Blame the snow but I was watching Court TV (TruTV, whatever) and their coverage of a trial in session of a doctor accused of poisoning his wife and fleeing the country. From what I gather the husband spiked calcium pills with cyanide and gave them to his wife – and I couldn’t help but notice that he used the store-brand of calcium pills. Not that I don’t love CVS, but I say if you’re going to poison your spouse, at least spring for the brand name goods, not generic.
Incidentally, it appears to be pretty easy to buy cyanide online. Who says TV isn’t educational?
Other than that, the reality in this reality TV is that court cases tend to be tedious, drawn-out and frankly boring affairs. Very procedural and the questioning is always awkward to watch. It’s not at all like Law & Order. I base this opinion on watching televised cases and from a couple of cases I observed in high school out of curiosity, since one of my friend’s dad was a personal injury lawyer.
Myself, I have never served jury duty. The only time I’ve ever even been called was when I was in college and living out of state, so my mom returned the form stating I was unavailable and that was that. I am amazed that this civic duty has never come knocking at my door since then … I think that I would be interested to serve on a jury because of my semi-obsession with ‘true crime,’ but at the same time I might go insane with the tedium and dealing with my fellow jurors – not known for my patience.
Have any of you served on a jury, and what was your experience? Did you feel like you were performing a valuable civic service and experiencing first-hand a world-class judicial system in action – or is it as bad as everyone says it is?
I am curious to know if you think that serving on jury duty deserves the reputation that it has, of making people run in the other direction.
And I don’t even want to think what would be going through my head if I were ever to have the misfortunate to be on trial for something, and facing the prospect of being judged by a jury of my peers.
In other true crime news, I think a lot of people are a little too excited about the upcoming Casey Anthony death penalty trial. Court TV/TruTV is already hyping their coverage, even though it’s January and the trial doesn’t start until MAY.
You may recall she is the young mother in Florida accused of killing her two-year old daughter Caylee a few years ago. My obsession with “true crime” drama notwithstanding, I had not followed the initial coverage much but I watched a show about it the other night and all I can say is I understand now why the mother has been charged with murder.
Note – the main reason I didn’t follow the coverage of this salacious crime initially is because Nancy Grace was beating that horse night and day, night and day – and Nancy Grace is THE DEVIL.
Anyway, this mother Casey who has been charged seems suspect as all hell. From the word go, she has been lying to everyone. She even started by telling an ex boyfriend the baby was his when she was pregnant, even though they had stopped dating months before. A paternity test confirmed that the math didn’t add up. He was still willing to be there for her and the baby, and he proposed, she backed out 5 months later.
She (Casey) was living with her parents with her daughter (Caylee). The grandparents seem to have been a bit obsessed with the grandchild Caylee. So then one day Casey just up and takes off with Caylee. For a month she evaded her parents, who did not see their grandchild at all during that time.
Finally, pressed by her parents, Casey told them that Caylee had been missing for that entire time, and had been supposedly kidnapped by a nanny. The parents called the police, and trust me from here it only gets more confusing. The police couldn’t find this supposed nanny and there was no evidence she had ever watched the child; the car that Casey had been driving was found abandoned with evidence of decomposition in the trunk …
Meanwhile, during this month when her child was supposedly missing, rather than calling the police or telling her parents, Casey was apparently out drinking and partying up a storm based on what seems to be a lot of photographic evidence. Thanks Flickr. No reason was given as to why she didn’t report the alleged kidnapping in the first place. There are also some weird/gruesome details related to when the body of Caylee was eventually found that I won’t talk about here.
It’s exhausting to keep up with that much crazy.
Not that the creep factor is exclusive to Casey Anthony. Most of the show I watched involved interviewing her parents (no actual interviews with the accused, who has been sitting in jail this whole time) and I can see that the crazy apple didn’t fall far from the wacko tree. The dead child’s grandparents came across as drama queens with their own issues and have given some conflicting stories. They made it clear that Caylee was not Casey’s child, she was their child too. It all smacked of weird.
We’ll see how it all shakes out at the trial, don’t see how she won’t be found guilty, but you never know with a jury.
Gotta go, watching a show about the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted, got to keep an eye out for these people …
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Where were you … when the Challenger exploded?
Challenger tragedy – I was 12, in 6th grade at PS 26. My best friend Vicky and I had volunteered to help out at school by going out to the parking lot at lunchtime to collect the kindergarten kids who came in for the afternoon half day program, since it was a long walk from the bus to their classroom – like little ducklings they’d follow behind us and we’d escort them safely to class.
I had just come back from doing that on this particular day and my classmate John stopped me in the hallway and said – “Did you hear? The rocket blew up!” or words to that effect. I didn’t know what he was talking about at first, thought it might be some kind of joke. Then I walked into my class and Mrs. Ryan was giving us the sad news. Then we all trooped in to the library to watch the grim coverage on the old TV on its rickety metal stand with wheels. It’s still so vivid in my memory.
Later, in college I found out that my astronomy professor had been on the panel that chose Christa McAuliffe to be a part of the program and he still seemed sad about it. Was still one of the best classes I ever took.
This poem has always given me chills:
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
According to Wikipedia, the author was a pilot who died in a mid-air collision during WW2 and gained p
osthumous fame for the poem.
“John Gillespie Magee, Jr. (June 9, 1922 – December 11, 1941)[1][2][3] was an American[4] aviator and poet who died as a result of a mid-air collision over Lincolnshire during World War II. He was serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force, which he joined before the United States officially entered the war. He is most famous for his poem High Flight.”
This poem was sweetly illustrated by Berke Breathed in his amazing, melancholy comic strip Bloom County, featuring the hopes and desires of a flightless bird, Opus, and his friends. I miss that comic strip. (click on the image to see a full size view of this comic)
I had just come back from doing that on this particular day and my classmate John stopped me in the hallway and said – “Did you hear? The rocket blew up!” or words to that effect. I didn’t know what he was talking about at first, thought it might be some kind of joke. Then I walked into my class and Mrs. Ryan was giving us the sad news. Then we all trooped in to the library to watch the grim coverage on the old TV on its rickety metal stand with wheels. It’s still so vivid in my memory.
Later, in college I found out that my astronomy professor had been on the panel that chose Christa McAuliffe to be a part of the program and he still seemed sad about it. Was still one of the best classes I ever took.
This poem has always given me chills:
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
According to Wikipedia, the author was a pilot who died in a mid-air collision during WW2 and gained p
osthumous fame for the poem.“John Gillespie Magee, Jr. (June 9, 1922 – December 11, 1941)[1][2][3] was an American[4] aviator and poet who died as a result of a mid-air collision over Lincolnshire during World War II. He was serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force, which he joined before the United States officially entered the war. He is most famous for his poem High Flight.”
This poem was sweetly illustrated by Berke Breathed in his amazing, melancholy comic strip Bloom County, featuring the hopes and desires of a flightless bird, Opus, and his friends. I miss that comic strip. (click on the image to see a full size view of this comic)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Join me in embracing a microwave-free lifestyle
A few years ago my husband and I moved from Arizona to the east coast. As part of the big move we evaluated our belongings to decide what to bring, what to toss, what to donate. You really don’t know how much stuff you have until you have to schlep it cross country. I have found that you make tougher decisions based on whether you’re having professionals pack and ship your stuff versus doing it yourself.
Anyway, tens of trips to the Goodwill later, one item still remained unresolved – the microwave. I made the executive decision to leave our microwave behind since it was getting on in years, and I figured we’d get a new one for the new place.
Fast forward to a teensy tiny outdated kitchen in our new suburban pied-a-terre, and the microwave dilemma. Until we get around to remodeling the kitchen, the best option is a countertop model. However, it would appear that kitchens built in the early 1950s didn’t take microwave counter space, or any counter space at all really, into consideration. I looked around and couldn’t find a decent, small, reasonably priced microwave that I liked. I didn’t want to pay too much for a microwave, knowing that at some point in the not too distant future, we’d be swapping it out with an under-counter/above stove model. You can see my dilemma. Oh, the challenges of the modern world. In the meantime, some months passed.
And during that time, I had an epiphany. We didn’t need a microwave!
Eureka. We could live a new and exciting, microwave-free life. No more snacking on processed foods because they were easy to nuke. Less of a reliance on frozen stuff. More of an incentive to eat fresh foods. Healthier, I told myself.
Now I find myself in year two of the great microwave free experiment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not totally against microwaves. I’m not like a vegetarian for whom meat-eating is not situational. I take full advantage of the microwave at the office. Does that make me a hypocrite? I don’t know. I just know this is about as close to roughing it as I get.
I was happy to see in my pre-snowstorm raid of the grocery store yesterday, that they still make Jiffy Pop, that popcorn you can make on the stovetop that blows up to a lovely aluminum zeppelin. Is that a regional thing? I’ll try making it and let you know if it’s as fun to make as it was when I was 8 years old.
I do know there are definitely some downsides to not having a microwave, namely:
• No microwave popcorn
• No instant way to reheat leftovers
• No fast way to make baked potatoes
• I guess my gas bill might be higher since I use the stove more?
• People think you’re strange when you tell them you have no microwave
• No microwave popcorn
• No instant way to reheat leftovers
• No fast way to make baked potatoes
• I guess my gas bill might be higher since I use the stove more?
• People think you’re strange when you tell them you have no microwave
I wonder if there is paperwork involved to start a cult. In the meantime, please send a check to me for membership dues and a self-addressed-stamped envelope for an eventual newsletter.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
There’s an app for that
The sheer volume of interesting, unique - and many free - apps that are out there is a little overwhelming, yet intriguing. There really is a lot of creativity involved, and some apps out there that are very useful and practical, not to mention entertaining.
But as with anything else, there’s a lot of junk and clearly some weirdos out there. In a recent quick scan of the Droid app marketplace, I found the following free apps:
• Indonesian bible
• Smoker statistics
• Sexy snake (don’t want to know)
• Pocketbudda (sic)
• Mayan clock (useful)
• Binary option calculator (now with more binary!)
And if you don’t mind springing for 99 cents per, you can also install:
• Douche meter
• Awesome Fart
• Nose Art clocks
• Massager pro
I really have no idea what these are about but if you dare me I might download one of them.
The IRS recently came out with an app to check the status of your return and such, but would you ever file your taxes by app? We do banking by phone now, so I guess it’s not that much of a stretch.
A lot of apps are tied to revenue generation somewhere along the line, but whether it’s an app or content/information on the Internet, I’m also intrigued by what compels someone to provide stuff for free online? It seems unusually generous of our society.
I know in many cases the act is monetized somewhere along the way, or the hope is that p
utting information out there may lead to money, job offers etc. down the line , etc… but I think a lot of the information that’s out there (take Wikipedia, for example), is just people wanting to share their knowledge and experience. It’s sort of an interesting byproduct of the digital world and how we interact in it. (side note - Is there such a thing as a ‘zine anymore?)
The downside of course is people who share WAAAY too much, like this guy. And lest you get any ideas ladies, he’s married. And lives in Florida, natch.
http://pixyland.org/peterpan/
But as with anything else, there’s a lot of junk and clearly some weirdos out there. In a recent quick scan of the Droid app marketplace, I found the following free apps:
• Indonesian bible
• Smoker statistics
• Sexy snake (don’t want to know)
• Pocketbudda (sic)
• Mayan clock (useful)
• Binary option calculator (now with more binary!)
And if you don’t mind springing for 99 cents per, you can also install:
• Douche meter
• Awesome Fart
• Nose Art clocks
• Massager pro
I really have no idea what these are about but if you dare me I might download one of them.
The IRS recently came out with an app to check the status of your return and such, but would you ever file your taxes by app? We do banking by phone now, so I guess it’s not that much of a stretch.
A lot of apps are tied to revenue generation somewhere along the line, but whether it’s an app or content/information on the Internet, I’m also intrigued by what compels someone to provide stuff for free online? It seems unusually generous of our society.
I know in many cases the act is monetized somewhere along the way, or the hope is that p
utting information out there may lead to money, job offers etc. down the line , etc… but I think a lot of the information that’s out there (take Wikipedia, for example), is just people wanting to share their knowledge and experience. It’s sort of an interesting byproduct of the digital world and how we interact in it. (side note - Is there such a thing as a ‘zine anymore?)The downside of course is people who share WAAAY too much, like this guy. And lest you get any ideas ladies, he’s married. And lives in Florida, natch.
http://pixyland.org/peterpan/
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Warning: Adult content (or not)
I was looking at the settings on this blog site a few days ago, and one of the options is to add an adult content warning for the site. Yesss. So now anyone who comes to the site gets a nice warning and has to click “I agree” and disavowing anyone from being responsible for any emotional damage you’ll experience from reading my ramblings.
Of course, since you’re here, you already know that. Honestly, I don’t intend to post pornographic content (yet) but I did want the right to curse with impunity and talk about things that might not be considered good dinner table conversation by everyone so I figured I should warn the kiddies.
Sorry Kevin, I know it sounds saucier than it really is. But I guess it is sort of liberating in a way. Frees me up for future naughty posts.
On a related note, the big hotel company Marriott recently announced that it will be phasing pay-per-view adult movies out of their hotels, citing economic realities. Studies show that fewer and fewer people order these movies every year, no doubt a factor of technology – technology that allows people to download content to their own devices, and the technology that allows for very detailed hotel receipts.
My take on this is that no one wants to turn in an expense report showing the naughty movies they ordered. Plus with the proliferation of channels like Cinemax maybe there’s plenty of skin available for viewing for free. I’m usually content to watch East Bound and Down on HBO.
So the question is, have you ever ordered an erotic movie on hotel pay per view? Ok, you don’t have to answer that. Let’s just leave it as ‘what happens at the Comfort Inn stays at the Comfort Inn.’
As hotels phase some things out like pay-per-view movies, concierges and in some cases tubs (again, studies show less and less people use them at hotels), new and interesting things are being added like check-in kiosks and the ability to unlock your room door with a smartphone.
What amenity would you like to experience during your next hotel stay?
Of course, since you’re here, you already know that. Honestly, I don’t intend to post pornographic content (yet) but I did want the right to curse with impunity and talk about things that might not be considered good dinner table conversation by everyone so I figured I should warn the kiddies.
Sorry Kevin, I know it sounds saucier than it really is. But I guess it is sort of liberating in a way. Frees me up for future naughty posts.
On a related note, the big hotel company Marriott recently announced that it will be phasing pay-per-view adult movies out of their hotels, citing economic realities. Studies show that fewer and fewer people order these movies every year, no doubt a factor of technology – technology that allows people to download content to their own devices, and the technology that allows for very detailed hotel receipts.
My take on this is that no one wants to turn in an expense report showing the naughty movies they ordered. Plus with the proliferation of channels like Cinemax maybe there’s plenty of skin available for viewing for free. I’m usually content to watch East Bound and Down on HBO.
So the question is, have you ever ordered an erotic movie on hotel pay per view? Ok, you don’t have to answer that. Let’s just leave it as ‘what happens at the Comfort Inn stays at the Comfort Inn.’
As hotels phase some things out like pay-per-view movies, concierges and in some cases tubs (again, studies show less and less people use them at hotels), new and interesting things are being added like check-in kiosks and the ability to unlock your room door with a smartphone.
What amenity would you like to experience during your next hotel stay?
Monday, January 24, 2011
What would your mob name be?
The news has been rampant with stories about late last week’s historic FBI bust of more than 125 accused mobsters. But what has captured the public’s (or the reporters’) attention has been that along with the list of names released of those arrested, their nicknames were also listed.
Some of my favorites:
• Burgers
• Lumpy
• Johnny Pizza
• The Bull (Sammy?)
• Baby Fat (seems self explanatory)
• Mush (hmm)
• Jello (maybe he’s jiggly, or really likes gelatin)
• Meatball (okay)
• Vinnie Carwash
• Junior Lollipops (stripper name?)
• Baby Shacks (no clue)
• Tony Bagels (who doesn’t love a bagel)
• The Claw
• Marbles (maybe as in ‘lost his’?)
I can only imagine what my mob name would be. I could pick one for myself, sure, but I get the feeling that these names are assigned to you by your mob colleagues, and like a good roast or hazing name it plays up qualities that aren’t your best.
Perhaps not quite as entertaining as choosing your porn star name, stripper name, drag queen name or soap opera star name, but I’m humbly open to your suggestions.
Ten Cups of Coffee? Never on Time Tania?
Some of my favorites:
• Burgers
• Lumpy
• Johnny Pizza
• The Bull (Sammy?)
• Baby Fat (seems self explanatory)
• Mush (hmm)
• Jello (maybe he’s jiggly, or really likes gelatin)
• Meatball (okay)
• Vinnie Carwash
• Junior Lollipops (stripper name?)
• Baby Shacks (no clue)
• Tony Bagels (who doesn’t love a bagel)
• The Claw
• Marbles (maybe as in ‘lost his’?)
I can only imagine what my mob name would be. I could pick one for myself, sure, but I get the feeling that these names are assigned to you by your mob colleagues, and like a good roast or hazing name it plays up qualities that aren’t your best.
Perhaps not quite as entertaining as choosing your porn star name, stripper name, drag queen name or soap opera star name, but I’m humbly open to your suggestions.
Ten Cups of Coffee? Never on Time Tania?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Around the world girl – and the merits of paper underpants
A friend at work was telling me how her mother had just embarked on a three-month cruise around the world. The mother and her sister were traveling together and the itinerary sounded great – Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean/Central America, through the Panama Canal, Fiji, Australia, Asia up to the Mediterranean, through the Strait of Gibraltar, ending up in London and flying back to the U.S. from there.
I’m sure there are many advantages to doing this sort of trip as a cruise, namely that you don’t have to continually schlep bags around. But you’d still have to pack for three months and for a wide variety of occasions and climates.
I have a hard enough time packing for a three day trip let alone for three months. (I have issues with being able to pack light but I’m in a 12-step program)
Are you looking for packing tips for your trip around the world? Lonely Planet posted a short article recently with some thoughts and considerations for extended travel from a true road warrior, like the type of person who can live out of a backpack for extended periods of time and is a blackbelt in hostel survival.
I don’t have a lot of experience with that kind of hard-core travel, but I could relate to the question of what category do you fall into when it comes to packing:
The Boy Scout: prepared for anything
or
Lifeboat Survivor: one who packs only enough to forestall death, or at least social ostracism
I definitely fall into the first category and have had to learn the hard way not to drag everything and the kitchen sink with me on trips. (blame my parents – someday I’ll tell the story of a fateful road trip to Florida with my packrat Dad and a filled to the brim Ford Gran Torino station wagon)
Disposable undernancies: my Mom and her sister Clara have some good stories about traveling to Europe in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s as young carefree lasses. Coming from a pretty strict religious upbringing in South America, I can only imagine how it felt for them to experience the freedom of travel and wonders like the Eiffel Tower, the ski slopes of Switzerland. They were not backpacking, it wouldn’t have really been that mainstream at the time I don’t think and it doesn’t fit their personalities – but in a nod toward convenience and packing lightly, they apparently hit upon the seemingly genius product of paper underwear.
Designed to be disposable, you could have a new, clean pair every day and not have to worry about packing a bunch of skivvies, let alone lugging funky dirty laundry around with you or having to deal with washing clothes on the road. Sounds like a good idea, but I have to wonder about the structural integrity of a pair of paper briefs. I can’t help but think of a hospital gown, crinkly, ill-fitting and tearing easily. And no word on whether this sort of thing was common at the time or just a quirk of the Hernandez girls. I guess it might cut down on the temptation to get involved with romantic encounters while on the road.
I have not come across such a product in my own travels, nor have I really looked, but I’m sure a quick online search would yield something (maybe a company like Magellan’s). Frankly I’m a little afraid to look. These might be sold alongside those plastic jars that are to be used for peeing in when you’re in the car for a long time and can’t get to a bathroom, let alone Depends type products. What would you call them? Paper Pants. Or Underpaper. Maybe Disposa-brief. But I digress.
Aside from the option of disposable clothes, some small packing revelations gleaned over the years: pack outfits, not clothes. Chances are, I don’t need that many pairs of shoes. Risk of needing formalwear – low. And don’t take hardcover books.
What are your tips or thoughts on paper undies? Here’s the link to the Lonely Planet piece:
How to pack for a round-the-world trip
I’m sure there are many advantages to doing this sort of trip as a cruise, namely that you don’t have to continually schlep bags around. But you’d still have to pack for three months and for a wide variety of occasions and climates.
I have a hard enough time packing for a three day trip let alone for three months. (I have issues with being able to pack light but I’m in a 12-step program)
Are you looking for packing tips for your trip around the world? Lonely Planet posted a short article recently with some thoughts and considerations for extended travel from a true road warrior, like the type of person who can live out of a backpack for extended periods of time and is a blackbelt in hostel survival.
I don’t have a lot of experience with that kind of hard-core travel, but I could relate to the question of what category do you fall into when it comes to packing:
The Boy Scout: prepared for anything
or
Lifeboat Survivor: one who packs only enough to forestall death, or at least social ostracism
I definitely fall into the first category and have had to learn the hard way not to drag everything and the kitchen sink with me on trips. (blame my parents – someday I’ll tell the story of a fateful road trip to Florida with my packrat Dad and a filled to the brim Ford Gran Torino station wagon)
Disposable undernancies: my Mom and her sister Clara have some good stories about traveling to Europe in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s as young carefree lasses. Coming from a pretty strict religious upbringing in South America, I can only imagine how it felt for them to experience the freedom of travel and wonders like the Eiffel Tower, the ski slopes of Switzerland. They were not backpacking, it wouldn’t have really been that mainstream at the time I don’t think and it doesn’t fit their personalities – but in a nod toward convenience and packing lightly, they apparently hit upon the seemingly genius product of paper underwear.
Designed to be disposable, you could have a new, clean pair every day and not have to worry about packing a bunch of skivvies, let alone lugging funky dirty laundry around with you or having to deal with washing clothes on the road. Sounds like a good idea, but I have to wonder about the structural integrity of a pair of paper briefs. I can’t help but think of a hospital gown, crinkly, ill-fitting and tearing easily. And no word on whether this sort of thing was common at the time or just a quirk of the Hernandez girls. I guess it might cut down on the temptation to get involved with romantic encounters while on the road.
I have not come across such a product in my own travels, nor have I really looked, but I’m sure a quick online search would yield something (maybe a company like Magellan’s). Frankly I’m a little afraid to look. These might be sold alongside those plastic jars that are to be used for peeing in when you’re in the car for a long time and can’t get to a bathroom, let alone Depends type products. What would you call them? Paper Pants. Or Underpaper. Maybe Disposa-brief. But I digress.
Aside from the option of disposable clothes, some small packing revelations gleaned over the years: pack outfits, not clothes. Chances are, I don’t need that many pairs of shoes. Risk of needing formalwear – low. And don’t take hardcover books.
What are your tips or thoughts on paper undies? Here’s the link to the Lonely Planet piece:
How to pack for a round-the-world trip
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