Monday, July 01, 2013

Monday thoughts

Things I'm pondering as I try to fully awaken:

What country will finally offer asylum to Edward Snowden at the risk of pissing off the U.S.?  He's now asked 15 different nations for asylum.

Why did the Starbucks just up the street close?  I drove by again yesterday and the empty parking lot seems just wrong.

BART train operators and station agents earn over $80,000 a year and pay only $92 per month for health insurance.  Why in the world do they feel the need to strike?

Lucy Lawless as "Mama Morton" in Chicago on stage?  Yeah, I can see that.

Visit your elderly parents or be sued for emotional support?  That's now the law in China.

Does having a bigger desk make you more likely to act dishonestly?  That's the conclusion of a study.

Will the relatively sub-par performance of "White House Down" at the box office get producers to realize launching two movies that are so alike within weeks of each other is not a smart play?  Probably not.

Did George Lucas and his new bride sign a pre-nup?  Probably not.  While she wasn't on his level financially before they wed, she was still doing very well.

Does the guy whose ex-wife cut off his penis feel better now that she's going to jail and could be paroled in as few as seven years?

Does anyone believe that Paula Deen, a woman raised in the South before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has only said the "n-word" once?

Did a Lakeland, FL cop really ask a woman to lift her shirt and shake her bra, because he suspected she had drugs?  Or was he just after a cheap thrill?

Is there some serious irony in this?  A man took his son to a bar where kids aren't normally allowed.  It was Father's Day and he got permission in advance.  The server handed him a receipt that had the words "F*****g needy kids" on it.  He called to complain and the owner told him that if he was that unhappy with the service, he should just not come back.  The place is named "Friendly's".

Would more people tune in to watch a TV show where Kris Jenner shuts up, or talks?

* * *

It is going to be a busy week.  I have appointments at the VA on three of the four days clinics are open.  There are two movies opening on Wednesday I want to see.  I have some errands to accomplish. 

It is going to stay really hot for two more days.  So with all my bitching about expensive car repairs, I am grateful that a side benefit of these repairs is that the car's air conditioner is now functioning at 100%.  I can be cool at home or in the car.

I managed to finish June without having a single drop of V-8 juice post-hospitalization.  To celebrate I ran out and bought a 64 ounce bottle of the stuff.  Just kidding.  But the odds are good I will have one 11 ounce bottle at some point, just to prove to myself I can drink one and stop.  I know, I'm strange.

* * *

This Date in History:

On this date in 1770, Lexell's Comet comes closer to Earth than any other comet in recorded history.
On this date in 1862, the Russian State Library is founded.
On this date in 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg begins.
On this date in 1870, the U.S. Department of Justice formally comes into being.
On this date in 1881, the first international phone call is made.
On this date in 1898, the Battle of San Juan Hill is fought in Santiago de Cuba.
On this date in 1903, the first Tour de France begins.
On this date in 1931, United Airlines begins service.
On this date in 1963, zip codes are introduced to U.S. mail.
On this date in 1968, the CIA's Phoenix Program is established.
Also on this date in 1968, the U.S., USSR and 62 other countries sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
On this date in 1979, Sony introduces the Walkman.
On this date in 1980, O Canada becomes the official Canadian anthem.
On this date in 1984, the movie rating PG-13 is introduced.
On this date in 1987, New York City's WFAN becomes the first all-sports radio station.

Famous Folk Born On This Date:

Anthony Collins
George Sand
Thomas A. Dorsey
Charles Laughton
William Wyler
Estee Lauder
Sally Kirkland
Jean Stafford
Olivia de Havilland
Harold Sakata
Farley Granger
Leslie Caron
Jamie Farr (Klinger was supposed to be a one-off appearance on MASH)
Sydney Pollack (great director)
Karen Black
Twyla Tharp
Genevieve Bujold
Debbie Harry
Shirley Hemphill
David Duke (racist)
Dan Akyroyd
Lisa Scottoline
Lisa Blount
Carl Lewis
Diana, Princess of Wales
Andre Braugher
Julianne Nicholson
Claire Forlani
Liv Tyler

Movie quotes today come from the under-rated and under-appreciated "Duets" from 2000, which co-starred Andre Braugher:

Shop Manager: How'd you like to pay for that? Cash, check, credit card?
Suzi Loomis: Uh, well, we're a little short on money right now, sir, but I'll consider it an honor and a privilege to suck your dick.
[machinery whirs over last word]

#2

Todd Woods: Sorry Candy, I'm going out for a pack of cigarettes.
Candy: But Todd, You don't smoke!

#3

Liv: My mother didn't believe in mayonnaise. She didn't believe in food that requires electricity.

#4

Suzi Loomis: I'm gonna be the only major thing that has happened to you in your life, and you're gonna be jerking off to my memory on your goddamned death bed!