The real Christmas buffet: laughter, thought, & tears

Goshamighty, it's great to get together with folks you love.  Here are some highlights from yesterday's gatherings, or at least that were relevant to those memories...

There were folks who could remember most of the words to the following commercial, but no one could recall ever eating the cereal.  While looking for this video, I found another (earlier) one that said, regarding the character Boss Moss: "He never has a solution, but he's always very understanding."  Then the Freakies emerge from the barren, spooky, foresty place to a flowery meadow with a Freakie-tree atop a hill in very hopey-changey colors.  Freakie, indeed.



Also, I got to meet up with four old friends and, among other things, raise a glass to our friend Terry, who's been gone over a year now.  It doesn't seem that long ago, but I know it was before the 2008 election... that would have killed him, too.  A great athlete, Terry also had a brilliant sense of humor.  One recollection that always gets told in this group refers to high school math class.  Whether it was Ms. Jetton or Ms. Swink, algebra, trigonometry, or calculus, when the teacher asked for the solution, Terry's big hand always went up first.  Regardless of the nature of the problem, Terry's answer was always the same, if she'd dare call on him.

"Cross-Multiply!"

To the absolute glee of his class-mates, and constant angst for those poor teachers.  I believe he actually used it in French class, too.

Terry would have been only 46 nowadays, but was ripped apart by cancer.  All through school, I referred to him as my best friend.  Even long after going our separate ways beyond high school, we still called each other every Christmas Day, and discussed our "gifts" (the physical ones and the important ones), and our families.  I wish I could get a call from him tomorrow.  I wish he'd have lived long enough to read my blog; I have every confidence he'd have been a frequent presence, and boldly supportive.

To you, my friend.

There was an equal contingent of Tar Heel and Wolfpack fans at the get-your-drink-on/high-school-reunion gathering, and some (mostly) good-natured banter.  It is a Wolfpack hero, though (and hero of mine also), who best sums up the sentiments I'm feeling here, now: Jim Valvano...



It is difficult for me to write this, because I've lost about as many as I've loved.  But then, we've all faced our own hardships, right?  Embrace every opportunity you have to embrace those you love.  And may you all be as lucky as I am this day.  Merry Christmas.

Perversions.

If you want one example of how deplorably sickening the consequences of your voting have been or could be, exhibit A:

Imagine a person having a job where he has the authority to teach your 7-year old son or daughter the "benefits" of activities like fellatio, fisting, cunnilingus, and sodomy.  Imagine also that this person fully advocates adult-on-child sexual relations (it's called pedophilia), or defends and supports those who do.  Imagine also that this person gets paid over $270,000 per year for helping lead the effort to pervert your children.

Who pays him?

You do.

Who hired him?

Barack Hussein Obama.

What's his name, title, and job description?

Kevin Jennings.  "Safe schools Czar."  His job description is to eradicate the stigma of being a homosexual, by legitimizing sexual deviance.  He, and his supporters, know that desensitizing your Kindergartener to the otherwise shocking idea of an adult inserting his entire fist in her rectum will make the perversion of homosexuality seem so much less-threatening by comparison.

I don't have kids, but I wouldn't leave this scum-sucking piece of shit alone with my dog.

At biggovernment.com, Jim Hoft reports that 12 national conservative groups co-endorsed a letter to BHO demanding that Jennings' employment be terminated.  A portion of that letter...

As head of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Mr. Jennings is on record as promoting liberal sex education and homosexual themes to children as early as Kindergarten.

Now, additional information comes to light regarding Mr. Jenning’s association with GLSEN “Fistgate” Conferences, encouraging extreme sexual practices in children as young as 14. After objections were raised to that matter, Mr. Jennings announced that GLSEN presentations and presenters would be more closely monitored. But then, the following such conference included the handing out of “Fisting Kits” to children. The descriptions of the use of these kits are beyond imagination. To endorse this behavior, much less promote it, is unforgivable.

At the end of his post, Hoft also mentions (and links to) Congressman Michael Burgess' bill, HR 966, and I hope the bill at least gets through committee to the floor of the House.  But at the same time, I'd like to see the bill that similarly calls for the dismissal of the morally bankrupt bastard who hired Jennings, and who continues to defraud the American people: Barack Obama.

I promise you, fair reader, that if you witness the material this guy wants your children to be taught, not just given access to (which is abominable enough), but taught, you'll be as disgusted as I am.

This ain't leadership...this is an eradication of decency.  And it's not an accident.

It's bad enough that unredeemable scum like Jennings is allowed to breathe the air in this country, but it's absolutely gut-wrenching that a United States President could look objectively at someone like this and consider him even remotely qualified to earn a paycheck at the taxpayers' expense...

...much less, much, much, much less than hold any kind of leadership role over the educational fate of children.

Roughing the Puss-Puss...Fifteen yards from the spot of the foul

According to the Raleigh News & Observer, NCSU coach Tom O'Brien publicly took exception to UNC head coach Butch Davis' account of the postgame misbehavior of UNC's Dante Paige-Moss.  The Obscurer's Ken Tysiac claimed that O'Brien telephoned "a reporter" to voice his umbrage.  At the N&O today, there's a video of the incident.  Yep, I watched it.

Davis had said that Paige-Moss shoved a player who was taunting him.  In the video, it does appear that the Wusspack players might have been barking and taunting, but certainly none of it specifically in Moss-Paige's face.  It is clear, however, that DPM (that's much better than typing out all that hyphen-stuff) took a swipe at the NCSU player.  And I'm not talking about the kind of "Oh yeah, well here's something for you to yap about about" cold-cock, knuckle-sammich-shot to the mouth.  No.  DPM, still wearing his brain-bucket, took a half-ass slap at the (helmetless) State player while ducking away.  Three words:

PAN. SEE. FIED.

I still say that you can't take any man seriously who has a hyphenated last name.  Maybe that's part of DPM's problem.  Maybe, having a hyphenated name makes you a sort-of-hyphenated man.  Note to American men: Do not let your son grow up with a hyphenated last name.  Pick a fuckin' name.  If your wife is manly enough to demand that her name is worth keeping, and if you can't squelch the hyphen nonsense, rather than permanently display your lack of man-card, just go ahead and acquiesce completely to her name.  At least do your kid that favor.  Seriously, he'd be better off with a name like "Sue."  And if you're that kid, who might someday have his name written on the back of his jersey in front a gazillion people, it's time for you to man up, too.  Once you turn 18, go on down to the courthouse, and get yourself undashed.

How wormy do your have to be, as a man, to let that happen?  What's next...your name is Smith, and her name is Smith, so in deference to both your families you decide to name your little demon spawn Smith-Smith?  Or, how about this: Both of you might change your names to Smuh-to-the-ith.  Spelled out and super-hyphenated, just like that.  Puh-to-thuh-thetic, I say.

O'Brien's motivation is clear: Keep controversy stirred up, because without a bowl of their own, there's not really anything for him do regarding his current players.  But the implication that his players were blameless in the whole episode is pretty much just as pansyfied as DPM's slappy-run play.  And not a single ounce more justifiable.  If you believe Tommy O-to-the-B, his little angel was just mindin' his own bidness.  But if you look at his quote a bit skeptically, you figure (like I do) that it's just more taunting.  Which is fine by me, so long as you stand up there and do it, instead of pretending it ain't what it is.

I wish Davis had said, "In addition to suspending him for our bowl game, I showed Dante Puss-Puss a video of (Carolina Hurricanes defenseman) Tim Gleason as an example of how to fight like a man.  Further, we've instructed him that if he can't win on the football field, he'd better get used to some taunting, and that slappy-run plays are the modus operandi of O'Brien's gang, not ours."

One small victory in that whole mess?  Could be that this guy, Marvin (unhyphenated) Austin, who doesn't seem to like the 'Pack' so much and plays his best games against them, might decide that beating those taunters is reason enough to stick around Chapel Hill another year, instead of going to the NFL.

This just in...my good friend Kurt (unhyphenated, but a State fan) just called to say he's pretty sure that this post constitutes yet another pass-interference penalty, which will be assessed on the Tar Heels' first play from scrimmage in the Meineke Bowl.

Keef Undermann Comments!

Or perhaps this is from Chris "You've lost that tingly feeling" Matthews, or Allahpunted, or the O!Bummer himself.  They are all lurkers here at the House of Livermush, and are the suspected authors of frequent anonymous comments to older posts.  This one was received this most-recent Friday but in response to the BLOGBURST of Oct. 23rd.  As if they can vandal-tag my posts when my back is turned and I wouldn't notice.  Don't think I don't recognize the poor command of spelling and syntax you learned from the Cornell Tractor College, Keith.

Nice research but please let me asure you that its not what you think. The Arc is so big that a person would struggle to find the exact centre that they would have to face for prayers. Also you are right that most older Mihrabs are not exactly correct and the intension is what counts, but as a land surveyor myself Obviosuly in this day and age with acurate survey & GPS the norm there is no excuss for new constructions having the direction wrong, the intention would then be false and it would not be a mehrab for prayer to mecca. Either way, you dont have a mehrab without a mosque and its not Islamic custom to make a house of worship to God out of trees.

I say this as a Muslim who strongly opposis any act of terrorism and belives in the True teachings of Islam, not the misinterprated and twisted to suit their objectives religion of terrorists.

Let me just say I ain't buying your "I say this as a Muslim" bit, any more than your half-hearted claim to be a surveyor. If you were a surveyor on the ground there in Shanksville, you'd point your wing-stretched fingertips at the ends of the crescent and slap a 90 (real surveyor's field technique for establishing a surprisingly accurate perpendicular bisector). The architect could have been trying to incorporate an adjustment for magnetic declination, but I don't think so, and I bet you know better, too. His intention is called "plausible deniability." He needs to be able to tell one story ( I didn't design any real Islamic symbolism into it, because if I had, I'd have made it more precise) to the National Parks Service, and the opposite story (This is a Mosque, wherein the greater orientation is slightly off, but with enough interior elements to help you fine tune your direction) to those Muslims he wishes to appeal.

For anyone to suggest that this architect has benign intentions (don't forget that the focus of his grad school thesis was Middle Eastern influence in architecture), is an insult to anyone paying attention.

Also don't discount the presumed "value" for the architect later claiming that the "3-degree error" is reflective of his presumed American inferiority. His intent is to memorialize the terrorists, to symbolically complete their mission by martyring them on the ground in Shanksville. Anyone who claims otherwise is a fool. Anyone who vandalizes my blog posts with anonymous comments on old posts is a coward.

And if you really think you've "asured" me: Uh, no. Dipshit.

My assurance will come with the widespread exposure of this dispicable design and the project's cancellation.

Y'all that twitter and facebook...

I did that whole myspace thing for a while.  But my distaste for it has made me want to keep the lure of all the other "social media" functions, 'specially Facebook, fended off.  Here's something worthwhile, though, for those of you who do enjoy that business.

If you go become one of their followers on Facebook, or fans on Twitter (or is that fan on FB, and follower on Twitter?), Rudy's Country Store & Bar-B-Q will donate $0.50 to the families of the victims of the Ft. Hood shootings Islamic terrorist attack.

You could drive by a thousand Rudy's across Texas, and never give them much thought, so unassuming are their stores, and see their slogan, "Worst Bar-B-Q in Texas" and maybe be able to keep your mouth from watering.  All you're doing is delaying the inevitable: Eat at Rudy's...fall in love with Rudy's.

Don't let it trouble you too hard that your heap of Q is served on a sheet of wax paper for a "plate".  Stand in line; it's not a long wait, but well worth every second.  When your turn comes, you sidle up to the counter and tell them you're new to Rudy's, and they'll have you sample good eats until you're satisfied with your potential order.  "Extra Moist" brisket comes highly recommended from the Livermush guy.

Thanks and hat-tip to BLACKFIVE for the heads-up.

Befriend those fine folks at Rudy's and help them do something good in the process.  And invite your friends, followers, and tweeting minions to do the same.  Plus, next time you're hungry, stop in a Rudy's.

Please.

Music Appreciation

I've recently been introduced, by a new friend, to some very cool music blogs.  And like most things, you don't know what you've been missing, until you get some.  Music, that is.  Careful, y'all...

Anyhoo, I've found some music blogs/sites that interest me.  Linked forthwith:

Americana Roots and its sister site, wherefrom their playlist emanates, Americana Rock Mix.

Lots of very good downloads at A Truer Sound.

Front Porch Musings

Nine Bullets

I'm also looking at Alt-512, We Own This Town, and I'm also really liking Twang Nation.

Can't say that a whole 'nuther blogroll category would be forthcoming, but you never know.  Any of y'all currently reference these same sites for seasoning to your musical tastebuds?