Le Berceau

Le Berceau Blanquette de Limoux Brut is a great inexpensive sparkling wine. At my local store it is $9.99 a bottle. Many people think of sparkling wine as an expensive treat reserved for special occasions. But I like it for "ordinary" use, too. Also try Zardetto Prosecco.

Smith Fumbles To Mitchell, Eagles Touchdown

This must be the strangest scoring play I've ever seen in football. It happened in the NFC Divisional Playoff game between Minnesota and Philadelphia. Smith got tackled and flipped head over heels, but before he landed the ball came loose and flew up into the air. It flew 5 yards in the air into the end zone, where Mitchell caught it for a touchdown. That was one weird fumble recovery.

Funny Building

A very funny-looking building photo. Imagine if they built that next door to your house. It would be so easy to give people directions. You could say, "drive towards the totally crazy looking thing and then I'm right next door."

2005 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Pairs

Tonight I went to see the pairs competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Here is a recap of my thoughts during the event.

First half of the event: "This is crowded. Am I the only person in the world who goes to both figure skating and motocross? Shantel Jordan and Jeremy Barrett have a lot of potential. They could be great some day. Is this lift harder than that other lift? It looks cool. This other couple didn't hold the pose long enough, they were probably too tired. What if they let a bunch of couples skate at the same time, and they were allowed to check each other into the boards, like in hockey? That would add some challenge, wouldn't it? How do they all fall like that and get right back up and keep going? Whenever I've fallen while ice skating, I got huge bruises that lasted for weeks."

3/4 of the way through: "Tiffany Vise is hot! She moves like a tigress. She is so hot. She is like another Katerina Witt, or something. Maybe she is genetically enhanced . . . secret experiments, alien technology . . . do they even test for that? The truth is out there, but can the figure skating world handle the truth?"

Last 1/4: "More couples. Just like motocross, it is much more impressive live than on TV. And also like motocross, in person it is much more disturbing when someone wipes out. Lots of Cirque du Soleil music. Hmm, I've never seen anyone fall after the program was over before. At least she is laughing about it. Hey, I'm back to reality. I guess I have recovered from seeing Tiffany Vise. But look over there, Peggy Fleming is still hot! OK, back to skating. Orscher and Lucash are very good technically, and I like their costumes, but they seem to lack some excitement. Maybe they are being conservative for this event. Is it over already?"

Thinking In The Shower

Why do people get good ideas while thinking in the shower? I think several factors are involved. The first is comfort. You never hear anyone say, "I had a great idea while I was in the shower this morning, and it was when there wasn't enough hot water and I was shivering, and I was running out of soap and there was a knock at the door." Instead, the positive effects of the shower tend to happen when one is warm and comfortable.

The second factor is privacy. In the shower, your thoughts are unlikely to be interrupted. If the phone rings, you have an excuse for not answering it.

The final factor is the sensory isolation of the shower. The sound of the running water creates a type of white noise that drowns out distracting background noises. The visual environment of the shower is also bland and neutral. I would guess that people with those "shower radios" who listen to the news while showering are not inspired by as many ideas there. I have not seen showers with built-in TV or computer screens yet, but it is probably only a matter of time. Once those are common, the phenomenon of coming up with good ideas in the shower will probably disappear.

The Scarf Eaters

From her bedroom window, Lara watched the lilies exude their staunch femininity. She slipped the tassels of a fresh, carpathian, embroidered scarf into her mouth and ate slowly. The long cloth slid down her throat and tickled as it snaked along her esophagus. She giggled and burped.

Oh, how the flora drew her in. Looking at flowers went so well with being a teenage girl. She wanted to paint them, so she opened a new Flash template. A blank movie this time.

Amazingly, this quote is from a guide to the Ruby programming language.

I'm watching the Minnesota - Green Bay playoff game, but I keep being distracted by a nagging question: how does all of Randy Moss' hair fit under his helmet? 

Should Have Been A Murderer?

Suppose you joined the Army 8 years ago. You signed up for an 8-year term, so now you think you're almost done. But just as you're about to leave and resume your civilian life, the Army tells you that your term has been extended for 27 more years. Don't you just hate it when that happens? Well, this did happen to Emiliano Santiago, a soldier in the Oregon Army National Guard. Oregonlive reports:

Santiago, 27, lives in Pasco, Wash., but is a solider with D Company of the Oregon Guard's 113th Aviation Battalion, based in Pendleton. He signed up for an eight-year tour beginning June 28, 1996. In April, less than three months before he was scheduled to be discharged, the Army alerted Santiago's unit that it might be mobilized.

As a result, Santiago's termination date was extended more than 27 years -- to December 2031.

By comparison, if instead of voluntarily enlisting in the Army, Santiago had been convicted of murder in Oregon, with no prior convictions he would have gotten a sentence of only about 10 years, according to the sentencing guidelines. He'd only have 2 years left on his sentence now, so he would be a free man 25 years sooner.

Sliming Herb

When you want to get slimed, nothing slimes you like the Sliming Herb.

3:15 PM Coffee Milk Tea

"3:15PM." Drinking it at any other time is strictly prohibited. "Coffee Milk Tea . . . . " What is that? Is it coffee and milk and tea all combined? That doesn't sound very good.

Always Know Where Your Towel Is

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is right: Don't Panic. Always know where your towel is. According to the Times Online, a British tourist saved his wife and children from the tsunami by tying them to a tree with beach towels:

A BRITISH tourist described yesterday how he had saved his wife and children from the onslaught of the tsunami by tying them like Christmas decorations to the top of a palm tree.

He told of his desperate ploy — using beach towels to hold his loved ones in place — as the first dedicated emergency flight from the disaster zone arrived at Heathrow.

If you haven't read the book, try it . . . who knows, maybe it could save your life.

Happy New Year!