Site Frustrations, a Really Good Steak, and the Question of the Day
On Sunday the website was down for several hours. I sent two or three emails to my hosting company, and called their 800 number as well. …Crickets! Nothing but crickets.
Finally, it rose from the dead, but the OLD homepage was displaying. From, like, a year ago. So it looked like shit, and also appeared that I hadn’t updated the site since July of 2008.
I was about to have a stroke.
Another email was sent, this one a little more… asshole, and I got a response saying the hardware of the server had been upgraded. They’d fix the homepage issue, they promised, and all should be right with the world.
They did, and I thought I was back in business. But when I tried to change the Further Evidence link this morning, I got a message saying I didn’t have permission to perform that function. I don’t have permission?? It’s mine! I own it!!
When I checked the WordPress site there was a warning telling me I’d better not screw around with “permissions” unless I damn sure know what I’m doing. And, needless to say, I don’t know nothing about nothing.
This kind of stuff makes me insane, way past the point of a rational reaction. Be glad you’re not here right now. I’m howling at the freakin’ moon; I’d probably try to stab you with a Johnny Bench statuette.
Toney somehow got her hands on a $50 gift certificate for the yuppie bar, and we decided to have dinner there on Friday evening.
When we first moved to this musky neck of the woods, the yuppie bar was a great shithole-dive, called John K’s Pub. I liked the sound of it, and started hanging around there a little. It was a dump, but the burgers and hotdogs were good, and they had Yuengling for two bucks a pint.
Then it was abruptly closed by government officials. I heard two stories: tax problems and health department issues. Both scenarios were fully believable, and it made me sad.
A few months later we saw people doing massive renovations on the place. It looked like they were gutting it, full-on. Then it reopened as a fancy bar/restaurant, with hanging plants, candles, and glass tabletops. John K was spinning in his grave…
But Toney and I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, and went there for lunch on a Saturday. And the menu was full of weird shit nobody eats, like duck tacos, and water cress salad in a braised kangaroo pouch. Or whatever.
And when nobody was looking we sneaked out the side door…
After about six months, though, we heard they’d normalized their menu a bit. Apparently nobody wanted the bizarre stuff, and they were forced to start selling steaks and regular-people food. Still a tad “pinkies-out,” but not as bad as the early days.
We hadn’t been back for a meal, since the first time. But we started going there for beer and appetizers, and the food seemed pretty good. When Toney received a gift certificate from her employer, I was looking forward to giving them a deserved second-chance.
We started with beer and pierogies. I had a Newcastle, and Toney went with Sam Adams. The pierogies were great, almost as good as the first time we had them there.
And for dinner I ordered the New York Strip. There were lots of things on the menu that seemed interesting, but most had something in the description that disqualified it. Like “garlic,” or “fennel.” Toney went with the salmon.
Here’s what I was served. I ordered the steak “medium,” but I think it was a little closer to “well.” No big deal. And those are sweet potato fries underneath, covered in sea salt. That little bowl contained some sort of creamed spinach, which tasted better than it looks. I don’t eat asparagus, so I can’t tell you anything about that.
And I don’t think I was supposed to eat the flower. It didn’t taste very good… Heh.
But everything else was excellent. We had our dinners, an appetizer, three beers each, and the check was $73. But the gift certificate took the edge off that, nicely.
It was a good beginning to a great weekend. Which I’ll tell you more about, tomorrow.
I’ll leave you now with a Question that came to me while folding an enormous pair of underwear a few days ago… What one thing about you would some people find to be a bit odd?
Like, for instance, the fact that I still do all my own laundry. Toney does hers and the boys’ stuff, but I’ve always washed my own clothes.
It started, you see, when we lived together, a hundred years ago. I took my nasty stuff to the laundromat when I could, and she did the same. And I just never stopped doing my own laundry. It’s not some grand statement, or anything, it just started that way, and never stopped.
So, that’s your assignment: tell us one thing about yourself that some people might find to be a bit… unusual.
And hopefully I’ll be able to focus better tomorrow.
See ya then.
…Oh, and by the way, I can’t add a picture to this update, either. Everything’s jacked-up! I’d settled down a litte, but now I’m cranking again!!
Filed under: Daily
Nope….not again….next
…..but, No Cigar.
Top ten babyyyy!
My weird fact….hmmmm, I am full on double jointed in my fingers and toes. Best I can think of.
Your meal looks delish! Pass the asparagus!
Still reading about the Epilepsie museum.
Apart from being an enormous white man living in a country full of brown people under 5′ 4″, I would suspect that most people find my hyper-sensitive ‘personal space’ a little odd. As in, don’t touch me, don’t stand too close, and don’t EVER step in front of me or reach past me for something (especially at the table). I don’t know why. I try not to be a dick about it, but it makes me really uncomfortable. A firm, friendly handshake is about as far as you can go with me. Wife is an exception, of course, but even then, I don’t do the whole “cuddle up” thing in bed.
Cool top ten!
Top 10′sh
Oh boy a guy who does his own laundry. Toney better keep ya!!! There are 7 in our family and I am the laudress. URGH I am never completey done yikes.
Top 10 yeeeeeeee haaaaaaaawwwwwwww
Umm, weird thing.. the man does the laundry, all of it. I take care of the little people, clean the house and cook and work a full time job.
You food looks great, I’m salivating over the sweet potato fries. Forget anything creamed.
And continuing with my theme of maintaining adequate personal clearance, anybody has a seizure around me, guess who ain’t administering the diazapam rectal? Sorry, but you can go ahead and spazz yourself to death if it comes to that. Thanks, Funky, for making me say, “Huh? Epilepsie Museum? Wut’s that?” and checking the Further Evidence.
I guess the odd thing is that I only wear one contact lens. I have two, but just wear one, switching from eye to eye ever four to six hours or so, as to not wear out the eye that wears the lens. It makes driving at night a lttle interesting, as I see a clear series of street lights and a blurry series of street light, but just try to stay in the range in between them. In the daytime, especially when looking at my computer screen, I just try to concentrate out of that side of my head.
Did you know- Walter Cronkite will die this week?
On IPOD right now- “Five O’Clock World” – The Vogues
I had to re-set my computer the other day…. I tried to do this German translation site download and couldn’t get rid of it so I re-set it to the day before settings. Then checked you out…. WTF???? Thought I’d gone back a YEAR!!! Weird timing. I thought you were taking some type of interweb navigational trainning to help with that sort of thing?
Me….a bit odd?…I always wear two pair of socks…unless there’s cowboy boots involved. I guess it’s my hiking jag I can’t shake. One pair is for ‘wicking’ and the other pair, a kind of heavy merino wool, is for cushion and comfort…..all year!! Well…not the same pairs…..eewwww!!
@AngryWhiteGuy
You know if ol’ Walter does die this week, I hope you have a good alibi
Thirteen again!!!
I named my pillow. His name is Lumpie. I have a whole background story on him.
And I used to be a pigeon in a previous life.
@ NDfaninAZ – and he didn’t taste bad either…
Though I can’t understand how anybody could dislike garlic (kinda like disliking chocolate, if ya ask me), I’m right there with you on the “fennel” hating. As soon as I taste fennel in anything, I immediately gag a little. If there was ever a spice that immediately kills the pleasure of food, it is fennel. The taste reminds me of Good ‘n’ Plenty. While Good ‘n’ Plenty are OK on their own, if one is in the mood for that, I can’t see how Good ‘n’ Plenty would enhance the flavor of, say, an Italian sausage or a whole-grain bread. Yecchhh!!!!
My wifw and I do our own laundry. Just so I can’t be blamed for shrinking something or making some blouse pink or shit like that. Takes the pressure off. I wash everything on cold and separate nothing. She has nice work clothes that require more work than I care to give. Works out nice….
I had a cataract removed when I was 20.
Yowsa!
I am still waiting around for Burt Reynolds to die. It was close when Dom Deluise died, but Burt is still out there somewhere, probably ordering a salad for lunch or something. I feel like his insistence on remaining alive is mocking me.
I suppose that some people might find that a little unusual.
@Shiny Rod
Eat me. Oh wait, you already did.
What one thing about me would some people find to be a bit odd?
I can wash, iron, fold, sew, clean, grocery shop and cook. I can do almost any auto repair although I choose not to do that kind of work and then turn around and perform micro-surgery on a computer. I can drywall, build a deck, do plumbing and lay floors. I cut coupons and know how to find a bargain. Oh, and I like listening to rock music and my oldest plays heavy metal guitar.
I can not remember names. The ones I do remember I butcher the pronuciation. People laugh at me often during normal conversation. Just this weekend I said ‘Vanessa Williams’ lost wimbeldon to her sister ‘Celena’.
Go Figure.
You are going to have to re-name the yuppie bar: A) They serve Perogies,B) No tablecloths,C) No coasters sounds like a decent all round tavern to me! My odd habit I let the wife handle the BBQ! Guys just because the oven moved outside does not mean we suddenly know how to cook! I just serve the beer:)
On the i pod right now: a Heineken ( I can’t find a coaster:)
@ NDfaninAZ – Oh you are so wrong on so many levels…LMAO
Walter Cronkite choked on his eyebrows.
@ Pagan – Shame on the man who is not the master of his own grill. But I do give cooking lessons for a fee…
@ NDfaninAZ @Shiny Rod: The first time I ate squab I loved it! until they told me what it was!
@Shiny Rod – oh, you have no idea…
I wash my own clothes as well, my wife has a tendency to forget about the clothes she washes and then puts them in dryer 12 hours later…yep musty clothes. She did me a “favor” once and did a load for me. Never again…can’t stand musty choney’s.
I am double (or triple) ? jointed in my fingers, I can bend them all the way back to the back of my hands. Kinda freaky, but that is my claim to fame. Also have a wonk eye, so I am all sorts of inconsistent.
I have NO binocular vision. Two of everything ,and everything in its place. Makes navigating open-back stairs a real challenge. Apparently my hemispheres are in a cold war and won’t play nice with each other. Yay! I’m a meical anomaly!
MEDICAL anomaly.
Aslo? I can’t type for shit. And I write for a living!!!!
We did an experiment yesterday with soaking our steaks in buttermilk as suggested here at the surf report awhile back. yummmm. We (my husband) soaked two overnight in buttermilk and pepper, and two in a dry rub. All four steaks were from the same cow part so we could conduct an accurate taste test.
I thought the buttermilk steaks were more tender but slightly less tasty and a little less juicy. Husband agreed that buttermilks were more tender but thought they tasted better. Thanks for turning us on to our new thang! Oh! we soaked chicken in buttermilk/pepper last week and it was pretty awesome, too.
Good Afternoon Surf Reporters……
I honestly can’t think of anything. I’ll have to ponder on this one…
Hey, I think the comment time stamp is on Jeff time now!
I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. Actually I shot him in a laundromat in Reno because he was teasing me about doing my own laundry.
BTW, that asparagus looks delicious!
Oh…as far as fending and fixing and doing the worsh. I didn’t get married until I was 37…so I’m a great cook, laundrymann and teller of tales.
Also…..I know someone who knows someone who knows some who has a fake testis. I just can’t decide where the odd a bit line starts there.
Yesterday was a nice flashback.
Odd… I’ve been told I have webbed fingers. I don’t see it, gotta really stretch them apart to get a webbing effect. . The girl who told me this was nice to I humored her…
@ Alice in WV – I dredge my fish in buttermilk before breading them. It is awesome and for those asparagus lovers, saute’ your spears in olive oil with a couple drops of sesame oil, a light amount of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper and don’t forget to snap off the bottom of the stalks, don’t cut.
Bunker Cam – Freddie Mecury during his grudge days…
@ Pagan – As long as it is farm raised, I can deal with it. Only thing I like wild caught is fish and turkey and believe me, I’ve had my share of monkey meat.
Shiny Rod – I love asparagus – why no cutting?
Odd things about me – I grew up playing the accordion and still can crank out a few tunes (GEEK!!!) Also I think my hands are a little proportionately large to the rest of my body – and Jason that is not from taking enhancement supplements.
@ Leanne – With asparagus, you always get a few that are a little stringy. If you snap the end off, it will break above the part that is stringy saving you the embrassment of chewing on natures dental floss.
@ Leanne – Now you got that song “Mama’s got a squeeze box daddy never sleeps at night” playing in my head with visions of Judy Tenuta.
I have no brain to mouth filter, at all. Touretts, perhaps?
@Leanne….always snap…. and always tear lettuce… never it cut unless you tear it first. And cabbage is cutable/ shreddable….usually goes straight to some homeade kraut (yum) or a slaw so it’s not so delicate. Crap…..I just realized I’m fucking gay…….!!!!!
Nope……guess not….just drop kicked a head of lettuce a good fifty yards. And damn…..I just seem to like girs a lot!! Whewwwww.
Unfortunately the bowl of corn motherfuckers did not make a guest appearance.
….GIRLS…..I was pretty nervous there for a sec!!
I read labels religiously and won’t eat processed frankenfoods or high fructose corn syrup, and I can spout off all the reasons you shouldn’t eat this or that. But I have no qualms about shoving hot dogs, sausages, deli meats, or even Spam down my gullet.
I insist on supporting small, local businesses, but my favorite store is Target.
I stopped using shampoo last year, and my hair has never looked better.
Asparagus makes my pee smell funny. But I like it anyway. The asparagus, not the pee.
That’s not a funny (funny “weird”, not funny “ha ha”) uniqueness about me, though. I’m not sure I’m ready to open up on that topic. That might require therapy.
And the flower on the plate? It’s meant to be eaten. That variety is quite tasty, too. But I don’t think it’ll make your pee smell funny.
@ DTO – Being able to cook is not gay, unless course you are. I know a few ‘queer’ guys that can’t boil water. I learned to cook from my grandmothers and my father. If you find yourself cooking while listening to Barbara Streisand, then you might be gay.
“unless of course you are” – This is what happens when you type documents spreadsheets all day.
Top 100!
Odd thing: I still mop the floors on my hands and knees with a rag (just like mother used to do). When I’m done, you could eat off them. When the wife does the job, she makes a quick pass with a mop and it drives me nuts.
***Clean*** floors or bust, sez I.
I agree with Shiny Rod. Two of my 3 brothers are excellent cooks (the other one is just lazy). And as far as I know, they’re not gay.
Momma just taught us right
@ Your Public – And all this time I thought I was the only one minus the wifey thingy.
Now playing on the iPod – “TKO” – Four80East
Got a Change Mangement conference call to do, I’ll be back in a few.
@ Shiny Rod……What about Joel Grey tunes?….just sayin’ ……… (Just kidding)
Yep…Grandmas… one German and one Italian pretty much ‘taught’ me. Damn…good stuff!!! My Mom wasn’t all that good. Git er done cause Dad’s home at five. Pretty good meat loaf though , I’ll giver her that. And then living alone and goofing around (aka…experimenting) at the chopping block and stove is a good teacher as you know I’m sure.
There….I’m over my crisis…..Thanks!!
@DTO and SR – there’s something very appealling about men that cook, if you liked needlepoint or scrapbooking that’d be different.
Weirdness about me: I can’t/won’t wear jewellery of any kind, it just drives me nuts. Watches, rings, necklaces, earrings, etc. are all off the list. The lack of a wedding ring causes the wife some consternation, but I just remind her that we are only common law, so technically there’s no need for a ring.
I do all the household laundry. My mother in-law was one of those twit parents that did EVERYTHING for their kids. As a consequence my wife and her siblings lack a lot of basic life skills and can’t do laundry, iron, or sew. My wife can cook only because she took home economics. Her brother and sister couldn’t cook to save their lives. The best they can do is heat things up.
This brings up an interesting topic that I believe Shiny Rod alluded to. One or two generations ago there was a basic set of skills that everyone had and if you lacked them you were generally considered a failure as a human being: Men were supposed to be able to do basic automotive maintenance and repair, simple plumbing, electrical, carpentry, etc. Women could not only sew, but most could make clothes (often without a pattern), could cook (and I’m talking from scratch, not prepared food), could can food, etc. I realize some of these things have been eclipsed by modern practicalities (for example when you factor in your time, canning doesn’t save you anything), but most of these skills are still relevant. Likewise, while some things like auto electronics have become more complex, most of the skills I mentioned are just as easy as they were 60 years ago. Why in the last 30 years have average people become so incapable? I don’t know a single person under 35 who can change their own oil. It’s not rocket science, but most people don’t know how anymore. A friend of mine just paid a mechanic $85 to rotate her tires because her boyfriend didn’t know how! Likewise drywall or basic plumbing repairs: this shit is in fact EASIER that it was 60 years ago, but the average person ends up paying $100 to change a $4.50 flapper in their toilet. In the information age, where instructions for everything are available on-line (and only a minimal amount of critical thinking is required to weed out the BS), why are we becoming less and less capable of performing basic tasks?
I am the cook at our house. My wife can’t even use a can opener. She is not allowed to touch my good pans. She is a good cleaner, however.
My weird thing:
Been in the steel business for 19 years. I can price a job off the top of my head just talking on the phone, no paper, no pencil, no calculator. Customer can read me sizes and quantities, and I can give them a price with the proper markup delivered to the job site within seconds.
I have memorized pounds per square foot of steel plate for all sizes, and know our material costs and freight costs without looking anything up. I think I invented shortcut formulas that are now hard wired in my head, and my math mind can add it all up while we talk on the phone.
I love scrap booking about needlepoint while I bake pies.
Tyrosine… last month I replaced my toilet guts all by myself… and I can change a tire (even though I have run-flats), can rotate tires (but don’t because Discount Tire does it for free every 5k miles), could change the oil on most cars (but not mine because it’s engineered beyond necessity and I like that), and can even do basic carpentry. And I’m only 28… yay me.
Now, I’ve got a light fixture I want to replace, but when it comes to working with live juice I wait for dad to come help.
@ Tyrosine – How would I live without my technical reference manuals? Don’t get me wrong, I love my gadgets, I wish my grandmother could have had what tecnology has to offer today. We are a lot alike. I don’t care much for jewelry and I don’t wear a watch. My grandparents made sure I was self sufficient. I even was taught how to care and handle bees but that is a skill I keep in the back pocket.
Wally does the majority of the cooking but only because he is better at it than I am. Another wierd thing about me… I am OCD about certain things but not others. And I mean drag me off to the Looney Bin if they are not right? Has anyone ever heard of this situational OCD?
My weird? My mother, bless her wicked heart, told me I was born with rudimentry gills. WTF! I do have little depressions on either side of my head just above my ears, but I am a lousy swimmer.
@ Adam – A flashlight and rubber coated screwdriver and find the power box. Pick up a copy of Home Improvements 123 from Home Depot. It has all the tricks of the trade. Of course, I learned mine the hard way, my grandfather made me do it. I can even plow a straight furrow for 3 acres with tractor of course. Damned if you get me digging with a shovel unless it is absolutely nesscessary.
@Adam:
‘last month I replaced my toilet guts all by myself”
Good! That almost makes up for the scrap booking and needlepoint.
In all seriousness, you are becoming a rarity. The light fixture is easy unless you have aluminum wiring (in which case invest the money and re-wire before your insurance is cancelled). Just be sure to turn off the breaker, not just the switch.
Adjust valves:….remove valve cover….start engine….crank valve of choice all the way down (engine will miss but don’t worry) …back off adjustment nut until valve begins to ‘slap’…..tighten until slap goes away….move on to next valve (intake/ exhaust…same procedure). Learned that from my Dad on our ’56 Chevy when I was about 8. Oil keeps shooting out the push rods, so ya gotta move fast and you’re gonna get kinda dirty.
Next week….replacing the starter, soleniod and ignition switch in a ’79 F-150…
I take my showers on the coldest possible setting, always have. Sometimes when the wife and I shower together I’ll let her go luke warm, but if it’s as hot as she wants it I feel like my meat is being cooked off the bone.
I don’t eat “normal” breakfast food. I eat what others reserve for evening meals. Lasagna, fried chicken, fish, etc. Except for salad. I’ve never eaten a salad first thing in the morning and I never intend to.
I was born with bright orange hair. Now it’s yellow.
I’m right handed, but I can write just as well with my left.
I’m gonna stop it right there.
Ah, John K’s. What a great place. 10 cent wings on Monday Night football nights. Qweezy Mark and I stumbled home from John K’s many nights. The best part — it was only about 300 yards from our apartment, so we REALLY DID stumble home.
Weird about me? A lot of things, but I don’t think anything that is that spectacular.
74th!
@Brynhildr, – no shampoo? Me too. It’s conditioner and (occasionallyy) soap for me, and damn my hair looks and feels way better.
Weird other thing – I count in 8s. Marching band RUINED me.
@Tyrosene: respect the sentiment, question the time line? 30 years ago I was toking up at Rochdale couldn’t afford a car let alone fix one! girlfriend knew how to buy clothes not make em! My 8 track didn’t work threw it out the car(which I couldn’t fix) window! didn’t have drywall the stuff was called plaster, Toilet didn’t work? that’s why sinks were invented! Dude when did you turn into your dad?
Probably the wierdest thing I have going for me right now is that my wife and I live in separate homes….this is a temporary thing but it is wierd none the less
@ Shiny Rod:
Nice to see I’m not alone. My grandparents were very influential with me as well. There was something about the people of that generation. Surviving two world wars and the Great Depression turned them into people who could face anything.
@ tiff & Brynhildr – You are both Goddesses in my eyes. Sorry Biff Spffy but, you have a very lovely wife.
@ Pagan:
The time line is just based on loose observation. If I had to put real dates to it I would generalize and say that those “basic skills” are common in people born before 1945, and are becoming less common with every passing generation. There are exceptions of course (Adam above), but in general if you were to survey the “skill set” of people now in their 60’s vs. people in their 30’s I think that in you’ll see a huge decline. And I’m not talking about skills acquired with age, most of those “old guys” who can work a regular white-collar job, but still fix their car and roof their house have had those skills since they were teens.
As an example I offer my father in-law, born in 1945. By profession he is a biochemist and university professor. He can also build a house, from the ground up, doing 90% of the work himself to professional quality, including electrical and plumbing. He can also do most basic auto repairs including changing brakes. In my experience this seems to be the norm for people of his age. These were just normal skills you learned when he was a kid. His sons, born in 73 and 87, have no such skills, and no desire to learn them.
@ DTO – ditto here, my dad had a 57 Chevy. Make sure you keep up with the shims, if the starter isn’t shimmed right, it’s gonna grind like an S.O.B. Would love to be there to lend a hand.
I can clap with one hand.
I can remember faces years later, but names and numbers escape me. I even forget my own phone number from time to time.
I have a ridiculously large vocabulary but struggle mightily with basic math.
I have a male best friend.
Me thinks the testoterone levels scared the ladies off. My sons are a rareity, they can both pull engines like me, they were born in 87 and 89. Don’t look for much more than that.
Here’s what may be an oddity: the wife and I do not have designated sides of the bed to sleep on. We rotate willy-nilly from night to night. Like Jeff’s story, it started when we were “courting” and sleeping in each other’s apartments. By the time we started living together it just had momentum behind it as a practice. And after this many years of marriage, it’s one way to keep that air of mystery and excitement in the proceedings
tiff — I do own shampoo for the rare occasion when I’ve been rolling around in mud or have an appt with the hairdresser (a courtesy wash, if you will) but I use a sulfate-, paraben-, and petroleum-free product that’s pretty much a non-shampoo. Can’t believe I wasted all that money on expensive products trying to solve my hair issues, when all I had to do was stop using them!
I could change my oil, gap my sparkplugs, and do all that stuff with my car, until the auto industry introduced the computer into the car. Then, all bets were off. Then shadetree mechanic got eliminated. Everything had to be done at the dealership. My car requires a specific gasket to be be replaced, every time the oil is changed, and the dealer is the only source for that gasket. Thanks, Acura.
I’m missing 3 ribs from the right side of my body, crushed them playing HS football…as for car care, that’s why I have a brother who takes care of that…in return I do his accounting, taxes and computer/cell phone care. Bartering works wonders sometimes…
@Tyrosine: I was just chanelling Spicoli This site is one where gratefully I can plant my tongue firmly in my cheek & no one seems to mind! The WSVR is a state of mind not reality I admire your Quaker spirit but personally feel morally obligated in these troubled times to pay people the hundred bucks they so desperately need to do the jobs I could do myself for one tenth of the price:)
On a more serious note: Shifty it’s just plain wrong not to have a designated side of the bed!!
I collect serial killer memorabilia. I have, among other things, an original John Wayne Gacy, an Arthur Shawcross, a letter from Manson, a Jack the Ripper letter reproduced from the Black Museum in Scotland Yard…you get the picture.
The old page that came up was from the day I had my spinal surgery – it was fun reading the comments. Tiff, I didn’t realize you were the one with the idea for the neck scar Smoking Fish sighting! Good one!
Hey, whatever happened to Scruffy the Janitor? He was thinking about moving back out here and then he disappeared!
Happy late Monday, Surfers!
@Knucklehaed…I think him and Hockey Kevin had their parole revoked…just sayin’…
Finally learned “Bricklayer” – nailed that sucker!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auQNLn0LLkY
[That's not me, of course.]
Today’s quote: “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” (Albert Einstein)
Adam and Tyrosine – I to am under the age of 35 (though older than Adam) and able to do much of the basics. Can change oil, spark plugs, tires, brakes, etc. Plumbing, basic electric, drywall, tiling, etc. Cook (Italian grandparents), clean, laundry, gardening (only things I can eat, if its a flower my testosterone kicks in and forbids). Though, I think you are right, it gets lost as time goes on, not as much here (in WV) as in other places.
Oddly, my wife prefers to do construction (except for the power tools) over cooking and cleaning. She sucks at cooking and cleaning anyway. I was hoping she was bisexual but it appears she just prefers to tear up things and make me fix them. Who would have figured?
As for oddities, I don’t like my foods to be touching on my plate. And, I eat one thing at a time. I have reasons in my head, but I am not sure they would make rational sense here.
And, I’m not sure if I am allowed to drive in South Carolina.
Thats all.
My husband does his own laundry, too. And like mountie9wv, I only eat one thing at a time and I can’t stand my foods touching.
I guess what makes me weird is the fact that I am nearsighted in one eye, and farsighted in the other. As a result, I have no depth perception and can’t see in 3D. As a child, I used to play with my ViewMaster and wonder what the big deal was. When I started wearing glasses, I was amazed at what I was missing.
I still can’t confess a self-deprecation….
so I’m just gonna go cook a grilled cheese, egg & ham sammich.. (sammlich ?)
One thing that people would find a bit odd: I don’t like pills. Not even Tylenol, not even vitamin supplements. It’s not that I have a hard time swallowing them (as some people do), it’s a health thing. Which is completely at odds with my cigarette and whiskey intake. If someone questions my affliction, i just tell them that my body is a temple.
On the other Reporter comment topics:
I don’t have any of the old time skillz and that does not bother me in any way. I pay other people to make/fix my stuff. It’s easier. And I’m working my ass off to earn the money I give them, so there is no guilt involved. None. I don’t feel bad about this. At all.
Men who “love” to cook are of questionable sexual orientation. Women who do not like to cook are fine. It is understandable. See my blog rant.
I wash my own clothes but only because I am forced to. If you see me go to work in anything but Gap short-sleeved shirts (in the summer), Polo long- sleeved shirts (in the winter), and khakis or jeans, then you know I am having laundry issues. Which I am having right now. Damn.
@Adam – comment of the day: “I love scrap booking about needlepoint while I bake pies.”
@pagan – Eh, we don’t have designated sides of the bed either. Whoever passes out first gets the side closest to the door.
@retrollama – the eye thing? ME TOO!! 3D means NOTHING to me. My eye doc took me off wearing glasses about a year ago, because ‘people your age pay for one contact to get the vision you have naturally.’ Now that? WEIRD.
@shinyrod. *blush*
@Pagan:
I’m pretty far from being a Quaker, but I understand your point.
It’s not that I insist on doing these things myself, I normally don’t due to time constraints (case in point: I’m on vacation, but I’m typing this from work for some reason). I’m just wondering on why individuals seem to be losing those skill sets.
I think the canned goods should be lined up with labels facing out, but my husband doesn’t see the importance in doing this. It just makes sense and saves times! Open the cupboard door, glance in, make a quick assessment, etc. I guess it’s a selective OCD thing.
For asparagus lovers…my favorite veggie!!!
Lay spears on shallow baking pan or cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil over; sprinkle with sea salt. Then sprinkle with grated parm cheese or Asiago…Bake in a 350 degree oven until desired done-ness. Fantastic!
My 30 year old boyfriend can do anything. Electric, plumbing, construction, auto mechanics, bike (harley) mechanics, landscape, heavy equipment…..you name it! He grew up having to do things for himself. Bought his own house we are now living in at the ripe age of 18. Yeah, he’s pretty special.
My weird thing…. I HATE feet. HATE HATE HATE. Disgusting, gross. Probably because I have a phobia about mine. Don’t have dainty pretty girl feet. I don’t wear sandles or flip flops. If you don’t have perfect feet you shouldn’t wear them either!! Walking around with your feet hanging out is like walking around topless to me! I know….PHUCK DUP!!
Alice in WV…ever see the movie “Sleeping With the Enemy”? HA!
HAHA – @bikerchick – yeah! I don’t get pissed off if the cans aren’t turned around. I do it myself and get a quiet satisfaction out of it. I think its probably because it’s the only thing in our chaotic house that is in order then.
We live in a old, old fixer-upper. I’ve learned some skills that I do not want to pay good $$ to have someone do now, one of which is repairing holes in plaster walls. I’m damn good at it. Seamless. Smooth. Never attempted plumbing but I’ve re-wired a lamp.
My husband can do just about anything and he has trouble deciding to hire the work out, therefore the to-do list grows and grows. Our moneypit gets more embarrassing everyday. Those problems coupled with my OCD and hoarding, I mean “collecting” (did I not mention that?) = chaos.
I can roll my stomach, twitchy-droop my right eye, belch the alphabet, make fart noises with my throat, wiggle my ears, and I’m double-jointed. Obviously, I’m pure-dee lady. I’m ambidextrous. I also can’t wear a digital watch because of the electrical charge in my body. Even normal watches die after a couple months.
@ Tyrosine – I’m under 35 and single. I spend all day at work in a dress, looking all girly and bimbo-like. But when I get off work, I fletch arrows, make knives, change the oil on my car, work in a welding shop, install ceiling tiles, shingle roofs, and do small wood-working jobs. I’m a piss poor version of a girl.
@ Taiwan On – I’ve got the same quirk… I only eat local, organic, hand butchered meats… generally refuse pills of any kind… all that crap in the name of health. But I’ll be damned if I don’t polish off a 1.75L bottle of Tito’s every week and puff down a few cancer sticks along the way.
I attribute it to the several years I spent under the “care” of health professionals who kept giving me more and more pills, each with a side effect that was treated by another pill. Funny thing is, when I stopped taking all those pills I finally got better… well, after I stopped taking all the pills and went through my withdraws I finally got better.
What in the honey baked hell?:
http://www.steveharwood.com/punch.htm
@ tiff – I’m with you on marching band. I always have to step first with my left foot, and since high school & 2 years of snare line leader, I can’t force myself to do a sloppy roll any more. Always tight & crisp..,….
@ Uncle Buzz in Wheeling – That is sweet, now I’m going to have to learn finger picking. I have an Ibanez Artcore AS73 and I love the action on it.
checked out the Further Evidence link, I have something smarmy and mockable to contribute, but I’m waiting for the new update…..
…..just saying
I’m under 35 and can fix or replace pretty much anything on an automobile (kind of important when you race a stock car) and handle most plumbing/electrical/deck building type tasks. I also clean and cook ( I’m single.) Cooking is fun, cleaning is tolerable, but I don’t like to do laundry despite how nice it is to have a closet full of clean clothes (vs. a pile of dirty ones and nothing clean to wear.)
My selective OCD is that I must have the toilet paper coming over the top of the roll and not rolling out the bottom. I often have to stop myself from “fixing” the tp when visiting strange washrooms.
Also agree that the labels in the cupboard and the fridge should face out (even the beer labels!)
@ Gretchen – WTF did he say to them?
Playing on the iPod now – ‘Freeway Jam” – Jeff Beck with Jan Hammer Group
@ Kevindust – You must have worked in grocery store, I do that too. I only keep veggies, meat, dairy and eggs in the fridge since I buy only when I cook. No need for labels to face out.
Weird things I do? Too many. THe anonymity of the web allows me to share the following few:
1. When I do “my business” in the morning I let out a yell and then coax it out in a variety of regional UK accents. Example? “Coom out ya bastad” in a Yorkshire accent.
2. While travelling, if I run out of something (like toothpaste etc.) I take the empty packaging home to throw it away as i don’t want it being in the landfill with a bunch of other rubbish which it can’t converse with, due to language issues.
I’ve got loads more, but reading these back I’m starting to think it may not be a good idea to share them; I may well have issues….
How awesome! A King Crimson album cover fitting onto reruns face (bunkercam). It looked perfect. Shiny Rod, I now live in Snorasota, Florida, but while I was in Boone, I made several trips to Raleigh for the law firm I worked for.
Did you know- Walter Cronkite was dating Carly Simon’s sister for a while. That is of course, before he began to lay on his death bed.
On IPOD right now- “Prison Sex”- Tool