For a niece named Stella (it’s fun to yell at her in Elaine’s voice) who is a bit more like Marley of book fame (not movie fame) than any dog I’ve ever been around. Large yellow lab with a bit of a…rambunctious nature. Most dogs submit to me pretty easily. This one is going to take some work.

Her tail has the effective kill and clearing radius of a crashing helicopter. My cats are quite used to dogs, but this one, though she lives with cats and wouldn’t hurt them, is just too physically demonstrative for things to settle and the whole process will take longer than usual.

Slush will come out first, and stake his claim. A good shot of why.

And Stella, making sure no one gets within 100 yards of us without a “we have to visit” suggestion from the young (1 1/2?) thing.

Me and Sienna used to sit in the back of our cars drinking slush in the winter, counting cars as they pass. We’ll each choose a colour, say black or red. 49 blacks she would count. 22 reds I’d say. Why are there always so many black cars I’d ask.

We need more colours in this world.
We need a psychedelic life.

I like Fridays, because they are so short.
However, I dislike Fridays because they are toooo short, so I am left with 12 hours of nothing to do…
My feeling for going out these evenings have come to a halt, there is really nothing to do.

Me and a coouple of friends went and at a japanese restaurant in town today, Nagano.
It was very scrumptious, we sat at a ‘no shoes’ table and had a very good time together chilling and chattin^^

I bought some new sketchbooks today cuz they had a sale at a bookstore in town, and I also baought a new nice pen ^^
I love pens, and each time I go into a bookstore I always go for the pens and try them out.
Because I am an artist, just give me a pen and paper and I will create a peice of art, or atleast sit occupied for a couple of hours just doodling for fun…
-These sketch books were funny though, dunno why they chose such a cover…?
My friend and I are considering to attend a Croqui class sometime soon, hehe!
I have always wanted to try it out, draw some hot girl but from what I have seen it is always some sort of either big hairy fat guy or a ugly skinny faghag bitch or fatass bitch…

Found this really ugly piece of girl clothes shit…
I mean seriously, I have seen worse, but this freaks me out!
Personally, I think this dress looks like one big fucked up mutant pussy!
-Does anybody agree with me?

I dont even wanto mention what I think Red SlushPuppy looks like…okay, what the fuck…It totally looks like mangled and mushed up pussy…
Im not that sick but I can imagine thats what it looks like, along with a fuck load of blood…

-Lucky Red SlushPuppy tastes wonderful!

This picture was taken over a year ago in Gothenburg, I actually miss that place now still.
I was out this night with my friend Inzy, and Stockholm really is booring, if you are not going to go somewhere whether it be the cinema or a club, there is really nothing to do…Just a load of boring streets.
In Gothenburg there are long lanes and stuff, a nice waterfront and also Liseberg very locally…
I cant help myself to think about witch bitch over there though…she still ruins that nice town for me :/

PUSSY!

తుంగభద్రలో అనూహ్యమైన వరద వచ్చినందువల్ల, సుంకేశుల ఆనకట్ట నిర్మాణంలో గతంలో జరిగిన అవకతవకల వల్ల, ప్రస్తుతం ఆ ఆనకట్ట తెగిపోయినందువల్ల ఆ రాతిగోడమీది నుంచి వరద ఊళ్లోకి ప్రవేశించింది. అసలు సుంకేశుల ఆనకట్ట నిర్మాణం దగ్గరి నుంచీ ఊళ్లోకి ప్రవేశించిన బురదను ఎత్తిపోయడం దాకా ప్రభుత్వ, అధికార యంత్రాంగం లోపాలు, నిర్లక్ష్యాలు, అక్రమాలు ఎన్నో ఉన్నాయి.

తుంగభద్ర- కృష్ణ వరద బీభత్సంలో కకావికలైన ప్రజా జీవనానికి సహాయ సహకారాలు అందించడానికి, దెబ్బతిన్న వేలాది బాధిత కుటుంబాలను ఆదుకోవడానికి సమాజమంతా పెద్ద ఎత్తున కదులుతున్నట్టు, ప్రభుత్వ, ప్రభుత్వేతర సంస్థలన్నీ సహాయ, పునరావాస కార్యక్రమాలలో తలమునకలు గా ఉన్నట్టు ఒక అభిప్రాయం చలామణీలోకి వచ్చిం ది. పనిచేసే వారినెవరినీ విమర్శించనక్కరలేదేమో! సహాయ, పునరావాస చర్యలు పెద్ద ఎత్తునే జరుగుతున్నమాట, సామూహిక ఔదార్యం వ్యక్తమవుతున్న మాట నిజమేనేమో! కాని ప్రజల విషాదం, దైన్యం, దిగ్భ్రాంతి, సహాయం కోసం ఎదురుచూపు మాత్రం మొదటి రోజున ఎట్లా ఉండి ఉంటాయో అట్లాగే ఉన్నాయి.

జల ప్రళయం ఎగసిపడి నిండా రెండువారాలు గడిచిన తర్వాత కూడా ఆ దుస్థితి ఏమీ మారలేదని మహబూబ్‌నగర్‌ జిల్లా వడ్డేపల్లి మండలం రాజోళి గ్రామ శిథిలాలను, అదే జిల్లా అలంపురం పట్టణ వీధులను పైపైన చూసినా అర్థమవుతుంది. సుంకేశు ల ఆనకట్ట తెగిపోయి వరద తీసిందేమో గాని, రాజోళిలో కన్నీటి వరద ఇంకా ఆగలేదు. శ్రీశైలం నుంచి వరద నీరు కిందికి పంపినందువల్ల పైన అలంపురం లో తుంగభద్రలో నీళ్లు కనబడడం లేదేమోగాని రక్షణకు కట్టిన రాతి కట్టమీది నుంచి తుంగభద్ర దూకి ధ్వంసమైన ఇళ్లూ జీవితాలూ జీవనోపాధులూ ఇంకా ఆ బీభత్సాన్ని అనుభవిస్తూనే, ప్రకటిస్తూనే ఉన్నాయి.

మన అధికార వ్యవస్థలకు తోటి మనుషుల పట్ల కనీస గౌరవం లేదని చెప్పడానికి నిదర్శనంగా రెండు ఊళ్లలోనూ భరించరాని దుర్గంధం వ్యాపించి ఉంది. కనీసం ఆరేడు అంగుళాల నుంచి గరిష్ఠంగా రెండు మూడు అడుగుల మేర పేరుకుపోయిన ఒండ్రుమట్టి లో, బురదలో చిక్కుకున్న జీవజాతుల కళేబరాలు కుళ్లిన వాసన, ఆహార పదార్థాలు కుళ్లిన వాసన, మురి కి కాలువలు రోడ్ల బురద కలగలిసిపోయి ముక్కులు బద్దలు చేసే నీచు వాసన. చూడడానికి వెళ్లిన వాళ్లు కొన్ని గంటల కోసమో, నిమిషాల కోసమో అది భరించలేక ముక్కులకు గుడ్డలు అడ్డం పెట్టుకుని, వాంతు లు చేసుకుంటూ ఉంటే, నిస్సహాయులైన రాజోళి ప్రజలు, అంతకన్నా ఎక్కువగా అలంపురం ప్రజలు ఆ దుర్వాసనలో తిరుగుతున్నారు. వండుకుని తింటున్నారు.

నిత్యజీవిత కార్యక్రమాల్లో పాలుపంచుకుంటున్నారు. ఎంత దుర్మార్గమైన లోకం ఇది?! రెండు వారా లు గడిచినా కనీసం బురద శుభ్రం చేయడానికి శక్తి చాలని, మనసుపోని అధికార యంత్రాంగం ఏ బాధ్యతలు నిర్వహిస్తున్నట్టు? నాయకులకు రక్షణ కవచంగా నిలబడే వందలాది మంది ప్రజల ఆందోళనలను అణచడానికి సర్వశక్తి సాధనాలతో తరలివచ్చే వేలాదిమంది ‘ప్రజా సేవకుల’ వ్యవస్థ కొన్ని గ్రామాల్లో బుర ద ఎత్తించడం లాంటి చిన్న పని చేయడానికి వారాల తరబడి తీసుకుంటోంది.

ఉద్యమకారులను అణచడానికి వేలాది మందిని హుటాహుటిన క్షణాల మీద పంపించే ప్రభుత్వం ఒక్కొక్క గ్రామంలో నుంచి కొన్ని వందల టన్నుల బురదను తొలగించి, కడిగి, శుభ్రం చేసి, రోగాలకు నిలయం కాకుండా చేయడానికి కనీస చర్యలు కూడా చేపట్టలేదు. ఎవరి ఇంట్లో బురద వాళ్లే ఎత్తేసుకుంటారులే, ప్రకృతే శుభ్రం చేస్తుందిలే అన్న ట్టు ఉపేక్షిస్తోంది.

ఎర్త్‌ మూవర్లు, బుల్డోజర్లు వచ్చా యి గాని కేవలం ప్రభుత్వ వాహనాలు, సందర్శకుల వాహనాలు తిరగడానికి వీలైనంత మట్టుకు రోడ్లమీద బురదను పక్కకు నెట్టాయి. ఇప్పుడు రోడ్డుకు రెండు పక్కలా దుర్గంధపు కుప్పలు. ఆ దుర్వాసన మహా ఘనత వహించిన సందర్శకులను చికాకు పెట్టకుండా ఆ కుప్పల మీద డిడిటి, క్లోరిన్‌ చల్లితే చాలునని మాత్రం అధికారగణం అనుకున్నట్టుంది. రెండు గాఢమైన వాసనలు కలిసి దుర్భరమైన వాతావరణం.

దుర్వాసన ఒక పక్కనైతే, మనిషి పట్ల గౌరవం లేని మనుషులందరినీ బిచ్చగాళ్లుగా చూసే ప్రభుత్వాధికారుల, రాజకీయ నాయకుల, సందర్శకుల వైఖరి. రెండు వారాలుగా నిస్సహాయతలో మగ్గిపోయి, వాహనం కనబడితే చాలు ఏదో ఇవ్వడానికి ఎవరో వచ్చారని, ఈ వేటలో వెనుకబడితే ఆ అందేదేదో అందదని దయనీయమైన ఆదుర్దా మరొక పక్కన.

నిన్నటి వరకూ తన శ్రమ మీద తాను ఆధారపడుతూ, ఆత్మగౌరవంతో బతికిన మనిషి ఇవాళ ఇంత దుర్భరమైన స్థితిలోకి జారిపోతే, కనీస గౌరవం కూడా లేకుండా తోటి మనుషులూ, అధికార వ్యవస్థలూ ఎలా పనిచేస్తున్నాయో చూస్తే ఆపుకోలేని దుఃఖం కలిగింది. మనిషి ఇంత దీనంగా ఉండవలసిన పరిస్థితి ఎందువల్ల తలెత్తింది? ఇంకా ఘోరం దారి పొడవునా గుట్టలుగుట్టలుగా పారవేసిన పాతబట్టలు. గ్రహీతలకు అవసరమైనవి, గౌరవప్రదమైనవి ఇస్తున్నామో లేదో చూడకుండా సహాయం పేరుమీద ప్రకటితమైన ఔదార్యం నిజం గా బాధితులకు పనికిరాలేదు. లేదా బాధితులకు అవసరమైనవి అందలేదు. ఫలితం పాతబట్టలు, చాలీచాలని బట్టలు అందిన వాళ్లందరూ అక్కడికక్కడే పారేసిపోయారు.

రాజోళి జనాభా 2001 జనగణన ప్రకారం 11, 617. బహుశా ప్రస్తుతం పదిహేనువేలు కావచ్చు. సరిగ్గా సుంకేశుల ఆనకట్ట కింద ఉండే ఈ గ్రామం ఆ ఆనకట్ట తెగి మీద పడడంతో హతాశురాలైంది. ఆ ఆనకట్ట రాత్రిపూట తెగి ఉంటే, సరిగ్గా ముప్ఫై ఏళ్ల కింద గుజరాత్‌లో ఆనకట్ట తెగి మోర్వీ పట్టణంలో వేలాది మంది మనుషులు జల సమాధి అయిపోయినట్టు అయి ఉండేది. ‘అలా జరిగినా బాగుండును, మాకూ ఈ బాధ తప్పేది, మీకూ ఈ బాధ తప్పేది’ అని ఒక చేనేత కార్మికుడు కన్నీళ్లింకిపోయిన గొంతుతో, సమాజం తలదించుకోవలసిన మాట అన్నాడంటే ఆ ఊరు ఎంత దుఃఖాన్ని చవిచూసి ఉంటుంది.

ఆ ఊరిలో ఇళ్లన్నీ నేలమట్టమైపోయా యి. గోడలు గట్టిగా నిలిచి ఉన్న చోట కూడా ఇళ్లలో రెండడుగుల మేర బురద నిండి నివాసయోగ్యం కాకుండాపోయాయి. అక్కడి నుంచి రెండు కిలోమీటర్ల దూరంలో కాస్త మెరకగా ఉన్నచోట పునరావాసం కల్పించవచ్చు గాని జీవనోపాధి కల్పించడం అత్యవసరమైన పెద్ద పని.

ఆ గ్రామంలో కనీసం మూడువేల మగ్గాలు పని చేస్తున్నాయని ఒక అంచనా. ఆ మూడువేల మగ్గాలు ఇవాళ విరిగిపోయి ఉన్నాయి. వేలాది కుటుంబాల జీవనాధారం ధ్వంసమైపోయింది. ఒక్క పద్మశాలి కుటుంబాలు మాత్రమే కాదు, రాజోళిలో ముస్లింలు, కురబ, చాకలి, కమ్మరి వంటి ఇతర కులాల వాళ్లు కూడా నేతపనిలో ఉన్నారు. గద్వాల వంటి ప్రఖ్యాత నేత వస్త్రాల మార్కెట్లకు తమ ఉత్పత్తులు అందిస్తున్నారు. ఒక మగ్గం పునర్నిర్మించాలంటే కనీసం అరవై వేల నుంచి లక్ష రూపాయలు అవసరమవుతుంది.

సహాయ పునరావాస కార్యక్రమాలలో ఈ జీవనోపా ధి నష్టం లెక్కకే రావడం లేదు. చేనేత సహకార సంఘం కార్యాలయంలో ఉన్న కోటి రూపాయలకు పైగా విలువ చేసే వస్త్రాలు, నూలు నాశనమైపోయా యి. ఆ కార్యాలయంలో నుంచి బురద ఎత్తివేయడానికి అధికార యంత్రాంగం ఏమీ చేయలేదు. ఎంత కూలి ఇచ్చినా ఆ దుర్గంధపూరితమైన బురద ఎత్తిపోయడానికి ఎవరూ దొరకక, చేనేత కార్మికులు, ఆ కార్యాలయ ఉద్యోగులు పారిశుధ్య కార్మికుల్లా పని చేస్తున్నారు.
ఇక అలంపురంలో ఎక్కడ చూస్తే అక్కడ సహాయ శిబిరాలు, బృందాలు, అధికార గణం కనబడుతున్నా రు గాని, అంతకన్న మించిన దుర్వాసన. పరిశుభ్రమై న, గౌరవప్రదమైన వాతావరణం ముందు కల్పించాలనే కనీస స్పృహ కొరవడిన స్థితి.

అసలు ఆ ఊరే శ్రీశైలం జలాశయంలో ముంపుకు గురవుతుందని అనుకున్నప్పుడు, ప్రాచీన ఆలయాలను, ఊరిని రక్షించడానికి పెద్ద రాతిగోడ కట్టారు. తుంగభద్రలో అనూహ్యమైన వరద వచ్చినందువల్ల, సుంకేశుల ఆనకట్ట నిర్మాణంలో గతంలో జరిగిన అవకతవకల వల్ల, ప్రస్తుతం ఆ ఆనకట్ట తెగిపోయినందువల్ల ఆ రాతిగోడమీది నుంచి వరద ఊళ్లోకి ప్రవేశించింది. అసలు సుంకేశుల ఆనకట్ట నిర్మాణం దగ్గరి నుంచీ ఊళ్లోకి ప్రవేశించిన బురదను ఎత్తిపోయడం దాకా ప్రభుత్వ, అధికార యంత్రాంగం లోపాలు, నిర్లక్ష్యాలు, అక్రమా లు ఎన్నో ఉన్నాయి. ఎప్పటి బురద ఇది? ఎంత కడిగితే తరుగుతుంది ఇది?

-ఎన్‌. వేణుగోపాల్‌

source : aandhrajyothy 22 Oct 2009

I observe the first snow of the year like a personal holiday: a magical, special day before the day later in the season when the sight of dirty snow piled everywhere will anger me, and I will refuse to lift another shovel. Well… I don’t know if I ever get tired of looking at snow. But I do get tired of interacting with it. Digging out the car. Feeling cold wetness slide into my boots as I try to slug my way down the street. Driving. Any length of driving.

I wonder how I would feel about, say, rowing a boat in the snow.

The first snow of the year came ambiguously this morning. I came downstairs around 8AM and made directly for the coffee pot, as per usual. My husband was reading on the couch. (And by couch, I mean pleather futon.) I sat at the kitchen table, looked out the window, and gasped audibly. He looked up at me and just nodded.  White…. chunks… were falling from the sky!  I pressed my face to the glass and then went out on our deck to try and discern:  was it snow, or just slush? Is it the first snow?

Just moments later, the precipitation turned completely to rain, so I think I caught the warmer end of the event. But there was stuff, dropping from clouds, which was not in the form of water.  I’m going with First Slush, and reserving the right to hold First Snow for the light fluffy stuff.

Now why the boat question… It is not because I was thinking about the boat in Where the Wild Things Are, which is now playing… although now that we mention it… but we digress.

Mainly I was thinking about The Head of the Charles Regatta. This weekend Cambridge once again hosts the world’s largest two-day rowing (crew) event. There are more than 55 races taking place on a three-mile stretch of the Charles River, and unless the weather discourages some, about 300,000 spectators are going to turn up.  (And find nowhere to park. So take the T, people.) Check out the race schedule. The regatta can be watched from either the Cambridge or Boston side of the river, and the course crosses under six bridges, so a lot of folks gravitate toward those (B.U. Bridge, River Street Bridge, Western Ave. Bridge, Weeks Footbridge, Lars Anderson Bridge, and Eliot Bridge).

It’s Ithacating again.

I dutifuly checked my Facebook this morning, to find that every single Ithaca resident (who was also lucky enough to be facebook friends with me) was complaining about the snow that was already falling down on our fair city.  “Oh hey snow,” one greeted the impending storm, “it’s only October 15th…you’re a BIT early.”

I got news for you, Facey McBookFace. It’s not snowing.

It’s Ithacating.

Ah yes, that delightful, squishy mix between rain and snow, but somehow not quite slush or sleet either.  It can be small to large in size.  The smaller Ithacates like today’s usually don’t accumulate, just leave your hair unattractively damp and your shoes soaked.

Well, at least we get some cute inside jokes out of the deal.

Displaced by floods, rajoli villagers fight for survival
90 % of 500-odd houses in Rajoli had collapsed,
Rajoli suffered a huge loss on account of damage to weavers’ units
Rahul
RAJOLI (Mahabubnagar dt.): Hundreds of poor families are literally on the road in this tiny village as they have pitched tents made of sarees after their houses collapsed following the floods ten days ago.

A bumpy drive to Rajoli from Shantinagar on a gravel topped road over 10 kms also saw a number of homeless

The aftermath: Villagers of Rajoli in Mahabubnagar district scrambling for relief material. – Photo P.V. SIVAKUMAR

 families moving out from the former with their belongings in bullock carts and packed auto-rickshaws and tractors. A large number of others were sitting by the roadside helplessly while children greeted every passing vehicle with outstretched hands, seeking alms.

People both at the camp where the tents have come up and elsewhere on the road are being provided food and water by voluntary agencies but they are directly exposed to sun as the sarees which they have stuck out to sticks to take cover hardly offer them any relief. The camp mostly comprises Scheduled Caste people from Rajoli and Thummanapalle villages which were submerged by the water of Tungabhadra river, less than half-a-kilometre away.
The water entered the villages after ripping open the earthen bund of Sunkesula barrage for nearly a kilometre.

There is chaos in Rajoli whenever vehicles drive into the village to drop food, clothes and water packets. There is a mad rush of people who try to snatch the packets from the hands of delivery boys. The crew of a mini-bus despatched by an organisation had a tough time in preventing the crowd from entering the vehicle on Monday. The problems of those who drove in an open-topped van with the food material shortly afterwards was worse.

The debris of houses that collapsed stare visitors to Rajoli where destruction to property is the highest in the district. Every other house was found falling here. The District Superintending Engineer of Housing Suresh told The Hindu that ninety per cent of the 500-odd houses in the village had collapsed. Only pucca houses stood up to the flooding while all the houses with mud and mortar were razed to ground. The village which is popular for handloom weaving also suffered a huge loss on account of damage to weavers’ units.

A stream ahead of the village is the source of water for people living in pucca houses to wash their clothes and utensils.
Source : The Hindu, 14 Oct 2009

Village is renowned for its handloom products
S.Venugopal
RAJOLI (Mahabubnagar district): The unprecedented flood has taken the sheen out of this village located on the banks of Tungabhadra river.

A rich village with about 40,000 population, Rajoli is acclaimed for its handloom products which are in good demand. The flood that ravaged the village on October 1 has, however, shattered the lives of the weavers who lost their looms as well as houses.

In ruins: A completely damaged weaving workshop at Rajoli village in Mahabubnagar district due to the recent floods

Only 10 per cent of the 4,000 odd dwellings withstood the destruction unleashed by Tungabhadra, which was on spate. With the houses and looms that brought them repute within the country and abroad shattered by the river’s fury, the village now appears a dumpyard of dead bodies of cattle, pigs and dogs with slush left by the receding water still continuing to obstruct free walk of the streets.

Thukaram, one of the three MPTC members from the village and a proud owner of 70 looms, lost all his equipment as well as stock worth Rs. 70 lakh. And, the story of dozens of others is no different. “With all the property and belongings lost, there is no scope for us to survive,” said Rumala Rukmini, a handloom weaver who lost her eight looms and house.

Even as the reality is yet to dawn on many, residents are leaving to take shelter in their relatives’ houses in other towns and villages.

“We have lost our house as well as property. How can we live here in such circumstances?” lamented Netha Venkatesh (40).

Vaddepally ZPTC member Srinivasulu wanted the authorities concerned to keep the disaster in view and ensure that the entire village was relocated to a higher altitude where the residents were not affected in the event of such calamities.
source: The Hindu, 7 Oct 2009

Click to enlarge & download!

Carl's Cones

Name: Carl’s Ice Cream

Location: Fredericksburg, VA

Meal: Ice cream cone and root beer slush float

Type: Ice Cream

This is the second restaurant here on The Hungry Traveler to appear on the National Register of Historic Places. It really is  a shame that I only recent made my first trip to Carl’s a Fredericksburg institution since 1947. The place just oozes charm. The owners clearly know not to tinker with success. My roommate served at as my guide for the night which was good because the line is impressive. With so many people behind you the pressure is on to be quick with your order.  I visited on the Sunday of the Labor Day three-day weekend, the weather was quite honestly perfect so needless to say Carl’s was a popular destination. Even under these conditions the line moved very quickly, don’t be discouraged.

The ice cream is the real deal. They only make three flavors (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry). At the suggestion of my guide I went with a regular size chocolate/strawberry cone. The jumbo size is massive, the cone itself is at least the size of a soda can. Regardless of size or flavor I think what makes Carl’s so great is texture. The ice cream is just the right temperature and oh so smooth and creamy.

You don’t often find restaurants that are historically noted. Carl’s deserves the praise and you should get there as soon as possible.

Carl's at night

Root Beer Slush Float

In line at Carl's

I hate winter. And it’s coming. I can feel its relentless march. Some of you poor slobs actually look forward to the winter months. I guarantee that as long as I am able to take a breath I will always detest winter. In my opinion winter is Nature’s way of taking a giant dump on us.

Let’s explore the things that I despise most about winter. How about starting with the observation that in most parts of the country all of the leaves fall off the trees, the grass turns brown and the flowers die. Then add in the fact that there is a lot less daylight – the happiest day of the year for me is June 21 – the longest day on our 365-day calendar. The cold permeates my bones and makes it nearly impossible to get warm. Snow has to be shoveled . . . some of you say it looks pretty. You are sick. Ice wreaks havoc on power lines, streets, sidewalks and bridges causing auto accidents, slips and falls (translation – lawsuits), traffic tie-ups and flight delays.

I typically wear shorts in my house year-round. In the warm months of the year I can wear those shorts outside as well. But not in the winter. Winter means that I have to bundle up to go outside and then strip down when I come inside. Winter means Christmas where I have to take out a second mortgage to pay for all the gifts that I am required to give. Winter means expensive vacations to warmer climates where I can get away from all of the misery that I have described. Sure, the vacations are fun, but I know that I have to return to the slush and the mush and the flu and the ridiculous heating bills. I’d much rather pay a ridiculous electric bill for my air conditioning in the summer than for my heat in the winter. Global warming can’t come quickly enough for me. Al Gore, I hope you choke on some yellow snow.

Cars were separating on the two-lane in front of me as if an invisible force was effortlessly pushing them to the left–into the highway median and into oncoming traffic in the other lanes, or to the right–straight into a steep embankment recently dug by heavy equipment. From a distance, it must have looked like children playing with matchbox cars, sending them into a chaotic frenzy. The savage look in those eyes was enough to send chills down my spine; the kind of look one would expect glaring from behind the bars of a cell, or a padded room. Our eyes made contact through the two windshields as seconds slowed to a crawl. His were wild and intent on destruction. His blond hair looked as if it hadn’t been combed in days, and his young face looked almost gleeful. I could have smelled his breath if the glass barriers had not existed; the metal torpedo was aimed right at me, and we could not have been more than 20 ft. away from one another. The physics of Newton’s First and Second Laws guaranteed the torpedo was not only going to continue in its straight path, but continue at its constant or increased velocity, until it hit its target. There was no where to go. There was no time. In a split second, observations were recorded and assessments made. I was not going to let this deliberate madman hit and kill me and my sister. My minivan was going to turn upside down on the embankment to the right of me, if I could get out of his way. I was holding a 64 oz. slush in my hand, and it had to go as quickly as I could throw it, so I could grasp the steering wheel with both hands. As my van left the roadway at a speed barely less than 55 mph, I had no trouble guiding it toward the embankment. I missed the madman’s old green Dodge and the other vehicles in front and to the sides of me. I maneuvered the dirt ditch without flipping. When we glided to a smooth stop and got out of the van that had incredulously made its way back onto the side of the pavement, my sister and I immediately knew who had been in charge. It was all too deliberate, slow, and calculated to be in real time. It was in someone else’s dimension of time. It wasn’t luck, chance, coincidence, or karma. We stood there staring at each other, awe struck; speechless. Except for the icy, sticky slush all over my sister, we were inexplicably fine. At first silently, then aloud, we gave thanks to God.

Slush are a great little punk band from Canada, who- despite having been around since 1992 and having 8 albums, are no where near as well known or as listened to as they should be.

If you are a fan of bands such as Rise Against or Strung out (they are probably the 2 bands I would list in a “sounds like-” section for this band, you will (or at least should be) hooked by this band at first listen.

The video below is a home video-clip to a song called Skyline, from their 2005 album “That’s What She Said.”
If you find yourself liking that song, then I have some great news….all of Slush’s songs are available for free download on their official site!
I definatly suggest grabbing yourself some free downloads, especially songs from That’s What She said. ENJOY!

]]> http://freshmandenial.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/heatin-up-the-chill-zone/ Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:46:56 +0000 rypic7 http://freshmandenial.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/heatin-up-the-chill-zone/

There are two things I enjoy doing very much: having intense Facebook message battles and making videos. When the Chill Zone facebook page offered up a video contest awarding free Chill Zone for a year to the best/most “liked” video uploaded to its wall, I totally got to do both. I’ll start out by saying that no, my submission did not win, but I feel like we probably came in second, being as the rest of the videos, other than the one that won, which was fantastic, were god awful. Anywho here is my submission:

So yeah me and the kids that made the video did some campaigning and got some people to comment and what not, but obviously you can’t please everyone. In particular there was this one kid named Daniel Raineri who critisized our video for being “simple and basic,” criticisms which frankly don’t make very much sense given the guidelines stipulated a video no longer than sixty seconds which doesn’t allow for a whole lot of plot and character development, but whatever. What’s more important though is here is his submission.

So anyways I wasn;t out to start a war on the wall of my video (this was on Facebook, not YouTube, mind you) because I knew that would hurt more than it would help. However, my friends Jon and Pat for some reason thought otherwise so they challenged the kid and brought on a 40 comment war that I had to spend 20 minutes reading and deleting. There was the unforgettable battle of “your mom sucks my cock” and the heart-wrenching story of loss in the battle of “go guzzle cum you faggot.” The arguments went back and forth, about like that. I wanted it to end because frankly it was embarassing for both sides, so I yelled at my two stupid friends and sent this kid a private Facebook message telling him my thoughts and asking him to stop commenting on my video. Okay, I may not have been as polite as that.

When I say an epic ensued, I am not joking. I doubt anyone will read this entire thread which is about the Facebook equivalent of all three Lord of the Rings books plus The Hobbit, but its a hysterical festival of joy. I suppose before reading it, though, I should defend myself a tad: one may think “wow, Ryan Piccirillo, what a retard, having a huge fight on Facebook, let it go pussy.” But one must consider the fact that, as I said before, there are few things I enjoy more than a good argument, additionally so one where I get to type what I say. Not that I’m not a good in person arguer. I am. I swear. But I am golden via my keyboard.

Towards the end of what is about to be copy and pasted Daniel suggests that the reason I messaged him is because I didn’t want everyone to see me make a fool of myself. I say this with all honesty, and this isn’t something I thought of as a conter-action: from the very beginning of the fight I had intended to post it on my blog. By the end, there was no way I wasn’t going to. Enjoy.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 12:51am

honestly dude, and im saying this via a message because frankly i dont think publicly is the place to have a fight. your video is terrible. it makes no sense and takes an extremely small amount of effort. i used to make stuff like that when i was five.

really, lay off my video, because frankly, im shocked more people haven’t torn into yours.

also, you have no chance of winning. i do have a chance. so there you go. fuck off.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 12:58am

haha also, what special effects are you talking about that you worked with? your video was edited in windows movie maker, you fucking amateur prick.

Daniel Raineri

August 14 at 12:59am

Really? from the looks of your comments, 3 out of the 6 people who commented were people who were in the vid. Dont cut me out just yet because of how i peiced together my vid. if you put shit like that together when you were 5 then how could you get the videos seeing a major site like youtube wasnt fully established untill 2005. You video has nothing but basic statements. im does that and has humor. dont beleive me? look at my comments. No one has torn into mine because i put intresting things into it. Chances of me giving up, None. this will be a war intil the end if it needs to. i will create 10,000 more videos before saturday if i needed to.

No self esteem of mine has been lost and if a public fight is something you dont want because it proves my point to others veiwing it then fine.

But just remeber the better man wont hide the bloody shovel

Daniel Raineri

August 14 at 1:03am

I looked at the youtube page your video was posted on. ha ha ha no videos at all that are even worth mentioning. I would like to see seeeing that you are such a “pro”at the shit you do you to make something similar and do better.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 1:07am

…you clearly did not count the comments correctly. because there are several positive comments left from people who have nothing to do with the video. maybe you should.

i am cutting you out because of how you pieced your video together. you didn’t create anything new. you edited together already existing clips, and frankly did so in a boring, incoherent way. your video relates to heat only and hardly has anything to do with chill zone.

have you ever heard of a fucking hyperbole kid? also have you ever heard of videotaping a tv screen? youtube isn’t the only way to see movies.

not every good video needs to have a script written in dramatic lengthy prose. my video is to the point, and the dialogue exists where it needs to be in the capacity that it needs to be. i don’t need anymore words to tell my story.

the only humor your video has is the irony of an ad all about heat for something that is cold, and it is an irony executed extremely poorly. as well you copy the format of popular movie trailers but do so in an amateur fashion. and your video is NOT interesting.

i am not afraid of you proving your point to anyone. if this were a public fight, i would just have destroyed you. if you want to fight, move the fight to your video. but frankly, i don’t want the negativity surrounding mine. this is not a war. this is a contest to win free slushes.

honestly, grow up.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 1:09am

did i ever claim i was a pro? i called you an amateur. as an insult. not an amateur film maker even. because you created nothing.

i am an amateur, as a virtue of what i have accomplished and am capable of. however, if you’d like to know, i am going to film school next year. because i do want to be a professional. but frankly, i don’t yet have the skills or talent to be such. but i do have the dedication. so i’ll see you in four years.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 1:16am

did you block me, you fucking pussy?

Daniel Raineri

August 14 at 1:21am

I could go about awnsering to this in two ways.
A the way you would want me to an say fuck off and end it
B the way im goig to fucking do it.
If you look at the comments on my video, ALL OF THE COMMENTS EXCEPT MY OWN ARE POSTIVE reviews saying “win win win win win win win win” and “if it doesnt win should be honorable mention. Yes i do shoot live videos with a group but find that the way they edit it is different then mine. if you talk about quality of the video, makeing fun of mine. videotaping a tv to make vids? uh no. i didnt use a script but impromtu the full thing. the heat was to show without chill zone, one could become hot and thursty. when was the last movie trailer you saw that the problem was solved from the start. garentee that 90% of all movies at least have something that has to solcve an issue. I know it is just a commercail but still yours is very very very very basic and bland. in your opinion you state its unintresting but if you look at everyonelses comments i seem to be getting a very different result. I was trying to prove that your video was very basic. i said it sucked and gave my reason and from your side you exploded. was it from not being able to handle the truth or just trying to force your opponents down so you can shove you head up? check the comments if you havent already delete them and find out for yourself. secondly i dont beleive the treatening to kick my ass was a great help either on your side seeing that my town has a population of over 10,000 people and was almost declared a city. cut me out all you want but i feel that work was very well put together even though it was others work. i gave credit and compementented each one. Even though this is a contest, you have started a Flame war

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 1:22am

… i would hate for you to just “end it.” anyways, im reading your message.

Daniel Raineri

August 14 at 1:22am

no i didnt

from what you said above you seem to be acting like you know everything. You need to relize that balls on the internet can only get you so far unless you can back them up.

Daniel Raineri

August 14 at 1:23am

if you would hate me to end it why did your first message end with “fuck off”?

Daniel Raineri

August 14 at 1:30am

As for film school anyone can say anythingg on the internet. hey im barack obama, bill gates is my bitch and i shot JFK. i have no proof so who says im exactly wehat i say i am. if you really want to have this heated discustion over the internet, make sure you know how to do it first.

Daniel Raineri

August 14 at 1:31am

Post whatever you want but i have this thing called a job i need to go to in the morning so maybe you could get your ass off the computer and go find one

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 1:35am

friend, read the comments on my video. because i have a plethora of positive comments as well. though I will admit to having deleted some of the more negative comments place on there, though only you and one other boy seemed to have a problem with my video. but frankly, no matter how bad something is, there will be someone out there who likes it – that doesn’t mean they have taste. this goes for both of our videos, but i am directing it more at yours.

…i dont even know how to respond to your bit about shooting “live videos” with a group because your statement doesn’t make any sense. are you saying the videos are bad because they don’t edit how you’d like them to? sounds like an excuse to me. also, i reiterate, you edit with windows movie maker.

pal. when i said video taping a tv to make a video, i was explaining to you how i did that when i was 5. i hope now you understand.

… your video isn’t an actual movie trailer… and the progression of your trailer isn’t what i was referring to. i was referring to the don lafontaine style of saying “in a world…” but i bet you don’t even know who that is.

… okay you keep saying mine is basic. please explain this. how could i make it more complex? seriously, help me out. and frankly i can’t believe you’d call my video basic when yours is a montage of movie trailers.

my side exploded yes, and i have scolded them for that and explained to them that they were behaving as childishly as you. and i regret that they did so. however you provided a reason for why my video sucks, but it was a poor reason and wasn’t backed up by anything. an opinion without reasoning behind it has no merit. additionally, threatenting to beat you up was a terrible idea, and something i wish they hadn’t done. this is why i messaged you, personally, so there’s not macho bullshit like that. and frankly having a big town doesn’t mean shit.

your video was put together terribly. sorry.

i have started nothing. i have started a private conversation.

.. and i am backing up everything i say.

i told you to fuck off to act disinterested.

how old are you?

and i have worked thirty hours this week at my job at a local cable station. so you can fuck off.

also, i will provide you with proof of film school in just a moment.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 1:41am

here’s your proof friend

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/rypic7/proofofenroll.jpg

Daniel Raineri

August 14 at 11:05am

First off learn the internet. The first thing anyone is accused of when a “proof” picture is shown is photoshop which makes up 9/10’s of it. As for the video, watch it. the only “acting skills throught the whole thing is being able to say a line without it being all choppy. they have no major intresting points in them to catch anyones eye. you try to put a bit of comedy in for what i see with the 40th annaversery but still that sucks. also next video going up as soon as they fix the problem is on sony vegas. i thought WMM would be good enough to show but apparently not. Age is not a factor to anything right now. as for the editing, they cant they use Imovie 8 or 08 idk i dont own a mac. do I really need to know who says what when i did IN A WORLD? i just found with my video that would be most fitting. Seeing that your group is highly displeased by my work just by comment in surprised. in psychology they call that a defence mechanism.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 2:03pm

stop with this “learn the internet” bullshit. its like the third time you’ve tried to comment negatively on my knowledge of how the internet works, and frankly your comments are unfounded and reflect more on your lack of intelligence than mine. i am ashamed that i have gone to the lengths i have to prove to you that i am going to film school, but it honestly is not that important to me that you believe me. but if you think that somehow i forged a password to the BU student link, or photoshoped my own proof of enrollment, and managed to get a BU email to register for the BU’13 facebook group, all to make some childish internet entity think that i am going to film school, you are even more stupid than i had believed.

the only acting skills needed are a young man buying a drink (check) and a somber “morpehous-like” character. what other skills do you want to see? fight scenes or something? what points? what points would catch someone’s eye? the 40th anniversary was not at all an attempt at comedy but rather an attempt to demonstrate the young mans confusion. you really suck at analyzing things pal.

age is a factor to everything. because if you are 17 or older, than i can make fun of you for not developing mentally after your younger years. if you’re younger, than at least i can still have confidence that there isn’t an adult out there as misinformed, immature, and stupid as you are.

once again, i have no idea what your editing bit is trying to say because your sentence is completely incoherent. who is trying to fix a sony vegas problem? do they or do they not have imovie? i can’t fucking tell because you can’t formulate a sentence.

and im not saying its wrong for you to parody the don lafontaine trailers, but i am saying that if youre going to parody something, you should know whose it is, and you should do it well. given the premise of your video, you’re correct, it was a fitting choice of a subject to parody. but your parody was of poor quality. that’s the problem.

once again, i can’t understand your sentence. “just by comment in surprised?” what does that mean? and i have never commented negatively on someone elses video, because i think that would be a dick move, especially being as this is a contest to win fucking slushes.

i know what a defense mechanism is. but i don’t know which one you are referring too… but frankly i think youre using a defense mechanism. its called projection. projection is where you project your own negative qualities onto someone else. in this case you are projecting the boringness and simplicity of your video onto mine. there yah go. i just freuded the shit out of your ass.

Daniel Raineri

August 14 at 2:36pm

I personally find my video fine first off so way would i use projection. i know what it is

secondly who said i knew what or who the the hell Don whatshisface is? i never intended it to be a parody about anything just to be a straight up movie trailer. sure bash on me about how my spelling is incorrect or hom i missed the m key and hit the n when i said in surprised. whatever. this thing got blown way out of proportion from the start. it was a simple comment stating that i didnt like your video because it was in my opinion “to simple”. i relize that you had no control over your friends at the time that this whole thing errupted but still right now it went from a quarrel about the video to just general statements.

As for age fine 16. for the thing i said about photoshop, not that hard to do. i wasnt directly stating at this point in time you have or had but just as a point of referance for your future.

As for the movie itself which should be the only major problem here, i just found the acting very dull and simple. it didnt have any “flair” if you would. The person being confused, fine whatever, my bad.

As for the statement about Imovie. that was the group i brought up earlier. forget i even said that. whatever.

Seeing that apparently my video is “so bad” and “poor quallity”, well thats the best i could do with windows movie maker. You and I can probly both agree that it sucks in general but that was the best i could do at this time.

i dont see how New York getting blown up and will smith are boring but whatever. As for your video i dont find anything that really can make me say wow that was worth watching.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 14 at 3:43pm

you clearly do not know what defense mechanisms are. people who use them are rarely consciously aware of what they are doing. rather defense mechanisms are a subconcious way of “coping with reality.” so basically the fact that you believe your terrible video is fine is just more evidence pointing towards use of a defense mechanism.

and that is the point. you didn’t know you were parodying something specific. you thought you were just parodying movie trailers in general. but in fact you were parodying, poorly, a specific format of movie trailer – one which involves the “in a world scenario” – a scenario and trailer type made famous by “the voice” don lafontaine. learn your shit.

i am not a grammar nazi and make plenty of typos myself and frankly don’t really mind if other people do. but if you make so many typos in such places that your message becomes lost in them, then it goes beyond normal error, and you’re just an idiot.

and on a personal level, you are the one who has taken this out of proportion with me. you literally said “this is war” and threatened to make 10,000 videos to beat mine. please. fuck off you little twat. and what the fuck do you mean “general statements”? you telling me that this has been blown out of proportion is essentially you saying you regret entering into an argument that you’re never going to win because you lack the intelligence to do so.

and you’re sixteen? for a sixteen year old i find you to be both socially and intellectually inept. when i was sixteen i could argue with an 18 year old without looking like a nuisance.

i understand that photoshopping isn’t difficult, but i bet that you don’t even use the actual photoshop program, which is actually more difficult to use than most people would imagine. and to make a document as authentic looking as the one i screencapped for you would actually be quite a task. either way, i don’t need your advice for the future. no body but someone as immature as you would suggest that what i showed was photoshopped because most people have basic reasoning skills.

what flair would help the video? neither of the two characters required flair. as a matter of fact, flair would have ruined them. you know an incredibly small amount about the subjects you are speaking on. not every character requires flamboyance. these two characters, in fact, required none, and there is nothing wrong with that. the characters acted as i would expect such character types would in the given situation, though it exists in a bit of a fantasy world.

so are you asking me to forget your earlier statement because you realize that it was part of an overall incoherent argument which failed to further your point in the slightest?

frankly, blaming the software for your bad video is a huge cop-out. and i am not going to concede with you on that point. your video is terrible because of you, not because of windows movie maker. i have seen plenty of fine videos made using that program, and for a simple editing app, it does what it needs to. you however, did not. also, you basically just admitted that your video sucks.

no. neither of those things lack excitement. but excitement without substance is meaningless. but once again – YOU did not create that excitement. at all. your video has things that make me say wow, but they make me say wow because the people who made the movies you stole from did a fantastic job – not you. a montage of good footage put together poorly does not mean the montage is good. you need more than good footage. there is no coherency in your video and it is a random mess of clips of fire. there is hardly any story at all.

not all videos need to have a wow factor. frankly the fact that the editing in mine as well as the video quality and the fact that there exists an, albeit quite simple and easy, visual effect should be enough to stimulate someone watching a video trying to win, once again, A GOD DAMN FROZEN BEVERAGE.

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Ryan Piccirillo

August 15 at 11:47am

whenever you have time to respond buddy, i’m waiting to tear down what you muster.

Daniel Raineri

August 16 at 10:21am

Ok, now i find this stupid. Firstly, as you continue to say, the videos are for a years worth of free frozen drinks. Just relize that this all started from fire from your side after i posted a simple comment about how i felt about your video thinking it was to simple. Your side got infuriated and started not only attacking my video about how horrable and vile it was but also going after me stating they would kick my ass trying to find my home town. After several unneeded comments i became infuriated and fought back. YOU in fact created this private message in order to keep it from the publics eyes for maybe a few reasons other then both sides fighting. I still angered from the comments made before stated that this was war and I WOULD POST 10,000 VIDEOS IF I HAD TO. Never did I say in order to win. Now still understand that this is a contest for free drinks for a year. I made a COMMENT that your side didn’t like. I POSTED my video up and your side didn’t like it. Then the VIDEO contest got personal after YOUR SIDE started making unneeded profane comments stating i was of incestive and homosexual nature.

As for this private message. YOU were the one who asked my age in order to come up with more ways to put my side down. My point i wanted to get across is that i thought your video was simple and needed more flair. You started to jeer at my “immaturity” and how “unintellegent” i may be but understand sir that this is a VIDEO contest. I do not see any statement in there that has any other requirements other then a video under 1 minute about the free chill zone day. Frankly, i find your comments even more immature. Your fighting with a 16 year old. You said when you were my age youcould take on an 18 year old. Your just making a fool of yourself. Thats probably another reason you didnt want this message to go public. Sure i made the comments about photoshop and doubted your acceptance into a film school and thats because its true. photoshop is one of the easist things to do if have worked with it enough. My video, fine with it. I love it. Did i say it was bad, no. I think its the best of them so far. I feel it was the best i could do with WMM. If a had a program to use like sony vegas, which was used in a video i find that came out worse, it could have been better. Anything can be better. Accept that not everyone is going to like your video due to different tastes in likes and maybe youll look at things different. Remeber again that this is a VIDEO contest for a drink. There is Absolutly no reason to get personal with facts or anything. Whoever wins at noon, whatever, its acontest for a reason.

Thank you for wasting a total of about an hour of my life,
Dan

Daniel Raineri

August 16 at 5:16pm

As you can see niether of us has won this contest. No bragging right about whos video may or not be better.

to bad

Ryan Piccirillo

August 16 at 5:34pm

Son, this stopped being about a video contest a long time ago. Ever since you sent me the first response to my message, it has been about you and how stupid you are, plain and simple, because I have torn down every single point you have made, and you have dodged mine left and right and throughout this entire epic haven’t been able to provide a single coherent argument. its understandable for you to say it is immature for me to continue fighting with an immature sixteen year old such as yourself, but that is simply because you don’t know me. anyone that knows me would know that arguing is probably my favorite activity in the world, especially with someone as stupid as you, because you’re pigheadedness and stubbornness gives me a whole lot more to work with. for me, this is sport, for you, this is personal.

the point isn’t why you said “this is war and i’ll post 10,000 videos if i have to.” the point is that you were idiotic enough to use the sentence “this is war” in reference to a video contest to win free slushes. oh hey hey now calm down. i enjoyed thoroughly how you spent an entire paragraph rehashing my points about how you’re stupid because this is only a video contest, but flipping them onto me. but see that only applies to you, because as i said earlier, for me, this was never about a video contest and just about letting you know just how wrong you were and are. however, for you, this was more than a video contest, it was a war.

and as far as my friends go, the reason i approached you in a message is because id did not want them or any others who approach things like they do to taint our debate. but you criticize them for using profanity and talking about you being gay and fucking your mom, but if i remember correctly, and i do, you welcomed it and shot right back and didn’t hesitate to call them faggots and relish in telling them how they too fuck their mothers. so please, know that you were behaving just as immaturely as they were.

please explain to me, other than the fact that you are 16 (and frankly most sixteen year olds are on-par with my level of maturity becuase we are onyl two fucking years apart you little retard) how my statements have been immature?

the other requirement besides under a minute and about chill zone was creativity, and your video showed none. at all. you CREATed nothing.

once again, i reiterate, you probably haven’t used adobe photoshop pro cs4, and are probably using something elements or something. but either way, its not that easy to use. after years, it becomes easier, as it has for me, but still, its a fairly complex program and there is a lot to it.

you said it was the best you could do with windows movie maker. that is a major concession to make. that is essentially you admitting to its lack of quality. not about your effort, but about the final product. just to clear things up as well: your video is NOT good, and it certainly is not the best submitted. not the worst, but dear god, nowhere near the best.

once again, stop stealing my “its a drink contest” bit. as i said, this has nothing to do with winning the contest. i will likely come in second or third, and that ben silver kid will win. thats pretty much how it has been from the beginning and i could really care less. there is a reason to get personal with facts: you are incredibly immature, and as a side-effect of your immaturity you actually cling to the silly ideas you have like the notion that your video is the best submission. so in order to prove you wrong it was entirely necessary that i get you to realize your own immaturity.

also, your last message was an enormous cop-out and to sum it up you basically said “i can’t take this anymore and I want it to end”
and who the fuck is dan?

Ryan Piccirillo

August 16 at 5:37pm

cool. i said that in my message, and have known that since the beginning. but like i also said, this hasn’t been about a video contest for a while, just about how bad yours is and how stupid and wrong you are.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 16 at 5:38pm

and of the videos, that kids was the best and deserved to win. i’m just glad it wasn’t that ben silver kid’s, because his sucked.

Ryan Piccirillo

August 16 at 6:02pm

hahah oooh. and not to send a bunch of messages but i forgot to mention this. as far as me not wanting people to see this fight because i am making a fool of myself, i am posting this entire thing to my blog and have been planning to since the beginning. because its hilarious. soooo. yep.

Daniel Raineri

August 18 at 8:44pm

Thank you for proving my points further and wasting your time

God damnit. There is nothing that frustrates me and enrages me more than how this ended. He blocked me after he sent that message. I almost put that in a win column for him actually, because I have no way to counter the short but sweet words of his final message. As well it gives the impression of “you’re just annoying me,” though, and this is only my self-praising delusion I am sure, though I genuinely believe it is true, he didn’t have the energy to continue fighting a fight he could not win.

Therefore:

me.

Few things in life are quite as nice as a sweet, slushy treat on a sticky summer evening. This one in particular is wonderful for muggy August nights, when the air is so heavy even breathing seems to take herculean effort. You’ll thank yourself for your advanced planning when you’re relaxing on the back porch with a frosty glass in hand.

Puree about four cups of watermelon and freeze in ice cube trays. Once frozen, put the melon into a blender with 2 ounces of simple syrup*,  2 or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 8 ounces vodka, and two ounces melon liqueur. Blend until slushy, serve in whatever vessel seems appropriate. Martini glasses are functional, I prefer to triple the recipe and swim in it. To each his own.

Now, take your slushy delight somewhere cool and comfortable, and try to relax – you made it through another Tuesday!

*You can make simple syrup by dissolving sugar in hot water, 1:1 ratio. Cover it and keep it in the fridge!

Yesterday a small group of us rode out to Gilroy and back for some Sonic drank.  It was a nice long ride, probably a little harder than the San Francisco to San Jose ride.    The whole ride round trip is about 60-70 miles, but the headwind is brutal, although we didn’t encounter too much of it yesterday.  The temperature was actually ok, it wasn’t too blazing hot, but it also wasn’t comfortable either.

Romanian Version

You can make such a big mistake when get someone out of the slush. Some are unable to live outside the natural environment, therefor, they prefer soiling what surrounds them. Poor guys …

Folk som kan å telle har sikkert lagt merke til at eg hoppa over to dager. Eg har tatt til meg næring altså, eg har berre gløymt å skrive det ned. Trur ikkje det var så vanvittig interessant heller.

I dag var det altså laurdag, noko som pleier å vere einsbetydande med at eg kan sove lenge og ete snop. (kan forsåvidt ete snop kvar dag, men på laurdagar er det liksom offisielt tillatt.) Eg starta dagen med å lage frukost til meg og sigurd. I dag blei det toast, noko som eg er ganske dreven i å lage, etter å ha slitt ut 3-4 toastmaskiner oppigjennom åra. Trikset er å legge osten slik at den stikker ut av skiva, så man får litt sprø ost rundt kanten. Det er ein sikker vinnar.

I halv tolv-tida åpna eg ein Firkløver som hadde fått ligge og godgjere seg i kjøleskapet. Av denne tok eg to rekker, før eg la den tilbake. Litt etter dette gjekk vi på Laksevåg Senter for å hente reflektoren min på posten. Den var større enn eg hadde tenkt, men det var jo egentlig berre ein bonus. Sidan vi var på kjøpesenteret gjekk vi likegodt berserk og kjøpte inn bursdagseffekter til Sigurd sin bursdag, så var i hvert fall det gjort. Vi kjøpte kvar sin is is til sigurd, og spaserte heimover igjen.

Vel heime fant vi ut at vi skulle reise til sentrum, så vi heiv oss på bussen. Den var stappfull, så vi måtte stå heilt framme og tviholde i dei gule stengene for ikkje å fly ut frontruta kvar gang bussen bremsa. Når vi kom fram, gjekk vi innom jobb slik at eg kunne plage kollegaene mine som måtte stå inne på slik ein fin laurdag. Så gjekk vi ut for å kjøpe ny is. Desse måtte etast rimelig fort for å unngå smelting. (Siste setningen skreiv eg egentlig berre fordi eg ikkje husker navnet på isane vi kjøpte.) På vegen heim kjøpte vi ein Slush med jordbærsmak. Det har eg ikkje smakt på sikkert 10 år. Den var god.

Etter kvart som vi var komt heim igjen, var det tid for middag, og litt utpå kvelden lagde eg kyllingfilet med ris og Bali kyllingsaus med salat til. Sannsynligvis noko av det beste eg sjølv har laga på lenge. Den tidligare nevnte firkløveren var på mystisk vis forsvunnet fra kjøleskapet. Eg har nokre mistenkte, men ettersom dei er mindreårige, blir nok denne saken henlagt.

Etter at eg hadde lagt Sigurd, avslutta eg kvelden med King Kong på blu-ray og ein pose chips + cola. Epic Threesome. Lyd- og Bildekvaliteten på King Kong var noko av det vakraste eg har sett/hørt. Chipsen og brusen smakte som forventa.

I just wanted to spread the word and remind anyone using the 2009 Writers Market to please, please remember to call and verify the contact information. That way all of your hard work doesn’t get tossed in the slush pile due to having the wrong editors name on your query/envelope. I can’t tell you how many magazine/publishers, etc…have the telephone numbers that are changed or out of service. We are talking A LOT of them (obviously many have gone under due to our great economy).

One magazine, who you have all heard of – even if you’ve just crawled out of a cave, had the wrong address, phone number, and editor contact (the editor hasn’t been there for 4 years). I called information trying to get a working number with no luck at all. The operator and I tried everything we could think of. After about 15 minutes I’m able to reach a phone number that is linked (in an ass backwords type of way) to the mag.

Thinking I’ve finally gotten thru and I’ll just find out the new name of the editor, blah blah blah, home-free right? (Nothing is easy like that in my life!) The girls voicemail I have been forwarded to says,

“Hi this is Lisa (insert a 14 yr old giggle fit here). Friday is like my last day and all calls will be taken by our interns. Thanx!!”

After a large case of eye rolling on my part I wait for an intern to pick up. Wouldn’t you know it, I got the intern with the deep southern drawl AND a case of the crippling teen giggles. I ask for the correct editors name,

“Oh, ummmm, you want ummmm, who’s name is it again?”

I try again.

“That’s right, I’m sorry! Ummm, I can’t find the name right now but I can give you our email address.” I respond with a ‘fine’ and then have to wait another 5 minutes to get an email addy, three times, that was totally wrong in the end. The kind child did forward me to a voicemail of someone (it could’ve been her cousin back in Hillville at that point (please don’t give me grief on that comment, I am from the sticks so I can make fun of myself) saying they were on the phone or in a “really, really important meeting right now”.

I left a lame message and hung up.

An hour later I was still exhausted from the total mind circus I encountered. (And no, I never heard back from them.)

National magazine with over 2.5 million readers. Any guesses?

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