It’s been delayed far too long. I’ve fawned over her, discussed her and even posted Boston Terrier photos of my wonderful new familial addition - the lovely and talented Pixie Pye. You have yet, however, to see a video of my cute little water weasel. So with no further ado…
Strictly snappin’ necks.
And you thought Shep and Rhuby liked to do the head-tilt thing. Pixie is almost able to pull off a full Linda Blair. What do you think? Is she the cutest thing ever, or the probable result of a mad scientist crossing a Mogwai with a retarded bullfrog? I’ll let you be the judge.
Oh Long Johnson. Oh Don Piano. Sorry for the lack of any posts today. Blogger was down. I am chiming in now because I've been laughing about this video all day and I want to share. I think it's from America's Funniest Home Videos or something, and it shows a variety of talking cats. They don't......
Friday's Quizzlet: There Goes the Scotch Appetizer: What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child? I used to love Saturday mornings and remember that Dungeons and Dragons, The Smurfs, G.I. Joe and a bunch of others were always on my dance card. But the 70's version of Spider-Man was my very favorite. I still......
Reigning Quotelet Champ: Give 'Er, Keo. Reaction to the Quotelets was fast and fierce when I started them a few months back. Recently though, the participation has petered out and I can't help but think it's because I'd never conceeded defeat. I am happy to announce that I've finally been unsurped, and I'm hoping that fact......
Update - Monday morning. Smoke is clearing. Dave is smiling. I can’t believe I got nearly every frigging thing on my list done. Thanks to those that helped, especially J and S. I feel caught up and a tremendous weight has been lifted from my formerly overwhelmed shoulders. Maintaining a house is no joke and I’m learning a lot. The most important lessons so far, which I’d like to share, are 1) Make lists (further explanation below in the original post) and 2) Be doing something everyday to make that list shorter - thereby avoiding the aforementioned (and inevitable) “overwhelmshion”. Tasks which could not be completed have notes in red below, and I just made the final list update if you’d like to check my score.
Over my nearly 6 years as a blogger I have seen and taken part in some of the many ways in which your website can cross over and effect your real life. I was nearly lynched in the North End. You may remember the semi-successful Pork Ass Challenge. Recently I’ve been writing a lot about productivity and workflow. Less about Blade Runner.
Although I myself haven’t had a cigarette since New Year’s Eve 1999 there are many blogs devoted to nothing but the author attempting to quit smoking. These, usually futile, attempts are the perfect example of this post’s purpose - calling your shot in public. If you fail to quit the lung rockets, the drinking, the over-eating, the necrophelia - everyone is going to know because you publicized your intentions. Not wanting to appear like a weak windbag in front of your friends can enable you to move mountains. A simple blog post declaring your noble intentions then becomes enormous motivation for completing your mission. And I’m going to need all the motivation I can muster this weekend.
This is all, word-for-word, from a text file I’ve had open on my desktop and have been adding to since I got back from Gooch’s wedding on Tuesday. If you’re a GTD fan you’ll notice some of that methodology (next steps, context lists, etc.) ingrained. If you don’t know what GTD is, and you’re feeling overwhelmed by tasks at work or in your personal life, you absolutely have to buy and read the book I’ve listed to the left. It’s saved my life, and if I were a richer man I’d buy it for you - but I shouldn’t have to because it’s under $10. That, my friends, is a testimonial of which you should take heed.
June 20th & 21st Task List
Phone Call Wentworth Call Spencer re: laptop & dartboard Call Steve Brig & Schedule alternate trailer deliveryCall Bob re: trailer rental and his truck Call Erynn re: dates for visit
Call Brooks-Cryderman re: radiant heating - will do today. Not in office on weekends. Call Mike Bell re: satelitte installation Call Best Buy re: laptop and hard drive repair
Yard Finish staining dock - Got the supplies I need but wanted to wait for sunny weather to paint.
- Get stain & brushFinish dock trim
- Paint trim and install - See above. Call Don re: tractor and whipper-snipper repair
- Repair tractor - Got the belt and took the tractor apart with the help of my neighbor and noticed a crack in one of the very dull blades which has puppy behading-potential. Going to get two new blades then re-assemble tonight with new belt in place. - Repair whipper-snipper
- Get belt for tractor
- Take whipper-snipper to small engine repair shop - Ended up investing in a SICK new one with an 18″ snipping diameter, brush cutting and edging features. This property needs a serious whipper snipper. Fix lake pump- Get new foot valve. Bring old one for sizing- Add new valve, prime, get taps working - Lost the primer cap while working on it Saturday and the new foot valve shot off the end of the hose like the Nautalis. Realized I needed thread tape and got some Sunday when I went to Home Hardware to replace the cap. Almost over the finish line. Pickup dog pooPickup loose trash Store all tools and hardware Clean up mess by basement door
- Burn wood - Was too wet to burn over the weekend, but everything scheduled for incineration has been moved to the fire pit. All I have to do is light a match. - Add glass and refuse to outgoing trash for Monday
- Move deck umbrella- Move ladder to garage
Office Clean office
- Store boxes- Hang pictures- Organize Mom’s desk- File all loose documents- Move current files back onto clean desk area
- Fill bank shelves and then mark for actionMove fax machine Move hard driveGive laptop to Spencer Scan trust documents for Janet Clean out work and personal email inboxes
Winchester Clean Winchester - Sweep - Mop - Change bedding
Install strike plate - I forgot this can’t be done until a proper door frame is built. Shouldn’t have been on the list.
Put tread on stairs - Couldn’t find any. Will likely just cut bathtub tread to fit.
Garage Sort trash - Recyclables - To be burned - To be returned Return bottles Mark garbage with tags for Monday a.m. Burn the burnable
House Laundry
- Master bedroom, sheets only
- Loose clothes in Dave’s room
- Winchester bedding Hang, beat and store mats Clean back deck
- Assemble umbrella
- Return kegs and tap for deposit
- Move bins to garage Store satellite equipmentChange side lightbulb Sort Dave’s room
- Fix closet door
- Hang mirror
- Clean out closet
- Hang pictures
Basement Hang dartboard Cover pool table
- Brush pool table
- Clean pool table coverClean rest of photo glass and rehang Reclean floor re: dog and cat urineClean out and restock fridge
Smiths Falls Get dock stain & brushGet new wallet Get foot valve Get laundry detergentGet stair treadGet belt for tractorTake whipper-snipper to repair shop
Miscellaneous Go visit Dad on Sunday. Check times in letter or phone ahead.
- Clothes to GoodwillGet fucking hydratedTreat head wound (long story) Don’t get distracted (shitfaced)
I won’t get everything done this weekend. I say that because some items, such as launching the boat, are dependant on weather or other people over whom I have no real physical or mental control. Yet. I’m going to get damn close, though, and I’ll update you on Monday, beaming proudly and feeling a whole lot better than I do right now. Dave is in the weeds. Dave needs a “life” whipper-snipper. Don’t believe me? Just see item #3 under “Yard”.
Crazy Fall Follies, Part 2 Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll continue... Sunday we all picked up and drove back to our respective homes. The departure was anything but early and I got back to Portland, to an extremely psyched puppy, by about 10pm. It was great to be home, but the odyssey wasn't quite......
The Deep Clean. The Deeper Burn. Martin the Mouth was a long-haired and shaggy East Londoner who used to hang out at the Hind's Head of Bray in the late 90's. Everytime he came in, he'd try and recruit me for his deep kitchen cleaning business. While there was no other way I'd have rather spent......
Defender Of The Crown. Nearly 32 years have passed without my having endured any signifigant oral trauma. Unless of course you count that one time in University when I woke up after a tryst feeling like my 'special purpose' had been sharpened by a beaver and added to a dam. Otherwise - lovely girl.I'm......
This isn’t some kind of virus alarm but it’s still a big dork deal. Especially if you’re a massive tool like I am. Apple released the latest version of the iPhone’s software today and it contains a ton of cool new - and useful - features that you don’t have to buy the new iPhone (released tomorrow) in order to get.
When I read all of the new phone’s features earlier this week, having just purchased the current one a little over a months ago, buyer’s remorse immediately set in. “Damn it - I should have waited.” As my local copy of iTunes automatically began downloading the 230 MB update a few minutes ago, that remorse was replaced with joy. A window popped up listing what was new in the update for current iPhone owners. I quickly realized nearly all of the new features I bemoaned not waiting to purchase so I could enjoy are included in this very software update for current and older models. Well raise my rent!
Here are the additions I’m particularly interested in adding to my productivity/silliness arsenal, and you can click through to a full list as there are many more I don’t give a fig about.
Cut, Copy & Paste with shake to undo Not being able to copy and paste has been a real headache for me. This is at the top of my “thank fuck” list. The shake option will also be perfect for days when you long for your old Etch-o-Sketch.
Landscape keyboard in key applications I have large frigging fingers. Enough said. Thank heavens for this addition.
Enhanced Messages application - Send and receive photos, contacts, audio files, and location via MMS. I gotta tell you, it was weird to shell out for the iPhone and not be able to do simple things like take a picture and text it to a friend like you’d been able to do for years with regular cell phones.
- Forward and delete single or multiple messages Don’t you miss having texts forwarded to you by friends writing to other friends “in confidence”? Or drunkenly forwarding something personal to the wrong person? Happy days are here again.
Spotlight search across iPhone
This new tool allows you to search Mail, Contacts Calendar, Notes and iPod tracks simultaneously. I can’t yet envision how this may be useful, unless you’re a big fan of Elvis Costello and he also owes you money, but I’m willing to fiddle around and find out.
The Best New 3G iPhone Apps.
There you have it, and my list doesn’t mention about 100 brand new applications, also being launched today, which take advantage of the more technical upgrades. Personally, I can’t wait for iShitPants (see the video). If you’re an iPhone owner - get updating.
Out Like Buster Douglas. Spoke to me Mam today about plans for selling G-ma's house and getting on with our respective lives. So there are no nasty surprises for any of my peeps, real or imagined, I will be among the faithful Boston departed as of May 1st. I've been living in the North......
Canadian Assimilation. My friend Sean called me over the weekend and left a message to the tune of “Have you been eaten by feckin' bears?†I realized at that point that it was probably time to update anyone who cares. If not, jog on - no one has a potato gun to......
Wednesday Weigh In #2: Shape Up Or Ship Out! "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." - Stuart Smalley.A grand total of 2 people have checked in with their new weights so far today, and sadly - one of them was me. I am deadly serious about the Pork Ass Challenge, and anyone who does not get their......
I wrote a high school paper about the world-famous Ernesto “Che” Guevara and I remember being more than a little confused as to why he was revered by the left, particularly many actors and musicians of which I was a fan, as such a superhero. As I was a long-banged, Smiths-listening lefty by association (young, dumb and full of… Morrissey) I tended to side with my similarly spoon-fed friends and decided I dug the guy - although in my own defense I never, ever, owned one of those fucking Che shirts. Guevara was either a complete bastard or God’s gift simply depending on which book I was able to sign out of the CCHS library on a given day. The rift, split and division continues to this day, but as far as the influence of popular culture and Hollywood is concerned, el Commandante definitely has a leg up - which is both irresponsible and unfortunate. I’ll explain.
“Knowing what we know, why do we still celebrate him?” - Paul Berman
In the years since my compass has drifted, thankfully, farther to the right. That having been said, I was still excited to devote 4 hours of my life to watching Steven Soderbergh’s Che - and I did so, in one sitting, late Monday night. I certainly enjoyed the movie as entertainment. It felt authentic, gritty, was action-packed and engaging all the way through the Cuban revolution, his operations in the Congo (which are only briefly mentioned by another character and almost wholly omitted from the film) and to the final battles in the Bolivian jungle. To the uninitiated this film’s protagonist would definitely appear to be a revolutionary hero. The movie’s slant is in no way conflicted on this point.
Killer Chic: Hollywood’s Sick Love Affair With Che Guevara
From the above video: It’s something that baffles Cuban jazz legend Paquito D’Rivera. “Che hated artists, so how is it possible that artists still today support the image of Che Guevara?” Turns out the rebellious icon that emblazons countless T-shirts actually enforced aesthetic and political conformity.
My problem with the film has nothing to do with acting, timeline, 85% Spanish dialogue, cinematography or any other technical or aesthetic aspect. It’s solid celluloid. I will never, however, recommend it to anyone under the age of 25 who’ve never read at least a couple of books/articles on the man, preferably one from each side of the aisle. If “Che” Parts 1 and 2 are the only point of reference for a young mind, which they will undoubtedly become once the DVDs are released later this year, you’d think the guy was a cross between Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and Davey Crockett.
A large percentage of Cubans remember him as the “the butcher of La Cabaña” and he is considered by many others to be the genesis of continuing politically-charged brutality in the regions he directly influenced - and many that he did not. Fischer Price: My First Revolution, if you will. As Del Toro’s Che tells Lou Diamond Phillip’s character, “A coup without an army behind it never stands a chance“. Lou Diamond, fresh on the heels of his tour-de-force performance on the George Lopez Show, nods stoically. I have to be honest here though - I think there are 12-yr-old white girls in Northern Minnesota who know they have a better chance of spotting a Yeti than seeing a revolution without violence. Then they get to college and some unkempt 3rd-year activist convinces them otherwise, signs them up for a candlelit vigil during which he tries to finger her and then buys her a Che shirt the next morning as an apology. Does anyone else see the irony in that?
The leanings of Soderbergh and his Hollywood pals are no secret, but there’s “spin” and then there’s blatant omission. Stevey can argue that he does indeed show Che ordering executions. Two of his own troops who deserted, raped and then torched the house of peasants are shot during the first half of the film. (So what you’re saying is that many of his victims deserved to be blown away in jungle clearings. I get it now, and I still love you and your t-shirt, Johnny Depp!). He can also point out that during once scene, shortly before he is dispatched, one of the Bolivian soldiers remarks, “Guevera assasinated my Uncle”. As far as ticks in the “definitely not any kind of hero” column, those calculated, punch-pulling critical additions to the film are just the tip of the firing squad.
About a year ago I was at an Irish pub in Ottawa, Ontario and watched a group of about 30 twenty-somethings, obviously on some sort of bar crawl, stumble through the door all at once. To my dismay I noticed that they were all wearing identical neon-green t-shirts with the infamous Che visage boldly printed on the front. To prove a point to my companions, I told them I’d pay the tab for the entire night if just one of the misguided students pressed against our table like sardines could both a) identify and correctly pronounce the name of the man on their spiffy new shirt and b) tell me why they admired him. I made my point after speaking to about five of them and drank for free into the wee hours.
I’m no expert on the man, but I’ve definitely gone further out of my way over the last 20 years to be able to form an honest, objective opinion of his deserved legacy than the vast majority of my peers - a desire based in large on my early exposure to a book on the Cuban Revolution which my parents had in their house. I’ll shut up now. Spend the money you’re thinking of laying down for one of these incredibly inappropriate (you now know that Che vehemently disliked artists and musicians) t-shirt, dog tag or knit hat symbols of your progressiveness and spend it instead on a book like The Che Guevara Myth and the Future of Liberty - then see if you still feel the same way. That’s all I’m saying. Viva le Gordita !
Wednesday Wadio: Magnetic Fields "Love is Like a Bottle of Gin" 69 Love Songs "It makes you blind, it does you in It makes you think you're pretty tough It makes you prone to crime and sin It makes you say things off the cuff" The Magnetic Fields are definitely in my top 10 list of all time favorite bands, and......
Sneezes Of The Cats. I took Boss to the vet last Thursday to update his papers for a smooth border crossing at the end of the month. He got a rabies shot in the haunch, and some pink distemper liquid right up his snout. He shook it off pretty quickly and that was the......
Apraisealypto. I saw Apocalypto over the Christmas holidays and I have to tell you - it was absolutely terrific. Great characters, amazing editing and action, gory as all get-out. The flick made its money back at the box office but suffered I think at the hands of historical critics who bashed......
Sarah’s supporters wasted only the time they had to stand in the shitter line before beginning to drum up support for 2012.
- From a bathroom stall seen by reader DVS somewhere in CT.
Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys There are no words. I will let Clattenburg do the talking and ruminate further in a future post. “Over the past few months there has been a lot of discussion among our fans and those in the media about the future of Trailer Park Boys. Will there be another season,......
The Tumbleweeds Of Creative Suffocation. The last few weeks on the blog have been fairly frantic, with at least 7 decent posts a week keeping' 'er going. But during the play performance-related hiatus, and my sickness yesterday, my daily traffic has dropped over 25%. Talk about fairweather fans. Where is everybody going? Rest assured -......
GoonBlog: The Podcast. Episode #2. Recorded last Saturday, and now live for your special time hockey podcast fun jamboree enjoyment, is Episode #2 of GoonBlog: The Podcast. You'll hear the dulcet tones of the Tragically Hip - our new theme music - as I get better with the editing equipment. Prick your ears up in......
Here were the instructions I received from Angela via Facebook yesterday morning: “Using only song titles from one artist, cleverly answer these questions. Once you’re finished, tag 15 friends and have them do it! (One bonus point for every album you can pick a song title from!)”
I did this a while back for the Pixies but this is a different group of questions so I’ll take it for another spin. I’ve linked to the different albums and managed to use every one in existence at least once. What can I say? Mr. Black is a prolific songwriter. And I fucking love him.
That was not easy but definitely fun. It was definitely a good idea to pick a musician with a large body of work. And a large body. Pick your favorite band and give it a try yourself in the comments.
The Ghost of Cincos Past. I'm donating my old work desktop to an intern next week, and decided it was high time to clean some of my legacy MP3s and photos off of it. Or "cover my tracks" as someone with a flair for the accurate would probably say. As I dug through nearly 2......
Friday's Quizzlet: There Goes the Scotch Appetizer: What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child? I used to love Saturday mornings and remember that Dungeons and Dragons, The Smurfs, G.I. Joe and a bunch of others were always on my dance card. But the 70's version of Spider-Man was my very favorite. I still......
Friday's Quizzlet: Grunters and Collectors Appetizer: If you could be any current celebrity for one week, who would you be? Rachel Weisz's husband isn't really a celebrity, but if he were - that would be my answer. Because I'd cherish a week's worth of long conversations about my feelings with her. From behind. Soup: On......
Although he feigned revulsion and walked out of the MTV Movie Awards, Eminem secretly welcomed Bruno’s 69 as a vast improvement over Robert Pattinson’s face.
Just Desserts. Karma. Justice. Sent to me this afternoon by my Mother. I don't normally reprint silly forwards, but as I'd been meaning to comment on this topic... Well, I don't want to give away the punchline: "In a few short days, an African American man will move from his private residence into a......
2007th Heaven. Jimminy crickets I hate telephones. My new $300 Nextel has decided it doesn't want to hold a charge today so if you call to wish me a Happy New Years, please leave a message - and same to you. It's going to be a very good year.When I was 33.........
Sugarbushwhacked. I wanted to get out of the city this past weekend, and get out of it I did - straight into the wilds of Vermont. My sister's friend Joe has a great house right at the top of a mountain, and Janet has somehow gotten herself an open invitation. I......
While I’m beyond excited about the new Pye in the Face design (what do you guys think? Too literal? Gotta say, I love it) and the renewed sense of community we’ve managed to restore - I am remiss in my posting! For those of you who don’t know, Janet and I are having a memorial weekend for my dearly departed Mother, starting the day after tomorrow. To say we are preoccupied would be the understatement of the Spring. If you don’t believe me, I’ll cut and paste a portion of my current task list in below. Although I’m sure you do because we’re talking about family death stuff here and people rarely joke about that, right? Maybe in your family:
Stain dock
Install dock
Fix and install boatlift
Build new stairs for Winchester (the bunkhouse I finished over the garage 2 summers ago).
Assemble and recover pool table
Seed lawns
Plant 3 gardens
Get port-a-pottys
Order dumpster
Find and borrow canoe
Schedule plumber, electrician and welder
Get boat trailer in Bancroft
Launch boat
Massive Costco trip
Wash bedding
Pick up kegs
Clean and furnish Winchester
Many, many etc.’s
That’s a miniscule portion of the tasks that must be completed before Saturday morning. Gwen and some family members get here Thursday night and a whackload more arrive on Friday. We’ll have tons of help - but not until the day before the big event. I’m quite certain, however, that we’re going to do just fine. I’ll be taking lots of photos and video of the event which will be eventually posted on the site Janet and I made for our Mom: www.BonniePye.com. Have a look even if you already have as I’ve added memorial details, tons of old photos I dug out of storage and scanned and people have let a bunch of wonderful memories. If you knew Bonnie I’d like to invite you one more time to leave one too.
So please forgive the inactivity. It will come to a screeching halt next week when the big weekend is behind us and Bonnie has been properly memorialized and remembered. Even though I’d naturally spend a good portion of the weekend choked up, what chokes me up more is the incredible response the event has had and the sheer number of people who have told us they are coming. High school friends (both my parents and mine), people Mom used to work with, people I knew growing up in Manotick, Boston, Toronto etc. Gwen is coming all the way from Florida so I think she wins the long distance prize. Which, luckily for me, is to clean the gazebo. Congratulations Gwen and we’ll see you tomorrow with you knee pads and wire brushes!
And in all seriousness - thanks again to everyone for all their support, fond memories, help and friendship. Mom was truly loved and she’d be beyond flattered by the festivities which will be taking place on the land she planned to retire to in her honor. So flattered, in fact, that she might even have had a second glass of red wine were she here on Saturday. Miss you like crazy, Bunz, and I hope you’re able to drop in and see the legacy you’ve left behind. From wherever you are. But just for the one day though because I’m here by myself most of the time and would probably be pretty freaked out otherwise.
Introducing Pixie Pye! Back in February, when Mom was particularly bad, Shep's breeder graciously offered to take care of him for a few days. When I returned to pick him up Megan mentioned to me that Pixie, who was Shepherd 1.0's mother, had to have an emergency spay after her most recent litter......
Friday's Quizzlet: Short & Sweet. Appetizer: Using only 5 words, describe how 2004 went for you. Loving life but still broke. Soup: Name something you did in 2004 that you'll probably never do again. Match.com. There's a petting zoo at the Kimball's in Carlisle if I ever get that sort of urge again. Salad: What......
Rhubard and Shepherd are Almost a Year Old! Rhubarb and Shepherd were born in late November, 2007 in Kingston Ontario. But their first birthday party will be held the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving in Boston, MA. If you're a family friend we'd love for you to come and join us as myself and Shepherd (obviously) will both be......
The Return Of The Speckled Trout. A friend of mine has just returned to Barrie, Ontario after a 5-year-stint in Holland. I would have kept this information to myself had I not just been sent such a hilarious photograph from his first night back. I strive to keep this page enjoyable for all - with a......
The Foggy Odyssey. PITF is back on the air after the regular Christmas foray to the Great White North. My mother, sister and I made it to the Toronto area in record time Friday - about 8 hours. I slept the entire time due to heavy imbibing the night before at the Bruins......
Thirty One Flavors. And They All Taste Like Bourbon. Jeepers, I almost forgot - a special little someone has a special little birthday today. It's been a fun beer, humor and indie rock fueled 17 year ride, Mike - and I'm glad the Swedes haven't lynched you yet (although they've certainly come close a time or two).An eerie picture......
Even if you don’t give a fig about the movie - you have to watch this. Super-creative and also hilarious. Sounding quite a bit like The Streets, two English guys have taken it upon themselves to carefully edit the movie Predator in time with a narrative rap they’ve written describing the plot of the movie. They claim in the description that it took them 9 months to do this, and after watching I’m prone to believe them.
“My team always works alone, Homeboy.”
I love the way in which they rhyme the lyrics they’ve written with actual quotes from the movie: “Now he can see why Dillon was sent as his minder - ‘You cooked up a story and dropped the six of us in a meat grinder’“. And they way they’ve taken special care to include Hawkins’ jokes is also appreciated by this particular fan. Well done to you, sirs.
SCTV's Benefit of Laughter Charity Show and Reunion... Review "I'm just terrified to get up on a stage with them all again... because no one has ever tested me like they did. You always had to be at the top of your game." - Martin Short in the Toronto Star First and foremost, I'd have to be a complete......
Documenting Debauchery: The Littlest Bar In Boston. I hate being right all the time. I didn't fall off the wagon this past weekend, I was run over by the wagon in the middle of a muddy cowpath. My cell phone broke so if I haven't called you back, don't take it personally. Old friends and good times......
Cut Me, Mick. What an uncanny topic, given my current appearance. I am really looking forward to going to see Rocky Balboa tomorrow night. The buzz is good and I always love the underdog. Whether it's a 56-yr old actor making a boxing movie and having it work - or me not falling......
Shall we do another “live” Quizzlet this week, kids? I certainly hope so. Please enter your questions - silly or serious - in the comments below, and be sure to come back later to answer everyone’s queries your damn self. This has become my favorite post of the week. Help a brother out.
Of Course I Love You, Baby. You're My Blog. This blog has been sitting neglected for the past week like a red-headed stepchild. And I'm sorry, baby. Of course I still love you. Even though I was stupid enough to create you in Blogger two years ago instead of Wordpress. Even though I use you to annoy people, find......
Friday's Quizzlet: Raiders of the Lost Park I've been meaning to write a few vignette type blurbs about some of the interesting experiences I've had whilst living in a trailer park for the last two weeks. As my time is fairly limited at the moment, I'm going to try and kill that bird and the Quizzlet bird......
Wednesday Weigh In #1: Soooo Weeeee, Bitches! Alright you fat little bastards. This is it. All participants have until the end of today to send me their current weights for the first checkup of the official Pye In The Face Pork Ass Challenge. Here is how it will work:- The Challenge will run from now until Wednesday......
Hearkening back to my post last week about how to best integrate an iPhone with an existing, primarily Microsoft-based work process - I think I may finally have it. And I say ‘finally’ because I’ve been hammering away at this like one of the Seven Dwarves ever since. This whole mess really deserves a graphic of some sort, but part of the new flow is that I start work promptly at 9am - so that will have to wait.
I get up at 7:30, shower, feed the dogs then 8-9 is for blogging, RSS feed reading and personal email. At 9am the whistle blows and currently I’ve got only 9 minutes to finish this post. If that sounds rigid it’s because it is - and I need it to be that way.
Email: I’ve abandoned Outlook for Thunderbird - a free, open source and lightning-fast email client with many of the same features and none of the ridiculous loading or lag time. I’ll write more on all these new cogs in my workflow wheel later.
Calendar: Google Calendar was the hands-down winner due to the fact it’s compatible, or has a plugin, for just about every productivity application out there. It plays well with others.
Contacts: Still working this one through. I’d love it to be Thunderbird, but it’ll likely end up being Plaxo as I already have a well-worn account there and the import/export and networking features are slick. Ideally I’d like something that can sync comfortably back-and-forth with my iPhone.
Tasks: This is the discovery I’m really excited about, as I am a GTD disciple and list-making maniac. You name it and I’ve tried it - Remember the Milk, the native Outlook task list, SimpleGTD, etc. After my own painstaking research and reading about 100 blog posts on the subject there is a very clear winner: Toodledo. Thank goodness I found this wonderful site, its iPhone application, Google Calendar and FireFox plugins and iGoogle gadget. My task list nerdery will now know no bounds.
I’ll revisit this post throughout the day (but only during scheduled breaks for personal time, mind you!) and update you on how the new workflow is working out. Wish me luck, and if you feel a need to remark “Gee, Dave. I remember my first beer,” I’ll understand.
Wednesday Wadio: Magnetic Fields "Love is Like a Bottle of Gin" 69 Love Songs "It makes you blind, it does you in It makes you think you're pretty tough It makes you prone to crime and sin It makes you say things off the cuff" The Magnetic Fields are definitely in my top 10 list of all time favorite bands, and......
The Dregs of MySpace. MySpace is a lot of things to a lot of people, and one of the more poignant analogies I've heard is that it's like a web enabled high school. This is even truer when you consider all of the recent virtual bullying cases that have been in the news. They're......
Using Your Floodle. I discovered Floodle today while reading one of my favorite marketing blogs. At first look, it is a handy dandy resource for eBooks, Top 10 lists, etc. Pop-advice, if you will. Some sample features include 101 recipes for the deep fryer, Caring for your Pet Hamster, The Big Book of......
I could actually list 33 reasons my little sister is the coolest - but that would take all morning. Will you good people settle for a quick 5?
“What’s with all the bubbles, bro? Mom says there’s no such thing as sea monsters.”
She looks just like me. Not the other way around - I was here first.
She loves to perform back-breaking landscaping work getting ready for her Mother’s memorial. Although that particular trait won’t begin until next week.
She’s excellent at pool, and will only get better now that we have our own table!
She actually cooks for fun. Which is, in turn, very fun for me.
She is an excellent dog-mommy.
Pumpkin and Janet make up after the previous evening’s kerfuffle.
(It’s hard to see, but she has a ginormous bandage on her chin.)
Happy birthday Janet! Seems like only yesterday you were making fun of me for turning 33. Not so bloody funny anymore, is it? And what better way to celebrate someone’s special day than with embarassing photos I just dug out of storage? Actually, they’re not that bad - but only because there are still about 9 boxes I haven’t gone through. Perhaps we’ll require a part 2.
Friday's Quizzlet: There Goes the Scotch Appetizer: What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child? I used to love Saturday mornings and remember that Dungeons and Dragons, The Smurfs, G.I. Joe and a bunch of others were always on my dance card. But the 70's version of Spider-Man was my very favorite. I still......
Tuesday Tasties: Dave's Greek Extravaganza As we divvy up duties around the house, I've offered to retain my summer Tuesday slot for cooking dinner. One night a week isn't going to get me past St. Peter, but Janet enjoys cooking immensely and my mother can pick up the slack one or two nights a week.......
Mint.com is an Excellent Way to Rein in Your Duckets There's no reason for me to be singing the praises of Mint.com today other than a friend told me about it, I kicked the tires on it and it's an excellent - and very free - personal finance tool. Do you have online bank account access that you check frequently?......
Activists spread dirt on their faces during a swine flu awarness campaign in Jakarta. In an ironic twist of fate, it was later learned that spreading dirt on your face is the number one cause of the disease.
10 Things I've Learned as a First-Time Dog Owner Shep and Rhuby are already closing in on 6 months of age, which is incredibly hard for me to believe. I got them at about 8.5 weeks and to think I've had the little devils in my life for that long amazes me. I was a devout cat person for......
Doug Triconi Meets Ron Jeremy. It's DougandDoug's world this weekend, folks. I'm just a squirrel tryin' to get a nut. Tri-Con's piroutte through anonymity has been a strange one - but no more strange than the DVD he took part in a few years back - Foul Wind. The premise is thus: Ron Jeremy narrates......
Introducing Pixie Pye! Back in February, when Mom was particularly bad, Shep's breeder graciously offered to take care of him for a few days. When I returned to pick him up Megan mentioned to me that Pixie, who was Shepherd 1.0's mother, had to have an emergency spay after her most recent litter......
I have to ride in the back again? I’m calling Sharpton.
Yes, she resembles a retarded Mogwai. Or may also be the result of a genetic experiment which crossed a piglet with an adult male bullfrog. But little Pixie Pye is all mine - and I loves her! She’s fitting in well with the family and I can’t wait for her to meet Janet and Rhuby next week. The Three Fugsketeers will come together at last!
This Is Radio Pye. Few things are more embarassing in life, that don't involve black latex body suits, than navigating to a crappy site - either carelessly or because you were misled - and then having a loud midi version of 'Wind Beneath My Wings' start playing in the middle of your crowded office.......
Veekend Video: The Predator Rap Even if you don't give a fig about the movie - you have to watch this. Super-creative and also hilarious. Sounding quite a bit like The Streets, two English guys have taken it upon themselves to carefully edit the movie Predator in time with a narrative rap they've written describing......
Toronto Odyssey #1: Go Buck A Fuffalo. I simply don't know where to start in describing the events of last week, and I'm not entirely sure I should. It was an adventure, nay - an odyssey. There were moments of fun sprinkled on top, but I don't think I have ever been as happy to cross the......
July 04 1845 Thomas Barnado 1885 Louis B. Meyer 1900 Louis Armstrong 1924 Eva Marie Saint 1927 Gina Lollobridgida 1927 Neil Simon 1934 Colin Welland 1942 H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent 1962 Pam Shriver
Related Posts 
. Guevara was either a complete bastard or God’s gift simply depending on which book I was able to sign out of the 
A large percentage of Cubans remember him as the “the butcher of La Cabaña” and he is considered by many others to be the genesis of continuing politically-charged brutality in the regions he directly influenced - and many that he did not. Fischer Price: My First Revolution, if you will. As Del Toro’s Che tells Lou Diamond Phillip’s character, “A coup without an army behind it never stands a chance“. Lou Diamond, fresh on the heels of his tour-de-force performance on the George Lopez Show, nods stoically. I have to be honest here though - I think there are 12-yr-old white girls in Northern Minnesota who know they have a better chance of spotting a Yeti than seeing a revolution without violence. Then they get to college and some unkempt 3rd-year activist convinces them otherwise, signs them up for a candlelit vigil during which he tries to finger her and then buys her a Che shirt the next morning as an apology. Does anyone else see the irony in that?
About a year ago I was at an Irish pub in Ottawa, Ontario and watched a group of about 30 twenty-somethings, obviously on some sort of bar crawl, stumble through the door all at once. To my dismay I noticed that they were all wearing identical neon-green t-shirts with the infamous Che visage boldly printed on the front. To prove a point to my companions, I told them I’d pay the tab for the entire night if just one of the misguided students pressed against our table like sardines could both a) identify and correctly pronounce the name of the man on their spiffy new shirt and b) tell me why they admired him. I made my point after speaking to about five of them and drank for free into the wee hours.
- then see if you still feel the same way. That’s all I’m saying. Viva le Gordita !
Here were the instructions I received from 
Shall we do another “live” Quizzlet this week, kids? I certainly hope so. Please enter your questions - silly or serious - in the comments below, and be sure to come back later to answer everyone’s queries your damn self. This has become my favorite post of the week. Help a brother out.
Email: I’ve abandoned Outlook for 
