Friday, November 30, 2007

Yeah, it's been a long time...

...but this is funny as hell...

A buddy of mine saw this picture on my desk, of my dog Seamus, at my dad's place up in the Poconos.


So, he got the idea that it would be funny to Photoshop him into the stockades, with a Pilgrim hat...this is the first PS of it.


Here he is in black and white...


And here he is in sepia...


God, I love this dog!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Canada

Yeah, I hate Canada. I've always hated the way the Canadians talk, the crappy weather, the bullshit politics, how they allow US military draftees asylum; also, because they're nothing more than America, Junior.

For months, people at work have known that I hate Canada, including 99% of things that COME from Canada. That list includes: Rush, Alanis Morrisette, Royal Mounted Police, French-speaking people, liberal pansies, so-called "Cheap Pharmaceuticals," socialized health-care. Did I mention French-speakers? Things I actually DO like about Canadia: Molson, bears, hockey, Keifer Sutherland.

Guess what...I'm probably going to Montreal. Yeah, Montreal, as in "Right in the fucking middle of Canada, full of fucking french-speaking Canadians, what with their flapping heads, eehhs, aboots, and liberalism."

My company is working on a new proposal up in Montreal, to build a big test environment, and I've pulled the lucky number to set up the machines down here, and probably accompany them up to Montreal and set them up. Then, since the proposal committee doesn't have the money right now to purchase new machines, the old ones are going to get tech refreshed in six months. So, I set up these new machines now, go to Canadia, then, in six months, go back up there, dispo these old machines, and build several new machines. Sounds like fun, right?

Hopefully I'll be up there for a few days, so Meg can go up with me, and we can get all shitty on Molson. Unfortunately, 10 hours in, she'd start missing the dog!

Anyway, it looks like Travis Gruber (Senior Airman Travis Gruber, that is) got screwed by that douche at the Contra Costa Times, but hopefully he'll get back what's his, namely, his job and his good name. That asshat Peele did a great 1-2 screwjob on Travis, and I could imagine that Travis would just take the easy way out and take down his site for good, but I'm glad to see that he's fighting back, and he's put his site www.howtokillpeople.com. I don't read Travis that much, but what happened to him was bullshit, and he deserves his anonymity, if he desires it. It was a complete infringement upon his right to privacy (I guess that applies when you're talking about abortion, but not when you're talking about a left-wing hack attacking a member of the military).

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Two concerts this week.

Yeah, so Meg and I went to see Velvet Revolver and Alice in Chains on Monday night, at the Tweeter Center in Camden. The Tweeter Center is an outdoor venue, with a large covered seating area, as well as a large "grass" area. Because of a particularly rainy few days, coupled with several large concerts over the part week, the term grass was more adept at describing the stuff in people's pipes, rather than the stuff clinging to the bottom of people's shoes.

We arrived at the T-Center around 4:30 PM, in a driving rain, temperature around 65 degrees. I'd borrowed a 10'x10' tent from my father, so that we'd be at least somewhat dry whilst cooking and drinking. Between 7 of us, we went through 6 pounds of hamburger, a case and a half of beer, a big-ass bottle of Jagermeister, and two big bottles of Gin & Juice. Man, were we shitfaced. Plus, we had a few inside the concert. We had a crackhead try to sell us 'shrooms and hash, to which my buddy Joe replied, "No, I'm edge," while drinking a Killian's. Crackhead replies "Ah man, that's cool, too," in kind.

Alice in Chains rocked the fucking house. I mean, just tore that shit down. I was worried that they'd lose something in the translation, what with Layne Staley being dead and all. William DuVall, AIC's new lead singer, did an AWESOME job. He sounds exactly like Layne, and Jerry Cantrell is every bit the guitar player he was 10 years ago. They haven't lost a step at all, and I can't wait until their new album comes out.

Velvet Revolver rocked, too. Not as much as AIC, but hell, they played "Interstate Love Song" and "Patience," as well as a few other GNR and STP hits, so I was happy. Of course, the performance of VR was underscored by the fact that my buddy Deepak, one of the crazy Indians, got even more shitfaced than the rest of us, decided he needed to go to the bathroom, and during the movement of him towards the bathroom (with my wife and I holding him up), he fell, and we all went sliding down the hill, in the mud. Fun. Secondly, my wife, of course, intoxicated as well, decided to climb over a railing, to try to sit in a covered seat. So once the "ticketing manager" saw this, even though VR was almost done playing, the place was DEFINITELY not packed, and CERTAINLY not sold out, gave her, and the rest of us shit. He actually told us that he wanted to see all of our tickets, you know, to ensure that we had legally entered the stadium for the concert. Now, this is in a stadium, designed to hold, maybe 10K people, and there were all of about 1,000 in attendance, because of the weather. I seriously thought Meg was going to slug him, then I thought I was, then I thought her father (yeah, her dad came with us....he's a damn cool guy) was going to slug him.

Anyway, after that, we all piled, drunk as skunks, into the Taurus, and drove back to the house. We missed the end of VR's set, but we were all about done with the cold and rain, and the ticket fiasco just about pushed us over the edge. Wifey was up, in the shower, and out to door to work by 8 AM, while I lay in bed all day, exhausted, and ridiculously hung over. Oh well, watched some NASCAR, played some guitar, and hung out with the pup.

Yesterday, I got a call from my sister, who said she had two extra tickets to the Collective Soul/Live/Counting Crows concert, up a the Lakewood Blueclaws stadium, about an hour from my house. Called the wifey, but she said that she was too tired from the other night, so I called around, and my buddy Rick went with us to the show. All my comments from the previous post about this tour apply to this concert. Stuck around long enough to hear Counting Crows play "Mr. Jones," then headed out to hit a bar.

We met up with my friend Joe, his brother Lou, and my buddy Ryan, at a bar called the Marina Grille, up in Brick, about 15 minutes from Lakewood. $1 Miller Lites...oh yeah. Unfortunately, we were over an hour from home, and I didn't feel much like getting in an accident or getting a DUI, so I had two beers, hung out for awhile, bopped around to the (halfway-decent) cover band, and chilled with my sister, her boyfriend, Rick, and the aforementioned friends. Good times...

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Fred Thompson

I've officially come to a conclusion as to whom I will be supporting in the 2008 Presidential election. In 2000, I was too young, by only 2 months. I would have voted for George W. Bush, had I been old enough. In 2004, I actively campaigned and voted for George W. Bush again. Man...was that one a mistake? Instead of the badass we THOUGHT we were getting, we got a spineless jellyfish, who does nothing but kowtow to everyone, from Democrats to Republicans to Fidel-esque Chavez. So anyway, I'm rectifying that this time.

Fred Thompson. My candidate for 2008.

So, what do I like about him?

He's a guy with a very short political career in Washington, one of the number one things I was looking for. He was in the US Senate for only a few years, at which time, he gave up the job, simply because he couldn't stand the bullshit going on in Congress. Things happen too slowly, and the Senators and Representatives that he had to deal with on a daily basis were nothing more than panderers to whoever would contribute the most to them. They forgot about Federalism. They forgot about the Constitution. What's worse, is that they forgot about and blatantly ignored their constituents.

He's got good, conservative ideas about the most pressing problems facing us; illegal immigration, social-security, welfare, Federalism, the courts, terrorism, the war in Iraq. He's not a cut and run person, and he's not a pansy. He'll fight for what's right for the country, not for what's right for a politician. He's against gun-control, unless that means you use two hands. He's against gay marriage, but for gay people to have all the rights afforded to them by God, their maker. He's against abortion, but realizes that it is not in the federal mandate, the Constitution, therefore, he'd rather see the states determine whether or not they'll allow it. He feels the same way about gay marriage. Taxes? He's for lowering them. He understands that when you lower taxes, you also increase revenues, and allow people to spend money on what is important to them; their families.

So, to show my support for Mr. Thompson, I added a new page element to my sidebar, the "I'm With Fred" banner that you see. It's a link that will take you directly to Fred Thompson's donations page, and if you're feeling good, you can donate to Mr. Thompson's upcoming Presidential run. Otherwise, you can take a look at his site, determine if you like his ideas and politics, and become a little more educated on one of the most promising Presidential candidates since Ronald Reagan.

Please check it out, even if you're a liberal. You might learn a few things you didn't know.

Also, anyone who reads this, please head over to VA Joe's and vote for LL's charity, America's Wounded Heroes. They're in a competition right now to secure an award for funding, something they need to continue doing the great work they do.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Dude, I'm totally posting...

Yeah, so I'm sure no one actually stops by this blog anymore...well, maybe the Queen does, but that's just because her kids are passed out after drinking all the Robitussin...

So...what have I been up to lately?

Drinking limoncello and orangecello, both of which are almost done. I need to make another couple batches of that, asap.

Work has been crazy lately. I got a promotion two weeks ago, but I've been NUTS trying to get additional work done. I've now got three computer labs, with another one coming online, plus my regular work duties to take care of. Somehow I get everything done, but it's getting to the point now where I need to bring someone else into the fray. Thankfully, we got an additional member of our staff a few weeks ago, and he needs things to do!

On the home front, wifey had her birthday on Monday. I got her tickets to go see Collective Soul, Live, and the Counting Crows. Collective Soul kicked some major ass, though those guys are consummate rock stars, acting like assholes because they are playing with a time limit. Live. Wow. Amazing. I can't wait to see them again. They were seriously one of the best bands I've ever seen. As for the Counting Crows, we aren't huge fans, so we stuck around for five or six songs, at least until they played "Mr. Jones" then we bailed. They played very well, we're just not big fans.

Two weeks ago, my wife came home from work and found me covered in drywall, as I had ripped out a wall between our kitchen and our dining room.

The whole time I was doing it, Seamus kept looking at me, as if he were thinking "Dude (he calls me Dude, sometimes), when Mommy gets home, you're in SOOOO much trouble!!!" Fortunately for me, she loved it, and now I'm in the process of taping and applying the joint compound to the drywall.


Unfortunately, a few months ago, I was in our attic, rewiring everything, and ended up hurting my back and right hip, so I've been going back and forth with the doctors, x-rays, MRIs, etc. Last night, I was supposed to get my MRI. When I called to schedule it last week, they asked me a ton of questions...whether or not I had any prosthesis, whether or not I had a pacemaker, etc. What they neglected to ask me is whether I have worked with metal in the past, either grinding or welding. Why, you ask?

I arrive at the imaging place last night at 9:30 (yeah, I know, it's late), and they go through the motions, asking me all the questions again. The MRI tech asks me if I've ever used a grinder on metal, and if so, if I used eye protection. Of course, me, being a car who loves to work on cars, has used a grinder, and occasionally worn eye protection. They then tell me that I need to get x-rays of my eyes, to make sure that there are no metal fragments embedded in them, as the MRI (which is a huge magnet, hence the moniker "Magnetic Resonance Imaging") could pull them out of my eyes, thus, damaging them severely. **sigh**

So that means that I have to go next week, prolonging diagnosis of the problem further, so that I can get x-rays, then two MRIs, one of my lower back, and one of my right hip. I understand why, believe me. What's annoying is that they didn't ask me this while I was making the appointment, so I wasted a damn hour that I didn't need to.

Oh well, here's a picture of Meg and I at the concert on Sunday...

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Limoncello. Again.

This stuff is just about the tastiest stuff I've ever had to drink. I freaking love it. I didn't even let it sit for the prescribed month, and I'm hooked. I've gone through almost the entire thing in less than a month, and I'm fixing to make more tonight, hopefully.

It looks like my Haloscan comments are "jacked" (in Bane-speak). Not sure what's up with all of those.

This week was a rough one. My wife never grew up with any grandparents. All of them had died before she was born, so she was more or less "adopted" by two different sets of neighbors. She was very close with all of them, and one of them died just the other night. He was an old Scottish immigrant, coming to the US sometime after WWII, if I recall correctly. He was just genuinely a nice guy, and although you couldn't understand him half the time, he was always there to video tape a young couple going to their prom, to defend the fort, or to help out when the basement flooded.

There were many times when my wife or her sister would forget their keys, and would be trying to wriggle through a basement window, when they'd suddenly hear "Who goes there?" and would turn around to find a double-barreled shotgun leveled squarely at them. That was the way he was. He had cancer for two years or more, and finally went. I hope it was peacefully.

We attended his wake last evening. It was very sad, though I got to catch up with someone I was friends with all through elementary school.

Anyway, besides that, this week was DSS inspection. DSS stands for "Defense Security Service." It's basically just a week where we get poked and prodded (not physically, of course) to make sure that our security procedures are up to snuff. This whole week (and the weeks leading up to this week) have been extremely high stress for everyone here. We're all counting down the hours until it's done. Only another 9 hours until they're out of here.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Limoncello

Over the past few weeks, I've become particularly fond of Limoncello, very much departing from my typical alcoholic fare of vodka, scotch, or beer.

For anyone who has never had the pleasure of sipping a nice glass of Limoncello, it is a sweet, lemon flavored Italian liqour. Seriously, guys, this stuff is awesome. My wife and I were at Buca Di Beppo (and awesome italian chain restaurant) a few months ago, and I ordered the Limoncello, while she ordered an "Italian" Mohito. Turns out she liked the Limoncello more than the Mohito, so she stole it from me.

A couple days later, I went out and grabbed a bottle of Limoncello from the liquor store, as wifey seemed fond of it. I now know that Limoncello is ridiculously tasty, and is a perfect treat after a long evening of electrical wiring. There are three sacred things to me in this world; watching baseball, drinking good scotch, and watching 24. Now, watching 24 with a glass of Limoncello is even BETTER!

So, what did I decide to do, to, you know, help out this newfound addiction to Limoncello? I decided to MAKE it.

I found some recipes on the internet, and it seems to be very easy to make. Essentially, you're infusing 1.5L of Everclear (grain alcohol; 190 proof) with the lemon flavor, using the rind of 15 lemons, and letting that steep for two weeks. After that, you make a simple syrup of 6 cups of sugar and 1.5L of water. Let that cool, strain the Everclear of the rind, and combine the two. Let that sit for about 40 days, and there you have it...LIMONCELLO!

I've got it figured out that once the water is mixed in, the alcohol content will go down to about 95 proof, which is still firewater. Some recipes call for the use of 100 proof vodka, but there is too strong a taste with vodka. Everclear tastes like...nothing, really.

The smell of the lemon/Everclear concoction right now reminds me of a cleaning product. I mean, lemony fresh cleaning products are essentially just alcohols and lemon scent, so besides drinking this, I could degrease the engine of my car!

I'll let you know in a month or so how it came out.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Yeah, I know, I know...

For all of the two people that regularly (or irregularly) read the incoherent ramblings I post here, these last few weeks must have been hard, huh? No posts from me...I mean, it's just as bad as that time that teh interweb went down in college, and all the tech nerds couldn't download their "research material" and other such things.

But anyway, here I am. So, what's been going on with me? Where to start...

Today is Seamus' birthday, and apparently, either today, or tomorrow is Wendy's birthday. So, happy birthday to them. Seamus is my dog, by the way, and he's one year old. I think he'll get something special in his dinner tonight!

Speaking of Seamus, we found out that he is considered to be a "Dudley" Yellow Lab, which is essentially an albino. His nose, lips, and the skin around his eyes are all pink, rather than black or brown, which is the breed standard. I saw the Dudley classification on Wikipedia, and my wife did some searching, reinforcing our conclusion. Seamus is now the Wikipedia standard for Dudley labs, and you can check out the article here. Seamus is halfway down the page, on the left side, near the "Dudley" section. My wife and I have taken to calling him "Dudley Mooright" as one of his many nicknames is "Seamoo," shortened to "Moo." Yeah, we love our dog. Probably too much so.

Let's see...what else...

We started rewiring the house. The new 200 amp panel was installed two weekends ago, while Meghan was down in North Carolina visiting her mother, and I'm hoping to have the inspector out this Friday to give us the all-clear, so to speak. He's already been out once, to examine the service entrance and the water ground, now he just needs to come to make sure that all our circuits are labeled correctly. In this old house, the wires were cloth covered Romex wires, and they all need to be replaced. The wiring runs from one room to the next, with little to no rhyme or reason, so after he tells us we're golden, I can begin the process of putting all new receptacles, wires, switches, and boxes in. Of course, this means that I have to cut a SHITLOAD of holes in the walls, so after I finish the electrical, I can start the drywall, and then the wife can finally start painting!

I don't remember if I've spoken of this before, but I've become complete addicted to 24. Jack Bauer is my hero. We started a few months ago with Season 1, and since then, we've finished about a season every three weeks. We're currently about 5 hours into Season 4. I'm very surprised that after this long, Kiefer Sutherland has been able to keep the show fresh and interesting. Exciting is a bad word for the show. Keeps you on the edge of your motherfucking seat for all 40 minutes of each episode and your heart keeps skipping beats while it's on its way to a 200 BPM average wow this was a long and rambling run-on sentence, is more fucking like it. I don't know what I'm going to do when we're finally all caught up with Season 6. I mean, I'm going to wait until Season 6 comes out on DVD, but when Season 7 starts, will I watch it each week, or will I just DVR it and watch it all when I want to, like I did with the first 6 seasons?

Speaking of Kiefer, I wonder what his politics are...I know that Donald Sutherland is a wacko leftist, but what of Kiefer? Wikipedia doesn't list anything about his politics there. I can't imagine he'd be a bunnyhugger, though. I mean, when you write and produce a show, don't your own beliefs and feelings start to enter into the show? If he was a leftist, wouldn't his character be more of the "Al Gore" or "Al Franken" type, preferring to bore the terrorists to death with diatribes about global warming and why the flat tax would discriminate against the hard working common man, instead of taking a sniper rifle and blowing a hole in the back of some Muslim's head? I don't know, though...

I have been meaning to get a gun. Owning a home with a particularly beautiful wife in it makes me somewhat nervous from time to time. Not that we live in a bad area, or anything. I think that Cherry Hill, NJ was listed as like the 7th safest place in the US to live. Besides, most of our neighbors are dead (cemetery, and all). But, there comes a time in a man's life where he might need a handgun. I don't know the first thing about guns, other than that I've shot them throughout my life, and very much enjoy shooting. I'm not particularly good at it, I just like shooting at pieces of paper. I do, however, anticipate that at some point in my life, I will need to use the gun, whether it be from a home intruder, or from the coming revolution in this country. Yes, I believe this country is heading for a revolution. No, I don't believe the commies will win. (They're afraid of guns, and all)

Unfortunately, the gun laws in NJ are ridiculously strict. Once you apply for the permit, there are all kinds of background checks and such, as well as waiting periods before you can actually buy something. Now I hear that John Corzine, the asshole that the people of this asshole state elected to lead them (I voted for the other guy), is wanting to pass a law that would ban most gun sales in NJ.

Great, so now the only people with guns will be the criminals. Oi-VEY!

I know, rambling post. I'm all over the place here, but my head has been chock full of nougaty goodness.

I hope everyone had a good Easter, and again, happy birthday to Wendy, and to my little boy, Seamus.

Steph, I posted, OK! I'm going back to my wire cutters and lineman's pliers now...

Thursday, March 15, 2007

My new blog.

Ok Steph, I'm NOT moving! Thanks for the concern, though.

I set up a new blog today, Dr. Pepper and the Screaming Chicken, as a new technical blog. See, I've got all this stuff written down in notebooks, and in .txt files, and much of it is helpful information that IT people can use. So much information is scattered around the web, hither and tither, and it's tough to find a lot of useful information.

So, my purpose here is two-fold. One, I want to help other poor, hapless bastards like myself, that can't seem to figure out how to boot into single user mode on that new Red Hat server they just built. Two, I want to have access to all this information myself, so that what' in my notebook isn't stuck at my desk, where it's useless, as I'm in other buildings far too much now.

I'll start posting there as soon as I find some good stuff to get up there, and I'll still post here; surely much more here than there.

Oh yeah, and Steph, I just converted my comments over there to Haloscan, so your comment is lost FOR-EVVVVERRRRRR.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Bum beatings

I've been a busy blogger today...

Someone on my car club forum posted a link to the story about people beating up bums for fun...check it out...

So, of course, people had to chime in with their opinions on this. Most find it reprehensible and feel that the teens should be punished for their actions. Some felt that the 15 year sentence imposed on the kids was not enough, and that they should have received life or the death penalty. I fall into this camp. As I've said here, on at least two or three other occasions, if you kill someone (self defense aside) you should be killed. If you rape or molest a child, or anyone, for that matter, you should also be killed. Sure, I sound harsh, but hey, there would be a lot fewer murders per year, right?

So a few people have actually taken to stating that not only should the teens be punished for 15 years or longer, but so should their parents. Yeah, that's right, their parents. People that didn't kill anyone, and for all we know, were sitting at home watching 24 when their kids were out beating up homeless people. Their argument is that the parents should have raised their children better, and that the parents are directly responsible for the deaths of the bums. They're stating that not only should the parents go to jail, but they should have their homes confiscated, and auctioned to pay medical expenses and damages to the victim's families. Again...after having nothing to do with the action, the parents are to blame.

Yeah, this sounds wacko as hell, right? I mean, it's not as though the parents were sitting there, egging their kids on. Can you imagine it?

"Go on Timmy, kick that alky's ass! You want to be a man, well this is how to become one!"

If that were the case, then sure, the parents would be guilty of either inciting violence, murder (2, I think), and/or being an accessory to murder. However, that isn't the case, and yet these people truly believe that the parents should go to jail. That's like saying that because a 30 year old, married man, beats his wife, his parents should be charged with domestic violence, simply because they never taught their kid not to beat his wife. Really.

Anyway...what do you think? Should a 15 year old who killed someone or participated in the beating of a bum be punished to the fullest extent of the law? Should he or she be tried as an adult? Should they get life, death, 15 years? What? How about the parents?

By the way, the guy that posted the original story, and incited the parent blaming was the same guy who bashed me for posting about my dog's balls a couple weeks ago. He's a real winner, huh?

Fired for checking out adult sites at work?

Sue your employer!

That's right, folks. If you think you have an addiction to online girlie sites, and you get fired for accessing them during work, just sue. Of course, you're covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act...

Seriously, why is this even getting a court date? I mean, when you start working for a company, you're bound by their rules. If you want to do something, you need to first, make sure its not illegal, and second, make sure it doesn't violate a workplace rule. I can't sexually harass anyone, and you can't look at nudie sites while you're at work. It's the rule at every large corporation in the US, and probably the world. Why?

Well, as much as I'd hate to admit it, it's offensive to some people. I don't think that you should have to censor what you say, simply because you're in public, but this is a little different. Sex is a private thing. If letting other people watch you gets your jollies off, fine, but don't do it at work.

When I was in my last job, I used to work out after I was done with my day. Since it was a Navy facility, we had a locker room and a small gym with a treadmill and a few other machines. Invariably, after I was done working out, there would be a guy in the shower. He'd shower for well over an hour, then spend another hour "primping" himself, naked, in the locker room. He'd talk to guys in there, naked, of course, stand at the urinal, in full view when the door was opened, comb his hair, etc, and this happened at least three days a week. Complaints to management went nowhere, and eventually, he was actually moved to the building. That's right, he didn't even have a right to be there, and wasn't an employee in that work space. He just came by three nights a week to shower and display himself for all to see. Why? I don't know...I guess he was just into having guys see him naked. For awhile, his locker was right next to mine. It usually wasn't too big of a problem, that is, until the day he had one leg up on a bench, and his head down, checking out his balls, then started talking to me about the weather. That afternoon, I ran up to the administrator, told her what happened, and told her that if no one was going to do anything about this guy, I wanted my locker moved.

In the end, they moved me, but they did nothing about the guy in the shower. I guess maybe you really can get away with stuff like that at work.

But, when you get fired for it, don't come bitching, filing lawsuits about being discriminated against. Deal with it.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Weekend update.

We had a nice weekend down in DC, hanging out with a few of our friends. Two of them live in Alexandria, VA, so we stayed at their apartment, and we hit up the Library of Congress and the National Archives. I've been to the Archives, but never the Library of Congress. Both are very cool, but they're pretty much quick stops, since there really isn't MUCH to see. I happily took the time to check out the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Magna Carta.

Seamus was at my dad's house, playing all weekend with their Boxer and Great Pyrenees, so when we got back last night, he was completely exhausted! My parents found out that Seamus just doesn't stop, not for nothing...well, other than food and water. I swear, if water was expensive, this dog could drink me out of house and home! Unfortunately, for the most part, more water tends to end up on the floor, than in the his body.

So...Monday was my birthday. I turned 24; an age at which nothing happens. I mean, at 21, you can drink and all, 25, you get that nice car insurance discount. At 24, nothing. Well, I am closing on my house next week, so that's cool, but really, nothing's happening.

Anyway, I had been craving potatoes au gratin for quite some time, and the wife doesn't like to eat foods that aren't...healthy. So, I figured that my birthday was just about the only day of the year that I could demand them. Of course, I probably shouldn't be eating potatoes au gratin, since I've gained about 15 pounds since the wedding that I've been trying to work off, but eat I did. I made a couple of nice, thick steaks, and she cooked up some roasted asparagus (which has come to be one of my favorite foods). All she does with it is break the ends off, wash them well, then take a Pyrex pan with a tablespoon of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil...I know, I had to learn it, too), coat the asparagus, then salt and pepper them well. 400 degrees in the oven for 15 minutes, and you've got one of the tastiest foods I can think of. Plus, you have the added benefit of having urine that smells all weird-like.

Wifey got me the most kick ass present in the world; a cast-iron smoker. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to cook. I especially like to grill and smoke meat. My ribs are fantastical. So, that was the first thing she thought of as a gift, taking into consideration that we were buying the new house. She tried to pick it up from Home Depot in her Mazda...I know...she asked for help at the Customer Service counter, and they told her she'd need to come back with something bigger. So, when we move on Tuesday, we'll go pick it up before we drop the truck off at UHaul. Also, she stopped at Buca Di Beppo, and amazing italian chain restaurant, and grabbed me my favorite desert, cheesecake. Theirs comes with raspberry topping and hazelnuts, and I was in my glory. They also were kind enough to throw and entire loaf of bread into the bag for her, for free. When I say a loaf, imagine a piece of bread, 6" thick, and with a diameter of about 18". Yeah, this thing was bigger than a damn pizza. It is so good, though.

Speaking of food, I came up with a dish that is amazing. I don't know what to call it, and I know it's been made 1000 times before, but I'd like to think I'm the first person in the world to come up with it. Essentially, it's nothing more than chicken with bruschetta over it. Here's the recipe, if you're interested.

You'll need:
6 or 7 plum tomatoes (about 1.75 lbs)
1/2 a purple onion, diced finely
4 cloves of garlic
a handful of fresh basil
2 tablespoons of EVOO
1.5 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
1 lb of fresh mozzarella (although the wife prefers Sorrento's part skim mozzarella)
4 chicken breasts, cleaned
salt
pepper
garlic powder

Start out by cleaning the tomatoes and discarding the seeds and internal structure. Dice them up finely, and dice up the onion. Put in a non-reactive bowl. Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a good amount of salt and pepper. Mince finely, the four cloves of garlic and add. Chop the basil as fine as you can get it, and add it. Basil gives it a great fresh flavor. Mix it all together very well, taste it, and add EVOO, vinegar, and salt and pepper as necessary. I prefer my bruschetta to be a little more salty, but you'll know when it's right. Stick that in the fridge to marinate.

Take your chicken breasts, and season them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Put them on a hot grill until they are cooked through. You can also stick them in a pan with some EVOO, but that changes the flavor and adds more fat and such. I prefer them grilled.

Take a medium sized Pyrex pan, 10" x 8" should be fine, and place the cooked chicken breasts in the pan, then cover with some thick slices (1/8" or so) of mozzarella. Cover that with the bruschetta, add a few leaves of basil on top, then place in an over at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. When it comes out, everything will be ridiculously hot, so let it cool a bit.

When it's done, serve it up with a nice baquette or italian bread.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Ice storms on Valentine's Day.

So today is Valentine's Day. Did you get your wifey or hubby something? You should have. I got wifey an awesome arrangement of flowers, that was delivered to her office just 10 minutes ago.

The problem is...she's not AT her office. We got 3" of snow, then 2" of ice and freezing rain last night/this morning, so they closed the light rail line she uses to get from Jersey to Philadelphia. There was now way in hell I was letting her drive in this, and there was no way in hell I was driving her into Philly, so she stayed home. It's now 2:04 PM, and although my car has been chipped out since 7:15 this morning (that was fun...broke both ice scrapers, between my car and hers), I haven't gone anywhere.

The bastards that run the condo complex I live in haven't even been around to plow, let alone shovel, and the cars aren't going anywhere. I tried. I really did. My car is just too low to get around in the ice, and hers is just too light.

So, we both stayed home today. I'll charge WC, or "Weather Calamity" and she'll get off without taking a vacation day. Two of the other executive recruiters live near us, and they couldn't get in either, so there's not much her boss is going to be able to do.

Anyway, what did she get me for Valentine's Day?

She got me a beautifully wrapped box from William's & Sonoma, containing this...I am so super-stoked about this. The box was almost too beautiful to open, but I tore in, and was handsomely rewarded. I've wanted a cleaver for a long time, and this one is EXACTLY what I wanted. It matches our other knives and EVERYTHING.

I just showed her the picture of the flowers I bought her, and had delivered to her office. She loved them, even if they're not sitting in front of her. I love this woman.

I hope everyone who has a valentine gets laid tonight, and I hope that anyone who doesn't have a valentine goes to a bar, and goes home with someone to get laid. Just remember to watch out for the Hi-Five and the herpes.

Enjoy!

Friday, February 09, 2007

Becoming a US Citizen.

Albert Pujols, the Cardinals first basemen became a naturalized US citizen on Wednesday. Good for him, man. I really hope that it encourages a lot of the other Dominican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Japanese, and Venezuelan talent (and any others, for that matter) to reconsider their citizenship and work to become American citizens when they're eligible.

I really like Albert Pujols. I think he's a great guy, and I think he's great for baseball. Is it bad that one of baseball's most notable faces is from the Dominican Republic? I don't think so. I mean, he moved here when he was 16, and has been living in the country for what, 10 years? I'm generally against most immigration, at least at this point, but I am happy to see people who come here do it legally, and actually go through with officially becoming a citizen. I really think that immigration is the only way to preserve this social safety net that the democrats have created for the country. Not that I support it, but as OJ said, if I were to do it, this is how I'd have done it.

I can't remember the exact statistics, but in the 1950s, there was something like seven people paying into social security for each person on social security, and now it's like three, and in 15 years, it'll be one, or less than one. Again, I'm not sure on the exact numbers. So, what does that mean? Well, we have to pay more into social security because there are fewer people paying in. Right. So, now we have an influx of immigrants who can pay in, but only if they become US citizens. Again, if I were to to it, this is how I'd do it. Let the immigrants pay for the safety net. Hell, I think they're the only ones eligible to draw benefits anyway, as normal Americans get nothing but more taxes.

Oh yeah, and on to the topic of taxes. New Jersey just passed a law granting 20% property tax relief to residents with a gross household income of less than $100,000/year. How did they fund this? By raising the sales tax to 7% back in July of last year. Anyone who knows anything about New Jersey knows that you can barely afford to live (if you own a house) on much less than $100K/year. New Jersey is the costliest state in the union to live in. So how many people are actually seeing any benefit from this property tax relief? Not as many as need it. In the towns around here, property taxes for a ~$250,000 range from a low of $4,000 to a high of $12,000/year. Can you imagine that? $1,000 per month, just for your taxes?

I can't wait to get out of this state.

How the hell did I go from Albert Pujols to property taxes? I need to check my meds again.

Friday, February 02, 2007

My dog's balls.

Apparently, someone from the Taurus Car Club of America, has a problem with me discussing my dog's balls on my blog. He actually called me out in a message board, attempting to insult me by stating that although I have a degree, the depth of my knowledge and writing goes no further than scataogical topics. Now, I paraphrased when I wrote that last sentence, but you can imagine how the post probably went. I should also state that he wrote this while typing only in sentence fragments and without using proper grammar, punctuation, or as I told him on the site, forming a cohesive thought or sentence, or a cogent argument.

So, the thread has now turned to mug-slinging back and forth. My, how I love interweb drama.

Now, how this all came up takes a little history lesson. See, this guy, and I won't mention names, is always on this site. Well, not always, but when he is, his posts are usually about how someone's keeping him down, or that people are fucking with him, pissing him off, or there's some odd conspiracy against him. It's not that he's a conspiracy theorist like some others I know, but he tends to believe that everyone has a personal vendetta against him. I've never met him, and maybe they do, but from what I've read, there's a reason for it. Believe me on this one.

In a previous thread, on someone's entrance into college, and in the proceeding discussion on whether we thought he should stay on campus or commute, someone stated that they graduated from college with a dual bachelor's and master's degree, near the top of the class, and that they commuted. I stated that I lived on campus, was a resident assistant (that's right, I kicked those little freshman motherfuckers to the curb), and that I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Drexel University. This fellow, the vendetta one, not the dual degree one, then decided to state that when we would start comparing degrees, he wanted to be informed, so he could join in the pissing match. Again, paraphrasing here. I then told him that we could start a pissing contest on jobs and salaries, to which he decided that he would post that salaries aren't important, and that helping people is what matters.

You know what? I couldn't agree more! I believe that helping people matters, in whatever way you can. While some people volunteer, I make money by helping build some of the most sophisticated military weapons systems ever built. So, in essence, I am helping people, by enabling their protection from incoming nuclear warheads, should that ever come to pass.

What really pushed me over the edge is that he came on and started bitching about the Aqua Teen Hunger Force promotion in Boston, and how he got stuck in traffic for two hours because of it. Alright, I can deal with that, you're pissed because you were stuck in traffic. Big deal, it happens, but fine, post away. What pissed me off is that he posted this:

blink.gif no they are laughing because
they just realized in court they are 27 yo losers. laugh.gif

laugh.gif mom must be proud

As you can see, this guy is a real winner.

Anyway, the discussion has evolved into a few people backing me, calling him out as a douche.

Also, my dog's balls are just fine, thank you. Well, his sack is just fine. His balls are probably in a waste basket somewhere, or maybe sitting in a jar on someone's desk. I especially like that prospect. My dog had some big balls, let me tell you. They deserve to be shown off. I just wish he could have kept them. Unfortunately, the fact that he has hip dysplasia, and the fact that I'm a responsible parent, coupled with the reality that hip problems are passed along in a dog's genes, caused me to have his little boys removed so that the line of problems would stop there. Fortunately for the breed, I'm more responsible than the breeders we purchased him from.

Friday, January 26, 2007

OH MY FUCKING GOD.

That's all I can say. I think I'm going to be sick.

Foxnews.

Isaiah Washington

You know...I said something about Isaiah Washington in the comments for my post on great whites in the San Francisco Bay, and I have to say something about this guy.

I don't get what he's doing...I mean, this situation is totally screwy. Yeah, he called a guy a faggot. Big freaking deal! People do that all the time, but when it's a real gay person, you've offended him. Time to call in the thought and speech police. Personally, he should have been able to call this guy whatever the hell he wanted to without getting busted for it, but in the world we live in now, there's no way you can call someone something without losing your job, going to sensitivity training, or both. Frankly, I think this world has gotten far too PC. I would blame it on the democrats, specifically Hill and Bill, but the Republicans are just as much at fault, because they let this bullshit happen under their watch, too.

Now, I don't hate gay people. I know a few, I like a few, I dislike a few others. I'm not the type of person to hate you just because you're gay. If you're flamboyant, that does get on my nerves, sure.

This applies more to people who are anything. I mean, people who are gay, straight, black, white, latino, polish, russian, chinese. Everyone is something, and there are labels to describe each something. Once you start defining which label is OK and which is not OK, you evolve into this totalitarian thought police regime, where each word carries with it an unmentioned connotation, and suddenly, nothing is OK. Nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives are banned, because each word could be considered hurtful or insensitive.

Eventually, we'll be able to speak in only prepositions.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

US pledging $770M to Hezbollah

I just read an article that made me absolutely sick! The United States, purported supporter Israel, has pledged $770 million to rebuilding Lebanon after the Israeli/Lebanese war of 2006. This aid is coming as part of a $5 billion aid package from a coalition of 35 countries.

Aren't we supporting Israel, here? Why are we giving MY tax dollars to a country that does nothing but harbor terrorists? Isn't Lebanon one of the mid-east equivalents of a North Korea? So, Kim Jong Il, terrorist, bad. Hezbollah, terrorists, good? Does that make sense to anyone? Hezbollah controls that country, and they started the war against Israel, so instead of helping Israel destroy a common enemy, like we should have, we curtsy to the world, let France make us their bitch again, and keep pledging more money to countries that 1 - hate us, and 2 - should be wiped off the map.

Now, I know that President Bush is reeling here, has no real power, and is just a sitting duck. The democrats that control Congress are just waiting for ONE shred of evidence that would point to improprieties, and they'll impeach him faster than the pad thai left my colon yesterday, but FUCK! The democrats are going to try to do anything they can, over the next two years, to repair our "tarnished" image in France, Germany, Russia, and China, including giving a ridiculous amount of money to any country they think needs it, for anything. I mean, we're giving money to the terrorists, to train and recruit more terrorists.

We should have supported Israel in that war, destroyed Lebanon for good, then gone right through to take out Syria, and continue on for the trifecta, by razing Iran.

Does this sicken anyone else? I mean, they're your tax dollars, too.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Man stabs shark with chisel.

I saw an article on Foxnews.com today, about a diver in Australia who was attacked by a Great White shark, and managed to escape the shark by stabbing it in the head with a chisel. I shit you not. I remember the line from Polly, by Nirvana, that goes something like this: "...it amazes me the will of instinct..."

Oh, here's the article...

Yeah, the guy escaped. Good to him. Can you imagine that he was actually able to "defeat" a 10 foot long Great White? I mean, 10 feet is small for a Great White...probably only 3-5 years old, but still. A Great White. And you stabbed it in the skull. Good going. Show it who's boss!

Why did I post this, you ask? Well, the Queen of Dysfunction wants to dive with the Great Whites, in a cage, of course, but also wants to swim from Alcatraz to Fisherman's Wharf, an area that DOES have Great Whites. Not to add to your fear or anything.

Seamus is getting neutered today...

I feel so bad. My little boy won't be a boy for much longer. His huge, hanging testicles, of which we've become so fond of, are going the way of the buffalo. I dropped him off at 7:15 this morning, and I feel terrible about doing so. By now, I'm sure he's been relieved of his family jewels. We pick him up at 7 this evening. As much as I'm looking forward to the accompanied drop in overall nutiness, I really am afraid that his demeanor would change. I pray it doesn't. I love him, and I love every part of his wild ways. He's never humped anyone or anything, save his fuzzy bed, and we did it with good intentions.

See, he has hip displasia, a condition in which his hips can pop out of the socket, causing severe arthritis. While we will have his hips replaced when he's old enough, we are afraid of him getting another dog pregnant, thus passing the poor hips on. Yes, it is genetic.

What really sucks about the whole thing is that he's a big, strapping boy. He's 9 months old, and 75 pounds, strong, lean, and is just a beauty to look at. I wish we could breed him. If only his hips would be good, he'd be great for the breed. Oh well...that deflated sack will be all that's left of what was once his manhood.

Poor thing.

Home Inspection.

Well, we've gotten the complete results of the home inspection, and everything looks relatively good. There are a few issues, but for the most part, we're in good shape. We've sent our letter of requests to the seller, in hopes that she'll fix what we want done, but we're not holding our breath.

There were only three big things, but they're all manageable: there is no circuit breaker, as the panel has screw-in fuses, the chimeys both need some masonry work, and there are two trails of "termite mud" near the sill in the garage. The fuses are no problem, really. We had intended to upgrade the service to 200 amp anyway, but we're trying to get some money to offset the cost of the panel and the breakers. My father-in-law will be doing the installation, so labor isn't an issue. He works for beer and food, thankfully. The masonry also isn't a problem, as there are just some loose bricks, but we'd like to have her pay for it, rather than making me get up on the roof and do it myself.

I work on cars. On the ground. Not that I have any aversion to heights, it's just the steep roof and the concrete driveway that get me. That, and the couple hundred pounds of bricks, mortar, and tools I'd need to haul 40 feet off the ground. Thanks, but no thanks.

The termite mud, as our home inspector called it, indicates that there are some termites in the sill, however, they haven't done much damage, according to his estimates. The fix is that she'll need to get the wood inspected and have it treated. This is part of the contract, and she's required to do so, thus, we're not worried about having to shell out $700+ for the treatment and more for the repair of any damaged wood.

As for the seller, she's a miserly old woman. I swear to God, she didn't crack a smile for the entire three hours we were in that house, just sat on the couch in the living room and scowled. You'd think she'd be happy, you know, getting $242K for a home she probably originally purchaed for $15K, 44 years ago. A home that is undoubtedly completely paid off, hence, that $242K goes STRAIGHT to the bank with her. If I had that kind of money, wise investments would pay off very nicely.

Monday, January 15, 2007

New Age...

Yesterday, the wife brought me to a get-together at her boss's apartment out in Philly. I was expecting a little weirdness, since her boss is a middle-aged Jewish woman with some odd tendencies, but I was not prepared for ANYTHING!

When we got there, we immediately got into a fight about parking, since we were unable to find a lot near her apartment. After driving around for a few minutes, we secured a most choice parking spot, right outside of her apartment. Score one for me!

We hit the buzzer for her apartment, and were let in. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that if we didn't get on the elevator ASAP, the elevator would lock, and we'd be unable to get to the proper floor. This was all because the apartments in that building occupy the entire floor, and if you were buzzed into the building, you could then have access to the entire building. So, after some confusion, and a call to the emergency monitoring company by my wife, someone came in who was going to the same party we were, and activated the elevator. Yay.

So we get up to the apartment. It's very nice. I'm sure the cost of the apartment (not sure whether she rents or owns) is ridiculous, and the furnishings were very nice. They weren't my cup of tea, decor-wise, but it was a nice apartment nonetheless. Food was interesting. She served a light dinner before we started watching this movie, apparently the center of this whole shindig. We were served a sesame noodle type dish, which, although it was cold, was amazing! I had to stop myself from going back for seconds, thirds, etc. There was a kind of minestrone soup which just had too many weird squashes and other things of that sort to be tasty. Skip. The salad was one of the weird mesculine mixes with odd dressings and nuts and such. Skip. The wife loved it, though.

So anyway, odd food aside, there were many bottles of red wine opened, and I had a giant glass of a nice Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. Everyone was drinking and having a good time (and trying to figure out what the final score of the Bears/Seahawks game was) and then she threw on this video, called The Secret.

The whole premise behind this film is that there is a secret force in the universe, called the Law of Attraction. Essentially, it boils down to this notion that if you think about good things happening to you; if you concentrate on that new car you want, it'll happen, one way or another. Additionally, it is presented as a conspiracy, in that people have known about it for thousands of years, but kept it a secret from the masses for fear that they would lose their power. That's right, they tried to make a case that the secret was responsible for the top 1% of the nation making a disproportionate amount of money as compared to the rest of the nation.

Anyway, they make these ridiculous claims that you can better yourself, just by thinking about it. That when you constantly worry about debt or money troubles, all you get are more debt and money trouble, but if you constantly envision yourself with a Ferrari and a palatial mansion, you'll somehow get these things, just by thinking about them. One guy went as far as to say that the only reason he had a $4.5M mansion in California was because he envisioned himself with that. I say its more likely that he sold a ton of books, a la, L. Ron Hubbard, and made a shitload of money, fleecing people out of it in the guise that they can help themselves.

I digress.

There was another guy on there, Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith D.D. While most of the quacks on the program had titles such as "Quantum Physicist," "Metaphysicist," or "Author," this guy was a Visionary. That's right. A Visionary. How does one become a Visionary? How can I get me that job? Can I just start walking around to the cubicles, selling snake oil, and call myself a Visionary? Would people buy something from me? I think I'm going to quit my job and become a Visionary.

We had to cut out early, because we were "supposed" to be "meeting" my "parents" for "dinner," so I didn't need to watch the entire 90 minutes of the flick, but before we left, I actually heard someone on the movie say that man does not understand what electricity is made of. Really. I guess that the electrical engineers of the past were wrong when they figured out that electricity was made up of positively and negatively charged particles called "protons" and "electrons." Maybe their editors should take a look at this Wikipedia entry on electricity before they allow crap like that make it to celluloid.

Oh, and if you're interested in researching this film, check out the IMDB entry here.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

House update!

I just spoke to our realtor, who, I must say again, has been a real help in this process.

She has spoken with the other realtor, as well as the seller's attorney, and both realtors agree that the attorney has done nothing but screw up the deal by putting a bad taste in everyone's mouth by writing this letter of amendment without actually understanding what he's talking about.

So, our big thing was that we wanted the seller to be responsible for a portion or all of the costs of the home inspection, should she void the contract for excessive repair costs. It shouldn't be an issue, but I was afraid that she'd hide something and we'd be out the $455 for the inspection. She agreed to cover half of the home inspection, should she void the contract. So, pending our initials on the contract, we're ready to go into attorney review.

We should be out of attorney review on Monday night, after the home inspection is completed. Then, all there is left is to get the mortgage all straightened out (we've already been pre-approved with the mortgage company), get the survey done, and close on the house!

By the way, here's a picture of the front of the house...

And no, that's not my BMW. More pictures here.

Buying a New House

So the wife and I are undertaking our biggest purchase yet, a new house. Well, not new, but 44 years old.

We found a place in Cherry Hill, NJ, a few miles away, for the right price, and with the right features. It's a four bedroom, 1.5 bath Colonial, with a yard a little under 1/4 acre. Did I mention that the price was right?

Well, we've been in negotiations for about three weeks, now, going back to the middle of December, trying to nail down a price. Anyone who has purchased a home will understand the process (or not), and the problems that pop up.

We had agreed on a price, and signed the contracts last week. All she needed to do was sign the contracts, get them back to us for our initials, and we could go into attorney review. Simple, right? She decided that she wanted to have her attorney look at the contracts (we're not using an attorney) and now we're knee deep in shit...

The seller wants clauses in the contract that would limit the amount of money she has to pay for any repairs found during the home inspection; totally understandable. What we're trying to work out is that if she voids the contract because the cost of repairs exceeds the limit we've agreed to, she is responsible for paying the home inspection costs, which are $455.
Additionally, she is requiring that her lawyer be present at closing, and he's unable to make it on the days that we want to close, and because we're moving out of an apartment, we had to give notice, so we don't have much room to maneuver, as far as closing/moving dates are concerned.

The original closing date was set for February 23rd, so we told our landlord we'd be out by the 28th. Now, her attorney is unavailable from the 17th to the 27th, so we're either stuck moving in one shot, and turning over the apartment to the landlord, as well as closing, all on the same day (the 28th), or we have to pay a half months rent, as well as a half months mortgage, taxes, and insurance.

Awesome, right?

Our realtor has been great, and I'd recommend her to anyone. Her name is Marge Felton, and she works in the Moorestown, NJ Weichert office. She's been working hard to get all this figured out, but I'm not sure the seller really wants to sell. Here's hoping, though...

Seven Drunken Nights

For the Queen...

And Irish folk tune called Seven Drunken Nights. Remember to sing it more and more drunkenly as the song goes on!

As I went home on Monday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a horse outside the door where my old horse should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be?

Ah, you're drunk,
you're drunk you silly old fool,
still you can not see
That's a lovely sow that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before

And as I went home on Tuesday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a coat behind the door where my old coat should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that coat behind the door where my old coat should be

Ah, you're drunk,
you're drunk you silly old fool,
still you can not see
That's a woolen blanket that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But buttons in a blanket sure I never saw before

And as I went home on Wednesday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be

Ah, you're drunk,
you're drunk you silly old fool,
still you can not see
That's a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But tobacco in a tin whistle sure I never saw before

And as I went home on Thursday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw two boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be

Ah, you're drunk,
you're drunk you silly old fool,
still you can not see
They're two lovely Geranium pots me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But laces in Geranium pots I never saw before

And as I went home on Friday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a head upon the bed where my old head should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that head upon the bed where my old head should be

Ah, you're drunk,
you're drunk you silly old fool,
still you can not see
That's a baby boy that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But a baby boy with his whiskers on sure I never saw before

And as I went home on Saturday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw two hands upon her breasts where my old hands should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them hands upon your breasts where my old hands should be

Ah, you're drunk,
you're drunk you silly old fool,
still you can not see
That's a lovely night gown that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But fingers in a night gown sure I never saw before

As I went home on Sunday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a thing in her thing where my old thing should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that thing in your thing where my old thing should be

Ah, you're drunk,
you're drunk you silly old fool,
still you can not see
That's a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But hair on a tin whistle sure I never saw before

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

China's J-10 Aircraft

Does this scare you?

It doesn't scare me. The Chinese have a J-10, which they claim is as good or better than the SU-27 Flanker, a twenty year old Russian fighter. CNN would have you believe that China is a threat militarily, based on their technology. They aren't.

Our military technology is leaps and bounds ahead of the Chinese, or even the Russians, for that matter. Our biggest problem is the escalation of costs. For instance, the original Request for Proposal (RFP) for the F-22 Raptor called for the aircraft, which was to replace the F-15 Eagle, to cost around $35M per aircraft. The newest numbers show that the aircraft will cost at least $250M per copy, and the roles it was originally designed to fill no longer are needed, at least, not by a $250M aircraft. The F-35 Lightning II is a better all-around aircraft than the F-22, with many more roles.

See, the F-22 was designed with a Cold War attitude. No compromise. The fastest. The most powerful. No expense was spared. Unfortunately, it's an air superiority fighter in a time when air superiority is not an issue. How long did it take us to rout the Iraqi Air Force, even in its heyday in 1991? Anyway, as badass as it is, its an obsolete aircraft.

Just because its obsolete, though, doesn't mean that it can't whip the shit out of that J-10. I would wager that any of our current multi-role fighters would take the fight to this new jet and blow it out of the sky, no contest, including the recently retired F-14.

Anyway, just thought you'd like to know.

Blogger

So I've got a new look here.

I spent some time last week and updated the styling of the site. I really think that this looks better, although I wish I could change the header and some other things. As much of an IT weenie as I am, I can't figure out how to do that crap.

Anyway, if you have any comments about the design, please let me know. I'm open to suggestion. I'm particularly interested in finding out if there are parts of the site that you are unable to read because of color contrasts.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Weirdo at Wegmans

For those of you that are unlucky enough to not have a Wegmans near you, it is a marvelous piece of shopping center. You can get anything your gourmet heart desires there, and the prices are great! Their fresh meats and vegetables are second to none. They do, however, get their share of the freakie-deakies.

So I'm there on Wednesday, after a long day of work, and a hard workout at the Y. I need three things: pork chops, hot sauce, and olive oil. I grab said items, and make for an express checkout lane. There is one person in the lane..."No problem," I think to myself. Man, was I wrong.

The guy in line clearly did not know how to count. He had at least 20 items that he was purchasing, in the 7 items or less line, and was quizzing the cashier about the price of each item. He was fairly well dressed; not an executive or anything, but certainly not some crazy drifter. Indeed, he was purchasing some expensive gourmet items, from expensive cheeses to good quality olive oil, more expensive than even I buy. Anyway, besides his food items, he had several Christmas items that were left over in the store, and were subsequently offered at half price. While they clearly had the price labeled on them before the 50% was taken off, he made the cashier scan each item before ringing the order up, to ensure that everything, was indeed, half price. Once she finally got everything scanned, he decided that he would take several things off his order, however, he had to flip-flop on each item more times than John Kerry in Cambodia...or was it Vietnam?

About 10 minutes later, the poor cashier has finally gotten everything taken care of. His total is about $60 for 13 items or so. Well, now he has to decide which credit card to use. Personally, I carry four credit cards, and they're arranged in my wallet so as to facilitate quick searches. This guy had at least 15, and had to thumb through them like he was playing Rummy. He finally located the one he wanted, but couldn't figure out how to use the credit card machine. Bear in mind, this guy wasn't old and didn't seem to be crazy, just...weird.

After he scans his card, he turns to my items on the belt, pushes down on my pork chops with his index finger, and says to me "Those sure are good, aren't they, bud?"

I ALMOST FUCKING LOST IT!

Who the hell was he to touch my pork chops? They're mine! Not HIS! I almost gave this guy a piece of my mind, but I had already been waiting in line for quite awhile, and needed to get home to the dog, so I let it go. After he left, the cashier, the family behind me, and myself all had a good laugh about it, but it doesn't change the fact that he MOLESTED my pork chops!