Now that Karl Malden has died at the ripe old age of 97 (way better than 50!), I ran across this old AMEX ad today. Remember this?
When he says "pick-pockets" I swear it sounds to me like he was saying "fick-fuckits."
I not sure some popcorn in my face would preclude me from feeling something sliding against my butt cheek, but it does happen. In all my months of traveling through Europe, I've never had my wallet pulled from my pants. I did, however, have someone enter my hotel room in Los Angeles while I was sleeping and make off with my wallet which was on my nightstand.
Guess I should have carried American Express Travelers Cheques then. Or better, just hidden the wallet.
At least they used a blonde white guy in the ad as the thief and not some brownish gypsy. Clever of them. I wonder who their ad agency was at the time?
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Minnesota Nightmare Has Ended
Congratulations, Al Franken, Senator from Minnesota. After eight long months, a victory by 312 votes has finally arrived.I'm not putting too much into this 60th Democratic vote thing... not while we have senators like Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, and Blanche Lincoln, D-Arkansas, who are among the more conservative Democrats in the US Senate.
And then there are some health issues:
Republicans are also well aware that two veteran Democrats, Senators Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, are ailing and have regularly been absent from the Senate, making it very difficult for Democrats to assemble 60 senators on the floor.
I have but one request of Senator Franken: Please make Paul Wellstone proud.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Most Outrageous (Sexist) Marketing Gimmick
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Pitchman for OxiClean Dead at 50
Billy Mays has died.
It's a bit unnerving to have two high-profile 50-year-olds drop dead in a week. What's up?
It's a bit unnerving to have two high-profile 50-year-olds drop dead in a week. What's up?
Family, friends and colleagues mourned Mays, 50, who was found unresponsive in his Tampa home Sunday, and awaited an autopsy to determine the cause of his sudden death.
Police said Mays told his wife he didn't feel well when he went to bed Saturday night. Earlier in the day, he said he was hit on the head when his airliner had a rough landing at Tampa Bay's airport.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
You Know Them
Some of you may have seen this before but I just ran across it this morning. And I'm fascinated by such bits of trivia.
They're Nick and Bobbi Ercoline of the northern Orange County hamlet of Pine Bush. She's a 59-year-old nurse at Pine Bush Elementary School who collects food and clothes for needy children. He's a 60-year-old retired business agent for a carpenter's union who does lead and farm worker housing inspections for Orange County. The parents of two sons — Matthew, 30, and Luke, 27 — live in a 10-room home on a wooded road dotted with old farms and new houses. An American flag, a statue of the Virgin Mary and a tongue-in-cheek "Hippies Use Back Door" sign greet visitors out front. The famous photo hangs on a wall in a kitchen with shiny wood floors and black granite countertops.
Here they were as you knew them in 1969.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
[Trigger warning for gun violence.]
There's a post up at Shakesville which starts off with the title of this post.
If I have gun-related issues, which I sorta do, the very phrase "trigger warning" is a trigger.
I'm so glad I operate in a trigger-free zone. This country has enough triggers and trigger-happy people as it is.
Honestly, and I'm dead-curious, if someone sees a trigger warning on a post, and they know they are sensitive to it, do they not read the post or do they psyche themselves up for it somehow?
I'm trying to figure this out.
But I like the Who Would Jesus Shoot part. Really. Would Jesus pull a trigger?
If I have gun-related issues, which I sorta do, the very phrase "trigger warning" is a trigger.
I'm so glad I operate in a trigger-free zone. This country has enough triggers and trigger-happy people as it is.
Honestly, and I'm dead-curious, if someone sees a trigger warning on a post, and they know they are sensitive to it, do they not read the post or do they psyche themselves up for it somehow?
I'm trying to figure this out.
But I like the Who Would Jesus Shoot part. Really. Would Jesus pull a trigger?
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday Pussy Blog: The High Pussy Edition
Our old dining table and chairs are shoved into a corner of the den with 2 chairs on the table to conserve space while I try to find someone willing to pick this up for free. Sissy has decided one of the chairs makes a suitable throne for her Highness.
She's such a sweet girl.
Meanwhile, the Tot will either be in a window or on the new kitchen table.
Happy Friday, everyone! Wheeeeeee! What a friggin' week! Hopefully nobody else died today!
She's such a sweet girl.
Meanwhile, the Tot will either be in a window or on the new kitchen table.
Happy Friday, everyone! Wheeeeeee! What a friggin' week! Hopefully nobody else died today!
Packin' Heat For Jesus (and the Bartender)
Ken Pagano, the pastor of the New Bethel Church in Louisville, is staging a "celebration of our rights as Americans" by encouraging his congregation to bring along the kids bring a hot dish for the potluck supper carry their firearms into the sanctuary. I kid you not.
And I'm a hardcore vegetarian except when I chow down on some veal.
Things are getting crazy out there and we need a reality check. Unfortunately, reality is not to be embraced by this group who see conspiracy in everything. Obama made me do it:
The NRA is busy...
This is not a healthy trend.
The New York Times addresses a related issue in an editorial today.
Just what America needs during times of economic strife, layoffs, and the related stress: drunks running around with guns! Another case has been made for drinking at home.
Not all is lost though; at least the Texas legislature, surprisingly, enacted a ban on the mentally ill buying weapons. But this leaves me wondering something rather important: define mentally ill.
“God and guns were part of the foundation of this country,” Mr. Pagano, 49, said Wednesday in the small brick Assembly of God church, where a large wooden cross hung over the altar and two American flags jutted from side walls. “I don’t see any contradiction in this. Not every Christian denomination is pacifist.”
And I'm a hardcore vegetarian except when I chow down on some veal.
Things are getting crazy out there and we need a reality check. Unfortunately, reality is not to be embraced by this group who see conspiracy in everything. Obama made me do it:
One worry was that a Democratic president and Congress would reinstitute the assault-weapons ban, which expired in 2004.
But there is little support for the ban. Mr. Obama and his party have largely ignored gun-control issues, and the president even signed a measure that will allow firearms in national parks.
Still, the fear remains that Mr. Obama, and his attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., will crack down on guns sooner or later. That — along with the faltering economy, which gun sellers say has spurred purchases for self-defense — has fueled a record surge in gun sales.
The NRA is busy...
The National Rifle Association says its membership is up 30 percent since November. And several states have recently passed laws allowing gun owners to carry firearms in more places — bars, restaurants, cars and parks.
“We have a very active agenda in all 50 states,” said Chris W. Cox, legislative director of the N.R.A., widely considered the country’s most powerful lobby. “We have right-to-carry laws in over 40 states; 20 years ago, it was in just six.”
Of the 40 states with right-to-carry laws, 20 allow guns in churches.
This is not a healthy trend.
The New York Times addresses a related issue in an editorial today.
...Tennessee, where the Legislature just overrode the governor’s veto and rescinded a law barring patrons from carrying handguns in bars and restaurants.
Just what America needs during times of economic strife, layoffs, and the related stress: drunks running around with guns! Another case has been made for drinking at home.
Not all is lost though; at least the Texas legislature, surprisingly, enacted a ban on the mentally ill buying weapons. But this leaves me wondering something rather important: define mentally ill.
Crossposted at Big Brass Blog
Thursday, June 25, 2009
When I Was 13
In my dreams, when I was 13 there were real rock bands. The kind that didn't need flashy shit. You know, they just got out there and they played. And it was received or not. And others came along and they were received or not... and then there's Wishbone Ash. They struggle........ they fail, and they succeed at times. But.. you've got to admit, it was fucking fun.
They did all of the above, and I applaud them for it.
They did all of the above, and I applaud them for it.
RIP: Two Icons Of My Youth
This is a surreal day. I've been so inundated with work since Tuesday that I'd barely been able to digest the death of Farrah Fawcett. I never even knew she had an Austin connection until today.
And why would I? I was a high school boy living on a farm in Arkansas during Charlie's Angels, a show I watched almost religiously. I can't think of the 1970s without thinking of her.
Just as I was wrapping up my workday, txrad blurted out something about Michael Jackson dying. I said, "WHAT?"
Rumors were flying back and forth, that he was in the hospital, that he was in a coma, that he had died. And apparently the latter is the fact.
If Farrah Fawcett was a cultural icon of my teenage years, Michael Jackson was certainly the equivalent of my pre-teen and early teen years.
What Melissa wrote about "Rockin' Robin" really resonated with me.
I remember that song being played on the radio sooooo many times when I was a kid. I knew talent when I heard it, even if it was something I wasn't rushing out to buy. I also never owned a Michael Jackson LP or 45 RPM single, or CD. But I never wrote him off as talentless; it just wasn't my bag. In the 70s I was veering in the direction of heavy metal and in the 80s when Thriller was released, I was into the punk/new wave scene.
And speaking of Thriller, I have a story. In 1983 (while Melissa was a still a "kid" by the way -- yes I'm old I guess) when the Thriller video was released, I was over in London working at the HMV Shop. I will never forget that day when the video was available for the first time.
The HMV was a 3-story record and video store located in central London -- the best record store on the planet in my opinion -- and we were gearing up ahead of time for the release. I worked on the 3rd floor which was the video floor. All the staff were told to report to work that day as it was expected to be one of the busiest in the history of the store.
I will never forget showing up for work at least an hour or so ahead of the official store opening and seeing mobs of people already gathered at the door. I still remember a sense of selfish pride as I was allowed through the door as an employee while the masses were salivating with their noses literally pressed against the glass doors of the store.
And of course I remember the minute the store officially opened for business and throngs raced in. First on the ground level, then to the 2nd level, and finally racing up the circular stairway to the 3rd level where the treasured videos were to be found.
It was a busy day. And needless to say, the video was also being played non-stop on the monitors and sound system. That was the one day out of 14 months when I don't think I got an opportunity to put on the Grace Jones video.
Here's another song I heard a million times from when I was 10 years old. Michael was probably 11. And that, in and of itself, is pretty scary.
And at 2:26 PM PDT, he was no longer among us.
Ferrah Leni Fawcett (her first name a variation on the Arabic word for joy) was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. Voted Best Looking at her high school, she studied microbiology, then art, at the University of Texas, Austin.
And why would I? I was a high school boy living on a farm in Arkansas during Charlie's Angels, a show I watched almost religiously. I can't think of the 1970s without thinking of her.
Just as I was wrapping up my workday, txrad blurted out something about Michael Jackson dying. I said, "WHAT?"
Rumors were flying back and forth, that he was in the hospital, that he was in a coma, that he had died. And apparently the latter is the fact.
If Farrah Fawcett was a cultural icon of my teenage years, Michael Jackson was certainly the equivalent of my pre-teen and early teen years.
What Melissa wrote about "Rockin' Robin" really resonated with me.
I was never much of a fan. Never owned a Michael Jackson album, not even Thriller. But I must have listened to my 7-inch single of the Jackson 5's "Rockin' Robin" like nine million times on my Scoobie-Doo record player...
[...]
And I found it indescribably cool that it was sung by a kid who grew up just down the street from me.
I remember that song being played on the radio sooooo many times when I was a kid. I knew talent when I heard it, even if it was something I wasn't rushing out to buy. I also never owned a Michael Jackson LP or 45 RPM single, or CD. But I never wrote him off as talentless; it just wasn't my bag. In the 70s I was veering in the direction of heavy metal and in the 80s when Thriller was released, I was into the punk/new wave scene.
And speaking of Thriller, I have a story. In 1983 (while Melissa was a still a "kid" by the way -- yes I'm old I guess) when the Thriller video was released, I was over in London working at the HMV Shop. I will never forget that day when the video was available for the first time.
The HMV was a 3-story record and video store located in central London -- the best record store on the planet in my opinion -- and we were gearing up ahead of time for the release. I worked on the 3rd floor which was the video floor. All the staff were told to report to work that day as it was expected to be one of the busiest in the history of the store.
I will never forget showing up for work at least an hour or so ahead of the official store opening and seeing mobs of people already gathered at the door. I still remember a sense of selfish pride as I was allowed through the door as an employee while the masses were salivating with their noses literally pressed against the glass doors of the store.
And of course I remember the minute the store officially opened for business and throngs raced in. First on the ground level, then to the 2nd level, and finally racing up the circular stairway to the 3rd level where the treasured videos were to be found.
It was a busy day. And needless to say, the video was also being played non-stop on the monitors and sound system. That was the one day out of 14 months when I don't think I got an opportunity to put on the Grace Jones video.
Here's another song I heard a million times from when I was 10 years old. Michael was probably 11. And that, in and of itself, is pretty scary.
And at 2:26 PM PDT, he was no longer among us.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Celebrating 100 Miles and 100°
I am a sweaty fool right now. I just got home from 1.5 miles of walking in the afternoon heat of 100° in the shade. On the street, in the sun, it was probably still in the 108° to 110° range. That walk, coupled with 1.5 miles this morning, puts me at 100 miles since I began this regimen on May 18th.
That puts me in Lorena, Texas near the southern edge of Waco on the map.
So I'm about to shower than screw the top off a refreshing white wine from California.
By the way, the shoes are holding up nicely.
They were not new when I started this. I'd had them a couple of years and that included quite a few one-mile walks around the block, plus I wore them when I was working downtown in 2007, walking a half-mile each way to and from the bus stop on those days when I took the bus. So I figure these shoes could easily have 100 miles on them already.
The official high at our house today: 105.1°
That puts me in Lorena, Texas near the southern edge of Waco on the map.
So I'm about to shower than screw the top off a refreshing white wine from California.
By the way, the shoes are holding up nicely.
They were not new when I started this. I'd had them a couple of years and that included quite a few one-mile walks around the block, plus I wore them when I was working downtown in 2007, walking a half-mile each way to and from the bus stop on those days when I took the bus. So I figure these shoes could easily have 100 miles on them already.
The official high at our house today: 105.1°
Blinded by the Right
I ran across this letter to the editor which was printed in today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. On one level it is so outrageous it's comical. On another more important level, it's simply disturbing because he is not alone. There are lots of like-minded individuals out there whose brains have been stirred to mush by an overdose of Faux News, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity.
The irony is that it is people like Sid Denney who are the real Hate America contingent, the "stupid, ignorant, dumb Americans" who allow themselves to be manipulated into believing nonsense.
If Mr. Denney would take the time to examine the facts in the context of American politics as a whole, he would learn that Arkansas' three US Representatives and two US Senators who are Democrats, can best be categorized as moderates who tilt to the right once for every two tilts to the left.
With that being said, I hope I have adequately corrected this reoccurring gross distortion promoted by the likes of Sid Denney. Probably not.
Click the graphic to see how your state's delegation is ranked.
Source: National Journal, which isn't particularly slanted to the left.
Families are under seige
Once upon a time the Democratic Party was for the American family. We stupid, ignorant, dumb Americans have allowed our country to be taken over by the “hate American families” national media, American Civil Liberties Union, illegal aliens, gays, drunks and druggies.
We have elected a social-experiment president who apparently hates Americans and loves Muslim terrorists. Blanche Lincoln, our senior U.S. senator, apparently wants illegal aliens to take jobs from our families. We have three Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives who also apparently hate America.
Wake up, America, and take our country back from the “hate American families” fringe group called Barack Obama’s Democratic Party. Contact your senators. We don’t want a racist on the Supreme Court.
SID DENNEY
Bella Vista
The irony is that it is people like Sid Denney who are the real Hate America contingent, the "stupid, ignorant, dumb Americans" who allow themselves to be manipulated into believing nonsense.
If Mr. Denney would take the time to examine the facts in the context of American politics as a whole, he would learn that Arkansas' three US Representatives and two US Senators who are Democrats, can best be categorized as moderates who tilt to the right once for every two tilts to the left.
With that being said, I hope I have adequately corrected this reoccurring gross distortion promoted by the likes of Sid Denney. Probably not.
Click the graphic to see how your state's delegation is ranked.
Source: National Journal, which isn't particularly slanted to the left.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Color My Pussy Orange
If you think this is another post about my cat, think again. It's a "BIG" coloring book for those who are a tad obsessed with private parts. So whip out those crayons, kiddies!
Rather than post the full photo to my Photobucket account, I'll just provide a link to Amazon which sells them. Besides, Photobucket has a history of deleting any of my pictures if there is any resemblance to male private parts.
These coloring books are available as his and hers.
I wonder if they are really available on Kindle as the page suggests. That would take all the fun out of it.
Via.
Rather than post the full photo to my Photobucket account, I'll just provide a link to Amazon which sells them. Besides, Photobucket has a history of deleting any of my pictures if there is any resemblance to male private parts.
These coloring books are available as his and hers.
I wonder if they are really available on Kindle as the page suggests. That would take all the fun out of it.
Via.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday Pussy Blog Bonus
The Tot does this thing where he starts grooming in the living room while waiting on us to join him. He is grooming his belly and he actually uses his paw to pull it up so he can lick it.
Oh, excuse me!
Oh, excuse me!
A Finer Single Malt Scotch
Today I hauled my happy ass to north Austin for some yummy Indian vegetarian cuisine and then on to the nearby Crate & Barrel. I'm having a small dinner party on July 4th for four friends plus txrad and myself. Not only will it be my first time to use our new (new to us) dining table, it will be the first time in 12 years of living in Austin that I have planned a dinner get-together with friends in our home!
Needless to say, there are some things I needed to buy to prepare for this. If I'm going to do it, I want it to be nice.
And I scored something for myself as well. This lovely single malt scotch delivery mechanism. What you see pictured here is a Macallan 15. And I'm shocked at what a difference it makes having a quality piece of bar ware from which to consume it.
That glass probably weighs close to half a pound! And it really allows the full scotch bouquet (or whatever they call it) to reach your nose. Quite nice, and well worth $9.00 in my opinion. Not that any of it came out of my pocket; I used a gift card!
I bought some additional glassware which necessitated cleaning out a cabinet to make room. For a few years one of my favorite tequilas was including two shot glasses with each bottle, and they seem to have accumulated.
I now have these in a box, unsure what to do with them. I don't think that type of glass recycles. I guess I can hang on to them, and if I decide to have konafest2012, I can invite 110 of my closest blog buddies and we can all simultaneously do a shot... a toast to the god of kona.
Make your reservations now; space is limited.
During the time it took me to write this post, I have now drained the glass of the Macallan 15. Two big thumbs up.
Needless to say, there are some things I needed to buy to prepare for this. If I'm going to do it, I want it to be nice.
And I scored something for myself as well. This lovely single malt scotch delivery mechanism. What you see pictured here is a Macallan 15. And I'm shocked at what a difference it makes having a quality piece of bar ware from which to consume it.
That glass probably weighs close to half a pound! And it really allows the full scotch bouquet (or whatever they call it) to reach your nose. Quite nice, and well worth $9.00 in my opinion. Not that any of it came out of my pocket; I used a gift card!
I bought some additional glassware which necessitated cleaning out a cabinet to make room. For a few years one of my favorite tequilas was including two shot glasses with each bottle, and they seem to have accumulated.
I now have these in a box, unsure what to do with them. I don't think that type of glass recycles. I guess I can hang on to them, and if I decide to have konafest2012, I can invite 110 of my closest blog buddies and we can all simultaneously do a shot... a toast to the god of kona.
Make your reservations now; space is limited.
During the time it took me to write this post, I have now drained the glass of the Macallan 15. Two big thumbs up.
Friday, June 19, 2009
They Are Us. We Are Them. Solidarity.
Yes, where is your vote? I don't think it ever existed.
And let's not forget it.
Friday Pussy Blog: Orange Tot Juice Edition
txrad decided to decorate the Tot as a walking orange juice advertisement one night this week. That was met with some displeasure. I am receiving the look of death.
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