Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Joe Paterno has definitely had an up and down relationship with the press over the years. Apparently back in the day (before I was born, let alone watching football), there were a number of reporters he hung out with and had over for Italian food after the games. But as technology and journalism have intersected and every statement comes under intense scrutiny, Joepa's relationship with the press has become more closed and even antagonistic at times. Still, he manages to have a good time during his weekly press conferences. Just don't ask him about a game later in the season (he hasn't thought about that team yet; he's focusing on this week) or whether the team is good this year (it's a good group of guys but we'll see how they do).

Someone took this time to put together a humorous look at Joepa behind the mic. Enjoy!

Fall is Here!

Watching football used to mean the beginning of fall, but now that I live in Texas it still feels like summer. However, the temperatures have begun to drop and today was finally fall. I drove home with the top down and the music blaring, took Max for a walk, and sat outside for a while to read a book.

Welcome to Texas, fall!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Yarrrr!

Avast mateys! Today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day! So raise a mug of grog to the scurvy scallawags on your ship and treat yourself to a new eye patch!

ARRRRRRR!!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Cover Couture

As more and more people buy iphones and ipods, the range of covers for them continues to expand. These covers can be quite pricy; mine is just a simple black one but it was still $19.99. Luckily in this down economy one company has come up with a simple, innovative design that they are selling for the remarkable price of only 99 cents. If you buy 10, it's only $7.99! And you can even get it personalized. So, who wants one?


click here for an awesome iphone cover

*Note: I highly recommend clicking this link and reading the FAQ prior to purchase.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Carrot Contingent

I tend to blog a lot about Max but he is just one inhabitant of the small petting zoo in my home. This weekend The Dude and I gave the rabbits some grooming and I took the opportunity to catch these furry snoutalicious photos.


I really wanted to get a close up of Littlefoot's nose wiggle but this was the best I could do. He's not a big fan of getting a manicure from us; he doesn't think it's manly enough.

Silver doesn't mind spa day nearly as much. He lays back and enjoys the good life.

Naturally, he wasn't too pleased that I was going to put his photo on the interwebs while his hair was all wet so I promised to put up this other one after his blowout.

Of course Max saw that the rabbits were out and thought that meant it was party time, so he pretty much glued himself to us and this is what we saw all afternoon.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

1 Part Truth, 2 Parts Mystery

A History of the World in Six Glasses, Tom Standage
This book traces the history of civilization through six broadly defined eras in which the primary drink was beer, wine, liquor, coffee, tea, and finally cola. I most enjoyed the first three sections (beer, wine and liquor) because they dealt with civilizations from thousands of years ago. Once the book got to more modern times the premise sometimes felt stretched. For example, the author cited first taxes on whiskey and later those on tea as inciting the American revolution. While they certainly both contributed, the author tried to make the same point twice and didn't really acknowledge the inconsistency. Even so, it was an interesting book and made me think a lot more about what I drink!

The Little Stranger, Sarah Waters
After World War II, England was at a crossroads in that many parts of it were modern, but in the countryside buildings and social mores had not changed for centuries. This novel follows a family of country gentry as they deal with these changes. However, it's a bit of a mystery and a ghost story. I'm not usually a big fan of these types of things, but The Little Stranger was well written; it remained creepy without slipping over into ridiculousness. The narrator, a doctor, acted as a device to win over the skeptical reader (such as myself). The writing is good and I'm interested in seeing what else Sarah Waters has written.

The Lace Reader
, Brunonia Barry
This one came recommended from Erin and I'm so glad she lent it to me. The novel follows the homecoming of Towner Whitney, a self-proclaimed "unreliable narrator" who returns to her hometown of Salem, Massachusetts for the first time in fifteen years. In this book nothing is as it seems; the witches are on the good side and a popular preacher is abusive. As the story progresses, the reader learns more about why Towner left Salem so long ago and how it impacted the entire community. The title comes from a special talent of the Whitney women; they can "read" lace and see the future. The book is mystical without being unrealistic and draws you completely into Towner's life. Quick everyone, ask Erin if you can borrow it next!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Thoughts on PSU Football

Here are my thoughts, immediately post game:
  1. We have no running game right now. Handing off to Royster and letting him run up the middle does not count. When we get into tougher games later in the season, we can't rely on our passing game.
  2. I would have liked to see the shutout for the defense. But even without it, Sean Lee and Josh Hull are machines. Some of the closeups of Lee's face before a play were unreal...I would not want to line up opposite him.
  3. What is the deal with this 60s day thing? Blue and white people. We are Penn State. We don't need gimmicks.
  4. I miss tailgating.
Plan for the rest of today: remain on the couch and hope that Michigan and Ohio State don't embarrass the Big Ten against Notre Lame and USC.

Next week: Temple. Should be a little tougher competition than we've seen so far; hopefully the team's level of play continues to improve.

Welcome to fall! Let's Go State!!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

How I Ended Up With a Library

3 weeks ago, I was looking for a Starbucks where I could pull over and use the restroom while the Dude got coffee. I found one and it turned out to be attached to a Barnes and Noble. I told the Dude not to let me stay long, so I only walked out with one hardback (from the bargain books) and a new paperback that I had read a review of.

Tonight, I went to the library's website to reserve a book that wasn't on the shelf the last time I visited. Apparently no library in the county owns the book, so I went to amazon.com to buy it. It was only $9.00, so in about a minute and a half I found another book on my list and a third book recommended by amazon to give me the $25 total needed for free shipping.

Hey, at least I don't collect Manolo Blahniks.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Now is the Season for Action

As you probably know, Obama gave a speech tonight about health care. My feelings are plain.

Everyone in the United States should have access to comprehensive health care coverage, regardless of their income or employment. Period.

Granted, that is a lot easier said than done. How do you define "comprehensive"? How do you pay for health care who can't afford it for themselves? These are tough questions but that does not mean we shouldn't try. It doesn't mean partisan bickering should interfere with a health care bill being passed.

Please take the time to contact your Congressional representatives and tell them this issue is important to you. If they're Democrats, tell them to reach across the aisle if that's what it takes. If they're Republicans, tell them that flat out not negotiating because of a public option is not acceptable. They need to be willing to sit down and work hard to make this happen and if political grandstanding continues that will never happen.

This issue affects every single American. Regardless of how you think we should fix it, you have to know our health care system needs fixing. Let's let Congress know they need to get to work.

Find out how to contact your Representative here.

Find out how to contact your Senator here.

Tell President Obama what you think here.


*title of this post taken from Obama's address

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Sunday Slothness

I hope your day is going just as well as this little guy's! Mine is!


...courtesy of Cute Overload!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Now That's a Bargain!

The average wedding in the United States in 2008 cost $20,938. As I have learned first hand, a lot of brides are looking for ways to save. The 99-Cent Only Store may be offering the ultimate bargain. From this article:

"The 99-Cent Only Store is offering nine random couples a chance to marry on the extremely cheap on Sept. 9, 2009 – 9/9/09...The wedding, of course, will be held with items from the 99-Cent Only Store, including 99.99-cent place settings and a 99.99-cent wedding dress made of white T-shirts, table runners and loofahs."

Although I have already bought my dress (and paid quite a bit more than 99 cents for it), I am really curious to see what the dress made of "white T-shirts, table runners and loofahs" looks like. Right now you're probably imagining the awful wedding dresses made out of toilet paper at many wedding showers, but that's because you haven't seen these:

Toilet Paper Dress (source)

Duct Tape Dress (source)

T-shirt Dress (source)

Of course, even if the dress from the 99 cent store isn't as beautiful as these, I'd still be interested in finding out whether it can rival the Waffle House Wedding.

Hubba Hubba Hubby

I have always been a fan of Ben and Jerry's and am admittedly biased toward them since:
1) they took a short course on ice cream making at Penn State
2) they give out free cones to everyone one day a year and
3) I lived above a Ben and Jerry's in college and at $2.99, a pint of ice cream was a cheap and delicious meal.

I am also aware that the company is known for being vocal politically and today they did something I think is awesome. In honor of gay marriage becoming legal in Vermont, they sold pints of "Hubby Hubby." Unfortunately if you don't live in Vermont you probably won't be able to get a hold of it, but you can use a permanent marker to re-label your own Chubby Hubby (the ice cream, not your loved one).



Congratulations Vermont!



Where I learned about this: http://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/daily-bread/2009/09/01/ben-jerrys-gay-ice-cream