March 2006 Archives
What with all the discussion around here about refrigeration, I thought this link from Fark was pertinent:
Our kids have been complaining lately that they get bossed around a lot. In general my answer to that has been "get used to it." But Katy had the brilliant idea of giving them certificates declaring them to be "Boss For One Day" for their birthday.
For that day - a weekend day of their choosing - they could make any and all decisions (*) regarding diet, clothing, activities, etc, for themselves, and that we would only step in if their physical well-being was at stake.
(*) within reason - Cameron immediately said "I want to go to Hawaii!" Me too, kid - sorry, no.
This weekend these certificates were cashed in.
Claire was The Boss on Saturday. Among her requests:
"I want to watch lots of Bugs Bunny cartoons!"
"For breakfast I want waffles, pancakes, sausage, and bacon!"
"I want ice cream for lunch!"
"I want to go for a bicycle ride to the park!"
Cameron was The Boss on Sunday. Among his requests:
"I want ice cream for breakfast! And a big carrot, half a grapefruit, and some cinnamon raisin toast."
"I want to go to Disneyland." (Less extravagent than you might think thanks to our annual passes.)
"I want to ...ride Autopia ...have a churro ...ride the big Ferris wheel ...have some popcorn." (while at Disneyland)
"I want some ice cream!" (right before bed)
"I want my sister to have some ice cream!" (When he realized that she wasn't The Boss and couldn't ask for some for herself, he stepped in and made a Boss-level request)
All in all, it was a pretty easy thing to do, and they both loved it.
How would you feel if some soulless record company took the great songs of your favorite subversive rock band and repackaged it with a bunch of teeny boppers? You know, the band that opened your eyes to the possibility that there might be cool music that didn't really fit on the FM radio dial? That you were not alone in the weird jock-ruled world you lived in?
You'd be mad as hell. Mad I Say!
Probably. Maybe. Eh, who knows?
See, Disney Records has released a little something called Devo 2.0. By all accounts, I should *hate* it. But when I hear the songs, I think, hey, this is pretty catchy! And it turns out that the band was involved in the project.
So much for the hating. I think I will actually buy this for the kids. Actually.
Here's one for you. "Refrigerator" is commonly abbreviated "fridge." There's no "d" in "refrigerator."
Course my father-in-law just calls it "the reefer."
Have you seen this commercial?
I've been researching satellite radio since I fell in lust with the new XM portable receiver/mp3 player at CES.
One of the things that caught my eye over at Sirius was their deal with NPR. I could not care less about Howard Stern but NPR was a big point in their favor... until I checked the schedules on their NPR channels.
It turns out that they don't carry either of the flagship NPR news programs. No Morning Edition? No All Things Considered? Dealbreaker.
I emailed NPR to find out what their plans were to offer these programs on satellite radio. After a few emails back and forth clarifying my question, here was their answer:
Dear Listener,Thank you for contacting NPR.
There are no plans, at this time, for NPR's Newsmagazines to be available
on either Sirius or XM.Some NPR programs are available via the Sirius satellite radio service.
Find out more at http://www.siriusradio.com.NPR constantly strives to fulfill its obligation to public service.
It is our pleasure to serve you.
Thank you for listening and for your continued support of public
broadcasting. For the latest news and information, visit NPR.org.
So now you know. Satellite radio may be all that - and I may still get that nifty XM receiver - but it's not the place to hear NPR news.
The other day Mike and I somehow ended up talking about the things we did or didn't refrigerate at home.
We both thought the other was crazy on at least a few points. Here is what I remember of the list we discussed, and whether or not it's in my fridge:
Bread: No
Carrots: Yes
Celery: Yes
Fruit: No(*)
Ketchup: No
Mustard: Yes(**)
Soy Sauce: No
Syrup: No
Peanut Butter: No(***)
(*) There are exceptions. Apples are almost always in the fridge. Oranges bought in bulk for juice tend to sit on the counter. Oranges for eating tend to go in the fridge.(****)
(**) I checked and the mustard says "refrigerate after opening" so I guess there really isn't an option - that is, if you don't want it going bad.
(***) Except the fancy schmancy kind we've been getting at Trader Joe's. I don't like it. Cold peanut butter tears the bread something fierce.
(****) As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
What's in your refrigerator?
UPDATE: Mike set up an online poll here: Which go in the fridge?
Poll results can be seen here.
I know that as a white male in contemporary American society I have little to be blue about. As George Carlin famously put it, "White people got no business playing the blues ever, ever, ever. What do white people have to be blue about? The Banana Republic ran out of khakis?”
Nevertheless, the Desktop Blues Generator that Pat showed me is fun to play around with. Check it out.
How do you feel about toaster ovens vs. slot toasters?
Mister P vs. Cruftbox: Toast Off
I hope I get picked as a judge.
To remember Caesar, who ignored this great advice, I provide you with a link to these handy Latin phrases.
I wouldn't be surprised if you've seen these before - but they're still funny. Among my favorites:
Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.
Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.
(Hold your pointer over the phrase for a translation.)
Today we had Cameron's seventh birthday party. For his cake he requested a "volcano cake." Since Katy rocks the house like few others, she put together an amazing mountain-shaped cake with red lava frosting coming down the sides.
Here is Cameron's reaction to the presentation of the cake at his party:
Total Joy (1.8 MB wmv file)
Reader, I hope you find this kind of happiness in your life.
Here's a nifty web shopping site to check out:
Woot dot com is based on a single slogan - "one day, one deal." Every day at 12 Midnight (Eastern time) they roll out the day's deal. Recent items have included an RCA mp3 player, wireless headphones, and a set of FRS walkie-talkie radios. Some items are new, some are refurbs, occasionally they are offering something totally and completely new. The item is on sale until it sells out, or 11:59 PM rolls around. Then another deal is posted. That's the general gist, anyway.
Sounds fun, doesn't it? For extra points you can combine this hot web tip with the Google Reader hot web tip and get automatic notification of the day's deal via RSS. Woot!
Dear Hershey's,
Love the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Love the Reese's Sticks.
Let's take it one step further. Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and Sticks.
Please?
Today's tool is Google Reader.
I'm sure that all the Internet cognoscenti already know about Google Reader, but very few of those people read my weblog - and none of them bothered to tell me about Reader, I had to stumble onto it myself. Anyway.
I read a fair number of weblogs and other semi-regularly updated websites. It takes more time than I'd like to admit to click through them all daily, just to see if there's anything new there. Google Reader fixes this problem.
Once you get yourself set up with an account (Gmail users can use that login. What? You don't have a Gmail account?) you can quickly set up subscriptions to your favorite RSS-spewing sites, using the search feature to search by weblog name or web address. Then you can sit back and watch the bloggage come to you - from a single vantage point.
I like it because I didn't have to create yet another login/password and because it's web-based. I can login from anywhere and quickly see what's new with my friends and in the news. Yes, it's still in beta, but if you're looking for an RSS reader, I give it the coveted "all thumbs up" rating.
Cameron's class has been writing to a local soldier who has been deployed in Iraq. He just completed his tour and is back home on leave. He came by the school for a program of patriotic songs that the first grade did recently. A photographer from the local paper took a picture of the him with the class after the program, and it ran on the front page the next day.
That afternoon, Cameron came home all excited about being in the paper. After a few questions it became clear that his face was not in the picture. This did not dampen his enthusiasm. In his own words, "I'm sure my hand or something is in there!"
If you ever even chuckled at a Monty Python sketch you owe it to yourself to check out the new Monty Python specials airing on PBS. The series has six one-hour episodes, each focusing on one of the six original Python members.
I watched the Eric Idle episode tonight. It had stuff from the television show, stuff from the Hollywood Bowl video, and some stuff I'd never seen before. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.
"Your wife - does she go?"
Next time you're at Trader Joe's, you need to get some of their new English Cheddar with Caramelized Onions.
Holy crap, that is some seriously good cheese. It is creamy and flavorful and laden with deliciousness. Katy and I resorted to physical violence over the last slice. Well, okay, not really, but damn it's good.
(No Trader Joe's where you live? You should consider moving.)
