Pheaux Phyre Phorum: Teh New Year's Eve Start As You Mean To Go On Edition

Happy 2009 Ever'body!!!!

Have a beer on me!

I have company, so I won't be paying much attention, but hang out if you wish, let us all know your resolutions and evolutions.

A Post About Sports

I don't often do this, but... well, I can't think of anything else to post for today (I'm kicking The Cold From The Future^tm, but it's not completely kicked yet), the penultimate day of Blog365 (2008 Edition).

So.

Congratulations to the Carolina Panthers, 2008 NFC South Champions!!

They get the week off, and then will host a game, opponent to be determined.

Also, gotta give a shout out to the Miami Dolphins, who went from 1-15 last year to winning the AFC East this year. Impressive.

And, sorry your 'Boys didn't make the playoffs this year, pido. I guess I should have bet you after all. :)

Chapter Opening Lines

"It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the expression 'As pretty as an airport.'"

and

"The usual people tried to claim responsibility.

First the IRA, then the PLO and the Gas Board...."

1000 irredeemable points to the first person to identify the book.

Ugh

I did way too much with the packing and cleaning up yesterday (see post below), and I'm paying the price today with The Cold From The Future^tm being much worse than at any other time.

So today has basically been sleep/lay-in-bed-feeling-miserable punctuated by brief forays to the computer (I have no laptop to drag into bed with me).

Vitamin C via juice, herbal teas and Ricola drops for coughing, etc, and Aleve Cold & Sinus (which, btw, I had to have my driver's license scanned to buy... thanks, meth-heads) for the worst bits.

See y'all tomorrow.

"Home" Again

That would be back at my sister's, after an overnight visit to REDACTED and parts nearby, where, yesterday, I met Jen's family and she began the process of meeting mine (there's lots of us). All that went well, I do believe -- despite the wanton thievery of some chocolate pie.

And then today was my family's Christmas Get-Together.

Today was also Clean-out-Mom-&-Dad's-Old-Apartment-At-The-Retirement-Home-Cause-They've-Moved-To-The-Next-Level-Of-Care, which, due to the combination of my dad being a second tier packrat (yes, I admit defeat, Jen) and them living in that apartment for 14 years, was not a simple matter. On the plus side, I get the old rolltop desk (which will live here at my sister's until such time as my living arrangement has room for such) and the parents (who are in their late 80s) have more present health care -- it was always there before, but now it comes to check on them, instead of them having to call for help when needed.

So, I'm back at the computer and tired. Oh, and I have an airline cold I caught playing checkers the other day, which has added another layer to the last couple days. It's all good, though. :)

Fisticuff Diurnal*

I've driven past this place a hundred or eleven times since I got to Teh Flatlands, but I never can seem to remember my camera. Luckily, Jen was with me the other night and had her camera, so viola!

Anyway, I'm off to meet Jen's parents and then later today she'll be meeting mine....

*Hope everyone is having a great Boxing Day!

See ya tomorrow.

Deck Us All With Boston Charlie

Dar Williams, "The Christians & the Pagans"


Oh, and here's the link to me (last year) singing a bit of the title tune.

Christmas Eve Gift To All My Phriends

This is in lieu of the Pheaux Phyre tonight, as it is Christmas Eve and most folks are busy in one way or another.

Have a great night, everyone, and I hope Santa brings ye just what ye want.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, "Big Country", from Live at the Quick:

Back From the Short Trip

I'm back from the brief trip up to the High Country of North Carolina, where Jen and I got to spend a couple of days in a beautiful mountain chalet.

Some shots of the view this weekend:








The best view -- and the one that I enjoyed the most:


More pictures over at her place.

Monday Placeholder Post

This is a just in case post. Because one of the last thing's I would like to have happen would be for my Blog365 to get ruined 9 days before the end of the year.

Probable update later.

Infernal Bagpipe Christmas

For those of you who like bagpipes (and Celtic music in general), WNCW radio 88.7 in Spindale, NC plays... what? Oh, you can't pick it up? Well, here's the link to their livestream... anyway, every Sunday from noon to 3PM (Eastern Time), they play nothin' but Celtic.

Enjoy!

Oh, and Happy Solstice to All of You!!!!!

Christmas Morning and the First Day of School All Rolled Together

When I was a kid, I always -- like most of us, I'm sure -- woke up extra early on Christmas Morning so's I could see what presents I got. Well, unlike most of us -- I'm sure -- I was the same way on the first day of school (and the night before).

I could never get to sleep the night before, and it was the only other day of the year (besides Christmas Morning) that I didn't need an alarm or a parent telling me to wake up. I was so excited about the first day of school, new books, new classroom, all that stuff. As I write this I can remember that first day of school scent -- the books, the new notebook and pencils, the way the school itself smelled after being closed up all summer -- the smell of learning, just waiting to happen....

Well, today is like that for me, a day that has been looked forward to for months has finally arrived.


At the time stamp for this post, I will be on a train, going somewhere special.

I won't have access to a computer, so I'm pre-posting this.

Once I am with computer again, I'm sure there'll be photos.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and I'll see y'all when I return.

Friday (video) Kitteh Blogging

When Callie was li'l, she would do this same thing... over and over and over and....

I Told Y'all Yesterday That Someone Was Travelling Today

I have it on good authority that one can get a bagel with cream cheese and a small coffee at the airport in Newark (EWK) for under $2.

Also, if one is lucky, one can get a 2nd li'l tub of cream cheese for free.

In other words, Jen has made it to the States, and will be arriving in REDACTED around 10PM (Eastern) tonight.

Oh!

And it's Thursday, so here's some Monty Python:

Pheaux Phyre Phorum: The Tomorrow is Someone's Travel Day Edition

Jen will be flying up to the States for the Holidays on the morrow, so we all need to wish her a good flight (and not too boring layover in Newark).

Oh, and talk about whatever else y'all want to talk about.

Also, I've set up a Skype Chat so we can avoid Teh Evil of Hell-0-Scam. All ya gotta do is click here, and start typing. I think. Oh, you do have to have Skype installed, but it's just text, no voice necessary.

(I'll also pay at least semi-attention to the "old" comment thread, in case anyone is having problems logging in)

I'll Swan, I Hain't Never Heered The Like

Missouri Mule, over to the Big Brass Blog, tells it like it is. If you know any Southerners, or, hell, have ever met any real Southerners, you will laugh.

On a semi-related topic, here's Andy Griffith, pre Mayberry days, telling a story:

Merry Christmas From the Family

I guess this makes it a tradition here at Phydeaux & Phriends, since I posted a vid of this song last year.

Hope you enjoy it.

More In "People Who Write Things..."

I never dreamed I would be saying this, but there’s something absolutely perfect about George W. Bush as a representative both of U.S. power and the conservative political class. He is the end product of years of political image-making: the elevation of the talking point and the attack narrative over actual discussion, the reduction of ideology to its most basic (and stupid) elements, the shallow pseudo-patriotic rhetoric of Reaganist “pride” in country, the equation of naked greed with “principles.” Behold the apotheosis, the final incarnation of the right-wing ideal, summed up with an almost classical concision in one man, one “decider.”

Dashiell, at the most excellent Jonestown, in his retrospective on the Bush Years, titled "The Perfect President". I highly recommend reading the whole thing.

Music Is

It just is.



From Playing for Change.

(h/t to kumatriel -- click her link or the video for more of the backstory)

Just Imagine if the Adults Were in Charge

People who write things like this need to be in charge.

And why? Because despite their fine words, and their closely-guarded self-images, the actual and real ruling principle of their lives and their theology is fear, not love. Everything flows from that original orientation, that original choice (because it is, finally, a choice). For them, to be inclusive is to expose themselves to what they fear; and what they fear most is summarized in their mythology of hell and eternal damnation: an eternal torture of body, mind, soul and spirit administered by an angry, vengeful, psychopathic god. It is all pure projection.

(h/t to Angelos)

Cartoon for Sunday

Mornin' Ralph.

Mornin' Sam.

Companies For Whom I Don't Wish To Work, Part the First

Gardener's In Christ Lawn Care Service - Lumberton, NC

(seen on some job listings page on Teh Internets)

Edited to add:

Just in case some think that I typed the name wrong....

Luna

Full moon tonight.

(gif from wikimedia commons)

Countdown

Nothing to do with Keith Olbermann.

If you will look to your right, in the sidebar, you will see that it is less than one Flood until we have a new President!!

Yay!!!!

What are your plans for 1/20/09?

Monty Thursday* (Video) Random Python

*No, pido, I'm not talking like a flatlander now.

Pheaux Phyre Phorum: Teh Return of the Pheaux Phyre Phorum Edition

Iiiit's back!

The poll results (see above) were conclusive!

So, here 'tis!

Only thing is, I'm in serious need of a nap, so I'll be back later.

I expect to see lots* of comments when I return.



*where "lots" = more than a couple.

What She Said

However you celebrate the holiday with your family – celebrate it fully and savor the time with loved ones. Hang your tree right side up, upside down or stick it up your ass for all I care. Quit worrying about how others choose to celebrate it. It accomplishes nothing except to ruin your own holiday.

-- Helen Philpot (I recommend you go read the whole post. It's vurrah good)

Conductivity

Thanks to commenter "Pencils" at Shakesville's Question of the Day last night.

Image of the Day

Click to embiggen and get the full effect:




(h/t to Asheville's own Scrutiny Hooligans)

Post of the Day*

A must read missive from Jesus General.

Seriously.

You will laugh.

*no, not this one, the linked one.

Day 343 of 366 (Remember, This Is Leap Year)...

And I got nothing.


To post, that is.

I got lots. Lots and lots. But nothing to post.

What will I post?

Post. Post. Post.

How many times do you have to say a word before it starts to not sound like a word?

And how many times must a man....

Wait, that's not right.

Wanders off into the night.................

Sunday Mozart

Allegro from Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major

All The Cool Kids Are Doing It...

So why not me?

Here's a short introductory video weblog entry that I did just for kicks... about a year ago.

Due to immense peer pressure, I'm posting it now.

NOTE: The audio is pretty dang low, so you'll need to turn up the volume to hear it. Don't forget to turn it back down once you've watched!!



Yes, I recorded it back before y'all knew my real name.

Friday Kitteh Blogging

La gata de mi hermana (Is that anywhere close to right, Jen?):




And one for kona. Lyra in the "slut sprawl" pose:

Pheaux Phyre Phorum??

So, I kinda drifted away from posting the Pheaux Phyre -- okay, I just flat out quit doing it.

The first couple times it was because I forgot about it, and then it was 'cause I hadn't the two weeks before, and ... well, here we are with me not having done it in over a month?

There's no real reason other than slackitudiness -- well, and being preoccupied with other things -- and I'd be more than willing to start it up again.

Hence the above poll.

So, lemme know by your vote, please.

Thursdom Ranty Pyday Monthon

Call Me White Rabbit

It's late, it's late!

It's almost 10pm local time and I ain't posted today.

Except that I am now.

So, what am I saying? I'm saying watch this clip of John Ritter in the movie Noises Off!:

"Big 3" Back in DC

Well, at least this time they left the private jets in Detroit.

On the same day that the numbers came out showing November auto sales were the lowest in 26 years, Ford, GM and Chrysler were back in front of Congress, top hat in hand, asking for bailout money. Today's asking price? $34 billion, up from $25 billion two weeks ago. An extra $9 billion in 14 days. That's an increase of $642,857,142.86 per freakin' day.

Look, if we're gonna bail out some automakers, why don't we bail out these guys:

1937 Packard Convertible Sedan - Model 1502

Or these guys:

1948 Tucker Torpedo

Flatlander Decadence

Okay, it's not just flatland, but back home in Teh Mountainz I don't often go to the fancy food markets (Food Coop and such). That may just have to change, however, because I have discovered these:

Mint

Hazelnut and Currant

Two words. Yuh. Umm.

Travel Travail?

Today was the Family Thanksgiving Gathering 2008. There was much avoiding of Interstate Highways as it's the Sunday after Thanksgiving, which is the heaviest travel day. For example, on the way back, traffic was bumper-to-bumper 5mph just before we left the interstate for the final time.

This was the path to the Gathering:

This was, in the dark and the rain, the path home:


All's I can say is that flat land all looks the same.

Saturday Post

Seen all over Teh InterWebs Tubes, so here's my version:

1. Five names you go by:
a) Bob
b) Phydeaux
c) Robert
d) Robb
e) Babe

Three things you are wearing right now:

a) Duke Basketball tee shirt
b) gym shorts
c) socks

3. Two things you want very badly at the moment:

a) yes
b) and how


4. Three people who will probably fill this out:

That's a good question, and I can't answer it.

5. Two things you did last night:

a) Watched an episode of Rosemary & Thyme with my sister.
b) Played Spades online.

6. Two things you ate today:

a) Granola
b) Organic Colby Cheese

7. Two people you last talked to on the phone:

a) My Dad
b) Jen

8. Two things you are going to do tomorrow:

a) Go to the Family Thanksgiving gathering
b) Blog and/or play Spades online

9. Two longest car rides:

I'm not sure of the answer... I mean, longest in what time frame? Last day? Last year? In the history of time?

10. Two of your favorite beverages:

a) Stout
b) Coffee

Friday Kitteh Blogging

As you know, I said goodbye to Puff last week, before I came to stay with my sister.

This does not mean I have no kitteh companionship, because, there just happens to be a kitteh living here.

"What is this new Human Animal doing here?"

"Well, I guess he's okay, cause he skritches my chin."

Van Morrison Friday

Breaking News!

Archival footage of the Elven Threesome discovered in vault!!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

May Your Massacrees be Fun

Friends, today is Thanksgiving day, and you know what that means. It's time to load up the red VW Microbus and head over to Alice's for dinner (non embeddable YouTube link).

My local (well, local when I'm at the Secret Lair) NPR station will be playing it "all 18:34 of it, around 12 Noon," if you prefer to listen to it with others.

But if you want to just read it (sorry, no eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one is about) then here you go:

Alice's Restaurant By Arlo Guthrie This song is called Alice's Restaurant, and it's about Alice, and the restaurant, but Alice's Restaurant is not the name of the restaurant, that's just the name of the song, and that's why I called the song Alice's Restaurant. You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant Walk right in it's around the back Just a half a mile from the railroad track You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago, was on - two years ago on Thanksgiving, when my friend and I went up to visit Alice at the restaurant, but Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the church nearby the restaurant, in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and Fasha the dog. And livin' in the bell tower like that, they got a lot of room downstairs where the pews used to be in. Havin' all that room, seein' as how they took out all the pews, they decided that they didn't have to take out their garbage for a long time. We got up there, we found all the garbage in there, and we decided it'd be a friendly gesture for us to take the garbage down to the city dump. So we took the half a ton of garbage, put it in the back of a red VW microbus, took shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed on toward the city dump. Well we got there and there was a big sign and a chain across across the dump saying, "Closed on Thanksgiving." And we had never heard of a dump closed on Thanksgiving before, and with tears in our eyes we drove off into the sunset looking for another place to put the garbage. We didn't find one. Until we came to a side road, and off the side of the side road there was another fifteen foot cliff and at the bottom of the cliff there was another pile of garbage. And we decided that one big pile is better than two little piles, and rather than bring that one up we decided to throw our's down. That's what we did, and drove back to the church, had a thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat, went to sleep and didn't get up until the next morning, when we got a phone call from officer Obie. He said, "Kid, we found your name on an envelope at the bottom of a half a ton of garbage, and just wanted to know if you had any information about it." And I said, "Yes, sir, Officer Obie, I cannot tell a lie, I put that envelope under that garbage." After speaking to Obie for about fourty-five minutes on the telephone we finally arrived at the truth of the matter and said that we had to go down and pick up the garbage, and also had to go down and speak to him at the police officer's station. So we got in the red VW microbus with the shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed on toward the police officer's station. Now friends, there was only one or two things that Obie coulda done at the police station, and the first was he could have given us a medal for being so brave and honest on the telephone, which wasn't very likely, and we didn't expect it, and the other thing was he could have bawled us out and told us never to be see driving garbage around the vicinity again, which is what we expected, but when we got to the police officer's station there was a third possibility that we hadn't even counted upon, and we was both immediately arrested. Handcuffed. And I said "Obie, I don't think I can pick up the garbage with these handcuffs on." He said, "Shut up, kid. Get in the back of the patrol car." And that's what we did, sat in the back of the patrol car and drove to the quote Scene of the Crime unquote. I want tell you about the town of Stockbridge, Massachusets, where this happened here, they got three stop signs, two police officers, and one police car, but when we got to the Scene of the Crime there was five police officers and three police cars, being the biggest crime of the last fifty years, and everybody wanted to get in the newspaper story about it. And they was using up all kinds of cop equipment that they had hanging around the police officer's station. They was taking plaster tire tracks, foot prints, dog smelling prints, and they took twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us. Took pictures of the approach, the getaway, the northwest corner the southwest corner and that's not to mention the aerial photography. After the ordeal, we went back to the jail. Obie said he was going to put us in the cell. Said, "Kid, I'm going to put you in the cell, I want your wallet and your belt." And I said, "Obie, I can understand you wanting my wallet so I don't have any money to spend in the cell, but what do you want my belt for?" And he said, "Kid, we don't want any hangings." I said, "Obie, did you think I was going to hang myself for littering?" Obie said he was making sure, and friends Obie was, cause he took out the toilet seat so I couldn't hit myself over the head and drown, and he took out the toilet paper so I couldn't bend the bars roll out the - roll the toilet paper out the window, slide down the roll and have an escape. Obie was making sure, and it was about four or five hours later that Alice (remember Alice? It's a song about Alice), Alice came by and with a few nasty words to Obie on the side, bailed us out of jail, and we went back to the church, had a another thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat, and didn't get up until the next morning, when we all had to go to court. We walked in, sat down, Obie came in with the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one, sat down. Man came in said, "All rise." We all stood up, and Obie stood up with the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures, and the judge walked in sat down with a seeing eye dog, and he sat down, we sat down. Obie looked at the seeing eye dog, and then at the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one, and looked at the seeing eye dog. And then at twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one and began to cry, 'cause Obie came to the realization that it was a typical case of American blind justice, and there wasn't nothing he could do about it, and the judge wasn't going to look at the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us. And we was fined $50 and had to pick up the garbage in the snow, but thats not what I came to tell you about. Came to talk about the draft. They got a building down New York City, it's called Whitehall Street, where you walk in, you get injected, inspected, detected, infected, neglected and selected. I went down to get my physical examination one day, and I walked in, I sat down, got good and drunk the night before, so I looked and felt my best when I went in that morning. `Cause I wanted to look like the all-American kid from New York City, man I wanted, I wanted to feel like the all-, I wanted to be the all American kid from New York, and I walked in, sat down, I was hung down, brung down, hung up, and all kinds o' mean nasty ugly things. And I waked in and sat down and they gave me a piece of paper, said, "Kid, see the phsychiatrist, room 604." And I went up there, I said, "Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill, KILL, KILL." And I started jumpin up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL," and he started jumpin up and down with me and we was both jumping up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL." And the sargent came over, pinned a medal on me, sent me down the hall, said, "You're our boy." Didn't feel too good about it. Proceeded on down the hall gettin more injections, inspections, detections, neglections and all kinds of stuff that they was doin' to me at the thing there, and I was there for two hours, three hours, four hours, I was there for a long time going through all kinds of mean nasty ugly things and I was just having a tough time there, and they was inspecting, injecting every single part of me, and they was leaving no part untouched. Proceeded through, and when I finally came to the see the last man, I walked in, walked in sat down after a whole big thing there, and I walked up and said, "What do you want?" He said, "Kid, we only got one question. Have you ever been arrested?" And I proceeded to tell him the story of the Alice's Restaurant Massacre, with full orchestration and five part harmony and stuff like that and all the phenome... - and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, did you ever go to court?" And I proceeded to tell him the story of the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and the paragraph on the back of each one, and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, I want you to go and sit down on that bench that says Group W .... NOW kid!!" And I, I walked over to the, to the bench there, and there is, Group W's where they put you if you may not be moral enough to join the army after committing your special crime, and there was all kinds of mean nasty ugly looking people on the bench there. Mother rapers. Father stabbers. Father rapers! Father rapers sitting right there on the bench next to me! And they was mean and nasty and ugly and horrible crime-type guys sitting on the bench next to me. And the meanest, ugliest, nastiest one, the meanest father raper of them all, was coming over to me and he was mean 'n' ugly 'n' nasty 'n' horrible and all kind of things and he sat down next to me and said, "Kid, whad'ya get?" I said, "I didn't get nothing, I had to pay $50 and pick up the garbage." He said, "What were you arrested for, kid?" And I said, "Littering." And they all moved away from me on the bench there, and the hairy eyeball and all kinds of mean nasty things, till I said, "And creating a nuisance." And they all came back, shook my hand, and we had a great time on the bench, talkin about crime, mother stabbing, father raping, all kinds of groovy things that we was talking about on the bench. And everything was fine, we was smoking cigarettes and all kinds of things, until the Sargeant came over, had some paper in his hand, held it up and said. "Kids, this-piece-of-paper's-got-47-words-37-sentences-58-words-we-wanna- know-details-of-the-crime-time-of-the-crime-and-any-other-kind-of-thing- you-gotta-say-pertaining-to-and-about-the-crime-I-want-to-know-arresting- officer's-name-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-you-gotta-say", and talked for forty-five minutes and nobody understood a word that he said, but we had fun filling out the forms and playing with the pencils on the bench there, and I filled out the massacre with the four part harmony, and wrote it down there, just like it was, and everything was fine and I put down the pencil, and I turned over the piece of paper, and there, there on the other side, in the middle of the other side, away from everything else on the other side, in parentheses, capital letters, quotated, read the following words: ("KID, HAVE YOU REHABILITATED YOURSELF?") I went over to the sargent, said, "Sargeant, you got a lot a damn gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I'm sittin' here on the bench, I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench 'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after bein' a litterbug." He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send you fingerprints off to Washington." And friends, somewhere in Washington enshrined in some little folder, is a study in black and white of my fingerprints. And the only reason I'm singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, You can get anything you want, at Alice's restaurant.". And walk out. You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement. And that's what it is , the Alice's Restaurant Anti-Massacre Movement, and all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it come's around on the guitar. With feeling. So we'll wait for it to come around on the guitar, here and sing it when it does. Here it comes. You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant Walk right in it's around the back Just a half a mile from the railroad track You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant That was horrible. If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud. I've been singing this song now for twenty five minutes. I could sing it for another twenty five minutes. I'm not proud... or tired. So we'll wait till it comes around again, and this time with four part harmony and feeling. We're just waitin' for it to come around is what we're doing. All right now. You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant Excepting Alice You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant Walk right in it's around the back Just a half a mile from the railroad track You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant Da da da da da da da dum At Alice's Restaurant ©1966,1967 (Renewed) by Appleseed Music Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Have a happy day, everyone!

Flatland Excursion: Day Seven

Things I learned today:

1) Big Freaking Universities come with big freaking traffic jams.
2) Lowe's is on the other side of a Big Freaking University from here.
3) This town (which sits adjacent to the town in which resides the Big Freaking University) has only 20,000 (or so) residents. Asheville has upwards of 100,000. (That may be the total for the urban area and not just the town. I can't be arsed to check right now.)
4) Ummm, I guess that's all.

Flatland Excursion: Day Six

Today I made the bestestestestest discovery -- the local food co-op carries Highland Brewery (made in Asheville) Beers:



Yours truly with a Black Mocha Stout 22oz'er.


I may just survive after all.

ETA: Also? Weaver Street Market and all other places that sell beer? Stout is meant to be drunk at room(ish) temperatures. Stop putting it in the coolers, okay?

I Like It, But I Think the Value Might Be Too Large

Found at d-cap's place, in this excellent economic post.

Snow?

As regular readers will know, I am a huge fan of snow. You also know that I'm far from Teh Mountainz (far meaning I can't even see them on the horizon).

Since I left the Secret Lair (aka '73 Winnebago) last Wednesday morning, it has snowed twice there, with a chance of more this morning. And this morning I'm scanning my Google News page, and come across this headline:

Officials prepare heavy snow in western NC

Now, I hope this is just a case of a missing preposition, because otherwise it would mean that "Officials" could have prepared somea that snow before I left, so's I could have enjoyed it.

What's in a Name?

From Commander Other, comes the Other Names Meme!!!

1. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names): Luke Edgar
2. NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother’s dad, father’s dad): Laslo Thomas
3. STAR WARS NAME: (the first 2 letters of your last name, first 4 letters of your first name): Ruwill
4. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Purple Panther
5. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you live): Bob Fletcher
6. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink, optionally add “THE” to the beginning): The Brown Mocha Stout
7. FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name): Wige
8. GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie): Fudge Chunk Toll House
9. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pet’s name, current street name): Puff Holly Mountain
10. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on): Kobuk Mertie

I tag pido, kona, Jen, DCup and ... Portly Dyke!!

Ceci N'est Pas Une Post

In case you missed it, René Magritte's birthday was Friday.

Linguistic Saturday Post

Ever wonder the etymology of "okay"?

From Dictionary.com:

Word History: OK [okay] is a quintessentially American term that has spread from English to many other languages. Its origin was the subject of scholarly debate for many years until Allen Walker Read showed that OK is based on a joke of sorts. OK is first recorded in 1839 but was probably in circulation before that date. During the 1830s there was a humoristic fashion in Boston newspapers to reduce a phrase to initials and supply an explanation in parentheses. Sometimes the abbreviations were misspelled to add to the humor. OK was used in March 1839 as an abbreviation for all correct, the joke being that neither the O nor the K was correct. Originally spelled with periods, this term outlived most similar abbreviations owing to its use in President Martin Van Buren's 1840 campaign for reelection. Because he was born in Kinderhook, New York, Van Buren was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, and the abbreviation proved eminently suitable for political slogans. That same year, an editorial referring to the receipt of a pin with the slogan O.K. had this comment: "frightful letters ... significant of the birth-place of Martin Van Buren, old Kinderhook, as also the rallying word of the Democracy of the late election, 'all correct' .... Those who wear them should bear in mind that it will require their most strenuous exertions ... to make all things O.K."

Doesn't your day feel more complete? I know mine does.

Travels With Phydeaux: Day Three

Have established a base camp from which I can foray out to observe these strange creatures known as Flatlanders:

Thursday Python Random Monty

Attention pidomon, Ouyang Dan, and all the fans of the Random Python postings!!

Monty Python have their own YouTube Channel now!!

Checking In

Have made the journey to... here... without incident.

Am observing the natives.

Not sure how to react, cause they're flatlanders, as alien to me as creatures from the constellation Lyra.

The Tubes Are In Mourning...

Ted Stevens loses his re-election bid.

That's 58 for the Dems, counting Whatsisname in NH (apologies to Granite Staters) and Joe "Wrist Slap" Lieberman, with MN and GA still to be determined.

Goodbye From The Secret Lair

No, I'm not shutting down the blog.

I'm leaving in the morning to go stay with my sister for a couple months or so, and then I may well do some more traveling (note to self: make sure to take passport) before I return to Teh Mountainz.

ETA: I'll be taking my computer with me, and using my sister's much more dependable InterWebs Tubes connection while I'm there.

The Weather Gods, knowing how much I like snow, have decided to mess with me by having it snow nearby -- but not here before I head for the flatlands. The mountains north and west of here got a nice covering of snow, but nary a flake here that I saw. I fully expect the next to months to be full of blizzards, since I won't be here to enjoy it.

Here's a photo I took the other morning, and then forgot that it was in the camera. It was foggy, and I just stuck the camera out and snapped:




Oh, and one other thing. I may be gone for 3 months or more, in the middle of winter, so I can't leave the cat here in an unheated space (there's no way I'm leaving with the heat on -- in fact, I'll be unplugging the power completely, so the neighbors won't have to worry about the SL exploding or some shit while I'm gone). Anyway, I can't take her with me, either, so, in just a few minutes, Downstairs Neighbor's boyfriend is coming to take her to her new home. He's involved with the Animal Compassion Network, so I know Puff will be in a loving, safe place.

But I'm sure gonna miss her.

Goodbye, Puff.

lol your satire

A Note To That Woman In Alaska

Silly Party protesters march up and down the square on election day to show their support for the "real" Palin!

These All Go To 11

Is Nigel Tufnel now a programmer at BBC?


(screenshot of BBC video player)

Curses! Foiled Tagged Again!

pidomon has bestowed upon me the



All I can figure is that the rest of Teh InterWebs Tubes (oh, have you heard that Ted Stevens is now behind in the vote count in Alaska?) has already been awarded the above, so now it's down to me and the spam porn sites.

Seriously, thanks, Brotha pido, for thinking of me. :)

Oh, there's rules:

• Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
• Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
• Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
• Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
• Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

As I said afore, it seems as though the entire Web has already seen this one, so I'm not gonna single out anyone (or five). But if you're on my blogroll(s), I view you as a Superior Scribbler. So give yourselves a round of applause!!

I'm sick today, so I'm stealing from the NYT

Dick Cavett on Sarah Palin:

What will ambitious politicos learn from this? That frayed syntax, bungled grammar and run-on sentences that ramble on long after thought has given out completely are a candidate’s valuable traits?

What on earth are our underpaid teachers, laboring in the vineyards of education, supposed to tell students about the following sentence, committed by the serial syntax-killer from Wasilla High and gleaned by my colleague Maureen Dowd for preservation for those who ask, “How was it she talked?” My concern has been the atrocities there in Darfur and the relevance to me with that issue as we spoke about Africa and some of the countries there that were kind of the people succumbing to the dictators and the corruption of some collapsed governments on the continent, the relevance was Alaska’s investment in Darfur with some of our permanent fund dollars. And, she concluded, “never, ever did I talk about, well, gee, is it a country or a continent, I just don’t know about this issue.” It’s admittedly a rare gift to produce a paragraph in which whole clumps of words could be removed without noticeably affecting the sense, if any.

(NYT)

Computer Side Chats?

President-elect Barack Obama will make weekly broadcasts on YouTube when he becomes president. His campaign said Friday that he will keep making the weekly radio reports that presidents have made on the model of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” — 30 speeches by radio that president made between 1933 and 1944. They’ve become part of American nostalgia and lore, with Norman Rockwell-esque images of families gathered around the antique radio set to hear the speech.

(Atlanta Business Chronicle)

How very cool. I like that he will be bypassing the MSM to get his messages directly to the public. When is the last time anyone actually listened to the "weekly radio address", anyway? All I've ever heard is snippets on the NPR hourly headlines.

Bookmark the YouTube Channel now and beat the (War Against) Christmas rush!!!!

I Can Haz Protekshun?

Click on the pic above to go straight to the test... but I suggest clicking HERE to ease yourself into it.

(h/t to Cap'n Dyke, who has a great picture)

The Amazing Reappearing House!!

What a difference a week (or so) makes! A good bit of wind and rain, and Viola! the trees are all but bare.

Too Relaxed

Puff, asleep.

JSYK

I am a liberal.

That is all.

Teh Lair Woods Are So Good For Me

At least according to the results of The paper, "The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature". Jonah Lehrer of The Frontal Cortex sums it up thusly:

Thoreau would have liked this study: interacting with nature (at least when compared to a hectic urban landscape) dramatically improves cognitive function. In particular, being in natural settings restores our ability to exercise directed attention and working memory, which are crucial mental talents. The basic idea is that nature, unlike a city, is filled with inherently interesting stimuli (like a sunset, or an unusual bird) that trigger our involuntary attention, but in a modest fashion. Because you can't help but stop and notice the reddish orange twilight sky - paying attention to the sunset doesn't take any extra work or cognitive control - our attentional circuits are able to refresh themselves. A walk in the woods is like a vacation for the prefrontal cortex.

My prefrontal cortex and I agree.

No Idea...

...what to post tonight.

Any suggestions?

Guess I'll follow this sage advice:



(h/t to FranIAm for the pic)

Blue Gal Kicks Ass -- Yet Again

(h/t [duh] to Blue Gal)

Separated at Birth?

You decide:

Saturday Funny

Ah, the things one finds trolling rambling around Teh InterWebs Tubes.



Found in comments at Brave Sir Robin's.

Oh How I Like Fairlane

Get ye over to Jonestown and read this post now!!!

A Monkey Post, Sorta

"A pirate without treasure is like a monkey without a spatula."
(watch it all the way to the end, ye who be fans of LOST)

Thanks to Boxer Rebel for turning me on to that Universal Truth.

Cartoon o' the Day

Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year....

Ladles and Jellyspoons, it's War on Christmas Time!!!

More on Blue NC

I received an email from a good friend of mine that sums up my feelings about my state perfectly, and with his permission I am posting it below:

Finally!!!!!!! For the better part of almost 18 years I have though a LOT about moving. I planned for years to move out West, perhaps to Phoenix. I’ve flirted several times with moving to Canada. I’ve thought about moving to Spain. I once even considered packing up and heading to New Zealand. All because I wanted to live in a place with people who value things like I do: personal freedoms for everyone and strong beliefs in equal rights for every single person, a commitment to the betterment of all people by helping those less fortunate no matter where in the world they are, and a deep sense of environmental stewardship and responsibility for our precious Earth. Now I don’t have to move. In 9 of the last 10 Presidential Elections, North Carolina has voted Republican, we’ve been a bright, ruby-red gem in the glittery Republican crown. It’s been almost 40 years since our state elected a Democratic nominee. So it is historic that we have turned our state Blue. I now have a new Democratic Senator representing me. I now have new Democratic Congressional leaders representing me. And I also (still, but a new one) have a Democratic Governor representing me. And most of all, our state voted for Barack Obama to support us all! I have always loved North Carolina, but I’ve never been prouder and happier to live here – and in America – than I am today. We truly live in a greater world today, there is hope for everyone. John Magers

New New Deal

Carolina Blue

Is that not the most beautiful thing ever?

The Associated Press declared Obama the winner after canvassing counties in North Carolina to determine the number of outstanding provisional ballots. That survey found that there are not enough remaining ballots for Republican John McCain to close a 13,693-vote deficit. North Carolina's 15 electoral votes brings Obama's total to 364 — nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House — to McCain's 162. Missouri is the only state that remains too close to call, with McCain leading by several thousand votes. Obama's win in North Carolina was the first for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976.

(AP)

Oh, one thing. It must be noted that the blue is a beautiful Royal (aka Duke) Blue, not that faded blue they use at that other school.

Quote of the Day: the Blub Edition

After eight years of assault on our Constitution, we have elected a President who teaches Constitutional law. I cannot express what this means to me.

Hilzoy

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!!

Obama supporters hangin' out at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

UPDATE 1: Party in the streets of DC.

UPDATE 2: Blue Gal did this kick ass video montage:


UPDATE 3:

And Now The Work Truly Begins

President-Elect Obama (how sweet the sound) begins solidifying his transition team today, and will probably begin announcing staff and Cabinet picks soon. Who will he choose to fill the spots? How will he deal with the New Depression? And let's not forget the truly existential threat of our time:



(picture h/t to Cap'n Dyke)

For Posterity (and so's I can find it later)

Fun With Math

According to the 2006 estimate from the Census Bureau, there are 6,740,374 people of voting age in North Carolina.

According to the State Board of Elections, there are 4,876,543 registered voters in North Carolina.

According to the poll results from yesterday, 4,216,993 people voted for President in North Carolina.

Candidate	Votes for	%age of vote
Barack Obama	2,101,986	49.85
John McCain	2,089,826	49.56
Bob Barr	25,181	0.59

So that means:

62.89% of eligible NC voters voted and,
86.47% of registered NC voters voted.

Can you say "Wow!"?