I've added "word verification" to the comment area to block spammers. My apologies.
CSI: Philadelphia
I was searching through some pictures on my laptop and ran across this from about a year and half ago. As I came home to the apartment I was living in at the time, I fell upon this tragic and horrifying scene. What had happened here? It was never conclusive from the evidence if it was foul play or a suicide. In about 10 years, I figure the chick from "Cold Case" will reinvestigate and discover that it was somehow tied to the engineers who worked in the office below.
Step Right Up Folks....
I heard on the radio this morning that scientist have pretty much pinpointed how long passionate love lasts. Apparently, when you are in that stage of euphoria – that walking on air, can’t sleep, can’t eat, smiling from ear to ear phase – your body produces what they are calling a Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in the blood. They studied single people, people in long term relationships and people who had recently fallen in love. The last group had much higher levels of NGF in their blood. A year later, when they studied the same groups, the level of NGF in the last group had dropped to the same as the first two groups.
As we can all well imagine – and what they noted on the radio as well – is that it’s just a matter of time before someone figures out a way to manufacture this stuff and sell it on television like some side-show flim-flam man at a carnival. Passion in a bottle. Or maybe it will come in a tube, like ointment.
15 Nanoseconds of....okay, fame. Sure.
I am seriously jazzed. I mentioned yesterday that I had tripped over a new blog, Jesus’ Favorite, via Will Wheaton’s blog. Well, Annie – who is Jesus’ Favorite – writes so well and is so funny that I was compelled to comment…twice. When I opened my RSS feeds this morning and checked in on her entry from yesterday, she actually mentions me in her blog. I had to high-five myself....which actually does look as stupid as it sounds....especially when you miss and knock your phone off the desk.
Now if I could only get Wil to mention me, too, it would be like this cosmic, hip-chick-meets-the-Klingon cyber orgasm.
What I’m bummed about is that Shane Nickerson took a hiatus…I have no idea why. He didn’t write (specifically to me), didn’t call, not even a dirty limerick to explain himself. Now I have to wait until January to see if he can tractor beam me into his blog as well.
In the meantime, Jesus’ Second Favorite, Annie’s sister (Steffie), subtly implied that she also has a blog and I get the feeling she is looking for readers….but that’s just a hunch. So I will check it out and see what it’s all about. I think. She never actually mentions the name of her blog or provides a link. When I click on her name, I only get an email address…so I have to investigate and see if I can’t geek my way into finding her site.
I’ll keep you posted… (both of you)
That didn’t take long…I can’t find it….I even googled and that usually works for everything. I finally wrote to her and asked – we’ll see what happens.
Schtuff...
Wil Wheaton has sucked me back in again…sort of. Through him, I found a new blog, Jesus’ Favorite. It’s written by his friend Annie and she has to do it because she lost a bet. So far, she’s pretty damn funny. And through that, I also found Shane Nickerson’s blog. Not sure about this one yet. It may be too nerdy even for me. Annie only has to do her blog for a week but I’m hoping she keeps going after she has fulfilled her bet obligations.
Thanksgiving was great! I hung out with Nan and friends on Wednesday, learned Texas Hold ‘em, (finally!) on Thursday, shopped on Friday and went to a party on Saturday. I had an out of body experience on Sunday that I will not talk about because it’s just too ridiculous. I need to learn to settle down.
I didn’t get nearly as much done on the house as I wanted but I seemed to have survived that so far.
And now I’m back at work. That hurt to type.
I SHOULD go to the gym tonight but I don’t see that happening. I see a lot of straightening going on this evening and watching poker on ESPN while I read my new book about poker. (I think I’ve mentioned my obsessive side before, right? Right.)
The Eagles won, THANK GOD!
I bought these books at B&N. I can’t remember the exact names of them but something like “The Book of Facts” and “The Book of Lies”. Anyway…the object is to fill in your response to all these questions and then pass them onto someone else. Seems like it could be fun. After about 20 people, you have this book about your friends…sort of. I don’t know what you do with it after that….blackmail them? I don’t know. I’ll have to check the instructions.
And I have this incredible itch to join something. I don’t know what, but something. Some new, hip gay social event….or non-gay. It doesn’t matter, I just have the urge to join something new. I have to dedicate more time to this. This seems like something about which Nan would have great ideas...not to put her on the spot or anything. Right now, I have to run out for lunch because a) I’m starving; b) I have errands to run at BJs’ and c) I might want a cup of coffee from Starbucks.
In The Middle of The Night...
This blows. I've been awake since at least 3am - I refused to look at the clock when I first woke up - by the time I did, it was 3am. After 2 episodes of "Seinfeld", the trailing end of "The Cosby Show", a poorly acted "Who's The Boss?" (I don't know how that show stayed on the air so long), and listening to the news, where the biggest story was holiday travel (isn't there a war going on?) I gave up and turned the television off. I tried for about another hour to go back to sleep. No dice.I finally just packed it in, rousted the cat from his warm slumber at my feet and got up. Don't get me wrong, I was hoping to be up early to start working on the kitchen floor....but I was kind of planning on that happening after 7 or 8 restful hours of sleep. Looks like Starbucks will get a visit later in the day.
Even The Best Laid Plans...
Not much blogging this week. I took the week off for the holiday and to work on the house a bit. The dining room is about 85% finished....all that's left is a second coat of paint underneath the chair rail and the chair rail and trim. In the meantime, I've ripped up the floor in the kitchen...fun but much harder then I thought. I was using this commercial size scraper that's about 5 feet tall, has a foot hold and must weigh 10 lbs. With all the scraping and throwing that thing around, I completely blew out my back and shoulders. Despite the massage I got at a party Saturday night, I was one hurtin' puppy on Sunday morning (my hangover didn't help). I ended up popping Advil and calcium all day and lying flat in bed to watch the Eagles game. I was hoping to have the floor done by now but it'll take another couple days. Today is the day I planned appointments and stuff, which I always end up doing with at least one day of any stay-at-home vacation. I'll work on it more late this afternoon when I get back from Toppers. With any luck, I'll finish the kitchen floor, paint the kitchen walls, finish the dining room and get the leaves in the yard cleaned up before I head back to work on Monday. (My next door neighbor would probably be appreciative since his lawn looks like a golf course and my leaves keep blowing over there. He's got some cool lawn vacuum that attaches to his lawn mower...I think I need to get one for next year....the blower will do for now.)So this party on Saturday night was lots of fun. Thanks Nan!!!!!! Food was great, company was fabulous, drinks and partial nudity were plentiful! And thank God I went with a friend because it became clear on the drive home that I was in NO condition to be behind a wheel....so it's a good thing she was. I don't remember much once we hit the Schuylkill. Haven't been that drunk since....hmmm, just a few months ago at the Monkey's tailgate party.I have Seinfeld DVDs on in the background and it's the one where Kramer has seizures whenever he hears Mary Hart's voice. Too freaking funny! I guess I should wander off and eat something before I head out again...and clean up the damn kitchen. I don't know where all these dishes come from...I don't cook. Maybe the cat is having luncheons when I'm at work. It would explain the catnip plant I found the other day.
VERY Pissed Off
I have a full-blown rant today, dedicated to people who park in handicapped spots. This has always been a HUGE pet peeve of mine and one my very few strong convictions but today took the cake. I stopped at Starbucks on the way back from a late afternoon lunch break. As I walked inside, there it sat – the land behemoth SUV in the handicap spot. Grrr!! As I walked by, I looked at the plates, checked the front mirror, even stole a glance in the window for any sign of disability. None. Double grrr.
I went inside and took stock of those present. No one on crutches – and I sympathize with that group because I know from experience that it takes a while to get a temporary handicap permit – but nope. No one in a wheelchair….not even a limp amongst the bunch. Maybe the perpetrator was next store in Quizno’s, the only other shop in that parking lot. Since I was already at the end of the line, I was able to keep an eye on the spot. There was a woman with a small child, maybe a year old. Okay, if she parked there, it wouldn’t be awful. But when she left she went across the parking lot to another car. Somehow, by the grace of God, she was able to make it all the way to her car with a coffee in one hand and a child over her shoulder! I hope she didn’t get hurt.
Also present were two elderly women in and while they could get around, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they had parked there either, I could live with that. They ended up across the parking lot, too, next to my car.
Some young chickie, in her faux Burberry coat and very real attitude, left the store and I thought, surely it can’t be her. She was probably the youngest person in there, sans the actual counter-kids (it’s a real job description at Starbucks and McDonald’s type places.) My turn at the counter. I break from my vigilante, can-you-tell-how-disgusted-I-am stance and order. As I finish and turn back to the door, the SUV pulls out….it’s the chickie!!!!!
NOW I’m in full rant mode. That is INEXCUSABLE! I get so annoyed at these people who think rules don’t apply to them because, after all, they’re just running in for a cup of coffee….while the rest of us are there for dinner, movie and possibly an overnight stay. It just pisses me off to no end! And I don’t care if there is another handicap spot available, they aren’t so special that they can decide which laws apply to them and which don’t.
I’d like to see some political candidate, be it local, regional, state or federal, promise to do something more harsh about everyday assholes who can’t follow some simple rules with which everyone else seems to be okay. I’d love it if Joe Citizen could fine people who think they are above everyone else when it comes to the simple things like this. And, yes, I know it’s extremist, but it pisses me off. And it’s not like that’s a huge parking lot to begin with.
I was tempted to hang around outside until the person came out but didn’t….next time I think I will because I certainly would have had a few choice words for her. God forbid she ever actually need the handicap spot – she’ll surely miss all those days when she could have taken a longer walk from her car to the door and chose not to. You don’t realize the freedom of walking until you can’t.
This would have been peppered with more exclamation points but I had a meeting almost the moment I got back into the office and that gave me a little time to settle down.
Random Thoughts
1. Knowing how disappointed and frustrated I was about the Eagles game, it was not THAT surprising to find out that a colleague’s brother actually had to stay home on Tuesday because he was so depressed about the game. It got me thinking about how many other people might have done the same thing…either due to hang-overs, depression or a combination of the two. This wasn’t even a playoff game. Given that, I would love to see some research done about how much money the Eagles cost Philadelphia in lost wages and production time/dollars whenever they blow a game….especially games that should be wins and they hand to the other team.
2. I was reading Newsweek last night…I think it was Newsweek….and the cover story is about Sen. John McCain’s (I always want to call him McBain) proposal re: the torture of POWs and detainees. As usual, I am plagued with being too open-minded and honestly seeing both sides of the story….though I truly think that we are wrong in our actions and will eventually rue the day.
I began thinking about this from a parent’s point of view. If you are a parent who has a child fighting in this war, you may be very much in favor of our interrogation efforts, knowing it could end the war sooner and bring your son or daughter home. God knows we don’t want to see more American casualties. And if you had a son or daughter already killed in the war, you are probably very in favor of bringing as much suffering to those who caused you pain as possible. Then again, maybe not because you realize those people, our enemies, are also sons and daughters. But how would these same parents feel if their sons and daughters were taken captive? How would they feel knowing that the same tactics we use are being used on their children? Would it change their minds?
I wonder how many parents, if forced to choose, would rather see their child killed in action then tortured? Granted, many POWs come home and live fairly normal and productive lives…like John McCain. But there so many more whose lives are never the same. Having no children of my own, I can’t begin to imagine which situation most parents would choose….it doesn’t seem to be explored that much in all the coverage I’ve seen on the subject of torture.
3. On a lighter note, I was watching a re-run of “Everyone Loves Raymond” last night. The episode was about choosing a replacement for your mate, should you die. It was very funny but, as most things do, it made me think about who I would choose as a replacement for myself. Impossible to answer, of course, unless there is a person you are choosing for (i.e partner, husband, wife, etc.) but it was funny to think about. I wonder who my friends and family would choose as their replacements.
A (brief) Study in Moderation
I’m stealing a scene from Ellen Degeneres’ HBO special here when she speaks on the subject of the true meaning of what we say. For instance, when she talks about how people will mention a paper cut and the other person replies…”oh, that’s the worst thing” – Ellen’s well made point via her reply was… “Really? Is it? The worst thing?” The same about the use of “I’m just kidding” or “You’re kidding.” The example, when a friend makes fun of your hair cut and then closes with, “just kidding”…so that makes it okay. Or a friend tells you that his or her dog died and we reply, “You’re kidding.”
It’s a wonderful part of her show and I liken it to Gallagher’s routine on the English language…which is just a riot!!! It also makes me takes pause sometimes when I hear something like that come out of my mouth and I make a mental note and a valiant effort to be more cautious about such things. (It’s probably pretty clear at this point in the game that I am frustratingly anal sometimes about my own grammatical and verbal adequacies. And I say my own because, while I may notice it everywhere, I would never correct it for someone else - unless it’s part of my job….you know, written communication to customers and such.)
To that end, I was commenting yesterday (after a regular trip to the dentist for a cleaning) that I had to stop drinking coffee (occasional Starbucks) and tea so much, since it stains the back of my teeth. Although, really, who sees the back of anyone’s teeth? If you’re that close to someone, I don’t think teeth stains is the most prevalent thought in your mind. The friend to whom I was commenting replied with, “everything is fine in moderation”. It’s a saying I am fond of myself and put great stock in when rationalizing things that I want to do but probably shouldn’t.
Replaying various things in my mind from yesterday, which I am apt to do on a regular basis, that statement repeated itself. And then I heard Ellen on the radio for American Express and a couple cylinders clicked and I thought to myself…”well, probably not EVERYTHING”. I can’t imagine a knife in the heart or a gun shot wound to the head – in moderation – would be okay. I doubt a rape victim would think it’s okay…or a drowning victim. Or getting hit by a car….”well, as long it happens in moderation, you’ll be fine.” You get the point.
And I am, by no means, busting on my friend. As I mentioned, I say that same thing quite often. It just struck me as another one of those quirky things that people say that takes on a whole new perspective when studied literally. And I am all about different perspectives.
My tea tasted wonderful this morning, btw. (If I didn’t have to get in the car and drive for a Starbucks, I would have had that instead.) I enjoyed it immensely as I sat there, typing away in my home office, looking out over the backyard that has filled with leaves, the cat sitting in his usual spot looking at….well, I don’t know what the hell he looks at, to be honest. Very calming and soothing, nonetheless.
I think I can actually feel my teeth beginning to stain. Damnation!
Don't Make This Mistake!!!
I realize it's that time of year when people switch spring/summer clothes to fall/winter clothes. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations are rotated with the pace of a NYC city subway turnstile. And all those summer party trophies - plastic sports bottles, deflated beach ball that the really hot drummer in that shore band gave you and more seashells then you can recall collecting - have to be put somewhere.However, in the craziness of packing, unpacking, repacking, etc., don't mistakenly store your kids (or someone else's) in with the 3 new pairs of shorts, 2 tops and kicky new shoes you bought at the end of the season, knowing for sure that they'll fit by next summer and will still be in style.On a serious note...how freaking scary is it that a sticker like this is even needed?! I just happened to notice it last night when I was digging through my own winter clothes, looking for thermal underwear bottoms to wear to the Eagles game (moment of silent rage ensues). It struck me as scary and funny at the same time...let's face it, the picture itself is funny if you really take a moment and look at it. So I snapped a quick shot to share. Apologies that it's a little blurry...I was drinking at the time. 
This Used To Be My Playground
Crap. It would seem that Madonna does, indeed, have a new CD out. And it's supposedly not bad, as long as you are not a serious-minded, music snob intellectual. Read Andrew Sullivan's post.
****
MADONNA, POP GENIUS: The great virtue of Madonna, apart from her Catholic roots, is her lack of musical pretension. She's a pop artist, not a "rock star." I loathe most rock criticism, as I loathe most of rock and roll, because of its absurd pretension to seriousness. Madonna isn't innocent here, of course. She has made her fair share of dumb-ass pronouncements in her time. But at her best, she is a pure pop performer. Her new album is the best she has ever done, in my opinion. You can't stop enjoying its shameless superficiality, its joyous rhythms, its '80s disco uplift. Yeah, I know this will look like a suck-up to my new hosts, but Time's Josh Tyrangiel gets it exactly right:
"Over a pulsing synthesizer, a ticking clock, a rumbling timpani and countless other perfectly calibrated whirs and beeps, Madonna declares, "I don't like cities, but I like New York/Other places make me feel like a dork." This is not the most ridiculous lyric ever uttered in a pop song--that remains "Yummy yummy yummy/I got love in my tummy." Still, it is awfully silly, and before you press on with the album, you will need to ask yourself, Am I a serious person who listens to music for intellectual enlightenment and makes it a point of pride not to dance under any circumstances? Or am I merely a semi-serious person who makes it a point not to be seen dancing under any circumstances? If you're the former, Confessions on a Dance Floor is not for you. If you're the latter, close the blinds."The DP and I have had the blinds closed for a while now. The groove goes on ...
****
I take back my "Like A Has Been" entry. I'm big enough to admit when I might be mistaken. And until I get the CD, I'll hold judgement on this new offerring from MadDonna.
Damn her. :)
Post Script to Nominee Schnominee
My earlier post was about the Supreme Court...not abortion. Abortion is not a subject I care to vet here.
Nominee Schnominee
I have to wonder about something.As I was reading my daily dose of differnt blogs and hop-scothching from one article to another, I've saw the same thing people see everyday - arguments about the Supreme Court, it's members and their personal/political/legal beliefs about abortion. Then I read an entry on a site that is new to me. The gist of the post being that the Supreme Court is so focused on watching what this author called the Abortion Toggle Switch and wondering if they should play with it, that perhaps we need another court to "assume the neglected responsibilites of the current one." Well put.And the gears in my head slowly started turning and I started wondering, like I always do, why we are STILL, as a nation, focused on this arguement that is now decades old. And why does every administration seem to keep the Court focused on it? And why is it such a big-ticket question in confirmations that always gets news coverage. While they've got the minds of citizens wrapped around the fate of Roe v. Wade (which, to my knowledge, hasn't really been threateded since it was decided), what are they sneaking past us? What's going on behind that curtain Mr. Wizard?I've never really paid attention to the cases being decided in the Supreme Court....maybe it's high time I do. Does anyone know if there is a publication, like "TV Guide" or "People" or "Mad Magazine", to which I can subscribe? "Field and Stream: The D.C. Issue!"
Are You KIDDING Me?!
T.O. wants to be back on the team. He gave some lame ass apology speech that he probably had no part in authoring and could barely read intelligently. And he wants to be back on the field Monday for the Dallas game.Hey T.O..... FUCKYOUOh, wait, let me put that in T.O. initials speak... F.U.Maybe he should have considered all of this before he went around shooting off his damn mouth and causing uneeded and unwanted drama all over the place. When his blathering idiot of an agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was asked why T.O. just didn't issue this apology from the start, his response was "next question". Nice. Jerry McGuire would be dissappointed in you.From the story on the Eagles web site:"Then Rosenhaus took the stand and told the media that he felt the media did not portray Owens in the proper light. Rosenhaus refused to answer many of the questions, including one that asked, "Would he be in this position today if it weren't for you?" Another question Rosenhaus did not answer: "You've been with Terrell for five months, what have you done for him other than getting him kicked off the team?" " (His response - you guessed it - "Next question.")And T.O. stood behind him, snickering about the question. Didn't look too sorry and remorseful to me.Money quote: "He wants to play football for the Philadelphia Eagles. He wants to play right away," said Rosenhaus. Yeah, so do I. Look for me on Monday night against Dallas...I probably have a better chance of being on the field then T.O.Hey Rosenhaus...Fuck you too, buddy.I'm holding out that the Eagles don't get all mushy and let him back on the team. I think it would actually break my heart. I have faith that they'll stand by their decision. Don't let me and most of Philadelphia down, gentlemen. On Sunday, even though they did not prevail, you could see how much more relaxed the team seemed to be and how much better the flow was. I never really fell for the T.O. charm so I say good riddance. Physical athleticism alone does not a role model, teammate, superstar make. What makes me the angriest is that he is PRIVELEGED to make a living doing the thing that he is most passionate about, that which he loves...and he gets paid (handsomely) to do it. And then he has the audacity to pull this shit? UN-FREAKING-REAL.Good luck to the next team that is foolish enough to pick him up. And someone will....you just know it.
So Long T.O.!!
'Nuff said.
Like a Has-Been
Something occurred to me this morning or over the weekend….and I’m not quite sure what triggered it. I don’t recall hearing any of her songs. There is no Kabbalah center near my home, as far as I know, and it’s not as though I was reading the biography of Eva Peron. Regardless, Madonna popped into my head. But the thought that kept repeating itself was not about her music or film history, it was this one…”Why is Madonna still famous, still in the news?”
I have to admit, it’s been haunting me a bit. Then I thought that perhaps the real question was, “Why does Madonna think she’s still famous, still news?”
Seriously, what the hell has she done lately to warrant coverage of ANY kind?
She hasn’t produced any music in a while….or it was so quietly done that I totally missed it.
She hasn’t been in a feature film lately.
She hasn’t popped out any more kids. Or new husbands.
I know she has written a children’s book…perhaps even a series…but that was quite some time ago and wasn’t it something more local in jolly ole England?
All I know that she’s done is started practicing a new religion….and even that wasn’t recent. Besides, people do that everyday and it isn’t news. I guess it could be considered a form of fashion industry news since Hollywood is making Kabbalah fashionable.
Really, why do we even hear her name anymore?
I’ll be perfectly honest - I have nothing against her. I never think about her. I’ve accepted that she’s a self-promoting skank and just don’t care. Her best days are behind her and she’s losing her looks. And let’s face it, she’s always been a little batty about her own importance.
I simply don’t get it. I’ll probably remain puzzled by this for a couple days and then a gnat will distract me and I’ll be on my way. It just befuddles me.
We'll Be Right Back After This Commercial Break
I have a great friend, Chryseis, who lives in South Haven, MI….one of the coolest little towns I’ve ever visited. We met through the online role playing game I’ve previously mentioned…Dragon Realms. Unlike so many of the internet horror stories you hear, this was a great one and we remain friends today, even if I don’t get up there to visit much and most of our communication is over email and sporadic.
A couple months ago, Chrys was writing a story and shared the beginning with me. I recently asked what had become of it and it would seem that it’s on hold. I know she loves to write and has trouble finding the time. I suggested blogging as an outlet for writing. When we discussed it, she shared an idea (that I won’t go too far into) about commercials. I think she should pursue it and I am being the nagging friend in the meantime. Posting this is part of that nag, of course.
Oddly enough, shortly after we discussed it, three commercials caught my attention and I have to comment on them…this is not the idea she had, btw, but it’s just related to commercials so I thought I’d tie them together.
So, Chrys, consider yourself nagged. Oh, and for your project, check out Kraft and Phillip Morris. ;)
First, has anyone seen the new Columbia Sportswear commercials? They are freakin’ hysterical. There are two that I’ve seen so far. The first shows a concrete mixer in action, and out rolls a groundhog, followed by various other items; a cinder block, an alligator, a grill, a chainsaw, etc. Some pretty weird stuff comes out. Then this middle age guy comes tumbling down the shoot and, after landing on the blacktop, kind of shakes his head and looks around…zoom closer to his khaki pants. The text on the screen identifies him as Tim Boyle, President of Columbia. Then they pan out and you see this older woman working the concrete mixer and she is identified as Gert Boyle, Chairman of the Board….Tim’s mother. It’s much funnier than I’m describing here.
The second spot is Tim having a meeting and writing on a white board and you see Gert come into the back of the room with a blow gun and pops a dart in Tim’s neck. When you next see him, he is in the middle of some frozen tundra, Columbia parka on and a map in his hand with a big ‘X’ and “you are here” written on it. They are so damn funny. And I just found out the campaign was award-winning.
Maybe these are old commercials, but they are new to me and I laugh my ass off whenever they air.
So, I come off these funny commercials and then see this other one for “Aquadoodle”. Now, let me preface this by saying I was working and on the phone when I saw this and had the sound muted. Apparently, it’s a drawing mat that requires water. Huh? Upon further research, I found that you draw on the mat and then, in 60 seconds, the colors fade away. When I saw it, they had some little rug rat letting a toy locomotive drive over it, making tracks, and I couldn’t understand how this was fun since the kid was just sitting there and the train was having all the fun. And why let the colors disappear? Some little kid, all proud of his doodle, runs into the other room to get Mom and show her and when they get back, it’s gone! What happened to paper and crayons, for pete’s sake? Why must water be added to make the doodling experience fun? If I’m going to add water to my doodling sessions, I’ll lounge by the pool with my paper and pencil. And when I’m done, I’ll throw the fuckers out. (Oh, now I get it, maybe they are saving trees.)
And the third commercial speaks for itself. From Always…yeah, the maxi-pad folks. They have a whole poem dedicated to your period; I’ve posted it in the pic. If you click on it, you should be able to read the larger version. Their new tag line is “Have a Happy Period.”
Go to hell.
