quixotic

quixotic \kwik-SOT-ik\ , adjective;
1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals.
2. Capricious; impulsive; unpredictable.

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This word really describes me, especially the "capricious; impulsive; unpredictable" definition.

It's also probably because I've made a habit of tilting at windmills.

KitKats of the World

KitKats(tm) are among my favorite candy bars...at least, they USED to be. Even though I'm not supposed to have them, I still eat one now 'n then. (They're also Richard Simmon's favorite candy bar, at least that's what I heard him declare in a TV interview a few years ago)

Check out these KitKats of the World



(just a small screenshot of many more)

KitKats of the World

County Health Rankings

See where your county ranks in the Texas section of the U.S. County Health Rankings.

Gray County doesn't fare too well, coming in at 192 out of 221.

I noticed something odd about the Texas map:

(click for larger view; go to the site to click on your particular county)


Down at the very corner of the of the "panhandle" part (but NOT part of the Panhandle) are two counties, Loving and Ward. I thought it funny that they are abbreviated "Lov" and "War".



I've always heard "All's fair in love and war.". I guess that's why they're also next to Winkler County..."WIN" (and if you decided to get married, you'd need a "REV")

And I'm Short & Stout

You Are Energetic

You love to stay busy and engaged. Nothing makes you feel worse than feeling bored, so you do your best to keep moving. You are very interested in the world and in others. You are a social butterfly and a total people person. You're the type of person who puts a pot of tea on whenever you need a pick me up. Tea keeps you going. Your signature tea: black tea, especially earl grey and English breakfast

The Teapot Test

Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

Tea For Two - Doris Day

Make Mine a Double

I so seldom drink I can almost claim to be a teetotaler, but I believe I'd take up drinkin' if I was married to one of these ol' gals.

A Cute 911 Call

Yes, "cute" would describe it. This young lady showed more poise than I'd expect from someone her age. Heck, she showed more poise than most adults I know if faced with the same situation.

From the YT page:

Hancock County - It took a five-year-old girl to save her father's life. She talked to 911 dispatchers when she thought her father was having a heart attack.

Audio only

Bolero - Undercover Orchestra

From the YT page:

Something Epic in the Everyday, we take a stand against Musak. Trying to make classical music more accessible to people. This work was made possible by the financial support of Newcastle City Council, Nexus and Eldon square shopping centre.

Flower Garden

Left-click within the page, then move your cursor to instantly grow flowers.

No green thumb required, thank goodness.

Flower Garden

CHAN!

Get your chan on.

mulct

mulct \MULKT\ , noun;
1. A fine or penalty.
transitive verb:
1. To punish for an offense or misdemeanor by imposing a fine or demanding a forfeiture.
2. To obtain by fraud or deception.
3. To defraud; to swindle.

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Congratulations! If you've come to this blog to be educated or amused...

YOU'VE BEEN MULCT!!!

Texas Morning - B.W. Stevenson

Written by Michael Martin Murphey (his version)

A Mike a Day

Keeps the bad odors away

You Should Smell Like an Apple

You are a fresh and natural. You are keep it light and easy. You don't like to complicate your life with drama, and you avoid anything that is too intense. You are happiest when you are able to spend time outside. The environment is likely one of your passions. You are subtle and nuanced. People need to pay attention if they truly want to understand you.

What Fruit Should You Smell Like?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

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I DO smell like an apple most of the time.

A rotten one.

Spider Babies

---

Tell me that didn't make a shiver go down your spine.

Punny Funnies

From the archives:

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1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!"

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron." The other says "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.

"But why?", they asked, as they moved off.

"Because," he said," I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption.

One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan. " Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

8. A group of friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close.

Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop.

Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good) a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

10. And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

PHUN

Not so much a game, but instead a time-waster.

Run your cursor over the multi-colored balls and split them into more, all the way down to the pixel level. When you're done, an image will be revealed.

To be honest, I've not had much free time lately and haven't finished this to conclusion, so I don't know what sort of image is behind the balls.

(If it's a nude woman, someone tell me and I'll find the time to finish take it down.)

PHUN

letters to dead people

letters to dead people is a simple but brilliant idea: write a letter to the deceased and let them know how you feel. Most of the letters are written by the site's owner, but she also takes reader submissions. Some are silly, some are poignant and others are laugh-out-loud funny.

For example, one of the latest letters is to Princess Diana:

Dear Princess Diana,
Even in death we did not leave you alone.

Another recent entry:

Dear Marquis De Sade,
You won't find love in the crack of a whip, but I guess you were never looking for love in the first place.

One of my personal favorites:

Dear Isaac Newton,
Heavy, man, heavy.

My very favorite, however, is my own selected for publication.

Texas Unclaimed Property

From the site:

One in four Texans has unclaimed property from forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, security deposits and utility refunds. It’s your money, and we want you to get it back.

Texas is currently holding more than $2 billion in cash and other valuables waiting for the rightful owners to claim. It’s never too late to make a claim, and we are committed to ensuring hardworking Texans don’t lose a penny. Find out what you may have been missing by searching our unclaimed property database

Texas Unclaimed Property

Timothy - The Buoys

Not your average rock 'n roll tune



Another vid, a live performance

Quote on Quotes

I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself. - Marlene Dietrich

Can You Eat It?

Take the Can You Eat It quiz on the TLC site.

I scored 70%, but object to the wording of some of the questions. One possible answer is "maybe", and that's where I went wrong - according to them. It wasn't part of the quiz, but as an example of one of the ambiguous questions would be "Can you eat a rattlesnake?" The answer would be "Yes", but one wouldn't want to eat the fangs or the rattles, would they?

Can You Eat It?

arcanum

arcanum \ar-KAY-nuhm\ , noun; plural arcana \-nuh\
1. A secret; a mystery.
2. Specialized or mysterious knowledge, language, or information that is not accessible to the average person (generally used in the plural).

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I don't understand why this word isn't a synonym for women.

It is in MY case, anyway.

Problem Child - AC/DC

I Need

A girlfriend whose name doesn't end in "jpg".

Snow Ice Cream

From Paula Deen at Food Network

Snow Ice Cream

Ingredients

* 8 cups snow, or shaved ice
* 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Place snow or shaved ice into a large bowl. Pour condensed milk over and add vanilla. Mix to combine. Serve immediately in bowls.

---

Other than the old joke about not eating yellow snow, this recipe is a joke. If you're in the pristine mountains of Montana, maybe, but I would never make snow ice cream if I was in...say, New Jersey. I wouldn't make it here, either.

I was tempted to make some with our last snowfall, even scooping some up in a large pitcher. Discovering I had no vanilla, I decided it wouldn't be as good as what we used to make as kids (and nuclear testing was still going on, which might explain some of my physical and mental deformities). I forgot to empty the pitcher and the next day the snow had melted, leaving a few pints of cloudy, dirty water.

Besides all that, I'm loathe to trust any recipe from a woman who has wigs made of butter.

In the Shallow End of the Pool

You Are Skinny Dipping

You are a fairly conservative, down to earth person. You aren't known for making trouble. That being said, you can be a little mischievous at times. You have a bit of a wild streak! You have probably been accused of being a flirt or a tease - and you're guilty as charged. You are naturally quite playful and coy. You're mostly sugar, but you're also a little spice.

Are You Skinny Dipping or Streaking?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

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Wonder if anyone has ever done both at the same time?

When I went to college back in the early 70's, streaking became the rage. For several weeks, students gathered outside at night to view those among us who dared to bare it all. There were several incidents I remember very well; one was a guy who stood naked atop his dorm building and exhorted the waiting crowd to "Gather 'round my children!" We all rushed over to cheer him, but as we got closer we found he was indeed topless, but was wearing flesh-colored pants. Instead of cheers, he received boos and a few rocks thrown his way. (mine came close)

Another was a young lady riding a horse, ala Lady Godiva. She too was wearing some flesh-colored tights and had her hair strategically taped around her breasts. She didn't get any rocks thrown at her, but her horse panicked at the crowd around her and nearly bucked her off. The horse's gyrations caused the tape to loosen, which was most likely the reason she didn't suffer the same fate as the guy atop the dorm.

Not all the streakers came out at night; there was a guy who decided to streak through the cafeteria at noon. He went running through the crowd, but when he jumped over a railing, he fell and broke his ankle. I'm not sure which hurt him worse, the accident or the loss of his pride.

A few years later I went skinny dipping in a stock pond with my best friend. That was also the day I found out for certain that he was gay. It was also the day I found out for certain that I wasn't.

fractious

fractious \FRAK-shuhs\ , adjective;
1. Tending to cause trouble; unruly.
2. Irritable; snappish; cranky.

---

Fractious should be my middle name.

Endeavour Comes Home

From: NASA



With landing gear down, space shuttle Endeavour approaches the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 14 days in space, completing the 5.7-million-mile STS-130 mission. Endeavour landed at 10:20 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 21, after delivering the new Tranquility node and its seven-window cupola to the International Space Station. Returning to Earth aboard Endeavour are Commander George Zamka; Pilot Terry Virts; and Mission Specialists Robert Behnken, Nicholas Patrick, Kathryn Hire and Stephen Robinson.

Credit: NASA

bombast

bombast \BOM-bast\ , noun;
1. Pompous or pretentious speech or writing.

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I should have named this blog "The Daily Bombast".

Do You Feel Like We Do - Peter Frampton

This song brings back memories of living in my home town when the song was first out and playing all the time on the radio. I was living in a garage apartment and since the TV went off at midnight, there was nothing else to do but listen to the radio. This was one of the better songs that remind me of that time. (another is Manfred Mann's "Blinded by the Light", but I prefer to associate ANY other song but that one with that fun time in my life)

egregious

egregious \ih-GREE-juhs\ , adjective;
1. Conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible.

---

This is one of my favorite words, but I use it far too often.

One might say I am egregious in my overuse of the word egregious.

The Blizzard of '71

From Texas on the Potomac:

Today in Texas History: Massive blizzard hits panhandle

On this date in 1971, a massive blizzard that left 6 to 26 inches of snow hit the Texas Panhandle. The blizzard lasted until February 22.

Three people were killed in the storm, which also caused the disappearance of 15,000 cattle in Amarillo. Property losses and damages totaled $3.1 million.

The blizzard had winds of up to 60 miles per hour and left snow drifts as tall as 12 feet. The paralyzing storm was the worst of its kind since a blizzard that lasted from March 22-25, 1957.

The same storm hit western Oklahoma hard. The blizzard produced the state's record snowfall total of 36 inches in the small town of Buffalo.

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I remember this weather event very well. I was a sophomore in h.s. and had that summer bought 18 sows and two boars (pigs), plus had mine and my sister's show pigs to look after. When the storm blew in I was running low on feed and the highways were snowed under so I couldn't get to town to purchase more. The pens were just behind our house and the drifts got so deep, I eventually couldn't even make it out to check on the hogs.

The storm finally blew itself out, and I made my way out to the pens to see if any of the animals had survived. Among my herd was one mean Duroc sow that I had had to separate from the rest by putting her in our fenced garden spot. Before the storm hit, I had made her a shelter from some hay bales, but the snow had collapsed the make-shift shelter and the pig was nowhere to be seen. I figured she had died in the snow and I'd find her when the snow melted.

I was climbing over the garden fence to get to the pens and stepped on a mound of snow when the "mound" squealed and moved under my feet. It was the mean sow and she didn't like being disturbed from her warm snow cave!

Taking heart, I checked on the other animals, but couldn't see or hear them from where they were under the snow that had drifted to a depth of at least ten feet over their pens. I struggled back through the snow and got a shovel and my sister came with me to help dig them out. As I said, the snow was very deep and I dug down as far as I could, then held my sister by her ankles as she dug the rest of the way down to the shelter.

I knew exactly when my sister broke through the last foot of snow because a miasma of horrid, foul corruption - several day's worth of pig manure - came wafting up through the hole we had dug. Screaming at me to pull her out, my sister got the brunt of the smell.

Long story short, all the pigs had survived, but my sister's show animal had frostbitten ears and most of both ears on the pig had to be cut off. It made the hog look funny, but my sister's pig still managed to win grand champion at the county livestock show a month later.

There was still the matter of food for the animals: my dad suggested I take buckets and go over to a seed wheat grainery a quarter mile away and "borrow" some of the farmer's seed. I trudged through waist-deep snow, making several trips until I simply couldn't make another trip.  We soaked the wheat in a 55 gallon drum in our heated garage and after a day, it was soft enough for the pigs to eat.  They loved it.

After the highways were cleared and I could get to town to get food for the animals, I didn't have to feed them the grain. There was a few gallons of wheat left in the barrel and it had soured into a stinking mess and my pop insisted I get it out of the garage. Instead of simply discarding it, Dad told me I should feed it to the pigs.

Again, not to ramble on with this boring story, the hogs got drunk off the fermented grain and I watched and laughed as they squealed and spun around in circles. The next day they all looked miserable and I suppose they had hangovers!

Flushed With Success

The Great Pampa Roundup

It's that time of year again!

Check to see if you have a local warrant for your arrest!

I think some of the clowns in local govt. should be in jail.

Tuff Enuff - The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Thank Goodness!

I'm not "Forward Useless Crap".

Then again, some of my email friends might disagree.

You Are Send

You are confident, assertive, and a real go-getter. You like to take action. You know that things won't get done unless you do them, and you're always willing to take the first step. You're the type of person who applies for jobs you may not get and initiates friendships with strangers. You believe that life can be full of wasted opportunities if you're not careful. You rather do too much than do too little.

What Email Function Are You?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

gastronome

gastronome \GAS-truh-nohm\ , noun;
1. A connoisseur of good food and drink.

---

I always wanted to be a gastronome, but I don't think being an expert in corn dogs and diet root beer qualifies me.

Itchycoo Park - Small Faces

>

duplicity

duplicity \doo-PLIS-i-tee, dyoo-\, noun;
1. Deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech; also, an instance of deliberate deceptiveness; double-dealing.
2. The quality or state of being twofold or double.

---

Almost all politicians are certainly the first definition; they're also the second...one person while campaigning and another after they win the election.

Not My Type

Find out what font type you are at Pentagram.com

It told me I was "Plastica", a font of which I am unfamiliar.

Pretty cool lookin', though.



What type are you?

Skinner Wins Reprieve

From the Houston Chronicle online:

Texas inmate set to die next week wins reprieve

HOUSTON — A condemned inmate set to die next week for a triple slaying 16 years ago in the Texas Panhandle has had his execution date put off for a month.

Henry Watkins Skinner, 47, faced lethal injection Feb. 24 for the 1993 New Year's Eve killings of Twila Jean Busby, 40, and her two grown sons at their trailer home in Pampa.

State District Judge Steven Emmert on Tuesday reset Skinner's date to March 24 to resolve what lawyers said was a timing problem with the original death warrant.

The judge said the paperwork was not completed properly within 10 days of when he signed the warrant last November and Skinner's attorneys had filed a motion to have the warrant dissolved.

"I figured the safest bet was to back up and start over," Emmert said Wednesday.

Read the rest

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Previous post on this: Dead Man Balking

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More news articles:

Texas execution nears as condemned man seeks DNA test

TribBlog: Skinner Execution Postponed

Delay for Skinner execution, but that's all?

---

Meant to add this link to my previous article:

Official Hank Skinner site

Castaway's Great Ending

Following a Google UK link from a hit on this blog's "Cast Away" posts, I discovered this blog post: Grace and Truth to You: Castaway's Great Ending and Lessons Learned When Facing A New Crossroads in Life

It's a great post with photos taken from a trip to the crossroads and ranch house, but like so many other forum threads and blog posts on the 'net, the comments veer off into politics.

It even brings into play Godwin's law; what I'd like to know...and even though the post was on a minister's blog, and said nothing about politics, I have to ask...is what the hell does Hitler have to do with this fantastic movie? I know it's not part of the post and is instead in the comments section, but still....

Granted, I didn't read all the replies after the political angle was brought up, but my eyeballs sometimes glaze over when I see this sort of discussion.

hypnagogic

hypnagogic \hip-nuh-GOJ-ik; -GOH-jik\ , adjective;
1. Of, pertaining to, or occurring in the state of drowsiness preceding sleep.

---

Most of the time I try to make some smarmy remark about these words, or accompany them with a feeble attempt at humor, but there are a few times where I actually learn something.

Following the link on the definition page, I learned the name for what I often experience just before drifting off to sleep: hypnagogic jerk. It used to freak me out when I'd do that, thinking the reason was because I had forgotten something very important I was supposed to do that day or it was a premonition that I was going to die in my sleep...both of which would upset me and pull me out of the "state of drowsiness".

Email Cover

This free service hides your email address in a CAPTCHA image to help prevent spam email being sent to your email address.

The service also provides text and image links to use in forums and msg. boards.



emailcover.com

Rate My Turban

A hilarious parody of Hot or Not



Rate My Turban

I Would Have Figured "Dopey"

You Are Bashful

You love being part of a group, as long as you're not asked to participate. You rather just be around. You are an excellent listener and a deep thinker. You are extremely sensitive and emotional. You are very polite and caring. You think before you speak, and you never say anything you regret. You are calm and collected. You don't crack under pressure, and you're always able to think clearly.

Which of the Seven Dwarfs Are You?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

New Trivia Games

Earlier today I received an email from FunTrivia.com, the website that hosts our daily trivia game:

Hello ToTG,

FunTrivia.com, the World's Largest Trivia Site, has grown enormously over the past year to include over 1.5 million trivia questions and 90,000 quizzes. Here are some of the NEW things at FunTrivia:

- We are happy to announce the opening of a new game, Mind Melt! Can you match definitions, opposites, and relationships between words faster than your opponents? Come try it out:

http://www.funtrivia.com/mindmelt

- Over 150 Challenges, each with unique goals and awards. Enough here to keep you entertained for a decade!

- "Who's the Expert" - A new topic is chosen each hour and the best scorer crowned.

- "Fill me In" - new hourly game that asks you to fill in the blank.

- "Who Am I?" - new daily game that tests your knowledge of famous people.

- Create a team and play team trivia every day!

---

That sounds interesting, and I will probably check out the new games, but it was another bit of info. in the email that threw me for a loop:

Your achievements to date have advanced you to Trivia Level 1.
So far you have played 1 of 90,000 quizzes and scored 130 points.
You are ranked #5510 of the 10,000 players in your class (class 168).

That means I'm just a little bit above average. That's all I really want out of life, to be just a little bit above average.

Flu Square Dance

Choose your partners, one and all,
Aspirin, Advil, or Tylenol!

Now fling those covers with all you’ve got,
One minute cold, the next minute hot,

Circle right to the side of the bed,
Grab the tissues and Sudafed.

Back to the middle and don’t goof off;
Hold your stomach and cough, cough, cough.

Forget about slippers, dash down the hall,
Toss your cookies in the shower stall.

Remember others on the brink;
Wash your hands; wash the sink.

Wipe the doorknob, light switch too,
By George, you’ve got it, you’re doing the Flu!

Some like it cold, some like it hot;
If you like neither, get the shot.


via Bits & Pieces

The Music Died

But ToTG lives!

I have a Google alert set to notify me of any mention of this blog on the 'net. I get a notice every day because Google frequently indexes this site and each post brings an email, but sometimes other websites give us a mention.

Nowble.net is the most recent site to give us a link; it was our post about Buddy Holly and we were mentioned along with other sites and blogs that wrote about the anniversary of Holly's death.

inexorable

inexorable \in-EK-sur-uh-bul; in-EKS-ruh-bul\ , adjective;

1. Not to be persuaded or moved by entreaty or prayer; firm; determined; unyielding; unchangeable; inflexible; relentless.

---

When I ask a woman out, she suddenly becomes inexorable.

Check Your News IQ

At the Pew Research site:

(click graphic for larger view of my score)



Check your news IQ

vivify

vivify \VIV-uh-fy\ , transitive verb;
1. To endue with life; to make alive; to animate.
2. To make more lively or intense.

---

I didn't know this word, but I used to know a Vivian.

She was pretty lively.

Win Vampire Candy!

at: Recipe Lion



We are excited to give away Necco Twilight Sky Bars to 5 lucky readers. Modeled after the original Sky Bar, the Twilight Sky Bar is a chocolate bar split into three distinct sections, each with its own filling. In each Twilight Sky Bar you will find peanut butter, creme and caramel. The bars are decorated to fit the theme of New Moon, the second film in the popular vampire series, and each wrapped is adorned with one of the title characters from the film.

Enter contest

billet-doux

billet-doux \bil-ay-DOO\ , noun;
plural billets-doux \bil-ay-DOO(Z)\
1. A love letter or note.

---

It's been a long, long time since I got - or sent - a billet-doux.

I suspect there's a correlation between the two.

Could it Be I'm Falling in Love - The Spinners

Dedicated to Alison and Chester on their first wedding anniversary!

Expressive = "Naughty"

You Are an Expressive Valentine

When you are into someone, you really want to show it. You know... physically show it. So while Valentine's Day dates are nice enough, you believe that the fun part comes later - behind closed doors. You are a very intense person, and you are a total free spirit. You don't have any hangups. Whether you've been with your sweetie for a few days, a few months, or a few years, you're ready to have the most passionate night possible.

What Type of Valentine Are You?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

One More Kiss, Dear - Vangelis

From the movie "Blade Runner"

99 Roses

A little late for this Valentine's Day, but next year you can purchase this bouquet of 99 roses at Laos Flower for "only" USD $240.78.

Valentine's Day - Mean Kitty

My Love is Warmer - Petulia Clark

cupidity

cupidity \kyoo-PID-uh-tee\ , noun;
1. Eager or excessive desire, especially for wealth; greed; avarice.

---

In that case, every day in Congress is Valentine's Day.

Those Were the Days - Mary Hopkin

Shoot the Puppy

The object of the game is to NOT shoot the puppy.

I tried and tried but could not win the game.



Shoot the Puppy

Note: No real puppies were hurt in this game. -snicker-

Shuttle Silhouette

In a very unique setting over Earth's colorful horizon, the silhouette of the space shuttle Endeavour is featured in this photo by an Expedition 22 crew member on board the International Space Station, as the shuttle approached for its docking on Feb. 9 during the STS-130 mission.

Image Credit: NASA

Shuttle Silhouette

Dinner for One

You Gotta Have Heart

And here all this time I thought mine was made of stone

---

You Have a Loving Heart

You believe that love can solve all problems. Love is powerful, and people definitely need more love in their lives. You love easily and you love often. You believe in unconditional love. Your heart is giving and willing to put it all on the line. You aren't afraid to show some love. Your love life is deep and fulfilling. Because you are able to love so easily, you get a lot of love in return.

What Kind of Heart Do You Have?

Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

GOP Valentine's Day Cards

Send your favorite right-winger a Valentine e-card with GOP Valentine's Day Cards.

Some are very clever; here's one of my favorites:



(I couldn't use the Al Franken one as an example; it makes me nauseous to think of him or hear him, much less look at his ugly mug)

I suppose the recipient doesn't necessarily have to be a right-winger; you could send one to a liberal you want to infuriate.

GOP Valentine's Day Cards

Snow Business - Simon's Cat

quietus

quietus \kwy-EE-tuhs\ , noun;
1. Final discharge or acquittance, as from debt or obligation.
2. Removal from activity; rest; death.
3. Something that serves to suppress or quiet.

---

We need to put the quietus to Congress...all of 'em.

Not Anywhere Near on the Beer

See how good your knowledge is of cheap beer slogans.

Mine wasn't too good. (but I know my cheap beer!)



Cheap Beer Quiz

Valentine's Day Countdown

45 Valentine's Day countdown banners for you to use on your homepages or in your email signatures. They use a CGI script to automatically count down the days remaining until Valentine's Day. To use the countdown banners, simply cut or copy the code from the textbox below the banner of your choice and paste it in the html of your webpage or email signature. The days remaining will change each night at 12:00am central time.

Buy, Buy American Pie

Iran Threatens Israel

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has, yet again, threatened Israel with nuclear weapons.

To be honest, I'm not very worried.



Ever notice you never see these two guys together? I think they're the same person.

tarradiddle

tarradiddle \tair-uh-DID-uhl\ , noun; also taradiddle

1. A petty falsehood; a fib.
2. Pretentious nonsense.

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This would describe Congress and this current administration except that their lies aren't so petty.

Reflections of Fear

via Bits & Pieces (the title, anyway)

And You Can Cut Me

You Are Cheese

You are rich, distinct, and completely addicting. You make everything a little bit better. People love you - pretty much no matter what you do. No one can ever get enough of you. You are indulgent and over the top. You don't hold back or do anything half way. You are a comforting and soothing person. You are accepting and you don't judge. People turn to you in times of need.

What Dairy Product Are You?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

T-Shirt War

Amazing Origami

From Izismile.com:

The amazingly small but perfect paper creations in these photos are the work of Origami artist Mui-Ling. They are so tiny that they can only be appreciated through close up photography. She is truly a genius at what she does.



Any mention of origami reminds me of our dear, departed friend Brad. He would've liked this.

View the rest of the amazing art.

Baba O'Riley - The Who

Was a little bit disappointed in The Who's Super Bowl halftime performance last night, but then I thought about how it sounded pretty good, all things considered. I cut my musical teeth on The Who and would prefer to remember them at an earlier time.

Heck, I prefer to remember myself as a much younger guy.

There are already YouTube vids of the legendary group's performance from last night, but I like this one from several years past:

I Need a Date

I get a LOT of free samples because that's one of my online "hobbies". Many of the freebies are subscriptions to various magazines; I get, on average, at least one magazine a day. Granted, many of the magazines that are complimentary are not mainstream magazines, but they're free and it's something to read, two of my favorite things.

A few of the magazine subscriptions are fairly well-known ones, though, and even if I don't do much more than glance through them, I make sure they go to someone who will appreciate the reading material. For example, I get several parenting-type magazines along with some geared to children's activities. I give those to a young lady at a local business and she enjoys reading them when business is slow. I also take many to the people who own a laundry here in town and they put them out for the folks who are waiting on their clothes to get done. Sometimes I take them to the hospital where they'll be distributed through the waiting rooms.

I've also taken magazines down to the Good Samaritan (a charity organization sponsored by several local churches), but I have to "censor" what I take there. Just the other day I had a box full of magazines I had already read, plus quite a few of the type I don't read. I drove to Good Sam's, but when I picked up the box, the magazine on top was a "Cosmo" and there were several sexual references on the cover. (How to please your man in bed!, like that) I took that one out of the box, but the next magazine was a Robb Report; I enjoy the magazine, but it's really targeted at the ultra-rich. (On the cover of this particular issue was a Rolls Royce)It didn't seem right taking something like this to a charity, so I took that one out, too. There were a few more magazines like those two, so they went to the laundromat instead.

Back to "I Need a Date".

Not for sure why I get them, but I also get several agriculture-type magazines. I can recall signing up for one, but not the others. One of the bad things about free stuff is the spam it also brings. I have a special GMail acct. for signing up for freebies and have the mail fwd. to my main email address. With some rules, that usually filters out most of the newsletters. Some manage to get though and earlier today I got an email from Nutrient Management:



They want me to attend the Summer Manure Expo but I'd really hate to go alone. Who knows, it might be interesting and besides all that, it'd be the perfect metaphor for my love life.

Gettin' Old But Still Gettin' Down

ignoramus

ignoramus \ig-nuh-RAY-mus\ , noun;
1. An ignorant person; a dunce.

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I just hate it when they describe me.

I Failed the Idiot Test

Or maybe I passed

The Idiot Test

My Quiz Result: It is sad to say that you may not be an idiot.

Take this quiz: The idiot test

Take more quizzes, myspace quizzes and fun quizzes on personality, love and other topics.

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Edit: To tell you how much of an idiot I am, I originally titled this post "I Failed he Idiot Test".

The Church in the Wildwood-Tennessee Ernie Ford

I like the Charley Pride version, too, but it wasn't available f/ embedding.

Happy Sunday to All!

Déjà vu All Over Again

Issued by The National Weather Service
Amarillo, TX
3:46 pm CST, Sat., Feb. 6, 2010

... WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON...

A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR ALL OF THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES.

* TIMING: FREEZING DRIZZLE CAN BE EXPECTED SUNDAY MORNING WHICH SHOULD TRANSITION TO A MIXTURE OF LIGHT RAIN... LIGHT FREEZING RAIN... SLEET OR SNOW BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRECIPITATION IS THEN EXPECTED TO CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT. THE SNOW SHOULD END BY MONDAY EVENING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 3 TO 5 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE... WITH AROUND 5 TO 7 INCHES EXPECTED ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA AND THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLES. AT THIS TIME... THE TRACK OF THIS WINTER SYSTEM WILL PLACE THE HEAVIEST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE... AND THE NORTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE.

* OTHER IMPACTS: LIGHT FREEZING RAIN... FREEZING DRIZZLE OR SLEET MAY OCCUR PRIOR TO THE SNOW DEVELOPING SUNDAY NIGHT. ANY ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN LIGHT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW... SLEET... OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

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Radar ain't showin' nuthin'. Looking off to the west, there's some weather just past the mountains in N. Mexico, some precip comin' up from the gulf that's now south of Dallas, maybe those two systems are gonna meet right here. Hope not, they've said this same thing four times in the last month, but they were right twice.

I've got some problems with my Weather Channel Firefox add-on; it keeps popping up the "tool tip" warning even when my mouse isn't hovering over the icons. I might have to check out another weather add-on, but other than this latest glitch, I've really enjoyed having it. It must be something to do with the latest Firefox update - I've had quite a number of updates since then.

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Sussed out the Firefox "bug". It was a setting I had enabled, to give me weather updates every ten minutes. Duh. Yep, they kept popping up, every ten minutes, just like I had it set. Double Duh.

See the "Idiot" post above.

On Launch Pad 39A

On Launch Pad 39A

The space shuttle Endeavour is seen after the rotating service structure is rolled back on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 at Launch Pad 39A of the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Endeavour and the crew members of the STS-130 mission are set to launch on Sunday at 4:39 a.m. EST.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Shame Shame Shame - Shirley & Company

With Pepper Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

You Are Chicken Fried Steak

You are bold and fearless. You tend to think big, and that includes eating big. If you're going to go out to eat, then you're going to order something amazing. No salads for you! You live in the now. You figure the future is uncertain, so you might as well just make the best of today. You don't believe in moderation or holding back. You just go for it, consequences be damned.

What Kind of Diner Food Are You?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

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And today is Chicken Fried Steak day at the local United Supermarket deli. I'm thinkin' 'bout goin' and get me one. I might even take a picture and post it.

It really is my favorite meal; on Saturday mornings I've been known to go get breakfast at Granny's Cafe -two eggs over easy w/ hash browns and a chicken fried steak, biscuit and gravy; then for a late lunch I'll go to United and get the special. I've even gone back to the grocery store for supper and got the chicken fried steak again. (Usually take-out in the evening; that way I can bring it home and devour it w/out having to watch my table etiquette)

Of course, all that gravy and potatoes nearly puts me in a coma, but at the time it always seems worth it.

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UPDATE: Went to the store, the line to the deli was too long, so I shopped a bit. I came back, the line was longer, but they had a huge pile of fresh-cooked steaks. After debating my hunger about standing in line, I wound up getting a broasted bbq chicken (NOT one the herb/southwest/garlic versions, ugh) I ate the legs, and plan on eating some more of the bird for lunch, then making me a nice chicken noodle soup from the remains.

I'm sort of glad the Beej doesn't like chicken like the old B did. My old cat would've smelled the chicken as soon as I pulled up in the drive...not kidding. Just saying "chicken!" could set him off.

5 Layer Mexican Dip

5 Layer Mexican Dip

via Start Sampling

Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 3 hr 10 min
Makes 4 cups or 32 servings,
2 Tbsp. each



Ingredients:

1 can (15-1/2 oz.) refried black beans
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
3 green onions, sliced
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1 tomato, chopped

Directions:

MIX beans, chili powder and cumin; spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate.

TOP with layers of remaining ingredients.

REFRIGERATE several hours or until chilled. Serve with tortilla chips.

Source: Kraft

eschew

eschew \es-CHOO\ , transitive verb;
1. To shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful).

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About the only things I eschew are internet trolls and pineapple.

Enter Sandman - Metallica

From the Monsters of Rock concert, Moscow '91

Happy Birthday RR !

Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

- Ronald Reagan

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I had issues with some of his policies and actions, but I also think President Reagan was a good president, one of the greatest of the 20th century.

He would have been 99.

Image courtesy of

Rainy Mood

I don't know about anyone else, but it seems to me I can hear music as well as a chorus singing in bits of the loop. I know there's some birds singing, but I don't think I've ever heard birds singing in the rain. (maybe it's the genekelly bird?)

I hope it's not those voices in my head.

Rainy Mood

Singin' in the Rain

I'm With Will

Image courtesy of

We're (hic) #1!!!

From USA Today comes lists of the most/least drunkest cities in the US.

Fresno tops the list of the drunkest cities, but since Texas has three in the top ten, that should put us in the lead, at least in the "team" portion of the competition.

Here's the list of most drunk cities in the US:

1. Fresno, Calif.
2. Reno, Nev.
3. Billings, Mont.
4. Riverside, Calif.
5. Austin
6. St. Louis
7. San Antonio
8. Lubbock, Texas
9. Tucson
10. Bakersfield, Calif.

Read the rest

More to the Story

What did you think when you saw the above photo?

I bet it wasn't what really happened.

Icy Roads Good for Business

From our KVII news feed:



Icy roads may be good for business, but not-so-much for headlines.