From the brain trust that led to my most unshakeable ear worm ever:



Don't like it?  Rub a little bacon on it.

(You're welcome.)

Can't See the Forest...

It just occurred to me that I don't have a family tree -- I have a small family forest.  Huh.

Street Music

Need a smile?

 
 
This little guy had me dancing in my chair!

Bus Fumes

I haven't had a haircut I've hated more since the dreaded Mithter Larry (heavy makeup, leopard skin stirrup pants (remember those?), lamb's wool vest (no shirt), Captain Jack Sparrow 10 years before the movie came out and thigh-high leather boots). Who knew he had a (thissor) thister and she was equally dangerous? Urk. I'm cropping it short again. Damn.

Weather Conditions

The thermometer hit 90 degrees for the first time in 2012 here in Chicago. It's actually hotter inside than it is outside at the moment!

Rubber-Necking

Quote of the Day:

[D]ignity is not cheap, apparently

Whoa, Nelly!

How is this whole NATO-in-Chicago thing going?

"There are more helicopters in the air than cars on the ground." - R. Seams

It's a ghost town in my little neck of the Loop.
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Another great quote from the Trib's Eric Zorn:

Sounds far-fetched, but done right, protests have been effective. Rallies, marches and demonstrations launched the civil rights revolution, the ACT UP campaign that awakened the nation and the medical establishment to the tragedy of AIDS, and the tea party movement, to name just three modern domestic examples. 

Done wrong, however, protests can impede change by turning onlookers into enemies. 

As one whose job gives him a built-in opportunity to attract attention, I'm conscious of sounding like a condescending "millionaire" dispensing advice to the poor on how to live within a budget. 

But look: Chanting "F--- the police" at Chicago's men and women in blue, as a group of protesters did during a march earlier this week, is going to raise gorges, not awareness of whatever that slogan is supposed to raise awareness of. 

Shattering storefront windows, if that's on the agenda here this weekend as it has been at other gatherings of world leaders, is no way to shatter complacency. 

And you might as well lie down and throw a tantrum as throw rocks and bottles at The Man if your goal is for something good to come out of the news coverage of the NATO summit. 

Be disruptive. Be noisy. Be outrageous. Even those who may not agree with any or all of the various causes you represent will admire the profoundly democratic spirit that you're bringing to these proceedings, and they'll at least secretly be glad for the illustration that we live in a country where groups of angry people are free to raise a mighty ruckus in the streets of a major city so long as they keep it peaceful. 

But be strategic. You will have our attention. Don't squander it.

Amen!

The Music in My Head

Blame it on John Kass.  (I don't know about you, but it'll take me a week to get that one out of my head, and it'll probably pop right back in between my ears every time I see a picture of FLOTUS in the news.)

Screw Loose

You try sitting next to a black guy who treats you to monotone versions of American Pie...



...Tracks of My Tears...



... and My Way...



...in a deep, gravelly, Leon Redbone mumble...



...and those little ditties coming between discussions with invisible people on the subjects of Don McLean, Jon Bon Jovi, the Rat Pack (and especially "The Chairman of the Board" -- "I like that cat."),  and keep a straight face.

Just thought I'd share...

Giggle of the Day:

Quick Stop

Suzette has also ordered the latest Robert Caro biography in the Lyndon Johnson series:

My note to her:

"I wonder if George R.R. Martin is Robert Caro in disguise. After all, they both write about politics, power and characters who display both noble and ignoble characteristics. And they both take for freaking evah to write the next volume of a series.  Hmmmm...."

For those in the know, which one of them said this?

"Nobody believes this, but I write very fast."

Okay, after you've picked yourself up off of the floor and stopped laughing, go here to see.  But really, it could have been either one of them.

On The Radio

Ear Worm of the Day:



I have no idea where that came from.

Blast From The Past

Anybody remember Eddie and the Cruisers?



Go buy the DVD here... then prepare to be unable to sit still in your chair. Bad 80's movie with a fantastic cast and great music.

Quick Stops

PJ Media had two great posts about dating mistakes women make with men, and dating mistakes men make with women.

Favorite bits?

From John Hawkins:

"[I]f he flees the relationship like you just contracted Ebola after you sleep with him and that’s going to upset you, well then, you should probably wait a little longer to make sure he intends to hang around. It’s also worth keeping in mind that to you, going out with a man three times, sleeping with him, and never hearing from him again may be a disaster, but to him it’s probably going to be viewed as a win. Not saying anyone’s right or anyone’s wrong with that, just noting a big mentality difference."

From Belladonna Rogers (who is a whole hell of a lot wordier overall, but knocks it out of the park with this pithy one-liner):

"If you don’t want a full female-brained answer, try to formulate your questions so that the only possible answer is a 'yes' or a 'no.'"

Go read them both. It's worth the trip!
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Blogthings!

You Are the Living Room

You are laid back and casual. You can have fun in almost any situation. You believe in being easy going. Life's hard enough, and you're not going to make it any harder. You are sociable and friendly. You welcome almost anyone into your life. You are completely unpretentious. You prefer living in a comfortable home to living in a showy home.

What Room of the House Are You?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

... and...

Your True Eye Color is Vibrant Green

You are a confident and together person. People look up to you. You were born to inspire others, and you love to lead when given the chance. You're the type of person who does everything well. You can't narrow down your talents easily. You have a passionate inner drive, and you know deep down that you're destined for greatness.

What's Your True Eye Color?

Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

Oddly enough, my eyes are green.
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Ear Worm of the Day:



Because I'm evil...

Drive-Bys

If I had one of each of these Jessica Kagan Cushman bracelets, I think I'd have all my dating bases covered -- and stylishly so.
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Parenting Done Right, Part I:

'I feel like if you’re going to embarrass me by stealing, I’m gonna show you what it’s like to be embarrassed.

'I work too hard for her to steal, and I’m not gonna have no thief living with me. I refuse to have a thief living with me.'

Right on, Ms. Walker!
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Quote of the Day:

"I think they should just call it what it is. Romance Novels for Twilight Fans. The end."

Scrumptious!
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Blogging, Facebook and Twitter are more than enough for me, but if you've caught the Pinterest bug, you might want to consider this:

When a Pinterest user euphemistically “pins” a “pin” on a “pinboard,” she’s really “copying” a “full-size photograph” to “Pinterest’s servers.” Needless to say, the bright spotlight of copyright law is harshly shining on Pinterest: even a cursory stroll through Pinterest’s various user pinboards reveals that the vast majority of pins are copyrighted works, not in the public domain, and not licensed under Creative Commons or a similar free-to-distribute regime.

If you're using Pinterest, I strongly urge you to read the whole post here.
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Parenting Done Right, Part II:

I have traveled with a 2-year-old dozens of times. It's not fun. However, if I was unable to control my child, I would absolutely expect to be booted off of the plane.

That's one of the problems with society. We expect everyone to make exceptions and to comply to our individual world. NO - there are rules, and there needs to be consideration for the other passengers. Get that tantrum throwing kid off my plane. Lackadaisical parents think everyone else should accommodate them and have more understanding. Call me cold and uncaring, but I've been there, and I work hard to make sure I don't impose my family on your world if you don't want them there, and I think others should too.

It all comes down to this: If you can't control your kid, avoid traveling until you think you have a handle on this whole parenting thing.

Rock on, Mom.
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Ear Worm of the Day:



Just try getting that one out of your head!
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Giggle of the Day:

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Down Memory Lane

This ear worm has been stuck in my head for three full days now:



Just thought I'd pass it on...

Drive-Bys

Just so you know:

President Barack Obama's Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu uttered the kind of Washington gaffe that consists of telling the truth when inconvenient. According to Politico, Chu admitted to a House committee that the administration is not interested in lowering gas prices.


Chu, along with the Obama administration, regards the spike in gas prices as a feature rather than a bug. High gas prices provide an incentive for alternate energy technology, a priority for the White House, and a decrease in reliance on oil for energy.

The boys in DC are looking out after your interests, yo.
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I may not have a TV at home, but I've discovered a few shows via Hulu recently.  I'm totally hooked on Once Upon a Time, Grimm and Smash (especially Smash).  At only $7.99/month, Hulu+ is an ideal alternative to cable for me.  (Now if they'd only cut a deal with HBO for Game of Thrones... dammit.)

What other good television am I missing?
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And the survey says...

Remember my little wildy scientific survey?

Here's what I found out:

• Men are interested in lady knickers than women are, but not by much.
• Not a single female respondent carries spare pair of emergency undies.
• Very few of them have a sense of humor about it, either.
• Men care very little for what the knickers look like.
• They care very much about who is wearing them and getting us out of them, however.
• The Brits are nuts.

Thanks for responding... all nine of you!
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Giggle of the Day:

Drive-Bys

When Chicago's Hull House announced that it was closing, there was a great hue and cry about it being such an icon and providing vital human services.  But, as Dennis Byrne says,

Wait, let me start again. No one more deserves sympathy in these troubled times than the clients these charities serve — the starving, sick, homeless, addicted, despairing and destitute.

I rephrased that because I'm not so sure that the various charities, nonprofits and tax-exempt organizations should escape scrutiny for how well or poorly they do their jobs. The popular assumption is that they are the epitome of goodness and kindness, so just lay off with the scrutiny stuff.

I disagree. They spend our money, whether our contributions (in cash and in kind) or our taxes. They have an obligation, to their clients and us, to operate effectively and efficiently, and not in the shadows created by cloaked financial reporting and apathetic or overly trusting boards of directors, all while blessing themselves with munificent salaries and benefits.

As one who sits on the Board of a 501(c)(3) organization, I completely agree with him.  Go read the whole thing, then be asking questions before you donate your time, goods or money to any philanthropic organization.  Even mine.
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Jimbo of the farookin' great hair and rockin' guitar gets the willies from crocs and gators.  I get the willies at just the description alone of Krokodil:

It is a drug for the poor, and its effects are horrific. It was given its reptilian name because its poisonous ingredients quickly turn the skin scaly. Worse follows. Oleg and Sasha have not been using for long, but Oleg has rotting sores on the back of his neck.

"If you miss the vein, that's an abscess straight away," says Sasha. Essentially, they are injecting poison directly into their flesh. One of their friends, in a neighbouring apartment block, is further down the line.

"She won't go to hospital, she just keeps injecting. Her flesh is falling off and she can hardly move anymore," says Sasha. Photographs of late-stage krokodil addicts are disturbing in the extreme. Flesh goes grey and peels away to leave bones exposed. People literally rot to death.

If that doesn't make your skin crawl, nothing will.
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While I'm on the subject of things that'll give me nightmares for days, there's this news:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Jewish Health in Colorado both have issued a warning about nasal washes after two people have died from using tap water to do their sinus rinse.

Health experts say it’s safe to use nasal washes. It’s not about the rinse, it’s about the water. They warn that a mixture from a faucet could be fatal.

And just what kind of fatal?

Fornof says not to use tap water. It’s because of a brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri. It’s common in warm rivers and lakes, but if it travels up the nose to the brain it’s usually deadly

.Ooooo! Squicky, squicky, squicky!
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Not only does Siri have problems with thick Scottish accents, apparently she also struggles with Engrish:



And Siri is not the only iPhone app with language issues:

An autocorrected text message, accidentally sent to the wrong number, was the catalyst to a lockdown Wednesday at West Hall middle and high schools.

Just before noon, law enforcement and school officials issued the lockdown after a West Hall community member reported a threatening text message.

The text, saying "gunman be at west hall today," was received and reported to police around 11:30 a.m. But after police tracked the number, they learned the autocorrect feature on the new cellphone changed "gunna" to "gunman."

Yeesh!
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Quote of the Day:

There was no damage to the building, the spokeswoman added.

Thank goodness for small blessings, eh?
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According to Glenn Reynolds, today is "Blogger Appreciation Day."  To all my blogging pals out there, I do appreciate you.  I really do!

Quick Stops

Giggle of the Day:

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Three simple steps... to delete your Google browsing history.  Just do it.
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Ear Worm of the Day:



Yep. I've still got the Statler Brothers stuck between my ears... but it's Friday, and Jihad Gene once again exhorts us, "Let's Dance!"  Alrighty then.
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World Tour

Mongolia -- that's a new one!

Did you know...

At 1,564,116 square kilometres (603,909 sq mi), Mongolia is the 19th largest and the most sparsely populated independent country in the world, with a population of around 2.75 million people. It is also the world's second-largest landlocked country after Kazakhstan. The country contains very little arable land, as much of its area is covered by steppes, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Approximately 30% of the population are nomadic or semi-nomadic. The predominant religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism, and the majority of the state's citizens are of the Mongol ethnicity, though Kazakhs, Tuvans, and other minorities also live in the country, especially in the west. About 20% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day.

Here's a form of music you're not likely to run across in the States -- Mongolian Throat-Singing:



(There's a droning quality about it that reminds me of dulcimers and bagpipes.)