Alton Brown doesn’t update his “Rants and Raves” page very often, so you’d best head on over and see what all his diet and exercise make him look like in his souped-up Speedos.
Monthly Archives: July 2004
Mutual Admiration Society
I heard this incredible song the other day on the radio – it’s a band called Mutual Admiration Society. The song was called “Sake of the World.”
Apprently they’re comprised of some people from Nickle Creek and Glenn Phillips, former front man of Toad The Wet Sprocket. I might have to go out and buy this, like, right now. Or very soon. It was a very beguiling tune.
Just Weird, No Category
You know how sometimes, things go really well? And other times, things don’t go so well, and you only have yourself to blame?
Well, what about those times when really well and not so well are all mooshed together? That’s how I feel.
I feel really good about being more informed about politics. Also, I feel pretty good about some of the horses in the race. I like their chances.
I feel pretty good about being better informed in general about international and national news. This is a result of reading about 4 or 5 news feeds via Bloglines.
I feel pretty good about the blogs I’ve stumbled across and read daily, or in the course of helplessly flailing about looking for something else. There are some great people out there writing good stuff, Maynard.
On the other hand, I read too much news and blog about it too much, both during work (not good) and after work, so that stuff around the house isn’t getting done (also in the “not good” category). Ditto: probably reading too many blogs as well.
I feel pretty good about the way the blog looks currently, although I went through the usual ten levels of Hell getting it to look right with 3 columns, and then getting it to look sort of right in Mozilla. Frustration levels ebb and flow with each new frustration solved, then another one encountered.
On the other hand, I screw around tweaking the blog templates too much. Yep: work and home, stuff not getting done. Also church stuff not getting done. I’m going to hell. Yep. And letting people down where I made committments. Hell and blasted to smithereens, probably. Also also: not smooching hubby enough.
I feel pretty good about the actual blogging I’ve done, here and elsewhere (commenting on others’ sites, having a lot of fun with writing off-the-wall things here and elsewhere).
On the other hand: lather, rinse, repeat on the “stuff not getting done” thing. Also: have witnessed online freakouts a couple of times in otherwise “fun” and friendly confines since December, have successfully avoided drama, but you never know.
I feel pretty good about getting out of the house to the health club several times this week, and about general sense of well-being when using the cardio settings on various machines.
On the other hand, something’s wacky with water retention and puffy ankles, so the doc prescribed this stuff and AUGH, forgot to take it again at dinner. Can’t take it now, too close to bedtime. Dammit. Maybe I should stick it in my purse and take it at lunch (has to be taken at mealtimes, but not within 30 minutes of going to bed). Lunchtime is the only really reliably scheduled meal of the day.
So: kinda jumpy, really disorganized, procrastinating on some things up the ying-yang but having a lot of fun, other than what is the dealio with the family cankles ballooning? It’s probably due to too much time sitting around watching TAR, Ground Force, CSI, NCIS, Stargate, and Atlantis.
Yep, all the fun things: bad for me. Bah.
Oh, and by the way – things are changing somewhat radically at work. I’ll be training on two more accounts and taking calls (at least for international) from all three. Not terribly happy about this development, but hey, it’s a job.
And yeah, the opportunities for screwing around reading Bloglines or futzing with the blog are probably going to have to be curtailed. Dammit.
July Surprise
As reported in the New Republic on the 19th: The July Surprise is right on schedule.
[Editor’s Note: This afternoon, Pakistan’s interior minister, Faisal Saleh Hayyat, announced that Pakistani forces had captured Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian Al Qaeda operative wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The timing of this announcement should be of particular interest to readers of The New Republic. Earlier this month, John B. Judis, Spencer Ackerman, and Massoud Ansari broke the story of how the Bush administration was pressuring Pakistani officials to apprehend high-value targets (HVTs) in time for the November elections–and in particular, to coincide with the Democratic National Convention. Although the capture took place in central Pakistan “a few days back,” the announcement came just hours before John Kerry will give his acceptance speech in Boston.]
The timing is ever so convenient and suspicious. Previously, the word in Pakistan was that the US government very much wanted to capture someone very high up in the Al Qaeda organization so that it could be timed to take the wind out of the Dem’s sails during the Boston convention.
And here it is, the night of the biggest speech in John Kerry’s life. Hmm.
But according to this ISI official, a White House aide told ul-Haq last spring that “it would be best if the arrest or killing of [any] HVT were announced on twenty-six, twenty-seven, or twenty-eight July”–the first three days of the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
Hmm, indeed.
Whither Rance?
The United States is to place tariffs on shrimp imports from Brazil and India in an attempt to tackle cut-price fish being dumped on the market.
If my suspicion is correct, Rance ran off from the pressures of slebrity and bloggy godhead and got a job working on a shrimp boat. If that’s so, his paycheck is safe enough for now… unless he ran off to either the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean.
If that’s the case, he’s boned. Better re-think the whole “no more slebrity for me” thing.
Really, this is just an excuse to open some “Where the hell is Rance anyway” comments.
TAR4’s Chip Counts Neocon Coup
Okay, this works for me on so many levels: towleroad reports he’s a friend of TAR4’s Chip (not to be confused with TAR5 Chip). Anyway, the .50 millionaire of Season 4 is at the Democratic National Convention and had an encounter of his own with Bill O’Reilly. Remember him? He was one of the married guys. 😉
‘Bill, I am gay, was married, and would appreciate you maybe next time on your show recognizing that two same-sex people in love should share the same rights as any other couple.’ He said, ‘I will consider it.’
Someone should start a blog dedicated solely to “close encounters of the O’Reilly kind” since they seem to follow a pattern:
::poke::
::arrogant response::
::post triumphant counting of coup on blog::
I think all the DNC bloggers should stage a flashmob coup-counting on O’Reilly. Film (and posts) at eleven.
Cross Staffordshire Terriers Off The List
BERLIN (Reuters) – A snarling Staffordshire terrier trapped a German railway worker at his post for hours and even bit through metal trying to elude capture, police say.
We’re thinking about getting a dog next spring.
Not this kind of dog, I’m thinking.
David Is Now At Stage 3
It seems that David is now at stage 3 with his WordPress blog: he’s created a button. As in “cool crap to stick on the sidewall.”
Safe Href?
Need to verify if I have Save Href installed per Al-Muhajabah’s Movable Type Tips’ recommendation. I quote a LOT of URLs that have ampersands, and although I tried to set up something to fix it, it doesn’t seem to be working. Nowhere close to validating. However, Elise’s previous advice on the topic is also helpful: don’t get too hung up on having to have every page validate.
Dull Computer Customer Support Hosed
Get Fuzzy has been running a hilarious “Dull Computer Customer Support” storyline starting with the linked strip.
Apparently, all the outsourcing talk is a big hoax; it’s just the call center folks improving their phone stats in various creative ways. David will love today’s excuse, but start at the beginning to catch the “excellent Simpsons” reference.