alphitomancy

alphitomancy \ al-FIT-uh-man-see \ noun

1. the use of barley meal as a means of divination.

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As opposed to alphabitsomancy, the use of children's breakfast cereal as a means of divination.

Ferret Fact

Ferrets can suffer from depression.

Maybe it's from not being able to leap.

The No Rhyme Rap - Kinne

No Posts Yesterday

Missed posting in this blog yesterday and missed posting or doing much else online, either. I did manage to post the trivia from my calendar Saturday without falling over. 

It started late Thursday, a scratchy throat, low-grade fever, some dry coughing and the last couple of days there's also been dizziness and I felt like I had been pummeled by a heavyweight boxer.  So, I stayed in bed all weekend (and most of yesterday) and watched seasons 2 & 3 of Dexter.

There was a point when I felt so bad I wouldn't have minded if ol' Dex paid me a visit. 

Herd of Giraffes

A herd of giraffes is called a tower.

"Herd of giraffes?"
"Why sure, I've herd of giraffes!"

frigorific

frigorific\ frig-uh-RIF-ik \ adjective

1. causing or producing cold.

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I never had heard this word used or seen it in print, but it sounds almost obscene.

Then again, I consider the cold to be obscene.

No Ooops Hoops

Blinking Women

It's a myth that women blink more than men, but women using oral contraceptives blink nearly a third more often than normal for unknown reasons.

I don't care if they blink more than me, I just wish one would wink at me.

Corner Gas: The Movie

Really looking forward to seeing this.

Grandmas Getting High

For the first time.

This Cat is a Jerk

Mike Rowe For President

No, no joke.  Mike Rowe For President 2016.  Why, you ask?

Well, we know he's a hard worker and willing to take on unpleasant tasks from his stint on Dirty Jobs. Sure, he's never been a politician, but that's a big plus in my book.  He's been an opera singer, a pitchman, a spokesperson, a narrator, motivational speaker and currently is promoting mikeroweWORKS, a foundation which is focused on the decline in the blue collar trades and the crumbling state of the infrastructure.   Plus, he doesn't suffer fools lightly. (and, if you read that Facebook post, you can see he's mastered the art of diplomatically telling someone to go to hell without saying it directly.)

What?  Those jobs don't qualify someone to be President?  Well, over the last 40 yrs., we've had a peanut farmer, a B-List actor, a sexual addict, a frat boy of privilege and our first black president who had little experience and even fewer qualifications before being elected.

Rowe is handsome, articulate, accomplished, youthful yet experienced in life and has a great sense of humor.  I don't know 'bout you, but all things considered, that's more than enough to be President of the United States.

I don't know which political party Rowe would run under, but I'd hope his campaign would be independent of either two main parties.

So, yes...Mike Rowe For President.  I'm not the only one who thinks that way.

Took Sunday Off

Not that anyone noticed, but I took yesterday off (from posting in here).  For the first time in years, I watched football all day long and not only was that out-of-the-ordinary for me, Dallas wasn't even playing since they're in their bye week.

I really enjoyed watching the other conference opponents - New York, Washington and Philadelphia - not only get beat, but beaten fairly badly.  Sure, the Giants didn't lose by much, but they played so poorly it was fun to watch the meltdown. 

I'll have to admit, however, that I'm about "footballed out" after watching the biggest part of four games yesterday (including the late game last night).  I doubt I'll watch Monday Night Football, but will instead catch up on some of my favorite new-found TV series.

Vegas Wedding Chapel Cam

Some guys spend their Saturdays mowing the lawn or working on their cars while others sit on the couch and watch college football all day.

Me?  I sometimes tune into the Vegas Wedding Chapel Cam.

The Elvis impersonator/minister is singing "Love Me Tender" right now.

Vegas Wedding Chapel Cam

Bacon TV

4 hour loop of bacon frying.

Tape Tongue

We Are Doomed

Texas Tech's new student political organization PoliTech goes to campus to see how much our students know about their nation's politics! You might be surprised.
 

No, sorry to say, I'm not surprised, but I am more than a little disappointed that young people in Texas are so ignorant of history and current events.

I'm hopin' that most of them are paying out-of-state tuition.

FYI, I knew every answer, even the pop culture ones, but then again, I'm smarter than any of those being interviewed.  That crap can't help but sink in from all the reading I do, but at least I paid attention in history class and don't get my news from Jon Stewart or have my political opinions shaped by South Park or Saturday Night Live.

clowder

clowder \ KLOU-der \ noun

1. a group or cluster of cats.

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I have one of these, but I don't call 'em that. Sometimes when I go outside and they're underfoot, the name I call them can't be repeated on this blog.

That isn't my photo or clowder of cats -it's just a photo I found on the 'net (and should have asked permission to use) and my clowder isn't as big nor does it have so many ginger cats, but it's close enough to illustrate what I face when I step out on my porch.

Kitten Therapy

October Analytics

Just got the blog stats for October.  If I were trying to make money off this thing or justified the time spent on it by the visitor count, it would be depressing.  As it is, nearly 20 unique visits/day isn't bad, at least not to me.

I've had counters on the page before, but got rid of them because I started trying to minimize the loading time - I post so many videos and have some modules in the right-hand column that slow it down, that I wanted to streamline the other content.  The bounce rate would alarm some other bloggers or webmasters, but it doesn't bother me - heck, I don't put much in here these days that people can't find elsewhere. 

ToTG is definitely "ego-centric" - it's the stuff that I like.  I really do need to change the description of the blog because I've moved away from it being about where I live to it being more about me and the things that interest me.  I'll change it one of these days, when I get a "rountuit".  Procrastination really should be a keyword/post label. - grin-

I used to look through the stats to see what people were searching for and where they came from, but now don't bother with it very often.  It's not that I don't care about the small number of people who visit, it's just that it's a hobby, not something I HAVE to be "successful" at.

Diffen

I found Diffen a few days ago while searching for the differences between a Psychopath vs. Sociopath (and I'm happy to announce that, while I have a few of the traits of both, I'm fairly certain I can't be classified as either.).

From the site:

What is Diffen?

Diffen lets you compare anything.

What is the difference between DVD+R and DVD-R? What is the difference between a pub and a bar? An alligator and a crocodile? What is the difference between 401(k) and IRA? Treasuries and bonds? AMD Turion and Athlon processors? How is a Pentium Core 2 Duo different from Pentium Dual Core? How does the work environment at IBM compare with working at Microsoft? How does living in Seattle compare with living in Amsterdam? What is the difference between a Plasma TV and an LCD TV? Cal Tech and UCLA? Yankees and the Red Sox?

You can find or write all these comparisons on Diffen.

Diffen

Lyrebird

This Lyrebird has been playing too many video games and watching too many old Tarzan flicks.

sinistral

sinistral \ SIN-uh-struhl \ , adjective

1. left-handed.
2. of, pertaining to, or on the left side; left (opposed to dextral).
3. (of certain gastropod shells) coiling counterclockwise, as seen from the apex.

Origin: Sinistral is related to the word sinister and meant "unlucky" when it entered English in the 1400s. It was extended to mean "on the left side" in the early 1800s.

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After Obama was first elected President in 2008, a slew of articles popped up on the 'net saying his being left-handed was more proof that he is the Antichrist.  Now, I don't care for his policies, but I'm fairly sure he's not the Antichrist, but who knows?   For that matter, Tim Tebow is also left-handed.

My childhood friend and classmate Janice is left-handed, but she couldn't be the Antichrist either, as she was and still is a devout Christian...although I always thought she was a little bit evil for not letting me copy off her during tests.  To be fair, it wasn't just that she wouldn't let me, but she sat to my right and her writing hand was curled around her test paper and blocking me from seeing her answers.

Wiki says 10% of people are left-handed and that they are generally more successful, talented and make more money than righties.   There have been many great left-handed athletes. (not that Tim Tebow can be included in that group)

So, being left-handed doesn't mean that President Obama is the Antichrist, just that he needs special clubs for all the golf he plays. 

You know, maybe God is left-handed, if only out of necessity.  After all, the Bible says that Jesus sits on His right hand.

.

Shake it Off - Walk off the Earth

Great cover of the Taylor Swift hit "Shake it Off".

The Best Way to Prepare Oatmeal

I've been buying oatmeal through Amazon for the last several years and my preferred choice has been McCANN'S Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal, Quick & Easy, but recently my favorite grocery store has been carrying it at a competitive price so I now buy it there.

I was going through some files in my "ToTG" folder, the one I save video embed codes, funny emails and other Notepad documents with things I use often, like the Word of the Day image or simple tables HTML I sometimes want to use in a post and found the following, a comment in an argument about the best way to prepare steel-cut oatmeal.  The date of the document was over a year ago and I didn't put in the URL to the comment, sorry.

(Me?  I just heat up water, measure out a quarter cup of oatmeal in a bowl and when the water is boiling, I pour some on it along w/ some cinnamon and Splenda then put a plate on the bowl to hold the heat in.  I then make my coffee and by the time I've let it steep and then had a cup, my oatmeal is soft enough to eat.)

Like many inane arguments, it got heated and this post pointed out how stupid it was to argue about oatmeal. 

All of you are wrong. I get so frustrated reading these mindless diatribes and misinformation. Pour the entire tin contents down a hippo's mouth. Hippos cannot break down or digest oats. Wait approximately 3 hours. Recover the steamy moist oats after it has followed the creature's digestive tract. Place fresh hot oats in your children's mittens, boots and ear muffs for added protection against the cold. Apply mortar patches to crumbling basement foundations. Place the remainder in a fine china bowl and enjoy with some Vermont maple syrup.

Let Me Out! - Simon's Cat

anatine

anatine\ AN-uh-tahyn, -tin \ adjective

1. resembling a duck.
2. of or pertaining to the family Anatidae, comprising the swans, geese, and ducks.

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I wasn't familiar with the word, but I know what it looks like.

Elected - Alice Cooper

A little late for Tuesday's elections, but the sentiment remains.

You Better Believe

Sneezing Chicken

If you don't want to wait, the sneeze comes at around 35 seconds in.

crapehanger

crapehanger\ KREYP-hang-er \ noun

1. a person who sees the gloomy side of things; pessimist. Also, crepehanger.

Origin: Crapehanger is an Americanism with roots in the custom of hanging crepe paper as a sign of mourning. It came into popular usage in the 1920s.

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New word to me, but I certainly know a lot of people who could be described with it...sometimes myself.

Biggest Burpers

The loudest burp - on record - is an astounding 109.9 decibels by Paul Hunn.

Take heart, ladies - the women's champion Jodie Parks holds her gender's record at 104.75db.

Monster Bust

If no one came to the Monster Mash.

100 Pumpkins vs Snowblower

Now that Halloween is over, what to do with all those leftover pumpkins?

Personally, I think a wood chipper would've been better, but that's just me.