February 18, 2008
Gratuitous Prezdents' Day Grumbling
It's a gloriously beautiful morning here in Your Nation's Capital and I'm stuck all day in my former fortress of solitude summarizing a deposition, a thankless task in any event but made much worse here by the fact that the depo was taken by an utter doofus (no, not me). I don't really have the time to check up on the nooz and surf the intertoobs, but I think I'm going to use this post as a point for rolling updates throughout the day, as random thoughts drift across what passes for the mind of Robbo while I toil away. That's me, Mr. Scattershot.
Speaking of glorious days, I looked out yesterday afternoon to discover the back yard full of robins and starlings. A sure sign that spring isn't all that far off. I love watching robins - there's something infinitely entertaining about the perky and cheerful way they hop about listening for Mr. Worm. Starlings, on the other hand, I can take or leave alone, as they are intensely ugly birds. (I know, I know. That's so hurtful.) I used to listen to a concerto written by a French Baroque composer - either Couperin or Charpentier, I believe - based on the starling's call. But I believe European starlings have a different song than American ones. So how's it going with the Llama-ettes, you ask? Well, no fatalities so far, although there has been a fair bit of low-intensity skirmishing. They're all outside messing about at the moment and I've got the window open in order to monitor for the sound of shrieking (well, okay, also in order to shoo the squirrels off the bird feeder). I used the same line on them this morning that Mom used to use on us: do not bother me unless the house is on fire or one of you is bleeding to death. On the other hand, last evening I whipped up some bacon and water-chestnut hors d'ouvre for them. And there was much rejoicing. Alright, alright. Back to the salt mines. I'm sure I'll be checking in again. UPDATE: Oh, by the way, I hate the concept of Presidents' Day. Bring back the celebration of Old George's birthday, sez I. SHAKING THE DEVIL'S HAND UPDATE: The gels have gone down the street to play with their friends who happen to have a Wii. I really don't mind.Posted by: Robert at 09:11 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Next up for Scar Jo and Natalie:
after this, movies on the estrogen channels and photo shoots in skin mags can't be that far away.
Posted by: LMC at 07:57 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Next Stop: Shock Collars
From Newsweek. Skinner boxes are not far away either.
Posted by: LMC at 07:34 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
February 17, 2008
Gratuitous Intriguing Alt History Observation - "Veni, Vidi, Vici, Eh.." Division
Asked by the six year old at brunch this morning: "Daddy, did the Romans take over Canada?"
I mused for a minute on what an interesting idea that would be, until I was forced to say that no, so far as anybody knows, the Romans never made it to Canada. (I was careful to phrase it this way because God knows what might have happened to some random ship sailing about in the eastern Atlantic in classical times. I have a vague recollection of reading once that the remains of a trireme had been found off the coast of Brazil, although I never discovered whether that was just a legend or not.) Anyhoo, Little Miss Persnickety had to kill the buzz by snapping, "That was the French, dummy." Oh, well.Posted by: Robert at 11:04 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
February 16, 2008
By The Nose of Michael!
The indomitable Mrs. Peperium sends along the following from her secure vacation location. We've reached some scary convergance of the streams where I no longer can tell what is real and what is parody.
You be the judge. Either way, it can't be good for SWMNBN.Posted by: Robert at 09:28 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gratuitous Domestic Observation
Posted by: Robert at 09:58 AM | Comments (20) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
February 15, 2008
Gratuitous Domestic Posting (TM) - Gearing Up For The First Skirmish
Pertinent to my post below about this weekend, I had to run out to the hardware store this morning to get some supplies for the eldest Llama-ette's science fair project. Remember what I said about the stubbornness of mules? Call her the Alpha Mule.
The project involves measuring and charting the rate of growth of seeds in various kinds of soil. Simple enough, right? In order to expand the gel's mind a little, I suggested that she ought to run the same experiment on three or four different kinds of seed, in order to see if maybe different plants might prefer different kinds of soil. "No," she said. "Mrs. B [her teacher] said one kind of plant." "Yes, but Sweetie," I replied, "That's all well and good, but a general principle of science is that the more data you collect, the more information you can get out of it. And it's not like you have to go out of your way - just set up a couple extra trays with the different kinds of seed next to the one you were going to do anyway." "No!" she said. "One plant only! That's the rule! I'll get in trouble if I do more!" "My dear child," I replied again, "You're certainly not going to get into trouble for taking extra steps to expand the scope of your project. And you might just be surprised and interested by the results." "One. Plant." she said. So when I went to the hardware store, I picked up corn, squash, beans and tomatoes. We'll see what happens when I show them to her when she gets home. And because it's Friday, I'm going to go ahead and roll that YouTube vid you've been thinking of since you started reading this: UPDATE: Point taken from those of you urging caution about the parameters of the project. I could be mistaken, of course, but as yet the gel has produced no evidence of it. Further, I know the gel and I know the teacher. Smart money says the gel either misheard or is just being lazy, either of which is in her eyes perfectly reasonable grounds for digging in. As long as we're doing Friday vids, here's one for the six year old. She even has a lot of the same moves: UPDATE DEUX: And here's one for the eight year old. Not that the song especially reflects her makeup, it just happens to be one of her favorites at the moment: UPDATE TROIS: Science! Surprisingly enough, the gel was perfectly amenable to my suggestion after all when I presented it to her. Go figure. We've now duly planted (or rayther, she's now duly planted) rows of said corn, squash, beans and tomatoes in samples of topsoil, manure, seed-starter (peat and vermiculite), sand and ash. I expect fairly polarized growth figgahs.Posted by: Robert at 01:16 PM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Want to stop college gun violence?
Arm the faculty and students. Gun massacres end in one of several ways: the shooter runs out of ammunition, superior firepower shows up, or the shooter offs himself (usually when he is about to run out of rounds or when cornered by the police). "Gun free schools" creates pools of unarmed, potential victims. Read this posting on a television station blog.
Posted by: LMC at 01:02 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer."
The complete map of the Star Trek universe.
Dude.Posted by: Steve-O at 10:16 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Meanwhile, in other religion news
Here's a different approach to Lent:
By:Oddly enough, no Episcopalians were involved in this story...
Tammie Fields
Ybor City – Pastor Paul Wirth says at Relevant Church located at 1731 E. 7th Avenue they're not only talking about sex they're doling out homework. He's gearing up to issue a challenge to his congregation this Sunday. Married couples must have sex for 30 days. Single members have to abstain from sex for 30 days. Pastor Wirth says "We thought if we could challenge our married couples to really engage in intimacy for 30 days and really focus on each others needs for 30 days it would revolutionize their relationships and if we could get single people to remove sex from the equation for 30 days and focus on what really makes their relationships really work it could revolutionize their relationships the current ones that they're in and maybe their future relationships with their future spouses." Brent Cayson is a member of Relevant Church and he's single. He says he's stoked about Sunday's lesson. "But it's definitely something you research and try to figure out. What is it that Jesus wants you to get out of it?" Becky Mahan is also single and says "It's just refreshing to have somebody finally talk about it and finally bring things up." Carl and Kristin von dem Bussche are married church members who have two young daughters a three-year-old and a five month old. Carl says their sex life has definitely changed since they had children. He says he and his wife typically fall asleep the moment their heads hit the pillow. "It's about more than just sex. There's a lot on the guys and the relationship to really meet the emotional needs of their wives." Pastor Wirth says “Couples across America are struggling in their relationships both married and single people. For married people it seems like the sex is great up front but then for some reason life happens. But when you're single it's like you're always thinking about it and you're like man I'd like to have it as much as possible and sometimes that prevents them from having a great really healthy relationship later on when you do get married.” Wirth says church is an appropriate place to talk about sex. “Why not? If God truly created us then he created us as sexual beings. So God invented sex and why would the church be afraid to talk about what God invented? God invented it for pleasure along with procreation so why would the church remain silent on it? I think they're remaining silent on it because they're afraid to talk about it." Wirth points to Song of Songs as a book in the bible that talks very specifically about sex. “I don't think sex was created in the back alleys of the porn industry. I really think God is the one who designed it and it's a beautiful thing and God wants us to enjoy it."
Posted by: Steve-O at 10:02 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gratuitous Fins Posting
I actually see this as a gift to Zack from The Tuna. Zack is on the downhill side of his career. He gave so much of his body to the Dolphins, the best thing they could do for him is to let him go out a winner and that was not going to be the Dolphins any time soon. Tuna also would know that Zack is not a quitter so he would never ever consider leaving the Dolphins volluntarily. No, the only way to give him a shot at a Super Bowl would be to cut him loose. Jason Taylor is on travel now but I expect the Dolphins to do the same when he gets back to Florida. Man oh man, though, I really hope he does not end up with the Pats.I heartily agree. While it's sad to see Zack go after all these years of selflessness, you can only wish him well and hope that he finds greener pastures before he hangs it up for good. God speed!
Posted by: Robert at 09:56 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Things That Make You Go, "AAAAUUUGGGHHH!!!!"
However, we leave his and Emma's story before it comes to the point: How would he have felt if the boys were his own and there was no escape from the little blighters? (Hint: The Missus has also noted that in all our years together she never saw me lose my temper until after the Llama-ettes came along. Hint Two, of course, is that I'm writing all of this with my tongue more or less firmly planted in my cheek, even though you can't see it.)
Posted by: Robert at 09:22 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gratuitous Swimming the Tiber Posting
[Sooper-sekret note to Steve-O: This post is Church-politics free. Easy there, big fellah.]
I had a dream last evening that I was attending Mass. In the middle of it, a woman who looked very much like a cross between Tilda Swinton and Glenda Jackson (beautiful and cruel at the same time) came and sat down next to me. Before she could conceal it in the folds of the fur coat she wore, I saw that she had in her hands a long, sharp pair of scissors. I was positive that she meant to stab me with them and sprang to my feet in fear. As our pal Sleepy Beth would say, and then I woke up, only to discover that I had in fact sprung out of bed as well. Whoa. Now I have anxiety dreams of this sort on a very regular basis, but this is the first time I can recall having one in a specifically religious context. I suppose it comes of a combination of several factors: -- Taking under consideration Jesus' words about not blowing horns and otherwise acting like a hypocrite, I may say that I have taken my Lenten obligations far more seriously this year than ever before (although I still could do much, much better). This has definitely had a mental, physical and spiritual impact on me in a lot of different ways and, apparently, has now got right down into my subconscious as well. (I suppose this means that I'm doing something right.) -- In preparation for being received, I turned in all my registration bumf to my new Church this week. It's just a simple form, plus copies of my baptismal and marriage certificates, but handing them in had a real Crossing the Rubicon feel to it. -- While my very old-fashioned Palie mother has come around in full support, the Missus remains extremely skittish about this whole business. She puts as brave a face on it as she can but she really doesn't fool me. Naturally, this is a continual source of worry (and sadness) for me, exacerbated by the fact that I don't even have the skill and vocabulary to adequately explain just what the heck I'm doing and why. -- I suddenly realized the other day that if I'm received into the Church at the beginning of the Easter Vigil Mass as scheduled, then it will be on the first anniversary of Dad's death. It's probably just as well that the Old Gentleman isn't around for it, as he would have had conniptions (or, as I remarked to Mom the other day, if he weren't already under the earth, this would have put him there). Ironically, though, I flipped back through the archives of the religious posts I've done since then, and it's abundantly clear (at least to me) that his death - much more so than any issue of TEC politics - was the prime driver in finally sending me in this direction. Go figure. The upshot of all this? There's an awful lot of stuff banging around in Robbo's brain at the moment. Looks like I picked a heckuva Lent to quit drinking.Posted by: Robert at 09:03 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day from the LLamabutchers
Posted by: Steve-O at 10:46 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Eyes Beginning To Open
Liberal pundit Ezra Klein of The American Prospect is having a "Wow, I coulda had a V-8" moment:
If Hillary Clinton does not win delegates out of a majority of contested primaries and caucuses, her aides are willing to rip the party apart to secure the nomination, to cheat in a way that will rend the Democratic coalition and probably destroy Clinton's chances in the general election... ...This demonstrates not only a gross ruthlessness on the part of Clinton's campaign, but an astonishingly cavalier attitude towards the preservation of the progressive coalition. To be willing to blithely rip it to shreds in order to wrest a nomination that's not been fairly earned is not only low, but a demonstration of deeply pernicious priorities -- namely, it's an explicit statement that the campaign puts its own political success above the health of the party and the pursuit of progressive goals, and one can't but help assume that's exactly the attitude they would take towards governance, too.Let me be among the first in the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy to offer Mr. Klein a hearty "DUUUUHHHHH!". I'm sure the reality is that guys like Klein have merely been in denial about the price they paid allowing the Clinton's to seize power. It's just that now they're being forced to admit it.
Posted by: Gary at 07:06 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Indiana Jones And The Lost AARP Membership Card
Kathy has posted her thoughts on the new Indiana Jones movie, the trailer of which she has also put up. It's a long post and you should read all of it, but her bottom line? THIS HAD BETTER NOT SUCK!
Hear, hear. Me? I already smell trouble. Half the clips in the trailer are of the "this ain't as easy as it used to be" gag variety and the other half look like they were begged, borrowed and stolen out of the first three Indy flicks. But that's me, Mr. Doom & Gloom.Posted by: Robert at 05:45 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gratuitous Lunchtime Observation
I went over to Cosi to pick up some lunch a while ago. Are you sitting down for this? I had been standing in the salad line when - are you sure you're sitting down for this? - I suddenly changed my mind and....got into the soup line instead!
And people say I'm stuffy and not spontaneous enough. Ha! You got that? Ha! Ha!Posted by: Robert at 01:18 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Happy Valentine's Day!
Forget about the Hallmark/FTD/Zales cabal. Forget about pricey dinners and "lovers' getaway resort packages" and all that hooey. Forget all the other posts you read today about what make men or women tick, what makes a successful relationship or "Five thousand reasons why successful relationships are fairytales and I-never-wanted-one-anyway-so-nyah." You want to know what love is? I'll tell ya what love is:
The eight and six year old Llama-ettes still need their labwork done as part of their recent birthday physicals. The Missus went out of her way to get up and get out of the house early today in order to be first in line at the lab, so that she could get the gels attended to and still be on time to go teach at St. Marie of the Blessed Educational Method. Why did she do this? Because otherwise I would have had to take the gels to get sampled this weekend and the Missus specifically wished to spare me the ordeal of having to help the six year old pee into a cup. Ladies and Gentlemen, I. Am. Not. Worthy. Yip! Yip! Yip!Posted by: Robert at 09:57 AM | Comments (17) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Random Commuter Observations
As I trudged along from the metro station in the teeth of an icy wind this morning, I was musing again on the phenomenon that the coldest weather in winter comes after the winter solstice (and conversely, of course, that the dog days of August come well after the summer solstice).
Whenever I think about all this, I like to imagine the planet tipping this way and that about its axis, with great huge wodges of air slopping back and forth across its surface, not in sync with the Earth's motions, but in reaction to them. Not that it makes me feel any warmer, of course. But I take a particular pleasure in the exercise of changing my perspective to what I suppose would be called the meta level. I find the mental imagery to be endlessly fascinating and gratifying. So what does make me feel just a bit warmer this morning? Two things. One, I spotted the first of the daffodils breaking the surface in the shelter of the garden by our front walk. Two, pitchers and catchers report tomorrow.Posted by: Robert at 09:20 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
February 13, 2008
Is it just me?
Or does Ann Coulter have a portrait of Alice Cooper in her attic closet?
Posted by: Steve-O at 11:06 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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