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Strange Electronic Noise on Fox Continues, Now on Fringe

2012-01-27T22:39:00.001-08:00

Usually heard on Fox Sports programming, I am now hearing it on tonight's episode of Fringe (on, you guessed it, Fox). To repeat: It sounds like a faint 1990s cell phone ringtone. It lasts about 2 or 3 seconds, and just keeps repeating every few seconds. Someone described it as "a cyclic, tone-repeating sequence." I have seriously (vaguely) considered giving up watching TV. Or at least shows on Fox. Can't quite figure this all out, but not liking it.

Strange Electronic Noise on Fox Sports

2011-10-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Can anyone else hear that strange background noise on Fox Sports broadcasts? It sounds like a faint 1990s cell phone ringtone. It lasts about 2 or 3 seconds, and just keeps repeating every few seconds. I've noticed it on the Tigers/Rangers playoff games, then on the Cardinals/Rangers World Series games, and right now on the Falcons/Lions NFL game. The first time I noticed it I thought it was some sound happening at the Texas Rangers stadium. Then I noticed it during a game at St. Louis and thought it was something related to Fox's MLB coverage, then today on an NFL game suggests Fox Sports or just Fox.

I've noticed it for a few weeks. It's maddening. I've only noticed it on Fox Sports programs. Also, this sound disappears during commercial breaks. It seems most noticeable when there is a lot of crowd noise.

I have NOT noticed it on TBS, ESPN, ABC, CBS or anywhere else. Only Fox.

I've found a few people talking about it on message board sites. Some have heard it on Terra Nova, and the Emmys (both Fox). Someone described it as "a cyclic, tone-repeating sequence." Some people are saying they are hearing it on other channels as well, but I am not, and am wondering if their sound issue might be another one.

It seems to be happening across DirecTV, Dish, Comcast, etc -- leading me to think it's something on Fox's end.

Here's some forums where it's being talked about:

Wingstoppage

2011-03-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so there's this "restaurant," if that's what you'd call it, known as Wingstop. They apparently serve something called "wings." These are, the way I understand it, chicken wings, which are, as we all know, the best part of the poultry giant.

Anyway, there's yet another TV ad on for Wingstop and it mentions it's 9 flavors of wings. As you know I love "flavors," and I thought I would just come up with what I would consider the "9 Best/Most Fun Flavors of Wings" for Wingstop to offer:

First, and I think most obviously, is "Chicken Flavor."

Second, I suggest "Cinnamon Wings," because who doesn't like cinnamon?

Third, "Fish Wings" -- fish flavored chicken wings -- can't go wrong.

Number four: "Wings of Desire" -- wings flavored with just a hint of Chanel No. 5.

Speaking of five... number five: "KFC Wings" -- wings to remind you of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Six: "Sour Patch Wings." Tart chicken.

Seven: "Freedom Wings" are dyed in red, white and blue! If you don't love these, then you don't love America!

Eight: "Feathers-On Wings" are wings that the feathers were not even plucked from before cooking. These wings are supposed to show the excitement of all wingers (wing eaters), with that I-can't-wait attitude!

Ninth, surely to put some people off (but not all), "Blood, Sweat, and Tears Wings" -- flavored with the obvious.

And a bonus, seasonal wing special, only to be available in the month of December: "Eggnog Flavored Wings."

Men + Care = ?

2011-03-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Dear ESPN,

I like Magic Johnson -- and I actually even use Dove soap -- but is this not just a bit too much?

Word, Comma

2011-02-22T21:18:00.000-08:00

If there is a comma after a word there is to be NO space between the word and the comma. When a word follows a comma, there does need to be a space between that comma and that word.

"LAME!"

2010-12-14T15:27:00.000-08:00

So, a while ago I was watching TV and this commercial came on for the movie Due Date.

There were clips interspersed with VERY quick black screen with white lettering saying these words in allcaps:

"HILARIOUS," "IRREVERENT," "BRILLIANT," "COMEDY CLASSIC," "THE FUNNIEST FILM OF THE YEAR."

First of all, to say something is irreverent isn't a positive or negative thing. I just feel I should point that out.

Anyway, they were all in quotes with very, very small words underneath them, identifying the person who said those things. I had to rewind and pause move close to the TV and rewind and pause to get the quoters. I have never heard of any of these people and I doubt that any are legitimate film reviewers. But they may all be whores, selling themselves to studios:

"HILARIOUS"
-- Shawn Edwards, Fox-TV

"IRREVERENT"
-- Maria Salas, TheCW

"BRILLIANT"
-- Rick Florino, ARTISTdirect.com

"COMEDY CLASSIC"
-- Rick Florino, ARTISTdirect.com

"THE FUNNIEST FILM OF THE YEAR"
-- Joel Amos, SheKnows.com

Lords of Crunk

2010-12-13T17:49:00.002-08:00

My brother always wants ridiculous things for Xmas, but I always make sure he gets them anyway. For instance, this year's requests include: season 2 of "Caroline in the City," season 2 of "Charmed," and a number of Noisy Murder Metal genre CDs. So now, Amazon is all, "Due to your interest in Skinny Puppy's 'Sick Death Murder Axe' LP we recommend..." So I just had to go and clear out all that junk so that crazy stuff like Killing Babies' "Dirt Eating" and Monster Death Hate's "Black Goth Metal Club" isn't all up in my Ted's Amazon Store area.

Father's Day

2010-12-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

I went into Safeway the other day. It was crowded. There was a man in front of me in the express lane. He was buying a dozen cupcakes and a 5-hour Energy drink. He was about 50 and was wearing jean shorts. It was cold and it was December.

He had his teenage daughter wait in the express lane next to us with their second dozen cupcakes. At one point she asked if she could come over, but after looking at both lines he decided to play it safe and told her to stay there. As the lines moved forward some more he told her, "come over... come over." I found myself feeling sorry for this girl. That this guy was her father. That this is how you spend time with your daughter, this is what you teach her. (And on a cold, rainy December day you can't even pretend to have an excuse to wear jean shorts. No one should ever wear jean shorts, but come on.)

It reminded me of a few weeks ago when I passed a man, maybe around 40, going into the pharmacy with his son, who was about 8. The son kept trying to converse with his dad but the man had that headpiece connected to his ear and was loudly talking business deals and just waved his son off. How much actual time does this guy even spend with his son, I wondered? And when he does, is it like this, in a completely unconnected, absent way?

But who am I to judge? I don't even have kids. I have a dog. And sometimes I probably ignore him too much too.

Poor Colin!

2010-10-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

What is up with this? Pottery Barn is offering Christmas Stockings. Someone is obviously getting the short end of the (peppermint?) stick...

State of the Union Blog Post

2010-10-12T13:50:00.001-07:00

I think this photo from Amazon.com says just about everything about everything...

Milk Chocolate Bordeaux

2010-10-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a letter I just sent to Pepperidge Farm:

Hi. I really loved the Milk Chocolate Bordeaux cookies. I've not been able to find them lately. Seems like you stopped making them? I remember many years ago you had a cookie called Cinnamon Chip Cookie. Those have been gone for decades. First, I suggest a Retro Cookie theme where you can bring back (even temporarily) old classics, like the Cinnamon Chip. Second, I am just, straight up, requesting to bring back the Milk Bordeaux!

Thank you,

Ted Strong

Rizzoli & Isles

2010-08-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

I have not seen this show. It looks stupid. The name of the show is terrible, and based on this ad I think a better name for it might be: Apples & Handcuffs.

Cop and a Half

2010-02-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

Rare European lobby card:

Pooing

2009-12-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

For reasons that we don't need to go into, I decided to enter the word "pooing" at dictionary.com. No big deal. But look at this screen capture. Check out the "Related Searches" on the right side. Pretty interesting "searches." (Click on image to see large version.)

facebook ads

2009-12-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the crazy ads I've seen on facebook. (Click on them to see the large versions.) This first collage features photos where something(s), appears to be so totally blown out of proportion, that I believe someone's Photoshopping in a most ridiculous way...

Here's some more for the "sex sells" category. The first three on the left, and the top one on the right all suggest the same thing, that dating Christians, thirtysomethings, and/or local girls is all about one thing: tits. The fifth photo is not about breasts, but is an outrageous photo anyway...

Next, who is Googling me? Three hot party girls with super fake breasts, most likely...

Some more crazy ones: what does that photo have to do with Dad's bailout? I'm not even sure what that's a picture of. Then there's the face to face nyc one. I don't think that without the tiny, yet insane, photo you'd know this was for a seemingly gay spa? The funerals one is just nuts. Then there's the smarmy, smirking douchebag who has Photoshopped that fake blonde girl in next to him -- he can show me how to make the ladies love me with his video... Great stuff, facebook!

We Need Men. It doesn't look like it. What are they doing in this photo? What does the photo have to do with their dating site? Next they want me to become a fan of the apparently sassy and sexual and bisexual Kesha. "I love south." What? Sauce and
Bonnie Raitt are spelled wrong.

These last two go together. They appear to tell you how to be "more than friends" with "that" girl. The first one's picture features some 50-something schlub with a stripper all over him. The last one has the creepiest photograph I've ever seen on facebook. Why is this sixty year old guy with that mustache and no shirt caressing that young girl who could be over 18? Why is she smiling? It looks like an outtake from a 70s porn movie.

Men of a Certain Age

2009-10-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

Regarding the upcoming TV show, "Men of a Certain Age," Andre Braugher was 47 in July; Ray Romano will be 52 in December; Scott Bakula is 55 tomorrow.

Forgetting

2009-10-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

The other day I couldn't remember Darrell Hammond's name. One day, before baseball season started I couldn't remember Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum's name. I knew all about them both, I could picture them, I could tell you all about them -- couldn't think of their names. As my father, and maternal grandfather both suffer/suffered from Alzheimer's/dementia -- this disturbs me somewhat. Whenever it happens. Right now I can't think of the word that is what scuba is and what milf is. It's not anagram. I hate this.

Who Is the Target Audience?

2009-08-20T13:44:00.001-07:00

I got an email from RL with some ad images... Look at this prep school one. Look at these two kids. Who wants their kids to be these kids? They look like schemers and sociopaths. They're like 10.

In a couple of years she'll be running a prostitution ring made up of her prep school gal-pals, to pay for her drug habit. When one of them turns up dead and the cops show up, her parents will pay somebody off.

The boy appears to be the rich, spoiled bully; a punk. Of all the little creeps in his "Polo Posse," he's richest, and he's the meanest. You see this kid at the new Yankee Stadium right behind home plate, in the $10,000 seats, texting his friends. When the text doesn't go through fast enough he throws his iPhone down onto the pavement and shouts "bitch!" at it. A-Rod's at the plate; he turns around, startled. The kid glares at him. He gets a new iPhone the next day. And everyone apologizes to him. He loves seeing someone get hurt, and the more serious the injury the funnier it is. And he likes to have a hand in it. He has no conscience. Before he's 18 he'll have killed: victims of his drunk driving, the high-class call girl who said the wrong thing and got beaten to death, etc. Where does he go from here?

Summers in the Hamptons;
Coke in my nose.

Pony on my jacket;
Fuck you,
Whatever.

Note: of course these two child models are not who I'm talking about -- it's the "characters" they are "playing." And that is the work of the photographer, the client, the wardrobe people, etc who engineered this ad.

Army Strong

2009-08-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

Looks like the army has trademarked my name. Sounds about right.

Rush Turdball

2009-07-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

I typed "Rush Turdball" into Google image search. Of the 18 pictures on the first page, 7 were of Rush Limbaugh. He was smoking a cigar in 4 of the 7 pictures.

Tropicana Tragedy

2009-07-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Here's something that just happened: I just shook the orange juice because I was going to have a glass -- as I do every morning. This orange juice container apparently had a faulty top. Here's a list of places the orange juice went: the carpet, the refrigerator, the freezer, the ice tray in the freezer, the counter, my shirt, my face, my hair, my eyes, picture frames, cabinets, walls. After swearing for about 30 seconds (using new combinations such as "fucking fucker fuck" and "cunt weasel shit turd"), I had to spend about 10 minutes cleaning before taking a shower. The worst thing about this is that now my normal life of shaking the orange juice in the morning will be fraught with fear and uncertainty.

Running

2009-07-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

Am watching the Mets telecast of Mets at Phillies. Shane Victorino of the Phillies hits a ball way out into the outfield and runs very fast to get a triple. The Mets announcers replay it showing it from a different camera angle and you just watch Victorino (very fast) run around the bases. As he passes first, he his watching the status of the ball he hit, one of the Mets announcers points out that here, at this point, "he turns on the jets." Victorino had decided then that he was going to go to third, instead of just second. But as Victorino passes second, one of the Mets announcers says, "that must be fun." I was kind of thinking that too, and I didn't expect to hear it. Just watching this guy who can run so fast: "that must be fun."

Book Journal 2006 - ????

2009-04-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

I just found a notebook. On the cover I had written "Book Journal 2006 - ."

I was going to write down every book I read and anything I felt like saying about it.

I will now transcribe the entire journal for you here:

Feb 2006
Title: Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking
Year: 1985/1998
Pub: Barnes & Noble Books

Led me to quit smoking for approx 18 hours.

--

That is it. On the plus side, I did figure out a way to quit smoking a couple months later.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

2009-04-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

I got into following my alma mater, Saint Mary's College, during last season's college basketball. SMC's main rival in the West Coast Conference is Gonzaga. I know who Saint Mary is, and she seems a good person to make a saint. I had to Google Gonzaga...

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was born in Castiglione, Italy on March 9, 1568. Reportedly, the first words St. Aloysius spoke were the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Hmmm. By the age of 9 Aloysius had decided on a religious life, and made a vow of perpetual virginity. Really? That sounds very odd. To safeguard himself from possible temptation, he would keep his eyes persistently downcast in the presence of women(!). That's my favorite part. He made this vow at age 9, and apparently stuck to it.

Around this time he was laid up with a kidney disease, preventing him from much social activity. He prayed a lot during this time. As a teen he taught catechism to the poor. His father wanted him to go into the military, but of course, our hero, Gonzaga, wanted to be a priest. When he was 18, his father finally okayed Zag to join the Jesuits.

Always in delicate health, he, nevertheless, devoted himself to the care of the sick. The Plague broke out. He died at age 23 in 1591. Reportedly, the last word he spoke was the Holy Name of Jesus. I'm not sure what context this was in, but he received the last rights. He was canonized in 1726.

In 1887 Gonzaga University was founded and named for him in Spokane, WA. Bing Crosby attended Gonzaga in the early 1920s.

St. Mary's College's basketball star Patty Mills broke his hand at Gonzaga on January 29, 2009. Before the break, SMC was leading by double digits. Gonzaga came back to win. This also lead to SMC not getting to the NCAA finals.

Many believe that St. Zag put a hex on Mills and SMC (see photo). Kobe Bryant called Mills "too quick" -- but he wasn't quick enough to get away from The Saint!

Some of this info came from catholic.org, newadvent.org and wikipedia.org.

Oh Brother

2009-04-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

So, I wanted to take some old audio cassettes and put them onto discs, but my last audio tape deck died a few years ago. My brother has one. My brother never tells you if he's coming out, he just shows up. The following email chain is what it's like trying to communicate with my brother...

On 3/29/09, Ted wrote:

Hey Steve,

Next time you come out can you bring your new audio cassette deck? I have some audio cassettes that I want to put on to disc.

Please respond.

Thanks,

Ted

---

On Mar 30, 2009, at 6:12 AM, Steve wrote:

okay remind me next time I come out

--Steve

---

On 3/30/09, Ted wrote:

but i don't know when the next time you come out will be. i'm reminding you NOW to bring it out the next time you come.

please respond.

ted

---

On Mar 31, 2009, at 5:30 AM, Steve wrote:

right, I will try to remember

if you remind me closer to when I actually do come out there'll be less chance I forget

---

On 3/31/09, Ted wrote:

but you never tell me when you are coming out, you just show up.

---

On Apr 4, 2009, at 5:44 PM, Steve wrote:

but you never tell me when you are coming out, you just show up.
But you never tell me when you're coming out, you just show up.

so?

---

On 4/4/09, Ted wrote:

well you said to remind you to bring it the next time you're going to come out, but you never tell me when you are going to come out, you just show up. hello?

---

On Apr 6, 2009, at 5:35 AM, Steve wrote:

okay I will try and remember to bring it out next time I come out

Conan O'Brien

2009-02-21T19:29:00.001-08:00

Conan O'Brien will leave NYC for LA to take over Jay Leno's Tonight Show next week. (Let's hope he improves on it.) Conan took over David Letterman's Late Night show 16 years ago. For the first several years the great Andy Richter was his sidekick.

Conan's last show was on Friday night (2/20/09). Andy Richter was the special guest; show favorites Will Farrell, and Abe Vigoda made appearances, as well as John Mayer. The White Stripes were the special musical guests.

At the end of the show Conan spends some time praising his band, announcer, writers, Lorne Michaels, David Letterman, Jay Leno, New York City, his family, etc -- Conan comes very close to crying. It's rather touching and here's the link -- you should know it's over 10 minutes, but I find it worthwhile:

http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O'Brien/video/clips/the-last-late-night-good-night-220/1031902/

Crazy/Backwards

2008-11-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

I am (hopefully) going to continue to research this and come to some clearer conclusions. But I was looking at the maps and had some thoughts about the "red states" of 2008...

Here are the states that had the smallest percentages voting for Obama (7 of these states under 40%) (based on data from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/ ):

Wyoming 33% / 65%
Oklahoma 34% / 66%
Utah 34% / 63%
Idaho 36% / 62%
Alaska 36% / 62%
Alabama 39% / 60%
Arkansas 39% / 59%
Louisiana 40% / 59%
Kentucky 41% / 57%
Kansas 41% / 57%
Nebraska 41% / 57%

Based on info from this site: http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/28/real_estate/wealthiest_states/index.htm, with data from last year here are two lists, the ten poorest US states and the ten wealthiest. 9 of the 10 poorest voted for McCain, and tend to be "red states." Of the 10 wealthiest, 9 voted for Obama, and 8 of the 10 historically tend to be "blue states."

The poorest ten US states:
Mississippi
West Virginia
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Alabama
Louisiana
Kentucky
Tennessee
Montana
New Mexico

The wealthiest ten US states:
Maryland
New Jersey
Connecticut
Hawaii
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Alaska
California
Virginia
Minnesota

States with highest and lowest percentages of college graduates (these results are from 2003 - http://www.epodunk.com/top10/collegeDiploma/index.html )

Of the ten highest, 9 voted for Obama:
Massachusetts 37.6
Maryland 37.2
Colorado 36.0
Virginia 34.2
New Hampshire 34.0
Connecticut 33.5
New Jersey 33.4
Minnesota 32.7
Kansas 31.0
Vermont 31.3

Of the ten lowest, 9 of 10 voted for McCain:
West Virginia 15.3
Arkansas 17.4
Mississippi 19.3
Wyoming 20.7
Nevada 21.2
Kentucky 21.3
Indiana 22.2
South Carolina 22.3
Louisiana 22.3
Idaho 22.5

Election Day Trivia

2008-11-03T12:56:00.001-08:00

Did you know Election Day is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday because November 1st is a Holy Day for Catholics. Also, most merchants did their books on the 1st of the month...

Thanks, MSNBC!

Happy Halloween '08

2008-10-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

Due to outrageous demand, here is my famous -- or infamous! -- Halloween poem once again. Originally published 8 years ago:

O Mighty Demon!

Let I worship thee!
On thy hand and knee!
I worship thee!
O Mighty Demon!

O Mighty Red Devil!
With tail of thorn!
With beak of ivory!
With soul of Black Death!
I worship thee!
O Mighty Demon!

Can I interest anyone in some Halloween Nog?
A sprinkle of... nutmeg?
See you soon!

Also, a photo of Mr C in this year's costume:

100% Approved by All Doctors

2008-10-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

I got this ad in some junk mail today, and I thought I'd share it. Some great bad grammar and lines; and wild photos of the elderly:

Elitism Defined

2008-10-26T21:19:00.001-07:00

So, I am watching part of this interview Brian Williams did with John McCain and Sarah Palin for NBC News (the liberal media). So, S. Palin has been making the rounds to rallies and she's all talking about the elitists who love Obama and all this. So Brian Williams asked her what she considers an elitist to be. I just watched her response and then I figured I should rewind the TiVo recording of it and transcribe it for you:

Brian Williams: "Governor, what is an 'elite'? Who is a member of the 'elite'?"

Sarah Palin: "Oh, I guess just people who think that they're better than anyone else, and, uh, John McCain and I are so committed to serving every American, hardworking, middle-class Americans who are so desiring of this economy getting put back on the right track and winning these wars and America starting to reach her potential and that is opportunity and hope provided everyone equally. So anyone who thinks that they are, um, I guess, uh, better than anyone else, that's, that's my definition of elitism."

I think Webster's might be calling with a job offer soon!

And this is how she always talks. In gibberish; babbling, and inserting random, unconnected buzzwords and phrases.

Leave Nothing

2008-10-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

I love this commercial. Have you seen it? It makes me briefly happy. I've seen it a couple of times during football games. The two guys are LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu. The song is a remixed version of Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I didn't realize until right now, when I Googled to find it, that it was directed by David Fincher...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlXRengzZoc

(Click the watch in high quality button.)

Hardball, 10-16-08

2008-10-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

I thought this was funny. I transcribed it here for you:

Jonathan Alter (Newsweek): Younger voters, historically they don't show up. They say, "well I meant to vote, but I had to go work out" -- "uh, you know, I had homework that night" -- whatever --

Chris Matthews: -- "I gotta check my email" --

Alter: -- yeah, "I gotta go on Facebook," whatever -- they don't show up. I think this year looks different...

Obama in 08

2008-10-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Ted is voting, my friends, for "that one." Remarkable.

Ethan

2008-07-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

I've been kind of upset all day. There was this black cat in the neighborhood. He'd be out all day, and go home at night. I saw him all the time. I took a couple of pictures of him. I saw him yesterday sitting across the driveway. I came out of my room and I said, "Hey, Ethan" and waved to him. Then later I saw him again and was like, "What up, Ethan?" And then a little later he saw a lizard or a mouse or something and went after it. This morning he was killed; I guess he was hit by a car.

Chris

2008-03-14T20:27:00.001-07:00

Hi, I know I haven't been writing as much lately. Here's a recent pic of my son, Christopher playing in the garden.

Peanuts: Not Really Nuts

2008-02-05T22:47:00.000-08:00

They are apparently legumes -- just like cashews!

Penis Palace 5 Miles

2008-02-05T22:29:00.001-08:00

Yes, the famed Penis Palace was only 5 miles west on Stone Valley Road, Alamo. I was visiting this small town in Northern Calif, and was walking Mr C and came across this important notice. What must be going on at... The Penis Palace... ? It was only five miles away, but we were tired and didn't know exactly how to reach it, and frankly, was I even sure I wanted to visit a place called "The Penis Palace"? Hmmm...

Chitlins

2008-01-24T11:21:00.001-08:00

Did you know that the popular "southern" food dish of "chitlins" is really just Cheez-Its topped with a cheese-whiz type of spread?

Le Chartreux

2008-01-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

I came across a new (to me) cheese in December. It was at Los Feliz's cheese shop, Say Cheese. It's called Le Chartreux. Cheeseline.com says this about it:

Le Chartreux is a gourmet cheese that is close to Raclette, yet with the rich, subtle bite of Tilsiter.

Le Chartreux can be served to complement Raclette or as an upscale substitute. Its unique bold flavor has an assertive initial bite that yields to a smooth and complex finish.

Made from unpasteurized cow's milk and expertly aged for a minimum of three months, we love it with fresh fruit, black walnuts and a good Bordeaux.

In order to comply with US FDA regulation for export to the USA the maturation of this cheese has been extended to over 60 days.

Stuffed Animal Surviving Rough Winter

2008-01-22T09:48:00.001-08:00

So far. The stuffed animal is still there. I took this pic on January 20, 2008. The other day, someone had cut off a ton of branches from a tree above and I could barely see the animal beneath. I thought they would throw him out with the tree branches, but the next day the branches were gone and he was still there. There have been overnight lows in the 30s and highs near 80. At least one serious rain storm.

Programming Vs. Ads

2007-12-21T10:40:00.001-08:00

Was watching "Chuck" on NBC recently, and at least twice during the show they ran this ad for The Bourne Ultimatum coming out on DVD. It was so tacky and lame I couldn't believe it. This was during the show itself, not during a commercial or a scenes from next week segment. The ad took up the bottom third of the screen.

National Chicken Month

2007-12-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

I just found a note I made to myself, I guess, a few months ago: "Re: Nat'l Chicken Month --> Are we supposed to eat more chicken, or not eat more chicken? -- Find answer!"

Native Animal?

2007-11-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

Someone set this largish stuffed animal (probably a bear?) out on Golden Gate Ave. Been there for a couple of weeks. I kind of like it there...

More Shadow Than a Tree

2007-11-15T15:57:00.001-08:00

Today I got a spam from a Suzette Bush. She claims that using info from her linked site... "Your penis will make more shadow than a tree." Thanks, Suzette!

Deck

2007-11-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

AJ Fowler sent my friend Jenny a spam email today. She sent it to me...

Subject: deck: "Im going to build a back deck.........with pimp."

Halloween Greetings 2007

2007-10-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

"We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?" -- Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

* A week ago, my sister found an old reel of film and finally had it developed. One of the more fantastic pix was this oddball shot of our parents -- crazier than they'd ever have hoped to have appeared.

Something Like Brilliance

2007-10-28T09:33:00.001-07:00

It's art!

CHEAPER than CHEAPER

2007-10-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

One of the best grammar-related multi-boners is this sign for the store CHEAPER than CHEAPER in San Francisco's Richmond District. Here are the errors:

1. The name of the store: CHEAPER than CHEAPER makes no sense. Cheaper Than Cheap is stupid, but it would at least make sense in a way. Why is the second CHEAPER larger than the first CHEAPER?
2. "Smile,your saving" a lot of money. First: let's ignore that it's stupid, why is "Smile,your saving" in quotes? It's not a quote attributed to someone. It's not a saying. Why is only the first part of the statement in quotes? The whole thing is mind-boggling.
3. "Smile,your": A space goes after a comma. Sometimes you will get emails from people who don't know this, but again, when it's the sign for your business -- proofreaders?
4. "Your" should be "You're."

* Credit at least for not using "CHEAPER then CHEAPER." I try to explain to people that saying "I like this better then this" is wrong. They should say "I like this better than this." This is the most common grammatical error I see these days. Almost everyone does it. Wake up, bitches!

Apostrophe Catastrophe I

2007-10-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Jenny and I were talking about grammar-related concerns recently. People putting apostrophes where they don't belong, or leaving them out when they should be in, etc. The worst is when you see it in signs and things. Are there no proofreaders? Are there no editors? Then a couple days later I was in the supermarket and saw this magazine cover. This is a huge magazine -- schlocky gossip rag garbage -- but huge. You'd think they'd have someone look at stuff before they print it on the cover of an international magazine. (Note: There should be an apostrophe after Julia Roberts: either Roberts' or Roberts's, not Robert's. As it is it's like saying "Reese Witherspoon husband walks out.")

Tinto Brass

2007-10-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

I emailed my friend, "When I was visiting my parents recently I changed my Netflix account address to my parents' address. Then returned to LA, put two soft-core porn/erotica/70s-sexploitation pix at the top of my queue, forgot to change my address, the discs went to my parents' house, Mom emails me saying Netflix sent two movies to them and should she send them to me or send them back to Netflix, I say 'send them to me' not knowing whether they opened them or not, then I get them, they had been opened, and that's a little embarrassing."

My friend replied, "That's kind of like when I just started getting Maxim Magazine for free, sent to my parents' house and I go over there and my mom says that a pornographic magazine has been coming with my name on it and why wouldn't I have that sent to my PO box. I said, 'I'm not subscribing to Maxim so I don't know why it's coming here, and also Maxim is not pornography.' And my mom says, "Oh, I think it is." And I thought, 'Well you've obviously never clicked on jizzbomb.com.'"

Kitchen Lime

2007-10-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Another item from my time at my sister's... I took this pic and emailed it to my sister with this note: "Did you want me to save this?"

Item Glued to Ceiling

2007-10-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

I was house and dog sitting for my sister the last few days. At one point I emailed her: "There's a tampon pasted to the ceiling of the guest bathroom." Her response: "It is a panty liner fool!"

Peter Cetera Names Son "Et"

2007-10-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

Not true. But wouldn't it be great if he did name his son "Et Cetera"?

Michael Clayton

2007-10-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

I went out to The Grove yesterday. I saw Michael Clayton starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack and Michael O'Keefe. It was pretty good, but a little dry. The theater was pretty crowded, but I managed to sit with no one directly next to me. But two seats to my right was an older woman, who kept making noises, and saying things. Like, at one point, she thought someone had been killed, and she moaned an "ooaaahhh." At a particularly intense moment during the climax, she was so ruffled she had no choice but to pick up her long ago discarded popcorn and start munching on it again.

The movie cost $9.75 -- that's the matinee price. I got a popcorn and Coke for another $9.25. Part of this is just being in LA/Hollywood, where movie prices are second only to NYC. Part of it is that The Grove is one of the more expensive theaters, second only to the Arclight, down here, I think. Stadium seating is highly touted, but isn't even all that great.

Anyway, next I went to get some much needed new sunglasses at Nordstrom (also in The Grove). Persol. See enclosed iPhone pic.

While at The Grove I saw a lot of the Hollywood/Beverly Hills type of people that made me hate LA so much when I lived here ten years ago. It is much better to be on the East Side (Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz). The Grove featured many stupid, young people with very, very rich parents: film producers, kings, princes, owners of small countries, mobsters, etc. These people, dripping in expense, and solely concerned with themselves, treated everyone else like they worked for them.

There were a lot of dogs at The Grove. I think I saw an actress who's on a new TV show, and the guy who played the brother-in-law of the victim in 1982's The Verdict -- he had really long hair. I could be wrong.

Then I went to an unnamed supermarket in Los Feliz. There is a girl who works there who bags groceries. She's kind of pretty, but I get the feeling that she hates her job, hates the people that shop in [unnamed supermarket], thinks she deserves better, and maybe she does. She's also a terrible bagger. She could care less. Shockingly slow. I should know, because I used to bag groceries! In 1986! She's terrible. I was great. She's slow and rude and bags carelessly. I was fast and kind and bagged thoughtfully and smartly. I feel like she's the kind of person who could watch someone murder someone else and do nothing and feel nothing. Like, in fact, if she met the right guy, she could become one half of an infamous spree killer couple! Hooray! Of course, I could be wrong about her. Maybe I think too much in my head.

My Profile Disappeared!

2007-10-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

Isn't blogging great?! I decide to start doing it again, and my profile vanishes! It was here this morning when I first went to the blog, but it's gone now!

Blogrageous!

2007-10-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

Things are going to get a little blogrageous around here, or perhaps I should say a little more blogrageous. My friend "Jenny" has suggested I write more, blog more, and work out more. So, I am now intending, or rather it is now my intention, or I mean to say, I now intend to update my blog, this blog, on a daily basis. Excited? You should be.

The DDs

2005-12-29T14:40:00.000-08:00

On Dec 19, 2005, at 1:38 PM, I wrote to my old, old friend, PC Rooks: "Thought you'd like to know: over the past, about, 16 hours I've probably dropped as many pounds from seemingly unending hot, wet, dripping, incendiary, flow-siferous bowel charges! Splitter-splatter! Thought YOU'D love to know. It was a Couch Trip Marathon!"

PC -- and apparently, I, myself -- are a little fascinated with/cracked up by bowel movement issues. PC loves this old story that our mutual friend (Tims) told PC the morning after it happened. Tims and I were driving to the movie theater to see The Couch Trip with Dan Aykroyd, Charles Grodin and Walter Matthau. Half way there, I start sweating, getting feverish. Things are moving wildly inside my body.

U-Turn.

Tims is like, "uh, what?"

I'm like, "can't do it... gotta... get... back... home... use... toilet..."

Tims is like, "can't you use the one at the theater?" I could not. My fear/hatred of public restrooms has definitely softened since high school, but it is still not my fav place, and certainly not in the case of a serious sit-down waste disposal scenario. Anyway, I could also tell this was serious business, and there would be no comfort watching The Couch Trip. It was going to be, let's say, recurring. So we made it home just in time. Tims played Nintendo for a half an hour or so while I had a serious session in my own personal bathroom at my parents' house.

Another Blog

2005-11-18T03:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, another blog. Not just another blog out there in blog town, but actually like a 4th or 5th blog from me, myself. It's like, I want to post comments on my friend's blog, and I have to join to do so. So now I've got a website and several blogs, a Friendster page, etc. [Annoyingly, some dude, named Ted Strong -- apparently -- already has my name as his blog so I had to go with http://tedstrongdotcom.blogspot.com -- bastards!]