Happy Birthday today to Theodor Geisel, one of the original “cat people.”
Category Archives: Assorted Ramblings
Thundersnow
I just read on John’s blog about the Album Cover Meme where you create an album cover for an imaginary band (after seeing that Flickr is down, I concluded that my band’s album would be available for download only). My next stop was the Washington Post’s site where I learned that last night’s half inch of snow was just a prelude.
The forecast is for 4-8 inches of snow, and a “strong possibility” of 6-10 (or more!) inches. This will make getting to work tomorrow interesting. Plus, although it’s a DC stereotype, I really am out of bread and milk.
The exciting part of the forecast though is the possibility of isolated cases of Thundersnow. I skipped the part of the album cover meme where you choose a random Wikipedia title as the name of your band, but that’s OK.
I think we can all agree that Thundersnow would be an awesome name for a band.
Inspiration
Sometimes I’ll see something others have written and wonder where the inspiration comes from and how I could be so inspired.
Other times, it’s a bit more obvious where the inspiration came from.
I don’t want to be inspired like that again.
Exclusive Coverage: Obama Eats Lunch!!!
OK, I haven’t seen that headline yet, but when I was taking a break on Monday afternoon, I did see this one:
President Obama bumps his head
It seems that as the president was boarding Marine One, he paused to wave to people on the ground and didn’t duck low enough to clear the helicopter’s doorway. And with everything else that’s going on the world right now, CNN decided to put that story on their home page. (They also hastened to assure us that Mister Obama wasn’t harmed in the incident.)
Y’know, there’s a fine line between enthusiastic media coverage and stalking. CNN didn’t step over that line so much as they pole-vaulted.
Fiscal Policy
I lived off-campus during my senior year of college. I don’t recall whether it was me, or a friend who lived across the hall, but one of us glued a nickel to the floor in the hallway. For the next six months, every Friday and Saturday night you could hear drunks tripping as they tried to pick it up.
This random memory brought to you by Elmer’s, manufacturer of Crazy Glue and many other high quality adhesives.
What are the overdraft fees are for a bounced reality check?
Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.
- According to a statistic I heard on the radio during my drive home this evening, approximately 9,000 people per day are losing their jobs.
- Also according to various news sources, the median pay for members of Congress is approximately $200,000 per year.
- A couple months ago, members of Congress received a pay increase. (This was an automatic raise, not one they had to vote for.)
- The Senate has 100 members, the House of Representatives has 435.
- Hey! I just came up with a way to trim the Federal budget by $110,600,000!!!
Pot, Kettle, Black
With all the talk over the past few weeks about Peanut Corporation of America’s big salmonella-flavored peanut recall, I was mildly amused by today’s User Friendly strip about the recall. True, it’s not uproariously funny, but I found it amusing and passed it on to a few people.
Dad wrote back: “you have too much free time”
That verdict might have carried a bit more sting if it hadn’t come from the same guy who had just moments earlier sent me detailed instructions on how to “test” a motion-activated sprinkler:
To test the sprinkler –
Insert battery(ies) as required,
Stick sprinkler in ground,
Connect hose to sprinkler and hose bib,
Turn on water,
Walk past sprinkler.
Important Tip
Never rub your eyes with a hand which has peppermint oil on it. “Icy fresh” is a really weird sensation to have on your eyeball.
I’m just saying is all.
Uh oh.
I may have jinxed myself.
Things Are Looking Up!
As noted previously, my year got off to a rough start, but it’s my belief that this just means I’m getting all the crap out of the way up front and the rest of the year will be significantly better.
The good part of the year is starting to kick in. On Thursday, I went to an MVA Express office to renew my driver’s license. The last time I went to an MVA Express office, I was there for more than an hour. This time I was in and back out in just 10 minutes. The photo even looks like me!
The rest of my year is gonna rock!
Lessons Learned
The problem with suggesting things is that sometimes you get asked to implement them.