Krusty the Klown Debut

I just made my debut on Krusty's stage! Hey hey hey kids!

I stopped by Burger King this morning after doing some shopping (Ace Hardware had a 25% off-everything-in-your-basket-today sale). The Simpsons movie opened yesterday and BK is doing the promotions, including a website where you can have your photographs Simpsonized. I guess my next stop is the theaters so I can actually catch the big screen version of this pop culture icon (18 years on TV folks!).

Birthday (Hot) Licks

When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now...
Will you still be sending me
a valentine, birthday greeting, bottle of wine?
If I'd been out till quarter to three, would you lock the door?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?

That's my Beatles tribute to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones who turns 64!

Not only that, I understand that blogs are celebrating their 10th anniversary in existence (dragonmojo.com has been around since 2002, so I guess I got going with mine while 5 years into the concept).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICK!

Our Kings

I live in Sacramento; we have a professional sports team (the Sacramento Kings of the NBA). However, I prefer to participate in sports rather than watch it, keeping abreast of the world of professional sports through the news media. And the water cooler. The exception was during the Kings' "dream team" era whose roster included Vlade Divac, Chris Webber, Jason Williams (later replaced by Mike Bibby), Peja Stojakovic, Doug Christie and Bobby Jackson.

And now there's an NBA referee caught gambling on games that he had ref'd.

Nevermind that Tim Donaghy did not ref the infamous 2002 NBA Western Division Playoff Game 6 between our Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the game that may have been stolen from Sacramento, a win which would end the series with a 4-2 record to allow the Kings to compete in the Finals against a (supposedly) weaker opponent. The NBA championship belonged to the Kings. Review any video you can find of this playoff game and judge for yourself, and if not Tim Donaghy, how many other referees could potentially suffer from this same human weakness? Let's not focus solely on the referees, but all those who had some special interest (read: financial stakes) in promoting the (2002) series and especially for a lucrative market such as L.A. (sure, this is all sour grapes, but let me vent).

Corruption in professional athletics... oh, really now?

Hyundai

I don't pay too close attention to this commercial (where the young woman mistakens a couple's Hyundai SUV for her own Lexus, settling into the Hyundai without realizing that the driver was a strange man). You also hear the humming in the background to the tune of "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better". Nope, I barely catch the details of this TV commercial.

What I did notice this evening is that the SUV lists at just under $27,000... say what? Have I been so out of touch with the automotive market not to have noticed price increases? It didn't seem that long ago when the Korean manufacturer was still a relative newcomer to these shores and competed on the basis of affordable pricing. Like, more in the neighborhood of around half the price of that SUV being compared to the Lexus.

But what do I know? I hardly blink anymore at motorcycles with an average MSRP between $15K and $20K (but I'm sure reality will hit in a big way if I have to shell out that kind of dough for another bike). Perhaps the justification, whether or not it's a sound one, is that these are certain European performance models, and of course Harleys. Even some of the Japanese models have broken the $10K barrier. Or maybe it's the strength of the U.S. dollar in a global economy.

$27,000 for a Hyundai?!

Sudoku Me

Well, I can now add sudoku to my puzzle repertoire (along with the NY Times Crossword, Cryptoquotes and Jumble). Solving these puzzles is one of the reasons I still subscribe to the local newspaper; heaven knows what the other reasons may be. The idea is to complete the boxes with the numbers from 1 thru 9 so that they are not duplicated within each row, each column and in each 3x3 sub-grid. The strategy is a process of elimination. Sudoku was actually invented in America in the late 70s, but became popular in Japan in the mid-80s and an international hit in 2005 (according to Wikipedia).

Death by Text Messaging

California has passed a law earlier this year requiring hands-free devices while using a cellphone in a moving vehicle. This law will not go into effect until July 2008, however. I would like to know how our officers plan on enforcing this law, as it seems they already have more than their hands full trying to enforce carpool lane and seatbelt violations. On June 26, 2007 there was a head-on collision near Buffalo, NY which claimed the lives of five teenage girls who have just graduated from high school. They were cheerleaders in an SUV on the way to a family cottage for an overnight romp at the lake.

"It has been established that Bailey Goodman was on a cell phone earlier as she drove to her family’s Keuka Lake cottage, but it is unknown if she was the one text messaging when the accident occurred the night of June 26, Ontario County authorities said Friday."

(more...)

When will people realize that there is a great amount of responsibility when getting behind the wheel and sharing the road with others? Looks like it's gonna stay pretty hot down in hell.

Of Frogs and Going to the Sun

It was interesting to see today's Sacramento Bee newspaper post two articles (of two destinations) to which I can relate. One was concerning the "Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", which essentially launched Mark Twain's career. Seems this year there was a rift between the founders of the jubilee and the Calaveras County Fair where it has been traditionally held. Regardless of the two parties' differences, they had a record attendance not seen in quite a number of years (and it's also my first trip to Angel's Camp during this event on the 3rd weekend in May). I often motorcycle through Angel's Camp on my impromptu rides. Click here for the article.

The other article was in the Bee's Travel Section, providing a bit of background about Glacier National Park in Montana, and the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road which snakes its way through it (for about 50 miles). The road is currently under reconstruction, and the extra time and expense that is going into this project is to maintain its originality: the Going-to-the-Sun Road is registered as a historical landmark.

The last time I visited Montana was in the summer of 2003 (and Glacier Nat'l Park in 2002, I believe); I had a friend who used to live about 1.5 hours WNW of the park. Although she no longer lives in Montana, reading about Glacier and Going-to-the-Sun Road got me thinking about possibly revisiting again soon, especially after they finish the road construction. Wish I could offer a link to the Bee article, but since I could not find one, I recommend surfing the web for information on this interesting destination.

Cola Wars

As for the Coke vs Pepsi debate, I pretty much am indifferent just as long as you make it DIET. All the better if you can add to that the Lime flavored variation. Earlier this evening I sucked down an ice-cold can of Diet Coke Plus, and my impression of this variant is... bleccchhh.

It's supposed to have added vitamins or nutrients, but if that is what I was looking for, I would have had a V8. Not only do I like V8, it tastes a helluva lot better (and I hope the folks at Pepsi are listening).

Incandescents

A thought just occurred to me (can't you just picture that lightbulb glowing brightly over my noggin?). I have not had an incandescent bulb in use in my house for quite some time now; they have all been replaced by either halogens or fluorescents. FWIW.

Update!

As if those TV commercials for Tampax tampons weren't clever enough with their "update" theme (I guess there are the latest and greatest research that went into these bio products), now Taco Bell has decided to steal the "update" routine. In the Taco Bell ads, the dude updates his meal options and his clueless roommate (trading him in for a French mademoiselle).

Confusing the public between tampons and taquitos, I can almost hear those lawyers' phones ringing off the hook.

13 Friday, Revisited

I am not sure if I had posted anything previously for this festive day (since we already had a 13th fall on a Friday in 2007... back in April). Since I did not purchase a lottery ticket yesterday, perhaps this will be an opportune time to snag a few. That'd be tomorrow.

Lately I've been busy, lazy or otherwise preoccupied with something other than spending much time in front of my personal computer. Quick snippets is about all I really felt like contributing to the cybergarbage mass floating out there.

I also have this mild obsessive determination to log miles on my motorcycle(s). Last Saturday I managed just over 180 miles, while the week before that was about a 200 mile ride. It helps that the geography here is nothing short of fantastic and that the weather has been cooperative (for the most part). The upcoming weekend will not see more than mid-90s temperature, and possibly no more than upper-80s the first part of the work week. While riding, I often perform mileage calculations in my head; for example, the number of miles I will need to ride before my Cruiser's 9th year to average x number of average miles per year.

Am I enjoying my time in the saddle? Why, yes I am. And so, what is it about motorcycling that keeps me suiting up and laying rubber on asphalt every chance I get? If you have to ask, you simply don't understand.

But this was a (non)-topic about tomorrow's Friday the 13th (which as of now, is only minutes away), so I will sign off this post by casting aside any superstitious rituals and wish everyone that TGIF!

Live Earth Concert

The concert is being aired on TV as I type this. I hear it's an Al Gore sponsored concert to raise awareness about our failing natural environment (of course, I may have heard wrong) and how we can help to curtail global warming. Switch from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent. Start carpooling. Adjust our thermostats.

Funny thing is, the musicians come across as hypocrites when you realize that they (and others in the entertainment industry) are highly culprit with their excessive waste. At least Dave Matthews (of the Dave Matthews Band) copped to it when he admitted that being a touring band, they are contributing to global warming. He then tried easing his conscience by justifying his appearance as a messenger of the good word. But what about the other 364 days of the year?

Let's face it: as entertainers, you have to get around. Carbon emissions aplenty (car, bus, plane; you name it). Not just you, but also your entourage. All that electricity used for your performances. You think those lights are all fluorescent? Multi-million dollar homes are not cheap to heat or cool. How many cars do you own, and I'm betting they're not fuel-efficient Hondas and Toyotas? I would like to see a conservation scorecard for each of these entertainers, and let us be the judge of how well you are treating our earth.

Must be nice that "if you can't practice it, then preach it".

07-07-07

It seems that everyone's gotten Lucky 7 feverish (the 7th day of the 7th month in 2007)... some have even planned their weddings for today! I am guessing that the casinos are having a field day, especially this being a Saturday, conveniently a weekend for a good many of us. If you have ever sat face-to-face opposite the one-armed bandits, you are probably familiar with trying to get those rows of sevens to line up. OK, cherries too, and they're $2.99/lb. at the grocer's... yummm (but I digress). I bought a few lottery tickets and now I am thinking maybe I should have bought 7?

Today is also my ex-girlfriend's birthday, and I doubt very much she knows I have this website and am posting this (not having been in touch forever). Well, Happy Birthday regardless!

Scorchin'!

It is HOT! Like, triple digit hot! Fortunately I have many options for a respite from this heat: the Pacific coast. The mountains. The rivers and lakes.

And of course, there's air-conditioning.

Why They're Crabs

You'd be crabby too if you suffered the indignity of having your own claw used to dig out the meat from your shell. It should be no surprise that you knew where I went for dinner last night (see previous post re: Wasabi), but did I mention that I may be spending too much time alone? Either that or I can blame it on fresh wasabi.

Wasabi

My experience with most Asian restaurants where they serve wasabi (green horseradish, if you ask me), is that the wasabi is never fresh enough to be super spicy. Hence this is why I usually spread the stuff on my sushi like spreading butter on a roll. Thought I'd bring this up since I had dinner at an Asian smorgy last night. Words to the wise:

Never assume that wasabi can never be fresh enough!