Small town life . . . enough to make a shy, bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder
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Ask Questions for God
at the Blue Pyramid.
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Annoying customer of the day
Now that things are getting so busy because we're making tons of candy, the annoying coffee customers are getting really annoying. We have a new customer who orders a tall with hazelnut and skim and whipped cream. This sounds like a latte, but after a couple of failed attempts to make what she wanted, we realized that she wants a drip coffee with a shot of hazelnut, a bunch of skim milk, a sweet and low, and a lot of whipped cream. She told me that the people at Starbucks are so sick of trying to figure out what she wants that they give her a piece of paper and make her write out her order.
Plus today she tells me that she waited to drink her coffee last time and it wasn't very hot. Oh my.
And for us infidels
There is the Agnostic Grilled Cheese Sandwich. 100% dogma free.
Cream of tomato soup
(aka cream of holy blood soup) is all the Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich needs to go with it. But it's unlikely it will get the divine blessing of the Catholic Church.
But some theologians see hucksterism in the grilled-cheese sandwich, being carried by Miami Herald columnist Jim DeFede on a cross-country trip from Florida to its new home in Las Vegas.
``This kind of stuff is just crazy,'' said Ole Anthony, president of the Trinity Foundation, a Christian non-profit that investigates religious fraud and publishes the Door magazine. ``How can you know it's Mary?'' reasoned Anthony, who has seen photos of the sandwich. ``Nobody has ever seen her.''
via Bad Thinking.
Follow the Cheese here.
I hate Christmas
Today was the fourth day in a row I've worked. I'll be working every day until Christmas (29 days).
Are you as smart as an 11-year-old?
In 1898. I'm not.
Lost opportunities
I didn't buy Bridgeville, which is actually close by, when it was for sale (twice). Now I missed buying Exeter University.
There will be a
quiz next week. Or you could find a name for your next boy child. Or maybe the idea for "Conan" came from this (okay, not really). Or maybe you could do some Christmas shopping. Although the "Lay it down in the manger advent wreath" sounds just, well, wrong.
So
you're a news junkie? Via 100proof.
Leftover syllogism
A turkey sandwich is better than nothing.
Nothing is better than eternal life.
Therefore, a turkey sandwich is better than eternal life.
The saddest thing I've read today
Busy lives make for more takeout Thanksgiving meals. What is so hard or time-consuming about throwing a bird in the oven? It's one of the easiest things you can make, even if you are a non-cook. As far as entertaining goes, the point of inviting people is so they can bring food or drink to make it easier for you.
California Thanksgiving
All I wanna do is to thank you
even though I don't know who you are
You let me change lanes
while I was driving in my car. . .
Whoever you are
I wanna thank you who...
Now all I wanna do is to exit
So I go to where I can get off
On a curve, through the shoulder
There's no parking in that trough
So I drive around all day
Combing atmospheric haze
and so on. Says Geggy Tah.
Really small town life
Yes, they've dug up Hogzilla in Alapaha, Georgia (pop. 186). Folks from National Geographic Channel dug up the remains to verify the size of the beast for an episode of Explorer.
"They said when we get the reports, we're going to be really happy," Holyoak said. "I'm just glad they came down here to do this. ... It's time to get the truth out there."
Small town life
There is an old man I see in town sometimes. He drives an Olds ninety-eight that looks really good on the outside. Inside of the car there are pieces of wood attached to the ceiling. Tied to these are probably a dozen plastic carrier bags with stuff in them. I can tell there are bottles of water and drinks like Gatorade in some of the bags. There is also a bike carrier attached to the back of the car. His carries his walker on it.
Even Canadians are not immune
Man says fish stick has Jesus' face.
"Fred Whan, who has kept the fish stick in his freezer since burning it at dinner a year ago, decided Tuesday that it was time to thaw it out so he could sell it on eBay."
School work
I was doing some research on the CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam). No, not for myself. I have my GED! You must bring identification when you go to take the test. They accept the usual ids, like a driver license or passport. They will not, however accept these ids:
Traffic ticket is brilliant!
It's beginning to look a lot like
a frightening Christmas. Don't believe me?
Planning for winter
A huge list of movies about ancient history.
And speaking of the Queen
I've always liked the picture Eurotrash's has on her blog. And I smiled at this post.
"I mean, "We are created with the need for God by God". Did you get that out of Readers Digest, or a Hallmark "Sorry your dog died" card? We are created because our parents shagged each other. When we die, we decompose and that's the end of us. And because we feared death, and because we needed effective forms of social control that didn't result in us all putting each other to death, and because some people want to be in charge more than others, we invented God and organised religion.
Our need for God is because, quite frankly, we don't want to die. I don't object to your theist phase - we all need our comfort blankets. But the Christian bit is not just overkill, but frankly so mainstream. Why not live a litte. Try Zoroastrianism. It's cutting edge, and they leave your body on a tower to be eaten by birds when you die."
I almost spilled my coffee
It may just be me, but there is a positively frightening picture of the Queen next to the headline "New police powers to be unveiled" on the Guardian right now.
Levelling the playing field
LA Times article about colleges trying to recruit more men to maintain a roughly equal number of male and female students. I mean, can it really be true that men are "getting dumber," or are they less serious, less prepared, or suddenly crummy at test-taking? And, if this really is a trend, and if more men who are less smart, less prepared, or less ambitious are admitted, and if a lot of folks marry people they meet in college, will we ultimately see more smart women and dumb men breeding?
Don't know much about history
Here's a complete turkey of a lesson plan you can use for Thanksgiving! I started highlighting the best parts, but I didn't know where to stop.
I have 20 students and explaining Thanksgiving to preschoolers is difficult. I came up with this flannel board story with enough pictures for each shild. As the teacher tells the story the children add their symbol that they are holding to the board.(These pictures have been laminated with the sticky/rough side of the velcrow attached to the back of each picture. My flannel board is not large enough for all the pictures so I use a blanket drapped over 2 chair backs.The velcrow sticks well to the blanket.)The story is long but the children are getting up and walking to the story blanket so this breaks the time that are sitting down and helps them to learn as well as stay interested. The picture words I use on my copy of the story is highlighted (this lets me know to stop for the child to add their picture). I have placed an asterik beside the words in this story so you will know which ones I used but you and use any you choose. Kids really like it and they were telling me the story later. Enjoy Story.... The Very First Thanksgiving A very long time ago in a country called England a fleet of *ships set sail to find a new country. All the ships had names and captains who manned then. The ship that was the first to land here was called *The Mayflower and the captain was named *Christopher Columbus. The wind blew and waves rocked the boats, and the ships lost their way in the storm. Finally this ship; The Mayflower was tossed onto land. The captain Christopher Columbus and his crew were ship wrecked. They had discovered a new land. No white man had ever been there before. It was inhabited by people with funny colored skin, long black hair and wore animal skins for clothes. Their faces were painted and feathers adorned their heads. These people lived in funny looking houses called *T-Pees. They carried objects that they used for hunting animals that looked like *spears and *bow & arrows. Christopher Columbus named this tribe of people *Indians. The Indians did not speak English nor did they understand it, they had a language all their own. So neither the white man not the Indians understood each other. This made both kinds of people afraid of each other. The Indians named the white men *Pilgrims; but these Pilgrims were in a big mess They had no homes for shelter, their food supply had been eaten up while they were still on the sea in their ships, plus they were in a very strange land. The Pilgrims built homes from the trees they cut down and called them *log cabins. They soon ran out of bullets and the *deer, *turkey and other game ran to fast for them to catch so a lot of the pilgrims starved to death. The Pilgrim women picked *berries, *nuts and dug up roots to eat but they could not find enough they were still very hungry. After a few months had gone by there was very few pilgrims left alive. Why are the Indians alive but our people are dying they asked.So the Pilgrims decided they needed to make friends with the Indians. The *women of both sets of people were the first to make friends. The Indians showed the Pilgrims how to farm the land and trap *fish and other animals. They taught them how to make clothes and blankets from animal skins. The Pilgrims taught the Indians how to read and write and speak the English language. At last there seemed to be hope for the Pilgrims. It was the end of the first year and the end of Harvest time so the Pilgrims and the Indians decided to have a feast to show their Thankfulness for the past year. Outside in the yard they set up long tables and every one brought food to share with each other. Some brought berries, and nuts. There were plenty of *vegetables, including *corn and *fruits. The meat consisted of Fish, Deer, Turkey, *Pheasant, duck and anything else they could catch, trap, or hunt. The Pilgrims and Indians ate, danced, and played games for 3 days.
We celebrate Thanksgiving now with our families and usually have *turkey with gravy, and dressing, sweet potatoes, *pumpkin pie and many different kinds of food just like the very first Thanksgiving. (Close with a discussion by the children about the story this helps in transitioning as the child shares his/her knowledge and leaves the circle). (Pictures I have used I have and will share if requested. Just email me with Thanksgiving story in the subject line. "Happy Thanksgiving".
via Cobranchi.
Carpe diem
A lackwit teacher tells students a meteor is going to hit the earth and they have 10 minutes to get home and say good-bye to their families before they die.
"The teacher at the high school in Manchester, only realised her lecture was misjudged when many of the assembled teenagers started crying, The Sun newspaper said Friday."
via Loaded Mouth.
Slightly cute
So I'm late
Why evangelical Christians should not vote for Bush.
Quote for the day
"The worst government is the most moral. One composed of cynics is often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression." --H. L. Mencken
More creepy school news
This one is from a private (although not Catholic) school. Principal catches boys kissing girls in locker room. It's not their first offense. Principal was inspired by Christ's example to take on the teens' sin. Principal tells them 'Guys, this has gotta stop,' " he said. " 'I've let the atmosphere get too lax. I share in this discipline. This is a one-time deal.' So he has a teacher whip him with a belt until the teens tell him to stop. Principal is fired. Teacher quits.
"Beyond the (La Leche) league's area of expertise."
One heaping pile
Here's the archive of the whole Akron Beacon Journal series on homeschooling. There's an editorial about the series at the Education Gadfly newsletter.
'With nary a shred of proof, the Beacon-Journal suggests that the ranks of home schoolers are rife with child abusers, white supremacists, and other maladjusted folks; that home schooling often amounts to nothing more than tagging along while Mom shops for groceries; and, in a particularly obnoxious twist (because the Beacon-Journal's own trumped-up data show the exact opposite), that home-schooled children are at greater-than-average risk to their physical safety. Of course, the hoary old charge that home schoolers aren't properly "socialized" is repeated ad nauseam. The writers even trot out a nameless "public educator" to sniff that "those are the ones who fall under the radar," speaking of home schooling parents who "want to control their children's education." The nerve of them!'
Socialization
2 girls in a Georgia school poisoned their classmates with cake they baked. They added "an expired prescription drug, bleach, clay and hot-pepper sauce."
'The father said the two girls began playing around in the kitchen Tuesday after growing bored.
Semantic enigma
Why is a mullet called a mullet?
I thought this would be too obvious to generate a headline:
Prince Charles' household "elitist." Apparently an assistant suggested training assistants with university degrees train to become private secretaries.
'The prince wrote: "What is wrong with everyone nowadays? Why do they all seem to think they are qualified to do things far beyond their technical capabilities?
"This is to do with the learning culture in schools as a consequence of a child-centred system which admits no failure. People think they can all be pop stars, high court judges, brilliant TV personalities or infinitely more competent heads of state without ever putting in the necessary work or having natural ability.
"This is the result of social utopianism which believes humanity can be genetically and socially engineered to contradict the lessons of history." The memo concludes: "What on earth am I to tell Elaine? She is so PC it frightens me rigid."'
World Toilet Summit
According to the United Nations Environment Program, more than 2 billion people globally do not have access to any latrines.
The conference's organiser, Jack Sim, says toilets are a forgotten human right and the silence over the issue needs to be broken.
"The entire toilet movement is taking on the world," he said.
Dav Pilkey might agree.
Oh please!
Delivers refreshing deep-down deodorant protection.
I notice that the "Veterinarian" products are coming soon.
It's almost time to
start Xmas shopping.
At the movies
A movie at home, really. I rented Winged Migration because I thought it looked good. We really enjoyed it, even Jorgen (15), who raved about it and found out how the movie was made. Some of the birds do die or get hurt, but as Solvij said, "You win some, you lose some."
Today's installment
from Ohio. More religious separatism, soldiers for Christ, socialization concerns, and Rob Reich on (as usual) how school exposes kids to cultural and religious diversity in a way that encourages intermingling. I think it's interesesting that the first article in this series stressed that homeschoolers are not all Christian conservatives, but what they're focusing how most homeschoolers are at best, Christian conservatives and at worst, nutjobs. Sure, some of them are, but so are some families whose kids are in school under the supervision of the g-ment.
More about the authors here and their civic journalism.
"I believe it's journalists' role to provide information and inspire citizens to feel some responsibility and then to act," says Oplinger. "I believe we've gotten to the point of helping them feel responsible but they're still not sure how to act. They're writing letters but it would be nice if newspapers could figure out how to create better ways of being involved."
And here's a bit of one of their earlier (2002) assessmenst of the job Ohio schools do.
'The state's universities complain that too many high school graduates are arriving unprepared to master college-level material. Business leaders say employees are not adequately equipped to work in automated manufacturing plants.
"You need a K-through-12 infrastructure that works," said Ron Budzik, chairman of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and a vice president for government relations at Mead Corp. in Dayton. He said Ohio's public education system is "one of the reasons we have kids not going to college. The objective (should be) to get kids into college and have them graduate."'
Sounds familiar.
Oh, just shoot me
Part 2 of the Akron Beacon Journal series. OMG, the slackers! The unaccountable, unsupervised slackers! Seriously, psychometrician Kimberly Swygert addresses a lot of the thoughts that popped into my head when I read it. And I'm sure home ed blogs like this will also be all over this. Read their much more coherent thoughts because you know what? Right now I'm pretty tired. From answering about 20,000 questions, reading to one kid, listening to another kid read, googling, maneuvering through an almost endless conversation with my son about a new computer (yeah, I understood about 25% of that, and that 25% was about how much it's going to cost), picking up supplies for a new project for my daughter, finding certain books that someone needed in the stacks that are everywhere, keeping the puppy from chewing on other books, ordering some new science supplies. Oh, and then there was laundry, food, and work.
And you know what else? Neglect happens. Physical neglect, educational neglect, and abuse happen can happen at home and they can happen at school. The notion that schools are the last line of defense against neglect is a fairy tale. The notion that being the last line of defense is the schools' responsibility is wrong-headed. I think that way because I worked in a shelter for years and many kids who were very obviously in trouble never got any help at school. It takes more than the school system to address these things.
Acting is a masochistic form of exhibitionism. It is not quite the occupation of an adult. --Laurence Olivier
Oh, lookee here. Renaissance man Bob Jones III is playing Cyrano in BJU's fall production. Hey, Dad, want some tickets?
The life of the mind
might just begin in books (at your library).
'Even the lurking shadow of the Patriot Act can’t change the fact that your local library may be one of the most radical institutions in town, at least when it comes to the potential that it holds to change lives and society. What else beside books can provide the tools to survive and succeed in a new land and make immigrants of all readers, transporting them to new frontiers of imagination, understanding, compassion, beauty, and truth? As I pondered the "deeper," spiritual implications of reading, this simple newspaper article planted my feet back on the ground, a reminder that books, like bread, can feed us on many levels at once.'
From Sojourners Magazine. After this election our local librarians are nervous. A measure to raise the local sales tax failed, and with it the hope that more money for the libraries. This year the library closed for one month (one week every quarter) to help cut costs. Last year, library fines were reintroduced for the first time in years. Branches will probably be reducing their hours and there's talk of some branches closing.
Homeschooling in the news
The Akron Beacon Journal is running a series this week on homeschooling. The first part profiles a few homeschooling families and the reasons they're homeschooling. Why do homeschoolers do it?
'The rise of the home-schooling movement can be traced to a growing dissatisfaction with public schools.
For the most part, home schoolers distrust a public school system they say is unresponsive to their needs. They see unions and bureaucrats -- often referred to as ``educrats'' -- suffocating children rather than teaching them.
Home schoolers look at the school setting and see negative peer pressure and a form of socialization that runs counter to their beliefs. They are troubled by the curricula, they oppose the idea of testing and the exams used, and they are concerned about random violence.
From the parents' viewpoint, they can give their children individual attention, teach to strengths and address weaknesses, set the pace for learning and spend more time with their children.'
I think it's a fairly good attempt to show a bit of the unique faces of homeschoolers. Hey, it even touches on the hippie contributions of unschooling.
More links to homeschooling articles on their front page.
You say you want an evolution
There were lots of stories yesterday about the Georgia lawsuit about the constitutionality of stickers that say that evolution should be "critically examined" being placed on public school textbooks. This story, which reports that Georgians are afraid of being seen as undereducated rubes, is my favorite.
'Doughnut shop worker Maria Jordan, 48, said her Atlanta customers were shaking their heads over the latest dispute. "Don't we have more important things to worry about?" she asked. "It's just a flat-out embarrassment."'
Quote for the day
The clergy, by getting themselves established by law and ingrafted into the machine of government, have been a very formidable engine against the civil and religious rights of man. --Thomas Jefferson, 1800.
Oops
Someone kindly posted the beginning of Paradise City and I accidentally deleted them while I was trying to respond. But you gave me an earworm, thank you very much.
Yes,
the new (unnamed) dog is smaller than the cats. And will always be smaller than them.
Autodidacts and classics
Why the classics (of all stripes) can light your fire. In Classics in the Slums autodidacts explain why it can matter even if you are supposedly too ignorant to read them.
While studying Greek philosophy at night, Joseph Keating performed one of the toughest and worst-paid jobs in the mine: shoveling out tons of refuse. One day, he was stunned to hear a co-worker sigh, "Heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate." "You are quoting Pope," Keating exclaimed. "Ayh," replied his companion, "me and Pope do agree very well." Keating had himself been reading Pope, Fielding, Smollett, Goldsmith, and Richardson in poorly printed paperbacks. Later he acquired a violin for 18 shillings, took lessons, and formed a chamber-music quartet, playing Mozart, Corelli, Beethoven, and Schubert—not an uncommon hobby in the coalfields. And he never forgot the electric thrill of pursuing books and music: "Reading of all sorts—philosophy, history, politics, poetry, and novels—was mixed up with my music and other amusements. I was tremendously alive at this period. Everything interested me. Every hour, every minute was crammed with my activities in one direction or another. New, mysterious emotions and passions seemed to be breaking out like little flames from all parts of my body. As soon as the morning sunlight touched my bedroom window, I woke. I did not rise. I leaped up. I flung the bedclothes away from me. They seemed to be burning my flesh. A glorious feeling within me, as I got out of bed, made me sing. My singing was never in tune, but my impulse of joy had to express itself."
via Classics in Contemporary Culture.
New family member
12 week old mini Dachshund.
Vets Day
Here's a big website based on the book Voices of War from the Veterans History Project. There are xcerpts from the book, interviews, letters, photos, documents. Great learning site.
Songs they play in hell
A new family poll we've started: Come Sail Away, Paradise City, anything Enya (my vote). I was tortured by my loving family singing Come Sail Away with horrible heartfelt emotion on our road trip. Repeatedly. Jerks.
Letter writing 101
Bob Jones ("I have a degree from BJU" said the sex worker) writes a congratulatory letter:
"In your re-election, God has graciously granted America—though she doesn't deserve it—a reprieve from the agenda of paganism. You have been given a mandate. We the people expect your voice to be like the clear and certain sound of a trumpet. Because you seek the Lord daily, we who know the Lord will follow that kind of voice eagerly."
Oh, those pagans! I just knew they were imposing their agenda every day! And isn't it just weird that someone still alive has a school named after himself?
True that
From the London Review of Books' column Short Cuts about tinyurl.com.
Check this shortcut out: tinyurl.com/cunt
Separation of what?
I once worked in a place run by a group of people involved with GO. There was praying at meetings and folks offering to "heal" you in the lunchroom. It was where I learned that when some folks ask if they can pray for you (if you bump your head or something) they mean RIGHT NOW and LOUDLY. It was hard not to laugh, but I triumphed over my baser side.
This is a very interesting story about folks doing this stuff en masse.
'Some friction may come from the insistence of marketplace Christians on seeing offices and factories as arenas for evangelism. Converting others, after all, is what being an evangelical Christian is all about. One tenet listed in the Riverview Community Bank's first annual report is to ''use the bank's Christian principles to expand Christianity.'' If that wasn't clear enough, Ripka put it in even starker terms for me: ''We use the bank as a front to do full-time ministry.'' Ken Beaudry, a marketplace pastor whose heating-oil company is just down the road from the Riverview bank, takes the same view. ''It's all about understanding that your business has a cause,'' he says. ''It's about recognizing that we exist as a company not just to make profits, but to change society. And our employees are on board with that.'''
NIMBY
San Quentin Prison, along with some state fairgrounds and other high value urban properties, is one of the properties the California State Performance Review is recommending be considered for sale to raise money. In San Quentin, this property would be sold for housing development. San Quentin is also planning to expand death row (er, condemned inmate complex). There was a report yesterday on the California report about why some people want San Quentin to stay. Prisoners or rich folks, which is worse for the town?
Orygun
Yes, I saw a car with that bumpersticker today. Then tonight I read this, about a truck crashing and spilling 6000 live chickens on the road in Oregon City. Hundreds of meals escaped.
I know guys don't like to ask for directions but
COME ON! Old couple starts on their way to a family party. They get lost. Do they ask for directions? No. She wants to, but he doesn't. Instead, they drive around for almost 24 hours. They stop for gas 3 times during this time. Do they ask at the gas station? No.
Their family reports them missing and after they run a story on TV, someone spots them, gets them to pull over, and grabs their keys.
"Violet says if it hadn't been for the stranger stopping them, she thinks they would still be lost.
She says she's going to buy a cell phone in case they get lost again."
via FARK.
Small town life
About a week ago there was a traffic accident involving a car and a tractor outside of town on 211. We were passing by after the accident and saw the car and flipped-over tractor, along with three CHP cars. These are the stories I've heard about the accident since then:
--There were 15 CHP cars at the scene.
--The driver of the tractor died at the scene. (I heard these 2 from annoying co-worker of the day, who happened to be going by after the accident as well).
--"They" couldn't tell if the driver was dead or alive, so they sent him to the hospital in the ambulance. Seriously, I'm not clever enough to make this stuff up. I heard this one from blind guy.
--The driver was drunk.
--The driver was an illegal and he was drunk, and so was deported immediately.
--The driver was Mexcun (legal or illegal not confirmed), but the guy he was working for hadn't paid worker's comp, so he gave the driver $1000 and told him to go back home. Quick.
--The tractor was stolen.
--The tractor wasn't stolen, but the guy who owned it hadn't paid the insurance on it, so he said that the guy who works for him stole it.
--The driver of the car was driving too fast.
--There was a young child in the car who was thrown from the vehicle.
What really happened? I can speculate. But I'm sure I'll hear more stories about this for a while and maybe even the truth.
Time passes, we get older
and shrivel
New uses for vegetables
No, not those kind. I saw a man with his son at the grocery store today. The boy (probably 3 or so) was sitting in the cart, asleep, his head falling forward. The man was holding the boy's head up with his hand while he was waiting in line. He finally grabbed a bag of lettuce and wedged it in between his son's head and the handlebar. A lettuce pillow.
Odd co-worker of the day
A regular came by to buy coffee today. He brought his daughter, who's about two. Odd co-worker told the daughter that she used to have blonde hair, just like the little girl, but then it turned brown. She told the little girl that if it happened to her, she could also "just get highlights."
Annoying customer of the day
The soy milk customers are annoying enough. That's mostly because when you heat soy milk up to about 160 it smells truly disgusting, like some fetid plant material (oh, I guess it sort of is). But there's a new breed of soy drinker. The "single tall mocha with half soy and half regular." With whipped cream, of course. Please, this seems like another "why bother?" drink.
Personal first
I am truly awful at games. Today I played a game of Carcassonne (with the river expansion) with my son and won. It's the first time I've won any game we've played (unless you count a couple of Candyland games). I used to be pretty good at rearranging the cards in the Candyland deck when no one was looking so that I could quickly lose. Darn, game over!
Imaginative cartography
Gilles Chaillet's 50 years of work on a hand-drawn map of ancient Rome.
'Chaillet dreamed up the project when he was 9 years old. Nearly 50 years later, he came to the Eternal City to show it off to the Romans.
“This was an idea I could never get out of my head,” Chaillet told The Associated Press on Thursday. “It was a bit of an obsession.”
There are no definitive surviving maps of ancient Rome, which was most of the challenge, he said.'
Chaillet’s immense map is colored in with cheerful greens, russets and pearly tones by his wife, Chantal. Looking at it, you can imagine a day’s stroll in Rome circa 314 A.D.: a leisurely morning at the bathhouses, a stop at the market to buy some chickpeas and trip to the Circus Maximus to take in a chariot race.
via blogographos.
Small town life
I picked up a new cleaning job today and went to meet the new people and their animals. They have two cats and two enormous dogs. Everything looked very straightforward and I was just ready to leave when the people realized that they forgot to tell me the most important thing. At noon, when the fire department whistle blows, the dogs get milkbones. The woman told me that when the noon whistle blows the dogs will get really excited. In fact, I'd better try to get to the mud room where the milkbones are before the whistle blows. I hope I don't lose a leg if I'm not fast enough.
The ghost of Mencken
speaks here. (Adam Felber)
"So that's why I'm asking for your vote in 2008, America. I'm talking to you, you ignorant, slack-jawed yokels, you bible-thumping, inbred drones, you redneck, racist, chest-thumping, perennially duped grade-school grads. Vote for me, because I know better, and I truly believe that I can help your smug, sorry asses. Vote Felber in '08! Thank you, and may God, if he does in fact exist, bless each and every one of you."
