Adventures in teevee land

Wow, it doesn’t take long to start talking and acting like an electronics nerd.

Mr. Anonymous graciously led me around Futureshop at lunch-time and I saw a lot of teevees. A lot of nice teevees.

But then…

We fell upon a Sony Bravia 40 inch (I think) that was showing Casino Royale, and we were both smitten. It was love at first sight. We ooohed, we aahhed. We could barely tear ourselves away. We were ready to buy popcorn and spend the afternoon. Man, what a beautiful picture.

40 is too big, but a 26 might be just right.

Drinks for all my friends!

In today's celeb news, my personal icon Mickey Rourke was arrested for drunk driving. The twist? He was riding a scooter. I like that.

He claims he wasn't drunk. Isn't that what they all say?

Unlike with most celebrity mug shots, Mickey actually looks better in his shot than he normally does. That's a bit of a sad statement, I suppose. He looks happy anyway...probably because he was drunk.

If anyone chooses to leave a comment re this post, please remember that this site is a "no-bashing Mickey Rourke zone". Thank you.

Very weird celeb news

NEW YORK -- A priest has been arrested on charges of stalking late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien by writing him threatening notes on parish letterhead, contacting his parents and showing up at his studio, prosecutors said Wednesday. (AP)

How tacky. One should never use parish letterhead for stalking purposes. Even I know that! sniff

I dunno what is at the heart of this matter, but I suspect it has something to do with Conan's unearthly coif.

At least this guy wasn't stalking Max Weinberg.

Electronic Gizmos

My VCR is dead, and my t.v. is on its last legs. Any suggestions on what I should buy to replace these dinosaurs?

I read something this week about a DVD player that also converts VHS tapes into digital format. I think I need one of those because I'd love to get rid of all my tapes.

No need to suggest I buy a 50" t.v. That ain't gonna happen. Nor will I buy one that has to be hung on the wall.

Oh No

Saw a few snowflakes today.

I know women aren't supposed to cry in public because we don't want to look like wimpy males, but please allow me this: WAH WAH WAH.

In the world of high finance

The Canadian dollar rose 1.5 cents against the US dollar yesterday, and another 2 cents this morning. It's now worth $1.10 US. This is nuts. It's all happening too fast.

Why didn't I buy gold all those years that it was $600-something an ounce? It's $845 today. I'd be rich I tells ya. Silver used to always be around $5 or $6 an ounce, now it's something like $16. Cra-zee.

And yet I remain poor.

As soon as the Chinese talk about moving dollars, no matter how few, currency traders around the world get the vapours. The Chinese have decided to dump some of their US dollars and buy Euros instead. As should we all, I think. Who am I to argue with the Chinese?

An Autumnal Question

Why hasn't someone invented a muffler for leaf blowers? Why do those stupid things have to be so loud?

I hates them things.

Big Girls Don't Cry, but Boys Do

A recent study from Penn State University suggests that tears are becoming more acceptable for men and less so for women. The study, using a sample of 284 people, found that men were judged much more positively for crying than women. This, according to the study’s authors, was because men were seen as expressing honest emotion where women were seen as out of control. (Out of control????? grrrrrrrrr.)
….
A man is seen as strong and unemotional, so crying hints at depth. A woman politician has to portray herself as tough to succeed. So when a woman cries it reinforces stereotypes and tells us that her toughness was just a front and she has revealed herself to be weak underneath. “This is why Bill Clinton can cry more than Hillary can.” (Times of London)

Nice, eh? So go ahead, guys, cry your eyes out, but ladies, keep it for the shower.

(pause)

Okay, confession time, I have to be honest here. When the Red Sox won the World Series, and big hunky Jason Varitek was interviewed and had tears in his eyes, I got all mushy. So, yeah, I’m guilty. Crying men are very appealing. I hate myself for saying it.

Movie Moments: John Wayne Edition

3. In Donovan’s Reef, when the girl says "Mr. Donovan, I’ve been kissed before” and he kisses her hard and she says: “Well, I thought I’d been kissed before”.

2. Liberty Valance: “That’s my steak”.

1. In The Quiet Man, when Barry Fitzgerald sees the broken honeymoon bed and says “Impetuous! Homeric!”

I never stop watching The Quiet Man at that point, I have to keep watching.

Had to find this picture

It didn't feel right not having this photo on the site. It's so great.

Long live Jesus!

The Godfather, Part One

I was watching some of The Godfather last week, and there’s one thing I just don’t understand. And it has always bugged me. How can anyone be in bed with a severed horse’s head and not realize the thing is there until he wakes up?

How’d they get the head in the bed?

Maybe this is explained in the book, but in the movie it don’t make no sense. Did they drug the guy? I’m thinking if I was sleeping and a couple of Mafiosi came into my bedroom lugging a bloody horse’s head, they might make enough noise to wake me up.

But maybe I’m a light sleeper.

Proof that I am a Nerd: Part 87 in a series

I did something yesterday that I never do. I watched an American football game. I read so much hype about the New England-Indianapolis game that I decided to watch it.

Honestly, I watched it for the quarterbacks after reading an article about their different images and the type of advertising campagins they are each in. I don't actually care how much yardage they are passing for this season, or any other season for that matter.

Anyway, the proof that I am a nerd is that I find Peyton Manning far more attractive than Tom Brady. I suppose I should just go live on a desert island now, as I am sure this makes me an embarrassment to females everywhere.

Movie moments

There are times when I’m flipping through the stations that I’ll come across a movie I know well and there’s a moment that I have to watch. And I’ll leave the movie on until that moment happens. I don’t have to watch the whole movie, I’m just waiting for the moment, and once it passes I can go on with whatever else I might be doing. But I have to leave the station on that movie until I see the moment.

My top three:

3. In Casablanca, the singing of La Marseillaise.
2. Terms of Endearment, the first date, when Jack Nicholson hisses at Shirley Maclaine that she needs a lot of drinks to “kill that bug that’s up your assss.”
And
1. In The Big Lebowski, when John Turturro licks the bowling ball.

Pakistan = Hell

One would think if one saw a headline stating that lawyers are being beaten up in the streets, that it might bring a little glow of happiness to one’s heart. After all, everyone hates lawyers, right? But I see that headline and it doesn’t make me feel good at all.

I’ve been harping for ages about how Pakistan is the worst place in the world, and now we’re about to see it all unravel. Gotta hand it to Perv, though. Smart cookie. He knows he can do what he wants and no Western ally is going to dump him because all the alternatives are worse. He’s safe in joining the shirtless Putin in the Presidents-for-Life club.

Meanwhile, Osama sits in his condo in Quetta and laughs his ass off.

The One-Pillar Pagoda

Guess what the one-pillar pagoda is? It's a pagoda built on a single pillar. Thus the name. I like things nice and obvious on a Friday afternoon. My brain is slowing down.


I showed this photo to a friend at work who said she wouldn't show it to her husband because then he would want to build one in the backyard swimming pool.

I'm not quite sure why this place is such a big tourist attraction, but who am I judge?

This photo is the altar in the pagoda. Very colourful, but it seems cluttered with too much stuff. Or maybe that is just me projecting my own poor house-keeping issues on the pagoda.

Quote of the Week

Last night on The Office, Dwight was obsessing about attacking someone's eyes (much to Jim's horror).

Dwight's line: "The eyes are the groin of the head. "

Tidy Bowl Men Unite!

NEW DELHI - Though it includes such ideas as a solar-powered commode that runs without water, the 2007 World Toilet Summit is no bathroom novelty show.

Participants at New Delhi's four-day gathering of experts, toilet aficionados, and even royalty from 44 countries are grappling with health and sanitation issues that endanger almost one-third of the world's people who don't have toilets. (MSNBC)

My only question: why is this being held in New Delhi, when obviously the centre of the innovative toilet universe is Narita Airport?

A Passing Thought

Did people who really liked Robert Goulet call him "The Goul"?

Philosophical Question of the Day

Is a life without bacon worth living?

There’s a big new cancer study that says if you want to avoid cancer and live a long healthy life, then you should stop enjoying life.

“Recommendations include avoiding processed meats such as ham, bacon, salami or any other meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting; only consuming small amounts of red meat; moderate consumption of alcohol; and avoiding junk food and sweet drinks.” (Times of London)

I’ll bet these medical wet blankets would classify Doritos as “junk food”, as opposed to the “food of happiness and spiritual fulfillment”, as they should be known.

Also unsurprising is that they recommend everyone be thin. Oh, that’s gonna happen. At my height, I should not weigh more than 128 lbs. Let me wipe away the tears of laughter.

More Halong Bay, or the Wang of Life

Whilst cruising around the bay, we stopped at a cave. It was a very large and impressive cave. Here's a picture of some people at the entrance. I know they are very tiny, but they are there.

Among the many interesting aspects of the cave was one in particular. It is called the Symbol of Fertility. Can you spot it? heh heh.