Queerly Beloved, All Hands on Deck, -and- It's an It

Queerly Beloved - same-sex couple in tax protest
All Hands on Deck - proposal to make USS Iowa homosexual museum
It's an It - transsexuals to get two ID cards

I recall with great delight the era of my youth: Homosexuals lived openly only in France and San Francisco. There were no "gay rights." There were no "same-sex unions." The concept of homosexual marriage was completely alien to that society.

How is it, I wonder, that society has fallen into such a state of moral indifference that what was once (and rightly so!) considered abhorrent is now tolerated? Tolerance is a good thing, but when it is allowed to exist without the requisite constraint, the separation between "tolerance" and "acceptance" becomes so blurred that it is extremely difficult to define.

The storm that was forecast for last night did not arrive! It is sunny today and already pleasantly warm at 8:30 AM. I realize we "need water," but I prefer to get mine from the water cooler!

My cat, Zeus, has a new hobby: He has taken to leaping onto the kitchen counter to supervise me while I take an assortment of pills and a glass of Benefiber! He feels it necessary to so closely supervise this morning ritual that he makes a great pest of himself. It is impossible to take issue with him, however, because he is so darned cute!

Hey!, You're Getting Sleepy, -and- Mama!

Hey! - Hillary Clinton to star in PMS documentary?
You're Getting Sleepy - fortune teller used hypnosis to add to harem
Mama! - baby rescued from bag in lake

The weather was windy and cold over the weekend, but the wind did not keep Laura from tending the grill last evening! She grilled London Broil, mushrooms, red bell pepper, and white potato. The wind howled, but the propane flames survived the wind!

Today, it is still windy and cold. It is also raining. I long for spring!

The Gathering, Woman Overboard!, -and- Look Ma!

The Gathering - Toronto condo project aimed at gays and lesbians
Woman Overboard! - woman disappears on 2nd day but cruise line does not notify anyone
Look, Ma! - fake braces new teen fashion trend in Thailand

A bill under consideration by New Hampshire legislators would require Catholic priests and other religious figures to divulge any information they hear regarding child abuse, even if told to them by parishioners in the private act of "confession."

New Hampshire currently has a statute requiring anyone in the state who suspects child abuse to report it to authorities. The Child Protection Act, enacted in 1979, also places a mandatory reporting requirement on clergy.

However, a separate statute exempts clergymen and women from having to provide court testimony regarding anything told to them during confession.

This is the second time since 2004 New Hampshire lawmakers have attempted to pass such a measure.

It seems to me that such a statute would dissuade offenders from confessing their sins. Not only would offenders thereby be denied confession and penitence, but the offenses would remain undiscovered. That said, if an offender truly seeks absolution for his sins, his confession should be made to God directly!

Kill It and Grill It, Spell This, -and- Drive My Car

Kill It and Grill It - PA allows ancient weapon for deer hunters
Spell This - Tokyo man claims spell gave him harem of 10
Drive My Car - $5000 a week chauffeuring strippers a scam

If you attempted to comment (or read comments, for that matter) last evening or this morning but were unable to do so, I wish you to know that this issue was out of my control. Blogger servers were taken offline, for what was supposed to be a 30-minute period, for maintenance. The outage lasted over 12 hours! Yikes!

I recently saw an episode of Mythbusters during which testing by the Mythbusters team confirmed that using a cellular telephone while operating a motor vehicle results in driving impairment equal to drunk driving. In fact, the test scores for the cellular telephone segment were actually poorer than those for the drunk driving segment!

While driving the five blocks from my home to my office, I saw three people using their cellular telephones while driving! This was at 7:50 AM, a peak traffic time! There is no conversation so important that it cannot wait until the vehicle is at rest!

Just Say No, Shocking, -and- It's Not Mine

Just Say No - CNNGallup poll shows only 16% would vote for Hillary in 2008
Shocking - rookie EMT accidentally kills co-worker with defibrillator
It's Not Mine - woman arrested for bringing pot pipe into courthouse

It was cold this morning! Even though the sun shone brightly, there was ice on RAMMMMM's windshield at 8 AM! Fortunately, there is no wind!

I received a telephone call yesterday from someone who said he was soliciting advertising for a poster to raise money for the local high school football team. I told the caller that I do not abide telephone solicitation--particularly when the solicitor's Caller ID is blocked.

The caller said, "Well, if you don't want to support your high school, that's your problem!" I replied, "It is you I do not wish to support, and that is your problem!" Plonk!

A few hours later, I was adding a local event to the Calendar of North State Events. The information for the event was contained in the Corning Chamber of Commerce manager's weekly article. Also contained in that article was a warning from the coach of the high school football team stating that there is unauthorized solicitation being made and the school has no affiliation with the company making the solicitation!

Aarrgg, as Cap'n Jack often says!

Passing Gas, Wrong House, -and- Prison Diet

Passing Gas - Iceland abandons gasoline
Wrong House - homeowner shoots and kills intruders
Prison Diet - inmate loses 31 pounds to escape

NBC's "The Book of Daniel" may have launched with a bang, but, today, the show died with a whimper! It pulled unceremoniously from NBC's Friday night schedule, effective immediately, without formal announcement.

"The Book of Daniel," written by a homosexual, was promoted as the only show on television in which Jesus appeared as a recurring character and the only network prime-time drama series with a regular male "gay" character, a 23-year-old Republican son. The main character was a troubled, pill-popping Episcopal priest. The show also featured a wife who relied on midday martinis, a 16-year-old daughter who was a drug dealer, a 16-year-old adopted son who was having sex with the bishop's daughter, and a lesbian secretary.

One NBC affiliate after another dropped the show. Advertisers ran from it. And, apparently, so did viewers.

I find it truly encouraging that affiliates, advertisers, and viewers exhibited moral clarity and raised their voices against such abhorrent programming. Hopefully, this is only the beginning!

Mistaken Identity, The Fats of Life, -and- Get Me Out of Here!

Mistaken Identity - man given 33-year crime history in error
The Fats of Life - woman drops 450 pounds
Get Me Out of Here! - man trapped in toilet when lock freezes

The weather was sunny and warm, albeit windy, over the weekend, and the sunshine (and, unfortunately, the wind) continues today. We grilled a London Broil, mushrooms, red bell pepper, and red onion last evening. The wind howled relentlessly, but Laura tended the grill without complaint.

Saturday evening we enjoyed a pizza and tried to enjoy a movie: We watched Madagascar, and it was a labor to do so! This movie looked so good in the previews, and reviews of it were so enthusiastic, that we anticipated being thoroughly entertained by it. What an utter disappointment it was!

Reviews compared it to Shrek and Shrek 2. The Shrek movies were incredibly humorous and thoroughly entertaining. Madagascar was neither humorous nor entertaining! It was simply boring! Ah, well; movie reviewers are like weather forecasters: They cannot be trusted!

Big Fish, Friends, -and- Extra Postage Required

Big Fish - whale spotted in central London
Friends - snake refuses to eat hamster, shares cage
Extra Postage Required - students mail hamster as drunken prank

The sun is shining brightly again today! I do not make New Year's resolutions. I am making an exception this year: I have resolved to avoid reading weather forecasts and, instead, simply look outside and make my own determinations. I believe this will result in considerably greater accuracy!

The office personnel at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. had a potluck luncheon yesterday. The theme was Mexican. Laura made chicken enchiladas, and they were received with incredible enthusiasm. That delighted Laura. Several in attendance remarked on how moist and tender the chicken was. That delighted me, since I cooked the chicken!

The methodology: I coated a large sauté pan with La Conda Ranch extra-virgin olive oil and preheated to medium. I placed four large boneless, skinless chicken breasts that had soaked in chicken stock in the refrigerator for 24 hours in the sauté pan, placed the lid on the pan, and cooked the chicken breasts for 10 minutes on each side. I placed the cooked breasts on a platter, covered them with a paper towel, and allowed them to cool to room temperature.

Laura shredded the chicken, sautéed it with white onions and garlic, and added some enchilada sauce. She coated baking dishes with enchilada sauce, stuffed flour tortillas with the chicken mixture, rolled them and placed them in the baking dishes, and covered them with enchilada sauce. She then topped the enchiladas with grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, and sliced black olives.

Laura made two batches of enchiladas--one for the potluck and one for us. We enjoyed ours Wednesday evening, and they were delightful!

Hit Me!, The Big Chill, -and- Deadbeat Dad

Hit Me! - woman sues man for not killing her
The Big Chill - elephants fed vodka to keep from freezing
Deadbeat Dad - man thought dead for 25 years arrested

A former high school teacher is given probation for the homosexual rape of one of his teenage students!

Gregory Pathiakis, 26, of Brockton, MA, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of rape of a child, enticement of a child under 16, five counts of possession of child pornography, and one count of distribution of harmful material to a child!

Prosecutors asked Brockton Superior Court Judge Suzanne V. Delvecchio to give Pathiakis four to eight years in state prison and five years probation. Judge Delvecchio issued a suspended, 2 1/2-year prison term, and five years probation.

Judge Delvecchio was honored in 2000 as the keynote speaker at the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Bar Association's annual dinner.

Judge Delvecchio is obviously embracing a gay agenda. This is truly disturbing.

Top This, Fish Story, -and- Dude Where's My Car?

Top This - Domino's Pizza toppings tell all
Fish Story - strange creature found in Cayman Islands
Dude, Where's My Car? - stolen Corvette returned 37 years later

The sun is shining! This is a very pleasant surprise. The weatherman was wrong yet again!

I did not watch the Golden Globe Awards. When I learned what movies had received awards, I was very pleased--pleased that I had not been witness to this! Apparently, Golden Globes are now awarded for cinematic depiction of degenerate behavior. This is truly an abhorrent celebration of the abysmal depth to which the motion picture industry has plunged.

Fortunately, these awards are not representative of the morality of mainstream America. This fact, however, makes the award choices all the sadder. To all but the most naive, it certainly must be apparent that there is a loathsome agenda in Hollywood in play here, and this agenda was endorsed and rewarded by the Golden Globe Awards.

Magic Bus, Polly!, -and- Never Too Young

Magic Bus - girlfriend of vampire candidate fired
Polly! - talking parrot reveals secret lover
Never Too Young - 2-year-old girl called for jury duty

Clarence Allen was executed at San Quentin yesterday. He was pronounced dead at 12:38 AM. Allen went to prison for having his teenage son's 17-year-old girlfriend murdered for fear she would tell police about a grocery-store burglary. While behind bars, he tried to have witnesses in the case wiped out, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to death in 1982 for hiring a hit man who killed a witness and two bystanders.

His lawyers had raised two claims never before endorsed by the high court: that executing a frail old man would violate the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and that the 23 years he spent on death row were unconstitutionally cruel as well.

Allen deserved capital punishment, because he was already serving a life sentence for murder when he masterminded the murders of three innocent young people.

Clarence Allen was responsible for four murders but was too old and frail to be executed? Debra Lefave seduced her 14-year-old student but is too pretty to go to prison? As Robert Blake's Baretta character said, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time!"

Find Me, Look Out Elmer!, -and- Ben?

Find Me - license plate dooms alleged bank robber
Look Out, Elmer! scientists seek rabbit-human embryo
Ben? rats eat drug evidence

The storm did not arrive! I had feared that the storm that had been predicted for last Tuesday and Wednesday would arrive on the weekend when it failed to appear on Tuesday, but it did not! There were light showers for a short time Saturday morning, but the balance of the weekend was beautiful!

Saturday, we made a wonderful spinach salad with baby spinach, mushrooms, red onions, Jalapeños, avocado slices, Roma tomato slices, hard boiled eggs, and 60 medium shrimp. It was delightful, and we shall enjoy the leftovers this evening. We watched Fantastic Four after dinner. The movie was very entertaining indeed.

Today is MLK Day, but other than government offices and banks, it appears that only Waste Management is observing it.

It's Not My Fault, Movie Time, -and- He's Batty

It's Not My Fault - Sean Penn blames President Bush for not being able to quit smoking
Movie Time - postal worker steals Netflix DVDs
He's Batty - vampire seeks Minnesota governor's position

My cat, Zeus, has a fetish: Each night, he waits until he thinks Laura is asleep (sometimes she is; sometimes she pretends that she is), and he furtively leaps onto our bed, slithers up to Laura's head, removes her hair "scrunchy" with his teeth and front paws, and scurries away with it. Later, he returns and places it on her pillow, beside her face! What a bizarre event this is. I have pretended sleep in order to watch this several times!

It is raining, albeit lightly. The foul weather predicted for earlier in the week has apparently arrived--just in time for the weekend! Yikes! My fears are realized!

We enjoy watching CSI: Crime Scene Investigation reruns on Spike TV. The commercials played during breaks have always been disturbing--advertisements for violent video games and gruesome horror movies, etc. This week, however, a disgusting new low has been reached: Commercials for "Girls Gone Wild" videos are so explicit that they are pornographic. The depiction of naked young women fondling each other, writhing against each other, and exchanging spittle with each other is disgusting and has no place on mainstream television. It is truly unfortunate, in my opinion, that satellite television is not subject to the same obscenity laws that govern broadcast television!

This just in from reader Chris: Cats Gone Wild!

New Lease on Life, Never Too Young, -and- Tax Dollars at Work

New Lease on Life - family offered for lease on eBay
Never Too Young - 7-year-old boy takes family pickup for joyride
Tax Dollars at Work - inmate goes from man to woman, back again, at government expense

The sun is shining brightly again today! This is truly beautiful weather, particularly for this time of year! The forecast had been for rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, but--except for very brief showers Tuesday afternoon--it has been incredibly sunny, warm, and beautiful! My concern is that the storm that was predicted has been delayed and will arrive this weekend. I loathe foul weather, but if it must come, I much prefer it to come during the week!

ME: California Technologies. CALLER: Yes, there's something wrong with my PC. ME: What seems to be wrong with it? CALLER: How should I know? ME: What is it doing that leads you to believe there is something wrong with it? CALLER: Nothing. It won't do anything. ME: I would be pleased to diagnose it at no charge and give you a repair estimate. CALLER: Okay, can you come right away? I have some work I need to get done. ME: You would need to bring the computer here. CALLER: I can't do that. I'm too busy. ME: At some other time, then, when you find that you are not too busy, bring the computer here, and I will perform a diagnosis at no charge. CALLER: I need it fixed now! ME: Call Geek Squad, 1-800-433-5778. They will come to you. CALLER: Okay. Thanks.

ME: California Technologies. CALLER: Hello. I just called and you told me to call Geek Squad and I did, but they said they don't work on Macintoshes. ME: Neither do I. If you wish, you can come here and use one of our systems to search for someone who does Macintosh repairs. CALLER: I can't do that. I told you I'm too busy. ME: I will bid you farewell then. CALLER: Well, thanks for nothing. PLONK!

Drat those pesky Macintosh users!

Huh?, Don't Tell C. S. Lewis, -and- In the Dog House

Huh? - Sony launches homosexual music label
Don't Tell C. S. Lewis! - Narnia walks out of WTO talks
In the Dog House - woman chains up husband in dog kennel

I always include links to news stories that are humorous. Although they often contain elements of sadness, loss, etc., they are always humorous. This morning's lead story is simply disturbing. Among the plethora of disturbing news stories, the Sony story stands out, in my opinion, because it makes a statement, and the statement it makes is: It is okay to be gay. The launch of homosexual programming via the LOGO channel took place without fanfare and, once it was discovered, was easy to avoid. Sony's new label launch, however, comes with considerable exposure from the various media sources.

Sony's position in the entertainment industry is huge, and Sony's influence is great. Given this, by openly embracing homosexuality, Sony sends a strong message of acceptance of a lifestyle which is condemned by God and leads, necessarily, to disease.

Will music stores now have genre sections for Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender? This is truly disturbing!

Open House, Where's the Beef Been? -and- The Warmest Beer in Town

Open House - realtor's ex-wife robs 25 houses
Where's the Beef Been? - students fed meat left out since before Christmas
The Warmest Beer in Town - Missouri lawmaker seeks to ban cold beer

New Bubble Breaker high score: 1496 ! I became feverish, and my pulse became rapid and irregular as I stared at the iPAQ screen and realized that I had finally bested Gareth's score! Click here to view statistics.

Images of Zeus and Thor await your viewing pleasure! By popular demand, I have placed images of Zeus and Thor below the image of Laura. Be certain to click on the images to enlarge them. Zeus and Thor eagerly await your comments!

All Shook Up, Firestarter, -and- What a Trip!

All Shook Up - man chooses girlfriend over Elvis
Firestarter - mouse sets house on fire
What a Trip! - father of LSD turns 100

Local weather forecasters seemed incapable of determining which weekend day would be wet--predicting Saturday, at times, and Sunday, at other times, last Thursday and Friday. They were consistently wrong! It was sunny and warm both days!

We had DiGiorno pizza and Sierra Nevada Porter Saturday evening and watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The pizza was good, the porter was excellent, and the movie was delightful!

Sunday evening, we enjoyed our favorite version of "surf and turf": New York steaks and Ahi steaks, charred beautifully on the outside and rare in the middle, with generous amounts of wasabi!

The client from last week appeared here this morning and signed up for her own Internet account! Her daughter confessed to her, as I had suggested, and spent several hours showing her that the Internet was not something to fear! I am very pleased with this outcome of this adventure!

Beam Me Up!, Unattractive, -and- Off with His Head!

Beam Me Up! - mysterious horse deaths raise UFO theories
Unattractive - scientists say magnet therapy is bogus
Off with His Head! - suicide machine fails

I received an email this morning from the mystery Internet user. The mystery is now solved! The mystery user is a young lady. Her parents are divorced, and she lives with her father. She has a computer and SBC Internet account at home. She uses that account to access the Internet whenever she stays at her mother's home. Her mother knows nothing of her Internet use, and she implored me not to tell her mother of it. She said that her mother is fearful of the Internet and specifically cautioned her against using it. In my reply, I assured her that I would not tell her mother but felt that she should give her mother a full accounting of this. I suggested that her mother's paranoia might best be allayed by showing her how the Internet could be used to assist the completion of homework assignments.

While not as eerie as it originally seemed, the mystery is solved!

I received a telephone solicitation from the Gay and Lesbian Council at California State University Chico this morning. I interrupted the programmed spiel to say, "Unless I am satisfied that the funds will be used solely for the construction of a large closet to be used for the confinement of your membership, I will not contribute!" PLONK!

Happy Birthday, Hello, -and- Oops!

Happy Birthday - female cop fired over whipped-cream licking
Hello - two men drunk-dial judge at 2:45 AM
Oops! - artist binds feet and loses key

I received a reply to the email I sent to the mystery SBC account two days ago. The reply was sent last night, just after 10 PM. The sender asked who I was, how I had obtained the email address, and what I wanted. I replied, answering these questions. I am awaiting a response to my reply. The mystery continues!

I just watched Ted Nugent on DaySide (Fox News Channel, channel 360 on DirecTV). There was a plate of scallops on the table that were part of a news story. Ted picked up the plate, smelled the scallops, commented on how great they smelled and how nicely they were seared, and asked if he could have one. Mike said that he could, and Ted pulled out a Spyderco knife, flicked it open, speared a juicy scallop, ate it, and grinned widely!

I was feeling very good about my Bubble Breaker high score of 1316 until Gareth (see comments to yesterday's post) declared his high score was 1464! I had become complacent, I must admit, and shall now play with renewed vigor. I am driven to best Gareth's score!

Now Hear This, Meow!, -and- Hic!

Now Hear This - Pete Townshend warns IPod users
Meow! - miracle feline avoids disaster
Hic! - Tennessee law shames drunk drivers

Just when I thought I had seen it all: I received a telephone call yesterday from a lady who said her computer has been running slow. The client dropped off her computer yesterday afternoon. I booted it up, amazed by how slow it was--particularly given the decals on the front showing that it is a 2.2GHz Pentium 4. I scanned for viruses and detected/removed 46 viruses and Trojans. Worse yet, when I scanned for spyware, Ad-Aware detected 1978 threats! I was amazed that this beast functioned at all!

After removing all the critters, I ran Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter. The defragmentation process took nearly 4 hours! When the client arrived to pick up her computer, I explained what I had found and cautioned her regarding unprotected Internet use. She said she had never accessed the Internet! I told her someone had used the computer to access the Internet, citing the viruses and spyware as proof. She became very agitated, saying she was alone and no one else had access to the computer! I opened Outlook Express. There were 23 messages in the inbox. She said she did not recognize any of the senders' names! I gave her the SBC account name, told her to call SBC and explain the situation, and asked her to share her findings with me.

New Bubble Breaker high score: 1316

Say It's Not So, Drunken Justice, -and- It Wasn't My Fault

Say It's Not So - top 10 junk-science claims of 2005
Drunken Justice - judge drunk on the job
It Wasn't My Fault - man soils himself then sues

Happy 2006! The storm that was expected last Saturday came that night and continued through most of Sunday. The rain was heavy, and there was a good deal of local flooding. Woodson Bridge across the Sacramento River here was closed. A lady ignored the signs and had to be rescued from the river by helicopter. Laura and I took a road trip yesterday to view the flooding. Woodson Bridge was open. The river was very high, and the county park remained flooded. There was no rain yesterday, and there is no rain so far today. Hopefully, the danger has ended.

We took advantage of the relatively pleasant weather yesterday and grilled New York steaks and scallops. The steaks and scallops were marinated in a spicy Thai marinade for several hours, and Laura grilled them perfectly.

New Bubble Breaker High Score: 1066