BrewBlog

Driving Tip #2

You DO NOT need to swerve left before you turn right.  You DO NOT need to swerve right before you turn left.  There is a 99.9% chance that you are not driving a fire truck, tank, cement truck,  or pulling a 75 foot trailer. You're probably driving a regular car, truck or SUV.  With that established, please simply approach the intersection and turn the wheel to the left at the correct time as to avoid driving over the median.  That's it!  Why crank the wheel the opposite direction before actually turning?  Intimidated?  Don't believe that it will work?  Please drive out to a isolated road and practice with nobody around and you'll see that you can actually turn left without turning right first.  I know!!! Crazy!!!

Nude with Boots

I'm really liking "Nude with Boots" by the Melvins.  I keep returning to it  amidst a lot of new music I've acquired recently.  It's my favorite so far this year.  Melvins have stuck to a newer formula of guitar/bass/drum/drum with founders Buzz Osbourne and Dale accompanied by a couple dudes from another band.  They did this on their most recent prior, "A Senile Animal".  It worked on that one and works again, even better here.  The two drum thing really works and pushes them in a good direction.  I don't think it's a formula that just anyone can pull off but it's working well for them.  I've been a Melvins fan since around 1990 and this is my favorite from them in at least ten years.  I won't bother with a detailed review but I do recommend this one!

BrewBlog Speed Round

My blog hiatus made for an overflow of post ideas that I've been keeping scribbled on a small piece of paper.  I'd see, read or hear about something and think that it was something that I would like to write about.  I'm thinking a "speed round" of sorts is the best way to get caught up.  So here goes....

- I've learned that I'll break multiple driving laws when trying desperately to get to my son's preschool in time to watch him sing a song with all his little friends.  He'd been practicing all week and it was the day of a little party to perform in front of the parents.  He was just about two years old and wouldn't have really known the difference but we really wanted to be there and we were running late.  I sped for one thing, naturally.  On the way I also did an illegal U-turn over two double yellow lines on a freeway overpass, drove over a curb as well as exited the freeway at a place where there was no off-ramp.  It was worth it.

- I was at the gym getting ready to leave to go back to work and this guy was in my way, eating his lunch.  There is a little bench by the lockers that everyone has to share when getting dressed.  The part of the bench that was in front of the locker I was using was being used by a fat, half naked guy eating his lunch.  He had some rice bowl or something in a little plastic bowl and he just sat in his underwear and ate.  Why?  He's sitting there eating in a place that is not for eating and not moving for people that are there to do what that space is there for.  I'm getting dressed, struggling to not touch him in any way, which is difficult because he's large.  He just sat there and ate.  Idiot.

- What is it with the "permanent vote by mail" voter?  I liked "absentee ballot".  Why did we change that?  My guess is that morons didn't know what that meant so they had to change it so people would understand.  Anyone know?

- It's totally ridiculous that the old Sesame Street episodes that were released on DVD are not rated for kids because of all that crazy, risky content.  Cookie Monster smoking a pipe, Gordon taking a little girl home for cookies, etc.  Our society is really lame in a lot of ways.

I got a PS3 and I love it.

Remember those political adds about the Indian casinos that ran a while ago?  It was regarding allowing them to have more slot machines so they could make more money and be "self-sustaining".  They come right out and say that they need to expand these casinos so that they can make it and "self-sustain" as a people.  So let me see if I have this correctly...I'm supposed to vote to expand an operation that is illegal for everyone else?  So it's either run a casino or starve to death?  Is that the only option, the only business that can sustain their society?  You can state a case about entitlements of the land or whatever but what a lame argument.  Get a regular job like everyone else.

- We got an iRobot Roomba and we love it.  A Roomba is a robot vacuum.  They are fantastic and I highly recommend one of these wonderful machines.  I will never vacuum again, ever.  We also got one that scrubs the tile floor.  Awesome.

- It's kind of cool that the term "technical difficulties" has hung on all these years.  We were watching television  recently and saw that "technical difficulties" banner when the channel went out for whatever reason.  I'm surprised "technical difficulties" hasn't been replaced similar to how "absentee ballot" seems to have been replaced.  We'll eventually see "The channel is broken" or something...and it will be in Spanish.

- We recently bought the greatest trash can ever.  It's a Brabantia 50 liter Touch Bin.  I was getting sick of taking out the trash every three hours and now it's a once or twice a week thing.  It holds a lot and just kicks ass.  I fell in love with it when I saw it at the store and grabbed it without even looking at the price and discovered later that it was $200.  Ouch.  But it still kicks ass.

- There are way too many people eating fast food.  We were driving though town and while I was stopped at a traffic signal (half my life), I counted sixteen cars in the In and Out Burger drive-thru.  What!!  Assuming it had to be a fluke I  made it a point to count again when I happened to be at that same intersection almost exactly a week later and it was just about the same.  The thing that surprised me too was that it was 4:00 in the afternoon.  I get that most people eat fast food but I was really surprised.

- I really hate those "Too much good stuff" commercials from AM/PM.  So stupid.  First of all anything you eat at AM/PM mini mart is going to be shit.  Second, that guys voice is about at bad as the "We make a lot of cereal here" lady.  I'm not saying it's as bad but it sucks.

- I liked Giant magazine when it first came out and now I don't like it AT ALL.

- I find it depressing that someone would steal something I put out on my driveway for a donation.  Anyone that does that is either stupid, a thief or both.  People see that someone has placed something out for donation and assume it's fair game since the original owner no longer wants it.  So, they just take it.  Never mind that it was intended for a donation to help a cause.  If you don't understand that then you're a moron.  It's more likely a straightforward case of stealing.  Either way it's sad. 

- I really dislike the %110 thing.  There is only 0 to 100%.  There is no 110%.  You can't give something 110%.  If you say you're going to give it 110% than you are a liar.

Whew...

Blogatory

I've been on a blog hiatus of over three months now.  Work has been busier than usual and I've had a very difficult month.  I've always enjoyed blogging but struggle with finding the time.  The part of me that wants to simplify my life would like to just forget about blogging and possibly revisit it or try something else to meet my creative needs.  Another part of me thinks I just need to not worry about being prolific and lower my anxiety about posting.  I don't know about other bloggers out there but it begins to stress me out if I don't post for a week or two.  That's just ridiculous but not surprising in my case.  That's just how I am. 

Even though I haven't been good at finding the time to blog I've been coming up with subject matter that I want to blog about just like I always have.  I started writing down topics on a tiny piece of paper and keeping it in my wallet.  Then I had to turn the paper over when I ran out of room.  Now that side is full and I have another tiny piece of paper started.  I have an abundance of things I want to blog about and I'm looking forward picking it up again.

Driving Tip

Here's the tip:  You DO NOT need a full car length in front of you when you are behind a car at a traffic signal.  Nope.  You don't need a car length and a half or two car lengths either.  No you don't.  Just pull up to the car like everyone else around you.  If you're confused you can just peer over to the next lane and see what that person is doing and just do that.  There is no possible reason for anyone to be that far away from the car in front of them while stopped at an intersection, ever.  I say this often but we'll never make it as a society if people cannot figure these kinds of things out.  We'll just ultimately fail.  Please don't leave that kind of a gap.  It's not necessary and everyone hates it.  Please, for the sake of society and our future.  Thank you.

It works!

This is a follow up to my last post regarding the keyboard in the dishwasher.  The keyboard does work!  Huh.  After a couple days of drying it did not work.  The little light came on and a few keys worked but other keys produced the wrong letters or would spit out many multiples of a wrong letter.  But after a week of drying it worked perfectly.  So there you have it.  I wouldn't necessarily say it would work on every keyboard but I would guess that it would work on most.

Will a computer keyboard work after it's been cleaned in the dishwasher?

My keyboard at the Mothership has gotten really grungy after many years of use.  It has a pretty good cheese buildup on many of the keys and the front part where I rest my wrists.  There is also a lot of crumbs, hair and who knows what else in between the keys.  It's just gross.  I started to order a new keyboard and a co-worker gave me grief for claiming to be "green" and wasting a perfectly functional keyboard.  He painted the picture in my mind of a bunny happily hopping through a grassy field and then a discarded keyboadard falls from the sky a clobbers the bunny.  Another co-worker had heard that it was possible to wash the keyboard in the dishwasher and it would clean it without ruining it.  I was intrigued by the idea and decided to give it a go. 

I washed the keyboard in the dishwasher by itself on the top rack.  The result of the cleaning was very good.  I'd say 95% of the grime and gross was gone.  The big question though is was it still going to work?  I let it sit about a week to completely allow it to dry.  Do you think it will work?

Before:

The clean:

After:

777

New legislation nicknamed "sexual indoctrination bill" (bill 777) claims to ban bias against homosexuals, transgenders and bisexuals in public schools.  I'm in favor of protecting individuals and groups from harassment and persecution, of course.  I also believe we should protect people's rights to live how they want and be treated fairly.  Much of what this bill prescribes seems reasonable on the surface, although I'd definitely argue that in many cases we don't need legislation for things like this.  There are better ways but passing laws is easier than learning how to raise our children properly. 

However some of what this bill is attempting to make law is foolishness.  This law, if passed, subjects children as young as kindergarten to teachings that all types of sexual orientation are to be praised. It requires textbooks and other school materials to positively portray same-sex marriage and “gay history.”  Huh?  That kind of garbage doesn't belong in school.  With people getting dumber do we really want kids focusing on gay history and the virtues of transexuality?  Stupid California.  Ahhhhhnold already vetoed a similar bill (1437) that was passed by California legislation.  This one was already passed by State senate by a vote of 7-3 (7 Democrats voted in favor and 3 Republicans against).  Kids need to be learning about reading, writing, math and physical education.  Kids are more stupid and fatter than ever.  So yeah let's take more time away from things that are useful and important and spend them on learning about being gay.  Let's replace home economics with homo economics.  I'm not talking about the rational human being that many economists use when deriving, explaining, and verifying their theories and models (Homo economicus).

When things like this come up I just wonder what we're thinking as a society.  Then I remember that it's not we but them and me.  It's either the masses that are losing their minds and a few us that are not or the masses feel as I do and a powerful few are pushing this garbage.  I'm think it's a combination of both.  There are people with stupid ideas and a majority that are willing to accept it for fear of being politically incorrect or intolerant.  When are be going to stop pandering to these people?  I'm not going to go off like a crazy person and I'm no religious wacko.   Just decide if this makes sense for yourself and your children and vote accordingly.

The "In Rainbows" Quandary

Quandary is probably exaggerating how I feel regarding Radiohead's strategy to release their latest, In Rainbows.  But nonetheless, while I appreciate their attempts to open things up and do things differently, I prefer to get my music through the usual channels.  And I'm not surprised by the publics reaction because people are hopeless creatures of habit.  Radiohead is offering up their latest release for download from their website for whatever price you want to pay.  There is really no catch other than that you have to login to their website and register with the usual information.  The "pay what you want" angle is interesting because you can pay nothing and download it.  Despite the offer to get their music for free the peer-to-peer music freeloaders are stealing In Rainbows in droves.  Bit-Torrent users downloaded In Rainbows 240,000 times the first day.  Seriously, is anyone surprised?

I'm not sure what Radiohead was going for here but it doesn't matter.  I really like Radiohead but I have a feeling they are elitists and think they are super special.  My guess is that they sat around and tried to think of something unique to do and assumed whatever they came up with would work because their fans are loyal and their music is too special to steal, etc.  I could very well be off base and I don't have anything to support what I'm saying.  It's just a guess.  I went to their web site and downloaded it, paying $10 for it.  I figured that was fair for the bits and no actual CD.  I'm very much looking forward to listening to it.  But are the masses that are used to stealing music via Bit Torrent or whatever really going to go to a website register and enter their information to get the music for free?  No.  Also, are they really going to then select zero dollars (or pounds) and expose themselves as cheap asses?  No.  People would rather steal something at no risk than go to a web site and declare that they want this music for nothing.  They know it's not worthless yet they want to spend nothing for it.  It's just too easy and thus too tempting.  Did Radiohead think their little idea was going to curb this urge?  Come on.  I'm not trying to come across as different than everyone else because I've taken without paying.  I think the difference is that I pay a lot and occasionally seek a freebie, even though it's rare.

And it's not just the money either.  Not everyone wants to register at a website so that they can buy music they should be able to get anywhere.  I'd rather have just bought it at the store or Amazon or whatever.  I can somewhat relate to the "screw the record label" angle some bands take but this felt more like an ego thing or a "we're being cool" thing.  If I had to register separately to purchase the well over 1,000 CDs I've purchased I'd be less motivated to buy.  Of course I supposed over time I may save money by picking my own price but still. 

Little Boxes

We've recently been hooked on the Showtime original series, Weeds.  It's a funny but often disturbing show about drug dealers in the suburbs.  We often find ourselves a bit shocked by what transpires, laughing at normally inappropriate themes but always entertained and looking forward to next week's episode.  Among the draws of the program is the theme song played at the shows open.  It's the same song performed in different ways by different people.  The lyrics are classic.  What's funny is that we're totally laughing at ourselves because it's really a rib on us.

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses
All go to the university,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
And there's doctors and there's lawyers
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf-course,
And drink their Martini dry,
And they all have pretty children,
And the children go to school.
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
And they all get put in boxes
And they all come out the same.

And the boys go into business,
And marry, and raise a family,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.