Random Thought for Thursday 9/30/10

[Here's the last in the Distracted Driving series until my next big trip ...]

I am all for alternative energy - but I have stumble-driven upon some farms of windmills in the strangest places this year: outside of Palm Springs, quite suddenly on the side of the PA turnpike, and over and over again on the most boring part of I65 in Indiana. I'm always struck by the fact that some turbines seem to be moving and others seem to be still -- yet they are all facing the exact same way in the exact same wind path. It makes me want to go yell at the lazy ones all Troy Quixote style to get them to help out their spoked sisters and bladed brethren. "I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be [alterna-fuel] rich!"

IN INDIANA, IT COUNTS AS TOURISM TO VISIT THE WINDFARMS!:
http://www.earlparkindiana.com/windfarm.html

DIFFERENT PARTS OF A WINDMILL:
http://www.ehow.com/list_6707876_different-parts-windmill_.html

WHAT HAVE WE HERE? BOOK RAGS? A MODERN DAY CLIFF NOTES:
http://www.bookrags.com/notes/dq/PART9.htm

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 9/29/10

Bob's your uncle!

Used in a sentence: "Even though your position was just eliminated, all you have to do is trust the system, access the portal, have a conversation and await the phone call with the new job offer, and then Bob's your uncle."

Thanks to my current BBCAmerica fix of Come Dine with Me (well, that show and The Choir both have allowed me to explore British humour and sensibilities this summer/fall), I've learned that "Robert's your father's brother" (and it's weakened version as listed above) is a commonly used summary statement affixed to a simple list of instructions, or (from the first link below) "straightforwardly obtaining a successful result".

I'm hard pressed to find the exact American idiomatic match, but perhaps "do not pass go, do not collect $200" is a distant cousin (or nephew, to keep the theme going). And, by that reference, you know that I haven't embraced the Revolution Edition of Monopoly released this year (a circle board? no bank? collect 2 million dollars instead of $200?).

[By the way, I can't yet discuss the impetus for the sentence used tonight, but don't be surprised if I change my job title (same company) in my FB info in the next few weeks.]

IDIOM FINDER for BOB's YOUR UNCLE:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bobs-your-uncle.html

AN AMERICAN VERSION IS PROMISED FOR 2011:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/05/26/bbc-america-launches-us-production-of-come-dine-with-me/20100526bbca02/

2010 MONOPOLY REVOLUTION EDITION:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98034-Monopoly-Revolution-Edition-Boasts-Round-Board-Digital-Banker-No-Fun

Random Tune for Tuesday 9/28/10

Digging through my small collection of 45s, I ran across another gem -- one that I couldn't quite believe was from 1984! One I probably heard in concert in Philly at the Spectrum on Sep 18, 1993 (thanks wikipedia for your exhaustive information supplied by super-fans and Jarrod for thinking that I could get them to say Happy Birthday to you from the stage if I wanted to)! One that spoke to the same question Rodney King asked some two dozen years later! "People are people so why should it be ... you and I should get along so awfully." We're all still waiting for common decency to surface in so many situations.

WHAT MAKES A MAN HATE ANOTHER MAN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGGlTR71FEk&ob=av2e

Random Memorial for Monday 9/27/10

Gone but not forgotten: when the admonition that one should be careful not to swallow a watermelon seed for fear a watermelon will grow out of your belly button was just an old wives' tale and not so much based in fact.


Because, after all, if a man can have a pea get lodged in his lung and start to grow as was discussed at length in a recent national news story, I have to think there might be a little more truth to that concern.


My once carefree approach to the eating of melons, you are missed.


[AMAZING RACE ASIDE: A watermelon in the belly button is still much better than one squarely in the face!]


PEAS IN THE LUNG:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2010/08/pea-sprout-removed-from-massachusetts-mans-lung.html


ONCE AGAIN, A PLACE ON FACEBOOK FOR EVERYONE:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/if-you-eat-that-seed-a-watermelon-will-grow-from-your-bellybutton-/111598558861006

WATERMELON BELLY RING JEWELRY FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH THE PIERCING:

http://www.viciousstyle.com/delicious-watermelon-belly-ring-p-207.html

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 9/26/10

What Chicago is talking about this week:

Electioneering season is in full swing -- so with this weekend bringing cooler temps and the final home game of the disappointing Cubs season, it also subjects us to more and more mud. There's one particular race responsible for a majority of the mud being slung -- the seat to replace Roland Burris in the Senate. It's Barrack's old seat (you may have heard of him), and it's a fight to the finish for Alexi Giannoulias (too young! connected to mobsters! his family's bank collapsed!) and Mark Kirk (he lies about his military past! he lies about his orientation! he lies about his connection to Bush! [Wait, those last two are just different ways to say the same thing.]) This is going to be a dirty 37 more days!

ANYONE CAN POST ANYTHING -- ANTI-ALEXI LINKS:
http://notgonnabeatalexi.com/

HARD TO REMEMBER THE DETAILS ABOUT MY TIME IN THE MILITARY:
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/06/01/ill-sen-hopeful-mark-kirk-lies-about-a-military-claim/

NECK and NECK RACE:
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2010/09/new-poll-shows-kirk-and-gianno.html

Random Soapbox for Saturday 9/25/10

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... why aren't elevators more forgiving?

If I get confused as I board and hit the wrong floor, why can't I cancel my request and choose again instead of having to take a trip to a destination I never really wanted in the first place? Mistakenly pushed buttons are relatively common (or else I have trigger-fingers in those contraptions) and I'm not getting any younger while I stop at a lonely floor where nothing happens except my looking foolish when the doors open and I refuse to exit.

And while I'm at it, where do elevators go when no one is calling for them? Do they rest at the first floor? Are they smart enough to analyze their travels and head to the most frequently requested stop? Can they be bribed to always wait at the location that someone wants? Do they feel fulfilled when they are full -- or do they resent the fact that we're always demanding that they take us hither and yon? If they are part of a bank of elevators, do they race each other when no one is looking?

Do you think as a group that they resent the connotation of elevator music? That they take pride in the importance of an elevator pitch? That they blush at the amorous activities of Aerosmith while riding in them (go...ing...down)? That they mock the distance traveled in height when used in a shoe to falsify someone's stature?

By the way, why aren't there more escalators? And what's with those people who insist on walking up them when they're doing a sufficient enough job of advancing you another story or two if you just demonstrate the slightest bit of patience?

And it's 2010. Why aren't there people movers like we were promised? I'm tired of having to ambulate vertically without mechanical assistance!

Actually, I think I'm just tired in general. I should stop now ...

HOW TO HACK AN ELEVATOR (maybe?):
http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-hack-elevator-go-directly-your-floor-218650/

COMING SOON TO A SOCIAL MEDIA NEAR YOU - THE TWIT-PITCH:
http://searchengineland.com/the-elevator-pitch-is-dead-introducing-the-twitpitch-13944

FORGET THE AMBULANCE CHASER - HERE's AN ESCALATOR ACCIDENT CHASER:
http://www.personalinjurydefenders.com/Escalator-Accident-Attorney.html

Random Posting for Penn State 9/25/10

Like field goals much?

I was busy working at one of my company's big Saturday events all day, but received score updates throughout the game by text -- which made it all the more painfully obvious that I was missing nothing but a chance for the kicker to tie (and almost beat) a team record of 5 field goals in a game. In the process, we kept alive a streak of not being beaten by Temple in nearly 70 years.

Now I have to make a choice -- do I go with bravado regarding next week's Iowa game or do I admit that I'm a little apprehensive?

HERE's WHAT MY ULTIMATE EMPLOYER HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE GAME:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/25/AR2010092503113.html

NEXT YEAR IS "NEW" HISTORY ANYWAY WITH THE EXPANSION:
http://www.thedailygopher.com/2010/8/26/1651982/annual-rivalry-with-iowa-dead

UM ... MVP OF THE GAME TODAY?:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=188697

Random Flashback for Friday 9/24/10

Last week, I introduced the favorite drink of those in Koln -- Kolsch. And as this shot shows, it was also the favorite drink of those of us studying during my semester abroad in that city 20 years ago. Of course, the studying happened during the day or maybe in the early evening (or possibly the morning after on the ride into town on the Ubahn) -- but this was clearly the nighttime activity. On the table, amidst the glasses, you can see the 'deckels', the cardboard coasters that we collected around town for the over two dozen different brands of Kolsch. It was like an alcohol treasure hunt, and for this 18 year old (oh yeah, I was a young'un in college), it was quite an enjoyable experience! Every night had the potential to be Oktoberfest!!

Random Thought for Thursday 9/23/10

[Here's another to file under Distracted Driving, a Thursday thought series all month long ...]

The more time I spend on long trips on the local Interstates, the more I daydream about this scenario: If I ever got pulled over by the cops for speeding, could I use my best Lennie voice (random Of Mice and Men reference!) to convince the officer that I thought the interstate signs were for the speed limit? "But there's signs everywhere with [insert # here from this selection: 81/83/90/94] on them. I was just trying to get to that number!"

Oh ... and, if possible, I would name the cop George, and I would hug him and pet him and squeeze him ...

CHECK OUT THE TOP 5-ish REASONS YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT OF MICE AND MEN:
http://www.shmoop.com/of-mice-and-men/

PURDUE UNIVERSITY STUDY ENDORSES 70MPH LIMIT IN INDIANA:
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/24/2442.asp

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, BUT FB TRULY HAS A PAGE FOR EVERYTHING:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-will-name-him-george-I-will-hug-him-and-pet-him-and-squeeze-him/231154342589

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 9/22/10

© 1998-1999©1999-2000©2000-2001©2001-2002©2002-2003©2003-2004
©2004-2005©2005-2006©2006-2007©2007-2008©2008-2009©2009-2010

Subtextually implied in this sentence: Let's do 12 more!

SO GOOD TOGETHER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpYd5jEiRi0

VIRTUAL GIFTS?!:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.flowers-gifts.com/images/two-dozen-red-roses.jpg&imgrefurl=http://cae2k.com/how-to-send-photos-to-your-phone-0/dozen-red-roses.html&h=500&w=445&sz=63&tbnid=oZdPo7NRnlPCNM:&tbnh=238&tbnw=212&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddozen%2Bred%2Broses&zoom=1&q=dozen+red+roses&usg=___TZrTqoPSRvd-C5uBFbsUKWWd9o=&sa=X&ei=xuWZTJvxB8PbnAfSydSHDw&ved=0CDQQ9QEwAA

SYMBOLICALLY YOURS, TAN:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_symbol

Random Tune for Tuesday 9/21/10

I was reminded of this song as it played over the closing credits of a documentary on Showtime about steroids that I just watched -- and I immediately thought of two things: the famous Genesis video from the late eighties with the puppets and the fact that it was the theme song from "Voices in the High School", a ?controversial? outreach program/summer camp from my junior or senior year for "at-risk youth". Thanks to the industriousness of those fully embracing the internet age, youtube has the old video with the audio from the Disturbed remake, found at the link below. By the way, is it sad that we were the land of confusion twenty years ago as well? Why is there still "not enough love to go 'round?"

OLD MEETS NEW:
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4395487233791244575

Random Memorial for Monday 9/20/10

Gone but not forgotten: the days when revolution didn't hit quite so close to home.

Major news today ... a domestic terrorist was arrested after placing what he thought was a "weapon of mass destruction" (i.e. bomb) in a trash can to explode as the crowds were leaving the Dave Matthews concert at Wrigley this weekend. Far enough away that I wouldn't have died from the blast (which I guess is some consolation), I just have to say that I saw those crowds leaving and most of them had a funny look in their eyes and they were searching for munchies of any kind (one stopped me as I reparked my car to ask if there was a neighborhood spot to get deep dish pizza) -- they were most certainly not prepared to be pawns in some madman's revolutionary game.

The full criminal complaint had been released online, and although the guy's name is going to make most everyone jump to assumptions tied into our current crusades, 22year old Sami Samir Hassoun is quoted on page 16 of 26 stating that his motivation was "attacking Chicago as a means of creating chaos to gain political control of the city and its sources of revenue". So before the media gets this all twisted, note that Master Hassoun is more closely related to the Joker in the Batman oeuvre than to Osama.

And, one other note, thanks to the details in the full complaint, our undercover man on the inside, when he heard that Hassoun's original plan was to attack something on the Mag Mile, apparently suggested that he consider the bar scene on Clark Street next to Wrigley instead. So ... where can I send the thank-you note to that agent for bringing the danger to my 'hood?

Again, crisis is averted. And, apparently the whole situation was well-managed (or, in defense lawyer speak, he was subject to entrapment) so the public wasn't in danger. Unless, of course, Hassoun had decided to go rogue (he didn't) or inspire others (sure hope not) or any number of other scary scenarios.

This one's for you Dave Matthews -- the last time you came to town, your tour bus staff dumped your bus' waste receptacle off of a bridge on to spectators on a boat tour below. This time, your visit is marred by a failed domestic terrorist who's emulating the Batman sequel that was filmed here. I'm sure you're a nice guy and all, but please stay the hell out of Chicago!

The expectation that city trash receptacles in my neighborhood were for the homeless guys with the carts collecting aluminum cans and not for the placement of weapons of mass destruction, you are missed.

BREAKING NEWS THAT CATCHES YOUR EYE WHEN YOU SEE IT GO BY ON THE TICKER:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/09/fbi-man-arrested-in-plot-to-bomb-wrigleyville.html

THE FULL COMPLAINT IN ALL ITS GLORY (?!):
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-092010-samir-hassoun-fbi-affidavit,0,5376609.htmlpage

EW's STAFFER's AUNT's INSIDE SCOOP ON THE POOP INCIDENT:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,692288,00.html

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 9/19/10

What Chicago is talking about this week:

Electioneering season is in full swing -- and now that 'Da Mare' is being put down (or, voluntarily resigning from the races, more accurately stated), we are guaranteed to be in the highest state of alert for promises and platforms and politics all the way through the winter until the Feb 2011 election. Already, the wiki page for the race lists 8 confirmed candidates (plus 39 more potential politicians -- and another 13 who have already officially declined to run). They are not going to let five dozen horses run at the same time in any race, and we'll be lucky (?) to see the field reduced in the weeks ahead. If nothing else, I'm predicting a milder winter than most what with all that hot air being expelled by these folks!

HERE ARE THE FIRST 45 MAYORS (not the 45 that are running):
http://www.chipublib.org/cplbooksmovies/cplarchive/mayors/mayorlist.php

THE WIKI LISTING FOR THE FEB 2011 MAYORAL ELECTION (and the 60 in the running):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_mayoral_election,_2011

RAHM's OPEN LETTER* TO CHICAGO (*written by an improv actor):
http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/museums-culture/88947/rahm-emanuels-letter-to-chicago

Random Soapbox for Saturday 9/18/10

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... I should be ashamed of myself. Not just for my insensitive Kent State related post earlier today, but mostly because I have taken to bitching and moaning about walking to work. Since my move to Wrigleyville in the fall of '07 (not to be confused with the apartment swap of just a few weeks ago), I've been within a 25 minute walk to my employment. And, early on, I was enjoying that trip quite frequently -- until I realized that the same permit that allows me to park on neighborhood streets outside my apartment at night worked for the streets around the building in which I spend my days. Suddenly, I'm walking less often because I'm too lazy.

Then -- to put me in my place -- I read the stories of the veterans who conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro last month with prosthetics (three guys and only one actual leg amongst them). The next time I hit the snooze and think about that extra half hour of sleep, may I be reminded that others in worse situations than I climb mountains! Shame, shame ...

KUDOS TO YOU, OUR AMPUTEE VETERANS ON YOUR CLIMBING SUCCESS:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/10/AR2010081006095.html

WHO KNEW -- NATIONAL WALK TO WORK DAY IS EACH APRIL?:
http://walking.about.com/od/pedestrians/p/walktoworkday.htm

OPERATION HELMET (a worthy cause seeking donations):
http://www.operation-helmet.org/media.html

Random Posting for Penn State 9/18/10

Warning: the content you are about to read is gauche. If you are not a fan of the gauche, please divert your eyes.

[Which means that if you're reading this on Facebook, please go find someone's Farmville status update. If you're reading this on the Capricious Cognition blog, please click on a different tag on the column on the right!]

How's that for a shut-out! It was like we were the national guard and their team was being picked off one by one like angry college students in the early seventies. What -- too soon?

IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, WHAT A TRAGEDY:
http://www.may4.org/

AN INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED REVIEW OF THE GAME (by PSU students):
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2010/09/18/defensive_changes_help_psu_shu.aspx

GAUCHE CONFIRMATION IN CHEMISTRY (at least, I think it's chemistry):
http://wetche.cmbi.ru.nl/organic/nalkanesconf/butane/jmindex.html

Random Flashback for Friday 9/17/10

Random Flashback for Friday --> Best thing about my semester abroad 20 years ago: Kolsch (the local brew of a light pale ale). Second best thing about that time in another country: our group consisted of students from three schools (LVC, Allegheny and Gettysburg) all placed together around Cologne and all studying together. This picture is from when best thing #1 met best thing #2 on one of our first nights out (like Real World:Koln -- except we didn't all have to live in the same house)! And Amy, I am confident that you could have walked without the assistance of Brian and I ... and we were simply fooling around for the camera, right?

Random Thought for Thursday 9/16/10

Here's another in the distracted driving series ... and with this one, can I just say that someone needs to find a way to harness my creativity for good before I become the next Lex Luthor.

It struck me as I watched different bugs graphically offer up their lives on the windshield of my car on a recent long drive ... what if they had watered at the local nuclear power plant, drinking a little of the nuclear waste so that they caused mini-nuclear reactions when they slammed into the cars on the highway? Boy, that would be something to see, huh? (I mean, not from inside the car necessarily, but from a distance.)

A PATENT FOR THE CLEANING OF THE NUCLEAR WASTE WATER:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4138329.html

LEX LUTHOR, THE SELF-PROCLAIMED NEGRO-RICAN DJ:
http://lex_luthor.podomatic.com/

HOW TO ... GET (non-nuclear) BUGS OFF YOUR WINDSHIELD:
http://car.tips.net/Pages/T004750_Getting_Bugs_off_Your_Windshield.html

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 9/15/10

Jalea.

Used in a sentence: I don't think you're ready for this Jalea.

For this to work, I'm hoping that Jalea does translate to "jelly" -- you know, as if Destiny's Child were to be performing a concert in Spanish. Or, as if some Disney movie were to animate the real scene at the beaches in Spain last month that had hundreds attacked by jellyfish (a flotilla, cried some headlines) -- making the group of tourists clamoring out of the ocean (can you actually clamor out of something, 'cause I desperately want that half-hearted pun to work) seem like less of a horror movie.

To be honest, I blame Portugal. Man-of-war, indeed!

THE HEADLINE THAT CRIED FLOTILLA:
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2010/08/12/jellyfish_attack_hundreds_in_spain/

EN OTRAS PALABRAS - UN CULO DELICIOSO!:
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish_to_english/other/100250-bootylicious.html

THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TAKE:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/printable/portuguese-man-of-war.html

Random Tune for Tuesday 9/14/10

What is about that red headed singer so famous for her story songs -- and her books -- and her movies -- and her TV show -- and her Broadway performances -- and her clothing line (?!) -- etc.? Is it her ability to project a certain aw-shucks charm while communicating that she's also "in the know" about modern times as she duets with the hottest of pop stars and fully embraces her tweeting skills? Is it her determination to conquer all media but in a way that just brings her more and more legions of fans? Is it her live concerts that somehow manage to place all in her audience in a welcoming hug? Is it the fact that she gets people to gush and fawn like I have for this whole post? Is there really anyone who doesn't like ... Reba (her latest release from her album out November 9 is at the link below)!

NOW WITH ONE MILLION FACEBOOK FANS!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqoyeopLWD8

Random Memorial for Monday 9/13/10

Gone but not forgotten: making the rounds at the local Blockbuster to choose a holiday movie marathon.

As that movie rental place goes through its umpteenth round of bankruptcy-plus and as multitudes of movies are now available on demand through the DVR, this tradition has fallen by the wayside. It was an enjoyable part of the holiday routine back in the day, though -- a full half hour task to get from A to Z on the outer perimeter to find new movies that none of us had seen (or the rare movie that was worthy of a re-watch).

The process by which we came to be suspicious of the "slice of life" genre, you are missed.

BLOCKBUSTER's PRE-PLANNED BANKRUPTCY DUE ANY DAY:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-Blockbuster_30bus.ART0.State.Edition1.26bc873.html

IN FRENCH, THAT's 'TRANCHE DE VIE':
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tranche%20de%20vie

WHICH LEADS ME TO THIS CATERING COMPANY:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tranche%20de%20vie

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 9/12/10

What Chicago is talking about this week:

Electioneering season is in full swing, and with this state's track record of governors, it's no surprise that all eyes are focused on that race. Right now, you can't possibly avoid being bombarded with signs and ads and rallies. Independent candidate Scott Lee Cohen is using his millions to be omnipresent, hoping that taking his message directly to the working people will cause them to forget his well-publicized skeletons and his noted difficulties with domestic violence (blamed on steroid use). Here's a thought -- let's all silently protest his next rally by showing up in sleeveless undershirts -- a sea of folks in wifebeaters expressing our disapproval.

HIS SIDE OF THE STORY:
http://scottleecohen.com/

OR BLAME THE VIOLENCE ON THE WORLD CUP:
http://deadspin.com/5560280/beware-the-world-cup-wife-beaters

I DID NOT FORCE MYSELF ON THAT WOMAN or AREN'T DIVORCES FUN STUFF:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/Scott-lee-cohen-violent-outbursts-steroids-83580457.html

Random Posting for Penn State 9/11/10

Hey Penn State -- let's follow in the footsteps of the teams that have upset VA Tech and GA Tech, and pull out an upset of our own, eh (would that we were playing TX Tech or LA Tech based on the early trends) Regardless, I will still wear my Penn State shirt out to the bars tonight for the second half of the game [Travis, you got yours on too?], and I will prepare a "it's just an honor to have played the #1 team to have our strength of schedule variable heightened" speech just in case we're not upset minded tonight.

On a side note, if their quarterback hasn't lost since eighth grade, aren't we just doing him a service by reminding him of the ups and downs of life if we give him a taste of a loss today? Won't that be a character building experience to help make his application to be a Rhodes Scholar stand out? I'm just saying ...

CONGRATS TO JAMES MADISON AND TOP 10 UPSETS:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/459318-james-madison-virginia-tech-and-10-craziest-college-football-upsets

EVERYONE NEEDS A PENN STATE SNUGGIE:
http://www.pennstateroom.com/

RHODES SCHOLAR APPLICANT QBACK SHOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH LOSS TO BUILD CHARACTER:
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/penn_state/20100909_Alabama_quarterback_hopes_to_ride_winning_streak_all_the_way_to_England.html

Random Soapbox for Saturday 9/11/10

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... I fear if Paul were updating his FB status with a post geared toward his friends in Corinth today, he might be hard-pressed to see things as half-full, and his words might have come out thusly:

"Hatred is not patient, hatred is not kind. It is consumed by envy, it frequently boasts, it is always proud. It is rude, self-seeking, easily angered and it forever keeps record of wrongs. Hatred delights in evil but shuns the truth. It always destroys, always betrays, always feeds on fears, and is always insidious. Hatred too often wins ... the worst of these is hatred."

As we continue to exist in a world reminiscent of the medieval Crusades, may we steel ourselves against the doctrines of hate (wherever and whenever they may rear their ugly heads -- in surprisingly new places each day) and may we seek out the enlightenment that comes from embracing love -- one for another. Amen.

THE GLASS STARTED HALF-FULL:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NIV

(POSSIBLY) THE TWENTY (OR SO) WORST THINGS PEOPLE HAVE DONE TO EACH OTHER:
http://users.rcn.com/mwhite28/warstat0.htm#Total

ONE WORD FREES US OF ALL THE WEIGHT AND PAIN:
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/one_word_frees_us_of_all_the_weight_and_pain_of/12537.html

Random Flashback for Friday 9/10/10

Last week's shot was of the haus in Germany where I landed twenty years ago for my semester abroad ... and this one is 3/4 of my host Familie (only sibling Sabine was missing). Mama's on the left, her oldest daughter Petra is is the middle and Petra's husband the baker is next to her. In the 7300 or so days since I took this picture, I've somehow forgotten why the cigarettes are featured as prominently as they are ... so we'll just have to assume it stems from some good old fashioned German sense of humor or an overabundance of some good old fashioned German alcohol! Jawohl!

Random Thought for Thursday 9/9/10

Here's another entry in the relatively new series I named "Distracted Driving" for my mind's ability to wander on long drives ...

Sign as I crossed over a bridge seen shortly after entering Indiana on I70: Nameless Creek.

Immediate thought: of all places to be introduced to a paradox, this was the least expected, as this creek ceased being nameless as soon as it was named Nameless.

NOT MAKING THIS UP EITHER:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM639A_Nameless_Creek_I_70_Indianapolis_IN

THERE's A YOUTH CAMP THERE:
http://www.namelesscreekyouthcamp.com/

AND IT's APPARENTLY A GOOD PLACE TO GO FISHING TOO:
http://www.myfishmaps.com/topo-maps/US-fishing-locations/Indiana/Indiana-Streams/Hancock/Morristown/Nameless-Creek/

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 9/8/10

Firefall.

Used in a sentence ... "It was a waterfall made of fire -- a firefall."

File this in the things you learn from PBS documentaries, but as summer fades, my thoughts returned to what I first heard of in the National Parks shows - a nightly tradition at Yosemite (at least until January 1968, four years before I was born) where the owners of a hotel on the precipice would systematically shower the park floor below with the leftover embers of the night's huge bonfire, creating a waterfall effect made of fire. It sounds beautiful (pics in the link below), but it was ultimately an unnatural part of America's natural preserve, so it was banned. [And -- the hotel had its last laugh a year later when it burned down.]

I guess there aren't really any other elements that can "fall" that way -- as a wind"fall" would just be a breeze and an earth"fall" is actually a landslide and, with all respect to those in Guatemala, a little deadly. So -- it is back to just water in our falls, the natural way!

WEBSITE DEDICATED TO THE FIREFALL:
http://firefall.info/

THIS AND OTHER SONGS OF YOSEMITE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMr-EwjstNQ&feature=related

DEADLY LANDSLIDES IN GUATEMALA:
http://www.earthmagazine.org/earth/article/1ae-7d9-1-5

Random Tune for Tuesday 9/7/10

[Another new occasional series, called Yeah, I Got That on a 45 ... So What?]

With my move last weekend fresh in my mind, I had to go through some of the things I've collected as I become a novice hoarder. In my small stack of 45s (those are singles records for you in the I-generation) was the gem you'll find in the YouTube link below (how's that for a modern marriage of old tech and new, eh?). I'm not sure why I had the song since I've never seen the movie ... but I must have been attracted to the lyrics of: "Just once in his life, a man has his time ... and my time is now, I'm coming alive!"

I CAN FEEL IT BURNING INSIDE OF ME!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVf4_WglzWA

Random Memorial for Monday 9/6/10

Gone but not forgotten: prizes from summer carnivals of yore.

With white put away until another summer (who am I kidding, you can't drink Guinness and wear white anyway), I found myself today missing the ring and dime tosses at fairs of my youth. I can distinctly remember pitching those 10 cent pieces and tossing those rings all across Leb'non County in the late seventies, gaming on the fine line between skill and chance. I don't know how old I was exactly, but I can close my eyes right now and picture the Fredericksburg public pool as the place where these opportunities were in back to back booths down by the swings (while the old folks in my family were busy listening to local favorite Shorty Long).

Going home with a bevy of mismatched glassware and Atreat bottles of soda (pop for you Chicagoans), you are missed.

THERE ARE MANY SHORTY LONGS, BUT THIS WAS THE LOCAL LEGEND:
http://articles.mcall.com/1991-10-26/news/2830194_1_berks-county-shorty-recording

SHALL I BUY THEM MYSELF TO TOSS RINGS ON THEM?:
http://www.a-treat.com/

THIS POST FROM TWO YEARS AGO MEANS PEOPLE ARE STILL DIME TOSSING!:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080710102309AAmpvcA

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 9/5/10

What Chicago is talking about this week:

As we celebrate this Labor Day (well, as 9 out of 10 of us do, I guess, if I understand my percentages), the staff of the local Hyatt is practicing some good old Labor moves and walking off the job on a holiday weekend. During the negotiations it was announced that they've been working without a contract for quite some time, and have recently been threatened with the freezing of raises for five years and kicking of family members off insurance. More power to them -- but they did choose to picket super-early in the morning, walking around outside banging pots and pans (really, in 2010? there's not an app for that?) to make noise to wake up the customers. In these days and times, I would counsel them against that tactic as they would be lined up as target practice for anyone who really wanted to sleep in and got perturbed! Anyway -- happy holiday weekend!

ONE DAY WALKOUTS AT THE HYATT PLANNED FROM CHICAGO:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-09-03/business/ct-biz-0904-hyatt-workers-pickett-20100903_1_annemarie-strassel-hyatt-workers-hotel-workers

IT IS 2010 AND THEY ARE USING POTS AND PANS! ISN'T THERE AN APP FOR THAT?:
http://www.cltv.com/news/wgntv-hyatt-workers-strike-action-chicago-sept3,0,60294.story

A WEBSITE DEVOTED TO ALL THINGS LABOR DAY (?):
http://labor-day-weekend.com/whenislaborday.htm

Random Soapbox for Saturday 9/4/10

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... I think I might finally understand all those oh-so-angry folks talking about how government has gotten too big (shades that we might have a Reagan revolution redux-- the first president I can recall) now that I've seen this headline: New SEC Rules Stop Short-Sellers Short.

We may be having a cool Labor Day weekend, but it's been one hell of a hot summer, and if I want to go out and buy extra pair or two of shorts, I don't think the government has a right to interfere. Alternatively, if they want to just ban kulats for guys, I'm actually OK with that level of sartorial regulation.

The point -- make your point heard. Just do us all a favor and do a little more research and have a little more of a grasp on the situation than I just demonstrated on my rant-in-cheek.

REAGAN: A GOVT BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT ...:
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan

NEW SEC RULES STOP SHORT SELLERS SHORT:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/24/politics/main6238702.shtml

OTHER THINGS MEN SHOULD NOT WEAR, AS PER THIS BLOGGER:
http://paulmichaelmurphy.blogspot.com/2009/07/things-men-should-not-wear.html

Random Posting for Penn State 9/4/10

[It's time again, like last year, for a bonus post each Saturday (and once in the bowl season, hopefully) ... and, with today's game on the DVR and me only halfway through the second quarter, I'm going to take a risk that we didn't completely blow our "practice" against Youngtown State and still comment even though the game has already ended in real time.]

One would assume that a nittany lion would totally take a penguin (aren't all linebackers fat in the middle and tapered at both ends like this bird?) ... but having the nittany lion be drunk during the battle would be unpredictable and unfair, no? So when the freshman who was awarded the prize of putting on the mascot uniform after doing 50 one arm pushups (and some other hazing/auditioning) was found passed out in the back of a truck having stolen someone's rearview mirror (there are surely more pieces to this story that have yet to be told), he just had to be replaced for the first month of games. With the starting quarterback also a true freshman, let's hope somebody's keeping these fresh faces on a short leash or that they've made friends early on campus that can cover up their trangressions.

HOW DID AN OHIO TEAM BECOME THE PENGUINS?
http://ysusports.com/information/spirit_squads/nickname

PENGUIN DESCRIPTION FOR THOSE NOT IN FOOTBALL UNIFOMRS:
http://www.patrickdepinguin.com/penguins/appearance/

CLINT GYORY, WHEN YOU'RE A CELEBRITY, YOU MUST DRINK MORE CAREFULLY:
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-penn-state-mascot-arrested-suspend20100831,0,1432681.story

Random Flashback for Friday 9/3/10

Twenty years ago, I was spending my Labor Day weekend saying my goodbyes to friends, family and colleagues, as, thanks to a very welcoming program at LVC, I was off to spend a semester as an exchange student in Germany. And this was the house where I landed in Bergisch-Gladbach (right outside of Cologne). Mom and daughter (and I) lived on the first floor, her parents were on the second and her ex-husband was in the house directly adjacent -- which sounds like a set-up for a sitcom ("Mein Haus in Deutschland")!

Random Thought for Thursday 9/2/10

[Time for a new occasional series -- inspired by my long drives in the car and the ease with which my mind can wander -- that will hearken back to my original postings in their brevity (hopefully).]

Billboard seen upon crossing the border on I-70 between Ohio and Indiana -- Tom Raper Homes.

Immediate thought in my head -- I wonder how many guys named Tom get scared away from doing business with this company.

NOT MAKING IT UP:
http://www.tomraperhomes.com/index-3.html

IT SHOULD BE NOTED, DISTRACTED DRIVING IS BAD:
http://www.distraction.gov/

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 9/1/10

Garbage.

Used in a sentence, "You are garbage".

I already bemoaned the state of insults in 5/29/10's soapbox (use the interactive "label" feature next to this post to sort and view) when I picked up on the current go-to (and so-overused)disparage "fake".

Now, at least in New Jersey, being called garbage has taken over (can part 2 of the reunion come fast enough?) as the vituperation on the tip of the tongue (look ma, more fun with the thesaurus). Of course, that just made me wonder why that word in that state ... Is it a subtle nod to the famous waste management specialist as if the Manzos are trying to connect the Staubs to the Sopranos? Is it a direct reflection of the known issue that the garden state has with landfills? Is it a comment on any odors that the "woman" are picking up on?

Regardless, next time you get angry enough to spit at your friend/neighbor/enemy/nemesis, feel free to let them know that they are refuse, litter, dreck, offal, rubbish, slop and swill!

EVERYTHING's ON THE WEB - A NJ POWERPOINT ON ITS LANDFILLS:
http://www.astswmo.org/files/meetings/2005SWConference/byrne.pdf

SEARCHING THE THESAURUS CAN BE FUN!:
http://thesaurus.com/browse/garbage

READ HOW LONG ISLAND MOCKS NEW JERSEY HERE:
http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/08/31/real-housewifes-of-new-jersey-reunion-fight-video/