Category Archives: Juicy Chunks

October 25, 2013 · 19:38

Juicy Chunks O’ Wisdom For Friday, October 25th

‘Cause Fridays used to be better, that’s why.

  • What is it about this time of month? (Just realized a possible answer as I used that turn of phrase…) I noticed that the “Juicy Chunks” posts for August and September were on the 27th and 25th respectively.
  • It sounds like they’re having a good time at the football game at the high school two blocks away. I wonder who they’re playing?
  • Last night there was a really loud owl somewhere in the trees either in our back yard or the neighbors’ back yard. It was beautiful listening to it hoot once a minute or so for over an hour.
  • We can always tell when there’s a big rivalry game at the high school because our street fills up with overflow parking.
  • This whole passive-aggressive thing with Joey Chan (the cat) is really getting old. She sits under my chair and whines and begs to be on my lap, refused to jump up on her own, but if I reach down to pick her up and put her there, she takes a swipe at my hand.
  • I’ll bet the noise from the football game scares the owl away tonight.
  • It occurs to me that Joey Chan and I might be playing different games. She might be totally uninterested in sitting on my lap. Instead, she might really wants to claw me up for whatever feline reasons her almond-sized brain has.
  • The passive-aggressive thing is just what she’s figured out to get me to put my hand down there where she can get at it. I mess with her head using the laser pointer, she messes with mine by pretending that she wants on my lap. Ahh, perspective…
  • I wonder how big that owl was and if it was big enough to take out one of our full-sized raccoons. Maybe not. But squirrels or rats, for sure. Probably could take out a cat as well.
  • When I was seventeen I really wanted to take the summer between my junior and senior years of high school and go to Europe.
  • I was going to stay at hostels, get a Eurail Pass, and backpack through a dozen countries.
  • I did not go to Europe when I was seventeen. I did not backpack through a dozen countries.
  • My mother informs me that she has gotten another dog, a Yorkshire terrier of some sort. I’m glad it makes her happy and it’s great that she rescued an abandoned critter. But I still look at it as just a pair of “little rat dogs”.
  • Our high school football team was not very good. From memory, I think we were 1-7 and 0-8 in my junior and senior years.
  • That wasn’t the reason I wanted to go to Europe.
  • Imagine our surprise at the 35th anniversary high school reunion when the current football team rolled by in the parade carrying the state championship trophy.

Remember to keep some “emergency” rockin’, upbeat music at hand for when it’s time to feel better.

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Filed under Cats, Critters, Dogs, Juicy Chunks, Travel

September 25, 2013 · 21:47

Juicy Chunks O’ Wisdom For Wednesday, September 25th

‘Cause I’m trying to get caught up on a bunch o’ stuff, that’s why.

  • Congrats to all parties involved in getting the Expedition 37 astronauts up to the ISS today. I’ll give a lot of credit to the Russians, they really have it down pat when it comes to simply getting the job done.
  • While changing channels to get to NASA-TV I accidentally wound up on NBC Sports channel and some hunting show, heavily sponsored by the NRA. I had never seen any of the ads they’re running now to keep their faithful in line. Oh. My. God! I’m actually a big supporter of the Second Amendment, but in the Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly way. These NRA dudes are truly scary.
  • I’m not a big fan of Chrysler vehicles after the problems they’ve given us in the last couple of years. On the other hand, the ads they’ve been running for the last year or so for the new Dart II have been fantastic. Very catchy, clever, amusing, and effective. Now I’m starting to see similar ads for the new Charger. Conclusion – their cars might be questionable, but they’ve got a great ad agency!
  • Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.
  • Do raccoons hibernate or do I have to put up with these critters running around on my roof all winter long?
  • Does anyone know where I can get some of those old baseball-themed “No Fear” T-shirts still? I can find articles about them online and one or two on Ebay, but that’s it.
  • I don’t normally do Facebook memes, but many of my fannish/filker friends are taking the “What Literary Character Are You?” test. So I answered their silly questions honestly, and got “Gandalf”. It’s so tempting to take it again and try to guess what answers will give the “Sauron” or “Darth Vader”.
  • Speaking of busted Chryslers, I happened across a YouTube video that shows how to replace the part that’s broken in my daughter’s PT Cruiser. It’s a little box inside the steering column about the size of a pack of cards and the replacement looks pretty straightforward. Except that you need a couple of dealer-only “anti-theft” tools. And the part is only available to dealers. And two dealers have told me that the only way to fix it is to replace the entire steering column for $2,000+. I’m just about the furthest thing in the world from being a “car guy” or a “gear head”, but does anyone wanna bet that I can find that “dealer only” piece in a junkyard and get the “dealer only” tools somewhere on Ebay and fix the car for something on the order of $100 instead of something on the order of $2,000?
  • I’ve upgraded all of my iCritters to iOS7 and I’m really happy with it for the most part. A couple of little glitches here and there on a couple of apps, but none of them are a big thing. Except for the redesigned WordPress app. Geez Louise! I tried to use it today to write this post and wanted to gouge my eyeballs out with a fork after about five minutes.

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Filed under Juicy Chunks, Politics, Space

August 27, 2013 · 21:36

Juicy Chunks O’ Wisdom For Tuesday, August 27th

‘Cause I’m really exhausted, been used like a rented mule, that’s why.

  • That was an even better cardio workout than the Habitat For Humanity day.
  • Last week it was in the upper 70’s, today it was in the upper 90’s – bad timing.
  • On the other hand, they invented the term “One Hundred & Stupid” here, so it could have been even worse.
  • The Pocket seems like a nice area.
  • The food at Sheri’s Cafe & Pies on Florin is very good.
  • They’re open 24/7/365.
  • People who deliberately drive at 55 in the fast lane on I-5 between Southern California and Northern California “BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT JIMMY CARTER SAID WE SHOULD DO!” are sanctimonious clods.
  • They are also extremely dangerous.
  • Despite their self-righteous beliefs (or utter ignorance), they are the ones driving illegally.
  • It wouldn’t bother me if they got life in front of a firing squad.
  • Marriott was the first hotel chain that I know of that made ALL of their properties 100% smoke free.
  • Despite that, it’s been my experience that Marriott rooms are the ones most likely to smell like the last guest was a three-pack a day smoker and completely ignored the 100% smoke free policy.
  • Despite the somewhat offensive smell, I suspect I’ll sleep well tonight.

20130827-212741.jpg

Taken yesterday afternoon from the Westley rest area on the I-5, just south of the I-5/I-580 split. Google Maps says that it’s just over 100 miles from there to Yosemite, but the pyrocumulus clouds rising above the Rim Fire there are clearly visible.

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Filed under Juicy Chunks, Travel

August 12, 2013 · 19:09

Juicy Chunks O’ Wisdom For Monday, August 12th

‘Cause I’m really PO’d and trying not to be, that’s why.

  • Some days you’re the windshield, some days you’re the bug.
  • Some days you’re both.
  • The glory of being the windshield for a few minutes only makes it that much tougher when you realize the reality and magnitude of your self-inflicted bugginess.
  • Even when you blow the Final Jeopardy question that’s right in your wheelhouse, life goes on.
  • It’s not the Zombie Apocalypse – it just feels like it for a while.
  • It’s important to maintain perspective, even especially when all you want to do is drop back ten yards and punt.
  • If you’re losing your sense of balance, hold on to our sense of humor.
  • I would if I could, but I can’t, so I won’t.
  • Nine days and $300 more is too much when I can get two day delivery from someone else.
  • We need clean underwear, stat!
  • When all else fails, call Michelle at Sears.

Remember that tonight’s the last good night for the Perseid meteor shower. Look to the northeast after dark, after midnight is better if you can stay up. Last night in LA, only the really bright ones crossing a third of the sky could be seen, but they were glorious.

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Filed under Astronomy, Juicy Chunks