Tuesday, July 31, 2007

00:25:29

Today was the first day of commuting by bike. It took me 25 minutes to get to work, and since I left way more time than that, I actually got to work far earlier than normal (I'm a 9:05 kinda guy).

I was like a kid on Christmas Eve last night getting everything ready to go for the morning ride. While I'm not looking as forward to the more uphill ride home in 90-degree heat, riding in definitely works—not too sweated-up, etc (change of clothes in the office), and I seem to be more energetic this morning. When I arrive home, I can always just tumble into Kid Furious' pool to cool down.

Impeach


There's been plenty of bluster on the left about impeachment. At various points over the last few years, I've advocated impeaching Bush and/or Cheney plenty of times—just last week I nearly engraved it on my car. I'll pull together some links about the pros and cons of going after the big fish later, but one guy Congress should definitely get in their sights NOW is the Attorney General. It's the most politically doable, publicly supported and actually possible to get a conviction and remove him from office. Congressional GOPers would close ranks around Bush or Cheney, but I'm not so sure they are going to go that far out on a limb to support Gonzo.

Make it happen. Once Gonzalez is removed from his role as Chief Obstructor of Justice and Cover-Up Artist for the Administration, other investigations might pick up some steam. They all deserve their day in front of the klieg lights, but Gonzalez is the logical place to start.

MORE:
NY Times: “He’s Impeachable, You Know”
Kleiman: "Impeach Gonzalez?"
Digby: "Depends On What The Definition Of Program Is" (ie: Gonzo? Bring it on!)
Digby: "The 34 Senator Gambit" (ie: Bush? Not So Fast...)

UPDATE: The ball is rolling...
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) is introducing legislation that would require the House Judiciary Committee and the House of Representatives to begin an impeachment investigation into Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in the wake of his damaging testimony last week. The legislation reads:

Resolved: That the Committee on the Judiciary shall investigate fully whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to impeach Alberto Gonzales for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Think Progress has the story and the video here.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

"On a Steel Horse I Ride"


Well, Alpha Hydroformed Aluminum anyway. There she folks, my new mofo commuter bike. My ticket to fitness and freedom from fossil fuel dependancy. Er, three days a week, weather permitting.

I've been trying to take Ruby (aka Kid Furious) on bikeseat-rides this summer and my old DiamondBack mountain bike had seen better days. Brought it in for a tune-up and it needed new tires, brakes, and various other things and it was going to run me like $160. I wandered around a bit in the store and started thinking about just moving to a new rig instead.

A week of test rides at lunch and obsessive online research later I made my choice—the Trek 7.3FX. Part of their "fitness" line. Sort of a hybrid, but more on the road side of things, without the drop bars and lower riding position. Much faster and lighter than my old bike, and I am confident it will serve me well as a commuter bike and dragging the kids around.

Over the last month, with smarter eating and modest treadmillin' I've lost about seven pounds, and am poised to re-enter the 170s. My target is the 160s—territory I probably haven't seen in over a decade. Hoping the new bike regimen will get me there quicker and will get me the cardio I so desperately need now that I'm pushing 40.

I just dug out my old bike threads and threw them in the washer. What're the odds they will actually still fit me? Probably should've tried 'em on first...

Mrs. REALLY Furious...

Yesterday, Mrs. F decided to start another blog (!), and in the process of trying to start a new account to keep the Mrs. Furious (& Kids) blogs separate, she kept getting stymied by google/blogger recognizing her. She hastily deleted the new one—and all the others as well! Many a curse was uttered, and the mishap nearly derailed the whole weekend...

Even though the original blogs are deleted, she needed to create new addresses, and the links at the top of the blogroll (at right) reflect the update.

Just for the record, Mrs. F. now has four blogs going and is spending far and away more time on them than I do. And I'll add this as well: If I had somehow deleted this blog—after more than three years and hundreds of posts, plus a meager readership—I would have been livid/devastated, and she would have had no understanding and little sympathy for me. After just one week she is totally obsessed and now knows the stranglehold of addiction.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Trailer Park

Another favorite online passtime (after trolling for license plates) is checking out movie trailers. The trailers have always been one of the best things about going to the movies, and since I never go to the theater anymore, I gotta get my fix somehow. Apple's Quicktime Movie Trailers page is my go-to source. Here are a few that caught my attention:

BEOWULF Legendary story, good cast, should kick total ass, right? Except they've used motion capture CG to create it. Vastly improved since "Polar Express" yet it still has that slightly creepy not-quite-right look to it—especially eyes. 50-year-old Ray Winstone plays the lead and they used CG to make him a young, muscular motherfucker. And I'm not sure I can countenance this...

NO END IN SIGHT A devastating exposé on the war in Iraq. Big-time insiders from the reconstruction effort dish on the Bush Administration's multitude of fuck-ups that led us the the fucking quagmire we now face. Looks first-rate, and without the baggage of having been done by Michael Moore.

DEATH SENTENCE Don't fuck with Kevin Bacon's family. Super-intense update and upgrade on the "Deathwish"-style vigilante genre. SPOILER ALERT: This trailer might reveal a bit too much.

INTO THE WILD Based on the great book by Jon Krakauer. Fantastic looking cast for this epic nature/survival true story. I loved this book, though it was fairly documentary-style and the film appears more of a seamless drama, the adaptation looks great.

Promising Chick Flick Fare:
BROKEN ENGLISH
Parker Posey's breakout? I went to college with Posey and did the theater posters for her class, so I'm always pulling for her. This looks to be her best role yet.

MARGOT AT THE WEDDING From writer/director of the very good "The Squid and the Whale." Unusual role for Jack Black—and he seems perfect for it.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Stamped Steel Statement

Every once in a while I go online to the Michigan Secretary of State (DMV) site and check out personalized license plates. Thought of a good one today...and it's actually available.



If I were still driving the old Rolling Concretemobile of Democracy, this would be a no-brainer. But if stick this on the Volvo, am I just asking for a keyjob? I'm already betting that 26-percenters are too stupid to understand my bumper sticker...should I double-down?

UPDATE: Couldn't resist the Photoshop...

I Got Nothin' On this Guy...

Warning: NSFW



[h/t Fridge]

The Executive Torture Order

Op-Ed in today's Washington Post...
War Crimes and the White House
The Dishonor in a Tortured New 'Interpretation' of the Geneva Conventions

By General P.X. Kelley (ret.) and Robert F. Turner

One of us was appointed commandant of the Marine Corps by President Ronald Reagan; the other served as a lawyer in the Reagan White House and has vigorously defended the constitutionality of warrantless National Security Agency wiretaps, presidential signing statements and many other controversial aspects of the war on terrorism. But we cannot in good conscience defend a decision that we believe has compromised our national honor and that may well promote the commission of war crimes by Americans and place at risk the welfare of captured American military forces for generations to come.

[...] This is not just about avoiding "torture." The article expressly prohibits "at any time and in any place whatsoever" any acts of "violence to life and person" or "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment."

Last Friday, the White House issued an executive order attempting to "interpret" Common Article 3 with respect to a controversial CIA interrogation program. The order declares that the CIA program "fully complies with the obligations of the United States under Common Article 3," provided that its interrogation techniques do not violate existing federal statutes (prohibiting such things as torture, mutilation or maiming) and do not constitute "willful and outrageous acts of personal abuse done for the purpose of humiliating or degrading the individual in a manner so serious that any reasonable person, considering the circumstances, would deem the acts to be beyond the bounds of human decency."

In other words, as long as the intent of the abuse is to gather intelligence or to prevent future attacks, and the abuse is not "done for the purpose of humiliating or degrading the individual" -- even if that is an inevitable consequence -- the president has given the CIA carte blanche to engage in "willful and outrageous acts of personal abuse."

[...] To date in the war on terrorism, including the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and all U.S. military personnel killed in action in Afghanistan and Iraq, America's losses total about 2 percent of the forces we lost in World War II and less than 7 percent of those killed in Vietnam. Yet we did not find it necessary to compromise our honor or abandon our commitment to the rule of law to defeat Nazi Germany or imperial Japan, or to resist communist aggression in Indochina. On the contrary, in Vietnam -- where we both proudly served twice -- America voluntarily extended the protections of the full Geneva Convention on prisoners of war to Viet Cong guerrillas who, like al-Qaeda, did not even arguably qualify for such protections.

[...] In a letter to President James Madison in March 1809, Jefferson observed: "It has a great effect on the opinion of our people and the world to have the moral right on our side." Our leaders must never lose sight of that wisdom.

Don't these Reaganite pussies know 9/11 changed everything?

[h/t Sullivan]

Stick to Football, Tubby

SI's "Monday Morning Quarterback" column by Peter King [link]:
10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. I find it incredibly hard to believe anyone can go to a place and cheer for one dog to rip the neck of another dog open so the dog will bleed to death. Please. I need to know this: What kind of person does that? And why are these people allowed to walk free and breathe the same air that normal human beings breathe?

Okay, so far so good...
b. Not that I'm questioning what planet David Ortiz has fallen off, but the catcher for Kansas City, John Buck, who starts about 65 percent of the time and has 121 fewer at-bats, has as many homers, 16, as Ortiz.

c. The following players, four months into the season, have more home runs than Ortiz, who hit 54 last year: Dan Uggla, Brandon Phillips, Carlos Pena, Chris Duncan, Jimmy Rollins, J.J. Hardy, Jack Cust, Brad Hawpe.

d. Theories, anyone? And don't give me the stuff about his right knee being sore. That's not his plant knee.

Cute. If you're going to call somebody out for steroids or PEDs, be a man about it and actually say so. Otherwise shut the hell up and stop blaspheming Big Papi.

Moron. Has King actually watched any highlights of Ortiz this year? His power is down because his swing is completely different from last year—because he's not using his legs!

Monday, July 23, 2007

What Kind of Liberal Am I?

How to Win a Fight With a Conservative is the ultimate survival guide for political arguments

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Social Justice Crusader, also known as a rights activist. You believe in equality, fairness, and preventing neo-Confederate conservative troglodytes from rolling back fifty years of civil rights gains.



I'd've gone with "Kick-Ass", but that's just me.
Link from my fellow SJC liberal, Toast.

The Brood That Broods

Just think of us as the Von Trapps of Vehemence.

Mrs. Furious is in the early blogging honeymoon throes, and has started blogs for Ruby and Charlotte to go with her own. For those who know us and want to keep up with us and the offspring, I think the updates will be frequent since Mrs. F seems obsessed. For the intertrons-only aquaintances, here's your ticket to get to know us! Or mock us.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

->sniff<- I Am So Proud!

My better half has joined the blogosphere... Introducing Mrs. Furious.

Rachel wouldn't tell me anything about the blog (name or even subject matter), and it took me the whole day to find it. God, and it was SO obvious! So much for my career in Computer Forensics or Private Investigations. Hell, so much for rudimentary deductive abilities.

Rookie Mistake: "I'm hoping NOT to spend as much time on this as Matt spends on his..."

We'll see.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

How Mike Vick Rolls

Something tells me this Dodge Nitro ad won't be hitting the U.S. airwaves anytime soon, given the current dog-murder climate.



This ad is for the European market and was filmed long before this, but I have to wonder what the hell Dodge is thinking here, Michael Vick or not. I know the whole "Dodge ain't no girlie car" schtick and everything, but did they really need to kill the dog—and then fucking burn him? A nice shock sending the dog yelping and scurrying off wouldn't be "tough" enough?

Dick of the Week: Michael Vick


Like there was any suspense? By now, you all know why. I don't have much to add to this story except to say that I hope there is a hell, and that Mike Vick meets every dog that was ever forced to fight to the death up close and personal.

Screw that. An existential punishment ain't good enough. Vick and his ilk (like the assholes in the video on this ABC News page*) all deserve to have a pit bull rip their fucking balls off right fucking now.

* ABC gives you a warning about that video before it plays. I'm giving you another one. Brutal. I had to stop watching it, and in the short time I did, it made me wish I walked up on those trogs with a machine gun.

Sux

Let's look at the last month. On June 19 the Sox were 13-6 in one-run games. They are now 14-15. Over the last month they've gone 1-9 in those situations.

They are consistantly playing just well enough to lose. Last night's games were a perfect example of how things could change in the AL East. The Yankees complete another comeback, and the Sox fall behind and NEVER catch up.

Over the last month (25 games) the Sox pitching has given up only 3.88 runs per contest. The Sox offense is averaging 4.84 runs. How are we under .500 (12-13) in the time? Those averages include two blowout games (11-0 v Atlanta and 15-4 v TB). Throw out those two games and the gap closes considerably—allowing 4.04 and scoring 4.17.

Lot's of close games, and NO hitting with RISP. It has nothing to do with Schilling's injury, the pitching staff has done its job, even Wake and Julian—the offense has failed to pick them up time and again.

This season didn't turn that night against the Yankees. Those things happen, even to the best team in baseball (which they were at the time). But good teams don't then play sub-.500 ball for the next six weeks.

Don't talk to me ANY MORE about opponent's records or what the Sox will do the rest of the way ("...not a .500 team the rest of the way. I’d say .540 at worst..."). They just played 20-23 since May. The Royals who just took 2 of 3 are 22-1 over that same period. Looking to September and penciling in wins against "weak" opponents is a fool's game.

This offense needs to wake the fuck up. Pronto.

Keep It In Mind, Come September...

[Sullivan] If I were eager to maintain a semblance of military independence from the agenda of extremist, Republican partisans, I wouldn't go on the Hugh Hewitt show, would you? And yet Petraeus has done just that. I think such a decision to cater to one party's propaganda outlet renders Petraeus' military independence moot. I'll wait for the transcript. But Petraeus is either willing to be used by the Republican propaganda machine or he is part of the Republican propaganda machine. I'm beginning to suspect the latter. The only thing worse than a deeply politicized and partisan war is a deeply politicized and partisan commander. But we now know whose side Petraeus seems to be on: Cheney's. Expect spin, not truth, in September.

I wouldn't expect anything else. But this is a good example why.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Jon Lovitz: "The Greatest Hero in American History"

The otherwise forgettable Jon Lovitz defended the honor of the great Phil Hartman and performed a public service by pounding Andy Dick's face into a bar last week. I think most would agree Dick had it coming as soon as he got out of bed that morning, but there is quite a backstory with these two regarding Hartman and his death. Lovitz definitely earned a crack at him.

[h/t The Superficial, more detail at Page Six]

Over Before It Starts?

Maybe.
Right now, there are only 50 working Democratic Senators (Tim Johnson D, S.D. hasn't cast a vote yet this year), and there are only 49 if you don't include Joe Lieberman.

....You need 51 senators for a quorum, in the event that someone makes a quorum call — which any senator can make at any time. So all it takes is one Republican to stay in the chamber, object to anything the Democrats try to do, and then note the absence of a quorum. When the quorum is called, and only 50 senators are present, the Senate adjourns (or at least it can't come out of the quorum call without unanimous consent), and the whole stupid stunt is over before Senator Byrd can even begin his outraged four-hour speech.

All the Republicans need to do is enforce a complete boycott of the session except for one Senator to oppose the 49 Dems. Who thinks Joe Lieberman might be the man for the job?

What it boils down to is this: Will the handful of Republicans that voted for this already stand by their positions and stay with the Dems giving them over 50 or will they succumb to their party's pressure? We'll find out, but I'm not hopeful. It also now occurs to me that Reid has certainly known this all along...

Monday, July 16, 2007

Reid: It. Is. On.

Harry Reid's heard the word on the street. Make the Republicans get off their asses and filibuster.
Moments ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that in response to conservative obstructionism, he plans to force war supporters to physically remain in the Senate and filibuster Iraq withdrawal legislation.

Reid accused conservatives of “protecting the President rather than protecting our troops” by “denying us an up or down vote on the most important issue our country faces.” He said that if a vote on the Reed/Levin Iraq legislation is not allowed today or tomorrow, he will keep the Senate in session “straight through the night on Tuesday” and force a filibuster.

“I would like to inform the Republican leadership and all my colleagues that we have no intention of backing down,” Reid said. “If Republicans do not allow a vote on Levin/Reed today or tomorrow, we will work straight through the night on Tuesday. The American people deserve an open and honest debate on this war, and they deserve an up or down vote on this amendment to end it.”

Can the GOP shop keep the talking points coming long enough for these empty suit jackasses to stand up there? We'll see.

Executive Privilege = Anything Embarrassing

Seriously, is there anything the Bush Administration won't try to conceal behind claims of "Executive Privilege?" ANYTHING?
White House, Pentagon cite executive privilege to hold up documents on friendly fire victim Tillman

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) revealed on Friday afternoon that the White House and Pentagon were holding up a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigation into the friendly fire death of former professional football player and Army Corporal Patrick Tillman.

"[T]he Committee wrote to White House Counsel Fred Fielding seeking 'all documents received or generated by any official in the Executive Office of the President' relating to Corporal Tillman's death," noted a press release from the Committee.

But the White House has apparently again invoked its executive privilege to hold up the documents sought by Waxman and Ranking Minority member Tom Davis (R-VA).

"The White House Counsel's office responded that it would not provide the Committee with documents that 'implicate Executive Branch confidentiality interests' and produced only two communications with the officials in the Defense Department, one of which was a package of news clippings," the Committe noted. "The response of the Defense Department to the Committee's inquiry was also deficient."

In their letter to Fielding, Waxman and Davis doubted that the two documents were the limits of White House-Pentagon communication over Tillman's death.

I cannot imagine what possible legitimate claim to privilege they have here. Bush, Cheney and Fielding seem to think that "Executive Privilege" is for anything that might prove embarrassing or compromising to them. As far as I understand it, it can't be used to cover up illegal activity or abused to conceal innappropriate activity. There is no other explanation for this claim about Tillman—what possible communication could they be hiding other than a White House-directed campaign to mislead the public and use his death to their political advantage?

This is perhaps the clearest, most textbook case ever of "if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide" turned on it's head. There was no communication necessary except for doing something wrong and then covering it up.

UPDATE: Steve Benen has a nice recap on the Tillman story if you need refreshing. Mark Mleiman and Emptywheel agree that this is a good place for Dems to put up a fight. This case has the capability of holding the attention of the media and casual observers far better than more intricate or obscure Bush scandals.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Nelson Award: GOP Moralist First One Snared in D.C. Madam Net


The rank hypocrisy of the GOP is on display yet again. We had Newt leading the impeachment movement against Clinton while in the midst of his own extramarital affairs; the Republican leading the charge against online sexual predators sexually harassing his pages online, and now the "staunch, family values" Senator from Louisiana who ran as "the "Defender of Marriage", slammed his House and Senate predecessors, Bill Clinton, Hollywood, and "Massachusetts values" all while cheating on his own wife. With prostitutes.
[link] Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) apologized last night after his telephone number appeared in the phone records of the woman dubbed the “D.C. Madam,” making him the first member of Congress to become ensnared in the high-profile case.

The statement containing Vitter’s apology said his telephone number was included on phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates dating from before he ran for the Senate in 2004.

His defense? That he did this "several years ago" and has been "forgiven by God and his wife." All that means, asshole, is that you are not only a hypocrit now, but that you were lying when you ran for office.

People had been giving Vitter credit for getting out ahead of the story and making a statement on his own once the phone records were ordered turned over by the Court. ABC News had been poring through the lists and made no connections to Vitter.

Well, evidently the only thorough public guardian left is Larry Flynt. In one day, Hustler tied Vitter to the list and contacted him. Only then did he 'fess up and make his statement.

And the icing? It all comes just after Vitter was the first GOP Senator to publicly endorse Guiliani for President and was appointed to chair Rudy's campaign in the South. Let's review Rudy's staff, shall we? Coke dealer, racist bigot, child molester and now a prostitute-using adulturer. You just can't make this stuff up.

UPDATE: Andrew Sullicvan has the ultimate karmic Quote of the Day:
"I'm a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary. If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me,"
[Vitter's wife] Wendy Vitter, 2000, talking about the Clinton scandal to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Male genital mutilation may be about to have a comeback.

I Guess There ARE Frivolous Lawsuits

The first one is from the also-a-lawyer Baseball Crank:
BOSTON -- [link] A man who claims he failed the Massachusetts bar exam because he refused to answer a question about gay marriage has filed a federal lawsuit, saying the test violated his rights and that his religious beliefs were targeted.

Stephen Dunne, 30, of Boston, is seeking $9.75 million in the suit against the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He was denied a license to practice law in May after scoring 268.866 on the exam, just shy of the 270 passing grade.

Dunne, who is representing himself in the case, refused to answer an exam question addressing the rights of two married lesbians, their children and their property, and claims in the suit that it cost him a passing score.

In the suit, Dunne called the question "morally repugnant and patently offensive," and said he refused to answer it because he believed it legitimized same-sex marriage and same-sex parenting, which is contrary to his moral beliefs.

He probably should have been sure he was scoring well enough to pass before he climbed on his high horse. Sorry, counselor, a failing grade is a failing grade. You lose. And you're a douche.

And $9.75 million? Something tells me when you barely pass (or fail) the bar, perhaps you are slightly overestimating your earning potential.

Consolation Prize: Dunne displayed all the important qualifications for a job in the Bush DOJ!

UPDATE: Great analysis and mocking by a Law Prof here.

--

The second one regards the verdict in a case you may have heard about—the asshole who sued his drycleaner for $54 million...
"The D.C. administrative law judge who sued his neighborhood dry cleaner for $54 million over a pair of lost pants found out this morning what he's going to get for all his troubles.

Nothing.

h/t: Hilzoy, who has a nicewrap-up.

Ouch.

Glad I didn't see this story before I took my family to Disney World, and then, the other night to the local carnival.

I've never been able to fully relax and enjoy a roller coaster or other thrill ride without the possibilty of a horrific accident poking me in the back of my brain. The fact that I now have kids does not ease that at all. Especially when it comes to safety regarding some sketchy travelling amusement park that Transformers™ out of a bunch of trailers.

Anyway, Ruby loved The Scrambler. Here's an interesting drawing I found while looking for a photo:

iDiots


Look, I'm as big an Apple fan* as anyone, but I was just astounded at the display last week of jackasses camping out on the street to get in line for an overpriced, oversized phone/iPod. People scalped their spots in line for thousands of dollars!

I'm sure it's slick and pretty—all Apple products are—but come on, people, get a fucking life. It's a phone!

Anyway, at Christmastime the jokes on all of those asshats that overpaid for the oversized first-gen iPhone, when Apple unveils the newer, smaller, cheaper nano-based iPhone...
NEW YORK - Apple Inc. plans to launch a cheaper version of the iPhone in the fourth quarter that could be based on the ultra-slim iPod Nano music player, according to a JP Morgan report.

Kevin Chang, a JP Morgan analyst based in Taiwan, cited people in the supply channel he did not name and an application with the U.S Patent and Trademark office for his report dated July 8.

Apple filed a patent application document dated July 5 that refers to a multifunctional handheld device with a circular touch pad control, similar to the Nano's scroll wheel.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined comment.

Don't these nerds know that it never pays to buy the first version of something? Especially with Apple? Jobs always has something else up his sleeve.

Here's a funny bit from The Daiily show on the iPhone...



UPDATE: But, will it blend?

* Full disclosure: Pretending I haven't had two Apple products utterly fail and screw me over the last five weeks...AND, I just gave Apple another two grand to replace my wife's laptop and get myself a new display. For the G5 that's still in the shop.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Mr Furious Heartily Endorses...

Neal Pollack I've stumbled across Pollack before, but in his new "cool guy struggling with fatherhood" persona, I've found a soul mate. Not that I think I'm so cool or anything, just that I find his blog absolutely hilarious, and Mrs. Furious and I are taking turns slogging through his book "Alternadad." Funny enough that I actually can't read it while holding a sleeping baby without waking her up. Thanks a lot, Neal.

Whole Foods 365 Everyday Vanilla Sandwich Cookies Quite simply the finest sandwich cookie ever baked. Or assembled. Whatever. Just the right consistancy, cookie/filling ratio, with the slight saltiness that ensures you eat like five at a time. More, if you have milk.

Iced Coffee Nectar of the gods. We've finally mastered the process of having it constantly available at home (which means me remembering to brew a pot, sweeten it while it's hot and put it in the fridge before I go to bed), and Michigan seems to finally have caught up to the East Coast and you can actually find it on the menu(board). For the first few years we lived out here, people behind the counter would look at me like I just asked for a glass of dishwater, and thusly confused would offer to "put some ice in the coffee?" No, jackass. That just results in a watery, melty coffee-ish broth that sucks. Iced coffee is brewed strong (accounting for ice meltage) and served cold (or room temp) over ice. And if you are a place as good as Naidre's you offer Simple Syrup as a sweetener. Few things make me miss Park Slope more than iced coffee...

This Thermal Mug I don't remember the manufacturer, but that link tells you where to get it. I am astonished how well insulated this thing is. I come back to my car after hours in the summer sun, and there is still ice in the thing. Around the house, your aforementioned iced coffee stays cold and not-watered down forever. Fantastic.

Taco Bell Grilled Steak Taquitos Is there such a thing in Mexico? Who knows and who cares. These suckers are good, cheap and relatively healthy for fast food. They are a lunch standard for me when I run out of the office. In fact, look for me in the Taco Bell parking lot in about ten minutes...

THE JURY'S STILL OUT...
Bose TriPort OE Headphones I got frustrated finding a place that had the Sennheisers I wanted, and just bought these at Target when we had a coupon, and while they are worlds better than the buds that came with my iPod, they don't seem as good as the Bang & Olufsens I returned at Christmas... These cans are a bit too heavy in the bass, and the controls for that are tough with the iPod. Yesterday the exceptionally-produced "Diamonds On the soles of Her Shoes" by Paul Simon came on and they sounded great, but at other times things get muddy. they look great, are collapsible and compact, and I love the cloth cord which is much less prone to tangling, but I still can't give them a total thumbs up (or down) yet.

I'm Back. Mostly.

Posts have been sporadic at best since I have no dependable computer at home right now, and things are busy at work. That and the fact that we took and impromtu trip to Disney World as a treat for the bravest, greatest daughter in the world. So, I'll try to keep up. I have a tremendous backlog of links I want to post on—from Libby, travel, Sox, cars, and everything else under the sun. We'll see how things go...