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Happy days are here again.
Eight months ago i signed up with the BlizzardFanClub. I did so for one purpose alone, a purpose that had gone unfulfilled for seven months. But finally i am rewarded. Those good people at Dairy Queen have brought back the Cotton Candy Blizzard.
Rejoice.
Because the Blizzard is semi-solid there is no need to attempt to determine whether it is my favorite beverage or not. It is my favorite semi-solid. As to my favorite beverage-- it is Egg Nog.
Begin digression.
I know many of you expected to see the beautiful lime green text that always accompanies the words 'Diet Pepsi Lime.' But while Diet Pepsi Lime is the best soda in existence, it is not the best beverage. That honor goes to Egg Nog.
Nog season fortunately comes but once a year. It is a time in which my discipline is tested and invariably fails. Time and time again i succumb to the siren's song of 'one more cup.' And oh the choices we have now. Low fat, Fat Free, Soy Nog, Vanilla Spice, Nutmeg, Pumpkin Nog, alcoholic, nonalcoholic, and finally Boiled Custard. If you have not yet tried Boiled Custard, you have something special waiting for you this Christmas season.
End Digression.
The Cotton Candy Blizzard does not tempt me as sorely as Egg Nog does, but it does tempt me nevertheless. Frequently i give in and indulge. This year my enjoyment has been heightened because we have discovered that Erin also enjoys the Cotton Candy Blizzard. I can look forward to many a summer afternoon spent with Erin as we contemplate the candied goodness that are the sprinkles mixed into every Cotton Candy Blizzard.
What are you waiting for? Get yourselves down to your local Dairy Queen and purchase your very own Cotton Candy Blizzard before they go away again. If there is someone you love who does not have a peanut or milk allergy, is not diabetic, and not a fattie, get one for them too.
Later
Bob
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Some things are just beyond me.
Ok i read Adam Smith. Hell i've perused more than one first edition of Wealth of Nations. I get it. Give the people what they want. Sell what sells. That's the American way. It's what made us the greatest nation on Earth, well that and the right to bear arms. But some things do not need to exist.
At this point you may be expecting me to go one one of my anti-smoking tirades. But not today. I'll complain about nicotine addicts again later. This post isn't about products that harm the user, i am largely ok with that. The libertarian in me is fine with people harming themselves for their own pleasure or amusement so long as they harm no one else. Today i am addressing something that transcends the boundaries of both good taste and reason.
Someone got the great idea to make tequila-spiked rum. Not only did someone get this idea, they got someone else to put up money to manufacture and distribute it. And in a feat of marketing unrivaled since the introduction of the pet rock, got retailers to stock this wunderproduct.
I mean, seriously, who wants this product? "Hmmmmmmmmmm, I'd really like some liquor and have a hankerin' for a nice tequila flavored beverage," vocalizes Billy Hilljac, (He vocalizes all his thoughts) "Awesome tequila-spiked rum." Is this really what they were thinking of?
If you want a nice tequila flavored liquor you can have, oh i don't know, tequila? If you are allergic to blue agave but love the taste of tequila, you are still out of luck because this stuff has tequila in it. For the life of me, i can not figure out why this stuff exists. If you want rum, buy rum. If you want tequila, buy tequila. There is no reason to buy this stuff. If you want to mix tequila and rum, you can buy each and avoid the premium cost of letting the manufacture save you the complex process of pouring one liquid into another.
Maybe i am not approaching this problem correctly. After all, Adrian has completely stumped me with the prisoner riddle. Maybe there is an approach to this problem i had not considered that would make this all clear and i'd be able to determine what color hat every idiot that buys tequila-spiked rum is wearing and not more than one person would need to get shot by the Chinese guards. But tonight i am doubly stumped. I cannot solve Adrian's riddle and i cannot solve the puzzle that is the existence of tequila-spiked rum.
Vexation plagues me.
Later
Bob
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Carbon Belch Day is coming. Are you ready?
June 12, 2008, is Carbon Belch Day. Conservative grassroots group Grassfire.org wants people to waste as much energy as possible on June 12 by "hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars." Grassfire.org president Steve Elliott, in a statement, said such theories are off the mark, "It's time for Americans to purge ourselves of the false guilt that Al Gore and the Climate Alarmists have placed on us."
So let's check the list.
I am going to a barbecue on June 21, so that is covered, even if it is nine days later. But i'll also be sure to eat some beef that day to be safe.
I plan to drive around with my top down on the convertible and have the air conditioning on. That is pretty common for me so i'll try to rev the engine while at lights or something.
Watch TV and leave on lights, check and check. I'll even try to track down a lamp that can take a 300 Watt incandescent bulb in the next two weeks to mark the occasion.
I am a vehement anti-smoking nazi so no cigars. I'll ask Brad to smoke an extra cigar for me, or start an unnecessary fire.
Try to think about what you'll do to mark this momentous day. I'm sure you'll think of something. After all we only have one planet (right now) and we need to make the most of it. And if you really can't bring yourself to waste a little power or put a little CO2 because you still think global warming is real, it's ok. Brainwashing takes a while to shake off, you'll get there. Reading this blog can be your first step toward a better, eco-guilt free life.
Later
Bob -
I like Gregory and the Hawk
Avalanche!
Oh, avalanche!
You are the number one
natural disaster in Switzerland.
The Swiss put up barriers to keep you out
and build covered roadways to save themselves
but it's no use; you always kill
at least a few skiers a year,
just to remind them to be fearful.
At least a few skiers a year.
A few innocent lives a year.
Avalanche!
Oh, avalanche!
If you don't like reading try this:
Also try looking for Birds and Boats. Or if you are feeling very lazy go here.
Later
Bob
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Letting Go
"There are no hard decisions, just ones that you don't have enough information to make correctly and unpleasant ones." Bob Hardy
That's right i quoted myself. I've quoted plenty of other worthwhile things in this blog and let's face it that is the best advice on making hard decisions i've ever heard. I had to make a hard decision and of course it was not hard, merely unpleasant.
As Stephanie has so astutely observed no one ever reads anyone else's profile page so many of you may have missed the removal of Scrubs from my favorite television programs. Normally in May i'd be writing some diatribe about NBC's mistreatment of the best show on television and lamenting the fact that ABC just doesn't bring its prodigal offspring back into the fold to shower it with the promotion and choice time spot it so deserves.
This year i find myself unable to continue with my promotion of the show. I'd like to think that this was just an off year and the writer's strike left every show hurting for quality. But i fear that Mr. Lawrence and company are spent and have nothing left to offer to the viewers. If this is the case, just let the show die.
Zvi says he'd rather have a show run into the ground to continue to squeeze out a few more good episodes than have it go out on top. He is wrong. If you need more authority than myself to question the great and powerful Zvi then turn to Zvi himself. He has recently observed that the poor quality later season episodes are drowning out the better episodes from the first few seasons for the Simpsons syndication run. I'd prefer that this not be the case for Scrubs.
Season six had its moments but i'd prefer to never see the Iraq war episode again. If you have to make cuts for running time for the syndicated versions, i suggest cutting this whole episode to save twenty-two minutes and change. And while i loved watching Elliot and Keith having sex while proclaiming that Ronald Reagan should be on the one dollar bill, the episode on the whole is sad, pathetic, and stupid.
Season seven was weak. Very weak. Keith should have married Elliot. Kelso is right, the uggo only gets the pretty girl in the movies and this is television so Elliot and J.D. do not belong together. Let J.D. have Julie or if Mandy Moore has moved on to bigger and better things i am sure Jessica Simpson's star has fallen sufficiently that she'd jump at a chance to be on prime time. But Elliot should end up with someone better looking than J.D. Maybe she could end up with Josh Radnor, she looks good with him on How I met Your Mother.
I have other complaints about season seven, but most of you will be able to hear them enough in person. Letting go of an old friend is always hard, even when they turn into a beer obsessed parody of the person you once knew; but, this is one old friend i never thought i'd part ways with. I don't know. Maybe season eight will turn things around.
There is always hope.
Later
Bob
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Powerisers not just for taking up room in the trunk anymore.
I have just completed my first long distance walk on my Powerizers™. It was merely a two mile walk, ideally the first of many. I walked to my office and back. Never fear, i'll still drive to work, Gore and his lackeys have not gotten to me yet.
I am not entirely certain what i would have done had i fallen, as i have not yet mastered the art of standing. Much like star trowing is the second lesson in Ninja academy, standing is the second skill to master in Powerbocking. First i need to walk, then i can stand. It's kind of like the opposite of being an infant.
So this is what i learned. There is a woman who likes to play her guitar in the dark and talk to strangers on stilts. People think it looks hard to walk on them and feel the need to comment thereon. And finally, I really need knee padding. Not so much to protect in the event of falling, more to prevent chafing. My left knee is red and raw where the strap was and may impede tomorrow's planned excursion.
Later
Bob
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Rule of two; whatever.
"Always two there are; no more, no less: a master and an apprentice." Yoda, Jedi Master
For a while i've had my own apprentice, a disciple, in which to instill my wisdom and follow in my ways. But i am no Sith, so why should i limit myself to just one. I have a second apprentice. One to snatch the pebble from my hand, the other to learn the sound of one hand clapping.
My second apprentice once tried to overthrow my reign, but has learned his lesson, "I am always right." Having been chastened, he has returned to learn from his master. I am no fool, he will someday try to usurp me again. Perhaps next time he will succeed.
But for his sake i hope he waits 'til he is truly ready. I'll not be so forgiving a second time. Not because it is not in my nature to forgive, as, "mercy is the mark of a great man" and, well, i am alright. I'd not be forgiving because should he fail again, it'd mean he was unteachable.
As to my first disciple, he is loyal. He is always eager for instruction and soaks up knowledge. He is no simple unthinking follower, each lesson is dissected for flaws before become incorporated into his routine.
He'll not usurp me. He will exceed me. Leaving me the lord of my tiny kingdom while he goes off to something better, hopefully in Bloomington. I'll be pleased when that day arrives.
But to each of them, you must step up your game. There is a new threat to your respective places. This is no longer a head to head competition. There is now a new challenger, and not from the quarter you expected.
I'll let you figure out for yourselves from whence this threat issues. If you cannot figure it out for yourselves you are unworthy of your status as disciples. But i will suggest that, it is one thing to learn my teachings, it is another to collect them and publish them to the masses.
For the rest of you, my loyal readers, i hope this missive has been entertaining for you. As you all know, i have been quite busy of late and my recent activities have left little time or energy for my blogging. Unless of course you wish to read, "Erin is great," written in a myriad of ways. She really is by the way, but i think that she'd not want to see post after post proclaiming the fact. Should she direct otherwise, i'll begin the undertaking immediately.
Enough of this, have a good weekend everyone.
Later
Bob
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The Wonder Computer of the 1980’s.
If they ran this commercial today i'd go out and buy a Vic 20.
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It’s not like you see on TV
I have been watching the new episodes of Bones, and have been thoroughly enjoying them. I like seeing what Angel would be like if he wasn't a whiny vampire with a soul. The liberties they take with science don't bother me too much, probably because i am not a forensic investigator.
But tonight they were taking liberties with the way courts work. This does not please me. Opening statements are not done in a back and forth fashion. While i appreciate dramatic tension as much as the next guy, this sort of distortion just makes my job harder. People begin to expect their cases to go like the ones they see on TV.
While i am complaining about inaccuracies, let me point out that each witness testifies in full before the next in the ordinary course of business.
Do not get me wrong. I like Bones. I like it a lot. I'd like it even more if they'd just put Bones and Booth together which we have all seen coming since episode one. If you haven't been watching it you should. After all what else are you going to do before House? (For those of you who answered watch The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, you get partial credit.)
As soon as i pull my thoughts together on my Liberty Fund Conference and trip to DC i'll post something.
Later
Bob
Also, Sam, be sure to get the hard-drive to Chris soon or risk losing favor.
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Not a story, not really
It's been a while since i have written anything here. (Recycling old material does not count) But at this time my muse eludes me and i find i have nothing to say. Well not quite nothing but close enough.
Of course it's not entirely true that i have nothing to say. It's just that i don't have anything clever to say. No smart-ass remarks to make, no ironic musings, no insightful observations to share.
It kind of seems futile to continue to peck away at my keyboard when i know this is not going to lead anywhere. I can continue to spew words and see them appear on the screen but the words are not going to coalesce into fully formed ideas. They are not even going to aggregate into half-formed ideas.
It seems that tonight the words are going to remain words and not transcend in any way. If the words are going to remain words, there is not much reason to continue to string them together like so many beads.
But there is a point, however small.
Tonight i cannot be where i really want to be. Or, more accurately, i cannot be with whom i really want to be with. In lieu of being where and with whom i want to be, i write.
Well there were no animals in this story, but i hope you liked it anyway. Next time i'll try to tell you a story with animals; cute animals, maybe even baby pandas.
Good Night
Bob
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C
This is blog number 100 for the Bluehades page. In the classic tradition of celebrating round numbers i won’t really be adding any new content. Instead we’ll revisit some of the things i have commented on in the past and comment on them again. If i got paid for doing this i’d be getting paid twice for the same work, but i don’t get paid.
I am still afraid of the Zombie Apocalypse, but i do not train as often as i should.
Tom Cruise is still sneaky and short; and i still don’t trust him.
Tom is no longer my only friend, but most of you still suck. Not all of you. (You can decide which statement is aimed at whom.)
Boondocks is still funny, although season one was better. Both seasons saved the best episode for last.
Someone still needs to do something about the tigers.
Cats are still God’s finest creation.
Diet Pepsi Lime is still my favorite beverage.
I still hate Family Guy and Hobos.
Mary-Louise Parker is still hot. She is the MILF i’d most like to F.
I still don’t believe Al Gore about Global Warming regardless of how many charts he makes or Nobel Prizes he wins. Science is not done by consensus, not even 500 years from now.
My top 10 song list remains unchanged, maybe i’ll do top 10 TV programs in a later post.
William Shatner is still the man i’d most like to meet.
I’ve met the woman i’d most like to meet. It turns out it was not Paris.
Scrubs is still the best show on TV.
I still hate Spam and sending me chain letters will still get you cut. This rule still does not apply to Matt.
Thanks for reading my last 100 posts.
Later
Bob
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Welcome to the Dyson Sphere
Well i have been sucked in. I am now the proud owner of a Dyson DC14 Animal Upright Vacuum. After years of using hand me down and cheap sweepers, i am stepping up to the Big Leagues. Hopefully this vacuum will be up to taming the shed hair of my two wonderful kitty cats; ok, one wonderful kitty and one demonspawn.
The DC14 scored through the roofs in the consumer reviews that i consulted before my purchace. And it better, the thing cost more than my XboX 360 and will certainly get less use. Although since i got it on Amazon.com using my Amazon.com credit card i am more than half way to my next Amazon Reward.
Should there be any interest, i’ll let you all know how the DC14 Animal works after it arrives. Of course if Mr. Dyson is to be believed, it should just work properly. Ok, James, you’re on.
Later
Bob
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My curse is broken.
Today is the first day of Spring, or so the pagans tell me. You wouldn’t know it from the weather. Mother Nature decided to wear white one last time before the end of the season.
I’ll not miss Winter. Winter and i are no longer the close friends that we were as children. Now Winter regularly kicks my ass and makes me miserable. But Winter is now undone and must wait its long miserable wait in the southern hemisphere until it returns to plague us all.
But this Winter was not all bad. I finally located a reliable source of Diet Pepsi Lime. No longer am i fate’s bitch. In the past when i would find some food stuff that i well and truly enjoyed it would be taken from me. Quaker Supreme Oatmeal, eliminated. Yogurt drink, gone. The cool milk at Wal Mart, removed from the cooler. Häagen-Dazs Raspberry Sorbet and Cream, discontinued and unavailable. I thought Diet Pepsi Lime had been brought into existence just so that Fate could once again give me an undeserved junk shot.
But i now am the proud owner of three band new refrigerator twelve packs of my favorite carbonated beverage. Not only that but i may even be able to find Diet Pepsi Vanilla, for those days when i want something a little different.
So now i will be discontinuing my count-down. For months i have kept track of my stock of Diet Pepsi Lime at the end of each post. Mostly to remind myself of better days when the supply finally ran dry. Now such an exercise is unnecessary.
There is more to tell, but not today. There are some things that are as yet unsettled that must wait to have their final outcome set forth in the pixels that compose this blog. Thus i end this, my first post of the Spring, by saying this Spring looks better than a Spring has looked in years--and i don’t even have the T-Bird out yet.
Happy Spring.
Happy Easter.
Later
Bob
Unbound
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Benjamin Disraeli was not always right
"There are three types of lies - lies, damn lies, and statistics." - Variously attributed to Benjamin Disraeli, Alfred Marshall, Mark Twain and many other dead people.
Normally i write here to amuse myself, and maybe to amuse a few of my readers. Occasionally i get up on my soap box and do a little preaching. Today is one of the latter cases. More information has come to light that casts greater doubt on man-made global warming. But before i begin on that topic a little background is in order.
Most of you are by now aware that i have a bit of a Libertarian bent. I get much of my news from Drudgereport.com. (I also get news from oioideej.com which is worth checking out if you like celebrity gossip, flash games, and nekkid chicks, but that is not the point today.) There are three things i think are true about Matt Drudge. 1. He likes cats. Big cats or house cats the man likes to post stories involving God's noblest creation. This fact makes Mr. Drudge the best report of which i am aware. Although if i learn John Stossel is a cat lover he'd make a run at first place. 2. Matt Drudge does not like hillary clinton. There is no better source for unflattering photos of Hilldog anywhere in the world wide web. I am unsure of his feelings regarding Chelsea, but as to my own: i wouldn't mind being a demo Superdelegate right now. 3. Matt Drudge is not sold on the scientific consensus that mankind is causing global warming through the creation of CO2 and other so-called greenhouse gasses. He regularly runs stories that are backed by actual science rather than simply invoking consensus. Most stories that actually use science, rather than relying on consensus or celebrity, seem to conclude that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that human activity is a primary contributor to any net increase in global mean temperature. This is a fancy was of saying these guys and gals do not think that me driving my T-Bird with the windows down and air-conditioner on will render the planet uninhabitable for Alexander.
Today Mr. Drudge is running an article on which i am actually qualified by my profession to comment upon. John Coleman, who founded the Weather Channel in 1982, suggests suing for fraud proponents of global warming, including Al Gore, and companies that sell carbon credits.
Fraud is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as, "An intentional perversion of truth for the purpose of inducing another in reliance upon it to part with some valuable thing belonging to him or to surrender a legal right." or even better, "A generic term, embracing all mutifarious means which human ingenuity can devise, and which are resorted to in order to get an advantage over another by false suggestions or by suppression of truth." By the first definition Mr. Gore is no fraud. He actually believes the ludicrous tales he spins in much the same way that Tom Cruise believes the lies cobbled together to form Scientology. But under the second Mr. Gore and his infamous Hockey Stick may indeed be frauds. Al will do anything necessary to advance his beliefs. Even seal four small boys in a cave and then fill it with molten lead.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Hockey Stick of Doom. In a 2001 report, the IPCC published an image commonly referred to as the "hockey stick." This graph showed relatively stable temperatures from A.D. 1000 to 1900, with temperatures rising steeply from 1900 to 2000. The IPCC and public figures, such as former Vice President Al Gore, have used the hockey stick to support the conclusion that human energy use over the last 100 years has caused unprecedented rise global warming.
However, several studies cast doubt on the accuracy of the hockey stick, and in 2006 Congress requested an independent analysis of it. A panel of statisticians chaired by Edward J. Wegman, of George Mason University, found significant problems with the methods of statistical analysis used by the researchers and with the IPCC's peer review process. For example, the researchers who created the hockey stick used the wrong time scale to establish the mean temperature to compare with recorded temperatures of the last century. Because the mean temperature was low, the recent temperature rise seemed unusual and dramatic. This error was not discovered in part because statisticians were never consulted. (Taken from here)
So not only is global warming bad science it is also bad statistics. I cannot abide bad statistics. After all the worst lie is a bad one. If Al had just bothered to make friends with a statistician he may have found something more productive to do with his time other than making false documentary films. This is why i run nearly all ideas past Michael first, to prevent myself from claiming that failure to eat at the Happy Greek will doom the planet or other such nonsense. Statistics are not lies, they are tools. Statistics are like guns, dangerous when left in the hands of children and idiots.
So is Al a fraud? Probably, but he is a well meaning dupe. Kind of like the guys who put on the track suits and drank the Phenobarbital Martinis. The real problem is the guys pushing their scientific consensus on the rest of us. Science is not done by consensus. In fact arguing by consensus is exactly the opposite of science or so i learned in X105. If you have to ask why anyone would do this, just ask yourself if anyone is handing out grant money to anyone who says that everything is fine?
There.
Now i can get down off my soap box. Just in time. That thing is more precarious than trying to stand still on my Powerisers.
Later
Bob
161
I'll be addressing the little green numbers soon. It'll be a big, big post. But something else has come up that has pushed it back so you get filler.
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Math for Democrats
I have been doing some math for the Demos. B'hussaian has 1314 delegates plus 196 pledged Superdelagates. Hillary has 1191 non-super delegates and 240 pledged Superdelegates. So the totals are 1510 vs 1431. There are only 566 non-super delegates left in the remaining primaries. Over at cbs the totals are 1512 to 1423; but, as always, their numbers are suspect and probably written in a font that was not available in 1973.
There are a total of 4047 delegates and Superdelegates. There are a total of 794 Superdelegates of which 358 remain unpledged. If B'hussain and Hillary split the 566 remaining non-super delegates, neither can reach the magic 2025 needed for the nomination. B'hussain needs 90.99% of the remaining 566 non-super delegates. Hillary needs 106.3% of the non-super delegates. Assuming a 50/50 split B'hussain reaches 1793 and Hillary 1714 and then they would respectively need to pick up 232 and 311 additional Superdelegates. If we factor in the coal-miner's shyster son, he has 26 delegates to throw around at the convention and may end up playing the role of a Super-Duper delegate.
It seems like this election is going to come down to a brokered convention. Smoke-filled back rooms are where the democratic nominee for president will be decided. (These are democrats so it will be a healthier Clove smoke.)
Is this what we really want? For the good of the party Hillary needs to throw herself on her amazon sword so Mr. Obama can have a shot at becoming Mr. President. That, or B'hussain should step down so Hilldog can get down to the business of winning the presidency. If someone does not decide to be the bigger man, then i fear that Mayor Daley will activate his father's legion of undead voters to march on Denver and secure the nomination for himself. You all know how much i hate zombies.
Later
Bob
149
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Hillary needs your support.
I want to encourage everyone in Ohio and Texas to be sure to vote in the primary. Hillary really needs your support. I would be most pleased if Hillary could win in Texas and Ohio. I really believe the best thing for our counrty right now is for for Hillary to pick up wins in these two states and continue her efforts to secure the democratic nomination for president.
That's all i really had to say right now.
Later
Bob
154
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Adventures in Foreign Cuisine
A treacle sponge pudding is an English dessert dish consisting of a steamed sponge cake with golden syrup or molasses poured atop of it and often served with hot custard.
If you go to the Wikipedia and look up "treacle pudding" this is what you will find. You'll also find some links to recipes. At this point you have to be asking, "Why is Bob telling me this?"
Well first a little back story is in order. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know i am a Neil Gaiman fan. From the first time Butch made me read Ramadan to the last time i read Good Omens i have liked every thing i have read written by Neil. When Neil tells me something i trust him. But i fear my blind trust was misplaced.
This story begins in 1999. It was a pretty good year. I had a pretty girlfriend who would later learn that she too liked Neil, unfortunately while she would contine to like Neil she would find that she did not care for me so much. Life was good. I also had a best friend that already liked Neil.
Well, this best friend and i took a trip to Fort Wayne, and, as is often the case, we ended up going to a book store. The bad news was we missed the book signing in Fort Wayne for Neil's new book. The good news is that Neil decided to sign a few extras. I picked up one of these books. It proclaimed, "Read Me." Who am i to argue with a book. With a quick purchase, Stardust by Neil Gaiman was mine.
Now i have read Stardust many times. Not once when i have ever picked it up has the book ever proclaimed anything other than "Read Me," and not once have i disobeyed. As this is a Gaiman product at some point the inscription could change, stranger things have certainly happened. The last time i read my copy of Stardust i noticed the mention of Tristan eating treacle pudding. Now, i am certain that i had noticed it before, but i simply figured it was another example of English cooking and was as appetising as kidney pie, but on this occasion i decided it was time to investigate further. If you have read this far, then you already know what i discovered about the composition of treacle pudding.
I like sponge cake. I like nearly every form, variation, and configuration of sugar. I most definitely like custard. This seemed like a product i needed to track down and consume. So the search began.
Kris claimed to have been in a restaurant that served treacle pudding. Unfortunately this establishment was in Oxford unless i planned to spend a few thousand of my precious hard earned dollars, this information would do me no good.
I would seach on and off for several months for a restaurant that served this desert. I look at menus when i was out. I looked online. I asked those who might know.
Finally i did what i always do. I looked on Amazon.com. And low and behold, Mr. Bezos' brain child once again was ready to meet my retail needs.
A purchase was made.
A delivery arrived. Arrived faster than anticipated, Amazon rarely disappoints.
Now it was time to get the custard. This i knew where to get. It is something i purchase on a regular basis.
Tonight i prepared the treacle pudding. I did not "demolish the pudding," nor did the pudding-plate become "quite empty." Treacle pudding was ok. Not great, maybe pretty good. But i am pretty sure it was merely ok.
Now i know that i cannot trust that a dish will be delectable merely because one of Mr. Gaiman's characters liked it. My faith is shattered.
So now it doesn't matter how much Matthew raves, i'll not be tracking down any eyeballs any time soon.
Fret.
Later
Bob
154
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I’ll admit it, i was wrong. I’m super cereal.
Occasionally, from time to time, i am a wrong. It doesn't happen very often, but each time it is important to acknowledge my error. This is one of those occasions.
It seems that Al Gore was right. Mankind was causing the earth to warm. He had charts and graphs and a really cool pointer. He even had a nice little movie. The thrust of his message was if we didn't do something the mean temperature of the earth would continue to climb until there were disastrous consequences. We had to act immediately if we wanted to avoid calamity.
And thanks to the perseverance of Mr. Gore, we did act. Every civilized nation, except the good ol' U.S. of A., has signed on to the Kyoto Protocols. Every remaining American Presidential candidate has acknowledged the reality of global warming. And more importantly Hollywood bestowed upon Mr. Gore its highest honor, the Oscar for Best Fraudulent Presentation of a Bogus Scientific Theory. (Or something like that)
I am here to say that it worked. Thanks to the actions of those who cared about the planet more than they cared about their V-8 engines we have reversed global warming. No, seriously. It is almost completely gone. In fact nearly the entire temperature rise pointed to by every namby-pamby environmental climatologist and every hairy-legged womyn environmentalist has been erased. The proof is here. All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to erase nearly all the global warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year time.
So i'll admit it. Al was right, and fortunately we took the necessary action to fix things. I hereby declare Victory over Global Warming.
Congratulations to everyone who helped. You deserve a cookie.
Now maybe we need to do something about ManBearPig.
Later
Bob
155
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These three things are related
I was going to write something else tonight. But i decided it was not the time to post my intended subject. I may return to it later. But because some of you simply cannot leave things be, i will share with you the impetus for the blog that was not yet to be. It was not spoken, written, directed to, about, or at me; but, it did resonate.
"If you don't care about yourself, how the hell can you care about me; you can't and you don't."
Now on to the subject at hand.
Winter is rapidly drawing to a close. Twenty-five days remain if you are using a calendar. Judging from my mood, still fewer. Stabbing Westward is losing some of its appeal to me, as it does at the close of each winter. Getting up in the morning grows easier each day. And using the treadmill grows easier each day. Now to be fair, the use of the treadmill may be just as responsible for my improved mood as the ever increasing amount of daylight.
But i am not writing to discus SAD, i've covered that before. Instead i am writing about something that really crystallized in my thoughts this winter. Some time ago i bought Beyond Good and Evil to reacquaint myself with the writings of Nietzsche rather than the more voluminous writings about his writings. Nietzsche is one of my big three: Plato, Hobbes, and Nietzsche. (For those of you wondering Locke is not on the list as he is Hobbes 2.0).
I praise, I do not reproach, [nihilism's] arrival. I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of the deepest self-reflection of humanity. Whether man recovers from it, whether he becomes master of this crisis, is a question of his strength!
– Friedrich Nietzsche, Complete Works Vol. 13
Thus far i have failed to master this crisis. I have regularly rejected nihilism, not because i did not believe it to be true; rather, because i wished it to not be true. But maybe, i think, i have moved past it this time.
Maybe later i'll have more to say on this subject. Maybe not.
And to Erin, thanks for bringing up Abolitionism. It has be productive.
Later
Bob
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Powerizers, dignity sold separately.
For those of you who have been following along, i felt it was my duty as an American to make a purchase in order to help the economy. Ordering more books or DVD's wouldn't stimulate the economy as i always buy such items. My media purchases are simply part of the economic baseline. I needed to buy something i ordinarily wouldn't buy in order to provide a stimulus.
Something i normally wouldn't buy is a pair of Powerizers. After all, i figure no one normally buys Powerizers. I got mine on Amazon, where i get everything else.
I am completely satisfied with my purchase. Not only is my money now cycling through the economy, turning over and over again; but also, i have the satisfaction of owning my own pair of Powerizers. Trust me, these things are great. If you don't trust me then type Powerizers on Youtube and see for yourself.
Later
Bob, fallen three times with many for to come.
161
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It’s the economy, stupid.
So every American Tax Filer (note the use of the word filer and not payer) is going to get 300 bucks. Congress has decided to stimulate the economy. And what better way to do so than to give every single person who bothered to file a tax return 300 bucks. After all 300 bucks can be used to buy durable goods-- wait, it can't.
OK, use the 300 bucks to invest in new machinery and equipment for industry. No, that won't work either.
Alright, purchase a sound investment with the 300 bucks. You know like half a share of Google. Maybe that won't work either.
I think i've got it. Use the 300 bucks to go get useless consumer goods. That will turn the economy around. At least the Chinese economy maybe.
This stimulus package is a stupid ploy that is designed to buy votes in an election year. Hell, unless the Senate has its way i won't even be eligible to get the 300 bucks. I'll just have to settle for your thanks when my income is diverted to giving all of you 300 bucks. Why this sum? I figure somebody in Congress is a big Futurama fan and the silk surplus episode was pretty funny.
When you spend your money be sure to thank someone who paid taxes rather than just filed them. It'd be nice if you said something to those of us who got phased (screwed?) out of the money too. In any event, despite the fact that i am not getting any bonus refund, i bought my wasteful, Chinese-made consumer good. I've done my part; you know, aside from funding this whole thing.
You can track my package here. I'll tell you what it is later.
I hope they at least print up really cool-looking 300 dollar bills.
Later
Bob
161
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Cheaters never prosper
As i sit here Mira Sorvino is breaking up her blood cells with a paperclip. I am enjoying yet another fine episode of House. Although to be fair it is difficult to tell whether i am enjoying the episode on its own merits or it is spillover joy from the New Your Giant's defeat of the evil New England Patriots.
I used to be a Bill Belichick fan. But what i mistook for genius was really just cheating. When the Patriots were caught taping the Jets this season all of their past wins under Belichick became suspect, especially the Super Bowl wins.
There is a very strong circumstantial case for the Patriots cheating in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 to beat the Eagles. I've had clients convicted on less evidence that exists that the Patriots cheated in that game. Now there are credible reports that they cheated against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Arlen Specter is finally doing something useful by pressing NFL Commissioner Goodell to directly address Congress about his decision to destroy Patriots tapes that showed previous spying.
The Patriots went 18 and 0 this season. Then won two playoff games. But the NY Giants and MVP Eli Manning put a stop to their reign of evil. Normally i root against all New York teams, but this year i was backing Manning to play Luke Skywalker to Brady's Vader and Belichick's Emperor. And Manning proved up to the task. Good for him.
Next year i hope to look forward to a NY Giant/Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl. It would be great to see the Manning brothers square off in the big game. Peyton and Eli can fight for not only the championship but also for their father's love. Fight, fight, fight. (Imagine Homer flicking the lights on and off and you'll laugh.)
I hope you all enjoyed the game. By the way:
1. I want to see Wanted. Trust me you do too.
2. Naomi Campbell is hot. Smokin' Hot. I want Sobe now.
3. I want to see Semi-Pro.
4. I want to see You Don't Mess with the Zohan.
5. I will be keeping an eye on the Hyundai Genesis as a
possible replacement for the Lincoln in 3-4 years.
Later
Bob
163
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Bob experiences a Christmas Miracle, 35 days later.
I've delayed posting this for two days now. Primarily so that Stephanie could watch House and not have it ruined by me. In any event, there was a new episode of House on Fox this week. No one could be more grateful for a new Episode of House than i was. I was in the middle of a crunch between finishing a brief and a petition for transfer. So much concentrated thinking made for a tired mind in disparate need of entertainment. A new episode of House was just what the doctor ordered.
Thanks to the writer's strike, Fox delayed the last few episodes of House that were completed. That meant on this particular night (January 29 for those of you obsessed with details) they were running the Christmas episode. A quick recap is in order. A mother who never lies to her daughter gets sick. Turns out maybe she is lying about something. Kutner, (better know to most of you as Taj or some of you as Kumar) a big fan of Christmas, decorates the office and organizes a secret Santa despite House's wishes. House subverts the secret Santa process. House treats a prostitute in the free clinic and gets a invite to attend her performance. House determines what the patient is lying about and determines how to save her life. Saving the patient isn't the Christmas miracle, he always does that; ok, almost always. You'll need to watch the show to see the miracle.
This episode was as good as any i have seen. Filled with pathos and a fun new cast, House seems as fresh as when i first tuned in to see the pseudo-American, surly Doc abuse his patients and duck out of his duties at the free clinic. This episode gets four out of four stars, it even ends with a donkey show.
BTW, Thirteen is pretty.
I highly recommend tuning in to House after the Super Bowl. After all what else are you going to do?
Later
Bob
167
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Bob’s Big Update
It has been a while since i posted anything. I'll catch you up on the minutia of my life before moving on to the real point of this post.
Captain Zero Shepard has saved the galaxy... for now!!! We'll have to see if the sequel is any good. Mass effect was a pretty good game but nothing earth-shaking. Let's just say that it's no Bioshock. My feeling is that Bioware products are over rated. Lots of side quests is not depth. Bioshock offers depth. It is a world that i want to spend more time in, even if there is less to do.
Things have been very hectic at work. It has kept me from spending adequate time on my personal life. But Spring is on the horizon and i'll take advantage of those 12-18 days of mania to kick start things. On my to do list is make the blue bedroom habitable and get some new furniture for the attic to make it usable for purposes other than storage. My living room will need to be painted and perhaps new curtains installed to finish it. I hate to copy, but the red living room across the street does seem like a great idea. People who have spent a great deal of time in my home and think my sterile minimalist approach to home decor is wrong are especially encouraged to offer suggestions. (You know who you are.)
I was recently in Columbus again. Happy Greek changed the feta appetizer, for the worse. But the main course was as always excellent. And that bartender can mix a mean Appletini. Next visit we'll find out if he knows his way around nectar.
The hippie market does not fail to disappoint. Not because of the food-- it is still the single best place to buy food that i have ever encountered. No my friends, the commie paper is no longer found in the news rack on the second floor. And the service at the Greek stand is still as atrocious as ever; no one wants to take your order. I even got screwed on the baklava. Eleven is not twelve, not even in Greece or North Africa.
Michael and i continued our dominance of the worst format ever. I'll have more to say on this topic when Michael gets around to doing his update.
Now on to the real purpose of this update:
Things you should be watching becuse of the writer's strike.
Normally i wouldn't presume to tear you away from House or CSI or whatever it is that you watch when you watch TV. (Well maybe CSI, that show is just garbage.) I have made a number of suggestions in the past and some of you listened and found your lives thereby improved. In the interest of continuing to make improvements to you lives, i'll suggest some programs you may have missed. Most of these shows will involve staying up far too late, the purchase of DVD's, or the use of internet down load sites but the rewards will more than offset any inconvenience you may suffer. (Note: this author does not guarantee that the use of internet download sites will not result in the feds making an example of you and the use of internet down load sites is done entirely at your own risk. But since most of you are already using them you are aware of this risk.)
First off, let me tell you about Pushing Daisies. My loayal readers already know of this show and have been delighting in its brilliance. but for you johnny-come-latelys i'll post a link to my previous posting. There. Now you all know about this show. Pushing Daisies is not yet available on DVD, so you are stuck catching it on ABC re-runs or down loading it. Or You can get in touch with me and i can provide the loan of my precious copies to those who prove worthy. Also here is a link to the Amazon notification page for the hopefully forthcoming DVD set.
Keeping with Bryan Fuller, creator of Pushing Daisies let me suggest Wonderfalls. Wonderfalls is a television program that was featured on the Fox television network in 2004. Like many fine programs it was killed well before it's time. The premise of the show is that our heroine Jaye Tyler is prompted to do perform acts of service for others by anthropomorphized objects. Basically anything with a face may tell Jaye what to do to help another person. Jaye of course believes that she may be insane. Maybe she is, we never found out because the show was cancelled to soon. Wonderfalls may be purchased at Amazon. For those of you outside region 1, i am sorry. Try getting a Korean DVD player, they will usually play any region DVD. Or for those of you who have it, you can watch Wonderfalls on Logo. (I am not responsible for anything else you may choose to watch on Logo.)
Continuing the chain of creative talent, Tim Minear executive producer of Wonderfalls was also the executive producer of a little show called Firefly. If you haven't seen Firefly yet then you are obviously some sort of philistine who i should no longer speak to, but if you are the sort of philistine that can learn to appreciate true art, then this is the show for you. If you have not seen Firefly since its ill fated airing on Fox, or since you first purchased it on DVD then now is the perfect time to reacquaint yourself with Captain Reynolds and crew. Firefly can also bee seen on UHD, the Universal HD channel. This is the best reason i can think of to get the HD upgrade to you satellite package. Well unless Spice has gone HD.
I'll take a small break here to recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel on general priciples. If you have not yet seen these shows then i have nothing to say to you and please don't speak to me if you should see me on the street.
Returning to the more mundane, try Corner Gas. Really i can't think of anything more mundane than the Saskatchewan prairie. For those of you not up on Canadian geography, Saskatchewan is the one in the middle between Alberta and Manitoba. For those of you who really don't know Canadian geography look here. (Btw, i refuse to recognize Nunavut. Seriously who still creates new provinces.) Corner Gas is the only gas station for 60 kilometers in any direction (according to the first season episode. Brent Leroy (Brent Butt) is the proprietor of the station and Wanda works at the station's convenience store as a retail assistant. An adjoining coffee shop (The Ruby) is owned by Lacey Burrows (Gabrielle Miller), who inherited it from her aunt. (Stolen from the Wikipedia.) If that isn't a premise rife with hilarity then you need to adjust your medications. You may watch Corner Gas in the civilized world (USA) on WGN. Or you can buy it here.
I think i have given you more than enough to wile away the hours until the studios finally stare down those damn writers and force them back to work. But if the writes don't crack and continue their pointless assault on American free time, then i'll post a sequel.
Later
Bob
170
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Long delays will continue.
For those of you having difficulty in recent days getting in contact with me, expect those difficulties to continue. Between work and assisting Commander Shepard in his quest to stop the Reapers, i have been very busy.
I will be completing my first run though Mass Effect very soon. But then i expect to go through again. First time was as a Paragon Soldier. Next time i plan to try Renegade Adept.
Updates as events warrant.
Later
Bob
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Thursday, June 5, 2008
January 3, 2008, through June 5, 2008.
Jun 5, 2008
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