Never Cook Bacon While Naked

Barack Hussein Obama

2012-01-10T12:24:00.002-05:00

He is not everything we hoped for.

All right, a dear friend suggested that I repeat my comments on a forum that is slightly more distributable than Facebook. So, here goes.

Obama is a shit sandwich. Romney is a turd in between a bagel. All of the other Republican candidates save Paul are cyanide laced victuals. Ron Paul, Ron Paul is a peyote, LSD, PCP and cocaine sandwich on rye with an awesome sauce.

Gary Johnson is a steak sandwich, but he is only offered in four restaurants in the country.

Obama and Romney... they taste terrible, but at least the bread is good for you. Ron Paul would be a fascinating experience but we would probably all regret the next day.

Ultimately, for the general election I would prefer having Ron Paul right next to Obama. I would like the whole country to think about the trip with Paul, and stomach down Obama. Why have a choice between two shit sandwiches or a shit sandwich and poison?

Abigail Arnold

2011-09-23T20:53:00.001-04:00

Kim saved Abby from a certain death in Shacktown. Abby was loved for eight years. We had to put Abby down due to kidney failure.
When we chose where to bury Abby, we did not know that a five foot pole of steel was buried upright in that spot decades ago. I kept digging and yanking at the pole until the earth finally relented. I nearly fell over onto my backside once the pole was free, which would not have been very dignified. At that moment, emotion overcame me and I wept for the loss of my little tuxedo fuzz ball.
Abby now rests beneath perennial daisies in front of our living room window. A Finch feeder attracts birds to flit near her. I hope that is enough for her.

Abby deserved a blog post. She was a companion and friend to a good woman and her children. I wish I had more time with her.

George Bollinger

2011-06-18T21:38:00.001-04:00

He is a gracious host and a kick ass Guy. Here is a picture of him tending his grill.

Garter Snakes in the grass

2011-05-20T11:56:00.001-04:00

I tried to take a picture, but it slid away.

Sadie and Violet are making mud pies in my mother's back yard and I am mobile blogging. Kim is enjoying some well deserved alone time. Birds are singing and bees are buzzing. Life is good.

My uncle Karl died at the age of fifty one. I am driving Joshua and my mother to the wake and funeral in Illinois this coming Sunday. Life is too short to not appreciate those around you.

Kimber Arnold

2011-05-15T17:54:00.001-04:00

She makes the best Sunday Dinners ever.

Rob Lowe

2011-05-04T22:44:00.001-04:00

He isn't that pretty.

So, tonight was another Weeds night. Andy was sporting an epic beard, though nowhere near as awesome as Bryan Garvin's beard.

I would like to grow a beard like that, but I am pretty sure Kim would leave me.

Violet Rose Arnold

2011-05-03T09:10:00.002-04:00

It isn't her birthday, but she's having a hell of a time with Sadie's new toys.

Sadie was given a bat. Which means Violet has access to a bat. We all know where this is going. Damn.

Sadie Rose Arnold.

2011-05-02T09:43:00.003-04:00

It's her birthday.

Crap!!!

Well, time to post some essays. Man, blog 365 is hard to keep up. From April 28 to today, everything is back-dated.

Boo Boo the cat

2011-04-30T22:36:00.000-04:00

She's a pretty kitty.

Yeah...

I've got nothing.

Adam Levine

2011-04-29T22:32:00.000-04:00

I have a better hairline than he has.

And my jaw is stronger.

Yeah. I'm not intimidated by him at all.

Sarah Palin

2011-04-28T22:27:00.001-04:00

She is defending oil subsidies of four billion dollars as "a drop in the bucket" while advocating for NPR to be cut because it is too expensive. Four billion dollars is 1,200 times the amount of funding that NPR gets.

I call bullshit.

Mary-Louise Parker

2011-04-27T22:31:00.002-04:00

She portrays a less than thoughtful woman named Nancy Botwin on the Showtime series "Weeds". Let me just say this right now: don't ever have unprotected sex with a Mexican Kingpin. It just ends badly.

Kim and I sat on our porch for the first time this season. We listened to music, drank wine, and watched the birds flit about on the tree branches. A Raccoon trundled about on the roof of a neighbor's house. The rain made everything smell fresh.

Life is good.

This hole digger guy

2011-04-26T21:16:00.002-04:00

So, click on this sentence and read a story.

Yeah. Sometimes you just find things that explain everything quite clearly. This guy just decided to dig a hole, and he did it. Just because he could. It kind of makes me want to dig a hole. I would seal the walls, though.

Oh, and not murder animals just because I could.

Seriously, read the story.

Henry Rollins

2011-04-25T13:10:00.000-04:00

"I'm tired, I'm cold, and I'm dirty. But I'm better! Somehow..."

Kim has commented on my penchant to dismiss the easy way of doing something for a way that is more difficult, and may indeed be less efficient. I am so used to doing things this way that I don't even notice that I am doing it. It tends to drive Kim nuts.

Still, I think there is virtue in eschewing the easy way for the hard way, when it is done for the satisfaction of the doer. I am not sure how to build on that, but I am going to try to turn this into some kind of a point.

Stay tuned.

Bill Murray

2011-04-24T21:30:00.002-04:00

He was killed in a zombie movie. Speaking of Zombies...

Look, Jesus is a zombie. Embrace it. It's cool.

Mark the Evangelist

2011-04-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

Saint Mark founded the Church of Alexandria, one of the four main Sees of Christianity. He's kind of a big deal in Egypt.

Man, weekends go by quickly! Any way, these weekend posts are all retroactive. Kim and I successfully executed Easter. I am happy to report that no bunnies were murdered by my younger child during the Easter season. This is more likely than one would think. A bunny more than likely lives underneath our porch.

Videos and photos were taken. Check my Facebook and Kim's for all the domestic bliss you can choke on.

PEACE!

Be with you.

Judas Iscariot

2011-04-22T21:17:00.001-04:00

I seriously doubt he wanted things to go down the way they did.

Any way, speaking of good Friday...

Sadie calmed down. The bunnies were gifts from my Grandmother. I need to record a nicer video of them thanking her for the bunnies.

Violet Arnold

2011-04-21T19:00:00.001-04:00

She really needs to lay off the screaming and work on the talking.

So... I had an interesting day. Looks like everything is going all right. See, the weather is back on an upswing.

I am going to walk my dog, do my laundry, and go to bed. I only have first world problems today.

Mitch Albom

2011-04-20T22:03:00.002-04:00

He's a good guy.

So, I am watching "Weeds" with Kim, and to tell you the truth, Andy looks a hell of a lot like my friend Jon. Other than that, I don't really have a lot to say about today.

Meh.

Cee Lo Green

2011-04-19T22:10:00.002-04:00

He's an accomplished artist and a fantastic singer, but he's funny looking.

My goodness, the nostalgia was thick today. A photograph collection of mall goers from 1989 was placed on the internet today, and man! That was a trip down memory lane. Nik Laneski posted a commercial about Crystal Pepsi. Do you remember Crystal Pepsi?

Man, I have been alive for three decades. Lots of stuff has happened.

Max Headroom! Do you guys remember Max Headroom? I am going to indulge in commercials from the 1980s and 1990s tomorrow...

Hugh Laurie

2011-04-18T22:31:00.003-04:00

His tv show is still funny. Except for the death and illness.

It snowed today. Crap! I am less than pleased with the weather. I don't really have much to say about that.

Violet has been stripping herself naked and then urinating herself in the middle of the night. Well, that's no good. Any way, Kim and I need to fix that.

Yeah. It's snowy in April, and my youngest daughter is a nudist that has yet to be toilet trained.

Crap.

Gary Busey

2011-04-17T21:56:00.001-04:00

He is imploding on The apprentice before my eyes.

Yeah, the Sunday blog posts are not going to be awesome. I am tired. And apparently Kim and I need to go to IKEA. Great.

Good night EVERYBODY!

Kevin Bacon

2011-04-16T18:47:00.002-04:00

He's one less degree away from anybody that comments on this. The blogspot version, not the Facebook note.

So, George's birthday bash is tonight! I will be wearing my leopard bikini briefs. Pictures will be posted. Fun shall be had.

It's always fun at Casa Del Jorge.

Damien Cameron

2011-04-15T22:08:00.003-04:00

He knows how to throw a party. He does. No, seriously.

So, Kim, the children, and I hung out at the house. It was a good day, but the furnace has finally given its full measure of devotion. That's not too bad, seeing as it's April. Kim has decided to bake when she feels cold. I am totally behind this decision.

After the kids went to bed, I went out to Damien's house. Unfortunately, everyone canceled on the man except for me and Kevin. So... we stared at each other for a few minutes, and then left.

Tomorrow will be a bit more busy.

Barney and Ally Hartman

2011-04-14T17:15:00.002-04:00

They developed Mountain Dew in the 1940s.

So, I am ending my relationship with caffeine. Or rather, at least, greatly reducing it. I have only had one twenty ounce bottle of Mountain Dew today, which is a marked reduction in intake for me. Tomorrow, I will eschew any soda and only take a pep vitamin from Kim's stash. I already have a headache and my tolerance for other humans is less than what it was.

Blech. Hopefully I will reset myself soon enough, because head aches suck.

Chad Lyon

2011-04-13T14:18:00.002-04:00

"I am no where near interesting to blog about myself for 365 days straight."

So, the most interesting thing about today is a conversation about blogging. That's right folks, I am blogging about blogging. I need to do something about this. I am not sure, but something tells me that I need to fix this.

I got a bluetooth headset. I still don't know if it works or not. At least I look like that dude from "The Empire Strikes Back", though.

Yeah. That's about it. I promise to be more interesting soon.

Claudia Small

2011-04-12T10:35:00.002-04:00

She is a high school friend, and she knows her stuff.

All right, I am going to add these to my side bar, but for now they will serve the purpose of a 365 entry.

Good Girls Gone Bad Radio does not have any porn. Well, not a lot of it, any way.

DMT Computers is the place to get your electronic toys in the wondrous metropolis of Ypsilanti.

DIRT is a non-profit community action organization.

Hair care for Nubian Princesses is not the name of this business, but I like the sound of it.

Ok. Any way Claudia, if you ever get big enough to hire somebody...

Kimber Arnold

2011-04-11T21:46:00.002-04:00

I worry about her.

So, I walked Rufus again. I am so very happy that I can do that on a regular basis again. We walked down to Riverside Park. Rufus waded in to the water and took a drink. I can't begin to explain how wonderful it was to hear the water rushing and just commune with nature after the long winter.

I am so happy here.

Rufus Hergott

2011-04-10T14:12:00.001-04:00

He was so excited to go on a walk! Then he realized there was a leash involved.

It's spring and life is still good!

Jon Barron

2011-04-09T19:11:00.001-04:00

He's sitting beside me. Ben Dubuque is going to buy Maggie a case of pedia-sure. Life is good.

Jeph Jacques

2011-04-08T09:14:00.001-04:00

He writes "Questionable Content", a web comic. It is his only job.

Ok, what did I do on Friday? Um... Sadie and I picked up a copy of "Tangled" at Blockbuster video. I think the saleswoman took pity on me, for she gave me a deal on the candy that Sadie wanted. Apparently looking absolutely pitiful while on cold medicine with a three year old will elicit sympathy from people whose company is in bankruptcy.

Sadie and I took a walk where we were accosted by a group of four basset hounds. I will see if I can upload the video later.

Mandy Moore

2011-04-07T09:09:00.000-04:00

She plays Rapunzel in Disney's 50th animated film, "Tangled".

I was attacked by a cold virus. As such, my blogging took a hit. So, these last three entries will be posted and edited so as to appear to be in chronological order. Ok, so what did I do on Thursday? I struggled through work and went to bed at 8:30 pm.

Yeah.

Mark Hergott

2011-04-06T21:20:00.001-04:00

Mark has a cold, and won't be writing a blog today.

Paul Ryan

2011-04-05T15:11:00.002-04:00

He is a douchey douche nozzle with a douche hair cut. And he looks stupid when he smiles.

All right, here's some esoterica on a Tuesday. The United States has a projected gross domestic product for fiscal year 2011 of 15.3 trillion dollars. The census estimate has the population at around 311.6 million people. That gives us a per capita income of $49,101.41. The United States Federal Budget for 2011 is 3.83 trillion dollars. That means that around $12,294 per person is spent by the federal government.

12294 / 49101.41 = a gross tax rate of 25.03 per cent to cover the deficit.

Now, a flat tax rate of 25% would be incredibly unfair for almost everyone, and this is why a graduated income tax scheme is in effect in The United States. However, we don't even apply a gross tax rate of 25.03 per cent in this country.

Remember when I said our government (I really doubt anyone but my friends are going to read this) spends $12,294 on each of our asses? The IRS sure as hell does not collect $12,294 per ass. They collect $7,316.12 per ass. That is a deficit of $4,977.88 cents per ass.

Or more professionally, we have a gross tax rate of 14.9 per cent at the federal level. That is the lowest gross tax rate for the industrialized world. To put that in perspective, Norway's income tax rate is 40 per cent, and it's sales tax is 25 per cent. Norway is swimming in oil receipts, by the way.

Paul Ryan wants to cut the social safety net to ribbons and LOWER TAXES. Paul Ryan is a fucking asshole.

Maya Angelou

2011-04-04T20:58:00.002-04:00

The caged bird still sings. Happy birthday.

Guys. If you ever get the chance, eat one of Kim's meals. She rocks the kitchen harder than Julia Child on PCP.

By the way, Julia Child was a kick ass spy during world war two.

Yeah... it's a Monday. I've got nothing.

David Hyde Pierce

2011-04-03T21:04:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to Mister Pierce.

So, we had one hell of a Sunday. Maggie suggested the Livonia Rec Center for our play date. It was a good choice. The play scape was the largest that I have ever been in. Sadie and Violet were actually intimidated by the size of it at first, so their father, (that's me, folks) had to stuff his six foot two inch frame into the structure and explore the "tree house". When we finally got to the top, thirty feet above the floor, we went down the tube slide.

Now, I don't know if you are familiar with the confluence of High Density Poly-Ethylene Tube slides, cotton clothing, friction, and dry air, so let me distill it into three words: Constant Static Shock. The bottom of the tube smelled of ozone and the tears of frightened, confused children in pain. Be that as it may, Sadie and Violet took two trips with me back up before they went on their own.

After the play scape, all of us went to the pool. Let's just say the pool will be more recreational once the children are older. The water slide was fun.

Finally, we went to a Chinese Buffet. Peking Buffet at Five Mile Road and Farmington near the Bench Pub is clean, its staff is courteous, and its food is good. Sadie and Violet were about an hour over their nap or craft time, so lunch was... energetic.

After all of this, we putzed about in the house.

I like Sundays. They make the rest of the week, really.

Sadie Rose Arnold

2011-04-02T16:21:00.002-04:00

"How long until I am 100?"

"You have to wait until both of your parents are dead."

I probably should not say such things.

My goodness, the anticipation of spring is torturous. Robins are hunting annelids on our yard, the sun is shining, and it is cold. It is the worst kind of cold, really. When it is near zero degrees Fahrenheit or below, with snow on the ground, and dreary... One can endure being inside. With spring so very near, one grinds upon the nub of sanity left after the long winter with the pestle of anticipation.

I want to just be outside.

Maggie Galang

2011-04-01T13:43:00.002-04:00

There is going to be a play date with someone, damn it.

I don't like April Fool's Day. The idea of a scheduled prank day was nice thirty years ago, or amongst children who do not have access to calendars. Nowadays, everyone knows what day it is, and are on the lookout for pranks. As such, major sites like google don't really prank anyone any more. They just fuck with the settings of their websites.

So any way, only incredibly gullible people get pranked nowadays, and those people are probably amongst the most vulnerable of society, so screwing with them is just an asshole move. Then there are "pranks" which are just malicious acts committed by mean bastards that just enjoy torturing their "friends".

Finally, there are the lame office "pranks" which are just craft projects that managers encourage to build team cohesion.

I'm just a cranky guy, ok? Don't prank me. I will withhold doing you a favor if you do.

Christopher Walken

2011-03-31T09:30:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, you wonderful artist.

It's Thursday unless you are on Facebook. Kim, Elizabeth, and Heather will have a play date today. The cats are eating food in the basement. All right. That's about it for today...

M.C. Hammer

2011-03-30T22:06:00.002-04:00

You can't touch this. Happy birthday, Hammer.

Well, I don't really have a lot to say. I talked to my dad about a ship wreck that was recently found in lake Michigan. 250 feet. My father would have to breathe heliox, swim the wreck for 10 minutes, and then spend the next three hours decompressing. So, I don't think my dad will be exploring that wreck any time soon.

I miss dad. Kim and I need to set up a play date with him soon.

The cold weather and the sunlight is screwing with me. The girls are suffering from the dry air.

I want spring to arrive. I am feeling frustrated by its proximity.

Randall Munroe

2011-03-29T20:53:00.002-04:00

Spirit, a mars rover, survived 21.6 times longer than its scheduled life span. Mr. Munroe made me cry by dramatizing Spirit's story in his 695 xkcd comic. In short, Mr. Munroe is a sadistic asshole, and I hope he reads this and feels bad about himself.

So, I am continuing on my ab journey. I think I will only post weekly pictures. A friend from high school has expressed interest in running with me when the weather turns. I hope that works out.

Uh... Violet is scratching herself bloody. We have put a humidifier in her room and are slathering her in baby eczema cream. Kim is resisting the idea of duct taping mittens to her hands. I think Violet is as stubborn and as crazy as me, and that it may be inevitable.

We shall see.

Kimber-Lou Arnold

2011-03-28T21:09:00.005-04:00

"You should know it only encourages me."

So, I now have my work e-mail synched to my telephone. Oh God, what have I done? In other news, my mother... well, she doesn't use the internet correctly, so I am going to lay it all out here. Kim was looking forward to Heather and Elizabeth coming over to the house and socializing. Because my mother had a doctor's appointment today, she decided to cancel the play date unilaterally. Kim was less than pleased. I was less than pleased.

Elizabeth and my mother would more than likely be confused as to why this is such a big deal. What really sucks is that any attempt to explain why will only result in more heart ache.

Actually, before posting this, I have learned that Elizabeth blamed it all on my mother. Mom said nothing about canceling the play date. She just told Elizabeth that she could not help out.

Elizabeth never called Heather.

God Damn it, Liz. I am going to call you on this bull shit.

Bob Marley

2011-03-27T13:12:00.001-04:00

Every little thing is gonna be all right.

It is a quiet Sunday. I will be making dinner tonight. Another ab picture is forthcoming.

Moammar Qadafi

2011-03-26T13:25:00.003-04:00

He's an asshole, and I really hope he is stubborn enough to hold on until he gets shot by his own troops. Exile is too good for this guy.

Shit. I have to do this all over again. Um... Oh yeah! I will help Kim clean up the basement, and post pictures of the before and after in this post. Jesus. Who knew 365 could be so motivating? Maybe it's just the increasing sunlight, though...

John Smith

2011-03-25T22:22:00.002-04:00

I got a new phone. I will edit this later.

Yukio Takayama

2011-03-24T13:45:00.003-04:00

He is a leader of Tokyo's elite fire rescue squad. "At our latest site, we couldn't sense the dangers. It can be very scary if you cannot eliminate dangers for yourselves. As long as you work on the scene, you are constantly in danger, and a sense of fear is with you all the time ... But someone had to do this and that someone was us."

Those "someones" are all genuine heroes.

Ok, so tonight I am going to upload picture #1 of my abdomen. After thirty minutes of sit-ups, I will take picture #2.

Before and after pictures of the basement will come this weekend. I am so excited, guys! I have projects!

Jessica Fowler

2011-03-23T14:20:00.001-04:00

http://sayaprayerforsara.blogspot.com/

Check it out. Tell your friends.

Jim Davis

2011-03-23T13:22:00.002-04:00

Who knew that an orange cat and three panels could survive for so very long?

All right. So, I have this blog, right? I have committed myself to updating it every day, right? Well, I need a project. I am going to try to carve up some abdomen muscles. That ought to be a good way of attaching my body to the 365 project. See, I am going to post a picture of my abs every day for the next 11 months. Sound good to you?

In addition to all of that, I also hope to improve the house and use this medium as a documentary. Right now, the basement has some... issues. Kim would like to resolve this. I think that taking some before and after pictures of the whole thing would be awesome.

I'm excited for the future, folks.

Ann Coulter

2011-03-22T09:33:00.003-04:00

Yes, Ann... we do use radioactive elements for therapeutic purposes. That is true. Pointing out that fact in the middle of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear accident is stupid. Fukushima is leaking elements that in controlled doses can be good for people. In other words, it is polluting the environment. One apple is good for me. Getting run over by an apple cart is not good for me.

Any way, I am going to edit this blog post and rant about Pebble Bed reactors. Stay tuned.

All right, I am back! Ok, so what is a pebble bed reactor? Let's start with what it is not. It is not a light water nuclear reactor. See, how light water nuclear reactors maintain their temperature is with... light water, or regular water, as opposed to heavy water, which is water whose hydrogen atoms have neutrons. Any way, if for some reason, say a tsunami and earth quake, causes the pumps that circulate the light water to not function any more, the fuel rods start to over heat and depending on where the control rods are, can melt. Indeed, they can melt so much that the now incredibly hot material can breach the containment vessel and be released into the surrounding environment. That is a classic melt down scenario.

What a pebble bed reactor is... is melt down proof. See, it is a bed of graphite and uranium pebbles that are regulated with an inert gas. The gas rather than the fuel itself is used to heat the water to spin the steam turbines that make electricity.

Let's say an earthquake and tsunami happens at a pebble bed reactor. Well, since the plant was designed to withstand that big of an earthquake, so we're good. Oh no, the tsunami wave was really big and took out the steam turbines. Shit, we don't have any way of heating up the water! Notice that the big problem is a lack of electrical generation, not reactor regulation.

The pebbles are really hot, and they will stay really hot. They literally can't get "too hot" as long as the inert gas regulator is intact. Indeed, since these "pebbles" are about the size of bocce balls, a "scram" system can be incorporated into the design of a reactor. A "scram" system is a rapid dump of a reactor's fuel in the case of an emergency.

For some reason, the industry is in love with light water reactors. They are inherently unsafe. Pebble bed reactors are leaps and bounds safer than light water reactors. It dives me crazy.

Rush Limbaugh

2011-03-21T15:10:00.002-04:00

He's not a comedian. He's a farce.

So, I am running out of material to write about, and writing about not having any thing to write about is lame. Any way, life is progressing. I think a problem with my lack of writing source material is Facebook. I could try to restrict my facebook time to give myself a bit more energy to my blog.

I mean, it's not like I don't have an opinion on things.

On a domestic note, the house seems to be running a little more smoothly with the introduction of a schedule. Kim has humored me with it, and I am indeed more motivated to do things thanks to the schedule. Hopefully I can convince Kim to want to invest in the scheduling system herself.

See, she self schedules, and she is good at it. But putting it on paper has power.

An update is less than a day away.

Hunter Witbeck

2011-03-20T18:27:00.002-04:00

"He's an African Tree Dog."

Ok, so I have promised photos the past two blogs. Let's see, my display of Dinosaurs, and Kim's Spice Rack. I will do just that.

That's it for now.

Humon

2011-03-19T18:12:00.002-04:00

She draws the "Scandinavia and the world" web comics.

We went to Ikea, and then we went grocery shopping. On a Saturday. Man, that was stupid. I will put a picture up of the spice rack that Doug assembled, Kim painted, and I fastened to the wall.

I'm tired, guys.

Joshua Jackson

2011-03-18T19:41:00.003-04:00

He's Canadian. I knew there was a reason I liked him.

So, I did a great deal today. I went to my therapist, and then came home to put the antenna on the roof and clean the gutters. I then went to let my city's tax department know that I live at my house, and should get the homestead discount on my property tax. Then Kim, Violet, and I went to Kim's aunt's house to pick up Sadie.

DEL FUCKING TACO!!! Churros are fantastic.

Lane Bryant and Target were ok. There were no dinosaurs worth picking up. Oh! Yeah, I should post my dinosaur collection. I'll do that tomorrow. Today, I am going to just enjoy my crystal clear television.

I had a good day.

George Takei

2011-03-17T10:56:00.002-04:00

He lost family in Hiroshima, was interred during the war, and has spent his life making Japan and The United States closer friends. I didn't realize how close I am to the people of Japan until this disaster, and my heart aches every day for all of the victims and their families.

Ok. In domestic news, Kim and I are working on a schedule for the family, and I am going to shave. I just like letting my face relax for a while...

The workers at Fukushima Nuclear Plant

2011-03-16T09:39:00.003-04:00

They are risking their health to save their community from disaster. Every person there is a hero.

In more domestic news, the cats are acclimating themselves to the cat door. I hope for them to use it to get at their food soon. Any way, I don't really have a lot to report on this Wednesday.

Um... I wore a tutu and Kim took a picture of it. I will post it later.

Takonori Seto

2011-03-15T07:34:00.003-04:00

He is the mayor of Fukushima city. He hasn't had a good week so far. A picture I am going to post will give you a good idea why.

Kim and I have been closely watching the news coming from northern Japan. We have donated what we can to the American Red Cross, and we have urged others to do the same. I don't think either of us really got what was happening over there until Kim found a photo that made both of us weep.

I am not trying to emotionally extort any of you. If you don't want to look at the picture, don't look at the picture. It's a pretty awful picture. It isn't graphic, but if you click on it, you can read the caption. I have duly warned any readers.

John Jacob Astor

2011-03-14T09:04:00.002-04:00

He was a fantastically rich industrialist. In the year of his death, his net worth was roughly one per cent of the United States Gross Domestic Product. One guy.

So, the cat door has been installed, daylight savings time is in effect, Violet and I are the only ones in the house, and I have to fill three hours. Generally, I would fill it up by killing time, but blogging seems to be rather cathartic for me. I am going to figure out how to spend three hours doing chores and keeping Violet entertained.

I will let all of you know how it worked out. Right now Violet's interest in the cat door is making it easy.

Abraham Lincoln

2011-03-13T08:42:00.002-04:00

If I could travel back in time, the first thing I would say to him is "duck!"

Lots of stuff is going on today. We are all going to the pancake breakfast for the Garden City Lions club. Sadie and I will go to the U of M natural history museum, hopefully with my dad. I need to install the cat door on the basement door so Kim will not have cat litter in her bed any more.

Yeah, lazy Sunday my right butt cheek pimple.

Sigmund Freud

2011-03-12T09:26:00.003-05:00

He was a penis obsessed sex freak, but he did have a basic strategy for therapy that is still used to this day. He developed bone cancer and a doctor performed euthanasia on him. Don't smoke, yo.

So, I started therapeutic talk sessions. The goal for this week is to come up with an example of when things went well with Kim, and an example of when things go less than well.

She also suggested that I continue to exercise to reduce stress. I have now been told by a doctor to play video games. Truly, we live in the future.

I have yet to talk to dad about the tests... I just don't know how to ask him.

Another update is less than 24 hours away, yo.

Wilhelm Rontgen

2011-03-11T08:51:00.002-05:00

He recorded the first medical x-ray when he photographed his wife's hand with her ring on 22 December 1895.

So, today I have an appointment with an osteopath, and then a psychiatrist. I have some anxiety about the second appointment, which is making the morning a bit tense. Sadie does not need this. Any way, in recent events, I want to say that I am truly sorry for Japan's loss. I am also confident in the resilience of the Japanese people.

For those of you reading this in the future, there was a massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan today. It really sucks over there right now.

Perspective is key to a balanced life.

Samuel Peppard

2011-03-10T08:53:00.003-05:00

In 1860, Samuel Peppard and John Hinton sailed across the Kansas prairie sea in a wagon with a sail. Their ultimate destination was the gold field in Colorado. Sadly, they hit a pot hole, more than likely a prairie dog burrow, and their expedition was cut short.

Speaking of pot holes, holy crap. So, last night, Kim asks me to hurry home because she had prepared a new dish and would like to eat it with me. When I get to my car, I find that I forgot to turn off my head lights and need a jump from security. Darn, but hey, just a couple of minutes right?

Huron River Drive just east of Superior Road was beset with two very large, very vicious pot holes. My passenger side front tire burst, and I pulled in to Huron River Service Drive, to find two other motorists dealing with the same problem. One lady lost two tires, and a rim was damaged. I shouldn't have laughed.

Any way, I forgot to turn off my lights for a couple of minutes, and my battery died again. Luckily AAA takes care of such things.

So, needless to say, I am going to take Golfside to Washtenaw from now on. Concrete doesn't have as hard of a time with spring thaws. Also, I don't think Kim is going to ask me to hurry home any more.

Johnny Depp

2011-03-09T07:15:00.002-05:00

He didn't so much play a lizard as he let a lizard be a vessel for his voice and movements. Despite a noted warning from Kristin Perpignano, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Kim fell asleep during the climax. The woman has been on a sleep deficit for four years.

All right. I have made a decision. I am going to ask my father about the testing scheme. I'm not entirely sure how to broach it, though.

An update will be forthcoming.

Samuel Clemens

2011-03-08T08:15:00.002-05:00

He was a member of a paramilitary organization for a brief time during the civil war.

Ok, I am going to do Blog 365 again. It will go from March 8th, 2011 to March 8th, 2012. As such, this is the first entry. I suppose I should update everyone on my progress (or lack thereof).

I am a home owner. Not a mortgage payer, but an actual home owner. My mother had an extra house, and was tired of paying the taxes and did not want to rent it, so she gave it to me. Essentially, every dollar I put in to my property is a dollar in the net worth column. That feels good.

The only caveat is that when I am "done with the house", I am not allowed to sell it. It needs to stay in "the family". I have chosen to interpret that in a rather selfish way. My eldest daughter is going to inherit a house.

... which means I need to buy Violet a house.

Of course, this means that I need to acquire a real job. I have two choices: take a loan out and get my bachelor's degree in computer science, or ask my father for around 1,000 dollars to pay for eight Microsoft tests and start shopping my resume around.

Both have their drawbacks.

I will keep you apprised.

Robocop

2011-03-06T20:32:00.002-05:00

1. Serve The Public Trust.

2. Protect The Innocent.

3. Uphold The Law.

So, I am a son of south eastern Michigan, and am tied to this place by blood, toil, and love. Recently, an initiative to build a statue of Robocop, a titular character from the 1987 Paul Verhoeven film, gained traction through the internet. The Imagination Station has secured funds to build the statue across from the Michigan Central Station, a hulking abandoned railway depot that may one day see revival.

Critics and pessimists see the project as silly or embarrassing, but I really don't think such people know what Robocop means to people that grew up with him while witnessing the jewel of their region lose its luster year after year. Of course, this begs the question, what does Robocop mean to those of us that live here and grew up with him?

Robocop started out as a regular man who was murdered by thugs working for corporate masters. Perversely, those same corporate masters brought him back stronger, in some ways, and without so many things that belonged to him. Robocop then rebelled against the corporation, and perversely, made the corporate bad actors pay only when Robocop came back into the fold.

One could say metropolitan Detroit has experienced something like what happened to Murphy in recent years, with the flagship industry betraying the region, the industry undergoing bankruptcy, and its resurgence.

Robocop is a symbol of endurance and integrity in spite of all the reasons to give up and let "it" happen.

Detroit needs Robocop.

Senator Claiborne Pell

2010-07-23T12:15:00.002-04:00

He is always to be remembered in my household as a man of integrity and vision. I am a graduate of an institution of higher learning, and gainfully employed, because of his belief in the transformative power of education.

A lot has happened since my last post. I am a college graduate. I am employed in a field of my choice, doing things that bring me joy. I am slowly moving into my mother's old house, of which she is giving to me, thereby erasing nearly sixty thousand dollars of my family's debt in the form of Kim's current mortgage.

I am in the process of applying to electronic classes to acquire my bachelor's degree.

Kim and my daughters bring me unparalleled joy each and every day.

Simply put, I'm doing all right.

Sam Walton

2010-03-10T16:24:00.003-05:00

He is one of history's most successful sociopaths.

So, Kim likes getting packages in the mail, and she likes seeing others open packages. So, she saw that Sam's Club offered free sampler packages online, and thought that she would surprise me. Kim is a sweet, thoughtful, loving woman, and I am lucky to have her. I feel bad about what I did to her thoughtful act.

See, Sam's Club is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Wal-Mart corporation. I compare Wal-Mart in the global economy to malignant cells in an organism's body. For a while, both entities can tolerate having the abomination in their midst, but there comes a time when the tipping point has past.

Any way, Kim figured the gift that she acquired for me would go something like this....

****Queue into harp music and bleed-in to scene****

K: Here's a package for you, Honey.

S: Oh, yeah? Cool!

K: I got it online for you. It did not cost us anything.

S: Awesome! Body Wash! It Smells Nice!

*******Queue outro harp music and fade to black********

Unfortunately, it went like this....

****You know the drill*****

K: Here's a package for you, Honey.

S: (Seeing that it's from Sam's Club) WHAT?!

K: Jeez! You don't need to open it!

S: No, let me see it. (holding it like one would handle a rotting squirrel) I most assuredly did not order... this.

K: I ordered it. It didn't cost us anything. I won't do it again.

S: No, it's... ok. (Opens package).

K: You don't need to open it...

S: (After smelling the body wash) Agh! It's burning my nostrils!

*****Horn playing "wah wah wah wah", fade to black******

Yeah. I kind of suck.

Kim Arnold

2010-03-08T09:44:00.003-05:00

I love her, and today is our anniversary. Hi honey!

All right, so let's go with a domestic update for this entry, eh? I seem to be easing into the domesticated life rather seamlessly. The weather is warming up, which allows for expeditions to the outside, and it also is motivating all of us to purge unnecessary items from our living space. I would bet we have about ten more square feet to work with from this week to last week. It might not seem like a lot as words on a screen, but damn, does it feel good.

With this extra space and motivation comes with a bit of hobby planning. Kim, despite her loathing for it, has allowed me a plastic bin to hold our waste vegetable matter to compost. The caveat is that I have to keep the bin clean, clean, CLEAN. I can do that. Hopefully, I will do that.

Now, the compost heap is still frozen, so I don't know how much more I can stuff into the heap before I can turn it over, but at least I have a plan, and there is always the garbage bin.

Any way, as long as I am planning, I ought to dream. Oh, and as always, Facebook does not import flash video, so if you are reading this on Facebook, come to scooterrant.blogspot.com to see what I am talking about.

That right there, is a home-made wind turbine that uses a ceiling fan motor as the generator. I want to build one. Now, wind turbines produce alternating current, so I would have to put on a bridge diode circuit to convert the electricity to DC and pump it into some lead acid batteries. Any way, I would like to buy an electric wood chipper and ironically, a DC to AC inverter to power it. That way, I could mash any organic material, cardboard, newspapers, actual wood, and compost that.

I like to have "things"...

Kristin Perpignano

2010-02-17T10:01:00.003-05:00

She needs new music.

Kris, I will tag you on the Facebook note, but as always, Facebook does not import embedded flash videos on notes.

I hope these help. Yes, Facebook users, I know you don't see anything.

Rick Snyder

2010-02-11T13:25:00.002-05:00

He will be the first Republican that I will vote for as Governor of my state.

Here, take a look at his plan. Tell me that isn't reasonable.

I'm still going to vote for Democrats for the state house and senate, though. I'm not crazy!

President Barack Obama

2010-01-30T16:26:00.002-05:00

He went to the lion's den, and mauled the lions.

All right... if you have seventy minutes to kill, click on this embedded video. Each segment is ten minutes or so long. It is a Q & A session that the President held with Republicans in Baltimore a couple of days ago.

(Facebook, the gutless cowards, do not import embedded flash videos. You will have to go to my blog, if you are reading the note.)

Any way, MSNBC carried the entire Q & A live and without comment. CNN has most of the video up on their website. So... what did Fox "News" do?

Before the Q & A session finished, they cut away and immediately began editorializing. Look. I don't care if you are a conservative. If you rely on Fox "News" for your information, you are deliberately handicapping yourself. Use Newspapers. Listen to public radio. Check out CNN and MSNBC. Not the editorial shows at night like Maddow and Olbermann, but their actual coverage of the news. Take a look at Current TV's "Vanguard". In short, become a media omnivore. Specialization is for insects. Be the badass MoFo that conquered the earth with a stomach that could eat almost anything and legs that could cross a continent. Evolve your media consumption. You might win a few more arguments with your smart-ass liberal friends.

Evolve, yo.

Henry Ford

2010-01-24T10:58:00.002-05:00

He could build a few cars.

Oh, man! I am at the North American International Auto Show! I am typing at an internet kiosk provided by the Ford Motor Corporation. Let me tell you, Ford is where it is at. Their Transit connect is AWESOME. An all electric version debuts at the Chicago show, and you can pick up a 100 mile range TC this summer. Check it out!

Bill House

2010-01-15T08:31:00.002-05:00

He knows how to make a barbecue rib.

Ok, so this is a shout-out to my friends who have recently gotten their Barbecue Catering Website live.

Click this sentence to go to Schultz's Backyard Bar-B-Que

Any way, the food is good, the people are authentic, and I do not advertise what I would not use.

So... for all of my readers in the metro Detroit area (Kim), check out their web site. For all of those in Uvalde and Baton Rouge... um... never mind.

James Cameron

2010-01-11T12:39:00.002-05:00

He can make a movie.

So, Kim and I saw "Avatar" last night with a dear fiend. It's an awesome movie with a fantastic cast. It's message is subtle but very clear, and I would watch it again.

That said, well... it's not realistic. I know, I know, a movie about ten foot tall sentient aliens with carbon fiber skeletons is more fantasy than reality. Just go with me here for a few seconds.

If you read past this sentence, you will learn vital plot elements of the movie "Avatar" that might spoil your cinematic experience.

Any way, in the third act, the humans and the Na'Vi are at war. The Na'Vi have a sacred tree that is vital to their culture and way of life, and the humans are going to bomb it out of existence.

Unfortunately, the humans choose to destroy this tree by flying a sky armada through an area that has massive electromagnetic interference, thereby making missiles and other instrument-driven weapons reliant on line-of-sight operation.

That, right there, is where I checked out. See, we are talking about an interstellar race fighting a tribal culture. They have shuttles that can break the gravity well. They have perfect coordinates of the sacred tree.

Bomb the tree from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. Indeed, they don't even need to use explosives. A hunk of mining debris dropped from low orbit reaching terminal velocity would simply be insurmountable to the Na'Vi. A tribal culture can shove a grenade into a jet engine's intake, but they can't stop a thousand ton ballistic asteroid from slamming into their most sacred place with the force of several Hiroshima bombs.

So, yeah. James Cameron is a genius, but he just isn't capable of visualizing how massively ruthless humanity can truly be.

Head Set Vince

2009-12-25T12:06:00.003-05:00

You're going to love his nuts.

You know what? You are going to love MY nuts! I got a slap chop for Christmas! A SLAP CHOP! It's so awesome.

Of course, the best present is being with my family. Here are some photos from yesterday and today.

John Lennon

2009-12-23T08:03:00.002-05:00

So, I am ashamed to admit that I supported the incursion into Iraq at the beginning. After the incursion happened and the true extent of the deception of the American people by the administration was slowly revealed to all of us... Well, I realized I made a horrible mistake. That being said, I have met Rewand, Lizan, and Bishkozh through school. All three are Kurdish Americans that have family that is free of the oppression of the Hussein regime. It is such a mixed bag.

Any way, I want to wish for peace and joy to all who read this, and for the next year to be more peaceful than the last.

Captain Ahab

2009-11-22T14:12:00.002-05:00

All right, so the title probably is going to give it away...

That was pretty awesome, though, huh?

People reading this on Facebook have no idea what I am talking about.

Edward Cullen

2009-11-20T09:23:00.002-05:00

He is a sociopathic insomniac that quite literally wants to eat a woman 85 years his junior, who for some strange reason finds this monster attractive.

I don't get "Twilight". Vampires are not supposed to be sympathetic figures. These legendary creatures are beyond human empathy, and can behave in ways that would cause utter ruin for their human counterparts. They sure as fuck should not...

Sparkle.

They SPARKLE, in "Twilight", for goodness' sake! That just pisses me off. Vampires are supposed to be the embodiment of unchained animal desire. They are feral cannibals on a liquid diet that hunt through sexual seduction.

Sparkling in the daylight is effeminate. I suppose it would be useful for a male homosexual vampire, or a female heterosexual vampire, but not for a male character in a hetero-normative story. Masculinity is supposed to be about sweating, and grunting, and dealing with the wild raccoons that get caught in the dumpster. I don't fucking sparkle, and I am proud of this.

I also don't want to string Kim up like a chicken, and suck her dry from a gaping neck wound.

I don't get "Twilight".

Duane Jones

2009-11-09T16:22:00.001-05:00

The more I think about it, imagining Ben being portrayed by president Obama and the zombies portrayed by tea baggers makes more and more sense.

Mark Hergott

2009-11-05T13:35:00.002-05:00

You can find him loving life and engaging with other human beings at http://facebook.com/mark.hergott

So, my troll is back. Be aware that someone claiming to be myself may leave malicious comments on your blog. Now, I might leave malicious comments on your blog by myself, I don't need any help.

Any way, Google's administration is poor. Our avatar's are insecure. The troll thinks that this is an opportunity to be mean to total strangers. It just means that a sad, sad person doesn't realize that when he does these things, we aren't feeling victimized. We are entertained by the desperation that such an act betrays.

You think that I feel victimized, troll? I'm laughing all the way to the bank.

Cassandra Ciardi

2009-11-04T08:56:00.003-05:00

She's a good mother, a fabulous friend, and a fierce intellect.

So... the plurality of Maine's voting population are hateful bigots or apathetic cowards. "Come to Maine! We have moose and bigotry!".

George Bush empowered the lunatic fringe of the Republican party for eight years, and it has resulted in the loss of a house seat held by the Republican party for 120 years. The republicans need to purge their moralist, hypocrite, don't-tax-and-still-spend whack jobs. If it means ceding the "Republican" brand to these fools, so be it. Let them hold on to their dwindling base in Appalachia. The Republican 2.0s can then begin to take a states-rights, low-taxes coupled with low spending, The bedroom is not my business message to moderate districts, and actually have a chance at winning the votes of younger, more diverse people.

Any way, I hope you voted yesterday.

Nat King Cole

2009-10-20T19:21:00.003-04:00

He performed these words, written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons. The music is by Charlie Chaplin.

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though its breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, youll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
Youll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
Thats the time you must keep on trying
Smile, whats the use of crying?
Youll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

****

Thats the time you must keep on trying
Smile, whats the use of crying?
Youll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

Marcel Proust

2009-09-27T09:21:00.002-04:00

He had asthma as a child.

So, my birthday party was last night. I drank a little too much, as is evident by my current headache. It was a good party. The US marshal service is involved in its aftermath. I will let you know what that is all about when I get more information.

Oh, pictures. I was too drunk to take any. The bonfire was nice. Rail road ties don't really burn all that well. Children's chopped up swing sets burn well, on the other hand.

Sadie Rose Arnold

2009-09-11T14:12:00.005-04:00

I love her very much, and feel truly blessed to be a part of her life.

Holy crap, friends.

So, this week was EPIC. It all started off well enough. Kim, a nursing mother with a full time job, (also known as a superhuman being) needed a nap. Well, I had a car, a sister, a mother, and a museum to accommodate Kim. I packed the girls in the Mercury Tracer (built in 1994 and gets 34 miles to the gallon, natch.) and barreled my way to my mother's house.

There, my mom took the girls to the pentecostal church for an hour and a half (we all need to make sacrifices to get quality baby sitters) while I waited for Elizabeth to get ready and head on over to the University of Michigan Natural History Museum. After church, Sadie and I headed in to Ann Arbor to meet her.

As you can see, we all had a grand time. Any way, after that, the week went pretty well, until one of my friends discovered that her husband was cheating on her with another mutual friend. They have an 11 week old son.

So... yeah, bit of a roller coaster this week.

Joe Cwik

2009-09-04T11:42:00.003-04:00

All right. So, blogger does not allow more than 4096 characters in a comment. This post is a response to a Video that Joe posted. Here's the video.

His overall point is that of cynicism and defeat.

Even though every other industrialized country has good public schools, ours fail because they are publicly funded.

The post office is not bankrupt. It can't become bankrupt. It is a public corporation that cannot operate at a loss. The advent of e-mail competition from privately operated mail services, and the tanking economy is why it did, in fact operate at a loss last year. Claiming that as "bankruptcy", a legal term with specific criteria is disingenuous if not an act of outright deception.

We certainly do not want the federal government paying for food, housing, and clothing for everybody. Why? Because those essentials are better governed by the free market. Health care is not like other essentials. We have, as a society, decided that if someone is naked, we will clothe them. We have plenty of clothes. If they are hungry, we will feed them. We have plenty of food. If they are homeless... well, we seem to be falling down on that one.

If someone is ill, we need dedicated professionals with years of training to treat them. I can make a hungry guy a sandwich. I can't cure someone of tuberculosis.

In the case of "taxation = force", There is no such thing as a free lunch. You, Joe, right now, are paying for Michigan's 1.1 million uninsured with your higher health care premiums. Every time an uninsured person gets catastrophically sick, you pay for it, because the money has to come from somewhere. In this case, whether you are taxed by the government or if you pay a private corporation, you are still picking up the tab for those people that cannot afford to pay.

Arguing that advertisement and administrative costs are a good thing in the face of out-of-control price increases and 14,000 people losing their insurance every day is an insult to the intelligence of anyone with an I.Q. over 90.

The only reason the insurance companies are lobbying congress is because socialists are lobbying congress as well? How much were you paying in premiums in 1999? How much are you paying now?

Profits in the case of health care, are not essential. Everyone needs health care. We do not need market forces to let us know that people get sick, and don't want to die, and will go to a doctor to get well. We do not need market forces to let us know that when a house catches fire, the occupants of that house will call the fire department to stop it from burning. We do need market forces to keep people from getting unessential procedures that cost everyone and do not improve overall health. Some doctors... are paid per patient visit, per procedure. Some doctors are paid on a salary basis. Guess which health system has better results?

Lampooning "investors" as the bad guys in this whole debate is wrong. Hell, my savings account is an "investment" in Bank Of America.

"Wealth" is a plastic term. There is absolutely no possible way the CEOs of health insurance companies perform such a vital service that they get paid the per capita income of Americans per year... in a single day. There is no public oversight on the salaries of private health insurance employees. I'm dying to know... how does spiraling costs, loss of customers, and the threat of government takeover equal a salary of 17.5 million dollars?

Equating pre-existing conditions to car accidents is being deliberately obtuse and exceedingly callous. People get laid off, lose their health insurance, and then get hit by a bus. People that drive about without car insurance are taking a calculated risk.

Farmers are government subsidized. Supermarkets bring farm products to market on public roads.

As for everywhere that government run health care is being used is awful, that is simply not true. Germany has the oldest version of socialized health care in the world. Otto Von Bismarck started it in 1883. The life span of the average German is 78 years.

Medicare is not broke. It is a government funded program that is immune to the forces of the market. Unlike the post office, medicare can run in the red, because there is no black. There is only the green of the American taxpayer, and most of us want to live to be sixty five.

As for whether or not private care is "better" than Medicare, most seniors don't want Medicare to be changed. Elder poverty has plummeted since the advent of social security and Medicare. Medicare is immune to market forces, saves the lives of our elders, and spends two cents out of every dollar on administration.

As for "overhead does not equal better outcomes", you cannot compare private elder care to Medicare because quite frankly, there is no private elder care to compare to Medicare that would be in any way statistically significant.

As for whether or not government run health care is constitutional, Medicare is a federal system administered by the states. There is "Maine Elder Health Care", and "California Elder Health Care". The costs of either system do not affect the other. The constitutionality of the Medicare program is settled. Any "National Health Care Plan" would be constitutionally administered in exactly the same way.

The fire fighting retort is laughable. Who buys the firetrucks? Who pays for the firehouses? We pay, that's who.

Throwing out a wage control factoid does not change the fact that we need reform.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. We need fire protection. We don't need competition to drive down the cost of fire protection. Fire protection drives down the costs of home insurance.

Universal preventive health care would drive down the costs of health insurance. You know how I know this?

Germany.

Any way, thanks for reading this.

Rupert Blue

2009-08-27T10:24:00.003-04:00

He was the Surgeon General of the United States during the 1918 Flu pandemic.

Ok, so the CDC is saying that H1N1 is going to be bad. Like,an infection of 30 to 50 per cent of the American population bad. I find that highly unlikely. Let's look at Mexico, the origin of the H1N1 outbreak. The country shut down. Mexico city was a god damn ghost town.

If the Swine Flu gets pretty bad here, we will lock down and sit tight. Everybody knows that the flu is passed through the air and through physical contact. Look at Hong Kong during the SARS epidemic. It became a ghost town.

Now, people are going to die from H1N1. But, 36,000 people die a year from the regular flu. Be concerned, but trust that people will sit tight if things start to look bad.

Buy a mask, and some Purel. But... don't... panic.

The Tauber Family

2009-08-23T21:39:00.002-04:00

Their Railroad is quite nice.

Kim, Sadie, and I went to the zoo today. It was quite fun. Oh, on an entirely different note, Kristen has a new blog. She is writing at "Sex and the humidity". I highly suggest you read her insights into life.

Oh, and go to your local zoo.

Milton Sirotta

2009-08-12T09:43:00.003-04:00

He gave the name to 10^100, or googol.

So, infinity. It doesn't exist. See, there is a finite number of atoms, planck times, or planck lengths in the universe. Infinity is an abstraction. It's a shortcut for arithmeticians to avoid the uncomfortable truth that our brains, the most complex structures ever discovered by humans... are not complex enough to master the physical truth of the finite universe.

Of course, it doesn't matter. If you can prove it by using infinity, it will work for all practical purposes.

It's still cheating, though.

hexanchus griseus

2009-08-07T19:56:00.003-04:00

Six Gill sharks are cool!

Sasha... want to take a trip to Seattle?

Well, shark week is over. I think this was a rather good one, though I would have liked more new programming.

But the six gills are awesome.

Senator Debbie Stabenow

2009-08-06T11:25:00.002-04:00

You'll see why this is a shark week post when you watch the video.

Yeah. That really happened.

Ginglymostoma cirratum

2009-08-05T20:55:00.003-04:00

Nurse Sharks afford Lynn professional courtesy.

Unfortunately, I don't have any anecdotes about shark conversations to relay to you folks today. Any way, do not annoy nurse sharks. They may be docile, but they are sharks.

Sharks can mess you up.

Because they're sharks.

Hemiscyllium ocellatum

2009-08-04T20:25:00.005-04:00

Me: "So, what shark should I write about today?"

Kim: "Whatever shark you want, honey."

Me: "Maybe a little shark. Like the epaulette shark."

Kim: "What?"

Me: "It lives in tidal estuaries. It has these little spots--"

Kim: "Does it shake a lot?"

Me: "What? No, epaulette. An epileptic shark would be the saddest thing ever--"

Kim: "Yeah, they feel vibrations in the water right? I bet that's why there are no epileptic sharks. Poor George the shark is hanging out, then he has a fit, right? Fred freaks out, and eats him. 'what the hell happened to George?' 'I don't know, but he freaked me out. I had to eat him.'"

Me: "I love you."

carcharhinus leucas

2009-08-03T18:21:00.002-04:00

Me: "So, the bull shark can tolerate fresh water. In fact, bull sharks have been spotted hundreds of miles inland on the Mississippi."

Kim: "Uh huh."

Me: "Yeah. In Africa they are known as the Zambezi River shark because--"

Kim: "They travel up the Zambezi River?"

Me: "Yeah..."

Carcharadon carcharias

2009-08-02T12:28:00.003-04:00

That, right there, is an extreme close-up of arguably the largest known predatory fish, the Great White Shark.

These animals, unlike the bloodthirsty monsters portrayed in horror films, are intelligent, cautious creatures. Moreover, they most certainly are not the most dangerous things on the ocean. Not by a long shot.

People take that title without argument.

Any way, these animals need your help. If you live near a coast, (Cindy Lou, Kristen, Jeremy) you ought to find a local conservation charity that you can either donate your time, money or both to.

We kill 100 million sharks every year. Sharks kill around ten of us a year.

Alan Turing

2009-08-01T13:35:00.003-04:00

He helped save his country from the scourge of Nazism with his contribution to the breaking of the enigma code machine. His country repaid him by shunning him for his homosexuality, ultimately causing so much despair that he took his own life.

Any way, time for my weekly (or so) update. Violet is one month old today, and she is able to lift her head up. We still need to swaddle her, but hopefully her colic will diminish more and more as the weeks progress. I have one more semester before I acquire my associate's degree. Kim continues to be the love of my life, and I consider myself the luckiest man in America.

SHARK WEEK!!!!

That is "carcharias taurus", or the Sand Tiger Shark. I am so stoked, friends.

Oh, yeah. I ought to post a shark photo and shark story every day next week. It's been a while since I did a blogging project.

I need to work on my novel idea for November. Hopefully Kim, as the best muse anyone can ever hope for, will make the process easier. I think developing ideas right now isn't cheating.

Richard Dreyfuss

2009-07-28T12:47:00.002-04:00

This was no boating accident!!!

Shark Week!!! Sharks, television, and poor dietary decisions for an entire week has come again!

Get ready, for shark week starts this Sunday!!!

Blaise Pascal

2009-07-20T09:00:00.002-04:00

He died at the age of 39 in 1662. He helped to develop mechanical calculators, wrote in defense of the scientific method, expanded our knowledge of vacuums, and generally had a huge brain. The first programming language I ever learned was named after him. In short, he is a nerd god.

Any way, I have decided to start an expense spreadsheet for my car. This month has been expensive. To date, I have spent 176.18 on my car. I have driven approximately 750 miles, which comes out to about Four dollars and 26 cents a mile.

Ouch. To be fair, I did change my oil, two temperature gauges, and a tire this month, so that figure is a little skewed. At least, I am hoping it is. Any way, one of the best ways to save money is to keep track of your expenses. Seeing that I am responsible for but two expenses in my life, my car and food that I choose to buy, (I love you, Kim), I ought to make the best choices possible.

I really don't want to make a food spreadsheet.

Benjamin N. Cardozo

2009-07-15T13:56:00.003-04:00

He was the first Hispanic Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Wait... what?

Sonia Sotomayor is Peurto Rican. Ben Cardozo was a Portuguese Jew nominated by Herbert Hoover in 1932 to replace Oliver Wendell Holmes. Look it up.

This is why you should not take anything the mainstream media says without a grain of salt.

Fred Durst

2009-07-14T14:17:00.002-04:00

He sucks so much. He and Samantha Bee should get lost in the wilderness and get eviscerated by wolves together.

Why? Here's why...

Damn it.

Kristin Peripignano

2009-07-12T16:47:00.005-04:00

She's cool like that.

So, I'm gonna do some photo blogging today. Here is what I think is the peak of fashion...

And here is the cutest little girl in the world.

I hope all of you have a great work week!

Kim Arnold

2009-07-07T01:15:00.003-04:00

She is a good mother, an amazing woman, and the best thing that has ever happened to me. She can also have her moments.

Ok, so I am not yet tuned in to Violet. I can hear her scream when I am dead asleep, but I can't hear her fuss. Of course, I sleep farther away from her bassinet, so it may just be a matter of physics. In any event, I don't hear her when she is fussing.

I also tend to repeat many a social faux pas, much to Kim's aggravation. Let me set the scene.

A friend of ours posted an open invitation to go to the bar on Facebook. I saw that, and didn't feel like going out because I thought that that would be taking advantage of Kim while I had fun. So, I said some convoluted thing that involved a mention of Kim, me needing to help with the baby, and a suggestion for him to visit us at home.

Apparently, I use Kim as an excuse to not leave the house. A lot. And it angers her because she feels that it turns her into the bad guy. And she has told me this many times, at regular intervals.

I still do it. I do it thoughtlessly, not maliciously, but I still do it.

Moving on, I came home, and Kim was understandably upset. I tried to explain that I did not think that Mike would take my comment as a negative swipe at her, but Kim had the hurt and frustration of every other time I had done such things, as well as post partum hormones, to win the argument before I could even mount a defense.

Any way, I tried to let Kim know that I wanted to help her take care of Violet tonight so that she could take it easy... er. Note that I am writing this at 1:30 in the morning. Here's the reason I am writing this at 1:30 AM.

Kim heard Violet fuss, and tried to lightly awaken me before Violet began to cry. Once Violet cried, I was up. Groggy as all hell. Violet was hungry. So, Kim told me to feed her.

I can warm breast milk while barely awake. I can make formula while barely awake.

I can't mix formula and breast milk together while barely awake. Suffice it to say, it was not good.

Any way, after about three minutes, Kim got up and took control of the situation. Which she knew she could do. Because she knew that I would have to leave Violet crying while I struggled to get her food ready.

Kim set me up for failure. Which, by the way, she just apologized to me for.

Look, I am going to continue to screw up. I am going to continue to hurt Kim's feelings. But damn it...

I'm gonna keep trying to NOT do that.