Today in Food (2003/11/29)

Posted on November 29 2003 by Mickey
    WebMD.com, in an article printed last week, states “Americans living in areas of great urban sprawl are more likely to be obese”. Researchers believe this is due to the easy availability of fast food, the emphasis on driving from place to place rather than walking, and the fact that people need the suburban sprawl to make room for their asses.

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Short Fat Guy Sex Tape

Posted on November 29 2003 by Mickey
    I might as well go ahead and post this here before it starts spreading all over the Internet. I too am now the victim of a hidden video camera. Unbeknownst to me, my roommate taped me at my most depraved, satisfying my animal lusts with some tasty morsel I happened to bring home earlier tonight. I must warn you this video is not for the faint of heart, and I am terribly sorry if its depiction of the satiating of carnal desires is too much for you…
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Video Blog

Posted on November 28 2003 by Mickey
    The video clip below is fairly self-explanatory. It’s something I quickly worked up to test the viability of creating video updates for the blog. I’ve been meaning to get more into video editing — it’s the whole reason I built my new computer…and, now, the reason I’m seeking out further improvements and alternatives — so here goes…

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Today in Food (2003/11/28)

Posted on November 28 2003 by Mickey
    A tragic food-related story: an unfortunate Minnesota man burns down his garage while trying to deep-fry the Thanksgiving turkey.
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Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Posted on November 27 2003 by Mickey
    The eating season has begun, starting today and running pretty much through Christmas and New Year’s to Super Bowl Sunday. The days where we honor certain events by stuffing ourselves silly. The days that made me the short fat guy I am today.
    And here we are once again at another Thanksgiving Day. I don’t know why some people insist on calling today Turkey Day. Any short fat guy knows the real reason we roast a turkey today is to provide the drippings for GRAVY!
    Mmm, graaaavy…
    And on this day we are asked to look back at our lives and give thanks to providence for all our myriad blessings. It’s funny that if I step back and take in the broader view, the same things and situations that irritate me on a daily basis turn out to be many of the things I am thankful for now. Funny, innit.
    Happy Gravy Day. May it be even more profound — and filling!
Posted in Food, Personal | 2 Comments

A Message from Joe (2003/11/26)

Posted on November 26 2003 by Mickey
    My nephew Joe is taking an international studies course in Ecuador. Here’s his latest message.
From: Joe
Sent: Wednesday, November 26 2003   06:29:05
Subject: Quick Update

Hello friends,

I know its been a fair while since my last email update. Sadly, due to time constraints, I must keep this fairly brief.

Last weekend we went to the volcano Cotopaxi, climbing up to the refugio, just below the glacier that caps the mountain. We then walked about the glacier a little bit, climbing and sliding down. We threw snowballs, sang Christmas carols, and had a jolly good time. I never thought that I would actually see snow falling while in ecuador, and it brightened my spirits. Its nice to be able to visit snow without having to live in it.

This weekend I have a trip for my ornithology class, which I’m sure will be painful, due to the stopping every five seconds to look at some other species of finch. Before that, however, is Thanksgiving, as I’m sure all of you know. Of course, there is no such holiday in Ecuador. Luckily, our great college, Kalamazoo, has giving us 150 dollars to buy food and beverages so that we can cook a Thanksgiving of our own. We will be having dinner at Susanna’s house, each bringing a dish to pass. Hopefully, my madre here will help me with whatever I have to make.

Thats it for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. To my family in particular, have a great holiday and think of me as you carve that wonderful turkey.

love always,

Joe
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<shudder>Shopping</shudder>

Posted on November 25 2003 by Mickey
    Thought I’d go to Best Buy today to pick up some CDs and discovered the horrible truth: everyone has already hunkered down into holiday shopping mode. The aisles were filled with clueless and confused stragglers and the front of the store was roped off to form a single checkout line.
    It was too much for my fragile spirit and I instantly started feeling antsy and claustrophobic. Instead, I fled the store and bought my CDs from Amazon. Which reminds me, if you’re curious why so many Amazon user reviews for the new Dixie Chicks CD/DVDs are negative and don’t even review the CD or DVD content, it looks like you can blame it on these dittoheads.
Posted in Music, Personal | Leave a comment

There will be no image file with this entry

Posted on November 21 2003 by Mickey
    I really hope Cat in the Hat dies a quick ignominious death at the box office…just because Mike Myers’ makeup gives me the creeps!!!
Posted in Movies | 3 Comments

Knowing the Score

Posted on November 20 2003 by Mickey
    I am consumed with watching all of The Two Towers: Extended Edition, so my blog might as well reflect that with its third straight LOTR entry. This Tuesday brings the release of the new Return of the King score CD. The official soundtrack site is still advertising last year’s CDs unfortunately, despite word of an Internet-only edition, but it looks like all three releases of the score can be purchased from Amazon.\r\n
1-Disc Standard Release
3-CD Release (w/Fellowship & Two Towers CDs)
CD/DVD Internet-Only release (with video featurettes)
    And speaking of movie music, it is with much regret I make mention of the passing of Michael Kamen. On Tuesday he died of a heart attack, at the age of 55. His scores for Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Brazil are big favorites of mine and he will be greatly missed.   [2:22 PM]
    Update: Here is Michael Kamen’s last post on his own message board. It contains a little autobiography and some thoughts on movie scoring and, by way of Band of Brothers, on war.
    Also, I am reminded that Soundtrack.net has an interview with Howard Shore and that the end-titles song from Return of the King can be heard at the official movie site.
Posted in Links, LOTR, Movies, Music | 2 Comments

I’s a Star!

Posted on November 18 2003 by Mickey
    DVD Planet.com came through again, delivering my Two Towers Extended Edition last night, and I’ve stayed up way too late getting all the way up to about halfway through disc three. My reaction isn’t as strong as with last year’s special edition. Then, the added scenes helped restore some of the things I missed from the book; here, the added scenes are mostly original additions, and the scenes I didn’t like in the theatrical version (the Easterlings not seeing Sam and Frodo fall down a mountain, Frodo offering the Ring to a Nazgûl, and, yes [try as they might to defend it] Faramir’s useless &8220;character development&8221;) still bug me.
    Nevertheless, despite some story problems, the movies are an amazing achievement, and discs three and four ably demonstrate the skill and artistry that went into creating them.
    And besides how can I truly fault a movie that has my name in the credits?
    P.S.: I’m still next to Sean Astin, but sadly on a different line. Hopefully this is only a temporary separation. Remarkably, the Fan Club credit sequence is almost half as long as last year, raising the question why someone would want their name included on only one movie?
Posted in LOTR, Movies, Personal | 2 Comments