Thursday, October 30, 2003

Recycled Gender Crisis







Which Heinlein Book Should You Have Been A Character In?




You belong in Starship Troopers. Your idea of a good time is bouncing across an alien battlefield blasting the foes of humanity into extinction.
Take this quiz!








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By The Way, I see that Master of the (AOL) Blogverse John Scalzi has decided to start recycling other blogger's stuff without credit (down boy - just messing with your head!).

So here's a fun site to play with: "Which Heinlein Book Should You Have Been A Character In?" is a cute quiz at Quizilla by dunkelza..... It's perfectly suited for theft by the MOB.

And a special thank you to Twiddlybits who reminded me of this fun site!

Wednesday, October 29, 2003

I'm Gonna Wash That Song Right Outta My Hair

Leave it to science to unravel the "brain itch" of an 'ohrwurm'. Macarena, anyone?

Solar Shite Storm - Chicken Little WAS Right!

By now, most of us have heard there's a hellacious G5 solar shite storm showering down upon us. Sat Nav, GPS, SAT TV - all bolloxed to greater or lesser degrees. Even shortwave! Check on the status of the storm and get forecasts for the awesome Aurora Borealis about to be unleashed and visible virtually everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere - except here and Southern California. They have smoke and firestorms -- impenetrable cloud cover and another inch of rain is our immediate forecast. So you go enjoy the "Northern Lights" and let me know what it was like. Take a photo or two, would you?
Wiccan Barbie Set To "Poison Innocent Minds"

Lordie, I wish I'd been the one to write this. Leave it to BurningBird to discover it first. I'm just a hack in comparison.

Happy All Hallow's Eve



I don't even need a mask...


This entry has 3 comments:
    Call Me Ishmael. After all, I am an "Ancient Mariner" with this blogatross around my neck... hehehe. Call me anything you like, just don't call me late to supper. And no candy here, Andrea, spent the evening dodging the little devils in the street, but Type II diabetes means I've rung that Trick'o'Treat bell for the last time.
    Comment from olddog299 - 11/6/03 11:53 PM

    well its about time you posted a self-pic !!
    can i call you furry old dog?? hehe
    hugs
    pamela
    Comment from his1desire - 11/5/03 1:27 PM


    Bwahahaha!

    Well, I hope you got some good candy, olddog!

    Comment from andreakingme - 11/3/03 4:01 PM

Strangeness

Check out the cosmic strangeness at Digikitten.com - a very odd, wonderful place.

Another Reason To Boycott Florida

If you feel that homosexuality is a matter of hard-wired behavior, rather than a "life-style choice," then perhaps it is time to vote with your wallet. This is another example of the way George W. would have us live and I am absolutely livid.

Domestic cleaning increases asthma risk

Domestic cleaning increases asthma risk

I knew there was a reason I hated housework!




This entry has 2 comments:
    This is strange because every single time I have a lot of housework to do, particularly when it involves a lot of household cleaners, I get the worst stomach ache! I used to think this was just my body's way of begging me to be lazy. Now I figure it's slow-rate chemical poisoning! Die in a germ-infested rat hole? Or die in a chemical-infused home? Hmmmmmm.... tough choice!
    Comment from slowmotionlife - 11/2/03 3:12 PM


    Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Olddog, I will henceforth think of you as my benefactor.

    Must print and frame for Andrea-hub ...

    Comment from andreakingme - 10/30/03 4:04 PM

Are You SOBER?

I hate virus alerts. Don't you? Take heed... this worm is tricky.

"Windows 2000, 95, 98, Me, NT, Server 2003, and XP are all vulnerable to infection by the Sober virus."

Monday, October 27, 2003

Monday Morning Musing

Last weekend I gave my brother my WillMaker CD, the one I never got around to using before my cardiac surgery. Maybe he'll be smarter than I. Or less of a procrastinator. Or more scared.

Making out one's "Last Will and Testament" is right up there in importance with "Advance Directives" and "Do No Resuscitate" orders. It's your last chance to tell the world where to get off and how deep to travel. It is the guide your survivors have to your holdings and how they're to be distributed. When you have children, a Will affords you the opportunity to specify to one and all (particularly to the folks at Child Welfare, who have their own ideas of who is suitable) who is to carry on in your absence.

There isn't a single one of us who will get out of existence alive. So why is the natural response to the process of making ones' wishes known nausea and uneasiness?


    you just keep writing your not going any where soon. i'll keep this short just want to say i love reading this stuffand thanx!!.
    Comment from rimbaud33 - 10/27/03 9:30 AM

Sunday, October 26, 2003

Wild Turkeys Exposed

Well, here are the photos I mentioned in "Wild Turkey Redux" a couple of weeks ago. I finally picked them up at Sam's. I was saddened to discover that only two came out. So it goes -- I was shooting handheld from inside the car through the windshield. Best I can do under the circumstances as the shot literally ran away with every passing second it took to get the camera out, open, turned on and aimed.

Shot with a Minolta Freedom 50 on Fujicolor 200 AF/center weighted.


This entry has 2 comments:

Coming from you, I am truly honored. Many thanks.
Comment from olddog299 - 10/31/03 5:06 AM

Not bad! Plenty of birds in the frames. Most of my quick car shots don't turn out, but I keep on trying it anyways.

Steven
http://journals.aol.com/sepintx/sometimesphotoblog/
Comment from sepintx - 10/27/03 9:53 PM

One Upsmanship

One Upsmanship

Dick and Jane were playing at school one day when Jane decided to have a "Show and Tell."

Dick starts it off by saying "I have a big Marble," as he holds out a shiny Agate.

Not to be outdone, Jane responds, "That's nothing. I have six Strikers," as she holds out her hand full of blue-grey stainless steel ball bearings.

"Well, I have ten carrot sticks!" exclaimed Dick, opening his dinner pail for her scrutiny.


"So what? I have a box of raisins and a cupcake in MY lunch box!" Jane replies while opening hers for inspection.

Frustrated, Dick thinks a minute, then unzips his trousers and waggling his appendage at Jane, says "I have one of these, and you don't!"

Triumphantly, Jane drops her panties in the dirt, stares haughtily at Dick and points to her crotch, "I have a vagina. And with one of these, I can get as many of those as I want!

Saturday, October 25, 2003

Kitten Fricassee, Anyone?

This site had me rolling on the floor!

This entry has 1 comments:

That's just the kind of sick website that makes the internet grand! Too funny, some of the recipes look pretty good without the pets. Reminds me of this:
http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html

Steven
http://journals.aol.com/sepintx/sometimesphotoblog/
Comment from sepintx - 10/26/03 1:16 AM

Thursday, October 23, 2003

Oops! I did it again!



As the picture depicts above, I DID get in trouble with SWMBO for my comments yesterday. Oh well. Anyone got a lead on a kerosene dog house heater?

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Drat! Missed It Again!

So what's up with Robert McCrum, anyway? Not one of my novels made the "Guardian 100 Greatest Novels of All Time." That's the fifth time he's overlooked me!
Quick! Check this out before eBay expires the listing!

This is a classic, so don't miss it. Fortunately, it isn't beanies here at Rancho Coockaracha - it's Lighthouse miniatures. And her money ;)

Special thanks to The G Spot for bringing this to our attention.


This entry has 2 comments:
    That's what we're doing this for -- grins and giggles. All the rest is just head noise ;)
    Comment from olddog299 - 10/24/03 10:32 PM

    this is absolutely hilarious !! i think i'm going to share it in my journal too !! at least he wasn't trying to sell his ex-wife like someone else did awhile back lol
    thanks for the chuckles !!
    pamela (GirlsHeadNoise)
    Comment from his1desire - 10/24/03 7:46 AM

Bowling Alone*

Bowling Alone*

In the first 27 years of my life
I lived in 3 countries,
9 of the United States,
1 of the Canadian Provinces, eh?
and a Partridge In A Pear Tree.

In the second 27 years of my
passage on this ball of mud
I lived right here.
Raised 2 kids.
Killed a marriage.
Buried my father and a brother.
Remarried and chased skirts
in between numero uno und dos.

I'm ready to move around again.
Itchy feet and wanderlust
constantly annoy me,
fiddle with my awareness,
upset my satisfaction,
thwart my aspirations
to grow old with dignity and grace.

Just when I ran out of money
and the ability to make more.
Now doesn't THAT just suck the hairy wazoo?


* Sincere apologies to Robert D. Putnam, whose recent book http://www.bowlingalone.com bears the title "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community" (Simon and Schuster, ©2000, New York,NY) bears not one wit of resemblance to the more recent 'poem' above.


This entry has 1 comments:

Sucks the hairy wazoo, indeed!! :P
Comment from slowmotionlife - 10/25/03 5:00 PM

Erotic bakery a big hit with Chilean women

A Santiago bakery is stirring more than batter for cakes these days. Penis cake, anyone?


This entry has 1 comments:
    ROFL!!!! There's no way I could eat that! Not with my mother or father in the room, at any rate! Great stuff.
    Comment from slowmotionlife - 10/25/03 5:01 PM

Dreaded White Stuff

It's a typical autumn afternoon for my neck of the woods. Shift-change traffic has been rumbling by the house for almost an hour, impeded by a local sheriff's deputy who has a van of teenagers pulled over on the hill in front of the house, causing the windows to rattle as the wheelers downshift and crawl up the hill. Shots echo occasionally from the small swamp in the back corner of the lower part of the farm -- bird hunters. (Unlike the automatic machine gun someone was testing in the gravel pit yesterday afternoon -- now there's a teeth-clencher!)

The snow is coming down steadily in big, fat clumps of flakes. The sky is the color the mystery writers call 'leaden,' a medium-dark gray. It's nipply out, too. I can see the deputy rubbing his shaved head to wipe off the melting snow -- he's been yelling at one of the kids in the back of the van, from the looks of it. I've had run-ins with this kid before and he isn't pleasant (the deputy -- not the kidlet in the van). Then again, having raised more than my fair share of step-teens, I'm sure the kidlet has mouthed off once too many times in the past and is reaping his just rewards.

Did I mention the bloody snow? The Mrs. called in a panic about 3 PM as she hates driving in this stuff, being a delicate hothouse Louisiana Cajun gal, don'tcha know? I reminded her she'd tamed blizzards in the same vehicle last winter and she can just 'cowboy up' (as the Red Sox were saying all season) and deal. (On second thought, I suspect it's going to be a mite frosty inside as well as out tonight after she gets home. Maybe I ought to order some flowers to go with that foot-in-mouth I'll be gnawing for dinner?)

That's what life looks like in my neighborhood this afternoon. Whassup in your hood, homey?

Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Killing Me Softly



Slowly, sadly, I climb upon my soapbox here in AOL Hometown and say to you the following:

A little less than two hours ago, authorized by hastily drafted bill passed by the Florida Legislature, Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed an order requiring the re-commencement of feeding of a 39-year old woman in coma for the past several years, in spite of the stated remembrance of her wishes by her husband.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of "Right-to-die," this case points up only one thing of true importance. If you want your wishes carried out if you were to be suddenly stricken and unable to captain your life as you see fit, then you must prepare for the potentiality. First, prepare directions to your loved ones in the form of Advance Orders, also known as Advance Directives. Don't forget the potential need for Advance Psychiatric Orders, too. And if, like me, you have no desire to be resuscitated in the event you are unable to communicate your wishes to others, make sure you have clear Do Not Resuscitate orders (also known as DNR orders) written in accordance with your state's laws. But the job isn't done, yet. Next, you must educate your family, your doctors, and your attorney about your wishes. Have in depth discussions with your Primary Care Physician as there are permutations which should be explored and discussed. Do you want resuscitation on the operating table while having surgery to reduce your pain, for instance?

Explain your wishes in detail and discuss your reasons with your family members. If it appears that any one has any reservations about your choices, for your sake, do NOT place them in a position where they can exercise their will over you. If that means appointing someone other than your spouse or children to make decisions, do it now, while you have control over the situation. Look at the case cited above, by way of example. It's husband pitted against the wishes of parents and siblings. Again, I can't stress this enough. Do not allow anyone to be in a position of power over the disposition of your life if they can not be trusted 100% to carry out your wishes. When dealing with your family members, it may be necessary to back up your wishes by putting some "If - then" statements in your Will regarding noncompliance, again in accordance with your state's laws.

Additional things you can do, particularly if you choose not to receive resuscitation. Get a tattoo placed on your chest over your heart that states "No CPR." Wear a Medical Alerting bracelet or necklace that states the same thing. Understand clearly that first responders and EMS are not required and indeed, may not be allowed by state law to follow your wishes in this regards in the field. But many will abide by your wishes when they are protected by the clear expression of those wishes, especially if your wishes are spelled out clearly, even if unconscious.

Don't let another's religion or politics intrude upon your life in an unwanted fashion. Act before its necessary. Thinking about your own death may make you feel funny for a short while but its nothing compared to a lifetime of being a vegetable with tubes sprouting from every orifice. Or, it may be you'd much prefer life as a tuber to the alternative. And how will your family know unless you have written it all down for them to see?

Thank you for your time and your tomatoes.



This entry has 1 comments: (Add your own)

Unfortunately, the same goes for organ and tissue donation. It's not enough to put "organ donor" on your driver's liscense. You have to convince your family that it's what you WANT. Without their consent, it won't be done. Put everything in writing! Discuss your wishes with more than just one family member. Make it very clear what you want BEFORE something happens. This story is such an unfortunate one. Thank you for the information.
Comment from slowmotionlife - 10/25/03 5:05 PM

Sinking In The Deep End Of Life

Sinking In The Deep End Of Life

It's the title of my latest book. This time, its an autobiography and sure to sell well to my fans. Strangely, they haven't figured out who I am yet. Or maybe they have and just don't care. Yeah, that's it. No wonder my editor laughed when I asked for an advance!

The title comes from my earliest remembered experience -- falling into the Rittenhaus's swimming pool at 11 months of age.

Due to the continued absurd limits upon AOL Journals entries, this post continues below. Don't you just love the way it breaks your train of thought?

"Of course, I'd played in the pool with my Mom and Dad, but somehow this August afternoon I managed to crawl away from the sand box and fell unnoticed into the Olympic-sized pool I'd later visit daily to learn how to swim in. I was small enough that my head didn't show above the edge of the pool. My folks used to tell me about finding me happily paddling around under the diving board, buoyed by the air trapped in the rubber pants over my diaper, but sinking lower and lower as the cloth diaper inexorably absorbed the pool water. All I remember is the shock of falling into the cold water followed by a blissful period spent staring at the clouds while paddling about, then the hullabaloo as adults around the pool started shouting and screaming and then someone snatched me from the water scaring me half to death and nearly drowning me with their tears and blubbering and then I cried too, as I was afraid and I didn't know why.

"From a purely pragmatic standpoint, my excursion in Poseidon's Realm brought immediate change for the better in the way the Rittenhaus's positioned their pool furniture. A new concrete patio was built at the shallow end of the pool, along with a new, much larger cabana with a fenced play area for us toddlers to muck about in while our mothers soaked up the sun and the gin and the gossip in the sure knowledge that the wee bairns were safe inside of the corral with the Rittenhaus's own nanny watching over us all as their attack-trained German Shepherd Dog lay at the gate to the enclosure.

"Now, the Rittenhaus's were the Holy Grail to us poor white folk [ed. note. Irony Detector alert. They were Jewish.]. They lived on a beautiful estate with its own farm, vineyards, horses and pigs and all sorts of fowl, including peacocks, tucked back in the woods away from the main road. The Main House was a 16th century stone beauty, fabulously maintained, with detached stone carriage house and servants quarters and tobacco houses and barns. That is, they lived there when they weren't in their townhouse in Philadelphia or their pied a terrae in New York, where Mr. Rittenhaus made his living as an impresario and producer on Broadway..."

So. Would YOU give me an advance?


This entry has 1 comments:

Encore!!! Encore!!!! Absolutely brilliant sweetie.
Comment from maydeeday - 10/21/03 7:41 PM

Old News Recently Discovered

Whilst lost in the wilds of the Internet I stumbled thirstily into the PythOnline's Daily Llama where I discovered, quite by accident, that John Cleese has launched his own website. Also, Michael Palin has done another of his quirky travelogues which I like so much. This time it's a six-parter wherein he goes off trekking in the Himalyas, which will be broadcast late 2004 in Great Britain on the BBC and will likely be seen in syndication on PBS then on cable in the US in 2005-2006. Look for it.

No doubt you are all aware of Eric Idle's 'Greedy Ba$tard Tour'
now wending its way around North America. Seems I wasn't, and so am highly amused by the title of the tour. Even more amusing is Eric's diary of the tour as it makes it way from theater to theater. Don't miss it. (I am so facile - at times I frighten myself!) And for a different take on the tour, check out the diary by stage manager and recording artist in her own right, Gilli Moon.

Monday, October 20, 2003

Monday Morning Musings

My wife has been on vacation for a week and so my attention has been focused on things other than blogging. So here's the big catch-up.


Boston Red Sox lost their pennant bid in the seventh game after a hard fight in extra innings. Nothing to be ashamed about. I was saddened to see it happen even though I'm only a fair weather fan of the team and baseball in general. Still, who wins the World Series no longer interests me if Boston isn't in the running.

George W. Bush complains the "Media" is biased in its reporting of the goings on in Iraq. And just what does he think "embedded reporting" is, anyways?

Jeff Gordon, Driver of the Dupont 24 car in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series did it again yesterday at the 1/2 mile oval in Martinsville. Kewl!

The local movie pundit Chris Smith pans Clint Eastwood's new movie released this past weekend, "Mystic River." Seems he thinks there isn't sufficient attention paid to characterization, particularly the female cast members. Not having seen it yet, I can only conjecture that he's got his head up his ass again. If you've seen the movie, let me know your thoughts.

I went to see an Endocrinologist this morning. She wasn't impressed with my health, my girth, my eating habits, my exercise regimen or my appearance. I can only hope she likes my check.

Finally, Christmas Rant #263. Wherein we find our hero attempting to purchase miscellaneous items like soda, socks, shoes and crackers from a harried checker at Wal-Mart. She looks me in the eye and straightfaced asks, "Would you like to put these on Christmas Lay-away?"

Have a good day. And remember, let's be safe out there!

Thursday, October 16, 2003

Under God?

I grew up reciting the "Pledge of Allegience" without ever being forced to say "under God." Even today, when others around me recite with the recent addition of the phrase, I stand mute with my hand over my heart. And then I commence with "...indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."

So why am I so disturbed by the U.S. Supreme Court agreeing to take on a review of the federal statute mandating the use of the aforementioned phrase? Is it because any right thinking American should already be aware that merely by legislating the phrase into the sanctioned version of the Pledge doesn't make it legal, in the constitutional sense?

I'm not at all sure why I am disturbed but disturbed I remain. What's your take on it?


This entry has 4 comments:
    my take is a bit different i am sure .. i grew up as a jehovahs witness and we weren't permitted to recite the pledge .. now, as an adult, i never pass up the chance .. whether the pledge is imperfect doesn't matter to me .. i can't think of anything that is so perfect that one size fits all .. what matters is what is in my heart .. whatever they decide won't effect me
    pamela (GirlsHeadNoise)
    Comment from his1desire - 10/17/03 7:59 AM

    I grew up saying "under God" so that sounds normal to me, but "under God" was not in the original "Pledge of Allegience" and so I have no problem with removing it.
    Comment from sk8rlew - 10/17/03 1:36 AM

    Did I hear on the news this morning that the "Under God" was actually added to the pledge back in the 50's? If that's true, I feel I've been betrayed, because I always thought that was the way it was WRITTEN and that's the way it should STAY! Personally, I'd hate to see the detriment of all religious mentions, but in order to be FAIR to ALL religions [and isn't that what our country was founded on? Religious freedom? Not just for Christians but for everyone?] we'll see more in the future.
    Comment from slowmotionlife - 10/17/03 12:15 AM

    I am with Madeline Murry O'Hare- religion doesn't belong in any form of gov't or in school. That is what churches and our homes are for. There are enough problems in our gov't without bringing "god" into it.
    Comment from maydeeday - 10/16/03 8:42 AM

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Wild Turkey Redux

Wild Turkey Redux

It was one of those fall days that hide the harsh reality just around the calendar corner. Crisp sunlight, colors popping from the leaves of the maples, birches, poplars and oaks. Tammi, the better half, is on vacation this week. So what better time to go for a ride, "leaf peepin"?

We were headed back home after about a hundred miles of "Ooohing and Aaahing." Crossing the Atkinson Road from Dover-Foxcroft to Bradford, we were on a gravel portion of the road, coming around a corner when I spied movement ahead, just before a small bridge over a beaver flowage. I slowed to a stop and stared hard. "Couldn't be," I muttered. "What?" asked my wife, rousing from that peculiar kind of trance induced by riding in warm sunlight in a closed car, staring at the scenery.

There before us in the road were birds. Over a dozen. Large. Dark. Unmistakable outlines of turkeys. Just like on my whiskey bottle, some of them sported colors! Tom turkeys. And hens, too. I'm guessing they're a harem, with this year's broods included. They, too, were illuminated in shafts of sunlight visible in the eddies of dust raised by the unseen vehicle ahead of us. We sat transfixed as they slowly went about the important business of loading up on the fine gravel needed to break up seeds in their croup. I got out the camera, and slowly edged the car forward. Two shots left on the roll and no more film with us. Damn!

And then they were gone. Not in a hurry, but no time wasted, they got nervous about the intentions of the Grey monster up the road edging closer, and beat feet for the underbrush beside the road. In no time at all it was an empty road, nary a clue that moments before an amazing sight was beheld. I can only hope the pictures actually come out, but I have my doubts. Rarely do we get to record even minor wonders on this ball of mud we call home.

By the way, have I mentioned recently how much I hate the 2500 character limit? It's been over 2 months since we rolled out the AOL Journals to public consumption. When is this going to be fixed? When does the editor get a spell check? Come on, this was stuff we told you about back in July and early August!

Monday, October 13, 2003

Wild Turkey

In my fallow youth. I used to drink Wild Turkey Bourbon Whiskey. Right on the label there was an image of a grand tom turkey, not to mention the reflection in my glass. While I'd seen wild turkeys shown on the nature shows and hunting shows on the tube, I'd never seen one up close. Until a year ago. In a parking lot. At my cardiologists' offices!

There I was, parking the car in the usual mental fog that passes for my consciousness these days. As I struggled to get out, I happen to look through the door window and saw some movement. Brown feathers, mottled with white and black flecks. "Ah Ha!" I said to myself in my best nimrodian tones. "Must be a hen pheasant." Except, there were no long tail feathers. And then a ray of sunlight pierced the overhanging pines of the parking lot and there she stood, as though captured on stage in the spotlight. A hen turkey. Gorgeous. Alert and intelligent and wary of this human staring at her, but not panicky. Slowly the light faded as a cloud passed by and she turned, always keeping an eye on me as I stood transfixed, she pecking through the snow, looking for pine nuts and whatever else she could find to sustain her on that late autumn afternoon.

Well, "Tempus Fugits" and my wife fidgets and it was at the point when I was about to be late for my appointment, so off we go, up the hill guaranteeing repeat business to the heart guy's office. But it was very clearly a great day in our lives. Until yesterday.

Sunday, October 12, 2003

Naughty Mind

I was unfamiliar with the work some have described as the "best gay photographer on the (n)et" until my friend Pam from North Carolina forwarded a photograph to her humor mailing list that tickled my funnybone. Sadly, it is not appropriate to share with any but a very cosmopolitan adult audience, so all I can do is share a link to the artist's work. Look for the one named "chicken" on the first page of the gallery. By the way, the photograph bore a copyright statement so I was able to obtain the link to Harald Seiwert's delightful "Virtual Museum" via Google. It's an eye-opener and thought provoking. Of his male erotic photo art, Harald says in the intro to his Web Gallery Site CUMRADES, "It all started with a naughty mind." Long live a dirty mind!

Saturday, October 11, 2003

World's Oldest Genitals Found In Scotland

Story here.

"The previous oldest penis, which dated back 100 million years and was found in Brazil, belonged to an ostracod, an early crustacean related to crabs, shrimps and water fleas."


This entry has 1 comments:
    Ok.. this is both weird and newsworthy! Quite a paradox! Lol Good for a giggle, anyway. Thanks for posting it. And great journal, by the way. I'll be back.
    Comment from slowmotionlife - 10/12/03 5:44 PM

Swedes puzzled by butter-filled shoes

So there I sat, reading the local paper in a local restaurant where my wife had dragged me for breakfast with her friend Kelly prior to their going off to visit a new medical facility. Dragged me from the warmth of my bed after only two hours of sleep. So there I sat. Dazed. Confused. Blearily scanning the paper and this article written by a Reuters reporter in Sweden catches my eye.

Kinky.

Thursday, October 09, 2003

An Exercise In democracy.

Nope. That's not a typo. Small "d" is required when we point out the alligator eating its keeper over at ESPN Page 2. Who knew that Hunter Thompson, gonzo journalist extraordinaire, had been picked up by ESPN? Let alone, let loose upon the very organization and its employees that is paying him? Must be nice to be feared and loathed to the point the bosses let you run amok! Watch him slice Russ Limbaugh into shreds for Hunter's own special kind of barbecue. It's delightful.

Thanks and a tip of the gimme hat to Craig Lyndall over at Blogcritics.org for rendering us cognizant of this anomaly in the Space/Time Continuum.

Wednesday, October 08, 2003

Britney Spears Should Be Shot. Discuss.



Hmm. Seems that Maryland's First Lady has contracted Hoof In Mouth Disease. So sad. Not that I disagree with the sentiments completely. Actually, I'd rather spank Britney. Indeed!


This entry has 4 comments:
    While I can appreciate the pulchritude, the whole star persona and the caterwaulering (sp?) that passes for singing cause me to erupt in a seething hissy fit. I was forced to listen to her for eight hours a day, six days a week for an entire month while employed at Radio Shack (mercifully, they fired me. Or is that 'Put me out of my misery?'). Same for Jewel. I hate them both!
    Comment from olddog299 - 10/9/03 4:33 PM

    what i want to know is who is buying that girls music? somebody is right? i have yet to spend a dime on her and thankfully neither has my daughter. i'd be having a fit if my daughter thought that girl was someone to aspire to be
    pamela
    Comment from his1desire - 10/9/03 8:00 AM

    I agree with the first lady 100%. Brittney needs to just go away and stay away forever. She is annoying and sooo NOT talented, well, maybe as a hooker or stripper she would be, but that's a another story......M
    Comment from maydeeday - 10/9/03 12:58 AM

    Lol...well, I'm not too fond of Britney myself. I don't blame Maryland's first lady for being that candid, but I do have a major problem with her timing. She shouldn't have said that during a *domestic violence conference,* of all places....
    --Sayuri

    P.S.: Thanx for visiting my journal and leaving a comment for me--I really appreciate it. :) :)
    Comment from scifiwrit - 10/8/03 11:29 PM

How NOT To Paddle A Kayak!



SWMBO¹ and her bestest friend astride an Ocean Kayak Sit-On-Top this past August. Note the paddle held backwards. They managed to dump twice while loading! Good thing it was near 85 that day.....

¹ SWMBO= She Who Must Be Obeyed, AKA My Wife

Neptune's Delite

Neptune's Delite

I've been messing around with this recipe for six years or so and have finally got it to where I like it. This is my version of a dish that used to be served at the "House of Hunan" before it burned down. When they rebuilt it was in a new venue with a new menu and 'Calamari in Black Bean Sauce' was no longer available. Let me know how you like it.


This entry has 1 comments:
    i loved the way you linked to the recipe !! i'll make sure and save your recommendation so i can try it out and let you know what i think !!
    pamela (GirlsHeadNoise)
    Comment from his1desire - 10/8/03 9:25 AM

Neptune's Delite

List of Ingredients

8 oz Mollusks, squid, mixed species, raw
8 oz Mollusks, scallop, mixed species, raw
8 oz Crustaceans, shrimp, mixed species, raw
2 1/2 cup Onions, raw
1 cup Peppers, sweet, green, raw
3 tbs Garlic, raw
1/4 cup Oil, vegetable, cottonseed, salad or cooking
3 tbs Sauce, oyster, ready-to-serve
3 tbs Soy sauce made from soy (tamari)
1 cup Mushrooms, raw
2 tbs Cornstarch
1 tbs paprika
1 tsp pepper, black
1 oz Beans, Black - canned (15 oz can)
4 cup Rice, white, medium-grain, cooked


Instructions for Preparation

Preparation: Chop Onions in 1" chunks Slice Gr. Pepper into 1" slices/chunks, slice mushrooms thick.
Cube scallops if large.
Clean and dehead calamari and chop into 1" pieces.
Clean, shell, dehead and devein shrimp.
In a large wok, heat on high until very hot, then add oil ("Hot Wok, Cold Oil").
Add cubed onions and sliced green pepper chunks, stir-fry. Add half of the garlic and toss add sliced mushrooms and toss add calamari and scallops toss 3 - 4 times a minute apart, add shrimp after shelling, de-heading and de-veining; toss a couple of times add remainder of garlic and the can of black beans Add Oyster sauce and soy sauce Add black pepper, paprika and a tsp. of Chinese Five Spice Mixture, stir well. If needed, mix 2 tbsp of corn starch in 1/2 cup cold water until dissolved, slowly stir into mixture and allow to cook one minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat and allow to settle for at least 5 minutes. Adjust taste - should be slightly but not overpoweringly hot, slightly salty. Use Sherry to cut heat. Serve over white or brown rice - about 3/4 cup per serving. Makes approximately 6 cups of stir-fry. Additional items: 1/2 cup Dry Sherry. Substitute cooked mussels and/or clams if no scallops available, may use octopus if calamari is unavailable. Onions and Peppers should NOT be crunchy but should retain their structure.
NutritionFacts
per serving
makes 6 servings
Amount per serving
Calories 410
Calories from fat 100
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11.1g 17%
Saturated Fat 2.7g 14%
Cholesterol 158mg 53%
Sodium 709mg 30%
Total
Carbohydrate 51.7g
17%
Dietary Fiber 2.8g 11%
Protein 25.7g
Percent values are based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. Your daily values may differ.
Additional Information
24.4% of calories from Fat
50.5% from Carbohydrates
25.1% from Protein


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Monday, October 06, 2003

Internet Explorer Critical Update

Internet Explorer Critical Update

Microsoft does not notify you when it issues software updates ... keep that in mind, as a Trojan horse has been masquerading as email from Microsoft.

Regardless, a new update pack for Internet Explorer is now available. The blurb on the Windows™ Update site (emphasis is mine) says:

October 2003, Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (KB828750)

Download size: 2.1 MB, 9 minutes

Security issues identified in Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) could allow an attacker to compromise systems with IE installed (even if IE is not used as the Web browser). For example, an attacker could run programs on a computer used to view the attacker's Web site. Download this update from Microsoft to help protect your computer. After installation, you may have to restart your computer."

Get it now. The only way we can effectively combat the Trojan hatchers and Virii Weenies is to maintain vigilence. Don't open attachments in email. Scan your computer for virii daily (set it up as a task to run automagically) and be sure to keep your virus definitions file up to date. Use a Trojan horse file scanner, such as SpyBot-S&D or Ad-Aware. Maintain vigilence. Act decisively.

Class Dismissed!!!



Written by olddog299 . Link to this entry
This entry has 2 comments: (Add your own)
True enough, Pam - if you have Windows Update enabled you'll be notified in that fashion.

Macs have their own problems, but which would you target -- a million or ten Mac owners or 100 million Windoze users? Linux also has problems, although often they are of the "Security Hole" kinda problem. And I have NO INTEREST in starting up the Mac vs. Windoze PC wars here - they both have their place in the world.


Comment from olddog299 - 10/8/03 4:33 AM

microsoft, as far as i know doesn't send out updates in email .. but i do get updates (pop up windows) on an almost daily basis
honestly, what i get tired of are the mac users who keep pointing out its always windows with security issues .. i wonder if the mac world is really protected or the people sending these viruses and trojans want to get as many people as they can .. and going after macs is only going to effect a few dozen people lol
pamela
Comment from his1desire - 10/7/03 8:35 AM

Sunday, October 05, 2003

Kanachu Kitties

Kanachu Kitties

Beth over at Micro$oft (better known as b. on the blogger scene) brought this to our attention -- and she's right. We are living in the wrong country! Kanachu Kitty Kabs! Kewl. :-P

Saturday, October 04, 2003

Twisted English

Twisted English

So I log on this morning and start reading the news. The first story, about the attack of Roy Horn by one of his tigers mid-show last night, hits me square between the eyes. Journalist Adam Goldman writes "An audience member at The Mirage hotel-casino said the white tiger lunged at Horn, who tried to beat the animal off with a microphone."

The quotes and emphasis are mine. The unfortunate choice of words is Mr. Goldman's. He immediately follows up with this grammatically incorrect quote by another reporter. "''The tiger went for his neck, then drug him offstage,'' said Andy Cushman, a 23-year-old reporter from New Jersey."

Drug? Past pluperfect of 'to drag'? Not allowed in my copy of the Associated Press Style Book. And since when is it considered kosher to quote another reporter about anything? Reporters and journalists report the news, they don't make it. At least that was the way it was back in my college journalism class. But then again, that was the Stone Age. You know. Back when you had to beat off the saber-toothed tigre on the way to class. Eww! Ick!

Twisted Minds

Twisted Minds

So leaving the decline of the grammar and usage rules of Western Civilization behind, I then turned to this winner of a story about the band known as Hell On Earth. Indeed.

Seems that the band has cooked up a winning publicity stunt -- if notoriety is the goal, this works. Take a concert venue in a neo-conservative Christian area of the country, with all the hubris and pontification that implies. Mix in a terminally ill fan, a radical right-to-die supporter, with a band leader possessing more showmanship than sense, and you get the imbroglio going on in St. Petersburg, Florida that has made it into the mainstream consciousness. Finally.

This truly saddens me. I am a firm believer in the right of an individual to choose his fate. I also subscribe to the notion that no harm should befall any who aid such an individual in carrying out "le coup de grace." But this public spectacle is tasteless, craven, puerile -- I can't find words strong enough to convey my utter disgust with the whole lot of them. This will set back the right-to-death movement decades. And it should. This is not "death with dignity". This is petulant, childish, ultimately evil.

Hell of a way to start a Saturday.

Friday, October 03, 2003

Euro Screws Dollar


So you spend beaucoup rubles for an advertising campaign. Then you plaster your billboards all over Moscow and wait for the results, right? Russian Finance Magazine is Red In The Face and not because they are from the former U.S.S.R.


Thanks to Boing, Boing Blog for spreading the word on this one!

Blogger Boobie-Thon 2003

Blogger Boobie-Thon 2003

Many thanks to Boing Boing Blog for reminding me to remind y'all about the Blogger Boobie-Thon! This is the second for this event, held in October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (mentioned here previously).
The Blogger Boobie-Thon needs your contributions - be they monetary, photographic or both. Soft core porn in support of breast cancer -- what could be finer??? Join in and support an important campaign. For the Nervous Nellies in the AOL community - only photos of "covered boobies (hands, props, food items, bras, etc.)" are available for consumption by the general public. Big Spenders can see the whole thang, so to speak!

This entry has 2 comments:

Thanks for bringing it to my attention. After doing the blurb on the boobie-thon I also had some problems with the links on the site - seems that traffic is overwhelming at the moment. I sent an email to the site administrator. This is a real fund raiser -- they raised a fair chunk of change last year and hope to do better this time around. :)

Comment from olddog299 - 10/4/03 11:58 AM

ok .. i clicked the link to blogger boobie-thon .. i can never pass up a chance to show pics of my bobbies .. haha
i got "you are forbidden access"
has my mom been talking to you guys or what? i'm all grown up now so its ok .. really
pamela (GirlsHeadNoise)
Comment from his1desire - 10/3/03 3:45 PM

Thursday, October 02, 2003

Fear of Flying

Fear of Flying

As seen in Metafilter, this cheeky advertising campaign is right in line with my buddy Pam's recent experiences flying San Jose... I mean with Jose to San Francisco and back. Check Skyhigh Airlines out now. For those of us on the Right Coast, no Alaska Air ads ever get shown.


    lol .. i just got the "San Jose" reference .. at first it went right over my head !!
    you are too much !!!
    pamela
    Comment from his1desire - 10/4/03 4:22 PM

    LOL that is just too much fun !! did you try sending in a valued customer suggestion? even my daughter had to come running to see what grumpy old mom was laughing about!!
    thanks sooooooo much for sharing !!
    pamela
    Comment from his1desire - 10/3/03 10:01 PM