March 2011
Strahov Library →
Straight offa Boing Boing is the link to this incredible 360-degree panorama photo of the Strahov Library in Prague. Forty gigapixels means nothing to me, but you can zoom in and read the titles of the books on the far side of the room, or see the brush strokes in the ceiling’s mural. You can read the inlay on the door in the next room.
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“Boys count; men drink”
– This was a friend of mine in a Czech pub. I like this quote/philosophy a lot, at least the way I’ve always interpreted it. Narrowly, it’s just “drink because you enjoy it” is a more mature attitude than “WOOO LOOKIT ME I’M SOOO DRUNK I JUST CHUGGED TEN...
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Use of Slang
Okay, I mentioned that learning old, subcultural slang would be useless, since most people would not know what you’re talking about were you to actually use it in conversation. I had an idea, though!
I should write a book in which the protagonist is someone who travels through time, or is otherwise immortal. Perhaps to keep a low profile, this character would have spent lots of time hanging...
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Round the Horne
The other day I listened to one of my cassette tapes of Round the Horne, a 1960’s British comedy radio show. It was filled with deadpan humor, puns and sexual innuendo and double entendres, and I just find it hilarious. One of my favorite bits is the Julian and Sandy sketches, two campy gay characters that used the demi-monde cant slang Polari, which I also find fascinating (a mixture of...
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Raspberry
“Raspberry” (for making a noise with your tongue and lips) is the only example I can think of of British-style rhyming slang in common use in America (“raspberry” is shortened form of “raspberry tart,” which rhymes with “fart”). You’ll hear others in British movies (just recently, we saw a film where someone talked about “having a...
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Cooking With Power Tools: Stuffed Zucchinis →
I am so making these.
Watchkristonchen:
Parkour and freerunning, by Ampisound
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A Day in the Life: A non-Muslim white girl relates... →
lostmustard:
Fantastic read.
When I stepped into that mall, I realized just how different this particular outing was going to be from others I’ve had in the past. The first store I walked into was Best Buy, but I visited every store in the mall at least once. No sooner did I step into Best Buy, I noticed how different things were. First of all, the person at the door didn’t greet me like he...
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Anniversary
Tomorrow is Rocky and my sixth anniversary (that’s “from the first time we met in person,” not “wedding anniversary”). Not sure what to do… Rocky loves lobster, so we’re thinking of maybe going to Red Lobster (we got a gift card for Christmas, okay?) or possibly Cowbobas (steakhouse and boba tea place) nearby that we’ve wanted to try for ages. Any...
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Istanbul, Not Constantinople - Frankie Vaughn...
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Movies Watched
(short version, because I haven’t written any of these down for a long time)
The Story of the Weeping Camel - Three stars
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story - Four stars.
Daughters of the Dust - Two stars
Vantage Point - Two stars
The Girl in the Cafe - Two stars
Operation Petticoat - Three stars, ‘cause I like submarines.
Young Adam (2003) - Grim. Three stars, though....
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““What is the best in life?” [Baby version]
“To crush your...”
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FURTHER EXCELLENT PURCHASES
The Mole, Cockroach, Mouse, Rat, Ant and Spider Hitter
Stop Thief! Automatic Fist-Shaker
Prime Cuts Of Butter
Official Queen-Saving God
Firing Range Bullet-Packed Stove For Cooks You Dislike
Bonanza Facial Trap
Christ, These Look Like Jodhpurs! Oh Wait I See! Jodhpurs
Assortment Of Tools Guaranteed Not To Work Any Better For People Snatching Them Away After Watching Your Futile Efforts...
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Gardening Thoughts
So there’s this group of students outside my door, doing presentations on “their recommendations to improve Westwood” (a poorer neighborhood, next to the one we live in). I heard only snippets of various presentations, but there was a lot of idealistic “We could encourage people to plant home gardens! You can get 150 lbs. of veggies from a 100-square-foot plot! And we can...
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Garden: Next In
Monday, March 28. Potatoes planted in-ground. Will compare with the container potatoes planted Sunday.
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Garden, first in
Sunday, March 27. Planted:
Potatoes (in container)
Salad mix (in container)
Catgrass (in pot)
I got the soaker hose into three of the five existing garden beds, and Rocky and I hung the trellis up for the (eventual) beans. Just the marking to do and the rest of the potatoes can go into the ground. Have to see what else can be planted this early…it’s supposed to get below freezing...
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Chicken Coops
Man. This place has really nice chicken coops for sale, and they look cool and functional and they’re local. But the coop is almost $1,000! Screw that noise.
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Certainty
I like urinals, because if you’re in a place with poorly-marked bathrooms (or in a different country, where the bathrooms are labeled “Zgroga” and “Hladeny” and you’re not sure if you’re a zgroga or a hladeny), the presence of a urinal certifies where you should be.
Stairs
All the health advice of the last ten or twenty years includes “rather than take the elevator, take the stairs!” in addition to “walk more” and such.
Yet almost invariably, the staircases of most commercial buildings—if you can even access them—are grim, utilitarian stairwells, bare or white-painted concrete walls, concrete stairs, steel handrails, industrial...
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Sympathy For The Devil / El Cielo Medley - Horacio...