The intriguing collision of Tolkien, astronomy and xkcd.

Nice quote.

This is why we don't let the invisible hand of the market set our life preserver standards.

Why do you hate America, Hec? If people wanted life preservers that really worked, they'd pay for them.

edit: (and now I feel a bit nauseous and in need of brain Purell)

I've always loved that quote. It was nice to see them reference that (visually) in the extended RotK.

If people wanted life preservers that really worked, they'd pay for them.

Yeah. Hey poor people, have you tried, oh I dunno, NOT BEING POOR? I think that would work out a lot better for you.

I've always loved that quote. It was nice to see them reference that (visually) in the extended RotK.

I suspect that quote reflects something Tolkien saw on a battlefield somewhere.

Why do you hate America, Hec?

I love America! It's just that my America has a national anthem by Woody Guthrie, movies by Preston Sturges at the multiplex, Bob Wills and Duke Ellington and The Byrds on the radio, and Krazy Kat, Pogo and Peanuts on the comics page.

It's the other America that listens to Rush Limbaugh and knows who Snookie is that I have issues with.

Hey poor people, have you tried, oh I dunno, NOT BEING POOR?

New Republican plank? Bring back Debtor's Prison. I'm calling it for 2012.

I've always loved that quote. It was nice to see them reference that (visually) in the extended RotK.

They did a lot of little grace notes like that. Really the model for how to allude to things in the text that they don't have time to address directly on film.

Outtakes from the 1980 Floor Show. You can see Marianne's naked flank under that nun's habit at about 2:50 into it.

One of my favorite webcomics is Sailor Twain, Or The Mermaid In The Hudson (NSFW), which takes place on a Hudson River steamship in the 19th Century.

It's the other America that listens to Rush Limbaugh and knows who Snookie is that I have issues with.

Hee. NCIS had David McCallum's character deliver a great line in their most recent ep, talking about fame: "We've gone from Socrates to Snookie," in the most cutting tone available to the British accent.

Speaking of paying for them, how naive am I? I'm getting more and more startled at what you now have to pay for on planes. $50 for an exit row seat? I have to pay to be in a position to save your fucking life?

Pillow and blanket? Sheeit. I don't care if I get to keep them. I'm not going to tote that shit around, and your plane is cold and uncomfortable. I now realise how lucky I was when the flight attendant gave me a set for free when I puked at LAX, but I didn't realise I should have kept it.

I got a good giggle today. My boss's boss is having his 30 year anniversary with the company this week, so they had a surprise party for him with people dropping in from around the company. One of those who came by was a former coworker of mine who is also a personal trainer on the side and who ran an aerobics (Tae-bo) class about ten years ago during lunch, which I took. I waved him over and gave him the update on my weight loss, and he smiled and said, "People are going to start hating you around here!" in a teasing way.

I had run into him a few weeks ago near the bathrooms, and in chatting with him started to mention the surgery, only to have him say that he knew because "word had gotten around."

I think I've worked here too long, if I've got contacts in most departments who'll talk about me to contacts in other departments. Nineteen years at one place will do that.