Tattooed pig ears?

I feel like I need to say something about all this talk about earmarks and pork. The definition of earmarks is:

congressional provisions that direct approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that direct specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees.

And pork:

appropriation of government spending for projects that are intended primarily to benefit particular constituents or campaign contributors.

This sounds hard. But from what I understand (and I would love to discuss this with someone who actually knows something) these are moneys attached to pieces of legislation or committee reports that go to specific projects (usually pet projects) that are used in order to get people to vote for things. This obviously sounds bad. But I dont understand how it can be so legal and so accepted for so long if there was a better way to do it. And by better I mean a way that actually works. And obviously gross spending needs to be looked at. Federal bureaucracy and things that dont work need to go. But according to Citizens Against Government Waste $18 billion was spent in pork last year. Do you know how much we spent in Iraq last month? $12 billion. (Off topic - that is almost $5000 a second!) So maybe pork is not the thing we need to worry about so much. Maybe we need to prioritize.

A little old bloggy blog

So I have gotten off the daily update thing since I heard from people that it was boring. Which I of course said it was going to be. But whatever. And I so dont have time at work anymore. But I would still like to discuss movies and recipes when I can. So while I wait for the debate to start in like 30 seconds . . .

We just finished watching Lars and the Real Girl. And it was awesome. It really was. Now the basic plot - Man falls in love with sex doll - does not at all describe this movie or do it justice. It exemplifies what is good, really good, about small town America. And of course Ryan Gosling is so hot. But see this movie if you get a chance. Really. I laughed, I cried, I cringed and I smiled despite myself.

For dinner this evening we had Warm Snow Pea and Chicken Salad. It is one of my faves. It is pretty easy and so tasty. We actually follow this recipe . . . ok, close anyway. Used half vegetable stock and half chicken broth. And I used tahini and tamari since I had it. Could easily veganize with tofu or tempeh.

Ok, that is all. Debate time.

Happy Virus Appreciation Day!

Soooo . . . how does everyone think last night went? I think that Palin was going to have to fuck up pretty badly to lose. Or that it was going to be near impossible for her to lose. Expectations were SO low. And after the Katie Couric debacle of last week she was going to be coached to within an inch of her life. Not to say that she was going to win per se, but that she couldnt really hurt anything. Or she was going to have to try really hard. And I have to say, because it is only fair, she is VERY good at what they want her to do:
She can learn her lines.
She knows the soundbites.
She knows how to speak in broad generalities.
She knows how to spout the party lines and the party lies.
She knows how to appeal to the apparently ignorant "joe-sixpack" and his wife "hockey mom." I would love to meet this couple one day.

However, she does not:
Know how to answer a question directly. (Though neither does Biden)
Know how to stay on topic. (Again, an issue for Biden)
Know that the lead NATO general in Afghanistan is David McKiernan not McClellan. Or what he has said about an Iraq-style surge in Afghanistan.
Know how to pronounce the word nuclear. Everyone with me now, NU-CLE-AR. Not NU-CU-LAR.
Know how to answer a question she isnt ready for. For instance, what has she had to change about herself? She didnt veto some budgets. Soooo, her stance was to veto all budgets no matter what?
Know how many troops we have in Iraq. 15,000 more than pre-surge.
Know that Obama has said that there were some successes from the surge. "The surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated . . . I've always said it's succeeded beyond our wildest dream."
Know that natural gas is not "clean" or "green."
Know that cooperating and getting along with other Republicans (once they turn republican), no matter their background (Lieberman and Romney formerly being Dems) doesnt actually make you a Maverick.
And of course she may in fact know that lies she spouts about Obama's voting record (tax cuts, tax increases, military funding), and McCain's voting record are lies, but I will put that under party lines and lies.

I thought Biden did an ok job considering he isnt really a debater. I loved his point about McCain being a Maverick at the end, but I think it got a bit lost. He did mess up saying that France and the US kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon since that was actually Syria, and maybe Israel, and Hezbollah is still strong in Lebanon (which he did say). He got a little weird on the judge thing, not quite sure what his idea there was. I guess to show that he isnt a flip-flopper on pertinent (to the campaign) issues? But he didnt "attack" her. He attacked McCain and McCain's record and policies. And he defended. But he didnt attack her (even when she attacked him) which is good because it would have turned him into a chauvinist picking on the girl. Which fucking sucks. She should be able to take whatever anyone throws at her. But of course that isnt going to happen.

So I dont personally think there was a winner or a loser. I dont think Biden hurt or helped anything. Unfortunately I think that Palin may have helped McCain by staying largely coherent (though entirely scripted). I still do not understand how anyone can vote for them. How anyone can not see that they are not different enough from the last 8 years. I know that one big argument is that Obama doesnt have experience and that he is largely just an idea of hope and change. But he has proven that he will surround himself with people who do have the experience necessary (and not just lobbyists). That he will listen to those people (something McCain doesnt seem to do). And isnt an idea of hope and change better than no hope and no change at all? Dont we have the right to hope and dream anymore? Palin keeps calling her and McCain an "i-dill" partnership (which I assume means ideal). But then tells us that we are being too idealistic when we want what Obama says we deserve and that he will try to fight for it. I know McCain is a war hero. I get it. Prisoner of war, torture, hero. I get it. I do. Believe it or not, I do come from a military family. And he should be respected and honored for those sacrifices that he made and the hope that he provided for the other POWs he was with. But that doesnt mean he should be respected for bad policies, faulty thinking and stubbroness when it comes to our future on the global and local stage. And Obama was a draft dodger or anything. He just wasnt old enough to fight and when he was old enough he probably thought that he was doing things as important to the future of the people he was helping. Because yeah, my grandfather was in the Army and he was stationed in Germany but he also graduated from Harvard Law. And I respect him for that too. And I respect Obama for doing what he has done. Maybe he doesnt come across as a guy you want to have a beer with at the Sidecar. But is that really a valid reason why he shouldnt be president?

Ok. That is all. I am just disheartened and a bit scared. Las tnight Matty said that it would be ok. Because the last two elections were such disappointments and slaps in the face to us. But in 2000 when we were upset and confused, we never thought that we would be where we would be in 2004. But at least we said to ourselves "There is no way that it can happen again, people have to see." And they didnt and it did. But even then we had no idea where we would be now. And now we are here and part of me is screaming. "It cant happen again. It just cant. How can this be? Who are these people? What are they thinking? What do they see that I just dont see? What do I see that they just cant see." But I feel like I have learned better and so who, in my heart and nightmares, do think is going to be president this time next year? John McCain.

And I do not have any hope of any change. And I am scared.

Another shared thing

Cuz they told me to.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

And for you to use tonight:
http://palinbingo.com/

But you should read my previous post too. Cuz it is a good example of a princess rant.

Me? Partisan?

So I just wanted to set the record straight. I bet some of you out there, (the 4 of you who read this) based upon recent posts, think that perhaps I am one of those dirty "liberals." Yes! I said it, the L word. You probably think that I am simply a McCain-Palin-hating Obama-Biden-loving tree-hugging liberals. One of those people who think that their government should provide services to its people and that we should (gasp) pay taxes for those services. One of those people who believe that a strong middle class is the way to a strong economy. One of those people who believe that EVERY person in this country deserves GOOD health care and GOOD education. One of those people who believes that our forefathers did not have automatic handguns in mind when they wrote the Second Amendment. One of those people who thinks that two people who love each other and want to devote their lives to one another should be allowed to get married. One of those people who thinks that I deserve to get paid the same amount of money for the same job as someone who happens to have a penis. One of those people who thinks that we should raise up the standard of living of those people in our own country and abroad (when we can afford it) who actually WANT and NEED our help. Not those who we will simply make a better profit or a better headline. One of those people who remembers that this country was built by immigrants. And who thinks that we need a valid and enforceable immigration policy (and foreign relations and assistance policy) instead of a fence surrounded by guys with guns. One of those people who believe that we elect people to office who are there to represent US. One of those people who do not think that Ronald Reagan was the second coming of Christ. One of those people who think that we have a responsibility to our children and our grandchildren and your children and your grandchildren to not completely destroy the one earth that we have. And that we should listen to experts and scientists and give them money so that they can do what needs to be done to cure our diseases and help prevent them from happening, to do what needs to be done to rid of us of our addiction to oil (not just foreign oil, all oil) and to find efficient and environmentally friendly and sustainable ways to live our lives. One of those people who think that our president SHOULD be better than your average Joe. And SHOULD know it and act it, be educated and erudite and be able to negotiate and listen to people saying that he or SHE is wrong and that a different course of action needs to be taken. One of those people that thinks the patriotic thing is to only fight the wars to need to be fought and let our servicemen and women survive to raise their families and work their jobs and live to fight another day if that need should arise. You probably think I am one of those people right? Well here you go:

Biden, a six-term senator from Delaware, said that Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation on television after the 1929 stock market crash. (FDR wasn't president yet and commercial TV didn't exist at the time.) He told a TV interviewer that paying higher taxes was "patriotic." And he called an Obama campaign ad ridiculing Republican presidential nominee John McCain's computer skills "terrible."

Ok, are we done yet? Of course I am all of those things. And I think that that makes me very patriotic. And I am embarrassed and ashamed that the guy who I think should be second in command of our country said those things. So just in case you dont get sarcasm and think that I am actually not a liberal. From the Sarah Palin hall of fame:

I love Jack Cafferty. Almost as much as I hate Lou Dobbs. And John McCain. And Sarah Palin. And George W. Bush. And Dick Cheney. And Joe Lieberman. And . . . this could go on and on . . .

Can I just say Oh My God?!

People actually think this should be a 72-year old cancer survivor's heartbeat away from the presidency?!




She can't name a Supreme Court case other than Roe v Wade.
If you havent seen the rest of the Couric-Palin interview do yourself a favor and youtube it. Really. It is a bit terrifying, so you might want to make sure the lights are on.

Though it does make great comedy.


Thanks to Jawnny and Ciggitycite for keeping up on the Palin watch while I have been too busy and so making it easy to find these clips and links. I cant wait for the debate on Thursday. Biden makes me a little nervous since he tends to not think before speaking, but I am hoping for some damn good Palin moments.

Awesome

No visibility on jersey turnpike

No really, she sounds better this time . . . really and such as

Happy Johnny Appleseed Day!

Right, so I am still sick. Or rather, I am sick and have been all week. A fantastic combination of stomach issues, head and back pain, sore throat and stuffy nose. Fabulous, oh and we are driving to RI tonight. Which I was kinda excited about cuz it is something different. A roadtrip. It is actually cheaper for us to get a car for the weekend and pay for gas than to fly this time. So driving it is. Which would be fun. Except that now I am sick and cranky.

But more importantly, on October 17th Matty and I are doing the AIDS Walk here in Philly as part of the UBH team (read: as the UBH team). So if you are in a giving mood and want to support me: http://www.aidsfundphilly.org/walk/participant.php?id=130754

So that is my little spiel. Thanks for reading.

Happy National Comic Book Day!

So I realized today in my sickness-induced-staring-at-my-laptop-instead-of-working stupor that I post a lot of things on twitter that I find around that I think are interesting and are probably blog-worthy but people who only read this (all 4 of you) and do not follow me on twitter (2 of you) miss out. So here is a compendium of recently tweeted items that I can think of/find before my gel is done running.

1) Apparently,

The English language makes a distinction between blue and green but some languages do not.

More information about Distinguishing blue from green in language can be found there. This was brought to my attention via ciggitycite (as many things are) and adds itself to the immensely enormous numbers of things that I never would have even thought needed to be thought about but apparently are. In detail.

2) An economy comic. No really, it is actually kinda funny. Also courtesy of ciggitycite.

3) A little bit of geek humor. The Thirteen Greatest Error Messages of All Time. My faves are 8 and of course 9. This was courtesy of Slashdot.

4) This (presumed) idiot was again found via ciggitycite. I mean really, right? C'mon, go to the library. It is free for Christ sakes. And good for civic . . something. But then, after twittering, it was brought to my attention that this service actually fucking exists. So there ya go.

5) This was a retweet from Jawnny and was subsequently added to my facebook page and so that probably covers pretty much all of my readership. But in case you missed it - The Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. Apparently I would be Log Justice Palin.

Ok, well that is all for now. I hope that you enjoy. i will try to be more fair to the blog vs twitter-nesses or something.

Mmmmm

Homemade double mint cookie ice cream + homemade chocolate chip cookies equals deliciousness.

Happy Video Game Day!

Matty and I went on like a date thingy last night. First we went to Sonny's for cheesesteaks. I really just do not like Old City. Besides Sonny's. And Nicks. And Cuba Libre. Ok, I dont mind Old City in restaurants. I just dont like the people who are at most of the places in Old City. I also dont like riding the El. There are a lot of people. And they smell. Badly. So yeah. Not a fan. But anyway, back to my date. So after dinner we went to National Mechanics for a drink. We hadnt been and I wanted to check it out. Besides the thing on the wall (se previous post) it was fine. The food looked good and the drink menu was reasonable. $2 Lager, $2 PBR, $1 off drafts for happy hour. The crowd was generally older than I expected and louder than people that age should be. In my opinion. And then a tour came in? It was like a Once Upon a Nation tour? It was strange. And loud. And they kicked the keg on my snake bite, so it didnt taste right. But I would go back I think. After our drink we headed to Ritz 5 for a free screening of Burn After Reading, the Coen brothers' new film. The screening was apparently sponsored by WMMR, 950am ESPN and BEN FM. I dont know, I got the tickets via CNN. Sooo . . . yeah. Maybe Time Warner owns them? I dont know, whatever, the people they had working it sucked. They had this pre-show trivia contest with awful prizes, it was just bad. But the movie, once we finally got to see it, was good. I like Fargo better and it is hard to compare comedy to No Country for Old Men. But it was good. I would even go so far to say that it had great moments. Lots of great moments and the rest was really good. So I would recommend it. After the movie we took a bus home and I realized that it isnt really the El, it is public transit in Philly. I just wish it was less public :-). Oh and this is somehting I hadnt seen before but maybe you have. This guy on the bus had a travel chess set and it was just sitting in his lap so everyone could see it. And then this guy got on the bus and saw it and was like, hey you wanna play? And so they did. My first question is 1) Where were they going on the 21 that they were going to beable to play a game of chess. and 2) Is this a thing? LIke do chess players just meet up on buses, like in parks and play?

Oh and watch this. Because it is funny. And a friend of a friend made it and so I am helping to disseminate.

Not a fan of this at all

reading reading reading

So if you guessed our ages based on the books we have been reading recently you would probably be off by a decade or 2. Matty is working his way through the Harry Potters. He is currently on Goblet of Fire. We have also started watching the movies. I saw the first three before I read the books but he hadn't. We watched Sorceror's Stone Tuesday night. NO idea how to spell that. We should be getting Chamber of Secrets tomorrow. He seems to be enjoying them. But not loving them. Which is unfortunate. I was hoping he would love them. Though I didnt love the first 2 myself. We will see what happens.

I have been reading the His Dark Materials trilogy. Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass. We had seen Golden Compass, I got interested and then started reading about all the controversy surrounding them. About how they were anti-Church atheist propaganda blah blah blah and I assumed that it was simply religious crackpots looking for some new book to burn since Harry Potter hadnt really gotten them much of anywhere. After reading the first one I got a feeling of anti-establishment but not so much anti-church necessarily. Or not so much that I thought a child would really get it. But then I read the second one and I totally saw the issue. And then I just finished the last one. And . . . well I kinda see their point. I am of course not for sensorship or book burnings or anything. But I can see why the religious are pissed the fuck off. Because it isnt like there is a theme of atheism or anti-religion in the books. That is the fucking plot. I mean if you can read, you know what he is getting at. Because he isnt just getting at it, he is saying it. And I dont necessarily think that it is something that a lot of kids would understand. I think they are books that should be read and then discussed. But I do not see a whole lot of discussion in this country between kids and their parents over the books they are reading. Especially books that deal with this sort of heavy god stuff. Which isnt the author's fault. It is the parents fault. But maybe I can see the parents' point of not wanting their young kids exposed to it. Maybe. Now the recommended ages appear to be 10-12 and up. And maybe at that age it would be cool. Though I think I would have been pretty confused at that age.

Now for movie adaptations . . . Golden Compass was a decent movie. Great special effects, interesting story. Left me watning more. And apparently the second and third were officially going to be made into movies as well. However New Line says that due to the disappointing box offce from the first, the sequels are being held back at least. My biggest question to New Line is, did you actually read these books? Because I cant imagine the studio exec who decided that the second two books should be made into major release movies. I just dont see it. I mean the technical difficulties alone would make it hard to imagine anyone trying to do them justice. But the plot, the themes? I mean I have had the same discussion about the later Narnia books. The first ones stand as stories and kids will see them as stories. The last ones are pretty preachy and if the religion is removed from the plot, the plot gets pretty weak. But weak is not non-existant. And the Narnia books are pretty Christian. These books, the religion is the plot, and it is very anti-Christian, anti-established religion, anti-God. With the big G.

Sooo . . . yeah. If anyone else has read these I would love to hear comments. I tried not to tell about the actual plot, and would definitely recommend them as interesting material. Not fantastic in the story department, but certainly ballsy.

Huh

Well this doesn't look nice

A few things

Ok let me see.

Miami was great. Hot and humid and gross, but otherwise great. Especially since we spent most of our time inside. We got in very late Friday night/early Saturday morning. Saturday we helped prepare for the birthday party. Saturday afternoon/evening was the party. Almost everyone except us and Nicole speaks Spanish so Matty got to practice a little and I got to feel like I was in another country. Nicole was sick for most of the day unfortunately. But EJ enjoyed himself it seemed. He got a lot of toys and a few books and some clothes from me. Sunday we got a bit of a tour of Miami. Neither of us had been there before so Nicole and E droe us around and showed us Miami Beach, South Beach, downtown Miami and Coral Gables. It was nice to get a feel for the city a little bit. It is ENORMOUS! I much more enjoy cities like Philly that a more condensed and where people live, work and play in the same place. Monday we took a drive through the Everglades to hunt for gators. We saw a few but the recent rain from Hannah and Gustav flooded a bunch of the road and the swamp and we were there pretty late in the day so most of them were hiding and the drive took several hours longer than expected. That was the only time EJ got cranky at all and really cried. But honestly I think we were all pretty cranky by that point. He is so cute. He looks a lot more like Nicole now. He used to look like a little version of E. He is walking all by himself and can get up from the floor by himself. He still falls when making turns but otherwise is totally on the go. He talks to himself but no one else can understand him. I think he will be talking soon. It will be interesting to see what combination of English and Spanish he speaks first. He also learned "clap" while we were there. So you can tell him to clap and he does. I hope we get down there to see him more often now and at some point maybe see the beach.

Work is a bit on the ridiculous side. One major reasons being that Nina thinks I should graduate in May. Of 2009. Which is a full year earlier than I was hoping for. And she thinks I can have 3 papers done by then. Plus my thesis. I currently have 0. So things are ridiculous and I dont want to talk about it.

I installed 32-bit Vista on my laptop so now I can sync my phone with my computer. Yay!

We have watched recently . . . 4th season of The Office which is fantastic, just finished episode 7. The Namesake which was very good and I was totally able to not think about Harold and Kumar the whole time. Knocked Up which I liked except that she is totally a whiny bitch for most of the movie and not at all happy about having a kid. I still think 40-year Old Virgin is funnier. Son of Rambow, VERY good, highly recommend. Zodiac, also enjoyed but found a bit on the confusing side sometimes. Like they cut scenes to make it shorter but there was necessary information in those scenes that was lost or something. But Jake Gyllenhaal is SO hot it doesnt really matter.

Random things - tried Loie Saturday. Good burgers, totally empty for lunch at 1 on a Saturday. Went to Greenfest yesterday. Was very surprised how extensive it was. Bought a bunch of ChicoBags as presents because I LOVE mine and carry it EVERYWHERE. Thanks Beth! For brunch tried Cantina Dos Segundos in Northern Liberties. Very good, pretty much exactly like the first one. For dinner made the bestest sandwiches on earth. Paninis on Le Bec Fin foccacia with rustico red pepper (a young semi-firm pecorino), black forest smoked turkey, carmelized onions and fresh tomato from the garden. Oh my god! With pepper shooters and garlic stuffed green olives on the side.

My parents are in Greece. They left at 6:30 last night from Boston -> Madrid -> Athens. Then they are leaving in an hour for Kerkyra Island, Corfu. They are going to sail around the Greek Isles for a week with the people whose boat my dad sailed across the Atlantic. Then they have 2 weeks to travel around Greece themselves and they will be back on the 27th. So fucking jealous.

Right, will post more later. I promise!

Miami pics

I posted some of the pictures we took while we were in Miami for EJ (my godson)'s first birthday party over Labor Day on flickr. We are asking for a new camera for Christmas because this one is starting to die. So I apologize for the poor quality (and lack of zoom) of many of the pictures. Enjoy!

Awwww

In Miami for EJs (my godson) birthday. Here he is, a bit wiped out.

Sent from my Centro

Happy Race Your Mouse Day

So I know if have been incredibly lax about posting since I got back from vacation. And I promise it is imply because I have been too damn busy at week and too damn lazy at home. Things are getting a bit more under control at work, so hopefully soon you will get to read more about what we have been reading, watching, eating and doing.

But while popping onto amazon to add something to my wish list I noticed this and it bothered me enough to post this. So if you are an amazon regular you probably know about the gold box. If not, it used to be an area where a few specific things were on special sale for a short period of time in limited quantities and you could buy them but there were restrictions. Like you had to buy within an hour of adding to your cart and you could only access the gold box once in 24 hours and stuff like that. Now it is more complicated: There is a Deal of the Day which is available all day until they run out. There are the Lightning Deals which tend to be very discounted but there are only a very limited quantity and these are released at specific times and available for a few hours. Then there are Best Deals, the "best deals" on the site. Then there are Quick Picks which are deals specifically for you based on your recommendations, purchase history, etc. And then there is Customer Discussions: Gold Box Forum. The point of this post. Now I understnad the idea of being allowed to comment on news stories and post product reviews etc. But does EVERYTHING need to have forum opportunities now? And if so, why do people feel the need to use them inappropriately? For instance. Right now in the Gold Box Forum these are the current discussion threads:
Holiday Recipes..........and Beyond 6: 8179 replies, the most recent 8 sec ago.
~*~*~*~Thursday Lightning Deals~*~*~*~: 228 replies, most recently 27 seconds ago.
Scrabble Challenge: 1055 replies, most recently 35 seconds ago
I am living a soap opera and i want out: 228 replies, 38 seconds ago
Kids Say The Darnedest Things...: 33 replies, 52 seconds ago
Fake Reviews: 2 replies, 1 minute ago
Middle School Angst - looking for input/advice: 27 replies, 1 minute ago
E-Bay: 1 reply, 3 minutes ago
Mispronounced that REALLY bug you when heard: 54 replies, 5 minutes ago
Dear Sick Daddy: 337 replies, 7 minutes ago
What's the funniest thing you've heard mispronounced: 183 replies, 7 minutes ago
What is right in your life and do you acknowledge/appreciate it?: 47 replies, 8 minutes ago.

So the only things that seem to actually be relevant are Thursday Lightning Deals (a guy who knows what all the days lightning deals are ahead of the fact) and Fake Reviews. Holiday recipes and beyond 6? Kids Say the Darnedest Things? Honestly? And "I am living a soap opera and i want out", "Middle school angst - looking for input/advice", and "What is right in your life and do you acknowledge/appreciate it?": These people need friends. Or shrinks. Not random amazon customers. I was curious about Scrabble Challenge.

1. Create a word from the chosen letters.
2. Replace the used letters with random new ones. (* may be used for a blank tile)
3. The next person uses the new set of letters

sowntos ( Chosen letters to start the game )

towns - sobntau

And Ask Sick Daddy:

ask away and I will do my best to offer advice on your situation. I take questions seriously, if you post a serious question. I'll probably skip silly posts for the purpose of this advice thread. Sorry. :) I like silliness, but I am taking Dear Sick Daddy on a serious side. :)

I work during the day, and I also sleep from time to time, but I will get back to any questions as soon as I can :)

And finally, "Mispronounced that REALLY bug you when heard"? That would really bug me if someone said it out loud.

Ok, I am done. I just dont get it. Maybe it is just me.

so sorry

I know I have been absent for an awfully long time. But I usually blog during my downtime at work. And I simplyhavent had any downtime since I got back from vacation. I promise to do better though. Hopefully this weekend I will sit down and write a nice long update and some puzzles. As a quickie:

We have seen:
American Gangster - very good. Nothing truly spectacular. But good acting all around, interesting story, good piece of history.
Michael Clayton - also very good. A bit confusing. You have to pay pretty good attention. Tilda Swinton is not nearly as creepy-looking as she is in real life.
When We Were Kings - documentary about Muhammad Ali and George Foreman's Rumble in the Jungle. Interesting. Again, nothing spectacular but an interesting closer look than Ali did. Interestingly, in some post-movie researching I came across these two things in Wikipedia. From the article about Ali himself:

In the early 1980s, Ali learned he had Parkinsonism, or "Parkinson's syndrome"—which is not the same complaint as Parkinson's disease—following which his motor functions began a slow decline. Although Ali's doctors disagreed about whether his symptoms were caused by boxing and whether or not his condition was degenerative,^[14] he was ultimately diagnosed with Pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome.

And in the linked article about Pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome (dementia pugilistica):

Muhammad Ali is often mistaken as a sufferer of dementia pugilistica, when in fact the main cause of his condition is diagnosed as Parkinson's disease.^{[15][16][17][18]}

I thought it was interesting anyway.

We have been watching:
The Office Season 3 - which has definitely come into its own. After it stopped being a direct mimic of the British Office it slowed a bit. But has come back full force in my opinion.
The Wire - we have only seen episodes. But I am interested enough to keep watching at least. The acting isnt superb but it is certainly interesting. Reminds me of American Gangster.
The Olympics. There will be more about this.

We have been eating:
Trader Joe's Korma Simmer Sauce - we made a saute of chicken, chick peas, peas, spinach and mushrooms and served it over Trader Joe's Thai Style Lime Rice. Excellent, will definitely have again. Will probably add less water as it was a bit dilute.
Spanikopita Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce. Awesome! Will definitely make again, probably for a party too. We used turkey instead of chicken and added 4 cloves of garlic instead of 3 since we didnt read the "divided" part. I also used a whole cucumber from our garden since we are trying to get rid of them which made it a bit watery. And instead of dill I used a mix of basil, thai basil, oregano and chives.
Carrot and Cucumber "Fettuccine" Salad. It was ok. A lot of carrot. I dont really like carrots. Nothing awesome. But it used two cucumbers!

Other things:
Still like the new laptop except: Vista is kinda annoying. Vista 64bit is really obnoxious since I am never going to put 32 gig of ram in this thing and it means that I cant sync my phone to my laptop without getting a bluetooth dongle. Sigh. I bought Office 2007 today because I found it for $85. But I have been using OpenOffice and I am a huge fan.

Tomorrow is Joey's birthday. Happy Birthday Joey! It also marks his last Saturday in Philly as he is leaving us for the great big world out there . . . or Hazelton. One of those. We are sure he will be back to visit. But we will miss him.

My mice and awful! They rip out their eartags and eat their young. They are so nice and friendly as compared to other strains. But now this! ARRRGGGGHHHH!

Ok, you will have to wait for more. Have a good weekend all!