End of the World Countdown

The Official Countdown

This Soup is Nuts

I love "Something" Soup

Storage: Then and Now

I recently added another external hard drive to my computer system, one with 2TB storage. Of course, it's not two full terrabytes, because of the odd way manufacturers measure a KB as compared to what the actual size of a KB (decimal vs. binary) There's also the file system to consider, which takes away from the expected total, then the recovery partition on my computer hard drive has to be taken into account.

That said, I was sitting here marveling at how much cheaper hard drives and external storage have become, as well as the relatively huge sizes of them. My first computer was advertised as having 13.1 GB of storage and I never really came close to maxing it out before the computer bit the dust. Oh, I had come "close" a few times, but then I went through and deleted duplicate files and many of the animated GIF files I had transferred from disks to upload to my MSN Groups and not deleting them after the upload.

When that first hard drive failed, I lost everything. I didn't have much "real" music saved to my computer, mostly midi files, thousands and thousands of them, plus photos I had taken and had transferred from film to digital as well as the first photos taken w/ my first digital camera. I was upset, to say the least. That's when I started researching external hard drives. I had saved a few photographs to floppy disks, but they were limited in their capacity, even by the standards back then. My next computers all had CD burning capabilities and I saved many files to disk, but they too were limited.

Around that same time I also upgraded my internet connection from dial-up to DSL and I found myself saving more and more things, such as free songs from Amazon, YouTube videos and all sorts of downloadable games. With the increased broadband came storage concerns; I was running out of room for things and it didn't help that I was transferring music from CDs to my computer for my mp3 jukebox.

So, with my last computer, I also bought a 1TB external drive. When the 'puter bit the dust (not "dead", it just needs a new power supply) at least I had saved all my music and digital photographs. This computer has a 1TB hard drive (actually 914GB what with the recovery space and file system) so that meant I had nearly 2TB of storage.

About a month or so ago, I became a little alarmed after seeing that I had used over 3/4 of my external hard drive's space.  I decided I needed to do something.  I d/l a duplicate file finder and let it go to work. I found thousands of duplicate tunes (the main problem was how I had put music into different genre folders as well as dupes via Amazon, downloading free tunes I had forgotten I had already downloaded) I was also copying folders I use in a monthly "work" folder and not replacing the older folders w/ the new ones. (What can I say? I'm an anal retentive pack rat, albeit a disorganized one.)

I managed to find over 35GB of dupes until I became too bleary eyed to check each file to see which duplicates I wanted to delete. 35GB! In a few hours I had deleted nearly three times as much file space as my first computer had total in storage!  I've probably got another 5-10GB of files I can delete.

What's funny is my first computer having just around 3% (if my math is correct) of the storage I have now, but being more concerned now with how many files I am able to keep! Here's a screen shot of my current storage, both computer hard drive and external drives. (Click for larger view)

Block Posters

Block Posters

Create any size wall posters from any size images. Upload an image from your computer and chose how many sheets wide you would like your poster to be printed. Totally free to use!

http://www.blockposters.com/

Just Don't Judge Me By My Cover

You Are a Book

You are a very intellectual and logical person. You like to think, and a lot of your thinking is quite deep. You are both philosophical and idealistic. You think it's interesting to imagine how the world could be. You enjoy spending a good deal of time alone. In fact, you tend to go sort of crazy if you don't get your space. While you may seem distant, you care very deeply for humanity. You're trying to figure out how to save the world.

Are You a Book, Magazine, or Newspaper?

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

Cookbook Giveaways

These two hit my reader earlier:

The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook Giveaway

My Berlin Kitchen Giveaway + Spiced Plum Butter - Food in Jars

Midnight Confessions - The Grass Roots

This, and other Grass Roots songs were what me 'n my girlfriend (one of 'em, anyway) would listen to while we were parking.

A Shining Moment

After getting so many comments on my new profile pic on Facebook, it made me stop and think when I started losing my hair. I know that I would've eventually gone bald, but my back surgery in the late 80's hastened the acceleration of my receding hairline. I also noticed that I lost several inches of hairline after my last surgery, the one for kidney stones.  Since I'm not fond of my head looking like the top of a huge egg in a tiny nest, I've started shearing it with an electric razor and sometimes I shave it.  (and then my head looks like a huge egg resting on my shoulders)

I was dating a crazy woman shortly after my first surgery and one day we were sitting on her couch watching TV. A commercial came on and I turned and leered at her.

"Don't do that!" she practically screamed at me.

"Why not?" I asked.

"You look just like Jack Nicholson in that scene from "The Shining!  Horrible!"

Wow, I thought. I just got insulted. She was good at that, though. In fact, that was her best trait.  She couldn't cook worth a damn, she was a horrible mother, a bad driver who thought she was an excellent one, only wanted to talk about herself and had a temper that was triggered by the most innocent of incidents;  looking back, I think she fit the profile of a psychopath. I could go on about what was wrong with her, but won't.  I must have been nuts to have stayed around her as long as I had.

"Well, 'Here's Johnny!' " I replied with a toothy grin, making her protest again.  She pushed me away as if she was genuinely afraid. Wow.  She thinks I'M crazy.  I sat quietly for a few seconds, then said:

"Well, if you had blonde hair, you'd look like Glenn Close."

"Oh really?" she said, pleased...pleased for a moment, until I said:

"Yeah...like she was in Fatal Attraction".

If I Only

Looked 26, I'd be happy.

You Act Like You Are 26 Years Old

You are a twenty-something at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

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

For Your Love - The Yardbirds

One of my most favorite songs.

---

manifold

manifold man·i·fold [man-uh-fohld]

adjective

1. of many kinds; numerous and varied: manifold duties.
2. having numerous different parts, elements, features, forms, etc.: a manifold program for social reform.
3. using, functioning with, or operating several similar or identical devices at the same time.
4. (of paper business forms) made up of a number of sheets interleaved with carbon paper.
5. being such or so designated for many reasons: a manifold enemy.

noun

6. something having many different parts or features.
7. a copy or facsimile, as of something written, such as is made by manifolding.
8. any thin, inexpensive paper for making carbon copies on a typewriter.
9. Machinery . a chamber having several outlets through which a liquid or gas is distributed or gathered.
10. Philosophy . (in Kantian epistemology) the totality of discrete items of experience as presented to the mind; the constituents of a sensory experience.

---

I'm familiar with the use of the word as "many", but the first thing that comes to mind is the exhaust manifold on a car. The exhaust manifold taught me a couple of lessons, one being it's always best to let an engine cool down before working on it and two, that I didn't like working on cars, hot engine or cold.

When I worked on drilling rigs, I used to know a guy who would bring out one of those TV dinners in an aluminum tray and put it on one of the huge diesel engine's manifolds when he got out there; after a few hours, it would be piping hot and he'd enjoy a warm meal on a cold winter's night while the rest of us choked down our baloney sandwiches.

I told my wife (now ex) about it and she bought me a few dinners to put on the manifold, but those old TV dinners really didn't taste very good and I told her not to bother.  I was surprised when she packed me a lunch with a casserole in one of those small loaf pans.  I put it on the manifold when I got out there and sure 'nuff, it was hot when I was ready to eat and it was delicious.  She was pleased when I got home and told her how good it was and how jealous my hands were that I had such a great lunch.  She then started putting in two pans into my lunch, telling me I should share with the guys who worked for me and I did;  usually one was more than I could eat, so I had enough to share with at least one other guy.

My favorite was her broccoli, cheese and rice and she'd usually pack another one - meat loaf, Mexican casserole, sometimes lasagna.  I'd wash out the pans before I brought them home as so to save her from having to scrub out baked on food. 

One day, however, we got busy shortly after I got out there and I didn't get to eat.  I was so tired at the end of the shift, I forgot to retrieve my meal.  That evening my ex asked me where the pans were and I slapped my forehead and told her I had forgotten them and I bet they were still on the manifold.  The next day (with sandwiches in my lunch pail) I got out there and saw one of the pans in my locker, empty, except it hadn't been cleaned.  I got busy again and forgot about the other one.  When shift change came around, one of the guys relieving us said he had found it and eaten it. "Tell yer old lady thanks!"  I told him the least he could have done was taken a water hose to it. When I got home, my ex opened up my lunch box and found it and asked where the other was and I had to plead forgetfulness again.

That didn't make her mood any better, nor did her having to try to scrub out the pan.  With a few choice words, she gave up and chunked the thing into the trash.  "Might as well throw the other one away, too." she scolded me.

I got baloney sandwiches until she bought some more pans.  I think she took her time buying them, too, just to teach me a lesson.

Well, I didn't remember the other pan the next day and it wasn't until the rig move when I discovered the forgotten pan.  I figured it might stink, but as I peeled away the aluminum foil I found nothing but a hard-as-a-rock slab of casserole, petrified by several days of baking on the hot manifold.  I thought I might be able to salvage the pan, but even with a hammer and chisel I couldn't get the remains out of the pan.

I've got another story about hot meals on a drilling rig, but I'll wait a day or two to post it.  I'm sure I've bored you enough with THIS one!

Fooled Around And Fell In Love - Elvin Bishop

---

I learned something about this song on the YouTube comments (a first, I think!); Bishop didn't sing it, but instead it was Mickey Thomas, a backup singer in his band. Thomas was later invited to be a part of Jefferson Starship. source

I Don't Think So

I think it means a black umbrella is the only kind I've ever had that stood up to the fierce Panhandle wind. I had a little red umbrella once; I kept it in the glove box and used it exactly one time during an afternoon thunderstorm to get from my car to the house without getting wet.

I reckon it was in Oklahoma by supper time.

Your Black Umbrella Says You're Powerful

When faced with adversity, you respond with authority. You don't let problems faze you. You are naturally powerful and commanding. People look to you to take charge. You are elegant and classy. You know how to always say and do the right thing. While you stand out, you also fit it. You thrive in a variety of situations. On a rainy day: you carry on as normal - a little bad weather isn't going to get in your way!

The Umbrella Test

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

The Note

Several years ago, my favorite neighbor was stricken with Alzheimer's Disease.  The once funny and personable friend of mine was now paranoid and delusional and it broke my heart to see him that way.

One night I heard a commotion on the porch and opened the door to see him standing there in his bath robe.  "What's up?" I asked him.  "My wife is trying to kill me!" he said.  I assured him she loved him and would do no such thing and led him back across the street to his home.  By that time, his wife had noticed he had gone missing and met me at the door.  Relieved, she thanked me and against his protests, took him back inside.

I had no sooner got back home when I heard some yelling "Help me!  HELP ME!!! She's going to kill me!"  I rushed back across the street to see if I could help and saw him running along the side of their house.  I helped his wife get him back under control and that's when she told me she had hidden his guns, afraid that he would hurt himself or someone else.  He couldn't find his guns, so that was the reason he thought she was going to kill him.

My neighbor's daughter was there, too, and she thanked me for my help and I told her that's what friends and neighbors were for and to call me if they ever had any more trouble.  She said she didn't have my number and I told her it was published.  She said her phone was unlisted and started to tell it to me but I told her I wasn't good at remembering numbers and I'd get it from her another time or from her mother.

The next day I found a sticky note on my screen door with a nice little message and her phone number.  I stuck it up on the bulletin board by my phone and didn't give it another thought.

My neighbor passed away shortly after that night.  I still miss him, especially on the 4th when we'd pop firecrackers and set off bottle rockets and act innocent when the police cars slowly drove by.   We used to sit on his porch and drink beer, talk politics and the world's problems and what we'd do to fix them. My favorite times with him were watching the meteor showers; he had never done that (as a planned activity) and it was so much fun to be with him and watch the fireballs as they streaked across the sky.  The first time we watched a shower, we saw one so close that we could see the smoke trail and heard it as it made a noise like tearing a bed sheet.   That had him hooked and he was always game to sit out and watch a summertime meteor shower.

It was several months later when I had my girlfriend over and she asked to use the phone.  I told her to help herself and after she was through she turned to me and asked "What is this?" in a hurt and suspicious tone, pointing to a piece of paper on my bulletin board.

It was the note.  I had to do some quick explaining and I guess my explanation was so detailed and specific she believed me.  Still, I didn't blame her because the note read:

"Thanks for last night.  If you need anything, call me. Love, Teresa." with her phone number.

Yep, I'd have wondered about that, too.

Por Una Cabeza

One of my favorites of all time, this tango scene from the Al Pacino film Scent of a Woman. I also love the song.

Dedicated to someone very special.



Here are the words to the song, Por Una Cabeza, in English.


BY THE HEAD OF A HORSE

Losing by a head of a noble horse
who slackens just down the stretch
and when it comes back it seems to say:
don't forget brother,
You know, you shouldn't bet.

Losing by a head, instant violent love
of that flirtatious and cheerful woman
who, swearing with a smile
a love she's lying about,
burns in a blaze all my love.

Losing by a head
there was all that madness;
her mouth in a kiss
wipes out the sadness,
it soothes the bitterness.

Losing by a head
if she forgets me,
no matter to lose
my life a thousand times;
why live?

Many deceptions, loosing by a head...
I swore a thousand times not to insist again
but if a look sways me on passing by
her lips of fire, I want to kiss once more.

Enough of race tracks, no more gambling,
a photo-finish I'm not watching again,
but if a pony looks like a sure thing on Sunday,
I'll bet everything again, what can I do?

Does a Bear...

**** in the woods?

I was reminded of one of my dad's stories when I read this on a Facebook friend's wall:

Heading to lake McClellan for Boy Scout one day campout hope they can handle the bear that's gonna be growling while they are asleep LOL

My pop used to tell a story of going to the lake with a bunch of his buddies;  they drank beer all the way there (that was legal then, btw) and ate cheese crackers and hot sausages and all sorts of stuff.  They weren't far away from the lake when dad said he started suffering from "intestinal distress" because of all the beer and junk he had consumed.  As soon as they found a campsite, he jumped out of the car, grabbed some TP and headed off into the bushes.

It was a moonless night, pitch black and he stumbled his way through the brush until he figured he had gone far enough away from the campsite to be as sanitary as could be considering the rough conditions.  He hurriedly dropped his pants and crouched down, his stomach loudly rumbling, a sure sign that he had better be quick with his business.

Not to get too graphic, but pop said "it" was explosive, making a noise such as he hadn't heard in a long time. ("Like a wildcat well comin' in!" he would describe.)  No sooner than he had started, he heard a muffled female voice: "Did you hear that?" then a man's voice, "What was it?" then the female replying in fright:  "I dunno, sounded like a bear!  "Where's my pistol?" said the male voice.

Without hesitation, my pop pulled up his pants and hastily made his way through the brush and dark night back to where his pals were setting up camp under the light of a gas lantern.  Drunk and tired from their trip, dad and his friends went to sleep.

The next day, more than a little hungover, dad looked in the direction of where he had stumbled to make his emergency toilet and saw he had relieved himself right smack-dab in the middle of someone's campsite.

cacology

cacology ca·col·o·gy [ka-kol-uh-jee, kuh-]; noun

defectively produced speech; socially unacceptable diction.

---

Glad You Came - The Wanted

Hope You Have A

Only 30%?

You Are 30% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

ก็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็ ก็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็ กิิิิิิิิิิิิิิิิิิิิ ก้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้

Weird, huh?

I'm Thinking

Of this oldie but goody.

This won't mean anything except to those of us who used to frequent the now-defunct MSN Groups. The post titles were in response to a woman making a post in the off-topic board "I'm Thinking of Changing My Nickname". As you can see, *some* of us thought the topic was hilarious and decided to poke a little fun at her. What was even funnier than the responses was her indignation at the rather gentle ribbing.

I don't remember who gorgeous was, but I do remember SPIRITDAVID and his spats with the CF management team, always good for a chuckle.  I also remember RVSnowbird, an older man who lived in an RV and was looking for female companionship.  I remember that last about Snowbird because he had specific criteria, very strict, with weight limits and the woman had to be several years younger than himself.  (I figured he needed someone younger than himself and in better health to take over driving duties and the weight limit?  Maybe his RV had poor springs, who knows?)  Brad, or "Binky" is no longer with us now, he was a great guy.  I don't know what happened to Quinduno, either, but he probably blew a gasket if he kept up with his vendetta against authority.

New Triva Quiz Has Started!

A new trivia quiz has started! Test your knowledge at:

ToTG Trivia Tournament - Daily Trivia Game

13 Reasons

To adopt a black cat:

1. You can’t tell if they’re dirty, and their teeth always look white!
2. A black cat is a great accessory to any outfit, and they go with everything.
3. Black is very slimming—holding your cat will make you look extra-slender.
4. Save time on date night—you don’t need to use the lint brush on your black dress.
5. Your cat doesn’t care what color YOUR hair is!
6. Black cats are the most fun to play hide and seek with.
7. They have a “black belt” in cuddling.
8. You’ll never need to go shopping for Halloween decorations.
9. In most cultures, a black cat in your home brings good luck!
10. A black cat will help you celebrate your inner “Goth.”
11. They are always in the best-dressed category.
12. They make you look beyond the surface to find true love and beauty.
13. They are the least likely to be adopted and need your love the most!

Crazy On You - Heart

Wind Map

From the website:

An invisible, ancient source of energy surrounds us—energy that powered the first explorations of the world, and that may be a key to the future.

This map shows you the delicate tracery of wind flowing over the US.

Bad Broccoli Blunder

I'm sitting here, just having finished my supper and I'm still hungry.  Why?

Well, I first steamed some broccoli, then cooked a hamburger patty. (hey,that's a pretty good meal for this old bachelor!)  I was ready to plate (paper) it all up and took the insert with the vegetable out of my microwave steamer...and immediately dropped it and the contents.  If it had been raw, I would have just washed it off, but as it was cooked and soft...and most of it went into the full-of-water dishpan anyway. 

I had about three little florets of my veggie left that had stuck to the ribbed insert, so that's all I had to eat along with my burger.  I did have a piece of double-fiber bread to go along with it, but I didn't eat nearly enough to fill me up.

Oh well, it wouldn't hurt me to eat less, even skip a few meals.

I didn't used to be so clumsy. -sigh-

Use Me - Bill Withers

I Always Thought

I was more of a middle finger kinda guy, but...

You Are a Thumbs Up

You have an upbeat and positive attitude. You really see the beauty in life. You'll say yes to any opportunity that seems even slightly interesting. You are in love with the world, and you really savor an adventure. You inspire others to be more fun loving. Your happiness is unstoppable.

Are You a Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down?

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

Weather Around My World

Almost since I first got on the 'net, I've used the Excite TV listings to see what's on the tube.  I prefer it over any other similar sites because it allows me to favorite the programs I like and they show up in red. 

Other types of programs are also color-coded which makes it easy to see movies, sports, etc.  at a glance and when they're airing.

I used to have Excite as my start page; they were ahead of their time because the page allowed one to customize with various modules - local weather, the TV listings, reminders, news, famous birthdays, word of the day and many others.  (now most sites allow that, such as Yahoo, MSN, etc.) They also offered up registered users with their own web space...many other sites have done that, too, but Excite was a little more advanced than most of the others, letting the owner use Java and javascript and also had a "file cabinet", a directory much like a "real" website.

The site has changed a lot since that time, though, changing hands and streamlining their offered content.  I don't use anything other than the TV listings now, not even their free email service and seldom look at the home page.  I had cleaned out my browser cookies and cache last night and when I do that, I have to sign into the site again to have my favorite shows highlighted.  I have to go to the home page to do that and after putting in my user name and password, noticed my weather module and decided to edit it.

What's neat about that Excite module is one can not only include their own local weather, but several other locations as well.  I've always used my own, but also some of the places where my family and online friends live.  I added a new location this morning - that way I can keep up with the weather of those I care about.

It might seem silly to some, but it makes me feel closer to them. I can usually claim bragging rights to the worst - hot/cold - weather, though.

If I Had The Time - Uriah Heep

NOTE:  Noticed the original video had been taken down.

Live at London Shepherd's Bush Empire November 6, 2004

If I Had The Time Lyrics

This song takes me back to when I was first getting out on my own, my time at college and living away from home.  Loved to listen to this through headphones because the music was so beautiful, the lyrics simple yet profound. 

If I had the time,
To re-live my life
I don't think I'd care,
To change a thing
As long as I find,
Just a little peace of mind
I can dream and laugh and I can sing

Ugly Nipples

Popped in to see if the blog was still here and noticed this search from our Feedjit counter:

We've had some search hits on odd subjects before, but I don't recall any for "ugly nipples". Clicking on the link in the Feedjit page takes it directly to here, but I'd like to see how far up the search listings ToTG is for "ugly nipples".

Then again, maybe not.

This isn't my photo, but I found it on the 'net to illustrate the only "ugly nipple" that would ever be posted in here.



Now THAT'S an ugly nipple; looks like it's cross-threaded and just about to rust out.

Should have used some silicone on those nipples.

Reusing

I got an email from Amazon earlier; once you look at something and are signed up for their email alerts, they practically bombard you with suggestions of that item. I've received at least one mailing a week since I looked at cell phones.

A few weeks ago I was checking into the price of peanut oil, having heard of its high smoke point and health benefits. As I often do on Amazon, I then went on to look at other related items, mostly outdoor deep fryers.

After looking at a few of the suggestions on Amazon, I started wondering if peanut oil can be reused. Before we were married, my ex managed a seafood restaurant that had daily specials on many menu items with both fried catfish and shrimp being the most popular. After a few days of use, they "rejuvenated" their oil with a nifty filter machine; you drained the oil into the machine, then it was filtered and pumped back into the deep fryer.

As I was typing in "reusing cooking oil" into Google, the auto-complete gave me suggestions. I've seen quite a few humorous screen shots of those in various websites, some laugh-out-loud funny and others making me shake my head. This time was a little bit of both.

I know about reusing things - mostly because I try to make it a habit, both from an ecological standpoint but also from an economic one. I've read about some of the suggestions Google was giving me; from my homesteading and survival Facebook groups, I've seen quite a few ways to reuse old wood pallets, from making furniture to filling them full of potting soil and making small herb gardens. One of the best uses I've seen for them was sinking them in a pond for what I call "minnow motels" - minnows lay their eggs on the underside of wood and the relatively small openings in the pallet keeps the larger predator fish out.

I've also seen a bunch of different ways to reuse plastic bottles;  just the other day I saw a photo of a raft someone had built out of 2L bottles.  Not sure if I would want to cross the ocean on one, but....  I have been known to reuse a tea bag, but it's certainly a weaker "cuppa" the second time.  I've read that earthworms love old tea bags and they also degrade well in compost heaps.  I've also read that they're good to mulch into the soil under acid-loving plants such as blueberry bushes.

I also belong to a canning group on Facebook and the general consensus there and elsewhere is that one should NOT reuse canning lids.  The rings, yes, but new lids should be used.

It was the third entry in the auto-complete form that really threw me for a loop.  I'm sure that, if refrigerated, it would last for a day or two, but how the heck can you reuse it?

Only When Food is Involved

Do I have a big mouth.

You Don't Have a Big Mouth

In fact, you like to keep your life very private. You figure that your personal life is no one's business. And if people try to pry, they'll end up unsuccessful. You're a big mystery to people - and that's fine by you!

Do You Have a Big Mouth?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

The Letter - The Box Tops

I don't normally post so many videos in a row, but I needed to send a message to *someone* and thought this old tune was the most appropriate.

Are You - Bob Seger

Every now and then a song comes along that makes a profound impression upon me.  To me, the lyrics of "Are You" speak about our society's out-of-control commercialism and how we value "things" over everything else.  I also think it makes a subtle mention of how our government lies to us.

From the 2006 album "Face the Promise":

Most of what we want is just illusion
Most of what we buy won't change a thing
Most of what we're told is misdirection
Offered up to ease our suffering

"Are You" lyrics

Bite Me!

At first it started buzzing around my head, but I was engrossed in something on the 'net so I just waved my hand and shooed it away.  When it started flying close to my eyes, I stopped what I was doing, picked up a flyswatter and waited for it to land so I could get my revenge.  It landed my my bare thigh and I saw it wasn't a fly, but a huge mosquito.

When I raised the swatter to whack it, it flew off.  I still wanted to kill it, especially with the recent West Nile cases in Texas.  I waited for the mosquito to land again and it did, very near to where it had landed before on my leg.  I slowly raised the swatter but it took off again.  It didn't fly but a few inches when it landed again on my leg.  I lowered the swatter and watched.

It kept taking off and landing, looking as though it was testing the best place to stick me.  It tried at least a dozen times until I finally swatted it with the flat of my hand.  It was just a smashed piece of flesh on my palm, but there was no blood in it, so I must have not been bitten. 

I got to thinking that it was the first mosquito I had seen this year and then started remembering all the times over the last few years when I was with people who complained of being bitten but I never was bothered. I recalled a time when I stopped by the side of the road to take a photo of a horse in a nearby pasture.  To get to the fence, I had to go through a damp ditch with knee high grass and swarms of mosquitoes making a cloud around me...but not being bitten. (I was more concerned with a rattlesnake in the high grass, to be honest)

I haven't been bitten by a mosquito in years and years and I don't think it's a coincidence that the last time I suffered mosquito bites was before I developed diabetes.  A quick Google search shows plenty of folks with diabetes complaining they are bitten more than their non-diabetic friends, so that's probably not it.  Still, there's got to be some reason.

Maybe I'm TOO sweet for the skeeters, both literally and figuratively.   Nah, that can't be it.  The mosquitoes probably avoid me because of my sour disposition.

Clip art courtesy of DailyClipArt.net

Hitchcock Cameos

A compilation of (most of) Alfred Hitchcock's cameo appearances.

The music gets a little tiring after a couple of minutes, but there's always the mute button.

Hank Skinner on Death Row

44 1/2 minutes long, but well worth watching. I've often wondered what it would be like to be on Death Row and Skinner gives a cursory glimpse of that existence. As the video went on, I found myself in the place of the condemned being driven to the death house, looking out the window along the drive and seeing the beauty...and the ugliest...all the while knowing it was the last landscapes I would ever see.

The video is completely one-sided, the maker of the video making no bones about being against the death penalty. It doesn't paint Pampa in a particularly good light, especially in the scenes where it shows only the worst and ugliest parts of this small town.

I didn't realize it until I watched the video that I used to roughneck with a guy who had, several years prior, lived at the house where the murders were committed; I had driven by there doing some research for the book I had intended to write, but didn't recognize it as the place where my co-worker had lived, that I had been inside the house and visited with him and his family.  I don't know why I didn't remember that when I was researching the book.

The windbreaker Skinner speaks about being tested has been misplaced: Evidence Missing in Skinner Case.

Personally, I've gone back and forth on Skinner's innocence; at first, I thought he didn't do it, then was convinced he had. Now, I'm not so sure.  The uncle that Skinner claims to have done it died in a car wreck several years later after the murders and another witness* has also passed away.  I've interviewed Skinner's ex-girlfriend (whose house he was found at after the murders) and I understand why her recanting her trial testimony has been discounted:  she's not a credible witness.

*Witness, in this case, doesn't mean "to the crime" but rather a person with "evidence" offered to prove Skinner's innocence.  In this instance, it was someone in jail who claimed to have called the house just before the murders and being told by one of the victims that Skinner was passed out on the couch.

It's going to be interesting to see how this all plays out.  As it is, it's a landmark case in how DNA evidence will be treated in future trials and subsequent appeals.

Money Can't Buy Love

So they say, but it CAN rent it for a while

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You Would Choose Love

Money may buy a little happiness, but not the happiness of true love. You rather have a true soulmate than a private jet. And while many people may claim they would choose love too... You're one of the few who would really do it.

Would You Choose Love or Money?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

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Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles

The Scot Version of Jerry Springer

This Could Be Me

Except I rarely drink and can't sing a lick. When I do sing, my cat runs from the room

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For some reason, the original video was taken down. I think I might have linked to a video that someone copied and it was taken down because of copyright issues. I did manage to find this one, hope it works for a little longer than the first one.

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Excited Train Guy

This reminds me of a British guy that used to come into a friend's group chat room when I was involved in MSN Groups. The first time he entered the room, the friend PM'd me and warned me to not ask him about trains. I told her I liked trains too and she replied "Not like he does! Fair warning!"

A few days later it was just we two in the room and I made the mistake I was warned against making. "Heard you liked trains!" I was then treated to a rundown on every train he had seen in the last month. I finally had to beg off and tell him I had to go...I forget what it was I lied about, might have told him my house was on fire. I bet that guy sounded just like this one, only with a British accent. Anyway, this is funny.

Free Printable Recipe Cards

Free Printable Recipe Cards

From the website:

If you love collecting recipes, you will flip over our free printable recipe cards.

We have several fun styles for you to choose from, in a variety of colors.

Plus, there is an adorable angel shopping list. Hopefully she will help you remember to get everything on your list.

You can save them in a recipe box for many years, especially if you print them out on card stock or thicker paper.

You can use these handy cards for a many things -

Write down any of the recipes on this site that you want to keep. All of the recipes available on this site are free for you to use. (Of course you can print them as well.)

You can use them to collect recipes from friends and family.

You can send others your favorite recipes on these adorable recipe cards.

Develop your own favorite recipes and keep track of them in a special recipe box using these cards.

Use them as handy reminder notes and attach them to the fridge with magnets.

The list goes on and on.

Download as many as you want.

Free Printable Recipe Cards

Close Encounter For the Third Time

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was on earlier, so that accounts for the "alien" theme today.  It's one of my favorite movies, plus I was annoyed at some political posts I read on Facebook. Some people's thought processes truly are alien.

I kinda get carried away with something at times. I think I'll get off the 'net for a while, because my very favorite sci-fi movie is on now: Blade Runner. While I am sometimes prone to argue over politics, I think arguing about movies is silly. The only thing I'd want to discuss about Blade Runner is if you think Deckard is a Replicant or not.

First Contact

An alien landed on Earth and the first person he met was a tall, good looking woman. Awed by her beauty, he finally managed to speak:

"Take me to a ladder lady, I'll meet your leader later."

Government Explained

An inquisitive alien visits the planet to check on our progress as a species, and gets into a conversation with the first person he meets. The alien discovers that we live under the rule of a thing called "government", and wants to understand more about what "government" is, what it does, and why it exists.




If you don't want to sit through the entire 9 1/2 minutes of the video, then you can read the transcript.

billet-doux

From the Word of the Day:

billet-doux (bɪlɪˈduː, French bijɛdu)

— n , pl billets-doux old-fashioned , jocular or a love letter

[ from French, literally: a sweet letter, from billet + doux sweet, from Latin dulcis ]

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I'd be afraid to ask a woman if she'd like a billet-doux; unless she was French, she'd probably slap me.  OTOH, if she was French, she might slap me anyway.

I Side With

I saw a link to ISideWith.com on Facebook earlier and decided to take their test. Most of the regular readers of this blog (all six of you) already know I am a Ron Paul supporter, but I wanted to see if this survey would validate my choice.

It did.

I try to not get too involved in politics here;  I don't care to debate them and have always wanted my blog to be light hearted and educational if possible. Still, this was an interesting thing to do.

Click graphic for larger view.

I was a little surprised that it was "only" 93%, but that might have been due to a few of my choices where I put I didn't think the federal govt. should be involved, whereas Paul's stance would have been leave it up to the states. A minor difference to me, but perhaps not to him. Another difference was that maybe I didn't attach enough significance to certain issues, such as gay marriage or attaching the most as I did with gun control.   I expect that if I waited a while and took the test again, the numbers might skew a few points one way or the other.  That doesn't mean I'm wishy-washy, just that I might feel a little stronger towards some issues after a while and deeper reflection and less so on others afterwards.

I think the most pressing concern to us is economics;  none of the rest of the issues will matter if we don't get our debt under control and unemployment down to a minimum.   I'm also for change in regards to our immigration policy and that of the war on drugs because our current policies aren't working. 

I was a little surprised that it showed me to have that much in common with the Republican party.  The way they've treated Ron Paul and we libertarian-minded conservatives has driven many of us away from the GOP.   I think both they and the Democrats have morphed into two sides of the same coin - a plugged nickel.

I think my libertarian viewpoints mirror my Texas upbringing, namely that it's an innate thing for most Texans to want to mind our own business, to allow others to do as they like just as long as it doesn't affect us in a dangerous  or overly annoying manner.

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Edit to add: While watching the live NASA feed of the control room monitoring the Curiosity as it touched down on Mars, it dawned on me one of the reasons that I didn't mesh up with Ron Paul more than I did; I am in favor of govt. funding for space exploration, at least I have been. I doubt we would have already landed on the moon if it were not for the massive funding of the space program. However, it looks like private space projects are now in the works..

I'd also like to clarify that I do not belong to the Libertarian Party. I agree with most of their platform, but not all. I consider myself a "small L" libertarian.

Pipeline - The Ventures

One of the first songs I ever learned to "pick" on the guitar