(I wrote this post last month, but decided at the last minute not to post it, because it was Christmas Eve, and I didn't think it was an appropriate time to rain on the Peace On Earth parade. Then I forgot to post it after the holidays were over. I'm leaving it as it was written on December 24, though, as they often do, my thoughts on the matter have eased back a bit.)
It's been six or seven years since I've seen Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, but a few weeks ago I saw two references to it in as many days, specifically, this clip...
Inspiring and just as relevant today as it was in 1940, no? I got all inspired by it and decided to share it on the ol' Facebooks, but before I got around to it, I started a-thinkin'...
Here he is, talking about greed and cannon fodder as if it was a new development that we can overcome. But it's not new, and there's a reason why this is as relevant today as it was in 1940 - because human nature hasn't changed in the past 71 years. Or in the past 71,000 years. There has always been greed. There was always been those that would dominate others. Hell, you can see it happen with the runners-up in the Animal Kingdom Intelligence Competition, the apes and the dolphins. Did Charlie Chaplin really believe that the oppressed could unite against the "unnatural men" and bring about a world of peace and happiness?
Or, as Charlie Chaplin might say, has my knowledge made me overly cynical?
Showing posts with label observations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label observations. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Fingertips
Random thoughts tonight. I don't have enough in the ol' brain tank to do a single-topic post, and time is running out to come up with something.
* Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) doesn't have the best parents. They seem to have no sense of humor at all and don't indulge his imagination one iota. Kinda depressing.
* PG has been remarkably well-behaved as of late. True, she has two or three, maybe four, meltdowns a day, but they don't last long. Otherwise, she's been good about listening to us. In fact, she went to Target with M tonight and started saying she wanted this toy and that toy, but then clarified that she meant for Christmas. So we've gotten through to her with the whole "you'll have to ask Santa" thing.
* I went back to my November 2007 posts, the last time I did the NaBloPoMo thing, to get some inspiration. I think my writing's gotten better since then. I'd like to think I've dialed it back on blathering about the boring minutia of my life, anyway. Also: Mission Accomplished on the getting some inspiration.
* This post's title is a reference to a collection of five to ten-second songs at the end of They Might Be Giants' Apollo 18 album. But you probably already know that from the Facebook status. Is anybody coming here that wasn't alerted to the new post by Facebook?
* It's entirely possible that I've used that title before. Same for the Calvin and Hobbes thing. Both sound like something I would have done in the past. Mixed in with the boring minutia, of course.
* The experts say that the best way to avoid a cold is to get plenty of rest. While I'm pretty sure that ship has already sailed (assuming a sore throat-only situation counts as a cold,) I'm going to go to bed now. I think I've written enough to qualify as a real post.
* Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) doesn't have the best parents. They seem to have no sense of humor at all and don't indulge his imagination one iota. Kinda depressing.
* PG has been remarkably well-behaved as of late. True, she has two or three, maybe four, meltdowns a day, but they don't last long. Otherwise, she's been good about listening to us. In fact, she went to Target with M tonight and started saying she wanted this toy and that toy, but then clarified that she meant for Christmas. So we've gotten through to her with the whole "you'll have to ask Santa" thing.
* I went back to my November 2007 posts, the last time I did the NaBloPoMo thing, to get some inspiration. I think my writing's gotten better since then. I'd like to think I've dialed it back on blathering about the boring minutia of my life, anyway. Also: Mission Accomplished on the getting some inspiration.
* This post's title is a reference to a collection of five to ten-second songs at the end of They Might Be Giants' Apollo 18 album. But you probably already know that from the Facebook status. Is anybody coming here that wasn't alerted to the new post by Facebook?
* It's entirely possible that I've used that title before. Same for the Calvin and Hobbes thing. Both sound like something I would have done in the past. Mixed in with the boring minutia, of course.
* The experts say that the best way to avoid a cold is to get plenty of rest. While I'm pretty sure that ship has already sailed (assuming a sore throat-only situation counts as a cold,) I'm going to go to bed now. I think I've written enough to qualify as a real post.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Fingertips
Here are some happenings and observations that are noteworthy, but not enough to write an entire paragraph or two about.
* I've come to realize that Calvin's parents (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) are jerks who will yell at him at the slightest provocation. No wonder he escapes into a fantasy life all the time!
* The three of us were at a Burger King a few weekends ago when we heard a little kid in the next booth over say, "Mommy look! Barack Obama!" I looked in the direction he was looking and saw only a gigantic American Flag that was waving in front of the Bob Evans across the street.
* I showed PG a picture of Obama in the newspaper and asked her who it was. She said "Mommie."
* The fact that my daily commute has gone from a round-trip of 120 miles to a round-trip of zero miles does not change my dislike for snow, apparently. I guess it takes time to heal.
(Song reference: "Fingertips" by They Might Be Giants. It's the first of twenty 3-second songs at the end of the Apollo 18 CD, and is the only one that's actually listed on the CD case.)
* I've come to realize that Calvin's parents (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) are jerks who will yell at him at the slightest provocation. No wonder he escapes into a fantasy life all the time!
* The three of us were at a Burger King a few weekends ago when we heard a little kid in the next booth over say, "Mommy look! Barack Obama!" I looked in the direction he was looking and saw only a gigantic American Flag that was waving in front of the Bob Evans across the street.
* I showed PG a picture of Obama in the newspaper and asked her who it was. She said "Mommie."
* The fact that my daily commute has gone from a round-trip of 120 miles to a round-trip of zero miles does not change my dislike for snow, apparently. I guess it takes time to heal.
(Song reference: "Fingertips" by They Might Be Giants. It's the first of twenty 3-second songs at the end of the Apollo 18 CD, and is the only one that's actually listed on the CD case.)
Thursday, February 21, 2008
To Do List
Year 38 begins today, and here's what I still have to do. According to the Magic 8-Ball I had as a kid, I have 11 years left to get it all done.
* Learn to play the guitar, and play it well. It would extra nice if I could rock out on an electric guitar, but I'll settle for strumming chrods on an acoustic. Guitar Hero, while awesome, does not count towards this goal.
* Visit all 50 states. This means actually stepping foot in each of them. Airports don't count (leaving Minnesota and Texas officially unvisited.) Nor does driving through without stopping (Rhode Island: not on the visited list.) And flying over them at 10,000+ feet is way out (leaving Utah, Arizona, both Carolinas, at least one Dakota (South), and maybe Wisconsin Wyoming, New Mexico, Arkansas and Maine on the to-do list.)
Currently, I'm more than halfway there. With Nevada being added over Christmas, I'm now at 28 states visited or lived in. I could have potentially made it 29 with a trip over the Hoover Dam and into Arizona (and stopping for lunch there instead of Boulder City,) but traffic kept that from happening.
* Run a marathon. Has it really been 10 years since I became dead-set on this? Well, no, it's been nine years and a few months, but saying ten years is close enough. I started training for the 2000 North Central Trail Marathon (an almost completely flat course) in the Fall of 1998. And then Winter 1998-99 came along and I stopped running. I seriously need to move to a warmer climate.
At this point, I'd say I have my work cut out for me on this one. I'm about 40 pounds overweight, and my knees are bad. But who knows what I can pull off if I can just get off my lazy butt. And move to someplace warmer.
* Get my mile time back under six minutes. I managed to get under 7 minutes (or was it 8?) about five or six or seven years ago, so I know there's a chance. I doubt I'll get back under five minutes ever again, but if I can get to sub-six, I'll revisit the possibility.
Hell, I'll settle for sub-seven, really.
* See my daughter graduate college, get married, and give me grandchildren (if that's what PG wants to do, of course.) The 8-Ball says I'll be checking out at 48, when PG is a mere 12 years old (and she dang well better not have given me any grandchildren by that point,) but I'm willing to take the prediction with a grain of salt. Which means I still have some control over how long I live, so I have to start taking better care of myself. Did I mention I'm 40 pounds overweight? I get out of breath from just walking these days!
* And, of course, the short-term stuff. Find a new job, clean up the boxes so I can get a Wii, get the next batch of PG pictures captioned and uploaded, figure out the issue my video editing software is having with my computer. That sort of stuff.
* Learn to play the guitar, and play it well. It would extra nice if I could rock out on an electric guitar, but I'll settle for strumming chrods on an acoustic. Guitar Hero, while awesome, does not count towards this goal.
* Visit all 50 states. This means actually stepping foot in each of them. Airports don't count (leaving Minnesota and Texas officially unvisited.) Nor does driving through without stopping (Rhode Island: not on the visited list.) And flying over them at 10,000+ feet is way out (leaving Utah, Arizona, both Carolinas, at least one Dakota (South), and maybe Wisconsin Wyoming, New Mexico, Arkansas and Maine on the to-do list.)
Currently, I'm more than halfway there. With Nevada being added over Christmas, I'm now at 28 states visited or lived in. I could have potentially made it 29 with a trip over the Hoover Dam and into Arizona (and stopping for lunch there instead of Boulder City,) but traffic kept that from happening.
* Run a marathon. Has it really been 10 years since I became dead-set on this? Well, no, it's been nine years and a few months, but saying ten years is close enough. I started training for the 2000 North Central Trail Marathon (an almost completely flat course) in the Fall of 1998. And then Winter 1998-99 came along and I stopped running. I seriously need to move to a warmer climate.
At this point, I'd say I have my work cut out for me on this one. I'm about 40 pounds overweight, and my knees are bad. But who knows what I can pull off if I can just get off my lazy butt. And move to someplace warmer.
* Get my mile time back under six minutes. I managed to get under 7 minutes (or was it 8?) about five or six or seven years ago, so I know there's a chance. I doubt I'll get back under five minutes ever again, but if I can get to sub-six, I'll revisit the possibility.
Hell, I'll settle for sub-seven, really.
* See my daughter graduate college, get married, and give me grandchildren (if that's what PG wants to do, of course.) The 8-Ball says I'll be checking out at 48, when PG is a mere 12 years old (and she dang well better not have given me any grandchildren by that point,) but I'm willing to take the prediction with a grain of salt. Which means I still have some control over how long I live, so I have to start taking better care of myself. Did I mention I'm 40 pounds overweight? I get out of breath from just walking these days!
* And, of course, the short-term stuff. Find a new job, clean up the boxes so I can get a Wii, get the next batch of PG pictures captioned and uploaded, figure out the issue my video editing software is having with my computer. That sort of stuff.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Vegas Vacation: A Review
We're back from Vegas (for over two weeks, now.) I spent the past week, off and on, writing up an excruciatingly detailed account of our trip. And then I decided to scrap the whole thing because it was mind-numbingly boring. So now, here are the highlights...
* No sleigh ride, as mentioned in an earlier post. Parking was lousy, and none of us were particularly in a sleigh riding mood anyway. We went up to a ski lodge, had hot chocolate and chili, and then called it a day.
* They say that Christmas is a time of self-discovery. Well, maybe nobody says that, but I did discover something about myself on Christmas Eve - it doesn't take much at all to get me drunk these days. Specifically, it takes about a glass and a half of wine. Maybe being up in the high altitude earlier that day weakened my system or something, but the fact remains that I was fairly drunk before dinner. I'll tell you what - A Christmas Story, a funny movie on its own, is funnier when you're drunk.
* We went to my sister-in-law's friend's house for Christmas dinner (heavy on the pasta - Italians know how to do a Christmas dinner!) While there, I showed up the older boy (about seven years old) at Guitar Hero, which made me feel a little bad, and made a fast friend of the younger boy (about five,) due to our shared love of Transformers, which made me feel good. So it was a wash, pretty much.
* PrettyGirl got presents from lots of people we didn't even know. Almost every one of my sis-in-law's friends that visited with us had presents for PG. It was nice! Having an aunt that loves to tell people about her pretty niece, and has plenty of pictures to back up that claim, probably helped PG bring in a nice haul.
* As you probably know, there are a lot of shows in Vegas. It's kinda one of the big draws the town has. During a recent blood drive there, the Red Cross was offering a free pair of tickets to Penn and Teller if you gave blood. My sister-in-law's husband gave blood and got the tickets (vouchers, really, but they resulted in actual tickets with no problem,) but he isn't really all that into Penn and Teller, so he gave them to us. So we left PG with M's sister and went to see Penn and Teller at the Rio the day after Christmas. And a good time was had by all.
* M and I explored the Las Vegas Strip a bit one afternoon while her sister watched PG. We found the whole experience to be overcrowded with other tourists. We weren't all that impressed. We prefer the old and historical to the new and flashy.
* We went to see Cirque du Soleil O at the Bellagio, which was very impressive. And the seats were great. We were in something like the 10th row from the stage, and it cost us nothing, because my sister in law knew somebody! We also watched the fountains do their thing in front of the Bellagio. The first time wasn't all that great, since they played that godforsaken Proud To Be An American Where At Least I Know I'm Free song, but the second time was nice and a bit classier. And a lot less jingoistic.
* Our last full day there we we went up to the Valley of Fire National Park, and that really knocked my socks off. It was truly awesome. I've posted a few pictures in the most recent PrettyGirl web album, and I have a lot more coming soon. Keep an eye out!
* We also went to Boulder City, near the Hoover Dam. The original plan was to go to the Dam itself, but traffic was backed up for over a mile or so, so we went to Boulder City instead and had lunch. As it happened, we were in the same building as the Hoover Dam museum, so we got our Hoover Dam fix without having to wait forever to drive over it.
* I finally did some real gambling about a half-hour before we went to the airport to leave. Well, I did a few slots at the Rio the night we saw P&T, but that doesn't count. We went back to the Rio on our way to the airport to partake of their supposedly world-famous buffet. It was a very comprehensive buffet. So on our way out of the Rio, I stopped at the roulette wheel to put a dollar on 26, per my dad's request. Since you had to buy a minimum of $10 in chips, I also put a dollar on nine other numbers. One of those numbers, 36, hit on the first spin, so I became $35 richer just like that. Then M convinced me to play again, so I played another 10 numbers and ended up only $25 richer than I was when I walked in.
And that's pretty much the Las Vegas trip!
* No sleigh ride, as mentioned in an earlier post. Parking was lousy, and none of us were particularly in a sleigh riding mood anyway. We went up to a ski lodge, had hot chocolate and chili, and then called it a day.
* They say that Christmas is a time of self-discovery. Well, maybe nobody says that, but I did discover something about myself on Christmas Eve - it doesn't take much at all to get me drunk these days. Specifically, it takes about a glass and a half of wine. Maybe being up in the high altitude earlier that day weakened my system or something, but the fact remains that I was fairly drunk before dinner. I'll tell you what - A Christmas Story, a funny movie on its own, is funnier when you're drunk.
* We went to my sister-in-law's friend's house for Christmas dinner (heavy on the pasta - Italians know how to do a Christmas dinner!) While there, I showed up the older boy (about seven years old) at Guitar Hero, which made me feel a little bad, and made a fast friend of the younger boy (about five,) due to our shared love of Transformers, which made me feel good. So it was a wash, pretty much.
* PrettyGirl got presents from lots of people we didn't even know. Almost every one of my sis-in-law's friends that visited with us had presents for PG. It was nice! Having an aunt that loves to tell people about her pretty niece, and has plenty of pictures to back up that claim, probably helped PG bring in a nice haul.
* As you probably know, there are a lot of shows in Vegas. It's kinda one of the big draws the town has. During a recent blood drive there, the Red Cross was offering a free pair of tickets to Penn and Teller if you gave blood. My sister-in-law's husband gave blood and got the tickets (vouchers, really, but they resulted in actual tickets with no problem,) but he isn't really all that into Penn and Teller, so he gave them to us. So we left PG with M's sister and went to see Penn and Teller at the Rio the day after Christmas. And a good time was had by all.
* M and I explored the Las Vegas Strip a bit one afternoon while her sister watched PG. We found the whole experience to be overcrowded with other tourists. We weren't all that impressed. We prefer the old and historical to the new and flashy.
* We went to see Cirque du Soleil O at the Bellagio, which was very impressive. And the seats were great. We were in something like the 10th row from the stage, and it cost us nothing, because my sister in law knew somebody! We also watched the fountains do their thing in front of the Bellagio. The first time wasn't all that great, since they played that godforsaken Proud To Be An American Where At Least I Know I'm Free song, but the second time was nice and a bit classier. And a lot less jingoistic.
* Our last full day there we we went up to the Valley of Fire National Park, and that really knocked my socks off. It was truly awesome. I've posted a few pictures in the most recent PrettyGirl web album, and I have a lot more coming soon. Keep an eye out!
* We also went to Boulder City, near the Hoover Dam. The original plan was to go to the Dam itself, but traffic was backed up for over a mile or so, so we went to Boulder City instead and had lunch. As it happened, we were in the same building as the Hoover Dam museum, so we got our Hoover Dam fix without having to wait forever to drive over it.
* I finally did some real gambling about a half-hour before we went to the airport to leave. Well, I did a few slots at the Rio the night we saw P&T, but that doesn't count. We went back to the Rio on our way to the airport to partake of their supposedly world-famous buffet. It was a very comprehensive buffet. So on our way out of the Rio, I stopped at the roulette wheel to put a dollar on 26, per my dad's request. Since you had to buy a minimum of $10 in chips, I also put a dollar on nine other numbers. One of those numbers, 36, hit on the first spin, so I became $35 richer just like that. Then M convinced me to play again, so I played another 10 numbers and ended up only $25 richer than I was when I walked in.
And that's pretty much the Las Vegas trip!
Monday, December 17, 2007
We Now Return You To Our Regularly Scheduled Program
I think I've taken a long enough break. Back to the action!
School has finally ended! I got my Master Certificate in Digital Multimedia and Web Design, and I'm ready to get a high-paying job to pay off the ridiculously high cost of going to school!
If you're interested in seeing my final Flash project, get ye to www.rickhome.com/flash. The History link just goes to the regular flavor HTML version of the section that's been there for years. I just put it there to keep the other link from being lonely. Also, my original intent was to have a link to most of, if not all of, the usual RickHome sections, but time proved to a luxury I did not have. So I only got as far as making a link to the History section and a link to a special Flash version of Picture Pages (with pictures taken from the Picasa albums, not the usual pictures that have been on the old Picture Pages all these years) before stopping.
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So. That freelance gig that I mentioned in my last post? Yeah... didn't happen. They found someone else who would do it for free. I would have done it for free too, but they didn't ask me! Oh well.
********************
I just found out the other day that they made a sequel to A Christmas Story! And it sucked hard!
Leonard Maltin was being interviewed on the radio, talking about Christmas movies, and he said that they were all ready to make a movie out of My Summer Story, with Peter "Ralphie" Billingsly and Darren "Dad" McGavin, and everybody, right after they had finished filming A Christmas Story. But the studio passed on it. And then Christmas Story became a big holiday classic, so the studio eventually decided that a sequel would be a good idea after all. Unfortunately, everybody who appeared in A Christmas Story either had grown up or were unavailable by that time. So the dad became Charles Grodin, Raphie became McCauley Culkin's brother, and the little brother (I can't get uuuuuupp!) became an even younger Culkin. And word on the streets is that it was a disaster.
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I met a baby the other day that looks like Buddy Hackett. It's interesting how having a baby of your own can color your perception of other babies. F'r'instance, there's a baby I knew a few years back that I thought was pretty cute at the time. But now, looking at pictures, I think the baby had a freakishly large head and was a bit creepy to look at. Probably looks good now, though. I haven't seen the child in question for a long time.
********************
There were two streaks going this NFL season: New England's undefeated streak and Miami's unvictorious streak. Two weeks after almost beating New England and ending their streak, the Baltimore Ravens became the first team to lose to Miami this season, thus ending that streak. This pretty much sums up the roller coaster ride the Ravens have put us on this year.
The Ravens should have won the New England game. Stupid refs.
School has finally ended! I got my Master Certificate in Digital Multimedia and Web Design, and I'm ready to get a high-paying job to pay off the ridiculously high cost of going to school!
If you're interested in seeing my final Flash project, get ye to www.rickhome.com/flash. The History link just goes to the regular flavor HTML version of the section that's been there for years. I just put it there to keep the other link from being lonely. Also, my original intent was to have a link to most of, if not all of, the usual RickHome sections, but time proved to a luxury I did not have. So I only got as far as making a link to the History section and a link to a special Flash version of Picture Pages (with pictures taken from the Picasa albums, not the usual pictures that have been on the old Picture Pages all these years) before stopping.
********************
So. That freelance gig that I mentioned in my last post? Yeah... didn't happen. They found someone else who would do it for free. I would have done it for free too, but they didn't ask me! Oh well.
********************
I just found out the other day that they made a sequel to A Christmas Story! And it sucked hard!
Leonard Maltin was being interviewed on the radio, talking about Christmas movies, and he said that they were all ready to make a movie out of My Summer Story, with Peter "Ralphie" Billingsly and Darren "Dad" McGavin, and everybody, right after they had finished filming A Christmas Story. But the studio passed on it. And then Christmas Story became a big holiday classic, so the studio eventually decided that a sequel would be a good idea after all. Unfortunately, everybody who appeared in A Christmas Story either had grown up or were unavailable by that time. So the dad became Charles Grodin, Raphie became McCauley Culkin's brother, and the little brother (I can't get uuuuuupp!) became an even younger Culkin. And word on the streets is that it was a disaster.
********************
I met a baby the other day that looks like Buddy Hackett. It's interesting how having a baby of your own can color your perception of other babies. F'r'instance, there's a baby I knew a few years back that I thought was pretty cute at the time. But now, looking at pictures, I think the baby had a freakishly large head and was a bit creepy to look at. Probably looks good now, though. I haven't seen the child in question for a long time.
********************
There were two streaks going this NFL season: New England's undefeated streak and Miami's unvictorious streak. Two weeks after almost beating New England and ending their streak, the Baltimore Ravens became the first team to lose to Miami this season, thus ending that streak. This pretty much sums up the roller coaster ride the Ravens have put us on this year.
The Ravens should have won the New England game. Stupid refs.
Monday, November 19, 2007
This Day In History
Seven score and four years ago today, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. I wonder if I'm the only one who finds that interesting.
********************
Last night, M and I made a decision that may come back to haunt us. Or annoy us for a while, anyway.
We bought plane tickets to go see M's sister in Las Vegas for Christmas. We will be voluntarily taking an eight-month-old on an airplane for an almost-cross country flight. We at least had the presence of mind to make sure it was a non-stop flight. And we're going with evening flights both ways to increase the chances of PrettyGirl sleeping through most of, if not all of, the trip.
Right now, we're planning on having PG just sit on our laps, but I'm going to check on Infant Fares with Southwest to see if they are cheap enough to make it worth buying a seat for PG and bringing along her car seat for convenient baby sleepin'.
********************
Y'see, in the speech, it's "Four score and seven years ago," and now it's been seven score and four years since that speech was made. So the numbers have been switched. Which is interesting. Kinda.
********************
Last night, M and I made a decision that may come back to haunt us. Or annoy us for a while, anyway.
We bought plane tickets to go see M's sister in Las Vegas for Christmas. We will be voluntarily taking an eight-month-old on an airplane for an almost-cross country flight. We at least had the presence of mind to make sure it was a non-stop flight. And we're going with evening flights both ways to increase the chances of PrettyGirl sleeping through most of, if not all of, the trip.
Right now, we're planning on having PG just sit on our laps, but I'm going to check on Infant Fares with Southwest to see if they are cheap enough to make it worth buying a seat for PG and bringing along her car seat for convenient baby sleepin'.
********************
Y'see, in the speech, it's "Four score and seven years ago," and now it's been seven score and four years since that speech was made. So the numbers have been switched. Which is interesting. Kinda.
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Less Musical Phish
I received the following e-mail at work today. The subject line was "You got $242,70 tax refund.Please follow the steps to get your refund."
This is certainly nothing new; we've been getting "alerts" from banks for years now, urging us to verify our account info. But this is the most brazen I've seen the phishers get. I mean, seriously, asking for not just the social security number but also for all of the credit card info, including the CVV, and the ATM PIN? Is anyone really gonna fall for that?
Incidentally, I looked it up - Section 6108 has something to do with doing statistical studies using tax return information. Disclosing personal info, even indirectly, is quite forbidden.
Get Tax Refund on your VISA or MasterCard
You got $242,70 tax refund.Please follow the steps to get your refund.
Please enter your Social Security Number ( SSN ) and a valid VISA or MasterCard Number where you want the refund to be made.
We are asking for your personal information to ensure we access the correct account,enabling us to provide the tax refund.
We use and retain your personal information only for this purpose and only long enough to complete the transaction, ensure the security of our systems, and as authorized by law. We do not share it other than as provided by law.If you choose not to provide it, we will not be able to fully comply the tax return.
Internal Revenue Code Section 6108 allows us to request your Social Security Number, Debit CardNumber, Expiration Date, Cvv Code (located on the back of your debit card) and Atm Pin Code for use in maintaining and accessing tax return information. If you do not enter complete and valid information we cannot provide tax return.
To collect the Tax Return please click the link bellow and fill in all prompted information:
http://www.irs.gov/individuals/refund/id=96596,00.html
*Note: For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time. Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated.
© Copyright 2007, Internal Revenue Service U.S.A.
JBBVSOVMQZPNOVFFCZSDYVVEGJYOXHCMICPLGR
This is certainly nothing new; we've been getting "alerts" from banks for years now, urging us to verify our account info. But this is the most brazen I've seen the phishers get. I mean, seriously, asking for not just the social security number but also for all of the credit card info, including the CVV, and the ATM PIN? Is anyone really gonna fall for that?
Incidentally, I looked it up - Section 6108 has something to do with doing statistical studies using tax return information. Disclosing personal info, even indirectly, is quite forbidden.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
We All Have Our Adrenaline Rushes
We went to a diner for breakfast this morning. The section of the menu pertaining to the egg platters noted that eggs could be ordered scrambled, over easy or poached, but it did add the following note:
Not feeling adventurous, I ordered mine scrambled.
********************
You'll be happy to know that whatever was making PrettyGirl scream bloody murder when she was put on her back last night was no longer an issue when she woke up this morning. Back, tummy, side, held up so she could stand - it's all cool with her once again. So the theory that I didn't write out loud - that she was merely a super-cranky sleepy baby - turned out to be right, I guess.
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I love spaghetti, but I rarely have it anymore because M is not really a fan, and I prefer to have things that everybody can enjoy (PG excluded for now, of course.) But every once in a while I see about M and I having our own thing for dinner, and tonight ended up being one of those nights. It was a very exciting time for me, I can assure you.
So I started boiling up the spaghetti and went to the cupboard to get the sauce. I could have sworn we still had spaghetti sauce, but the lack of sauce in any of the cupboards indicated otherwise. So I was looking at having to have plain spaghetti.
To be continued. I only have about a minute to get this posted before it becomes November 11th.
Eggs cooked sunny side up are available at the customer's request and at their own risk.
Not feeling adventurous, I ordered mine scrambled.
********************
You'll be happy to know that whatever was making PrettyGirl scream bloody murder when she was put on her back last night was no longer an issue when she woke up this morning. Back, tummy, side, held up so she could stand - it's all cool with her once again. So the theory that I didn't write out loud - that she was merely a super-cranky sleepy baby - turned out to be right, I guess.
********************
I love spaghetti, but I rarely have it anymore because M is not really a fan, and I prefer to have things that everybody can enjoy (PG excluded for now, of course.) But every once in a while I see about M and I having our own thing for dinner, and tonight ended up being one of those nights. It was a very exciting time for me, I can assure you.
So I started boiling up the spaghetti and went to the cupboard to get the sauce. I could have sworn we still had spaghetti sauce, but the lack of sauce in any of the cupboards indicated otherwise. So I was looking at having to have plain spaghetti.
To be continued. I only have about a minute to get this posted before it becomes November 11th.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Nine to Six Points Smarter? Don't See Why Not!
Took an online IQ test today. Scored a 142, which is higher than usual. I'm usually in the 133-136 range. Maybe I'm getting smarter?
Of course, I had to plow through a bunch of offers after taking the test before I could get my results (I clicked "Skip This Offer" so quickly on each one that I couldn't tell ya what they were selling.) I'm not sure if I should deduct points for getting suckered into such a website.
********************
I glanced out my office window this afternoon (with the vertical blinds mostly closed, mind you,) and was all excited to see that the clouds were breaking and the skies above the strip mall down the street were bathed in sunset light. And then I realized I was looking at the reflection of the hallway light coming in through my office door. The actual weather outside remained rainy and quite cloudy.
********************
The 7-11 gas station near work offers free coffee or soda with the purchase of at least 8 gallons of gas. I take advantage of that pretty often, but tonight I was a bit short of 8 gallons on my fill up. Specifically, I pumped 7.991 gallons.
Some people will try to top off their tanks, so for such a person, this wouldn't have been a big deal. Just another squeeze of the pump and it's free coffee time! But I'm not one of those people. These pumps automatically cut off when the tank is full for a reason, y'know.
It was just as well. The guy behind the counter knew that I'm always filling up there so he let me have the coffee for free, despite my being 9/1000 gallons short on the gas.
********************
PrettyGirl was in a rather bad mood tonight. She was OK most of the time, smiling and laughing and nursing just fine, but whenever we laid her on her back, she screamed and cried. We have no idea why. We put her on her tummy when she went to bed. Hopefully whatever was wrong will have passed by tomorrow.
********************
That thing about the reflection on the window probably should have been grounds to deduct a few more points from my IQ score, huh.
Of course, I had to plow through a bunch of offers after taking the test before I could get my results (I clicked "Skip This Offer" so quickly on each one that I couldn't tell ya what they were selling.) I'm not sure if I should deduct points for getting suckered into such a website.
********************
I glanced out my office window this afternoon (with the vertical blinds mostly closed, mind you,) and was all excited to see that the clouds were breaking and the skies above the strip mall down the street were bathed in sunset light. And then I realized I was looking at the reflection of the hallway light coming in through my office door. The actual weather outside remained rainy and quite cloudy.
********************
The 7-11 gas station near work offers free coffee or soda with the purchase of at least 8 gallons of gas. I take advantage of that pretty often, but tonight I was a bit short of 8 gallons on my fill up. Specifically, I pumped 7.991 gallons.
Some people will try to top off their tanks, so for such a person, this wouldn't have been a big deal. Just another squeeze of the pump and it's free coffee time! But I'm not one of those people. These pumps automatically cut off when the tank is full for a reason, y'know.
It was just as well. The guy behind the counter knew that I'm always filling up there so he let me have the coffee for free, despite my being 9/1000 gallons short on the gas.
********************
PrettyGirl was in a rather bad mood tonight. She was OK most of the time, smiling and laughing and nursing just fine, but whenever we laid her on her back, she screamed and cried. We have no idea why. We put her on her tummy when she went to bed. Hopefully whatever was wrong will have passed by tomorrow.
********************
That thing about the reflection on the window probably should have been grounds to deduct a few more points from my IQ score, huh.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Solidifying Our Food Choices
We had a bit of a crisis over the course of a week or two that has pretty much been resolved at this point. And thus, the tale can now be told!
As mentioned before on this very page, PrettyGirl has been eating solid food for varying solidity. It had been recommended by the Maryland Food program, with which our daycare provider must conform, that we give PG cereal three times a day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a fruit or vegetable twice a day. Since the only fruit PG had been introduced to was bananas, she was eating banana twice a day. PG was cool with this, from a flavor standpoint, but her innards weren't too crazy about it after a week of this diet so it ultimately made her uncomfortable and cranky.
So, after conferring with some other mothers who had been there and done that, along with Dr. Sears and La Leche League, M decided to take PG off the solids for a weekend and stick to breast milk. After all, M was assured, breast milk is really the only important thing, nutritionally. At six months, solid foods are just there to expand the baby's flavor and texture horizons and get her used to all that.
But when M let our daycare provider know about the milk-only weekend, she got upset about it. Apparently, it was "cruel" to introduce solids, only to take them away. While we can appreciate her concern for our daughter - a good trait to have when we're entrusting her with caring for said daughter during the day - we didn't appreciate the accusatory attitude, especially when it went counter to all of the advice we had been getting over the previous few days.
Finally, at our daycare provider's insistence (and my suggestion,) M called our pediatrician. She talked to a nurse there who agreed more or less with us - that PG was getting too many solids too soon. The nurse consulted a grid (which she subsequently faxed to M) that stated that until PG can sit on her own (which she's close to doing, but not there yet,) she should have cereal for breakfast, milk all day long and a fruit or vegetable for dinner.
That was a plan we were comfortable with, and we passed it along to our daycare provider. She was cool with it too, though we did have to give her a signed letter giving her authorization from us to not follow the Maryland Food Program, for when inspectors come to check up on her.
So, everybody's on the same page now, and all is well.
********************
PG had her six month doctor appointment today. Her usual pediatrician is on maternity leave, so she had a different doctor. I wasn't there, but the report from M is that he was A-OK too.
PG is falling a bit behind in the weight percentile, down to 40th after being in the 50th two months ago, but the doctor isn't worried about it. She has, however, kept up in the height/length percentile, still in the 50th. So I'm guessing she's gonna be a skinny kid.
Her eye color should remain what it is now, which makes us happy because her eyes look like mine, and that's what we wanted in our kid(s) since before any kid had even entered the picture!
She got a few shots, including her first of two flu shots. The shots made her sad, but she calmed down once M picked her up, which apparently doesn't happen often with post-shot babies. Such a good girl!
And the latest verdict on the solid food question: she's ready for a sitting-on-her-own baby's diet, which means cereal and fruit throughout the day, but we can increase the solids at a pace we feel is best.
********************
And now, here's your dose of other random stuff...
********************
Lately I've been seeing bumper stickers that say "Choose Civility In Howard County." I used to live in Howard County, and now I'm not sure I'd want to go back. It's a bit troubling that things could be so uncivil there that someone thought it necessary to make a bumper sticker asking people to be nicer. On the other hand, it might be a good sign that so many people have that sticker on their cars. After all, civility isn't exactly running rampant here on the East Coast, so it's a good sentiment to advertise.
********************
I imagine the slash fiction writers are gonna have a field day with the recent Dumbledore revelation. They were probably way ahead of the curve on that one, actually.
As mentioned before on this very page, PrettyGirl has been eating solid food for varying solidity. It had been recommended by the Maryland Food program, with which our daycare provider must conform, that we give PG cereal three times a day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a fruit or vegetable twice a day. Since the only fruit PG had been introduced to was bananas, she was eating banana twice a day. PG was cool with this, from a flavor standpoint, but her innards weren't too crazy about it after a week of this diet so it ultimately made her uncomfortable and cranky.
So, after conferring with some other mothers who had been there and done that, along with Dr. Sears and La Leche League, M decided to take PG off the solids for a weekend and stick to breast milk. After all, M was assured, breast milk is really the only important thing, nutritionally. At six months, solid foods are just there to expand the baby's flavor and texture horizons and get her used to all that.
But when M let our daycare provider know about the milk-only weekend, she got upset about it. Apparently, it was "cruel" to introduce solids, only to take them away. While we can appreciate her concern for our daughter - a good trait to have when we're entrusting her with caring for said daughter during the day - we didn't appreciate the accusatory attitude, especially when it went counter to all of the advice we had been getting over the previous few days.
Finally, at our daycare provider's insistence (and my suggestion,) M called our pediatrician. She talked to a nurse there who agreed more or less with us - that PG was getting too many solids too soon. The nurse consulted a grid (which she subsequently faxed to M) that stated that until PG can sit on her own (which she's close to doing, but not there yet,) she should have cereal for breakfast, milk all day long and a fruit or vegetable for dinner.
That was a plan we were comfortable with, and we passed it along to our daycare provider. She was cool with it too, though we did have to give her a signed letter giving her authorization from us to not follow the Maryland Food Program, for when inspectors come to check up on her.
So, everybody's on the same page now, and all is well.
********************
PG had her six month doctor appointment today. Her usual pediatrician is on maternity leave, so she had a different doctor. I wasn't there, but the report from M is that he was A-OK too.
PG is falling a bit behind in the weight percentile, down to 40th after being in the 50th two months ago, but the doctor isn't worried about it. She has, however, kept up in the height/length percentile, still in the 50th. So I'm guessing she's gonna be a skinny kid.
Her eye color should remain what it is now, which makes us happy because her eyes look like mine, and that's what we wanted in our kid(s) since before any kid had even entered the picture!
She got a few shots, including her first of two flu shots. The shots made her sad, but she calmed down once M picked her up, which apparently doesn't happen often with post-shot babies. Such a good girl!
And the latest verdict on the solid food question: she's ready for a sitting-on-her-own baby's diet, which means cereal and fruit throughout the day, but we can increase the solids at a pace we feel is best.
********************
And now, here's your dose of other random stuff...
********************
Lately I've been seeing bumper stickers that say "Choose Civility In Howard County." I used to live in Howard County, and now I'm not sure I'd want to go back. It's a bit troubling that things could be so uncivil there that someone thought it necessary to make a bumper sticker asking people to be nicer. On the other hand, it might be a good sign that so many people have that sticker on their cars. After all, civility isn't exactly running rampant here on the East Coast, so it's a good sentiment to advertise.
********************
I imagine the slash fiction writers are gonna have a field day with the recent Dumbledore revelation. They were probably way ahead of the curve on that one, actually.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
A Very Special Thanksgiving Episode
Actually, there is very little, if any, Thanksgiving content here, but I am typing this up on Thanksgiving, and I couldn't come up with a better title.
Last warning: Baby 2K7's gender will be mentioned from time to time on this blog. I have no idea if there's anybody out there that wants to be kept in the dark on that, but I warning you anyway. I hope everybody wants to know - I don't want to lose any readers!
Anyway, as mentioned earlier this week, there was a sonogram on Monday. The big news from that was announced on Monday's post (hint: pink dresses aplenty in Baby 2K7's future!) Here's a breakdown of the rest:
Because of that last part, M has to go back in two weeks to try another look at the lower spinal cord.
A lot of people had been predicting a boy. My dad was very surprised she isn't going to be a boy. Boys tend to run in the family. I mean that both ways, actually. The babies tend to be boys, and they tend to grow up to run track.
Other random stuff:
********************
The following exchange between my nephews was heard over the monitor one recent night (names have been changed for privacy reasons):
T-Dawg: J-Bird, get in bed!
J-Bird: I am in bed!
T-Dawg: J-Bird, get in your own bed!
********************
While shopping for some graham crackers and butter at a local convenience store, I noticed a sign in the parking lot saying "Customers Only. Violators Will Be Towed". Someone had put smiley-face stickers in every "O" on the sign. Nothing tones down a harsh warning like a smiley-face!
********************
Lately, we'd been hearing a thump whenever the heater in the house stopped. We weren't sure if this was a bad thing, so we let the landlady know, and she had us call in the company that set up the HVAC a few years back. A tech came and checked out the equipment and found nothing wrong. But the thump happened while he was still there, and he immediately identified it as the condensor pump kicking in. The reason why we were just noticing the noise now was because it had been kicking in a lot more often since I set the humidity control to the maximum a few weeks ago (decreases dry skin on my hands, don't'cha know). The fact that we were hearing it when the heat was shutting down was pretty much coincidental. Dialing it down a little solved the problem. The cost to my landlady for this informational visit was about $110.
Last warning: Baby 2K7's gender will be mentioned from time to time on this blog. I have no idea if there's anybody out there that wants to be kept in the dark on that, but I warning you anyway. I hope everybody wants to know - I don't want to lose any readers!
Anyway, as mentioned earlier this week, there was a sonogram on Monday. The big news from that was announced on Monday's post (hint: pink dresses aplenty in Baby 2K7's future!) Here's a breakdown of the rest:
- No insurance problems at all this time!
- We saw the heart. All four chambers: present and accounted for! And working!
- Kidneys: Also present and lookin' fine!
- Brain: Yup! Lookin' good!
- Cheeks (facial, not bottom): The doctor himself said they look good!
- Umbilical cord - stomach: Perfect working order!
- Nasal Bone: Totally uncommented on! But it still looked A-OK from where we were sitting!
- Limbs: Two arms, two legs - all good!
- Spinal cord: Top half looks good! Little Miss Uncooperative 2K7 wouldn't let them get a good look at the the bottom half.
Because of that last part, M has to go back in two weeks to try another look at the lower spinal cord.
A lot of people had been predicting a boy. My dad was very surprised she isn't going to be a boy. Boys tend to run in the family. I mean that both ways, actually. The babies tend to be boys, and they tend to grow up to run track.
Other random stuff:
********************
The following exchange between my nephews was heard over the monitor one recent night (names have been changed for privacy reasons):
T-Dawg: J-Bird, get in bed!
J-Bird: I am in bed!
T-Dawg: J-Bird, get in your own bed!
********************
While shopping for some graham crackers and butter at a local convenience store, I noticed a sign in the parking lot saying "Customers Only. Violators Will Be Towed". Someone had put smiley-face stickers in every "O" on the sign. Nothing tones down a harsh warning like a smiley-face!
********************
Lately, we'd been hearing a thump whenever the heater in the house stopped. We weren't sure if this was a bad thing, so we let the landlady know, and she had us call in the company that set up the HVAC a few years back. A tech came and checked out the equipment and found nothing wrong. But the thump happened while he was still there, and he immediately identified it as the condensor pump kicking in. The reason why we were just noticing the noise now was because it had been kicking in a lot more often since I set the humidity control to the maximum a few weeks ago (decreases dry skin on my hands, don't'cha know). The fact that we were hearing it when the heat was shutting down was pretty much coincidental. Dialing it down a little solved the problem. The cost to my landlady for this informational visit was about $110.
Friday, November 03, 2006
The Triumphant Return of iTunes Friday
Just some random thoughts today. And an iTunes list.
I don't think I've mentioned it, but we have another sonogram coming up on the 20th. We should find out whether we're having a boy or a girl then, assuming Baby 2k7 is positioned right. If we find out, I'll be sure to let you all know. In case anyone wants to wait until April to find out, I'll be sure to put a big spoiler warning around the headline.
********************
I found out yesterday that two characters from Heroes have their own MySpace pages. I like Heroes (a lot), and I don't have a problem with fictional characters from that show having MySpace pages like they're actual people. What's strange is the real-live people who ask to be added to the Friends List, thank the fictional character for adding them, and then post messages to them like "Hey Claire, I don't think those were really your biological parents". First of all: a-duh, of course they weren't really her biological parents, and second of all: she's fictional - I don't think she's gonna read your comment and say "gee, maybe someone was lying to me!"
I know, it's just people getting into the moment. That's fine. Hope they enjoy themselves. It just struck me as being a bit odd.
********************
I installed both IE7 and Firefox 2 yesterday. So far, I've found both to be improvements over IE 6 and Firefox 1.5. I also installed an extension for Firefox that allows me to see coding that remained unattainable to me before, such as external CSS files. Plus, I could toggle all kinds of tags on and off right there on the page, rather than having to muck through the HTML code in View Source. I was nearly brought to tears as I tried out all the wonders of this extension.
********************
This is getting a bit too geeky, so I'm going to bring it back a little more towards the mainstream and talk a little about politics - a rarity for this blog, let me assure you.
Steele's going to win the Senate race, and Ehrlich is going to get re-elected for Governor. I don't like it, but that's what I see happening. Don't let the Presidential election returns fool you - Maryland is a red state with a bluish-purple streak on the west side of the Bay.
********************
And now, as promised, the return of iTunes Friday. There are many new visitors to the blog (so I'm told), so here are the rules: 10 songs, no skipping, no apologizing for questionable taste. I don't follow those rules. I do 21 songs and skip if I'm really not in the mood to hear something. I do follow the "no apologies" rule, mostly.
In the past I've run into problems with the same band coming up two or even three times, but that now may be a thing of the past. I found a setting in iTunes that decreases the odds of that happening. We'll see how it goes.
1. "Volcano Girls" - Veruca Salt
2. "We're Not Gonna Take It" - Twisted Sister
3. "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
4. "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" - Lemon Demon
5. "Only You" - Yaz
6. "Halah" - Mazzy Star
7. "If I Wasn't Shy" - They Might Be Giants
8. "La Isla Bonita" - Madonna
9. "And We Danced" - The Hooters
10. "I Know There's Something Going On" - Frida
11. "Girls On Film" - Duran Duran
12. "Wild Wild Life" - The Talking Heads
13. "Wild World" - Maxi Priest
14. "I Got You" - Split Enz
15. "I Will Remember You" - Amy Grant
16. "This Town" - The Go-Go's
17. "It's True That We Love One Another" - The White Stripes (with Holly Golightly)
18. "Are You Happy Now?" - Michelle Branch
19. "Kiss Them For Me" - Siouxsie and The Banshees
20. "The Reflex" - Duran Duran
21. "Big Bang Baby" - Stone Temple Pilots
* Looks like the new shuffle setting worked pretty well! I did get a double dose of Duran Duran, but I guess that's to be expected since they have a double name.
* If you had told me that the day would come that I would be drumming on my desk to a Kelly Clarkson song, I would have called you mad and alerted the mental health authorities without delay. But that day has indeed come, as I was doing exactly that during "Since U Been Gone".
* I used to think, in "La Isla Bonita", that the line was "Last night I dreamt of some Pedro", like it was short for "some guy named Pedro" or something. It's actually "San Pedro". That makes more sense.
* While we're on the subject of mis-heard lyrics, I also thought, in "And We Danced", that the line was "...as the band played 'Attitude'", like there was a song named "Attitude" that I hadn't heard of but was famous enough to get referenced in a Hooters song. It's actually "...the band played out of tune".
I don't think I've mentioned it, but we have another sonogram coming up on the 20th. We should find out whether we're having a boy or a girl then, assuming Baby 2k7 is positioned right. If we find out, I'll be sure to let you all know. In case anyone wants to wait until April to find out, I'll be sure to put a big spoiler warning around the headline.
********************
I found out yesterday that two characters from Heroes have their own MySpace pages. I like Heroes (a lot), and I don't have a problem with fictional characters from that show having MySpace pages like they're actual people. What's strange is the real-live people who ask to be added to the Friends List, thank the fictional character for adding them, and then post messages to them like "Hey Claire, I don't think those were really your biological parents". First of all: a-duh, of course they weren't really her biological parents, and second of all: she's fictional - I don't think she's gonna read your comment and say "gee, maybe someone was lying to me!"
I know, it's just people getting into the moment. That's fine. Hope they enjoy themselves. It just struck me as being a bit odd.
********************
I installed both IE7 and Firefox 2 yesterday. So far, I've found both to be improvements over IE 6 and Firefox 1.5. I also installed an extension for Firefox that allows me to see coding that remained unattainable to me before, such as external CSS files. Plus, I could toggle all kinds of tags on and off right there on the page, rather than having to muck through the HTML code in View Source. I was nearly brought to tears as I tried out all the wonders of this extension.
********************
This is getting a bit too geeky, so I'm going to bring it back a little more towards the mainstream and talk a little about politics - a rarity for this blog, let me assure you.
Steele's going to win the Senate race, and Ehrlich is going to get re-elected for Governor. I don't like it, but that's what I see happening. Don't let the Presidential election returns fool you - Maryland is a red state with a bluish-purple streak on the west side of the Bay.
********************
And now, as promised, the return of iTunes Friday. There are many new visitors to the blog (so I'm told), so here are the rules: 10 songs, no skipping, no apologizing for questionable taste. I don't follow those rules. I do 21 songs and skip if I'm really not in the mood to hear something. I do follow the "no apologies" rule, mostly.
In the past I've run into problems with the same band coming up two or even three times, but that now may be a thing of the past. I found a setting in iTunes that decreases the odds of that happening. We'll see how it goes.
1. "Volcano Girls" - Veruca Salt
2. "We're Not Gonna Take It" - Twisted Sister
3. "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
4. "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" - Lemon Demon
5. "Only You" - Yaz
6. "Halah" - Mazzy Star
7. "If I Wasn't Shy" - They Might Be Giants
8. "La Isla Bonita" - Madonna
9. "And We Danced" - The Hooters
10. "I Know There's Something Going On" - Frida
11. "Girls On Film" - Duran Duran
12. "Wild Wild Life" - The Talking Heads
13. "Wild World" - Maxi Priest
14. "I Got You" - Split Enz
15. "I Will Remember You" - Amy Grant
16. "This Town" - The Go-Go's
17. "It's True That We Love One Another" - The White Stripes (with Holly Golightly)
18. "Are You Happy Now?" - Michelle Branch
19. "Kiss Them For Me" - Siouxsie and The Banshees
20. "The Reflex" - Duran Duran
21. "Big Bang Baby" - Stone Temple Pilots
* Looks like the new shuffle setting worked pretty well! I did get a double dose of Duran Duran, but I guess that's to be expected since they have a double name.
* If you had told me that the day would come that I would be drumming on my desk to a Kelly Clarkson song, I would have called you mad and alerted the mental health authorities without delay. But that day has indeed come, as I was doing exactly that during "Since U Been Gone".
* I used to think, in "La Isla Bonita", that the line was "Last night I dreamt of some Pedro", like it was short for "some guy named Pedro" or something. It's actually "San Pedro". That makes more sense.
* While we're on the subject of mis-heard lyrics, I also thought, in "And We Danced", that the line was "...as the band played 'Attitude'", like there was a song named "Attitude" that I hadn't heard of but was famous enough to get referenced in a Hooters song. It's actually "...the band played out of tune".
Friday, May 12, 2006
iTunes on A Blog and News of The Week
The Maryland Film Festival is this weekend. M is, once again, working in the box office all weekend. Last night was Opening Night. They showed some shorts, most of which were pretty good. Then they had a party at a nearby market, where upscale foods that I wouldn't typically be able to afford were offered as free samples. It was raining like crazy, but otherwise a fine time was had by all.
I don't think I'll be going tonight. The only thing showing tonight that's of much interest to me is Al Franken: God Spoke, and that's the sort of thing that can get me riled up. I don't think I'll be in the mood for that sort of thing tonight. John Waters will be there to host a showing of Head On, but aside from seeing John Waters in person, I'm not that interested. I'll just stay home and do laundry for my lovely wife. And play City of Heroes.
Tomorrow should be good, though. This year's 3-D movie is The Mad Magician with Vincent Price. Matthew Modine is hosting a showing of Full Metal Jacket, which I may not see (or, at least, not see all of), since there's a movie about LARPers showing in another theater about an hour later. Then there's The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang, which is suppposed to be similar in tone to Napolean Dynamite. I might have to forego the LARP movie to see FMJ and SDG.
And then on Sunday is the big secret screening of "a highly anticipated summer release". You can't get into the theater without signing something saying you won't discuss the film in any media until its official release. M and I have been trying to guess what it will be. We know it's rated R. So what's rated R, being released this summer and is highly anticipated? Well, Snakes On A Plane, but I seriously doubt that's it. Especially since the movie is being shown in conjunction with a Mother's Day brunch.
This year's silent movie with the Alloy Orchestra providing live music is The Eagle with Rudolph Valentino. Alloy Orchestra impressed my socks off when they did Hitchcock's Blackmail last year.
So, I'll let you all know how it all goes!
***
Yesterday, I was at a gas station with a message on the pumps saying "This pump is on closed-circuit camera for our protection." I could tell from the gap between "for" and "our" that it originally said "your", but someone peeled off the Y to make the message more truthful.
***
JACK-FM's most recent crime against music: removing Bootsy Collins from "Groove Is In The Heart". Are they so anti-rap that they would consider a spoken "diiiig" as rap and edit it out?
***
And now, 60 minutes or so of continuous music!
1. "Leave Me Breathless" - The Corrs
2. "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" - Utopia
3. "Dangerous Girl" - Vitamin C
4. "Everywhere" - Michelle Branch
5. "Where The Streets Have No Name" - U2
6. "Green Eggs and Hamlet" - Mary Prankster
7. "Georgia On My Mind" - Ray Charles
8. "Hit Me Baby One More Time" - Travis
9. "This Town" - The Go-Go's
10. "Harden My Heart" - Quarterflash
11. "Thorazine Shuffle" - Bongos Bass & Bob
12. "Something So Strong" - Crowded House
13. "Welcome To Paradise" - Green Day
14. "Sleepwalk" - Santo & Johnny
15. "From Me To You" - The Beatles
16. "Breathe" - Prodigy
17. "Ana Ng" - They Might Be Giants
18. "Divine Hammer" - The Breeders
19. "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" - They Might Be Giants
20. "Words" - Missing Persons
21. "Mac and Cheese" - Mary Prankster
* The video for "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" featured the band as insects. I think they did it with blue screens. It's been over 20 years since I last saw the video, so I don't remember if they had their heads bluescreened over animated bugs or if they were wearing costumes in front of a bluescreen, but a blue (or green) screen was definitely involved.
* "Hit Me Baby One More Time" is, of course, a cover of the Britney Spears song. It's live. You can hear the audience crack up when they hit the high notes on the "still believe!" line.
* "This Town", a fairly obscure Go-Go's song, was quoted on this week's Gilmore Girls. Not that I was watching - I was playing City of Heroes while M was watching. Can I help it if I can hear what's going on?
* Mary Prankster has some relationship issues. Whenever she finds someone who will cook for her, the dude turns out to be a violent sociopath. It gets to point that she's willing to starve if it means finding someone who's not crazy. And that, my friends, is "Mac and Cheese" in a nutshell.
I don't think I'll be going tonight. The only thing showing tonight that's of much interest to me is Al Franken: God Spoke, and that's the sort of thing that can get me riled up. I don't think I'll be in the mood for that sort of thing tonight. John Waters will be there to host a showing of Head On, but aside from seeing John Waters in person, I'm not that interested. I'll just stay home and do laundry for my lovely wife. And play City of Heroes.
Tomorrow should be good, though. This year's 3-D movie is The Mad Magician with Vincent Price. Matthew Modine is hosting a showing of Full Metal Jacket, which I may not see (or, at least, not see all of), since there's a movie about LARPers showing in another theater about an hour later. Then there's The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang, which is suppposed to be similar in tone to Napolean Dynamite. I might have to forego the LARP movie to see FMJ and SDG.
And then on Sunday is the big secret screening of "a highly anticipated summer release". You can't get into the theater without signing something saying you won't discuss the film in any media until its official release. M and I have been trying to guess what it will be. We know it's rated R. So what's rated R, being released this summer and is highly anticipated? Well, Snakes On A Plane, but I seriously doubt that's it. Especially since the movie is being shown in conjunction with a Mother's Day brunch.
This year's silent movie with the Alloy Orchestra providing live music is The Eagle with Rudolph Valentino. Alloy Orchestra impressed my socks off when they did Hitchcock's Blackmail last year.
So, I'll let you all know how it all goes!
***
Yesterday, I was at a gas station with a message on the pumps saying "This pump is on closed-circuit camera for our protection." I could tell from the gap between "for" and "our" that it originally said "your", but someone peeled off the Y to make the message more truthful.
***
JACK-FM's most recent crime against music: removing Bootsy Collins from "Groove Is In The Heart". Are they so anti-rap that they would consider a spoken "diiiig" as rap and edit it out?
***
And now, 60 minutes or so of continuous music!
1. "Leave Me Breathless" - The Corrs
2. "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" - Utopia
3. "Dangerous Girl" - Vitamin C
4. "Everywhere" - Michelle Branch
5. "Where The Streets Have No Name" - U2
6. "Green Eggs and Hamlet" - Mary Prankster
7. "Georgia On My Mind" - Ray Charles
8. "Hit Me Baby One More Time" - Travis
9. "This Town" - The Go-Go's
10. "Harden My Heart" - Quarterflash
11. "Thorazine Shuffle" - Bongos Bass & Bob
12. "Something So Strong" - Crowded House
13. "Welcome To Paradise" - Green Day
14. "Sleepwalk" - Santo & Johnny
15. "From Me To You" - The Beatles
16. "Breathe" - Prodigy
17. "Ana Ng" - They Might Be Giants
18. "Divine Hammer" - The Breeders
19. "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" - They Might Be Giants
20. "Words" - Missing Persons
21. "Mac and Cheese" - Mary Prankster
* The video for "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" featured the band as insects. I think they did it with blue screens. It's been over 20 years since I last saw the video, so I don't remember if they had their heads bluescreened over animated bugs or if they were wearing costumes in front of a bluescreen, but a blue (or green) screen was definitely involved.
* "Hit Me Baby One More Time" is, of course, a cover of the Britney Spears song. It's live. You can hear the audience crack up when they hit the high notes on the "still believe!" line.
* "This Town", a fairly obscure Go-Go's song, was quoted on this week's Gilmore Girls. Not that I was watching - I was playing City of Heroes while M was watching. Can I help it if I can hear what's going on?
* Mary Prankster has some relationship issues. Whenever she finds someone who will cook for her, the dude turns out to be a violent sociopath. It gets to point that she's willing to starve if it means finding someone who's not crazy. And that, my friends, is "Mac and Cheese" in a nutshell.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
You Got Radio Waves in My Visual Spectrum!
Our office occasionally get e-mails from Staples, Office Depot, etc. telling us about the wonderful specials they have going on and offering us a free item if we spend large amounts of money on their wares. Yesterday, we got one offering a free AM/FM Flashlight Radio.
There are combinations that make sense - peanut butter and chocolate, Swiss Army Knives, the first two incarnations of Van Halen - and then there are combinations such as these. Who thought up a flashlight with a built-in radio? Did someone out there say, "This flashlight really helps me see in the dark! Now if only it could sing to me!!!"?
Just seems odd to me. Won't that drain the batteries? The last thing you need in a blackout is a flashlight that doesn't work because you were listening to your local polka station a bit too much.
There are combinations that make sense - peanut butter and chocolate, Swiss Army Knives, the first two incarnations of Van Halen - and then there are combinations such as these. Who thought up a flashlight with a built-in radio? Did someone out there say, "This flashlight really helps me see in the dark! Now if only it could sing to me!!!"?
Just seems odd to me. Won't that drain the batteries? The last thing you need in a blackout is a flashlight that doesn't work because you were listening to your local polka station a bit too much.
Friday, March 31, 2006
It's Probably Just Me
Edit: I forgot to listen to iTunes while doing this, to supply the weekly list. I'll go listen now, and post the list in a bit.
I did something the other night that I haven't done a lot recently, but did a lot as a kid. Has anyone else out there found themselves thinking about something and wondering why you're thinking about it, so you trace your steps back?
Example: I was thinking about the French History professor I had in college, specifically how he broke his ankle and had to send in recorded lectures for about a week (there was some joking that he broke it playing basketball - he was an old guy who always wore 3-piece suits, which made that joke funny). Not sure why I was thinking about him, I tried to remember what I had been thinking about previously to lead me to that particular memory. It went thusly:
- I had a French History professor who broke his ankle
- I turned in a paper in that French History class late because I was sick
- I also turned in a German History paper late, losing half a grade on it (should have gotten an A-, but had to take a B+)
- We read All Quiet On The Western Front, a novel about World War I, in that German History class
- At the beginning of the movie The Big Red One, Lee Marvin is in World War I and shoots a German soldier, not realizing the war had just ended
- At the end of Sayid's flashback on a recent episode of Lost, the war in Kuwait ends, and the Americans let him go
- In that same episode, Sayid tortures someone
- The episode of Lost that aired the night I was doing this little memory exercise also touched upon Sayid and the guy he tortured
- I had just watched that episode.
So I was thinking about my French History professor because I had just watched Lost.
I used to do this sort of thing a lot when I was a kid. Has anyone else done this, or is it just me?
I did something the other night that I haven't done a lot recently, but did a lot as a kid. Has anyone else out there found themselves thinking about something and wondering why you're thinking about it, so you trace your steps back?
Example: I was thinking about the French History professor I had in college, specifically how he broke his ankle and had to send in recorded lectures for about a week (there was some joking that he broke it playing basketball - he was an old guy who always wore 3-piece suits, which made that joke funny). Not sure why I was thinking about him, I tried to remember what I had been thinking about previously to lead me to that particular memory. It went thusly:
- I had a French History professor who broke his ankle
- I turned in a paper in that French History class late because I was sick
- I also turned in a German History paper late, losing half a grade on it (should have gotten an A-, but had to take a B+)
- We read All Quiet On The Western Front, a novel about World War I, in that German History class
- At the beginning of the movie The Big Red One, Lee Marvin is in World War I and shoots a German soldier, not realizing the war had just ended
- At the end of Sayid's flashback on a recent episode of Lost, the war in Kuwait ends, and the Americans let him go
- In that same episode, Sayid tortures someone
- The episode of Lost that aired the night I was doing this little memory exercise also touched upon Sayid and the guy he tortured
- I had just watched that episode.
So I was thinking about my French History professor because I had just watched Lost.
I used to do this sort of thing a lot when I was a kid. Has anyone else done this, or is it just me?
Friday, March 24, 2006
Feeding My Hungry Audience
Hello all. Endless apologies for the long break between posts. I had a baseball draft recently, the preparations for which consumed most of my free time. That draft happened on Tuesday. The three post-free days since then can be attributed to laziness.
I'm jumping on the iTunes playlist bandwagon. A running list of what I'm listening to while typing this appears below.
I don't really have any one thing to talk about. Just some random thoughts:
*********
I found out the other day that our President of the USofA got a degree in History at Yale. So I'm not the only one who isn't putting their History degree to good use.
*********
I was looking at one of M's Mardi Gras posters this morning, and I realized I didn't really say much about the Rex parade (aside from a single sentence saying it was crowded and fun).
Rex is the King of Carnival (Carnival being the actual name for what we just refer to as Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival). His identity, and the identity of his Queen, are kept secret until the night before Mardi Gras. That's when they sail down the river into New Orleans, and everybody sees them for the first time. We were at a restaurant a block or two away when Rex 2006 arrived. We were by a window facing the river, so we saw the fireworks.
Rex rides in the Rex parade, the last parade of Mardi Gras, while his Queen sits in a grandstand at the Hotel Intercontinental. When the parade passes the Hotel Intercontinental, it pauses so that Rex may toast his Queen.
Anyway, I think the whole thing is pretty cool, so I thought I'd share.
*********
I really want to see V for Vendetta, but M thought it looked too violent, my brother agreed, and a friend that I often see movies with had already seen it at a preview showing.
I never, ever, go to the movies by myself (I don't eat alone at restaurants either), so it was looking like I'd be waiting until Netflix had it. But M made a compromise with me this morning. She'll see V with me if I go see the new Sarah Jessica Parker chick-flick with her. Sounds like a good deal to me!
*********
I'm realizing right about now that I have a lot of 80's music in my iTunes library. What exactly does it mean to be "saved by zero"?
*********
I thought that Jon Stewart did a great job hosting the Oscars. He was very funny, but had the misfortune of having an audience that doesn't like to laugh at themselves.
*********
I managed to get the house cleaned up before M got back from New Orleans. I know some of you were concerned about that.
*********
That's about all I have for now. Here's the random shuffle I was listening to. For those unfamiliar with this emerging trend, the rules are that you put your player (iTunes, in my case) on random shuffle, listen to everything that plays, and list everything - no omissions.
1. "Blue Flower" - Mazzy Star
2. "A Little Respect" - Erasure
3. "That Ain't Love" - REO Speedwagon
4. "Cum On Feel The Noize" - Quiet Riot (I wasn't really digging this playlist until this came on)
5. "About A Girl" - Nirvana
6. "Shock The Monkey" - Peter Gabriel
7. "Keep On Loving You" - The Donnas (cover of the REO Speedwagon song - not a very good cover)
8. "That's Entertainment" - The Jam
9. "Ran For Miles" - Gemma Hayes
10. "Saved By Zero" - The Fixx
11. "Down With The Sickness" - Disturbed
12. "Wolf" - Veruca Salt
13. "She's Not There" - The Zombies (a 60's classic!)
14. "Illegal Smile" - John Prine
I'm jumping on the iTunes playlist bandwagon. A running list of what I'm listening to while typing this appears below.
I don't really have any one thing to talk about. Just some random thoughts:
*********
I found out the other day that our President of the USofA got a degree in History at Yale. So I'm not the only one who isn't putting their History degree to good use.
*********
I was looking at one of M's Mardi Gras posters this morning, and I realized I didn't really say much about the Rex parade (aside from a single sentence saying it was crowded and fun).
Rex is the King of Carnival (Carnival being the actual name for what we just refer to as Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival). His identity, and the identity of his Queen, are kept secret until the night before Mardi Gras. That's when they sail down the river into New Orleans, and everybody sees them for the first time. We were at a restaurant a block or two away when Rex 2006 arrived. We were by a window facing the river, so we saw the fireworks.
Rex rides in the Rex parade, the last parade of Mardi Gras, while his Queen sits in a grandstand at the Hotel Intercontinental. When the parade passes the Hotel Intercontinental, it pauses so that Rex may toast his Queen.
Anyway, I think the whole thing is pretty cool, so I thought I'd share.
*********
I really want to see V for Vendetta, but M thought it looked too violent, my brother agreed, and a friend that I often see movies with had already seen it at a preview showing.
I never, ever, go to the movies by myself (I don't eat alone at restaurants either), so it was looking like I'd be waiting until Netflix had it. But M made a compromise with me this morning. She'll see V with me if I go see the new Sarah Jessica Parker chick-flick with her. Sounds like a good deal to me!
*********
I'm realizing right about now that I have a lot of 80's music in my iTunes library. What exactly does it mean to be "saved by zero"?
*********
I thought that Jon Stewart did a great job hosting the Oscars. He was very funny, but had the misfortune of having an audience that doesn't like to laugh at themselves.
*********
I managed to get the house cleaned up before M got back from New Orleans. I know some of you were concerned about that.
*********
That's about all I have for now. Here's the random shuffle I was listening to. For those unfamiliar with this emerging trend, the rules are that you put your player (iTunes, in my case) on random shuffle, listen to everything that plays, and list everything - no omissions.
1. "Blue Flower" - Mazzy Star
2. "A Little Respect" - Erasure
3. "That Ain't Love" - REO Speedwagon
4. "Cum On Feel The Noize" - Quiet Riot (I wasn't really digging this playlist until this came on)
5. "About A Girl" - Nirvana
6. "Shock The Monkey" - Peter Gabriel
7. "Keep On Loving You" - The Donnas (cover of the REO Speedwagon song - not a very good cover)
8. "That's Entertainment" - The Jam
9. "Ran For Miles" - Gemma Hayes
10. "Saved By Zero" - The Fixx
11. "Down With The Sickness" - Disturbed
12. "Wolf" - Veruca Salt
13. "She's Not There" - The Zombies (a 60's classic!)
14. "Illegal Smile" - John Prine
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Thus Begins Lap # 5,374,285,993 On The Solar Track
Well, guess who's been neglecting their poor blog. Me, that's who! It's not like I haven't been trying, but the idears just ain't been a-comin'. Well, they have been coming, but I haven't been motivated to turn them into words that make sense. I do have a year-end list of all the movies I've seen that I've been working on for about a week. Keep an eye out!
So here we are, six-tenths of the way through the decade. It seems like just yesterday I saw an article on Modern Humorist that displayed stamps commemorating the 90's and, "coming soon", the 00's. Since it was mid-2000 at the time, the 00 decade stamps pretty much just covered the Elian Gonzalez thing and a few minor things that had been going on in those few short months (also an apparent prediction that mosquitoes would grow to the size of houses). It strikes me, looking back at that, how much has actually happened in this decade so far. And I'm talkin' big stuff (some of it, like that incident with the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, pretty frickin' huge), and almost none of it good. Well, the Sox (both Red and White) winning the World Series was both big and good, but we all knew it could happen (maybe not the two of them winning their Series back to back, but otherwise, yes, we knew). The events we didn't see coming as we entered the decade have been pretty much all bad, as unexpected events usually are. I don't think anything unexpected and good has happened since the Berlin Wall came down, something that not many would have predicted in 1980 (certainly not the way in which it happened). The moon landing in '69 would also count as something good that most people didn't see coming at the beginning of the 60's. That's about all I can think of. Feel free to post a comment if you can think of anything big and unexpected that's happened throughout history.
Hope this isn't bringing anyone down. I'm just saying big events in history tend to be bad. It's the smaller picture stuff, like getting married and the Yankees not being able to buy a World Series championship, that keep us going.
Oh, and by the way, I was just guessing on what lap number we're on. I may be off by a billion or so.
So here we are, six-tenths of the way through the decade. It seems like just yesterday I saw an article on Modern Humorist that displayed stamps commemorating the 90's and, "coming soon", the 00's. Since it was mid-2000 at the time, the 00 decade stamps pretty much just covered the Elian Gonzalez thing and a few minor things that had been going on in those few short months (also an apparent prediction that mosquitoes would grow to the size of houses). It strikes me, looking back at that, how much has actually happened in this decade so far. And I'm talkin' big stuff (some of it, like that incident with the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, pretty frickin' huge), and almost none of it good. Well, the Sox (both Red and White) winning the World Series was both big and good, but we all knew it could happen (maybe not the two of them winning their Series back to back, but otherwise, yes, we knew). The events we didn't see coming as we entered the decade have been pretty much all bad, as unexpected events usually are. I don't think anything unexpected and good has happened since the Berlin Wall came down, something that not many would have predicted in 1980 (certainly not the way in which it happened). The moon landing in '69 would also count as something good that most people didn't see coming at the beginning of the 60's. That's about all I can think of. Feel free to post a comment if you can think of anything big and unexpected that's happened throughout history.
Hope this isn't bringing anyone down. I'm just saying big events in history tend to be bad. It's the smaller picture stuff, like getting married and the Yankees not being able to buy a World Series championship, that keep us going.
Oh, and by the way, I was just guessing on what lap number we're on. I may be off by a billion or so.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Word of the Day
I came across this word while reading a news article about reckless youths loitering in front of stores. Some of you may find it useful.
ob·strep·er·ous adj.
ob·strep·er·ous adj.
- Noisily and stubbornly defiant.
- Aggressively boisterous.
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