This one is for Sean. Be sure to check out the fourth picture. It's a...uh...a...well, part of the engine...oh, yeah, an air filter, that's it! One that the owner has really had customized. While I don't share my brother's deep love for Mustangs, I do like them and appreciate them, and for a while I owned a Mustang II. Not the same thing, I know, but it was all I could afford. (Or rather, all that The Bank of Mom would let me afford!)
If I were able to post pictures here, I'd put one up of his current Pony, which is really quite lovely. (Could there be a more namby-pamby way to compliment a muscle car?!?) If there is a link to a picture somewhere, Sean, please feel free to share it in the comments.
Anyway, if you're a Mustang freak, too, or you just find yourself up Antioch way this weekend, the car show mentioned in the article is tomorrow. If you go, let us know how it was!
April 30, 2004
April 29, 2004
Slower, Lower, Weaker?
Swifter, Higher, Stronger. Ah, the Olympic motto, which strives to capture all that is admirable and worthwhile about the Games. A good friend of mine is a huge fan of all things Olympic. We were recently discussing by e-mail the state of the impending Games in Athens -- which, I'm afraid are not shaping up to meet the lofty motto thus far -- and, with all the articles I've seen on the subject recently, I decided to turn my reply to his e-mail into a post. E is he. :-)
E: Looks like all the major stuff will get done JUST within time. A lot of the extras won't be done. I would expect there to be some problems because they won't have any time to fix anything that might not be right...No roof over the swimming pool or stadium. So what? Outdoor sports don't need no stinkin' roof!...The marathon route may not be landscaped as planned.
That's pretty much what I've heard, the latest being that there will be...might be...should be...could be a stadium roof. Woo-hoo! (I should point out that we have always disagreed about the need for roofs on outdoor venues and this is part of a bigger, very long and determined, overarching and ongoing argument about the nature of The Sport vs. The Fan. Sounds almost intellectual when I put it that way, doesn't it, E?) The most comprehensive article I've read is this one, since it really hits all the points of concern in my opinion. I truly think the IOC should have taken the games away from them when it was clear that the worst was coming to pass, due to massive corruption, huge cost overruns and cultural proclivities, and it wasn't too late. I fear that the description of "razor-thin" deadlines in that last article is scarily accurate. The other cities hosting the Olympics in the modern era have managed to get their preparations ready in time, and usually with enough time to have the test events that they're supposed to have. I just hope some hastily built structure doesn't collapse and cause a disaster.
E: A major item is a transit line that may not get finished. But, as long as the athletes can get around that's all that really matters in the end.
I must respectfully disagree. Considering that people pay dearly to get to go to the Games -- and without them and their tourist dollars and euros this thing doesn't happen -- I don't agree that it's only important for the athletes to get where they're going. This shouldn't even be an issue! The roads in and around Athens, and a fragile transportation system, have been a concern from the start and addressing them should have been one of their highest priorities. I hope if something does go terribly wrong -- apart from terrorism because I do believe that they're doing all that can be done there, even if it took them a long time to ask for help -- that the selection committee gets a major shake-up and learns a valuable lesson. Nostalgia, sentiment and history should not have played a role in selecting them as a city when there were strong indications that these very circumstances could come to pass and that the infrastructure of the city just might not be able to handle it all.
I have nothing against Greece -- it's not that I think they didn't deserve to get the Games, the way I don't believe that Beijing should have been awarded them -- but Samaranch should have stuck to his guns and his initial declarations and revoked their status when they didn't meet the first couple of important deadlines. I find it highly interesting that the people of Athens, who were portrayed as desperately wanting to bring the games back to its place of birth and were just crushed when they didn't get the 2000 Games, are mostly planning on fleeing the city and are bitching about the Games -- a once-in-a-lifetime event for them -- possibly disturbing their vacations. I think they should be a little less concerned about missing or delaying their holidays this one time and a whole lot more concerned about the state of their septic system, so they don't come home from their month-long vacations to find their city floating in crap and toilet paper!
But, hey, let's forget about all that and start looking forward to the sterling quality of NBC's coverage of the Games and how many "human-interest" stories we'll get to see about sweet little gymnasts and other adorable or deserving athletes, 95% of whom will be American, instead of actual events! (That sound you hear is me opening another can of worms, labeled "Bone of Contention." It would seem that I am a glutton for punishment.) Let the Games begin!
E: Looks like all the major stuff will get done JUST within time. A lot of the extras won't be done. I would expect there to be some problems because they won't have any time to fix anything that might not be right...No roof over the swimming pool or stadium. So what? Outdoor sports don't need no stinkin' roof!...The marathon route may not be landscaped as planned.
That's pretty much what I've heard, the latest being that there will be...might be...should be...could be a stadium roof. Woo-hoo! (I should point out that we have always disagreed about the need for roofs on outdoor venues and this is part of a bigger, very long and determined, overarching and ongoing argument about the nature of The Sport vs. The Fan. Sounds almost intellectual when I put it that way, doesn't it, E?) The most comprehensive article I've read is this one, since it really hits all the points of concern in my opinion. I truly think the IOC should have taken the games away from them when it was clear that the worst was coming to pass, due to massive corruption, huge cost overruns and cultural proclivities, and it wasn't too late. I fear that the description of "razor-thin" deadlines in that last article is scarily accurate. The other cities hosting the Olympics in the modern era have managed to get their preparations ready in time, and usually with enough time to have the test events that they're supposed to have. I just hope some hastily built structure doesn't collapse and cause a disaster.
E: A major item is a transit line that may not get finished. But, as long as the athletes can get around that's all that really matters in the end.
I must respectfully disagree. Considering that people pay dearly to get to go to the Games -- and without them and their tourist dollars and euros this thing doesn't happen -- I don't agree that it's only important for the athletes to get where they're going. This shouldn't even be an issue! The roads in and around Athens, and a fragile transportation system, have been a concern from the start and addressing them should have been one of their highest priorities. I hope if something does go terribly wrong -- apart from terrorism because I do believe that they're doing all that can be done there, even if it took them a long time to ask for help -- that the selection committee gets a major shake-up and learns a valuable lesson. Nostalgia, sentiment and history should not have played a role in selecting them as a city when there were strong indications that these very circumstances could come to pass and that the infrastructure of the city just might not be able to handle it all.
I have nothing against Greece -- it's not that I think they didn't deserve to get the Games, the way I don't believe that Beijing should have been awarded them -- but Samaranch should have stuck to his guns and his initial declarations and revoked their status when they didn't meet the first couple of important deadlines. I find it highly interesting that the people of Athens, who were portrayed as desperately wanting to bring the games back to its place of birth and were just crushed when they didn't get the 2000 Games, are mostly planning on fleeing the city and are bitching about the Games -- a once-in-a-lifetime event for them -- possibly disturbing their vacations. I think they should be a little less concerned about missing or delaying their holidays this one time and a whole lot more concerned about the state of their septic system, so they don't come home from their month-long vacations to find their city floating in crap and toilet paper!
But, hey, let's forget about all that and start looking forward to the sterling quality of NBC's coverage of the Games and how many "human-interest" stories we'll get to see about sweet little gymnasts and other adorable or deserving athletes, 95% of whom will be American, instead of actual events! (That sound you hear is me opening another can of worms, labeled "Bone of Contention." It would seem that I am a glutton for punishment.) Let the Games begin!
April 27, 2004
Baby, you can park my car
I know that when I read these two articles earlier today, I had an idea about how to tie them together in a terribly incisive and clever way. That was many hours ago and the synapses simply aren't firing properly to bring back the ephemeral thread I'd hoped to use. I hate it when that happens. But in the interest of getting to bed at a reasonable hour (and no, the time of this post is not the actual time it is right now -- it's quite a bit later. What can I say, I'm a night owl.) I'll just bumble along and hope it all comes out in the wash.
So first is yet another interesting (to me) story about parking in a big city. The most shocking part as far as I'm concerned isn't the amount paid for the spot in Boston, it's the casual passing reference to the cost of some spaces in San Francisco. I knew it was expensive, but really, that's beyond the pale. And, as far as I know, none of the SF spaces are even in automated garages! (See the 4/1/04 post if you don't know what I'm talking about. And if someone can tell me how to create permalinks so I can link to my past posts, I would be very grateful.)
Second is another story related to cars and, tangentially, parking spaces. I did a little searching and these cars would probably retail here for under $9,000. I had a chance to check out and sit in one at a car show and it's totally viable from my perspective. I don't really understand why they're waiting a few more years to sell them here and not capitalizing on the success of the new Beetle and the Mini. They don't seem too different, style-wise, than the electric GEM cars and they're starting to catch on, too. Maybe if more people had cars like these they either wouldn't need to pay so much money for parking spaces because they could actually wedge it in somewhere on the street, or they would save enough money on the cost of the car, registration and gas to be able to afford one of those "wow" spaces. Hey! That could be that thread I had in mind. Lucky me for stumbling back over it in my sleepy-fogged state.
Oh, and by the way, I know a lot of people depend on the BBC for their international news because they supposedly don't have the same degree of bias in their reporting. But they sure seem pretty critical of the U.S. -- and its citizens with their sense of "civic entitlement" -- in this one and, deserved or not, that seems a bit like bias to me.
So first is yet another interesting (to me) story about parking in a big city. The most shocking part as far as I'm concerned isn't the amount paid for the spot in Boston, it's the casual passing reference to the cost of some spaces in San Francisco. I knew it was expensive, but really, that's beyond the pale. And, as far as I know, none of the SF spaces are even in automated garages! (See the 4/1/04 post if you don't know what I'm talking about. And if someone can tell me how to create permalinks so I can link to my past posts, I would be very grateful.)
Second is another story related to cars and, tangentially, parking spaces. I did a little searching and these cars would probably retail here for under $9,000. I had a chance to check out and sit in one at a car show and it's totally viable from my perspective. I don't really understand why they're waiting a few more years to sell them here and not capitalizing on the success of the new Beetle and the Mini. They don't seem too different, style-wise, than the electric GEM cars and they're starting to catch on, too. Maybe if more people had cars like these they either wouldn't need to pay so much money for parking spaces because they could actually wedge it in somewhere on the street, or they would save enough money on the cost of the car, registration and gas to be able to afford one of those "wow" spaces. Hey! That could be that thread I had in mind. Lucky me for stumbling back over it in my sleepy-fogged state.
Oh, and by the way, I know a lot of people depend on the BBC for their international news because they supposedly don't have the same degree of bias in their reporting. But they sure seem pretty critical of the U.S. -- and its citizens with their sense of "civic entitlement" -- in this one and, deserved or not, that seems a bit like bias to me.
April 26, 2004
Just not feeling it
Nothing really popped for me today in terms of what to post. Too much on my mind and not enough time to surf around for inspiration. So I'll share a little time waster I came across recently. Enjoy!
April 24, 2004
A side of horseradish with your slice of gluttony?
Another rare weekend post! The blogosphere trembles. I saw this article and it cracked me up, so I thought I'd take a minute out from watching the Formula One qualifying I taped earlier to share it. Twelve slices of hand-carved roast beef at an $8.99 buffet? And you have the nerve to be upset when they ask you not to have more? I find the whole Atkins concept ridiculous to begin with (as I do with any "all-or-nothing" fad diets, it's not just this one), but for crying out loud -- because you decide to gorge yourself on beef you're being "discriminated against" when a business stops you from taking advantage of their service?? I think anyone who has experienced true discrimination could justifiably be outraged by that. If you were very obese (as you well could be when you've finished playing with your body's chemistry thusly) and they refused you service on that basis, yes, you could claim discrimination. But this? Take your beef elsewhere, folks!
April 23, 2004
Five for Friday: Guilty Pleasures
Lately it seems like I have too many things to say and too little time to say them, or since I can't blog as soon as I think of it, the thoughts evaporate before I get to a keyboard. It also seems like many of the things I want to write about, unto themselves, aren't really "worthy" of a whole entry. I decided a while back to only post once a day because...well, because I often write too much! Things kept getting pushed down the page too quickly. So generally I think about things throughout the day and post at night (after The Daily Show, of course) about whatever resonated the most. So I think once in a while I need to kind of gather the random stuff that doesn't make the "solo post" grade. Guess I need to start writing them down. Hey, maybe I need a digital pen like I saw for the first time at the Sharks playoff game the other day -- they won, in case you hadn't heard -- when they had one up for grabs in an intermission game.
Anyway, today is going to be one of those days and the theme is the abovementioned Guilty Pleasures. Those little things that I should probably be too embarrassed to admit that I like, but I'm gonna anyway.
1. Pimp My Ride - Okay, even I can't believe that I like this show, but if I see that it's on, I'm there. I have no idea who Xzibit is and I feel quite sure that his music and I will never have so much as a passing acquaintance, but I get the biggest kick out of watching what they do to these cars and watching the reactions of the kids who hand over a POS and get back a piece of automotive art. The people who do the actual work on the cars, as a whole, look like a group of guys that you wouldn't EVER want to mess with in a dark alley...or anywhere else. But they're a bunch of big pussycats at heart who I think enjoy coming up with the most outrageous customizations they can in order to flip out the owners. The fact that, so far as I've seen, the kids they've hooked up are pretty deserving of having something nice happen to them is just the frosting on the cake.
2. Wienerschnitzel - Not the most popular fast food place around, and if you live east of the Mississippi you've probably never heard of it, but it has a very long and interesting history with my family (a story for another time, perhaps) that goes way back into childhood, when it was still known as Der Wienerschnitzel. This was, apparently, not grammatically correct in German and sometime between when I left California in 1976 and returned in 1993 the name changed, much to my puzzlement for a while. My particular guilty pleasures of eating there are the completely unhealthy and completely delicious Corn Dog and Chili Cheese Fries. They're not something I indulge in all that often, for obvious reasons, but there are times when I absolutely crave them and I slip off to my favorite location (and no, I'm not saying which one because I don't want you all horning in on my fries) for a fix.
3. Classic Password - The former Game Show Network, now GSN, shows the old, black and white episodes with Allen Ludden as host nightly at far too late an hour for regular watching. But if I'm up when it comes on, I'm probably there for the whole half hour, unless Buddy Hackett is one of the guest celebrities (like tonight) because I can't stand him. There's something just strangely compelling about it. Even if I don't know the celebrities, it's just fascinating to listen to the way they talk and to watch the way they conduct themselves, especially the women. They were always dressed to the nines and being there was a real opportunity to promote their current project, so they took it fairly seriously. And it's a glimpse at a time in our country that is long gone from television and will not be seen again any time soon. I also love watching Match Game, since I loved it as a kid and I still find it highly entertaining, but it's never on when I'm home!
4. Lipstick, Lip Balm and Lip Gloss - I'll keep this one short because the guys are already rolling their eyes. All I'll say is that some women have their shoes, some have their designer clothes, some have their purses and some have all of the above, and for them there's no such things as "too many" -- I have my lip products that I'm willing to shell out the bucks for and they're a hell of a lot less expensive, take up less room and give me that same little boost and satisfaction. So pass me my purse so I can wet my whistle and let's move on.
5. Contests, Sweepstakes, Samples, Free Stuff and Other Offers- This is no surprise to those who know me well, but I think that even they don't know how eagerly (and frequently) I go after these. I like to call it a hobby, but I don't really think it qualifies. If I can sign up for something and it won't cost me anything, I probably will! Let me share the latest example. I went to the Blogger home page earlier today to post something on Hope Springs A Leak and spotted a box that asked me if I'd like to try out Google's Gmail, their somewhat controversial new e-mail service. (FYI - Google owns Blogger.) I hadn't given it a lot of thought when I read about it and the hubbub over whether it was a good thing or not when they announced it. But their little come-on was like catnip to me so I signed up out of curiosity, even though I don't particularly have any need of another e-mail account and have no idea what I plan to do with it. Eventually, when I'd gone all through the registration procedure and tooled around to check things out, I got around to making my post.
What guilty pleasure are you willing to share?
Anyway, today is going to be one of those days and the theme is the abovementioned Guilty Pleasures. Those little things that I should probably be too embarrassed to admit that I like, but I'm gonna anyway.
1. Pimp My Ride - Okay, even I can't believe that I like this show, but if I see that it's on, I'm there. I have no idea who Xzibit is and I feel quite sure that his music and I will never have so much as a passing acquaintance, but I get the biggest kick out of watching what they do to these cars and watching the reactions of the kids who hand over a POS and get back a piece of automotive art. The people who do the actual work on the cars, as a whole, look like a group of guys that you wouldn't EVER want to mess with in a dark alley...or anywhere else. But they're a bunch of big pussycats at heart who I think enjoy coming up with the most outrageous customizations they can in order to flip out the owners. The fact that, so far as I've seen, the kids they've hooked up are pretty deserving of having something nice happen to them is just the frosting on the cake.
2. Wienerschnitzel - Not the most popular fast food place around, and if you live east of the Mississippi you've probably never heard of it, but it has a very long and interesting history with my family (a story for another time, perhaps) that goes way back into childhood, when it was still known as Der Wienerschnitzel. This was, apparently, not grammatically correct in German and sometime between when I left California in 1976 and returned in 1993 the name changed, much to my puzzlement for a while. My particular guilty pleasures of eating there are the completely unhealthy and completely delicious Corn Dog and Chili Cheese Fries. They're not something I indulge in all that often, for obvious reasons, but there are times when I absolutely crave them and I slip off to my favorite location (and no, I'm not saying which one because I don't want you all horning in on my fries) for a fix.
3. Classic Password - The former Game Show Network, now GSN, shows the old, black and white episodes with Allen Ludden as host nightly at far too late an hour for regular watching. But if I'm up when it comes on, I'm probably there for the whole half hour, unless Buddy Hackett is one of the guest celebrities (like tonight) because I can't stand him. There's something just strangely compelling about it. Even if I don't know the celebrities, it's just fascinating to listen to the way they talk and to watch the way they conduct themselves, especially the women. They were always dressed to the nines and being there was a real opportunity to promote their current project, so they took it fairly seriously. And it's a glimpse at a time in our country that is long gone from television and will not be seen again any time soon. I also love watching Match Game, since I loved it as a kid and I still find it highly entertaining, but it's never on when I'm home!
4. Lipstick, Lip Balm and Lip Gloss - I'll keep this one short because the guys are already rolling their eyes. All I'll say is that some women have their shoes, some have their designer clothes, some have their purses and some have all of the above, and for them there's no such things as "too many" -- I have my lip products that I'm willing to shell out the bucks for and they're a hell of a lot less expensive, take up less room and give me that same little boost and satisfaction. So pass me my purse so I can wet my whistle and let's move on.
5. Contests, Sweepstakes, Samples, Free Stuff and Other Offers- This is no surprise to those who know me well, but I think that even they don't know how eagerly (and frequently) I go after these. I like to call it a hobby, but I don't really think it qualifies. If I can sign up for something and it won't cost me anything, I probably will! Let me share the latest example. I went to the Blogger home page earlier today to post something on Hope Springs A Leak and spotted a box that asked me if I'd like to try out Google's Gmail, their somewhat controversial new e-mail service. (FYI - Google owns Blogger.) I hadn't given it a lot of thought when I read about it and the hubbub over whether it was a good thing or not when they announced it. But their little come-on was like catnip to me so I signed up out of curiosity, even though I don't particularly have any need of another e-mail account and have no idea what I plan to do with it. Eventually, when I'd gone all through the registration procedure and tooled around to check things out, I got around to making my post.
What guilty pleasure are you willing to share?
April 21, 2004
Have I been turned in??
I'm wondering if my anti-Bush feelings (which are, of course, "unpatriotic" because if you're not with them, you're against them...) have gotten me in hot water. All my links on the right side and my archives seem to have disappeared, no matter what I do.
I'm thinking it's just the first step in Big Brother making my life difficult for my heretical thinking, seeking to silence a voice that can actually articulate her thoughts on how freaking disastrous having Bushy in office has been for our country, can spell them correctly and knows that "nuclear" isn't pronounced "nuke-yew-lar," unlike our Fearless Leader on Terra (that's "terror" for the rest of us).
That or I just can't see that side of the blog on my work computer all of a sudden. Corporate Big Brother knowing I was going to goof off for five minutes while I checked a few blogs? Considering some of the stories I hear from IT guys about the kinds of things people are dumb enough to view and/or store on their work computers and subsequently get fired for, I'd think blog surfing was pretty darned minor. Of course, there is the list of "nighttime viewing" blogs and the list of "daytime/worksafe" blogs that one must be careful never to mix up...like I did just before I started this post. I stopped it from loading before I got the dreaded "Forbidden" page, but there was that moment of tara...terra... extreme fear when I realized that I had clicked on the link below the one I actually wanted. The worst is when you click on something from the results when using a search engine that you don't realize is going to come up as "Forbidden" because your search had nothing to do with anything related to sex, gambling, hate or any of the other things they keep behind the firewall. I always have this image of some geek tucked away in the basement (though I don't think our building has one) rubbing his hands together and muttering, "Ah-ha...got her...knew she was up to no good...this is going on her permanent record..." whenever my inadvertent indiscretions set off alarms and pop up on the mega-monitor he's hunched over 22 hours a day. (Gotta have time to eat and catch "Call for Help" on TechTV, ya know.)
Vivid imagination aside, if you in fact can see the links to the right, would you be so kind as to let me know via the comments? Before they come scan my badge to see if the hidden GPS tracker chip has any juicy details on it...
I'm thinking it's just the first step in Big Brother making my life difficult for my heretical thinking, seeking to silence a voice that can actually articulate her thoughts on how freaking disastrous having Bushy in office has been for our country, can spell them correctly and knows that "nuclear" isn't pronounced "nuke-yew-lar," unlike our Fearless Leader on Terra (that's "terror" for the rest of us).
That or I just can't see that side of the blog on my work computer all of a sudden. Corporate Big Brother knowing I was going to goof off for five minutes while I checked a few blogs? Considering some of the stories I hear from IT guys about the kinds of things people are dumb enough to view and/or store on their work computers and subsequently get fired for, I'd think blog surfing was pretty darned minor. Of course, there is the list of "nighttime viewing" blogs and the list of "daytime/worksafe" blogs that one must be careful never to mix up...like I did just before I started this post. I stopped it from loading before I got the dreaded "Forbidden" page, but there was that moment of tara...terra... extreme fear when I realized that I had clicked on the link below the one I actually wanted. The worst is when you click on something from the results when using a search engine that you don't realize is going to come up as "Forbidden" because your search had nothing to do with anything related to sex, gambling, hate or any of the other things they keep behind the firewall. I always have this image of some geek tucked away in the basement (though I don't think our building has one) rubbing his hands together and muttering, "Ah-ha...got her...knew she was up to no good...this is going on her permanent record..." whenever my inadvertent indiscretions set off alarms and pop up on the mega-monitor he's hunched over 22 hours a day. (Gotta have time to eat and catch "Call for Help" on TechTV, ya know.)
Vivid imagination aside, if you in fact can see the links to the right, would you be so kind as to let me know via the comments? Before they come scan my badge to see if the hidden GPS tracker chip has any juicy details on it...
April 20, 2004
You're Fired! (Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease)
The ultimate firing in my estimation. Maybe the last three years have just been a big experimental reality show and we'll get to November to find out that Mark Burnett is really the devil and he put us through this for ratings. Or we'll all wake up and have a Newhart Show moment to discover that this administration was all a bad dream. There's a good reason to go to sleep early.
I belong to True Majority and if you believe that we need to do what's necessary to get Bush out of office, as well as make our voice heard on other issues where numbers count, you should check them out.
I belong to True Majority and if you believe that we need to do what's necessary to get Bush out of office, as well as make our voice heard on other issues where numbers count, you should check them out.
April 19, 2004
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up
New Jersey. Not enough to make me want to go there again anytime soon. If you have been to any of these places, please feel free to share...but first please step through the decontamination chamber, we don't really want you bringing that Newark "aroma" with you! And if you live in the so-called "Garden State," please tell us what exit you're off of there. ;-)
April 16, 2004
This just sucks
Now, all of a sudden, the Merc has decided that you have to register to read their stories. Since I tend to check them out on a near-daily basis, it has been a good resource for registration-free articles...until now. I read their FAQ and it says they won't sell your address and won't spam you. As my e-mail address is pretty much out there for the world to spam me already (and, say what you will about AOL, but their spam filter has been very effective for me, so I don't get much junk mail) that frankly doesn't concern me all that much, but I know other people worry about that.
So, I will be registering -- okay, the allure of winning stuff is part of it, but only a small part, honest! -- and I encourage those of you who are either local and/or who actually click on my links with some regularity to do the same. I will continue to use their articles for posts, and I'll try to remember to point out that registration is required. According to the "How it Works" info at the first link, you can read all of the headlines and information on a main page, and can read one article as usual, with no interruption (i.e., without registering). But a second story will require signing in. So if you clear out your cache with regularity, I imagine you could click my links there from time to time without a problem, but if you don't clear that out and usually go on to read other stuff then you'd need to register.
Got it? Good. Now get out there and have a great weekend!
So, I will be registering -- okay, the allure of winning stuff is part of it, but only a small part, honest! -- and I encourage those of you who are either local and/or who actually click on my links with some regularity to do the same. I will continue to use their articles for posts, and I'll try to remember to point out that registration is required. According to the "How it Works" info at the first link, you can read all of the headlines and information on a main page, and can read one article as usual, with no interruption (i.e., without registering). But a second story will require signing in. So if you clear out your cache with regularity, I imagine you could click my links there from time to time without a problem, but if you don't clear that out and usually go on to read other stuff then you'd need to register.
Got it? Good. Now get out there and have a great weekend!
April 15, 2004
Mmmm...doughnuts!
Well, the fog seems to be starting to lift from my head -- I can now put together at least three thoughts in a row! It's the little accomplishments that get you through the day. :-)
There was only one "news" item that really caught my attention today and it was this article about my household's favorite sugar-coated indulgence: Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Or "donuts" if you choose to spell it that way. We actually had an extended debate on that topic at work a while back. What can I say, we're a thrilling crowd. Anyway, I digress. I really do love their dough...don...product! And it's funny (to me) because I didn't crave them at all until they became a "thing" here in the Bay Area a few years back when the first store in the area opened and it was an event. Not that I liked them because they were a thing, but I tried them for the first time then. The funny part is that I spent years of my life either living in or frequently visiting Scranton, PA, where I knew of at least two Krispy Kreme shops and I never once stepped foot inside them. Nobody made much fuss about them, certainly no one made special trips there to buy them by the dozens, and the shops looked pretty dingy and old. Just not the place for a non-coffee-drinking college student. And, in restrospect, it's probably for the best because those Freshman Fifteen would have been more like the Freshman Fifty!
When there was only the one store in the Bay Area, it was a big deal for us to make a "Krispy Kreme run," since it took at least an hour to get there and back, not counting however long you had to wait in line, and there were always lines inside and at the drive-through. But I come from a family of people that likes to drive, so that usually didn't stop us! Then a shop opened a little closer to home and once the lines died down there it became a much simpler thing. Now, of course, they sell them in most every Albertsons I know of (and a good thing, too, because their own doughnuts kind of sucked) and a few other grocery stores to boot. It's not quite the same thing as going to the actual KK store in the middle of the night and being handed a free Original Glazed fresh off the line, but if you like 'em, you like 'em no matter where they come from. I've found that if you don't like 'em, though, you really don't like 'em! (Heathens.) That's fine...more for the True Believers among us.
Now, please let the debate begin on whether the Original Glazed, hot, are the ONLY ones worth having. I don't personally subscribe to that (Iced Chocolate Kreme Filled holds that particular honor...yummmm) but I know many feel that way. But please, no flinging of any Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles -- they're hell to get out of the keyboard!
There was only one "news" item that really caught my attention today and it was this article about my household's favorite sugar-coated indulgence: Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Or "donuts" if you choose to spell it that way. We actually had an extended debate on that topic at work a while back. What can I say, we're a thrilling crowd. Anyway, I digress. I really do love their dough...don...product! And it's funny (to me) because I didn't crave them at all until they became a "thing" here in the Bay Area a few years back when the first store in the area opened and it was an event. Not that I liked them because they were a thing, but I tried them for the first time then. The funny part is that I spent years of my life either living in or frequently visiting Scranton, PA, where I knew of at least two Krispy Kreme shops and I never once stepped foot inside them. Nobody made much fuss about them, certainly no one made special trips there to buy them by the dozens, and the shops looked pretty dingy and old. Just not the place for a non-coffee-drinking college student. And, in restrospect, it's probably for the best because those Freshman Fifteen would have been more like the Freshman Fifty!
When there was only the one store in the Bay Area, it was a big deal for us to make a "Krispy Kreme run," since it took at least an hour to get there and back, not counting however long you had to wait in line, and there were always lines inside and at the drive-through. But I come from a family of people that likes to drive, so that usually didn't stop us! Then a shop opened a little closer to home and once the lines died down there it became a much simpler thing. Now, of course, they sell them in most every Albertsons I know of (and a good thing, too, because their own doughnuts kind of sucked) and a few other grocery stores to boot. It's not quite the same thing as going to the actual KK store in the middle of the night and being handed a free Original Glazed fresh off the line, but if you like 'em, you like 'em no matter where they come from. I've found that if you don't like 'em, though, you really don't like 'em! (Heathens.) That's fine...more for the True Believers among us.
Now, please let the debate begin on whether the Original Glazed, hot, are the ONLY ones worth having. I don't personally subscribe to that (Iced Chocolate Kreme Filled holds that particular honor...yummmm) but I know many feel that way. But please, no flinging of any Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles -- they're hell to get out of the keyboard!
April 14, 2004
I got nothing
That's right, folks, I'm so miserable from spring allergies that I can't even concentrate enough to find anything that I care enough to blog about right now. The tank is M-T. And, frankly, typing is more effort than it's worth at the moment. So I appeal to you, the faithful but often silent few, to post a comment and make my day! Be a blogger for a day -- write a small novel in the comments, if you want, or send me an e-mail and I'll post it. Right now, the oblivion of sleep beckons...
April 09, 2004
"It's okay to love your pet...
...it's not okay to love your pet." This article immediately brought to mind that line from the very funny movie, "The Truth About Cats & Dogs." I don't think I personally know anyone that over-the-top about their pets (though a few come close and creep closer to that line once in a while), but I know they're out there!
April 08, 2004
Moment of joy, moment of pique, moment of mourning
The 2004 Masters opened today and there's just something special about that tournament. Having the first day end with the youngest player in the field leading while the veterans struggle is just the kind of shake-it-up result you expect from a challenging course. There's something about the Masters that also ticks me off, because of the whole issue of women not being allowed as members at Augusta, but I'm not going to get into that now as it has been discussed to death in years past.
Both matters and this opening day were overshadowed by the death of caddie Bruce Edwards this morning. If you follow golf at all, you can't forget the scene at the first day of the 2003 U.S. Open when Tom Watson finished up an astonishing and touching round with Bruce, his health already visibly deteriorated, by his side as they both struggled for composure when the crowd showed its appreciation of their last moment in the sun together.
Caddies have what seems to me to be a very odd and unique place in the world of pro golf, especially on the mens' side. That Watson and Edwards were a team for so very long, and friends in the deal, spoke of respect in a world of sports (as a whole, not specifically just golf) where earnings, image and titles are the currency, not the esteem of your employee. Tom Watson may never win another green jacket, but his kind of class will always be in style. And Bruce Edwards will always be a part of his game.
Both matters and this opening day were overshadowed by the death of caddie Bruce Edwards this morning. If you follow golf at all, you can't forget the scene at the first day of the 2003 U.S. Open when Tom Watson finished up an astonishing and touching round with Bruce, his health already visibly deteriorated, by his side as they both struggled for composure when the crowd showed its appreciation of their last moment in the sun together.
Caddies have what seems to me to be a very odd and unique place in the world of pro golf, especially on the mens' side. That Watson and Edwards were a team for so very long, and friends in the deal, spoke of respect in a world of sports (as a whole, not specifically just golf) where earnings, image and titles are the currency, not the esteem of your employee. Tom Watson may never win another green jacket, but his kind of class will always be in style. And Bruce Edwards will always be a part of his game.
April 07, 2004
Something old, something new
Okay, so maybe you will be able to swipe a card in the cab you have to take when your high-tech garage goes kaput... (See the April 1 entry for what I'm talking about. If I knew how to link to a specific day's entry, I would.)
And for a nice break in your Wednesday, check out this video. It requires Quicktime and takes a little while to load, even with a fast connection, but it made me laugh so hard that it's worth it. (Thanks, again, to Ernie for the link. Really, you could just go to his site half the time and check out his mini-blog...but then we'd miss you!)
And for a nice break in your Wednesday, check out this video. It requires Quicktime and takes a little while to load, even with a fast connection, but it made me laugh so hard that it's worth it. (Thanks, again, to Ernie for the link. Really, you could just go to his site half the time and check out his mini-blog...but then we'd miss you!)
April 06, 2004
My New Heroes
With thanks to Ernie at Little.Yellow.Different, I have gained two new heroes today. CarpoolCheaters.com is now officially my favorite Web site. If you don't live and drive in the Bay Area (or a similar metropolitan area with heavy traffic and HOV lanes), you may not appreciate the valiant effort put forth by this site. Traffic and parking space cheaters are like the plague here. Read the article on the site and the guys who run it, then check out the Carpool Cheater Poster Boy featured in the article.
Seeing red on a near-daily basis at some of the antics and sheer stupidity of people in their cars (as will be amply demonstrated in Hope Springs A Leak), my appreciation for their endeavor knows no bounds. And I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. I have never given money to a Web site to help support it, as deserving as I know in my heart that many of them are. It's just not in my nature. But these guys will be getting a donation and my endless admiration.
If you live around here, please consider sending the URL to like-minded people that you know. As it states in the article, "The hope ...is that some diamond-lane outlaws might recognize themselves on their site and say: Oh, I'm busted! I won't do that again.''' It would make my cynical heart proud to further the cause. :-)
Seeing red on a near-daily basis at some of the antics and sheer stupidity of people in their cars (as will be amply demonstrated in Hope Springs A Leak), my appreciation for their endeavor knows no bounds. And I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. I have never given money to a Web site to help support it, as deserving as I know in my heart that many of them are. It's just not in my nature. But these guys will be getting a donation and my endless admiration.
If you live around here, please consider sending the URL to like-minded people that you know. As it states in the article, "The hope ...is that some diamond-lane outlaws might recognize themselves on their site and say: Oh, I'm busted! I won't do that again.''' It would make my cynical heart proud to further the cause. :-)
April 05, 2004
Amulet schmamulet
Okay, so we've established that I'm not terribly superstitious. But apparently Michael Schumacher is. That's his secret? That's how he has managed to dominate Formula One racing year after year after year? Not his hand-eye coordination, his training, his superior car, his crack support team, (the fabulous AMD processor-based computers used by his support team), his driving prowess? A charm is the difference? Wow. If I were the other drivers, I'd try slipping him a mickey and making off with the damn thing. It may be the only chance some of them have since he's already so far ahead in the points with only three races completed!
April 03, 2004
A Cheesy Personality?
I've been taking the weekends off from blogging lately -- lots of things going on and I tend to surf too much in order to look for interesting things to post about when I have more time. Not good for the wrist. But I just found this cute, brief, well-done quiz that I enjoyed taking so I thought I'd share.
It turns out that I am one of my favorite cheeses, Brie! It says, "You are a cheese with a complex flavor. Your moods are affected by your current environments. You are sophisticated and mature but sometimes a little superstitious." I think I would have to agree with most of that, with a little less emphasis on the superstitious part as I have few superstitions. Anyway, it gave a lot of info about Brie that I didn't know before, and it lists at the bottom what the other results are and you can click on them to read more. Nice to see a nice little non-Quizilla quiz for a change. Go grab a good bottle of wine (or whine, if you're so inclined) and take a cheesy quiz.
It turns out that I am one of my favorite cheeses, Brie! It says, "You are a cheese with a complex flavor. Your moods are affected by your current environments. You are sophisticated and mature but sometimes a little superstitious." I think I would have to agree with most of that, with a little less emphasis on the superstitious part as I have few superstitions. Anyway, it gave a lot of info about Brie that I didn't know before, and it lists at the bottom what the other results are and you can click on them to read more. Nice to see a nice little non-Quizilla quiz for a change. Go grab a good bottle of wine (or whine, if you're so inclined) and take a cheesy quiz.
April 02, 2004
Five for Friday
No, it's not the Friday 5. For the longest time I didn't understand what a blog meme was, so hopping on board one didn't interest me. (Please don't ask me to explain it beyond what the "Best Meme" category of the 2004 Bloggies says about it: A replicating idea that spread about weblogs. Just go to the Friday 5 yourself -- on a Friday when there is one -- and you'll get the idea.) Now that I do know, I haven't found one that hasn't been done to death, so I'm still not interested. Oh, and I usually have enough to say on my own that replicating someone else's idea seems superfluous. :-)
Instead, these are just five things that I want to touch on today:
1. This weekend is the first-ever Bahrain Grand Prix in Formula One. Great idea, isn't it? Put a racetrack for the ultimate in high-performance vehicles in the middle of a desert with sand blowing about. But if Ferrari isn't worried about it, then neither am I. I object to having a race there at all because of the restrictions put on the race due to the strict Muslim culture, but money talks, baby. Find yourself a TV with Speed Channel and tune in!
2. Thanks to frogblog for pointing me in the direction of a blog that is a nifty combination of both the sweetest subject matter and some fine writing that I know I'm going to so enjoy. Take a hop on over to Chookooloonks and meet beautiful, young Alexis, whose world I look forward to peeking in on frequently.
3. Darn! I've got to motilate or Ms. April will have my head when I'm late AGAIN to meet her for the Sharks game. (Not really, that turtle cookie is one very understanding chick. :-) It's almost the playoffs and her beloved team has captured their second division title...so of course they'll go and lose tonight! But it'll be fun anyway once I get myself into the trance I need to achieve in order to ignore the blowhard in the next set of seats over. Go Sharks! I'll have to round out the post with the last two items when I get home post-game.
4. [Picking up so seamlessly that if you blinked you wouldn't even notice...] Opening day for baseball is almost upon us. Yay! I realize there is pre-season and exhibition stuff is going on already, but I simply have no interest in that. Once the first real first pitch flies, though, I'm there. Then (sorry, April) it's "Sharks who?" Life is once more "Go Giants, baby!" I am fortunate to live close enough to their ballpark to go with some regularity each season. It's an absolutely beautiful ballpark that makes their former home look like the crumbling wreck it really is. In the time I've lived here in the Bay Area, that locale has undergone, apparently, four name changes: Candlestick Park, 3com Park (at Candlestick Point), San Francisco County Stadium, and the current and former Candlestick Park. This last change was news to me because I'd heard that they weren't going to go back to that name. But if the SF Recreation and Parks department says it's Candlestick Park, then it's Candlestick Park! And, honestly, I'm thrilled because I'm tired of having a certain argument with certain people in my life -- and you know who you are -- about whether or not "They" can just up and change the name of a ballpark when They want to. I maintain that, like it or not, They own the damn building and can do whatever They damn well please with the name. My verbal adversaries maintain that They can't because the name is the name. Period. Now, sadly, I believe I'm in for still many more years of this same argument; same players, different names. The home of the Giants, the lovely and successful Pacific Bell Park, has undergone a similar corporate-driven name change and is Pacific Bell Park no more. It is now SBC Park. And the fans are just as peeved as they were in the 3com Park days. I say: GET OVER IT. If you were so passionate about not having "meaningless" corporate names over the gates of today's facilities, you should have found a way to pony up the money so that the name didn't need to be sold. Remember the propositions and bonds you defeated that would have funded these facilities over the years? Money builds ballparks, not fan sentiment. If the fans had become a part of the process, maybe they could have arranged to have the names protected as terms of the funding. But that's not the reality, so quit whining and realize that the name is what it is now. If you want something to bitch about, work on doing something about the outrageous price of the concessions at ballparks. Money talks there, too, and when it comes to buying a $6 hot dog, the fans do have the power.
5. Now that I'm all worked up over that particular topic, it's the perfect time to introduce Hope Springs A Leak. The initial post explains it pretty well, so take a gander when you need to vent your spleen.
Have a great weekend!
Instead, these are just five things that I want to touch on today:
1. This weekend is the first-ever Bahrain Grand Prix in Formula One. Great idea, isn't it? Put a racetrack for the ultimate in high-performance vehicles in the middle of a desert with sand blowing about. But if Ferrari isn't worried about it, then neither am I. I object to having a race there at all because of the restrictions put on the race due to the strict Muslim culture, but money talks, baby. Find yourself a TV with Speed Channel and tune in!
2. Thanks to frogblog for pointing me in the direction of a blog that is a nifty combination of both the sweetest subject matter and some fine writing that I know I'm going to so enjoy. Take a hop on over to Chookooloonks and meet beautiful, young Alexis, whose world I look forward to peeking in on frequently.
3. Darn! I've got to motilate or Ms. April will have my head when I'm late AGAIN to meet her for the Sharks game. (Not really, that turtle cookie is one very understanding chick. :-) It's almost the playoffs and her beloved team has captured their second division title...so of course they'll go and lose tonight! But it'll be fun anyway once I get myself into the trance I need to achieve in order to ignore the blowhard in the next set of seats over. Go Sharks! I'll have to round out the post with the last two items when I get home post-game.
4. [Picking up so seamlessly that if you blinked you wouldn't even notice...] Opening day for baseball is almost upon us. Yay! I realize there is pre-season and exhibition stuff is going on already, but I simply have no interest in that. Once the first real first pitch flies, though, I'm there. Then (sorry, April) it's "Sharks who?" Life is once more "Go Giants, baby!" I am fortunate to live close enough to their ballpark to go with some regularity each season. It's an absolutely beautiful ballpark that makes their former home look like the crumbling wreck it really is. In the time I've lived here in the Bay Area, that locale has undergone, apparently, four name changes: Candlestick Park, 3com Park (at Candlestick Point), San Francisco County Stadium, and the current and former Candlestick Park. This last change was news to me because I'd heard that they weren't going to go back to that name. But if the SF Recreation and Parks department says it's Candlestick Park, then it's Candlestick Park! And, honestly, I'm thrilled because I'm tired of having a certain argument with certain people in my life -- and you know who you are -- about whether or not "They" can just up and change the name of a ballpark when They want to. I maintain that, like it or not, They own the damn building and can do whatever They damn well please with the name. My verbal adversaries maintain that They can't because the name is the name. Period. Now, sadly, I believe I'm in for still many more years of this same argument; same players, different names. The home of the Giants, the lovely and successful Pacific Bell Park, has undergone a similar corporate-driven name change and is Pacific Bell Park no more. It is now SBC Park. And the fans are just as peeved as they were in the 3com Park days. I say: GET OVER IT. If you were so passionate about not having "meaningless" corporate names over the gates of today's facilities, you should have found a way to pony up the money so that the name didn't need to be sold. Remember the propositions and bonds you defeated that would have funded these facilities over the years? Money builds ballparks, not fan sentiment. If the fans had become a part of the process, maybe they could have arranged to have the names protected as terms of the funding. But that's not the reality, so quit whining and realize that the name is what it is now. If you want something to bitch about, work on doing something about the outrageous price of the concessions at ballparks. Money talks there, too, and when it comes to buying a $6 hot dog, the fans do have the power.
5. Now that I'm all worked up over that particular topic, it's the perfect time to introduce Hope Springs A Leak. The initial post explains it pretty well, so take a gander when you need to vent your spleen.
Have a great weekend!
April 01, 2004
The big boys' Matchbox garage
Tell me this isn't the coolest apartment feature ever. Let other people have their waterfall showers, their floor-to-ceiling windows, their amazing views, their doormen and their building-wide wireless Internet access, I want me a rack 'em, stack 'em and pack 'em garage. That is if I lost my mind first and decided to move to a city where that kind of apartment building would actually exist. Then I would owe it to myself to spend $25K a year to wave a card at a panel and send my car to its little cement coffin for the night.
I do have an important question, however: What if there's a blackout or other power failure of any duration? Can you wave the little card in front of the cab driver you'll have to call and have the apartment manager pay for it?
I do have an important question, however: What if there's a blackout or other power failure of any duration? Can you wave the little card in front of the cab driver you'll have to call and have the apartment manager pay for it?
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