Tigger

With many political quizes showing up in blogs and in my inbox I thought it would be sort of relaxing to "play" for a while. Now I can concentrate on Tigger instead of thinking about why I should vote for Obama. Go figure.

Your Score: Tigger

You scored 16 Ego, 13 Anxiety, and 16 Agency!

And as they went, Tigger told Roo (who wanted to know) all about the things that Tiggers could do.

"Can they fly?" asked Roo.

"Yes," said Tigger, "they're very good flyers, Tiggers are. Strornry good flyers."

"Oo!" said Roo. "Can they fly as well as Owl?"

"Yes," said Tigger. "Only they don't want to."

"Why don't they want to?" well, they just don't like it somehow."

Roo couldn't understand this, because he thought it would be lovely to be able to fly, but Tigger said it was difficult to explain to anybody who wasn't a Tigger himself.

You scored as Tigger!

ABOUT TIGGER: Tigger is the newest addition to the Hundred Acre Wood, and he lives with Kanga and Roo, because Roo's strengthening medicine turned out to be the thing that Tiggers like best. Tigger is bouncy and confident -some of his friends think he is a little TOO bouncy and confident, but attempts to unbounce him tend to be fruitless.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are a positive and confident person. You feel capable of dealing with anything and everything, and funnily enough, you usually ARE. You don't worry about much, and you love to go out and find new adventures.

Your friends and family might sometimes be a little exasperated by your boundless enthusiasm. You don't like to admit your mistakes, and when you find yourself in over you head, you tend to bluff your way out of things. You would be surprised, however, at how happy the people around you would be if you would actually admit to a mistake. It would make you seem more human, somehow.

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test written by wolfcaroling on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(wolfcaroling)

89 Homicides Since January 1st

Juárez violence keeps up as 7 are killed in 3 days
By Daniel Borunda and Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 03/04/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

A wave of violence engulfing Juárez continued Monday night when three men were shot to death in a vehicle strafed by gunfire in a supermarket parking lot.

The unidentified men were found inside a bullet-riddled Nissan Altima at 8:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Soriana San Lorenzo on Avenida Paseo del Triunfo de la Republica, state police said. Two of the men died at the scene. The third man was taken to a hospital where he died.

Over the weekend, four men, including a state police officer and an army officer, were killed, Juárez police reported.

On Sunday, Ricardo Fuentes Garcia, 38, possibly a Mexican army officer, was found fatally shot in the chest in a Dodge Neon at Paseo del Triunfo de la Republica and Fray Junipero. Fuentes had identification stating he was a Mexican army captain.

On Saturday, Luis Alonso Marrufo Armendariz, a 38-year-old officer with the Chihuahua state investigative agency, was shot in his police vehicle by people in a gray sports car on Manuel Cloutier Avenue. He died and another police officer traveling with him was wounded.

The slaying was the latest in a recent rash of killings aimed at law enforcement officers in Juárez. In January, a hit list was posted on a memorial to fallen police officers.

The body of Raymundo Martinez Alcantara, in his 30s, was found in a pickup truck Saturday on Tecnologico Avenue and Nayarit Street. He had been shot to death.

Jose de la Luz Arreola Garcia, 42, was pronounced dead from stab wounds
Saturday at Santa Maria clinic.

More mass graves and more homicides aimed at law enforcement. That's scary. Read more here.

Gruesome News From The Front

Mexican federal police guard the home where authorities discovered five bodies, two heads and three human torsos buried beneath a patio. The tallest building stands on the same property where the remains were found. (Adriane Jaeckle / El Paso Times)

Home heavily guarded
5 bodies, 2 heads and 3 torsos dug up
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/28/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

JUAREZ -- Excavators could still be heard Wednesday digging up the Juárez patio where five bodies, two heads and three torsos were unearthed in the past few days.

The white house with pink window trimming, on a small residential street off Tecnologico Avenue, was guarded by heavily armed federal police officers.

Behind the house on the property are a paved patio, which was hidden from sight Wednesday by blue and black tarp, and a conspicuous three-story concrete warehouse.

Andres Rodriguez, who works at a grocery store on an adjacent street, said that more police and forensic technicians had been going to the house every day.

"I didn't really realize what was going on. It's a sad world we're living in," he said.

On Jan. 25, about 1,500 pounds of marijuana were found during a police raid on the house.

On Feb. 21, police were back and uncovered one body in a grave. The next day, they found three bodies in another grave.

On Feb. 23, they found a body in a third grave.

Last Monday, they made a gruesome discovery in a fourth grave -- two heads and three torsos.

The identities of the victims were not released Wednesday.

Authorities said Tuesday they still had half the patio to tear up.

You can read the whole story here.

Triumph - Magic Power

Man, the clothes...the hair. Still one of my favorite songs of long ago that I'd forgotten about.

Down The Rabbit Hole

Bullseye

This AP photo shows a modified tactical SM-3 missile fired from the USS Lake Erie yesterday to destroy a non-functioning spy satellite 247 kilometers over the Pacific Ocean. Oh, and the satellite was traveling more than 17,000 mph. The Feds say they destroyed the satellite because they were afraid after impact it may release a hazardous gas. Yeah, I'll buy that but I think they were probably more afraid that maybe some top secret spy cameras or lenses might survive reentry and impact in a bad guy's back yard. Of course it was also a way to allow President Bush to allow our military to flex its muscles a bit. Apparently nothing bigger than a football is entering the atmosphere after the direct hit.

Cool

This is really clever.

Number 30

According to Lilja's Library...

A bit of Trivia for you that you may or may not know... with Duma Key King has notched up 30 number ones on the New York Times best seller list... more than any other author in the history of the list.

1 The Dead Zone Viking October 14, 1979
2 Firestarters Viking September 28, 1980
3 Cujo Viking August 23, 1981
4 Different Seasons Viking August 15, 1982
5 Pet Sematary Doubleday November 13, 1983
6 The Talisman (with Peter Straub) Viking October 28, 1984
7 Thinner (as Richard Bachman) NAL Books April 28, 1985
8 Skeleton Crew Putnam June 23, 1985
9 It Viking September 14, 1986
10 The Eyes of the Dragon Viking February 1, 1987
11 Misery Viking June 7, 1987
12 The Tommyknockers Putnam November 29, 1987
13 The Dark Half Viking November 5, 1989
14 The Stand Doubleday May 13, 1990
15 Four Past Midnight Viking September 16, 1990
16 Gerald's Game Viking July 19, 1992
17 Dolores Claiborne Viking December 6, 1992
18 Insomnia Viking October 23, 1994
19 Desperation Viking October 13, 1996
20 Bag of Bones Scribner October 11, 1998
21 The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Scribner May 2, 1999
22 Dreamcatcher Scribner April 8, 2001
23 Black House (with Peter Straub) Random House September 30, 2001
24 Everything's Eventual Scribner April 7, 2002
25 From a Buick 8 Scribner October 13, 2002
26 Song of Susannah Donald M. Grant/Scribner June 27, 2004
27 The Dark Tower Donald M. Grant/Scribner October 10, 2004
28 Cell Scribner February 12, 2006
29 Lisey's Story Scribner November 12, 2006
30 Duma Key Scribner February 10, 2008

I'm Cool

The Cool Person Test is based on how cool you were in high school. You know, who you hung out with and such. It's fairly accurate.

Word Roundup™

This game has been keeping me way too busy at work lately. :-)

Word Roundup™
Play Games
at Shockwave

Isn't That The Truth?

News From Behind The Front

It's not unusual for "hitmen" to go to a hospital to finish the job when someone is only wounded and survives the assassination attempt. When the military arrived in Juarez they were protecting the hospital that was treating the wounded police commander. Now that he has been transferred to a U.S. level 1 trauma center, law enforcement here has gone on alert and are guarding the commander.

Thomason Hospital was placed on "lockdown" Wednesday by El Paso and federal law enforcement authorities guarding a Chihuahua police commander who survived an assassination attempt.

El Paso police and sheriff's deputies stood guard outside the hospital with assault rifles. Doors were locked, and all visitors went through a metal detector in unusually tight security for the county hospital.

Cmdr. Fernando Lozano Sandoval of the Chihuahua State Investigations Agency is being treated at Thomason after surviving a mob-style ambush that occurred Monday night while he drove on a Juárez street.

Lozano, 51, had been in critical but stable condition in a Juárez hospital, where he was guarded by heavily armed Mexican soldiers. Tuesday evening, at the request of his family, he was transferred by ambulance to Thomason, Juárez authorities said.

The lockdown, which will continue for an undetermined amount of time, was ordered early Wednesday by officials with the El Paso Police Department, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

You can read the entire story here. I think I'll watch Traffic tonight.

Dilbert Fans Rejoice

This is a great widget for Dilbert lovers. Plus it's "official" and the strips are in full color. This will replace my "unofficial" widget.

More News From The Front

Not an uncommon occurrence but also not just a coincidence.

Slaying of Juárez police official is 2nd in two days
Article Launched: 01/22/2008 12:12:13 AM MST

A Juárez police commander was gunned down and killed Monday morning when more than 35 shots were fired during a mob-style shooting outside his home, police said.

Francisco Ledezma Salazar was the second municipal police official killed in Juárez in two days. On Sunday morning, Lt. Julian Chairez Hernandez was fatally shot by men who strafed his patrol car.

Late Monday, another police commander was hospitalized after being shot, Channel 26-KINT (cable Channel 2) reported.

At 7:44 a.m., Ledezma Salazar had gotten into the driver seat of a Ford Expedition to go to work when shooters in a minivan opened fire with a "cuerno de chivo" -- the nickname for an AK-47, Chihuahua state investigators said in news release. He died at the scene. Police said Ledezma Salazar's wife, who was inside the home, was shot in a foot.

Juárez police spokesman Jaime Torres said that Ledezma Salazar was in uniform and on his way to a morning meeting of police commanders. Ledezma Salazar was director of operations for the city public safety office.

"Unfortunately, it's a situation where working as part of the police force is a constant danger," Torres said.

Torres said it was unknown if there is a link between the shootings of Ledezma Salazar and Chairez Hernandez. The homicides come a week after U.S. federal agents arrested former Juárez police director Saulo Reyes Gamboa on drug-trafficking charges in El Paso.

The killings have Juárez police being asked to take "extreme precautions," including reporting any threats, suspicious vehicles and making sure no officers patrol alone.

Resistance

This is what I've been doing when everyone else goes to bed for the evening. No wonder I'm tired.

Blue Harvest

Since I missed this last year, I may have to break down and buy this DVD.

Rudy 0 Pundits 1

From Mercury

As MESSENGER approached Mercury on January 14, 2008, the spacecraft’s Narrow-Angle Camera on the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) instrument captured this view of the planet’s rugged, cratered landscape illuminated obliquely by the Sun. The large, shadow-filled, double ringed crater to the upper right was glimpsed by Mariner 10 more than three decades ago and named Vivaldi, after the Italian composer. Its outer ring has a diameter of about 200 kilometers (about 125 miles). MESSENGER’s modern camera has revealed detail that was not well seen by Mariner 10, including the broad ancient depression overlapped by the lower-left part of the Vivaldi crater. The MESSENGER science team is in the process of evaluating later images snapped from even closer range showing features on the side of Mercury never seen by Mariner 10. It is already clear that MESSENGER’s superior camera will tell us much that could not be resolved even on the side of Mercury viewed by Mariner’s vidicon camera in the mid-1970s.

This MESSENGER image was taken from a distance of about 18,000 kilometers (11,000 miles), about 56 minutes before the spacecraft's closest encounter with Mercury. It shows a region roughly 500 kilometers (300 miles) across, and craters as small as 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) can be seen in this image.

I wish I could snap my fingers and be able to actually jump to any location such as another planet to take in the sites. Kind of like in Contact but without the machine.

News From The Front

Sometimes I think no news is good news.

Juárez's Homicide Rate Doubles In New Year
El Paso Times
Article Launched: 01/15/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

Four men were killed in Juárez early Monday, continuing what has been a particularly bloody beginning of the year in Juárez.

With the shootings, there have been 24 homicides in Juárez in the first 14 days of 2008 -- or 1.7 homicide per day, double the average of 0.8 homicides per day last year. In comparison, there has only been one homicide in El Paso since Jan. 1.

Many of the victims in Juárez were young men and died in what appeared to be drug- and gang-related incidents.

"These problems between organized groups of criminals are very difficult to prevent. It's something going on between them," said Juárez municipal police spokesman Jaime Torres.

The last four homicides stem from two separate incidents Monday.

In the first, Juárez police said that they were called to the scene of a gun fight on Zafra and Cruz streets at about 4:40 a.m. They said they found the bodies of three unidentified men next to a blue, 1991 Plymouth Voyager. The men ranged in age from about 17 to about 30. Police said they think two of the three men were brothers. They died of bullet wounds.

At about 5 a.m., police went to the scene of another reported gun fight and found the body of a 30- to 35-year-old man wrapped in a brown blanket at the corner of Cotija and Caracuaro streets. The man, also unidentified Monday afternoon, died of gunshot wounds.

And this sounds like a Clint Eastwood or Akira Kurosawa movie hero should intervene since it seems the police or government aren't doing anything.

Juarenses Protest Neighborhood's Treatment
El Paso Times
Article Launched: 01/15/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

Four years after Juarenses and a Mexican industrialist squared off over a patch of land called Lomas de Poleo, little has changed, residents and supporters said Monday at a protest in front of the Mexican Consulate in El Paso.

The neighborhood on a mesa in west Juárez is still topped by a guard tower, surrounded by barbed wire, guarded by hired men and left without electricity. Residents and media reports blamed Juárez industrialist Pedro Zaragoza for harassing the residents, with whom he has a legal battle over the land.

Petra Medrano, who has been living in Lomas de Poleo for 15 years, said she lives in fear of the volatile young men who are acting as guards, denying entry to the neighborhood to anyone they please.

"We are afraid to leave Lomas de Poleo because nobody would be looking after our house. Recently, they have been robbing us," she said. "When we leave, they let in some young men who take everything from our houses."

About 35 people protested in El Paso, while a similar protest took place at the U.S. Consulate in Juárez. In El Paso, protesters gave a letter to Mexican consular officials who said they would pass it on to the federal agency in charge of land deals.

You can read an older story about Lomas de Poleo here.

Time To Go Back To Work

After an extended vacation, it has been difficult getting back into the correct mindset for work. Read "I really don't want to be here." But there are bills to be paid and mouths to be fed, and since I still haven't struck it rich on the Lotto, it's back to the grindstone and blogging of course.

This just in...how about taking your next vacation here?

Resident Evil 5 Extended Trailer

Currently the game has a U.S. release date of 2009. Bummer. Oh wait, I don't even have a PS3 yet. I guess that's a good thing. Or maybe Santa will know that I've been good all year. Regardless, in a couple of hours I'm done with work until next year. Woo hoo!

Nickels and Dimes

I was checking my NTTA tolltag account online yesterday in preparation for a visit to Dallas. I wanted to make sure I had the correct vehicle information in the system because I revise that info whenever I use a rental vehicle. They fined me a couple of years ago because I was using a rental on the tollways and did not inform them so the plates didn't match to my tolltag. My mistake so I didn't argue. I checked the vehicle information and everything was correct so I was about to log off but thought it would be interesting (for lack of a word) to see some past transactions. Lo and behold I saw a transaction during July for my vehicle. That's unsusual because I was nowhere near Addison Texas in July.

I called the customer service number and explained the situation and the friendly representative asked me some questions. When she realized that I had used a rental vehicle in June she put me on hold. When she came back she explained to me what had happened. In a nutshell, when I entered the vehicle information for the rental vehicle I used in June, the system remembers that. So when someone else rented the same vehicle in July and used the tollway and didn't pay, the system charged my account. She told me her supervisor said to fax a copy of the rental agreement showing the dates of rental and the vehicle's plate number to them in order to credit my account. I said that seemed like a lot of work for seventy cents and she agreed but that was what her supervisor wanted.

I remembered the fine the NTTA assessed me a while back and decided they weren't going to bilk me out of my hard-earned money so I asked for their fax number. After some searching I found my rental agreement from earlier in the year. It's a good thing I don't throw anything away. I made a copy of it and faxed it to the customer service department. I got my seventy cents back and feel good about it.

"Don't Tase Me, Bro" and Other Quotes

That was the top quote of 2007 as compiled by the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. The second was the rambling from a Miss Teen USA contestant which I thought would be much better to view...and become confused. Really confused.

Yes, I'm Ready For A Vacation

How do I get out of this madhouse?

Beating A Dead Horse

How coincidental. Sometimes I just want to scream here at work.

Isn't She/He Lovely?

I Think I Can, I Think I Can...Not!

I had a vivid dream last night or perhaps it was a nightmare. I had promised Peter Griffin that I would give him a ride to the dentist. It turns out that my mode of transportation was not a motorized vehicle but my bicycle. So there I was pedaling through an underground parking garage or something similar and then finally down a street out of a scene from Duke Nukem towards a tall building where I was to pick Peter up. As I approached the front of the building I saw a figure standing there which I mistook for a Pig Cop from the game but then realized it was only Peter. He got on the handlebars of my bike and I proceeded to pedal again with great difficulty. We barely made it up a small hill and as we crested the top I saw a huge hill looming before us. I was having great difficulty going up this hill and Peter was literally crying that he was going to be late for his dentist's appointment. Waa, waa, waa. It was at this point that I awoke disoriented and out of breath. Very strange.

You're A Pig!

Did Chef Ramsay lose it because Chef Michel was stubborn or because he was French? I felt like punching Michel and I wasn't even there. I just don't understand when these owners don't want to take Ramsay's suggestions or are not open to change. They're the ones who invited him to come and help anyway. Well, at least it seems the restaurant's web page is busy due to the show.

How Many Cats Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb?

Cats do not change light bulbs. People change light bulbs. So, the real question is: 'How long will it be before I can expect some light, some dinner, and a massage?'

Go Spirit Go

It's a race against time for the Mars rover Spirit to get to a safe spot to wait out the long Martian winter. Read the story here.

From My Inbox

Christmas Carols for the Disturbed

1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?
2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Kings Disoriented Are
3. Dementia --- I Think I'll be Home for Christmas
4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me
5. Manic --- Deck the Halls and Walls and House Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and.....
6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me
7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire
8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why
9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooooh look at the froggy - can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?
10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder --Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle,Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle, Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...

Odie Loves Candy Canes

A Little Faster Please

I think I've griped about this before but I'm going to again. How can a store call a check-out line with a 20 item limit a "speedy" check-out? It's more like "a little faster than our other lines" check-out. And why don't they assign someone to check the quantity of goods a person has when they get in line at a "speedy" check-out? They could be called "Quantity Compliance" associates, sort of like the "Receipt Accuracy" checkers at the exits. I can't stand it when jerks have a full cart and the cashier doesn't say a thing. That really irks me to no end. And it gets so much worse when a person wants a competitor's price matched on all of their items. They have sales circulars from 10 different stores and they take so long trying to find the right one for the item being scanned. AAAGHHHH!!!

Who Are Those Crazy People?

I've been in a Bah Humbug mood ever since I saw my first Christmas commercial a while back but got into the season when I was at the mall over the weekend. I'm just about done with shopping and not a moment too soon. I can't stand the crowds at the stores and the parking lots and the streets around the malls. Also you can see some crazy elves here that helped it seem like it was December and almost Christmas.

Little Hand On Elmo

It's A Money Shirt!

Void Void Void

This story reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons where Homer goes to the bank and tries to cash a $1,000,000 check he received in the mail. Doh!

If I Were On The Grand Jury

I heard a longer account of the 911 call last week and even then it seemed to me that the shooter was over-anxious to get out there and use his shotgun. His life was never in danger or threatened as long as he stayed on the phone and didn't go outside to confront the burglars. Better to be a good witness especially over some property that didn't even belong to him. What if it had been a couple of kids stealing the neighbors bike? Someone's life isn't worth it. I'm thinking indictment.

Monday Morning

It snowed all day on Saturday. Too bad the weather hadn't been colder a couple of days earlier to get the ground freezing. None of the snow stuck to the streets but grassy areas and roof tops got about 4 inches of snow. Mountain elevations a bit more.

Still Bored At Work (With An Open Mind)

You Are 52% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?

Kind Of Like Winter

The latest from the National Weather Service:

/O.NEW.KEPZ.WS.A.0003.071124T1000Z-071125T0000Z/
523 AM MST FRI NOV 23 2007

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

SHOWER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY EVENING. INITIAL PRECIPITATION WILL BE RAIN ACROSS THE LOW ELEVATIONS. TOWARDS SATURDAY MORNING SOME LOCATIONS MAY SEE A MIX OF SNOW AND RAIN...BUT LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. SATURDAY A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION. THIS WILL COOL TEMPERATURES AND ALLOW AREA PRECIPITATION TO TURN OVER TO SNOW. POSSIBLE ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

I'm betting that there won't be any snow. Humbug.

Contemplating Humor While At Work

Your Score: the Wit

(52% dark, 38% spontaneous, 26% vulgar)

your humor style:
CLEAN COMPLEX DARK

You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean pretentious. You realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons' philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat.

I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer.

Your sense of humor takes the most thought to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion.

You probably loved the Office. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Jon Stewart - Woody Allen - Ricky Gervais




The 3-Variable Funny Test!
- it rules -

If you're interested, try my best friend's best test: The Genghis Khan Genetic Fitness Masterpiece

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Winter? I'd Be Happy With Fall.

The temperature has been in the mid 70's this week. Tomorrow there will be a drop of about 20 degrees. We even have a watch/warning from the National Weather Service.

645 AM MST WED NOV 21 2007...STRONG COLD FRONT EXPECTED TONIGHT......WINTRY WEATHER AND THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE SEASON THIS WEEKEND...A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA THIS EVENING WITH STRONG EAST WINDS EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY ON THE WEST SLOPES OF AREA MOUNTAINS WHERE GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. A COOL AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL ALSO MEAN MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES ACCOMPANIED BY A CHANCE FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW AND LOWER-ELEVATION SPRINKLES OVERNIGHT AND INTO THURSDAY. INCREASING CHANCES FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS AND LOWLAND RAIN SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT ON THE TOES OF A STRENGTHENING UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM PUSHING INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES. YET ANOTHER COLD BLAST IS EXPECTED DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM PUSHES OVER THE BORDERLAND. THE RESULT WILL BE CONTINUED CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES THUS FAR IN THE SEASON...STRUGGLING TO MAKE IT INTO THE LOWER 40S IN THE LOWLANDS. AS TEMPERATURES FALL LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON...LOWLAND RAINSHOWERS WILL BEGIN TO MIX WITH SNOW BEFORE TURNING OVER TO ALL SNOW SATURDAY EVENING.
OVERALL...SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS AREA MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY IN THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS WHERE ISOLATED 12 INCH TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS MAY BE SEEN THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. LESS THAN AN INCH OF SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE LOWLANDS AT THIS TIME.

Cool. Literally. I like cold weather. But snow? I'm not holding my breath.

Time Stands Still

Spent an hour and a half at my local Social Security office. I cannot find my card so I went to file for a replacement and to get a new one for my stepdaughter. We took a number and waited for 65 minutes and then the rest of the time was with the woman who went over our paperwork. It would have take about 10 minutes less if the woman had not taken a personal call. That just irked me to no end but I was polite and didn't say anything. I just don't understand the mindset of government employees.

If I Had $80 Million

I would buy my own luxury submarine like this one. That would be so cool.

Work Is Wonderful

If You've Got The Time

After yesterdays post I suddenly had the urge to watch George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. You can watch it here if you've got nothing better to do in the next 95 minutes.

Addendum

I was contemplating all day of how to file a complaint about the parking that goes on along the street I was talking about earlier. The cars cause congestion and traffic hazards because they block the view of traffic. Well, this evening I noticed that there were new "No Parking Anytime" signs put up. Woo Hoo.

Night of the Living Idiots

I was on my way home last night and was waiting to make a left hand turn from a parking lot onto a street. There was one car coming down the road in the direction I wanted to go so I let him pass and pulled out behind him. There is a stop sign approximately 12 feet from where I pulled out from and this is where the guy in front of me stopped (actually just short of the stop sign.) I could see that he put the car into reverse so I honked my horn. This led to the man raising his arms up and I figured he wanted to park there. I started to back up and the car that pulled out right after me honked for coming into his lane. I pulled forward a little as close as I could to the guy who stopped in front of me. He got even more upset because I was too close to him and he couldn't maneuver to park his car straight on the street. I moved forward a little and being the hot-head that I am rolled my window down to discuss the issue. I was actually being polite and calm until the guy called me a "Pendejo" so I said that he was a fucking dumb ass for trying to park so close to a stop sign. The argument escalated into us questioning each others' manhood and mothers' honors. All this took place in less than a minute but it felt good being able to use all the bad words I know in Spanish.

Later, I came to a stop light controlling a busy intersection. On the street that I was on the left hand turn lane is actually a double left turn lane. I had my signal going and I was in the second turn lane (counting from the middle median) so I could take the turn wide and make a right on the next street. Can you picture that? The van to my left decided to take the turn wide and was about to hit me until I used my horn. He swerved out of the way and I could see the woman in the passenger seat was upset with the driver. After the last incident I decided to open all my windows because the evening was cooling off nicely. So when I pulled up even with the van the woman apologized to me and I said that it wasn't a problem. The driver took his hat off and was showing me the printing on it. It was the designation for a Naval warship. He kept saying it was Veteran's Day so please excuse him. I also told him it was alright and made my right turn. Then I got to thinking. Was the guy trying to tell me that he was toasted after a Veteran's Day party or that he wasn't in the wrong because he was a veteran?

Colors and Commercials

I went to the store to buy The Little One a new box of crayons over the weekend. I was going to buy the box with 64 colors and the sharpener in the back but saw that they had a 96 color box. It even had the sharpener built into the back of the box. Wow. The things I could have done back in the younger years with 96 colors. And I love the smell of crayons. Brings back memories. I also saw my first Christmas commercial on the television. How depressing.

Live Long and Prosper

Yes, I could picture Winona Ryder as a Vulcan. And a hot one to boot. But being cast as Spock's mother? I have a problem with that because we all know Spock's mother was Human. This must be some cruel and unusual trickery by the Hollywood studio. Someone needs to get to the bottom of this and fast. Warp ten!

Get A Quote

Gordon vs. Sebastian

Tonight's episode of Kitchen Nightmares was interesting. Sebastian definitely was opposed to the changes Gordon wanted to make and it was a wonder that the two of them didn't end up in a brawl. I looked up the restaurant on the net and it seems Sebastian has added on to the menu to add his personal touch. At least it's not as confusing as before Gordon got there. Alas, I still haven't found his pizzas at my local grocery.

New BFF and Just Not Paying Attention

Hey, are you looking for a best friend or buddy? Then you've got to check out Dogs In Danger. And I hate it when I get home, open a newly purchased DVD, pop it into the player and discover I bought the full screen version. Dang it. Why even make full screen versions of theatrical releases?

Child Stars and Goat Suckers

Old news but good photos of 15 child stars and their trials and tribulations that came with their fame can be viewed here after disabling pop-ups. Someone should sign the Olsen twins to star in a horror flick. Ugh! And the dead Chupacabras found near San Antonio have been proven not to be the blood-sucking monsters but in fact only coyotes with hair problems. You can read the story here. But I still believe.

Sagas, Monsters, and Dirty Money

I left work this morning because I just needed to get out for a while and went browsing at Best Buy. My $20 reward certificate was expiring today and I didn't want it to go to waste. I finally got around to buying the Star Wars Trilogy (episodes IV, V, and VI) with the bonus disc and I also ended up buying 28 Weeks Later because I didn't see it yet and am hoping it is at least as good as 28 Days Later. Perhaps I should have waited on Star Wars for the definitive boxed set which includes the original releases along with the newer edited versions but I was in one of those damned moods. But while I was looking around I found some Gojira discs that are finally made the way I've been wishing for. That would be the original unedited Japanese versions remastered from Toho originals. As a bonus the dubbed U.S. version is also included along with some bonus material. I will be returning for those. It's just too bad that this particular company only has licenses for 7 of the films.

After paying for my items I received some dollar bills back. They were filthy! The paper was almost the consistency of rice paper and they were covered with dirt or mud or who knows what. I refused to put them in my wallet or pocket so I put them on the floor of my car and I will be using those at my first opportunity. I also quickly used some liquid hand sanitizer I keep on my key chain. I think as I get older I'm more conscientious about germs and bacteria and all the ill effects of them. Am I crazy or what?

Flew The Croup

Croup. I've heard of it but never actually heard it. The Little One was doing well yesterday but early this morning my wife and I were awakened by her crying. That's when we thought we heard a seal barking. Like at a zoo seal display at feeding time. When we realized it was coming from our daughter we both kind of freaked. It lasted about 5 minutes and then the coughing turned normal. After she fell asleep again I was on the Internet looking up the symptoms. This morning from work I called the pediatrician to explain what had happened and to find out if the doctor wanted to see her or change her medication. She said there was nothing to worry about as long as her breathing doesn't become distressed. If The Little One doesn't improve by tomorrow then call and schedule an appointment. I feel better now that I know what it is and I can help her stay calm if it happens again.

Am I Awake Yet?

I am starting to crash. I am so tired. We ended up in the emergency room yesterday evening because we couldn't control The Little One's fever. When she got up to 104 my wife and I skedaddled to the ER with her. We got there a little before 7 PM and her temp was 103. We got to see the nurse who took vitals around 8 PM. Temp at that time was down to 102 and she went and got some medication to help reduce the fever and sent us back out into the waiting room.

At about 9:30 PM we were put in an observation/treatment room and waited for the doctor. It turned out that there were only two doctors on duty and they were pretty busy. About every hour and a half a nurse would come in and check vitals and The Little One's temperature was slowly going down. She fell asleep around 10:30 PM but woke up about every 45 minutes and would ask if we could go home.

At about 1 AM I was getting really frustrated and tired of this whole waiting routine and asked a nurse how much longer it would be. She apologized and said hopefully the doctor would be in soon. At 2:45 AM The Little One woke up and proceeded to scream and cry because she wanted to go. My wife and I couldn't console her to stop crying. I finally picked her up and walked around the room and into the hallway with her screaming about wanting to go home. It took about 10 minutes before a nurse came by and I said if a doctor doesn't see us soon we were going to leave.

At 3 AM the doctor came and examined The Little One. I showed him the prescriptions the pediatrician had given us the day before and he decided that a couple of injections of antibiotics were needed because he thought one of her ears was becoming infected. A couple of nurses came in and gave the injections and The Little One was a real trooper. We finally left at 3:30 AM.

There's got to be a better way to run an ER.

The Night Before Halloween

Illness Feeds Upon Illness

Everyone is sick in the family with colds. It all started with sniffles when the weather turned cooler a week ago. Now the sniffles have turned into congestion, coughs, and fever in the case of The Little One. She was running a fever of 101 degrees yesterday and last night and complaining of a headache. I called the pediatrician this morning and got an appointment for 1:45 PM. The lady warned me that there were a lot of patients today and that the wait could be an hour or more. Not important when it comes to the health of my child. What else has been going on? Hmmmm...

Saw a real commercial for The Sarah Connor Chronicles over the weekend. Looks interesting but will it last? Went browsing for houses over the weekend also. Funny how a brand new home with the latest amenities and larger square footage is less expensive than comparable existing homes a decade older. Call me weird but I was craving kimchi and actually found some in WalMart of all places. A steaming bowl of rice and some fresh kimchi...mmmmm. After discussion with my wife we decided to stay in town over the Thanksgiving holiday and plan to go to the Dallas area for a few days after Christmas. Also, low sodium V8 is not palatable to me. This blog entry truly is rambling today.

They Ran Away With It

The Boston Red Sox, that is. Game one of the 2007 World Series ends at 13-1 with Boston over Colorado. Colorado? I didn't even know they had a baseball team. Just kidding. Wasn't much to see except for the balk. I can't remember the last time I saw one of those. I just hope the series isn't a runaway for Boston.

Breaking News

Did anyone know that space shuttle Discovery was launching this morning? I certainly did not. It's funny how some things lose their news worthiness when there's nothing exciting to report about. For only the second time in the history of shuttle missions STS-120 will be commanded by a woman. I think that would be news worthy but who am I to judge? Oh yeah, and Discovery will be carrying Luke Skywalker's lightsabre to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. Now that's especially news worthy seeing that George Lucas will be on hand to witness the launch this morning. Shouldn't he be working or something? Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.

When Pigs Fly

Yeah, so I was hoping The Tribe would win the ALCS but I guess it just wasn't to be. But I digress. While watching different shows on FOX over the past few weeks, every now and then I noticed two red dots usually at the bottom of the television. The first time it happened I didn't give it much thought. The second time it happened my daughter was with me and she thought they looked like eyes. That's when I started to get the creeps. After that it would appear occasionally but at a different location at the bottom of the screen. And it didn't connect that it was only happening on FOX. I was really disturbed about it until I happened to see a commercial with those same eyes last night during the game. Looked like a Terminator to me and then there was an Internet address...www.takebackthefuture.com. Boy, was I relieved. I was giving myself and my daughter the creeps the past couple of weeks thinking we were being haunted by that pig (Jody?) from the Amityville house. Whew.

Also, while watching the ALCS series, I had a thought. A revolving stadium. Kind of like those restaurants at the top of high buildings which offer dazzling views of the city below. Everyone buying a ticket for the lower deck would pay the same price say $100, the mezzanine would be the same price $75, and the upper deck would be the same price $50. But since the stadium rotates slowly, everyone gets to be behind the plate or down the first base line or right field at some point. Well, it sounded good in my head. Hey, how about the players not using caps during night games? Or not spitting every other inning?

Rock and Roll Will Never Die

I've seen so many teasers for Fox's new show The Next Great American Band that I'm really intrigued and looking forward to tonight's premier. I'm especially curious about the band that looked like a bunch of original Star Trek extraterrestrials. As long as I hear some good music and see good performances I'll be happy. Of course there has to be some really bad group auditions on tonight which I'm looking forward to also. Bang your head or gong or whatever.

Hemispheres To Cygnus X-1

For all the sci-fi fans the top 10 strangest things in space courtesy of MSNBC can be see here. Galactic cannibalism sounds kind of interesting.

Are We Live?

I was doing some searching on Google for Scott Chesner this evening. He used to be a meteorologist on the NBC affiliate in Dallas for many years. He worked with the legendary Harold Taft, who I think had spot-on weather forecasts, and also David Finfrock. I still prefer NBC over the other networks for news and weather in the Dallas area and was looking at their website and saw new faces in their weather department. I found out that his contract wasn't renewed so he moved to a station north of Dallas and eventually landed a chief meteorologist position in East Texas. I also found this video...



And this is an example of almost perfect audio fidelity. There's no denying the incident here. I've never experienced something controversial during live television that I can remember. Oh wait, there was the wardrobe malfunction during Super Bowl XXXVIII. Other than that I really don't remember anything. I guess it's just not in the forecast.

Soon The World Will Be Mine!

What's All the Pus About?

So another week passes without a blog post. It was because I was off all last week with a medical problem and I just didn't have enough time during the days to do any posting while at home. On the other hand here at work I have all sorts of time to do things like that. That's not really true, the part about time I mean, here at work I try to find the time to post during small breaks during the day. Gosh I hope my employer doesn't see this.

I had never experienced an abscess until a couple of weeks ago. It was on my leg and it just got bigger and bigger and painful until it exploded. Before that I had thought it was a bug bite or a zit on steroids and hoped it would go away. By the time it was the size of a half-dollar, very painful to the touch and to walk, and with an angry red tint to it did I start to get worried. Searching on the Internet only made matters worse as I imagined it would open up and little white spiders would scurry out of the wound before I passed out. Of course it was during the weekend at around 3 A.M. when it decided to erupt with a flow of blood and pus. It scared the crap out of me.

So I go to the doctor on Monday morning and he prescribed antibiotics and instructed me to soak in a warm bath with Epsom salt 3 to 4 times a day. Something I couldn't do while at work so I took the week off. Today I had a follow-up visit with the doctor and he and I are both pleased with the results. Too bad I couldn't take this week off too but I really wanted to go back to work. That should pass in a few hours, though.

Boogey Man and Dog Lovers

After reading a few news stories this morning I've decided to make a comment and gripe. The first story I read was about a mother who claims her children had nightmares after shopping at WalMart. I had to chuckle while reading the story because I know what she went through. The Little One was with me on a day of shopping which included stops at Sam's Club and WalMart. This had to be in early September because I was griping to my wife that it was too early to be displaying Halloween items. Well, both stores had Halloween decorations and props set up which included life-sized moving creatures and giant inflatable Halloween scenes. The Little One was not a happy camper. She proceeded to scream and cry until we were out of sight of the displays. She was not the only child in the store who reacted in that manner. There were other toddlers who did not enjoy the displays either. Now when we go into those stores, we have to bypass the Halloween area or ask her to close her eyes when we are within sight of the displays. BTW, she slept soundly that night and didn't complain at all about being afraid after we got home.

The other story I read was about how a city's animal control department found an abandoned dog with a note attached to its collar which said something like "Help me, please find me a good home." The dog was in good health but if no one claimed or adopted him he would be euthanized in a few days. The local paper ran a front page article and photo of the pooch explaining its dilemma. That day animal control received over a thousand calls regarding that particular dog. My gripe is if there are a thousand people interested in adopting an unwanted dog, why did they wait until reading about this particular one before calling. Don't they realize that there are hundreds of other dogs and cats that are waiting for good homes, too? Don't they know that those same animals will be put to death in a weeks time also? I wonder if any of those folks thought about going down and adopting a different animal?

Alright, I'm finished.

Not On My Shoulder

I've been getting into Kitchen Nightmares on FOX and it has opened my eyes to how difficult it must really be to run a restaurant. Especially when you have some dumb people working for you. Typical Gordon Ramsay but it seemed the past two episodes had a lot of crying being done by the managers of the restaurants. Boo hoo.

Better Late Than Never

Look, Up In The Sky

Took the family to an airshow on Saturday. All of us had a great time. We did forget to take our hats and sunscreen with us so I ended up forking over bucks for a large umbrella to offer some shade to the kiddos. My wife and I were the ones who got the brunt of the U.V. radiation. The next day we both looked like we had been tanning on a beach somewhere. Regardless, the shows were cool and the Thunderbirds were awesome. Some pictures to come later.

Shamu In Action

O.J. vs Kramer

After reading more of what allegedly happened in Vegas with The Juice, the more it reminded me of the ending to this Seinfeld episode. Simpson must have seen it also.

Catching Up

Wow. How time flies. It has been a little over two weeks since my last post and I apologize but I wasn't allowed the use of a PC or the Internet during my (involuntary) commitment in the asylum. I wasn't allowed the use of a fork either but that really wasn't an issue because I was in a straight jacket the entire time. Ha, just kidding about the straight jacket. Now, let's see, actually I'm kidding about the asylum also. Okay then, you're probably wondering where I've been the last fifteen days.

Those of you who know me are aware that I spend a lot of time out of the country and married a foreign national. For the last two and a half years we've been waiting to get a Permanent Resident card for my wife and stepdaughter so that they could live in the U.S. So, since my last post, I was preparing documents and all sorts of other evidence in preparation for the final interview at a U.S. Consulate. I was also stressing out a bit because I absolutely can't stand governmental bureaucracy and the "hurry up and wait" attitude.

Monday the 10th was the medical exam, Tuesday the 11th was a review of documents and receipt of medical exam results, and Wednesday the 12th was the interview with an official of the consulate. They were approved and we went to the port of entry specified and had their passports endorsed. I will save for a series of later posts the details of our quest for Immigrant Visas or Green Cards.

We then took some time off from work and school and went to see Shamu. More details on this to follow later. So there you go.

Double Take

Plane bound for El Paso hit by truck in Chicago
Times wire report

I like headlines like this. The vagueness or ambiguity can sometimes be hilarious or embarrassing.

Get Out!

Do you know what the house in the middle of the picture (courtesy of Google Maps) is known for?

Bigger In Texas

Lake Tawakoni State Park in Texas has an attraction right now that some think is fascinating and others won't go near. It's a spider web that covers trees and shrubs on a trail for 200 yards. Is it the work of one giant mutant spider or the work of a group of social spiders? No one knows yet for sure but many have speculated. The park has invited entomologists to visit and study the web but so far no one has accepted. I'm guessing they're too busy studying the recently discovered South American Gigantic Hairy Blue Jumping Hunter Squeaking Spider. Very dangerous indeed. Read the whole story (about the web) here.

Be Very Still

I had to go to a clinic earlier this afternoon to get a finger x-rayed. To make a long story short, I was out on the manufacturing floor and put my hand somewhere at the wrong time and wham, possible fracture in my left digitus minimus. It has been many years since I had to have an x-ray, and I've had them taken before when I was younger, but it seems that every time I had one the room was always dimly lit. Probably has something to do with radiation and the affect of intermingling types of radiation? Who knows? I'm not a radiologist, but I could have been. But wait, when I get an x-ray at the dentist's office the lights aren't dim there. So what gives?

Bad Neighbor

I went to the Best Buy near me this evening to browse and maybe buy something. There has been a large empty lot next to their building since it had been built. About two months ago construction equipment arrived and started to prep the lot for another building. I had been speculating ever since about what store may be housed in the new building. I had hoped it would be a Barnes & Nobles since the one up the street seems too small to me and does not have enough parking spaces. But when I saw the lot tonight, the foundation had already been poured and ready to take the walls, there was a sign announcing that Circuit City would be coming soon.

Ugh, I can't stand that store. There's already one a block away and I avoid it like the plague. I guess the strategy here is that consumers will go into Best Buy and check the price of an item and then go into Circuit City to comparison shop. I know Best Buy will match competitor prices but I'm not sure about Circuit City although I'm betting they do. But I guess this is their next plan to try to increase earnings per share and to try to come out ahead of Best Buy. Well time will tell. Perhaps once Circuit City closes this new store later, Barnes and Noble or maybe a Borders will move in. That would be a happy day indeed.

Something Moved In The Corner

I started reading a book last night called Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (aka Joseph H. King) which has begun to give me the creeps. I usually don't get uncomfortable reading horror or seeing movies of this genre either. I take that back. The last time I read something that gave me constant goose bumps, bad dreams, and made me uncomfortable in the dark was King's Bag of Bones. The last movie that did that to me was a film called Event Horizon.

I'm not exactly sure why I'm feeling spooked while reading this novel. Whether it's the prose or just the idea of a vengeful ghost, I have no clue. I do know that when I'm reading, everyone in the house is sleeping, and the shadows cast by my Itty Bitty book light seem darker and longer than usual. And there's the silence...except for the dog barking outside for no reason.

From Volcanoes to Dwarves

Over 1900 years ago today Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city of Pompeii. One year ago today Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet. I wonder what happened to Goofy?

What else happened on this day in history can be seen here.

What the...?

You are The Devil

Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession

The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Just Another Little Thing

Taking into account that I'm just an Average Joe with no previous criminal record, how would the following be answered?

• Convicted of DUI and violating probation from a prior DUI would I get jail time and how much? What if I was rich and famous?


• Caught speeding on interstate and Trooper discovers a couple bags of pot and a bag of meth in the car. Jail time or a fine and slap on the wrist? What if I was a famous musician?


• I'm being drunk and disorderly and resist arrest and shove (assault) an officer while slapping his hands away from me. Would I be charged with misdemeanors or felonies? What if I was a star football player?

• What if tried to enter the secure area of an airport with a pistol in my bag and claim that I forgot it was there? Fine or jail time? What if I was an ex-mayor of the city or football coach of a legendary team?

• What if I broke the law in a foreign country, jumped bail and fled back to the States? Would I be extradited to face charges or have the whole matter dismissed? What if I was a famous T.V. personality?

Pssst, It's A Secret

Come On Home

So the Space Shuttle will land on Earth a day earlier on the presumption that hurricane Dean may cause problems at Houston's Mission Control. It turns out now that Dean will probably make landfall far from Houston but what I'm worried about is the hole on Endeavour's belly caused by falling debris from the external fuel tank. The hole goes completely through the thermal tile to the felt fabric that covers the shuttle's aluminum frame. NASA engineers and managers say the shuttle is fine to land without making any repairs in space.




I don't understand why NASA would develop procedures and tools to repair damage like this after the Columbia disaster and then choose not to do it. Unless the procedures don't really work that is. Is this decision to cover up government ineptitude or bad management at NASA? This whole deal stinks like stinky cheese. I guess we'll find out if it was the right decision around 12:32 p.m. ET tomorrow.

Arm Yourselves

I've been in the mood to do some dungeon exploration, preferably during a quest of some kind. I would like to equip a party with individuals of my preference. I would want to be able to pick each character's class and race and perhaps even their alignment. I wouldn't want to just hack and slash the entire time while exploring a dungeon. I would like a nice combat system and an in-depth storyline with lots of towns and characters to interact with. It should also be for the PS2 since I still can't afford the PS3. Or maybe I ask for too much?

See You Later Alligator

Yesterday I lovingly packed up two Elmo toys that I had to return due to the Fisher-Price recall. I was a little saddened at the thought that Elmo was probably going to meet his fate in an incinerator somewhere. The Little One has no idea (yet) that I took those two toys away and I'm glad they disappeared while she was sleeping. I'm not going to say anything about them unless she asks and then I'll probably have to make something up. I had received a postage paid label that I had to attach to the box and when I was at the post office the calculated price for shipping was $8. Wow, let's say the average consumer only has one item to return so make that an average shipping price of $4, with nine million affected toys but let's assume only eight million get returned, that comes out to $32 million for shipping alone.

My two items will require a voucher for $33 to be issued to me for replacement toys. On average most of the recalled toys were running around $13 in value, so that comes out to $104 million in vouchers if most consumers return one item. Total price for these recalls is around $136 million. I wonder if that's pocket change for Mattel or is this going to seriously hurt their bottom line? Unbelievable. Ok, sure this wasn't as exciting as figuring out the many possible combinations of Arby's 5 for $5.95 deal but it is an eye opener. I wonder where they get their Fancy Catsup from?

Combinations

Eisley rocks.

Sorry, Not Available

I went into my favorite electronics super store this evening to buy the just-released new CD Combinations by Eisley. They didn't have it. I asked one of the associates for help because there have been instances when a new CD I wanted was still sitting in their backroom on the release date but this wasn't the case tonight. They did tell me that the store on the other side of town had it but I wasn't in the mood to drive out there. I went over to another store and they didn't have it either. Bummer. I guess I'll have to drive across town later this week to get it.

Rock On

Another season of Fox's Hell's Kitchen has come and gone. I had a feeling Rock would come out the winner and even though I thought he was a jerk I think he deserved it. I always thought Bonnie was a spoiled, wishy-washy, brat but she surprised me towards the end with her total change in attitude. I was also surprised at how Julia acted in the finale and it kind of made me change my opinion of her. Let's see if she can finish her schooling and make it back on the show in the future.

One Way To Excel In Business

This is from yesterday but I think it's funny enough to post a day late.

To Buy or Not To Buy

I'm debating whether or not to buy the Harry Potter Box Set Books 1-7 (Hardcover) to be released on September 18. I haven't read any of these books nor have I seen any of the movies but I've been told that I would enjoy them. I just don't know if that's enough to justify spending $116.99 at Amazon. What am I to do?

Creepy

This video creeped me out and sent chills up and down my back and arms!

I Don't Buy It

It turns out that we have two toys of the many being recalled by Fisher Price because the paint may contain lead. I've received the information on how to send them back and receive credit for other toys and it seems straight forward and easy. It will just take some time out of my already busy day to get the stuff packed up and taken to the post office. By no means will I boycott the company but it concerns me that all of a sudden everything is being looked at under a microscope and so many problems are being discovered.

Recalls have been occurring since companies started manufacturing goods for sale but lately it seems like the media is scaring the public into not buying dozens of items. Am I going to stop buying fish because it may be laced with poison? That probably has the same chance that I will stop driving my car because it might catch on fire due to a malfunctioning cruise control. I'm not even sure what my point is but I think it has something to do with not living in fear. I mean you have to take each day and use your best judgement. I guess that suggestion could go with buying just about anything or even life in general. A philosopher I am not and it's time to go to bed.

The Next Step

Ugh. In bad taste, exploitation, insensitive...the list goes on. Read the whole story here.

It Keeps On Going

I've been seeing a commercial for a new gum which claims that the flavor lasts and lasts. Apparently the folks that make Stride gum are in dire straights because customers who bought the gum won't spit out the first piece because of the long lasting flavor. I decided to put this claim to the test although not by scientific means.

I bought a pack of Forever Fruit flavor, which reminded me of Fruit Stripe gum, and popped a piece into my mouth. I observed the time and chewed until there was no flavor at all. The gum had some semblance of flavor for eighteen minutes. I don't think I chewed the entire time so I tried another piece and it lasted fifteen minutes. I then tried a different brand of gum and it lasted for only eight minutes.

So there you go. Stride doesn't last ridiculously long but it lasted longer than one of their competitors. Tune in next week when I try to determine if the Naga Jolokia chili pepper is in fact the world's hottest pepper

What?

News Bits

I was watching the evening news which was chock full of depressing and sad reports. Flooding, displaced families, war, murders, accidents, and disasters just to name a few. What I found interesting was what I saw in a couple of the video clips. There was one where the news was doing a follow-up report of an accident or near-accident at a nuclear power plant. There always seems to be a video of the control room of the plant whenever any news channel does a report on power plants and there's always a guy sitting at a massive control panel wearing a hard hat. I was mulling over this and thought why do you need a hard hat in the control room? Is there a danger of the ceiling falling or collapsing? Maybe you need one outside the control room in a narrow, dark, and dank tunnel full of low hanging pipes but in the control room? I don't think so.

Then there was a video of a crime scene and I noticed that every time you see one of these there is always a shot of a cop talking on a cell phone or a group of them talking amongst themselves. I always imagine what these people could be talking about. Is the cop on the phone talking to his girlfriend and the group discussing where to go eat afterwards? It just bothers me that these people don't have anything better to do at a crime scene *and* let themselves be captured on video. Oh well, who am I to be complaining?