Thursday, October 6, 2005

Lunchtime

TOSSED SALAD

Pepperoncini - Just for grins, I checked out the Googlism website yesterday (borrowed from Cynthia), and it was quite entertaining. The list was much too long to include here, but this entry, I think, matches well.

"Malcolm is an incoherent thing of theatrical shreds and patches."

This is a shorter version, obtained by using the search term "Malcolmis" (courtesy of Celeste) :

Malcolm is ...

... less warrior prince than California surfer boy.

... key criticism.

... an historian specializing in seventeenth century English constitutional history.

... @tiscali.co.uk.

... waiting for his paperwork to be completed.

... currently Head of the English Language Unit at Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.

... more attractive than the current housing market.

... our seven year old son.

... better off asleep.

... still alive.

... below.

Lettuce - (These next two sections are for Lori, for whom they should bring back memories.)

Sad to say, our local home-improvement center and a large piece of the Wegmans empire, Chase-Pitkin, has lost the battle and the war against the forces of the big-box generals, Lowe’s and Home Depot. All of the stores are slated to be closed, and Wegmans will now concentrate on expanding its core business, groceries and food service. It remains to be seen whether Wegmans can continue to hold its own against the price-slashing strategy of Wal-Mart. (Unhappily, there will be no more incidents of the popular pastime of chasing Pitkins.)

Tomatoes - Also sad to relate is the impending bankruptcy of another local institution of 40 years or so, Hill TV. Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, they ran a series of commercials featuring , at one time or another, most of the members of the Hill family, and they became famous for their tagline (which also became a local buzzline) "... because ... when they’re gone, they’re gone." Lamentably, due to the likes of Wal-Mart, Circuit City and Best Buy, the time has come to say "... they’re gone."

Red Onions - From the Democrat & Chronicle ‘Police Beat’:

A 34-year-old Penfield man was arrested by Monroe County sheriff deputies and charged with robbery and reckless endangerment about 4 p.m. Sept. 25. Deputies said the man took three DVDs from the Wal-Mart at 1200 Marketplace Drive and walked out of the store. When approached by security guards, he fought with two guards and got to his vehicle with one of the guards hanging onto him. The man pulled away in his vehicle with the guard holding onto the vehicle and him, then struck two parked cars, throwing them both from the vehicle, deputies said. The guard was unhurt but the suspect suffered a cut to his head.

As Bonnie said to me, "Wal-Mart, at the least, should give that guard a raise. That was above and beyond the call of duty." Yes, it certainly was, and they definitely should.

Cucumbers - On the lighter side, also from the ‘Police Beat’:

While working at a home on Erie Drive at 11:50 a.m. Sept. 21 a roofing contractor saw his client inside his house waving a handgun and yelling obscenities. The roofer called 911 and the homeowner left the scene. Several guns were confiscated from the home. The homeowner said he was joking when he was waving the gun. No charges were filed.

It seems to me that, if you own a collection of guns, the last thing you want to do is wave them around while shouting obscenities. It looks bad.

Croutons - Penultimately, I admit to feeling frustrated. I have plucked from the ether the first line of a joke that holds the possibility of being quite humorous, but, try as I might, I cannot complete it; the full joke maliciously eludes me. So I’m going to throw this first line out, in hopes that one of our readers can supply what’s missing:

"A mime and a blind man walk into a bar ..."

The joke, of course, would have to be on the bartender. Have fun with it, and if you come up with something, I beg of you to let me know.

Catalina dressing - Lastly, a demonstration of what Bonnie and I have come to think of as "a more perfect union" - last night, before retiring, I asked Bonnie if there was anything that I could bring her, and at first she said, "No, I’m all set." Then, as I began to shuffle away, she said "Umm ...Could I have some more water, please?" An idea occurred to me and I turned to face her, with a gleam in my eye and a slow smile spreading across my lips, and, knowing as she does how my mind works, she divined my thought as if by telepathy, and we spoke in unison - "a lass and a lack!" This, I think, is what marriage is supposed to be.

Peace.

 

Tuesday, October 4, 2005

Ruminations of an October Evening

Hearth. A medieval and pleasant-sounding word. A marvel of evocation, it conjures a flock of images and sensations, as gulls rising in unison from the ruffled surface of a lake.

It can be taken to mean a fireplace, a construction of stone or brick that represents not only a primary heat source, but also feelings of coziness and intimacy, recalling a scene of couples snuggled in deep soft cushions, close to the fire, watching sparks spring from the fracturing, fragrant wood and scallops of smoke ascend the wavering air currents, as the boreal wind bays outside the walls, announcing its pain to the heedless darkness. It often invokes a response from the subconscious, harkening back to the time when our ancestors huddled with trepidation around a mound of burning branches, offering not only warmth but protection from the ceaseless prowling of famished predators.

It can also be taken, in a more general sense, to mean home - the place in which we have chosen to live and to love, where we may feel assured of security and solace, comfort and closeness; where we can dream aloud without fear of being mocked, where we can relax and hide away from the vicissitudes of the uncaring world outside.

It has been used to describe a wellspring of creativity, a place thrumming with the energy of the human urge to produce something meaningful and eternal.

In subtle ways, the area of cyberspace that we inhabit, this world of journals, can rightfully be termed a hearth - a place to which we retreat to pour out our pain, uncertainties, fear, even contentment. We give voice to our hopes and dreams, and share the small joys and discomforts of life. And, like the mean campfires of millennia past, there are predators lurking about, but we have our defenses against them, and they represent no more than a momentary annoyance.

Rejoice, friends and acquaintances, that we have this forum, this hearth, to sit before and to watch visions take shape in front of our wondering eyes, to have a friendly venue where we can share the minutiae of our everyday lives, and where we may always feel welcome.

Peace.

Monday, October 3, 2005

Once More, with Feeling

J-LAND INVASION OF THE ZOMBIE ‘BOTS

OK. QBO has posted my list in her journal, and I’m going to post it again, newly updated.

The enemy has landed. Offensive ads are infecting journals like a plague. Here is a list of sn’s that deserve to be blocked and TOSsed.

blaze1wyteowl

cobra96324

cruzazul35

frsljls

jenniferlikesit

katric15

kreamedkorn

psychomf69

shadowhawk3680

shakeandbake1

txrebalgirl26

t88lx306

There may be more to follow. If we work together, maybe we can stop this storm of perversion.

AOL’s Spam Controls Blocking Filter informs me that shadowhawk3680 and jenniferlikesit are unknown users, but their member profiles still exist, so draw your own conclusions.

Peace.

Plague Update

AOL is to be commended for cleaning up its Daily Pulse Blog, an action that is proceeding as I write this. For those who are interested, I have discovered two more sn's and am adding them to my list.

Peace.

The Lost Entry

It’s evident that AOL was uncomfortable with my decision to publicize the sn’s responsible for those annoying ads that are plaguing J-land, because I discovered this morning that the entry of October 1st had been deleted from our journal and archives. This doesn’t bother me unduly, because those sn’s are enshrined in my Word program.

In addition to the by now well-known sn’s, I have discovered five more in one of AOL’s own journals, their Daily Pulse Blog. It appears that the editor of that blog has made a lackadaisical and sloppy attempt to expunge some but by no means all of the ads, although they are certainly diligent in deleting one entry of ours.

The fact that (at least) ten sn’s exist suggests that the person or people responsible for disseminating these ads own at least two accounts.

We hope that AOL will in future be more diligent about policing their account holders.

Peace.

Bonnie and Malcolm Mott

Sunday, October 2, 2005

Endless Props

Here's a prop for a journal that deserves more exposure. Stop by and say hi to Debra at the journal called Debra's Dose. Also, check out the cute picture of the kitty.

Peace.

Sunday Puzzle Page (and props)

Yes, it's time for BONNIE'S SUNDAY PUZZLE PAGE.

But first, we'd like to say hi to a new visitor who passed through yesterday, Betty, who pens the journal Of Mini-paws and Menopause. Drop by for a visit.

And now, on to this week's version of 'Rungs'. But first, here is the answer to last week's puzzle:

BRUIN

BRAIN

GRAIN

GROIN

GROWN

GROWL

Some versions of these puzzles have no theme; Bonnie has taken great care (and spent much time) to ensure that these are themed.

BREED

-----

-----

-----

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CHICK

May you all enjoy the puzzle and a quiet Sunday.

Peace.