This is actually not news to denizens of Oakland County, where a giant, shiny, fractal-looking “tree” rises from behind Dunham’s at NWH and Orchard Lake roads. Not, mind you, that I am complaining, because my reception is gooooood.
Monthly Archive for June, 2004
You guys in the brown elf outfits laugh while you can, because in a few years DHL or some other package empire is going to offer to ship those laptops to, like, Croatia or Senegal, for even less.
- Preparation H “with Bio-Dyne”: Conan O’Brien’s secret wrinkle weapon, with a sinister-named yeast derived additive deemed too freakin’ awesome for American patoots
- Smirnoff Ice: Canadian version contains vodka instead of malt liquor — smoother and stronger
- 1990 NES Game Genie: initially available only in Canada because of Nintendo’s legal machinations
- WWE Pay-Per-Views in Movie Theaters: Okay, you can watch them in some US theaters now, but this trend started in Canada.
- Pepsi Max: In Canada, they [used to] sell a Pepsi that was, like, one-third Aspartame and one-third less calories. Sort of the precursor to today’s Pepsi Edge. They still apparently sell P-Max overseas.
- A Beer with Lance Storm: well, of course
Ben & Jerry’s and PSU are using soundwaves to freeze ice cream in storage. The linked article estimates that the technology will be available for homes in 5-10 years. Sounds good to me, I’d love to be able to decrease my reliance on chemicals. This cell-phone-sperm-damage thing has me seriously spooked in general.
One morning last fall near the end of my work experience at the Ann Arbor library, a guy came in and I had to show him where workstation
9 was. His response was a sheepish smile and the explanation “I kicked drugs.”
I ended up using this phrase as an explanation for something in an email message to my director, I think it’s got legs.
Not enough billionaires out there use their blogs to openly vilify their detractors. Open letter from Mark to Sam Smith of the Chicago Trib: “Doesn???t the Tribune Company realize that you are a blight on the entire company? Maybe the company encourages Sam to lie??”
Perhaps you have heard of Heat Vision and Jack. I myself got the whole thing over the course of about a month waiting patiently on LimeWire.
Well lookie here,
Waxy’s hosting the files now. If you like funny things, fire up your broadband and get it “now, before I change my mind.” This will particularly appeal to all three of you folks who liked Zoolander, as the twain have much in common in terms of actors, writers, and sensibility.
Let’s put it this way. We all probably go a little overboard from time to time in flaunting our marriages to our lovely wives. I’ve never been to a sex club* — never had the urge, with or without Abbey — but some in more conservative states would probably say I go a little overboard anyway.
What bugs me about Jack Ryan is that he is firmly in favor of that whole legistlating-a-definition-of-marriage thing, and if these allegations are true, then he is clearly not walking his talk. You might well argue that Jeri could have made this up to discredit him during the divorce. I can think of a number of things much more discrediting, things which would barely require the burden of proof. I think all consenting adult humans should be allowed to enjoy the good and the bad, for richer and poorer, until death do they part, as long as Heather’s two mommies aren’t interfering with my rights and abilities. I would respect Mr. Ryan’s public stance more if I believed he believed it.
Anyway — hey, Mr. Bush! I found Obama! He’s going to be in the Senate in November.
*There was that one time I saw two college girls make out on the dancefloor at City Club, but I didn’t, like, know they were gonna be there.
- The Last Hardee’s In Southeastern Michigan, which was on Coolidge near 11-Mile in Berkeley, is now called “Arnie’s.” Same people, and they still had the Hardee’s menu boards when I was there last, but they dumped Coke for Pepsi and finally pulled the trigger on the whole Golf thing [if you’ve been in there, you know what I mean, all the golf “art” on the walls]. I don’t get there all that often — the last time was to ask them what the deal was with the three charges that mysteriously appeared on my credit card a couple of weeks back. They pled ignorance. I believe them [that they are ign’ant].
- There is a Hot-N-Now drive through on Wayne Road between Ford and Cherry Hill in… is that Garden City or Westland? Heck if I know. I happened ‘crost it by accident while looking for the cheapest gas [if you didn’t know, Westland has cheap gas]. Hot-N-Now is a small, Michigan-based chain of inexpensive drive-through burger joints. The one I knew best was on Washtenaw in Ypsi, and fed me lunch often through some of my commuting years at EMU. It is now the Icescapes drive-through ice cream joint, and I am told that Icescapes serves the super-premium Haagen-Dazs style of ice cream, not just your typical ice-cream-stand soft serve. But I digress.
- I was getting some fried chicken at the White Castle/Church’s on Ford Road at 275 later that night, and I had a coupon that came in one of those bundles of fliers you get in the mail every few days. The clerk acted like I ordered in Urdu. I told her I wanted the 2-pc. for $2.49, and she put me down for a 10-piece. I told her I had a coupon and she thought I was lying or that the coupon wasn’t valid “yet.” [It expires Saturday, 6/26.] After repeated explanation she finally put me down for what I asked for. When I got up to the window I showed her the flier and she called everyone else over to stare at it and then forgot to give it back to me in case I wanted to burn the other coupons. I fixed that real quick. Funny thing is I went back tonight with my brothers and went inside to avoid her — she was working the inside register this time, and the person in front of us was demanding their money back because she’d forgotten their drink.
- One more digression — one day I went to McDonald’s and asked for two Q.P.s, no cheese. I get back to work and open them — cheesy! So I go back, after work, and explain what they did wrong. The clerk asks if she can see the sandwiches. So I show her my two stone-cold, hours-old Q.P.’s. She turns around and calls to her co-worker, “HE HAS PROOF!” Yes, I had established the burden of proof for two QPs, retail value $2.
This was the McD’s on Mich. Ave. in Saline across from the Fishteord Saline Plant, if you’re keeping track.
It actually sorta makes sense when I think about it. The three factors preventing me from going to a projector for our next TV were the high price, the way projection screens look like crap unless all the lights are off, and the high freaking price.
It looks like one, maybe two of those factors may be corrected with upcoming Sony components. A screen that looks good in a normally-lit room and running about $500? Very tempting. Of course, you still gotta buy bulbs for the projector every two hundred hours, or about every two weeks ni our house.
