Memorial Day

I'm hardly the first person to point this out, but this holiday isn't really about "the unofficial beginning of summer," or going to the beach, or having a barbecue, though all of those things are very nice indeed. No, it's about honoring those brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
 
Now, normally, I wouldn't point to a country song as an example of that because I'm not really that much of a country music fan, but I would urge everyone watch the following video and read this article about how the song was written. That is what this holiday is all about.
 
 
Via Andy over at the HQ. And be sure to click on that link for an extra layer of detail.
 

Since it's Friday night...

...and I've been neglecting the hell out of this blog as of late, how about a nice pic of The Doctor's new companion, Jenna-Louise Coleman?

Not that I'm complaining or anything, but she's awfully tan for a British chick, huh?

Dear At-Risk Youth,

I understand that selling grout cleaner door to door is hard work and all, but rejection is just part of the game. Try not to look so crestfallen when people like myself aren't interested in your off-brand cleaning products. And please don't take my lack of interest as a sign that I want you to join a street gang, because I really don't want that to happen.

love and kisses,

Sean M.

p.s.: If you're gonna wear a tie, tuck in your shirt.

"It's so crazy that it just might work!"

I have a sneaking suspicion that somebody uttered that phrase right around the time that this plan was hatched:

Declaring war against invasive brown tree snakes infesting the Pacific U.S. territory of Guam, wildlife officials plan this spring to bomb the island with dead baby mice stuffed with a common pain-killing medicine that is poisonous to the reptiles.

The dead "infant" mice (and if PETA wasn't already upset about the idea of killing the snakes, those ought to get their shorts in a twist) are going to be stuffed with acetaminophen, which is good for headaches but bad for snakes.

Oh, and the plan gets a little more harebrained, too...

In an attempt to keep the baited mice off the ground, each tiny rodent will be attached to a strand of ribbon between pieces of cardboard designed to drop in a loop and catch in the canopy of trees, he said.

Awwww...the idea of tiny mouse parachutes sounds kind of cute, huh? Until you remember that we're basically talking about festooning an island with baby rodent carcasses that will be eaten by snakes, that is.

Inconsiderate proposal

So, this happened not too far from here the other day:

With the help of his biker friends, a motorcyclist briefly shut down the 10 Freeway in West Covina to propose to his girlfriend amid a cloud of pink smoke. Now the California Highway Patrol is investigating.

Videos of the Sunday afternoon proposal were posted on YouTube and have collected thousands of views.

Now CHP investigators are reviewing the videos, said Officer Jose Barrios. Possible citations include impeding or blocking traffic, he said.

"It's illegal," Barrios said. "They're not allowed to do that."

The couple have been identified as Hector Martinez and Paige Hernandez, and you can call me a heartless jerk, but I kind of hope Hector spends some time in jail for this. Thankfully, nobody got hurt during the course of this jackassery, but when I look at the following video, all I can think about is what could have happened if, say, a heart attack victim in an ambulance was stuck in the traffic jam behind these idiots...
 
 
You know, seeing as how Southern California is also the home of the Freeway Shooting, they're lucky none of the potential road ragers back there were feeling particularly violent that day. Or were late for a wedding.

Happy New Year!

 
Well, it's time once again to close the door on the year that was and look forward to the one that's here. Or something. Personally, things are off to an auspicious start here, seeing as how birds crapped on my windshield twice before 9 a.m. Yeah.

Anyway, I'd just like to wish everyone health, happiness, and prosperity for the coming 365 days. I'm sure none of us is going to get everything we want, but hopefully we'll all get at least a few of the things that we need.

Merry Xmas, everybody!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, that you were able to spend it with friends and family, and that you got some nice gifts. Also, if you were naughty, I hope Santa wasn't able to track you down.
 

A little Christmas comedy

I don't know if I've ever put this up here before, but Patton Oswalt's bit about the song "Christmas Shoes" is one of my favorite things about this time of year. Before you click play, heed this CONTENT WARNING: this cute cartoon about a Christian rock song is not for kids.
 

Since it's Friday night...

...and I haven't done one of these things in ages, here's a photo of actress Jennifer Lawrence wearing a one-piece bathing suit and a leather jacket:

I'm 99% certain that nobody actually dresses like this, but, hey, it looks good on her.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for a lot of things this year. Family, friends, health, and happiness. I hope everyone reading this has been similarly blessed.

Election Day

I'd like to remind everyone to get out there and exercise your right to vote today.

That is, unless you happen to disagree with me, in which case, I'd like to remind you to stay home.  I mean, there are several, um, quality movies such as Mongolian Death Worm on SyFy today. Yeah.

Seven years ago today...

...a couple of significant (for me, anyway) events coincidentally coincided--I started this little crapblog and my man Riley was born.

Pictured: Celebratory nap

Unlike the blog, I still feed Riley several times every day. I don't have to clean up after the blog, though, so there is that.

If you're new to this place, or if you've hung around for some reason and you're feeling nostalgic, you can see the first picture I ever took of the little fella here.

Water hazard

And here I always thought golf was boring...

A California golf course worker said a 2-pound shark discovered still living in the grass near the 12th hole was the most "bizarre" thing seen at the course.

Well, I would certainly hope so.

[Insert U2 song title here]

Once in a while, it's nice to get a reminder of how the little things you take for granted in life are actually kind of important. Case in point:

"My current home address is 200 meters north of the Pizza Hut then 400 meters west, but in a few months, I will be able to give a proper street name and a number..."

That's a quote from one Johnny Araya, the Mayor of San Jose, Costa Rica. Mind you, this is a city of nearly a million and a half people and the capital of the country, and it's just now getting street signs.

The article mentions several times that the locals have been able to navigate the city by using "landmarks" like the Pizza Hut Araya mentioned, but about 25 percent of the country's mail never gets delivered--resulting in about three quarters of a billion dollars in "economic losses" per year--so I don't think they've really been doing all that well with their system of doing things up until now.

Anyway, that's something to think about next time you get a little miffed about Google Maps neglecting to tell you to keep to the right side on the freeway.