What Fresh Hell Is This

Rance is thinking of hanging up his mouse and pulling the “Dread Pirate Roberts” maneuver.

A world without the one true Rance is like a world without… little tiny green letters and amusing barbed wit. Um.

I’ve been having even more fun reading the whacked out “Gus Overshaw” that he recommended, but Rance’s blog would be sorely missed. Several of us suggested solutions to make it easier for him to continue in some way; I hope he’s just messing with us and making “biddity-biddity” noises with our heads.

I’ve been trying to make sense of some of the issues that came up in the last couple months over at Rance’s and have decided that

  1. It’s never a good idea to put your real email address out there and
  2. Trolls happen
  3. Spoofing happens

And now, we wait. Though strangely, a comment I posted at Rance’s place was approved within 10 minutes. That kind of diligence is unusual and makes me think there might be something up for real.

Saving Private Hammer

Hammer left Iraq with his unit in March, then flew from Kuwait to San Francisco in cargo-class. He traveled first class with an Alley Cat Allies volunteer to Denver.

Bousfield met the kitten at the airport.

Right, right, right yes, okay I’m crying, but in a good way. That’s one saved.

2nd TARSday in July

Just checking the schedule at our local channel, because TAR is on tonight!

I am so stupid about this show. Yes, it’s like an addiction. I’m also addicted to reading Miss Alli’s recaps afterwards, because that’s how I actually got addicted in the first place. How can you not laugh at this:

They start by suiting up in white coats, and Alison and Donny are the first to get their beef out of the way. Bob takes the side of beef and immediately predicts that he will never make it a half-mile. Mirna takes the beef for her team (ew), and although Charla insists she’ll help, Mirna moans, “I’m gonna cry with this beef!” She is just weird. She’s like an old lady in a cheerleader’s body or something. You know how you can tell? Everything Mirna says sounds just right if you put the word “Phyllis” on the end of it. “I’m gonna cry with this beef, Phyllis.” “We’re lucky we didn’t get trampled, Phyllis.” See? Old lady. Anyway, Linda takes the beef for her team.

Heh – Mirna is actually an old lady in young woman drag. I love that. She even walks around favoring her back and moaning. Can’t make this stuff up. Yes, she’s annoying, but entertainingly so. I feel affection for her, and when she and Charla are on the screen, it’s never boring. I’m sure their “Oh please God help me, I’ll get mad cow disease, Phyllis” schtick will get very old, especially after viewing their “extras” clip at the TAR site on CBS. But they’re funny to watch.

I loved how the guys in the street offer gourds of mate’, the South American herbal tea that is ubiquitous, to beefpackin’ teams as they go by. I’m told that the mate’ was offered more in mockery or good-natured teasing than in a spirit of friendly helpfulness. I found out about the etiquette of drinking mate’ when I was learning Spanish from a teacher that had spent time in Argentina, it tickles me how these obscure regional details turn up on this show.

Finally, a golden quote I missed in first reading:

What I really wish is that they had gotten separated, and that Mirna had had to walk up to a bunch of people who don’t speak English, trying to figure out how to ask them if they’ve seen a dwarf in a plastic hat running with a dead cow on her back.

That was in just one part of the premiere. God knows what wackiness will ensue tonight, but I do know that it involves a meltdown and a good, old-fashioned cabfight.

God Is In The Tub

One of the things that I’ve learned as a loyal TWOP-er and TAR fan is that sometimes Amazing Race » FAQ” href=”http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/faq.cgi?show=76&q=1761″>God is in the tub. So call on Him all you like, all He is really interested is getting just the right spot with His imported boar-bristle backbrush.

And yes, I had to buy the T-shirt, because I missed out on it last time.

The Man Who Would Be George Clooney

Mr Idema, it emerged yesterday, has a colourful past. A volatile former Green Beret with a criminal record in the US, he describes himself as a security adviser. He also claims that he is the person on whom George Clooney’s part in the Hollywood film The Peacemaker was based.

A weird story just got weirder – not only does he claim that the lead character in “The Peacemaker” was based on him or his exploits, he’s the guy that threatened to punch out Geraldo Rivera in the early days of th Afghan war over Rivera’s reportage.

Besides which, has he looked in a mirror lately? He can’t be thinking that George Clooney was cast because of any kind of resemblance, whether or not his claim that the story was about him is true.

But given Idema’s history, I’d say it’s not, and he’s living in a dangerous fantasyland that’s partly set in the real world and partly in his own head.

Out and About

Okay, so today we’re headed to The Morton Arboretum – it’s a hot, muggy day so we’re taking lots of water along, and also our workout stuff with the goal of hitting the health club and cooling off in the swimming pool. We’re meeting Steve and making our stealthy approach in one vehicle, so as not to alarm the trees.

The original plan was to go to the Ren Faire, but David nixed that on account of aforesaid mugginess and all the people and turkeylegs abounding.

And we’re on our way out the door. More later.

Separation of Cats and State

Bow down before your GodA picture says a thousand words – a 4-panel strip says it better than I could.

Although – I do worship Bucky Katt. I love his permanently flattened ears, so slightly curled in contempt. I love his blue eyes on Sundays, so beautifully colored and thoroughly crossed. So I worship Bucky, but not in THAT way. Just in the “I love an impossibly psychotic cartoon kitty” way.

Click on the image to read the full strip, and buy some merchandise while you’re there!