Up next...our men against Indiana tomorrow night! We'll be joining the Tampa Bay Sooner Club at Lee Roy Selmon's for that one.
posted at 09:18 PM | link--it | mail it
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A new company called Gaynor Minden is using technology and elastomeric plastics for a better pointe shoe for the 21st century. They are being called the Air Jordans of the ballet world -- and can last up to five days. The pricetag runs about $85 -- almost twice as expensive as their counterpart. But then again, the Gaynor Mindens also come with at least 3-4 times the shelf-life. Not all teachers are convinced -- and there are "cons" (read more in this article). But at least it's a start!
posted at 04:35 PM | link--it | mail it
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"When told that Alastair Campbell is a big fan of hers, Britney Spears asked who he is. 'He’s Tony Blair’s right-hand man,' Spears was told, according to the London Daily Mirror. 'Tony Blair?' said Britney. 'I’ve never heard of him either. Who is he?' Spears was told that Mr. Blair is the prime minister. 'Oh!,' she reportedly gasped. 'He’s very important then if he’s the prime minister. That’s a real tough job, isn’t it? It’s really cool that this guy Alastair Campbell likes me, then.'"
She's scheduled to appear next on the Tonight Show's "Jay Walking" to discuss U.S. foreign policy and the crush that guy, you know, 'who would like take over if Bush is unable to fulfill his duties during his Presidential reign' has on her... Don't hate her because she's beautiful.I must say I was pleasantly surprised! I rarely read tech manuals -- that's Todd's job. But this one sucked me right in. There were several tips at first glance that I couldn't wait to pull him over and show him, and the one regarding pop-up windows was worth the cost of the eBook alone, IMHO! We both give it two thumbs up.
So I've decided to make Chris an offer à la "Major League". I'll have Todd snap a nudie pic of me -- and I'll make it into a puzzle in Photoshop. For every OS X-related eBook GnomeTomes releases, we'll e-mail him a piece of the puzzle. What? It could happen! Chris already got a teaser last night. *wink*
Where was I? Oh yeah. These are worth the money folks! Skip that extra value meal and go grab one or three right now. That's an order!We did, however, find this most excellent archive of past "Bud Light salutes..." commercials. It includes several of the newer ones. I thought we were going to fall off the couch when we listened to the "nudist colony activity coordinator" and "horse-drawn carriage driver" ads! In fact, I think we need a CD of these...oh Bud Light...
posted at 08:56 PM | link--it | mail it
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"Look at this site ... eharmony.com
That is where I met [my current boyfriend]. It is one of the best sites I have found because of the way they match you with people. I recommend it to anyone who is single."
Just thought I would pass that along for those who are interested!
posted at 03:22 PM | link--it | mail it
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Yeah, that's it! I'm so glad the Church finally figured that out for us. Because I think we all know that 'straight' folks would never, ever molest children -- now don't we? Oh, wait:
"At least one well-know clinical psychologist who has treated victims and priests in more than 2,000 clergy sexual abuse cases even says he believes victims are much more likely to be girls and women."'We decided to come up with a system whereby meat could actually be grown outside the animal's body on the space vehicle,' said Dr. Morris Benjaminson, the project's leader. 'It provides a continuous supply of meat for astronauts.'" (Article from Tech TV.)
Uhhhmmm...thanks. But I think I'll stick with the astronaut ice cream for now!But 8-year-old Justin Chapman's genius is in doubt after his mother admitted faking some of his test results. The boy has been put in foster care after what was thought to be a suicide attempt.
The boy has been a celebrity since age 3. But things began to fall apart last month after reporters examined his purported accomplishments and the role of his mother.
Chapman admitted she fabricated most if not all of her son's top achievements: a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT, a genius score at age 3 on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale test and an IQ score of 298-plus on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale at age 6.
'I just got caught up in it,' she told the Rocky Mountain News, which broke the story along with The New York Times. 'I wanted to be a good mom and give him opportunities I didn't have. I don't do anything halfway. It was wrong. I made some poor choices.'" (Article from CNN.)
Ya' think, maybe? Your 8-year old kid is already trying suicide to get away from you and the pressure of being perfect. It's one thing when your child is born a genius and you try to give them every opportunity possible. It's quite another thing when you've fabricated their entire existance by the age of 8, leaving them a legacy they can never possibly live up to before they even hit puberty. I think your punishment should be something along the lines of having to take the stupid SAT every day for the rest of your damn life, lady... Somedays it just seems everyone gets a kid but the ones who are truly "ready and deserving".But now I'm just going to come out and say it. I don't give a flyin' flip if she is America's new sweetheart -- I can't stand Halle Berry. She's a bitch. Remember that little 'accident' she had back in 2000? I mean, how could you forget? She wore that stupid little butterfly band-aid on her brow for at least a month longer than the doctor prescribed. And for every interview she went on post-Golden Globes win, the interviewer would ask about the accident, and the bowels of hell were unleashed upon them. You see, it was quite fine to fret over Halle. To worry about Halle. To make sure she was ok. But that pompous bitch DARED you to even bring up the injured people she left behind. She was hurt. She was scared. She was bleeding and out of her mind. "She know not what she do." Ok, fine Halle. This was your first time and we all make mistakes, right? Oh wait, I'm sorry...this wasn't your first time?
Yes, that's right. Last night's darling apparently has poor driving skills but a really good flee-the-scene record. ANY OTHER citizen of this country would have their license revoked, their insurance cut, and their ass in jail. But not Miss Berry. Oh no, she gets the People 'Best Dressed' List. And I will give the woman credit. She knows how to select an evening gown -- unique to every occasion. And she looks damn good in them.
Before you try and get all "oh you're so racist and you just can't stand to see an African American woman win the first Oscar ever when you just wanted the pale, white redhead to take home the prize instead" on my ass -- I'd like to remind you that I am still bitching Whoopi didn't win the little golden man for "The Color Purple". Yes, still. I nearly leapt up out of my seat when Denzel snagged his Best Actor nod last night. I believe my exact words were, "It's about damned time!"
Halle Barry is a fake, and I have no doubt that one day Hollywood will finally figure this out. I dare you to watch any acceptance speech the woman has ever given back-to-back and then feel moved by the one she gave last night. Every reaction is the same. Yes, I got slammed in my comments earlier for comparing it to a Miss America "OHMYGOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU PICKED MEEEEE!" reaction. But did you see the woman when they panned in on her. She had to have watched at least one tape from Atlantic City for practice. Oh wait, nevermind. She just watched her last acceptance speech. My bad.
Oprah's speech about Halle's win moved me. Halle's did not. While I can't believe it took SEVENTY FOUR years to award an African American actress Hollywood's highest honors, I also can't believe Halle Berry is the one walking home with the goodie basket. Whoever her publicist is, give 'em a raise. (And whoever her stylist is, avoid friendships with Gwyneth's...)
I just hope that parents won't use Halle as a role model to their children. Because if they do, they are also teaching them that with a lot of money and a pretty face you can lawyer your way out of a hit-and-run -- and I don't care if you are an actress or a private citizen -- any way you slice it, it's just wrong. Still don't care? Then consider Mikey's closing words: "If she had hit you and fled the scene, would you be happy to see her win an Oscar?"The underarm version prevents perspiration, saving those $25,000 couture gowns from the unsightly staining that can result from excessive sweating."
And here I was last week bitching that Secret had gone up to $4 a tube at Wal Mart! Who knew you could just paralyze that sweat away..."The Password Journal combines game technology and secret-keeping, making it of interest to young girls who like neat gadgets...and privacy. In addition to functions for setting important dates, times, and other data - the Password Journal has a secret compartment inside for treasured belongings (promise rings, phone numbers, photos, etc.) Also includes a night-light that allows for transactions that can be made only under the cover of darkness (whatever they may be). Key and voice-coded access guarantees privacy after setting the password. Don't bother trying to jerry-rig it, parents; once the password is entered, the machine only opens at the command of its owner."
Now that is too freakin' cool! We have a niece that turns 9 next month so she's a bit young for it still, but it's definitely one to file back to up my cool aunt-o-meter in the future!"So, ladies, if you wanna rob a bank, but you don't want your cooter poked, head to beautiful Minnesota. Land of 10,000 lakes."
Oh wait...wrong entry!"IIIIIIIIIII'M NOOOOOORRRRRMAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!"
Oh yeah, he'll make a good blogger soon.Leo showed a way to update text/links within a site's code (say if you move servers) all at once using Perl -- making the changes sitewide.
And now for something completely different, from Cat...Papa Smurf on a quiz show (all your base are belong to us style). Cuchi cuchi!You know, there are people you can literally spend years of your life hanging around with them and never really "click" -- no matter how well you (think you) know them. And then there are people you meet face-to-face for literally a number of hours and it feels like you've been friends forever. We caught ourselves laughing at more than one 'inside joke' last weekend -- and we'd been in the same room together for less time than most new NBC sitcoms last.
Funny how today's society works out that you end up meeting some of your closest friends in 'real life' on the Internet...but it really seems to have worked out that way this time... And I couldn't be happier. Bring on the drinking and silly board games!
Anyone else think they can take me at Trivial Pursuit? Do you feel lucky punk?So when I read this article interviewing Matt Stone, I didn't believe they were really going to kill Kenny off once and for all and add Butters to the South Park foursome. But watching the show right now, it looks like they've done just that. For now...at least...
Good thing everyone knows it's Butters. That's me!Humans will begin a voyage to the nearest star this century, a NASA researcher says. And the crew might more resemble a tribal society than the chain of command of traditional space missions. Procreation would be required. The crew that arrived would be descendents of those that left.
Sending humans out into deep space over a period of generations probably means a one-way trip for those aboard, researchers say, and would require the development of reliable power sources and closed-loop life support systems. [Geoffery A. Landis of NASA’s Glenn Research Center] has even suggested sending out crews consisting only of women to save on weight, replacing men with frozen sperm to ensure reproduction later down the line.
I just can't quiet the cynical side of me that's thinking, "Just great... We've screwed everything up on our own planet. Parts of Antarctica are breaking off and melting. But oh yeah, let's go screw the cosmos up as well!" One thing's for certain. Our children, and our children's children, face an interesting road ahead.In 1998, the plaintiff's school district asked students who engaged in extracurricular activities from 7th through 12th grades to consent to drug testing. Miss Earls wanted to participate in the school's vocal choir and marching band. Her lawsuit "could help decide whether school districts can require drug tests for students who want to participate in after-school activities from cheerleading to chess squad".
If this becomes law, what's to stop law agencies from one day beating down our doors, forcing us to take a drug test to see if we're fit to be on the PTA or run the school's bake sale? Lord knows what we could slip into the brownies!
Now don't get me wrong...I have never tried illegal drugs myself (although my husband has)...so it's not a test I fear personally. But this just smacks of lost freedoms that can never be recovered.
Students aren't going to avoid a drug problem because of these tests. If anything, it will only succeed in making them more introverted, left to camp out in front of their computers at home alone. The ones that potentially need the "help" that policies like these are trying to catch are the very ones least likely to get "caught" in such a scenario in the first place. Education needs to come in the form of discussions with parents and authority figures -- not by lining our kids up like cattle outside of the school restroom doors for pee parties, with the fear of "did my bagel have poppy seads on it" looming over their heads each day.
Although I think there is a place for drug-testing in certain athletic competitions, I find it very hard to believe such tests are necessary in order for my child to play the flute, sing in the choir, or (God-forbid) join the 4-H club. With every little bit of liberty that vanishes, this country seems to forget the very principles on which it was founded. Because this one time, at band camp...A close friend of ours wrote late last night after seeing my new 'naughty schoolgirl' skin. They told me I didn't have to answer if I didn't want to or felt uncomfortable, but they were really curious as to whether or not I was bi-sexual since most of my skins feature scantily clad ladies. The question didn't bother me at all. In fact, it very much amused me (and Todd).
My reply? "Nope." I'm strictly, 100% heterosexual. (Sometimes much to Todd's dismay I believe. Heh.) Not that there's anything wrong with that... I have a close family member that's bi, and several friends who are gay/lesbian/bi as well. But that's just not "me".
It's not like I haven't had the opportunity to figure it out yet either. I'm 29 years old. Besides the "I kissed a girl" episode in college, I've been approached in clubs several times. And one of my very best friends back home made it quite clear that were I ever interested... But I wasn't. And I'm still not. Frankly, I just enjoy looking at the female form much more than the male form. It's much more sensual, IMHO. I've never 'felt' anything sexually for other women -- in photographs and/or in real life -- except maybe smiling along with my husband which helps enhance our own brand o' fun. Watching him turned on is a turn on for me. The sassy girly pics keep him happy...which keeps me happy... *wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more*
So there you have it just in case you might be wondering, too. I'm sorry to disappoint any of you who were holding out hope. But if you prefer, like Todd, to keep on living with the fantasy -- that's quite ok by me. I'll just be over here combing through my private stash of Jason Lee and Rivers Cuomo photos...My Husband Calls it the Pantie Blog: "On a day when I noticed that most of the top links at BW are about women as sex objects, I come across this blog and my husband's reaction is male drooling over the picture used as background. Maybe its jut the kind of day I'm having but I don't think so. On its own merits I liked this blog. Lots of blog community news and I found links to other good blogs."
Pretty cool -- thanks!Christine is fabulous! She said to tell you... she and I are here and you're not <stuck tongue out> ;) I met up with Nick Finck and we got his badge then headed to Iron Catcus for Break Bread with Brad where I met Jish, Jay from openwire, and Ben and Mena! Christine finally arrived around 9pmish. It was great to finally see her! Then, we went to Poly Esther's for Karoake. Mena sang "Stand By Your Man". It was great. It was 2 hours past my bedtime, so I left about 12ish. Christine left at 3am!
So that's today's field report... Oh yeah, they're killing me softly with their song! If you get to check in, hope you both continue to have a blast -- and don't forget to take a lot of pics for those less fortunate than yourselves!"Toward the end of December 2001 Weezer entered the studio to begin work on their fourth LP. The album began to take shape as Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell, Scott Shriner, the newly acquired bassist, and Patrick Wilson started work on a multitude of demos. In an unprecedented move for such an accomplished and prolific band as Weezer, following the daily band recordings, Weezer.com, the official web site, would host full, unedited MP3s of the session.
Each day, Weezer.com would include a report about Weezer-related happenings, including pictures of the band playing, with the Audio/Visual section soon receiving a fresh update of music, sometimes more than ten songs at once! Each song could be downloaded in its entirety, though, of course, their quality was not quite of an album; they were merely demos and had not been through the mixing and mastering process.
Toward the end of January, the band wrapped up the basic recording sessions and prepared to start the mixing process. Most fans assumed we would not hear from the demo tracks until the official release of 'Maladroit', tentatively scheduled, at the time, for a release on April 30th. Amazingly, Weezer.com began offering mixed versions of the tracks on its web site on a regular basis. Sometimes there would be several different versions of a mixed track as the band read over feedback from fans on the Weezer fan sites and message boards and made subsequent tweaks.
While all this was happening, radio stations began downloading the demos and mixes from Weezer.com and playing them on national programs. College radio stations proved to be the most prominent, but several popular national stations, such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Y100, started looping demos on their playlist regularly. This is when Interscope, Weezer's record label, began to take notice.
On February 19th, 2002, Weezer.com updated with word that 'Dope Nose' was officially added to the playlists at 106.7 KROQ, Los Angeles and 94.7 The Zone, Chicago. This was significant for several reasons. One, 'Dope Nose' had absolutely no promotion other than a link being to the MP3 being on Weezer.com. Interscope had no involvement. The band had not encouraged fans to request any of the demos on radio stations. Two, 106.7 KROQ is the largest radio station in the entire United States. Making it onto their air space is impressive enough, but an unfinished track with no promotion making it onto the official song rotation is unprecedented. This is where Interscope stepped in.
Following the announcement on February 19th, the Audio/Visual section of Weezer.com was shut down by Interscope. All that was left on the page was a black background with red lettering that stated: 'audio/visual page page shut down'."
Then on March 1st, Weezer.com was updated to say: "Yesterday, at Interscope's insistance, Rivers Cuomo had to write a letter to all the radio stations that he had previously sent the 'Maladroit' promo CD to, asking them to hold off promoting the tracks on the CD until the record company was ready to service the 'Dope Nose' single. With so many radio stations having shown immediate support of the songs, the band is now crossing their fingers that the fantastic wave of support at radio is not cast into confusion..."
On March 7th, Weezer.com once again addressed the issue: "Unfortunately, even as all the reports of radio success come in, the album itself seems to be no closer to coming out, as relations have become further strained with the record company. Now that 'Dope Nose' is taking off, Intersope has begun to show a decided interest in the band's new creation, 'Maladroit'. Now it seems that Interscope wants to claim ownership and take possession of the 'Maladroit' master tapes that Weezer created, produced and paid for independent of any record company aid. It's going to be difficult for them to turn over the tapes which they worked so hard on..."
What big record companies fail to realize in this day and age -- with programs like Limewire and Audio Galaxy at every fan's -- and every radio station's -- fingertips, is that they no longer have end-all be-all control over the artists on their labels. Most Weezer fans, myself included, already have 'Maladroit' on CD. And we have it on CD because the band allowed us to have it. I didn't download anything to be a 'music pirate' and I fully intend to give the band (and their mafia-style label) my money when (if?) 'Maladroit' is finally released. But a forced-letter by a hardball record company isn't stopping anything. Billboard has just made 'Dope Nose' a No. 25 debut on the publication's Modern Rock Tracks Audience chart this week! The single is the number one request in cities like Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, L.A., San Francisco, Dallas, and Boston -- and all stations are airing the requested song.
If you'd like to get involved and sign an online petition asking Interscope to "free Maladroit", you can do so here. This one is definitely going to be interesting to watch unfold. I just hope it unfolds in Weezer (and their fans') favors...If I love you and I know it, grab your ass!
If I love you and I know it, grab your ass!
Thinkin' of the lovin' we'll be makin'
Makes my booty start-a shakin'.
If I love you and I know it, grab your ass!
Shave and a haircut...two bits!
They're coming to take me away, ha-ha.
They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-ha.
To the funny farm, where life is beautiful all the time and
I'll be happy to see those nice young men
in their clean white coats and
they're coming to take me away, ha-ha!
To the happy home, with trees and flowers
and chirping birds and basket weavers who sit and smile
and twiddle their thumbs and toes
and they're coming to take me away, ha-ha!
To the funny farm, where life is beautiful all the time...