Tumblin’ Dice

TubaBoy bought these dice attenuator knobs for his bass. They are packaged in pairs. Unfortunately, he has three attenuators.

Always in a hurry, I never stop to worry

Can’t you see the time flashing by?

Honey, got no money

I’m all sixes and sevens and nines

—Mic Jagger & Keith Richards

Not much today, just the normal stuff of life. Work was good enough. After work, we went to buy TubaBoy a new set of strings for his bass. He likes flatwound strings, like the ones that came on it. Even though I have never really cared for them—counterintuitively, they are more likely to give me blisters than the roundwound strings I prefer—they make sense on a fretless.

We ate Asian food and went home. A few of his friends came over to play Rock Band. It was strange how their cacophony merged with Beccano’s practicing to create an almost-soothing background noise, especially when it almost sounded like they were playing together.

Friday’s Feast

Appetizer: What is your favorite kind of cereal?

I like oatmeal, especially in the winter. I ate so much of it as a kid that I couldn't stand to eat it for years. A few years ago, I rediscovered it. Oatmeal makes a great, low-calorie lunch.

Soup: When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go?

A statue of Brigid and her sheep. It lives in the media room.

Salad: What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen?

This is a tough question. Even the commercials that are funny get overplayed so much that I end up not liking them and never wanting to see them again. So, I guess I have never seen a commercial that was funny enough to bear repetition. And some that try to be funny are just irritating. I will never buy Cheetos again after their commercial encouraging vandalism. You know the one where the "offended" moron acts out by putting Cheetos in a dryer full of white clothes. Disgusting. Are you listening, Madison Ave?

Main Course: Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey).

Cummin Stag

Dessert: Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______.

I haven’t eaten since breakfast. Not really up to speed—I know, but I’m hungry right now. And I just realized I forgot my lunch. So I will have to get “real food” from the crapateria instead of eating a Slimfast bar. A tuna wrap sounds tasty, though.

Super Bowl Update

Some of the new Super Bowl ads were really funny, at least the first time around. Madison Avenue posted many of them on You Tube. Let’s see how well they stand the test of repetition.

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

What I want:
Photo Source: Wikipedia What I need.
Photo by Suna

You can’t always get what you want

But if you try sometimes

You might find

You get what you need

—Mic Jagger & Keith Richards

Prospects

Well, I had another interview yesterday. This one was with a niche-market software company. They seem to be really good people who have a solid business model. They are looking for someone to wear a bunch of hats, which usually means a lot of hours. They are also looking for someone who is really innovative, and I’m not sure I passed that test. Should hear one way or the other by sometime next week.

Friday Feast

Appetizer: How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season?

The short answer is “As little as possible but as much as it takes.’ That is my usual approach to the holidays. There will probably me more emphasis on economizing this year because of the pending ending of my contract.

If, on the other hand, I have more permanent employment, I may be a little less frugal. I certainly do not enjoy being frugal at holiday season.

Soup: What was the last television show you watched, and was it good?

Here, I have to quote Suna. “The last show I watched was the Colbert Report on Wednesday night, because we were at a Thursday football game last night.” I dozed through parts of it, as usual.

Salad: If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what color would you choose?

I would go along with whatever Suna chose. She has a much more refined sense of color than anyone I know. I might provide some input, but the final decision would be hers.

Main Course: Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn’t yet.

Genetically engineered microorganisms that eat arterial plaque. When the arteries were clean again, they would die back from starvation. Many Americans eat enough junk that their cultures would thrive for decades.

Dessert: List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this upcoming holiday season.

The answers to this question would vary a lot depending on whether or not the responses are required to be reasonable expectations. For example, I would like to receive a million dollars, but that is not a reasonable expectation. I would also like the third Trio CD, but Linda, Emmylou, and Dolly haven’t recorded it yet. So—sigh—here are three reasonable things.

• A quiet place to write
  This would just be a room where I can close the door for a couple of hours at a time and think.
• A new mattress
  This would really be a gift for both Suna and me.
• Bowflex exercise machine
  This would have to be a shared gift with the whole family. I couldn’t expect to spend this much money on myself, or to have anyone spend that much money on me. And we would have to figure out where to put one. Luckily, they have a nifty space planner.

Of course, this list has three things. I am always more interested in intangible gifts.

Texas Cookin’

These are not real enchiladas.
Where’s the beef? Where’s the grease? Photo credit: Leonor’s Restaurant

Get them enchiladas greasy

get them steaks chicken fried

>Sho’ do make a man feel happy

to see white gravy on the side

—Guy Clark

I decided to join Suna in posting a Friday Feast. Here is this week’s menu:

Appetizer: How are you today?

Antsy. Frustrated. Excited. Happy.

Soup: Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.

1. The Daily Show
2. The Colbert Report
3. Football

Salad: What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?

I can’t think of one. When I was a kid, I used to really enjoy hurricanes because we got out of school. I didn’t know to be afraid of them. Actually, I am more afraid today of the things engineers do to protect us from storms than of the storms themselves.

Main Course: If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?

I loved Canada and Panamá, but I would have to say that waking up next to Suna is more important to me than which country we are in.

Dessert: What do you usually wear to sleep?

I’m like an actress whose name I can’t remember. She said, “I used to sleep in the nude…before the earthquake.” No earthquake, but I learned my lesson when a drunk slammed his pickup into the light pole outside my bedroom one night. Fumbling around for clothes before I could go make sure nobody died slowed me down too much. BTW: nobody was even seriously hurt, although the guy whose sister was in the truck was not happy with the driver. Mayhem may have ensued at a later date.