Chicks Dig It

This is as close as I will get to as Easter posting.

Walking the other week through a slightly upscale outdoor shopping center, I came upon this:



Yes - that is exactly what you think: a chair that is decorated with Peeps as it's fringe (click on images to enlarge).

Now, I never actually walked into the store, so I'll assume the Peeps were real and not made of fabric. Wouldn't it almost be worse if someone took the time to make the chicks out of chanille or something?

I'll also assume that they were placed on said chairs (yes, there were more than one in window displays) ad decoration and there to amuse you and draw you into the store - and that these chairs were not really for sale 'as is'.

....but ya just never know.

Too add to my assumptions, the store will never be able to really clean that yellow sugar out of that white fabric.



Song by: Chris Cagle

Basketball Jones

Last night we went to a Cleveland Cavaliers game with our gay neighbors last night.

I cannot tell you how long it's been since I went to a pro-basketball game. Mostly because I have no affection for the game. ...or the team. I just couldn't care less. And growing up, I sucked playing the game. Being 6'2" by 8th grade, everyone just assumes you would play the game and be good at it. WRONG!!!!

We went because of the neighbors. We like them and enjoy their company. I don't think they care that much about the game either, but they were good seats. Great seats, actually. And one of the guys, Marty, and I just laughed and laughed. Case in point (and yes, you'll all think I'm a horrid horrid person):

Marty: That mother just left that paraplegic child down there in his seat.
Me: Well, it's not like he's going to go wander off....

And what a spectacle these events now have become. Flames roar out of places you'd only expect at Monster Truck Rallys (well....I assume!). And there isn't an open inch of space that isn't covered by LCD screens flashing something at you to buy, visit or a sponsorship of some sorts. If you were epileptic, you'd be seizing from the moment you walked in until....well.....the ambulance carted you away.

But during this game, the King, LeBron James, at the ripe age of 23, became the all-time high scorer in Cavs history.
On a scarier note - well, that would be the guy we sat near
It's like one of those cavemen from the Geico (?) ads found Miss Clairol 'Absorb All-Light Black #14'.....and a J. Riggins. His wife and four kids were just a scary. Imagine play-dates at that house.


Song by: Cheech & Chong

Gonna Buy Me a Dog

I don't know why I like this so much. I was just sitting on the Metro and this lady and her 'dog' gets on the train.

The camera phone doesn't pick up the colours all that well. The tongue was extremely pink.

Even for a fake dog, he was cute. Well, I assume it was a 'he'. It seemed like a 'he'.

I want a pup, but I don't think we'll probably ever get one. With my current work schedule (more on that later....possibly), I still don't know we could do it and keep a doggie happy. It is just not fair to leave them alone for that long of a time.....and I'm not keen on hiring a dog sitter or walker.

Maybe the lady on the Red line can't have a real dog either - which is why she is most likely on her way home from FAO Schwartz with her new pet.



Song by: the Monkees

Spring is Here

....well, not here!

Technically, yes, it is Spring, but we got about 3" of snow yesterday. It sure don't look like or feel like Spring. But that's typical for the NorthCoast - but the word 'spring' just makes you want it soooo much.

The reality is - we're still a month a way from decent weather. Note I did not say 'good weather'. That's two months away.

Today is also the day Blobby's Blog turns 5. Hard to frickin' believe. As I think I mention every year, I started this at the start of Gulf War II. Sadly, not only does this blog still exist - so does the war. My hunch is the latter will go on much longer than the former.

While I might have bored some of you to death with my writings, my rantings and my "humour" - none of it has been literal (least of all my writing!!!! ......thank you ladies and germs...).

I can't say that about GWII. To date, there have been 3,992 american soldier deaths (and one still pending). 4,300 total for the coalition of the "willing". Yeah - the U.S. has about 93% of all the casualties. This does not count the U.S. deaths in Afghanistan......or the 1,000+ warmonger contractor deaths.

Mind you - Iraqi deaths are past the 48,200 mark.

So I can't bitch about the weather. None of these guys will ever seen another Spring. The guy who sent them there will be riding out the rest of his Springs, doing public speaking at $100,000 a pop with a lifetime of Secret Service protection. g-d knows he'll need it.


Song by: Rogers & Hart

Cherry Pie

Meredity provided the pic - but each time I look at it I can't help but think the these Peeps are pole dancing to this song.

You may or may not know that I don't 'celebrate' easter. I don't believe that anyone named Jesus died for my sins and then rose three days later in the form of a rabbit who went and hid dyed, hard-boiled eggs.

Yeah - I've been away for a few days (more on that, possibly, later) and yes, this is the best I can come up with. And on top of that, next Tuesday, I've been slated to be a guest star blogger for Large Tony.

....I guess I should start drafting something - huh? I'm open to suggestions.



Song by: Warrant

Song for a Future Generation

I am sure I am shamelessly trying to recapture my youth - something I will most likely fail at miserably - but this morning I purchased tickets to see the B-52s at the House of Blues.


So far they are only scheduled to play 10 dates, and we're one of them. I almost had to do this, as I have never seen them before!!! Shut Up! I know!!!!!

And really, when will I have another chance?

I know they have a new disk coming out later this month (warning: expect to see it as a Record of the Month), but I'm sure the concert will be filled with classics. I don't mean "Love Shack", "Roam" or "Rock Lobster" (overdone) classics - though I'm sure they will play them - but I'm hoping for "Planet Claire", "Dance This Mess Around" "Legal Tender", "Housework" and "Mesopotamia".

If I don't have sit through their song from the Flintstones movie, I'll be ok.

But that did get me thinking - it's their first disk in 16 years, though that was Good Stuff, their only disk I never got. No Ricky. No Cindy. No good.

Now Cindy is back. And I do love her and Kate's harmonies. Fred is Fred and there's not much you can do with that voice. But I do love the girls.

So, I do go on-line exactly at 10a to buy the tix. Only General Admission floor are available. No seats....standing/dancing only. The old man in me came out and thought 'WTF', but then I thought, really - who is going to sit at a B-52s concert?

g-d, I hope it doesn't suck. I figure it will either be brilliant, or horrid. Probably no in-between.



Song by: the B-52s

SHOPPING w/BLOBBY

Yet another installment in the drudgery that is everyday shopping. The camera-phone makes it a bit more fun - though I get looks whenever I take pics of products. Like I care what people think!


I know I'm queer (in every sense of the word), but am I the only one who finds this homo-erotic (in the good way)?

The suit. The hat. The pose - one leg on the lower bar rail with the hand in the pocket? C'mon - it can't just be me! Can it?

I first saw this beer the day I was leaving Columbus to move back to Cleveburgh back in the '90s. Denton was already at our new home - living right above Howard (my oh my, those are stories for another time) - and me still working.

Tom G came by my office on my last day of work. I was leaving directly from the office to the northcoast. In his hand was a six-pack of this beer. At first I thought he got it for me as a porn-lite joke, but it wasn't. It was just beer - and a good-bye from a good friend.

I had to go out to my car to keep it cold. My office was too warm and well, it was the last week of December, so my automobile was a natural refrigerator at this point. We hugged and said our so-longs. Nothing too much, as anyone in my office could look out - oh and his brother was standing right next to us. Not that Joe would have cared that much. Being Tom's brother, I can guarantee he's seen and heard worse.

Years later, we actually looked at Eliot Ness' house when it was up for sale. We didn't know it was his until the realtor told us. And it was only two blocks from where we were living. Weird.

The beer was (and is) good. And not just for the package. The beer's or Eliot's. Try it if you can get it.

From the GLB shop on-line, you can buy the Ness picture with 'optional wood mounting'. Check. .....and CHECK!!

Music

It does make the people come together. Apparently, just not at Borders.

I really wanted to call this 'the day the music died' - but it's not a song title. I guess I could have gone with 'American Pie'.......but I didn't.

Two days ago I walked into a Borders for the first time in a long long time. Here is what I saw:



Rows and rows and rows of empty cases of what used to hold music.

There was no rearranging going on. It is not like they were moving compact disks from point A to point B in the store. Nope - this was 100% pure consolidation. They had literally got Blues, Rock, Classical, Gospel, Country, Jazz, Folk and International down to about 2-3 of these cases. There had used to be 2 dozen or so. No more. No more.

I don't know if it is Border's business model that sucks so badly or if iTunes' is just that good. I don't really think it is either. The music business is hurting - in sales and in talent....but not in that order.

Music sales are down 11.3% from this time last year - which is about the same from the time a year before that. That's all music - downloaded and from brick & mortar (no Becky - not Mordor!). But they are down because the labels continually put out crap. So.Very.Sad.

Borders might have to focus more on books. I know of a good one coming out in a month or so.



Song by: Madonna

Gasoline

Last Friday, on the way to work, I filled up for $2.81/gallon. That same day, on the way home, it was $3.07. Then up to $3.17 yesterday.

So imagine my surprise when I saw this on my way home today:

I had kept hearing that by summer gas might be $4.00 per gallon, but I wasn't quite buying it (literally or figuratively), but after seeing this it's no longer that difficult to fathom.

At a national average, prices are at $3.23 - so clearly we're above the mean. Not coincidentally, public transit ridership is at a 50 year high in some cities.

On the rest of my drive, I thought to myself: maybe this is all Hugo Chavez's doing, by withholding oil to the U.S. But you know - that would be a small price to pay, considering I'm still liking him for calling Bush 'the devil' while addressing the U.N..



Song by: Jann Arden

You Dropped a Bomb on Me

So much news yesterday - where to start.....where to start.

First off - apparently I'm worse than Osama bin Laden and Muqtada al-Sadr combined.

In a speech delivered for a conservative Christian group, Sally Kern (US Representative - OK(R)) said that gays and lesbians were the "biggest threat "our nation has ever faced "even more than terrorism or Islam..." She goes on to say that gays are "infiltrating" city councils, responsible for the demise of world societies and compared being gay to a "cancer" that apparently needs to be cut out.

Of course, let's not overlook that not everyone who is Islamic is a terrorist.......or gay. And not every terrorist is Islamic.....or gay. Whatta fuckin' cunt. Yeah - I said it. I went there.

She also said she never expected her talk to be taped and/or released. To be honest, that is the worst part for me. Old Sally was planning on hiding behind the cloak of invisibility. But let's face it - only Harry Potter had that, as it was one of the three Deathly Hallows (oops...spoiler alert!).

Then there was Karl Rove at the University of Iowa Sunday, being confronted with an at-times hostile crowd of 1,000.

At one point during the speech, Rove reportedly lashed out at some of the students, saying, "You got a chance to ask your questions later and make your stupid statements, let me make mine."

Classy!!!!! Though he has never claimed to be a statesman.

Another person asked Rove if he has ever shed a tear over the war in Iraq. "I shed a lot of tears and I have been inspired by many of the people who feel their son or daughter should not have to die in vain," he replied.

BULLLLLLLSHIT. Who the fuck does he think he's fooling??

Toward the end of the speech, a member of the crowd yelled, "Can we have our $40,000 back?"
Rove replied, “No, you can't.”

No surprise there. Ca-ching!

One audience member told Rove that MSNBC's Keith Olbermann named him the "worst person ever."

"Ever?" Rove joked. "Yea, worse than Hitler, worse than Stalin, worse than Mao and worse than the person who introduced aluminum baseball bats."

Personally, I love how he's absolved himself of all his evils and how he doesn't think he fits into that little exclusive club - save the guy who introduced the aluminum baseball bat. Though I wouldn't mind introducing said bat to his head. Several times.

Let's see - what else is there.....

Oh yeah - a Vatican official has listed drugs, pollution and genetic manipulations as well as social and economic injustices as new areas of sinful behavior.

Technically, I guess I only have one of the four of those. Though to piss off the pope I'd happy to try genetic manipulation. Unless of course, that's just a fancy term for 'choking the chicken'.....then I got that one covered.


Song by: the Gap Band

Site of the Month
I have to say - normally I don't have another blog as my SotM. At least I cannot think of one. But I found this to be so frickin' funny I just had to put it out there.

Stuff White People Like

I ROR (or LOL for non-asian folk) whenever I read an entry. Not unlike how you all react to when you read one of mine. (Humour me people......humour me!!!!!!!).

Clearly it's a popular blog, as he (?) gets a few hundred comments per post. That's a just a few hundred more than I actually get. .......I'm just sayin'.

Am I the only one mentally picturing Homer Simpson watching Def Comedy Jam and wiping a tear away from his eye saying, "Oh it's true - we are SO lame...."?

Hey Pretty

Yes - that's me.
Purdy - ain't I? It's not my dorkiest look - you've all seen that before. No - this is my 10 days before Spring look!!!!!

But it's warm. Denton got the Carhartt coat while working in the UP. I think they have winter until June or something, so I shouldn't complain - but I probably will.


Yes - Cleveburgh is all over the national news because of this storm. Yesterday I cleared over 20" of snow. I don't even know what's out there at this point, but it looks like another 2-3".

You can (kind of) see some of the swaths I made yesterday. Always fun to clear (say with dripping sarcasm).


I did call to check on my parents, but they have no power. Again.

And no doubt too stubborn to go anywhere or ask for assistance - not that they should go anywhere or could ask. My father in in infinite wisdom got a 'deal' on his cable, which includes digital phone. But when the power goes out - so does the phone service. I had to call my brother-in-law to go check on them and if possible, pick them up and take them back to his house.

So now I'm having a fit that no one could get ahold of them or vice versa. And that I will now have to force them to get normal phone service so they can dial 9-1-1 if needed. For g-d's sake, they are in their 80s! ...and it's not like my dad hasn't used that emergency service three times in the last two years.

Parents! You can't live with 'em and can't kill 'em. ....unless of course your Lyle or Eric Menendez.


Song by: Poe

Punk Rock Girl

The title has nothing to do with the post. I just woke up with that song in my head. The entire song. Actually, it's still there. It was there when I cleared the driveway of 14" of snow at 7am. It will probably still be there the rest of the day. Welcome to my world.

I keep coming back to the part of the song (which is more spoken than sung) that goes:

We went to the Philly Pizza Company
And ordered some hot tea
The waitress said well no, we only have it iced
So we jumped up on the table and shouted anarchy

Don't ask me why - there is no rhyme or reason.

As I sit here watching more and more snow to fall - our heaviest of the season - I'm finding nothing to write about. Or at least caring to write about.

So maybe it is just time of a comic Saturday. That makes it sound like a regular or semi-regular bit I do here - and I don't. ....but the Bizarro yesterday was funny - or at least I thought so. And I thought I would share.

....and why not! Hell, I've already shared my internal song-of-the day.



Song by: the Dead Milkmen

Trouble Me

The other day, at work, I received a FedEx package that contained the following mouse pad:


The receipt had no sender information or return address - it just said: GUESS WHO?

I will admit I was stumped. Not only could I not figure out who sent it - I also didn't get the image on the pad itself. I fretted over it (well......kind of, but not really) most of the day.

Near the end of the day, my administrative assistant was at my desk and I showed her what came in the mail and admitted to not understanding it. Without a second passing by, she asked if the pencil that was askew bothered me. DUH! How'd I miss that??

In another instant, I knew exactly who sent this to me.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of my physicians loves to tease me about my self-diagnosed OCD. I shot off an email that said "Bother me? Why not at all. Why do you ask?" Never once acknowledging the mouse pad itself. I just wanted to let her know that I knew.......even though someone basically had to point it out to me.

I never focused on the fact that something was out of place on the pad, because, not only is my desk is usually a little messy - not having things all neat and tidy is not my OCD issue. I don't need everything symmetrical - exactly.

Jon will tell you that all my CDs had to be in order alphabetically by artist then by title. Ok..Ok..they still do. BUT - in my defense, when you open the cases, I no longer have to have the disks facing straight up. It's progress, albeit small.

So now you know - I'm not a germ-a-phobe or someone who has to have everything symmetrical.

Who knows - in another 100 posts, you might all just figure it out by powers of deduction.



Song by: 10,000 Maniacs

Magazine

There really are specialized publications for every population it seems.


....though I don't know exactly how "modern" Paul Abdul is. Had the mag been called Has Been Dog, I could clearly understand why she is gracing the cover.

But apparently she is the dog who has everything. Well, except talent.



Song by: Heart

The Winner Takes It All

....though that should really be a question.

Hillary won Ohio by a 10% margin. Texas by a slimmer lead - though the caucuses there are still up for the delegates. ....which I just don't get. Have the caucus or the primary. How can you win one and/or the other and not be declared the winner? Oh yeah, she won Rhode Island too.

He's got more delegates. She has more super-delegates. Whatever! I don't think anyone should need a political science degree to figure out our electoral system.

An Obama win of the nomination at this point will be like Bush winning the general election. Yeah, he'll claim it as a victory, but 2-5% buffer isn't an overwhelming anything.

Yeah, I voted for Hill, but I'd vote for Obama in the general if it comes to that. Time will tell.


Song by: Abba

Today's the Day

The Ohio and Texas primaries are today. And whomever will most likely clinch the democratic and republican nomination. Whoo-hoo....or YeeeHaw, as the case may be.

Maybe now, I won't have to get 5-10 calls per day from Cindy McCain, or John McCain's cellmate from the Hanoi Hilton. Ditto goes for Hillary, Barack, Kucinich and a plethora of other judges, assembly men, coroners and anyone else who can seemingly skirt the 'Do Not Call' guidelines.

I've already voted, so these calls are even more annoying. I can't change my vote - even if I wanted to. And no one has done anything to make me want to change.

Our next door neighbor, who ran for Attorney General of Ohio a few years back, asked if we would put Obama signs in our yard (as we have a busy corner lot a block from the polling station). Denton gave him the ok - which is fine. There aren't many at our old folks home who will be voting for Hillary - it's a Obama precinct. And I'm happy just to get people to vote.

They say there will be record numbers, but it is cold and very icy out today. ....that's a lotta broken hips on those seniors. But let's hope people come out in November - when it will count even more than it does today.


Song by: Aimee Mann

Run Baby Run

Lyndon LaRouche is not running for president. Who knew?

Not me. And though I came across this at BWI last Friday, it still wasn't clear if he was or was not running . I mean, the man has thrown his hat into the ring more often than Pat Paulsen........but fewer than Ralph Nader. (a scan around the web tells me he's indeed not running.)


I was just strolling from the shuttle stop to the security check-point when I saw a guy manning the "booth". My first thought was - 'wow - I haven't seen something like this in an airport for a long time, kind of like Moonies or Hare Krishnas'.

My immediate second thought was - 'wow - how did someone in airport administration approve something like this in an airport?'

But I was walking by him and he nodded and I did back, mostly because of the 'send Bush to Rehab' thinking, they left out the word 'back'.

Of course, Larouche isn't running against Bush - so it kind of makes no sense. No one is going to impeach the bastard and certainly not with less than a year to go before he's out. So where/why are they sending him anywhere? ....well, I kind of know 'why'.

What really caught my eye though was the Bloomberg/Cheney comment. It irked me for about 50 paces. Enough for me to actually go back, dig through my computer bag, get out my camera and snap the pic (just for you, people!).

I have no illusions that any politician is what he/she says they are. They are not to be trusted in the bigger picture. But seriously - who is more evil than Cheney? LaRouche is a loon though. More so than most.

I can only assume that the Bloomberg comment is driven by Lyndon's anti-Semitism - which has been well documented over the years.

My curiosity got the better of me and I had to go his website to see what was what. And what is, well, is just nutso!!!

Most of the articles are directed to or about Bloomberg, whom he refers to as 'Mussolini Bloomberg' or 'Benito Bloomberg', but there are some other doozies:

'The British have Obama by the Short Hairs' and 'How Green Were the Nazis'. Some Gooooogle new articles have LaRouche blaming the NIU killings on Microsoft. Now as much of an Apple geek that I can be, even I have an impossible time with that one.

I have been so tired of the 2008 election season for so long, it would be a shame if Lyndon didn't get into the running. The race needs a kook like this to liven things up a bit. I'd be all for him being in every televised debate up until November 2008.

He would definitely make it seem like the true choices we had were more sane than ever before thought. Is Ross Perot still alive? If so, it could be a dream ticket.





Song by: Sheryl Crow

I'm Fucking Matt Damon

For the life of me, I cannot get I'm Fucking Matt Damon out of my head. I blame David G for this one. Entirely.

About a year ago I had the same problem with Alanis Morissettes's cover of My Humps. Though that one was not David's fault.

Everytime I think Sarah Silverman is really not as funny as people think she is (or funny - at all), she does something clever like this. Though to be honest, I think it is Matt Damon who is actually funnier - and not just because he agreed to participate. He seems to be enjoying it more than she does.

The response is not as funny - though it has a moment or two. As always, Affleck is banal.

I'm not even a Kimmel watcher. Everytime I hear his name, I flash back to an episode of Arrested Development where someone says something about Jimmy Kimmel and the matriarch (Jessica Walters) says: "I don't know who that is - and I don't care to find out!"

Last night we went out to dinner with the couple who could not make it to our holiday party. We haven't had a chance to see them for a few months before that party, or obviously since. The plan was for them to come over with their three boys, but got a sitter, so we all went out. I cannot believe how much I ate too - and while I was full, I wasn't FULL. So I think that qualifies the meal as a success.



Song by: Sarah Silverman & Matt Damon

Me Myself & I


I just love the 21st century and being able to use my digital camera or cellphone camera when the mood strikes. Which it does often - and without lots of rationale. ....at least to most people. But it's not about them.

Like the above I took at a fitness center that is right next to one of my health centers. Yeah, I know people think 'what the frick is he doing', but I got over the bit of being self conscious quite a while ago. Of course, I sometimes click away on the DL.

This was not one of those times.

I was giving a tour of the facility and saw this and just took out my phone/camera while the folks watched. Though I told them I had no idea what I was going to do with the picture, immediately I was formulating plans to put it up here. .....but I wasn't about to tell them about that or my blog.

After all - it is all about ME.


Song by: De La Soul