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Published On: Feb 08, 2005 10:12 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Feb 08, 2005 10:12 PM
Fri - December 31, 2004
The Goyablog is Dead; Long Live the Goyablog
2004 is over and so is this version of Goyablog. I
will be starting a fresh new Goyablog at my new web home, goyaboy.org, once
2005 begins. I'll keep this one archived here for now. In the meantime, eat lots
of goya for a Healthy and Happy New Year!
Posted at 07:30 PM |
Wed - December 29, 2004
More Red State Values Billboards in Georgia
I like the juxtaposition of temptation and threat
of eternal damnation expressed across the billboards we encountered in
Georgia.
Posted at 10:56 PM |
Wed - December 22, 2004
More Red State Values
Can never have too much jiggling flesh with that
ribeye.
As Safa and I trek down to Florida from Nashville to visit the mom-in-law, I've seen more billboards like these along I-75 in the Red State of Georgia than on any other strip (so to speak) of highway in any other state ever, including Nevada (the Red State with licensed prostitution). "Lucky Spa Massage" and "Lap dancing--We Bare All" declarations at several truck stops make me wonder about the connection between Jesus and strip joints. Oh yeah, our hotel in Valdosta, GA is next to a Hooters:
As Safa and I trek down to Florida from Nashville to visit the mom-in-law, I've seen more billboards like these along I-75 in the Red State of Georgia than on any other strip (so to speak) of highway in any other state ever, including Nevada (the Red State with licensed prostitution). "Lucky Spa Massage" and "Lap dancing--We Bare All" declarations at several truck stops make me wonder about the connection between Jesus and strip joints. Oh yeah, our hotel in Valdosta, GA is next to a Hooters:
Posted at 08:22 PM |
Mon - December 20, 2004
XXXmas Toys
Christmas plush toy cross-species miscegenation in
The Mall at
Green Hills , Nashville.
Posted at 09:26 PM |
Geisha Sumo Child
Children in Japan look like a cross between a
geisha and a sumo wrestler, apparently. This ethic image is made courtesy of
Safa's kindergarten classroom. I wonder what the comparable American looks like
on the Japanese version of "Children Around the World." Probably a kiddie
version of a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.
Posted at 09:22 PM |
Mon - December 6, 2004
Red State "Values" in Action
These stats on teen pregnancy are from the Center of Disease
Control via itaffectsyou.org via DailyKos. Looks
like those vaunted red state values aren't too effective in curbing fornication.
And the rest of the Union is supposed to follow suit? I love the euphemism "teen
parent." My mom was a "teen parent" (19) when she had me.
Posted at 10:42 PM |
Wed - December 1, 2004
The Bird's-Eye View
After the rain the other day I got up on the roof
and pretended I was a heron looking for breakfast in the pond below. The stones
on the edge of these photos are of the chimney. The two larger trees on the
bottom of the right-hand photo are my dwarf Eastern White Pines. The triangle of
smaller pines at middle right is our family: a Japanese Black Pine at top (me,
because it is traditionally considered a male element in Japanese gardens; a
Japanese Red Pine on the right edge (Ruth, because--you guessed it--it is
considered female); and a dwarf Mugo Pine (Safa, because it's the smallest).
Posted at 10:36 PM |
Sun - November 28, 2004
Audrey Tautou
I came across a fetching photo of French actress
Audrey
Tautou
(Amélie)
from an article about how the latest film she's in,
Jean Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long
Engagement , is not considered
"French enough" to qualify for French film awards this year (because Warner
Pictures backed it). I've been meaning to see
Amélie
for a long time, but now want to see
AVLE
based on the rave reviews I've read. I dunno, Mlle. Tautou
looks "French enough" to me. You can see more photos of her here
.
Posted at 12:30 AM |
Sat - November 27, 2004
Opryland
So, we took Grandma to the Grand Old Opry
tonight and had a good time (once we braved the traffic in). I would say the
average age of the crowd was 55, but there were young folks there too. The show
was a smart mix of oldies and contemporary by has-beens and wannabes. Overall,
it was entertaining, and the live radio broadcast of it provided a nice
atmosphere. My favorite parts were the commercials for Martha White corn meal,
Tennessee Pride Sausage, Goo Goo clusters, etc. Some of the music was good too.
The only really bad song was the closer by Jim Ed Brown about Bigfoot and Santa
Claus. It was embarrassingly lame. I could take all of the Jesusland songs, but
Bigfoot has got to go. Still, if you're in Nashville anytime ya gotta go check
it out at least once.
Posted at 11:55 PM |
Wed - November 24, 2004
Music City, USA
Mom's in town for Thanksgiving and we took her to
see the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame today. Both were
better than I thought they'd be. I knew the Ryman (previous home of the Grand
Old Opry, among other things) was cool, but it's really cool inside. Church
lined pews in a third circle arcing around the stage and piled in the balcony.
It has a small cozy feel and purportedly the best acoustics than anywhere except
the Mormon Tabernacle. Bizarrely, an extended family of Italians were there and
took the stage and started singing and playing American country songs like the
real mccoy. We didn't know they weren't Americans until they broke into Italian
chatter between songs. The woman strumming and leading the singing was
convincing. Unfortunately, Mom and Ruth, pictured above, wouldn't
sing.
The CMHF was full of historical interest as well as neat artifacts and sounds. They even had Elvis' Gold Piano:
The entry fee is a bit expensive, but I think worth it, especially if you the Totoro discount (I won't explain).
The CMHF was full of historical interest as well as neat artifacts and sounds. They even had Elvis' Gold Piano:
The entry fee is a bit expensive, but I think worth it, especially if you the Totoro discount (I won't explain).
Posted at 11:43 PM |
Wed - November 17, 2004
Grilled Cheese Virgin Mary
I think it looks more like Jesus, but the owner of
this ten-year-old grilled cheese sandwich that's up for auction on
eBay says it's the Blessed Virgin Mary that appeared on it upon the
first bite--and that the sandwich has miraculously remained mold-free ever
since. I dare the winning bidder to eat it. That gives me an idea: I always
thought those wafer hosts at Mass were boring. The Catholic Church should start
transubstantiating mini grilled cheese sandwiches (kind of like the stuff you
get in Lunchables) or those mini-waffles Safa likes, into the Body of Christ.
Actually, why not use mini-waffles/wafers for the early masses, mini grilled
cheese sandwiches from brunch to noon, and mini pizzas for Saturday evenings.
That would almost get me to go back to
church...
UPDATE: The BVM Sandwich sold for $28,000. The online casino goldenpalace.com bought it. Now that I look at the image again, I think it looks more like Fay Wray in the clutches of King Kong. You decide:
UPDATE 2: I got a vote for Cosette from Les Misérables:
I see it, but take a classic film star over Broadway musical punk any day...
UPDATE: The BVM Sandwich sold for $28,000. The online casino goldenpalace.com bought it. Now that I look at the image again, I think it looks more like Fay Wray in the clutches of King Kong. You decide:
UPDATE 2: I got a vote for Cosette from Les Misérables:
I see it, but take a classic film star over Broadway musical punk any day...
Posted at 09:09 PM |
Mon - November 15, 2004
Pinus strobus "Macopin"
Today I scored the latest of my excellent plant
buys--a Pinus strobus "Macopin" . Or, in English, an
Eastern White Pine, cultivar "Macopin". It's a dwarf Eastern White Pine cultivar
that's hard to find and usually a bit expensive (as most dwarf conifers are).
The "Macopin" designation refers to the place--Macopin,
New Jersey --where this cultivar was first developed from a "witch's
broom " (a kind of abnormal shrubby growth on an established tree) on
a regular Eastern White Pine. The one I got is more open than most, which I
prefer because it shows off its gorgeously twisted trunk. This cultivar is known
for its irregular trunk and precocious preponderance of pine cones (we'll see
about that). It's recommended for rock gardens and as a specimen plant in
general. The needles are very soft and blueish. Oh yeah, through a bit of sly
bargaining I got a $125 specimen for $100. I'm pleased, and it looks great
where I planted it.
Posted at 11:01 PM |
10 Reasons to Build a Pond
1. For the sweat, body aches, and blisters,
especially if you're over 40. I'm serious--it feels great. (I could do without
the carpel tunnel syndrome, though).
2. To practice landscape design and engineering.
3. To learn about hydrology and pond pump plumbing (say "pond pump plumbing" fast three times).
4. To learn about pond chemistry and ecology.
5. To learn about aquatic gardening.
6. To learn about fish care, including how to pronounce certain fish diseases.
7. To attract frogs and herons to your yard.
8. To understand water.
9. To gain the respect of the locals (I think the UPS and FedEx guys idolize me now).
10. To look at it afterward and say "Holy shit! Did I do that?!"
2. To practice landscape design and engineering.
3. To learn about hydrology and pond pump plumbing (say "pond pump plumbing" fast three times).
4. To learn about pond chemistry and ecology.
5. To learn about aquatic gardening.
6. To learn about fish care, including how to pronounce certain fish diseases.
7. To attract frogs and herons to your yard.
8. To understand water.
9. To gain the respect of the locals (I think the UPS and FedEx guys idolize me now).
10. To look at it afterward and say "Holy shit! Did I do that?!"
Posted at 10:38 PM |
Mon - October 25, 2004
Pond Project shifts to Landscape mode
The pond is done for the time being despite
tweaking that still needs to be done to lessen the water loss due to splash,
sponging, and seepage in the cascade areas. Now I'm landscaping the surrounding
area. First came the gravel path, which doubles as a drainage path, and then two
dwarf pines: a pinus mugo (dwarf swiss moutain pine) to the right and a pinus
strobus "nana" (dwarf eastern white pine) to the left in front of the chimney.
These were in about two weeks ago. I've since added a few more things that I'll
photo later. Oh yeah, that's Safa--not a shrub--in the front.
Posted at 10:55 PM |
Sun - October 10, 2004
Pond Update
After much tinkering with the cascades (which were
a source of unacceptable water loss with the pump on), I managed to seal and
channel the flow so that the loss is (barely) within acceptable parameters. With
the pump on 16 hours a day, it drops about an inch and a half. I can attribute
about a half inch to normal evaporation and unavoidable splash. The main problem
is most likely water spreading out on the sides of the main cascades and being
sponged out over rocks and into the underlayment in a couple spots where I
stupidly trimmed the liner too low. It's not a huge problem, and I can probably
improve it by channeling the falls more toward the center at any time, so I'm
considering it done for now. Next step: planting, trim detail, and a
gravel-and-stepping-stone path along the upper pond. That will happen this week
between the rains we're expecting.
Posted at 08:52 PM |
Goal! Goal! Gooooooooaaaaaaaal!
Yesterday Safa scored the first goal of the season
for her team (and it was the fourth game)! She shot from about 30 feet out and
the ball had just enough momentum and the opposing goalie just enough inability
for the ball to trickle in. She got a large Wild Cherry Icee as a treat for her
effort.
Posted at 08:40 PM |
Safa's Sixth
Last Saturday we celebrated Safa's sixth birthday
(which was Oct. 5) at the Adventure Science Center, which is a pretty fun place.
This was the first time that we didn't have a party at home. Safa had her heart
set on the ASC, especially the Big Birthday Chair, so we succumbed to her
birthday wishes.
Posted at 08:34 PM |
Sat - October 2, 2004
Cubs Lose! Cubs Lose! Cubs Lose!
What do you live
for?
I caught the Cubs-Reds game at Wrigley Field on Thursday on the way back from a talk at the U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Unfortunately the Cubs offense did not support a scintillating pitching effort by Mark Prior (4 hits, 1 earned run, and 16 strikeouts in 9 innings). They lost in 12 innings 2-1 and effectively ended their shot at the playoffs (especially after losing again today vs. Atlanta). After gaining the lead in the Wild Card last week, they have utterly collapsed ever since the shocker in NY last Saturday (lost the lead with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the bottom of the ninth--and did the same thing Wednesday vs. the Reds). Losing 6 of their last 7 when they needed to do the opposite will go down as one of the worst wilting in Cubs history--but there have been so many....
I caught the Cubs-Reds game at Wrigley Field on Thursday on the way back from a talk at the U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Unfortunately the Cubs offense did not support a scintillating pitching effort by Mark Prior (4 hits, 1 earned run, and 16 strikeouts in 9 innings). They lost in 12 innings 2-1 and effectively ended their shot at the playoffs (especially after losing again today vs. Atlanta). After gaining the lead in the Wild Card last week, they have utterly collapsed ever since the shocker in NY last Saturday (lost the lead with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the bottom of the ninth--and did the same thing Wednesday vs. the Reds). Losing 6 of their last 7 when they needed to do the opposite will go down as one of the worst wilting in Cubs history--but there have been so many....
Posted at 07:17 PM |
Sat - September 25, 2004
Give Them Liberty or Give Them Death
So, the U.S. liberated Iraqi civilians from a
dictator. And now the U.S. is killing Iraqi civilians quicker than insurgents
are. That's just swell. Mr. Bush, you are not only a liar, an idiot, and
miserable failure--you're a murderer of innocents as well.
Posted at 11:00 PM |