Since I was up way too early this morning and since I was alarmingly productive, I decided to go over to see my friends at Sublime Donuts.
Deliciousness happened.

And since I was due for my annual "lube and tune"at Emory, I picked up a couple dozen of Sublime's finest to take over to The Winship Cancer Center.

One good deed for the day is now finished.
Back to being a jackass.
Thank you!

_______________________________________________________________________________

Almost 9 years since diagnosis.
Good times.

http://www.chordomafoundation.org/understanding-chordoma/

https://winshipcancer.emory.edu/

Celebration of Living 2014
Description:	Growing Hope Together! A Free Survivorship Event
Date:	Saturday, June 21, 2014
Details:	8 AM - 1 PM Fellowship Hall at Peachtree Presbyterian Church 3434 Roswell Road Atlanta, GA 30305 Celebration of Living is an annual Winship survivorship event with a rich history extending back over 20 years. Join us for a day of community, celebration and learning, offering a festive atmosphere with engaging and interactive workshops, information exhibits, music and door prizes for survivors, their family and friends. The event is co-hosted with Saint Joseph’s Cancer Survivors' Network. This year we're happy to have with us the mother-daughter duo, Laura and Susan Stachler from Susansnaps. You'll get to hear the amazing story behind Susansnaps; the gourmet gingersnap cookie company that was inspired by an idea during chemotherapy. Celebration of Living is free and open to the public. It is held in the Fellowship Hall at Peachtree Presbyterian Church on Roswell Road.  Lunch will be provided. Online registration is open! Contact us at survivorship@emoryhealthcare.org . WORKSHOP/BREAK OUT SESSIONS:   Paint Your Cause Decorate ready-to paint ceramic Ribbon Cause ornaments with acrylic paint. Ribbons, paint and instruction provided by That Pottery Place Studio. Finished ornaments can be kept or donated.   “Light” Zumba with Linda Vaughn of the YMCA Introduction to the dance fitness program.  Bring your own towels and change of clothes, as anyone can join the fun and try out this effective workout system   Sacred Drumming with Madelyn Spiegelman   Participate in drumming for joy, strength and inner calm. Join our circle to help lift your spirit even higher! Drums are furnished for use in the class.   Feel Beautiful Today® Create inspirational bracelets of pearls, semi-precious stones and crystals for women affected by cancer. All supplies and instruction furnished. Finished pieces can be kept or donated.   Rebuilding Strength with Rhonda Tingle of the YMCA  Wellness workout showing you how to rebuild your functional strength without expensive or special equipment.   Laughter Yoga with Lori Sugarman  This physician developed program will give you plenty of reasons to laugh deeply and as a community. No equipment needed, just you!   Journaling for Hope with Frances Jo Grossman This workshop encourages each person (patient or caregiver) to connect to their own journey from fear toward hope; a healing experience in your own words.   Ongoing sessions include: Tree of Hope Survivors’ Call Out and Message Board. Leave your personnel message of hope and encouragement.  Therapeutic 15 minute free chair massages Pet therapy with Happy Tails Aromatherapy Musical performances including Bruce Gilbert and Leon Jacobs Download Celebration of Living flyer (PDF). LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS Currently, we are in need of volunteers to assist with the following: Setup (4) – Assist in setting up breakfast and lunch Parking (10) – Direct attendees to appropriate parking Registration (4) – Register attendees and assist with afternoon raffle Workshop Ambassadors (6) – Assist workshop facilitators with handouts and activities Hallway Attendants (6) – Assist participants with finding event rooms. Vendors (4) – Checking in vendors and helping them to set up.  In addition, serving as their liaison regarding any questions or concerns. All volunteers will need to be present at 7am wearing pants or a skirt with a blue shirt.  In addition, all volunteers will assist in the breakdown of the event. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact either DaVida Lee-Williams at 404-778-2405 or emailDLeeWil@emory.edu.
Contact:	Mary Brookhart
Additional Information
Email: mary.brookhart@emoryhealthcare.org
Online registration is open!

The newest post in which EPPdF announces his upcoming nuptials to and impending divorce from.....

....the wildest of Wild Women, none other than the lovely and talented....

(...drum roll...)

Francine Reed!!!

I think we cut quite the fine couple if I don't say so myself!

And I do.

In fact I just did.

True Story.

This just happened.

Here's my little angel-dove doing what she does best.

Enjoy!

University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address - Admiral Willia...

Jazz for Cows

Apparently, cows like jazz music.

Who knew?

Teacher admits he helped write Common Core to end white privilege

A teacher who claims he helped write the controversial Common Core State Standards informed a stunned audience at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on Monday night that he decided to get involved because he is a “white male” who has been “given a lot of privilege that I didn’t earn.”







In preparation for an interview with Adam Carolla, NPR allegedly dug up what the news outlet thought would be controversial audio from the comedian’s podcast. It was apparently a recording of someone doing a highly stereotypical Asian voice.


Adam Carolla and Jo Koy (Source: AdamCarolla.com)

Carolla says NPR thought it was him. It wasn’t.
The person behind the voice was actually comedian Jo Koy, who just happens to be Asian. Carolla revealed on his podcastMonday that he wasn’t shy about calling out NPR for the poorly planned “gotcha” attempt.

“I said, ‘Well, I appreciate you trying to ambush me, but that wasn’t me. That’s Jo Koy, who happens to be Asian, and the guy, he muttered… ‘Well, that helps.’ We’ll see if he has the balls to air it,” Carolla said.

He also claimed he told NPR to “do your research next time” they want to interview him and insinuate he is racist. The comedian did not identify who at NPR conducted the interview.

It will be interesting to see if that particular segment is included in the NPR interview, which Carolla says has yet to air.

Carolla also addressed his interview with left-leaning Salon.com, which pressed him on the racial makeup of comedians and his feelings about gays. He said it has become common that news outlets attempt to “ambush” him during interviews.

“It’s incredible that you’re doing a finger-pointing thing about you and your stereotypes, but you’re constantly working in the ‘white male’ part,” Carolla said, reflecting on his recent interviews. “I cleaned out f***ing garbage on a construction site. For the love of f***ing christ, I cleaned carpets before that.”

“By the way, I’m you’re worst nightmare. I’m the guy whose mom was on welfare, I’m the guy who got the free lunch meals over at the school, I’m the guy who got the government cheese, and I’m the guy who picked up garbage on the construction sites, and I’m the guy who was told, ‘you can’t be an L.A. fireman because you’re a white male’ … So don’t try to paint me into this white privilege bulls**t … I’m never going to buy into it, I lived it!”

Audio is here:
http://launch.newsinc.com/share.html?trackingGroup=69016&siteSection=breitbartprivate&videoId=26140476

Soldier Adopts Dog That Saved His Life

The latest post in which EPPdF solves the mystery that no one asked about.

This morning I watched a video of a diver fending off an overly curious Great White shark off the coast of Florida.

You can watch it below.  Although only slightly dramatic from behind my MacBook here in the A-T-L, I can only imagine how incredibly poop-inducing it would have been had I been in the water at the time.

Click the clicker here:

Only moments ago I turned up the inter-webs to find this article about a Great White named Katherine that was tagged near Massachusetts but now tracked in - wait for it - Florida!

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/05/19/great-white-katharine-tagged-in-cape-cod-found-3685-miles-in-south-florida/

Researchers are tracking a great white shark that has traveled nearly 4,000 miles to South Florida waters after she was tagged in Massachusetts.

The shark, named "Katharine" by nonprofit shark research group OCEARCH, was last tracked by satellite Sunday at 11:05 a.m. in waters just east of Biscayne National Park.

OCEARCH has been following Katharine since August 19, when she was tagged in Cape Cod, Mass.

The shark is about 14-feet long and weighs about 2,300 pounds. She has traveled a total of 3,685 miles since she was tagged nine months ago.

Katharine the shark also has a Twitter feed, where comical posts can be found, such as, "I like spots where no one bugs me," and, "You know I'm not the only one here, right?"

For more on Katharine and other great white sharks, visit OCEARCH.org

This is a photo of Katharine out of the water.
Still freakin' terrifying!

Stay tuned for more mystery solvin' soon!!!

Also, Ocearch Shark Tracker is pretty cool.  Go check it out for fun.

Curtis Harvey - The Wheel

I've mentioned a few times before the string of great guys named Curtis that the crew and I were lucky to meet back in 2009 when we went off to New York to work a few months.
There was Curtis the security guard at The Met who was retired Air Force and a helluva nice guy and then there were 2 Curtis's at The Dia: Beacon.
(Curtisi ?  Not sure what the proper plural form might be.)

We met Curtis Harvey up at The Dia and aside from being a really nice guy to work with he's a talented musician.  He has a new album out on ITunes and Amazon.
Look him up and support one of the good dudes out there if you can.

http://www.fat-cat.co.uk/press/artist/curtis-harvey


CURTIS HARVEY  -  BIOGRAPHY

Curtis Harvey’s recorded output tracks him through seminal bands Rex and Pullman through the 90's and early aughts. Following Pullman’s 2001 album Viewfinder, he'd go on to issue the sole release by the Curtis Harvey Trio, a brilliant cover of “Changes” for 2005 Black Sabbath cover compilation Everything Comes And Goes and a Pullman song for Thrill Jockey’s 2007 anniversary compilation. His debut solo album, Box of Stones, would follow this in 20009.

On his second solo album for FatCat the prodigious multiinstrumentalist behind Rex (Southern) and Pullman (Thrill Jockey) serves up more of his languorous acoustic folk, traditional songs and campfire sing-alongs. The record is unrushed and largely on pace with Harvey’s surroundings in upstate NY. Of recording process he notes, “With the exception of a few tunes, most songs developed over long periods of time. Sometimes I come back to things months later and it will finally be apparent that they need, or didn’t need. I think letting these tunes ferment in this way is why the record sounds the way it does. Some of the lyrics were written a year after the basic tracks, finally coming to me from out of the blue, or I would hear a line in my head and the rest of the song would just write itself around that.”

That attitude of letting the songs ferment has lead to a record stacked with openhearted odes that bristle against the cold, equally versed in the roots and traditional structures they’re built upon as
they are with more contemporary minded troubadours like Will Oldham, Sam Beam, Gillian Welch and Jason Molina. Recorded primarily in his own home studio as well as “The Chateau,” the home studio of Mice Parade’s Adam Pierce, who contributed drums to the album, The Wheel also features a new collaboration with Doug Scharin of Rex along with a rotating cast of players that carved the album into its final form.

“Things came together slowly,” says Harvey, “but then no one was really in a hurry. We would have these very productive weekends at The Chateau, Adam tracking drums in the studio, Rob playing the Baby Grand down in the house, Adele singing some sweet harmonies, Harry on the upright.” In the end there was no need to rush, it all came out exactly as anyone could have ever hoped. Come inside, warm your bones. Sure as the tide, tomorrow will roll in. I got my story straight, so take in the wondrous things while you’re out there, halfway blue or over the rainbow, it’s kinda up to you.

Up on the wheel…

Curtis's previous album is worth a listen as well!

The "PlopEgg" Painting Performance #1 (Art Cologne 2014)

Another example of why I don't like and/or understand "modern art".

This woman puts paint filled eggs in her "hoo-ha" and then squeezes them out onto a canvas.



Not exactly Renoir and very Not Safe For Work.







P.S.  Of course this happened in Germany.  It had to be Germany or Florida and my good Floridian friends are just not that into art.

Amazing jam session - Three random guys sing together

I found this video over at Elite Daily.

http://elitedaily.com/music/three-talented-musicians-come-together-impromptu-jam-session-thatll-blow-mind-video/600088/

Another Monday repeat from the trip.
Hope you enjoy!

Shocking discovery!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

I know that friends and family alike will be shocked, SHOCKED! I tell you, to learn that Joe..., er, El Pinche Pirata del Fuego, (hard to keep all your pseudonyms and nom de plumes in order) was a little grumpy yesterday.

Yes, yes, it's true.

I know what you're thinking: this is not the EPPdF that I know and love!?!

But every now and again it happens.

First), the torrential downpours, the likes of which most Gulf Shore-ians can not recall seeing in recent years, and

B.) work.

The thing about self-employment is: 

(tab A) you get to make your own hours and to use a sailing metaphor, be the master of your own ship.  

And, make cross country motorcycle trips at your leisure.

But then, (slot B) you realize that your hours are largely dictated by the whims of precocious, but well meaning goofballs who seem determined to chart courses for large rocks and sirens when they're not busy punching holes in your sails.  (sorry, b/n the beach and the whole pirata thing, I'm working the sailing angle)

(And of course I'm speaking in broad strokes here and not referring to any of my clients, who are leagues apart from all other clients, and are wonderful and cheerful folk whose soul motivation in life is to make the world a better, brighter place and spend their free time teaching sign language to orphaned baby pandas as part of their many, many volunteer activities.)

The upshot of all this was that the one day that it wasn't actually raining cats and farm animals, you ol’ Uncle Pinche’r spent many hours in the condo (Thanks Pam and Joe!) talking on a perpetually dying cel phone and wrestling with the internets in a vain attempt to get a strong enough signal to respond to numerous emails, etc.

After an early afternoon full of dropped calls and interrupted world-wide-webs, I decided to take the bike out for a ride and try to find a friendly spot with a cold beer and a strong signal to park myself. 

Problem:  I'm on an island.  Great for fishing.  Not great for WiFi.

After several stops to inquire about internets I began to get desperate.

Desperation is a bad thing and often leads one to make hasty and costly mistakes.  

Take for instance my decision to stop at the Orange Beach "Raisins" yesterday afternoon.

It was a bad decision.  I was wrong on many fronts.  I can admit that now.

Those that know me well know that:

A.)  I don't like strip clubs. 

(The Clermont Lounge doesn't count - it's more of an historical institution.) 

 and 

2.)  I don't like chain restaurants, particularly ones where the waitresses wear short-shorts AND pantyhose. 

(Seriously, what wing-nut decided that this was a cool fashion statement in 1985 and committed to riding it out until the end of times?)

But, my logic went like this - well, it's right on the beach with a great view and few people on the deck and at least I can have a beer while I work and look out at the ocean.  

Sounds solid on its face.

The conversation went like this:

Girl in bright orange shorts and pantyhose: "Welcome to Raisins!!!!!!!!!!   You seem really cool, not like most of the guys that come here!!   They're all old and boring but you're a handsome-young-go-getter whose full of life and I can tell just from your walk that you're both manly and self-actualized.  Would you like to do expensive shots of adult beverages off my nubile young breasts while I recite the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez from memory?  It's completely free for men of charm and wit like you."

EPPdF:  "That sounds wonderful.  I would love to drink expensive adult beverages off your nubile young breasts but, to be honest, I'm in a bit of a mood;  do you know any Jose Saramago?"

Girl in bright orange shorts and pantyhose:  "Well, I haven't quite memorized all of The Gospel According to Jesus Christ but I could do Todos Los Nombres if you like.  I actually prefer to read that one "au natural" if that's ok?"

EPPdF: "However you're most comfortable."

Girl in bright orange shorts and pantyhose:  "Great!  I'll have these pants off in a jif, and if you're still around for happy hour, Tammy is going to give a demonstration of her new cold fusion experiments;  they're showing real promise and the regulars all go nuts for it!"

EPPdF:  "Charming I'm sure.  I'll definitely be staying for that!  Would it be ok if I touch your butt now?" 

Girl in bright orange shorts and pantyhose:  "Absolutely!!!  I'm actually a little hurt and offended that you took so long to ask."

EPPdF:   "I'm a gentleman."

Girl no longer wearing bright orange shorts and pantyhose:  "Chapter One..."

.......annnd, Scene.

The actual conversation went like this:

Girl in bright orange shorts and pantyhose:  "Welcome to Raisins!!!!!!   
We have $5 pitchers of (insert name of cheap unflavored dishwater)!!!
 We also have a special on margarita's (because a Mexican barge ran aground on the sand bar a few weeks ago and we got a real bargain on un-taxed, home-brewed tequila.  We were able to get most of the saltwater out of it, but really I think it adds to the taste rather than disturbs the agave.)

EPPdF:  "What dark beers do you have on tap?"

Girl in bright orange shorts and pantyhose  -    (blank stare)

(continued blank stare)

EPPdF, not wanting to make the moment any more awkward, "What beers do have on tap?"

Girl in orange shorts and pantyhose -        (blank stare) 

                            (Continued blank stare not unlike a cow staring at a passing train.)

                           (I can see the beginnings of panic appear on the edge of the blank stare.) 

EPPdF:  "Do you have a beer menu?"

Girl in bright orange shorts and pantyhose, terror rising in her voice as she begins to stutter, "well, we have a menu... ..and it,...it has some, um, beers and, they.....but...but I think, um,  they're's some beer, but I don't think...um...that that that that all of the beers are, you know, um in, I mean not, not on the menu.....I can get the manager!!"

EPPdF:  "I don't think this is really a management issue.  Do you have sweet tea?"

Girl in bright orange shorts and pantyhose, suddenly excited and happy, "YES!!!  I know we have that!"

EPPdF: "Well, that's one thing."

Girl in bright orange shorts and pantyhose, now with head cocked a little to the left and a look of confusion.

EPPdF:  "Do you know if there's WiFi here?"

Girl in bright orange pants and pantyhose: "I'll get the manager."

EPPdF: "Yeah, the manager.  That's a great idea.  Yes, the manager please."

Turns out, Raisins doesn't actually have WiFi but you can sort of get a beam every now and again from the hotel across the street but by the time I had worked that out the batteries on everything were low and my chicken nachos had come out.

*SPOILER ALERT:  Do Not Eat The Chicken Nachos!*  

Bad things will happen to you.

Caution:  Do Not Eat The Chicken Nachos!

Still paying for that little mistake.

Finally, I gave up on work and decided to ride out to Ft. Morgan.  

That worked out quite well.

The ride out on Hwy. 59 is fantastic.  Peaceful 2 lane drive thru the island preserve with just enough curve in the road to make it interesting and fun.

*I was later corrected by Ms. Pam of Pamela’s 3 1/2 Star House of Spaghetti that I was not in fact on Hwy 59 - can't remember the real name but follow the Ft. Morgan signs-there's only 1 road there.  

It’s an island for Chrissakes!  How lost can you really get!?!

I went out to where the ferry picks you up to cross Mobile Bay and took some pictures.

My mind feeling limber and relaxed once again, I rode down to The Pines Grocery, Gas, and Pizza to fuel up across the board.  The ladies at the pizza joint took mercy on me and I was able to charge my phone enough to make a couple of calls.  Rode back down to Ft. Morgan to watch the sunset on the bay and listen to the silence - an under appreciated art for sure and glad I had a minute to enjoy.

My faith in humanity restored, I rode back up 59 into Gulf Shores where I stopped at The Hangout - it's a kind of the Gulf Shores tourist spot - right on the water.  It's a huge complex of restaurants and bars and things for kids to do, including a big bungee thing where the little ones get shot way up into the air sling shot style. 

(Note: will not let big kids ride. I asked .(( )

I had a nice chat with Matt, one of the managers for The Hangout, and got the scoop on the bars inside AND, free parking!  Having received 7 parking tickets in the first 6 weeks of Park Atlanta's reign of terror back home, I have come to truly appreciate free parking.

Inside, a band was playing bad music at excessive volume but The Hangout could be a great place on a good night.  I think just a little to young and drunk and loud and tourist-y for EPPdF (I'm enjoying referring to myself in the third person) but I found the bar farthest from the band and had a great conversation with Phil and Meagan from Indianapolis who were also on vacation and had been trapped in the hotel watching it rain.  Phil is the manager of a mattress store and Meagan is an accountant for a welding company - nice folk, I had really nice time talking at them (I'm afraid I'm a bit windy these days and most people don't get much of chance to speak - sorry Phil!)

Then a couple I had met at Daylight Donuts came over to say hello.

(Stop in to say "Hi!" to Mona and Mandy. The donuts and coffee are tasty and fresh and it's the only reliable interwebs in Orange Beach I've found thus far.)

The couple recognized me from Daylight and came over to say hello and the girl, prettiest little brunette, flashed a huge smile and held out her hand and said, "Look what I got!!!"

There was a big ol' engagement ring on her finger.  It was very sweet and really brightened up my evening.

Then Jake from Chicago sat down next me.  He's working at The Hangout for the summer before going back to school to start his sophomore year.  Nice guy - jeez, to be 21 again.  I don't think I would really want to do it again but Jake seems to have a system:  spend the summer working at the beach, hanging out with his buddies drinking beer and meeting pretty girls, then school and hockey back in Chicago.  Does not sound half bad.

So, this whole traveling around on a motorbike and meeting people and eating good food (minus chicken nachos) and drinking too many beers is working out.  

Who'da thunk that EPPdF would actually enjoy talking to actual strangers, about stuff, and sometimes things too!?!

Extra special thanks to Pam and Joey for letting me surf their couch for a few days longer than planned while I waited out the weather.  Great hosts and I highly recommend a stay at their place * Reserve in advance and request the spaghetti special (3.5 stars!). 

Onward west....

On this mornings podcast Adam Carolla and crew discussed one of my favorite bands,
The Jayhawks.
Then, by way of comparison, he played a clip of Hall & Oates hit song Maneater and a clip of The Jayhawks "hit", Blue.

"Maneater" is a single recorded by American duo Hall & Oates from their 1982 album H2O. It reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 18, 1982.[3] It remained in the top spot for four weeks, more than any of the duo's five other number-one hits, including Kiss on My List, which remained in the top spot for three weeks.

"Blue" = In 1995 The Jayhawks went into the studio to make Tomorrow the Green Grass. It was released on the renamed American Recordings label. Lead track "Blue" turned out to be a Top 40 hit in Canada (peaking at #33). The record's production had been very expensive and the album did not to sell as was expected in the U.S. Among the album's songs is "Miss Williams' Guitar," a love song for Olson's then-girlfriend, singer-songwriter Victoria Williams (the pair later married, but divorced in February, 2006). Drummer, singer and songwriter Tim O'Reagan joined the band for the 1995 tour.

I'll let you listen and judge for yourself.

If you really want to march back in time, check out the top rock songs for 1995.
But be warned, you will
A.) be embarrassed by your listening choices
B.) feel very old

http://tunecaster.com/years/year-end/rock1995.html

If you look up Rock Hits for 2013 you will find that Imagine Dragons have 2 songs in the top 10: Radioactive and Demons.
Good for them and their success (seriously) but they're not really "rock" songs are they?
I mean, had I not had them on YouTube I would have thought they were just Coldplay or a CP rip off band.
Compare these 2 songs, Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive" with The Firm's hit, "Radioactive", and tell me which sounds more like a rock song and which sounds like adult contemporary(?)

Not much comparison right?
Plus, listen to how much production is in ID's version.
The studio should be given song writing credits.
Very un-rock n roll.

Yoga.
Yoga seems really interesting over the past few minutes.
I mean always.
I've always had a keen, nearly religious interest in yoga.
But particularly over the last 5 minutes or so.
I should really take up yoga.
Seems really healthy and fun.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/5-reasons-to-take-it-off-and-join-the-topless-tour/

Let's all pretend that you're a normal person.
And you and one of your more normal friends go fishing.
Now let's pretend that instead of pulling up the catfish you were aiming for, you pull up a 150 lb. alligator snapping turtle.
Is there any way in hell that you pull that monster into the boat and put that gigantic peak anywhere close to your freakin' head!?!
Yikes!
It's like pulling up a triceratops and doing a selfie.
No thank you.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/alligator-snapping-turtle-surprising-catch-angler/

Ok "environmentalists", now you've gone too far.  You've stepped into the creepy zone with this new contraption.
No one wants to eat bug larvae.  I don't care whether it tastes like chicken or not.
Knock it off and start pretending that you're real people again.

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/insect-larvae-food-fly-factory-bui-bjarmar-adalsteinsson.html

RAR Trip Advisor

Stephanie March of Law & Order on Real Actors Read - Travel Advisor.

Hilarity ensues.

Epic Mother-Son Wedding Dance

This will make you laugh.

Watch now!

Alex & Jumpy - The Parkour Dog

What a good time dog is having!

Tiny Hamsters Eating Tiny Burritos - Episode 1

Ok, I'll stop for now but this wildly entertaining for some reason.

Doctors appointment has been scheduled.

(I don't want you to change the behavior.  Just notice it when it happens.)

Celebrities Read Mean Tweets #5

One of many great bits by Kimmel and Co.

Stick with it thru Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Hilarious.

I decided to do a Monday morning reprint from my visit to Houston.
Hope you enjoy!


In the Sioux Nation I am known as Throwing Bull.

I should've become a medicine man.

It seems at this point that my powers to make it rain are indisputable.
I have brought Cat. 3 type weather to every city that I've visited so far.
Poor Orange Beach was nearly swept out to sea when in a fit of annoyance over lost Internets I cursed the local telecoms to be:

"water-boarded until such time that they be drowned in an ocean of their own incompetence". 

3 days later it was still raining.

Having found a decent Guinness in NOLA, they suffered a lesser fate. 

(Although, they desperately need to work on their double pour.)
I took pity on them since they are only recently recovered from Katrina and decided to only utter the Gypsy Spell for "city that smells poorly and should be made to walk around in soggy shoes for several days".

I must've had a bad dream that I can't recall last night because today it is a wild monsoon of wind and rain in Houston and I really like Houston. It's beautiful here. 

At least the parts I can see thru the squall that has descended on the town. 

My bad. 

Soooooorrrryyyyyy!

Out of 13 days on the road, it has rained 8 of them. If my math is correct, that's nearly 95%.
I wonder if somewhere between the official Harley-Davidson Lawn Darts and the billet aluminum Harley-Davidson Diaphragms (Motto: We want your bitch to be COMPLETELY safe) I can find a set of inflatable pontoons for forced water crossings(?)

Beware San Antonio! 

Get out your ponchos and muck-lucks and prepare for the arrival of El Pinche Pirata del Fuego!!!
I'm coming for you. 

And I'm bringing hell with me.
(insert evil laugh)


Yesterday, Cousin Anne met me at The Black Labrador Pub off Montrose (or was it off Richmond in the Montrose district?). Either way, great setting underneath the oak trees.
After closely examining The Black Lab's methodology as it pertains to the application of Irish alcoholic products being rendered into open glass containers, I followed Cousin Anne back to the house to visit with Cousin Hubby Jerry and "the kids". 

We had a great dinner of local Mexican take out and Cousin Anne's margaritas while we caught up on the family goings on.

I don't think that I've ever met 2 more kind, generous, and decent people than Cousin Anne and Cousin Hubby Jerry before.
Which is why:
A.) I declined their gracious invitation to stay in the spare room of their home.
What if EPPdF has a sudden fit of pillaging and burning!?! 

These are good people; they don't deserve that!! 

No Sir!! This Will Not Stand!

and,
2.) How you know that we do not share the same genetic DNA. 

Next to their example of good-nature, friendliness, and positivity, EPPdF felt a little crass and vulgar (characteristics not entirely unbecoming of Los Piratas). 

But these are wholesome and virtuous people.
When "the kids" are present, they are friendly, respectful, and quiet. And, when they're not present it's because they're reading, or working on school projects, or maybe making themselves better citizens.
Clearly, they are not del Fuegos.

When the del Fuego children were quiet it was usually because they were plotting and scheming some nefarious activity.
Often it meant that something was already on fire.
Which is why "The Source of the Trouble" kept the bail bondsman on speed dial.
Many is the time that realizing the little piratas had been, "Quiet. Too Quiet." for too long, TSofT came barreling into the back room of our house wearing full HazMat gear and carrying a fire extinguisher.

IN MY DEFENSE,

A. She only had to USE the fire extinguisher once.
B. Children's toys contain a lot of Chinese lead nowadays and are much, MUCH harder to burn, (tested), and
C. When you give a young pirata an Evil Knievel action figure complete with Rocket Powered Harley-Davidson motorcycle AND the accessory RV/Towing Van with ALL the tools AND the ramps, you sort of HAVE to expect that at SOME point that Evil Knievel action figure is going to jump "THE FLAMES OF DOOM!!!!"   (Patent pending).
So, really, it's kinda TSofT's fault that the closet got a little singed.
And, when you think about it, the house on Ave J was made of very durable and EXTREMELY flame retardant concrete blocks and therefore, very unlikely to burn down completely.
In retrospect, being punished AT ALL for what amounted too a slight whiff of burning plastic and a black ring on the tile seems a bit excessive.

(Note to parents: Hot Wheels track REALLY, REALLY hurts.)

But the point is this: I had a great visit with Cousin Anne and Cousin Hubby Jerry and "the kids" who, to the best of my knowledge, almost never burn down their parents' closets, and I hope to be seeing more of them soon!


   I wonder what ever happened to that Evil Knievel doll? 

 

Posted by Joey Rodriguez at 8:45 AM

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/05/02/The-Museum-to-Islam-at-Ground-Zero

It seems ridiculous that a person would have to spell out the reasons that building a mosque or a museum dedicated to Islam would be in poor taste (to say the least) at exactly the spot where nearly 3,000 people were killed by Islamicists but this is the world we live in.
You can't judge.
The only differences between "this culture and that culture" are positive differences.
Unless you're a caucasian-American.
Then it's game on.
Of course if this wasn't The World Trade Center were 3,000 people were murdered by Islamic jihadists but a Catholic school were 3,000 people were raped by Catholic priests this would never happen.
Imagine the uproar if the archdiocese announced the ground breaking to a new History of Catholicism Museum right next to the spot were thousands of sex crimes had taken place.
That would not be taken so lightly or with such defense from the media at large.
No sir.  This will not stand.
But because of the multicultural, critical theory spouting, talking heads, this thing will likely move forward.

I used to take the various conservative talk show hosts with a grain of salt when I heard them speak about "America hating".  But I've kinda changed my mind.
I remember learning a lot about how "we" stole the land from the Indians and how "we" enslaved the Africans and abused pretty much everyone but I don't remember learning about how
A.  Everyone else in the world was doing it at that time/what was the prevailing wisdom/practice
      (How was England, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, etc treating indigenous peoples?
      (When did those countries repeal slavery?)
B.  I don't remember learning a whole lot about the thousands and thousands of Americans who died during WWI and WWII freeing Europe from fascist oppression so that America could then go home without annexing Germany or Japan.
Seriously.  Think about that.
After WW II America certainly could have kept Germany and Japan and various other countries for themselves. Who was going to stop us?
The soviets kept theirs.  But not us.
We're such monsters that we staid long enough to ensure that the communists in eastern europe and China didn't overrun the world and then we went home.
I believe it was General Patton who said that, "...when the soviets took east Germany every woman who ran was shot.  Every woman who didn't run was raped."
While I'm sure American service men committed horrible crimes, by and large, that is not our nature as a people.
It's one of the great things about our American culture.
(Go crack open a copy of Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking and see what an abominable culture 1940's era Japan was and then come back to me with your multi-culture hogwash.)
But the leftists are winning in America.
One need only look at the statistics for murder to know this is true.
Last year 95% of murders in New York and Chicago were committed by young black men and 95% of those murdered were young black men but any discussion of murder, guns, poverty, criminality, the judicial system, etc. immediately turns to the subject of racism, as if there's some secret white hand forcing hundreds of young black men to shoot other young black men.
There's almost never a criticism of the culture that these young men are growing up in that might encourage this to continue unless that criticism is of the entire American system/culture and how racism made this happen.

Let's put this way:
If there were thousands of young eye-patch wearing men shot and killed by other eye-patch wearing men every year, you might to start to develop a view, way, criticism, plan etc. for these eye-patch wearers to stop shooting each other.
But once you replace "eye-patch wearer's" with "African American" and the whole dynamic changes and any criticism is considered racist.

And so it goes with the Ground Zero Mosque and Museum:
any objection to glorifying the religion that is responsible for killing thousands of Americans must be based on hatred/racism since all cultures are equally valuable and wonderful and the only differences are positive differences and of course, all people want the same thing, i.e., "...to give our children a better world..."

Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost (Live On Letterman)

A great song and live performance.

FHM Magazine has released their list of 2014's sexiest women and coming in at #1 is Jennifer Lawrence which is how you know that this magazine is run by gays and morons.
JL is certainly attractive and talented, but "the sexiest"?

In all of Hollywoodland?
No freakin' way.
I've dated much prettier women than this.
Good grief - she doesn't even crack the top 50.
Natalie Portman?
Not on the list.
Victoria's Secret model Bar Rafaeli?  #66.

This lady?
Rosie Huntington-Whitely is #61.

You lose FHM.

“‘One Nation Under Allah’: The Islamization of American Public Schools,” Breitbart, April 29, 2014

Endless concessions and accommodations to Islamic demands only give way to more demands for even more Islam, as shown in the recent blockbuster revelations of an Islamic takeover of UK public schools. What is less well known is the same kinds of things are happening here in the United States.

So outrageous were the allegations that the usually subdued and sharia-compliant British authorities initiated an investigation into the charges that devout Muslims covertly sought to “Islamize” the public schools in the UK. The bombshell was dropped last month in a leaked letter, describing an operation purportedly named “Trojan Horse.” According to Andrew Gilligan in The Telegraph, the jihad ringleader of the Trojan Horse plot constructed and implemented a “detailed blueprint for the radical ‘Islamisation’ of secular state schools.” The plot was so severe that a number of UK schools now face “special measures,” which is the British term for (at worst) closings and (at best) a takeover of the school administration.

The plot called for “girls [to] be covered except for their hands and faces,” gender segregation/apartheid for some school activities, and an Islamic curriculum. Mirroring the Muslim Brotherhood strategic goal for the U.S., which according to a captured internal document was to work toward “eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within, and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers,” this plot also sought to use the system to destroy the system.

The plot was indeed undertaken. Non-Muslim headmasters and headmistresses were targeted for termination. Muslim parents were the foot soldiers. Muslim education officials were used to force schools that didn’t want to comply to fall into line with the “views and aspirations of Muslim parents and the local community.”

They succeeded. In one school, Christian students had to teach themselves religious education because the teacher was devoting all his time to Muslim students. One school, Park View, instituted forced and discriminatory gender apartheid, with “boys sitting towards the front of the class and girls at the back or around the sides.” Students recounted in biology class, the teacher “briefly delivered the theory of evolution to comply with the syllabus.” According to a non-Muslim teacher, Park View’s principal, Mozz Hussain, spewed “mind-blowing” anti-American “propaganda” at assemblies. And Asif Khan, a Muslim teacher of Arabic, admitted that he made students sing chants attacking Christmas and Christian beliefs.

The same kinds of things are happening here in America, but when my colleagues and I warn about them, we are called conspiracy theorists. Well, there is conspiracy theory and conspiracy fact. And we do see attempts to further the Islamization of the classroom here, in innumerable large and small ways, pushed by both Muslims and non-Muslims….. continue reading.
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- See more at: http://pamelageller.com/2014/04/pamela-geller-breitbart-column-one-nation-allah-islamization-american-public-schools.html/#sthash.tjhkiEyO.dpuf

Now you've gone too far!

Listen, you want to ban women from driving or seeing a doctor - fine.
You want to ban alcohol - whatever.
Deny basic rights to minorities, to gays, to any non-muslim - fine.
Me and the rest of the world will ignore.
But once you start arresting members of the greatest rock band in the history or rock and bands and you're going to have trouble.
Release The Scorpion now or see the dogs of war unleashed and your world destroyed!!!

http://pamelageller.com/2014/04/american-rock-drummer-jailed-insulting-islam-dubai-airport.html/

“Scorpions drummer jailed for insulting Islam in Dubai airport,” By Salam Al Amir, The National, April 30, 2014 (thanks to DJW) - See more at: http://pamelageller.com/2014/04/american-rock-drummer-jailed-insulting-islam-dubai-airport.html/#sthash.wgh7eBcg.dpuf

Read more about the lovely United Arab Emirates here:

http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/01/23/uae-assaults-dissent-free-expression

In sports-y news, Clippers owner Donald Sterling said mean things to his paid escort while his wife of 50 years was God knows where.
Who'd a thunk that the rich old guy who's been consorting with hookers for decades took a dim vue on minorties!?!

On a positive note though, it has given rise to this collection of pictures of things/people that look like Adam Silver, commissioner of NBA:

http://elitedaily.com/sports/adam-silver-may-be-the-sports-worlds-biggest-savior-but-he-also-looks-like-these-15-things/

Also in sports-y news, Jameis Winston was arrested for trying to steal crab legs from a Publix supermarket resulting in these hilarious pics:

http://elitedaily.com/sports/internet-exploded-meme-after-jameis-winston-busted-stealing-crabs-from-supermarket/

And finally, in still more sports-y news, only a rampaging pit bull could make you want to watch women's softball.

No shower for me today