My main veggie garden is tomatos and basil. Some days I'll just go out and pick a cherry tomato and a basil leaf, wrap the leaf around the tomato and pop it in my mouth. That's what summer tastes like! Yum!!

Pru, drink lots of water, and if it doesn't subside in a couple of days see a doctor, please. 6 Ibprofen is past the prescription amount and could be dangerous!

Throw them under the broiler with some jalepenos and onions until they have blackened spots, turning over once or twice.

Put in food processor with a bunch of cilantro, some lime juice and salt and whirl it up until it's salsa consistency.

Best salsa ever.

Clearly the best use of the tomato.

Whee! I'm in New York City! (at last!) All kinds of bad traffic and subway interruptions because of a broken water main, but, it's still an amazing place.

Are you gonna see "8" tonight?

This sounds like an intriguing walking tour.

We went to the SD Zoo Safari Park (FKA Wild Animal Park). Our main goal was to see the Cheetah Run. It was a frickin' awesome experience!!! Susan posted a crappy video I shot on her Facebook page.

So.....

Headliner is a big Amazing Race fan. In the first leg of the new season the teams fly to Taipei Taiwan.

Headliner visited Taipei this summer so she was literally squealing at all the places she had been that the racers visited.

Headliner was there in late June so I started thinking, I know they film well in advance of the airing, how close was she to seeing them? I did a little detective work and it turns out she missed possibly seeing the race in progress by one day.

Little homesickness - my cousins on facebook asking if anyone knows about a brush fire, perhaps on the scanner. Ah the good ole scanner. The way you know what's going on. And are occasionally thankful your parents have no idea what the codes mean.

A weird thing just happened...

My cellphone rang - it was a friend, so I answered it.

Me: "Hello!"
Her: "Hi."
Me: "what's up?"
Her: "Um... I don't know. You called me."
Me: "No, you called me!"

It turns out both our phones rang at the same time. My caller ID showed her name, and her caller ID showed my name. Neither of us was trying to call out. :confused:

My phone has a little indicator to show in the log if the call was incoming or outgoing - perhaps you can both look and see who originated it?

My phone shows it as an incoming call. I don't know about hers.

Well now I need to know

Cool! Dueling butt calls! :snap:

Really, what would I do without a husband to remind me to take my vitamins, and a brownie to wash them down with?

I'd leave him if he didn't offer me a glass of milk to wash down the brownie...

:D

Brownie? So that's what the kids are calling it these days?

Speaking of brownies, Cheech and Chong have reunited at last for
Magic Brownie Adventure.

I Tweeted about it, but am posting here without the 140 character limitation.

Our cat, Female (pronounced feh-molly; like it was a Spanish word) passed away last night. She was a 20 year old cat and because of the way she has looked for the past year or so, we have been referring to her as the Cat Who Refuses To Die (dark humor - please don't be offended). She stopped eating a couple of days ago, so we knew the end was finally near.

It was about as good of an experience as we could have made it. Susan had been sitting with her all day. I hurried home from work as early as I could and we sat watching TV with her in my lap for about three hours. She couldn't really move at that point, but I knew she appreciated the attention and I was very careful to make her as comfortable as possible.

Since I wasn't sure how long she was going to last and I needed to go to bed, I moved her over to Susan's lap (Susan was going to stay up with her until she passed). Within a few moments, she started having minor intermittent spasms and we knew it was time. Susan and I sat just petting her until she had her last breath and then stayed with her a little longer after her passing.

While we were both saddened by her passing and she will be missed, we know that we gave her the best possible life and it certainly was a long one (20 years is exceptional for a cat). We hope she is happier now wherever she is and wish her the best.

So sorry for your loss.

I just freaked out our cat by giving him a BIG hug.

So great that you could spend her last hours with her giving her comfort.

sorry to hear it bro. my condolences to you and Susan. I hate losing my critters but you guys did good by her.

Sorry to hear about your loss. You gave that kitty a great home, and a great life.

RIP Female. So sad for your loss, K&S. So glad for your always wonderful, loving care of our fellow creatures.

Kitty :(

I just remembered that Mickey Lumbo came over and spent an afternoon visiting with Susan a couple of weeks ago. Female took an instant liking to him and sat in his lap (which is rare - she usually stayed away from people she didn't know).

She probably felt that her life was complete having met such a sweet, wonderful man :)

So instead of the cat predicting when people will die, ML predicts when cats will die? *shudder*

Ah, dark humor. Kevy, you guys went above and beyond for Female's passing, and I'm sure she appreciated it.

She must've been very happy to live that long :)

hugs :( rip kitteh

I am sorry for your loss. Sounds like she had amazing parents and a very long life.

I'm sorry for your loss. Female and Charles were kindrid spirits. They bpth held on much longer than anyone thought they would. I'm glad you got to stay with Female and give her love as she passed. I hope her and Charles meet in that place where cats go when they leave us. (I want to go there.)

My condolences.

It's always sad to hear of loved ones leaving. Thank you for giving her a good life and a good death.

Two days after the fact and I am feeling okay. I made my peace with it.

Time to get back to our (my) usual frivolity.

Fixed it for 'ya!

LOL

So why can't Luna Lovegood look this good in the movie? (Mildly NSFW but no nudity)

Uck.

Sorry, but looking 14 just doesn't do it for me.

very cute....doesnt look 14 to me

We start a vacation in the morning so I am writing my out of office message at work. Mine are never particularly serious.

I'm posting this here to get it out of my system since it where my brain keeps going but I can't really use it at work as it goes just a step too far.

Apparently, there is a road in Missouri called No More Victims Road.

So far, I have not been able find out why it is named this.

From what I hear, you're a victim as soon as you move there. I don't know about that road, though....

And there seems to be a correctional center on No More Victims Road. Interesting.

No More Victims is a non-profit advocacy group for children and other dependents of prison inmates.

Since the only thing on the road is prison related, and the prison is only a few years old, I would imagine there was some sort of involvement between the group and the prison.

Semi amusing is that if you search No More Victims Road at Google Maps it will offer as a possible option North More Victims Road, which gives it a different tone.

Soooooo......

I needed to know when we purchased Mrs. Moonies car. Sure I could go digging in the home office files, or go out to the car and check the title but it was faster to just ask LoT.

So... I have an interview at noon for a holiday retail job.

So, we just spent a large chunk of time raking leaves in the front yard. HUGE pile of leaves now in the back yard. And yet, it looks as if we did nothing, as the yard is still full of leaves. WTF?

Apparently it's something East Coasters call "seasons".

WTF? I think it's called "Fall" for a reason! ;)
Aren't we just full of life's answers?! :D

Good luck!

I'll keep my fingers crossed :snap:

(Well, they look crossed at one point)

Totally want

SFWBNFBTD*






*Safe for work but not Bar Top Dancer

That's why you wait until all the leaves are down.

Bonus is that this kills the grass so you don't have to mow it come spring.

8 openings to fill... 36 people interviewing today. Well, we'll see... but when you're the obviously pregnant lady up against a bunch of bright-eyed 20-somethings... yeah.

Pretty!

Morrigoon, when are you due?

Day after Christmas

And it's a girl, right? Can I throw the name Holly into the hat?

For Lisa

Uh, sure, but the name's (probably) already chosen. :P

My brain isn't working today. Can I go home and go back to bed?

No, you have to run for political office.

VMLM :D

$174,000 a year for sitting around doing nothing? Don't tempt me.

What does State Assembly pay? I think I could be happy with State Assembly...

I have to deal with the State Assembly more and more often, you don't want that job...

$95,291

This is an awesome story - Homecoming Princess turns tables on bullies. It's the "rival" high school in our area. Maddie told me about this a few weeks ago.

Didn't read the article but is this the one where she burns down the town telepathically?

Yes that's the one.

No really apparently a group of kids got together and nominated an autistic girl for Homecoming Princess. As a prank. Another Mom heard about it and put the word out on facebook and she won in a landslide.

That's a great story, and in my own town, no less. Thanks for sharing!

What I've learned from driving around Maine for the last 5 days.

1) The locals apparently subsist on lobster and Dunkin' Donuts.
2) Sadly, the Maine accent is not so prevalent as would be hoped.

Oh, and you can't drive 60 feet without passing another collection of dead people. Maine is very proud of its dead people.

Nova Scotia lobster puts Maine lobster to shame. :

No idea why, but I thought Zachary Quinto had been out for years.

Lol, Marla- Tori and I both were like "wasn't he already out?"

Last night, Rose and I went to an AMAZING haunted house - "Chambers of the Mausoleum" at Coffin Creek. The monsters really destroyed Rose, she was in TEARS only a couple of rooms in. I almost jumped through a sidewall. I love Halloween.

Don't see how that could be since they are the exact same animal. However it is moot since I'm of the opinion that lobster isn't in the top 20 of delicious things you can eat from the ocean. It is fine, just not great (nor worth the price) and the slavering confuses me. But I have had some very good crab cakes.

I prefer King Crab Legs over Lobster

I hope Rose wasn't too upset at me at Knott's when I grabbed her shoulder and yelled "Boo!" I felt a little bad that I was such a baaaad boy!

Yeah, and I'm sorry for all the threatening 2am phone calls and the dead cat I mailed to her last week. My bad.

Oh, so that's why she was so nervous! I see.....

;) :D

whole heartedly agree here.
:snap: :snap:

I can't eat shellfish :( I like the visceral act of smashing the shell and ripping out the guts, too.

Count me in as well for crab over lobster. Not that I'd turn down lobster, mind you, but I'm much more excited about crab. I'm pretty happy about the silly little crab picture on my new Maryland driver's license.

And when I order AKC nowadays, I have it shelled: when enjoying a civilized meal, I prefer that someone else effectuates my barbarianism.

And every time I have AKC, I invariably think of the Deadliest Catch guys. I had AKC at a restaurant in Des Moines and apparently before Deadliest Catch became popular, they got all of their AKC from the Time Bandit.

Interesting they would know that, from what I saw of the show all the ships unload to the same (or one of few) processing plants.

It could have been complete bullsh¡t, but I rolled with it.

I'd take shrimp first, but in a purely crab vs lobster arrangement, I'd dive into the lobster.

Of course, the fact that crab (tasty as it is) makes me vomit might have something to do with that...

Shrimp first (if it's peeled), crab second (if it's shelled), lobster distant third (and it better be out if the shell, for those prices I expect someone else to do the work). Bivalves not even a consideration. Crayfish disgusting.

But if you gave me the choice between a good tuna melt and whole Maine lobster, even money I'd take the tuna.

I so agree with you on the shelled part. When I sit down to a shrimp scampy or Alfreado at a resturaunt, and I have to stick my fingers in the sauce to pull the shells off of the tails, I expect a discount for doing some of the cook's work for them. I understand that the shell has some of the flavor, and keeps the meat moist, but one shouldn't have to stick their hands in sauce at a sit down dinner. It's just wrong. A lobster tail isn't part of the sauce and the shell is much more important to the flavor and texture, and very easy to get out if prepared properly, so that one's ok for me.

Oh, and where the lobster lives (including water temperature) and what it eats dictates the flavor. Which is why different verieties taste slightly different even though they are the same animal.

At the Knott's pre-scare dinner buffett they served finger shrimp with a cocktail dipping sauce. But they served the shrimp raw. I hate that.

As a kid, I was wild about lobster, including the liver and/or the ovaries or whatever the gross part is. In recent years, most of the lobsters I've encountered have been on the bland, rubbery side.

I'm good with pretty much all shellfish. A good oyster is a fine thing, and during college, a bag of mussels was a cheap dinner at home from which I only occasionally got food poisoning.

However, I would never eat American Kennel Club. In fact, Kevy, I think that's illegal.

I think it's important to remember that much of what we eat was once alive. Lobster is one of the few foods were the direct link to the living animal is still clearly visible. When's the last time you were served a hamburger with the eyes still attached?

So because of that and the fact it's so darn tasty I'll go with lobster, as long as it's broiled and not steamed. Steamed lobster is like eating wet rubber bands.

Well, I was raised on Nova Scotia lobster which is better than anything from Maine because the water is colder which makes them sweeter and more tender.

But I won't cook them (Erica and I tried that once, was that an adventure!) and I've started getting skeeved out by the whole ones. I don't mind the work, I'm just not fond of my meal looking at me.

Interesting fact: lobsters don't "scream" when you cook them. The noise is the air leaving their bodies. Which is pretty fvcking cruel and the reason if you do boil them you are supposed to put them in the boiling water, head first. Kills them instantly.

I was watching some show on Food Network and they were pulling tails off and opening them up while they were still alive. That was horrid to watch.

Only if you get caught.

I doubt there is a human alive who can differentiated a freshly caught Maine lobster from a freshly caught Nova Scotia lobster (they are often caught in the same water and it is only an arbitrary fictional line that differentiates Nova Scotia from Maine, and the lobster are free to cross at their whim without even Lou Dobbs getting upset). Lobster have been caught more than 100 miles from where they were tagged.

Though regardless of where you live a lobster that was in the ocean a few hours earlier will always be better than a lobster that has spent several days (or, several months) living in a tank either without being fed or fed "farm food." So I think it is correct to say "lobster from X is better than any other lobster you might eat when in X."

I suppose you are right (as usual). Any time I have had Nova Scotia lobster it has been fresh off the boat and any time I have had Maine lobster it's been in a tank for who knows how long.

Crab Sandwich.

Alex: gotta disagree with you on crawfish.

But I can understand how easy it would be to develop a dislike of them, as most places can't do it right. In fact, the BEST crawfish I've ever had was on my brother's back patio. Don't know why there isn't a restaurant out there that can beat my brother's basic crawfish boil, but I have yet to find one. So, short of being treated to a backyard crawfish boil using fresh crawfish just flown in live from Louisiana (he travels for work... sometimes to Louisiana), and all you've been exposed to is a couple scant bits of crawfish tossed into some overspiced dish, then I could see how you'd place it on your dislike list.

The freshness of the crawfish is extremely important, and thus can easily lead to a bad experience of them when not done right. I have only tried them once and it was pretty bad. I'd try some good ones if given the chance, though.

Oh, and I have jury duty today. I'm not a happy camper.

Oh, I've had what everybody agrees are very good crayfish. They're simply not good (to me, obviously a lot of people disagree).

I'm reminded of one of those Strange Foods shows on Food Network or TLC or something. The host was in one of the Scandinavian countries and went to a crayfish farm where the owners put on a boil for him. But none of them ever ate crayfish, weren't sure they'd like crayfish and so while they boiled them for him they had made other dishes for themselves.

Part of it could be psychological connections as a popular past times (for kids, adults had no use for them) was crawdad (as we called them in the Pacific Northwest) fishing in local streams. Essentially we'd just tie some kind of bait to a string and then try to slowly pull them up once they pinched into the bait. We'd then throw them back as eating such things never occurred to anybody.

The contest was generally to see who could use the most disgusting bait.

They only time I eat crawfish is when I eat étouffée. I liked it ok, never tried it just by itself, tho.

Going to see Paul Simon in concert tonight. Should be a buncha fun. :D

Fun! :snap:

Cool! I'm sure you're in for a good show.

Those poor animals in OH. :(

It appears the owner of the preserve set them all free and then killed himself. WTF is wrong with people. Did he think they were just going to find their way back to the wild?

When you reach the point of no hope, you aren't thinking rationally

I'm a juror in a drug trafficing case. Lovely.....

I'm so jealous! I never get called for jury duty. :(

It's weird how it works. I've been called about 8 times, only one other time in the jury box selection but cut loose, and this time I was the last one picked and 20 or so other people were excused after me. Had they picked just one more number I would have not served.

And I've been called once a year for 2 or 3 years in a row, then nothing for 5 years.

It's an interesting process, and I've always wanted to actually get on the jury, but now is such a bad time for me. Had it been this time last year or 6 months ago I would have been fine with it.

My factory is in the monumental process of moving. My wife is having pretty bad health issues, and my brother is having surgery this morning. It's never very convenient to take time to serve, but I can't remember a time when I have had so many things going on at once. If I would have tried to postpone, they would have given me the Christmas break, and I don't want that even more than doing it now.

At least for now I'm only an alternate. If no one else drops out I may only need to sit in the trial today, and I won't need to deliberate. Unfortunately, listening to the whole trial and not being able to deliberate is the worst! Endure the pain, and not get the fun!

I know. Just. Still. Those poor animals. And the stoopid news for showing them just dead. That's not a lion watching over a sleeping zebra. That's a beautiful lion, and tiger, and bear (oh my) not sleeping :(

I know that they were trying to tranquilize as many as they could and shooting to kill was the most humane option they had for most. It just upsets me so much that this happened to begin with.

I hope that this spawns a crack down on exotic animals as pets and questionable animal "preserves".

Weird. I just dug a few hanging file folders out of the supplies room. I grabbed ones that already had labels on them, since I couldn't find any labels. Whoever used these folders before has handwriting that looks a LOT like my own. I've never used hanging files here and the labels have technical terms on them that I know I've never written before, so I know it wasn't me. And after examining them closer I started spotting little things that do not match my writing. But it was an odd feeling to turn those folders over and see "my" handwriting where it had no reason to be.

I don't think I write enough any more to recognize my own handwriting.

That's like the starting of things to come. Like in Wall-E we will all be pudgy creatures unable to walk....

Well, I don't recognize myself in photographs either. So it may just be a flaw on my part.

I STILL think about Andris when crawfish is discussed.

I thought you didn't show up in photographs?

No, I'm there. It is my sense of humor that doesn't photograph. That's why I can't recognize me.

Nope, nope... Too easy.

Come on....wow me.

Wow

Nah... I don't want to risk underwhelming you and then having to wade through the resulting six paragraph disertation on the subject at hand.

Trust me, the dissertation isn't for you. It's for me and my adoring audience. Which consists of me. Would you really deprive me of that joy?

Yes. (I'm evil like that.)

Actually, you're not evil. You just think you are during those quiet moments of self doubt and missed meals.

These moments creep up on you and may be hard to identify but trust me, if you pause for some self examination you'll find that inner core that still likes yourself.

Take that core and stroke it. It'll grow and grow until it explodes all over you in a sheen of self respect and acceptance. Wear that with pride and don't let anybody else, or even yourself, set your own perception at anything less than "awesome."

ETA: Hey everybody, JWBear isn't reading this so if you have anything you want to say without him knowing, quote this post and put it in the middle...back to the original post.

For it is only through moving forward entirely confident of one's own awesomeness that you find the courage to truly not give a damn and enjoy life. A life worth living and expounding on to an awkward extent with no other than to get to the sixth paragraph.

For in the sixth paragraph is where wisdom lies like a jewel covered in hog**** just waiting for a dung beetle to come and roll it up into a nice edible ball.

Yes, this is the one that contains the wisdom. Admire it.

Since I now know you write these things as a form of intellectual self-pleasuring, I didn't read it.

You're welcome.

Oh well. At least I got something useful out of it.

But at the risk of correcting you again, it is juvenile (slightly less creepy than infantile) self-pleasuring. Intellect is rarely needed.

I hope you washed your hands afterwards.

I'm going to wash my hands after reading it....

Why is it that most people fighting is annoying to read, but you two are endlessly entertaining?

Wait. We're arguing? ****, if I'd known that I'd used a different tone. And had a point.

Not to be pedantic or anything... But she said "fighting".

Get a room and get it over with.

A point? Interesting.....

Heads up Socal!

The Rosat satellite is going to make a pass overhead SHORTLY. You might get to see it burning up. It's 5:35 your time now, expect it in the next 20min or so moving from the north to south (more or less)

If the track is correct, it will be more or less directly over Las Vegas, so look in that direction.

Live Tracking map.

Apropos of nothing, but I was just thinking... Jon Hamm and John Cleese should form a comedy team and call themselves "Hamm & Cleese".



Ok... I'm going back to bed now.

So, my brother came over for dinner. Surprise!

I'm done with jury duty. He's guilty on all charges. Not an easy case because the police didn't do some of the things they should have to solidify the case. At least one drug dealer isn't getting off due to a technicality.

He killed Sebastian!

So Saturday is going to be rainy and cold. Ok. Got it. No biggie, it's that time of year. Oh and it's possible there could be a few flakes of snow mixed in. OK, again no biggie.

So do you really need THIS as your lead story? Hardly.

I hear ya! Here in the OC if there is a chance of drizzle, the weather report on the news is called "Storm Watch, 2011" (insert current year). The media will always "Puff up Fluff" to make a headline.....

Snowmageddon!!!!

Heh. You westies slay me.

We always say that if it snowed in LA, they'd all run outside with thier straws to snort it up!

That, and we don't trust air that we can't see. We like ours chunky style....

I have "Battle Hymn of the Republic" going through my head... Madeline Kahn's Young Frankenstein version.

So I added two new long-lost relatives this week.

I'd been doing genealogy research for months on the specific issue of my dad's half-brother and sister. (Been doing the genealogy thing in general for a couple years, but the major project was trying to find his siblings, if still alive, because they're 20 years older than him and therefore time would be of the essence, if not too late already). Well, a few months ago I found out that his half-sister passed away a few decades ago. His brother was much harder to find, because the info I could find turned up a rather strange name, that matched their mom's surname, so I wasn't sure it was correct.
Turns out it was. But I was still having trouble finding info on the guy beyond a 1930 census result.

Something came up this week, when a random stranger responded to a post I'd placed on a genealogy forum, with some extremely helpful information, including the brother changing his name, the fact that he was alive in 2009, and where he was living (Hana, Maui, of all places!)

Tonight, my dad called information, got the number and spoke for an hour to the brother he'd been searching for for DECADES. Still alive, though 90 years old. And the crazy thing is, we've BEEN to Hana... hard to believe we could have walked right past him and never known! (Apparently he hangs out at the Hasegawa Gen. Store, so it's entirely possible we would have!)

In other news, my oldest brother finally got in touch with his 25 year old daughter. Long story, but basically she reached out to him like 10 years ago, but to our knowledge, he hadn't responded. And suddenly this week of all weeks, he reached back.

So... I have a new uncle and niece! How 'bout that?

That's pretty awesome!

I need to pick up where my dad left off. A cousin did some in-depth [for the time] research years ago. Most of our records were destroyed during WWII but this cousin worked for the government and had friends in very, very high places in both domestic and foreign governments and was able to find some more stuff and it's all compiled into a family tree printed out on a dot-matrix printer.

Problem is, my dad doesn't seem to think that we'll ever find more than what the cousin discovered in the late 80s-early 90s because of this government connection turning up all he could. Um, that's where networking and technology will come in to play. You never know who has what information from their parents, grand parents, great-great grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc...and how it will all fit together. Our "very small" family could be much larger.

Cindy, what forums do you use? I am inherently against Ancestry because of their LDS connection but it seems that most people use it and it may be the path of least resistance to finding more information. I don't really care if they baptize posthumously. It's ceremony I don't believe will change anything over a name on a piece of paper. I just don't want to give money to them if I can avoid it.

My son was on the 11:00 news on channel 4 last night. He witnessed HB police shoot and kill two people in Westminster right in front of his house. So they interviewed him. What is with kids these days? "I seen..." was in a few interviews last night....

BTD: I did a lot of research on a site called familysearch.org. You can access images of a lot of records there. Sometimes you can't get to the images because it's something available through one of the paid sites, BUT it lists some of the info off them at least. I haven't paid for a membership either, but I did a lot of stuff on that site because it's free. It's very effective.

But what also helped was posting on a surname forum at http://genforum.genealogy.com/ - just type the surname into the forum finder and it'll pull up any forums relating to the name. I had originally found that when searching my grandfather's name, because my uncle had posted something there years and years ago, searching for my dad's siblings, that gave me a lead to go off of. I found a few things, and recently posted a thread of my own looking specifically for his brother (the sister passed away a long time ago), and some random person provided me with info including an article written in some prep school alumni magazine that led us to the man himself, still alive at 90!

Oooh! Now I know what to get Matt for Christmas!

This!

Surprisingly that link is SFW and even SFBTD.

Speaking of shopping....

Isn't their a website out there that let's you setup your own group purchase?

Woot and Groupon off good deals on stuff, but I'm looking for a site where I can post "I want to buy 'X'" and get people to go in on a large group purchase for it. I'm sure I've seen such a beast but I can't remember the name.

We went to Blackpool today. Neener Neener. Oh, KAOS is the BEST Gay Bar in Blackpool. Totally. LOVED it, and they use a Spotify playlist for the music, and ALL the songs were ones that Stoat & I loved.

Cool! It'll match his jacket! Now, if they only garden glove to match!

Ask, and ye shall receive!

I swear, sometimes it feels like the less sleep I get, the more productive I am.

Maybe it's knowing that if I stop actively working, I'll fall asleep.

Or perhaps the sleep deprivation leads to better free-associative thought that helps me get things done.

Or maybesesaaeszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

My parents use to belong to a co-op where everyone put in there order for food items, then one person would place a large order and pick it up. Then the group would go pick their items up from this person's house. This was back in the early 1970's, before computers and online buying. But it seems that the word you are looking for is some sort of online co-op (short for co-operative buying). But it could go by some other, more interesting name.

Which reminds me, on my way home from work, I spotted a green "+" sign on Brookhurst near Chapman. Looks like a new Medical Marajuana Co-Op shop has opened near my house.

Happy Clock Changing Day!

I just watched the last episode of Season 2 of Downton Abbey.

...Season 2 hasn't even started in Australia yet. :evil:

Where is everyone? No post since 9:00 last night!

I rode my bike to work today. I feel great.

Now you can have that big piece of chocolate cake! ;)

I like how surgery has become just another day in my life. It's very odd.

I don't like it. So stop it, will you? Please?

Sending {{{{hugs}}}} and :D your way!

*whew*

I think I got the last of the clocks reset today.

I got a speeding ticket on the way to work today. 50 in a 45. Unsafe driving on Brookhurst. Because the drivers in the area prefer to drive 30 in the 45. Are you kidding me?? :mad:

When did Lisa get a maroon car?

Can't be Lisa's car: not enough cats

Ohh oh. Now BTD can never go to Hungary.

They have power towers in the shape of a word that starts with 'C'.

Darn. Not the c word I was hoping for.

Rode my bike to and from work today.

I don't have 15 cats.

YetThat Chris knows about

Yeah, couldn't be more than 14, Kevy. Don't exaggerate you silly man.

Dooooood.

That's not bad. That looks more like a jack in the box than an evil C. Maybe in person they are terrifying because they are the size of power towers. I bet they come to life at night too. Aww man! Now I can never go to Hungary. Because that was on my list of places to go. :p

I don't think I actually understand the "why" behind those power towers...

To keep me and other clownphobic people out of Hungary. Duh. :p

Did you know that there is a term for that: Coulrophobia (or in this case "...coulrophobic people...")

Yes, but she also has a fear of being corrected....

:p

I wasn't correcting: I was educating

Now I have a fear of being corrected. :p


...but there's more than a few things you could educate me in, big boy.... :evil:

Modern Family had a great episode this week where Cam experiences "Sleep Clowning" after taking taking Ambien.

Is there a crack in the universe? NA has referenced a TV comedy episode the actual week it was originally aired.

And we don't even have cable any more

There's a crack in my brain.

No !! I can't be THAT rude....

OK - but it's REALLY Rude....

NSFW !! Lock up your kiddies....

This is my brain on crack......

:evil:

Wow, I just got an out of the blue apology from someone for being a bitch to me 7 years ago. It was the one dark spot in my time with the band, so that really meant a lot to have her come back all this time later and recognize it. :)

This has a lot more power than it first appears. This is what you call "wisdom".

That's fvcking awesome.

It's a nice thing but it is setting off about 80% of my BS detectors.

I agree - it seems like the kind of thing that's forwarded by people who forward "Maxine" cartoons.

...I get a lot of this stuff sent through.

Wow, that was really enjoyable

A week ago I had a couple of hours to kill in between work and dancing so I ended up at a Starbucks on Harbor Blvd in Costa Mesa. It was a location I hadn't been to before but it had more inside tables than the Starbucks closer to work. Since I had so much time I sat there with my laptop hitting all my social networking sites including LoT. When I finally shut down my laptop to leave this guy who had been sitting behind me came over and said he noticed I had been on LoT and that he used to use it himself. He asked if I knew Lisa and Chris. We chatted for a bit and he said his name was Matthew. He didn't tell me his screen name and I didn't think to ask until later.

But what are the odds? I was in a Starbucks I'd never been in before, reading a website I don't look at very regularly, and someone who's familiar with LoT is sitting right behind me?

I just scanned the member list (that was a walk down memory lane) and my guess is I was talking to TheatreTech.

Tall, thin Goth?

Oh hey, is Theater Tech back in town?

Yes, he works on and off at that Starbucks. I think I spooked him the first time I showed up.

Love him... where's he been lately?

At Starbucks, apparently

Well, now you know who to forward those "Maxine" cartoons to...

Yes, he said he worked there sometimes. No goth though which threw me off a bit.

Overheard at Togo's at lunch today:

Her: You shouldn't eat so much.

Him: I'm a growing boy!

Her: Not where it counts, babe.

Well, why didn't you come over to say hi to us?

Sounds like MattMatt/TallMatt/TheaterTech to me.

ABG: Viva !!!

I am posting from my new Acer tablet, I finally have a computer again! I have figured out LoT, email, a few crossword games and the school website (to check up on the teen), what more could I want!

This is my first experience typing on it and so far it is pretty cool stuff! I have a lot to figure out but I am one happy Mommy. The guys are jealous too, which makes it hilarious for me.

Just saw a 20K light explode - scary, expensive mess downstairs.

Alas, today is still NOT the day.

Curry.

Hope you haven't finalized your Chirstmas wish list.

There are always stocking stuffers.

A friend turned us on this book; it is a must read for anyone with children (and even those without):

Go the F**k to Sleep

Sounds about right. When my kids were screaming babies, I would soothe them with a lullaby I made up called "No One's Thrown The Baby in the Dumpster."

So, where's the pictures?

:D ;)

Have you heard the Samuel L. Jackson audio book version?

What happens between you and your nook is none of our business.

Be carefull not to get arrested doing that in public!! ;)

Soooooo...... Exactly how much can you fit in your Nook? :evil:

Whore

I do deserve to be sick, but it's not terribly fun to get what you deserve.

Unless it's pie!

I beg to differ. You're too nice to deserve to be sick!

No new updates to the Soooooo.... thread? Did you all ditch me, again?

;)

They're all on facebook. With my mother.

Quite often when I post in a thread, it dies. Not sure why that is.....

I'll save you RStar! I'll post and break the spell! :D

So - got the oil changed this morning. The car thanked me. Went to the grocery and got some stuff for dinner. And now - here I am. Oh and I got the kitties some new mouse toys. Butters stole Oliver's though and now has them both stashed.

No Slimmons today, I'm (wait for it) going to Disneyland!

Got one of those cat laser robots with my thinkgeek points. The cats are mesmerized.

I'm putting lights up like mad. Patio, office, tree, living room, Maddie's room, dining room. I think I've finally run out of lights.

Sounds like you need to go get more lights.

So, your last name is Griswold?

I seem to be leaning that way. It's uh - very festive in here.

I've been called Sparky, I light up the whole neighborhood with my lights! :cool:

You posted in the wrong thread. ;)

Thanks Betty, your a sweetheart! :D

I got our outside decorations done today-

Our House by CoasterMatt, on Flickr

So we got our tree. We had it delivered after the car we were using to transport it got totaled in the intersection outside the lot. The tree actually stayed securely on the roof - which is more than I can say for my glasses, which caused undo panic when my first post-accident words were, "I can't see."

Fortunately, the other car just clipped the front drivers side of the car. I say fortunately because if the timing were off a bit more they would have T-boned the passenger side of my car where Lisa and my 5-month pregnant niece were. My knee's a bit banged up from hitting the dashboard, but things could have been a whole lot worse, so for that I am grateful. The folks at Todd's Tree's were awesome and got us all safely out of our car before the police, fire, and paramedics arrived on the scene.

This wasn't really how I planned to spend the day, but I sure have a lot of gratitude for the people I love and the strangers who stepped in to help out.

OMG! Chris, I'm glad you're all ok!

As much as I love the holidays, it makes bad things that happen everyday even more of a shock to me. It's like when someone gets hurt at Disneyland.

Nothing bad should happen at Disneyland or durring the holidays!

Wow, glad to hear you're all okay.

You need to go get a Hot Wheels car, stomp on it a few times and hang it from the tree that tree as an ornament.

Glad to hear that you all came through relatively unscathed (well, except for the car). The photo is pretty amazing.

Kudos to Todd's Trees and strangers for helping you all out.

Now, the burning question is, what will the new car be?

Love Moonie's idea for a new ornament to commemorate the tree (and car). :D

Another Christmas-related tragedy thankfully averted. And good news about the impending relative.

Wow! Glad you guys are okay!

(That's why I'm not getting a Christmas tree)

After swinging from the rafters all day I lost my grip and realized, well, I totally overdid it with the caffeine today.

Wheeee!CRASH!

I'm having post-adrenaline rush depression. I'm really very good at triage. I'm really NOT very good at accepting the reality of the situation. Almost getting hit in the Volvo today didn't help me any. (Nor did driving the Volvo as opposed to the Mini.)

What a whiner!!!

I'm just glad everyone was okay!

My sentiments exactly!

That's Mother of the Bride to you
 

And you know I'll enjoy the bleep out of the dress choosing and the party planning!

The wedding is for this summer on Mackinac Island. You know what that means: resort wear and nautical-themed bling.

AKA, bikini

Will no one think of the children?
 

The world is not ready.

This past week on Hawaii 5-0 there was a weding on the beach. Tuxidos with white shirts and no ties; white dresses and best of all, no shoes! Very classy!

My daughter is getting married in May. But I have to wear shoes, dagnabit!

Wow, wait, what? I realize time flies, but... wedding?! Huzzah!

And Mackinac Island is wonderful!!

Just want to pop in to make my traditional, but heart-felt, recommendation for a Reno wedding to which nobody but the participants is invited.

But if you're going to Mackinac anyway, while there could you get them to start pronouncing the name of the place correctly?

Nice!

http://venturebeat.com/2011/12/13/lo...-special-500k/

+1 for web distribution that worked.

This was my Dad's advice. I should have taken it.

Screw that noise, aboard a ship that can sink on command is where it's at...

This just in from a friend of mine who works at the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.

What do you call a crow standing by itself?

Somebody's been stealing their jokes from Reddit (or whichever of those sites sent this viral last year):

I'm being thick I suppose, but I don't get it.

Murder = collective noun for crows.

Strange, I thought it would be a flock. :D

Murder of crows
Crash of Rhios (my favorite)
Congregation of Aligators
Destruction of Cats

This is one of my favorite things in the English language. They are all different!

In other news, I'm car shopping. I'm actually pretty good at shopping in general, but I don't know much about cars. I wonder if NM is getting sick of my texts yet? The wide variety of cars on my list is quite disturbing.

Little know fact, collective noun for over priced super cars is a Douche of Ferraris

I just assume that crows look around in shocked indignation whenever they see a rook. "WTF," they say, "we're essentially identical birds and they're a parliament while we're a murder."

Another Mini? I love my 3 but if I were to buy another car now I'd buy the new Escape.

What's on your list?

CRV
Mini Clubman
Chevy HHR
GMC Terrain
Honda Fit

Somewhere in the midst of all of these is the perfect blend of decent city gas milage, fun to drive, room to carry shyt and includes (light colored)leather seats, bluetooth and seat warmers. (Oh, and somewhere in the general 20K range used.)

CRV is a pretty good vehicle

Pros and cons of my list:

CRV - retains value (as proven for want we're getting for the '99 with 180k on it), no mechanical issues, decent gas milage. Con, we just "got rid" of one, hard to find a top of the line used.
Mini Clubman - FUN, but small. Retains value. Good warranty program.
Chevy HHR - Roomy, CHEAP, can get it with leather and low miles (8K) but it is red with black leather.
GMC Terrain - Good reviews but looks like a conservative Mom car. Won't retain value.
Honda Fit - No niceties, not as fun to drive, great gas milage, retains value, small.

I'm actually looking at Enterprise Car Sales. They work with my CU, have cars with super low miles, have a set price below KBB, and will buy my Volvo for 1000 over KBB. However, they tend to buy more "off" models (although if I wanted a BMW 3 series, I'd have the pick of the litter.)

I love my escape. Enough room but not big. And decent mileage.

Enterprise does have lots of fully loaded Escapes. Maybe I should drive one tomorrow. We had a friend with an Escape that she got at the same time we got the CRV and it was BIG TROUBLE - transmission at at 70k, etc. Although, I think they have improved quite a bit. I'll bug NM some more about this. He knows Ford well.

Oh, and then there's that new Fiat Tiny......

Oh, and this would be just fine with me if it wasn't red and black. White and Tan - I'd do it in a heart beat, enjoy my $250 car payments, drive it to death in 5 years then move on to something else. But, really, I dislike the color and the black leather.

Well, there certainly a lot more Escape options than CRV options! Milage ranges from 12-27k and prices are 21-24K which is at the top end of the range, but doable.

Did I tell you I'm not having fun with this? It has become my nightly activity.

Destruction of Cats - that's appropriate.

Our favourite is a Bouquet of Pheasants

OH!!! And just for Lisa et. al.

A Gaze of Raccoons.

Get a Jeep! Nice 4x4 with 4 doors. :D Lot's of trails to explore.

Destruction of cats is appropriate. I like.

Chad has had 2 Escapes and those plus MickeyD's sold me on them. They ride like cars. I think renting for a day or three is a good idea.

Don't rental cars typically come fairly stripped/basic (as in, minimal accoutrements)?

Actually, it is just the opposite. I'm finding top of the line, luxury versions of cars that I didn't know had luxury versions! Most have low miles (like 8K!), are 2011 models, and the major depreciation has already happened. Now, it is just finding the car I want....in California.

I just saw my first tv ad for curbing legal immigration. Huh.

Because for many anti-immigration folks it has nothing to do with legal/illegal and everything to do with brown people.

Not that I think that immigration should be further limited (I'm a proponent for open borders) but a general argument would be that when we can't properly employ and take care of the people already here it doesn't necessarily make sense to keep letting more people in.

Why must teenage boys wear so much cologne or axe or whatever the hell it is? Ugh. I need to air out my car every time I take one of them anywhere.

Because it wastes less precious video game playing time to pour a bottle of it on than to take a shower.

My favourite tactic is to ask "What cologne is that.... and must you marinate?"

Uggh! I'm with you on that one. That stuff is nasty.

We went to see the Gay Mens Chorus of Los Angeles Christmas show last night. The guest performer was Melissa Manchester. The weird thing was that none of the numbers she performed were Christmas/holiday songs! She would come out on stage, sit down at the piano, and do one of her standard pieces without any interaction with the chorus (they just silently stood there on the risers until she was done) and then she would disappear until her next number.

One of the friends we went with commented that it was like they had a GMCLA show and a Melissa Manchester concert broke out. Bizarre...

The chorus did their usual spectacular job, though.

I'm editing photos this morning. I had a dream about this.

On the cologne topic, I particularly hate it when I'm eating in a cafe and a group of heavily-doused dudes takes a table near mine. The scent is so thick, I can actually taste it. Not an exaggeration. Even after I leave, I can taste that horrific stench on my tongue. (And, in my quaint Mayberry-esque town of Winter Garden, I sometimes have the same experience with sweet little old ladies who, I presume, have diminished olfactory senses, and douse themselves with nearly as much perfume in compensation.)

JWB - Did the crowd respond well to Melissa Manchester's parenthetical solos, or did they seem non-plussed? It does sound like a strange experience.

You just described my teenage son to a T. Maybe it will get better when he finds a girlfriend.

Have you ever read Catch-22?

What is it about long webinars that makes me either:

a.) get sleepy
b.) have the sudden urge to go use the restroom
c.) go to LoT
d.) all the above

You get sleepy while surfing LoT while in the loo?

In my old office we had someone who would sleep in the bathroom. I doubt he was surfing LoT, though.

Didn't GD have a colleague who slept in the bathroom until he was told to stop so started doing it in his car?

The guy at my old office wasn't doing on purpose (or so he claimed). He'd fall asleep while doing his business. People would walk in and hear him snoring away in one of the stalls. He's retired now.

Sounds like someone with untreated sleep apnea.

That was the case with our shipping clerk. He has a C-Pap now, so he's a lot better.

We had a guy who would find hidden spots to sleep for a few hours. Peaople would be looking for him for hours sometimes. I'm pretty sure he was up all night (or several days) due to drug use. He found employment elsewhere.

I probably have the only job where it is acceptable to sleep on the job - required in fact! (And, sometimes, I do take mid-days naps at clients' houses.)

Yep. Except on days when he didn't drive the carpool, then it was back to the bathroom. Not sure what he's up to these days as I no longer work near him.

His sleeping habits were most likely the result of whatever major anti-depressant medication routine he's on. He's also taken several extended medical leaves due to chronic depression.

According to the global hedonometer everyone is increasingly depressed.

Mostly I just wanted to post this so I could use the word "hedonometer" in a sentence.

Now try using

Superhedonisticalifragilisticexpialidocious

:D

Can someone please come and drill holes in my face to relieve the sinus pressure? I'll either be dead or feel much better. Either way, it would be preferable.

Have you tried a neti pot?

I've heard that they cause more problems than they cure.

Wussie!

I shipped the super nice lens back to the rental company today. My cheese is a lil sad.

BTW, the pics of the birds at Lake Balboa, none of them were taken with the rental lens- so I'm not REALLY sad. :)

IT just announced that we'll be moving to Exchange/Office 2010 early next year. Bracing myself for the, "But I like it the old waaaaaay" whinefest that is to follow.

Coming off of 2003 or 2007?

'07. So not a huge change on the Office side, but Outlook will be quite a bit different.

I guess I am mis-remembering: I thought Outlook was pretty similar too (between '07 and '10)

Yes, I don't recall a huge change in Outlook either (though I did have to go put everything back the way I want it).

Outlook is pretty much the same. The jump between 03 and 07 SUCKS ASS.

For the longest time we had a macro hack that enabled all the 03 features. It was such a PITA my boss finally told everyone to suck it up and figure out how to use 07. That was one of the best 'decisions' he's made.

Hmm, maybe we're on an older version of Outlook still? No ribbon on our version.

My ENT and surgeon both said that neti-pots are evil because they push fluid in to areas it shouldn't be. Sinuses are self cleaning. They did suggest you can flush out some crap with saline spray (don't 'inhale' it though).

Help > About

Don't put tap water up your nose or brain-eating amoebas will kill you.

(Although, I have done it more than once to relieve a sinus headache - and it works.) I will be using distilled water from now on.

Fine, he can go back to his original plan of using power tools.

Or just boil the water for 5-10 minutes (and then let it cool) before you do.

I think I would have a huge change in outlook if I could put everything the way I want it.

An exaltation of skylarks

I live on Blue Jay Lane, which is just off of Skylark Street. Which is much better than Murder Road, I suppose!

So um... yeah, we have a baby :) Come on by and visit this evening if you like.

Woot! For you! I'll be on the next flight.

Mazel Tov!

(That means "Good Mazel!")

Congratulations. Hope all are well.

Welcome to the spinning world, new baby!

Yer war story, Morrigoon. We want to hear it.

And your husband's.

Congratulations!

And I must ask - did you have the baby today? Cause it's my birthday too!

Yesterday. Per Facebook:

Before tonight I had puked, as an adult (I was more sickly as a kid), four times.

That number is now five. Since this pretty clearly is food poisoning (absolutely no other symptoms other than the nausea out of the blue and now feel completely fine, at least for now) I don't think I'll be going back to the new restaurant I had lunch at today. No idea if they deserve the blame, but they're getting it.

I do wish I had a weaker stomach so I could have just puked the first time the desire wave hit instead of having to suffer with the urge to puke for three hours.

Coincidentally, I can now report then I said this:

I pretty much nailed it.

Only Alex can make puking funny.

Well, not really: lot's of people have made it amusing. But I loved the post none-the-less

I have never really thought what I sound like when I puke (let along what I'm SUPPOSED to sound like). Now, cat barf - I'm much more experienced.

Congratulations Cindy! I saw the pic with Josaphine and she is adorable!

Think about that request VERY CAREFULLY before reiterating it. Unless you have a teenager you want to scare.:cakes:

(and because my reputation is not one of sparing details...)

Yay!:snap:

Yes - I want to hear all about it. 36 hours! Wow! My goodness. Did it hurt? lol. :p :rolleyes: ;)

You know what you sound like when you barf like a cat?

The cat version is a trick question. A cat puking is silent. A cat getting ready to puke is what makes noise.

Congratulations on the new bundle of joy!


Sorry about the puking Alex but Kevy is right your analysis is always entertaining.

Do it do it do it do it
 

Let's take it down below with spoiler tags, then.

Also, Morrigoon, photo or it didn't happen or however people say that.

Note: That is a reference to the cute little baby and not that other stuff being talked about.

I hope.

No. There's a definite Spit Splat sound.

I am so fvcking bored! There are 10 people in the building and I am stuck here until 5.

Alex: Food poisoning takes about 24 hours, doesn't it ?

Yay! Welcome Miss Amelia Elizabeth Morrigoon! :D

Amelia! I really like that.

Man teenagers are loud - and we're still missing 3. At least they're entertaining. One thinks Suzanna Hoff's is hot, especially for 50. I'm hiding out in the office, hopefully no one finds me.

Thank you!


*Though I had nothing to do with the name*

Adorable photo spoilered for size (pardon the blur on her foreground hand, she was moving it... )

Yes, hello to you, too.

:D

Oh, how I envy your next 18 years with this angel. Girls rule.

Cindy: She has your eyes

Take those out of her mouth.

Gomez, is that you?

Look at her cute little punk rock doo! She's adorable!

What a gorgeous new year baby!

Amelia is a gorgeous name for a simply stunning little baby. Congrats to you and Alex. She looks adorable and I'm with NA about her punk doo.:D

Can't wait till I can bring her out & about to share her w/everyone. :)

And I haven't had the heart to brush that hair YET. :cool:

Soooooo.....

I'm doing my annual Email clean out before archiving 2011's emails. Turns out I have 13,312 email notifications from LoT. I guess I better add checking my autoarchive/autodelete settings to my ToDo list.

Wow. 1904 new pets since my last visit. Have I missed anything? ;)

Or turn off notifications as the default

User CP > Edit Options > Under "Messaging & Notification" "Default Thread Subscription Mode", select "Do Not Subscribe"

Wow, D-phile, you really need to stop adopting animals ;)

She's trying to catch up to Lisa, apparently.

OMG. Best typo ever. LOL!!

<taking deep breaths>
got a voice mail from the doctor to call them... just had blood work done and a mammogram. calling them sounds like bad news.

Husband called and forgot to take his medicine - very important for his mental health particularly at work. Pharmacy not open yet... having to wait and worry about him until it does and he goes and picks up a new prescription.

My daughter's going for her driving test today.

My son's new braces are having issues with a wire poking out - first day back to school after xmas break.

/Calgon, calgon, take me away.

SNOW!

The pretty kind that just blows past my window and does cause traffic issue or need shoveling.

I'm in shorts at work, and it's about 82 degrees out. I love January.

daughter passed the test.

husband got his medicine.

I did not get the results of my testing. Doctor not in today and she wants to talk to me personally. sigh. that sounds bad.

I've had a couple of those, and they ended up fine on re-testing. Don't panic yet.

Me too. There's something about no test results can be delivered over the phone regardless of good or bad.

Day 3 of inadequate heating! It's supposed to get down to *17* tonight. I am not amused.

Do you need a ladder?

Hmmmm...we could use the ladder to coax the insurance dweeb up to the roof, then snatch it away and refuse to let them down until they sign off on getting us heat, pronto!

I realize that we're holding steady (so far) at 60, so it's not like it's actually freezing inside. And with two space heaters we'll be able to keep the bedroom warm. But I'm still not particularly pleased.

Just build a fire - start with any loose siding and go from there

Successfully registered for classes and ordered books for next semester, which starts in < 2 weeks. Hooray?

Does this mean that for the next couple of weeks, you have no class?

We get heat tomorrow!

So. It is 5:20am and I've already been up for 2+ hours. Weather is about as good for race start as could be hoped though.

Ooh - then what happened?

Then things took more time than I'd hoped.

But you finished right?

That's what she said.


*I've been hanging around with teenagers too much*

My mom turns 88 today.

Happy Birthday Mom! :)

You should buy her a piano

And make her move it in the house by herself? :eek:

Interesting article 10 100 year predictions that came true.

For reasons I don't know or remember, we have caller ID blocking on our in-house phone line, but I don't have it on my garage office line. I had considered doing something about that every time I had someone tell me they didn't answer my call because my caller ID didn't show up, which, frankly, I think is kind of silly behavior.

This morning I learned that, at least in my town, you can't get through to 911 with caller ID blocked. That strikes me as unsound as well, but it has prompted me to call the phone company.

My Mom had her ID blocked. My sister does as well. They somehow think blocking it blocks getting unwanted calls.

I asked my Mom why she didn't take it off and she couldn't really say. Unless you want to crank call someone in the middle of the night why do you need it on there?

And to make it even better Mom's ID is blocked and my Aunt had her phone set not to accept blocked calls. So every call between them turned into a whole thing. Sigh.

My mom was at least clever enough to program her auto dial to dial the code to temporarily disable the ID blocking so she could call my sister (who blocks unknown callers).

I think my mom's "logic" for blocking he ID was that she didn't want companies she called to be given her name and number. *shrug* She actually unblocked it about a year ago, which shocked the hell out of me. Never got around to asking if she actively chose to unblock it, or if they just changed providers or something and didn't bother blocking it.

What comes is long and boring but it interested me to look stuff up so I'll overshare.

Ugh. This is how psychics get taken seriously. Some good predictions but the amazement generally seems overstated to me and the misses are almost completely ignored (or massaged into "near hits").

The prediction:

The BBC article merits the population figure a near miss but getting bonus points for predicting a slowing of growth. They could have reported it a hit since the 2000 population of the mentioned countries plus possessions in 1900 (Cuba and the Philippines being the mathematically relevant ones) was 433 million. Add in the unspecified South American countries and the number was probably too low, not a bit too high.

So the predictions included there:
1) The U.S. maintaining its "possessions." - WRONG
2) Nicaragua becoming a state. - WRONG
3) Mexico becoming a state. - WRONG
4) Europe making serious colonial plays in South America. - WRONG
5) The siting of the Panama Canal in Nicaragua (which was a decision only 3 years in the future). - WRONG
6) A population of 350-500 million in the territory he is talking about - RIGHT

1 for 6.

The Prediction

BBC only mentions the height increase and says it is spot on.

1) Americans will be taller by 1-2 inches. RIGHT
2) This will be because of improved medicine. RIGHT
3) This will be because of improved sanitation. RIGHT
4) This will be because of improved food. RIGHT and WRONG (food sanitation yes, what we eat not so much)
5) This will be because of improved athletics. WRONG (don't think improved physical activity has played a role)
6) Average at-birth lifespan will be 50. WRONG (78 is the correct answer)
7) Average American will live in the suburbs. RIGHT (it's around 50%, will give it to him)
8) City housing will disappear. WRONG
9) Building in blocks will be illegal. WRONG
10) Average suburb to office commute will be minutes. WRONG
11) Commuting will only cost a penny. WRONG

4.5 out of 11.

The Prediction:
Absolutely everything is wrong in this one. English is the second most spoken language (including as secondary language behind Chinese). With Russian fourth. Considering native speakers only English is third (now behind Spanish as well) and Russian is 8th.

0 out of 5.

The Prediction
He did better on this one. Though wrong about centrally provided hot and cold air (centrally generated steam for heating does exist but it existed then too) he was right about us abandoning fire as the heating method of choice and is ornamental in most instances.

2 of 4.

The Prediction
In the right direction (and by historic standards you could argue that all but roaches have been "practically eliminated") but none of these have been eliminated and fortunately he was wrong that all swampland and still water would be eliminated.

The Prediction
This one is interesting as it is a pretty good description of industrial food processing. Oddly the BBC article focuses on the take-out aspect of it and mentions the miss on returning dishes but doesn't mention the pneumatic tubes or the abandonment of individual food shopping. He's right that having your own cook is an extravagance, but honestly, it was an extravagance in 1900 too.

And now I've bored myself.

When I first read things like 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 as a teenager, I thought they were clever but a little farfetched in their assumptions about the future. I recently reread Fahrenheit 451, and it turns out I just had to wait a couple of decades for him to be pretty spot on.

And I'm always interested in what is missed. He projects massive improvements in transportation (many of which are essentially correct), but essentially misses air travel which would have actually been predicting something newish instead of just a steady improvement of current technology.

You can block your ID at any time by punching in a code before you dial.

I had a phone stalker once on my work cell phone. A lady texted me to stop effing her husband and it escalated to harassing voice mails. No amount of me telling her I was happily married and had no idea who or what she was talking about made a difference. Finally had to change phone numbers.

While I probably wouldn't do this in reality, my first thought was to respond "but no one (insert nasty here) like he does".

Now i feel sad. I've never had a stalker. Unless you count Kevy of course.

I can stalk you for a bit, if you want. I've got some time available today. What's your number?

I'm more of a stocker

Coffee stirrers make terrible chopsticks. Especially when the object being chopstuck is a wet bit of sugar packet floating/sinking in a cup of coffee.

Hmm, I assume your stats are based on how many people speak each language. His wording was "will be more extensively spoken than any other", which to my mind means spoken in more places around the world. Isn't English still the closest the world has to an international language?

If that is the meaning he meant, it was true in 1900 sine the British empire was near it's peak so isn't much of a prediction.

Buy if you want I'll give him half a point in an otherwise ridiculously wrong prediction on what would happen to the language in a hundred years.

English is a stupid language. Too many exceptions to the rules. I think we should all speak Serbian instead. It's based on phonomic principals, and is so simple to spell that spelling isn't even taught in school!

If that's your criteria you should lean lobjan.

If one "leans" that way perhaps.

I went to school to lean

My apologies but your posts meaning is ambiguous and so it shall be ignored.

Could your please re-post it in either Serbian or Lobjan?

I don't know about those languages, but I can post it in Welsh:

Os bydd un "gwyro" y ffordd honno o bosibl.

Fe es i'r ysgol i bwyso.

(Don't complain about English untill you've taken a stab at learning a Celtic language!)

The things you learn. Just read a local article that made reference to "Navy Seabees".

My first though was that it was some weird auto-correct snafu and it meant Navy Seals. I googled it anyway, turns out the Navy Seabees are the construction arm of the Navy (I presume analogous to the Army Corps of Engineers), and it gets the name from the initials for "Construction Brigade".

I can't wait until that knowledge becomes useful, most likely to make me feel all knowledgeable and superior while watching Jeopardy or playing Trivial Pursuit.

My grandfather was a SeaBee.

Or Latin:

Ifway oneway "eanslay" atthay ayway erhapspay.

Iway entway otay oolschay otay eanlay

How did you not know that?