Blue Skies

You Are Grounded

You don't need a lot of excitement. Your best days are calm days. No one works as hard as you do. But you're not complaining - you love hard work! You are especially in tune with children and animals. You have a sixth sense when it comes them. You have little respect for people who aren't practical. You think it's important to be down to earth.

The Blue Skies Test

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If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know I love to post these quizzes. I often comment on how accurate they are...and sometimes how woefully wrong. This is one of the latter cases...at least as "no one works as hard as you do."  That might've been true 20 yrs. ago, but now?  Hah!

Anyway, there's the quiz and here's a related video:

Blue Skies - Ella Fitzgerald

Laura in the Kitchen

One of my favorite YouTube recipe feeds is Laura in the Kitchen.  Oh, I know what you'll say after you watch the video below...she's good lookin', that's why I watch her.  Well, it doesn't hurt that she's pretty, but that's not the reason I watch her.  I find her engaging and her recipes are things I think I'd like to make.  I also like it that her videos aren't perfect, she misspeaks now 'n then and recently has started including bloopers after the main video is over.

She also has a makeup/style channel, as well as one with her husband, but I'm not in the least bit interested in either of those.  No, I'm here for the food!

The pretty face is a bonus, though.

I think that, with a little more polish, she could have her own show on the  Food Network, maybe even displace the resident Italian hottie.

I'm Havin' a Beer

Yep, I'm drinking a beer on this hot Sunday night in Texas.  Now, that might seem a strange pronouncement to anyone who doesn't know me or isn't part of my family, but it's a rare occurrence.   I so seldom drink, I can almost say I don't drink at all, but while I was at the store yesterday I passed by the beer/wine cooler and I thought "A beer would taste pretty good."  They didn't have any Icehouse *, my preferred beer, and I looked at a bunch of other brands, but knew Coors was the next most tolerable to me, so I bought a couple of cans.**

*The date on that post is June 3, 2012 and that was the last time I drank any beer, so it's been two years and nearly a month since I last drank.  I dunno 'bout you, but that qualifies as "seldom drink" to me.

**A couple of cans, but they're BIG cans, 24 oz., which is two regular cans in one.

To be honest, the first sip or two tasted really nice, but now I'm remembering why I don't drink much. It's already going to my head and since it's so warm tonight, the chill has already gone from the can. (The little bars that are supposed show the cold temperature and be blue have already turned back to silver.)

I guess I'll chug it on down while it's still cool.  Here's lookin' atcha! (crosseyed)

Deepest Hole

The deepest hole in the world is the Z-44 Chayvo well just off the island Sakhalin, Russia. Completed in August of 2012, the well reaches a total depth of 12,376 meters (40,604 ft -  over 7.6 miles), surpassing previous records, including that of the Kola Superdeep Borehole.

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I've worked on some deep holes, some being very close to the Bertha Rogers well in Oklahoma.  One well was so deep near the completion depth, I was told the drill bit never got off bottom when making a connection due to the stretch in the drill string (pipe). A length of drill pipe is approx. 30 ft. long, so the fact that steel can stretch so far under its own weight is mind-boggling...at least it is to me.

99 Luftballoons - Nena

From Wiki: "99 Luftballons" (German Neunundneunzig Luftballons, "99 balloons") is an anti-nuclear protest song by the German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. An English version titled "99 Red Balloons" written by Kevin McAlea was also released after widespread success of the original in Europe and Japan. The English version is not a direct translation of the German and contains a somewhat different set of lyric.

The Wilhelm Scream

The Wilhelm scream is a film and television stock sound effect that has been used in more than 200 movies, beginning in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. The scream is often used when someone is shot, falls from a great height, or is thrown from an explosion.

Most likely voiced by actor and singer Sheb Wooley (his biggest music hit was Purple People Eater), the sound is named after Private Wilhelm, a character in The Charge at Feather River, a 1953 western in which the character gets shot with an arrow. This was its first use from the Warner Bros. stock sound library, although The Charge at Feather River is believed to have been the third movie to use the effect.

The effect gained new popularity (its use often becoming an in-joke) after it was used in Star Wars, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Indiana Jones series, Disney cartoons and many other blockbuster films as well as many television programs and video games.

(source:  Wikipedia )

Childish Names

You Like Names That Are Forgotten and Quirky

You prefer a name that's offbeat, but not made up. You like old names that are interesting sounding... You're the type to name someone after a historical figure or fictional character. You like a name that has a story behind it... hopefully spanning many generations. Some female names you might like: Annabel, Clementine, Evangeline, Genevieve, Isadora, Lorelei, and Ophelia. Some male names you might like: Cornelius, Dexter, Ferdinand, Gilbert, Jude, Rafael, and Ulysses.

What Kind of Names Do You Like?

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Not so sure I'd agree with the results of this quiz exactly, and I've never had children, but I do think I'd prefer (or would have preferred) an old-fashioned name instead of something trendy. I always thought that, if I ever did have a daughter (and got to name her) I'd like to name her Bonnie Irene, after my two grandmothers.  That's fairly old fashioned, wouldn't you say? Then, along with the first letter of her last name, I could give her the nickname "BIDdy". Her mother, whoever that might have been, probably wouldn't have gone for that, but...what the heck, huh?

I like the female names in the results, but I'm not fond of any of the male names.  Cornelius reminds me of one of the primates in the movie "Planet of the Apes", Dexter brings to mind the serial killer in the series of the same name, Ferdinand makes me think of a pig...or Magellan.  Gilbert is one half of the comic opera writing duo, Jude makes me want to say "Hey!", Rafael was a painter or saint and Ulysses could be either an epic hero or a Union general. 

No, thanks.  I'd just as soon name him "Sue".

I try to not post too many quizzes, at least not more than one per "page" of the blog, but I had noticed the last one had slipped off into the archives and figured I could post another one. (in lieu of any actual significant content, as is the usual case with this blog)  Earlier tonight I had received my weekly newsletter from StrangeCosmos.com and read this article:

Why Do Celebrities Give Their Kids Strange Names?

Sage Moonblood, Moxie Crimefighter, Pilot Inspektor and Moon Unit: Are these proper nouns from a bad sci-fi novel? Perhaps. They are definitely the names of the children of Sylvester Stallone, Penn Jillette, Jason Lee, and Frank Zappa, respectively.

Indeed, when it comes to celebrity baby names, it gets weirder than Apple (the daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin). Just yesterday, Mariah Carey announced that she and husband Nick Cannon have named their newborn twin son and daughter Moroccan and Monroe after the top floor of her apartment building and Marilyn Monroe, respectively. Why, oh why?

According to name expert Laura Wattenberg, the author of the name guide "The Baby Name Wizard" (Broadway, 2005) and founder of babynamewizard.com, unusual baby names are likely to emerge among populations of creative people.

Read the rest of the article.

I'm Still Standing - Elton John

Execution By Elephant

Execution by elephant was a common method of capital punishment in South and Southeast Asia, and particularly in India.

Man, that's heavy. - ahem -

That graphic, courtesy of Wiki (at the link above) is gruesome enough and might be stretching the limits of this, a G-rated blog.  Even though it's a drawing/painting, it's bad enough, but for some reason, this video on YouTube made me laugh a little bit.  

Somehow, an animated execution isn't all that gruesome. 

Peter's Computer

Dying Gasp

I go into my modem diagnostics/configuration page every now and then to clear out the logs;  they add up quickly because my connection goes out at least once a day, almost always at the same time each night.

The first time I looked at the logs it was an education;  I wanted to see if the problem was on my end (it wasn't) so I looked up each event to see what it meant.  I was clearing it out earlier this morning after getting back online after a day without electricity when I saw this entry (highlighted)

"Dying Gasp"?  Good grief.  It didn't take but a few seconds to find out what it is. I guess it's appropriate in that context.

22,000 Dominoes!

Safety First!

When starting a nuclear war.

I love these cheesy old military films and subscribe to several different YouTube channels that post them.

My Coffee Style

You Are French Press Coffee

You are the type who savors the process of making coffee almost as much as the coffee itself. You love the smell of coffee and the anticipation of your first cup every morning. You probably even enjoy grinding your own coffee beans for each cup. You are a very calm person with a deep outlook on life. You get enjoyment out of everything. You know how to observe and savor. Even the simplest pleasures mean a lot to you, and you don't take anything for granted.

What's Your Coffee Style?

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These results are spot on. About a yr. or so ago, I bought an inexpensive French Press on Amazon, along with a blade grinder and an assortment of whole bean coffees. The blade grinder was - as I have read - less than optimum for grinding the beans, but I fell in love with my new coffee maker.

It's really easy and fairly quick to make a few cups of coffee in the morning; I fill up my electric kettle with water and while it's heating, I measure out the coffee grinds into the press, adding a tiny pinch of salt. After the water comes to a boil, I pour some into my large insulated cup to warm it, then add the exact amount of water for the measure of coffee I'm using. I've found it's good to first pour a splash or two of water onto the grounds so they can "bloom", then finish pouring the rest of the water. I put the lid and plunger on the pot, then set a timer for four minutes.  When the alarm goes off, I slowly push the plunger down and my coffee is ready to drink.

Maybe it's not as fast as a drip coffee maker, but the coffee is much, much better. I used to get heartburn after drinking regular coffee and would sometimes have to dilute it with milk and add some sugar or sweetener, but not now. I've also started drinking Death Wish coffee, supposedly the strongest /highest caffeine coffee in the world.  I dunno 'bout that, but a couple of cups of it get me cranked up for the day.  I've made the mistake of drinking more and was up all night.  

Fabulous Forest Fact

Over a fifth of all forests are in Russia. (source)

Happy Without Music

Clever video that edits out the music of Happy by Pharrel Williams.

Freaky Feet Fact

Adult feet can produce up to a half-pint of sweat a day.

My trivia calendar said a quarter of a cup, but I've double checked and found out it's been wrong before, so I'm now loathe to trust it.  A quick search said a half-pint - and I'm more apt to trust a site called Foot.com than I am a trivia calendar that's been wrong several times.

Besides that, I don't want someone coming in here and telling me I'm an idiot, that my facts are wrong and/or that they've "wrung out their socks and got a half-pint of moisture out of them!".

Every time someone uses anecdotes to prove something, it makes my head hurt. -grin-

The Breakup Song - Greg Kihn Band

Full title:  The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)

gallinipper

gallinipper [gal-uh-nip-er]

noun, Informal

1. any of various insects that sting or bite, especially a large American mosquito, Psorophora ciliata.

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Never had seen nor heard this word used before and I doubt I'll ever use it...because I'd have to explain/define it to anyone hearing me say it and if I wrote it, I'd have to link to the definition on Dictionary.com

No, I think I'll just stick to my best and usual description, any one of various obscenities: slapping a mosquito on my arm and saying

"Take that, you little ^%#@*$!@ !!!"

No Waffling on This Quiz

I grew up eating frozen waffles, so I never cared for them, then I ate some fresh-made ones and my attitude towards them changed with the first bite. I have looked at waffle irons on Amazon, both electric and the stove top kind, plus I've read dozens of recipes. I don't think I'd eat them on a regular basis, but they're nice for a change-of-pace.

You Are Maple Syrup

You are dependable and even a little old fashioned. You're not one to change a good thing. You have simple tastes and enjoy simple pleasures more than most people. For you, quality always comes first. You can be a bit of a perfectionist at times, but mostly just in your service to others. You like to do a good job. You consider yourself a normal person, and you are very dependable. You only need a few comforts to feel content.

What Waffle Topping Are You?

Cat Walk

This reminds me of horses in Dressage competitions.

Lightnin' Strikes- Lou Christie

This was todays calendar trivia:  Men are more likely to get struck by lightning than women. 

All gratutitous jokes aside, I would wager that is because there are many more men than women in outdoor professions.  Regardless, when I saw this particular bit of trivia, it reminded me of this old song.  There were better videos, but I chose this one because it was recorded not long after the song came out in 1965, going on to be a #1 hit the next year.

Another bit of trivia ; from Wiki : That song (The Gypsy Cried) was released in 1962 on the C & C (sometimes listed as C & Ce) label and unexpectedly credited to "Lou Christie" without his permission. He had been working on a list of potential stage names, and he has stated that he hated the name for years afterwards: "I was pissed off about it for 20 years. I wanted to keep my name and be a one-named performer, just 'Lugee'."

Broken Blade of Grass

404 page at designboom, a broken blade of grass amongst all the rest. Not as visually stunning or funny as most of the rest I've posted, but I like the analogy.

Not so crazy about the spelling, though: "...thousands of articles to look trough here"?

Something's Der Hotten in Denmark

Last week in Copenhagen, a large crowd gathered to collectively hurt themselves for this amusingly masochistic video. Individually wrapped ghost peppers — a chili pepper that’s about 100 times hotter than a jalapeno — were passed out, and then everyone bit in at the same time…

prevaricator

prevaricator [pri-var-i-key-ter] noun

1. a person who speaks falsely; liar.
2. a person who speaks so as to avoid the precise truth; quibbler; equivocator.

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This definition should be illustrated with a group photo of Congress and this administration.

Is It Down Right Now?

After a few attempts at accessing my Feedly reader, I decided I'd check the site to see if the problem was mine or was with the website.  Using the Is It Down Right Now? site, I found out there was a problem, but it wasn't on my end.  Searching the news, I saw Feedly Hit With Denial Of Service Attacks with some person or persons attempting to blackmail Feedly.  I hope the perps are caught and prosecuted.  Personally, my own form of punishment would involve a hatchet and their hands, but that's just because I'm a savage, callous knuckle-dragger who is sick and tired of spammers and scam artists taking over the 'net. 

That said, Is It Down Right Now? is a great resource.  From the site:

"Is It Down Right Now" monitors the status of your favorite web sites and checks whether they are down or not. Check a website status easily by using the below test tool. Just enter the url and a fresh site status test will be perfomed on the domain name in real time using our online website checker tool. For detailed information, check response time graph and user comments.

Is It Down Right Now?

Jellyfish

Jellyfish are 95% water.

Realistic Popeye

Because I'm a Space Cadet

You Are Out of this World Thoughtful

Of all the types, you are the most likely to know the names of the different stars and constellations. You love to think about everything, and you are well-learned. You have a head for facts and interconnections. The planet you are most connected to is Saturn. Like Saturn, you are a steadying and prudent force in this world. You have a deep wisdom that serves you well. Others also benefit from it, if they allow themselves to. When you look out into space, you think about how the universe works. You are excited and inspired by astronomy. You also love to think about the history of astronomy and what it meant to cultures over time. The sky always gets you thinking!

How Are You Out of This World?

Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo-Rick Derringer

With Edgar Winter

Food Wishes

One of my favorite YouTube channels is that of Food Wishes; I first became acquainted with it via Allrecipes, another of my most-liked recipe sites. I subscribe to their feed in my reader, as well as the Food Wishes blog.

Under almost every video from "Chef John", there's someone complaining about his narration. (it's usually because he'll end quite a few sentences with a rising inflection. Personally, I like it.) That aside, what I always look forward to are his attempts - sometimes corny - to insert some humor into the vid. Others object to his propensity to add cayenne to nearly every recipe.  I haven't seen EVERY video, but all of the latest ones have a similar joke analogy, such as "But you do it as you like...after all, you're the power behind the flour."

Maybe not the best video or the greatest recipe, but it IS the latest and a good one...with a pinch of cayenne.

Remembering D-Day

70 years later

Nouveau Parfum - Boggie

The words might not be understood, but the message is clear.

sparge

sparge [spahrj]

verb (used with object), verb (used without object), sparged, sparging.

1. to scatter or sprinkle.

noun

2. a sprinkling

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That's what happens when guys leave the toilet seat down.

Of Course I Am

You Are a Child of the 1970s

You were given a lot of freedom growing up, and you wouldn't change that for the world. You loved playing outside with your friends. You learned from your childhood that even if times are tough, you still have to keep going. Worrying doesn't solve anything. You were self-reliant from an early age, and you still are very independent today. Your parents didn't have the time or money to coddle you. TV may have been your babysitter, but you turned out okay. At least you know how to cook without needing a microwave!

What Decade Are You a Child Of?

Mercy - Duffy

Can You Hold It?

Originally published May 27, 2009.

"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder." - Alfred Hitchcock

I saw that quote earlier and it reminded me of this post; I did a quick search and found it and this and several other posts came up in the results.  I hadn't realized there were so many "pee+movies" posts...just goes to show you the basic substance of this blog.

I checked the site and it looks like they've done away with their listings on their site, instead going to apps for phones and PC. 

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I bet everyone has had this problem; you're at a movie you've been wanting to see for a long time and thanks to the tanker car-sized drink you bought to wash down your popcorn, you find yourself needing to go pee.

Before you go to the movie and then have to" go", go to the website RunPee.com. Find the movie you're going to go see and they'll tell you the best time in the movie to make your pee run, missing only those scenes that are not integral to the storyline. They'll be quite specific, giving you the time and a description of the scene that will be your cue to head for the potty.

A nifty feature of the site is how they won't reveal any "spoilers", instead scrambling the part you missed; click a button to reveal a short synopsis of the scenes that are going on while you'll be gone.

It's a new website, so not all movies are indexed, but they do have a decent listing of older movies...although, if you've rented the vid, you could just hit the "Pause" button, couldn't you?

Honey Bee Cam

KU Honey Bee Cam

One out of three bites of food, or one-third of our diet, is linked to the direct work of the honey bee, which makes it imperative that we find out what has been causing a collapse in honeybee colonies. Research now points to a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids being responsible.

TV's Greatest Catchphrases

I'll have to admit I wasn't familiar with all of these - mainly because I've never seen many of the shows.  I also knew some of the catchphrases even though I hadn't seen the series, but they've entered the pop culture zeitgeist.

braggart

braggart [brag-ert] noun

1. a person who does a lot of bragging.

adjective

2. bragging; boastful.

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I've been called a braggart before, but I'm not sure why.

Maybe it's because I can boast better than anyone else.

Royally Useless Trivia

The "Today in History" module tells me that this day marks the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of England in 1953.  Coincidentally, my trivia calendar says all the swans in England are property of the Queen.

I don't trust this trivia calendar because I've researched some of the entries and found they weren't exactly true.  So, I checked and found out on the official site of the British Monarchy that the Crown retains the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water, but The Queen only exercises her ownership on certain stretches of the Thames and its surrounding tributaries. The article goes on to say swans used to be considered a delicacy.

Not long ago, the Amarillo Globe-News Facebook page linked to a letter from someone complaining the city wasn't doing enough to protect the geese, ducks and swans on the Medi-Park lake, saying that there wasn't nearly as many as there used to be.  Someone said they probably migrated, but I suspect people were catching the ducks and geese and eating them. That reminded me of an old movie: John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! where American oil executives were served peacock tongues at a lavish banquet.

I'm surprised I remembered that esoteric bit of movie trivia; what I most remember about the movie was Shirley MacLaine dressed in a revealing harem outfit.

I'd hate to think someone had eaten those swans; even if they were stolen and cleaned and cooked, they could have bought quite a few steak dinners selling them for a fraction of what they were worth.

I Would've Thought "Empty"

Your Mind is Spontaneous

Your thinking can be a bit scattered and crazy, but it's worth it for the flashes of insight that you get. You're not a linear thinker, and you don't try to fit into any normal mode. You know you need freedom to think well. You thrive in an unstructured environment. Very little of your best thinking is done behind a desk. You don't sweat details or processes. Everything seems to work out in the end if you're open and flexible.

What Kind of Mind Do You Have?