Monday, June 30, 2008
Two days, bitches!
We're taking Wednesday, Thursday, and next Monday off, so I'm looking at a 2-day work week (aforementioned bitches).
We went to an Obama house party Saturday afternoon, which sounds a lot more raucous than it was, I assure you. Kid-n-Play weren't even there, so it definitely was not 2 Hype. This was a meeting of like-minded folks discussing political-type stuff. My wife lives for this stuff, so I tagged along.
I stopped by a yard sale in the neighborhood Saturday morning as I was out walking one of the dogs, but all they were selling was sadness. Truly, the stuff wasn't worth more than a passing glance. You'd think people about our age would have neater stuff (like I imagine Kate and Paul will have at their sale), but I guess the coolest stuff is often at the sales from folks with 100 years of junk, where stuff has gone from crap to retro-cool. This stuff was firmly in the crap stage.
Saturday I watched Survival, featuring the seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and his companion Ace (Sophie Alred, who I recently learned was actually 26, though she was playing a 16-year-old!). It was the last story of the original 26-year run of Doctor Who in England, but it was not the last one filmed (that was Ghost Light). It's a good story, with the Master (who made a brilliant return in season 3 of the new Doctor Who series). You'd think guys dressed as giant cats and riding horses would look unbelievably goofy, but they pulled it off and made them menacing. The DVD release includes a ton of extras, including discussions about the series being canceled, what they had been planning to do in the 27th season, and a panel discussion from a convention a few years after the show was canceled.
Reading Atom Bomb Blues, which, though published in 2005, tells a new story starring the seventh Doctor and Ace. Interestingly, it was the last in the long running "Past Doctor Adventures" by BBC Books. Begun in 1996, the series included nearly 150 original novels and included stories starring all the previous Doctors, including the eighth (who only got one on-screen appearance, an American-made television movie that failed to restart the franchise, which is a shame since Paul McGann would have been a fun doctor to watch). The series was canceled to concentrate on the current Doctor and his companion(s). So this would make the second medium in which the seventh Doctor and Ace were the last to appear. Kinda sad in a way.
We went to an Obama house party Saturday afternoon, which sounds a lot more raucous than it was, I assure you. Kid-n-Play weren't even there, so it definitely was not 2 Hype. This was a meeting of like-minded folks discussing political-type stuff. My wife lives for this stuff, so I tagged along.
I stopped by a yard sale in the neighborhood Saturday morning as I was out walking one of the dogs, but all they were selling was sadness. Truly, the stuff wasn't worth more than a passing glance. You'd think people about our age would have neater stuff (like I imagine Kate and Paul will have at their sale), but I guess the coolest stuff is often at the sales from folks with 100 years of junk, where stuff has gone from crap to retro-cool. This stuff was firmly in the crap stage.
Saturday I watched Survival, featuring the seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and his companion Ace (Sophie Alred, who I recently learned was actually 26, though she was playing a 16-year-old!). It was the last story of the original 26-year run of Doctor Who in England, but it was not the last one filmed (that was Ghost Light). It's a good story, with the Master (who made a brilliant return in season 3 of the new Doctor Who series). You'd think guys dressed as giant cats and riding horses would look unbelievably goofy, but they pulled it off and made them menacing. The DVD release includes a ton of extras, including discussions about the series being canceled, what they had been planning to do in the 27th season, and a panel discussion from a convention a few years after the show was canceled.
Reading Atom Bomb Blues, which, though published in 2005, tells a new story starring the seventh Doctor and Ace. Interestingly, it was the last in the long running "Past Doctor Adventures" by BBC Books. Begun in 1996, the series included nearly 150 original novels and included stories starring all the previous Doctors, including the eighth (who only got one on-screen appearance, an American-made television movie that failed to restart the franchise, which is a shame since Paul McGann would have been a fun doctor to watch). The series was canceled to concentrate on the current Doctor and his companion(s). So this would make the second medium in which the seventh Doctor and Ace were the last to appear. Kinda sad in a way.Labels: bitches, Doctor Who, Obama
Friday, June 27, 2008
FRIDAY AWESOMENESS!!!
(Click on above picture for huge version)Found this morning while browsing ebay (I browse but rarely buy anything). Where to begin? This is an original poster for the 1980 Flash Gordon movie, designed for theaters in Pakistan. Notice the way it resembles a Bollywood movie, emphasizing the pretty women (click on the "Bollywood" link to see a variety of typical posters). Also note how the main hero of the movie has been shrunken and shoved to the left, with the dark haired supporting hero front and center. It's Pakistan! Why would they care about some blond American? Toss in a few additional photos of exotic Ornella Muti in various costumes (She's on the there FOUR times!) and you've got yourself a poster! Notice at the bottom that not only does Sam J. Jones not get top billing, he's name isn't listed at all. It's not because Timothy Dalton was a bigger name in 1980. He was still years away from James Bond infamy.
Simply awesome. I love how it's been completely retailored for the Pakastani audience. I wonder if they were disappointed the blond guy was in the movie so damn much?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Am I changing or is the world?
So, I heard about this show called The Middleman. Based on a comic book, and looking like a comedic version of Torchwood, I thought, "well, that sounds interesting." Then I saw it was going to be on ABC Family channel, and thought, "huh?"I Tivoed the pilot and watched it yesterday, and it was great! Witty dialog, in-jokes about comics:
He: "You read The Flash? Who do you like better, Barry Allan or Wally West?"
She: "Do you want me to hit you?"
Raise your hand if you understand her response. Congrats, you're a comic geek.
The pilot also had references to the theme song to the movie Shaft and a super-intelligent gorilla with a fetish for mafia movies, red track suits, and a stripper pole (!).
In light of yesterday's post about George Carlin and his seven words, it's interesting to point out that the characters also used the word "hell" three times and "damn" once. Yes, I counted, because every time someone said something like that, I glanced at the little ABC Family logo in the corner and again went, "huh?"
The network's tag line is "A New Kind of Family" and I guess it is. The kind that can say "hell" and "damn."
I liked the show, and recorded the second episode. You can watch the first two episodes online for free on the network's website, so check out the pilot HERE. And ignore the comments under it. Seriously. It feels strange enough pointing you to ABC Family, but who over the age of Hanna Montana would take the time to trash the show in comments? Weird.
Labels: cursing, Middleman, Torchwood
Monday, June 23, 2008
Weekend wrap-up and shocking Monday news
Friday night we went to a favorite Chinese restaurant to celebrate good news concerning my job, then came home and watched a few episodes of Dexter. We're getting it through NetFlix, and we're enjoying it.
I honestly can't recall much about Saturday. We went to lunch somewhere... wait a minute... Oh right! Cafe Deluxe. Nice place, good food. Later, I went to the grocery store with the wife's list. Someone thrust a petition at me in front of the store asking me to sign it so his candidate can be on the ballot. I asked who it was and he said Ralph Nader. I said, "Sorry pal," and handed it back. He called after me, "He's the only one who stands for us!" I bit my tongue so I wouldn't yell, "I blame Ralph Nader for Florida! Because of him we've had eight years of George Bush!" Yep, fair or not, I blame Ralph Nader a lot for our country being in the position it's in.
Then we watched more Dexter. Oh! I also saw an exercise bike at the curb a few blocks down from our house, so I swapped my little Beetle for Laura's roomier hatchback and went back for it, putting it in the garage.
Sunday morning we went to our local farmers market specifically to get local, organic, SAFE tomatoes, and they looked beautiful. Also got fresh basil and mozzarella to make sandwiches.
I did a few miles on the rescued-on-the-side-of-the-road exercise bike, then decided to clean up the garage a bit, since I'd be in there a little more often now. It's spotless now, but was a lot dustier than I imagined the task would be, so I breathed in a lot of nastiness. Since I was already Mr. Active, I went ahead and mowed the lawn, then dragged the last of the brush from the fallen tree to the curb, which took four trips and an additional hour in the 88-degree heat. And that was my sweaty, errand-full weekend.
+ + + + + + + +
Just read the news this morning that George Carlin died in the hospital late last night of heart failure. He was 71. That sucks. We saw him in concert in DC a few years ago, and while much of his later material was sharply focused anger, his earlier stuff will always be classic, like "A Place for My Stuff" and of course "Seven Words You Can never Say on TV," which he got arrested for performing (!) and resulted in a Supreme Court case on the First Amendment and decency.
In honor of George, his seven forbidden words were: Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits. (And I believe "tits" has made it to network shows in prime time now, so I suppose we're down to six.) Read his entire bit here.
Give 'em hell George. RIP.
I honestly can't recall much about Saturday. We went to lunch somewhere... wait a minute... Oh right! Cafe Deluxe. Nice place, good food. Later, I went to the grocery store with the wife's list. Someone thrust a petition at me in front of the store asking me to sign it so his candidate can be on the ballot. I asked who it was and he said Ralph Nader. I said, "Sorry pal," and handed it back. He called after me, "He's the only one who stands for us!" I bit my tongue so I wouldn't yell, "I blame Ralph Nader for Florida! Because of him we've had eight years of George Bush!" Yep, fair or not, I blame Ralph Nader a lot for our country being in the position it's in.
Then we watched more Dexter. Oh! I also saw an exercise bike at the curb a few blocks down from our house, so I swapped my little Beetle for Laura's roomier hatchback and went back for it, putting it in the garage.
Sunday morning we went to our local farmers market specifically to get local, organic, SAFE tomatoes, and they looked beautiful. Also got fresh basil and mozzarella to make sandwiches.
I did a few miles on the rescued-on-the-side-of-the-road exercise bike, then decided to clean up the garage a bit, since I'd be in there a little more often now. It's spotless now, but was a lot dustier than I imagined the task would be, so I breathed in a lot of nastiness. Since I was already Mr. Active, I went ahead and mowed the lawn, then dragged the last of the brush from the fallen tree to the curb, which took four trips and an additional hour in the 88-degree heat. And that was my sweaty, errand-full weekend.
+ + + + + + + +
Just read the news this morning that George Carlin died in the hospital late last night of heart failure. He was 71. That sucks. We saw him in concert in DC a few years ago, and while much of his later material was sharply focused anger, his earlier stuff will always be classic, like "A Place for My Stuff" and of course "Seven Words You Can never Say on TV," which he got arrested for performing (!) and resulted in a Supreme Court case on the First Amendment and decency.
In honor of George, his seven forbidden words were: Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits. (And I believe "tits" has made it to network shows in prime time now, so I suppose we're down to six.) Read his entire bit here.
Give 'em hell George. RIP.
Friday, June 20, 2008
It's Friday!
Let's all get together and beat a dead man with pool cues to celebrate!
This is my favorite scene in the entire movie.
This is my favorite scene in the entire movie.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Reading...
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Disjointed posting
The antibiotics they gave my mother-in-law are working and she's feeling better, so yay! Her health has been up and down for about a year, and it's been really stressful on the wife, as you can imagine. Everyone could use the relief of her being completely better.
Listening to Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie, and oh my God, does it rock. It's a Boston show from 1972, and the guitarist just shreds. This was protopunk mixed with glam. "Hang Onto Yourself" sounds like the Clash four years before they existed.
I don't mention politics too often here, because the whole scene just depresses the hell out of me. Seriously, I might come off as a cynical smartass, but in my deepest core, there's a tiny little idealist who wants to believe government can actually help people, rather than serve the interests of companies, donors, and lobbyists. The tiny little idealist who went to Africa and saw insane poverty, who saw Katrina footage and raged against our ineffectual leaders pointing fingers and slapping each others' backs. If both candidates stopped campaigning now, it wouldn't make much difference. Many people would still vote based on fear, ignorance, and whispered rumors. "Obama is a Muslim. Why is his middle name the same as the scary leader of Iraq? Why does his wife hate America? He isn't patriotic." None of this has anything to do with his abilities to lead, and the smear tactics depress me so much, because they work so well. And if you try to point them out, you're just an overeducated elitist or part of the "liberal media" showing off. You think you're better than me? Rush tells it like it is. He just wants to raise taxes. HOW DO YOU THINK WE'RE PAYING FOR THIS WAR?!? Sigh. Mission Accomplished.
So that's why I don't discuss politics much. It puts me in a dark mood. I push the tiny little idealist down, because if he were free, I'd be one of the "liberal kooks" protesting the World Bank in downtown DC and getting arrested every other weekend.
Listening to Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie, and oh my God, does it rock. It's a Boston show from 1972, and the guitarist just shreds. This was protopunk mixed with glam. "Hang Onto Yourself" sounds like the Clash four years before they existed.
I don't mention politics too often here, because the whole scene just depresses the hell out of me. Seriously, I might come off as a cynical smartass, but in my deepest core, there's a tiny little idealist who wants to believe government can actually help people, rather than serve the interests of companies, donors, and lobbyists. The tiny little idealist who went to Africa and saw insane poverty, who saw Katrina footage and raged against our ineffectual leaders pointing fingers and slapping each others' backs. If both candidates stopped campaigning now, it wouldn't make much difference. Many people would still vote based on fear, ignorance, and whispered rumors. "Obama is a Muslim. Why is his middle name the same as the scary leader of Iraq? Why does his wife hate America? He isn't patriotic." None of this has anything to do with his abilities to lead, and the smear tactics depress me so much, because they work so well. And if you try to point them out, you're just an overeducated elitist or part of the "liberal media" showing off. You think you're better than me? Rush tells it like it is. He just wants to raise taxes. HOW DO YOU THINK WE'RE PAYING FOR THIS WAR?!? Sigh. Mission Accomplished.
So that's why I don't discuss politics much. It puts me in a dark mood. I push the tiny little idealist down, because if he were free, I'd be one of the "liberal kooks" protesting the World Bank in downtown DC and getting arrested every other weekend.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Chat transcript
Just had the following chat with a friend on Google chat. We've known each other for about 12 years and he lives in California now (no other background necessary):
me: how's life three hours ago?
greg: about to get shitty, i have a meeting in 4 minutes. i'll chat with you later.
me: I just had lunch. Jealous?
greg: no, i just had breakfast, bitch.
me: My day is half over. You're going to a meeting. Suck it.
If television is to be believed, women don't "banter" quite this way. They're more supportive. At least they are on Lifetime.
me: how's life three hours ago?
greg: about to get shitty, i have a meeting in 4 minutes. i'll chat with you later.
me: I just had lunch. Jealous?
greg: no, i just had breakfast, bitch.
me: My day is half over. You're going to a meeting. Suck it.
If television is to be believed, women don't "banter" quite this way. They're more supportive. At least they are on Lifetime.
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Terminator has left the building.
Out of the office today, as wife's mother went into hospital late last night with fever and has a post-operation infection to fight off now. The worst things about hospitals is that they're full of germs! You go in for one thing and catch something else as a side effect. I guess it's ironic that there's probably less chance of getting MRSA in third-world countries where antibiotics haven't been added to everything and sprayed onto every surface, creating new resistant super bugs.
I'm posting to say I'm really bummed to hear about the death of Stan Winston, special effects master. He did the effects for (just some listed here):
• John Carpenter's The Thing
• Aliens
• Predator
• Monster Squad
• Edward Scissorhands
• Batman Returns
• Jurassic Park
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Iron Man
He created iconic images that have been copied a million times. He made good movies great and bad movies fun. He was only 62. Can I confess how freaky it is to say "only" 62? There was a time in my life when I would have thought 62 was super-old and a million years away. Now I have family members near that age, family members who don't have the word "grand" in their title.
And damn, Tim Russert's death on Friday was a HUGE shock. He was only 58! I really liked him. He didn't let the Bush administration walk all over him, and he put Dick "baby eater" Cheney on the spot on "Meet the Press," challenging him saying we'd be welcomed as liberators in Iraq (years and years ago, back when they said the war would be over in less than six months).
Russert dies and Rush Limbaugh continues to spew hate and fear, while smoking phallic cigars and taking oxycontin. What is up with this world? Why is God leaving all the assholes to us? How selfish to take all the good ones!
I'm posting to say I'm really bummed to hear about the death of Stan Winston, special effects master. He did the effects for (just some listed here):• John Carpenter's The Thing
• Aliens
• Predator
• Monster Squad
• Edward Scissorhands
• Batman Returns
• Jurassic Park
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Iron Man
He created iconic images that have been copied a million times. He made good movies great and bad movies fun. He was only 62. Can I confess how freaky it is to say "only" 62? There was a time in my life when I would have thought 62 was super-old and a million years away. Now I have family members near that age, family members who don't have the word "grand" in their title.
And damn, Tim Russert's death on Friday was a HUGE shock. He was only 58! I really liked him. He didn't let the Bush administration walk all over him, and he put Dick "baby eater" Cheney on the spot on "Meet the Press," challenging him saying we'd be welcomed as liberators in Iraq (years and years ago, back when they said the war would be over in less than six months).
Russert dies and Rush Limbaugh continues to spew hate and fear, while smoking phallic cigars and taking oxycontin. What is up with this world? Why is God leaving all the assholes to us? How selfish to take all the good ones!
Friday, June 13, 2008
FOTO FRIDAY!
Taken in our backyard with a crappy cell phone camera, but I love how it turned out. If something can bloom in 100-degree heat, maybe there's hope for us all.
Saw this in a dollar store last weekend. There's something both creepy and sad about a
$1 bilingual home pregnancy test. Made in China, no less.
$1 bilingual home pregnancy test. Made in China, no less.
My sister-in-law sent me this pic. Stores in NYC are bragging about the weak dollar and shitty economy to bring European carpetbaggers over to fleece us. Yay. We are whores.
* * *
Might catch a concert Saturday afternoon in downtown DC. Could be a mini-reunion of returned Burkina Faso Peace Corps volunteers, some I haven't seen since... fall 1999!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sunlight and crack
After days of temps hovering near 100, I really wanted to take advantage of yesterday's balmy 88 degrees, especially in light of the news that people who get a little daily sunlight "enjoy a significantly reduced risk for heart attacks, diabetes, and even breast cancer." This is something I am denied in my little windowless office (recently dubbed "the hotbox." See recent twitter at left.). I took each of the three dogs in our house for a walk, one at a time. Starting with the old German shepherd, we went two blocks down, one block right, two blocks up, and one block right. Then taking the kerry blue pup, we went two blocks down, two blocks left, two blocks up, and two blocks right. Finally, the wheaton and I went four blocks down, two blocks right, four blocks up, and two blocks right. Total time was about 45 minutes. I got some sunlight, and all the dogs felt special because each got to take a walk alone with me. I'm democratic that way.
You don't need to be a regular reader of Apartment 3-G to appreciate today's strip. Just know that it's two people doing crack, and the blond is thinking of becoming a dealer of said drug, just to make enough cash to keep buying said (nice circle there). And his square girlfriend--who has no idea he does drugs at all--is knocking at the door. "Sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to kill your buzz" is a sentence I hope to use someday. And "Slow down, Haley. I'm too high to think right now" is something I'm tempted to say at the next long, boring staff meeting, even keeping the name "Haley" in the sentence, regardless of the name (or sex) of the person asking me a question.
* * * * *
You don't need to be a regular reader of Apartment 3-G to appreciate today's strip. Just know that it's two people doing crack, and the blond is thinking of becoming a dealer of said drug, just to make enough cash to keep buying said (nice circle there). And his square girlfriend--who has no idea he does drugs at all--is knocking at the door. "Sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to kill your buzz" is a sentence I hope to use someday. And "Slow down, Haley. I'm too high to think right now" is something I'm tempted to say at the next long, boring staff meeting, even keeping the name "Haley" in the sentence, regardless of the name (or sex) of the person asking me a question.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
"Join or die"
The heat broke yesterday evening, as storms rolled through around 9pm. Unfortunately we were trying to watch a DVD, and the power flickered off twice, making the DVD start from the beginning again. But it's 20 degrees cooler today, so can't complain.
We finally got to start watching the John Adams miniseries that was on
HBO (We bought the DVD set, since we only have the basic Direct TV package. No fancy pay-TV movie stations for us!). I had no idea Adams was a lawyer who defended the British soldiers who took part in the "Boston massacre." It never occurred to me to consider what happened to those soldiers. Adams was quite the Johnny Cochran of 1770! We're going to do an episode a night, though the temptation is there to watch them all in a marathon sitting. But I think we'll enjoy it more if we take breaks and think about it between episodes. Afterward, when we were discussing it, I mentioned how when his cousin was questioning his patriotism, he should have put on a Massachusetts colony lapel pin (like Obama's flag pin "controversy" of today). Oh, and the term "tarred and feathered"? I never gave it much thought, but DAMN I'll bet that hurts!
The series is very well done, with many scenes filmed in Williamsburg for authentic sets from the time period. Looking forwards to part 2 tonight.
+8+8+8+8+8=8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+
Currently reading...
I picked this up when it was released in hardback in September for less than half price, thanks to credit and a coupon. I'm only now starting it because... I guess because I'm a lame ass and I kept putting it off and reading other books. It's the eighth book featuring Agent Pendergast (Read his very interesting backstory here). Like the other books, it has elements of mystery, suspense, horror, history, geography, etc.
All books by the writing team of Preston and Child are recommended.
We finally got to start watching the John Adams miniseries that was on
HBO (We bought the DVD set, since we only have the basic Direct TV package. No fancy pay-TV movie stations for us!). I had no idea Adams was a lawyer who defended the British soldiers who took part in the "Boston massacre." It never occurred to me to consider what happened to those soldiers. Adams was quite the Johnny Cochran of 1770! We're going to do an episode a night, though the temptation is there to watch them all in a marathon sitting. But I think we'll enjoy it more if we take breaks and think about it between episodes. Afterward, when we were discussing it, I mentioned how when his cousin was questioning his patriotism, he should have put on a Massachusetts colony lapel pin (like Obama's flag pin "controversy" of today). Oh, and the term "tarred and feathered"? I never gave it much thought, but DAMN I'll bet that hurts!The series is very well done, with many scenes filmed in Williamsburg for authentic sets from the time period. Looking forwards to part 2 tonight.
+8+8+8+8+8=8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+
Currently reading...
I picked this up when it was released in hardback in September for less than half price, thanks to credit and a coupon. I'm only now starting it because... I guess because I'm a lame ass and I kept putting it off and reading other books. It's the eighth book featuring Agent Pendergast (Read his very interesting backstory here). Like the other books, it has elements of mystery, suspense, horror, history, geography, etc.All books by the writing team of Preston and Child are recommended.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Introducing...
Here's the newest member of our extended family, Sage, the pup of my wife's sister:
He enjoys car rides.
He's adjusting well to life in the Big Apple.
He enjoys car rides.
He's adjusting well to life in the Big Apple.Monday, June 09, 2008
Hot to handle
It's 81 degrees at 6:45 am. Supposed to reach 98 by noon, for third day in a row. I installed a ceiling fan in the guest room yesterday, just to circulate the air. Hot.
Friday after work I climbed onto the roof of the garage, tied a rope around the part of the trunk hanging broken, and dropped the rope to the ground behind the garage. Then I climbed down and pulled the piece back and forth until is finally cracked and fell, hitting the ground and not the garage roof, thankfully.
The sister-in-law and her husband arrived Friday night and we hung out. Saturday they went to get the new dog, and we picked up Lebanese food for Saturday night. Their dog is very sweet. I don't think he barked once, never looked at the cats twice, and loved chasing tennis balls in the backyard. The German shepherd of the mother-in-law seemed to feel threatened by the newcomer and tried to assert herself a few times, but we stopped her and she gave up trying to be pack leader. Their dog's adjustment to NYC should be interesting. I'm glad they live near a few parks where he can see grass now and then.
They left for home around noon yesterday and the wife and I decided to get out of the house and get lunch. Then I installed fan I mentioned above, which went smoothly, except I was unable to make the remote I got for it work, so i finally gave up and just installed it normally and put the remote back in the box, never to be touched again.
Friday after work I climbed onto the roof of the garage, tied a rope around the part of the trunk hanging broken, and dropped the rope to the ground behind the garage. Then I climbed down and pulled the piece back and forth until is finally cracked and fell, hitting the ground and not the garage roof, thankfully.
The sister-in-law and her husband arrived Friday night and we hung out. Saturday they went to get the new dog, and we picked up Lebanese food for Saturday night. Their dog is very sweet. I don't think he barked once, never looked at the cats twice, and loved chasing tennis balls in the backyard. The German shepherd of the mother-in-law seemed to feel threatened by the newcomer and tried to assert herself a few times, but we stopped her and she gave up trying to be pack leader. Their dog's adjustment to NYC should be interesting. I'm glad they live near a few parks where he can see grass now and then.
They left for home around noon yesterday and the wife and I decided to get out of the house and get lunch. Then I installed fan I mentioned above, which went smoothly, except I was unable to make the remote I got for it work, so i finally gave up and just installed it normally and put the remote back in the box, never to be touched again.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Four? Are you freaking serious?
So this weekend, on top of our two dogs, and the German shepherd of my mother-in-law, we'll be hosting a fourth dog, as a sister-in-law and husband come down from NYC to adopt a dog they found online in this area. Should be interesting. Don't walk in the backyard barefoot for a while. I'm just sayin'.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Interesting evening
I left work at my regular time, aware that they were calling for thunderstorms. I wasn't prepared for what we got. Halfway through my short drive home, a deluge started. Even with the wipers on high I could barely see through the windshield. Suddenly, I noticed something in the road ahead. I couldn't swerve out of the way, as there was a car in the lane to my right, so I slowed down as fast as I could, as a giant patio umbrella--a giant open patio umbrella--bounced down the street toward me in the driving rain. It must have blown away from a sidewalk cafe. It stopped for a moment, and I started to approach it and move around it as the wind caught it again and smashed it down the side of my car. A few scratches I was able to buff out later, and a dent I'll have to live with, but no broken glass, so it's okay.
I pulled up in front of my house as the rain stopped. The power was out, but the sun was coming out, so I figured it wouldn't be out for long. Letting the dogs into the backyard, I glanced up to see that the top half of the tree behind the garage (the only tree left in the yard after the other one fell in a storm a few weeks ago and I had to chop it up with a chainsaw) had snapped off and was hanging by the bark over the garage. If it broke off the rest of the way, it would crash through the roof into the garage. I got a ladder and climbed onto the roof, breaking off branches and dropping them behind the garage onto the remains of the other tree. I did this for about 45 minutes, finishing as thunder started again. I went inside and found a battery-powered radio and listened to one tornado warning after another. Luckily we just had driving rain here. I was filthy after yanking tree branches and piling them up, so I took a shower. Luckily the bathroom has a window, so it wasn't completely dark. The dogs got bored watching the storms and went to sleep on the floor. I read until it got dark, then started to drowse in a chair until the power suddenly came back on at 8:45.
Crappy cell phone pic of the garage, with snapped-in-half tree rising behind it.
The wife is staying at her sister's tonight, after spending the day visiting her mother in the hospital, so all my adventures were only viewed by the dogs. Oh, and for some reason my cell phone (Verizon) couldn't dial out or send text messages., so I couldn't contact anyone either.
After the power came back on I celebrated with a beer and watched Universal Soldier for the first time. It featured a really good extended fight scene between Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. Good end to a tedious evening.
Simple, simple, simple
So Obama is finally the clear choice... the "presumptive nominee." McCain celebrated by making a rousing speech attacking and mocking him. You think Hillary will be the VP candidate? I'm torn. On one hand, she can bring her supporters over to the ticket (except the kooks who said they'd vote for McCain if Hillary didn't get the nod), but on the other hand, it's hard to get things done when you're praying daily for Obama's death or alien abduction, which she'd likely be doing.
Insiders are saying she's very interested in the VP spot (foot in the door beats being a complete outsider and all that), but she may just want to be asked so she can say she turned it down, which would really be selfish and divide the party further, so I hope she doesn't do that.
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I've been listening to early Simple Minds records recently. If you only know them from "Don't You Forget About Me" you'll be surprised at how different they sounded a few releases earlier. The next few releases after their Breakfast Club hit found them chasing American stardom, I feel, and they sound like they're trying to be U2 circa "Joshua Tree." But after they accepted they'd likely not conquer America, they dropped the arena pretensions and started making music for themselves again. The band's lineup has flipped and rotated over the years (I saw two former members in a different band on an American club tour about a year ago), but all the original members are supposedly reuniting for a European tour to celebrate their 30th anniversary(!).
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I'm reading A Simple Plan by Scott Smith, which I picked up because I liked his latest novel , The Ruins. It was the basis for a movie of the same name, directed by Sam Raimi (1998). Amazon gives it great reviews, so I'll have to watch it after I finish the book.
Hey, I only just now noticed the "simple" thread running through this post. Duh!
Insiders are saying she's very interested in the VP spot (foot in the door beats being a complete outsider and all that), but she may just want to be asked so she can say she turned it down, which would really be selfish and divide the party further, so I hope she doesn't do that.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I've been listening to early Simple Minds records recently. If you only know them from "Don't You Forget About Me" you'll be surprised at how different they sounded a few releases earlier. The next few releases after their Breakfast Club hit found them chasing American stardom, I feel, and they sound like they're trying to be U2 circa "Joshua Tree." But after they accepted they'd likely not conquer America, they dropped the arena pretensions and started making music for themselves again. The band's lineup has flipped and rotated over the years (I saw two former members in a different band on an American club tour about a year ago), but all the original members are supposedly reuniting for a European tour to celebrate their 30th anniversary(!).* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I'm reading A Simple Plan by Scott Smith, which I picked up because I liked his latest novel , The Ruins. It was the basis for a movie of the same name, directed by Sam Raimi (1998). Amazon gives it great reviews, so I'll have to watch it after I finish the book.Hey, I only just now noticed the "simple" thread running through this post. Duh!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
New houseguest
Lexi tries out the giant bed (but still sleeps in as small a ball as possible).
My mother-in-law had major surgery yesterday (a four-hour procedure ended up taking six hours), and after a week in the hospital, she'll be staying at the home of my wife's sister and her husband. There's one small problem: who takes care of her German shepherd? My wife offered to do it, so for the next few weeks, our two-bedroom bungalow will house two people, three dogs, and two cats. They arrived Sunday morning with the big dog and her giant bed. The shepherd is very sweet, thank goodness, and doesn't chase the cats. Our big boy cat is still wary of the new dog, and slinks slowly through the room like he's trying not to set off a motion detector. The little girl cat? It's just another bed to her.
Note the dog's toy is the same size as the cat. The dog caught her in the bed and sniffed her, but when the cat didn't move, the shepherd slept on the floor!
