Go check out BlogMeridian for this week's Kansas Guild of Bloggers Carnival. John B. did a great job wrangling various Kansas related blog post from Kansas related (or not) bloggers.
Go give it a read, John B. never disappoints. And, be sure to submit a post for this week's KGB Roundup, which BlogMeridian will host next Monday.
tagged: Kansas, blog, blogger, carnival, KGB
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
Soccer? Hell, I just met her...
A belated congratulations to the boys from Italy who, in case you have been under a rock for the past few days, won the World Cup Soccer championship over the French.
Italians everywhere are celebrating, as well they should. They've earned it after sitting though hours of mind-numbingly boring soccer games.
But, the celebration comes amid some bad news on the Italian economy. According to the Wall Street Journal, the country faces a downgrade in its debt rating due to the its flaccid economic performance.
The Italian government is taking several steps to avert the crisis, including the approval of a series of budget cutting measures totalling nearly $9 billion.
They've even gone so far as to announce the layoff of several FIFA officials from the "payroll" (if you know what I mean).
tagged: World Cup Soccer, Europe, Italy, economy, FIFA, scandal, sports, cheaters
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Wade in the water, children
I took my daughter to Kansas City's largest public bidet on Saturday.
My Supermodel Wife was on a shopping junket in preparation of her sister's wedding later this month, so I had the pleasure of entertaining our 3-year-old for the day.
This tough assignment was made even tougher when I was told to get scarce from our house for the afternoon as prospective buyers come to tour (we put our house on the market a couple of weeks ago. Anyone interested in a charming ranch home in this attractive neighborhood can let me know in the comments).
Anyway, since it was a tad on the warm side, I thought our daughter might enjoy playing in the Crown Center Square fountain for a while.
I always think it's funny to watch kids play in this fountain, especially when they sit on the jets that are blowing water 25 feet into the air. Talk about a high colonic.
But still, this is a great public area and a tremendous free public asset (pun intended).
tagged: Kansas City, summer, fountain, Crown Center, bidet, heat
Oh, the irony
J.D. at Evolution updated us yesterday on the Shawnee County government's ban on a Libertarian fund raiser. Evidently, the fundraiser was banned because the planned location was a privately owned nudist camp.
So the judges in Topeka think it's okay to restrict the rights of private landowners because they don't like the idea of a nudist camp.
But I guess if there was a God Hates Fags rally going on, it would have been constitutionally protected.
Mmmkay...
tagged: nudist, Topeka, Kansas, politics, Libertarian
So the judges in Topeka think it's okay to restrict the rights of private landowners because they don't like the idea of a nudist camp.
But I guess if there was a God Hates Fags rally going on, it would have been constitutionally protected.
Mmmkay...
tagged: nudist, Topeka, Kansas, politics, Libertarian
Friday, July 07, 2006
Re: Cycling
I'm totally stoked about sports. Not baseball (the Royals extinguished that fire long ago) and certainly not World Cup Yawner (er, Soccer).
Nope. It's finally Tour De France time. This year's edition of the Tour was wide open even before it started with living legend Lance Armstrong finally out to pasture in his retirement. My Supermodel Wife and I were looking forward to seeing a big race among the previous years' also rans, including contenders Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso and Joseba Beloki.
But the day before the race kicked off, a Spanish doping probe (heh) named those two as well as several other riders. They were summarily kicked out of the race, leaving the race for anyone to win, even another American.
And through the first week, the race hasn't disappointed. As of today, Aussie Robbie McEwen has won three of the first six stages. Yet he still can't get past Belgium's Tom Boonen.
And thanks to the new DVR, I don't have to miss a minute of the Tour coverage, which is aired locally at an inconvenient 8:30 a.m.
I have only two beefs with the coverage this year. First is that it's not in high-definition, and second is, what's with that gap-toothed bonehead Bob Roll. Is he the token American? Get someone whose more telegenic.
Anyway, tomorrow is the big individual time trial. It could have a major impact on the rest of the race so don't miss it. Or if you do, make sure to DVR it.
tagged: sport, baseball, soccer, cycling, Tour de France, DVR, Lance Armstrong, Tom Boonen, Robbie McEwen
Nope. It's finally Tour De France time. This year's edition of the Tour was wide open even before it started with living legend Lance Armstrong finally out to pasture in his retirement. My Supermodel Wife and I were looking forward to seeing a big race among the previous years' also rans, including contenders Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso and Joseba Beloki.
But the day before the race kicked off, a Spanish doping probe (heh) named those two as well as several other riders. They were summarily kicked out of the race, leaving the race for anyone to win, even another American.
And through the first week, the race hasn't disappointed. As of today, Aussie Robbie McEwen has won three of the first six stages. Yet he still can't get past Belgium's Tom Boonen.
And thanks to the new DVR, I don't have to miss a minute of the Tour coverage, which is aired locally at an inconvenient 8:30 a.m.
I have only two beefs with the coverage this year. First is that it's not in high-definition, and second is, what's with that gap-toothed bonehead Bob Roll. Is he the token American? Get someone whose more telegenic.
Anyway, tomorrow is the big individual time trial. It could have a major impact on the rest of the race so don't miss it. Or if you do, make sure to DVR it.
tagged: sport, baseball, soccer, cycling, Tour de France, DVR, Lance Armstrong, Tom Boonen, Robbie McEwen
Good, bad, ugly
My absence from the blogiverse this week was due to a relaxing five-day weekend at my parents house in the country. It was followed of course by a harrowingly stressful return to the office, but let us not dwell on the negative.
One of the great things about a vacation in the country is observing the good, the bad and the ugly of nature.
The good: My mother has cultivated an amazing flock of humming birds this summer. The tiny flying missiles were almost a better show than the fireworks as they buzzed and dive bombed the feeders around mom's deck. Mom shot an excellent picture of one of them feeding. I hope to post it in the near future.
The bad: Nature can be brutal. I was fishing off the dam one evening when I felt a slight tug on the line. I pulled the line in to find a three-inch long crawdad munching on the bait. He had a death grip on the line, so I brought it on shore to show my three-year old daughter. She'd never seen such a creature before, so she was impressed. But she was smart enough not to get too close to the business end of the claws.
When show-and-tell was over, I dropped the mudpuppy on the ground near the creek and watched as he made his way to the water. He was a few feet from the water's edge when I saw a sudden movement. A giant bull frog has spotted the movement and in a flash he had pounced on the crawdad and swallowed the back two-thirds of the unfortunate crustacean. Within a few seconds, the struggle was over. The frog had eaten the crawdad whole, except for a single claw that had been bitten off and lay flexing on the ground. I felt kind of like Marlin Perkins.
The ugly: We've been home for a couple of days. I'm sitting on the couch last night petting Dexter the Dynamic Jack Russell Terrier, who had accompanied us on our trip to the wilderness. As I scratched him behind the ears, which he loves, I felt an unfamiliar lump. I figured he had a burr stuck in his coat from his adventures in the wild. But upon close inspection, I found the burr to be a small tick feasting on canine blood.
Ticks aren't allowed in our house by decree of my Supermodel Wife. So Dexter and I went outside to remove the hitchhiker. With some effort I pulled him off and decided a further inspection was warranted. We discovered another tick on Dexter's cheek (a smaller one this time) and two more behind each of his front legs.
We removed each of the critters with the help of some tweezers, and they were summarily crushed on the sidewalk by my Supermodel Wife.
I went inside to wash my hands. But for the rest of the night, I kept feeling "things" crawling on my skin and in my hair. That kind of thing really gives me the creeps.
tagged: vacation, country, frog, crawdad, humming bird, tick, dog, nature
One of the great things about a vacation in the country is observing the good, the bad and the ugly of nature.
The good: My mother has cultivated an amazing flock of humming birds this summer. The tiny flying missiles were almost a better show than the fireworks as they buzzed and dive bombed the feeders around mom's deck. Mom shot an excellent picture of one of them feeding. I hope to post it in the near future.
The bad: Nature can be brutal. I was fishing off the dam one evening when I felt a slight tug on the line. I pulled the line in to find a three-inch long crawdad munching on the bait. He had a death grip on the line, so I brought it on shore to show my three-year old daughter. She'd never seen such a creature before, so she was impressed. But she was smart enough not to get too close to the business end of the claws.
When show-and-tell was over, I dropped the mudpuppy on the ground near the creek and watched as he made his way to the water. He was a few feet from the water's edge when I saw a sudden movement. A giant bull frog has spotted the movement and in a flash he had pounced on the crawdad and swallowed the back two-thirds of the unfortunate crustacean. Within a few seconds, the struggle was over. The frog had eaten the crawdad whole, except for a single claw that had been bitten off and lay flexing on the ground. I felt kind of like Marlin Perkins.
The ugly: We've been home for a couple of days. I'm sitting on the couch last night petting Dexter the Dynamic Jack Russell Terrier, who had accompanied us on our trip to the wilderness. As I scratched him behind the ears, which he loves, I felt an unfamiliar lump. I figured he had a burr stuck in his coat from his adventures in the wild. But upon close inspection, I found the burr to be a small tick feasting on canine blood.
Ticks aren't allowed in our house by decree of my Supermodel Wife. So Dexter and I went outside to remove the hitchhiker. With some effort I pulled him off and decided a further inspection was warranted. We discovered another tick on Dexter's cheek (a smaller one this time) and two more behind each of his front legs.
We removed each of the critters with the help of some tweezers, and they were summarily crushed on the sidewalk by my Supermodel Wife.I went inside to wash my hands. But for the rest of the night, I kept feeling "things" crawling on my skin and in my hair. That kind of thing really gives me the creeps.
tagged: vacation, country, frog, crawdad, humming bird, tick, dog, nature
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Is there anybody in there?
Hello? Echo? Is anybody left around here?
After a brief blogging hiatus for some vacation travel and work recovery, I wanted to click out a quick post to pimp the next edition of the Kansas Guild of Bloggers Carnival.
As you know, Joel Matthis at Cup O' Joel hosted last Monday's KGB Carnival, and in my humble opinion, he did one hell of a good job. Let's all give him a round of applause...
Everyone go over to Joe's and leave a comment. He deserves it.
Now, on to the next big announcement. Next week's edition of the carnival will be hosted by John B. at BlogMeridian. John is a regular contributor to the KGB, and one of the few KGB bloggers who isn't from Northeast Kansas.
So let's help John have a great carnival. Remember to submit your favorite blog posts from this week to John. You can use this handy submit link, which makes everything easier on the host.
tagged: Kansas, blog, blogger, carnival, KGB
After a brief blogging hiatus for some vacation travel and work recovery, I wanted to click out a quick post to pimp the next edition of the Kansas Guild of Bloggers Carnival.
As you know, Joel Matthis at Cup O' Joel hosted last Monday's KGB Carnival, and in my humble opinion, he did one hell of a good job. Let's all give him a round of applause...
Everyone go over to Joe's and leave a comment. He deserves it.
Now, on to the next big announcement. Next week's edition of the carnival will be hosted by John B. at BlogMeridian. John is a regular contributor to the KGB, and one of the few KGB bloggers who isn't from Northeast Kansas.
So let's help John have a great carnival. Remember to submit your favorite blog posts from this week to John. You can use this handy submit link, which makes everything easier on the host.
tagged: Kansas, blog, blogger, carnival, KGB
Saturday, July 01, 2006
YouTube Tuesday: Special Independence Day Edition
My Supermodel Wife and I are heading out of town for some holiday travel, but I wanted to leave you with this special Fourth of July message.
During this holiday weekend, it's important to have fun and celebrate our country's independence. Despite all of our problems, the American experiment continues to be a rousing success.
So eat, drink and be merry. But it's also important to remember safety, especially when celebrating the traditional way with fireworks.
tagged: movie, YouTube, video, TV, Independence Day, The Daily Show, fireworks, Fourth of July, watermelons, mannequins, humor, culture
During this holiday weekend, it's important to have fun and celebrate our country's independence. Despite all of our problems, the American experiment continues to be a rousing success.
So eat, drink and be merry. But it's also important to remember safety, especially when celebrating the traditional way with fireworks.
Remember, in the interest of fireworks safety, please keep you fireworks away from your mannequins and watermelons.
tagged: movie, YouTube, video, TV, Independence Day, The Daily Show, fireworks, Fourth of July, watermelons, mannequins, humor, culture
Friday, June 30, 2006
Not news to me
Sometimes I wonder how Larry Moore sleeps at night.
Here's this supposedly mature, ostensibly credible so-called journalist who, by the looks of his gray hair and wrinkled skin (man, high definition really brings out the detail) has been in the TV news business for a while, and I have absolutely no respect for him.
It's not just the lame, banal unwisecracks he makes during the segment segues. And it's not just the sensationalist teasers that have become so commonplace that they don't even work any more.
It's the actual content of what he chooses (or, more probably, his bosses choose) to present.
I mean, how in the hell does Britney Spears posing nude and pregnant on a magazine cover rate a story on the local news coverage. Hell, Tony didn't even stoop that low.
And, to be fair, it's not just Larry Moore. He's just the most goobery of all the local news stations who pretty much give the same report every night.
So here's a hint for the so-called local, so-called news organization: If you're presenting something as news it should be NEW!. Reporting Friday on a building collapse that happened Monday isn't news. If anything, it's olds.
Reporting that Britney Spears is white trash attention whore isn't news. Everybody already knows that. And besides, Larry Moore, why do you think anyone cares.
If you want to maintain any kind of relevancy, quit broadcasting trash. Stop serving mental junk food and give us something with some intellectual protein.
tagged: Kansas City, local, news, media, Larry Moore, Britney Spears, nude, pregnant
Here's this supposedly mature, ostensibly credible so-called journalist who, by the looks of his gray hair and wrinkled skin (man, high definition really brings out the detail) has been in the TV news business for a while, and I have absolutely no respect for him.
It's not just the lame, banal unwisecracks he makes during the segment segues. And it's not just the sensationalist teasers that have become so commonplace that they don't even work any more.
It's the actual content of what he chooses (or, more probably, his bosses choose) to present.
I mean, how in the hell does Britney Spears posing nude and pregnant on a magazine cover rate a story on the local news coverage. Hell, Tony didn't even stoop that low.
And, to be fair, it's not just Larry Moore. He's just the most goobery of all the local news stations who pretty much give the same report every night.
So here's a hint for the so-called local, so-called news organization: If you're presenting something as news it should be NEW!. Reporting Friday on a building collapse that happened Monday isn't news. If anything, it's olds.
Reporting that Britney Spears is white trash attention whore isn't news. Everybody already knows that. And besides, Larry Moore, why do you think anyone cares.
If you want to maintain any kind of relevancy, quit broadcasting trash. Stop serving mental junk food and give us something with some intellectual protein.
tagged: Kansas City, local, news, media, Larry Moore, Britney Spears, nude, pregnant
Quick reminder
Hey bloggers... Don't forget that Monday's Kansas Guild of Bloggers Carnival will be hosted by Joel Matthis at Cup O' Joel.
Make sure to submit your favorite blog post by Sunday afternoon. (Actually, as uptight as Joel is, I'm sure he would appreciate the submission even sooner... like, NOW!). Use the submit link, or email Joel or myself a link if you want to be included.
Also, help get the word out by including the submit link on your blog and letting your friends (or, in my case, friend) know about this thing of ours.
tagged: Kansas, blog, blogger, carnival, KGB
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