Sister Grandma

A story from Milwaukee about a grandma who decided to become a nun.

Away Again

My apologies once again for the light blogging of late. I've been a little busy and it's not going to get any better over the next few days as I have to go out of town on a family matter. I should be back on Tuesday and I'll post late that night or, more probably, early Wednesday.

Meanwhile, if you are anywhere near Chicago over the next week and a half, you might want to check out Taste of Chicago, as I will be this weekend. I've heard about it before, but this will be my first time there. I'm looking forward to it.

See you next week.

How Could I Say No?

I was at a store yesterday that sells liquidated merchandise and I bought a new book for fifty-nine cents. I don't remember the last time I bought a book for that much. I've bought books for a dollar and I've bought some bags-of-books for a few bucks but I just can't remember when I paid less than maybe $.99 cents for a new book.

It's Gonna Be a Great Day

Today I brought my jalopy car in for its state-mandated annual inspection. I just got word that it passed without needing any repairs. They did find one problem that will need to be fixed in the future but it still passed inspection. Not a big problem for me as each year I try to get just "one more year" from my old car.

This is a change from the last three years when my poor little car required large and expensive repairs to pass inspection. O Happy Day!

I Was Wrong

Earlier I posted the "Most Trivial Headline." I wrote too soon.

Minnesota Mayors to Have Toilet Bowl Race

My sincerest apologies.

Forget Same-Sex

Read about a both-sex blue crab named Jerry Springer. One side of the crab is male and the other half is female. Talk about an identity crisis.

Technically it's known as bilateral gynandromorphy. Scientists say that the crab is old enough to have impregnated itself.

We Have a Winner!

Most Trivial Headline:

Fed Watches to See If Wal-Mart Accepts Higher Priced Huggies

Ah, yes. The great issues of our time.

Himalaya

If you get the Travel Channel, you might want to tune into Michael Palin's Himalaya. I've seen it on DVD and it offers a fascinating glimpse into a seldom seen part of the world.

Here are the first viewing dates and times. The Travel Channel usually repeats the episodes once or twice.

NB: I looked on the Travel Channel website and the show is being shown under the name Travel Channel Secrets.

Pretty Insignificant

I posted a few days ago about some trouble I had with repairing a toilet. Well, read this story about real toilet (and other) troubles in Zimbabwe.

Reading that makes a hurried run down to Home Depot seem like no trouble at all. I know I don't say it enough: Deo Gratias!

Some Juggling Success

I'm finally able to keep all thee clubs in the air for an extended period of time. Not every time, but most of the time. It feels good to accomplish something which seemed not too likely just a few days ago.

Yay for me!

I knew it was good for something

As the possessor of a extraordinarily large head and unable to wear normal hats, this study comes as welcome news.

People with bigger brains are smarter than their smaller-brained counterparts, according to a study conducted by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher published in the journal “Intelligence.”

Unless, of course, my massive head size is due to an excessively thick skull, which is very likely.


From the similarly afflicted Ragemonkey, Fr. Tharp.

World Juggling Day

Since I've been posting about juggling, I thought I should tell you that this Saturday, June 18th, is World Juggling Day.

The site has a listing of some events that are being held all around the world. So if you are at all interested in juggling you might want to check it out.

Dropsy

I received my set of juggling clubs today. So far I am good at juggling one or two clubs but the couple of times when I have attempted three clubs, gravity rears its ugly head.

It's okay, though. It's only the first day. From this point on it's only a matter of time. (I hope.)

So that's what it is

I thought it was an animal. Read about the origin of the octothorpe.

Flushed with pride

I apologize for the skimpy blogging but yesterday, amidst the high heat and humidity, I was busy earning a merit badge in basic plumbing. You see, the shut-off valve to one of the toilets has had a slow leak for a long time. A few weeks ago I tried to fix it by replacing the valve packing. It didn't work too well and the valve kept up its slow leak.

So last night I get the bright idea to change the valve itself. Not a real hard repair but in the midst of removing the old valve, part of the pipe also came off. I'm beginning to think that my little repair will necessitate a not so little call to the plumber.

I run down to Lowe's. They are out of stock of precisely what I need. Hustle over to Home Depot. They have the right kind of fittings. Head on home.

About an hour later, I have successfully fixed the pipe and changed the valve. It ended up not being that hard but when the main water is shut off, you're lying on the floor next to the toilet and something breaks and you're not really sure how to fix it, time passes really slowly. Really slowly.

Flag Day

Today is Flag Day. Read more about it here.

Oh yeah, and fly your flag.

Three in the air

I first learned to juggle in grade school. My sister bought a book about juggling and I was able to learn in a few days. I learned a few other juggling tricks and have juggled infrequently since then.

When I was on vacation I had the chance to try juggling three clubs for the first time. It's much harder at first than juggling three balls. I've been practicing for a few days and I can keep it going for about five or six seconds. It's also very tough on my hands and my fingers are quite sore.

I think that I'll try to get better at this and I'm thinking about buying my own set of clubs. A few weeks ago on ESPN I saw a juggling competition that was dominated by Olga & Vova Galchenko. The host of the program was Penn Jillette and he said that these two were pretty much better than anyone else in the world. I'll never be as good as those two, but I hope to begin enjoying this "new found" hobby.

Vegas Prays

I went to Mass this past Sunday at St. Joseph, Husband of Mary Church in Las Vegas. It's a new church with magnificent mosaic icons in the sanctuary. It's nice to see that not all the great workmanship is saved for the casinos.

Nothing wacky during the Mass, in fact they still kneel at the right times (unlike Los Angeles) and ring the bells after the consecration. The cantor was quite good. The priest even mentioned the feast of the Sacred Heart during the homily.

The whole church complex is modeled after a Spanish mission and is quite effective and attractive. I knew I was in Las Vegas when I noticed the plaque dedicating the bell tower in honor of Conrad Hilton.

Vegas Eats

Some places that I tried out.

The Carnival World Buffet at the Rio: An amazing amount and variety of food. I had eaten here before and it did not disappoint. This time we went for the lunch buffet but were able to pay the lower breakfast price by about five minutes. They seem to have more of the types of food that I normally order in restuarants. My pick for best overall buffet.

The Spice Market Buffet at the Alladin: Not as large as the Rio but the quality was good. We went for dinner and the Alaskan King Crab legs seemed very popular. I don't think it's offers as much bang for the buck a the Rio, but one of my traveling mates preferred their desserts.

The Deli at the Westward Ho: Home of the Mega-Dog, a 3/4 pound hot dog for $1.49. When I first tried the Mega-Dog it was only $.99 (and was just then raised from $.79) but it's still one of the great bargains in Las Vegas. It's size has to be seen to be believed. Oh yeah, it tastes pretty good, too. If you still have room, try their strawberry shortcake for $1.49.

The Buffet at the Wynn: We ate breakfast here before our flight. Probably the best location for a buffet, with a central light-filled atrium dining area. The food quality was great and the selection was good, but it's hard to tell from breakfast since several stations had the same bacon, eggs and usual suspects. I'd like to go back and try lunch or dinner.

The Buffet at the Bellagio: Superb quality. We ate lunch there and the variety was very good, but not as great as the Rio. A few items that stood out were a Teriyaki flank steak, creme brulee and what were possibly the best mashed potatoes I've ever had. If you know me, you know that is quite a statement.

Vegas Bets

I'm not much of a gambling man so I only played a few slot machines. I went back and tried a particular kind of slot machine that was popular a few years ago (and that I won a bit of money on) and now could only find at the Monte Carlo. Unfortunately, the machine's luck seems to have faded as much as its popularity.

I also tried a couple of machines at the Bellagio and the new Wynn-Las Vegas. I left both establishments with very small profits ($3 & $1, respectively, playing nickels and pennies).

I played mostly at the Stratosphere before going to bed for the night. Up until the last night I had lost about $30 playing mostly quarter or dollar machines. I was playing an Elvis-themed progressive slot machine on that last night and won the largest non-progressive jackpot available. It was the most money I've ever won on a slot machine, or anywhere else for that matter. It's not a fortune, but $400 on a quarter slot-machine is still pretty sweet. My net gambling profits were over three hundred dollars. I shared a hundred of it with my two traveling companions and left Las Vegas on a very happy note.

Vegas Sleeps

During my visit to Las Vegas I stayed in the Stratosphere Hotel. I had never been there before and was happy with what I found. The room was spacious and everything was in good condition. I think the hotel is catering largely to package tours and in the elevators alone I ran into people from Japan, England, Australia, Germany, The Netherlands and Italy.

The hotel itself is a little out of the main strip action but if you have a car as I did, that is a good thing in that you can avoid much of the strip traffic. I really only used it as a place to sleep and did not try any of the restaurants nor did I go up to the tower or ride the roller coaster at the top.

All things considered, I would stay there again.

Back in the saddle again

I'm back from my vacation in the land of excess, Las Vegas. I enjoyed my visit and even won some money from an Elvis-themed slot machine. Most of my time was spent seeing the new casinos and trying out the various buffets. I'll have more about it later in the week.

Vacating the premises

My Dear Reader(s),

No postings from me for the next week or so. I'm headed west for a little vacation. Not too much excitement, I'm afraid. Just going some place that isn't here.

I still have to pack but I have the tickets and the MassTimes print out. Don't forget that today is the Feast of The Sacred Heart.

See you in a week.

It's Greek to me

When I was a kid my dad would take us to a small Greek grocery store called Calamata's. Mr. Calamata was always friendly and would ask how school was doing. He and my dad would talk about current affairs while we looked around at all the strange items on the shelves. After a little while we would say good-bye and walk out with our precious cargo wrapped in brown paper.

My dad would always buy a big bag of pistachios. They weren't that easy to find in those days and Mr. Calamata carried nuts that had been grown in an exotic placed called Iran. They also turned our fingertips red. Better yet, dad always bought, at least when Mrs. Calamata had made enough so they weren't sold out, a tin of baklava and a smaller tin of delicious moist cookies.

I've had other baklava since but they don't compare to Mrs. Calamata's.* Each layer of phyllo was saturated with syrup and the chopped nuts provided just enough crunch. I can still taste it now.

The cookies, I later learned, were called melomakarona. They were somewhat spicy, the color of dark brown sugar with some chopped walnuts on top and would crumble in my mouth when I bit into them.

After a number of years, Mr. Calamata decided to sell the store and retire. That, of course, made my whole family sad. That's when we learned that Calamata was just the name of his store and he was actually Mr. Zisimos. For a while his wife would still make the baklava and send us some, but after a year or so, they moved and we lost track.


*A few years later my mom found a baklava recipe that tasted pretty much the same and she still makes it for special occasions. I've had no luck finding a comparable melomakarona recipe, though.

No porking at any time

THE Vegetarian Society says it is “sickened” and “outraged” to hear that one of its members cars was covered in bacon in a freak attack in Carlisle.



The victim – a young woman from Ambleside – had parked her car in the shadow of Carlisle Castle with a sticker in the rear window proclaiming her membership of the Vegetarian Association.



On returning to her car last week – which was National Vegetarian Week – she discovered that someone had covered her car windscreen with rashers of bacon.

From the News & Star.

In the Mood

The folks in Ft. Morgan, Colorado are holding their annual Glenn Miller Fly-In. Is that a good idea? Isn't that like having a Mary Jo Kopechne pool party?

Ouch

From the Ottawa Sun, a story about corset back piercings.

...temporary piercing that involves weaving a ribbon, cord or other fabric through two parallel rows of piercings, tugging the skin into a corset-like design.

I don't know that much about body piercing, but that has got to hurt.

Antipodal Nicknames

The Gorilla-ettes will be playing the Orange Emus.

From the Narromine News.

The Yellow Rose of Emily

When I was in grade schoool I learned that many of Emily Dickinson's poems can be sung to the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas."

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

vs.

There's a yellow rose in Texas,
That I am going to see,
Nobody else could miss her,
Not half as much as me.

She cried so when I left her
It like to broke my heart,
And if I ever find her,
We nevermore will part.

Well, it turns out you can also sing Dickinson to "Amazing Grace," "Auld Lang Syne," or "House of the Rising Sun." Not to mention a number of other tunes. And did you know that you can sing Robert Blake's "Tyger! Tyger!" to "Deck the Halls" or "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing?"

Learn all about it at this fascinating site.