| jesse leo dot com - 2008 | ||
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| 11/19/08:
Best. Herman. Cartoon.
Ever! 11/17/08: Slam-dunked - Billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavs Mark Cuban accused of Insider Trading... -- Obama to give his own online version of FDR's Fireside Chats. But as Slate rightly points out, these will only be worth a damn if he actually conveys any useful information. -- Gay Rights... and lefts... And this scene, friends, is why Lafayette kicks major ass. By the way you really should be watching True Blood. 11/16/08: -- A colleague was celebrating his birthday last week, happily replying "twenty-six" through a handsome, toothy grin when asked how old he is. The grin spoke volumes. Twenty-six is a black hole in space to me, something I can't even vaguely fathom. Was I ever that young? Maybe in some past lifetime. I was reminded of the 1987 comedy Summer School. Most folks wouldn't remember it, as it really was a terrible movie. But it's one of those "good" terrible movies that has something of an occult-like following. My favorite part comes when Mr. Shoop (played by the then-dashing Mark Harmon) discovers one of his students is moonlighting as a male-stripper. When an exasperated Shoop demands an explanation, the kid replies: "...imagine that you're seventeen again, only you knew then what you know now. Well I know! I know..." Shoop lets the kid go, gazes wistfully off into the horizon, saying simply: "I hate that kid..." 11/14/08: -- Solace opens today! Initial reviews are in, and the general consensus is grim, action-packed... a worthy successor to Casino but not quite on the same level. Might try to sneak in a late showing this weekend. In celebration of the opening, I give you a list of the top 7 rides from the Bond legacy... What's this, no VW Cabriolet? 11/13/08: -- NYT: Bush may retain authority to block inquiries into his administration's secrets long after he leaves the White House... 11/12/08: -- A grim but fascinating compendium of every torture device and technique known throughout history. My God, is there anything more cruel than Scaphism? Did people really do this to one another? -- Feeling pangs of sadness that I will not be among the zillions of folks lining up for the massive WoW expansion pack, which releases after midnight... -- So one week in, how is our prez-elect doing? Haven't heard much other than he's quickly assembling his cabinet and firmly reminding everyone that there can only be ONE president at a time, and he will not help Dubya with any of the current messes. Don't know about everyone else, but during the past week I've felt more optimistic in general than I have in a long time. No matter how stressful the day gets, there's been a smile in the back of my brain. And even if it all turns out to be hype and unfulfilled campaign promises, I'm thankful for this wave of optimism and will ride it out as long as it lasts. 11/11/08: -- Take a minute today to appreciate the real heroes. I've got mine, he's pictured here... 11/10/08: -- The Big Picture has quite possibly the best assortment of Obama photos ever compiled. I especially like #10, of course, though it's obvious that Chris Duhon is putting on the brakes and allowing Barack a clear path to the hoop. If it were me I would've delivered the hard foul and taken him out, even if it meant getting gang-tackled by Sercret Service dudes. -- Study: iPhones Twice As Reliable As BlackBerries. 11/7/08: -- An awesome collection of Obama photo mosaics, click to enlarge. -- Happy b-day, babe! Been meaning to tell you that all of the things that are supposed to rob a woman of her beauty - her thirties, giving birth, etc - have had the exact opposite effect: you're even more gorgeous today than the sultry teenager I met so many years ago... -- Facebook'ers: I HAVE been getting all of the great "wall writings" and friend invitations, it's just that I had to reset my password and Facebook tech support has not yet emailed me instructions on how to get back in. So I'm not ignoring you, I swear! 11/6/08: -- NYC all day today... TAXI! 11/5/08: -- Ok handsome, the bridge is yours. Now show us something... -- It's a thrilling accomplishment. What started out as a nail-biter turned into a whuppin' by 11PM, with formerly Red states oozing Blue. And yet I'm troubled. Along with the Democratic victories in the House and the Senate, have the scales of power tipped too far in the other direction in just one night? Ying has almost completely swallowed Yang, and that can be frightening. Must have balance, Daniel-san... 11/4/08: -- You know what to do, people. 11/3/08: -- The dismal truth about ink and toner carts. Freakin' criminals. -- Mac users rejoice, Netflix now offers streaming "watch instantly" services for OS X. 'Bout time! -- Wired: Blogging is dead. Guess this is the end of the line, folks. See you on Facebook or Twitter... Or not. The reality is I rejoined Facebook about a month ago and am already sick of it (can't even remember what my password is). Twitter? I dunno, maybe I'll give it a shot. Or would that be a "tweet"? -- This. *#!&ing. Election. -- This year's winner of the Most Beautiful Goat title, so named in the Mazayen al-Maaz competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And a fine specimen she is. -- Last year I proclaimed that there has never been a more gorgeous night for Halloween, but this past Friday night was even gorgeouser. Is that a real word? But strangely, most people I've spoken to are reporting lots of leftover candy -- no one saw much of a turnout in spite of the perfect weather and the fact that this great holiday actually fell on a Friday this time around. But no matter, the boys had a great time and the bags were choc full o' goodies. 10/31/08: -- It wouldn't be Halloween if I didn't put up my usual link to Thriller. Enjoy! -- Caught the Halloween bug last night (better late than never) and quickly carved up a Sleepy Hollow-inspired pumpkin (pictured above). Supposed to be a nice night weather-wise, cannot wait to start poundin' the pavement with the boys. 10/29/08: -- In case you needed another reason to vote for Obama, apparently he's got game and he talks smack while playing... -- It's official: I canceled my WoW account last night. There was just no point in keeping it alive any longer - with the exception of a few quick sessions here and there, I simply do not have the time for it. I logged in one last time late last night and felt pangs of nostalgia seeing Orgrimmar all spruced up for Hallow's Eve. Grabbed some lucky kid at random (a troll shaman like my beloved Agador, of course) and gave him my 860 gold pieces - a nice chunk of change in the WoW universe. Took one final look around then logged off forever. **sniff sniff* Received an email this morning from Blizzard acknowleging the cancelation and pointing out that although the account is closed, all of my characters and their gear will be saved indefinitely should I ever decide to come back. Never say never... -- A collection of James Bond's finest gadgets. Has there ever been a more magnificent vehicle than the Aston Martin DB5? -- This year's election is being decided in a dance-off... -- Is the World Series going on? Who's in it? Does anyone even watch baseball anymore? 10/28/08: -- Enrolled Honey in classes to train for the Canine Good Citizen test. Rough stuff, but overall she did ok. Some of the drills included lengthy "Sit/Stays" while the handler (me) walked away, heeling while navigating through traffic cones and coming into close proximity with other pooches, allowing strangers to approach and examine her ears & paws, etc. Won't be easy, especially given her tendency to pull pull pull that leash. But we have a few weeks to work on that one. -- Feds disrupt skinhead plot to snipe Obama... 10/27/08: -- Well I wanted to be a pirate, but was somehow cajoled into being Diego to my wife's Dora at a Halloween party on Saturday. The one time a year I am able to legally carry a cutlass, and I'm denied! -- Chromeo makes me happy. There, I said it... -- An awesomely awesome compilation of Star Wars geek-o-lanterns... 10/24/08: -- Removed dairy from Aidan's diet on an experimental basis. Some people we know swear by a dairy free diet, claiming it led to the most positive changes in their Special Needs child. Maria researched the potential side-effects/withdrawal symptoms, and irritability is definitely among them. Is it ever... We need to start seeing some positive results from this wallet-emptying biomedical stuff, we need to see a sign that it's doing something... 10/22/08: -- Just coughed and experienced intolerable agony, a residual effect of an Ab Ripper X workout done about 3 days ago. Might've overdone it juuuuuuuust a bit... -- TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY. 10/21/08: -- Perpetually Petulant Piggies - Met these cute guys during a recent visit to Harris Hill Farm, and they were either really pissed off for some reason or just plain hungry. You cannot imagine the level of noise little piggies are capable of until you've met these two... -- A matter of fecal matter: Slate on the inevitable worldwide sanitation crisis. It seems the days of flush & forget may be coming to an end. I say that space is the answer to this issue, and is also the answer to our landfill problems. NASA should change course immediately - stop probing Mars for dust and rocks and start constructing giant sh*t barges. Two or three ships per state should do the trick, and several times a year massive loads of poop/garbage are flown out to the Great Black Beyond. Beeeeeeep - OPEN CARGO DOORS! Send the stuff hurtling towards Pluto (my initial thought was to send it towards the sun for incineration, but who knows what sorts of climate-altering explosions all of those foul gasses might cause), then return home for refueling and another load of crap. Think I'm kidding? -- A comprehensive list of current hipster baby names. 10/20/08: -- My two Sunday night guilty pleasures: True Blood and Entourage. Excellent episodes last night, made even better by Entourage bumpin' some old-school Tribe Called Quest (which I'm sure the show producers did just for me). -- Why airport security is a farce... -- Some absolutely stunning animal photos from last Friday's The Big Picture, definitely some computer desktop wallpaper material. Fear the wolffish! 10/17/08: -- A list of 18 things you must have on your computer. Personally I do ok with about 7, but that's just me. 10/16/08: -- I dunno, it was nice to see McCain actually showing some cajones last night. And I give him major props for reminding Obama that he (McCain) is not George Bush, and that if he (Obama) wanted to run against Bush he should've run for president four years ago. But that aside, by the end of the debate McCain was looking more and more like just a cranky ol' man. Even when he was able to get Obama on the defensive, Obama kept his composure and gave calm, reasonable answers. And was it just me, or did McCain milk the Joe the Plumber thing a bit too much? Perhaps McCain gained some ground, but I can't see last night being a game changer. -- Couple doing time for having sex a la plage in Dubai... -- Hands on review of the new Mac notebooks... **drool** 10/15/08: -- How does she do it? How does Lily Allen sing so sweetly about pimps, crackwhores and old folks getting mugged? -- Ok fine, I'll watch the debate tonight. But only because there's absolutely nothing else on... 10/14/08: -- Apple has completely revamped its line of notebooks, and they look freaking sweet. Full recap of the event here, scroll down to the bottom and work your way up. -- We may have carved prematurely. Attended an annual family pumpkin party last Sunday and carved a behemoth of a pumpkin. Problem is Halloween is still over two weeks away, I fear by then my specimen will have lost his youthful appearance. A friend suggested that a generous application of Vaseline around the carved features might improve longevity, think I'll give it a shot. And while I'm at it maybe I should smear some on my own mug as well... -- I'm John F. Kennedy and I approve this message. Ya gotta love it, give us this over some tasteless attack-ad any day (via Kottke)... 10/13/08: -- Rumors abound over what kind of laptop announcement Apple will make this week... 10/11/08: -- So yeah, Block Island in October. If the weather in September is a crapshoot, October is, well, anything goes. But goshdarn if we didn't luck out. The sky was blue. The water... my God, the water. I have never seen it like that - imagine a Turks and Caicos screensaver on your computer. That clear. Nights were chilly, of course. But eh, throw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie and it's all good. And with the beach not being the focal point of each day's itinerary, we found ourselves enjoying some of the island's many other offerings: seeking out new hiking paths, lingering a bit longer in shops, playing the which house would we buy if we won the lottery game, searching for heart-shaped beach stones (my wife's new hobby)... If you ever get the chance I highly recommend it. 10/10/08:-- Almost drove off the road this morning admiring a scene that would be impossible to descbribe (suffice to say it involved some morning mist, trees painted in reddish-gold and a jet of sunlight). Gawd I love this time of year... 10/9/08: -- Berkeley Breathed has announced that he is retiring Opus, this time forever. -- Sign o' the Times: Ya know that huge clock in NYC that counts the national debt at incalculable speeds? It has become overwhelmed and needs to be updated with additional spaces for digits to accomodate our nation's debt. Might be funny were it not so tragic... -- We're back, back to reality. Short on time, but suffice to say that leaving Block Island this time was even more difficult than it was three weeks ago! And it doesn't help that today is expected to be sunny and beautiful... Took tons of photos, will post ASAP. 10/8/08: -- I'm not watching any more debates. What's the point? "My opponent voted for such & such 19 times, while I opposed it... blah blah blah..." Same old crap. No new ground broken. Yes, we're still on BI and having a terrific time. Catching the 5PM boat home. Details later, right now I've got to find my bathing suit. Yes that's right, I said bathing suit! 10/6/08: -- Grandpa's timeshare was available, so why not? A week just isn't enough. So we're back on BI for five crisp, autumn-ish days. No crowds, no waiting for a parking spot, no hectic schedules, just aaaahhhhh... 10/3/08: -- So the revised bill passes, let's get out our wallets to bail out the fatcats. -- Oh wait, now Wachovia is being acquired by Wells Fargo instead of Citigroup. Weeeee, this is fun! -- Have a seat. Public potties aren't as yucky as you think... -- Well damn, that went... well. Tuned in to the Veep Debate last night expecting a 3-ring circus, and was sorely disappointed. Palin actually did quite well - the major screw-ups we were all waiting for just didn't happen. And Biden restrained himself from droning on and on, for the most part. Commanding versus folksy. A lot of polls give Biden a slight edge, but for McCain fans just the fact that Sarah held her own is good enough. 10/2/08: -- Being a "bad" patient might save your life... -- Was heading home around 8PM last night and found myself detoured well out of my way, as a used car dealership near our condo was completely ablaze. Ended up leaving the car at Stop & Shop and walking 1/4 mile home. Oh the inconvenience! But not nearly as inconvenient, I can only imagine, as arriving at work one morning to find your place of business has been reduced to a charred heap of smouldering ruins... -- Slate has an interesting article on blogging for a living. Not to worry, dedicated jesseleo dot com'ers, it'd be nice but I don't think my little corner of cyberspace generates even a small fraction of the necessary traffic... won't be seeing any of those pesky clickable ads here anytime soon. -- Wired: Palin actually had three outside email accounts. Why the secrecy, Sarah? 10/1/08: -- LOVE this: metal plates to send messages to airport x-ray scanners (via boingboing). -- I try my best not to post those things that float around the internet and get forwarded back and forth. But this one, true or not, is pretty touching... 9/30/08: -- Sir David Attenborough on the existence of God. "The anteater couldn't have existed before the ants..." -- An interesting look inside Apple's hiring process... -- With Quantum's opening just around the corner, I'm thinking I may need to break my "no movies on opening day" rule. Even if it means standing in line for an hour and/or sitting on a stranger's lap in the theater... -- Economic ruin... climate change... two neverending wars... international reputation in tatters... Washington completely broken... Has there ever been a time in recent history when this country has been more screwed on so many levels? 9/29/08: -- Financial bail-out plan rejected. Idiots. The country teeters on the brink of a financial cataclysm, and lawmakers are bickering like school children. -- Wachovia founders, gets swallowed up by Citigroup... guess it was just a matter of time. 9/26/08: -- Paul Newman dies at 83. -- The silly thing about the presidential debates, as everybody knows, is that it matters very little what the candidates say - only how they say it. It's about who appears more nervous, less confident, who shaved most recently, and who wears a nicer suit. But for some reason they're still a huge deal. So based on this criteria, last night appeared to be a stalemate. Both seemed to thrust and parry with equal effectiveness. Neither appeared overly rattled. And neither stretched the truth too far (though McCain did resort to his infamous $42,000 tax increase lie again). It was also noteworthy (odd, perhaps?) that McCain made zero eye-contact with Obama. Whatever the case, the real circus will be the upcoming Vice Presidential debates - my prediction: Biden will solidify his stance as the foreign policy guru, and go to great lengths to expose the inexperience and general knuckleheadedness of Palin. But Palin will arrive with a long list of zingers and cleverly crafted lines, keeping audiences laughing and Biden fumbling. An easy victory for her. 9/26/08: -- Koi Pond, perhaps the best iPhone app in existence. -- Thank goodness for our justice system... -- My my, what a sweet, adorable little girl... 9/25/08: -- Another one bites the dust -- WaMu crumbles. My guess is Wachovia will be next... -- Chinese banks instructed to decline loan requests from the U.S. So, um, now what do we do? Isn't that where we get all of our money? -- Regular dude beats LeBron James at a game of H-O-R-S-E... -- If you're looking to get a jumpstart on Christmas shopping, this Dick Cheney shredder snowglobe is at the top of my list... -- iPod earbuds popping out during that jog? You need BudFits! 9/23/08: -- The iconic Mustang logo to get a subtle but chic facelift. -- While hiking the other day we received a stark reminder that, sweet and loveable as she is, Honey is very much an animal with animal instincts. She pounced on a baby squirrel and tried to maul the poor thing to death. Fortunately the lil critter survived the ordeal, though he looked a bit dazed & bedraggled. 9/22/08: -- Don't know much about economics and high finance, but let me get this straight: a bunch of big-time banks/credit companies end up in trouble due to greed-based decisions and poor business practices... and we the taxpayers get to bail them out? -- Study: Sexist men earn more. -- But ya know what (see below)? I think this new Windows ad is terrific, and the perfect response to the annoyingly elitist I'm a Mac campaign. Seriously. But you still won't see me running Vista anytime soon. -- Microsoft's new "I'm a PC" ads were created on Macs, gotta love it. -- Results are in from last week's King of the Hill 5K. Overall I did aiight for an old fogey with not much time to train (though in a past life I was about a minute faster). I imagine, to a lesser extent of course, that running races is similar to childbirth. About halfway through the event you begin questioning your own sanity for taking it on in the first place. You feel like you'd give a decade off of your life if it would end the pain. And just after it's over, you vow: "never again". But then as a few days/weeks go by, you start to think maybe it wasn't so bad afterall. And in some endorphine-fueled moment of weakness, you register for another race. And so it goes... 9/19/08: -- For your listening pleasure, the Jack White/Alicia Keys theme song for the upcoming Bond flick, Quantum of Solace (thx Kate). I can already see the multi-colored naked babes floating around during the opening credits... -- Latest polls showing the presidential race is dead-even, give or take. The fact that it's even close is truly alarming - keep in mind that if it's still this close come November, John and Sarah will win. The Dems will find a way to blow the most winnable presidential election since, well, the one they blew in 2004. Also assume that in those swing states where it may come down to a few hundred thousand votes scattered across a couple of counties, those will be rigged/gimmicked in favor of McCain (stop calling me a conspiracy theorist, there is little reason to doubt that the last two elections were stolen). I just keep telling myself that all of this will one day make for interesting reading in the history books, assuming we're still around to read them... 9/18/08: -- A closer look at some popular pirate myths. -- Didn't think much of this butterfly photograph until looking closely and noticing Mr. Grasshopper sneaking into the shot (lower-left corner) to steal the show! -- I was somehow cajoled into signing up for the 2008 King of the Hill 5K Road Race tonight, despite being woefully unprepared. In my mind the Rocky theme song will be playing as the starter pistol sounds, but by the finish line I'm sure it will be Taps. 9/17/08: -- So this magnificent schooner cruises into the harbor last week lookin' all billy-badass. People gather on the shore oooohing and aaaaahing, snapping photos, etc. A minute later it runs aground! Ha! Caused a major bottleneck and really pissed-off the harbormaster, I'm sure. 9/16/08: -- Esquire Magazine's The Falling Man. An intense read to say the least. -- The famous Big Foot film has been stabilized Zapruder-style. I dunno, still looks like a dude in a suit to me... (via Boing Boing) 9/15/08: -- You've prolly seen this already, but in case you haven't: when buffalos fight back. Absolutely amazing. -- Slate Magazine: Obama should consider lying more. It seems to be working for McCain. -- Should've Given the Money Back: A Lesson in Karma -- So we were out at Captain Nick's the other night, a popular Block Island watering hole offering live music, $2 'Gansetts (local beer, I assume) and a 50/50 raffle. I was half-asleep for most of the evening, but perked right up when they called my wife's name as the winner of said raffle. She had gone halfsies with our friend Mary on a cluster of tickets, and I'll be damned they won. So she shyly makes her way to the stage and is handed a thick "gangsta roll" of cash - about $241 or so. Not bad! As she turns to leave she is strongly encouraged by whomever was conducting the raffle to give back the winnings to such-and-such charity. But she and Mary declined, and that was the moment the clouds rolled in. The same clouds that parked themselves over Mansion Beach the next day to blot out the sun. The same clouds that followed us to the North Lighthouse to obscure the 1% (and ONLY that 1%) of sky we needed for our annual sunset party. The same clouds that spat buckets of rain on us for most of our final day on the island. The same clouds that high-tailed it out of there this morning, mocking us with an 80 degree beach day that we can have no part of. -- Aaaaaaand just like that it's all over. Back to work today, and it ain't gonna be easy. Once again the topic comes up of taking that "extra" day off following a vacation to allow for some unpacking and decompressing. And that is a strong case, as of right now I'm on the verge of Hara-kiri and there's a mountain of bags at home requiring unpacking. But if there's even a remote chance that a few extra hours could be spent on Mansion Beach - keeping in mind that it's usually around 25 degrees when the reservations are made - I tend to go for it and stretch the trip as long as possible. This time around it bit us on the arse, yesterday was a wash-out (more on that later) and the 5PM boat was a long time coming. But no regrets, only smiles. And did I mention that we'll be back out there in three weeks? 9/12/08: -- Already just one full day left. Time, why must you be so cruel? The weather has in fact turned crappy, but no matter. Maybe that'll help keep the post-depression funk to a minumum. Bah, who am I kidding? This one's gonna hurt like a mofo... 9/8/08: -- Skies of Block Island Blue, sublime beach weather. Rest of the week may be iffy, but even if it snows from this point forward I'm happy. 9/7/08: -- Pinch us. The tropical storm turned out to be much ado about nothing, as far as our vacation plans were concerned. We arrived this morning to great beach conditions and made a day of it (though the surf was not to be trifled with). Who says prayer doesn't work? Pinch us. 9/6/08: -- Novel Ideas: Ok as of right now (noon EST on Saturday) we're a go for tomorrow. So I need help narrowing down this year's beach book. Here are the options: Far Tortuga by Peter Matthiessen Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer Flashman & the Angel of the Lord by G. Macdonald Frasier Malaria Dreams by Stuart Stevens Hooked: Pirates, Poaching & the Perfect Fish by G. Bruce Knecht The Reluctant Tuscan by Phil Doras So as you can see, I really need some help here. Not that there will be time for me to read a single chapter, but it's a vacation requirement to at least have literary intentions. 9/5/08: -- Everything you need to know about Chrome, the new browser from Google. -- So yeah, it's lookling like one of the 53 hurricanes/tropical storms currently blowing around down south might make things interesting for our imminent Block Island trip. As it stands right now, the traditional Point Judith ferry intends to run (though it's smaller high-speed cousin has already cancelled all trips Sat and Sun). And looking at the forcast, Sunday does indeed look like it might clear up. But that's not to say the sea will have calmed down much, we may be looking at a barf-a-thon ferry ride. Break out the Dramamine! 9/4/08: -- I tried, I really tried to get through the entire thing. But after three minutes of listening to Rudy G. speak at last night's RNC, nausea set in and I had to leave the room. -- Cancel the vacation! Just realized that while we're away on Block Island next week I'll be missing 1) First two episodes of the new season of Entourage, and 2) The release of Spore. Speaking of Spore, NPR did a story on it this morning, click here. 9/3/08: -- A few days late, but this poem by Lisa Starr seems fitting right about now as some of the leaves are already showing signs of yellowing: LATE AUGUST And then there is the way that summer tiptoes off one evening just at dusk; the fallen apples on the lane speak of sadness, leaving you surprised and cold again as you remember lovers who gently turned, and left forever. 9/2/08: -- Doh! Maybe those Jamaicans aren't such great runners afterall. -- Of course I'd like to have a hot Vice President, who wouldn't? But it comes down to this: in the event of McCain's untimely death (and let's face it, he's no spring chicken) is this woman prepared to become the leader of the free world? I was wavering between McCain and the Handsome Hypocrite up until now, but McCain's choice for a running-mate may have sealed the deal for me. -- Driving home from the office late last night (I know, I know... Labor Day) in the ol' Cabriolet afforded me some major top-down VW Pink Moon moments, I even tried to grab a few floating fluffies out of the night sky. Turns out they were stars, just a tad out of reach. But man what a ride... -- This day in history: The Titanic wreckage was found on 9/2/1985 - an interesting read. But still no sign of Jack Dawson's remains... 9/1/08: -- Labor Day and without a doubt the most gorgeous weather of the year. Of course I've already been checking weather.com every 5 minutes to catch a glimpse of next week's Block Island outlook (so far looking like low 70's, rain on Tuesday). It would be easy to kick ourselves for not being there this week. But Mother Nature is a fickle mistress, and when it comes to the weather that kind of coulda woulda shoulda thinking is unhealthy. As long as the sun is shining, 70's will suit me just fine. 8/30/08: -- Anyone who is well-steeped in Leo lore has heard the motorcycle tail-pipe story about 1000 times. I was just a lil tyke, and someone pulled up to the house on a motorcycle. Of course at that age motorcycles were things of wonder, so I toddled over for a closer look. I was expressly warned to NOT touch the tail-pipe under any circumstances. So of course, within 60 seconds I did just that - grasping it firmly like I was gonna rip it off the bike and use it to hit a homerun. I don't recall much after that point, I'm told there was an attempt at a scream but no sound actually came out. A frenzied run upstairs to the sink for a cold water dousing, and a giant blister that lasted for weeks. Jakey pulled the same stunt this morning, to a lesser extent - he was stirring a pan of eggs for mama and, despite a direct warning, went ahead and touched the burner. The blister is much smaller, but let's hope the lesson was learned just the same... 8/29/08: -- Interesting collection of anti-US propoganda posters from North Korea (via Kottke) 8/28/08: -- Lovebitten, the first and only site for the human/vampire dating scene. Upload your profile and find a love that lasts a lifetime. Or longer... 8/27/08: -- Cute iPhone factory worker has a bit of fun. -- First day of school! Where did summer go? 8/26/08: -- She was a stunner, no question about it. Dark hair & sun-bronzed, sporting movie-star Ray Bans and two rows of flawless Chiclets for a smile. 28ish. Quite possibly the 3rd most gorgeous woman I've ever seen (behind my wife and Salma Hayek, of course). She pulls up in a Wrangler beside me at the stoplight. First the smile, a playful giggle, then the pouty lips coming together gracefully in a kissey-face expression... Of course every bit of this was directed at Honey, who was seated in my passenger seat returning the kissey-faces. But hey, it felt good for a second or two... -- Wired: Bolt was amazing, but research predicts that in time even his records will eventually crumble. -- Apple taking its lumps these days... 8/25/08: -- SI compares this year's Redeem Team to the Dream Team of 1992. To summarize: the old-timers would show those young 'uns how it's done. Betcher ass they would... -- And just like that the Olympics are over. This is the part where I usually get all sappy and sentimental. I might even take a page out of Bob Costas' book and drone on & on about how nations are actually capable of setting aside their differences and, even if it's only for two weeks, only the thrill of sport matters. But maybe the horrid singing that went on during last night's Closing Ceremonies is easing my pain. Whatever the case, it was a terrific two weeks overall and I'm already looking forward to the 2010 Winter Games. 8/24/08: -- The tag sale has been drawing record crowds, but there is still time to find a bargain! Grab your wallets and come on down! 8/22/08: -- What?! Disqualified?!! Take THAT! 8/22/08: -- No work today, off to help Grandpa with the tag sale (pictured here) to end all tag sales! Come early! Spend money! Lots of it! -- Wow, she really CAN'T sing... 8/21/08: -- No showboating, all business this time. Bolt made the 200M World Record look easy yesterday, absolutely smoking the other runners like a lanky, two-legged Secretariat. This is normally the part where I'd link to a video of the race, which was astounding. But I refuse to do so on principle for two reasons: 1) NBC would require that you install Silverlight to watch it, and 2) You would be forced to watch a f*cking car ad before the video starts. Be lying if I said the whole Michael Phelps thing wasn't exciting, of course it was. But this has been my favorite Olympics story thus far. Scariest part is - Bolt is supposedly years away from hitting his prime... -- Fashion Faux Pas: Feeling humiliated because I was seen this morning wearing socks under my Crocs. Hey, the morning grass is wet and cold, damnit! 8/20/08: -- Dave's sax player LeRoi Moore dies unexpectedly. -- Go, monkey, go! 8/19/08: -- Interesting theories on why the Jamaican sprinters have dominated at the Olympics. In case you missed it - 6'5" beanpole Usain Bolt made the fastest guys in the world look like chumps, pulling a road-runner (beep-beep! ZOOM!), then basically trotting the final 10 meters at a leisurely pace (while still setting a new World Record). Next night Shelly-Ann Fraser blew away the women's event. ACTN3 genes? Fast-twitch muscle fibers? Not fair, I tell you - not fair! -- Laaaaaame: Next Harry Potter film delayed until summer 2009. -- Three new I'm a Mac ads have surfaced recently. Apple: please, please, please - this was funny for a while but the concept is really getting tired. Don't you realize that most people find the Mac guy to be an elitist pompous little prick? -- During our recent RI trip we experimented with Aidan on a boogie board (pictured here) and saw nice results - he loved every minute of it. With Block Island just a few short weeks away we may have found the secret to keeping him active and entertained on the beach without having to chase him all over the place. Plus I think it's great for his balance and arm strength! 8/18/08: -- Julia Childs, super agent? Whooda thunk it? -- I'll take three, please. The other 74 are up for grabs... 8/16/08: -- I guess that's how the cookie crumbles. Sorry, couldn't resist... 8/15/08: -- Farewell (but not goodbye): Ah, CBT, I still remember the cutie sitting behind me in Mr. Markham's 7th grade English class. Then a chance meeting at Mohawk Mountain (with my cousin Elton, err, Ethan). Then Fudrucker's. The rest, as they say, is history. As a dance partner you're 1 in 100,000. As a friend, 1 in a billion. As a human being, 1 in a trillion. Best of luck to you and the fam with your adventures abroad and down under, we'll all be expecting frequent updates in our inboxes! Love Always, Chester. 8/14/08: -- If you're like me you were thinking that everyone who raved about Heath Ledger's Joker role in The Dark Knight was merely doing so out of respect for him, due of course to his untimely demise. But then you actually saw the film. I'm seriously thinking the greatest villain role in any film, any era. He was just that good. -- Slate on why a world record seems to crumble every five minutes these days. Doesn't seem so remarkable after all... -- Was watching one of NBC's 11,447 stories about Michael Phelps, who seems to break a world record every time he dons his LZR Racer Suit. Why don't they save us all a lot of time -- just throw a handful of gold medals into the pool and have him dive down to fetch them? But I digress... So anyway, the story focused on a "day in the life", and so I was particularly interested to learn what he eats. Rice cakes? Pasta? Leafy green veggies? Lean fish and turkey? Hell no - dude crams an estimated 7,000 calories of total garbage down his throat each day. Sugar Smacks cereal. Salty, fatty Chinese food. Greasy burgers. Anything he can get his hands on. And yet he's built like Adonis and outperforms everyone else in the sport. Not fair... 8/12/08: -- Three idyllic beach days in RI last weekend gave us the perfect little warmup to BI 2008, which will be here in two shakes of a lamb's tail. Let me tell you how warped my outlook on life is: I'm already depressed about the fact that this vacation - which hasn't started yet - will have to end. 8/11/08: -- Were you as awestruck by those Olympic opening ceremony fireworks as I was? Well guess what - some of it was fake. Laaaaaaame... -- Dubya enjoying the view at the Olympics. Perv. 8/7/08: -- Good. Freaking. Show. So when we saw Jack Johnson play in New York a few years ago we were close enough to the stage to read the letters on his t-shirt. Last night no such luck, Jack was a tiny sandaled speck a hundred miles away. But no matter, the show was terrific. Old stuff. New stuff. Instrumentals. Tidbits of Hendricks, Marley & others sprinkled here and there. At one point the bassist (Merlo Podlewski) even broke into a rap diddy that was damn respectable. Didn't get in 'til 4AM, but it was worth every yawn. 8/6/08: -- CO residents: lock up your dogs! -- Tickets to see Jack Johnson tonight somewhere in MA. It's an outdoor venue, can anyone lend us an umbrella? 8/4/08: -- London Bananas might be my new favorite blog. Please resist the urge to email me puns involving words/phrases such as "a-peel" and the like. -- Buzzfeed has an update on the Montauk Monster with a likely explanation (though I still like my mother's theory of a sea turtle). -- Morgan Freeman seriously hurt in car accident. -- September in August - Early August and summer still has a lot of legs left, of course. But the past two mornings have had that post Labor Day dewey feel to them, that all too short you'll need a sweatshirt before 8:30AM but by lunchtime you'll be on the beach feeling. That Block Island feeling. Won't be long now... 8/2/08: -- Been seeing the Montauk Monster all over the internet. Is this thing for real? Seems a bit too X-Files-esque... 8/1/08: -- So the dudes who brought us the exquisite Six Feet Under are coming out with a new series next month. Will it be worth a damn (or should I say damned)? 7/31/08: -- Having downloaded the excellent PhoneSaber app to my iPhone, I got to wondering which of the Seven Forms of Lightsaber Combat I would employ were I a true jedi. My commitment to all things old-school have me leaning towards Form II (a la Count Dooku), but in practical day-to-day fighting this might prove impractical - a determined Sith Lord would chop me to bits... -- Suffice to say that breakfast takes a long time. Sneaking a veritable cornucopia of tablets and powders into Aidan's system while he picks at his waffles and watches Sesame Street (scroll down to 5/23 post below) is never a fun process, but he doesn't seem to mind it so much anymore. Much of this stuff tastes horrible, but we've become very skilled at hiding it in yogurt or applesauce. I'm on the fence as to whether or not any of this is actually helping - from a behavorial standpoint not much has changed. Or maybe I just don't notice it because I see him every day. One thing we have noticed: his breath has improved. No, seriously - for most of his life Aidan's breath has been just plain foul. Not in a standard morning breath kind of way, but like a possum crawled into his belly and died. No longer. And I suppose that's something... 7/30/08: -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer! Looks sufficiently scary. 7/29/08: -- Feeling sheepish? Test your reflexes. I'm a lowly bobbing bobcat... -- So whatever promotional thing was going on that convinced me to sign up for HBO, Starz, and about a zillion other TV stations that we rarely watch has evidently ended - the monthly Charter bill has shot up to around $45,983. But everytime I pick up the phone to call and demand that they "downgrade" our account, I see an HBO commercial reminding me that new episodes of Entourage are finally coming this September. What to do, what to do? -- Man shoots his lawnmower. No, seriously... -- Ring toss. Spray water gun into clown's mouth. Pop balloons with darts. Here's a guide to winning those stupid games at the carnival. 7/28/08: -- Talk about vintage, a pair of Levi jeans from 1890 are for sale on eBay. Current price: $7300 and climbing (thanks Kottke). Do you think they'd make my butt look big? -- Discovered a great new photo blog, The Big Picture. Simple layout, jaw-dropping photographs. Bookmark it at once! -- Yum : id Software's mastermind John Carmack talks about the future of iPhone gaming, which, if his company has anything to do with it, looks very bright indeed! 7/25/08: -- Check out some of the lame names proposed for the new Oklahoma City NBA franchise. -- For years I thought I wanted to die and come back as surfer/model/daredevil Laird Hamilton. Strapping, rich, married to Gabrielle Reece, lives in Hawaii by the ocean, married to Gabrielle Reece... oh wait, I already said that. But anyway, I stumbled across an old interview with Hamilton by Men's Journal. Turns out he's something of an a**hole. Sorry, Laird, I take it back. I like me better. 7/24/08: -- An oldie but goodie from the hate the band, love the song department... -- NPR had a great interview with the baby (now 17 years old!) who appeared underwater, naked as a jaybird, on the cover of Nirvana's legendary 1991 album Nevermind. From the interview: "Quite a few people in the world have seen my penis, so that's kinda cool." 7/23/08: -- Where the hell is Matt? Absolutely terrific. I would love to have a passport like this guy has. In fact I'd love to have a passport at all... -- Report: the adult film industry is being hit, ummm, hard by the recession. Wait, I'd better rephrase that: the recession has been very hard on the adult movie industry... ah nevermind. -- They've been overhauling pretty much every branch of Dunks in the area recently - bright, welcoming lights, fresh coats of paint, sparkly new cash registers and fancy new mugs, bags and doodads for sale by the checkout area. I couldn't care less about these details, it's the quality of the brew and the speediness of the order that make me happy. But I gotta say, the door handles of the new Dunks by Brookfield "Four Corners" (pictured here) are damn impressive in a Willy Wonka sorta way. -- Comiccon starts tomorrow in San Diego, with most of the BSG cast in attendance. What I would give... 7/22/08: -- Wired: Is this $11,000 gadget the answer to Starbuck's woes? 7/21/08: -- Say goodbye to your computer's mouse... -- Spent the intolerably hot weekend imposing upon the generosity of family members who have swimming pools. Saturday it was Grandma Gammy's and yesterday was Father (Grandpa Gumpy)'s, which had the added bonus of a still-ripe rasberry bush nearby. The boys spent a good half hour picking and munching right off the vine. Jake would still be there now had we not dragged him away, kicking and screaming. The only damper on the scene was a potentially dangerous bee attack. A fissure in my dad's deck has long been home to a nest of bees, which for years have allowed us to use the pool so long as we didn't bother them. But I shoulda known the lil buggers were in an aggressive mood when one of them stung me on the shoulder early on for no apparent reason. A while later Jakey strayed too close and they swarmed him en masse - a confused and horrified look spread across his face as they buzzed all around, and there were a couple of them crawling around on his hands. I was able to quickly seize him by the waist and pitch him into the water, but not before they got in a good sting on his thumb. I normally hate committing nest genocide, as these insects are only doing what they've been programmed to do. But since they've thrown down the gauntlet, it may be time to break out the Raid. 7/17/08: -- I don't know exactly when J Crew jumped the shark. For years they were one of those naughty indulgences that yes, doggonnit, two or three times a year I'd treat myself to. Pricey, yes, but sometimes doable. Well those days are over. Taking a page from Banana Republic with their $65 cargo shorts and $90 jeans, they've officially priced themselves out of my league. And don't get me going on the catalogs. They used to feature earthily attractive - but not impossibly beautiful - people playing frisbee or making merry. They now teem with 78lb starving models made out of balsa wood wearing perpetually pissed-off facial expressions. So long, Crew, I'll be across the way at Old Navy. -- What's with all of the recent superhero movies being, well, super? The stellar reviews for Dark Knight are already piling up, rumor has it the late great Heath Ledger steals the show, cackling maniacally along the way. 7/16/08: -- Meester son of a beetch... Let's play some cards. My favorite John Malkovich scene. -- Wired has a collection of nuclear blasts and releated photos, fascinating and horrifying at the same time. 7/14/08: -- Whooda thunk a musty old barn where they pack people in butthole-to-bellybutton (see 7/11 post) could produce such a terrific showing of Cabaret. Every seat at every table was taken, which suited us just fine because we had brought enough food to feed an army - the friendly folks sharing our table were happy to partake in our surplus of hummous and wine. The barn is cozy enough to allow the audience to see beads of sweat on the brows of the actors, or even grab onto the errant garter belt if one were so inclined... Overall a first-rate production that had everyone on their feet -- a reminder that we don't need to drop a fortune dragging ourselves to NYC for great theater. 7/11/08: -- Taking in a presentation of Cabaret tonight at the Ridgefield Theater Barn. It's been getting great reviews, and supposedly it's for Mature audiences only. Bring on the naughtiness! And Nanclyn - THANKS for the tix! -- Well I won't be lining up with the droves of other geeks to get an iPhone 3G today, but I will however be downloading the latest software update to my existing iPhone - this will open up access to a host of nifty new programs at the App Store. Huge time-wasting potential here, can hardly wait! 7/10/08: -- Slate has a hilarious video discussing why Predator (one of my all-time fav Sci-Fi/Adventure flicks) is arguably the most important political film of our time. Get to da choppa! -- Spineless: Senate has approved a bill granting retroactive immunity to phone companies that helped Dubya break the law. And yes, everyone's newest buddy Barack voted in favor of it. So much for Change We Can Believe In. 7/9/08: -- First iPhone 3G reviews are in, here's a roundup. -- Myth debunked: roaches wouldn't actually survive a nuclear holocaust. 7/8/08: -- How to fall asleep properly: I know, I know, sleep experts say watching TV in bed wrecks your sleep-o-rhythm cycles or something like that. But we recently spent the night at some friends' house and I had the most divine falling asleep experience in recent memory: the house was completely silent - our hosts, mom, and all 759 kids were asleep upstairs. I was on the comfiest sofa in existence with just a light sheet. Cool summer nighttime breezes whispered in through wide open windows. Drowsily surfing the channels I stumbled upon a Star Wars marathon on Spike. Dozed off - an elderly Ben Kenobi allows Darth to strike him down... Dozed off - Luke on a Tauntaun... Dozed off - Chewy, stop choking Lando. Still time to save Han... ok, time to hit the power button. Gentle summer darkness, crickets and critters singing softly outside... bliss. 7/7/08: -- Report: $1M is not going to be enough to retire on. Guess I'll be working 'til I keel over on the job one day... -- First wave ride of the season took place at Green Hill Beach in RI. It was a short little stubby wave, and the water was still at bit bracing (it IS early summer afterall). But it felt damn good. -- Fun stuff - with Aidan fidgeting around and kicking me in the crotch every few seconds I missed most of them, but apparently Wall-E is awash with Apple/Pixar Easter Eggs (Easter Eggs = little hidden images or references to other movies/products/people, etc). 7/3/08: -- Off to RI to take in some 'works, have fun everybody! Here are some tips for properly photographing fireworks. 7/2/08: -- Bye Bye Blue: It's not that I don't believe in the product, I truly believe Blue Buffalo is the best dog food available. But 1) it is way too expensive and 2) Honey craps like a 350lb man who spent the previous two nights binging on pizza, prunes and beer. Seriously, like 4-6 times a day, prolific dumps. I've been around a lot of dogs and never seen anything like it. 7/1/08: -- Second thoughts? Of course I've been planning to line up with the rest of the sheep on 7/11 for an iPhone 3G. But upon closer inspection, 3G coverage in Connecticut is sucky at best. I certainly wouldn't be in 3G range at home or the office. Wavering... 6/30/08: -- Hell freaking yeah - first Quantum of Solace trailer. -- Ha! And people wonder why I seldom shave... -- Odd. Why are so many recent presidents left-handed? And both McCain and Obama are lefties. I call conspiracy! 6/27/08: -- Took Aidan to see -- Wall-E, which opened this morning. I was filled with apprehension, as our previous attempt at a movie in the theater ended in frustration. My boy just doesn't like to sit still. But with a bit of coaxing, plenty of popcorn and one potty break we actually made it through the whole thing. The movie? Terrific! Not in the same class as Disney's Big Three (Mermaid, Beast & Aladdin)... but a worthwhile treat nonetheless. Slate is right on the money with its review here. 6/26/08: -- Great pass. 6/25/08: -- Well it started off as a perfectly enjoyable birthday. Lots of well-wishes, some quality loot, dinner at my favorite restaurant... but when we got home things took a foul turn. Honey was having major, ummmm, gastrointestinal issues - foul black stuff was flowing freely and uncontrollably from her innards, and eventually it turned to all blood. In a panic Maria took her to the doggy ER (for a hefty sum), while I wiped... and scrubbed... and disinfected... Fortunately Honey seems to have recovered completely, the vet is calling it colitis caused by stress (likely due to her recent spay). 6/23/08: -- Gotta hand it to McCain, I really like his idea: $300 million to anyone who invents a fully electric car that actually works. What better way to motivate innovation than cold, hard cash? -- Noted Chicago Sun-Times columnist and Mac zealot Andy Ihnatko reviews Firefox 3. From the article: "Firefox 3.0 should be your default browser, starting right now..." -- With the big four-oh lurking just around the bend, I generally dread birthdays at this stage of the game. But this time around there is cause for major celebration. You see, for the past year I've labored under the delusion that I would be turning 38 today. But two days ago I did the math and this is not correct! 2008 minus 1971 = 37... right? Right? No idea how this got screwed up inside my little pea-brain, but I cannot begin to tell you the amount of joy one can derive from discovering an extra bonus year has been added to his or her life. Hey I never claimed to be a mathematician... So anyway - happy birthday to me :) 6/20/08: -- Honey is at this very moment "under the knife" getting her spay :( -- My thanks to you, Mr. Staples delivery person wearing the crooked baseball cap, for bumpin' old-school Big Daddy Kane's Warm it Up Kane in your truck as you pulled up with our order. On a morning where I needed a pick-me-up, you brought me somewhere... -- Why iPhone knock-offs just don't cut it... 6/19/08: -- Way to go C's! Although this NBA season was so great (scandals aside) that the Finals didn't even matter much to me. It just seems that the league was rejuvinated in some way this year. We had youngsters like Chris Paul emerging as legitimate superstars, LBJ continuing on his steady and inevitable path to a Jordan-like career, the damn Spurs finally getting booted from the playoffs... it was just a very entertaining season overall. It seemed like every game I turned on - even if it was a battle of cellar-dwellers like Charlotte versus, I don't know, Milwaukee - every game was an entertaining nail-biter. This season gave a much-needed kick in the pants to the league, and it was refreshing to watch - capped by Kevin Garnett getting his long-overdue ring and embracing Celtics legend Bill Russell saying "I hope we made you proud." Come on, you couldn't write a better ending than that. 6/17/08: -- Ladies and gentlemen, start your downloads... Firefox 3 is officially ready. -- Everything you need to know about the new iPhone 3G... -- Wired has posted its top 10 photos of summer submitted by readers, some terrific shots. -- Victory for the White House: a judge has ordered that they will not be required to hand over information about millions of incriminating emails. Surprise, surprise! 6/16/08: -- I absolutely positively cannot believe how the mid-season finale of BSG entitled Revelations ended last Friday. And I further cannot believe that there will be no new episodes until 2009! FRACK!!!!! -- Ok so this photo is a "stock" photo from a few years ago, we weren't actually on the beach yesterday. But we did spend a nice afternoon Chez Father for some burgers and pool time. Thanks for hosting, father, and hey - Happy Pops Day! 6/13/08: -- Well I'll be damned, Incredible Hulk is getting some very nice reviews... -- Overall I'm still quite pleased with it, but I've discovered two more marks against the new Audi (see 6/9 post below) - one of which would've been a deal-breaker had I noticed it initially: 1) Sluggish pickup. For a such a big and powerful (and thirsty!) V6 engine, I need to get a good head of steam before heading up hills. Googled around and saw a few other people had similar gripes about this model, and it is most likely due to the car's considerable weight. It also seems reluctant to downshift when you really need it to. 2) Subpar cupholders! They're too small for any of my roadies! I've resorted to keeping an old sneaker on the passenger-side floor to hold my coffee upright while I commute. So, can you guess which one of these would've been the deal-breaker? 6/11/08: -- BBC Report: $23 billion may have been lost, stolen or just not properly accounted for in Iraq. 6/10/08: -- Jack Johnson wins California Green Award... -- An Ohio Democratic lawmaker has presented articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush to Congress. Why bother at this point? Dubya and his cronies have avoided any sort of accountability for this long, what makes this guy think anything will happen this time around? -- Sir David Attenborough and his gorillas, I could watch this stuff all day... -- Wired: Gas prices have officially killed the SUV. -- So the question on everyone's mind (or at least mine), is what is going to happen to the millions upon millions of 1st generation iPhones when the 3G model is released next month for its astonishingly low price? Anyone wanna buy mine cheeeeeeap? I'll throw in a candy bar for good measure... 6/9/08: -- Announced today at the Worldwide Developers Conference: the nextgen iPhone, featuring GPS, 3G data speeds and a host of other goodies **drool** -- Ain't too proud to scavenge: Was running at NMHS recently and spotted a pair of filthy but functional-looking New Balance 382's in a heap on the side of the track. Low and behold they were my size, so why not? Scooped 'em up and threw 'em in the wash. It's evident that the previous owner has taken them around that track a few hundred times, but for a backup pair of kicks they'll do just fine. And hey, ya can't beat the price... -- So where was I? Oh yes, back on May 29 (below) I had mentioned that my Cabriolet was flaking out. But as it turns out it was a simple hose clamp that I was able to do myself (and you KNOW it was a simple fix if I was able to do it...). But I've been sneakily keeping my eyes peeled for a possible Plan B for a few months now. Let's face it, the ol' girl is fast approaching 200K miles, she's no spring chicken. And more and more we're seeing a need for a legitimate second car for safely transporting the boys. The VW's primary job has been to get me to and from work, for which it has been stellar. But I've never really felt safe driving it with the boys in the back. So there it was on the side of the road - a 1993 Audi 100CS wagon. Under 60K miles. Clean. Heavy. Safe. $3000, not bad at all for a car with that kind of mileage. The marks against it: ABS busted (but regular braking is fine). Bad sunroof (stuck closed, thankfully, and does not leak). Could probably use a coat of paint. But who cares? Had a mechanic check it out and he gave the thumbs up. Fingers are crossed, but so far so good. I would ABS-olutely (sorry, couldn't resist) like to get the ABS fixed before next fall, but I'm told it's a very expensive job. Rather than going to the Audi Stealership it would be great to find "a guy" that works on Audis in his spare time - if you know anyone, hit me up with an email! 6/5/08: -- A nifty collection of Apple Vanity plates. Where do I get one ???!! -- Wife, Grandma and Bro-in-Law were in D.C. yesterday for the "Green Our Vaccines" rally, hosted by Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey. The general theme is not that vaccines are a terrible thing (though I'm on the fence about that one), but that we're bombarding our kids with way too many, way too soon, at a time when their little bodies aren't prepared to handle it. What's also alarming is the fact that the number of vaccination shots given to kids has tripled since the 80's. Big Pharma makes billions each year off of vaccines, but they seem to have gone too far - at the cost of an entire generation of kids. 6/3/08: -- Tears? Of course there were some. But there were lots of laughs, too. And that's why yesterday's informal ceremony for Mike was so great. Stories, photos, songs... Grief if normal, necessary and healthy - but laughing and smiling can take some of the sting away. 6/2/08: -- Michael Patrick Leo (1/28/1952 - 6/1/2008): Uncle Mike, we'll never forget you. 5/29/08: -- The new Dr. Who they squeeze in before Battlestar Galactica is starting to grow on me. I mean, it's nothing like the Tom Baker days, but it's strangely likeable. -- My car has been behaving for the most part, but tonight my luck seems to have run out - fuel leak of some sort. If this turns out to be a big job, it could be the swan song for my beloved Cabriolet... So, anyone selling a car? 5/29/08: -- Dubya continues to compare the Iraq War to WWII. What a dangerous, deluded man. 5/28/08: -- So why aren't we hootin' and hollerin' about the pasage of Substitute House Bill No. 5696? This bill "requires health insurance policies delivered, issued, renewed, amended, or continued in the state on or after January 1, 2009, to cover physical, speech, and Occupational Therapy provided to treat autism spectrum disorders if the policies cover these services for other diseases and conditions". Wow that's a mouthful. For Aidan the first thing that comes to mind is that we can start getting him some Occupational Therapy outside of the paltry 1 hour/week he gets at school. But why aren't we cheering? I guess I'm still skeptical, because I'm sure HealthNet will find a way to weasel out of this... because the bill doesn't appear to kick in until 2009 (unless I'm reading that wrong)... because bills like this seem to get introduced/approved all the time, yet nothing good ever comes of them. Let's hope I'm wrong this time. Whatever the case, I spammed the following state reps and senators to thank them for their contributions: Representative Jim Amann: jim.amann@cga.ct.gov Representative Catherine Abercrombie: catherine.asbercrombie@cga.ct.gov Representative Chris Donovan: christopher.donovan@cga.ct.gov Representative Denise Merrill: denise.merrill@cga.ct.gov Senator Joseph Crisco: Crisco@senatedems.ct.gov 5/27/08: -- I watched the numbers flying by, blurred by the speed. Nowadays I challenge anyone to be able to stop exactly on a round number at the pump, say $30.00 on the button (remember that AMEX commercial with Jerry Seinfeld, "classic over-squeeze?"). Or try $70.00. Yep, that's what it cost to fill up the Pilot on Saturday. And that's Regular Unleaded, not high octane. Actually $70.09 due to my over-squeeze. Good God. What used to trouble me most about taking a lot of trips were the mileage and tire-wear, especially since we need this vehicle to last us for many years to come. But I think it's safe to say gas prices are a legitimate reason for panic... 5/23/08: -- Transformers has been on Cinemax a lot this past month, so I finally got around to watching it in its entirety (though I was always more of a GI Joe guy back in the day). Aside from the obvious benefits of watching any Megan Fox movie, I have to say it was a pretty fun ride. Absolutely sick special effects. And I'm looking into having my voice surgically altered to resemble that of Optimus Prime. -- If I could do it again, I'd be a DAN Charlatan. Ok maybe that was a bit harsh. I won't judge 'til we've fully given this a chance. A few weeks ago we plunked down $1500 for a consultation with a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor in Wilton. Lots and lots of questions about the pregnancy, Aidan's diet, our health, etc. Blood, poop and pee samples taken for analysis. It pretty much boils down to the biomedical connection we hear so much about in the news today. Aidan is now on a reduced-carb, high protein regime. We also dump a variety of chalky powders and bitter pills down his throat every morning with the intent of killing the yeast in his stomach. And all of this combined should lead to... something. How exactly will we know all of this is helping at all? What exactly constitutes "success"? Will our boy spring out of bed one morning and proclaim: "I feel great!" Or maybe he'll start reciting Shakespeare's sonnets. Ok there I go again, I promised not to judge... yet. 5/22/08: -- And since we're on the subject (below), CNN has 6 easy ways to save gas. -- Rich oil execs get their feet held to the fire by US Senators. Not that a damn thing will change, but it's still nice to hear that they squirmed a bit. 5/20/08: -- Happy birthday (officially) Kate! -- Looking for a Wii? You'll still have a hard time, 1 1/2 years later! Unheard of... 5/19/08: -- Slate: $4 per gallon gas is actually pretty cheap, so quit complaining... -- "Light is light." One of my favorite Northern Exposure moments. -- Double whammy birthday extravaganza: There are about 1,000 family members with May birthdays (and one brand spanking new one, congrats Nina!). But this time around it's all about the big six-oh and the big four-oh. Sister and Father, we all love you very much - happy birthdays! 5/15/08: -- My Pops turns the big Six-Oh today! Father, hope you had a great day, brace yourself cuz we're bringing your rowdy grandsons up on Sunday to celebrate with gusto ! 5/13/08: -- To celebrate Mom's Day properly my wife took a much-deserved weekend break with Grandma out at Mohegan Sun, gambling and dining and shopping to their hearts' content. Rumor has it they're already planning a return visit same time next year. Me? I explored the depths of human endurance chasing both boys and dog around on Saturday and Sunday. But I had some terrific help from Mother and Kate, and all told I genuinely enjoyed a weekend with mah boys. No, seriously. 5/11/08: -- "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." - Abraham Lincoln 5/9/08: -- Say cheese! And pray that you don't get photobombed... 5/7/08: -- Bees are still dying at an alarming rate. Can't help but think that climate change is a factor here, in addition to the reasons mentioned in the article. This doesn't bode well for the price of comb honey, one of my all-time favorite treats. -- The NYT has some interesting insight into Yahoo's refusal to merge with MS... -- The Lyrebird is my new favorite animal, here's why. Respect the chainsaw... -- Kudos to Aunt Kate for enduring the screams and the protests and the flailing arms and giving the boys some terrific (and much needed!) haircuts. Click here for the final results... 5/5/08: -- Clarification for the hip-impaired: The term "jump the shark" (see May 2 post below) refers to the point at which a good tv show goes bad. The term originated with the Fonz jumping over a killer shark while waterskiing - remember Happy Days? Things went downhill from there. Some other examples: Scooby Doo jumped the shark when Scrappy showed up... Frasier jumped the shark when Niles and Daphne married (though I'll defend that show 'til my dyin' day). Lost jumped the shark when the writers announced there would be another three years of nonsensical episodes and flashbacks until we find out what the hell's going on... There is a website with zillions of these, though I would argue that the website itself jumped the shark when it changed to its current user-unfriendly layout with banner ads all over the place. But I digress... So where was I? Oh yes - I like to use the term to describe other things, such as actors (again, see May 2 post below - Ashton Kutcher jumped the shark shortly after that genius scene from Dude Where's My Car?, kibitzing around with Demi Moore and appearing in a string of bad films). Killington Ski Resort jumped the shark by closing early this year. You get the idea. 5/2/08: -- Dude! Sweet! God I love that scene. Before Ashton jumped the shark he showed so much promise... -- Initial reviews of Iron Man: Darn good, and not just for the gee whiz special effects (though I'm sure they are eye-boggling). Reviews here and here. Between this, Indy Jones 4 and Hancock, it looks like my entire tax refund will be squandered at Loews Theatres... 5/1/08: -- Free WiFi for iPhone users at S'Bucks and Barnes & Noble... sweet ! 4/30/08: -- The Bushies blame the missing emails on Microsoft. And though they face a few lawsuits, they will continue to drag their feet until W. has left the White House and a lot of IT staff are replaced. The net net: most of the emails will never be recovered. Anyone else surprised by this? Outraged? This, combined with the fact that key figures (Rove, Cheney, et al) sneakily used outside accounts for email correspondence is so blatantly against the law... and nothing will come of it. How are they pulling this off? -- Reason #12,394 why I rule: my phone call was featured in the most recent Galactica Watercooler podcast. My message was mentioned around the 1 hour 25 minute mark, I did an excellent rendition of Jabba the Hut's evil cackle. As if I could get any cooler... -- Dooce's book hits the shelves today, I'm sure it'll sell like hotcakes. But just how fast do hotcakes sell, anyhow? -- Rented a behmoth of a vehicle, a 2008 Nissan Armada (I know, I know, not exactly the greenest thing we could've done) and sped up north to VT for few days with family. The vehicle was jam-packed to the hilt with people, kids, bags and dogs - almost comically so. It's a looooonng haul up there, but it was so refreshing to let the young-uns and the doggies romp to their hearts content in that incredible back yard. There is something theraputic about NOT yelling "Stop! Put that down! Come back! Don't eat that!" every 6 seconds. 4/25/08: -- SoCal surfer fatally chomped by shark... -- Disturbing factoid of the day: the U.S. has less than 5 percent of the world's population, but has almost 1/4 of the world's prisoners. One out of every 100 American adults is presently behind bars. -- Dubya: The check's in the mail. And it WILL fix everything. -- Slate on why Obama should drop out. Yes, Obama. The article is a goof, right? Or is it? It sort of makes sense in a twisted way ... 4/24/08: -- Top ten jams of the 07-08 NBA season. My favs are #10 and #4, Josh Howard and Stromile Swift, respectively. Absolutely filthy. -- Filming of the new Bond flick, scheduled for a November release, has been plagued with two disasters: first Bond's Aston Martin plunged into a lake, and now a stuntman was seriously hurt in a crash. Here's hoping that A) everyone is alright, and B) these setbacks won't delay the release! 4/23/08: -- Funny thing happened last night and this morning: I climbed into bed around 11PM and gradually drifted off into a nice sleep. Then, seven hours later, my eyes opened again. I sat up out of bed feeling refreshed and energetic. For the first time in about 1,145 years there had been unbroken slumber straight through -- no whining kids... no dogs needing to go out... no cats jockeying for the softest spot on the bed... Think I could get used to this. 4/22/08: -- Stupid Human Tricks, Part V: For his next stunt that no one will care about, David Blaine will hold his breath for a really long time. On Oprah. -- Not much time for blogging so far this week, but we did take Aidan to see a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor, more on that later... 4/18/08: -- 115 and going strong! God bless 'er. -- BSG Tonight! BSG Tonight! BSG Tonight! They're actually streaming the episode at this very moment on the Sci-fi site, and it's taking a Herculean effort to not log on right now... 4/17/08: -- In case you're wondering what my new favorite font is, it's Calibri. Just in case you're wondering. -- Make them pay: Autism Insurance Bill Introduced in Connecticut State Legislature, and it's about time. This bargain basement, school-provided 1 hour per week of OT Aidan receives ain't cuttin' it... 4/16/08: -- I've discovered a new browser of choice - Flock. Certainly worth a try if you're so inclined. Haven't dumped Firefox from my dock just yet, but time will tell... -- Interesting read on Wired - why the Titanic really sank. 4/15/08: -- The sheer beauty of these setups brings a tear to my eye... 4/12/08: -- Ahhh, to be young. Cousin Blaine just got back from a 3 week jaunt in S. Africa choc full o' safari'ing, bungie jumping, hiking, site-seeing, wine tasting, shark cage diving, fine dining, cliff diving, drinking, shagging, and general adventuring. Ahhh, to be young... 4/10/08: -- Historians weigh in on W. Worst of all time? You bet. -- Guys, go easy on the eggs... 4/9/08: -- Aidan had his first session with Pegasus Theraputic Riding yesterday! I'm told that he and Trixie got along swimingly and he really enjoyed the class. I just can't believe he agreed to keep that helmet on! 4/8/08: -- Starbucks has a new coffee brewing strategy: stop burning it. -- 4 reasons to get your parents using Leopard today! -- Dismayed to learn that Killington will be shutting down its lifts on 4/20 this year, which is exactly one week ahead of when we'll be in Vermont. That makes two, maybe three years in a row without carving a single turn. I've been pestering their office for an explanation, and today received an email stating "We are scheduled to close on April 20 in large part because we have a lot of work to do to upgrade the mountain and fix problems that have been ignored for a long time." Whatever. For years my late April/early May pilgrimage to the "Killing Fields" as I like to call them was my official welcoming of Spring - blue skies, sunblock, outdoor barby, live reggae, t-shirts and shorts, enormous crud moguls... gawd I miss it. You could spend half the day bashing bumps and the other half slurping cold brew and working on your base tan. But it looks like it'll have to wait yet another year. If I had half a brain I'd ditch this thing altogether. Skiiing is, after all, a rich man's sport. But the mere thought of it makes my pastey skin crawl. So let's consider this an extended leave of absence... -- Season 4 Premier: Most of the time it's all about the build-up. Kind of like the prom. What was the best part? Thinking about it! Getting ready! Rarely does the actual event live up to its billing. Unless of course that event is last Friday's Season 4 premier of BSG, which more than delivered the goods. Holy frak! 4/4/08: -- Aside from wanting to look like LL Cool J, here is a nice list of reasons to hit the gym that have nothing to do with the mirror. -- Casting Call: normal looking people need not apply (inbred freaks preferred). -- Can tonight really be the season 4 premier of Battlestar Galactica? Is the wait really over? Wired has a great writeup, along with some not-so-spoilish spoilers. Nothing short of the house burning down could keep me from it tonight. Scratch that - if the house burnt down I'd watch it someplace else. Babe, will you do me a favor and make sure the kids make it out ok? -- The official results from Aidan's sleep study: a mild bit of Sleep Apnea. Basically his breathing is flakey during the night, and this causes him to wake up. A lot. And while there were zero traces of seizure activity, they do believe that his brain is perfectly capable of telling his body to WAKE UP if anything is wrong. And this is beautiful, given all of the recent dup15 sudden deaths that have taken place during the night. It was also determined that he is far-sighted, which explains why he's always positioning himself 3 inches from the TV. Some big dorky prism glasses should do the trick, if he'll agree to keep them on. 4/3/08: -- Slate on the alleged King Kong-ness of this month's Vogue cover. 4/2/08: -- What can I say? My boy's a hero. And just last year he had to rescue some old dude who was almost killed after becoming pinned under a golf cart. I was telling him that people will get suspicious if catastrophes keep following him around (in the same way that murders always seemed to follow Angela Lansbury around in Murder She Wrote. Come to think of it, why was she never a suspect?)... But seriously - props, Sarge. The world is a better place because you're in it. 3/31/08: -- The prez receives a less-than-stellar welcome as he throws out the first pitch at a recent ballgame. Beautiful. Almost have to wonder why he would even agree to these types of public appearances these days. To his credit he does throw a halfway decent fastball for a guy his age... 3/29/08: -- I'm officially creeped out. Give it a minute to load, then move your mouse around. Creepsville. 3/27/08: -- A miniature birthday celebration for Jakey last night, ice cream cake and coffee is always appreciated. With a little help from mama, the little guy was able to extinguish his own candles. Healthy set of pipes on that boy! 3/26/08: -- Mr. Potato Head... MR. POTATO HEAD! Backdoors are NOT secrets (around the 2:11 mark, an absolute classic geek insult from an absolute classic geek film). -- Happy Birthday Nakey Jakey! 3/25/08: -- I've made no secret of my disdain for Windows Vista, largely on account of it sucking so bad. But like it or not, it's here to stay and the life-cycle of XP is drawing to a close... 3/24/08: -- Easter Sunday seems as good a day as any to hit the big 4K mark. Well done, Dubya ! At least our objective has been accomplished, now that we've -- Is it just me or are Easter baskets getting bigger every year? 3/22/08: -- Back is back: Eva Mendes to become the new face (and hips, boobs, butt, legs, etc.) of CK. Spare us from the starving 84 lb. models, bring on the curves! 3/21/08: -- Travel light, travel right. 36 tips ... -- Guess my luck was bound to run out sooner or later, I'm being summoned to do jury duty in early May... @*#$&#! 3/19/08: -- Don't worry, our son has not been assimilated into the Borg Collective. At least not yet. Last night Aidan underwent a sleep test at Norwalk Hospital. Results are forthcoming, but we're really hoping this test will shed some light on his sleep issues. Neither myself nor my wife have slept through the night in four years, it's starting to take its toll on us, ya know? I thought it would've taken a miracle for him to allow all of those wires and gadgets and doohickeys on his body, but my wife brilliantly convinced him that they were simply dressing him up as a robot. Well played, darling ! 3/17/08: -- What your pooo says about yooou. From the article: "The ideal poo is a pillowy soft, singular bolus of stool that exits the body with minimal effort..." The bottom line (har!) is that what you leave behind may be telling you a lot about your health. 3/15/08: -- Final 'Potter' book will be divided into two films. I'm actually happy about this. My biggest beef with the films so far is that they sprint along trying to squeeze in as much plot as possible, leaving little time for the fluff that makes the characters so likeable. -- Airbroke - Ouch. Airborne (ya know, that herbal drink that everyone - including yours truly - swears by) was recently hit with a massive $23.3 million lawsuit for false advertising. Turns out there's no credible evidence that Airborne can prevent illness or protect us from catching colds afterall. Well of course it can't. But here's the deal, and here's why I love it: Like so many other things, it's mind over matter. If you believe it's going to help you, it might. I'm no nutritionist, but as far as I can tell swilling Airborne is the equivalent of downing a multivitamin dissolved in a giant glass of water. This infusion of nutrients, when coupled with a "I really CANNOT afford to get sick right now" attitude, has worked wonders for me on more than one occasion... 3/14/08: -- Hardcore Windows guy gets a Mac... 3/13/08: -- Complete and total faith in Time Machine backups - dude deletes his entire iTunes library (65 gigs!) to free up drive space for a project... -- Our family portrait made it into the winter edition of The IDEAS Mirror! Click here and navigate to the Winter 2008 section (it's a PDF), it's on page 8. We're practically celebrities! -- Revelation: the actress who plays | ||