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November 25, 2013

R.I.P. Brian


If you're a Family Guy fan and happened to catch last night's episode, you know that Brian (the family dog) died in the episode.

If you didn't....Oops, spoiler alert! Sorry, too late for that, huh?

I only started watching the show a few years ago; I guess I had lumped it in with The Simpsons (which I find anything but funny) and didn't think it would be worth wasting a half-hour watching it.  However, one Sunday I had watched the late football game on Fox and didn't bother to turn the channel and Family Guy came on.  I didn't know where the remote was and I was too lazy to get up and turn the channel, so I started watching and was - for better or worse -  hooked. 

The creator of the show, Seth MacFarlane, is an unabashed liberal and he takes a lot of potshots at conservatives, but a few weeks after I started watching, Rush Limbaugh "starred" on an episode and it was one of the funniest of the entire series.  There HAVE been some really bad episodes, though, not that they were without humor, but sometimes the humor crossed the line. (some about religion, such as making fun of Jesus being crucified and others showing "retarded" characters...the show does a lot of cruel humor directed at people with disabilities) It's those shows that make me re-think watching it, but then there will be a flash of brilliant comedy that gives me hope there will be more like it.  It's constantly on a teeter-totter of enjoyment with me - 51% funny and 49% disgusting and sometimes those percentages reverse.  It's hard for me to explain why I keep watching it and certainly harder trying to defend my watching it.

Without delving into each of the characters and their personalities, I always figured that MacFarlane actually had the Brian character in mind as his animated alter-ego when he created him;  after all, Brian is the most liberal of any of the characters, and while many slams are directed towards conservatism (and religion), I think MacFarlane is actually making fun of liberals in a subtle way with Brian.  Here's an example, one of my favorite scenes of the series:



I loved that rant and particularly the Catcher in the Rye reference. (most worthless "classic literature" I ever wasted time reading)  All the things Quagmire said about Brian were true and not only is Brian a dog, if he were a human he'd also be a dog.

I don't think Brian is gone for good; Stewie will make another time machine and will go back in time and save Brian. I hope so, because the "replacement dog" Vinnie is annoying.

I Like Generous Portions

For myself, anyway.

You Are a Generous Cook

For you, cooking is a way of taking care of people. You like your friends and family to be well fed.

The things you cook tend to be crowd pleasers. You don't mind making a dish time and time again.

Of all the types, you are the most likely to give away your food. You're often baking or cooking for someone.


You're also the type least likely to experiment drastically. You're already a good cook... why mess with what works? 



November 23, 2013

Winning Solitaire




Ever play Solitaire? I haven't, not in a long time, but it was cool when I won and the deck of cards would bounce onto the screen.

Too bad it happened so seldom.

Enjoy the special effects of winning Solitaire without every having to play the game!   The screen shot above is what happens with a single click; click on the screen multiple times for an impressive display of cascading cards.  Click fast and the screen will fill with cards.

Much of a time waster?  I suppose not, but it's cool.