Early -- And I Do Mean Early -- Morning View

Taken at about 4:45AM today.

Almost East, looking through the glass louvers of the kitchen window.


A nice looking cloud to the south.


The view toward San José, with a low cloud hovering in the valley.

Today In 1.364

I mentioned in my post (late) on Saturday that I've been posting at least once a day for about two years. Well, I checked the archives, and I've been doing so since 22 October 2007. That's 736 consecutive days and 1004 (counting this one) posts.

Which works out to 1.364 posts per day, in case anyone is keeping track.

I began this streak with a (pretty crappy) video that I shot just down the hill from the Secret Lair (aka '73 Winnebago) [RIP].

My, how things (like my place of residence) have changed in the last two years.

A Couple O' Random Observations....

• Carnies are all the same the world over. Well, my sample is only the US and Costa Rica, but 100% of my data adheres to the "carnies are creepy everywhere" school of thought. The annual "village" fair is going on right now here in San Rafael de Heredia, and there are several rides for the kids. And the carnies have 'prison' tatts and ... interesting piercings and scars and the whole deal.
• Costa Rica is one of the last places I'd expect to see the Battle Flag (Stars and Bars) of the Confederate States of America. Being that this country is not populated by rich, white (former) slave owners. And yet, I saw a roadside kiosk yesterday selling t-shirts -- for the local futbol clubs -- and Rebel Flags. I thought for a minute I had driven onto Joe Wilson's plantation. But then I realized he wouldn't be a Saprissa fan.
• Despite some disagreement, "couple" can mean more than two:
  

  >Informal A few; several: a couple of days.
  (via dictionary.com)

Wherein I See If Google Time Is Synched With My Computer Time

For the last while, we've had Julia's turtle, Tuga, in the kitchen downstairs, because there's a window that we could put her tank next to so she could enjoy the light (and the heat, being cold-blooded and all).

Well, Raxi finally "discovered" the turtle. Tuga is now upstairs, and Raxi has claimed the former turtle perch as her own:



Now, the question is, did I get the photo cropped, corrected and uploaded before midnight? Cause I've posted at least once a day for what will be two years in just another week or so (or maybe already, I haven't double-checked), and it would be kinda cool to keep the streak alive. :)

My Way Or The (Gravel) Highway

My final installment in the Quepos Trip VideosTM is this one that I shot on the way there. The route we took was, for about a quarter of the way, a very well-maintained gravel road, albeit with a few spots that are... well, take a look:



This route does have the benefit of very low traffic volume and some stunning views of the Costa Rican countryside.

Pic o' the Day

(h/t to Lockwood DeWitt)

Even More Beachy Stuff

I promise it will end -- and likely soon -- but I wanted to post a couple pictures and I do have one more video that I think I'll upload before we close the book on the beach trip.

On the way to Quepos, we passed through some beautiful countryside:


and caught my first sight of the Pacific Ocean (dark[ish] blue on the right horizon):



When we got to the beach, there were big ass rocks and islands and stuff:



Where "stuff" = a beautiful sunset:

Yes, More Beach Stuff

This was the sight that greeted us as we got out of the car on the beach -- well, not just as we got out, as the car is in the shot at the beginning -- but this was the beach:



My first time ever on a tropical beach. Looked just like I expected from all the movies and TV shows. :)

Quepos Trip

Jen has more pictures from the trip, and I'll be posting some as well, but I wanted to post this short video tonight. It's a bridge that has to be crossed to get to Quepos and Manuel Antonio Park. The only thing I did to the video was make it sepia tone, cause that's just cool, and, as you'll see, somewhat appropriate for the filme. There is sound, so make sure you've got the speakers on. Enjoy!

Just A Hint of Things to Come

Taken yesterday evening on the beach at sunset:


Also, a correction. My previous post is incorrect, as I did the pre-posting thing and didn´t change it after we found out that we´re doing the tour tomorrow, not today. Wish us good luck, because it started raining cats and dogs (but no monkeys, ´cause there are none here) this morning right as the boat would have been loading -- and that prolly puts a damper on things.

A Three Hour Tour

So we're off to see the sites on the boat. Let's just hope the weather doesn't turn rough!

And We're Off!

(There are some who say I've been off for years... but that's neither here nor there)

In just a couple (or so) hours, we'll be here:



I'll try to get some good photos for to share with y'all when we get back.

Have a great weekend!!

Forecast: Continued Tropical With Light Blogging Likely

For the next 72 hours or so, because Jen and I are going to the beach for the weekend. We'll be leaving in the morning and returning some time on Monday.

Try not to break the Internets while we're away, alright?

Speaking of the Climate....

For Blog Action Day, I'm reprinting a couple of columns I wrote for Rapid River Literary Magazine a decade or so ago. [A little background, for those who haven't been around since day one. I used to have a monthly column under the pen name of Phydeaux Speaks, because I ran a retail shop and I didn't want my column to effect the business -- I wasn't necessarily writing from a pro-business standpoint.] I can't tell you how disgusting it is to me that these are still completely relevant.

First, my piece from September 2000, complete with call to action for everyone to vote (remember how that turned out?):

Have you been paying attention to the weather lately? I mean, you've obviously noticed the weather, but have you actually paid any attention to it? Over the past couple of weeks, we, here in Asheville, have experienced everything from whilly and wet (approximately, oh, late March weather) to cool and dry (late Fall weather) to hot and humid ("appropriate" August weather). A year and a half ago, Asheville laid claim to a statewide temperature record. Do you remember that record-setting day? 80 degrees fahrenheit... in Asheville... in February.

I remember, as a puppy growing up in the northern foothills of North Carolina, consistently cold weather in the Winter, and, oddly enough, consistently hot weather in the Summer. To be sure, there were mild days, both in the Winter and Summer, bot for the most part, Winter was cold and Summer was hot (those of you who grew up in South Florida and Southern California will have to trust me on this seasonal climatic variance).

I also remember general precipitation patterns. In Winter there were regular snowfalls and/or ice accumulations (depending on latitude and elevation). Springtime brought showers and steady rains, Summer had its strong afternoon thunderstorms, and Autumn delivered its usual gentle rains and occasional early frosts. These patterns were well established and had been observed and relied upon by the Cherokee and other peoples that inhabited this area long before any Europeans came this way.

What about cataclysmic weather, you may ask? Of a certainty, Spring brought tornados through the midwest and in the Piedmont and coastal regions of the southeast, and, from late Summer through Autumn, hurricanes were always a potential threat. There were also periodic droughts and floods. I remember a family trip to Texas in 1975, the purpose of which was a visit with my grandfather, that took place during a great Mississippi flood. As we traveled west on I-40, we encountered standing water just west of Nashville, Tennessee, and didn't reach the other side of the flood until almost Little Rock, Arkansas.

I also remember listening to Walter Cronkite relay a news item, some time in the early 1970s, about a new theory proposed by climate experts, a phenomenon they called Global Warming, caused by something known as greenhouse gases. There was concern expressed that, unless more research was done and steps taken, these accumulations of greenhouse gases could eventually adversely affect our climate.

Well, it's thirty years later, and what have we learned? Carbon monoxide (CO) content in the atmosphere is at its highest since the time of the dinosaurs. There is at least one hole in the Ozone layer (which protects our planet, and all life on it, from ultraviolet rays from the sun) which, despite the banning of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is continuing to grow.

We have also learned that the two main contributors to these record CO emissions are power plants and automobiles.

And so we come to the heart of the problem: power plants and automobiles -- electricity and cars. The abilities to dispel darkness and be mobile -- two cornerstones of the "American Dream". A recent report shows that there are more autos in the US than people by almost 20 million. Cars probably outnumber legal drivers by upwards of 100 million.

Power companies steadfastly refuse to voluntarily reduce harmful emissions, and our elected federal officials (Senators and Congressmen) are equally steadfast in their refusal to mandate reductions. The reason usually given for this stance by industry and government is that it would be cost-prohibitive to retrofit existing plants to make them cleaner. I'm here to tell you that it will be much less "cost effective" (not to mention impossible) to retrofit our planet with life once our modern, enlightened society destroys what exists now.

So when you vote this November, remember that all the money in the world won't help you breathe when the air is toxic.

See ya.

And my column from March 2001, written -- as a letter -- from the future:

My Dearest Darling,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. The situation here is, as always, stable but chaotic. Since we are deep into winter, the constant stream of refugees seeking water has dwindled to a trickle. The biggest problem we have now is trying to provide shelter for those who do show up.

I spent the last two weeks stationed at the Black Mountain checkpoint (in the pass where the old interstate comes up the mountain). The few refugees that come up have been temporarily placed in the compound (the old Warren Wilson College) until they can be processed and either granted admission into the Conclave or sent back down the mountain.

I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing all these destitute people, folk who believed the government of the United States when they were told that the future was grand and glorious, that unlimited growth and unlimited power consumption were not only posible but actually preferable, people who never gave a thought to the fact that humanity was destroying the planet. I'll never get used to seing them trudge up here, thinking that things here are like they used to be. I see the haunted looks on their faces, with their starving children and their meager possessions, clinging to the past. They still believe, for the most part, that civilization is merely experiencing a temporary difficulty and that somehow the remnant of the Federal Government is going to make things better.

Speaking of Federals, a company of soldiers passed through the other day, returning to the War Zone after a week of R&R at the beaches outside Fayetteville. I spoke with one of them, a young man from Ohio, and he told me that their unit had been stationed in Little Rock and had been part of the army that had attempted (unsuccessfuly) to liberate Dallas from the Mexicans. The soldier also believed that things were "just about" to return to a pre-Collapse state. This was from a seventeen year old kid, who couldn't possibly remember much about the Old Times.

The best part of the Federal's visit was, of course, the barter. They had three crates of oranges, that must have been smuggled out of Cuban Territory, and several crates of (almost) fresh vegetables. In exchange for these delicacies, we were more than willing to allow them safe passage through the Conclave, and even hooked their vehicles up to our generators and fully charged their batteries, which was enough to get them to Knoxville and out of our territory.

We were very careful, while they were here, to not display too much power or water usage. The bivouacked on the old interstate roadbed, in an area where we had no winter crops, and weren't allowed access to any sensitive areas.

Some other rumors we heard from the Federals included news from Europe. Reports indicate that the Asian Hegemony has finally rooted out the last resistance cells of the Euro Army and that everything east of the Alps is now under Chinese control. The English still control the Isles and what remains of the northwest of Mainland Europe. Apparently, the Hegemony didn't think that invading Great Britain was worthwhile, since little natural resources remain in British Territory.

The Feds also passed on intelligence from Africa and South America, more news of total anarchy. It appears that both continents have completely returned to tribal unit status and that no national governments survived the turmoil there. Of course, none of this information is less than five months old, so situations could have changed drastically, but it now appears that the global population is now less than three billion people. This means that nearly four billion people have died over the last twenty years. And yet, there are people who still deny that the civilation of the late twentieth century, the gross over-consumption and amassing of economic power into the hands of a bureaucratic elite, the supremacy of materialism over stewardship, that all of these things, along with unsustainable population growth, caused the Collapse.

One of the Feds even told us that there is, in the planning stages, an invasion of the Arctic Territories -- an attempt to recapture the oil fields and restart production. I don't see how even the Feds themselves can believe that the attempt would by anything other than a total failure. The Inuit are too well entrenched, and without fuel for the tanks the Feds would have to rely totally on infantry to carry out such an invasion. It will succeed only in decreasing the population of North America even further.

It's hard to believe now, looking back over the last twenty-five years, that what we knew as civilization could have disintegrated so quickly. I remember seeing a television news program back in '01 that contained predictions regarding future crises and conflicts in which the United States could become involved.

These predictions were based on Central Intelligence Agency studies, and said that the most precious resource world-wide would be, within ten years, fresh water. As I recall, the greatest areas of concern in these reports were Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Well, this report was obviously one of the most accurate ever produced by any governmental agency.

By 2008, Egypt had conquered the Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, thereby gaining total control over the Nile River. Almost immediately after, the combined forces of Iraq nd Iran invaded Southern Turkey in an attempt to gain control of the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Simultaneously, in Asia, China and India began land-grabs that ended only when they had divided betwen them all of Southeast Asia.

American's first involvment in these conflicts came when Turkey requested NATO aid in their battle against the invaders from the south. This involvement, as you know, didn't last long. The OPEC states immediately stopped exporting crude oil.

Then, and to this day we don't know whether it was the eco-terrorists who were flourishing in those days or OPEC Special Forces, the oil fields in the Alaskan Arctic were destroyed, and the Alaskan Pipeline shut down, leaving Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana as the only sources of fossil fuels in the U.S.

That was when the Mexicans invaded, decimating the vaunted American Armed Forces, who lacked the effective counter to the masses of infantry and horse cavalry with which the Mexicans crossed the border. It was all the American forces could do to stop the advance west of the Mississippi River, keeping America in control of that strategic waterway.

The end of America's profligate use of energy came too late, however, to stop the environmental disasters that followed. Decades of over-consumption and pollution raised global temperatures enough to melt most of the polar ice caps, which caused worldwide sea levels to rise over one hundred feet, inundating most of the world's major cities.

Other climatic changes ensued, and long-established weather patterns seemed to change overnight, blanketing most of North America (not to mention Europe and Northern Asia) under heavy snowfalls each increasingly longer winter.

I suppose, though, that those of us who have survived these upheavals are, in a way, better off than before.

We discovered, to the surprise of most, that a lot of the things that we "had to have" in order to get by turned out to be totally unimportant in the real scheme of things (remember cell phone and automatic coffee makers?). Wealth at the expense of others, power at the expense of the environment, and decrees of government at the expense of the people all hastened the end of things "as we knew them."

It is my fervent hope, my Darling, that our children, and the children of the world, will grow up with the indisputable knowledge that we can make a difference -- positive or negative -- and that if we err in the future, it will hopefully be on the side of caution.

Love Always,

Phydeaux

*The preceding letter from the future hs been brought to you by the Ecosphere of Earth. We hope that it isn't too late already.

See ya.

Thursday Random Beck Python

Yanked from Crooks & Liars, where you can find the original Python skit, unblemished by Beckiness.

Goooooooooooooooooooolllll!!!!!!!!!!!

The US is playing Costa Rica right now in the final World Cup qualifying match (the score is currently CR 2 USA 0), but I can't find it online. Luckily, the entire nation erupts (the people, not the volcanos) in cheers when the CR side score a goal, so at least I've got that bit of a keeping-up-with-it vibe going.

The US has already squared away first place in the CONCACAF group, so I'm not a bit hesitant to admit I'm pulling for Costa Rica all the way.

UPDATE: The final score was 2 - 2, which means that Costa Rica has to win a two game playoff against Uruguay next month to qualify for next year's World Cup Tourney.

Finish Line

So today was the final exam for my first class. It's hard to believe that I started working at the Institute four months ago, but my first day was 15 June. I began with eight students, lost three (all three were from other countries and needed to "go home for a week" and never came back -- hope you're okay Omieda, Mauricio and Luis) and ended up with six. I really enjoyed it -- even though we didn't have a book for the class. Oh, the books finally showed up, but it was only a month or so before the end of the class, and too late to start using it.

I haven't gone over the exams yet, but did take a quick look at a couple of the "essays" (min. 120 words) and they looked good.

I took my camera this morning, with the intention of taking a picture of the group, but ... I didn't. Oh, well.

So, thanks for a good four months Adriana, Diego, Esteban, Faustino, Kevin and Kevin (isn't it odd that in a class of six Latinos, the only name that was repeated was "Kevin"?), and best of luck as you continue in your English studies.

Happy Native American Genocide Day

Here in Costa Rica, the day is a celebration of Native cultures -- well, that little remnant of them that survived the Big Lie of Innate European Superiority.

Today I honor the Cherokee and Blackfoot in my history.

Table For Party of No

Snagged from the great blog The Reaction, where it is properly labeled (and, btw, a weekly feature) "Truth in Comics":

On The Nobel

I was gonna write about that tonight, but then I saw this video from the Rachel Maddow Show from last night:



As usual, she nails it.

I may write more about it later.

Eagle Pride

Long ago, in the late Jurassic I believe, I was in high school, and -- now brace yourselves -- I was a band geek. Ah, but we had a kick ass band. Winning competitions left and right and all that. Our director knew some of the big names in the Drum Corps "biz" and our halftime shows became professional Corps shows the next year. He also knew many jazz greats -- for example Maynard Ferguson and Buddy Rich -- who came to our school for seminars and concerts and such. It was pretty cool, actually.

However.... it was the late Jurassic 70s and very early 80s, so the fashions were a bit... ummm... well, here's the logo we had when I was a senior. And yes, the uniforms depicted were what we actually wore. Polyester? Oh yeah. Those hats, btw, were hard plastic covered with green astroturf. Seriously.

If The Shoe Fits....

Those of you who read Jen's blog know that she bought shoes yesterday (nice ones -- no socks necessary). Well, I got some, too!

(I can't find a photo of them, sorry)

Just your basic Converse shoes (not Chuckies), in a brown/black motif.

But, Oh My God, at the shoes for sale. Pink and Green. Chartreuse and Mauve (colors approximate). Green and Yellow. Most of the sneakers looked like bowling shoes -- either that's popular now or the shoe store wants it to be popular.

Oh, and the Chuckies.... All the above colors, plus Christmas patterns (complete with red "satin" tongue), animal patterns, etc. Wow.

I'm used to going into K-Mart and walking out the door 10 minutes later wearing my new $20 shoes. Partly because I'm usually pretty quick at finding a pair I like and partly because it's K-Mart. Not like there's tons of options. But looking yesterday was... different. But I like what I got and hopefully next time I can accomplish shoey happiness in a shorter time. :)

Well, That Didn't Take Long...

And, holy crap is it funny.

So, I'm sure by now you've heard about the painting by the "famed" wingnut artist? If you haven't, here's a good link (I send you to Pharyngula, because that PZ Myers guy never gets any hits).

So some wonderfully creative and snarky person has fixed the rollover texts. Go check it out. Well done, people!!

Jen's Staring At Me So I Better Hurry

Do you know what this is?


No, it's not the Van Halen logo --


It's a baby kitteh toof! Who knew that kittens (and puppies, for that matter) have baby teeth. Raxi was looking like she was about to hock up a major hairball, or that there was something awful tasting in her mouth, but it was just a baby (or milk) tooth. All the cats I've had in my life and this is the first time I've seen one lose a tooth.

And now I've told you all about it. Am I cool, or what?

Oh, And By The Way...

...what Jen said.

Go Steve!!

Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty, Little Ball of Fur...

Crouchy Kitty --


Curly Kitty --


Purr, purr, purr

Not Really About Sarah Palin...

...okay, maybe it is. A clip from Real Time with Bill Maher (who isn't the best, but is far from the worst) posing the question, "What if someone else had ghost written for Sarah Palin's book?"

Today in WTF?ery

A while back I signed up with Polling Point, now called YouGovPollingPoint, mainly because they have points and rewards (eventually I'll get a $100... just for clicking the mouse).

Anyway, tonight I'm going through one of the same old polls... this one about air travel. "How many times have you flown in the last year?" "What airline?" "Are you a member of a frequent flier program?", and such. Then, up pops this question:


Then a question (I didn't screen shot it) about my relationship to "this gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual person", as though there could only be one non-straight person in my life. "I'm sorry, Bob, I'd like to be your friend, but I see you already have a good friend who is a lesbian."

And that was the end of the poll.

WTF?

It's Graphic Representation Time, Kids!

(click images to embiggen)



Okay, and some text, too:

America’s Affordable Health Choices Act includes a new Health Insurance Exchange which allows individuals without coverage to comparison shop – encouraging plans to compete on price and quality. One of the many choices of health insurance within the Exchange will be a public health insurance option. It will provide important competition to private insurers – including in the many areas of our country dominated by just one or two private insurers today.

The public option will operate on a level playing field. It will be subject to the same market reforms and consumer protections as other private plans in the Exchange and it will be self-sustaining – financed only by its premiums.

Participating in the public plan will be up to the individual – no one can be forced into the public option. If an employer is providing their employees’ health insurance through the Exchange, it is the employee – not the employer – choosing the plan. The only way people would be in the public plan is as a result of their own individual choice.

(graphics and quote from the website of Speaker Nancy Pelosi)

It's All I Got Tonight....

During my Level II English class tonight, the "I would like to buy a hamburger" scene from the Steve Martin remake of the classic Pink Panther was brought up.

Also, we talked about an online translation site that speaks the translations for you (which, let me tell you, it's very helpful to hear the words when one is trying to learn a new language).

So, of course, I ended up here.

Almost Enough To Make Me Want To Live In Florida**

Representative Alan Grayson, a Democrat who represents the Orlando area, stood in Congress yesterday evening and ripped the "Just Say No" party a new asshole for their stalling and hedging and kowtowing to Big Insurance with regards to health care reform. In part, he said that the Republican plan for Americans is to "die quickly" if they get sick, so as to not be an unfair burden on the profit margins of the Insurance Industry.

This, of course, was viewed as the worst thing since women got the vote the Emancipation Proclamation... ummm, the Worst Thing EVAR!!!!

Never mind Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Michael Steele, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Glenn Freaking Beck and their constant insane ravings about President Obama being a Communo-Fascist-Islamo-Manchurian Candidate Anti-Christ.

Grayson must apologize, else it's the end of the world!! Or so the Republican windbags would have it.

Here's what Grayson had to say when asked if he would apologize (from Roll Call via Think Progress):

“I would like to apologize,” he said. “I would like to apologize to the dead.”

Citing a statistic that 44,789 Americans die each year because they don’t have health insurance, Grayson said, “That is more than ten times the number of Americans who died in the war in Iraq, it’s more than ten times the number of Americans who died on 9/11. …It happens every year.”

Grayson added in another apparent dig at the GOP, “We should care about people even after they are born.”

Grayson apologized one last time.

“I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven’t voted sooner,” he said.

[...]

“I don’t think the Democrats need to be on defense,” Grayson told reporters. “I think we should be on the offense and not the defense, and that’s where I plan to stay.”

Awesome, and how the Democrats should be acting.

**okay, full disclosure. There's no way in HELL that I would live in Central Florida. All the heat and humidity, and no ocean. Ick. (no offense to people who live there, it's just not my cup o' climate)

Loud Noises!

Okay, so I realize this is Facebook we're talking about here. So, it's a low bar for oversight -- anyone can create a "poll" using the apps there. But still. These are the "Hot Polls" as of 7:30am Costa Rican time (that's Central Standard for you USA-centrics out there... hey, according to another Facebook application, 14% of my friends are Republicans, so....).

Beck and Limbaugh and Hannity and such are laughing all the way to the gated compound bank.

I got the "Loud Noises!" tag from Bob Cesca, who, truth be told, took it from some Will Farrel movie that I've never seen.

Today In Hilarity

This right here.

Wonderful! As the son of a teacher, I can attest to the fact that some parents will bitch about anything rather than take responsibility for the failure of their child (or children). Interestingly (and I use that term quite ironically), the ones who complain about "teacher didn't do" this or that to coddle, cajole, etc. their precious kid -- up to and including giving them an undeserved passing grade (because it would make the dear child feel bad to be left behind a year, or other equally ridiculous reasons... my favorite was the "Do you know who I am?" to which my mom replied, "Do you know who I am? I'm the teacher."... My mom kicks ass, I tells ya) -- are the ones who scream the loudest about the evils of the "Nanny State", and, not coincidentally, are the ones who think President Barack Hussein Obama is a Islamo-Communo-Fascist racist. Strange, innit?

(h/t to Angelos, via Facebook)

Proof Of C-Listyness

This is what happens when a big name blog links to you. Can you say hit spike?

It's a good thing Blogger isn't a credit card company -- well, for many reasons, but the one pertinent to this post is -- because if it were I would have gotten a call, and my account freezed, due to the unusual usage.

I appreciate the visits and the comments (both on and off blog). I hope you found something worthwhile in my li'l corner of the InterWebs Tubes.

Three Pics That Have Been Hanging Out On My Hard Drive...

...that mean nothing, except:

I'ma look like this if I wait until a good post idea comes to me.


Some people are very good with photoshop.

I could totally pull off that look.

Are You Kidding Me?

(from DKos, via C&L)

Note the Republican numbers. Boehner is at 12% favorable? McConnell at 18%? The Congressional Repubs as a whole at 17%? Have you heard about this on TV?

No, of course you haven't. It's the Democrats who are "in trouble". And they are playing along with the false narrative and are caving in to pressure. Disgusting. There is no representation for so many people in the US.

I'm sorry, but there is obviously only one party in the US. The Corporate Party. And it has two wings. Republican and Democratic.

Woe Is Still Me

Well, woe-ish.

Jen's at the Expo, and so far it's been a bunch of option "b" from yesterday's post. The afternoon rain came, and the InterWebs Tubes went blooie. So I watched a The 13th Warrior and played some Rise Of Nations.

I've got my every-other-Saturday class tomorrow morning, and then it'll be more puttering, as Christina put it in comments on the last post.

Hope you're all having great weekends!

Woe Is Me...

For because I will shall be home all alone for the weekend.

Jen is off to a swanky resort trade show, at the beach for to peddle her bidness wares, and I'll be left to my own devices.

I predict either a) lots of viewing of various Star Trek TV shows (TNG and DS9 mostly) or, if the InterWebs Tubes get all clogged up, b) hours of computer game action.

Or Possibly Just Music Performed By Texans

Today Is Quite Possibly Turning Into A Lyle Lovette Day

Overheard

I did not promise you a trip to Mars.

Taking This "Fall" Thing A Bit Too Seriously

Yesterday it was my monitor and coffee press. I'm using the monitor we bought last month, until we can find a good price on a replacement, so I have been able to edit and can now show you an "after" photo of the press:




Today? Raxi (seen here being all innocent and shit):



knocked my plastic travel mug (that the wondrous Lisa gave me) off the counter and the freaking handle broke off. I have no photo of that yet. The pain is too fresh in my mind.

So, anyway, the Autumnal Equinox will be happening on Tuesday (22 Sept) at 21:18 UTC, which will be 5:15pm EDT and 3:18pm here in Central America. I'll be busy after I get back from class tomorrow, putting every. thing. I. own. on the floor -- and keeping the cat away from it all.

Good luck everyone!

Good News and Bad News

First, the bad (and it's not all terrible or anything, but... well, you'll see)

Devotees of the Cold War will remember the Domino Theory.

I had a shining example of that this morning that resulted in my computer desk overturning and my monitor going bang on the floor.

And my coffee press.

On a tile floor (like most all floors in Costa Rica).


The press is smashed.

The monitor, which is LCD, still "works", but approximately 1/3 of it is ... no more. A nice diagonal from the top right of the screen to the bottom center -- and everything to the right of that diagonal is blank.

Which makes it tough to do ... a lot of computer things.

Like edit and post a photo of the smashed coffee press. Which is why there isn't an accompanying photo for this post.

.
.
.

Oh, and the good news is, I can still use the monitor enough to write this post.


So, anyone know where the best place in Costa Rica is to find both a coffee press and LCD monitor cheap?

More Pirate-y Goodness

(from the wonderful and under-appreciated movie Yellowbeard)

Avast Ye Scurvy Dogs!

I'm thinkin' me ESL class this morn will be of a most interestin' sort.

(pillaged the image from me heartie Lockwood)

Random Monty Python(ish) of the Day

Like There Was Ever Any Question

Oh, Crap!

Don't try to tell the good folk in Boone, North Carolina global warming isn't real:



Wow!

(and, yes, I know it's just a glitch in the program... or is it?)

Nerdgasm!

D&D sodas.

Farewell, Mary Travers

Rolling Stone has a good write-up on the influence of Peter, Paul and Mary, and of Mary herself.

Go Stephen!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Let Freedom Ka-Ching
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

To Good To Not Use

(image ginked from Blue Gal)

That is all.

Deity!

And, lo, He did smote the Tubes of You, and they didst get they'rn shite together and He didst post this:

Pic of the Day

(h/t to Lockwood, from Outside the Interzone, who I just realized was not on my blogroll. That error has been corrected.)

Happy Independence Day (Costa Rica)!

Costa Rica

Noble patria tu hermosa bandera
expresión de tu vida nos da
bajo el límpido azul de tu cielo
blanca y pura descansa la paz

En la lucha tenaz, de fecunda labor
que enrojece del hombre la faz
conquistaron tus hijos labriegos, sencillos
eterno prestigio, estima y honor

eterno prestigio, estima y honor

Salve oh tierra gentil
Salve oh madre de amor

Cuando alguno pretenda
tu gloria manchar
verás a tu pueblo valiente y viril
la tosca herramienta en arma trocar

Noble patria tu pródigo suelo
dulce abrigo y sustento nos da
bajo el límpido azul de tu cielo
vivan siempre el trabajo y la paz

And for those (like me, still) who aren't fluent in Spanish:

Noble homeland, your beautiful flag
Expresses for us your life,
Under the limpid blue of your skies,
Peace reigns, white and pure.

In the tenacious battle of fruitful toil,
That brings a glow to men's faces,
Your sons, simple farm hands,
Gained eternal renown, esteem and honour.

Hail, gentle country!
Hail, loving mother!

If anyone should attempt to besmirch your glory,
You will see your people, valiant and virile,
Exchange their rustic tools for weapons.

Hail, O homeland! Your prodigal soil
Gives us sweet sustenance and shelter.
Under the limpid blue of your sky,
May peaceful labour ever continue.

Ummmm...

I was planning on posting the new Mr. Deity video tonight, but He tells me (yes, he talks to me -- and to all the rest of his fans on Facebook) that He's having YouTube issues. You'd think the Deity could... well, anyway.

So here's a gratuitous pussy shot:

Seriously, leave something lying around for a minute (or a chair vacated for about 23 milliseconds) and it's HERS!

Conserve Is The Opposite Of Progress Updated

(Image © Austin Cline)

You should go read the post that goes with it. Cline explains things very well, indeed.

I may have missed it, though (because I'm still on my first pot of coffee of the day), but I don't think he went quite far enough in his explanation as to why Conservatives were so up in arms about their children being "indoctrinated" by the President's speech the other day. While he mentions the thread of anti-intellectualism that pervades the Republican party, he doesn't mention that it is a product of the Fundamentalist, literally-interpreted, Christianist religiousity.

These people know that if their children are exposed to the facts, they will draw their own conclusions and, in most cases, the children will come to see that what they have been told by their parents is ... disingenuous at best and delusional at worst. The Earth was not created in seven 24-hour days, homosexuals (and women and blacks and Hispanics and everybody else who isn't male, white, and Christian) aren't evil or lesser than, and they don't deserve preferential treatment simply because of the color of their skin or their brand of religion.

These Tea Baggers/Deathers/Birthers/Tenthers... ethno-religio-centrics know that once that happens, the Republican Party -- as it exists today -- will truly be dead. That is what really scares them. Not the Black Man in the White House, but the universal truths he represents by his very existence.

Update: This most excellent post by nonny mouse over at Crooks & Liars is a must read. Here's a sample:

Stupid people aren't leaders, they're not even followers. They're the Marching Morons. They're the Eloi to the Morlocks of Coulters, Rushes, Limbaughs, Savages, Hannitys, et. al., who cultivate and nurture their hordes of the slavishly stupid, then feed off them mercilessly. It’s the bread and butter for the Malkins who can claim millions – millions I tells ya! – turned up for the 9/12 marches, then used photos from the inauguration to fraudulently bolster the lie, fully aware her multitude of mindless minions will never bother to check – or ever realize it was all a lie, that a mere few thousand at most showed up, all that empty lawn speaking volumes.

I'm So Disappointed...

When I heard about this big 912 thing, I thought it was all about old Porsches:



Turns out it's just a bunch of thinly-veiled racist BS.


Bummer.

Heh

From Dr. Boli's Celebrated Magazine

Friday Kitteh Blogging: Special Two Monthaversary Edition

Two months ago today, Jen said, "we have to go do something for your birthday" and we got me (us, really) a kitteh!!

So here's some pics taken earlier today:
Raxacoricofallapatorius sleepin' on Jen's computer chair.


Raxacoricofallapatorius glaring at me from the chair, cause I woke her up.


Raxacoricofallapatorius deciding that it just isn't worth it to create a scene, yawning, and falling back asleep.

Apologies for the crappiness of the photos. It's the camera. Not Raxi.

Is It Just Me?

Or does this guy:

look as though his head is two sizes smaller than his body?

I'm sure it's just a trick of the long points on his shirt collar and the wide tie, but.. dang. Man's giving the Republican response to the President's speech. You'd think he ... oh, right. Nevermind.

(for the full effect, and learn more about 'Lord' Doctor Boustany, click here)

Glenn Beck Does Not Speak For Me

From freepress.net:

Dear Friend,

A few loudmouths in the media don’t speak for me or for the majority of Americans. They have turned mainstream television and radio outlets into a megaphone for smear campaigns against public servants and innocent Americans.

They have a First Amendment right to stoke prejudice and intolerance in this way -- and we’re not asking for them to be silenced -- but people of integrity have a responsibility to condemn this repulsive and hysterical behavior that is harming our democracy.

Please urge President Obama to publicly confront such media fear-mongering with reason and to fulfill his campaign commitment to foster a media system where diverse perspectives aren’t drowned out by the ranting of a few.

Click here to learn more about what's at stake and send a loud message directly to President Obama.

*Yawn*

I had a long day (for me) at work today, and then we had a wonderful pizza for dinner.

I'm sleepy.

Here's hoping that President Obama's speech today properly indoctrinated your kids, my friends.

G'night.

Oh, That's Why He Wanted To Know...

Is what you're all saying to yourselves now.

I found a new photo that I wanted to use to head the blog, but wanted to keep the same font I had for the title.

So, thanks to KarenB -- and the rest of you -- and I hope you like the new header!!

A Question Fer Muh Readers: Updated!

Does anyone know what the font is that I used for the blog header?

Cause I don't remember, and I did that back when I was running Linux on this machine -- which means the font is gone.


Reader KarenB identified it, and Petulant confirmed -- it's Papyrus, so the...

100,000 irredeemable points to anyone who knows goes to KarenB. Use them well!

Apropos For A Sunday

(h/t to PZ Myers)

Ooh, What Was That?

That, my friends, was a 4.5 earthquake centered about 100 miles south-southeast of here. Which, by the way, is just about as far as one can go from here and still be in Costa Rica. And here being, of course, San Rafael de Heredia, just north of San José.



This earthquake stuff is still pretty new to me, so it was cool. Thought I felt something but I wasn't sure, then the whole place just went /shake/ for about a half-second.

Raxi didn't even wake up from her snoozing on the chair next to me.

Never Play Slapjack With A Bear

(photo from the Asheville Citizen-Times)

The bear will win every time.

Also, that picture was taken at a picnic area that I have visited at least 100 times, as there are some very nice trails and views nearby. And I never got to see a bear there. Prolly for the best, though.

Today In Way Cool Stuff

From Discovery News:Sustainable blog:

A research group from the University of Stuttgart is giving "tree house" a new meaning recently with the world's first tower made from living white willow trees.

They're called Baubotanik and, as my post title says, it's waaay cool.

Below are two samples from the above website. You really should check it out.

Endangered Species

The TV journalist who tells the truth:



Wow. Shame there's not more of that kind of reportage.

(h/t to Bob Cesca)

The Things We Learn

So, I'm preparing for a private lesson I have tomorrow afternoon with a new student. He lived in the United States for several years as a child, including the grades K-4 in school. But in the 12 years he's been back in Costa Rica, he hasn't used his English and it has gotten very rusty. So we're going to catch him back up on the basics and I'll also help him with pronunciation and such.

Now, I've spoken English for 45 years or so (I don't remember exactly when I started talking) and, if I may say so, I speak it pretty well. But if you ask me why to use a certain form of a verb, and what that form is called -- for example, the Present Continuous -- you are likely to see a blank stare. I know it, but I don't know what it's called, basically. Therefore, I'm having to learn all the boring bits that were the parts that I really detested in school (which was the main reason I turned down the full scholarship in English at a prestigious Midwestern university that I was offered coming out of high school).

Anyway, as I was preparing for tomorrow's session, I came across this:

Betty Botter's Better Batter

Betty Botter had some butter,
"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.

If I bake this bitter butter,
It would make my batter bitter.

But a bit of better butter,
That would make my batter better."

So she bought a bit of butter –
Better than her bitter butter –

And she baked it in her batter;
And the batter was not bitter.

So 'twas better Betty Botter
Bought a bit of better butter.

Try saying that one five times fast. :)

Heh

Night Sounds

So, for those paying attention, you will recall that I lived in the Asheville, NC area before I moved down here to Costa Rica to be with Jen. I lived there for ten years, and before that I lived in Boone, NC and before that... well, I lived my whole life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Along about the beginning of August every year, the katydids come out. You hear them every night from then until first frost, when they burrow underground to hibernate. When I was living in the Secret Lair outside of Asheville, I was in the woods, and the katydids were all around me. At times they were so loud that I couldn't hear the music on my stereo, or would have to turn the TV up all the way to hear the movie (or whatever).

I guess I lived with the sound of the katydids for so long that it is now an ingrained part of me, because when I go to bed at night now -- when it's all quiet -- I hear this (not recorded by me, but my a YouTuber in Western NC):




And there are no katydids around here. But I still hear them.

It's nice.

(also, to get the full effect of what it sounded like around the Secret Lair this time of year, crank the sound all the way up)

Pot Pourri

Two photos of the table, now with three coats of polyurethane:

As you can see, it's getting pretty shiny. I'm trying to decide if I want to add any more coats of poly. Since we're going to be using this as a dining table I want it to be well protected, but I don't want so much poly that the surface feels "plastic".

And one photo of the afternoon sky:


And now my camera is empty. :)