V Agent for Breakfast

2012-02-01T09:14:00.001-07:00

Ever since Lipps Inc. released the song“Funkytown” in 1980, philosophers, Disco Historians, andgroovemeisters have been searching for the location of the mythicaltown. It couldn't be Minneapolis, the city where the song wasrecorded, because the song clearly indicates the seeker of funk“Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me,” and laterrepeats the mantra “Gotta move on, gotta move on.” BesidesMinneapolis, though a nice city, is colder the the frosted edges ofEskimo hell in winter -- tough to groove when you're frozen solid.

Some postulate Funkytown never existed,but rather is a state of mind, but then why move? Others believeFunkytown was the East side of Atlantis, and slid beneath the waveslong ago. Unfortunately Disco died before the exact location could befound. The song gives no clues, only that the the singer wished to gowhere he/she could move and groove with some energy. Three MileIsland had energy, but wasn't a groovy place to go, Russia was stillthe commie infested land of no fun of any kind, so those locationsare out. Washington DC is full of oily politicians (hard to believe apack of tax fed hyenas can get their groove on), down South they onlyhave both kinds of music, Country and Western so that's out.

Funkologists have started a dig outsideDetroit, and after making it past a layer of rusted out hubcaps,discarded medical supplies, sand spent balloons of coke have foundsome promising evidence that the Motor City might have been the seatof Funkytown. Several deteriorated record labels were unearthed thatindicate that there was some funk going on. The only completelyreadable label was entitled “Super Freak.” In a way it makessense as the city was the center for Motown, another music phenomenathat has survived long after Disco was relegated to You Tube. Aninteresting find, but hardly concrete proof that anyone was movingand grooving.

The search continues, even though videohas killed the radio star, there is hope in the hearts of the funkyand town less that they will soon find the legendary town. Until thenthey'll keep movin' on...

Too Hot for Ducks

2011-09-01T14:01:00.002-07:00

Slightly overexposed, as was I - just got too hot to fiddle with the camera down to the duck pond. In fact the whole month of August was a record setter - we've had excessive heat warnings for the past two weeks and broke the record for the hottest August since they started collecting weather trivia like that. On the bright side it may drop to 103 this weekend. I don't mind the heat that much, but there are limits to everything and it's high time we drop into "not-summer," the other season here in the Sonoran desert.

We''re still in Monsoon season so the humidity has been kind of up there too, especially for the desert. Never thought I"d be looking forward to the first 90 degree day!!!

Ferocious vulture...

2011-08-08T11:19:00.003-07:00

Thought of Little Lamb while at the craft store with Mrs. Phos.

Breathing space

2011-08-02T11:41:00.002-07:00

A little time in between storms to catch our breath, well at least here in the far West valley. The East part of the city got schwacked, power poles down, flooding, cats and dogs living together, tragedy of biblical proportions. We didn't even get any rain from the last bout, though we have had quite a bit considering this is a desert.

Mrs. Phos is fixin' to start up at school again, the little tykes show up next week some time, though she is already hard at it with all the prep. I'll be starting classes here shortly learning photography, web development and Adobe Illustrator. I spent some time as an illustrator back in the good old AF days, even working in a dark room from time to time and I really enjoyed it. I'm not much of an artist, but I am interested in building web pages so am taking classes to that end. 58 years old and still don;t have the slightest idea what I want to be when I grow up. Time is growing short ...

Death of the Space Program

2011-07-29T20:15:00.002-07:00

Barack bin slama-licka Ali Obama, in his usual two-faced manner, pretty much cut the balls off NASA while touting a trip to Mars. It's a shame that NASA got a bent over, not because we aren't in space as much as we're missing out on some tech spinoffs and potential role models.

Spinoffs

A lot of today's tech toys were direct result of needs generated by the space program. Grappling with a problem as complex as leaving earth and navigating space drives great minds to come up with solutions. It may be said that the challenge increased brain power in the US substantially. Now China and Russia will take the lead on space and derive benefit from the exploration, leaving the US far behind and cementing our place in the Third World.

Heroes

When I was kid, after we got over wanting to be cowboys and right after the Mercury program there wasn't a kid in the neighborhood that didn't want to be an astronaut. Now, unless you are a billionaire and can hitch a ride with the Ruskies, you're shit out of luck. The media offers up hollywood whores, ball monkeys, and thugs on MTV.

Bottom line is we need a space program, not to bring cheese back from the moon, but the invaluable side benefits. I figure some drastic pay cuts for congressmen and high government officials, pulling out of Afcrapistan, Iraq, and Libya, allowing the arabs to fix their own mess, should free up enough money and manpower (there are a lot of brilliant military techs) to keep the space program going for the foreseeable future.

Drippy day

2011-07-24T08:10:00.002-07:00

I can hear the rain dripping from the eaves, a slow patter -- rare during Monsoons, where it is usually all or nothing. Very enjoyable, the rain has knocked the dust down so the mountains are clearly visible and also brought the temps down a bit so it is very comfortable outside.

Endangered Animal Alert

2011-07-18T21:30:00.005-07:00

Sea Weasel fur

I was shocked to see a local woman's craft store offering fur taken from the endangered North Pacific Sea Weasel. There are only ten of these rare animals left and eight of those are male. This is putting undue pressure on the only two females.

It is important to write your congressman and tell him to stop the illegal poaching of the Sea Weasel!

Monsoon mania

2011-07-17T18:48:00.004-07:00

Lots of rain in a short period of time...

You can't get there from here

2011-07-16T22:45:00.003-07:00

Yep, they're pencils. They still make them, though they aren't as good as they used to be. Industry is all for cutting corners to save a couple sheckles. While creating a new generation of crap pencils is problematic for pencil users, it isn't the biggest problem...

The worst part is trying to find a way to sharpen them. Sure, you can buy the small crappy plastic sharpeners that do peel away the wood, but if they actually bring the lead to a decent point without tearing the graphite out of the wood, it's a miracle.

Time was every classroom in America had a sturdy reliable metal hand-cranked sharpener. They brought the pencil to a point sharp enough to readily stick into the ceiling tiles. You couldn't walk into a classroom that didn't have at least one pencil sticking out of the ceiling. But the main point (no pun intended) is That sharpeners worked and pencils penciled properly.

I still use pencils because they have the original delete function built right in -- a pink eraser on the top that could, with care, undo any mistake made with the other end. You just had to use the eraser judiciously to avoid creating a large hole in the paper. Ironically, I use a ball point to do crosswords because I am tough old bastard.

Pizzacicle

2011-07-15T14:16:00.002-07:00

It's exactly like a Popsicle, 'cept different. The crust is fresh from the freezer and hard as a rock. It's so hard and heavy you could kill someone with it (and then eat the evidence). The trick to eating this is to put the sauce and toppings in your mouth than lick the crust -- or you could allow the crust to thaw, roll it out and proceed with the usual pizza scenario. Your choice.

Still crazy after all these years...

2011-07-10T16:05:00.006-07:00

Crazy for living in a desert. One would think that having spent a lot of time in other people's deserts I would have had enough, but no, ol' Phos. At least in this desert I am not trying to kill people or visa-versa. Truth be told I couldn't stand the cold again -- my ice fishing days are far behind me. I miss the fishing part but not sitting on a pickle bucket in the middle of a frozen lake with nothing between the wind and the shore except me. Hard to beat the fish though, they don't get much fresher than the ones frozen right out of the ice fishing hole. Sometimes they'd come back to life in the sink when I went to clean them. Good trout and splake.

Anyhoo, hotter than a $2 pistol today so no chance of ice, unless we get hit with some hail, something not beyond the realm of possibility during the monsoons. Lots of clouds, in fact we're surrounded. Whether we get any rain is another story. Times it looks promising and we get nothing here in the West valley, other times one figures there isn't a chance in hell and we get hit. Go figure.

Still not to hot to fire up the grill for some hot links...

And as always I have my helpers...

More o' the 4th

2011-07-04T09:19:00.004-07:00

Nothing says HOLIDAY like beer can chicken, except for this chicken is on a soda can filled with wine. Kind of the same, except different... Another monsoonal day where little charcoal is needed and it seems more tropical than desert.

This side of town didn't get much if any rain, but the wind was pretty blustery and we got the inevitable dust cloud. Not enough of a problem to keep one from applying mesquite smoke to chicken, especially when there is a very capable helper on hand.

Tonight it's back to the grill for Italian sausage, the type of grilling that requires a beer in one hand and tongs in the other. Hope that if you celebrate the holiday you have a good one, if not take a break and have a beer anyway, what the hell.

July

2011-07-02T16:52:00.002-07:00

Parades, small cloth flags on wooden sticks, ice cream out of waxed cups eaten with a flat wood spoon band in the band shell followed by earthshaking fireworks that was the Fourth of July at Hart Park back in Wisconsin. There have been many Fourths since but the ones back home as a child remain fresh as if hey were just yesterday.

I can remember sitting on the garage roof watching the fireworks around town when I was older -- we were literally surrounded by the various displays. Later the city of Milwaukee had fireworks on the lake front and we took our kids, keeping the traditions alive.

We can hear fireworks from here in AZ now, but we don't fight the crowds to watch. The temps are at 116 right now and the monsoons are firing up in the Northeastern part of the state. The huskies have found cool spots on the tile under the fans and I am tempted to join them, but I'll settle for sitting quietly and thinking of Fourths gone by.

This ain't hell, but you can see it from here...

2011-07-01T15:17:00.003-07:00

Temps are supposed to get up to 120 this weekend making it one hot 4th of July. The extreme heat has to make me wonder about our forefather's, the pioneers. Ambling across the land in covered wagons, hardships, Indian attacks (actually the Indians were doing them a favor trying to warn them off), disease and heartbreak, then they come upon a scene such as the one in the picture above. The fact someone said, "Looks good to me," says a lot about our ancestors lack of intelligence. One could give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they arrived in winter when it is cool, but water is mighty scarce in these parts and the view should indicate to most rational beings that this is not a good place to inhabit in any season.

Maybe it's a little harsh calling the settlers morons, after all I know better and yet here I am. It is just as hot, but unlike Conestoga wagons, my vehicle has air conditioning as does my dwelling, which is not made of sod or mud and sticks (instead the builders used chicken wire and bird-shit). There is water to be had, though we are thieving it from the poor assholes downstream and fighting with California and Nevada over the Colorado river water rights. Arizona is in the midst of a record drought, which in my opinion won't abate anytime soon. Whether one is a Global Warming fan or not, it is readily apparent that there is climatic change afoot and hot and dry is the future forecast for sunny Arizona.

And the imbecilic settlers? Oh, their progeny is still here, and the pioneers legacy can be seen in the vacant slack jawed expression on the faces of all the NASCAR fans at the Phoenix International Race way, or the pickup trucks jacked eight feet off the ground with Clem and Bubba tossing beer cans out the window as they drive along. Intelligence is fleeting, but hillbilly is forever.

Still plugging away

2011-06-24T14:29:00.003-07:00

Tea Party Meeting

I've been a real slug. I have been unable to do much more than consume more than my share of oxygen and feel sorry for myself as far as the lack of work goes.

I do have some things to look for ward to, however. We are reaching the end of the First Primate's term and hopefully by now the American people have realized chimpanomics doesn't work. Unfortunately there aren't any worthwhile replacements waiting in the wings, the Tea Party is a joke (and a bad one at that), so bend over for the 2012 elections. I'm just prayijng the Rethuglicans don't pick Palin to run again. All you foreigners out there, don't be chuckling too hard because you have to live with our choices down here, like it or not. Just pick up a racing magazine, look at the crowd pictures for the NASCAR races, then comes the slap in the face -- all those assholes in the picture can vote. Yep, every toothless, mouth-breathing slack jawed chinless inbred one of 'em will be lined up at the ballot box (providing they aren't too drunk to find there way there). Just something to look forward too...

Sometimes life is complicated...

2011-06-01T09:33:00.002-07:00

Yep, thinks can get tangled from time to time, but fortunately I am not the guy that has to make sense of the snake's nest in the picture. See, it could always be worse, as in the bit about the "Last Guy" by Arlo Guthrie.

Missed posting over Memorial Day, but I had kids and grandkids and dogs running around the house, so I had a good excuse.

I did think of those who gave their lives for freedom as well as the soldier of today whored out by our gov't to secure the rights of Big Oil. Let's pray that the gov't finally sees the light and pulls the troops out of Afcrapistan. The Afcrapistanis, Iraqafucks, and the rest of the unwashed thieving two faced bastards running countries in SWA can go rot in whatever hell they believe in as far as I am concerned. As I haev said in the past you can't give anyone freedom, it has to be earned or it means nothing. As for our present gov't and the bilious bastards calling the shots, to hell with them as well. They have all been bought and paid for turning our military into Big Business's private army.

Meanwhile bright and promising young men and women are being slaughtered to prop up gov'ts run by a pack of ungrateful goat-shaggers. Sad really.

Back from wherever it is I've been

2011-04-07T12:48:00.003-07:00

Truth be told there hasn't been much exciting to write about. My fault really, as I don't do much besides hang out around the house. I am hoping to remedy that a bit here in the near future. Odd how one can get caught up in the flow of life, even a mundane one, and lose touch with the world-- even if it is a virtual one.

We had our two days of Spring a couple weeks ago and now it is working on summer. Temps in the 80s ranging into the high 90s. Did get a respite yesterday with a nice rain shower that brought the temps down from the 90s to the 80's. I suspect it may be a while before we see the lower temperatures, but around here it is tough to figure out. I've lived in Arizona for eleven years and have yet to have a "normal" season, so it is tough to say what the climatic status quo is, or if one even exists. Maybe global warming, maybe just life in the desert, but at this juncture it is hard to say.

It has been all drudgery -- I have had a chance to visit with my children and the grand kids/puppies, always nice. I look at other families in the clan and I think we are far better off than most of them. I have a great brother and wonderful kids. Mrs. Phos is a saint, which goes without saying, after all she has to put up with me -- not an easy task. The point is we all get along and support one another, don't tend to get into any squabbles as there is a lot of love and respect. Maybe it is the endemic sense of humor that helps. I don't know if it's genetic or not, but most of the family is able to find humor in almost any situation. Even the grandkids are displaying my brand of humor, much to their mother's dismay.

And here we are, apart geographically, but not a day goes by that I don't think fondly about my family. I hate being away from any of them, but the thoughts and phone calls certainly help. The bottom line to a successful family is good communication and listening skills I think.

Grandkids/grandpuppy at play

Kids in the kitchen

2011-03-19T09:46:00.002-07:00

Best way to bond with kids is get them into the kitchen with you. Let them help with the non-lethal parts of the process and you'll not only have some quality time, but be teaching them some life skills as well.

As they get older they can wield the knife and use the stove and microwave with supervision. Children need to be acquainted with the dangers in the kitchen as well as the pure joy of creating a dish. This is the time to pass on the family recipes and relate experiences you had cooking with your folks, if indeed you did. Family is important as is relating family experiences including food, family history, and relations.

Next time you get ready to bake or cook, let junior do the measuring, stirring, and help with the prep. Don't pass up this time to enjoy each other while showing them the ropes.

Husky Philosophy

2011-03-12T13:27:00.002-07:00

There's a time to run, a time, to eat, and time to play, and a time to take a moment and warm the couch.

Unoffical Spring

2011-03-08T13:41:00.003-07:00

Still waiting for the official start o' Spring, but the cactus league baseball has fired up the past week, a good sign we're getting close. The days are getting longer, the huskies are shedding their winter coats, and my neighbor's vine has begun its annual journey over the wall and into my yard. Thought I killed it once, but it is a devil bush and keeps coming back, sort of a vine of the undead or something.

Need to do some major yard work, look into getting the dead spa hauled off and fill some craters left by Yukon. Kind of hate to fill them because I think of the old boy every time I look at them and Austrella likes to lie in them. I think she misses Yukon as well. Thor is great, but he's no Yukon.

Anyway, time for new beginnings and all that happy horse-shit, romance in the air, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. The only thing missing is getting out in a boat with my brother and doing some fishing. More like practice casting with beer, but we make a valiant effort. I do have memories of rowing in silly little circles in the middle of the lake trying to navigate our way back to the dock and nearly capsizing the boat, swinging an oar in the air attempting to get a lure out of a tree. Seemed like a really good idea at the time. Beyond the shenanigans, fishing is a nice way to connect with the world around us. There are no words to describe the delight in being out on a Wisconsin lake, the trees growing right down to the banks, the birds and wild life playing in the rushes, the crisp air, and just a beautiful kind of day to be out fishing with your brother. If that ain't nice, I don't know what is.

Communism

2011-03-01T21:24:00.002-07:00

Communism looks good on paper, you make x amount of shit and you get the shit you need in return. Eventually one reaches "Shit-topia" where every schmuck has what they need and the gov't disappears. Any system that gets rid of government sounds pretty good. Unfortunately communism doesn't work.

There are people in the world with "A" type personalities (guess what the A stands for). Hitler, Bush, the Kennedy's, and Stalin are prime examples of A personalities, or people who think all the shit should belong to them and whatever scraps are left over can be doled out to the proles. Stalin, though sporting a fine mustache, made Hitler look like a pansy when it came to being grabby and killing innocent people (he never took criticism very well) and he is responsible for corrupting communism and overcrowding in the gulag.

Bottom line is communism, while a great idea, won't work because too many people in the world are shit-grubbers and won't play well with others, or are NASCAR stupid and don't get the concept .

Capitalism for Hillfolk

2011-02-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

Capitalism is founded on buying and selling shit. There are several things necessary for it to work, some shit, obviously, and an exploitable population. It really doesn’t make any difference what kind of shit as people will buy anything as long as the shit maker convinces them that their miserable lives totally suck without his shit and once they obtain the shit, for a price, their lives will be better, they’ll be prettier, or their pits will no longer stink.

The exploitable population is needed for two reasons. Generally speaking the shit doesn’t make itself, the shit maker needs people who are willing to work for low wages to do the actual shit fabrication. It is great if the exploitable population is nearby, but not necessary. If the local population organizes for higher wages, benefits, or dignity, simply shift the shit processing to another exploitable population, say India or China where proles are willing to work in deplorable conditions for a blow of rice and there are none of those pesky child labor laws.

The second reason for the exploitable population is the purveyor of shit needs someone to buy his shit. It helps if the population is dimwitted and gullible because it is easier to peddle shit to them and convince them they can’t live without shit. Tell them they are ugly, fat, or behind the times, something to undercut any confidence they might have and it’s off to the races. One thing on the shit merchants side is that stupid people tend to be prolific breeders, creating a never ending string of consumers and makers of shit.

And there it is capitalism in a nutshell. Pretty basic, as the shit man will need resources, either ones readily available or raw shit he has taken away from someone else. He’ll also need one or more shysters to make sure no one gets into his shit and a tractable government that he can buy off to keep their nose out of his shit. That sums up the situation here pretty well.

Rain Tomorrow

2011-02-26T21:53:00.002-07:00

Tonight, if the weather asshole isn't lying we're in for some rain tomorrow. Rather rare here in the desert, so most folks welcome it -- I know the grass will. The hill folk down to the NASCAR race will get a bit wet, but it won't hurt for them to have a second bath this month. Too bad it isn't "soap day" at the track.

In Qwest of a deal from the phone company

2011-02-21T14:09:00.002-07:00

In trying to cut some costs we approached the phone company we use. There's a lot of deals for new customers, but existing customers can pretty much get stuffed. It doesn't help we've "bundled" our services with them, once they got you there's no more love for you.

Adding to the fun are all the taxes and fees (even the fair city of El Garbage gets in on the act) that are piled on to support the tax fattened hyenas that run our government. So much for the free airwaves. I swear they tax you from birth to death then feed on the corpse.

In the age of communications one would think it would be easier to manage personal communications such as cell phones, internet, and home phone, but not without getting several different customer service chimps from several different companies involved. It becomes an enormous Mongolian Cluster Fuck (MCF) in short order.

Hopefully this will all get sorted with little or no damage and few lives lost, though in an operation this size one has to expect some casualties I suppose.

On with the show

2011-02-16T14:38:00.002-07:00

Another exciting week well under way. Mrs. Phos is a bit under the weather, meaning tonight is spicy soup night. I use the usual ingredients, celery, carrots, onion, mushrooms and chicken broth, but toss in some jalapenos and cayenne for good measure. Clears the sinuses and lifts the soul at the same time. It is also a great way to get rid of stuff in the fridge, such as the chopped onion I had left over.

The clouds are rolling in today, we are due some rain this weekend, if the weather bozo on TV is to be believed. He is a lying bastard, after all. If it does rain I'll have to take a trip out into the wilds of the AZ desert to check for wildflowers -- even the nastiest looking weed out here seems to produce breath taking flowers after the rains come.

Meanwhile the huskies are keeping watch over Mrs. Phos, Thor angry because she is taking up the whole couch (no room for him to hop up in "his spot"), and Austrella snoozing on her dog bed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T16:10:00.001-07:00

Hope you and your significant other have a wonderful V-Day!!

Where’s Phos been?

2011-02-13T14:18:00.004-07:00

I’ve been gone quite a while – the time has flown by and I didn’t realize how long I it was since I last posted. I wish I had lots of exciting things to report, but in fact I do not. A few things I have done:

Gone to a Videogame party:

A Superbowl party:

Mostly been husky-lazy…

There are many things I need to do, mundane for sure, but necessary. Mostly cleaning, organizing, and figuring out what I want o be when I grow up. Things were simple when I was a kid. You went to school, got a job, got married, had kids and lived happily ever after, more or less. Unfortunately that isn’t exactly the way things work. Though I have checked the blocks for my happily ever after checklist I find that there is more to the tale than I was led to believe. Now here I am rapidly approaching the edge of the cliff and I find I have to fine tune things a bit. Well better late than never I suppose.

Birds

2011-01-06T15:46:00.003-07:00

It's surprising how many birds are right around the house. I was outside for a bit when I noticed these two...

Christmas Comfort Food

2010-12-18T16:19:00.001-07:00

Early in my Air Force career my wife and I were stationed far from home. A wonderful family “adopted” us, and invited us for Christmas Eve. The star of the celebration was the mother’s chili. Ever since that time chili has been Christmas Eve comfort food and remains so to this day. Like family, chili is warm and embracing, takes you in its arms and welcomes you driving cold and cares away.
Easy to make or as complex as one would like, with beans or without, tomato sauce or not – it is a dish as varied as the people who relish it. There are many recipes available on the net, but the best kind is the chili that is made and served with love. Want immortality? Every time I have a bowl of chili I instantly think of the family that took us into the fold and considered us part of the clan. My mind also wanders back to cold South Dakota nights and the first spoon full of chili that warmed to the bones. Coupled with the love of the family, the reason for the gathering, and just being part of something special this was the best chili I ever had even though it might not have taken any prizes in a cook off – it will always be number one in my heart.
Try I as I might I have never been able to faithfully render the same unique flavor that chili possessed, the recipe remains the secret of the family that first concocted it, but I do believe that the secret ingredient, the one I cannot duplicate is the love and care that came with the soup on those cold Christmas Eves and the joy of a holiday family reunion.

On the way to the White Tanks

2010-12-14T15:17:00.001-07:00

Here comes Santa Claus

2010-12-14T13:29:00.002-07:00

Been busy checking the naughty/nice list -- well mostly the naughty list as it's the longest. That's ok with me, less toys to make and I have a huge pile of coal up here. The eleves like the time off, they are inherintly lazy creatures, and a bout as smart as a bucket full or rien deer droppings. I have plenty of those too, the hay I feed them doesn't make too many stops in a typical deer digestive system I'll tell you. Whoever thought up the phrase "like shit through a goose" never met a reindeer. And don;t get me started on deer flatulence - the Northern lights aren't a cosmic phenomena, just deer gas being ignited in the atmosphere. Fortunately there is an upside, deer farts mask the smell of the elves. Those little idiots never heard of soap and water, in liquid form, is hard to come by in these parts.

Anyway, I am looking forward to visiting your house, and if I don't leave anything under the tree, check your roof, because the reindeer certainly lefty you a little something.

JillPoo3 Christmas Tag Response video

2010-12-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

Gameboy Accessories

2010-12-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Someone's in the kitchen

2010-11-30T12:24:00.002-07:00

As usual I had lots of help in the kitchen over the Thanksgiving holiday. Thor even helped tend the grill for me. When it comes to helping cook (especially the food testing part) dogs excel.

Let the greed begin!!

2010-11-27T19:41:00.002-07:00

That time of year again. Thanksgiving is over, the relatives gone, the turkey mostly eaten, and Black Friday behind us. Yep, it is the start of Greedmas, with the door trampler sales in the wee hours on the Friday after T-Day, the barrage of commercials for high tech gadgets developed to make a demand rather than meet one and store shelves filled with what will hopefully (for them) be the next "Tickle me Elmo."

Many have written and will write on the lost meaning of Christmas, but it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. The reason? It is s synthetic holiday developed by a bullying church trying to suborn a pagan holiday. Been a long time since I cracked a bible, but I don't recall any mention of Christ's birth date. Even the location is a bit fuzzy from what I gather. Having been born in the Middle East, snow wouldn't have played a part in his birth, unless he was born in the mountains of Afghanistan. Boy that'd really piss the Taliban off, wouldn't it? Anyway the December 25th scenario is a huge wagon-load of horse apples. So all you money changers and merchants have at, and good luck to you.

Thanksgiving was great. No hitting the stores at 3AM or any of that nonsense, just family, food, and a quiet thankfulness for how good we really have it. The grand kids brought joy to my heart, all the dogs did their best to entertain us, or at least distract us enough they could snitch a little unguarded food from time to time. The pups adore my grand daughter as she sits in the magic high-chair and rains food down upon them. Food she is supposed to be eating, but it is funny to watch the dogs grab it. She laughs more than she eats.

Smoked some boneless turkey roasts, whipped some potatoes, and simmered up some wild rice. My son-in-law, an accomplished baker in his own right, baked some of the best pumpkin pies I ever had -- almost a shame to hide them under whipped cream, really.

I was kind of amazed and very saddened when everyone had to leave. The house is now way too quiet, and has an empty feel about it. No worries, however as the feelings saved up over the past few days still resonate and warm my tired old heart and will for days to come. In the end that is what the holiday season is all about, the stretch from T-Day to X-Mas -- family and love.

Austrella in her pre-walkies routine

2010-11-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

Slow Lingering Death in Suburbia

2010-10-20T13:43:00.003-07:00

Ok, I am hopped up on several Dr. Peppers and an energy booster drink, so I get a lot of strange thoughts. The energy booster seems to work pretty well, but I have enough caffeine in my system to kill a medium sized rhino. I've been told the stuff is bad for me, but there are times it is just tough for me to fully come around. A lack of any real exercise probably doesn't help, and the fact I don't sleep at night and am back to "cat napping" plays a big role in the problem.

Looks as though I will start work as the produce pogue at one of the local markets, not exactly a career I would have chosen, but a job is a job. It'll get me up and moving, which won't hurt and I won't have to make a special trip to the store to pick up fresh veggies, so I have that going for me, which is nice.

We get to meet Thor, a large Siberian Husky, on Sunday. We may adopt him. I miss having a big old boy dog around the house. Not too sure how Austrella is going to take to that, but she is pretty patient. I have ot admit I have really fallen in love with the breed, though as dogs go they are the biggets pests on the planet and don't even get me started on all the fur around the house. But then that is part of their charm, they leave a little of themselves everywhere they go.

Even started getting a little rain -- the winter rains are here. The associated storms tend to be a little less ferocious than the Monsoon storms, but we generally get a lot of moisture out of these in a good year. These rain laden clouds are the only thing coming over the border without a passport I like.

Anyway, this is the end of my energy drink induced ramblings, hope everyone is doing well. I am on Facial Book now as well -- I've noticed several of the Blogs I visit have become Facial Book orphans, as their authors spend more time on the networking site than they do on Blogger. This is kind of a shame as Blogger feels like a home while Facial Book seems more like the mall. Tough to talk and there's plenty of folks wandering around you just don't really want to meet.

CLouds rolling in...

2010-10-17T20:04:00.001-07:00

May have another shot at some rain, who knows?

The hunter

2010-10-13T02:16:00.002-07:00

This was taken on a hunt at the Hotpaws rest stop in the Hotpaws range just South of Phoenix. The area got it's name after our first Husky, Lucky Dog, was seen doing a little dance after leaving the car because the rocks were too hot. No real harm done and she got to chase some lizards on the cooler dirt.

I'm not sure what Austrella was hunting, but she was very alert and tracking some kind of animal. Since most desert animals, bite, sting or envenom any aggressors I was glad we never met up with whatever it was.

I am hoping it cools enough in the next few weeks so we can head out to the White Tank Mountains and get some new sniffs...

Chupacabra waiting to pounce...

2010-10-07T20:18:00.001-07:00

Mo' Rain

2010-10-06T12:43:00.002-07:00

Just when you thought it was safe to wash the car we get hit again. Not too bad on this side of town, but on the East side Mesa got slammed. Golf ball to tennis ball sized hail, power poles down, torrential rain and wind, and flooding. In comaprison we only got a few sprinkles, but I'll happily give up a bit of moisture rather than get hit with microbursts and driving rain.

Still some ominous clouds in the sky today, but they are farther North. The area near Flagstaff even had tornado warnings, rather rare for here. On the bright side, the temps are down in the 90's and look to remain so for the rest of the week.

Not a vulture

2010-10-02T15:15:00.001-07:00

Taken at the Milwaukee County Zoo several years back...

Vulture for Little Lamb

2010-09-30T22:17:00.002-07:00

Not the greatest picture, these Egyptian vultures at the zoo were pretty far away, but you get the idea.

New futon, old tricks

2010-09-29T19:08:00.003-07:00

Austrella isn't spoiled or anything, but she did get a new futon after her old one bit the dust. It had gotten pretty bad, and the fact she dug a hole into the cushion didn't help much. We put a pad and a sheet over the futon to keep her from wrecking the futon itself, but she has mad nest building skills and can strip the sheet off in a blink. Everything has to be arranged to her satisfaction before she can be comfortable.

The nest building extends to our bed as well. It is easy to see upon arriving home that the pillows and sheets have been carefully rearranged to conform to a curled up husky. Fortunately she hasn't tried to burrow into the mattress...yet.

Old video games don't die, they wind up in my son's garage

2010-09-28T22:08:00.002-07:00

Curious about old video games? Check out the Retrovideogameloser, AKA Spawn of Phos...

Parties aren't always fun

2010-09-25T18:50:00.003-07:00

Political parties are the bane of most any government, particularly the people the members of the part in Congress (parliament, whatever) are supposed to represent. The party turns the representatives into "replicants" that are just there to advance the parties needs and wants. If someone in the party goes against the current party line funds are cut, endorsements are lost and the party will work hard to replace them with someone more tractable in the next election.

I have looked long and hard for a party that fits right, but have yet to find one, maybe that is just as well. Did a stint as a Young Democrat in high school (didn't help me score any chicks though), handed out fliers canvassed neighborhoods, the whole nine yards. I kind of lost interest in the whole process as time went on -- I just wasn't as zealous as some of the other members.

One of my high school courses was a history Russia and Eastern Europe. I think some of the things we covered that year must have spoken to me, because in my first try at college I became a socialist. This phase lasted right up until I met some of my "brothers" and found they weren't quite what I expected. The only reason most of them seemed to espouse socialism is so they could hook a free ride.

Not one to leave any stone unturned I became rather conservative after joining the military (I didn't mention my stint as a socialist to my recruiter). It was a rather practical consideration as the Republicans were all for big military and our benefits and pay hung on their largess to a great extent. I remain somewhat conservative to this day and have developed the notion that folks shouldn't go running to the government every time they have a problem and that the Founding Fathers went to a lot of trouble writing the Constitution so maybe we should use the thing. I have however, become disenchanted with the Republican party and in fact any party.

Then there was the rise of the Tea Party. I thought a grassroots movement like that would spawn some new candidates, have some fresh ideas, and espouse less government. I've blogged on their site and was pretty happy with the whole thing until Sarah Palin was selected as a keynote speaker at the national rally. That was followed rather quickly by the discovery that the whole Tea Party was just a front for the Republican party, much as Move On works for the Dems. You can rebrand your group the Hitler Youth, but when all is said in done they're still Nazis, and no one in their right mind wants to head down that street.

Libertarians have the right idea, but many of their candidates are buffoons, other third parties may have one or two planks that resound, but for the most part fall short and in the end have a snowball's chance in hell of ever winning anything. Add to that the Media ignores them -- and why not when the regular party clowns have millions and millions to pay networks off. It is a lopsided affair at best.

In the end I wind up voting against candidates rather than for them, writing in my own name (what the hell, eh?) or crossing party lines in the hope a new face might help make a difference. I'd like to think that some day someone will come up with a candidate or party that is palatable and actually gives a shit about the people they represent, but then if geese had plane tickets they wouldn't have to fly South for the winter.

Waiting on the rain

2010-09-21T22:17:00.002-07:00

After a week of setting heat records for September (107 yesterday) we are finally getting some relief. A nice low has moved in and is sucking up moisture from Old Mexico, one thing we appreciate coming over the border. Even if we don;t see nay rain here in the Far West Valley, it'll cool things down into the high 90's, but back up in the 100s over the weekend. It has been unseasonably warm here, just waiting for the Canucks to start sharing some of their cold Northern air...

The missing generation

2010-09-20T15:26:00.002-07:00

As far as generations I kind of fell through the cracks. The beat moment and hippies happened while I was around, but I was much too young for either. I've often thought I would have made a good Beatnik, until I found out that my favorite writers of the era were running on Bennies and alcohol. It was tough realizing some of the best writings in American history were a product of drug riddled brains. Hippies were also into a world of drugs and that never really appealed to me. The world around us has hard edges, they are there for a reason and trying to soften them with "mind enhancing" drugs is not the way to go. Drinking oneself into oblivion (which I have done ) is also just a temporary escape. The damage the drugs and alcohol do far outweigh any advantage to them.

What I lack is a movement I can identify with, but none are a good fit. I have problems with be identified as a "Baby Boomer," as though I am just a product of a postwar explosion of sex frivolity. Maybe the pundits are right in using letters now, such as Gen X or Y, though that seems the lazy way out. I am much to old to be lumped into those groups anyway, though I enjoy a lot of the music and get a charge out of watching YouTube videos of skate rats biting the dust. I did have a skate board when I was a kid, but only saw the thing as a quick ticket to the emergency room.

Maybe I am part of the disenfranchised generation - no outstanding characteristic that can be used for a tag, no political voice, did the usual things such as maintain some patriotism, went to church (really, I used to go all the time), fell in love with a wonderful brown-eyed girl, got married and raised a family together. Never got divorced, wear my seat belt, don't kick dogs, and give the kid's ball back when it flies into my yard. I don't drive a fancy car, have a "beautiful job," as my mother had wished, or have accomplished anything that will be remembered in generations to come.

Maybe the Humdrum Generation, or the Plain Vanilla Generation might work. Tough to tell for sure and I don't have any catch slogans or Hollywood Star power to push the idea. Guess I'll have to think more on it and come up with something that involves Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders of Victoria's Secret Angels, a real attention grabber. Or maybe I don't need to be part of any generation, maybe I am Generation Phos -- for better or worse I don't think there are many like me. It's probably a good thing though.

Vas Gibst?

2010-09-19T13:04:00.002-07:00

Tiny house is once again kid-less, kind of like empty nest deja vu. It just gets too quiet, especially without Yukon wooing for food all the time. No grandson getting into everything or helping "Ginging" (his name for granny Phos) make some of the best pumpkin bread I ever had. He is quite the baker. The granddaughter has a lot to say, and is starting to fledge, so soon she'll be running amok throughout the house.

We also had two grandpuppies, both adorable of course. With our kids, their kids, and dogs packed into the tiny house a pleasant sort of mayhem ensues. Of course all things must come to an end and like the last moment after the grand finale in the firework display there's that period of dead silence -- that is what the tiny house is like.

It was fun though. Got to cook up a storm, even making breakfast (my usual breakfast is a Kimchi noodle bowl and a Dr. Pepper, made some Chili Rellenos, even made fish for lunch - my daughter, son, and I are the only ones that eat fish, so it's a good excuse to grill up some Mahi-Mahi. Got out to the Rio El Mirage, a nice local Mexican restaurant giving my stove a much needed break.

Hope you all had a good weekend -- enjoy your families, the visits , the conversations because to me that is what life is all about...

Back from the wilds

2010-09-15T10:31:00.002-07:00

Been an awesome couple of weeks. Was down in Tucson with my son and his family, then they came up this week. My daughter came over and stayed so we had an impromptu family reunion. Fun was had by all. Lots of dogs, kids, and spending hours playing GTA 4 with my son thrashing bozos. Fun and frolic in the far west!!!

Phos and the very bad storm

2010-08-28T11:02:00.004-07:00

Hit by the raving ravaging monsoons storm the other day. No casualties takern here, but there were trees down all over the neighborhood...

Haven't been around much after Yukon passed, been really down. Tiny house just isn't the same without his howls...

Loose caboose

2010-08-05T21:16:00.001-07:00

Don't see too many of these anymore...

It ain't easy being green

2010-07-30T18:33:00.001-07:00

Figuring that the water heater is about at the end of its expected life, it was time to consider some options. One was to go solar. Steve Nash, one of the ball chucking chimps playing for the Suns is always on about going solar so maybe that is the way to go. Hell if a real live sports hero says it’s a good thing, it must be true.
One quick call and the solar salesman was on his way to spread the joy and savings of going solar. He was pleasant enough and went over all the facts, even had a PowerPoint with our very own Mr. Nash in it. Then he showed off his package (not that package, but the solar one) and unveiled the $35,000 price tag. Now our good sporto Nash undoubtedly could dig around the couch cushions in his crib and come up with 35K in a heartbeat, me not so much. However Salesman Sam (name changed to protect the innocent) said with gov’t subsidies, tax credits, yadya, yada, yada -- we only had to fess up 13K. And don’t forget the free case of LED light bulbs.

For this 13K we’d get, besides the case of bulbs, one water heater, the plastic panel on the roof, one attic fan and household voltage capacitor (which would cost 3K alone). Maybe not a bad deal in the long run, especially with the installation and all, but it is still a lot of money at this point. With the gov’t involved there was hope the price would be fairly negligible, but with no job in sight and limited savings solar is still beyond reach.

The other small problem revolved around permits. Any time anyone plans on doing anything to a house and says there are no permits needed he is either lying or ignorant. Always, always, check with your local municipality and find out what building permits are necessary. In this case not only was a permit necessary, but the contractor doing the work had to have his or her license on file with the City of El Mirage as well. This is for the homeowner’s protection. With solar installation, the contractor has to lay pipe, so to speak, and drill holes in the roof and this could easily spell disaster if that contractor is less than on the up and up or his “skilled workers” were the vagrants he picked up on the corner that morning.

So as the well known frog once crooned or croaked, as the case may be, it ain’t easy being green. It’ll cost more than one would imagine, involve some pitfalls and a few “got yas.” It is important to research the subject thoroughly to avoid being buffaloed by Salesman Sam or wind up with a half-ass job by some fly-by-night contractor who thinks E-Verify is a SPAM filter for e-mail. The power barons and resource pirates that control the oil, coal, and gas aren’t going to drop prices and with Mr. Obama’s “cap and trade” program the consumer is really going to get bent over, so solar is a good option and does deserve serious consideration, but as always, buyer beware.

Secret life of wires

2010-07-27T22:43:00.003-07:00

Inanimate objects are not as an inanimate as one might think. Everyone knows hangers mate, try pulling out just one wire hanger and you’ll almost always get two or three, sort of a hanger daisy chain, I guess. But now I have caught cables in the act of mating.

Go ahead, look behind the computer or the stereo, anywhere there are wires. Laid them down carefully in straight lines so there’d be no tangling, right? Check back a few months later and notice how they are all twisted in the act of making more wires.

It takes hours to separate the tangled of wires deep in the throes of plastic coated copper core lust, and there’s always one or two wires that aren’t connected to anything, just lying there amongst the rest of the cables – the secret of where those came from should now be apparent.

There’s nothing that can be done about this problem. The tape, commercial wire organizers, as Dr. Ian Malcolm said in Jurassic park, “Life will find a way,” but the lysine option won’t work with wires.

Strike one

2010-07-24T20:10:00.001-07:00

Tried to wing it creating a low sodium version of Fettuccine Alfredo and I’m alfreado it didn’t come out to terribly well. I will have to do some research, but substituting olive oil for unsalted butter on the sauce recipe was definitely a mistake. I tried to up the ante with garlic and spices, the flavor still came out pretty bland.

One obstacle to overcome is our addiction to salt. According to what I have read so far, there is absolutely no reason to salt one’s food, there is more than enough sodium in food to meet the body’s needs already. It is more of a learned taste where salt has become one of the primary seasonings. Food without it just doesn’t seem as vibrant. The trick is to make the food pleasant without adding any salt.

There are salt substitutes, most of them Potassium based, but I understand these can be fairly bitter. One doesn’t want to fall down the salt substitute rabbit hole pursuing a salt substitute, as has happened with finding a sugar wannabe that doesn’t put the extra junk in the trunk. Therefore it will be important to find the best flavor combination and levels to negate the need for any additional seasoning. This means getting back into the books and a few more (hopefully better tasting) experiments.

Meanwhile, there are salads and dressings that have no added salt and come out quite nicely. The dressing I generally make is simply mustard, olive oil, and either lemon juice, lime juice, or red wine vinegar. Mix till emulsified and it is good to go. I’ll get it right sooner or later…

Grazing is for cows

2010-07-22T16:06:00.001-07:00

Lots of folks I know have switched to being vegetarians. Some folks at the temple are born again hard grazers – no eggs, cheese, or any other animal product. Personally I embrace my omnivorishness wholeheartedly and see no point in changing.

Evolution has given us a mighty gift – we can eat anything that doesn’t eat us first. Not all God’s creatures are as fortunate. Take the snail kite, the bird, not the flying toy. It lives in the Everglades and only eats a certain kind of snail. It is such an avid snail eater its whole being has been modified for just this task. If this snail was to die off, these birds would be, ecologically speaking, screwed. The snail dies off, the bird dies off, but I don’t care because I can eat anything and still have food – not that I’d’ve eaten either snail or kite in the first place. I have to wonder how dedicated some vegans are anyway.

The dishes served at the temple were excellent and all vegetable, except there was meat- like tidbits mixed in. Sure looked like ham, but it turned out to be “textured vegetable protein.” Not sure what the FDA’s take is on that, but it sure looked and tasted like ham. . I could mold a nice t-bone out of a bucket of cow manure, plenty of textured vegetable protein there I’d guess, but would you really want to slap that bad boy on the grill? Doubt it.

There was another dish that tasted just like fish. I don’t even want to know how that was accomplished. Then there’s all the Boca crap. Boca dogs, Boca meatloaf, Boca burgers and Lord preserve us – Tofurkey. If a person is going to eat veggies, that’s’ fine, have at – but don’t make it look like meat. If you’re going to eat something that looks like meat, then you might as well eat meat and be done with it – rather get hung for sheep as lamb. You didn’t technically eat one of God’s creatures, but you were sure as hell thinking about it as you chow down on that faux-cheeseburger or pseudo-dog.
Then there are the splitters. Cows are off limits but fish are ok. I guess the guide line is cute and fuzzy things are protected in some way, shape, or form, while scaly slimy things are fair game. Or eggs are ok. Can’t eat mom, but have at the babies. Makes sense to me. And anyone who won’t eat cheese, well that’s border line immoral! I’d never be able to go back to Wisconsin if I gave up cheese. Hell, might as well not eat bratwurst either and make it a mortal sin.

The bottom line is it’s your life, so whatever. If you want to stand out in a field cropping the grass, who am I to stop you. As for me if it runs too slow and tastes good it is food, be it off a tree or My Friend Flicka, it’s all good.

Next time (special for you grazers): Do plants have feelings?

Warping of time

2010-07-22T15:10:00.001-07:00

Einstein was convinced time could warp and bend around certain objects. Further research ash found this does happen around black holes and other space phenomena, but one could look even closer to home to find this same event.

All one has to do to watch time slow to a crawl is pick a line at the grocery store, one that seems to be moving along well and join it. Once in line watch carefully as the time gradient slowly bends and warps to the next line allowing it to speed up, while yours slows to the kind time only used by geologists. Now switch lines to the one that is moving, and viola, time again bends to the line you were in. No black holes, necessary just the dreaded call “price check,” or watching grandma pull out her coin purse and start counting out her change.

Watch closely the while driving on the highway, as traffic slows in one line all the NASCAR geniuses quickly dive over to the next that is still moving. And what happens to these would be race car drivers? Why they are stuck in another slow lane as all they have done is followed the curve of warping time, nervously eying the gas gauge on their jacked up mudswamper pickup.

It is interesting to see that physics isn’t just for the egg heads, but it affects us all every minute of the day. Next: The watched pot…

Close, but no cigar

2010-07-18T16:37:00.003-07:00

Lots of storm activity all around our area, but none for us. Don't really need the high winds, micro-bursts, or the lightning, but some rain woudl be great. Tucson has gotten some as have the areas along the rim, but none of it has made it to El Mirage as of yet. Seems if I have to put up with the humidity it woudl only be fair if I got some of the rain!!

Looks to be another dry hot week until the high moves back into place and starts sweeping more moisture from Northern Mexico into AZ again.

The meat and potatoes of cooking

2010-07-18T07:04:00.003-07:00

Cooking isn’t that tough. One does not have to be a TV chef or even have attended some culinary academy – cooking is a combination of common sense, time management, and attention to the job at hand. Lacking these qualities will bring Natural Selection into play and you’ll be weeded out with the rest of the sick, weak, and stupid when you starve. Keeping it simple is also wise, especially if trying to break up the game of baseball your kids started with the cat in the living room, or updating your all important Facebook page.

Buy Fresh Eat Fresh

One can only prepare meals as good as what is put in to the pot. Stay to the outer edges of the market when shopping, pick up the freshest produce possible and buy what is in season. If things can be purchased from local farms, all the better – or even grow it yourself, but let’s just work on one challenge at a time. Barring that, frozen is the next best choice but be sure to allow time for thawing. No matter what one does that 22 pound turkey isn’t going to thaw over night. It all boils down (no pun intended) to the old computer adage, garbage in, garbage out. In other words starting with good wholesome ingredients will serve a cook well. In fact cooking from “scratch” can be cheaper in the long run as the price of processed food, such as hamburger helpless, can add up to a lot more than if buying the ingredients one’s self. The cook also has the added luxury of knowing what went into the dish wasn’t created in Frankenstein’s lab, but can be found in nature.

Keep it simple

Don’t’ get delusions of grandeur and try to emulate that chef on TV. Sure it looks simple there, but that dude has about six toadies helping him off screen and everything is already done – notice they don’t use hot pads when they pull something out of the oven – it is all smoke and mirrors. A salad, meat, potatoes, and some veggies are easy to make as long as attention is paid to the job at hand. Never leave anything cooking on the stove untended. Keep the heat as low as possible – high heat just means things can spin out of control faster, it doesn’t mean dinner will be done sooner.

Time management

Get home from work late, the kids are running amok with sharp sticks in their hands, the dog just spewed on the carpet, lots of distractions and fatigue factors that can turn cooking into a real chore. Keeping it simple is one way to get around this, another is cooking ahead. Weekends can be a great time to cook meals in batches, freeze them and then just reheat throughout the week. Get the kids to help with some of the simpler kitchen chores – they’ll have to learn to cook sooner or later, though letting 3 year old Suzy operate the stove is probably bad idea. The days of dad going to work while mom does all the housework are pretty much dead and gone, so there’s nothing wrong with everyone pitching in to help with the meal.

Safety

While coming up with a decent meal is important, safety is even more so. No one is going to have time to eat that perfect chicken while the paramedics are there treating the cook for third degree burns. One must keep their wits about them (this gets back to paying attention) and ensure hot things and sharp things are managed properly to prevent injury. Another big part of kitchen safety is keeping it clean. If one doesn’t adhere to this rule, once again Mother Nature will step in with a rather painful lesson on why one can’t handle raw meat and then touch everything else in sight. Wash hands, work surfaces, tools, and keep meats apart from veggies. Veggies need a good wash before being peeled or cooked as well. Farmer Brown will pick them, but he doesn’t get paid to wash them.

As stated before it mostly boils down to common sense. Thinks things out prior to cranking up the stove and all will be well. Keep a clean kitchen, watch things on the stove so they don’t burn, boil over, or set the house afire. Buying the best freshest ingredients one can afford will go a long way to a successful meal. Cooking isn’t that tough, and in fact can be downright enjoyable (laugh if you must) and it is a necessary life skill. Don’t be afraid to crack a cook book, try simple dishes to build confidence and work through to the more complex dishes if time allows. And if all else fails make sure the number of a good pizza joint is posted prominently on the fridge.

To review or not to review...

2010-07-17T15:11:00.003-07:00

I review restaurants, not a big stretch (except for the waist of my pants) considering my love of food, but it is a tougher job than one might imagine. First, taste is subjective, for instance I love Brussels sprouts and hate Lima beans – I know some total mutants that love Lima beans but hate Brussels sprouts. The point is when I write that such and such a dish is excellent, the reader may hate the taste of the stuff no matter who makes it. Types of food is another problem. One look at me and it’s easy to realize I’ll eat damn near anything, and have. Might want to hide your kids and pets when I come into the neighborhood, as my philosophy is if it runs slow it’s food. I eat seafood, all types in various stages of cooked or not. It’s all good, but there are folks, believe it or not, that hate seafood in general. Well, while there’s more for me, going on about how great a platter of octopus is won’t do me much good if it makes my reader (note the singular) want to puke.

Beyond that there is the problem of ethnicity. Ever notice on almost any Chinese or Mexican menu one can always find the ubiquitous burger? Wonder why? Nothing wrong with burgers, but it is sad when someone turns up their nose at new types of food in favor of a burger. People that do this are either 5 year olds or brain damaged in some way shape or form. Want clown burgers dripping with artery clogging grease head for the deadly arches and have at, but when at a Mexican restaurant get a sampler, try a few things, just like the “no thank you bite” you should be making your kids take when introducing new food. How does one reach people whose experience with food is limited to overcooked crap prepared by a clown, a king, or a rat?

Then there’s the cost factor. It isn’t cheap going out to eat and especially bad with the economy the way it is, despite the assurances from our esteemed government to the contrary. Along with this I have my favorite places, and I’d rather eat there because I know what to expect or have developed a relationship with the folks that own the place. I love Chen Wok and if I eat at another Chinese restaurant I feel as though I am cheating on the folks at the Wok. Stupid, I suppose but I want to see them make it – the food is good and may someday lure the idiots away from “Fast Panda,” one of those restaurants that has nothing to do with Pandas or Chinese food. It bothers me when there are small family owned restaurants, producing great food but struggling to make it and people insist upon eating fast cheap reconstituted crap at McClowns or other joints of that ilk.

Anyway, I will continue to review places as I can, noting the good dismissing the bad (in my opinion). I’d encourage anyone to eat at the ones I didn’t like as well as the restaurants I did. I might have hit them on an off day; picked a dish they have trouble with, or have different tastes. The review is just out there as a thought, a suggestion, take it or leave it. On the other hand if there are small ma and pa operations around, patronize them if they are good. Tell friends; get the word out because those little businesses are important to the community and to the world of food. If they die, soon all that will be left are chain burgers, fake Italian food, and Chihuahua tacos.

Crap

2010-07-15T20:51:00.002-07:00

Sitting here at 9PM, the temp is still 105 and the humidity up to 24% and not a lick o' rain in sight. Like it or not we're in the monsoon season, but have more mon than soon so far.

I have to keep reminding myself it's a lot hotter in other people's deserts, especially this time of year (Kuwait really sucks in July, even more than usual). Also the winters are fairly mild and it doesn't snow - as I have said before snow sucks.

Worst of all Huskies get ripped off because the don't get a walk. I don't want them getting heat prostration, this is definitely not husky weather. All one can do is drink lots of water and keep out of the sun as much as possible. Good excuse not to mow the lawn anyway...

I heard that

2010-07-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

Over the years I have become very hard of hearing, to the point where the wife’s voice faded into that annoying buzz in the background. It wasn’t until lately when my grandson started talking that I found I wished I could hear again. His voice was just at the right pitch where he was well beyond my meager hearing curve.

I invested in a couple of hearing aids, one for each ear and could suddenly hear a lot of things I took for granted. Lots of noise in the background, birds singing and yes, the wife’s voice came back full force. Though not as good as before I lost it I was kind of enjoying being able to pick up different sounds again and not having to turn the TV volume to 54 to hear the show. Best of all I can hear my grandson talk, and he is worth listening too.

On the down side the world has become a lot noisier place. Restaurants, stores, the mall, all the music, chattering, and the rest can become rather irritating after a while. So the hearing aids are kind of a double edged sword, I get the good with the bad, but fortunately if the bad gets too loud I can pop the hearing aids out and return to my relatively quiet world. Especially handy when my wife decides it’s time for another lecture or to run down her to-do list…

Laws of Household Gravity Revisited

2010-07-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

Flat horizontal surfaces around the house have a gravitational pull rivaling black holes. Think I am crazy, just look around. Or better yet try an experiment. Clear your counters and you kitchen table and take a picture of each. Leave them be for three days to a week.

Come back and take another picture of each surface (if you can still see them that is) and compare. You will note the clutter that has been mysteriously attracted to each surface, the fine layer of dust (or in my house, husky fur) a few plastic bags some full some empty, a box of tissues, a water bottle or two – you get the idea.

No flat surface remains long uncluttered the old saying goes, and the reason is the increased gravitational pull of the horizontal surfaces, not me being too lazy to put stuff away. Next: Gravity, good or evil?

The Quest to Play E.T.

2010-07-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

RedGage (blatant ad)

2010-07-10T21:35:00.002-07:00

Just thought I'd pass this along. Now I love Blogger to death, but do cheat on it somewhat. I post on a site known as "RedGage." I generally don't like to advertise, but by posting pictures, blogs, links, and other stuff on this site you can earn money for every time it is viewed. While not expecting to become rich and famous, I get to get to meet other folks and get a couple pennies (literally) for every time someone takes a peak at my photos.

Juts passing this along for what it's worth...

Yours,

Phos

http://www.redgage.com/

The Maynard particle and associated Maynard Force

2010-07-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

I know, you are skeptical when it comes to my knowledge of the cosmos and the different types of forces and particles that make up its rules and substance, but I assure you, I read National Geographic magazine, therefore I am well qualified to expound upon this new theoretical particle and the force to which it contributes.

Why Maynard one might ask? Maynard is a name generally applied to unknown or weird things as in the sentence “we caught two smelt and one Maynard lookin’ fish.” So these are weird particles that can be found throughout an object and all its parts. They are all related and contain the essence of that object. Therefore, if one part is separated from the whole, an attraction remains between the two -- this is the Maynard Force.

So what, you might ask, how does this affect me, how does this impact my life. Well Mr. Selfish this is how – you find a part, a Maynard looking part and say to yourself’ “looks important, wonder what it goes to?” Besides ending a sentence in a preposition, you have another problem on your hands -- what to do with the part. The answer lies in the fact the part is still connected to its original host, there is an attraction there that cannot be broken. What to do? Throw the part out. The day after garbage collection, the attraction between the part in the garbage becomes so strong that the device it belonged to will suddenly show up. Then you will say,” so that’s what that part was for.” And of course whatever it is won’t work without the part you tossed so you’ll be forced to order a new part, but they don’t make it anymore and some E-Bay gouger wants $50.00 for the damn thing.

Hope you’ve learned a valuable lesson here and now know how to figure out what goes where and why. As a bonus I tossed in a lesson on E-Bay and how sellers will skin you alive if given the smallest chance. They know how important that part is and what it is so there’s no way you can beat them. May the Maynard Force be with you…

The Shopping Warp...

2010-07-10T00:10:00.001-07:00

Women have the ability to warp the time space continuum and I have proof. You may have seen this phenomenon as well if ever have had the misfortune to go shopping with the wife. One minute she is there yakking away as usual and the next she is gone. Oh, sure look in the next aisle, but she won’t be there. Orbit the store for an hour looking, go ahead – you’ll never find her. That is because she has entered a shopping wormhole that is only accessible to women. Perhaps it is the shopping genes that make up 95% of their DNA, or maybe a conspiracy on the part of store owners to separate the wife and husband to make them easier prey. Whatever the reason it never fails to astound me how my wife has completely disappeared.

The only thing that can be done is to seek out a man chair (usually by the fitting rooms), hope it is unoccupied, and wait for the missing spouse to pop back onto our plain of existence if even for just a short time before being whisked away again to the shopping dimension. You can see other men with the same problem; they can be seen talking to themselves as they wander through the store. They aren’t crazy, just a second ago they were talking with their wives, who suddenly were swept away in the cosmic current leaving the men in a one sided conversation. The only remedy for this is to avoid the shops at all costs, or at least make sure you have the keys to the car…

The Fourth of July

2010-07-04T08:25:00.001-07:00

As a child the Fourth was all parades, eating ice cream from a small cardboard container with a small wooden spoon, and waving a flag on a stick – a flag with two brand spanking new stars for Alaska and Hawaii (or Hawaii and Alaska depending on your side in that debate). Then as dark settled as blanket was spread at the park and we watched the fireworks. It was a great kid kind of day but really meant nothing to me.

As time went on and history and civics classes were taken the Fourth became the day America was born and one of the most significant documents since the Magna Carta was thrust upon yet another British monarch. The document not only declared American independence, but put down in writing that humans were granted certain inalienable rights by the creator himself. It set the gold standard for freedom for not just Americans but for all humans.

This freedom can’t be freely given away or forced upon others, however. If just handed out it isn’t appreciated, if forced it isn’t accepted. This is one thing that must be earned and therein lies the most important lesson learned and it took joining the military to do it. The Declaration of Independence is just a scrap of paper, the flag a piece of cloth. It is the blood, suffering, and lives freely given by men and women to advance and protect those principals laid down by the Declaration and keep that starry banner flying. There is a price to be paid to keep those who oppose the rights of man, this innate freedom, from taking it away or keeping it from others.

The bottom line is that the Fourth isn’t about parades and fireworks, it is a celebration of human freedom and the sacrifices of those who have and who continue to give life and limb to ensure it endures. It isn’t about politics or political parties, but something more significant – the ownership of our personal lives.

2010-07-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

A Turkey Vulture for Little Lamb

Unwritten laws of physics

2010-07-02T11:55:00.002-07:00

Everyone is familiar with the laws of physics as they stand, “for every action here is an equal and opposite reaction,” and so forth, but few realize there are some lesser known unwritten laws. These laws haven’t been studied as they only come off as minor inconveniences where as, say gravity, can be a major problem when slipping from a high branch in a tree. For that reason they don’t merit the large government grants and countless hours of study garnered by the major laws of the universe, but deserve some mention, if even in a foot note.

The unwritten law examined here is the one that states “small spaces attract the greatest mass.” I think I may lay claim to be the one to discover this phenomena or at least the first to make note of the law. To be sure, we all have been affected by it at one time or another, just haven’t taken the time to define it and put it in the form of a physical law. This is still in the theoretical stage, but the proof is all around us. Particularly in the small kitchen here at The Tiny House.

Right around the time for food preparation I enter the kitchen and begin planning out the dinner and gathering what I need. It is during this stage that suddenly everyone in the house is attracted to the very same small space, blocking the very resources I need. This isn’t an occasional happening, even when just standing in the kitchen it will quickly fill as if there is some irresistible force of attraction. I know it can’t be startlingly good looks or sparkling personality causing the crowded conditions. To be sure the huskies know I do most of the cooking and am most likely to have food out when I am in the kitchen, but that doesn’t explain the adults and kids. So the unwritten physical law that small spaces attract the most mass does indeed hold true.

Next: Flat horizontal surfaces in a home have greater gravitational pull than any other.

Nearer my God to Thee…

2010-06-26T10:50:00.001-07:00

The presence or lack therein of the Creator is a personal choice and everyone has their own thoughts on the subject. Some are zealous, some laissez Faire, some disabuse the notion of a God all together. And that is ok. Boyle, the chemist, took the position that there was no harm in going to church and worshipping God – if there was a God you did your part, if not there was no harm done. According to a show on the subject the human brain is hardwired for religion and belief in a Creator. “Through the Wormhole” had an episode on sciences search for the creator. Some of the scientists featured viewed God’s plan as a huge mathematical construct, and things are or happened because of the action of particles either theoretical or known.
It is as if God wants us to come to him and has left clues to find him. Some are red herrings, some lead to discoveries that bring us closer to meeting Him. Galileo, Einstein, and scientists of that ilk could be viewed as being prophets of a sort, as could be any of the physicists delving into the origins of the universe. For my part God is within each of us, whether in the form of some physical particle or force or just in the spiritual sense and binds us (and everything for that matter) together. One neurologist advances the theory that the right frontal lobe of the human brain develops feelings of anxiety when contemplating “the end.” To circumvent this anxiety it has developed the concept of God sop that there is in fact no end. While this might be calming to an individual is it fact is God just a construct of the mind to prevent us for jumping off the nearest cliff?

Science is great and has made huge strides in understanding the how, but not the “why.” And therein lays God. For instance, why the earth? Just luck of the draw? A lot of things had to come together in one place at one time to make it suitable for any kind of life. The cards of the universe are stacked against this development for the most part. SO then why did everything come together? Just chance? And now on to humans -- we are starting to understand the how, but why? We certainly don’t benefit the earth in any constructive way; nature could motor on nicely (and probably better) without us. This is where the faith that we were just meant to be comes in.

Religion may have first developed as a method for humans to fill in the blanks. Most people become uneasy if the why part of the equation remains blank. Because God wants it that way fills in that blank nicely. This also alludes back to that pesky temporal lobe, which needs to have a ready answer to the question of where we’re going or anxiety builds. So why are we, where are we headed, and is there some sort of central figure pulling the strings to make It happen? There is no answer to this, ergo it must be God.

I do not mean to seem flippant about God or religion in general, nor do I have any answers. Certainly religion has played an important part in establishing rules to live by and providing rewards for doing so and penalties for ignoring the rules. It is good for people to have amoral compass to prevent them from harming each other, so in that sense religion has made a great contribution to the lives of humans. And it is too tough to believe that all this is just some pointless exercise, some product of evolution with no set purpose. People without a purpose in their lives would be totally useless. Just hanging on to life in anticipation of the next version of the Iphone is a poor excuse for existence and all in store for us a hole in the ground to bitter to contemplate. For now all I can offer is that God wants it this way and so it is.

The thing with string

2010-06-24T17:11:00.002-07:00

I believe the decline of society in general can be directly attributed tot he lack of string. Go ahead, try to find string in the local megamart. Used to be a whole shelf of nothing but string, now you might find some twine, but it isn't the same thing. I believe as the need for string decreased our economy and morals fell with it. Now instead of a ball of string at the check out there is only flash memory and ear-buds for the Ipod, allowing individuals to drop out and tune out. Not a good thing for communications and interpersonal relationships. Never had the problem whit string. Used to tie a piece of string around the finger to remember things, now there's an app for that -- the string worked better because now the individual has to remember to check the phone -- the string was always there.

Packages were done up with string, the Christmas goose was trussed up with the stuff, the check out lady at the grocery always asked "need any string today?" Now she asks if you need stamps or ice. What stamps and ice have to do with each other is beyond me, but neither of them is as practical as string. Sue, the high end shops sell "butcher's string" but want a couple dollars for what is essentially a 25 cent ball of string. Apparently string is only for the rich and famous now, but I doubt they appreciate that fact as they are all too busy eating oily fish ooze on toast points.

So here I sit string-less, a chicken to be trussed, and realization that short skirts, bare midriffs, and the thong can be directly attributed to a lack of string and believe me no one wants to see a 250 pound 50 year old woman with a bare midriff and a thong. There is something wholesome about string, no bling, no bells and whistles, it is just string. Try tying a package shut, pulling a loose tooth, or spinning a top with an Iphone! Can't be done, take my word for it. If we want to defeat terrorism, win the war on drugs and bring back moral turpitude it is a simple matter of bring back string. I long tp hear the check out girl ask if I need any string today...

The Unwanted

2010-06-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

One would think the phonebook would have gone out with fire call boxes and disco balls, but apparently they have managed to somehow hang on. Every couple of months I get a phone book from one of several telecom entities, the problem is what to do with it. I no longer need it to look up numbers, the pages are too small to use for starting charcoal, and since the invention of toilet paper, even that use is not an option.

The latest phone book is in English and Spanish, just in case I wake up one morning with the ability to speak Spanish. As with instructions in many languages the Spanish option just makes the book more confusing, a remarkable accomplishment seeing that it is just a phone book. It will go nicely with all the Spanish TV stations I get in my cable package though. Despite the attempt at reaching a new market, most folks have access to a computer or know the number of the person they are calling in the first place. Plus a cell phone addict isn’t going to schlep tow pounds of paper with them so they can make calls. Think texting while driving is bad? How about looking numbers up in a phone book while behind the wheel?

All that aside, the problem is what to do with the devil be damned collection. I suppose they make nice ballast for the garbage can and help keep it from tipping over during high winds and coyote forays, but beyond that they seem a patent waste of time, resources, and the effort expended bring them form the end of the driveway into the house. I did try just pitching it into my neighbor’s driveway, but they never pick anything up so eventually the book creeps back into my yard, as though it has a life of its own and wants to live with me. I didn’t even leave out a saucer of milk so it isn’t as if I have been encouraging the thing.

I do know they make lousy backstops for basement shooting range; a .22 caliber bullet passes right through five of them and still ricochets around the back room. While that is kind of exciting in its own way, it isn’t the result that was expected. Maybe they could be used instead of sand bags in case of a flood or to soak up oil. They do seem highly absorbent, but then there’s the problem of what to do with a big stack of wet oily phone books. They are bad enough when they are dry. Making a phone book sculpture in the front yard just brings down the wrath of the homeowners association (I thought it was very artsy, but then that is n the eye of the beholder I guess).

So now off to the garage top contemplate my stack o’ books and try to find a creative (and non-offensive) way to put them to good use. Or I could look up the number of some company that recycles phone books…

The Monsoons Come!!

2010-06-14T13:33:00.002-07:00

Had our first shot across the bow with a small rain storm, using the term rain loosely. It was more the storm gods putting us on notice that Monsoon season is upon us here in AZ. Used to be we had to have three concurrent days with a dew point temperature of 55 degrees or greater before it was the official Monsoon season, but unfortunatly that was too much for the yokels, hillbillies, and banditos living out here. To make it easier for those out here with little or no forehead, the weather assholes changed it to 15 June, though they can start much earlier or later. They wanted to ease the doubt of the general public on the matter, even though Billy-Bob is going to drive around the barricades and get stuck in the wash whether you warn him or not. Hey, got to make it home in time for Ultimate Fighter and ol' Billy-Bob ain't gonna let a little water get in his way.

In any event, it will be nice to get a little rain and watch helicopters trying to pull the morons out of the flooded washes they just drove into.

For Love of Food

2010-06-10T14:35:00.002-07:00

My interest in food began long ago while as a child I made hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. Then it was on to Julia Child and the "Galloping Gourmet" AKA Graham Kerr. The interest the passion was there, but it took some time to finally make its debut. While in Korea I came across "The Philippine Cookbook" by Reynaldo G. Alejandro shortly after a three week stint in the Philippines. The food in the Philippines had caught my attention and I wanted to be able to recreate the delights upon my return home.

Back on US soil I announced I was cooking from now on and have never looked back. I am no chef and by most standards only a fair cook, but I love the thrill of the chase. I find peace immersing myself in the techniques, joy in discovering something new and relief when the dish actually turns out. While not catering to a five star crowd, it is gratifying that those I have cooked for have always been appreciative.

I started with Oriental style dishes, started haunting the local Chinese market, and own five different types of woks. Since the early days I have traveled more, seen more of the world and discovered the owner of barbecue right in my own back yard. I keep the backyard grill pretty busy.

My style is as haphazard as my life using a recipe the first time, use the palm of my hand to measure spices, and from then on tend to just wing it -- so far the Kitchen God has been watching out for me. I haven’t poisoned anyone nor set the house a blaze so I have that going for me, which is nice.

I always admired those who have a passion for what they do and had hoped that someday I would too, but failed to realize the passion was already there – wondering hope different foods came into use, who figured out which things were good to eat and which weren’t the differences and similarities between dishes of various countries, and trying to replicate the food in my own kitchen, sometimes more successfully than others. The kitchen has become my retreat, shared only with a couple of huskies and a hot stove. Tough to think of any where I’d rather be…

Day after D-Day

2010-06-07T10:48:00.002-07:00

Sixty-six years ago yesterday (56 Jun) British, US, ANZAC and French troops started the liberation of Europe. This one event has gone a long way in shaping our world today, so it was remarkable that none of the TV networks seemed to give any pause to reflect on this undertaking. Even the History channel just ran two shows regarding D-Day and the day after over and over.

The fact over 10000 allied participants were casualties and 2500 of those died to free Europe and stop the fascists in their tracks deserves a lot of attention, even in this time of cell phones and Ipads. Perhaps succeeding generations have become more and more distant, forgetting what an impact and what a huge sacrifice was mad eon 6 June. It is true is someone is just handed something they take it for granted so I suppose it is easy for people to have come to believe they are just entitled to their freedom, forget the Nazi atrocities even to the point of thinking the holocaust is some sort of hoax. This is untenable.

I will always be thankful that those soldiers stormed the beach. I am in awe of their achievement and often wonder if I would have had the guts to have faced the fierce fire coming form the German positions. Could I have lived through the hardships, the privation, as did those brave souls? I have my doubts.

To all those D-Day heroes still living, you have my undying thanks and admiration and a promise that I will not forget nor allow my children to forget the sacrifice you made to make the world a better place.

Long Weekend

2010-05-30T11:04:00.001-07:00

Been a nice stay in Tucson, but I think we wore out the grand puppy!!

Happy Memorial Weekend

2010-05-28T21:30:00.001-07:00

How you know when a pack of hillbillies live next-door

2010-05-18T10:30:00.002-07:00

When they park their rolling ghetto in front of the house. Guess it's cheaper than adding on to the house and the occupants provide fodder for "People of Wal-Mart."

Dry Heat

2010-05-16T11:49:00.002-07:00

Been quite a while since we've seen any rain here and it looks as though it'll be dry until Monsoon season starting around Mid June, maybe. The monsoons are iffy at best and often only bring winds and dust. Lots of both. They start moving through the East Valley and they usually get some rain out of the deal, but the West Valley only gets the wind and dust storm.

Already in the 90s and flirting with the 100s by the end of the next week, summer is knocking on our door. The snowbirds are pretty much gone, not willing to put up with the summer heat, but many have retired here and are happy to trade shoveling snow for the 100s in the summer time.

It is also fire season. Brush that grew by leaps and bounds during the rainy season (and we had a lot, for here) are now drying out. By June they'll be nice and crispy, so add the wind and some idiot starting an open fire or the stray bolt of lighting during the monsoons and let the fires begin. The winds also help the fire to spread rapidly and make them tough to fight. In the North at the higher altitudes pine borers have killed off or sickened many of the pine trees, so if a fire gets started up there it also spreads rapidly because of all the available fuel and wind. Funny that one of our state senators thinks it would be a good idea to legalize fireworks here in AZ. And people wonder why I say our state legislature is insane.

For me summer means not having to put as much charcoal on the grill to get it hot enough, sunscreen, wide brimmed hats, and spending more time in the air conditioned house. It is usually very pleasant in the early mornings -- that is the time to be outside, and a great time to walk huskies to avoid "hot-paws."

Don't wreck your grill

2010-05-03T12:58:00.002-07:00

I was horrified to read an item by a Canadian woman about grilling vegetables on her new grill. Apparently Canadian men haven't read the rules regarding grilling or her husband would realize the biggest rookie mistake of all is letting your wife near the grill in the first place. The second is allowing vegetative matter to taint the finely tuned meat cooker that is your grill. The grill is an altar of the meat god, and nothing pisses him off quicker than someone polluting his domain with some fru-fru veggie concoction. Laugh if you will, go ahead and slap that squash on your grill, but don't come crying when all that comes off the grill ever after is burned up hot-dogs. The meat god don't play, my man.

So man up, point the wifey back towards the kitchen where she can steam spinach all the livelong day and then slap a cowboy cut steak on grid -- send the smoke skyward in praise of the meat god and you'll never have a grilling "situation." This is your turf, bad enough all the stuff from your college days has been relegated to the garage this grill is your one space where you have control. Or you can hand in your balls, forget the secret man-handshake and let your wife defile the grill with (shudder) singed lettuce leaves and retreat back into the garage looking through the boxes that contain what was once your life and pine for your manhood. Just saying...

Street Food

2010-04-23T11:44:00.001-07:00

Just wrote an article on a small food stall that serves up some of the best Chinese vegetarian dishes I have ever had. This is the same couple that cooks for the temple and I hope thier business takes off, not just because I know them but because I'd like to see more street food.

In Korea and Europe street food is pretty common, here not so much. The little food stalls give a person a real taste of the country and it's fun to watch the food being prepared. It would be nice to see more of it here in the Far West Valley, soemthing beyond a hotdog cart or unlicensed ice cream truck.

Nice to get out of the house

2010-04-20T20:34:00.002-07:00

I went to my Veteran's of Foreign Wars (VFW) meeting today. I believe I am the youngest Vet in the Post, but that is ok. The others have a lot of stories to tell, a lot of inspiration such as how they made it through WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. I am interested in war and warfare, even before I joined the Air Force, and hearing accounts right from the horse's mouth is really a thrill.

Most impressive is that the WWII Vets knew they had a job to do, put their heads down and pressed until it was done. The dedication and courage they displayed wiping out fascism and freeing the Pacific from Imperial Japan define that generation.

More importantly, the VFW's mission is to remember those who haven't returned and aid those Vets who need a hand as well as widows and children of veterans.

Dinner Time or Never Keep Pets that Talk

2010-04-16T16:43:00.002-07:00

The Tao of the Husky

2010-04-06T10:21:00.002-07:00

Huskies do not dwell on the past they instinctively realize there is no going back, they also have no way of knowing what the future may hold. They live in the present relishing all the present brings.

Cactus Looking for love

2010-04-05T07:30:00.002-07:00

Yep, it is the time of year when a young cactus's fancy turns to making more cacti...

Mo' Pizza

2010-04-03T10:26:00.002-07:00

Tried another recipe for pizza and it came out pretty good. Used the same crust - flour, yeast, water, wheat germ, wheat bran, and Italian herbs, but used fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, red peppers, onions, olives, and cappicola for toppings. I really enjoy playing with my food and spend alot of time studying other cultures foods and cooking techniques. The downside is my hobby hasn't done anything for my svelte boyish figure.

The upside are the fresh ingredients -- I know what is in the food and where it came from and am sure the cook washed his hands and equipment (so to speak). The main key to cooking as far as I am concerned is the care in selection of ingredients and the initial prep, the more care one gives the early stages of the dish the better the finished product will be.

Yep, still here.

2010-03-27T09:19:00.004-07:00

Haven't been ignoring you, honest. Got this to do and that to do and before you know it, where has the time gone?? If you get a chance get on over to Pat's site and wish her well -- she just had surgery and could probably do with a little cheer right now.

Meanwhile here's a picture of the cutest two-legged (I have a couple extra-cute grandpuppies) grand daughter in the world. Not very fair to post this because it makes most other folk's grand-kids look like chimps, but there you go.

How to tell if a guy is single

2010-03-17T16:39:00.001-07:00

He has a nice car...

2012

2010-03-07T10:39:00.002-07:00

I won't be long before the five lambs of the Apocalypse will come a knockin' on the front door. 2012 is the big year, end of days, Armageddon, Ragnarok, whatever you want to call it. OF course this is all based on the predictions of a failed civilization -- apparently the Mayans didn't see that one coming. My theory is we're looking at another Y2K (another prediction not covered by the Mayan calander), in effect a non-event.

I'd advise against running up the credit card bills figuring we'll all be gone before the first bill shows up. The Mayan's track record is pretty shaky. It would be interesting to see how the Mayans envisioned the end. We already did the asteroid thing with the dinosaurs, so my money is on a Super Herpes pandemic or global multi-car pile up.

Smoking can be good for you

2010-02-26T12:28:00.002-07:00

I have a real passion for barbecue and spend a lot of quality time with my grill. A beer in one hand and a rack of ribs in the other seems to be a pretty good way to spend a sunny AZ day. True it takes a long time for the meat to cook, time to absorb the smoky goodness from the wood, time to grow moist and tender, but good things can seldom be rushed.

I have pretty much conquered all the usual meats, including, with the help of my brother, brisket. The next thing I want to attempt is to make, cure, and smoke my own hotlinks. Hard to beat a good smoked hotlink sandwich...

Home on the range

2010-02-15T14:59:00.005-07:00

Another Buffalo Bites the Dust

Another quiet weekend at Tiny House, nothing of note, even Chinese New Years was muted. I had planned to make some oriental style food, but by the time time dinner rolled around I opted for Buffalo burgers (the other red meat). Did make some rice in my clay pot celebrating a couple of thousand years of Chinese invention - this style pot is older than dirt, literally. Next I want to try red cooking in the pot. It is fun cooking with a method that has been around for so very long.

Clay "Sand" Pot Cooking

I was able to give the old Kitchen God a send off. Every year one is supposed to seal the old one's mouth with sesame paste, then burn the picture to send him back to the other gods so they can confab. The sesame paste is to seal his mouth so he can't rat you out. I've had his picture hanging in my kitchen for years and whether you buy into the Kitchen God or not my cooking has been blessed.

Kitchen God and Family

Celebrated Valentine's Day by heading out to the spa. Mrs. Phos seems impervious to the process, but I am like a wrung out dishrag when they are done. Got home and fell into the best sleep I have had in ages. We're talking total unconsciousness. When I win the lottery I am having a massage every day.

Anyway, happy year of the Tiger to everyone!!!

Long Gone Ray

2010-02-10T16:32:00.002-07:00

Lately I have been given to watching documentaries on artists, having an abundance of time on my hands. I saw one to day that was quite sad in the end. It was about Ray Johnson, a contemporary of Warhol's and who was into performance art. The film I saw was entitled “How to Draw a Bunny,” and charted the course of Ray's life right up until the long swim he took, never to return.

I didn't think much of the artwork he did produces, mostly off-beat collage and stylized bunny heads with other artist names on them. He lived in a time when culture was flourishing, the Beats ruled and art was in full bloom. He was fortunate to be part of the scene, but apparently in the end it wasn't enough. He was alone at the end, had chatted on the phone with his friends and colleagues, little did they know he was hinting that the show was about to end. He'd even told one friend he was about to create his greatest work, and wouldn't give any clues.

The it was over. No more drawings of bunnies, or beating cardboard boxes at readings, or anymore Ray Johnson. He lives on to a degree in his work and I guess that is all anyone can hope for.

There was one

2010-02-03T08:19:00.004-07:00

My brother negotiating the treacherous Rocks O' Certain Death" on the way to the falls

For years I have been waiting to see the vaunted White Tank Falls and have finally achieved that goal. It wasn't like climbing Everest, though I did get a couple of "soakers" when my boot slipped off the treacherous rocks and into the pool at the bo0ttom of the falls. My brother blazed the trail to this 9th wonder of the world as I followed doggedly behind - a trek which I paid for the next morning with sore knees. Just wanted all my readers to know what lengths I'll go to, what obstacles I'll surmount, and dangers I'll endure to bring them a good tale.

The Wondrous White Tanks Falls - makes Niagara look like a dwarf pissing over a bridge.

Gone but not forgotten

2010-02-02T15:27:00.002-07:00

Had a great time with my brother, miss him already - had to be one of the toughest good byes ever. Had a lot of fun, ate a lot of BBQ, and put the backyard grill through its paces. I suspect Four Peaks brewery stock will take a plunge now that my brother is gone and we aren't buying up every bottle of Kilt lifters and 8th St ale in the far West valley. The whole week was a hoot and we covered all the bases as far as BBQ. We had ribs, brisket, brats, chicken, adn reed beans and rice. Most of it made up on the grill in back, but some from as exotic a location as Stacey's BBQ.

Now I have to think about returning to WI in search of the best cheese burger. stay tuned for more!

Somewhere over a...

2010-01-29T15:48:00.002-07:00

Mo' rain for Phos

2010-01-27T09:09:00.002-07:00

Fell asleep to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the aluminum porch roof. Kind of soothing and very conducive to sleep. The morning is nice and fresh, I am more or less awake and ready to clean out the husky pen AKA Tiny House. The fur drifts have gotten kind of deep and there seems to be a new life form taking over the kitchen. I still have to make time for a beer run, want to pick up a case of Fat Tire so my brother and I won't perish of thirst. This should be an exciting weekend!!

Gettin' better all the time

2010-01-23T17:18:00.002-07:00

The storms have gone on to pester others and it is starting to dry out a bit here. I am pretty happy we got the rain, but just as glad to see it go. May see another round Wednesday, hard to say at this point.

Five feet high and rising

2010-01-22T10:51:00.004-07:00

Still raining but on the bright side the tornado warnings have expired. Arizona doesn't see many tornadoes fortunately, in fact they are quite rare, but with the El Nino inspired weather that has hit CA and our state anything is possible. We have received over half the rainfall that the sate normally gets in the past couple of days and the storms are prognosticated to continue through the weekend. This reallyput a damper (pun intended) on our trip to Tucson thsi weekend. Casa Grande, a town midway between here and Tucson is seeing flooding as I type this - the freeway interchange at that spot is a mess on the best of days, so this will just add to the log job encountered when trying to get past that city (using the term loosely) and on to Tucson.

Five foot high and rising

Bird deflector before complete destruction

Austrella inspecting bird deflector

Everything be wet n' stuff

2010-01-21T13:22:00.005-07:00

Wet yard (with bonus hail)

Wet Tree

Wet roads

wet husky