What did I say? Didn't I say it was just gonna be a matter of time before Hillary started double-speaking in only that way a Clinton can?
There's ole Hilly in Iowa on Sunday, dipping her toe in the Presidential waters and ending up with a foot in her mouth. During a Q&A session with the local media, she was asked what on the surface seemed like a legitimate question: what was it about her background that made her quailfied to deal with evil men?
In perfect Clintonesque subterfuge, Hillary avoided having to give a serious answer to the question by first repeating it, then smirking and raising an eyebrow. A crowd full of Hill-lovers seemed to "get" the joke and roared with laughter for half a minute.
The question, of course became "Well, who was the "evil man" she referring to when she pulled her Jack Benny impression?". The general consensus seems to be that she was referring to her hubby Bill. Others suggested it was a general comment about all the "evil men" in her life, like Ken Starr, George Bush, et al. Regardless, the chuckle worked: she avoided having to answer until later (when she could get a more suitable reply from her handlers).
It's intersting to note that while this vaudevillian moment was being reported all over the news, the Dem-controlled Congress was quietly working on a way to undermine the law and force a cut-and-run resolution on Iraq. Gee, this wartime campaign is shaping up to be a real laugh riot!
First, Hill denied she was trying to be funny and blamed the moment on the crowd in attendance. Then, she did a 180 and said she WAS trying to be funny, and blamed it on the media for telling her to "loosen up" in the past.
Where have I seen this strategy before? It all seems SO familiar...
You know, Bush has been on my shit list for a while now, for a variety of reasons. My biggest fear is that this non-qualified shrew will actually get elected because of W's repeated second term bumbling (remember, it was this sort of thinking that led to Jimmy Carter being in the White House, whose foreign policy ineptitude led in many ways to the explosion of Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East we see today). Thankfully, there are some folks out there that will try and prevent this from happening (these folks, for one).
It's would be really nice if the GOP would put up a candidiate of substance, too. But I'm not holding my breath.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Toilet Humor: It's My Potty
Apparently, Murphy's Law also applies to the powder room.
I'm in there trying to "take care of business" earlier tonight and lo and behold, the freaking toilet won't flush. I remove the tank lid and discover that the plastic arm that pulls the chain that lifts the stopper has snapped in two.
Why do I mention this? Because this is the second time the same exact thing has happened here at Casa del Sayek since we moved in. BOTH times it happened after 8PM on a Sunday night - when either everything is closed or you have NO desire to hit the Home Depot (especially since it's snowing outside). Plastic breaks...metal rusts. You can't win.
I guess until tomorrow I'm on manual flushing duty. No pun intended.
There IS good news - the condo folks finally decided to give us a new roof, so we shouldn't have any more 'waterfall on Thanksgiving' incidents. We hope.
The office let it slip that our roof is NOW 'up to code'. Which I guess means that BEFORE the leak, it wasn't.
Make of that what you will.
I'm in there trying to "take care of business" earlier tonight and lo and behold, the freaking toilet won't flush. I remove the tank lid and discover that the plastic arm that pulls the chain that lifts the stopper has snapped in two.
Why do I mention this? Because this is the second time the same exact thing has happened here at Casa del Sayek since we moved in. BOTH times it happened after 8PM on a Sunday night - when either everything is closed or you have NO desire to hit the Home Depot (especially since it's snowing outside). Plastic breaks...metal rusts. You can't win.
I guess until tomorrow I'm on manual flushing duty. No pun intended.
There IS good news - the condo folks finally decided to give us a new roof, so we shouldn't have any more 'waterfall on Thanksgiving' incidents. We hope.
The office let it slip that our roof is NOW 'up to code'. Which I guess means that BEFORE the leak, it wasn't.
Make of that what you will.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Worst Kept Secret Dept.: Hillary's In
Unless you live under a rock, you know by now that Hillary officially threw her hat in the ring for the 2008 Presidential Election over the weekend. Good God, just THINKING about the concept of HILLARY possibly being the next President makes me a little queasy, so I've been deliberately avoiding making any comments about it.
Well...I just threw up in my mouth a little, so I guess it's OK to unburden myself now.
I figured out what the Clintons are a long time ago. They are the guests that came to your party (even though YOU didn't invite them - someone else thought it would be a "cool idea" to bring them along) and refuse to leave. You know the ones I'm talking about: the house is a mess, there's empty bottles and crushed tortilla chips all over the rug. All you want to do is kick them out and go to bed. You're tired, you're weary, and quite frankly - you're sick of looking at them - and once they DO leave, you hope you never see them again. But they refuse to go. They keep spilling shit on your rug, touching your books and records with greasy fingers and scaring your cats. You're in HELL.
That's the Clintons - the uninvited party guests that keep channel surfing your digital cable and eating the salsa off the sides of the bowl with thier index fingers at a quarter to five in the morning while you're struggling to stay awake on the barca lounger.
You see them FINALLY going for their coats, but you know something else is up. The wife has been saying she has a big announcement all night but hasn't made it yet. So you know it's coming. Sure, you hope she might forget, but she never forgets. You're still gonna have to sit through the announcement. Without warning, she drops the bomb on you - and it's so potentially disasterous that it keeps you awake...night after night.
Hillary dropped her bomb on Saturday - rushed mainly to counteract Barak Obama's Presidential bid announcement that came earlier in the week (Obama being the perennial empty-suit candidate..I have this visual image of the two of them whipping out light sabres at the Democratic Convention and saying, "There can be only one". Hillary's is of course, bigger). Talk about rotted pickins - the air fills with the stench of moldy, soft pumpkins. Oy and vey.
Hillary feels that she has what it takes to be the first female commander-in-chief. She's about as qualified for that job as Geena Davis. We're talking about the woman that looked the other way while her husband slipped the high hard one to any piece of ass that walked in his general direction. Under normal circumstances, women would ostracize Hillary for being a friggin' idiot. But I'm sure she will be canonized for being smart enough to stay on Bill's coattales while he drained the noodle.
The Clintons are the emodiment of self-absorbed political arrogance. Why not? They have (either seperately or together) gotten free rides from the media and magistrate alike on such unseemly matters at Travelgate, Whitewatergate, Cattlegate, Gennifergate, Filegate, Paulagate, LincolnBedroomgate, Hubbellgate, Chinagate, Auditgate, Pardongate...oh, I could go on and on. Former associates would rather rot to death in prison than turn on them. So why SHOULD they feel anything other than Teflon-coated arrogance?
Of course, Bill and Hill's greatest legacies will be Lewinsky, having their heads in the sand while the 9/11 plot was being hatched (and having enough pull to get a movie about it edited beyond recognition) and extremely skillfull carpetbaggery. With everything the two of them have been able to get away with, I would put nothing past them - even this.
Today officially began campaign Week One for Hilly. I'm sure she already hit the department stores to stock up on new pantsuits. While she talks about having a "discussion" on her web site, let's see how long it takes before she starts talking out of both sides of her mouth.
The clock...starts...NOW.
Well...I just threw up in my mouth a little, so I guess it's OK to unburden myself now.
I figured out what the Clintons are a long time ago. They are the guests that came to your party (even though YOU didn't invite them - someone else thought it would be a "cool idea" to bring them along) and refuse to leave. You know the ones I'm talking about: the house is a mess, there's empty bottles and crushed tortilla chips all over the rug. All you want to do is kick them out and go to bed. You're tired, you're weary, and quite frankly - you're sick of looking at them - and once they DO leave, you hope you never see them again. But they refuse to go. They keep spilling shit on your rug, touching your books and records with greasy fingers and scaring your cats. You're in HELL.
That's the Clintons - the uninvited party guests that keep channel surfing your digital cable and eating the salsa off the sides of the bowl with thier index fingers at a quarter to five in the morning while you're struggling to stay awake on the barca lounger.
You see them FINALLY going for their coats, but you know something else is up. The wife has been saying she has a big announcement all night but hasn't made it yet. So you know it's coming. Sure, you hope she might forget, but she never forgets. You're still gonna have to sit through the announcement. Without warning, she drops the bomb on you - and it's so potentially disasterous that it keeps you awake...night after night.
Hillary dropped her bomb on Saturday - rushed mainly to counteract Barak Obama's Presidential bid announcement that came earlier in the week (Obama being the perennial empty-suit candidate..I have this visual image of the two of them whipping out light sabres at the Democratic Convention and saying, "There can be only one". Hillary's is of course, bigger). Talk about rotted pickins - the air fills with the stench of moldy, soft pumpkins. Oy and vey.
Hillary feels that she has what it takes to be the first female commander-in-chief. She's about as qualified for that job as Geena Davis. We're talking about the woman that looked the other way while her husband slipped the high hard one to any piece of ass that walked in his general direction. Under normal circumstances, women would ostracize Hillary for being a friggin' idiot. But I'm sure she will be canonized for being smart enough to stay on Bill's coattales while he drained the noodle.
The Clintons are the emodiment of self-absorbed political arrogance. Why not? They have (either seperately or together) gotten free rides from the media and magistrate alike on such unseemly matters at Travelgate, Whitewatergate, Cattlegate, Gennifergate, Filegate, Paulagate, LincolnBedroomgate, Hubbellgate, Chinagate, Auditgate, Pardongate...oh, I could go on and on. Former associates would rather rot to death in prison than turn on them. So why SHOULD they feel anything other than Teflon-coated arrogance?
Of course, Bill and Hill's greatest legacies will be Lewinsky, having their heads in the sand while the 9/11 plot was being hatched (and having enough pull to get a movie about it edited beyond recognition) and extremely skillfull carpetbaggery. With everything the two of them have been able to get away with, I would put nothing past them - even this.
Today officially began campaign Week One for Hilly. I'm sure she already hit the department stores to stock up on new pantsuits. While she talks about having a "discussion" on her web site, let's see how long it takes before she starts talking out of both sides of her mouth.
The clock...starts...NOW.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Another Weekend
Well, another week is in the can, and what a week it was. It finally snowed for more that ten seconds here - in fact, we got about two inches of snow in the wee early hours on Friday, which made the drive down to the train station quite the adventure. It's all gone now, but the cold decided to hang around. Another day by the fireplace watching TV and being surrounded by cats. I love days like this.
So - I'm now into my third week of commuting to Manhattan via train instead of bus. I thought that I would tire of the Newark / PATH transfer thing, but it's actually started to grow on me. The bus commute had gotten SO bad and SO expensive, I don't miss it at all. Plus, it's nice to know you are going to get home at the same time every day, not at the time the bus decides to get you home. Not bad at all.
I have not posted the WHOT 2nd Anniversary show YET because I am still trying to put the show back in proper order. Apparently, in 1982 Hank and Jim decided to have TWO "second anniversary shows" - one on October 8 and ANOTHER on October 15. Then Jim recorded BOTH shows over the same four reel to reel tapes - on different sides. So figuring out which tape is part of which show is becoming quite the challenge. On top of that, I am pretty sure one of the tapes is MISSING. So some more rummaging through the tapes will be required before I can post the show properly. In the meantime, I'll try to get something else up in the next day or two.
In case any of you missed Comet McNaught's appearance a week ago, you really missed something. McNaught was actually visible IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY here in the Northern Hemisphere (I saw it in the parking lot of Shop Rite and thought I was hallucinating)...but the BIG story is what it is currently doing in the SOUTHERN Hemisphere. We may not be able to see this unreal display first hand, but the photos will knock your socks off. Trust me, you've never seen anything quite like this from a comet. Check out the photo gallery HERE.
Last but not least, somebody sent me THIS mildly amusing blog link that points out some of the more, um, annoying aspects of MySpace. The guy can't spell too good, plus he's a smarmy jerk (the layout of that blog ain't so swift, either), and MySpace has made a lot of improvements since he wrote all that stuff - but he DOES have some valid points, especially the ones about rabid Bulletin posters and ridiculous page layouts. Thankfully, some of us still use MySpace for the purposes it was intended for. At least we TRY to.
If I ever get annoying like that guy or the goofballs he's writing about, just tell me.
UPDATE: It tuns out that Kris, they guy that wrote the schpiel about the MySpace insanity e-mailed me and he's a pretty cool guy, so I take back my snarky little pissant comments...!
So - I'm now into my third week of commuting to Manhattan via train instead of bus. I thought that I would tire of the Newark / PATH transfer thing, but it's actually started to grow on me. The bus commute had gotten SO bad and SO expensive, I don't miss it at all. Plus, it's nice to know you are going to get home at the same time every day, not at the time the bus decides to get you home. Not bad at all.
I have not posted the WHOT 2nd Anniversary show YET because I am still trying to put the show back in proper order. Apparently, in 1982 Hank and Jim decided to have TWO "second anniversary shows" - one on October 8 and ANOTHER on October 15. Then Jim recorded BOTH shows over the same four reel to reel tapes - on different sides. So figuring out which tape is part of which show is becoming quite the challenge. On top of that, I am pretty sure one of the tapes is MISSING. So some more rummaging through the tapes will be required before I can post the show properly. In the meantime, I'll try to get something else up in the next day or two.
In case any of you missed Comet McNaught's appearance a week ago, you really missed something. McNaught was actually visible IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY here in the Northern Hemisphere (I saw it in the parking lot of Shop Rite and thought I was hallucinating)...but the BIG story is what it is currently doing in the SOUTHERN Hemisphere. We may not be able to see this unreal display first hand, but the photos will knock your socks off. Trust me, you've never seen anything quite like this from a comet. Check out the photo gallery HERE.
Last but not least, somebody sent me THIS mildly amusing blog link that points out some of the more, um, annoying aspects of MySpace. The guy can't spell too good, plus he's a smarmy jerk (the layout of that blog ain't so swift, either), and MySpace has made a lot of improvements since he wrote all that stuff - but he DOES have some valid points, especially the ones about rabid Bulletin posters and ridiculous page layouts. Thankfully, some of us still use MySpace for the purposes it was intended for. At least we TRY to.
If I ever get annoying like that guy or the goofballs he's writing about, just tell me.
UPDATE: It tuns out that Kris, they guy that wrote the schpiel about the MySpace insanity e-mailed me and he's a pretty cool guy, so I take back my snarky little pissant comments...!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Baby, It's Cold Outside
Maybe y'all didn't notice but Old Man Winter finally arrived. After dumping a couple of buckets of ice on the midwest, it's now bitch-ass cold here in the western reaches of New Jersey. As I write this, it's 15 degrees (gasp!) going down to 11 overnight (double gasp!).
Thankfully, as you can see above, the old fireplace is doing it's thang and keeping our tootsies and kitties warm and toasty. Where would I be without the fireplace...probably in debt to JCP&L up to my frozen nipples.
Looks like we might even have a couple of inches of snow tomorrow. Will wonders ever cease? It's amazing what a little shift in the jet stream will do: a couple of weeks ago at this time it was in the 60s and all the doom-n-gloom Al Gore chicken littles were running around like the sky was falling - and now, half the citrus crop has been frozen solid (good for frozen concentrate - not so good for fresh squeezed). Which just goes to show you that the weather - believe it or not - CHANGES from time to time. I know...hard to believe!
In other matters - the aircheck archive project has yielded some really delightful (unfrozen) fruit lately. Several unlabeled reel-to-rell tapes ended up having the WHOT 2nd Anniversary Show from 10/15/82 on them! As soon as I can get out of the clutches of the flu bug and assemble the show into a cohesive order, I'll put it up on the Podcast for all to enjoy!
The sleep weasels AND the ice weasels are calling me, so off to bed I go. Keep warm kids!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Just Sitting Around...
Hey hey,
I was sitting here tonight working on the Archive and I figured I'd get some stuff off my mind as I am feeling a tad stressed out tonight.
So far, 2007 has been pretty stressful. I switched from taking the bus to taking the train in to work to try and save a few bucks - and let's just say it will take some getting used to. I certainly will be getting my walking in from now on! I'm also slightly concerned about my job as the particular office I work in has become the dumping ground for all the crap that no one else wants to do since the merger and layoffs.
It's basically been the busiest it's ever been since I started working there, and they're still giving us MORE work to do that we don't have time for. Add into the mix that we are about to spring a new product on the unsuspecting masses that (I am sad to report) is so FRIGHTENINGLY user-unfriendly that I am positive it's going to be like mailing out a train wreck in a box. The debris from which is sure to fall squarely on us.
Because of all of this, as well as OTHER stressful things going on right now, I just feel tired, anxious and completely stresed out. The good feelings I had while on vacation are completely gone, and I just don't know if I am coming or going.
I'm hoping that 2007 does not continue to be the fickle bitch she has been (at least for me) so far.
Back to the tapes...
I was sitting here tonight working on the Archive and I figured I'd get some stuff off my mind as I am feeling a tad stressed out tonight.
So far, 2007 has been pretty stressful. I switched from taking the bus to taking the train in to work to try and save a few bucks - and let's just say it will take some getting used to. I certainly will be getting my walking in from now on! I'm also slightly concerned about my job as the particular office I work in has become the dumping ground for all the crap that no one else wants to do since the merger and layoffs.
It's basically been the busiest it's ever been since I started working there, and they're still giving us MORE work to do that we don't have time for. Add into the mix that we are about to spring a new product on the unsuspecting masses that (I am sad to report) is so FRIGHTENINGLY user-unfriendly that I am positive it's going to be like mailing out a train wreck in a box. The debris from which is sure to fall squarely on us.
Because of all of this, as well as OTHER stressful things going on right now, I just feel tired, anxious and completely stresed out. The good feelings I had while on vacation are completely gone, and I just don't know if I am coming or going.
I'm hoping that 2007 does not continue to be the fickle bitch she has been (at least for me) so far.
Back to the tapes...
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Happy New Year!
Well Hi Everybody!
A classic WGUT New Year's Podcast is now up at the WHOT Pod-O-Matic Page for your listening enjoyment!
The happiest New Year's greetings to everyone. Hope you all have a safe celebration tonight and a wonderful 2007!
A classic WGUT New Year's Podcast is now up at the WHOT Pod-O-Matic Page for your listening enjoyment!
The happiest New Year's greetings to everyone. Hope you all have a safe celebration tonight and a wonderful 2007!
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas!
Just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful and joyous Christmas!
I never got a chance to mail out Christmas CDs this year like I wanted to - so I guess I'll just hold on to them for Christmas 2007!
The good news is - I'M ON VACATION!!! Work has been driving me insane so I will try to get maxiumum relaxation out of my week (if I can).
All the best for you and yours!
Pete
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Classic WHOT Christmas Podcast Now Up!
Hey Cats and Kittens!
It''s a special flashback to Christmas Eve 1986 this week. Join Hank, Jim, Pete and Chuck as they warm the grilles of your PC speakers with festive songs and holiday cheer!
WHOT-FM - December 24, 1986 Part One
WHOT-FM - December 24, 1986 Part Two
The Merriest of Christmas greetings!
Enjoy!
It''s a special flashback to Christmas Eve 1986 this week. Join Hank, Jim, Pete and Chuck as they warm the grilles of your PC speakers with festive songs and holiday cheer!
WHOT-FM - December 24, 1986 Part One
WHOT-FM - December 24, 1986 Part Two
The Merriest of Christmas greetings!
Enjoy!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Late Nite Blogging
Just sitting here with a nice adult beverage of the peach schnapps and OJ variety, reflecting on a day that consisted of getting the grocery shopping done and putting up the Christmas decorations (finally).
The stockings are hung by the chimney with care and all that. It's not officially Christmas in the Sayek household unless a small cat starts removing the decorations systematically the minute they are put up. This year is no different. I have spent the better part of the last hour trying to extracate Hopper from the tinsel-laden lights that are adorning the archways.
Ahh, the holidays.
Christmas is rapidly approaching and life is good. This is usually the time of year when I start getting reflective...and itchy for baseball season to start already. Eight shopping days until the big day - get a move-on already.
I had a blast sitting in on The All-New Hank and Jim Show Friday Night for a couple of hours and look forward to Sunday afternoon's one-hour show Sunday afternoon (or, later today of you prefer) at 4PM (you can listen live at WBCQ's Web Site by clicking on the "Click here to listen live" link). Hope to see you there!
Petezs
The stockings are hung by the chimney with care and all that. It's not officially Christmas in the Sayek household unless a small cat starts removing the decorations systematically the minute they are put up. This year is no different. I have spent the better part of the last hour trying to extracate Hopper from the tinsel-laden lights that are adorning the archways.
Ahh, the holidays.
Christmas is rapidly approaching and life is good. This is usually the time of year when I start getting reflective...and itchy for baseball season to start already. Eight shopping days until the big day - get a move-on already.
I had a blast sitting in on The All-New Hank and Jim Show Friday Night for a couple of hours and look forward to Sunday afternoon's one-hour show Sunday afternoon (or, later today of you prefer) at 4PM (you can listen live at WBCQ's Web Site by clicking on the "Click here to listen live" link). Hope to see you there!
Petezs
Sunday, December 10, 2006
It Would Be Funny If It Wasn't True
Sometimes, all you need to see when it comes to a disturbing news story...is the headline:
European Socialists eager to work with U.S. Democrats.
Yep. I just threw up in my mouth a little.
European Socialists eager to work with U.S. Democrats.
Yep. I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Remembering John Lennon...
It's been 26 years since John Lennon was taken away from us prematurely. Why not join me in spinning a few of his LPs tonight and remembering the good times.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
65 Years Ago...and Today
Today we marked the solemn anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. As we all know, the United States reacted the only way they could to such a threat to our well-being and way of life: swiftly and completely.
Ironic isn't it that was just a couple of days ago that the "Iraq Study Group" (sorry...I can't hear that term without picturing a bunch of sixth-graders working on a project with their desks facing each other) released their recommendation for "talks" with barbaric enemies like Syria and Iran.
What a difference 65 years makes, huh?
Cox and Forkum are among my favorite editorial cartoonists - never shying away from telling it like it is. The "Forkum" of the duo pens an excellent piece on the ironic juxtaposition in his Blog of yesterday, which can be read HERE.
The times, they sure are a-changed.
Thanks as always to Tammy Bruce for the heads-up on the C&F piece.
Ironic isn't it that was just a couple of days ago that the "Iraq Study Group" (sorry...I can't hear that term without picturing a bunch of sixth-graders working on a project with their desks facing each other) released their recommendation for "talks" with barbaric enemies like Syria and Iran.
What a difference 65 years makes, huh?
Cox and Forkum are among my favorite editorial cartoonists - never shying away from telling it like it is. The "Forkum" of the duo pens an excellent piece on the ironic juxtaposition in his Blog of yesterday, which can be read HERE.
The times, they sure are a-changed.
Thanks as always to Tammy Bruce for the heads-up on the C&F piece.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Giving Thanks
Hey pals and palettes,
Hope everyone had a super-groovy Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, full of warm memories from my childhood, right up to today.
This year was another triumph. The day began (of course) with the yearly ritual of watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Despite the yucky weather, no light poles fell on anyone this year, and that alone is something to be thankful for. Even an unwelcome roof leak that sprung up in the middle of the daycould not ruin the good karma today.
We had the familiy over here and set up extra tables, chairs, etc. We had a 22-pound turkey (!) that was big enough to feed a small, fourth-world nation. I don't know how Mon does it, but she always makes perfect turkey - whether it's a 10-lb midget or a 22-lb behemoth. This year's was juicy, dark brown and perfect. One breast pretty much fed the whole brood.
Two kinds of stuffing, two kinds of cranberry (compote and the good ol' jelly), the obligatory green bean casserole, yams, corn...a feast above feasts. Five kinds of pie and cheesecake for dessert. Woof...I'm still stuffed.
It's been a few hours since the house emptied out, and as we sit and reflect, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for, leak be damned (especially the new Maytag dishwasher!). I sit here and raise a late-night beverage to all friends and family, I wish that you and yours enjoyed the same good company and food that we enjoyed here today at stately Sayek manor.
Let the holiday season begin!
Hope everyone had a super-groovy Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, full of warm memories from my childhood, right up to today.
This year was another triumph. The day began (of course) with the yearly ritual of watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Despite the yucky weather, no light poles fell on anyone this year, and that alone is something to be thankful for. Even an unwelcome roof leak that sprung up in the middle of the daycould not ruin the good karma today.
We had the familiy over here and set up extra tables, chairs, etc. We had a 22-pound turkey (!) that was big enough to feed a small, fourth-world nation. I don't know how Mon does it, but she always makes perfect turkey - whether it's a 10-lb midget or a 22-lb behemoth. This year's was juicy, dark brown and perfect. One breast pretty much fed the whole brood.
Two kinds of stuffing, two kinds of cranberry (compote and the good ol' jelly), the obligatory green bean casserole, yams, corn...a feast above feasts. Five kinds of pie and cheesecake for dessert. Woof...I'm still stuffed.
It's been a few hours since the house emptied out, and as we sit and reflect, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for, leak be damned (especially the new Maytag dishwasher!). I sit here and raise a late-night beverage to all friends and family, I wish that you and yours enjoyed the same good company and food that we enjoyed here today at stately Sayek manor.
Let the holiday season begin!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
No Thanks...for the Spam
Has anyone else has had the misfortune of getting Spammed or included on this chain e-mail that's been going around lately telling people NOT to celebrate Thanksgiving this year? There's a big diatribe attached to it that rehashes the old "Evil Pilgrims" tale and goes on about how the Indians were mistreated and taken advantage of, so Thanksgiving is bad, bad, BAD, etc., etc.
Thankfully (no pun intended), the guy who forwarded me this nonsense IS a friend and only sent it to me because he knew it would get my goat (and so I won't feel obligated to take a tack hammer to the side of his head). Unfortunately, the origins of this chain e-mail do indeed seem to be serious.
Look, lunatics…Thanksgiving is all about being thankful for what you have, your friends and family and counting your blessings - NOT what went on over 400 years ago. Maybe some people still DO think about it that way, but many people DON'T. Nothing is more unappealing than modern-day, 21st-Century Pilgrim guilt. What the hell is THAT all about?
If it makes the malignant narcissists out there feel any better (because I know, nowadays it's all about "feelings"), speaking as someone whose lineage is 50% American Indian (or Screaming Red Savage, whatever you prefer), it's OK. I forgive you on behalf of people that have been dead for a few hundred years and probably weren't your ancestors anyway. Let's move on. Or, feel free to go right ahead and have a Whopper with a side helping of self-righteousness on Thursday. Personally, I'll be enjoying the company of family and counting my blessings.
I get older…and the world keeps getting weirder. What's up with that?
Thankfully (no pun intended), the guy who forwarded me this nonsense IS a friend and only sent it to me because he knew it would get my goat (and so I won't feel obligated to take a tack hammer to the side of his head). Unfortunately, the origins of this chain e-mail do indeed seem to be serious.
Look, lunatics…Thanksgiving is all about being thankful for what you have, your friends and family and counting your blessings - NOT what went on over 400 years ago. Maybe some people still DO think about it that way, but many people DON'T. Nothing is more unappealing than modern-day, 21st-Century Pilgrim guilt. What the hell is THAT all about?
If it makes the malignant narcissists out there feel any better (because I know, nowadays it's all about "feelings"), speaking as someone whose lineage is 50% American Indian (or Screaming Red Savage, whatever you prefer), it's OK. I forgive you on behalf of people that have been dead for a few hundred years and probably weren't your ancestors anyway. Let's move on. Or, feel free to go right ahead and have a Whopper with a side helping of self-righteousness on Thursday. Personally, I'll be enjoying the company of family and counting my blessings.
I get older…and the world keeps getting weirder. What's up with that?
Thursday, November 16, 2006
This 'N That
Greetings peeps,
Now that the Election Day unpleasantness is in the rear view mirror, and I have entered the calm, acceptance phase (like with frostbite, the moment right before your digits fall off), I figured I'd just shoot the breeze tonight instead of griping for a change. I popped my ankle on the way to work so I'm currently on ice like Ted Williams' head.
Thanksgiving week is just about here...hope everyone has nice plans for the day of the feast. We have the usual spread on tap - big turkey, ham, two kinds of stuffin', potatoes, cranberry...I can't wait. The family will be coming by as always and the spirits should be grand.
One of these years I'm gonna convince the Mrs. to do a TurDuckEn. I am SO intrigued by the concept of that, but my palate is a tad more exotic than Mon's. I don't quite know how that works out. I know you have to cook them for nine hours at real low temperatures or something crazy like that. So you can watch football or play Monopoly by the actual rules and the bird-within-a-bird-within-a-bird should be done by then.
As it is, the REGULAR turkey takes too long for me, I might not have the patience for the mighty TurDuckEn! Maybe someone will sell them fully cooked - then I can shove it in the oven for an hour and go to town!
Have some new update news on the WHOT Aircheck Archive, but I'll save that for the next update.
Pass the apple cider!
Now that the Election Day unpleasantness is in the rear view mirror, and I have entered the calm, acceptance phase (like with frostbite, the moment right before your digits fall off), I figured I'd just shoot the breeze tonight instead of griping for a change. I popped my ankle on the way to work so I'm currently on ice like Ted Williams' head.
Thanksgiving week is just about here...hope everyone has nice plans for the day of the feast. We have the usual spread on tap - big turkey, ham, two kinds of stuffin', potatoes, cranberry...I can't wait. The family will be coming by as always and the spirits should be grand.
One of these years I'm gonna convince the Mrs. to do a TurDuckEn. I am SO intrigued by the concept of that, but my palate is a tad more exotic than Mon's. I don't quite know how that works out. I know you have to cook them for nine hours at real low temperatures or something crazy like that. So you can watch football or play Monopoly by the actual rules and the bird-within-a-bird-within-a-bird should be done by then.
As it is, the REGULAR turkey takes too long for me, I might not have the patience for the mighty TurDuckEn! Maybe someone will sell them fully cooked - then I can shove it in the oven for an hour and go to town!
Have some new update news on the WHOT Aircheck Archive, but I'll save that for the next update.
Pass the apple cider!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
The News Just Gets Better and Better...
I think I might move into a cave in the Andes for a while. Not only is it probable that we're going to have to deal with psycho-surrealist-facelift-manic-phycho-hosebeast as Speaker of the House, now comes the wonderful news that ten-toed, do-nothing sloth Gnarls Rangel will likely be the next head of the Ways and Means committe.
Great. This is rapidly turning into that eposode of Star Trek where Kirk ends up in the "evil" parrallel universe where everyone is insane and has goatees. The same tugboats they are using to try and move the Intrepid will have to be employed to haul his fat, moss-covered ass out of his old office.
This is gonna be a long, sad couple of years...
Great. This is rapidly turning into that eposode of Star Trek where Kirk ends up in the "evil" parrallel universe where everyone is insane and has goatees. The same tugboats they are using to try and move the Intrepid will have to be employed to haul his fat, moss-covered ass out of his old office.
This is gonna be a long, sad couple of years...
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Post-Election Post Mortem
I started to get the sinking feeling some time around 8:30 last night that things were not going to go well. The early numbers were coming in, and races that I had good confidence in were not going as expected. By 9:00, I was fairly certain that the House was lost, and so today it is – with the Senate hanging by less than a cat’s whisker. The TV was off and I was in bed by 11.
After the initial shock comes acceptance, and so that’s where I am at today. The Dems are doing their best to play up last night’s election results as a “referendum against Bush / the War on Terror”, etc. Don’t believe it. Two of largest win margins were chalked up by WoT supporters (Arnold and Leiberman). If anything, the results of last night are a glowing example of just how out of touch the Republican Party is with their core constituents right now. The foundations that were successfully laid by Reagan and Gingrich were being neglected to the point of decay. Somewhere along the line, both the cart and horse ran way off the road.
If you believe in the ebb and flow theory of politics, then this turnaround was expected. What you see now is what happens when a party is in control for any extended period of time: they become complacent, fat and sloppy. If any good comes out of this, hopefully it will be the Republicans looking at themselves in the mirror this morning and realizing that what Republicans want to see in office are Republicans – not RINOs that play the “moderate” card without bringing any real thoughts or ideas to the table.
The Dems ran a campaign based on painting their opponents as “being with Bush”. The mistake the Reps made was not standing up to that and saying, “You bet your ASS we are with the President. We’re fighting the biggest threat to Western Civilization since Nazism, you idiot”. Instead, it was the same old smear-and-smear-more campaign. Maybe people are tired of that. Who knows. I’m certainly have my issues with Bush – the way he spends like a drunken sailor at the local whorehouse and never met a veto he didn’t sign – even disagreeing at time on how the War on Terror is being handled – but the alternative option was far more distasteful in my humble opinion. Others seem to have disagreed.
I guess what I am most disappointed about today is lost opportunity. We had 6 years of Republicans in the Oval Office, House and Senate. There was a golden opportunity to push through some REAL issues – REAL immigration reform (not that “guest visa” nightmare that Bush keeps pushing), REAL tax reforms, you name it. Instead, there were to many tangential issues that to be honest, the majority of Republicans (and Americans, for that matter) weren’t really all jacked up about. Sure, there was the Democratic stonewall that reared its’ ugly head whenever a judicial nomination came up – but with all three branches controlled by one party, it just feels like we showed up for a kick ass road trip, but no one remembered to buy gas. In many ways, W is too much like his Dad…mamby and pamby at the worst of times (when the Cowboy in him was most needed).
It also irks me that while a change at this juncture is not surprising, I guess it is what we are left with that is the most disturbing. I woke up today fully aware that not only had the Republicans lost the house (and possibly the Senate), but what we are left with is the usual Democratic refugees from Dick Tracy’s Rouge’s Gallery: a Klansman in West Virginia, a potential terrorist sympathizer in Minnesota, the swimmer / murderer in Massachusettes, a run-of-the-mill thug in New Jersey and a carpet-bagging leech in New York. Never mind the fact that we’re about to be saddled with the most oblivious raving lunatic ever to be installed as Speaker of the House in possibly this country’s history. It’s hard to find solace and feel good about that.
Despite the way this will be played up, what happened last night isn’t even CLOSE to the Republican Revolution of 1994. As waves go, this was no tsunami. I look at it this way: if I lived through the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup, the Red Sox winning the World Series and TWO TERMS of Clinton, I can live through this, easy.
The GOP has two years to get their act together and learn from these mistakes. Hopefully, the Democrats wont muck up the political process so much that our enemies have two free years of scheming to try and kill more of us. The focus is now on them. They wont be able to get by on bitching and moaning anymore. Since the Democrats did so well in the minority of mucking things up, threatening filibusters and locking up judicial nominees, maybe the Republicans can return the favor.
Bottom line now is to focus on 2008. The madness stops NOW.
PS – Despite the gloom and doom, we had a great time in the Hot Air Election Night Chat Room last night. It was about as much fun as you can have while watching your pet hamster get run over by a mack truck!
After the initial shock comes acceptance, and so that’s where I am at today. The Dems are doing their best to play up last night’s election results as a “referendum against Bush / the War on Terror”, etc. Don’t believe it. Two of largest win margins were chalked up by WoT supporters (Arnold and Leiberman). If anything, the results of last night are a glowing example of just how out of touch the Republican Party is with their core constituents right now. The foundations that were successfully laid by Reagan and Gingrich were being neglected to the point of decay. Somewhere along the line, both the cart and horse ran way off the road.
If you believe in the ebb and flow theory of politics, then this turnaround was expected. What you see now is what happens when a party is in control for any extended period of time: they become complacent, fat and sloppy. If any good comes out of this, hopefully it will be the Republicans looking at themselves in the mirror this morning and realizing that what Republicans want to see in office are Republicans – not RINOs that play the “moderate” card without bringing any real thoughts or ideas to the table.
The Dems ran a campaign based on painting their opponents as “being with Bush”. The mistake the Reps made was not standing up to that and saying, “You bet your ASS we are with the President. We’re fighting the biggest threat to Western Civilization since Nazism, you idiot”. Instead, it was the same old smear-and-smear-more campaign. Maybe people are tired of that. Who knows. I’m certainly have my issues with Bush – the way he spends like a drunken sailor at the local whorehouse and never met a veto he didn’t sign – even disagreeing at time on how the War on Terror is being handled – but the alternative option was far more distasteful in my humble opinion. Others seem to have disagreed.
I guess what I am most disappointed about today is lost opportunity. We had 6 years of Republicans in the Oval Office, House and Senate. There was a golden opportunity to push through some REAL issues – REAL immigration reform (not that “guest visa” nightmare that Bush keeps pushing), REAL tax reforms, you name it. Instead, there were to many tangential issues that to be honest, the majority of Republicans (and Americans, for that matter) weren’t really all jacked up about. Sure, there was the Democratic stonewall that reared its’ ugly head whenever a judicial nomination came up – but with all three branches controlled by one party, it just feels like we showed up for a kick ass road trip, but no one remembered to buy gas. In many ways, W is too much like his Dad…mamby and pamby at the worst of times (when the Cowboy in him was most needed).
It also irks me that while a change at this juncture is not surprising, I guess it is what we are left with that is the most disturbing. I woke up today fully aware that not only had the Republicans lost the house (and possibly the Senate), but what we are left with is the usual Democratic refugees from Dick Tracy’s Rouge’s Gallery: a Klansman in West Virginia, a potential terrorist sympathizer in Minnesota, the swimmer / murderer in Massachusettes, a run-of-the-mill thug in New Jersey and a carpet-bagging leech in New York. Never mind the fact that we’re about to be saddled with the most oblivious raving lunatic ever to be installed as Speaker of the House in possibly this country’s history. It’s hard to find solace and feel good about that.
Despite the way this will be played up, what happened last night isn’t even CLOSE to the Republican Revolution of 1994. As waves go, this was no tsunami. I look at it this way: if I lived through the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup, the Red Sox winning the World Series and TWO TERMS of Clinton, I can live through this, easy.
The GOP has two years to get their act together and learn from these mistakes. Hopefully, the Democrats wont muck up the political process so much that our enemies have two free years of scheming to try and kill more of us. The focus is now on them. They wont be able to get by on bitching and moaning anymore. Since the Democrats did so well in the minority of mucking things up, threatening filibusters and locking up judicial nominees, maybe the Republicans can return the favor.
Bottom line now is to focus on 2008. The madness stops NOW.
PS – Despite the gloom and doom, we had a great time in the Hot Air Election Night Chat Room last night. It was about as much fun as you can have while watching your pet hamster get run over by a mack truck!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Monday Evening Quarterback
Well, the eve of Election Day is upon us, and regardless of the outcome (more about that later) I'll be happy to finally be rid of these freaking politcal ads on TV. The basic approach from the Dems (at least in NJ) has been to offer up nothing in the way of a platform, other than to discredit their opponents for backing President Bush. Nothing new here.
I've also greatly enjoyed Madame Hillary's ads that give her credit for everything - from the sun coming up in the morning to man landing on the Moon ("When we needed sunrise in the morning, Hillary was there to make it happen..."). If you didn't know any better you could swear they were a really elaborate SNL sketch - THAT'S how ridiculous they are.
This is an important election, and while the latest POLLS now show a more realistic-looking dead heat across the board, I tend to put very little into polls. As our old friend Tammy Bruce points out, since most polls are run by the major media outlets, relying on them is like trusting Goebbels to be honest with you about how World War II was going.
That said, if you really care about what the next few years are going to look like, get out and vote. On the other hand, if your only knowledge of the candidates running in your local race is what you see in their campaign ads, maybe you should stay home. Just a thought. As Hank opined on Sunday's Election Day special, when you are in the voting booth, just ask yourself: who would the Al Quada prefer you vote for?
Think about it.
Alrighty then off to bed. On an unrelated note, I'm starting to think that I am the only person on the face of the Earth who thinks that Borat movie looks like the stupidest thing ever caught on film. I think I'll hold on to my $10 - $15 and wait until I can't sleep one night and it's on HBO.
Keepin' the faith,
Petezs
I've also greatly enjoyed Madame Hillary's ads that give her credit for everything - from the sun coming up in the morning to man landing on the Moon ("When we needed sunrise in the morning, Hillary was there to make it happen..."). If you didn't know any better you could swear they were a really elaborate SNL sketch - THAT'S how ridiculous they are.
This is an important election, and while the latest POLLS now show a more realistic-looking dead heat across the board, I tend to put very little into polls. As our old friend Tammy Bruce points out, since most polls are run by the major media outlets, relying on them is like trusting Goebbels to be honest with you about how World War II was going.
That said, if you really care about what the next few years are going to look like, get out and vote. On the other hand, if your only knowledge of the candidates running in your local race is what you see in their campaign ads, maybe you should stay home. Just a thought. As Hank opined on Sunday's Election Day special, when you are in the voting booth, just ask yourself: who would the Al Quada prefer you vote for?
Think about it.
Alrighty then off to bed. On an unrelated note, I'm starting to think that I am the only person on the face of the Earth who thinks that Borat movie looks like the stupidest thing ever caught on film. I think I'll hold on to my $10 - $15 and wait until I can't sleep one night and it's on HBO.
Keepin' the faith,
Petezs
Sunday, October 29, 2006
New Classic WHOT Podcast
At long last, there is a brand new classic WHOT broadcast up from May 26, 1984 for your listening pleasure!
By e-mail request, we present the very FIRST WHOT appearance of the one and only Chuck Simpson! Chuck joins Hank to grace the WHOT mike and answer listener questions on "Dial-a-Bus-Driver" night!
May 26, 1984 Part One
May 26, 1984 Part Two
In Other News...
There's so much going on in RFNY and Hank and Jim land that I don't even know where to begin! Hank and Jim (and occasionally, yours truly) continue to bring you the finest in controlled insanity (AND your requests), every Friday evening at 8PM ET! You can join in on the fun by going to The All-New Hank and Jin Show web site - just go to the TUNE IN link and click away!
Since you're listening, why not stop in the all-new Hank and Jim Show CHAT ROOM? Crazy is more fun when you can share!
Last but not least, if you find yourself needing nitrous oxide when visiting SOME radio forums, we've got the answer for you: the BRAND NEW "Mixed Signals" Forum!!! Come on by, register, say hello and feel free to join in. Discussions on everything from radio (licensed and unlicensed) to music to your pet llama is welcome. We hope to make this bigger than plastics! Just click HERE to stop in!
Of course, for the latest in the Brooklyn Pirate Radio Archive Project, remember to come on by the Radio Free New York site, too!
It's multi-media madness, I tell you!
By e-mail request, we present the very FIRST WHOT appearance of the one and only Chuck Simpson! Chuck joins Hank to grace the WHOT mike and answer listener questions on "Dial-a-Bus-Driver" night!
May 26, 1984 Part One
May 26, 1984 Part Two
In Other News...
There's so much going on in RFNY and Hank and Jim land that I don't even know where to begin! Hank and Jim (and occasionally, yours truly) continue to bring you the finest in controlled insanity (AND your requests), every Friday evening at 8PM ET! You can join in on the fun by going to The All-New Hank and Jin Show web site - just go to the TUNE IN link and click away!
Since you're listening, why not stop in the all-new Hank and Jim Show CHAT ROOM? Crazy is more fun when you can share!
Last but not least, if you find yourself needing nitrous oxide when visiting SOME radio forums, we've got the answer for you: the BRAND NEW "Mixed Signals" Forum!!! Come on by, register, say hello and feel free to join in. Discussions on everything from radio (licensed and unlicensed) to music to your pet llama is welcome. We hope to make this bigger than plastics! Just click HERE to stop in!
Of course, for the latest in the Brooklyn Pirate Radio Archive Project, remember to come on by the Radio Free New York site, too!
It's multi-media madness, I tell you!
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Behind The Wall of Sheep
I love the Smithereens and I always have, since the first time I heard the "Especially for You"LP back in the summer of 1986. WHOT...
