Hammy Needs a Wallet

Or gerbil or guinea pig or whatever it is


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

snuff

snuff \SNUHF\ ,
verb:
1. To extinguish or suppress.
2. To cut off or remove the snuff of (candles, tapers, etc.).
noun:
1. The charred or partly consumed portion of a candlewick.
2. A preparation of tobacco, either powdered and taken into the nostrils by inhalation or ground and placed between the cheek and gum.
verb:
1. To draw in through the nose by inhaling.

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"Snuff" has, as the definitions above attest, multiple meanings, the first of which when I think of it is the tobacco. I never developed the steady habit of dipping snuff and haven't had a taste of it in quite some number of years. It's a nasty habit, especially when the person dipping spits into a cup. Yuck. I've got several friends who dip and swallow - gag - and each one has stomach problems ... no wonder.

I was once told my grandmother used snuff, but it was the powdered form, not the currently popular "leafy" substance more akin to chewing tobacco. According to the story, Grandma would chew on a matchstick (not the lighting end, of course) and then "dip" it into the snuff container and then rest the match with "wad" between her cheek and gum.

I think most everyone has seen an old movie, perhaps a cartoon with someone sniffing snuff up their nose. I've tried that and sure 'nuff, I sneezed...then the tobacco slowly slid down my throat. I didn't throw up, but it was a near thing. After I got used to it, though, it was tolerable.

My memory is fuzzy as to where I bought the stuff, but on some school trip I found a store that sold various sorts of smoking supplies including a wide assortment of "odd" snuffs. I saw a particular type with many different flavors called "Cokesnuff" and I bought a couple of the small tins, cherry and mint. (as I recall)



It was much better "tasting" than the old fashioned sort of snuff I had tried before, but didn't have the flavor of Coca-Cola ^TM; I didn't know why that was, but it was still pretty good. Between my school buddies and I, we went through the tins fairly quickly and I kept the nifty little containers for years and years.

It wasn't until a few years after school that I realized I hadn't been in a tobacco shop, but instead had been in a "head shop". (No wonder there were so many pipes.) And, of course, the "coke" in "cokesnuff" wasn't about the drink, but was instead meant to mix with cocaine.

To top all that, around the same time as THAT revelation, I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to make a movie about "snuff"...until I watched one That was when the first definition came into play.

Wisdom From Liz

The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues.

- Elizabeth Taylor




Image courtesy of Caricature Zone

Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins

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Kept hearing this song on the intro to Animal Planet's Whale Wars and finally decided it was time to see who performed it. I've not really kept up with most popular music/bands over the last couple of decades and don't listen to Top 40 radio, so this one escaped me. (Wiki says VH1 ranks it as the #91 hard rock song of all time; I'm surprised I had not heard it prior to watching the TV show)

sibylline

sibylline \SIB-uh-leen\ , adjective;

1. Prophetic; oracular.
2. Of, resembling, or characteristic of a sibyl; prophetic; oracular.
3. Mysterious; cryptic.

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I thought I had seen this word used before, but had some unsettled feeling about it, something I couldn't remember why this word was disturbing. The Dictionary.com site didn't reveal any clues, so I Googled the word, accidentally spelling it wrong and using a "Y" instead of the first "I" , like the name "Sybil".

"Did you mean ...... ?" asked Google. I thought I did, then I didn't.

Sorry, no link to my mistake. Google it yourself - if you dare.

(My first impression when I saw those things was "Whoa, ride 'em cowgirl!")

On This Day - July 8th

Looking at my Excite start page earlier I noticed in the This Day in History module that in 1889 The Wall Street Journal was first published, in 1947 construction began on the United Nations buildings, in 1960 the Soviet Union charged Gary powers with espionage and on this day in 2000 the fourth Harry Potter book (Goblet of Fire) was released in the US.

The most important thing I noticed was that this is the day Edward Berner, a druggist in Two Rivers, WI, poured chocolate syrup on ice cream in a dish. Up to this time, chocolate syrup had only been used for making ice cream sodas.



The man was a genius.

Weather or Not

These quizzes have any validity to them, this one made me smile because "Sunny" was my mom's nickname in my MSN Group and the few forums in which she participated.

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You Are Sunny

You are an upbeat, positive person who refuses to get too down in the dumps. You realize that life is short, and you know you're going to try to have as much fun as possible! You try to laugh, play, and love every day. You believe that happiness is a choice. You take your responsibilities seriously, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself in the process.

Are You Sunny, Cloudy, or Stormy?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

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On a related weather note, it sure has been unseasonably cool lately. The recent rains have had a lot to do with it, but the highs lately haven't been above the high 80's and today's high will be 85.

Skinner Insists on More DNA Tests

Death row inmate Hank Skinner insists on more DNA tests in his case

The wife of Hank Skinner, a man awaiting execution on death row in the US for a murder he says he did not commit, is leading a campaign to give him the chance to prove his innocence.

However, as time passes Skinner is beginning to see death as more of a relief than a form of punishment.

Thirteen people have been executed so far this year by the state of Texas. Hank Skinner narrowly avoided becoming the fourteenth. He was granted a stay of execution minutes before he was due to be put to death for murdering his girlfriend and her two sons, a crime he says he can prove he did not commit.

“They won’t give me access to the evidence I need to prove my innocence, and meanwhile they are trying to kill me. All the evidence that we’re asking them to test, by the way, is evidence that they have identified as being important in the case,” Skinner says.

bijou

bijou \BEE-zhoo\ , adjective;
1. Something small, delicate, and exquisitely wrought.

Origin: Bijou comes from the French Breton bizou, "ring."

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I was unfamilar with this word, but when I saw it was today's Word of the Day, it reminded me of a Japanese word - benjou - that was in a Vietnamese War POW's book about his experiences in the Hanoi Hilton. Benjou is a vulgar term for a toilet, something like "crapper" would be in our Western society. It's not a horrible description, just one that wouldn't be used in polite company.

The name of the book escapes me, but the thing I remember the most is the good humor exhibited by the prisoners who were forced to live in the foulest of conditions. One of their punishments was to take away the "honey bucket", the container they had to use for a toilet. The POWs made up a song about it, sung to the old gospel tune of "Brighten Up the Corner Where You Are". (even a heathen like me knows that one)

"If you need to benjou, and the benjou is too far.
Just benjou in the corner where you are!"

WARNING! Disturbing Image!

Disturbing to me, anyway.

Just got this post in my reader from Simply Recipes, one of my favorite feeds:

Root Beer Float



Doesn't that look scrumptious? I look at that, and my mouth starts watering and I can TASTE it. (that's what's disturbing) I haven't had a float in a long time, and I'm past due...but I know I shouldn't. Maybe I should go get some sugar-free ice cream and one of those great A&W ^TM Diet Root Beers and fix me up one of 'em. I dunno, it just wouldn't be the same.

Several years ago my friend elle from England came to see me and we were in a pharmacy downtown and I asked her if she wanted a Coke ^TM float and she allowed she had never had one. After finishing, she then allowed that they were delicious and she'd have to turn her kids on to them when she got home.

It's always best to put the soda pop of your choice in the freezer for a while before making a float; the double whammy cold freezes part of the liquid, making lovely flavored ice crystals that melt on your tongue. I also like to use my straw to suck up the foam that floats atop the drink - the foam from using root beer tastes the best, although I sometimes would make a float with orange soda, also very nice. Cream-flavored sodas make the tastiest floats and while I always have liked Dr. Pepper ^TM, it didn't make for a great float. Just my opinion, and bound to tick someone off if they read that last. I can't recall ever having one with grape soda, but it doesn't sound bad, just not as good as a root beer float.

P.T. Barnum Born Today

P. T. Barnum

According to Wiki, P.T. Barnum did not say "There's a sucker born every minute.".

That said, whoever said it spake the truth, at least for the minute I was born.

My Upside-Down Frown

You Have a Sweet Smile

You smile because you are a truly happy person. There is nothing contrived about your smile. You find life and other people to be delightful. You're often grinning without even knowing it. You are an extremely honest and open person. It's easy to read your face to know what you're thinking. Luckily, you're usually thinking upbeat and positive thoughts - so you really don't have anything to hide!

What Kind Of Smile Do You Have?

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

America the Beautiful - Ray Charles

On the Dick Cavett Show Sept. 18, 1972

All-American Salute

From NASA's Image of the Day Gallery



Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, leaps from the lunar surface as he salutes the United States flag at the Descartes landing site during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity. Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, took this picture. The Lunar Module "Orion" is on the left. The Lunar Roving Vehicle is parked beside Orion and the object behind Young (in the shadow of the Lunar Module) is the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph. Stone Mountain dominates the background of this lunar scene.

Image Credit: NASA

Stars And Stripes Forever - Chet Atkins

evanescence

evanescence \ev-uh-NES-ens\ , noun;

1. A gradual disappearance.
2. The state of becoming imperceptible.

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Call Me When You’re Sober - Evanescence

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Amy Lee is smokin' hot. She's anything but evanescence. A guy would have to be a fool to want to drink instead of hangin' around her.

Evanescence Biography

I Am America - Krista Branch

Pay no attention to the people in the street crying out for accountability.
Make a joke of what we believe say we don't matter cause you disagree.
Pretend your kings, sit on your throne, look down your nose at the peasants below.
I've got some news; we're taking names we're waiting now for the judgment day.
I Am America, one voice united we stand.
I Am America, one hope to heal our land.
There is still work that must be done.
I will not rest until we've won.
I Am America

You preach tolerance but lecture me. Is there no end to your hypocrisy.
Your god is your power, you have no shame, your only interest is political gain.
You hide your eyes and refuse to listen. You play your games and abuse the system.
You stuff your pockets while Rome is burning. I've got a feeling that the tide is turning.
I Am America one voice united we stand.
I Am America one hope to heal our land.
I will not give up on this fight
I will not fade into the night
I Am America.

Do You Have the Brains?

To compete in the July ToTG Trivia Tournament?


The ToTG Trivia Tournament for July has just begun! Test your trivia knowledge!

Click on the link above or the graphic below to play

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This is a great type of post to "bump"; all I had to do was change "ne" to "ly" - June to July - and update the posting date.

ToTG Has Been Vuvuzeladized!

No, not vandalized (but with this garish "design", could anyone tell?), but infected with the Vuvuzela.



Check it out

Just Like a Cucumber

Or the bottom side of a pillow

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You Are a Bit Cool

You like to keep a bit of distance from other people. You take an interest in them, but you don't like to get too involved. You are a confident person, and you're aware of the image you project. You act like you're in control even when you're not. You are not very comfortable being approached. Conversations with strangers are difficult for you. You are engaged and paying attention to the world. You are a good listener.

How Do You React?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

Learn Chinese Everyday

Learn Chinese — Learn a Chinese Character a Day

I stumbled across this website the other day and immediately subscribed to the feed. The site's premise/purpose is to provide all the information and tools to learn a single Chinese character each day. Seeing as how the Chinese pretty much own America - or its GDP for the next hundred years - I thought it prudent to learn how to communicate with our future overlords.

For example, today's word is pronounced - mén - meaning:

1. door. (n)
2. valve; switch. (n)
3. knack. (n)
4. school of thought. (n)
5. (measure word) used for subjects of study, cannons, marriage, relatives. (n)

They even show how to draw the character with a nifty little animation:



The site also has sound files to listen to the word, plus gives examples in translated-to-English sentences such as these:

Open the door, please.

That's the least of what we'll have to do for our Chinese bosses.

How many courses did you select?

I don't think this will mean anything to do with education. No, I think it will be pertaining to food. "How many courses...?" will be a subtle (in the Chinese way) but stern reminder that we Americans don't need all that protein we're accustomed to. One small bowl of rice, two or three dehydrated minnows and a half-cup of pickled frog intestines will be three courses.

I just hope they don't insist upon me using those damn chopsticks. I always get splinters in my lips when I've use those.

He finally got the hang of repairing computers.

That's what I might hear my own personal master say to his boss while pleading that my life should be spared. I've earned the death sentence by insolence, laziness and possession of a banned firearm as well as a prohibited radio found tuned to decadent Western rock and roll .

He has already converted to Buddhism.

Again, he's arguing my case. I haven't converted, I just shave my head in hopes they'll think I'm a monk. (the celibate part is in my favor, too)

The first thing we shall do is to turn on the switch.

That's probably one of the last things I'll hear as they strap me into the electric chair.

(just kidding on that last...everybody knows the Chinese just shoot you in the head)

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Sorry, couldn't help but crack wise on this site, even though it's very informative and useful and I DO plan on trying to learn a little bit of Chinese. (I recently read it's much, much easier learn than is Polish)

Still, there's a grain of truth to what I wrote, the hyperbole regarding the US and China and our future relations. I'd like to take this time to point out that Ron Paul has been warning us of this for years.

Regardless, this site is still worth featuring.

Learn Chinese Everyday

Gulf Oil Spill Live Video

Watch live streaming video from wkrg_oil_spill at livestream.com

All undersea cameras

Breaking news: More oil gushing into Gulf after problem with cap

50 Welcome Signs From 50 States

50 Welcome Signs From 50 States

(It's a wonder that sign hasn't been vandalized.)

proliferate

proliferate \pruh-LIF-uh-reyt\ , verb;
1. To increase or spread at a rapid rate.
2. Biology. To grow or produce by multiplication of parts, as in budding or cell division, or by procreation.

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Or, in other words, illegal aliens.

Possessed Cat

Here Comes The Sun - George Harrison

Along with Ringo Starr, Elton John, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton and a few others.

Light for the Ages

Today, our sun reaches its northernmost point in planet Earth's sky. Called a solstice, the date traditionally marks a change of seasons -- from spring to summer in Earth's Northern Hemisphere and from fall to winter in Earth's Southern Hemisphere.

In this image from 2007, NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) satellites provided the first three-dimensional images of the sun. STEREO, a two-year mission that launched October 2006, provided a unique and revolutionary view of the Sun-Earth System.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/NRL/GSFC

The Longest Day

of 2010 is today, June 21.



Summer Solstice

helioatry

heliolatry \hee-lee-OL-uh-tree\ , noun;
1. Worship of the sun.

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I bet there are millions of people who now regret their helioatry from years past.

Well, maybe there's a few that don't....



Watch this Sun-Damaged Skin Pictures Slideshow on the effects of sun damage to your skin such as wrinkles, moles, melanoma (skin cancer) and more.

Head & Heart

From our BrainyQuote feed in the right-hand column


A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

xxxxx- Nelson Mandela

Image courtesy of Caricature Zone

couvade

couvade \koo-VAHD\ , noun;
1. A practice in certain cultures in which the husband of a woman in labor takes to his bed as though he were bearing the child.

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I can't recall ever seeing this word before now, but I doubt I'll ever do it because I've already given birth to a kidney stone.

Via "C-section", too. That was bad enough, but I don't think I'd have liked the "natural birth."

How many Justin Biebers?

Could YOU take on in a fight?

Created by Oatmeal

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I would have done better if I'd had more fights in my life as well as had martial arts training. Still, 28 isn't bad. I bet my big sister could take on 35, maybe 40 Biebers before she went down.

NOTE: Sometimes with quizzes I will post a related video for comedic value.

Not in this case.

Hot Dog!

I dunno 'bout the rest of the results, but I do love me my chili dogs, plenty of onions, please.

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You Are a Chili Dog

You are wild and a little unpredictable. You have a zany side to you. It would be an understatement to say you live on the edge. You pretty much ignore the edge! You have a spicy approach to life, and it's only getting hotter. There is nothing dull about you. You push yourself on a regular basis. You know what you are capable of, and you refuse to wimp out.

What Type of Hot Dog Are You?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

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Current Events Quiz

Test your knowledge of current events for the week of June 14 at Texas on the Potomac .

I did fairly well on this week's test:



News quiz: Week of June 14

Stay With Me - Rod Stewart

Live and unplugged

(Note: On Yahoo this tune is attributed to Stewart, but I'm pretty sure that's Ron Wood accompanying him...so wouldn't it really be "Stay With Me - Faces"??? )

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I had forgotten it, but the other day I came across an old newspaper clipping of my senior year "bio" (a tradition the school newspaper did every year for each senior) listing my favorite things and I said this song was my fav. Now, I don't know why I said that, because I can think of several other tunes that I should have listed ahead of this one. (Long Cool Woman, Fortunate Son, any number of Elton John songs that were out at that time) Don't get me wrong, I like this song, but I'm still puzzled why I listed it as my number one.

Thinking on it really hard, I bet my g/f at the time and I were having problems and this was HER favorite song and I was just tryin' to score points.

amok

amok \uh-MUHK\ ,

adjective:

1. In or into a jumbled or confused state.
2. In or into an uncontrolled state or a state of extreme activity.
3. In a frenzy to do violence or kill.

noun:

1. A psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder.

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Did you hear about the lazy psychotic?

He only wanted to walk amok.

Juneteenth

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an American holiday honoring African American heritage. It commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and is recognized as a state holiday in 36 states of the United States.

Who Nose?

What makes someone do something like this?

After reading this story: Nose biter gets 10 years (for biting off the tip of a Clovis man's nose), I was reminded of a man I used to work for, several times on several different rigs. I could write for hours about him - he was quite a character - but will save that for another time. He fancied himself a pretty good brawler and bore several scars from past fights, one being a pretty good notch on one of his nostrils, about the size of half a dime coin. The old wound was from it being bitten by someone and I can't recall if I ever asked him if he won or lost the fight. I don't know why I didn't ask, or can't remember. That's been a long time ago, that'll have to be my excuse.

I do remember telling my dad about how tough this man was, how much of a fighter he was and described the scar to him. Pop mulled the information over for a few seconds and blithely replied:

"Doesn't sound like he's THAT tough if someone can hold him down and bite off his nose."

I've been in a few scraps in my life, won several, lost a couple, some were pretty severe both ways, but I never gave anyone the chance to bite off a piece of my nose. Guess I'm tougher than I thought I was.

Hope everyone nose that.

Waterloo

June 18th 1815

Wiki entry on the

Battle of Waterloo







Charge of the British Heavy Cavalry

From the 1970 release Waterloo



Always loved this old country tune:

Waterloo - Stonewall Jackson



And this reminds me of elle. -sigh-

Waterloo - ABBA



(description w/ vid)

Waterloo was recorded in Dec 1973. Abba chose it over Hasta Manana to be the Swedish entry for Eurovision 1974, as it was a happy uptempo rocking song with rhythm and energy, and all the group sing. Stig Anderson took a demo tape on holiday to the Canary Isles. Stig agonised for a week to find the right title, then produced the original Swedish lyrics in a few hours, constructing a story of Waterloo as a metaphor for a girl surrendering to the love of a suitor. The rest is history, it was the first time Sweden had won Eurovision. The song rapidly became a worldwide hit after this huge success in Brighton in April 1974, reaching no. 1 in England on May 4 1974. This tv performance is from November 1974.

When I hear or read about Napoleon, I think back to some grafitti I saw at the Canadian, TX. h.s. that read:

"This is where Napoleon pulled his Bonaparte."

Castrating My Dad

No, this isn't a post about that; it's about a post in this blog coming up near the top in a Yahoo search.

The post mentioned my dad and I castrating hogs and when the Yahoo search engine trawled this site, it picked up on those words "castrating" and "dad". I was "worried" that Google might have ToTG up near the top, but it's not on the first several pages for castrating dads OR hogs.

Thank Goodness.

The only time in my life I had even a scintilla of a thought about that was when my dad was taking female hormones as a treatment for his prostate cancer. Dad told me the Dr. said the medication would also have a detrimental effect on his sex drive. Since Pop was nearly 70 at the time... we both had a little laugh at that. (although I hope I'M more worried about getting sex than cancer if I reach that age) One of the side-effects was that he started growing hair on his head again after his hairline had been receding for years.

I'm growing bald now, but I wouldn't take the trade, y'know?

Just got me to wondering, though, about something that's highly subjective:

Which is more perverse, people looking for information/stories about castrating their dad, or someone wanting information on "sister's feet" ???

How Secure is Your Password?

Find out at the aptly named How Secure is My Password?

I'll admit I use only a few different passwords for nearly all my sign-in websites, a mixture of words, dates and places that mean something to me. I guess ONLY to me because the site says it'd take quite a while to bust it.



How Secure is My Password?

How to Pull a Tooth

With a rocket:

oscitant

oscitant \OS-i-tuhnt\ , adjective;
1. Yawning, as with drowsiness; gaping.
2. Drowsy or inattentive.
3. Dull, lazy, or negligent.

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I expect folks are pretty much oscitant after spending time reading this blog.

Found It!

One of the most disgusting...no, let me take that back. I've seen lots worse.

A disgusting animation:


But funny.

festoon

festoon \fe-STOON\

verb:

1. To adorn with hanging chains or strands of any material.
2. Dentistry. To reproduce natural gum patterns around the teeth or a denture.

noun:

1. A string or chain of flowers, foliage, ribbon, etc., suspended in a curve between two points.
2. A decorative representation of this, as in architectural work or on pottery.
3. A fabric suspended, draped, and bound at intervals to form graceful loops or scalloped folds.
4. Dentistry. The garlandlike area of the gums surrounding the necks of the teeth.

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I've always thought of a garland of flowers when I've read this word, but now I'll think of...

quintessential

quintessential \kwin-te-SEN-shel\ , adjective;
1. Being the most typical manifestation of a quality or a thing.

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This blog is quintessentially me; not very reliable, flashy with no real talent, witty without much edge and scholarly in the shallow depths.

Long May She Wave!

It's Flag Day!

From Wikipedia:

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday, beginning in the town of Rennerdale. Title 36 of the United States Code, Subtitle I, Part A, CHAPTER 1, § 110 is the official statute on Flag Day; however, it is at the President's discretion to proclaim officially the observance.

One of the longest-running Flag Day parades is held annually in Quincy, Massachusetts, which began in 1952, celebrating its 57th year in 2009. The 59th Annual Appleton Wisconsin 2009 Flag Day Parade will feature the U.S. Navy. City of Appleton Wisconsin. The largest Flag Day parade is held annually in Troy, New York, which bases its parade on the Quincy parade and typically draws 50,000 spectators.

Perhaps the oldest continuing Flag Day parade is at Fairfield WA . Beginning in 1909 or 1910, Fairfield has held a parade every year since, with the possible exception of 1918, and will celebrate the "Centennial" parade in 2010, along with some other commemorative events.

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RIP Jimmy Dean

Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010)

Big Bad John



I grew up with a girl whose father bred and raised SPF (specific pathogen free) hogs for Jimmy Dean's plant in Plainview, Texas. Even though I eat very little pork, I'd probably buy Jimmy Dean sausage if it were on sale.

Coconut - Harry Nilsson

Back to the Future III Weird Scene

This has been floating around the 'net for quite some time - probably since the movie came out - but all the movies are on tonight and reminded me of it.

In a scene at the end, one of Doc's kids makes a weird gesture; to be honest, I never noticed it until it was pointed out in a video much like the following.



I really think the kid was trying to tell his mother or the director off-camera that he needed to pee.