Did ya ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go your way?
tagged: Target, shopping cart, movie, video, YouTube, fail
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Elitistical
I was having a beer the other day with my friend Bob Sacamanto.
Bob's a great guy. Hard working, pretty smart, great sense of humor, heck of a dancer. But he doesn't follow politics very closely. Obviously he has better things to do.
This sometimes makes him susceptible to the more subtle claptrap that the political partisans slop into the feeding trough of American pop culture on a 24-hour cycle.
As we nursed our Boulevards, Bob pointed out that he heard someone criticizing someone else for using the term "elitists" in a pejorative sense.
"It's like the guy said. What's wrong with being an elitist? Aren't elitists the best people in society? Isn't it the elitists who make the big discoveries? Don't we send the elitist troops in for the special, dangerous missions?" Bob said.
"Don't we actually want the elitists to run our government?"
My friend Bob Sacamanto actually fell for the exact rhetorical trap that some of the partisans wanted him to. Not his fault. Like I say, when you don't automatically assume that every politician is full of crap, it's easy to get sucked in by these things.
I'm a patient guy, so I just clarified it for him.
"Well, you see Bob, what you're missing (and what the partisans want you to miss) is that being an elitist isn't the same thing as being elite.
"Sure, the elite fighter pilots are the best. The elite football players make the most money. The elite chess players... well they get beat up a lot.
"But in general, the elite are considered the top of their various fields of endeavor.
"However, an elitist isn't necessarily elite. An elitist is someone of normal to below normal intelligence who thinks they are elite.
"Sometimes they don't realize they are elitist. They actually believe they are better than everyone else.
"But often (especially in the political world), they know they are not elite, which ironically makes them even more elitist.
"So when one partisan uses the word "elitist" as an epithet, she is referring to people who claim to have some kind of special insight or right to rule over others, tell them what's good for them, spend their money and make bad decisions on their behalf."
Bob Sacamanto paused for a moment and took another pull from his beer as he considered the revelation. He actually looked kind of frustrated to have fallen for this subtle trick. So I thought I'd try to cheer him up a little with one more thought.
"Of course, it's completely hypocritical for someone proposing expanded government programs and massive taxing/spending to "help the people" to call someone else an elitist."
tagged: politics, elitist, elite, politicians, election
Bob's a great guy. Hard working, pretty smart, great sense of humor, heck of a dancer. But he doesn't follow politics very closely. Obviously he has better things to do.
This sometimes makes him susceptible to the more subtle claptrap that the political partisans slop into the feeding trough of American pop culture on a 24-hour cycle.
As we nursed our Boulevards, Bob pointed out that he heard someone criticizing someone else for using the term "elitists" in a pejorative sense.
"It's like the guy said. What's wrong with being an elitist? Aren't elitists the best people in society? Isn't it the elitists who make the big discoveries? Don't we send the elitist troops in for the special, dangerous missions?" Bob said.
"Don't we actually want the elitists to run our government?"
My friend Bob Sacamanto actually fell for the exact rhetorical trap that some of the partisans wanted him to. Not his fault. Like I say, when you don't automatically assume that every politician is full of crap, it's easy to get sucked in by these things.
I'm a patient guy, so I just clarified it for him.
"Well, you see Bob, what you're missing (and what the partisans want you to miss) is that being an elitist isn't the same thing as being elite.
"Sure, the elite fighter pilots are the best. The elite football players make the most money. The elite chess players... well they get beat up a lot.
"But in general, the elite are considered the top of their various fields of endeavor.
"However, an elitist isn't necessarily elite. An elitist is someone of normal to below normal intelligence who thinks they are elite.
"Sometimes they don't realize they are elitist. They actually believe they are better than everyone else.
"But often (especially in the political world), they know they are not elite, which ironically makes them even more elitist.
"So when one partisan uses the word "elitist" as an epithet, she is referring to people who claim to have some kind of special insight or right to rule over others, tell them what's good for them, spend their money and make bad decisions on their behalf."
Bob Sacamanto paused for a moment and took another pull from his beer as he considered the revelation. He actually looked kind of frustrated to have fallen for this subtle trick. So I thought I'd try to cheer him up a little with one more thought.
"Of course, it's completely hypocritical for someone proposing expanded government programs and massive taxing/spending to "help the people" to call someone else an elitist."
tagged: politics, elitist, elite, politicians, election
Friday, October 24, 2008
10 Things That Are More Important Than The Election
For months now -- actually years -- we've been hearing from all of the partisan Kool-Aid drinkers that the election in a couple of weeks is the most important thing EVAR in the HISTORY of the UNIVERSE!!!!!
And despite my repeated attempt to get through to the blinder wearers, it still seems like way too many people are deluding themselves into thinking that things will suddenly change when a new president is sworn in next year.
But, giving you the benefit of the doubt, I thought that maybe you just think this election is the most important thing in your life because you can't think of any other important things in your life. (No not you. I know you're smart enough to get it. I'm talking the other people).
So here's a list of 10 things (in no particular order) that are more important that who gets elected president of the United Sheep of America.
tagged: election, peppers, vote, change, gutters
And despite my repeated attempt to get through to the blinder wearers, it still seems like way too many people are deluding themselves into thinking that things will suddenly change when a new president is sworn in next year.
But, giving you the benefit of the doubt, I thought that maybe you just think this election is the most important thing in your life because you can't think of any other important things in your life. (No not you. I know you're smart enough to get it. I'm talking the other people).
So here's a list of 10 things (in no particular order) that are more important that who gets elected president of the United Sheep of America.
- Boycotting shoe stores
- Donating time and money to worthy causes like breast cancer research
- Dining at your favorite exploding steakhouse
- Avoiding the QuikTrip Ham and Cheddar on Pretzel Bread at all costs
- Becoming a better Booty Juggler
- Clearing out your DVR play list (SRSLY, you've had shows on that thing for weeks now that you haven't watched).
- Clearing out your gutters (really, you should catch up on all the home maintenance you've been putting off).
- Cleaning and lubricating your firearms in preparation for National Looting Day.
- Hiring washed-up quarterbacks for a never-was football team
- Pickling you peppers.
tagged: election, peppers, vote, change, gutters
Friday Blogthing: artful dodger
This quiz that I ganked from this guy made me think of my favorite quote about art: "I don't know art, but I know what I hate. And I don't hate this."
People that like Impressionist paintings may not always be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others.
They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions.
The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of gray and muted colors. They like things to be aesthetically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impressionist personality views the world from many different aspects.
They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.
Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy
tagged: Friday, blogthing, art, impressionism, painting, quiz, blog, meme
Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...
Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.
7 Impressionist, -4 Islamic, -4 Ukiyo-e, -2 Cubist, -10 Abstract and -11 Renaissance!
People that like Impressionist paintings may not always be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others.
They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions.
The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of gray and muted colors. They like things to be aesthetically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impressionist personality views the world from many different aspects.
They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.
Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy
tagged: Friday, blogthing, art, impressionism, painting, quiz, blog, meme
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Journey man
Against my better judgment, I watched the KMBC so-called local so-called news tonight. It's just been so long since I've had a good dose of homeless pet coverage, and I wanted to subject myself to the sickening stream of political ads.
I'm crazy like that.
So any way, anchorgeezer Larry Moore led off the news with the story of Keith Slater, the 22 year-old KC resident who found a racial slur printed on his receipt after returning a pair of shoes at the Journeys store in Overland Park's Oak Park Mall.
This isn't going to be a commentary on KMBC's coverage, although you can bet your Kenneth Cole's that since the story went national they'll be blanketing their coverage with senseless follow-up stories for the rest of the week.
Rather I just wanted to ask, nay implore, Slater's parents to take a higher road on this issue. Sure, they have every right to be pissed off. Who doesn't get angry when called a name -- even more so for a racially charged one.
But KMBC aired footage of a room full of local media hacks invited into Slater's home where his father threw out not-so-veiled threats of a lawsuit against a store that was clearly screwed by an employee (an employee who has been summarily and rightfully fired).
This goes dangerously close to perpetuating a stereotype.
So please, Slater family, don't play the role of the victim on this. Please don't wax melodramatic about your pain and suffering and the pain and suffering of your children.
Instead, be magnanimous and accept the store's apology. Lament the fact that this kind of thing can still happen in our day and age and try to make something positive out of it.
Teach your son that there are assholes in the world, but he doesn't have to be one. Teach him that he isn't defined by someone's ignorant opinion of him, but rather by the way he treats others.
Teach him, when being hated, not to give way to hating. Teach him to battle a stereotype by showing that the stereotype isn't true.
But don't be swayed by a pack of slimy lawyers trying to cash in on an insulting incident. Doing so may give you an extra 15 minutes of fame. But is that really what you want to be famous for?
tagged: race, Slater, Journeys, Kansas City, Overland Park, Oak Park Mall
I'm crazy like that.
So any way, anchorgeezer Larry Moore led off the news with the story of Keith Slater, the 22 year-old KC resident who found a racial slur printed on his receipt after returning a pair of shoes at the Journeys store in Overland Park's Oak Park Mall.
This isn't going to be a commentary on KMBC's coverage, although you can bet your Kenneth Cole's that since the story went national they'll be blanketing their coverage with senseless follow-up stories for the rest of the week.
Rather I just wanted to ask, nay implore, Slater's parents to take a higher road on this issue. Sure, they have every right to be pissed off. Who doesn't get angry when called a name -- even more so for a racially charged one.
But KMBC aired footage of a room full of local media hacks invited into Slater's home where his father threw out not-so-veiled threats of a lawsuit against a store that was clearly screwed by an employee (an employee who has been summarily and rightfully fired).
This goes dangerously close to perpetuating a stereotype.
So please, Slater family, don't play the role of the victim on this. Please don't wax melodramatic about your pain and suffering and the pain and suffering of your children.
Instead, be magnanimous and accept the store's apology. Lament the fact that this kind of thing can still happen in our day and age and try to make something positive out of it.
Teach your son that there are assholes in the world, but he doesn't have to be one. Teach him that he isn't defined by someone's ignorant opinion of him, but rather by the way he treats others.
Teach him, when being hated, not to give way to hating. Teach him to battle a stereotype by showing that the stereotype isn't true.
But don't be swayed by a pack of slimy lawyers trying to cash in on an insulting incident. Doing so may give you an extra 15 minutes of fame. But is that really what you want to be famous for?
tagged: race, Slater, Journeys, Kansas City, Overland Park, Oak Park Mall
YouTube Tuesday: The Great Pumpkinhead
Monday, October 20, 2008
As seen in Kansas: The answer, my friend...
It was an impressive site, even from 10 miles away.
The crystal clear sky and the straight and horizontal nature of I-70 west of Salina made the turbines of the Smokey Hills Wind Project visible long before we were actually along side it.
I'd been hearing about the wind farm project for months, and we had been as far west a Salina a couple of times but never drove the extra 20 miles to see it for ourselves.
So we took advantage of some free time while visiting the in-laws this past weekend to do just that.
The approach to the giant, electricity producing windmills is impressive. Whizzing past at 75 miles per hour on I-70, it's impossible for the first-time spectator not to be impressed. The turbines are truly on a monumental scale.
It's difficult to appreciate the size of these wind turbines.
For a sense of scale, note the conventional Kansas windmill
next to the trees in the foreground.
The farm, developed by TradeWind Energy of Lenexa, began producing 100.8 megawatts of electricity early this year when construction on the 56 turbines in Phase 1 was completed.
By the end of 2008, project planners say Phase II will be online, bringing the total to 155 wind turbines generating 250 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power a city of 45,000.
According to TradeWind Energy, the project will offset 450,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
One of the most dramatic (of many) views of the turbines was as we were traveling back east toward Salina. To get an idea of the monumental size of these power producers, the turbines above are about a mile north of the highway (and the SUV pictured in the lower left).
It's good to see Kansas playing in the home-grown energy game, beyond creating coal-fired nuclear power plants.
As a life-long Kansas, I can attest to the constant availability of wind power. Harnessing it seems like a no-brainer. It seems clear that wind power should be a part of the domestic energy mix that the US desperately needs to develop.
tagged: Kansas, Salina, energy, science, wind, Smokey Hills, environmentalist
The crystal clear sky and the straight and horizontal nature of I-70 west of Salina made the turbines of the Smokey Hills Wind Project visible long before we were actually along side it.
I'd been hearing about the wind farm project for months, and we had been as far west a Salina a couple of times but never drove the extra 20 miles to see it for ourselves.
So we took advantage of some free time while visiting the in-laws this past weekend to do just that.
The approach to the giant, electricity producing windmills is impressive. Whizzing past at 75 miles per hour on I-70, it's impossible for the first-time spectator not to be impressed. The turbines are truly on a monumental scale.
It's difficult to appreciate the size of these wind turbines.For a sense of scale, note the conventional Kansas windmill
next to the trees in the foreground.
The farm, developed by TradeWind Energy of Lenexa, began producing 100.8 megawatts of electricity early this year when construction on the 56 turbines in Phase 1 was completed.
By the end of 2008, project planners say Phase II will be online, bringing the total to 155 wind turbines generating 250 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power a city of 45,000.
According to TradeWind Energy, the project will offset 450,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
One of the most dramatic (of many) views of the turbines was as we were traveling back east toward Salina. To get an idea of the monumental size of these power producers, the turbines above are about a mile north of the highway (and the SUV pictured in the lower left).It's good to see Kansas playing in the home-grown energy game, beyond creating coal-fired nuclear power plants.
As a life-long Kansas, I can attest to the constant availability of wind power. Harnessing it seems like a no-brainer. It seems clear that wind power should be a part of the domestic energy mix that the US desperately needs to develop.
tagged: Kansas, Salina, energy, science, wind, Smokey Hills, environmentalist
Friday, October 17, 2008
Woe, dispair and agony on me
Kansas City's Best Blogger Meesha V. has challenged readers to a Hardship-Off at his blog.
I was in the process of responding, letting everyone know how difficult it was to be me growing up, when my comment just became too long. So I decided to post it here for the sake of not uglifying his comments section too much.
Read it if you want, but be warned. It's a sad, sad story and those with fragile mental states should probably steer clear.
But if you do proceed, you should know that Meesha and his commenters were lamenting the primitive plumbing they had do deal with growing up.
Well, that's nothing. When I was growing up I had to share the top floor of our house with my brother. HE got the bigger room, and we had to share the bathroom. Get this, the bathroom didn't even have a bathtub. Just a shower. And the shower didn't even have a variable massage shower head.
And, I didn't even have a TV in my bedroom. We all had to share the 40-inch television in the family room in the west wing of our house. I remember one summer the remote control broke and my dad didn't want to buy a new one, so whenever we wanted to watch a different program, we had to get up and WALK to the TV to change the channel.
I know. But it gets worse. When I was in junior high our Olympic-size heated swimming pool developed a crack and half of the water drained out. It was a mess, and we ended up having to drain the whole thing to have it patched. We essentially lost the use of the pool for half the summer. The horror.
Then there was the time when I was in high school and I had to drive a hand-me-down two-year-old BMW while all my friends were driving Lexuses and Mercedeses. I was humiliated every time I parked in the covered parking garage at my high school.
Well, there's more, but I can sense how depressed you are all getting. I doubt any of you can come up with sadder stories, but if you dare, leave it in the comments at Meesha's place.
tagged: hardship, humor, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, swimming pool
I was in the process of responding, letting everyone know how difficult it was to be me growing up, when my comment just became too long. So I decided to post it here for the sake of not uglifying his comments section too much.
Read it if you want, but be warned. It's a sad, sad story and those with fragile mental states should probably steer clear.
But if you do proceed, you should know that Meesha and his commenters were lamenting the primitive plumbing they had do deal with growing up.
Well, that's nothing. When I was growing up I had to share the top floor of our house with my brother. HE got the bigger room, and we had to share the bathroom. Get this, the bathroom didn't even have a bathtub. Just a shower. And the shower didn't even have a variable massage shower head.
And, I didn't even have a TV in my bedroom. We all had to share the 40-inch television in the family room in the west wing of our house. I remember one summer the remote control broke and my dad didn't want to buy a new one, so whenever we wanted to watch a different program, we had to get up and WALK to the TV to change the channel.I know. But it gets worse. When I was in junior high our Olympic-size heated swimming pool developed a crack and half of the water drained out. It was a mess, and we ended up having to drain the whole thing to have it patched. We essentially lost the use of the pool for half the summer. The horror.
Then there was the time when I was in high school and I had to drive a hand-me-down two-year-old BMW while all my friends were driving Lexuses and Mercedeses. I was humiliated every time I parked in the covered parking garage at my high school.Well, there's more, but I can sense how depressed you are all getting. I doubt any of you can come up with sadder stories, but if you dare, leave it in the comments at Meesha's place.
tagged: hardship, humor, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, swimming pool
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Buy you a drink?
If you ask me, there's not much better than knocking off work early on a sunny, fall Friday afternoon and tossing back a drink or two with Jack and Larry down at the Regal Beagle.
One of the things that could be better than that, is if the drink or two (or four) is free premium Scotch whisky.
I got the tip from my local wine and spirits store that their sister location is having a free Scotch tasting from 4 to 7 p.m. this Friday (Oct. 17).
The tasting is at The Beer Cave Wine and Spirits. It's at about 87th and Farley in Overland Park, near the Johnson County Library.
From what I heard the other day, Scotches on the tasting table will include Dewar's White Label, Dewar's 12, Jim Beam, Glenmorangie and more.
And, as if free samples aren't good enough, the bottles featured in the tasting will be available at a 10% discount.
So I'll be there around 4:30 or 5, let me know if you want to meet me there. I'll buy the first round.
tagged: Scotch, whisky, Dewar's, Glenmorangie, Beer Cave, alcahol, spirits
One of the things that could be better than that, is if the drink or two (or four) is free premium Scotch whisky.I got the tip from my local wine and spirits store that their sister location is having a free Scotch tasting from 4 to 7 p.m. this Friday (Oct. 17).
The tasting is at The Beer Cave Wine and Spirits. It's at about 87th and Farley in Overland Park, near the Johnson County Library.
From what I heard the other day, Scotches on the tasting table will include Dewar's White Label, Dewar's 12, Jim Beam, Glenmorangie and more.
And, as if free samples aren't good enough, the bottles featured in the tasting will be available at a 10% discount.
So I'll be there around 4:30 or 5, let me know if you want to meet me there. I'll buy the first round.
tagged: Scotch, whisky, Dewar's, Glenmorangie, Beer Cave, alcahol, spirits
Overheard in the OP
This morning I was reminded that when you hear only a portion of a conversation, the phrase "tire tubes" can sound comically similar to "tie her tubes" (no homophone).
tagged: language, homophone, Overland Park
tagged: language, homophone, Overland Park
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