The swamp cooler was what I did all of yesterday. Today I got home from work to find my mother and brother all hot to fix the slightly leaky upstairs toilet. Four hours and two trips to the store later, we've got it fixed (knock on wood, the shutoff valve was severely lacking in the "OFF" department, but it seems fine right now).
Lord Almighty but I hate plumbing.
5/31/2011
*Scream my frustrations to the heavens*
Why is it, do you think, that you can never hook up the swamp cooler without two or three trips to the hardware store?
Blueberry French Toast Casserole
This was what was for breakfast yesterday, and leftovers this morning.
Basically, it's all the makings of french toast, by instead of frying them on a skillet, you cut them up into chunks and put them in a baking pan. Bread and cream cheese chunks in the pan, pour in your batter (milk and eggs and cinnamon and vanilla) and a bunch of blueberries on top. As it bakes, make some blueberry syrup (water, sugar, cornstarch and blueberries, and maybe some lemon juice). When it comes out, pour on the syrup and eat it.
Basically, it's all the makings of french toast, by instead of frying them on a skillet, you cut them up into chunks and put them in a baking pan. Bread and cream cheese chunks in the pan, pour in your batter (milk and eggs and cinnamon and vanilla) and a bunch of blueberries on top. As it bakes, make some blueberry syrup (water, sugar, cornstarch and blueberries, and maybe some lemon juice). When it comes out, pour on the syrup and eat it.
And now a song for you young folks out there
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
5/30/2011
A Short Movie Review: Six Sting Samurai
After Russia bombed and invaded in 1957, Las Vegas is the last bastion of freedom. When Elvis, the king of renamed Lost Vegas, dies, every rock-n-roller out there starts to cross the wasteland, vying to be the new king. There, that gave you the basic premise. What about the movie itself?
It is awesome. Even though it's a low-budget thing, everything came out impressively well. The guy who played the main character (a Buddy Holly look-alike) is a real martial artist, so the fights felt more authentic than you usually get from something like this, and the rest of the movie just goes to show what can be accomplished with a judicious level of grunge and the proper application of slow motion.
If you like post-apocalyptic things, ridiculous characters, Rock and Roll, kung-fu movies, Communist armies, and/or nice shoes, you will be entertained by this movie. I mean, when you have a character named "Death," who looks like Slash and, upon finding the broken bodies of a Commie army says, "Only one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me," how can you go wrong?
Now, I think I need to go and make sure my truck has a ratchet in it. Just in case.
It is awesome. Even though it's a low-budget thing, everything came out impressively well. The guy who played the main character (a Buddy Holly look-alike) is a real martial artist, so the fights felt more authentic than you usually get from something like this, and the rest of the movie just goes to show what can be accomplished with a judicious level of grunge and the proper application of slow motion.
If you like post-apocalyptic things, ridiculous characters, Rock and Roll, kung-fu movies, Communist armies, and/or nice shoes, you will be entertained by this movie. I mean, when you have a character named "Death," who looks like Slash and, upon finding the broken bodies of a Commie army says, "Only one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me," how can you go wrong?
Now, I think I need to go and make sure my truck has a ratchet in it. Just in case.
Memorial Day
I know it's the 30th and not the 28th, but the picture shows what I wanted. Remember them all, from the Civil War to now.
5/29/2011
For a not so beautiful afternoon
After such a nice morning, the dust storm that's blown in now is pretty crummy. Can't open any windows, it got up to almost 90 this afternoon, and we don't have the swamp cooler hooked up yet (it's on the list for tomorrow). Didn't stop us from going down to my grandparents' for homemade ice cream and going out to the cemetery to see dad's headstone.
Another John Reuben Song
Sales Pitch:
Or, as the Dread Pirate Roberts said: "Life is pain, princess. Anyone who tells you different is selling something."
Everyone’s got a hidden agenda watch them push it on you
Everyone’s got a hidden agenda don’t pretend not to
It’s a battle for your mind and a battle for your pocket book
They’ll play on your emotions until your heart is hooked
Reel them in tell them what’s your intent
No Mr. salesman you don’t have my confidence
See I’m not sure if I can trust your heart
So don’t feed me your lies disguised in sheep guard
Everyone’s got an agenda can you tell me what for
Everyone’s got an agenda can you tell me what’s yours
From the liberal media to the conservative core
From politics to the dude trying to play it cool on the dance floor
Its human nature runs deep and reeks of secrets
No matter how hard you try no man can keep it
For a time maybe but one day you’re gonna have to face it
And when that time comes you won’t be able to fake it
Left yourself lying in the dark waiting to be exposed
Catch yourself hiding from your heart and what God only knows
Smile put on your game face
Your death bed awaits
And sure there’s grace but it’s going to sting a bit
Try to sell it to God and see if he buys your sales pitch
Watch them tell you they’re more than their worth
Watch them take advantage of the church
But then again stepping stones were meant to be walked on
They’ll leave and come back once the floor boards are gone
And they’re sitting in the basement pondering energy wasted
Trying to figure out how to make it
Take it to the innocent and manipulate it
Job well done religion look what you’ve created
Easily slipping easily fading away
Easily forgetting why it was that I was made
Easily saying all the right things I need to say in order to make it easier for myself to get paid
Don’t look at it like this moments of trite bliss
This propaganda is lifeless
Move at the speed of which light is
Fast forward through the time as I write this
Now I might not have been the wisest
But I put my soul into each line if money ain’t the motive it’s priceless
I followed a trend called timeless
These folks don’t walk it but they go about it and they talk it
Now-a-day’s they’ll turn anything into product
Merchandise name your price try and turn a profit
Even the sacred's been turned dishonest
Or, as the Dread Pirate Roberts said: "Life is pain, princess. Anyone who tells you different is selling something."
5/28/2011
Coming of Age
I'm so excited! I just got my first Nigerian spam email! It reads:
Silly spammers. First off, only $262? I'm insulted! Second off, "translaction"? What, exactly, is a "translaction"? Third, and probably most damning of all, is the fact that I'm not a client of Chase Bank. I award you an F--. But as we always said in school, "F for effort!"
Dear Client of Chase Bank,
After we checking account we got order from your account to transfer money for this information..
Name : Harry Johan
Country : Nigeria
Account Number : 5887542
Amount : $262
after we review this translaction we need confirm from you to start transfer the money 2-4 days please Open Your Account to confirm the translaction
Open chase.com then open your account to see confirmation after you accept it then we will start transfer the money to HARRY JOHAN.
We know you have your choice of banks. Thank you for choosing Chase. If you have questions or comments, please contact us.
Sincerely,
JAMIE PRUDEN
(614) 248-5800
28988 Greenspot Rd
Personal Banker
Chase
Silly spammers. First off, only $262? I'm insulted! Second off, "translaction"? What, exactly, is a "translaction"? Third, and probably most damning of all, is the fact that I'm not a client of Chase Bank. I award you an F--. But as we always said in school, "F for effort!"
Man Down...
Or chicken down. Something somehow got one of the little chickens out from under the Chicken Tractor last night. I'm guessing a cat, since it took the carcass to out yard and ate it there, leaving the guts and feathers for us to pick up, just like a cat does. Needless to say, if I catch a cat in the live trap (now with new and improved bloody feather bait), it won't get saved just 'cause it's cute. Raccoon, cat, little burrowing owl, or man from Mars, I will no longer have any mercy on what's in my trap.
They couldn't even have taken the aggressive one that's probably a rooster and keeps picking feathers out of everyone else. Damn predators.
They couldn't even have taken the aggressive one that's probably a rooster and keeps picking feathers out of everyone else. Damn predators.
5/27/2011
...against unreasonable searches and seizures...
Driving home from a small minecraft marathon at my friend's house, and on the radio is a PSA about the "100 Days of Heat," wherein over the summer, DUI's are pursued at the "maximum extent of the law" (so I can drive drunk the OTHER 265 days of the year?). Low and behold, as the PSA is playing, right before the turnoff from the main drag to get home, there are flashing lights and cones. Luckily, they hadn't got all set up yet, or else they would have had a crazy guy yelling "PROBABLE CAUSE! PROBABLE CAUSSSSSE!" out the window of the '84 volvo 240 as they tried to drag him screaming to jail...
If you haven't already
Go HERE and fill out the little boxes if you value your freedom and/or dislike bureaucratic power grabs. Plus, if you don't, I'll throw a rock at a kitty. So there.
Cleanisher
Yesterday my boss let me clean up some of my work area, since I'm going to be doing so much computer work instead of lab work. This is a major milestone for him, since he hasn't cleaned the office since about 1999.
I cleared off the shelf, threw the old Windows 95 compy that I use to use up there, and we moved the big rapid scanner that isn't being used to the top of a shelf in another room (which was no mean feat, considering the thing weighed 50 pounds and the shelf was 10 feet high). Then I got rid of the piles and piles of old papers, floppy disks, and dust bunnies that were the desk area.
The next step is, he gave me permission to shop for an office chair that isn't from the 70's! I love my boss to death, but darnit if he doesn't have a bit [a lot] of the old school civvy about him...
I cleared off the shelf, threw the old Windows 95 compy that I use to use up there, and we moved the big rapid scanner that isn't being used to the top of a shelf in another room (which was no mean feat, considering the thing weighed 50 pounds and the shelf was 10 feet high). Then I got rid of the piles and piles of old papers, floppy disks, and dust bunnies that were the desk area.
The next step is, he gave me permission to shop for an office chair that isn't from the 70's! I love my boss to death, but darnit if he doesn't have a bit [a lot] of the old school civvy about him...
Iceland up in smoke
Neat video, somewhat generic epic music.
From Here
Volcanic Eruption in Grimsvotn, Iceland May 21 2011 from Jon Gustafsson on Vimeo.
From Here
5/26/2011
Gardening III
Six more tomatoes in (for a total of sixteen, or something ridiculous), another row of corn, another row of beans, another eggplant.
I'm not going to say that we are going to feed an army, but we certainly could. Perhaps it's for the best, since all the news I read this morning pointed generally in the "Mad Max" direction...
I'm not going to say that we are going to feed an army, but we certainly could. Perhaps it's for the best, since all the news I read this morning pointed generally in the "Mad Max" direction...
It's going around
Roberta X pointed out this little known (by me, at least) genre of music called Chap Hop, which sounds roughly like what hip hop would have sounded like if invented by Victorian British gentry with too much time on their hands. So going around Youtube looking at Professor Elemental videos, I found this:
Chap Hop and Kitten Wars. Yep. You can thank me later.
Chap Hop and Kitten Wars. Yep. You can thank me later.
5/25/2011
I thought we only had two dogs...
...but we just finished combing them, and it turns out we have three.
Yoikes. Perhaps that particular little chore should move up on the list of things to do.
Yoikes. Perhaps that particular little chore should move up on the list of things to do.
News of the P.C.
In Sunny CA, where apparently all the problems have been solved while I wasn't looking, they are replacing all the headstones at the cemetery of an old mining camp called "Negro Hill" with headstones that say "N-Word Hill."
*snicker*
Because you know that if you whitewash history then the world will be full of tea, dumplings, and happiness!
When did the Spanish word for black become a _-word? When did "Those who cannot [or will not] remember the past are condemned to repeat it" fall out of the common vernacular?
*snicker*
Because you know that if you whitewash history then the world will be full of tea, dumplings, and happiness!
When did the Spanish word for black become a _-word? When did "Those who cannot [or will not] remember the past are condemned to repeat it" fall out of the common vernacular?
5/24/2011
Suspicious
I can only get to my (free from Google) blog by coming in through my (free from Google) Chrome Browser.
Bah. I think I'm going to give up on the internet for today. Come back tomorrow if you want a random (free from Google) youtube video.
Bah. I think I'm going to give up on the internet for today. Come back tomorrow if you want a random (free from Google) youtube video.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
Blogger isn't cooperating with my Firefox right now. I have a sneaking suspicion that AVG just took over my computer and won't let me play with the internet anymore. I have a word for programs that do stuff like that: Uninstalled. There's "security" and then there's "go sit in a dark room and don't come out."
Once Again
I have no idea what's going on in the video--if anyone recognizes the movie clips (at least, I'm assuming they're from a movie) could you let me know?
Yay! Spaceships!
Yay! Spaceships!
5/23/2011
Doing my part
Filled my truck up today--the fuel light finally turned on on my way home from work. 21.4 gallons, ~$76... but still got 15.2 mpg, which isn't far off from my jeep.
But what I'm really trying to sayis, that after ask that, and volcanoes in Iceland, it's still been a very cold and rainy May. Where's my global warming at? I'm doing my part, it must be all you slackers out there with your little econo-boxes. Shape up, will ya? I'm cold!
But what I'm really trying to sayis, that after ask that, and volcanoes in Iceland, it's still been a very cold and rainy May. Where's my global warming at? I'm doing my part, it must be all you slackers out there with your little econo-boxes. Shape up, will ya? I'm cold!
On Israel
Israel is like the Blues Brothers of the Middle East. Think about it: it may be dark out in their area but they're wearing sunglasses, they have a full tank of gas, and even though they're not going to Chicago, they're not going to let neo-nazi's, the world police, they Syrian national guard, or American celebrities stop them from getting where they're going. After all, they're on a mission from God.
My only problem with them is that they haven't made one helluva big car crash yet.
My only problem with them is that they haven't made one helluva big car crash yet.
Good Stuff
For whatever reason I really like it when Muse does a cover of one of those old crooner-type songs.
5/21/2011
The last Rapture post today, I swear it
Since we haven't all been leveled by monstrous earthquakes, does it mean that I can come out from under my bed? Maybe I'll play Fallout 3 today, just for the Post-Apocalypticyness of it all.
Today's the Day
If you're reading this, you missed the end of the world. Apparently you need to shape up.
If you aren't reading this, congratulations, you've been raptured.
If you aren't reading this, congratulations, you've been raptured.
5/20/2011
Rapture Product Idea
Oh, and I have a question: Will this thing happen all at once, or is it going to go by time zone?
The Most Brilliant Idea I've Heard all Week
Prof. Mondo suggests a celebration/party of sorts for Rapture Day, tomorrow, May 21, 2011:
Step 1: Procure several inflatable people, perhaps from an adult merchandise shop.If anyone out there does this (and takes pictures) please share. I fully expect to be pretty bored.
Step 2: Buy several tanks of helium.
Step 3: Fill the inflatopeople with the helium.
Step 4: Release them into the sky until you have a sky filled with ascending naked people.
Step 5: Enjoy the freakout!
5/19/2011
More and More
Today was roughly 2000 data point descriptions, but I'm done with that bit of it. Now they all get formatted and entered into another program that will make them into contours, or so my boss tells me. But I don't have to worry about that till tomorrow. Thank goodness, because my eyes were going cross eyed from looking at that stupid spreadsheet so long...
Random Thought
I know times might be hard and you are trying to pinch pennies, but please believe me when I say that BBQ potato chips are NOT the area to save money by buying the generic store brand.
Know your enemies
I don't know if you've been following the CSCV (Coalition to Stop Gun Violence) Brouhaha over at Linoge's place (which is amazingly hilarious and slightly scary at the same time), but now Sean has a selection from the CSCV's manifesto up which, while not containing anything really surprising, solidifies what everyone has long suspected of them; I quote Sean's quote from this manifesto:
Know your enemies--and indeed, they ARE your enemies.
"Recognize Insurrectionism as a threat to the entire progressive movement. Too many political progressives assume that the gun rights movement can be co-opted or simply ignored. Progressives fail to understand that the Insurrectionist idea is part and parcel of a broader reactionary worldview. Unless progressives recognize that the Insurrectionist premise of the modern gun rights movement is fundamentally hostile to the progressive project and its values, the 'conservative' movement will use gun rights as a building block for organizing and propagandizing."In other words--they don't care one whit about stopping violence or crime or whatever buzzword they use to make the unwitting follow them. It's merely an excuse to push their progressive agenda of power-grabbing and control. And if you own any guns, well, you are a threat to them even if you haven't a violent bone in your body.
Know your enemies--and indeed, they ARE your enemies.
5/18/2011
Walls! Walls. I say!
The crazy neighbors are moving and shaking over there, and they put up two walls today! They may just get a house built, yet. Which would be nice--maybe if the guy can have something less to worry about he'll be less crazy. Not to mention that the property values around here are going to go up with the whole mess over there resolved...
Bizzaro World is Real, and it's in My Back Yard
Here's the story. A former CU Professor who compared the victims of the 9-11 attacks to Nazis has been hired (for $350, no less) by an anarchist group (and I mean that in the wackiest possible way, I don't want to link them but the website is http://www.gjredpill.org/) to give a speech on Memorial Day at one of the Unitarian Universalist churches in town. So a crazy guy has been hired by a bunch of crazy guys to speak in front of the only people who will listen to anything, because "truth is relative."
It's a confluence of insanity, and it's right here in Happy Valley! You can't make it up!
5/17/2011
150 down...
3000-some odd data entries to go.
Mostly what needs done is interpreting my boss's handwriting (think "Doctor scribble," but with 50 years of "Engineering block letter" put on top of it) and converting it into descriptions for every point. So the scibbly-block "GR" goes into the computer as "Slope Pt" and so on. Later the spreadsheet will need to be reformatted so it will cooperate with the program that turns all the points into a map. On top of all this there are still some Atterberg samples to be done from last year. The lab looks almost the same as when I left it last summer, except now I don't know what's in all the piles. Before it was messy and organized, now it's messy and disorganized. And that TV wasn't there when I left, what's up with that?
But I'm glad to be doing it all, tedious and/or dirty work notwithstanding--I love my boss and I have a pretty good time.
Mostly what needs done is interpreting my boss's handwriting (think "Doctor scribble," but with 50 years of "Engineering block letter" put on top of it) and converting it into descriptions for every point. So the scibbly-block "GR" goes into the computer as "Slope Pt" and so on. Later the spreadsheet will need to be reformatted so it will cooperate with the program that turns all the points into a map. On top of all this there are still some Atterberg samples to be done from last year. The lab looks almost the same as when I left it last summer, except now I don't know what's in all the piles. Before it was messy and organized, now it's messy and disorganized. And that TV wasn't there when I left, what's up with that?
But I'm glad to be doing it all, tedious and/or dirty work notwithstanding--I love my boss and I have a pretty good time.
Good news, I guess
As I mentioned yesterday, I talked to my boss from the last three summers and he said that he could really use some help either doing more soil testing or compiling all the data and making figures and such. But the report's deadline is the end of June, and he doesn't have any solid work after that. So I have maybe a month and a half of work, but not really a job. Still it's something.
In slightly related news, in and amidst all the economists' talk of "THE ECONOMY IS RECOVERED DAMMIT! WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE US?" another engineering-related company in my town just scaled back to one shift and had to lay off 100 people. So screw you, economists.
In slightly related news, in and amidst all the economists' talk of "THE ECONOMY IS RECOVERED DAMMIT! WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE US?" another engineering-related company in my town just scaled back to one shift and had to lay off 100 people. So screw you, economists.
5/16/2011
Life
I guess I just didn't feel like writing anything today. Sorry. But I did get the lawn mowed, garden watered, watched the Lawn Guy aerate and fertilize the lawn, and talked to my boss of the last three summers about a short time job, at least.
Onward and upward...
Onward and upward...
Good driving music
Not that I'm driving anywhere today. Today I have to mow the lawn, but since we have a push mower I'm not even driving that.
5/15/2011
Chicken Picture
The chicks are nearly big enough to think that they're real chickens. They're actually perching on things, rather than hiding under stuff.
One less problem
Huckabee has said he won't run for president. Now if we could only get every other hopeful to not run, maybe something interesting and game-changing might happen. Good luck with that...
Farewell June
These guys played at my church in MT a couple times. Just a small touring band, but they could sure play some mean blues--too bad that their recording company wouldn't let them put any of their blues on a record. Anyway, this is the only song of them that I could find on Youtube, so it'll have to do
5/14/2011
Gardening II
We've just planted most of the rest of the garden. More tomatoes, more onions, both hot and sweet peppers, various cucumbers/melons/zucchinis, yellow wax beans, and sweet corn. This all goes in addition to the previously planted tomatoes, kale, spinach, lettuce, beets, sugar snap peas, beets, onions, carrots, and beets. Oh, and the rhubarb and grape vine. Still to come is some more corn, green beans, a few more tomatoes, and some eggplants. After we were done with the vegetables, we planted a new yellow trumpet vine to replace a honeysuckle that died last year.
It was beautiful this morning, but now it's starting to storm, so I guess we're calling it quits for today.
It was beautiful this morning, but now it's starting to storm, so I guess we're calling it quits for today.
Overflow
PawPaw (who lives in Louisiana) had an interesting post up about the river and the situation down there.
In it he had a link to a very interesting site that shows sort of the history of where the Mississippi River has been and where it will go. Go and check it out, it will be something that you should know about.
In it he had a link to a very interesting site that shows sort of the history of where the Mississippi River has been and where it will go. Go and check it out, it will be something that you should know about.
5/13/2011
Range Time
Going to the shooting range this afternoon--first time I've ever been to this one. It's a "real" range, not a hut out in the desert, or the hills behind my friend's ranch in MT, like all the other times I've gone shooting. Going with a friend who has a membership there--he's trying out a new pistol he recently bought. I think I'm going to bring my 642 and maybe one of my dad's rifles that I found in a closet, just 'cause I can.
In the meantime maybe blogger will sort itself out. It may be up but it's still pretty wonky.
In the meantime maybe blogger will sort itself out. It may be up but it's still pretty wonky.
Hey, blogger's (kinda) back!
It ate some of my scheduled posts. Phooie.
So how's that wordpress thing work, anyway?
So how's that wordpress thing work, anyway?
Youtube Mix and Match
Someone took a Bjork video and put it to a Gary Numan song.
Two weird things put together just got weirder.
Two weird things put together just got weirder.
5/12/2011
News you Knew
Seriously, why are these headlines?
"Bin Laden Journal Discusses Terror Operations"
"Reports: Bin Laden's Notes Show Preoccupation With Killing Americans"
"Bin Laden Journal Confirms Los Angeles Was Prime Target"
Oooo! Look! I haven't even READ any of his journals and I can make a headline like that!
"Osama Bin Laden Journal Reveals Desire to Attack America"
or
"Bin Laden Planned Multiple Types of Attacks on American Targets, Journal Shows"
It is bewildering to me that the American press is still in business.
"Bin Laden Journal Discusses Terror Operations"
"Reports: Bin Laden's Notes Show Preoccupation With Killing Americans"
"Bin Laden Journal Confirms Los Angeles Was Prime Target"
Oooo! Look! I haven't even READ any of his journals and I can make a headline like that!
"Osama Bin Laden Journal Reveals Desire to Attack America"
or
"Bin Laden Planned Multiple Types of Attacks on American Targets, Journal Shows"
It is bewildering to me that the American press is still in business.
5/11/2011
End of the world is coming...
Stock up on booze!
I don't know if you have these things popping up where you are, but we've got several billboard signs around town proclaiming the end of the world will happen on May 21. One of these signs is right next to a liquor store called "Last Chance Liquors." I should have taken a picture of it when I drove past it yesterday, but at least you can see it in the link above.
The thing about those signs is, apparently the guy who is putting them up never read the Bible where Jesus says "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." (It's in Mark 13, if you care to look it up)
Dude. If Jesus says he doesn't even know when the end of the world is... well, then I think the word that describes you best would be "pretentious."
I don't know if you have these things popping up where you are, but we've got several billboard signs around town proclaiming the end of the world will happen on May 21. One of these signs is right next to a liquor store called "Last Chance Liquors." I should have taken a picture of it when I drove past it yesterday, but at least you can see it in the link above.
The thing about those signs is, apparently the guy who is putting them up never read the Bible where Jesus says "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." (It's in Mark 13, if you care to look it up)
Dude. If Jesus says he doesn't even know when the end of the world is... well, then I think the word that describes you best would be "pretentious."
Refresher?
If you had an opportunity to take a "Refresher Class" for your concealed handgun permit, what would you expect to see?
The guy who I took my CHP training from is asking if there is any interest in something like this.
It is hard for me to think of any real reason to take a class like that in particular rather than something more advanced. I suppose there could be a section on updated gun laws, or something like that, but I kinda feel like this is just an opportunity for a quick buck. A guy's gotta eat, though, I suppose.
The guy who I took my CHP training from is asking if there is any interest in something like this.
It is hard for me to think of any real reason to take a class like that in particular rather than something more advanced. I suppose there could be a section on updated gun laws, or something like that, but I kinda feel like this is just an opportunity for a quick buck. A guy's gotta eat, though, I suppose.
Quote of the Intellectuals
"...the way to become an intellectual has nothing to do with actually thinking! I can opine on all manner of subjects, and no matter what I say or who reads it I will never be called an intellectual. Neither will you. In order to become an intellectual you have to go to the right schools and parrot the right beliefs."
--Sean Sorrentino, at this post.
Why don't we love our intellectuals? Maybe it's because we have brains ourselves.
5/10/2011
LEGO Starwars
Everything you need to know about episodes 1-3 so you don't have to watch them--just go straight for the original trilogy.
Aye-ye-ye... you stinking weather.
After it being nearly 90 over the weekend, now it's back down to the high 50's, with rain (and slush, last night). I want to know who I should beat up to make Algor stop flipping the global warming switch.
D-D-D-DMV
My (slightly more air-brained than me) brother forgot to renew his driver's license when he turned 21 a couple months ago. I suppose "I was in another state going to college" is a pretty good excuse, but now it means that I have to drive him to the DMV and sit there while he gets a new picture taken (and etc).
Luckily, the Colorado DMV is not listed as a prohibited location for concealed carry (as far as I can tell, at least. Golly sakes these things are more complicated than they need to be. You can talk about how the air tastes free, but if you need to spend half an hour looking through the legal code before deciding whether or not to carry a gun in your pocket, I'm not convinced it's much free-er than a blanket statement "NO.").
But all this means that my morning is going to be spent sitting in a soul-sucking room trying not to suffocate. Good times.
Luckily, the Colorado DMV is not listed as a prohibited location for concealed carry (as far as I can tell, at least. Golly sakes these things are more complicated than they need to be. You can talk about how the air tastes free, but if you need to spend half an hour looking through the legal code before deciding whether or not to carry a gun in your pocket, I'm not convinced it's much free-er than a blanket statement "NO.").
But all this means that my morning is going to be spent sitting in a soul-sucking room trying not to suffocate. Good times.
A random joke
We were dressed, and ready to go out for the New Years Eve Party. We turned on a night light, turned the answering machine on, covered our pet parakeet, and put the cat in the backyard. We phoned the local cab company and requested a taxi.
The taxi arrived and we opened the front door to leave the house.
As we walked out the door, the cat we had put out in the yard, scoots back into the house. We didn't want the cat shut in the house because she always tries to eat the bird. My wife goes on out to the taxi, while I went back inside to get the cat. The cat runs upstairs, with me in hot pursuit. Waiting in the cab, my wife doesn't want the driver to know that the house will be empty for the night,
So, she explains to the taxi driver that I will be out soon, 'He's just going upstairs to say Goodbye to my mother.'
A few minutes later, I get into the cab. 'Sorry I took so long,' I said, as we drove away. 'That stupid bitch was hiding under the bed. I had to poke her ass with a coat hanger to get her to come out! She tried to take off, so I grabbed her by the neck. Then, I had to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from scratching me. But it worked! I hauled her fat ass downstairs and threw her out into the back yard!'
The cab driver hit a parked car.
From an email I got.
5/09/2011
An interesting little computer thing
Long story short: A tiny $25 computer with a port on one end to connect to your TV and a port on the other end to connect to a keyboard.
From here.
News (Good or bad, I'm not sure)
It appears that I will not be given the opportunity to be a coal miner. Which is good; while I think I maybe could live somewhere where you can't see any mountains, I don't think I could live somewhere that you can't see any mountains or trees.
It was still a bemusing/amusing experience (first time anyone in my family has been flown somewhere for a job interview). But now it's back to the job boards...
It was still a bemusing/amusing experience (first time anyone in my family has been flown somewhere for a job interview). But now it's back to the job boards...
5/08/2011
Mothers Day
I did go and buy a bottle of good amaretto for her. It may be another Hallmark holiday, but that doesn't mean you can't use it as an excuse for a nice bottle of booze...
First time
Hey, today is the first time I've ever carried a firearm while wearing shorts! Yesterday's 85 degree + temperature was a little bit too much for long pants.
Lemonade
Sometimes I just need a nice pleasant song for Sunday morning, despite everything or anything. Chris Rice has plenty of them to choose from; this is one of my favorites from him:
Hope you have a good day even if you don't want one.
Hope you have a good day even if you don't want one.
5/07/2011
Bacon Blogging: BLT
High of 85 today, and my brother's heading home for summer break, so what's more summery for lunch than BLT?
Mmmmm... bacon...
Mmmmm... bacon...
My chicken tractor
After a brief problem with the wheels (had to lower them some more so the frame wouldn't catch on the ground, this is what my chicken tractor looks like as of now, complete with some chickens:
We really ought to get a hanging waterer, at least, this one keeps tipping on the uneven ground and leaking everything out.
Next on the list of things to do is make a retaining wall for the flower garden...
We really ought to get a hanging waterer, at least, this one keeps tipping on the uneven ground and leaking everything out.
Next on the list of things to do is make a retaining wall for the flower garden...
NERD ALERT!
Super cool misfits!
Could be my theme song...
And in case you didn't know, The Aquabats are pretty much the coolest superhero skapop band out there. As opposed to, um, all those other lame superhero skapop bands. Yeah.
Could be my theme song...
And in case you didn't know, The Aquabats are pretty much the coolest superhero skapop band out there. As opposed to, um, all those other lame superhero skapop bands. Yeah.
5/06/2011
What the
In the newspaper this morning there was an article about the falling oil prices (under $100 again). They said that one reason they were falling was because "there were no terrorist repercussions after the killing of Osama Bin Laden."
...Huh? It's only been 6 days, and the speculators have declared that there will be no repercussions? My friends, if you think that just because one guy was shot and killed it means the beginning of a new age of peace and prosperity, well, you've got another thing comin'.
...Huh? It's only been 6 days, and the speculators have declared that there will be no repercussions? My friends, if you think that just because one guy was shot and killed it means the beginning of a new age of peace and prosperity, well, you've got another thing comin'.
Hardcore
Speaking of Minecraft, last night I was playing it with a friend, trying to decide what to build next, and I suggested a floating castle, like in Castle in the Sky. He said "Ummm, a bunch of Japanese people already did that," and pointed me to this video:
Holy crap. I didn't mean a scale replica. Some people are just show offs.
Holy crap. I didn't mean a scale replica. Some people are just show offs.
Triple Play!
It's got weird music, minecraft, and weird shapes exported from Maple! Everything a geek like me loves!
5/05/2011
Best idea ever
Whoever it was that thought up those short little cans of Root Beer deserves a medal. They're PERFECT for root beer floats.
Mmmmmm...
Mmmmmm...
Books of 2011: Hard Magic
Larry Correia's Book 1 of the Grimnoir Chronicles: Hard Magic
I got it in the mail yesterday afternoon, and finished it at 12:30 last night. Most excellent. Think "Ex-con private eye X-men in the Great Depression," and you'll get a general idea on the feel of it. Except these X-men aren't all angsty teenagers, afraid to use fully-automatic firearms chambered in .30-06. And John Moses Browning is a major character!
I'm not sure if I like it quite as much as Monster Hunter, but that just means that I'm going to rate it at 1.9 bajillion out of 10 rather than 2 bajillion out of 10.
You should go and pick up a copy.
I got it in the mail yesterday afternoon, and finished it at 12:30 last night. Most excellent. Think "Ex-con private eye X-men in the Great Depression," and you'll get a general idea on the feel of it. Except these X-men aren't all angsty teenagers, afraid to use fully-automatic firearms chambered in .30-06. And John Moses Browning is a major character!
I'm not sure if I like it quite as much as Monster Hunter, but that just means that I'm going to rate it at 1.9 bajillion out of 10 rather than 2 bajillion out of 10.
You should go and pick up a copy.
Snapping Synapses
My little internal turntable just jumped from The Aquabats to Rick Astley to Monty Pythons "Knights of the Round Table" and back to The Aquabats.
I think I sprained my brain...
I think I sprained my brain...
What? Why?
Seen at the store the other day:
This is what happens when you have a computer in charge of everything.
This is what happens when you have a computer in charge of everything.
Arturo Sandoval
My mother just got his new album and it's been playing in rotation. Good Cuban Jazz. I actually got to see him play live once at a community concert thing. Very impressive.
5/04/2011
Quote of the Day
From PawPaw:
Amen, and amen.
I understand that the CIA is going through [Osama Bin Laden's] computers, and that there is a treasure trove of information on those memory chips. Soon, we'll start dispatching teams to pick up al-Zawahiri. Hopefully, they won't treat him any better than they treated Osama. My choice would still be pork parts and a spike.
So, Islamist worriers, if you want to make sure that Zawhatsisname gets a good Islamic burial, kill him yourself and bury him at your leisure. You can make sure all the cultural niceties are observed.
Amen, and amen.
You know the "Dial Up" sound?
Well, this is what it sounds like when you slow it waaaaaaayyyyy down.
I think that's the creepiest thing I've ever heard. If you excuse me I need to go and check for ghosts in my closet.
I think that's the creepiest thing I've ever heard. If you excuse me I need to go and check for ghosts in my closet.
Another Header
What do you think? The lonely road was too depressing, so I changed it again. Is this one too threatening? Should I change it again? Or try it out for a while?
Buzzword
Random Acts of Patriotsim had an interesting post up talking about whether or not what was done to Osama Bin Laden was "justice" or not. I thought I'd look at what Noah Webster thought it meant, way back in the early 1800's.
From Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary:
I think I am with ASM826 on this one. The scale of the things Bin Laden was in charge of precludes any notion of justice I can understand. But he has reaped what he sowed, and is judged by a just God.
From Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary:
Justice: The virtue which consists in giving to every one what is his due; practical conformity to the laws and to principles of rectitude in the dealings of men with each other; honesty; integrity in commerce or mutual intercourse.That fits right in with what I thought justice meant.
I think I am with ASM826 on this one. The scale of the things Bin Laden was in charge of precludes any notion of justice I can understand. But he has reaped what he sowed, and is judged by a just God.
One more TMBG
Come on--it's a cartoon with ancient Mesopotamians in it! How could you not like it?
You're right, that was a strange question.
5/03/2011
You wanna know what's creepy?
When you're getting ready for bed and a car pulls up next to your house, stops, and turns off.
Dude, it's an hour till midnight and we're on the bare edge of town, down a country lane, no less. There is no reason to park in our driveway. Creep.
Dude, it's an hour till midnight and we're on the bare edge of town, down a country lane, no less. There is no reason to park in our driveway. Creep.
Chicken Tractor
I've been working on making a Chicken Tractor the past couple days, and I've finally used up enough of the old stuff sitting in the corners of the garage that I need to go out to the store and buy stuff. There wasn't quite enough chicken wire left in the roll we had for every side, and I need some wheels of some sort (why did my mom throw out the old lawnmower?), something to make a handle to move it around with... it's amazing how much stuff there is out in the garage, my dad was definitely of the "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" school of thought, and saved everything. Now it's just a game of "Where do you suppose he put stuff like that" when you need anything. I mean, yesterday I found two plumbing snakes in different places--funny how I couldn't find them a month ago when the sink was backing up, even though I must have looked right at them.
This is going to be a massive thing, as I am of the "brute force" school of woodworking; if it looks wobbly, put another piece of 2x4 in there and screw it down with more screws (if anyone asks how many screws you need, the answer is always "more").
Off I go!
This is going to be a massive thing, as I am of the "brute force" school of woodworking; if it looks wobbly, put another piece of 2x4 in there and screw it down with more screws (if anyone asks how many screws you need, the answer is always "more").
Off I go!
Ummm... No
Between Yes and They Might Be Giants, I was completely set for music all the way from 6th to 11th grade.
And now you "no" something else weird about me.
And now you "no" something else weird about me.
5/02/2011
About bloody time
The neighbors (forever more known to me as the "scary crazy neighbors," but that's a story I won't go into right now) whose house was arson'd last June (ten months ago, if you're counting) have finally gotten around to starting on a new house. Don't ask me where they've been living in the meantime. They've just got the frame up for a new concrete pad.
Sooo... it took about 6 months to tear down the burnt out hulk of the old house, another 4 to start working on the foundation... maybe they'll have a house by 2107.
I know that it's hard when you're a young family and your house gets burnt down, but between the "crazy scary" incident and the general sluggishness of their house building process, I'm not too impressed with them.
Sooo... it took about 6 months to tear down the burnt out hulk of the old house, another 4 to start working on the foundation... maybe they'll have a house by 2107.
I know that it's hard when you're a young family and your house gets burnt down, but between the "crazy scary" incident and the general sluggishness of their house building process, I'm not too impressed with them.
Proverbs 24:17
"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth"...Because there's plenty more where he came from.
Ugly Rock and Rollers
Part 2: Steve Tyler. At all times, but especially while in drag.
For some reason, I don't think this video ever got played on TV--there seems to be too many "wardrobe malfunctions" if you know what I mean.
For some reason, I don't think this video ever got played on TV--there seems to be too many "wardrobe malfunctions" if you know what I mean.
5/01/2011
Books of 2011: Old Testament
I've finally finished the Old Testament on my "Read through the Bible in *cough cough* years!" plan. This time through I'm reading "The Message" paraphrase, just for a change of pace. You could say that this post shouldn't be a "Books of 2011" post, but I figure that this is a good compromise between doing every single book of the Bible and just doing one post for the whole thing (assuming I finish it anytime soon). But I digress...
So what can you say about the Old Testament--this Jewish history written thousands of years ago? It has everything from epic tales of battle to (impressively explicit) love poems--and yet everything in it is a setup for the New Testament. Kind of amazing.
Anyway, it is essential reading for everyone, really. Whether or not you believe in the message of Jesus Christ or not, the fact that everything in our culture (and most others) is built on this foundation makes it something good to have under your belt.
I don't know how exactly to rate something like this. Hmmm... 39 days and nights out of 40.
So what can you say about the Old Testament--this Jewish history written thousands of years ago? It has everything from epic tales of battle to (impressively explicit) love poems--and yet everything in it is a setup for the New Testament. Kind of amazing.
Anyway, it is essential reading for everyone, really. Whether or not you believe in the message of Jesus Christ or not, the fact that everything in our culture (and most others) is built on this foundation makes it something good to have under your belt.
I don't know how exactly to rate something like this. Hmmm... 39 days and nights out of 40.
Chosen Ones
I've been listening to Project 86 again...
Smile, wave
Convince the sanctuary, our charade
Though you're the object of my deepest rage
Just counterfeit this holiness for me
And everything will be OK
My sweet one
You tell no lies
The greatest reason to be despised
But we must pretend
Your broken wrist
Just happened when you fell off your bike
So this is
The reason
The sanctuary hums
God save us
God save us
From your chosen ones
Smile, wave
Protect his pulpit from all suffering
He'll make celebrity the end game
So much more valuable than family
Not even violence can betray...
As long as
You keep your lips
Locked up til the end of this age
And even
If you won't
It's your word up against what he'll say
Cry, Girl
Become the wails of victims unheard
Your tears have given you the calm nerve
So if they're asking you to hide your bane
You just keep screaming to the grave
You'll be
The reason
The helpless celebrate
He takes us
He takes us
From our violent shame
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