Cthulhu Carols

I don't think we'll be singing any of these in church any time soon.

Mood: Amused
Music: Aerosmith: "Sweet Emotion"

Advisory

This would be real truth in advertising.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Jefferson Starship: "Jane"

Puzzling

This article shows why history and archeology are considered social sciences.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Bill Haley and the Comets: "Rock Around the Clock"

Mod Squad

Here's yet another example of what happens when computer geeks have too much time on their hands.

Mood: Amused
Music: The Jimi Hendrix Experience: "All Along the Watchtower"

Bittersweet

It's been a bittersweet holiday season so far. Maryanne and I have been looking forward to the birth of our first child, a daughter, which should be arriving in the middle of January. The entire family is very excited, as are many of our friends. While I was apprehensive at first, the reality has settled in, and I'm finding myself feeling excited at times, as well.

However, on Friday, December 23, we found out that my paternal grandmother had passed away. The timing was very unfortunate. Not only did it put a blemish on the holiday season, but Maryanne will be unable to attend the funeral services. She's too close to her due date to travel that far. She feels very sad that she won't be able to attend.

Mood: Melancholy
Music: Blind Faith: "Can't Find My Way Home"

On Tap

While I'm not sure how much I agree with it, this article certainly puts a twist in all the recent hoopla about wire tapping.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Red Peters: "Holy Shit, It's Christmas"

Grimm

Today I finally finished Roughing It by Mark Twain. It was a fun read, though not in the same way a purely fictional work is a fun read, but entertaining nonetheless. The author was, by all accounts, a truly American writer.

Next on the list is Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales as published by Barnes & Noble. It contains 211 of their tales, though I believe there are at least 215 of them in total. This edition looks nice enough, but may eventually returned; there are pages missing. Not that there are entire sheets missing, but there is no printing on some pages where there should be. It may be simply exchanged for another copy of the same edition, as good and complete editions of the work are hard to find.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: none

"Satura was here"

More proof that the more things change, the more things stay the same.

Mood: Amused
Music: The Who: "Love Ain't for Keeping"

Starmen

This is freakin' awesome.

Mood: Amused
Music: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band: "Born in Chicago"

Don't Look at Porn

Where was this advice when I was in college?

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Steppenwolf: "Born to Be Wild"

Whacked

Here's a headline you don't see everyday: "Police whack giant snow penis."

Mood: Amused
Music: Van Halen: "Atomic Punk"

A Witch's Tit

The temperature when I left for work this morning was -4° F. A slight breeze put the windchill at -9° F. Even I'll admit that's cold. Bitterly cold.

Mood: Chilled
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Dancing Days"

In the ass

"You mean rectum?"

Mood: Amused
Music: The Yardbirds: "Over Under Sideways Down"

Great

Maryanne and I saw King Kong today.

A lot of people are beginning to say that Peter Jackson is one of the great film makers of our time.

I'd like to say he's fucking brilliant.

This movie was fantastic on so many levels. Great script, great cast, great score, great special effects, and great direction. It was a fantastic story that went not only beyond the action, but beyond the basic plot as well. The story has a lot of depth and complexity to it. Critics left and right are singing its praises as well. I highly recommend you go out and see it.

However, it is not a film for young children! Indeed, our enjoyment of the film was slightly dampered by some of the young children in the audience.

Mood: Pleased
Music: Cat Stevens: "Another Saturday Night"

Emergency?

Between yesterday and Wednesday we've gotten quite a bit of snow. As I posted yesterday, I was able to keep up with it yesterday thanks to my day off.

However, apparently this constituted a snow emergency, so I found a parking ticket on my truck this morning since it had been parked on the street last night. I didn't see any evidence of a plow going through, though. Sounds like more of a fundraiser, to me.

The morning commute took much longer than I would have liked; I was about five minutes late, and saw four accidents on my way in to work.

Mood: Annoyed
Music: The Beatles: "Lovely Rita"

Relief

I was able to take advantage of my day off today and finish the Christmas shopping and get everything shipped off. Two packages went out via UPS, one to Virginia and one to Florida. What a relief!

I also got the oil changed in the truck today, as well as spent some time outside shoveling snow. Today's high, hovering near 32°, felt balmy compared to our recent frigid weather. However, it made shoveling the snow a much more taxing task.

Mood: Relieved
Music: Bruce Springsteen: "Glory Days"

"I want to ride..."

This is pretty out there.

Mood: Puzzled
Music: Queen: "Bicycle Race"

Incredibly Generous

If this doesn't make you a little misty, then... well, I don't know.

Mood: Misty
Music: The Moody Blues: "Nights in White Satin"

Stupid

I got a pretty good laugh out of reading this. It has the added bonus of making you feel smart.

Mood: Amused
Music: Traffic: "Empty Pages"

O.T.

The Packers actually won last night, in overtime in a closely contested game against the Detroit Lions. The Packers showed a lot of the same things they have shown the rest of the season: decent defense, inconsistent special teams, and too many mistakes on offense. However, against the Lions they were able to get a running game going, and I think that made the difference.

Mood: Pleased
Music: Queen: "Dead on Time"

Yesterday

Yesterday Maryanne and I were at Narf and Pauline's for a while; Pauline wanted to throw a baby shower for Maryanne, to include the Carroll people. It turned out to be a rather small affair, as not many people were able to make it. Indeed, not many people RSVP'd for that matter. It was a nice little affair, though, that didn't seem to have much of the feel of a baby shower.

John and Anne were previously expected to make it, but that was revised to just Anne, and then it turned out Anne didn't make it, either; it could have been the weather. However, Tina was able to make it, as was Scott and his wife Joni, whom we had not met before. Angela was able to make it as well, and brought Ashley with her. I hadn't seen Scott or Angela since Maryanne and I got married, which was over three years ago now. It was very nice to see them again, and to see how much Ashley had grown. She's a pretty mature seven year-old.

The most interesting piece of news that we learned is that Ashley's going to be a big sister; Angela's pregnant. We were all very happy for her, knowing how much she wanted to have another child. As Maryanne and I drove home, though, we both remarked how we were a little surprised by it.

The afternoon made me think back to my Carroll days, though. It's hard to believe sometimes that six years have gone by since I graduated.

Mood: Reflective
Music: Ray Charles: "It Should've Been Me"

Pest Control

If it wasn't for the fact we've got a child on the way, one of these might be useful for the house.

Of course, it would probably bother the cat, too.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Golden Earring: "She Flies on Strange Wings"

Driving Conditions

Last night's commute was a little hairy... or perhaps I should say snowy, as we got a couple inches of snow yesterday which made driving conditions less than ideal. Under the best of conditions my commute takes from twenty to twenty-five minutes, but last night it took about forty-five. I passed a few cars, including one driving very slowly with its hazard lights on. However, I myself was passed far more often. I guess I prefer to not be the one who ends up in the ditch.

This morning's commute took longer than normal, as well, but not due to weather nor to road conditions. In fact, the Interstate was in pretty good winter driving condition. However, a number of drivers felt it necessary to drive about forty-five miles per hour, when I felt conditions were good enough for at least fifty-five. Thanks to these dipshits, I was a few minutes late to work.

Mood: Annoyed
Music: Del McCoury: "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms"

1337

Holy crap, I scored better than Westra....




Mood: Amused
Music: Extreme: "Decadence Dance"

Axed

I spent much of the evening trying to remove some spyware from the computer. Somehow some crap called SpyAxe had gotten installed on the system, and I had a devil of a time getting it removed. After Ad-Aware, Spybot, and Microsoft AntiSpyware all failed to remove it, I searched Google and found some additional instructions. These included such fun things as installing HijackThis and ewido, then booting in to safe mode to run all the tools. It took several hours to complete the process, but the system is finally clean again.

Mood: Satisfied
Music: Van Halen: "Fire in the Hole"

Blue Balls

Here's an excellent example of what happens when someone has access to a GIF animator and too much time on their hands.

Mood: Amused
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Night Flight"

Cheeseburgers!

"This story sounds pretty morbid...."

Mood: Amused
Music: T. Rex: "Jeepster"

The Other Side

Why is it you never hear about this kind of thing in the mainstream media?

Why is it that it takes a source like The Christian Science Monitor for us to hear about things like this?

Mood: Annoyed
Music: Nazareth: "Hair of the Dog"

For Narnia

There seems to be some hoopla over the upcoming film release of Disney's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Christians, of course, claim it as their own, citing its Christian message. A more secular demographic, including non-Christians, want to downplay that, and view it as a fantasy adventure story.

The Chronicles of Narnia as a whole are indeed a wonderful fantasy adventure. C.S. Lewis was, after all, a friend of J.R.R. Tolkien, and both were professors at Oxford. Favorite topics included fantasy, metaphysics, and (gasp!) theology.

As the article explains, Lewis was an atheist for much of his life, before converting to Christianity at age 32.

Anyone reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will see within it a message of sin, redemption, and forgiveness. Anyone with any familiarity with Christianity will see so much Christian symbolism it will make their head spin. Indeed, the climax of the story is a Passion play.

In the end, it doesn't really matter how an individual reads the book or views the movie. Some will see the Christian message, others will see only the fairy tale. However, to completely deny the spiritual significance of the story is not only ignorant, but stupid.

Mood: Annoyed
Music: The Monkees: "Valleri"

A Mummy Playing Tennis

This is why I want to buy the Yamara book.

Mood: Amused
Music: Willie Nelson: "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time"

Ruined

This was my problem with high school English classes.

Mood: Bemused
Music: none

American Wannabes

We're going to be subjected to six more seasons of this crap?

Mood: Disgusted
Music: none

Lost Opportunities

The Packers found another way to lose yesterday, turning the ball over five times. You can't win a football game that way.

The defense continues to play at an acceptable level. There aren't any real stars on it, at least not yet, but Coach Bates seems to be getting the job done.

The culprit continues to be the offense. While they were able to get a bit of a running game going, fumbles and interceptions caused a number of good drives to come to a halt.

I'll continue to watch them, to see what they accomplish the rest of the season. But at 2-9, there's no chance of even a .500 season.

In somewhat better news, Maryanne and I went up north to have Thanksgiving with Mom. There were six of us in all, a little shy of the days when we had at least eight. We stayed with Adam and Sammie, though, and got a chance to see Jesse and Barret and Jenny. We had to cut the weekend short, though, and return on Friday in time for Maryanne's doctor appointment.

We left Door County around eleven, and thought we'd have plenty of time to get to Madison. Around Beaver Dam it began snowing in earnest, but once we reached Sun Prairie we thought we'd still have plenty of time to get to St. Mary's hospital not only in time for the appointment, but to get a quick snack as well. Once we reached I-90 our plans changed though. Between the Interstate and the Park Street exit off the beltline we saw at least eight accidents. It should have taken us at most 30 minutes to cover this distance. However, it took us over forty-five, and Maryanne was actually late for her appointment.

I've always thought that Madison drivers were idiots. Apparently it doesn't take much snow to turn them into even bigger idiots.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: Electric Light Orchestra: "Jungle"

No Surprise

Is it sad that I wish my score was higher?

Mood: Wondering
Music: Procol Harum: "Whisky Train"

Down

This article about sums up last night's debacle at Lambeau.

Last night's game was pretty indicative of the season. The defense continues to play fairly well as a unit. They don't generate many turnovers, unfortunately, and a couple of big penalties were very costly. Still, they can't be faulted for the loss, as they were on the field so long during the second half, and were obviously tired.

The offense continues to be anemic without some big play makers at some of the skilled positions. The lack of an effective running game is putting too much pressure on Favre, and he's been trying to do too much, resulting in a lot of interceptions. With Green and Davenport out, their best backs are Fisher and Gado, who haven't been producing big numbers. I think this goes back to the loss of Rivera and Wahle to free agency. I think they should have at least tried to hold on the Wahle. He only has one bad knee opposed to Rivera's two, and is several years younger.

At this point, the Packers are 2-8; they'll have to win out the rest of the season just to break even, and with Chicago playing fairly well, I don't see that happening. The team continues to be optimistic despite the obvious. I think Mike Sherman deserves some credit for keeping the locker room together in spite of disappointed players, disgruntled fans, and scathing media.

I think we're watching Favre's first losing season in Green Bay, and the only light at the end may be the draft picks come spring.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: Led Zeppelin: "I Can't Quit You Baby"

War on Brats

This interesting article is very thought-provoking. Right now I'm inclined to side with the business owner. I'm not sure if that opinion would change once I become a parent myself, though. I understand parents who want to have a nice family outing. I have no sympathy, though, for elitist power couples who think they are superior or entitled, and let their children run rampant with no attempt at discipline.

I've seen these kind of people. A couple years ago, Maryanne and I went to brunch at Cherry Hills in Door County. At a nearby table was an older mother with some young children, the youngest of which looked to be four or five. He was running around the dining room, crawling under the tables (including ours), and otherwise being annoying. Part of the problem was that he was being treated like a two-year-old: his mother offered him a bite of her omelette, asking if he wanted a "bit of eggie."

Growing up, there was never a place that my parents needed to be so badly that they wouldn't leave if my sister or I acted like this.

In a situation like this, as a person currently without children, I try to look at the age of the child before passing judgment. Infants and very young children can't be expected to be absolutely quiet. However, there reaches an age where children can be held to a certain standard of behavior. When their parents fail to discipline them and hold them to this behavior, it seriously affects my ability to enjoy myself.

One of the mothers in the article stated, "You go to a coffee shop or a bakery for a rest, to relax, and that you would have to worry the whole time about your child doing something that children do -- really what they're saying is they don't welcome children, they want the child to behave like an adult.' "

It would appear that she fails to understand that the undisciplined child is preventing the other customers from resting and relaxing. Any adult with common sense will know that kids are kids, and can't be expected to behave like an adult. However, children should be expected to act their age, and act appropriately in a public place.

Mood: Annoyed
Music: Badfinger: "No Matter What"

Signs

Yesterday Maryanne and I tried to get some Christmas shopping done, but the day started out with a trip to Sam's Club. Now, I don't mean to stereotype the people who shop at Sam's Club. I'm sure there's all kinds of people who go there, and for some it's a good place to shop. However, comparing some of the prices there, many of their items are not really that much of a bargain. I can get the same prices, if not better, at the local Pick 'n Save. We picked up a few things, but only things that were actually cheaper than at the grocery store.

Of all the observations I made there, I think one sums up the experience the best. We were heading to the checkout aisles, where some of the aisles are marked for flatbed carts only. A guy, who as it turns out is involved with a catering company, pulls into one of these aisles with his flatbed cart. Ahead of him are two other customers, each with their own cart-- regular carts.

I don't know if this is a greater commentary on the customers who shop at Sam's Club, or the people that work there.

Mood: Snippy
Music: Alice in Chains: "Sea of Sorrow"

Get Your Own!

The governors of the Great Lakes states want to form a compact regarding who can use water from the Great Lakes and who can't. Check out this article for more on this story.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Heart: "Crazy on You"

Revealed

Well, well, well.

White

Today we got the first snow of the season. Nothing significant, at least around this area, but it's still snow. I feel it's a little early for it, but things could be far worse. I've seen snow as early as October and as late as May.

I'm not particularly fond of the snow and cold, but I do enjoy a white Christmas, and am fairly used to the prospect of a white Thanksgiving, as well.

What we've gotten today won't last, though. In a couple of days it will warm up enough that any accumulation will melt.

Mood: Ambivalent
Music: Van Halen: "Runaround"

From Art to Propaganda

I found this interesting poster collection courtesy of James Lileks. There are some truly artistic examples, such as this one and this one. There are also some apropos eco-political statements such as this psychedelic-inspired one, and this ironic one.

Unfortunately, though, it didn't take long for the finger pointing to begin, producing such purely political diatribes such as this one and this one.

Mood: Critical
Music: none

Onward

Autumn continues to wend its way onward. This morning was brisk, and there was a fairly heavy frost on the windshields this morning. I decided it was time to put the liner in my jacket.

I'm well over 11,000 hits on the site now. I continue to average about a thousand hits to the site per year. I'm glad to see that I'm getting some traffic, though more wold be nice.

Maryanne's due date is only about two months away now. I don't think it's time to panic. Hopefully there won't come a time to panic. I'm no longer feeling apprehensive about it. At times I'm excited, and at other times I'm nervous. While I'm sure it's all perfectly normal, that doesn't make me feel much better.

Mood: Reflective
Music: April Wine: "Roller"

W

So the Green and Gold got a much-needed win today against a statistically better team. But today's game shows that there's more to football than just the statistics, and throughout the season it's been apparent to me that the Packers were a much better team than their record suggested.

Mood: Pleased
Music: Iron Butterfly: "Stone Believer"

Disappointing Ends

Today wasn't nearly as productive as Maryanne and I would have liked. We had a lot of things we wanted to do today, but I think we only got a small number of them completed. We got a late start, and then rain set in, putting a damper on the rest of the plans for the late afternoon.

It allowed me to watch three quarters of the Badger game, though. They started out well enough, but couldn't keep things moving. I was hoping they'd get a win in Barry Alvarez's last home game as head coach. Sadly, they didn't, but Alvarez still deserves a lot of credit for his coaching success at the University of Wisconsin.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: Tonic: "You Wanted More"

Indisputable Evidence

A long while back I had posted about a guy by the name of Steven Avery who had been freed from prison in 2003 when DNA evidence cleared him of a conviction for an assault. He had been in prison for 18 years, which brought about a fairly high-profile case when he sought compensation over that provided by the state for his imprisonment.

Now, he's back in jail on charges, but may also be implicated in a recent homicide case. For the second time in his life, his freedom depends on the results of a DNA test.

Mood: Contemplative
Music: ZZ Top: "Just Got Paid"

Obligatory

Maryanne was pestering me, wondering why I never post about the baby. I replied that if she was so concerned about it, then she could post about the baby in her blog. She didn't like that so much.

Anyhow, I believe I've mentioned something here in the past about our impending parenthood, if not exactly explicitly. So now, lest Maryanne start haranguing me again, I'm here to produce an official baby post. Yes, Maryanne is pregnant with our first child, due in the middle of January. It's a girl, and our top choices for names are Adelia Mae and Sarah Elizabeth. I'm more fond of the former, while Maryanne's first choice is the latter. Her reason is that while she likes the nickname Addie, she doesn't so much like the sound of Addie Anschutz. I think that's a pretty silly reason.

Preparations are thus underway for the new addition to our family. So far we have acquired a stroller, car seat, crib, and a few other sundries, but we are far from having everything we need. We've registered at Target and at Burlington Coat Factory. I think Maryanne's going to end up with at least two showers, which is fine by me.

Mood: Snarky
Music: Uriah Heep: "Gypsy"

Honest

So the next book I've chosen for my reading pleasure is Roughing It by Mark Twain. I've already started it, and it promises to be very interesting. While it's not a work of fiction, Twain's writing ability has already shone through, at times humorous, at times biting, at times serious, but always entertaining.

This particular edition was published by Reader's Digest. While the cover looks like leather, I suspect it is not, though it is quite nice, being quarter bound in two different colors: tan, with a deep red-brown along the spine. It's also illustrated with drawings and woodcuts by "eminent artists." We'll see if I can tell who they turn out to be.

Having now read a number of Twain's works, I can see why he is considered by many to be one of the great American writers. Indeed, I think it can be said that Twain's works are a commendable contribution to Western literature in general. He was a brilliant writer, being observant, thoughtful, and (sometimes brutally) honest.

Mood: Reverent
Music: The Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Killing Floor"

Double Standard

I'm sure Title IX was never intended to cause a mess like this.

The Way to a Man's Heart

Now if only I could get Maryanne to do something like this.

Unresolved

Today I finished Knife of Dreams. It was good, with enough excitement to draw you in. It wasn't as satisfying as I would have liked, though. While it didn't introduce many more plot lines, and indeed advanced quite a few, it didn't really resolve a whole lot. It was easy to see, though, that many of the plot lines are heading in the right direction, leading some portions to seem almost --almost-- predictable. Still, it will be interesting to see how Jordan manages to wrap everything up in the twelfth and final book of the series.

I don't know what will be next. I didn't bring anything else with me today, unfortunately, forgetting that I was nearly done as of last Friday. Tomorrow we'll find out what will be next.

Mood: Undecided
Music: none

Frustrating

I've been putting a modicum of thought into getting a small carrying case for my MP3 player, something to keep it and its accessories together in case I want to use it any place other than the gym. I looked at what's available at Target, but nothing really struck me as being a must-have. I searched the web today, checking a few sites, and was disgusted by the fact that almost all MP3 player accessories are for the iPod.

I don't have an iPod. I'll never have an iPod. The iPod has an aura about it that rubs me the wrong way, and I'd much prefer to continue using some MP3 player designed more for Windows users, something that supports the WMV format. What's not to like about a format that provides all the quality in half the file size?

Mood: Frustrated
Music: Collective Soul: "Where the River Flows"

Cheese Turnover

The Packers lost again today, dropping to a dismal 1-and-7 record. The story of the game was turnovers. They had many of them, and each of them were costly, as Pittsburgh was able to capitalize on everyone and score 17 points as a direct result.

There were some bright spots, but all too few. The defense is starting to gel, thought the offense is unfortunately prone to unraveling due to the absence of many starts. Their new running back, Samkon Gado, was quite impressive. If he can continue to perform as he has, especially if he helps contribute to a win, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ahman Green cut.

Mood: Irritated
Music: The Eagles: "Heartache Tonight"

Name that Tune

I've been taking my MP3 player to work with me, so I have some tunes to listen to during my lunch, especially if the weather is pleasant enough to go outside for a walk. It's done the job, making the time a little more enjoyable. Some of the songs, though, remind me of my college days, and indeed have made me think about my relationship with music in general. There are a lot of songs, sometimes entire albums, that I associate with certain events or times in my life. They make me think about things that maybe I shouldn't, wondering how my life would be if some things had happened differently.

It's said that smell is the sense most strongly tied to memory. There are times when I agree with that. But I also wonder where music fits into the picture. Certainly my love of music has an influence on my life, and therefore on my memory, and the two are closely tied together. One will trigger the other.

Ever since high school, if not earlier, there would be time when certain things would jog my memory and put a song in my head. I don't mean just hearing a snippet of a song, or thinking you hear the song, or hearing or reading the lyrics. Sometimes things that are seemingly unrelated will do the same thing.

An excellent and current example is the book I'm currently reading, Knife of Dreams. For some reason it makes me think of Street of Dreams by Rainbow.

Likewise, As I Lay Dying by Faulkner would frequently make me think of In My Time of Dying by Led Zeppelin. And I've never even read the book.

Stuff like this happens to me all the time. It confuses Maryanne to no end. She's pretty much given up on asking me how I get from Point A to Point B.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Joe Cocker: "Cry Me a River"

Unusual

We've had some unseasonably warm weather for a couple days now. Yesterday we broke into the low 60s, while today it's predicted we'll hit the high 60s. The sunshine and warm weather are certainly nice, but it's a bit unusual for this time of year, to say the least.

Mood: Ambivalent
Music: none

Schneider

I spent a four-day weekend out of town, driving to Mom's on Saturday and returning yesterday. Maryanne was unable to get any time off, and thus stayed home. The purpose of the trip was to assist in moving my paternal grandmother from an assisted living facility to a nursing home. We were able to get most of the tasks for that accomplished while I was there, and the remaining tasks could be done without me.

Halloween night there was a card game. I didn't do well, losing $9.75, but it was a lot of fun, since it had been so long since we'd had a card game like that.

Bon Voyage

And we thought Daisy's recent vet visit made her an expensive kitty.

Nicknames

Despite the fact that Narf already blogged it, I thought it might be important to link this article as well. No matter what your opinion on the war in Iraq, I think it's not only important to put some names and faces with the fighting men and women serving over there, but to learn their opinions about what's going on there, as well.

Tall Order

Now that's a lot of dog.

Tempestuous

Last night Maryanne and I finished watching Frida. It was an interesting film, probably what you'd call a "biopic," though probably not what you'd call entertaining in the sense of a more fictional work.

The cast was fantastic, with Salma Hayek in the title role of Frida Kahlo and Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera. Their performances alone were fantastic, but add to the cast such names as Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Antonio Banderas, and Edward Norton, and you're well on your way to a first-rate production. The script was decent, easily demonstrating the tempestuous relationship between Kahlo and Rivera. The visual effects were stunning, giving life to Kahlo's surrealistic --and sometimes nightmarish-- paintings.

It also doesn't hurt that you get to see Salma Hayek in the nude, even if she is sporting a unibrow.

Catch Up

The issue with Microsoft Money has been rectified, after spending over ninety minutes on the phone with Microsoft themselves. Part of it was to fix the billing issue, and the rest was to make sure that the correct version of the software installed correctly. Everything's taken care of now. The only thing left is to get our data caught up.

Projects

Sunday afternoon Maryanne and I took a drive in to Madison to shop for a few things. We stopped at Barnes & Noble, and I picked up book eleven of the Wheel of Time series, Knife of Dreams. I'm hoping to get a chance to start it today.

You may be wondering why I didn't start it yesterday. Well, I had the day off, so I thought I'd take some time to work on some projects around the house. Well, it turned into mostly only one project, because our data file for Microsoft Money became corrupted, and I didn't determine that this was the problem until after I had downloaded and installed Money 2006. I thought I had downloaded Money 2006 Standard, but when it runs it keeps stating it's in Trial mode. I'll be watching my next couple of credit card statements to see if they charged me for the download or not before jumping to conclusions.

Last night Maryanne and I drove to Sun Prairie because Al Harris and Mark Roman of the Green Bay Packers were at a sports memorabilia shop signing autographs as a fundraiser. We had to wait in line for about an hour, but it wasn't a terrible experience. It provided us with a couple of Christmas presents, as well.

Unreasonable

Sunday afternoon Maryanne and I tuned in to watch the Packers play the Vikings at Minnesota. Things started off well; they looked like they were picking up from where they left off before the bye week, and went in to the locker room at half time with a 17-0 lead. While the running game wasn't spectacular, it was at least present, and they completely dominated the game up to that point.

After half time, it was a different story. The injuries piled up to the point where there was no running game to speak of, and the offense wasn't effective, frequently sputtering to a stop in a failed field goal attempt. The defense was suddenly ineffective, allowing the Vikings to rack up 20 unanswered points. A final field goal attemp was successful, tying the game with hopes of over time. The hopes were shattered though, on the unlikely 56-yard field goal by the Vikings as time expired.

The Packers fall to 1-5 for the season, with a goal of just having a .500 season being more reasonable than a winning season and a shot at the playoffs.

Done

Today I was able to finish Treasure Island. It was good to be able to return to it.

I don't know what's next on the list. We'll find that out on Tuesday, for I've a day off on Monday.

Dreck

So I've come to the conclusion that LiveJournal sucks.

Blogger may have its shortcomings, but it's at least navigable and user friendly.

LiveJournal, on the other hand, is a confusing tangle of links, some of which will prompt you to login even when you're already logged in, and some features are only available if you've paid for your account. Even their little Mood and Music features aren't enough to make up for what's a travesty of web design.

I could set up a Blogger posting template and do the same thing that LiveJournal does.

I wonder how well Brad Fitzpatrick sleeps at night.

Reproductions

Today I finished The Martian Tales Trilogy. It was an omnibus containing the first three books of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series. While they lack the character development of something from Dickens or Dumas, they were fantastic adventure stories. I'm kind of surprised that no one has tried to translate them to the big screen.

Unfortunately though, this edition was very poorly edited. I'm thinking it was somehow produced through OCR, spellchecked, but never proofread. All the words appear to be spelled correctly, or most of them, but there are many places were the wrong word is in a sentence, despite being spelled correctly. For the most part I've been able to figure out what the word should be, but I wonder how many readers would be able to do that.

This has caused me to put some serious thought into whether I want to keep this book, or replace it with another book, or multiple books. Indeed, the Easton Press recently published a beautiful set that contains the first five books of the series, but Maryanne would probably kill me for spending that much money on books.

Next on the list is Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. This particular edition is from Atheneum, and reproduces the classic 1911 Scribner's edition which featured illustrations from the great N. C. Wyeth.

I've read the book before, in junior high, wherein I got my first taste of adaptations. I was lucky enough to have a paperback copy at home at the time, for the copies that were handed out in class, and which I declined, were adaptations. Being able to compare the two when the text was read aloud in class, I was frustrated by the fact that the original text had been "dumbed down." Indeed, it could have been this experience that has led me to seek original texts and faithful translations whenever possible. And it was this experience that probably so stifled my future enjoyment of English class for a long, long time.

Ready for Adoption

It looks like Pinky the cat is really ready for adoption.

Expiration Date

This is pretty interesting.

Evolution

This is pretty amusing.

Productivity

I somehow managed to get a four day weekend this last weekend. I got Friday for my flex day last week, and Monday for my flex day this week. It worked out well, as I was able to get some things done on Friday in preparation for Mom's visit. The weather was cooperative, and I was able to plant some flowers and mow the lawn in addition to other indoor chores.

That's right: Mom actually came for a visit. She came down with Ed, a long-time family friend, early on Saturday, and they departed Sunday afternoon. We watched the Badger game, complete with its exciting and improbable ending, before Ed departed for Whitewater to visit a cousin. Mom enjoyed her visit. We were able to show her some of the sights of the area in her short visit, and she was able to take in some shopping, which she clearly enjoyed as well.

Yesterday was fairly productive as well. Not only was I able to find some repellent to keep the squirrels out of my bulbs, but Daisy's checkup with the vet showed that she's coming along quite nicely.

No surprise

Something like this can't really be considered unexpected.

Welsh

So I spent the last two work days at the Monona Terrace for the American Family Insurance Field Management Conference. It was an interesting experience. We had a booth set up in a high-traffic area, near the event's registration desk, in case any of the participants had any questions for us.

Due to our location, though, we were also in the path of the tours that are offered at the Terrace. See, the Terrace was originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and bears striking similarities to the Guggenheim in New York, which was actually designed later. Part of the tour included some photos in the hall near our booth of Wright's work, including his home in Spring Green, WI, Taliesin, and his home in Arizona, Taliesin West.

Unfortunately, though, all the guides were saying "Tally Essen" which is incorrect. Since Taliesin is a Welsh name, it should be "Tal Yessen."

Plausible

It looks like MythBusters may have gotten one wrong.

Inverse relation

There may be something to those who say there is a correlation between the Badgers' performance on Saturday and the Packers' performance on Sunday. The Badgers defense broke down on Saturday, resulting in a loss to Northwestern in Evanston. Strangely enough, the game wasn't even televised in their local market.

Today, the Packers demolished the Saints in a game that became so lopsided that it became boring. I'm surprised they didn't put Aaron Rodgers in sooner along with some of the other backups. But today's game could be the boost the team needs to regain their confidence and get back on track.

Home

I was able to pick up Daisy from the vet's office yesterday. She was a little skittish when I first got her home. She started exploring the house before kind of settling down. I decided to watch some T.V., and a little after four o'click she decided to join me, and more or less sat in my lap for the next two hours.

She's slowly returning to her normal self. She's yet to become as active and playful as she normally is, but it's obvious that she's got some soreness. If Maryanne or I try to pick her up, she cries a little bit. She's been eating though, and it wasn't too difficult to get her to swallow her medication this morning. She's clearly on the road to recovery.

Misery

We found out late yesterday afternoon that Daisy has to stay at the vet's a little longer because she was running a fever. Of course, the voicemail message that informed Maryanne of this wasn't received until after she had left work to go pick up Daisy, about five minutes before she arrived at the vet's office. Maryanne was very upset. She wasted two hours of vacation time for almost nothing. After chewing out the staff for not calling her work number, she demanded to see Daisy, and they wisely showed her the way.

Daisy has apparently been eating and drinking, but Maryanne was quite concerned because "she looked miserable." I told Maryanne that she'd probably look miserable too if she had just had surgery for a blockage in her intestines and was running a fever. This didn't help much.

Maryanne has been very pessimistic about the situation. We're both hoping that today's diagnosis is much better, and that Daisy will be allowed to go home and recuperate.

Question of Faith

Last night Maryanne and I met with Pastor Lehman from First Lutheran Church in Stoughton. I for one need to find a new church in Stoughton, because Bay View in Sturgeon Bay is just too far away. Maryanne is at a bit of a crossroads with her faith right now, and she needs to find a place where she feels comfortable, as well.

The meeting went well. Pastor Lehman was able to answer a lot of our questions, and even some we hadn't thought to ask. It'll be a nice fit for me, and I hope a nice fit for Maryanne, as well.

Backed up

The Packers dropped to a bleak 0-4 last night. As Maryanne noted, we didn't know which was worse: another loss putting them at 0-4, or the fact they came so close to mounting a winning drive.

I was looking forward to using today as a day to get some things done; unfortunately, Daisy had some different plans.

She had been lethargic and subdued most of the day yesterday, and there was evidence that she had done some vomiting sometime between Sunday night and yesterday morning. I didn't think too much of it, but she hadn't changed by yesterday evening. Maryanne called the vet, and if things hadn't improved by this morning, we'd take her in.

Well, she was still subdued today, so we took her to the vet right away at seven o'clock when they opened; we then learned an actual vet wouldn't be there until nine o'clock, and the first appointment they had open was for 9:45. I knew Daisy would be more comfortable at home, so we took her home and would return later. Maryanne went to her doctor's appointment alone in case she wouldn't be back in time, and I took Daisy back to the vet for 9:45.

The office was very busy, and it was almost ten o'clock before they weighed Daisy and got us in an exam room, giving Maryanne enough time to meet me. After half joking with Maryanne that Daisy may simply be constipated, an x-ray showed that Daisy is indeed constipated, because she swallowed a paper clip.

So our kitty underwent surgery yesterday, and the last we heard was that she was recovering. No news is good news, and barring any complications, Maryanne will pick her up tonight.

Reflection

Maryanne and I went to Door County for the weekend, and stayed with my mom. There was nothing particularly spectacular about the weekend, per se. The weather was good, and we got a few things accomplished, and were able to take things easy the rest of the time. I'll probably be returning at the end of the month if everything goes as planned, but the next time Maryanne and I both go won't be until Thanksgiving.

Friday night was apparently a momentous occasion: Sevastopol won their homecoming game! I was flabbergasted. It wasn't a fluke, either. They beat Oconto with a score of 23-8. It marks the first time since 1983 that Sevastopol has won a game with an independent football team. More here.

Today marks the third anniversary of Dad's passing. It's not a celebratory anniversary by any means. It's just another time to pause and remember him, and wonder if things could have been different.

Get it done

Today I had a day off, so I was able to get a few things done, though not as much as I would have liked.

After driving Maryanne to work, I dropped off the cell phone bill before heading to East Town Mall. I had about 45 minutes to kill before anything really opened. The only places open were McDonald's and Starbucks; I went to the latter and got some hot cocoa and a scone. The scone wasn't really that good.

Once everything opened up around nine I went to Gordman's. The only worthwhile thing I found was a shirt. I killed some time at Barnes & Noble before the Dakota Watch kiosk finally opened. I decided I needed another new watch. I've decided that from here on out, all my new watches will need all steel cases. My body chemistry slowly erodes the plating on base metal cases.

I returned home for a bit to get some laundry done and do a few other things. Once the laundry was in the dryer I ventured out again. I stopped first to pick up my new glasses; glass lenses are 100% better. I then got a haircut at Cost Cutters before stopping at Stoughton Garden Center for a few things, including a bunch of bulbs.

While at Cost Cutters I came to a conclusion: Men's Journal must be in love with Brett Favre. Quite some time ago they did an article on the toughest men in America, and Favre topped the list. Now, in a more recent issue, they had a story about Favre and a 10-point plan for getting and keeping your dream job.

After returning home I rushed to finish the laundry and run the dishwasher so I'll have time to clean up before going to pick up Maryanne and drive north. Time might be tight.

Yossarian Lives

Well, I finished Catch-22 today. I was glad I reread it. There were parts I remembered, and other parts I did not. I'm not exactly sure how satisfied I was with the ending, despite it being a very entertaining yet thought-provoking book. I'll have to read the sequel sometime.

I was pleased to see that the author, Joseph Heller, had served as a bombardier in World War II; I hope his own experiences influenced his writing, inasmuch as the details and other factual elements are accurrate.

Unfortunately I didn't bring another book with me, and probably should have. It's been a rather slow afternoon and I could really use another book. I'm not entirely certain what will be next, but I suspect it will be the recently-acquired Mars omnibus I purchased, containing the first three books of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series.

Yesterday and today have been flirts with autumn. Yesterday was dull and drab, with overcast skies and the occasional sprinkle of rain, and a chill wind swirling brown leaves around. Today is cool but more pleasant, with bright clear skies before heading into a weekend that will be unseasonably warm. I've come to enjoy autumn more than summer, and part of me looks forward to the first few frosty nights that will add the fiery fall colors to the trees. Some mums seem in order, but I've yet been able to make it to the garden center for any of them or for any spring bulbs. Perhaps I'll do that tomorrow.

Hrm...

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Weekend

Maryanne and I went out of town to celebrate our wedding anniversary, thinking it would probably be the last chance for a while that we'd be able to do so, what with a child on the way and all. We went up to Kewaunee and stayed at the Karsten Inn. We left Friday, since I had the day off and Maryanne only had a half day. We ran a few errands in Madison before making our way northward. It was a pleasant enough drive, and after checking in and getting settled, we decided to have dinner. I was disappointed to learn that the restaurant at the hotel had closed in December. We decided to go up to Algoma and get some pizza at Penguin City. It was interesting to see some changes in Algoma: places that moved, or closed, or opened, or other improvements around town.

Saturday we breakfasted at the hotel before departing for Green Bay. We made stops at Best Buy and the Packers Pro Shop before going to Heritage Hill. When we arrived there we learned that they were only running guided tours, and the next open one wasn't for another two hours. We decided to drive back to Lambeau Field and have lunch at the atrium. This turned out to be rather fortuitous, as we were able to see some of the Packers players leave the stadium.

After lunch we drove back to Heritage Hill and took the tour. It was very interesting, and even Maryanne enjoyed it, admitting to liking it more than she thought she would. Afterwards we drove back to Kewaunee so Maryanne could rest a bit before dinner. I was hoping to catch the Badger game, but the channel wasn't available at the hotel. After watching parts of a couple of movies, we went to dinner at restaurant called Port O' Call. It had been recommended by the front desk clerk at the hotel. We were quite pleased with it: the food was good, the service was good, the atmosphere was good, and they had the Badger game on.

This morning we breakfasted at Dairy Dean's in Algoma before departing for home. We wanted to get an early start to avoid traffic from the Packers game. This turned out to be a good decision, as well, as we had to slow down several times due to heavy rain.

Sadly, once we did get home the football game wasn't much better. There were some improvements on both sides of the ball, but not enough to get a win. I sense some impatience on the part of Brett Favre, and I think it's starting to affect his game adversely. They badly need a win to get back on track.

Seasons

Maryanne and I went out to dinner last night, because yesterday marked our third wedding anniversary. It was an enjoyable evening. We checked out a fairly new restaurant, Laz Bistro, in Stoughton. I was fairly impressed. We ordered an appetizer, which consisted of home-made kettle chips covered with Monterey jack and bleu cheeses and a red pepper sauce; it was delicious. For my entree I ordered their barbecued ribs, and was quite satisfied with them. They were accompanied by curly fries, which were fair, and baked beans with apples and pecans, which was quite interesting.

Today marks the transition into autumn. I'm kind of looking forward to it; I'll be glad to see the hot, oppressive weather of late summer go. Even the weather has sensed the change; yesterday was sunny, clear, and hot, while today has been gray and cool. I'm enjoying it.

Wasted opportunity

Maryanne and I watched The Wedding Date last night. I had actually wanted to see it, since the previews made it appear intriguing. I was expecting a romantic comedy in the traditional sense, and while it had its lighter moments, it wasn't really what you'd call a romantic comedy.

That being said, Debra Messing was pretty hot and delivers a good performance, but Dermot Mulroney's character was way too stoic, for lack of a better term. Holland Taylor was under utilized, as was Peter Egan.

It was an interesting story, but somehow lacked some punch. I think the blame can be placed on the writer and the director, because the cast really looked capable of doing more given the opportunity.

Arrr!

Avast, ye land lubbers!

Into the woods

Despite there being much shittiness at work last week, I was actually able to leave work early on Friday and participate in this year's guys' camping trip. It was at Castle Mounds Campground up in a state forest in the Black River Falls area. It was a relatively short drive for me, considering the other participants were coming from either the Twin Cities or from Chicago/Milwaukee. The whole experience was a lot of fun, and also allows me to make a list of useful camping equipment for next time.

I returned home Sunday, and Jesse and Barret stopped by on their way to Chicago. They watched the first half of the Packer game with Maryanne and me. The Packers didn't look so hot, and I place the full blame for the second interception on Brett. Let's hope they can get out of the woods next Sunday.

Trifecta

Three shitty days in a row. I mean shitty. Fucking shitty. That's what happens when you do tech support and get to clean up someone else's mess.

Apparently it all started Tuesday after a software release on Monday night. Things were broken, and we couldn't fix it. By Wednesday we were given the tools to fix it, and told another release sent that night would fix it.

Thursday morning we found out the new release didn't go out the night before. Why? It didn't get tested in time. So our customers have been using broken software for two days, and you're going to make them use it a third day because you decide to actually test it now?

I'm having a really hard time keeping from telling our customers what I really think of the whole situation.

Twee

James Lileks, on the legal system: "An adequate representation of the flaws and aspirations of its participants."

Funniest thing I've read all day, and that's considering the fact that I'm currently working on Catch-22.

Not that long

I started on Catch-22 today. The last time I read it was my sophomore year of highschool. It'll be nice to return to it, especially as I'm more mature than I was then and may pick up on some things in the book that I didn't before.

I remember an episode of Animaniacs in which Ben Stein voiced a character by the name of Francis Pumphandle, "...but my friends call me Pip." Now Pip was a caricature of Stein, and his almost monotone drone was exaggerated for the cartoon. During his long and boring monologue he spoke of Catch-22, and how it was a long novel, and he never finished novels. Now, this edition is in hardcover from Simon & Schuster, and weighs in around 400 pages, which compared to some other books I've read, isn't long at all. I think we all know I won't have any problems finishing it.

Nominated

There has been much to-do in the news regarding the confirmation hearing for John Roberts. Before even seeing any news on it, I thought to myself that he's there to interpret the Constitution, not promote his personal opinions. As it turns out, that's pretty much what he's said: "my faith and my religious beliefs do not play a role in judging. When it comes to judging, I look to the law books and always have."

Why, then, are so many people having a hard time taking him at his word?

Mmm... Good!

For some reason I found this hilarious.

I suppose it's going to be one of those things you either get or you don't.

This is kind of in the same theme.

A familiar story

I finished The Arabian Nights today. Technically it's The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, but we'll not quibble. I enjoyed rereading it, and this edition included a few more stories that I was not familiar with.

My only complaint is that the whole time I was reading the story of Alaeddin, I was picturing the princess's father as a doddering, portly old man like in the Disney movie. Damn you, Disney!

I didn't bring any other books with me today, so we won't know for sure until Wednesday what will be next. I have a feeling I'll be rereading Catch-22.

Unmotivated

Maryanne and I spent another low-key weekend mostly at home. We didn't really get much of anything accomplished. I did some painting on Saturday, but nothing significant, and besides watching the Packers lose, we didn't do much yesterday, either.

We both have the day off tomorrow, though, and I hope to get more done.

Outlook not so good

So I picked up my new glasses yesterday. It took a few hours to adjust to them. I noticed right away that they were much, much lighter, being that they have plastic lenses that are much smaller than my old ones.

That being said, though, I'm not sure I can handle them. I noticed right away that I had to turn my head and look directly at something for it to be in proper focus. I couldn't just move my eyes. This has been even more noticeable today at work, where I would normally just move my eyes around my computer screen. This doesn't work so well. I don't know if it's the smaller size of the lenses, or the fact that they're plastic. If it keeps up throughout the morning, I'll be calling to the optical shop and discussing it with them.

Update: After talking with the optical shop, the most likely candidate is the plastic lenses. While the high-index plastic is optically superior to polycarbonate, it's not as good as glass. Sandy, the optician, will adjust my frames on Tuesday, and if I still don't like it, we'll switch to glass, no charge.

Redecorating

I used to have a link to a website called ThemeXP, which was a place to get desktop wallpaper and themes, and the like. However, I checked them out again recently, then quickly removed my link. Why? They used to provide the files in a downloadable .zip file. Now the files are in a self-extracting archive, in a .exe format, which also installs some spyware on your system. No thanks.

Mellow

Maryanne and I spent a rather slow-paced and relaxing weekend in Door County. I helped Mom with a project or two, but other than that, there weren't many tasks to complete. This means that the next time I'm up there will be more, including moving some trees. By that time, though, the weather should be cooler and more hospitable to physical labor.

We were able to do some shopping, and we found some nice tin signs for our kitchen at an antique shop. We were also able to spend some time with Adam and Sammie, and we rented Napoleon Dynamite, which turned out to be a bizarre but amusing movie.

Labor Day weekend also usually marks Sevastopol class tournaments, so I saw some old schoolmates. We ate out a lot, but Maryanne and I paid less than $20 ourselves the whole weekend.

Yesterday I tried helping Adam set up some new computers at Cherry Hills. The computers themselves weren't too much of an issue. However, we did meet a roadblock when trying to install a second receipt printer on one of the computers. I suspect it's a configuration issue with the printer itself. Adam planned on contacting Epson support himself to get it resolved.

We got on the road much later than we wanted to yesterday, but we were still home by seven. Daisy was very happy to see us, and we were glad to be home.

Nobody could forsee....

I thought this was an interesting piece from the blogosphere. Despite the commentary on it being biased, it is, if nothing else, thought-provoking.

Chaos

It would be nice to think that disasters along the lines of Hurricane Katrina would bring out the best in everone, but clearly that's not always the case. It brings out the worst in some. After you read the article, check out the discussion thread from Fark.

See you....

August is gone, and September is here. Some would say that summer is gone as well, but we've been through that discussion. There is a noticeable change in the weather, though. The days are still warm, sometimes hot, but the nights are deliciously cool, and the air is less humid.

Labor Day weekend approaches, and with it the end of summer travel. Due not only to the high demand but by the effects of Hurricane Katrina, as well, gas prices have skyrocketed. But since Maryanne and I have not been up north since the end of July, we'll make the trip anyway.

For whatever reason, I've been having some weird dreams lately. I go days, weeks even, without remembering any of my dreams, when BANG! I'll remember one quite vividly. There have been three such of these lately, all very similar. I won't go into details, other than to say I have a suspicion as to what is causing them.

New Specs

I got my eyes checked yesterday. It had been at least four years since my last exam, and I figured I was about due. The whole process took over an hour, but that included my time with the optician picking out new frames and so forth.

The exam was even less pleasant than I anticipated. I could have told them I'm red-green color blind, but they made me look at the test cards anyway. They also did the always joyful glaucoma test. The worst was having my eyes dilated; I'd never had it done before. Not only did it blur my near vision, but it made my already sensitive eyes even more sensitive.

But I'll come out of it all with new frames and new lenses. The lenses will have an anti-glare coating, which I like the idea of. They will also be made of high-index plastic, instead of glass, which is supposed to make them lighter. Optically they'll perform better than regular plastic; I never did ask about price, and now I'm thinking I should have. We'll see how they go. Part of me is thinking I'll end up switching back to glass lenses.

Riddles

We had a gaming day on Saturday, starting later since Maryanne was attending a bridal shower and Tina was not able to join us, and running a couple of short, one-off adventures. In retrospect I should have run them in the other order.

The first was Dry Spell, a site-based adventure involving the PCs being hired to take care of a group of bandits. They worked through this adventure surprisingly quickly.

The second was The Ettin's Riddle, and was more of an event-based adventure wherein the PCs had to solve a riddle. The riddle proved more challenging than I anticipated, though I don't know how much of this was caused by the lateness of the time. Thus I ended up reworking the module quite a bit, leaving out the bit where the town constable shows up to kill said ettin regardless of whether the PCs have solved the riddle or not.

My experiment of putting basic PC information on index cards and then putting them in initiative order to help move combat more quickly seemed to work pretty well. I think instead of trying to hold them, though, I may clip them to my screen instead.

Disturbing....

This is pretty disturbing for a number of reasons, but somehow amusing at the same time.

Wet Paint

So our house started getting repainted yesterday. We're hoping that not only will its appearance be helped by a fresh coat of paint, but by the new color, as well.

The weather was pretty good yesterday, which meant I had the windows open most of the day. The house ended up smelling like primer. Daisy wasn't enthusiastic about the noise caused by scraping, but once that ended and the priming began, she was rather fascinated by all the commotion.

Maryanne's aunt Sarah is also visiting from Mexico. We had Maryanne's family over for dinner last night, and I once again tried some barbecue on the gas grill. The dry rub is pretty good, though maybe a tad spicy; I'd like something a bit more savory. Nonetheless, the results were must more satisfactory this time around, as the heat was low enough this time.

The experience made me wonder though: I used country-style ribs, boneless, which turned out delightful. Compared to a rack of ribs, it's a much better deal. No bones, more meat, and less than half as expensive. Why does anyone bother with spareribs?

"Instant Karma"

Ever heard that clever pun, "My karma ran over my dogma?"

Well, apparently they never saw this.

Firefox

So I'm kind of diggin' Mozilla Firefox. Well, most of the time, anyway. It handled pop-up blocking a lot better than Internet Explorer, and tabbed browsing is sweet. However, it sucks at downloading plug-ins on the fly. The dialog box for downloading extension appears no problem, but even if it manages to figure out what plug-in it needs, it never downloads it.

Severe weather

There was a bit of excitement in Stoughton last night.

The good news is that neither Maryanne nor I were hurt, and there was no damage to our property. We lost our cable services, and couldn't get any cell phone service, but everything else appeared to be fine.

I was bad, though, and didn't go in the basement. In fact, I was cooking my dinner.

This was probably much safer than the guy who did this.

Lost in translation....

Chinese has always been a good source of things that translate poorly from English, but things are far worse when translated from English to Chinese then back to English, as evidenced by these shots from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

A 1001 Nights

I finally finished The Last Battle today. I've enjoyed reading the Chronicles of Narnia, despite their being written for a younger audience. As an adult it's easier to see the obvious symbolism, that they are obviously allegories. I think younger readers would enjoy them for the adventure stories they are, but still might learn something useful from them.

I'm next starting on The Arabian Nights. I won't rehash everything I've mentioned before. This particular edition is from the Modern Library collection, and weighs in at 931 pages, shorter than the entire Burton translation, but much larger than a shorter edition I read many years ago. The stories for the Modern Library edition were selected by Bennett Cerf.

Trial run

I decided I'd give Firefox a try, at least at home, and see how it performs compared to Internet Explorer.

I used to like Netscape Navigator up to version 3 or so; once version 4.0 came out, I thought it was so hideous and terrible I switched to IE immediately. Now in addition to the features that Firefox has that IE does not, I also hear Firefox is faster. We'll see.

Last....

So today I came prepared: not only have I started on The Last Battle, the seventh and final book in the Chronicles of Narnia. C.S. Lewis wastes no time in this one; the book clearly parallels the book of Revelation, and only two chapters into it we've already seen the Antichrist.

I also brought with me The Arabian Nights. It's an abridgement of the Richard Burton translation. I've read some of it before, but it was a long time ago, and was a much shorter abridgement.

Someday I'd like to have a complete edition, but they have a tendency to be very expensive.

Changes

Today I started my new work schedule, working 7:30 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. to get a full day off each week. It remains to be seen if it'll be worth it. It'll make for a long day. And if I go to the gym after work? Yikes....

Still, I'll try it for a month, and if I can't handle it, I'll go to a four and a half day week.

I also finished The Magician's Nephew today, but forgot to bring the next book of the series with me today. I suspect it's going to be a boring day.

Adventure

Today I finished book 5 in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy. It was a fine adventure story, with some Christian morality thrown in.

Next is The Magician's Nephew.

Succession

So I've now finished The Silver Chair as well. It featured a bit of Christian symbolism, as well as a jab at British politics. I liked it on the whole.

Next shall be book five in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy.

Next

Today I finished The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, book three in the Chronicles of Narnia. It was entertaining, with a bit of Christian symbolism thrown in, this time in the form of a lamb feeding people with fish.

Next will be book four, The Silver Chair.

Beginning of the end

Today is the beginning of the end, the first of August, the last full month of summer. It sure feels like, it too. Opressive heat, sweltering humidity, and not nearly enough rain. The most prevalent sounds in the air have been cicadas and the occasional scream of a blue jay. None of these are very pleasant.

I'm actually looking forward to the fall.

Faith

This morning I finished Prince Caspian, the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia. While it had less symbolism than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, did, it was still good. It was a nice adventure story while still teaching a lesson about faith.

Next is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Symbols

Today I finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and moved on to Prince Caspian. It's been entertaining so far. It's obviously a story for children, and told in the tone of a story teller, as if C.S. Lewis himself were speaking to you.

It's also quite obviously a morality tale of some sort. If I didn't already know that C.S. Lewis wrote about Christian ideas, even in his fiction, it would be easy to determine from these books. The parallels are striking, and he draws from European legends as well, particularly Norse and Greek. We have such Norse elements as the bitterly cruel winter, the White Witch, sledges, reindeer, dwarves, and so forth. We also have such decidedly Christian elements as a lion (the Lion of Judah, and St. Mark the Evangelist), eagles (St. John the Evangelist), a bull with a man's head (St. Luke the Evangelist), and humans (St. Matthew the Evangelist), the last being explicitly referred to as the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve. There's enough symbolism to make your head spin.

And then we come to Aslan himself. Supposedly Steinbeck's The Old Man and the Sea included a Christ figure in the form of Santiago, the old fisherman. Please! Aslan is a Christ figure if there ever was one. His actions parallel the Passion and the Rapture. All the fisherman did was cut his hands on his fishing net.

Despite the fact that the Chronicles of Narnia was written for younger readers, I have the idea I'm going to enjoy it immensely.

It's magic

I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Friday night. Since a good portion of my small readership have not read the book yet, I'll be sure not to include any spoilers. Some things were surprising, some were not. Some were unexpected, some were not. I enjoyed reading it, despite a number of downers, and can't wait for the next one.

Next on the list is Narnia. That's right, I'm starting The Chronicles of Narnia. Pauline loaned me a paperback set of the seven books, and I'll be starting The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe today.

Ignorant

As much as I slag Illinois for all the stupid things there, it's now Colorado's turn: in an act of ignorant, bigoted prejudice that words are insufficient to describe, the city of Denver has banned pit bulls and is now rounding them up to be destroyed.

Then read the comments on Fark, and try to guess who's a pet owner and who's not.

"...The best of times...."

Last night I finished Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, and all I can say is, "Wow." None of the other books I've read by him have been so powerful. It was quite a departure from his previous works: fewer characters, less humor, perhaps darker in a way, and a change of setting. It indeed features one of the most memorable openings, and one of the most memorable closings, as any work in all of literature. Having no preconceptions or expectations before starting the book, now that I've finished it, I can truly say that I'm glad to have read it.

Next on the list is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. If J.K. Rowling's writing continues to progress as it has so far, I'd say I'm in for quite a treat.

Hot, hot, hot

It's been an unbearably hot weekend, not fit for doing much of anything, at least if it's outside. Yesterday Maryanne and I went with her parents to Holy Hill. It's an interesting place, and a pretty church. The mass was very long, since they were ordaining a new priest.

Otherwise it's been a lazy weekend, since neither of us have been particularly ambitious. In fact, I'm finding it hard to find the motivation to do much of anything right now.

Busted

Regardless of your opinion of the source, this article, which debunks some of the anti-war myths about Iraq, is interesting reading.

Rainy day....

Yesterday evening we got some much-needed rain. Not nearly as much as we could use, but it came down hard for a little while, at least.

Now I won't have to water the plants for a couple days, but I'll have to make sure I get the lawn cut Friday.

Wet paint....

I've been working on a home improvement project for a while now in the finished portion of our basement. The basement had been in bad shape: it was done in wainscoting, poorly, using cheap paneling on the bottom, drywall on the top, and a chair rail covering the seam. However, rather than do it correctly, which would be to drywall the entire room, and then put the paneling on top of the drywall for the wainscoting, the upper half of the walls were done in drywall, and the lower in paneling.

The paneling was very dark, and even if the paint on the drywall started as white, it had yellowed cosiderably, and was a flat finish. I decided the room needed some brightening, and decided the best place to go was white, with a gloss finish. I decided further to go with a Mondrian theme for the room. Much of this weekend was spent priming and painting the corner where the computer sits. I probably didn't give it all enough time to dry, though, and will have some considerable touch-up work to do tonight before putting the computer back where it belongs.

It's been quite a learning experience so far. The best solution, of course, would have been to rip out everything and put up completely new sheet rock, but we have neither the time nor the money for that kind of project. Also, this weekend's work was a bit rushed. I think I will take my time working on the remainder of the room, and try to allow for the full drying time recommended for the paints.

Good company....

For those of you not in the know, the Discovery Channel ran a "Greatest American" series of programs back in June. I think I may have been part of the survey that generated the original nominees. Through viewer polling they finally reached a final five: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Ronald Reagan. Not bad company to be in, eh? --Especially if you're Ronald Reagan.

I was surprised to see him make the top five, honestly. Let's compare the field.... George Washington: charismatic, "Father of Our Country," leader of the Continental Army, and landslide-winner as our first President; as much responsible for shaping the trappings of the Presidency as the Constitution is. Benjamin Franklin: charismatic, "The First American," instrumental in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, statesman, author, scientist. Abraham Lincoln: a quiet, strong leader who led the country through the Civil War, preserving the Union and thereby the idea that "all men are created equal." Martin Luther King, Jr.: charismatic, eloquent speaker, the embodiment of the Civil Rights movement. Ronald Reagan: charismatic, actor, statesman, politician.

Now, we can all debate until we're blue in the face how responsible Reagan was for the downfall of communism, or his place in the top five. But the masses have spoken, and they ranked him the greatest American.

Honestly, I'm as baffled as you are.

Happy Birthday!

It's July 4th, Independence Day, the 229th birthday of a great experiment known as the United States of America.

That's enough....

Some recent posts by Leanne, Luke and Amy got me to thinking: why is there so much negativity toward people with conservative political views?

The negativity ranges from apathy to pity to disdain to outright hatred. Those of a more liberal political position seem to have little, if anything, positive to say about those at the other end of the political spectrum. The individual opinion of a liberal seems to have some corollation to their own opinion of themselves. Those with more of an elitist attitude tend toward disdain and hatred of conservatives, while those closer to the middle seem to pity conservatives.

I'd like to consider myself fairly moderate. I support civil liberties and the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights (all of them, including the Second Amendment, which a lot of liberals seem to ignore, if not loathe). I'm socially progressive, while some have claimed I'm politically conservative. Call me a neocon if you want to, or maybe a "South Park" conservative; I consider myself independent.

I try not to hate all liberals, at least not the way that it seems liberals hate all conservatives. It's hard, though, when we're talking about the same people that are responsible for the bane of political correctness, PETA, and picking and choosing which parts of the Bill of Rights are acceptable and which are not. I'm not saying conservatives are all sweetness and light. After all, it's the far right who's responsible for such things as pushing to teach creationism in schools, Rush Limbaugh, and attempting to legislate religious morality.

Personally, I think the sudden resurgence of conservatives, or neocons, if you will, is a backlash caused by the left. Sure, the left didn't do it on purpose, but enough political correctness, animal rights insanity, and attacks on civil rights will eventually cause anyone with any common sense to say "That's enough!"

Now, like anyone in the same situation, now that the Republicans are in control of Congress and the White House, they're trying to further their agenda. The Democrats would do the same thing if they were in the same position, and anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded. It's no surprise to me that they're once again challenging a woman's right to choose (a choice I support, by the way), or trying to ban the burning of the flag (which I disagree with, by the way), or any of the other ultra-conservative stuff they're trying to do. Anybody who didn't see this coming needs help. Now, if the Supreme Court does what it's supposed to, and interpret and support the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and not legislate from the bench, then we have little to worry about. But if the left really wants to protect these rights, they should support all civil rights, not just the ones they like. They should stop ignoring the "fly-over" area of middle America, the same group accused of "demonizing" those who call themselves "progressive" and work with them instead. If they don't, it'll be more of the same.

So, while people like Amy, Leanne, and Luke continue to harbor such feelings towards the far right, I'll hope that they won't hold it against me when I suggest it's their political comrades that have caused people like me to say "That's enough."

The letter of the law....

As if I needed any more, here's another good reason not to live in Illinois.

Fun....

Well, it's July now, still early in the summer, but before too much longer we'll be facing the oppressive, over-bearing heat and humidity of middle and late summer, and then it won't be so much fun any more.

Maryanne and I were on vacation for most of this last week. We had originally planned to go to Mexico, but it was going to be at least $1,000 for both of us to go, so we decided not to. We had looked in to going up to the Apostle Islands on the Lake Superior shore, but hit some snags there, as well. Finally, we ended up going to Door County because my aunt and uncle were going to be visiting there. Maryanne didn't think it was much of a vacation for me, since I helped with some projects that needed to be done. She sometimes doesn't understand that some of those projects are actually fun for me.

We were able to do a bit of the tourist thing while we were up there, though. Monday afternoon we did some shopping up north. Not too bad of a day for it, though it was one of the hottest days of the summer. We stopped at Not Licked Yet in Fish Creek for some frozen custard, and it was probably the smartest thing we did all weekend. You had to eat fast, though, as the custard was melting pretty fast. Things weren't nearly as busy as I thought they would be. I don't know if it was because it was a Monday, or because gas prices are so high, or any other reason or combination of reasons.

I signed up to work today, thinking it would be a slow day; so far it hasn't been any different from any other Saturday. I brought in the next book for my reading pleasure, though I've yet to open it: it's going to be A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. My particular copy is the Reader's Digest hardcover edition, with illustrations by Phiz.

David and Goliath....

I found this article a while ago and found it rather interesting.

Summertime....

Well, it's now officially summer, as the summer solstice happened yesterday morning. We've definitely had some summer-like weather, with temperatures well into the 80s, and perhaps hitting the 90s by Friday. Thankfully the humidity has not been as bad as it could be.

I've more or less finish Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. It was an interesting read. Partially autobiographical, it was a non-fiction work detailing, well, Mark Twain's life on the Mississippi river. Twain's writing style and sense of humor shine through the work, making it an entertaining read instead of a long slog through dry, historical facts.

I don't know what's next on the list, and it will be a while before we find out. I start some much-needed vacation tomorrow, and won't return to work until July 2.

Low budget....

It was an expensive weekend; Maryanne and I ate out three times over the course of the weekend, in addition to seeing a movie at the drive-in out in Jefferson. Add in the expenses of groceries and a trip to Stoughton Garden Center, and it was a very pricey weekend indeed.

The movie we saw was Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I enjoyed it, but Maryanne thought it was too slow. We didn't stay for the second feature.

I'm not enthusiastic about daytime running lamps. Maryanne's car has them, and it meant that we couldn't open the windows in her car during the movie. I got a funnel cake out of it, though.

Almost....

Today was a very pleasant day, the kind of day that makes you glad to be alive, but makes you wish you were any where other than work. Today, yard work might actually have been a joy instead of a chore, but I'll never know for sure, because I'm stuck at work.

It's almost summer now, officially. Oh, sure, there are plenty of people out there who call the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day summer, but I don't. Summer is from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox. Today is a great example of all that's good about late spring; last week was an example of why spring in southern Wisconsin is less pleasant than in northern Wisconsin.

Paranoia

So some paranoid people over at the Conspiracy Planet website have the uber-liberal lefties at Fark all in a tizzy over the report of a bill to repeal the 22nd Amendment.

So did they all skip civics class or something? Because they're all forgetting

1. An amendment would have to be passed by a 2/3 vote in both houses of Congress and
   
   
2. An amendment would have to be ratified by 3/4 of the states. Even if we round down, that's 37.
   
   
3. Even if the amendment passes, elections would still be held every four years.
   

Apparently one of these bills pops up every once in a while. None of them have gone anywhere, and I doubt this one will do anything either.

Oh, and apparently four of the five sponsors are Democrats, leaving only one Republican.

Learn to read, people.

In Memoriam....

The world of gaming lost one of its own recently, as David Sutherland died on June 6.

I remember seeing some of his work in the D&D and AD&D materials I own from the '80s and early '90s. He started doing artwork, then moved on to become TSR's chief cartographer, in charge of all the maps and charts that were included in a variety of materials.

The saddest part of the article, for me, is the part about Wizards of the Coast not rehiring Sutherland.

I used to despise WotC. I felt that if Magic wasn't the sole cause, it at least contributed to the decline of D&D and demise of TSR. I learned later that WotC bought TSR primarily because they truly wanted to save D&D. It's too bad they didn't try to save Sutherland.

Reflections....

Maryanne and I spent most of our weekend in Minnesota. I won't go into details here, as even I'm not interested in a play-by-play, and I doubt anyone reading this is, either. However, some highlights are in order:

1. Driving through Minnesota is more pleasant than driving through Illinois. While both have vast amounts of prairie, there are at least some pleasant hills in Minnesota around the Mississippi River. Minnesota also has better roads. They are in better shape, are better labeled, and there's not a toll plaza in sight.
   
   
2. The remake of The Longest Yard was pretty good. I have not seen the original, though, so I can't make any comparison in that regard.
   
   
3. The old TechTV now sucks that it's G4 and talks about nothing but video gaming.
   
   
4. I still don't like hip hop music, no matter what they sample.
   
   
5. Good people are just good people; it doesn't matter where they're from, what religion they are, or anything else. Likewise, bad people are the same everywhere.
   

Judged by its cover....

I can add this to my list of reasons for not shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch.

Here?

Here are some shenanigans from PETA that qualify as truly bizarre.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the high price of beef.

Where's the beef?

Somehow this news about rising beef prices doesn't surprise me. The price of beef in this part of the state is typically at least ten cents per pound higher than in northeast Wisconsin, and that's just for cheap cuts like ground beef. Pricier cuts run higher of course; the price of ground chuck is approaching three dollars a pound. It won't be too much longer and you'll be able to get veal cutlets or lamb chops cheaper than beef.

It's a good thing Maryanne and I like chicken and pork.

Play ball!

Maryanne and I were among the masses at Fox Cities Stadium on Sunday for the Brett Favre Celebrity Softball Game. It was a fun experience. The stadium was full, but it thankfully did not feel too crowded. The weather was very warm and somewhat muggy, but an occasional breeze helped.

I know it's a fun event for the whole family, especially for the little kids, but I really wish some parents were better about keeping their children under control. There were a couple of families right in front of us, with four little ones between the two of them. One of the little boys was horsing around a kicked over his dad's beer, and much of it landed on my shoe. The guy at least apologized. I said it was OK, but really, there wasn't much else I could say without making for an uncomfortable afternoon.

Bad Apple....

This is another excellent reason I can use for not having bought an iPod.

I think we can define bad P.R. as a manufacturer forcing their customers to foot half the bill for faulty merchandise.