVD update
• Local mechanic
• Oil change
• Filters - cabin and engine
• Toyota dealership
• Ensure all warranty work done
• Transaxle fluid drain-and-refill
• Hybrid battery blower fan and duct are not clogged

Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Winter Solstice

https://avbc.com/our-beers/winter-solstice-seasonal-ale/

Outstanding : o )

Assassin's Creed

Watched each Assassin's Creed walkthrough or movie this weekend:

1. Assassin's Creed
2. Assassin's Creed II
3. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
4. Assassin's Creed: Revelations
5. Assassin's Creed III
6. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

I slept wrong on my neck last Wednesday evening and woke up in no insignificant amount of pain on Thursday/Friday. x_x So spent a lot of time sitting around wanting something mindless to watch. 

I enjoyed watching them--and actually had a chance to say, "Bene, bene" to a food service employee this evening.

Loved the scenery and the climbing. The game takes some liberties with the superhuman strength and dexterity, but it makes for more entertaining gameplay. The first game seemed really repetitive and I thought the interrogation scenes way more violent than necessary (seriously? kill someone just because the main bad guy forced them to make speeches?).

Lucy's death seemed a bit unexpected and forced. 

The ~35 minute movie, Assassin's Creed: Lineage, seemed cool, in the sense that the people in it looked exactly like their in-game counterparts. 

The boat scenes in Black Flag seemed pretty cool.

The part I enjoyed the best: the way the series handles right/wrong, good/bad. It shows compassion for many of the Templar and Assassin actors and shows most actions in the grey area.

Dominick the Donkey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominick_the_Donkey

How to love a candle

From a recent candle purchase:

1. FIND YOUR FAVORITE. There are hundreds of choices.
2. TRIM THE WICK. Keep your wick trimmed to 1/8" at all times.
3. LET THE WAX POOL. Each time you burn your candle, allow the entire top layer to become a fragrant pool of liquid wax and you'll get the biggest, boldest scent possible.
4. BURN IT SAFELY. Always burn your candle on a heat resistant surface, keep it out of drafts and NEVER leave it unattended while lit.
5. KNOW WHEN TO SAY GOODBYE. When only 1/2" of wax remains, it's time to let your candle go.
6. REPEAT STEPS 1 THROUGH 5. Keep going until you've tried them all!

A video on trimming the wick.

Graduate School - Statement of Purpose

An insightful primer on writing a successful Statement of Purpose. It lays out what I suspected...you write to the poor admissions committee staff who have to wade through application after application.

The kernel: "Grad schools require the statement of purpose not only because they want to find about you as an applicant, they want you to really think about why you are taking such a life-changing step — truly and profoundly why."

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE EXAMPLES

• Sample Statement of Purpose (!) Holy shit this is this the best statement of purpose ever
• "One of the best I've ever read" (via)... well, it is good, but, to me, it sounds sort of lifeless in contrast