Drive-Bys

Giggle Fest:

From my dear Allen, this old but hysterical post:

“When I wass young I lissen to dah radio,
Waitin Foe mah favree song…..
When dey play I sing along
It make me smile

EvLeee Shah Lah Lah Lah, Evvv Leee Woa Woa Woa,
Still shiiiine,
Evv Lee Sheen a Leen a Leen, Dat dey Stahting to Siiing
So Fiiiiiine,
When dey get to dah Paaaht where he breakin’ her haaaht.
Eee can rearry make you cry…
Juss like Befooooe, Is Yessuhday One Mohhhhh. (Zhoo Bee Doo Woe Woe)

I giggled myself teary-eyed.

Then I ran across this hilarious tale, and decided to tee it up as a belated birthday gift for Eric.

And in the news, this article caused me to fall off my chair cackling with glee.

In the "kids say the darnedest things" category, Maggie Koerth-Baker is looking for your toddler's science questions. Be sure to scroll down through the comments -- they're priceless.
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Just so you know, I'm not typical:

When it comes the arena of ideas, the women who blog are not typical women. Over and over, the women who blog are tougher. Like the shotgun wielding Western expansionists of yore, women bloggers take shots and can shoot back.

Yup. I'm the Annie Oakley of the intarwebs.
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In a world where jobs are scarce and loads of people would love to have one, you'd think the Chicago Streets & San guys would be smarter... but... nope:

Chicago's Streets and Sanitation commissioner is cracking the whip to reduce absenteeism that sidelines nearly one-third of all laborers every day. [Emphasis mine]

Seriously, what took so long for the crack-down? And why aren't the commissioners of public works group on the city payroll doing the same thing?
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In the continuing horrifying saga of atrocities in Illinois nursing homes:

Frail and vulnerable residents of nursing homes throughout Illinois are being dosed with powerful psychotropic drugs, leading to tremors, dangerous lethargy and a higher risk of harmful falls or even death, a Tribune investigation has found.

Thousands of elderly and disabled people have been affected, many of them drugged without their consent or without a legitimate psychiatric diagnosis that would justify treatment, state and federal inspection reports show.

Go read the whole darned thing. Maybe this hits way too close to home because I lost my mom not too long ago. Or maybe because I'm not getting any younger and that could be me some time in the not so distant future.

I'd definitely put this under the heading of things to discuss with your primary care physician and your family long before you ever consider the nursing home option. Be sure your wishes regarding psychotropic drugs are explicitly understood, in writing, all the way around.
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Property taxes are going up by a whopping 46.4% in Garfield Park, Illinois.

There.

Don't you feel better about your measly property tax increase now?
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The scariest thing I read in the news today?

U.S. official resigns over Afghan war
Foreign Service officer and former Marine captain says he no longer knows why his nation is fighting

There's nothing that disgusts me more than the fact that President Pantywaist has brought us to this.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chimpy McBushhitler Halliburton got us into this. It's all his fault! Blah dee blah, blah, blah.

We were already there when he came into office, Dude. I want him to deal with what is, instead of pointing fingers in a backward direction. Fat lot of good that does to fix the situation.

Our young men and women are dying right now at a higher rate than at any time during the war in Afghanistan.

For cripes sake -- do something other than dither. Send them the help they need or toss in the towel and bring them home -- and do it, like, yesterday. Our troops deserve far, far better than this.
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Finally, a politician who tells it like it really is:

Frank: "We Are Trying On Every Front To Increase The Role Of Government"

Told you so. And if that doesn't scare you, something is really, really wrong with you.
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Ah! Now I understand. Polanski actually put the spotlight on himself about a year ago. No wonder the State of California went after him. He might as well have kicked a sleeping, but ornery bull and then waived a red flag at it.

Stupid ass.
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Sheesh. Now I need a chaser of funny...


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Whoa, Nelly!

This is a first. I've been so busy working on the cookbook that I haven't picked up a book since Friday.

I didn't even throw a book or magazine in my bag this morning.

I am a sick, sick woman.

Pub Crawl

So... Darkey Kelly's and The Ha'Penny Bridge Inn in Dublin, The Danny Mann in Killarney... what's next?

An unusual trad session at O'Conner's Pub in Killarney. It's small. It's darker than dark inside. The musicians were a bunch of kids sharing a single microphone and calling themselves "Train Wreck." Why unusual? Well, they play not only traditional Irish music, but also some kick-ass blue grass. But see for yourself:





We heard guitar, mandolin, recorder, penny whistle, accordian and string bass, along with excellent vocals. I wish I'd been able to film the last song of the night, as the kids all stood up on the seats of their stools, including the guy with the huge honking bass, and played their hearts out!

(And that's Rasher on the accordian. He made very sure to ask for full credit. Heh!)

Drive-Bys

see more dog and puppy pictures

Yep.
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Amazon.com is holding a contest to win a free Kindle. Christmas is coming. Go update or create a wish list!
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I saw this:


see more Engrish

... and thought of this guy. Can't imagine why...
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If the crappy weather's got you down, go here for a little bit of cheer, put together by a filmophile with a great sense of humor and too much time on his hands!

(Swiped from Erica, who needs to get off facebook and drop some pearls in her blog every once in a while, dammit!)

Quick Stop

After a day of really crappy weather, this little video, swiped from an old camp buddy, put a big-ass grin on my face:

Yes. I was bopping in my seat and singing along like a dork.

Oooh! Shiny!

I have once again bitten off a project that is much more complicated than I ever imagined it would turn out to be. I've been transcribing selected recipes from my mom's THREE ginormous recipe boxes for my sister and sister-in-law. But they left out too much good stuff. And going, recipe by recipe, through the boxes, it's brought back a ton of memories.

Thus... a cookbook is in the works, tentatively titled:

From the Recipe Box(es)of Barbara Ann Jones Morlock

Transcribed, Translated, Annotated and Greatly Appreciated

by Leslie Meredith Morlock Spiller,

Who Learned Everything She Needed to Know

About Life and Cooking

From Her Mom

(Who Knew Everything About Everything,

And Reminded Her of the Same Frequently)

I'm already 50 pages into the bugger, and am only 2/3 of the way through the first recipe box. I'm thinking this will be a Christmas gift for everyone in my family. And I might offer it to friends for free if they make a $10 donation to their favorite charity first.

Here's a little excerpt from the Forward (as it stands at the moment; it's subject to change):

"Mom’s cooking was a product of the convenience era, and she favored comfort food. If a main dish didn’t have at least one of the following, it probably wasn’t worth making: real butter, cheese, bacon, sausage, kielbasa, sour cream, mushrooms, cream of mushroom, chicken and/or celery soup, mayonnaise, Lipton’s Onion Soup mix and Pepperidge Farm herbed stuffing mix, with bonus points for any combination of the foregoing. That is to say, if you’re counting calories or cholesterol, put this book down and walk away now. If you want to toss caloric caution to the wind, I guarantee you’ll find good stuff here."

Whaddaya think?

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On the heels of all this, I swiped this little excerpt from Wife Swap from my ex-sister-in-law:

A kid after my own heart!

Rubber-Necking

From Texts from Last Night:

(832): it doesn't count as moral degradation if you win the strip off -right?

*Bou blink*
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Hilarious reddit stream of unusual quotes from little kids, including this gem:

My daughter was learning to speak around age 1. She was hungry and was pointing at her highchair; I told her to say highchair. She looked at me then looked at the chair with a puzzled look on her face. Again I told her "Say highchair" with an even more puzzled look she looks at the chair lifts her hand and waves and says "Hi Chair!" ... it was a good laugh.

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Happy weekend!

Quick Stop

Your next stop on this little Irish pub crawl is The Danny Mann Inn in Killarney.

Tim O'Riordan and Diarmuid Grainger of Natural Gas are incredibly talented and put on a great show.

I chose this particular piece to film because Tim rocks the house with an unusual instrument -- the bodhrán. Why unusual when you see a lot of them in trad sessions and they're sold in every gift shop across Ireland as children's toys? Well... just like the penny whistle, it's simple to learn to play simple music on them. And, just like the penny whistle, it's possible to raise the difficulty and quality of the music played if the musician is really talented.

Just ask Wes, bodhrán players catch a lot of grief, and are not looked upon kindly by other trad musicians... until you find one that's great. That's Tim:



Tim is at the Danny Mann every Monday night, and he is frequently joined by at least one other member of Natural Gas. (On my last visit he was accompanied by fiddler Vince Morrison. Diarmuid this time added pipes, penny whistle and vocals. Pretty freakin' awesome!) It's on my personal "must see" list for Killarney night life.

Hope you enjoy!

Drive-Bys

For my buddy Nancy, whose roses are fading, these images from Tralee Town Park, home of the Rose of Tralee Festival:

The Rose herself.



Yes, they really were that lovely in October!
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Boy, I wish I'd seen these illuminated balloons while I was in Ireland, as I'd have brought some home for my nieces. How utterly cool!
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See, this guy made his serious mistake when he crafted his motorized La-Z-Boy lounge chair. If he'd talked to me first, he'd have insisted on cruise control. And he'd have never made the second mistake... which led to a DWI. Sheesh.
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The Chicago Tribune features some "lost" recipes, at least three of which are going straight to my recipe box (and, oddly, none of them feature bacon). Yummy, yummy stuff!
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He really doesn't realize or care how smug and small-minded this makes him look, does he? (And, really, doesn't he wish that, at a minimum, Joe Biden was that way, too?)
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Giggle of the Day:

Code Brown

Go ahead. I dare you not to laugh out loud. (My receptionist heard me shrieking with giggles from the other side of the office. So there.)
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Quick Stop

I loved almost all of the music we heard in Ireland, but this song by The Corries, heard at the Ha'Penny Bridge Inn in Dublin, has been lilting through my head ever since I got back. Hope you like it as much as I do!



Wild Mountain Thyme

O the summer time has come
And the trees are sweetly bloomin'
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go
lassie
go?

Chorus:
And we'll all go together
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go
lassie
go?

I will build my love a bower (summerhouse)
By yon cool crystal fountain
And round it I will pile
All the wild flowers o' the mountain
Will ye go
lassie
go?

(chorus)

I will range through the wilds
And the deep glen sae dreamy
And return wi' their spoils
Tae the bower o' my dearie
Will ye go
lassie
go?

(chorus)

If my true love she'll not come
Then I'll surely find another
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go
lassie
go?

(chorus)

Knock, Knock, Knock!

Is this thing on?

Sheesh, it's been a while, but the trip to Ireland was crazy fun, and we ran our legs off from breakfast to closing time every night. Mr. Bill and the Lovely Miss Judy were fabulous traveling companions. Here's a little sampling of the music we heard, starting with our favorite hang-out in Dublin, Darkey Kelly's Bar:



... and...



Slàinte!

Waives Hello!

Just a quick update from Killarney -- we've had a wonderful trip so far. Dublin was a lot of fun, and Killarney is a hoot. The weather has been gorgeous -- in the 60's and mostly sunshine. Just a bit of "soft" weather. Uploading photos takes forever, so I've posted some to Facebook, and will upload here when I get home. Off to Tralee tonight, Galway Thursday and Friday, then back to Dublin Saturday. Home on Sunday. See you then!

Pub Stop

JihadGene says, "It's Friday! Let's Dance!" I hope to be dancing to this by tomorrow night!



Off to do laundry and pack!

Moving Violation

I love Dax Montana, but I think he's dead wrong about Roman Polanski.

He's certainly called bullshit on one of the big dogs of blogging, but it seems he can't take the heat when it's turned up on his own freakin' kitchen.

I asked a simple question -- "If it was your thirteen year old daughter, would it be 'rape-rape'" And my comment has been deleted. Elisson has called bullshit on every other level, and his comments still stand. But the real question on whether it's okay if it's someone else's kid, or if it's YOUR kid still stand.

You can delete my comment, but you can't delete my own blog post asking the question, dude.

Hoosierboy is absolutely dead on. A pervert is a pervert. And the bastard RAN from facing the consequences of his actions. Justice is overdue.

Drive-Bys

Ear Worm of the Day:



Yep. Tired of yucky, rainy weather.
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Be kind to our feathered friends during migration season. I found this especially freaky:

What matters most in autumn is fueling the long flight or, if you're a snow bird, bulking up. Unlike humans, who slow down when running out of gas, a bird whose tank is emptied simply drops from the sky.

"The wings just stop," says Tim Joyce, a birdscaper and longtime birder who runs the Wild Birds Unlimited shop in Glenview. "They're fish food at that point." Thus, what you put in your backyard diner just might matter to a long-distance hauler.

Now you know.
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Refurbished Kindles? That's pretty tempting... but I think the price will come down more yet.
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Giggle of the Day:


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

For Miles and Sammy, who'll know why.
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Ack! I leave tomorrow for Ireland and I'm not ready! (Dublin, Killarney, Tralee and Galway this trip.) I need a maid. And a laundress. And a chef. And a bartender. Especially that last one.

Rubber-Necking

Giggle of the Day:


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Just heard a hysterical song that the Elderly Brothers must learn before the next blogmeet. Here you go, guys:



Oops.

Let the giggles begin.

(And a tip of the cap to The Bride!)

Drive-Bys

Sorry it's been quiet here on the bus for the last few days. A birthday party for a special four-year-old and jury duty have combined to make me a busy, busy girl.

Ah, jury duty! It's a good thing they agreed to a panel of 12 before they got to me, as every question every other juror answered "no" to, I answered "yes" in my head. It got to the point where I could sincerely imagine counsel for the plaintiffs and defendants Indian leg wrestling to decide who got the privilege of using their peremptory challenge first.

Ah, well... it would have amused his Honor, who had a wonderful sense of humor.
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The CTA wants to do more cuts? I don't see how they can possibly cut services right now, as Metra and the El are busier and more crowded than I've ever seen. In fact, they should be adding cars to both.
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Do you know a family with a military member serving overseas? Take a tip from JihadGene and go over to Laptops for Flat Tops.

The entries will be judged by the following criteria:

• Intensity of need as expressed in the essay
• Immediate family member is an active member of the US military and is stationed overseas, as confirmed by their military identification number.
• Winners will be selected from entries collected in April through May, June through July, August through September, October through November, and December through January 2010.

Contest Rules:

• Submissions must come from a family who has an immediate family member (husband, wife, mom, dad, brother, sister, son, daughter) who is serving in the US Military in a location not in the continental United States.
• Submissions may come on behalf of a third party who has an immediate family member (husband, wife, mom, dad, brother, sister, son, daughter) who is serving in the US Military in a location not in the continental United States.
• Entries must be submitted through allamericandirect.com/laptop
• All entries must be associated with a AllAmericanDirect.com registered email address
• Entries must be associated with an "opt-in" email address
• AllAmericanDirect.com submissions must include name, email address, phone number, and physical mailing address.
• Families that submitted essays in previous months may resubmit a new essay each month if they are not selected
• Submissions should be no longer than 400 words
• Entries cannot be from an employee of or immediate family member of an employee of AllAmericanDirect.com
• No purchase necessary to enter or win

Spread the word!
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Cato @ Liberty has launched a new website exposing wasteful government spending: Downsizing the Federal Government. Lots of folks I know will be adding this to their favorites!
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Denny makes me drool. (Heh.)
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I return the favor and make Denny drool.
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Off to Therapy Night!

Drive-Bys

JihadGene says, "It's Friday! Let's Dance!" This week's theme word is "fire."

How 'bout a little Fire in the Belly?



(And if you're in the mood to dance, pop up a Youtube video on your site, then drop a link in Great Reader's comments. Join the party!)
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Anti-wi-fi paint offers security

Bastards.
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Quote of the Day:

"I went to the front of the house and yelled 'Death from above’ and started throwing the pool [table] balls."

(A tip of the cap to Harper. I giggled myself silly over this feisty woman's ingenuity.)
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So that whole Chicago being out of the running for the 2016 Olympics in the first round of voting?

The part of me that pays taxes in the Chicagoland area is greatly relieved.

The part of me that is an Olympic junkie who'd have gone to see everything from decathalon to pole vault to synchronized swimming to badminton and table tennis and everything in between is truly sorry.

I'm not blaming either of the Obamas. (Don't faint.) I'm not blaming Oprah. (No, really -- don't faint.) Mayor Shortshanks? Mebbe.

Mostly, I'm just glad Da Mair will now have to turn his attention back to Chicago and once again turn it into the City that Works.
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The 2009 Ig Nobel Prize winners have been announced. My favorite?

PHYSICS PRIZE: Katherine K. Whitcome of the University of Cincinnati, USA, Daniel E. Lieberman of Harvard University, USA, and Liza J. Shapiro of the University of Texas, USA, for analytically determining why pregnant women don't tip over.

REFERENCE: "Fetal Load and the Evolution of Lumbar Lordosis in Bipedal Hominins," Katherine K. Whitcome, Liza J. Shapiro & Daniel E. Lieberman, Nature, vol. 450, 1075-1078 (December 13, 2007). DOI:10.1038/nature06342.
WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Katherine Whitcome and Daniel Lieberman

Priceless.
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Giggle of the Day:


see more dog and puppy pictures
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Happy Weekend, All!

Quick Stop

Eight more days to blast-off for Ireland. I've been doing a lot of research, and picked up a copy of "The Rough Guide to Ireland." How rough is it? Here's a description of a Galway site:

From the Spanish Arch you can take a pleasant walk north along the north riverside path and across the Salmon Weir Bridge to the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas. Commissioned about thirty years ago and in hideous contrast to the Collegiate College, its copper dome seeps green stains down ugly limestone walls. Inside, the horrors continue in a senseless jumble of stone, mahogany and Connemara marble. It's so remarkably awful that it demands attention, and viewed from a distance its sheer bulk does achieve a grandeur of sorts. [Italics mine.]

Yeesh. That's not rough -- that's BRUTAL. And we're so going to see it.

I'm going with two friends, and I expect to return home with sides aching for days because I've been laughing for days, a face that smarts from smiling so much, and a liver that'll follow me home a week or so later once it's gotten over the shock.

Drive-Bys

Ear Worm of the Morning:



Yes. I bopped all the way to the train station with this in my head, it followed me onto the train, into the city, and all the way to my desk. Agh!
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A question for Whoopi Goldberg: If it had been your own thirteen year old daughter or one of your two granddaughters, would it still not have been "rape-rape"???

I betcha it would be.
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Stupid quote of the day:

"As much of a sacrifice as people say this is for me or Oprah or the president to come for these few days," the first lady told a crowd of people involved in the Chicago project, "so many of you in this room have been working for years to bring this bid home."

It shouldn't be a sacrifice, lady. It should be and is an honor and a privilege.
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So I saw this article about an ice cream parlor that serves up 24 scoops of ice cream in a kitchen sink and couldn't understand why the reporter thought this was new and unique. After all, Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour & Restaurant has been doing that for years. Then again, he must not be a child of the 70's, as Farrell's has been gone from the Chicagoland area for a long, long time!

Let's see a show of hands for how many of you celebrated a birthday at Farrell's complete with siren, base drum and kitchen sink!
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Joanie is once again offering up her gorgeous photos as a way to raise money for Boobie-Thon 2009. Make your home more beautiful and support breast cancer research and awareness at the same time.

And I'll have to haul the camera out when I get home. Gotta be supportive, you know, and it's not like I haven't done it before... Heck, I even got 'em named.
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Giggle of the Day:


see more Lolcats and funny pictures
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Ear Worm of the Rest of the Day:



Boy, my brain bounces in funny directions.
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Speaking of funny, Alan made me giggle uproariously:

I swear by Muhammad's child bride, I vow, I declare that I will bring you people into compliance with all safety regulations, and I will do it quickly.

The Photoshop is priceless. And this?

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT select someone for this type of martyrdom if his rear end has been used as a Hamster Habitrail.

Slayed me! (Oops. Apparently it slayed Asiri, too.)