August 3, 2008
Sad, But Cute…
We were out at a Mexican restaurant, and they had a balloon artist coming by to make animals for the kids. Wyatt was very intrigued to see the turtle that the artist was making for him…
He wasn’t quite as happy when the turtle was strapped to his wrist, though!
Awwww….
July 28, 2008
The Problem With The Biblical Account Of Creation
So I was thinking about this the other day… There are the problems of geological vs. God time, etc. But one thing just occurred to me.
God created man in his image. He created all the animals, and the plants, and gave man dominion above them. Man was king, he was satisfied, and he was happy. But then God thought man was lonely, and on the same day he created Man, he created Woman.
Let me ask you a question…
What Man in his right mind, king of his castle, master of all before him on earth, would get lonely and need a mate within a day? I mean, sure, within a week (possibly a few months if God gave Man beer and football instead) Man might get horny, but a day?
So this God, who we’re supposed to believe is kind and loving, presents us with a creature that seduces us into a fall from grace with her feminine wiles, such wiles that continue to this day to get us men to do all sorts of crazy things to vie for their attention.
As for me, I could have done with the beer and football. That truly would have made the Garden of Eden paradise on Earth!
July 25, 2008
I’m Officially Old
It’s been a couple of strange years. The wife and I went from young DINK couple, renting apartments in California, to the responsibility of home ownership in Georgia. But then, in just over the past year, we came back to California, back to renting, but adding one child and reducing ourselves to one income (although, with the responsibility of my new job, an improved income). Now, she’s working on starting a new business, we’re keeping our eyes on the housing market for an entrance sometime in 2009.
And then I had to have the nerve to turn 30. As if becoming a parent isn’t enough new responsibility, I had to officially leave the carefree days of 29 and become old.
Time to start living vicariously through Wyatt, because my opportunities have closed off. Hopefully he’ll remember me when he starts the Martian colony that I was hoping to found. Ugh. 30! Why me?!
July 18, 2008
A Novel Way To Drum Up Business
Gas prices are rough on all of us, and some businesses have picked up on that. Some businesses, ones that I thought were fairly recession-proof, are having to offer perks to entice business to their perky wares:
At the Shady Lady Ranch brothel in Beatty, Nevada, clients who spend $300 or more this month will receive $50 gas vouchers as part of a promotion to beat the summer slump in business.
“It’s rocking along. We’re doing quite well. June and July historically are not big months,” said James Davis, who co-owns the ranch with his wife, Bobbi.
The first $1,000 in gas cards were given out within a week, he added.
Good luck, Shady Lady Ranch. I would hate to see your employees filling up the unemployment lines!
July 16, 2008
He Stole Jesus!
Having a Catholic wife is sometimes interesting. As I was raised Lutheran (the original heretics!), I learned at an early age that large-scale powerful organizations were prone to corruption and should be mistrusted. Maybe that’s how I became a libertarian?
That being said, I still ended up getting married in the Catholic church, with a full mass, and a drunken Irish Catholic priest… I made my guests earn their spot at the open bar at the reception, dammit! But I didn’t, and wouldn’t, enter the classes to join the church. Obviously I’ve got my own issues with religion in general, but I know that if I ever made it back to a church of any sort, it wouldn’t be the Catholics.
This story makes me glad not to consider myself amongst their ranks:
A University of Central Florida student claims that he is getting death threats for messing with something sacred.
Webster Cook says that, instead of eating a Eucharist wafer as he was expected to do during the Sacrament of Holy Communion, he smuggled the blessed piece of bread out of mass. Once blessed, the piece of bread is viewed by Catholics as the true Body of Christ.
Catholics worldwide became furious.
Furious? That’s just the start of it. Others started accusing him of committing a hate crime, while many outraged fellow students are issuing complaints to bring him up before the university for a hearing.
Sorry folks… It’s just a cracker. And if you truly believe otherwise, you can believe that this student will receive otherworldly retribution for his actions; you don’t need to be the one to protect Jesus.
Appealing to this student’s respect and tolerance for your beliefs by calmly asking him to return the cracker makes you look magnanimous and coherent. Calling for him to be brought up on hate crime charges for stealing a cracker makes you look childish and insane. Which one do you want to be?
Below The Beltway linked with The Right To Be A Jerk
July 12, 2008
Tug Of War
When Wyatt was first born, Spanky largely ignored him, with the occasional efforts to come up and investigate. When Wyatt first became mobile, Spanky mostly ran away from him (and still does).
But they’re starting to reach a point now where they can play!
July 8, 2008
Fear Of Boogieman Implies Hatred Of Jazz, Too…
Sometimes a story comes along, and it just needs to be passed along without comment. This one needs no added comedy.
Claim: Kids who say ‘yuck’ may be racist
LONDON, July 7 (UPI) — Toddlers who say “yuck” when given flavorful foreign food may be exhibiting racist behavior, a British government-sponsored organization says.
The London-based National Children’s Bureau released a 366-page guide counseling adults on recognizing racist behavior in young children, The Telegraph reported Monday.
The guide, titled Young Children and Racial Justice, warns adults that babies must also be included in the effort to eliminate racism because they have the ability to “recognize different people in their lives.”
The bureau says to be aware of children who “react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying ‘yuck’.”
“Racist incidents among children in early years settings tend to be around name-calling, casual thoughtless comments and peer group relationships,” the guide says.
Staff members are advised not to ignore racist actions and to condemn them when they occur.
But don’t worry, I’m sure that any child with these racist anti-social tendencies will be cured once he gets enrolled in a government indoctrination center public school.
July 6, 2008
Wyatt Takes Figurative Steps…
…oh, and a bunch of literal ones!
Not bad for 2 days shy of his 11th month, eh?
July 2, 2008
Milk Stout Takes Stout Category In Regional LongShot Competition
Obviously, the bad news is that doesn’t win me another free trip to Denver.
The good news is that this is still a heck of an honor, especially since the Stout category can often be very crowded. After the results it garnered in the AHA National Comp (won first round in my region, advanced to 2nd round but didn’t win a medal), I was hoping to see some additional positive results for this beer.
I think this recipe is a good one. Considering I’ve got some of this beer, plus some of a very similar recipe to the beer that was a national finalist for LongShot last year, both in my kegerator right now, I’d say I’m in good shape 
June 30, 2008
10 Reasons To Support Getting High Before You Fly
From that bastion of objective news, The CW:
SAFER, Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, which got a ballot initiative passed to make enforcing marijuana laws the lowest legal priority in Denver, is now pushing to allow passengers to get high before they fly. But since the FAA oversees the airport and smoking pot is against federal laws, the idea has some people scratching their heads wondering how it would work.
SAFER members aren’t mapping out the legal landmines. Instead, they just say that the smoking lounge, outside of security at Denver International Airport, falls under Denver Police jurisdiction. And since the new city ordinance was enacted, all penalties for adult marijuana possession have been removed. So they think adults should be allowed to smoke either marijuana or cigarettes in the airport’s smoking lounge.
So why should you support this?
10. It’s the mile-high city. Duh!
9. It makes the jerk in the seat next to you for 5 hours much funnier.
8. Letting a drunk out of his window seat three times during a flight to pee is annoying.
7. Flying 500 mph at 35,000 feet in a steel tube is just plain trippy, man… Whoa.
6. It’s probably easier to get weed through security than liquor.
5. The event of a “water landing” is a great cure for cottonmouth.
4. Pilots fly better stoned than drunk.
3. No sober person wants to watch “Snow Dogs.”
2. Because it’s natural, dude. It’s from the earth…
And the reason that it might actually happen?
1. The airlines will find it a lot easier to sell a bag of Doritos for $5 if passengers have the munchies!
June 29, 2008
Back From Chicago
Last weekend was my little sister’s wedding, so the family and I headed back to Chicago for the ceremony. Joanna and Wyatt flew back this past Monday, and I stayed in the midwest until Friday for business.
Wyatt, as usual, was a little angel on the airplane. When he was around my family (who he doesn’t know very well), he did take a few days to warm up to them, but by Sunday was doing well. He did have a lot of fun with his cousin Jack, who’s now about 2 1/2 years old… Jack (and his parents, of course), are moving back to San Diego from Texas, so that should be a lot of fun.
Soon to be best of friends!
The family outside the church after the wedding.
Wyatt gets Pizzeria Uno– the best pizza in the world– at 10 1/2 months? What a lucky kid!
He was very interested!
June 26, 2008
Another Positive Result
So, we submitted three beers to the Inland Empire Homebrewers’ competition, the SoCal Regional Homebrew Championship.
One was the Rye Pale Ale, which is probably well beyond its life at this point. One was the milk stout, which has already had some very promising results, but didn’t medal at the NHC competition. The third was our recent IPA, which hasn’t been introduced to any competitions prior to this.
Well, the IPA took second in category, which is particularly nice because they split the American IPA category from the English and Imperial IPA styles. A very hoppy IPA, it really seems to have come together exactly how I envisioned it (maybe slightly darker). I’m not sure why the Milk Stout didn’t do well, but I’m still waiting on the score sheets, so maybe I can figure out what happened in the judging process.
Up next is the Orange County Fair, where we entered the same three beers. More to come once we have some results. Based on the milk stout and the IPA, I really would like to see a blue ribbon between those two.
June 24, 2008
George Carlin, RIP
As a comedy buff (my XM radio is regularly set to channel 150), yesterday’s news of George Carlin’s passing was not a happy day. Carlin had a knack for taking ordinary parts of life and simply looking from them from an outside perspective, only to show how absurd and funny we all are.
It’s only fitting, then, to post one of his later bits, about our response to the death of friends and family.
Thank you, George. You will be missed.
June 23, 2008
My Former House — Foreclosed!
Yikes. Looks like the house I bought in 2005 and sold last spring is now in foreclosure and going for auction in early July. I guess the people who bought it weren’t a good risk. Glad we weren’t owner-financing it for them!
So that leaves an opening. I’m not sure how many of my readers are in the Atlanta area, or would be looking for a house in Marietta. But if you’re interested, the house is a really nice place and may go CHEAP at auction, especially considering the current credit crunch. And for homebrewers, my former backyard-sharing neighbor is a homebrewer who studied under my tutelage for a year
If anyone is interested, it’s going up for auction sometime in July. Drop me a note and I’ll fill you in on it.
June 19, 2008
Space Camp!
I was thinking about reality shows the other day, and I just came up with an absolutely perfect idea:
Space Camp!
The premise would be simple. Take 12 (or more, as the producers see fit) people who want to go to outer space. Put them through many different astronaut-style challenges, like someone training to be an astronaut would have to do, but with competition. At the same time, throw in all the twists and turns of a reality show to make it interesting.
The winner, then, would be given a ticket to ride on Space Ship Two (the joint venture between Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites and Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic). The pre-sale tickets for that are currently going for something like $200K, but my guess is that the advertising/branding opportunities for Virgin would make production of this deal a no-brainer.
It’s got all the requirements for a good show: exciting premise, simple concept, and like most reality shows, can be a very lucrative commercial for Virgin (who is trying to break into the US airline market), and can reach viewers [like me] who may not be interested in the typical “American Idol” talent competition.
I think it’s a winning idea. I’d even try to get on the show!
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He was fascinated by it being made, he didn’t think that thing would actually touch him.
Comment by VRB — August 3, 2008 @ 11:22 am
lol…..so cute.
Comment by Lucy Stern — August 5, 2008 @ 5:07 am
The turtle was slowing down his right arm. Kid wants to go FAST…
Comment by Sober John — August 5, 2008 @ 7:55 am