30 June 2009

A Title, For Crying Out Loud

I have to hurry up and post so Jen can post.

Have a good night, everyone.

29 June 2009

Sometimes The Cloud Is So Bright, You Can't See If There's a Silver Lining

I looked out the window (yes, the window, as in the only one downstairs that actually looks out onto the wider world [as opposed to a lightshaft or garage]), and went "Wow! That's a bright cloud!" So I took a photo of it for the whole InterWebs Tubes to enjoy.


Or at least the 40 or so people who read this blog. :)

The Cloud!

The rest of the clouds, too!

28 June 2009

Owww!! I Broke My Fast


Toast français... Tostada francesa... Франция Тост... however you say it, the correct response is yumm!

27 June 2009

Pic of the Day: Part Deux



Found at The Barefoot Bum

Saturday Song



In case anyone's interested, this is one of my most favorite songs ever.

Pic of the Day

26 June 2009

A Gentle Costa Rican Shower

The view from the garage -- no, I'm not going out in that!



Okay, that's a little more intense than the usual daily rain, but not much.

I love it. :)

25 June 2009

R.I.P. Michael

Michael Jackson dead at 50.

You know, you'd think there would be a really good version of Thriller over at YouTube -- the long form video that launched it all. But the best I could find is a grainy copy from TV, and it's not even embeddable. But, still, worth a watch.

Here's hoping you're at peace now, Michael.

Does It Really Say That?

The latest episode of Mr. Deity!!!

24 June 2009

Science? Still Cool

Prehistoric Bird-Bone Flute Unearthed -- From Discovery News (online)

A bird-bone flute unearthed in a German cave was carved some 35,000 years ago and is the oldest handcrafted musical instrument yet discovered, archaeologists say, offering the latest evidence that early modern humans in Europe had established a complex and creative culture.


So what I wonder is, did the flutist's playing drive her mother to distraction?

Are There Any Non-adulturous Republicans?

Having lived my whole life -- until three months ago -- in North Carolina, I have a more than passing familiarity with South Carolina. It is a state that has been near the bottom of the list in education, income, and, well, a lot of things. So, it really comes as no surprise to me that, during his career-ending press conference today, Governor Mark Sanford exhibited extremely poor speaking skills.

What? You hadn't heard? The Governor was "missing" for several days last week. Turns out he was with his mistress.

On Wednesday, he admitted he had been on a private visit to Argentina because he had "wanted to do something exotic".


Now, whilst rambling on about God and family, Sanford mentioned that his staff did not lie to anyone, that they were actually told he was off hiking the Appalachian Trail. I'm not sure I believe that though. You remember that game you played as a kid where one person whispers something to the person next to them, and you go around the circle and see how the original message comes out?


In this case, the end message was "Hiking the Appalachian Trail."...

23 June 2009

The Environmental Destruction Agency

That's what we should call the Supreme Court. As Bob Cesca says at that link --

It's simply remarkable how a corporation can be allowed to function even though its entire business model relies upon choosing how much nature it intends to destroy in the process.

22 June 2009

Quote of the Day

Hey, nobody's going to tell you you can't be treated --- you made that decision all by yourself when you opted not to have a lot of money. That's what freedom's all about. (Unless you're sick and you want to die, of course, in which case the state won't let you.)
-- Digby, on health care in the United States. Bob Cesca has also been doing lots of excellent posts about the clusterfuck that is Congress attempting health care reform.

How Dare They!?

I'm speechless. How could anyone say such a thing as is expressed in this photo?

Frac chocolate?

No, sir. Frac you ... and the base ship you rode in on!!!

21 June 2009

InterWebs Tubes failing.... will post later if able.

20 June 2009

Saturday Random Costa Rican Architecture

Since a lot of the houses around here are built right up next to each other (like row houses in a city in the States), they only have windows on the front and back. So, the light shaft is quite popular. Below is one of the nicer examples of same in our neighborhood.

19 June 2009

Just A Reminder...

All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels and modified by mutual interests.

However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.

-- George Washington, aka THE Founding Father, during his farewell address. And yes, that's directed at you idiot Republicans who try to twist the words of the FF's to match your demented worldview and to you Democrats who are preparing to screw the American people because you have been bought out by Big Insurance.

18 June 2009

17 June 2009

Wednesday Theme


Doctor Who

16 June 2009

Non-Sequitur

It was hot earlier today, so...


My dad in Alaska over 50 years ago.

15 June 2009

Picture of the Day

I have no idea what's going to happen in Iran, but I can't help but believe that this:

will one day be seen as a beginning.


Let's hope the outcome is positive.

14 June 2009

Today Is A Holiday


Oh, wait, that's not right...


Gah! Still not right!


Ah. There it is.

Happy Flag Day, to all you idolaters!

13 June 2009

I Knew This Would Happen...

...but I went ahead and installed the Romulan warp engine (which uses a quantum singularity, aka black hole) as a backup power source.

Look what happened! This is the "current weather" shown on my browser:

12 June 2009

Friday Kitteh Blogging

Well, actually, I did that yesterday with the photos of NotChita.

So... try this (WARNING: Teh Cute abounds at that link)

11 June 2009

Neighborhood Wildlife

There are a couple of neighborhood kittehs here, one of whom I have caught on ...hmmm ... captured photographically before, named Chita. We don't know the name of the other one, so, of course, we have taken to calling him NotChita. He's a bit of a standoffish kitteh:
Nice day for a perambulation, eh wot?
NotChhta on a warm fiberglass roof
Oh, Crap!  I've been spotted!!
You'll never catch me!!He sure is a pretty kitty, though.

10 June 2009

"We'd better get a gecko picture out of it, is all I can say about that."

Things were a bit batty upstairs last night, it appears. We'll never know for sure, however, because I had Jen's camera down here. Hence the quote I use for a title on this post.

You see, there was a gecko in my shower (as Steve said in GMail status, the gecko was saving me a bunch on shampoo!), and my camera is, at present, non-functional due to a lack of batteries. [note to self: this would be a really good time to get four rechargeable AAA batteries -- and a charger] So Jen graciously brought me down her camera.

Luckily for me (based on the post title quote), I took some photos of said gecko.

Therefore, I give you, not one, but three gecko pictures:
gecko on the wall

gecko (fuzzy) on the wall up next to the ceiling

gecko on the wall, showing the perspective of the view of the angle of the inclusion of the shower head
(and, yes, that is a taped over electrical wire sticking down into the shower. This is Costa Rica, after all)

09 June 2009

Thank The Deity... Mr. Deity, That Is....

They're back for their third season (thanks to Teh Portly Dyke for letting us know it was coming)!!

If you're not already familiar with Mr. Deity, I heartily demand suggest you go visit their website and catch up.

08 June 2009

07 June 2009

The Truth Is Out There

Oh Crap! It's a quarter to ten at night and I haven't posted!! What to do????

Oh, right. I took a picture last night!

I thought this was pretty cool, because there was that bright white cloud in front of and underneath all the brooding, dark clouds. I wondered at first if one of Costa Rica's volcanoes was erupting, but, as there has been no further evidence of ash (or lava), I guess it was just an odd cloud arrangement.

06 June 2009

Gooooooooooooal!!!!

So as you all are -- I'm sure -- aware, Costa Rica defeated the United States 3-1 on Wednesday in 2010 World Cup qualifying. Were talking fútbol (that's soccer, guys). No, seriously, they played a game. It was a big deal here.

Well, this afternoon Jen and I were watching some more Big Bang Theory and suddenly cheers erupted from the house across the street. Turns out there was another match, this time Costa Rica versus Trinidad & Tobago (which, is that really fair? Two on one????? ;) ).

Since I am living here now, I am interested in things Costa Rican, so we went upstairs and tuned in the game on Jen's computer* (it has a TV tuner card) and I watched the last ten minutes or so,

Costa Rica won 3-2, and are now in first place in their qualifying division.

Go la Sele (selección nacional)!!

Also, we had lunch yesterday with some friends, and we talked about going to a (local) match some time. So that should be fun... and I promise not to yell for a First Down. :)

*(and bake sausage balls and scones)

05 June 2009

The Shortbread Protocol

..Jen's new status message - So we're sitting there watching TV and Bob turns to me and says, "you want cookies?" And I was like, "duh," and so we paused the show and now he's in there making cookies for me. Well, some of them will be for him too. 62:45.63 PM*

...Jen's new status message - It's here (but scaled down). Three ingredients -- bout as easy as it comes. e:42 PM*









*timestamps changed to pertek the innocent

04 June 2009

The Whole Universe Was In A Hot, Dense State

Then Nearly 14 billion years ago expansion started -- wait

The Earth began to cool
The autotropes began to drool
Neanderthals developed tools
We built a wall
(We built the pyramids)

Math, Science, History
Unraveling the mysteries
That all started with

The Big Bang

BANG!


I'm teaching Jen the theme to the show.

03 June 2009

Today 50 Years Ago In Alaska

I'm all full from the wonderful calzones, so tonight you get a quickie.
Another winter shot of the Jesse Lee Home grounds, in Seward, Alaska, in winter (duh).

My Mom, setting out a cake that I suspect may have been for my sister (the younger), as it is apparently early spring-ish.

02 June 2009

Whew

When last we heard from Prophesor Phydeaux (I think it was Boatboy who came up with that most apropos derivation), he was waiting for a call/email for a second meet wherein he was to learn more about his new work schedule. That second meeting was today -- but it wasn't the scheduling meeting.

It was the meet-the-management-meeting, wherein they expressed their happiness at having a "native speaker" for the upper level English Classes. (I don't think I'm gonna be the only one, but they are in the process of growing and expanding the curriculum and need me. Or something like that.)

I got the tour of the school, and learned more about the place.

And I go back on Thursday evening to get my schedule and the books from which I will be teaching English. Beginning in mid-June.

Yay!

Oh!

The "Whew".

I almost forgot.

Turns out they have Ticos (native Costa Ricans) to teach the first two levels of English. I'll be teaching Levels 3-5, which is the more advanced. Which is a relief, because my Spanish really isn't up to tackling day-one-no-speaking-English students.

So, Yay and Whew!!

01 June 2009

Graph of the Day



From Conor Clarke, via Matthew Yglesias, with the following excerpt of the original post:
The section of the chart that appears in bright, bumblebee yellow is the percentage of publicly traded American companies owned by the United States.* I don't see much bumblebee yellow. What I do see is that Microsoft Excel feels the need to portray the percentage of American companies owned by the government as an exponential number. That's 5.07^-02, or %0.0507 of the value of American companies that is owned by the United States government. (When I ask Excel to display this breakdown without the exponential it just becomes "100%" and "0%.")

Video For The Day (and Christina)



(the gist of the song does not express the opinion of the Staff of The Phydeaux Speaks Experience -- except for that one time when I really felt like shite on a Monday... it was long ago, and I don't really remember why I felt that way, but I did and it happened and there's no going back and changing it... or is there?)