Many Random Returns

Just to end the posting drought (I've got a few longer pieces in the works, but nothing ready), here are some random quick thoughts. There's no shortage of other sites talking about these things; do your own Googlin' for sources.

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Widespread reports say that Michael Jackson has converted to Islam. Personally, I'll believe it when I see him fitting a dynamite vest on Blanket.

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Some people are still whining about Omar Khadr not being back in Canada yet. Here's an idea: any Canadian who thinks he should be brought back should be required to have him living next door. Better yet, they can put the little darling up in their guest bedroom.

Until you're prepared to do one of those, shut up about bringing him back.

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I read this on a page-a-day calendar that a guy in my office has:

Why is Christmas like a day at the office?

Because you do all the work and some fat guy in a suit gets the credit.

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Another co-worker has this sign on top of her monitor:

I HAVE FLYING MONKEYS
and I'm not afraid to use them!

That sign moves her up six spots in my ranking of my co-workers, bringing her to number eleven. (It's a big office.)

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My recovery from pneumonia is almost complete. There still seem to be one or two ravens left in my right lung, who occasionally try to peck their way out, but that's a definite improvement. I was pretty sure last week that the right side of my ribcage had been replaced with broken glass.

The best thing about this recovery is that my doctor had advised me to wash my hands a lot while I was sick. Now that I'm better, I can cut it out. That saves time in the men's room.

Between my vacation and the pneumonia, I just missed three entire weeks of work. That's my longest-ever stretch of absence. I wasn't even off that long when my son was born.

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On December 1, CNN sent this to me as a Breaking News Alert:

The U.S. entered a recession in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

CNN guys? Something that happened a year ago is not, by any definition, Breaking News. Especially when that "something" is a set of arbitrary and subjective conditions having been met to claim that a vaguely defined intangible state has been entered.

While we're at it, which group of guys won any game of any sport does not qualify as Breaking News. Ever. Call a bowl as super as you like, it still won't matter.

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I just got a new pair of boots. I note that here just so I can come back later and check how long they last. My footwear tends to develop holes, tears and general worn-out-ness very quickly. My wife once told me, "You're really hard on your shoes."

I replied, "How? What am I doing wrong? I put them on my feet and walk around."

She answered, "Well, you... ummm... never mind."

My Dad once had a pair of shoes fall apart after only a few days. He took them back to the store, where the clerk said, "Did you get them wet?" They weren't suede, or any other delicate material. Just normal shoes.

Dad replied, "Of course they got wet. I wore them the other day when it rained."

Clerk: "Oh, that explains it! You can't get shoes wet, or this happens to them!"

Needless to say, that shoe store hasn't gotten a lot of repeat business from my family.

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My wife and I have been watching season 1 of NYPD Blue on DVD of late. Blue is my all-time favourite TV show. I have the entire run on tape, and three of the four released seasons on DVD (actually purchased, which is unusual for me).

I didn't watch the first season back when it originally aired. I came in when Jimmy Smits joined the cast, because I remembered and liked him from L.A. Law. I got to watch it from the beginning in reruns, several years later.

The main thing I notice from season 1 is that it was really The David Caruso Show. He was good as John Kelly, although I've never cared for any of his other work that I've seen. It's not surprising that he developed ego problems in that year, since the show was so blatantly trying to present him as the sole star.

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I recently finished off a spindle of 100 DVD-roms. I opened it up and used the first one on August 26, 2007, so it lasted almost 15 months. That means I use one blank DVD about every 4.5 days. If you're affiliated with the RIAA or MPAA, feel free to assume that I'm obsessive-compulsive about backing up my e-mail and pictures.


There. I told you this one was going to be random.


Enough rambling. Here's a picture of giraffes.