Connecticut Democrats debate whether to censure Lieberman

What's to debate? He's not a Democrat anymore, he hasn't been since at least 2004.

WTF is up with the squirrels?

I am starting to get very concerned about this winter, and this concern is largely driven by my observation of unusual squirrel behavior.

1. Squirrels are digging holes all over my backyard and burying nuts and seeds.
2. Squirrels are now looking for food on the sides and medians of the highway - I've never seen a squirrel on the highway before, but now I'm seeing squirrels scampering along the sides of I-84, I-91 and I-691 - and of course, a lot more dead squirrels on the highway itself.

We can't afford new windows, so I'm setting aside a weekend in October to caulk shut some of the windows and cover them all with plastic. Our house was built in 1925 and all the windows are original, so they are not good at keeping the cold out.

I'm also getting new storm doors, since we also have the original wood screen doors that came with the house.

I know, Photoshop and all that, but...

My state has electronic scan machines for voting. Since we don't get a receipt, I've decided to bring my camera with me and take a picture of my ballot. I just feel better having a record of my vote.

Where am I?

Maybe you've asked yourself that question. Mostly, I'm working: I got a promotion at work, and now I'm super busy there all the time, and my church gig has started up again. I also have my weekly a capplla group rehearsal*, Monkey is taking dance class, and I joined the gym.**

*Our concert is going to be relocated and rescheduled. I will have more details, but hopefully, we will be celebrating Obama's win with a concert on 11/7.

**Yes, the gym. I really, really have to get serious about both losing weight and improving my muscle tone and flexibility before I get my hip replaced. I have to lose 60 pounds. So far, I've only been able to squeeze in 2 workouts a week, I'm hoping that when our schedules settle down a little I can get there a third time. Yesterday, I took an Aqua Fit class, and I'm feeling it today. My usual workout is 10 minutes on a bike, then some crunches, using weight machines for either my upper body or my lower body depending on which one I did last, and then a long walk on the treadmill. I am also making a concerted effort to eat all my fruits and vegetables every day, and this is definitely helping me to eat less, overall. Please feel free to send me words of encouragement on this, because I need to stay motivated.

Srsly: Kudos, media

Somehow, the McCain campaign has gotten the major cable channel to spend hours discussing what was meant by a common aphorism (there are thousands of occurances of this phrase on Google, dating back years). It's like we're watching Candid Camera, except we're the schmucks that everyone will be laughing at when the Dumbest Campaign Ever ends up winning because people think it's some kind of reality show and they want to vote the smart guy off the island.

I know that this kind of bizarro shit has been going on for some time, but I feel we've reached new levels of empty, shallow idiocy. I was listening to NPR today, and they had a story about what happens when you literally put lipstick on a pig. (Suprise, surprise: the pig eats the lipstick).

Jesus H. Keerist. Apparently, Steve Schmidt watched the movie Idiocracy and has adopted it as a vision of the future.

Concert Update

Bad news on my concert: we've lost our venue. We are currently looking for a venue to take us on short notice, but if we don't have something locked in by Friday, we're going to cancel the concert.

Omnivore Meme

I first saw this at Angelos' blog, and then I just saw it at Toast's blog, so I'm doing this with Tracy & Toast's revisions.

1. Copy the list and post in your blog
2. bold the items you've tried
3. cross out the items you would never ever try
4. put asterisks next to the items you must try before you die
5. put question marks next to items you had to look up


1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (every Sunday at breakfast - I loved it)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses?
17. Black truffle (in a very fancy mac & cheese)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras**
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (that was a mistake)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda?
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi?
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar although I didn't have them at the same time
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - I have a lot of Jamaican friends
42. Whole insects does it count if it was unintentional?
43. Phaal?
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more*******
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal I've lived 38 years without ever having a Big Mac. I'm certain I can survive the rest of my life without one.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads - I don't want to say never, but it would be highly unlikely
63. Kaolin?
64. Currywurst?
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost?
75. Roadkill - no, only yardkill: my bil gave me squirrel stew once
76. Baijiu?
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong?
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum?
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.***
85. Kobe beef - it's good to have a chef in the family
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish - the first one, it was a fish I caught
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I'll have to re-assess some of the ones I've never heard of. I may have eaten some of them, or maybe I MUST eat some of them.