February 13, 2016
February 12, 2016
February 11, 2016
No Funky Fonts for this Fella
Other than a long-ago fascination with Comic Sans Ms, I've always used the default font in most message boards and forums.
| You Are Andale Mono |
 You are a geek, pure and simple. You spend a lot of time online. In fact, you probably love the internet more than anyone you know. You are picky about design, mostly for readability's sake. You are the type most likely to be irritated by a bad font. |
February 10, 2016
It's Lent
"Bumped" from a couple of yrs. ago and updated*.
Not being Catholic, I am usually unaware when Lent begins. (*This year, Lent begins today and ends on March 24.) When a spate of pancake recipes hit my reader earlier this week, I was reminded that before Lent begins, there is Shrove Tuesday or "Pancake Day", when housewives would try to use up all the ingredients they couldn't use during Lent.
As I said, not being Catholic, I am not familiar with Lent, but I do know that when making pancakes, one should not over mix the wet and dry ingredients or the pancakes will become "tough". A few lumps are all right - they'll bake out when the pancakes are cooked.
I used to brag that someone could bring up a topic and I would know a joke about it. Since it's Lent, here's my Lent joke:
A couple had just gotten married during this time of year. On their honeymoon night, they went to bed and the new bride eagerly reached over to her husband, but he gently pushed her away.
"I can't...it's Lent." he explained.
"That's silly." she sniffed. "To who and for how long?"
Not being Catholic, I am usually unaware when Lent begins. (*This year, Lent begins today and ends on March 24.) When a spate of pancake recipes hit my reader earlier this week, I was reminded that before Lent begins, there is Shrove Tuesday or "Pancake Day", when housewives would try to use up all the ingredients they couldn't use during Lent.
As I said, not being Catholic, I am not familiar with Lent, but I do know that when making pancakes, one should not over mix the wet and dry ingredients or the pancakes will become "tough". A few lumps are all right - they'll bake out when the pancakes are cooked.
I used to brag that someone could bring up a topic and I would know a joke about it. Since it's Lent, here's my Lent joke:
A couple had just gotten married during this time of year. On their honeymoon night, they went to bed and the new bride eagerly reached over to her husband, but he gently pushed her away.
"I can't...it's Lent." he explained.
"That's silly." she sniffed. "To who and for how long?"
February 9, 2016
800Notes
Wonder who is calling you? Go to 800Notes and find out! Enter the phone number and you'll find posts by other people who also have been called from that number. You can even post a message yourself (no registration)letting others know about your experience(s) with the telemarketers/scammers/bill collectors.
I usually listen to the spiel once, but if they call again...well, that's why I keep an airhorn by the phone.
February 8, 2016
Good News & Bad News
The bad news? No more football for six months. (not counting the draft...and that really doesn't count)
The good news? My email inbox will quit getting deluged with Pizza Hut adverts.
The day after the Super Bowl has always been the saddest day of the year for me. Now, as I grow older, I care less and less about all sports, but I still enjoy football...although one has to be a bit of a masochist to remain a Cowboys fan. -sigh- I care nothing about basketball and even less (if possible) about hockey and the only reason I like seeing baseball in the news is that it means spring is here.
I get one, sometimes two, Pizza Hut mailings every week. I don't eat a lot of pizza, but I signed up so I can order online and take advantage of the deals offered only to members. This week, though, I was getting two, sometimes three separate promotional emails every day. Enough already! I think being a pizza delivery person would be one of the worst jobs, particularly on Super Bowl Sunday.
Well, except for working for Roto-Rooter on the day after Thanksgiving.
I'm also glad that my recipe newsletters will focus on something else besides party dips and especially chicken wing recipes. I never made any of them, but I read so many I started sprouting pinfeathers. Every time I've ever seen wings on the buffet, the "drumettes" were gone by the time I got to them. I finally figured out the best way to eat the "arm" part of the wing; pinch off the end with the bit of cartilage and pull the two tiny bones out and then you can eat the entire thing!
The good news? My email inbox will quit getting deluged with Pizza Hut adverts.
The day after the Super Bowl has always been the saddest day of the year for me. Now, as I grow older, I care less and less about all sports, but I still enjoy football...although one has to be a bit of a masochist to remain a Cowboys fan. -sigh- I care nothing about basketball and even less (if possible) about hockey and the only reason I like seeing baseball in the news is that it means spring is here.
I get one, sometimes two, Pizza Hut mailings every week. I don't eat a lot of pizza, but I signed up so I can order online and take advantage of the deals offered only to members. This week, though, I was getting two, sometimes three separate promotional emails every day. Enough already! I think being a pizza delivery person would be one of the worst jobs, particularly on Super Bowl Sunday.
Well, except for working for Roto-Rooter on the day after Thanksgiving.
I'm also glad that my recipe newsletters will focus on something else besides party dips and especially chicken wing recipes. I never made any of them, but I read so many I started sprouting pinfeathers. Every time I've ever seen wings on the buffet, the "drumettes" were gone by the time I got to them. I finally figured out the best way to eat the "arm" part of the wing; pinch off the end with the bit of cartilage and pull the two tiny bones out and then you can eat the entire thing!
February 7, 2016
Super Bowl Prediction
Not that anyone really cares what I think...and truth be told, even I don't much care about who wins it.
I will be rooting for the Broncos. I'm not a big fan of Denver, but I AM a fan of Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware. I'd love to see Ware finally get a ring after all those frustrating years in Dallas and I'd also enjoy seeing Manning go out on top. (I think he'll retire after this game, no matter the outcome.)
That said, I think the Panthers will win. Cam Newton is a great player, but it's hard for me to root for him, especially over Manning. Denver has a great defense, but Carolina's isn't too far behind. I think it will come down to the Panther's offense being just a little better than Denver's defense.
I hope I'm wrong, but that's how I see it. I wouldn't bet on the game, though.
My prediction:
Carolina 27 Denver 17
Not in the Mood
To anyone who cares, I just haven't felt like posting much. Actually, I haven't felt too well at all. (I'll be OK and am getting better) A couple of weeks ago my computer bit the dust and it took me several days to try to resuscitate it (and finally giving up), then a day or two after buying a new one to get IT all sorted out. (still a work in progress)
I've also been a little burned out on not only doing things in my blog, but participating much at all in my other online activities - friend's blogs plus message boards and forums I frequent. I've mostly been just reading and catching up on the TV shows I like to watch. I've got a lot more time than money, but lately I've been having problems finding enough time to do the things I used to do on the Internet.
So, that's basically it, the reason I've not been around much. I'm not sure many people have noticed, but I learned a long time ago to not validate myself by some silly blog or website I've created. I just do this for grins, anyway.
Love to all my friends and family and this blog's readers, the frequent visitors and those who stumbled in here and like something I've written or posted....and as always, to hell with the rest.
I've also been a little burned out on not only doing things in my blog, but participating much at all in my other online activities - friend's blogs plus message boards and forums I frequent. I've mostly been just reading and catching up on the TV shows I like to watch. I've got a lot more time than money, but lately I've been having problems finding enough time to do the things I used to do on the Internet.
So, that's basically it, the reason I've not been around much. I'm not sure many people have noticed, but I learned a long time ago to not validate myself by some silly blog or website I've created. I just do this for grins, anyway.
Love to all my friends and family and this blog's readers, the frequent visitors and those who stumbled in here and like something I've written or posted....and as always, to hell with the rest.
February 3, 2016
The Day the Music Died
Words Per Minute
The average person can read 200-350 words per minute. The rate is slightly higher on paper vs. screen. Speed readers clock in at 1500+ words per minute.
Check your reading speed via the link on this earlier post.
Check your reading speed via the link on this earlier post.
February 2, 2016
Happy Garazon Day!
(A "bump" from 2009)
Well, it's actually Groundhog Day, but for the last 7-8 yrs. I always think of my online pal Garazon because he once said it was one of his favorite "holidays".
I've never really given the date much significance; around these parts there almost always are six more weeks of bad weather after the start of February...and we don't have groundhogs, either.
If you want to know more about the holiday, visit the official website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
One of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day, the hilariously funny 1993 release starring Bill Murray. Here's the trailer:
If you've never seen it, it's certainly worth the price of a DVD/VHS rental. Shoot, it's probably in the .49 cent section!
Back to Garazon Day....
For several years, our buddy "G" was alone
But now he's got some company!
Just like St. Patrick's Day when everyone is Irish, today everyone is a groundhog!
Here's me
Just like me...always looking the wrong way!
Well, it's actually Groundhog Day, but for the last 7-8 yrs. I always think of my online pal Garazon because he once said it was one of his favorite "holidays".
I've never really given the date much significance; around these parts there almost always are six more weeks of bad weather after the start of February...and we don't have groundhogs, either.
If you want to know more about the holiday, visit the official website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
One of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day, the hilariously funny 1993 release starring Bill Murray. Here's the trailer:
If you've never seen it, it's certainly worth the price of a DVD/VHS rental. Shoot, it's probably in the .49 cent section!
Back to Garazon Day....
For several years, our buddy "G" was alone
But now he's got some company!
Just like St. Patrick's Day when everyone is Irish, today everyone is a groundhog!
Here's me
Just like me...always looking the wrong way!
How Many Days?
How many days does Bill Murray spend stuck in Groundhog Day? (one of my favorite movies of all-time!) The movie isn't very clear, but there are hints and the rest can be, as this video shows, fairly easily deducted from scenes in the movie. I'm not for sure how accurate the final number is, but it sounds good to me!
February 1, 2016
January 26, 2016
Early Model Typewriters
Early model typewriters were often referred to as "Literary Pianos" because of a version designed by Christopher Sholes had just two rows of keys, the first row made of ebony, the second of ivory.
January 22, 2016
January 21, 2016
What Brady Are You?
| You Are Greg Brady |
 Outta sight! Suave and all American, you tend to be clean cut and upstanding. You're friendly with most people and a huge flirt (sometimes even with family members!). |
At least I wasn't Jan, such a whiner.
"Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!"
January 20, 2016
ultracrepidarian
ultracrepidarian [uhl-truh-krep-i-dair-ee-uh n]
adjective
1. noting or pertaining to a person who criticizes, judges, or gives advice outside the area of his or her expertise
noun
2. an ultracrepidarian person.
I saw this word in my reader feed earlier and thought it might be a good one to add to my vocabulary and especially to use in online arguments. What I really like about these esoteric words is that it shuts the other person up until they can go find out what it means.
Not but a few minutes after I read it, I went to a lottery forum I participate in and caught up on a thread I had been following about the recent Tennessee Powerball winners who gave a press conference even before they claimed their share of the jackpot. The arguments were getting heated when one guy said no one had the right to criticize them since he was sure no one giving their opinions had ever won. That led to a spate of replies with one person saying "one doesn't have to be a doctor to know they have a belly ache."
Thinking about the lottery reminded me I needed to go get a ticket for tonight's Texas Lotto. I stopped at the dollar store on the way home and started to go down an aisle but two older men were talking and blocking my way. I turned around and went down the next aisle and while looking for what I wanted to buy, heard one complaining he hadn't been sleeping well and the other said "The sandman hasn't been visiting you, huh?" and at that exact point the store radio speaker just above their heads started with the distinctive opening guitar rift of "Enter Sandman" by Metallica!
I love these coincidences that seem to happen to me a lot; I'll be listening to online radio and reading something in another tab and the radio hosts will say a word I'm reading at the same time or reference a news story I'm scanning. Freaky! ("coincidence" is even a post label in this blog)
And speaking of freaky: after those earlier two coincidences, I got on Facebook to see what's been happening since I last visited and noticed a FB friend had posted a video of the Top Ten Eagles songs. #1 was "Hotel California" and I had to make a comment about it being one of the most overplayed songs ever...and after I hit "Enter" on the post, another friend's post showed up right below that one - check it out:
(click image for larger view)
Last Call for Alcohol
Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, asked for whiskey just before his death.
He was refused by his nurse.
He was refused by his nurse.
January 19, 2016
Brain Freeze
The scientific name for "brain freeze" or Ice cream headache caused by eating something cold is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia
January 18, 2016
January 15, 2016
January 11, 2016
January 10, 2016
January 8, 2016
January 7, 2016
What Type of Festival Should You Attend?
| You Should Attend a Book Festival |
 You are quite the introvert... in fact, probably too introverted for most festivals. You love solitude. You spend a lot of time with the written word - both reading and writing. And you appreciate books of all sorts. You have a great imagination and an unparalleled ability to dream. Anything is possible in your mind. You may not be the most adventurous person you know, but you are very curious about the world. |
This one is spot on about me, especially being an introvert and loving solitude.
January 6, 2016
Dickens' Pet Raven
Charles Dickens had a talking pet raven named Grip and Dickens was devastated when the bird died from eating a paint chip. According to Dickens, the bird's last words were "Halloa, old girl!"
Dickens had his adored pet stuffed and it now resides in the Rare Books Dept. of the Free Library of Philadelphia,
Dickens had his adored pet stuffed and it now resides in the Rare Books Dept. of the Free Library of Philadelphia,
January 5, 2016
Rent-A-Typewriter
Ray Bradbury wrote some of his famous novel Fahrenheit 451 on a rented typewriter in a basement typing room at UCLA.
The charge? Ten cents per thirty minutes of typing time.
The charge? Ten cents per thirty minutes of typing time.
January 4, 2016
January 3, 2016
Does It Go Bad?
From the website:
DoesItGoBad.com is a place where you can find information about when (or if) a particular product will expire or will be unfit for consumption. If you have a product and you can’t use it in a couple of days, or simply you don’t know when it’ll go bad, DoesItGoBad.com is the place where you’ll get the information you need.
http://www.doesitgobad.com/
January 2, 2016
Shudder Time
Now, I know those spiders serve a useful purpose in the ecosystem and that we should respect all life regardless, but I can only think of one thing when watching that:
FLAMETHROWER!
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