yawp

yawp [yawp, yahp] verb (used without object)

1. to utter a loud, harsh cry; to yelp, squawk, or bawl.
2. Slang. to talk noisily and foolishly or complainingly.
noun
3. a harsh cry.
4. Slang.
a. raucous or querulous speech.
b. a noisy, foolish utterance.

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That's a great term for most comments under articles here on the 'net.

Cheesy Trivia

Did you know Blue Stilton cheese is a trademark protected name and can only be produced in three English adjacent counties? They are: Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. Oddly enough, it cannot be produced in the village that gave the cheese its name because it's not in the three permitted counties.

Superstitious Sailor's Stone

Superstitious sailors used to carry the gemstone Aquamarine to ensure safe passage at sea.

blighter

blighter blight·er [blahy-ter] noun British Slang.

1. a contemptible, worthless person, especially a man; scoundrel or rascal.
2. a chap; bloke.

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Having "met" several fantastic British friends since I've been online, I've increased my vocabulary of British slang. (I've also become used to the way certain words are spelled with a "u", such as labour, humour, etc.) I've even adopted a few of the more humourous humorous ones, like "chuffed" (proud) "shattered" (extremely tired), "tosser" (an unpleasant person, although it can also be used in the same context as "wanker" - go look that one up yourself), but I haven't adopted saying "Blimey" yet.  I might start using "blighter", though because I know plenty of them...but not well enough to know if they're wankers or not.

I'm Definitely No Rose

Your Birth Flower is a Lily of the Valley

You have a pure happiness, joy, and goodness that others lack in this modern world. You are a truly humble and sweet person. Your humility is not an act, and you feel very blessed in your life. The Lily of the Valley symbolizes protection, and you are fittingly protective of those close to you. You care deeply about what happens to those you love. You often put their interests ahead of yours. The Lily of the Valley often represents luck in love. It's likely that you think you have been lucky in this area. And if you haven't been lucky yet, you are still good at facilitating the luck of others. You are an excellent matchmaker.

What Does Your Birth Flower Say About You?

dandy

dandy dan·dy [dan-dee] noun, plural dan·dies, adjective, dan·di·er, dan·di·est.

noun

1. a man who is excessively concerned about his clothes and appearance; a fop.
2. Informal. something or someone of exceptional or first-rate quality: Your reply was a dandy.

adjective

3. characteristic of a dandy; foppish.
4. Informal. fine; excellent; first-rate: a dandy vacation spot.

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Not a word that's in use much these days,except around here in a reply to "How ya doin'?  "Oh, fine and dandy, thanks for askin'."

I suppose that, on this day of all days, the first song I should have thought of to add to these word definitions (as I like to do when I can) is this one from the musical of the same name:



I guess I'm showin' my age, because this one was the first to come to mind:

Jim Dandy - Black Oak Arkansas

Flags on the Moon

There were six American flags planted on the moon; all are still standing except for the one left by Apollo 11, having been planted too close to the lunar module and knocked over by the blast when the craft left the surface.

All of them would not be recognizable as an American flag today, however - the Sun's rays, unhindered by any atmosphere, have bleached them white. (and a flag left outside here on Earth for 40+ yrs. would also be bleached white)

Buzz Aldrin saluting the flag

No 8-Track Tapes Now, Though

I'm certainly no Luddite, but I think I'm the last person in the civilized world to not have a cell phone. I haven't been any significant distance from home in years and no one calls me on my land line anyway. (except for telemarketers, wrong numbers and the infuriating political robo-calls) I always figure that, if I ever do take a trip and needed to carry communications for a roadside emergency, I'd just buy one of those Tracfones from the dollar store.

You Are in the Early Majority

You aren't the earliest adopter when it comes to technology. You like to wait things out a bit. You love new things, but you want to wait until they are proven. Being on the cutting edge is expensive! You may feel like you're the last person you know to get on board with a new idea or thing, but you're still rather early when compared to the general public. It's likely that you know about something a while before you decide to go for it. You like to do your due diligence. You are open to new ideas, and it's likely that you're quite active in your community. You have your ear to the ground. If someone recommends something to you, you'll probably check it out. And if you like it, you'll pass on the recommendation.

Are You An Early Adopter?

The McGurk Effect

This was interesting;  I can only imagine how hard it is to have to read lips all the time.  I've worked in noisy environments, so I've had to decipher what someone is saying by watching their mouth, but it doesn't always work.  I've been told having a mustache also hinders their lips being read. (that didn't come out right, but I hope you understand what I meant.)

If you're hearing impaired, click the little white "CC" icon on the video tool bar at the bottom to enable captions.


EDIT: After posting, I tried the closed captioning and as often is the case, many of the words don't match up with what's being said. Oh well, sorry.

Great on Beef!

Did you know the horseradish capital of the world is Collinsville, Illinois? The small town in southern Illinois produces 60% of the world's supply.

This is my favorite store-bought brand (made-from-scratch is the best!) and I not only love it on a nice slab of prime rib, but also on cheap sardines.  That, and some pickled okra with cheese crackers washed down with a good Chinese beer used to be one of my favorite late night snacks.


I don't eat that very often these days, but oddly enough, the strange dreams I had on those nights have also stopped.

Collinsville is also known for the tallest catsup bottle in the world.

July Morning - Uriah Heep

Me & Munchies

You Are a Dark Chocolate M&M

You like to consider yourself sophisticated but still able to let loose and have fun. You are a person of discriminating taste, but you are able to go anywhere. You just try to choose the best option whenever possible. You are excited by the future, and you try new products as soon as they become available. You think innovation is very exciting. You love technology and enjoy playing with the newest gadgets. You may seem materialistic at times, but you just appreciate things more than most people. When you go out shopping, you feel like a kid in a candy store. There's so much you'd like to own.

What Type of M&M Are You?

Borderline Trivia

Did you know there is supposed to be ten feet of both sides of the Canada–United States border free of trees, brush and other obstructions?

If you ever look at the border on Google Earth (or Bing Maps) it might not be obvious on flat prairie land, but it's more apparent through wooded areas, such as this Google Earth screen shot of northern Washington state.

See more US-Canada border information:

More Than You Probably Ever Cared to Know About the US-Canada Border

lese majesty

lese majesty lese majesty [lez, leez] noun

1. Law.
a. a crime, especially high treason, committed against the sovereign power.
b. an offense that violates the dignity of a ruler.

2. an attack on any custom, institution, belief, etc., held sacred or revered by numbers of people: Her speech against Mother's Day was criticized as lese majesty.

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Sounds like a crime this administration might use to charge the TEA Party or other patriots who want to keep their Constitutional rights and are speaking out.

Nighttime Image of Texas Cities

From the site: One of the Expedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station, some 240 miles above Earth, used a 50mm lens to record this oblique nighttime image of a large part of the nation’s second largest state in area, including the four largest metropolitan areas in population. The extent of the metropolitan areas is easily visible at night due to city and highway lights. 

The largest metro area, Dallas-Fort Worth, often referred to informally as the Metroplex, is the heavily cloud-covered area at the top center of the photo. Neighboring Oklahoma, on the north side of the Red River, less than 100 miles to the north of the Metroplex, appears to be experiencing thunderstorms. The Houston metropolitan area, including the coastal city of Galveston, is at lower right. To the east near the Texas border with Louisiana, the metropolitan area of Beaumont-Port Arthur appears as a smaller blotch of light, also hugging the coast of the Texas Gulf. Moving inland to the left side of the picture one can delineate the San Antonio metro area. The capital city of Austin can be seen to the northeast of San Antonio. 

For larger sizes, visit the Nasa website: Nighttime Image of Texas Cities

Don't Tease the Gorilla

Execution Day

It's been in the news lately: Texas to Execute #500 as though it was some sort of crazy fire sale where only the first 500 customers will be given a toaster oven with purchase. Number 500 happens to be a woman, which I'm sure is driving up the media interest along with the "milestone" total.

From the article linked to above: Texas has carried out nearly 40 percent of the more than 1,300 executions in U.S. since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976. The state's standing stems from its size as the nation's second most populous state as well as its tradition of tough justice for killers.

I'm not particularly a pro-death penalty advocate, but I'm neither anti-DP, either. I wish for a time when we could value human life more than we do now; if that were the case, then there wouldn't be nearly the need for capital punishment. Until that time however, I would hope that the death penalty would be used almost exactly as how I would want abortions to happen: rarely and only with a good reason.

Pool Party Crasher

The Only Ink I Want On Me

Is if my ballpoint leaks in my shirt pocket.

You Should Get An Asian Inspired Tattoo

Mysterious and expressive, you like to show off, but you also like to keep some allure.

What Tattoo Should You Get?

And, as soon as I got a tattoo, you'd hear a whirring sound from my mother spinning in her grave. (she'd do the same if I bought a motorcycle or hooked back up with any of a specific few old girlfriends)  It would be my luck if I DID get an Asian inspired tattoo, it would say something like "Stupid Caucasian".

There's Something Fishy About This Sport

In 2010, Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee started offering athletic scholarships in competitive bass fishing.  The school is one of over 200 to have a competitive bass fishing team.

Bering Sea Bullies

I've been a fan of the Discovery Channel show Deadliest Catch since it first aired.  Here lately, though, it's started going the way of most reality shows with less focus on fishing and more about creating a good guy/bad guy dichotomy between the different boat captains and highlighting the dissension in the crews.  The producers of the show also seem to be "creating drama" where none needs to be; after all, as the show title says, it's one of the deadliest jobs in the world.

The show has slowly been losing my interest;  where I couldn't wait to watch it, I simply don't care now.  I won't go into all the drama that's happened over the last few shows but it was the last episode that's making me think I will probably start watching something else.  I'll try to explain why in as few words as I can.

Most of the captains are superstitious and have rituals they do.  That's fine, although when they pray to the "crab gods" I have to cringe a little bit.  (I'm not an expert on Greek or Roman mythology, but I don't recall any crab gods) One boat, the Northwestern, has a crew member bite the head off a fish that they use for bait.  I've never seen anyone really "forced" to do it and one of the part-owners, the head deck hand, will often do it.

Keith, the captain/owner of the Wizard, is more superstitious than most and that's saying something.  One of his deckhands (Freddy), while on another boat, once shaved his head in a Mohawk cut to change their luck when the pots were coming up empty or nearly so and afterwards they started catching more crab.  On the last episode, Freddy insisted a new hire (a "greenhorn") shave his head and the young man refused.  Freddy went ballistic, threatening the kid and it's easy to see the greenhorn's days are numbered on that boat. (see excerpt from the show)

It's been disturbing to me to see the majority of the comments on the show's Facebook page about the incident; most people are saying they would have done it, that you should "do what the captain says you should do".  What great little Nazis those people would have made!  Several idiots said the young man's refusal to get his head shaved was an indication of how far our society has fallen while others said he should have done it "for the good of the team".  I could rebut that on the post or in this one, but won't.  It's really too asinine to try to explain why and how wrong they are.

I've been around hazing a lot;  it started in junior high, when the eighth graders decided we younger ones had to be initiated into that level of school.  The same thing happened when we entered high school and also in football.  "Worms", the oil field term for "greenhorns" were also hazed during their first days on the job with practical jokes and the ritual of "doping" (a pipe lubricant) their privates. 

I've already written more than I should have on the subject, but I don't understand how tormenting or bullying someone makes them a part of a team.  After my jr. hi. initiation (being held down and punched in the chest with their knuckles, leaving a bruise that lasted for months) I swore I would never let it happen again....and it didn't.

People who like to haze or bully others all for the sake of supposed camaraderie or because of some asinine superstition are nothing short of psychopaths.

Banned Borat

Did you know Lebanon was the only Arab country that didn't ban Borat, the 2006 mockumentary starring Sacha Baron Cohen?

Official trailer

Sold!

I had been watching the listing for a long time; a few weeks ago it had the caption "Active Opt Contract" which means a buyer had made an offer and the seller had ten days ( I think ) to accept or reject it.  It disappointed me, but since I hadn't yet won the lottery, there was no way I could have purchased it.

I had written about it earlier: Google Earth vs. Bing Maps.  Of course, there was no way in my current financial circumstances I could have bought it, but it was fun to look at it and dream. (*some* might say that was a waste of time, but for me, it was fairly innocent entertainment and didn't hurt anyone but me and not much at that)  I've always wanted some land out in the country, enough to raise a few animals and have a garden that wouldn't be plundered by neighbors or torn up by the local young hoodlums when I was gone.

The property was on the market for a long time, especially considering it looked like it was well worth the money. (the price had even been dropped by nearly half a million bucks not long ago)  It made me wonder just why it was being sold.  At first, I figured the springs might be drying up;  I've seen that before with other similar properties.  I'd find them on Google Earth and use the historical imagery to look at the water levels, then look again on Bing Maps.  One such property showed a 20 acre lake to have dropped several feet in depth - the elevation tool isn't all that accurate, I realize, but the measuring tool showed at least ten feet of shrinkage of shoreline from past years. 

When doing some cursory research on the Savoy, TX property mentioned above, I saw an article from several yrs. ago where the owner had hosted a "protest" meeting of concerned locals in the area.  A power plant was going to be built not far away and in spite of their objections, the permit went through and the facility was built.

I sympathized with them up to a point - most everyone wants progress and energy independence, but there's also the "not in my back yard" crowd, the "NIMBY" movement.  The new plant was far enough away for the owner of the property to not be bothered by noise, but after zooming out and looking at the location geographically-wise, I started to better understand their objection to the plant being sited where it was.

You'll need to click the screen shot, then envision a line from the power plant (in the bottom left corner of the graphic) going from generally southwest to northeast, the direction of prevailing winds in this part of the world during the spring and summer.  You can then see any pollution/particulates generated by the plant would pass right over the property. (the "push pin" graphic is just the edge of the property- the houses and lake are up and to the left of it)

I don't know if that was the reason for the sale and also don't know if there was enough pollution from the plant to make a difference. What did concern me was later reading an article about the Keystone Pipeline and seeing where one of the proposed routes was sited: (the line was made by me and it was the best estimate I could make from the information I read)

So, perhaps the owner of the property was "gettin' out while the gettin' was good".  I've seen loads of nice properties for sale around the Dallas/Denton area but there's also been a BUNCH of drilling down there over the last five or so years.  None of the properties I've seen offer the mineral rights along w/ the land, either.  Growing up in the oil business, I wouldn't have much problem with having an oil or gas well on my land...

...as long as it was MINE.

A Feast for the Eyes

Since a frog can't chew its food or use its tongue to get food down its throat, it uses its eyes! The frog's eyes sink down to the roof of its mouth to help push the food down to its stomach.

Turning Japanese

You Should Learn Japanese

You're cutting edge, and you are ready to delve into wacky Japanese culture. From Engrish to eating contests, you're born to be a crazy gaijin. Saiko!

What Language Should You Learn?

Turning Japanese - The Vapors

The Lottery is Racist!

I read posts every day, some which make me furious, others make me literally laugh out loud and some that do both and have me SMH.   This is one of that sort, one in a lottery forum I belong to but don't participate in very much.

why do black americans rarely win big jackpots

I wanted to chime in, but didn't.  Others have pointed out the idiocy of the OP more than enough.  Someone went to the trouble of finding official photographs of black lottery winners and others broke down the demographics.

I don't like to get serious in here all that much and won't this time either (or at least blather on interminably about it) , but just say that I'm getting tired of the racist label being thrown out there all the time.  I'm tired of being called a racist because I don't care for this President, tired of being called one because  - in most cases - I support the death penalty and sick to death of being called a racist because I believe something should be done about illegals flooding into this country...and am especially against granting amnesty to those who broke the law coming here and continue to break it by staying and/or using false identification to get benefits they do not deserve.

Using the word "racist" at every turn devalues the true meaning of that word, diminishes the insult when it is directed at people who truly deserve the term.  I don't think they've coined a word or phrase about it as they did "Godwin's Law" regarding using the word "Nazi" in a discussion, but they should.  

Night Moves - Bob Seger

You might recognize Matt LeBlanc (Friends) and Daphne Zuniga (Melrose Place). LeBlanc claims to have been drunk during the video, having shared a bottle of tequila with Seger immediately before the shoot.

Animals vs Reporters

Let's Play Two!

Playing for the Seattle Mariners in a 1990 game against the California Angels, Kenny Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the only father and son teammates in major league baseball to hit back-to-back home runs. They were also the first father and son to play on the same team.

Shocking Quiz Results

Your Superpower Should Be Manipulating Electricity

You're highly reactive, energetic, and super charged. If the occasion calls for it, you can go from 0 to 60 in a split second. But you don't harness your energy unless you truly need to. And because of this, people are often surprised by what you are capable of. Why you would be a good superhero: You have the stamina to fight enemies for days. Your biggest problem as a superhero: As with your normal life, people would continue to underestimate you.

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Happy Friday the 13th!

I'm feeling lazy again. What's new? Last published 7/13/12

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Bump from a couple of years ago.

No need to waste a perfectly "good" post.

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Years ago in a galaxy far, far away....

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I hadn't been up very long, so I was sitting there picking at my "supper" my new bride had prepared for me. When you work the night shift (morning tour) on drilling rigs, your day gets turned around and eating spaghetti for "breakfast" is the norm, but still hard to get used to.

Her cooking took even more getting used to.

My wife (now ex) was reading the paper while I sat there watching the clock on the wall tick off the minutes before my ride came to pick me up. All of a sudden, she exclaimed

"Oh gosh, your horoscope!"

"What about it?" I asked without much interest, never having been enthused about that sort of thing. (it always struck me as funny that 100 million Chinese folks were gonna have the exact same sort of day that I was)

"Listen to this!" she went on. "It says 'Beware of working around dangerous machinery' !!!"

I sat there, not saying a thing. I was new to this married business and had made several bad mistakes already, one being that there's no good answers to questions such as "Does this make me look fat?"

("Sort of" isn't one of those good answers, lemme tell ya.)

"And it's Friday the 13th, too!" she exclaimed in fright.

I'm seldom in a good mood after waking up, but not so much after having such a heavy breakfast at nine o'clock at night and definitely not after trying to sleep during the day in a neighborhood full of kids.

What the heck, I thought. I'll torture her a little bit, just like she did me earlier in the afternoon while running the vacuum.

"Y'know, my rig's number is 13." I informed her.

She sat there, looking at me in horror. I went on.

"We're drilling to 13,000 feet, we're 13 miles out on the river road, there's 13 cattle guards between the highway and the rig."

Her mouth was gaped open, her worst fears realized.

"There's also 13 guys on the rig, come to think of it, four guys per crew plus the tool pusher."

For good measure, I went on, "Know what well we're drilling? It's the Flowers #13!" I tried to think of other 13's just to freak her out some more, but that was it.

She sat there for a minute and declared "Well, you'll just have to twist off tonight." using the oil field term for not showing up for work. She was catching on to being a roughneck's wife, for sure.

"I'd better not do that." I told her. "We need the money. " The subject of money was good for getting her to shut up or to talk, whichever one it was I needed her to do at that particular moment. I WAS catching on to this married stuff, I thought.

At the same time, my boss showed up, announcing his arrival with a blast of his car horn. As I started out the door I stopped and said:

"One good thing..." I went on. "If I get killed, you'll probably get a check for $13,000 bucks from the insurance company, I think that's the death benefit."

That wasn't the right thing to say. Maybe I DIDN'T know much about married life. She started to cry. Another impatient honk came from the idling car outside; I glanced at the clock and saw he was late in picking me up. Another minute won't hurt, I thought, and turned to her and with a hug and a quick smooch on the cheek I asked her:

"That's TODAY'S horoscope, right?" She sniffed and nodded her head.

"Think about it..." I said. "Today is nearly over,so my shift will be on the 14th!"

"I've slept THROUGH Friday the 13th!" I assured her.

Immediate relief showed in her eyes, but once again I showed I was a novice at marriage. With an evil grin on my face I said:

"You'll still get the money if I get killed, though."

I DID have some bad luck that day, that Friday the 13th.

It's always bad luck to get hit in the head by a flying lunchbox.

spelunk

spelunk spe·lunk [spi-luhngk] verb (used without object)

to explore caves, especially as a hobby.

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Even though I have a pretty good case of claustrophobia, I've always liked caves. My phobia isn't a full blown raging case of it, but I just don't like being in tight, cramped spaces and if I wasn't crazy when you put me in a straitjacket, I would be in a matter of a few minutes.  I've been to "civilized" caves, such as Carlsbad Caverns (and want to go back to see the bats come out at sundown) as well as the Inner Space Cavern near Georgetown, Texas (video tour), but I've also explored several lesser-known and smaller caves.

When I was in junior high, I had one of the best teachers I ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was a brilliant man, a full-blood Cherokee Indian with something like six master's degrees and hundreds and hundreds of college credits to boot. I don't really know why he deigned to teach a bunch of knotheads like us, especially since he didn't have much patience for kids, but if you showed an interest, he would go the extra mile to teach you all you could absorb.

He took us on several class trips, one of which was an extended tour of the western part of Oklahoma where he grew up - a bee farm and tombstone factory were two of the stops -  and we spent the entire morning going through a cave system on private land belonging to an old friend of his.

Looking back, it was amazing that we did that; these days schools certainly wouldn't want to be exposed to the potential liability that crawling through caves full of rattlesnakes, bats and other dangers would entail. I could write a thousand words about all the things we did on that one day, but will just relate one story in this post about that trip.

Most of the other kids went fairly far into the cave system, but another guy and I went so far back, we had to start crawling. I stopped when it got too cramped for even that position, but the other guy scooted along on his stomach for another hundred yards, only coming back when he disturbed a colony of bats. (it was too narrow for him to turn around,so he had to scoot backwards) It sends a shiver down my spine thinking about that now.

When we came out, the teacher, the two parents who took cars (my dad being one) and the rest of the class were waiting on us. We were a sight, clothes torn on the rocks, wet and dirty from our spelunking. The teacher just smiled when we told him how far back we had gone and said he had always thought about going even farther, dressing in a wetsuit and greasing himself up so he could fit through the tight spots. He said he thought he could find an underground river that fed some springs in the area.

I'm glad I did that, but wouldn't care to do it again.  I guess that's the difference between that carefree (or careless) boy I was then and the cautious old fart I am today.