Sunday, March 31, 2013

"Bacon Flavored Condom Adds Spice to Lovemaking"



Timt49 tipped me off to this story. The bacon-mania continues. Apparently, anything can be made out of bacon. I wonder if I could build a house out of bacon?

A Sun Pillar From Tucson


Tonight after sunset we were treated to a Sun Pillar in Tucson. Sun pillars are caused by light reflecting off of ice crystals high in the atmosphere. I was out photographing sunset (weak green flash tonight) and was starting to put my camera away. I turned around to look west again and that's when I saw the pillar. Glad I wasn't in too big of a hurry to get out of there! 
IMG_4738IMG_4728IMG_4722IMG_4713IMG_4714

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Friday, March 29, 2013

"Scope Bacon Mouthwash | Behold!"



What's next? Bacon-flavored bacon?
happy easter weekend to everyone!

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Welcome to Four for Fridays- a great way to start your weekend with some mind boggling questions! Are you ready? I hope so, because here are the questions!

1) What are your Easter plans?

2) What is your first paying job?

3) What is the difference in being wealthy or being rich?

4) How would your friends describe you to someone that you have not met?

Enjoy your weekend! 

Racine Equality Project Files Ethics Complaint

Yesterday, the Racine Equality Project filed an ethics complaint asking the City of Racine Ethics Committee "to investigate and sanction the City of Racine Mayor and other administrative staff persons involved in the manipulations and collusion process of our local community access channel CAR25."  The press release then goes on to say that such shenanigans are nothing new in Racine and requests an investigation of  "all other bidding processes that have taken place under this administration."

Here's the press release: http://racineequalityproject.org/Racine%20Equality%20Project%20files%20ethics%20complaint.pdf

Here's the Racine Equality Project's homepage: http://racineequalityproject.org/

FOX6 is also covering this story:  http://fox6now.com/2013/03/28/racine-equality-project-files-ethics-complaint-over-cable-access-channel/#ooid=RkdnRqYTrp_2MN-jjnuS4d4EtPzUiHfG

Open Blog - Friday


Incredible, too.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

"The First Honest Cable Company"



How refreshing to hear someone speak the truth about internet service providers. This describes Time Warner Cable exactly.

The Incredible Edible Egg

How do you like your eggs?

Missing Wife Found


The day after his wife disappeared In a kayaking accident, an Anchorage man answered his door to find two grim-faced Alaska State Troopers.
 
"We're sorry Mr. Wilkens, but we have some information about your wife", said one of the troopers.
 
"Tell me! Did you find her?” Wilkens exclaimed.
 
The troopers looked at each other. One said, "We have some bad news, some good news, and some really great news.
 
Which would you like to hear first?" Fearing the worst, Mr. Wilkens said, "Give me the bad news first."
 
The trooper said, "I'm sorry to tell you, sir, but this morning we found your wife's body in Kachemak Bay."
 
"Oh my God!", exclaimed Wilkens. Swallowing hard, he asked, "What's the good news?"
 
The trooper continued, "When we pulled her up, she had 12 twenty-five-pound king crabs and 6 good-sized Dungeness crabs clinging to her, and we feel you are entitled to a share in the catch."
 
Stunned, Mr. Wilkens demanded, "If that's the good news, then what's the great news?"
 
The trooper replied, "We're gonna pull her up again tomorrow."
 

Open Blog - Thursday


I'm always romantic.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

"Wright's Law: A Unique Teacher Imparts Real Life Lessons"



Good story. It left me crying.

21 tons of Muenster cheese stolen in Cashton

Okay, I give, why would you want to steal 42,000 lbs of cheese? What the hell would you do with it?

An Illinois man accused of stealing 21 tons of Wisconsin cheese has been arrested in New Jersey.

New Jersey authorities say the 34-year-old man from Plainfield, Ill., was arrested Tuesday afternoon. New Jersey State Police said Wednesday the man was driving a refrigerated truck carrying 42,000 pounds of Muenster cheese.

The cheese company, K&K Cheese in Cashton valued the cargo at $200,000. The suspect used false paperwork to obtain the cheese, authorities said.

Company spokesman Kevin Everhart says K&K can't guarantee the cheese hasn't been tampered with, so it didn't ask for the product back.

If the cheese passes inspections by health authorities, New Jersey State Police said it will be donated to charity.

Click Here to read the complete article on JSOnline.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my chilly children!  How are you?  Somebody forgot to throw the Winter OFF and Spring ON switches.  The wind makes it worse.  I’m still wearing winter garb.  The coats and boots will be closeted once we get a semblance of spring weather.  In the meantime, brrr. 

It’s been a difficult week because someone very close to me passed away unexpectedly last week.  My advice is, if you’ve been meaning to tell someone that you love him/her, don’t wait.  Do it now.  No time is guaranteed us.  Whether family member, friend, or lover, let them know how you feel.  While I mourn this loss, a crass phrase that a friend of mine favors comes to mind: “Chicken one day, feathers the next.”  Oh my, but it’s true.  We never know when Death will come knocking on our door.

On an entirely different note, another friend of mine, who lives in an apartment building, pointed out the infestation of bedbugs that is plaguing some areas of Racine.  He wondered if my psychic powers could be put to use in combating the little bloodsuckers.  The low intelligence of insects in general prevents me from connecting with them psychically.  However, one of my B-Gon products might be just the thing for you.  Madame Zoltar’s® BedBug-B-Gon Bomb™ guarantees a 100% kill ratio for a quarter mile radius.  The bedbugs, and all other forms of life, will die.  All you have to do is place the bomb in the center of your house, pull the cap, and run like hell.  If you’re not capable of quick flight, you might consider wearing a gas mask.  Whatever you do, don’t breathe any of the gas.  After a week, a crew can decontaminate your home and make it relatively safe for you and your family.  Just don’t breathe too deeply for the first month or so. 

Talking about bedbugs makes me start itching all over.  That’s the psychic power of suggestion.  Talking about food makes me hungry.  Talking about a cool glass of water makes me thirsty.  And talking about money makes me greedy.  Let’s talk about something else.

Some daffodils and early tulips are coming up near the foundations of buildings.  If it looks like we’re going to have a deep freeze, snow is a good insulator for the plants.  I can hardly wait for spring to spring.  Spring is my favorite time of year.  I love the sights and sounds and smells of spring.  The aroma of the good earth is intoxicating.  The birds chirp and twitter deliriously.  Spring is a time of rebirth.  Soon, very soon, my dears, the cabin fever will be dispelled completely.  Soon there will be dancing in the streets.



Thank you for stopping by to read my blog today.  I love company, especially the Irregular kind. It’s a treat to have visitors.  Thank you, again.


Be careful, my dears.  There’s still plenty of snow and ice out there.  It may be around for awhile.  Last year we had the warm winter.  Maybe this year it’s the cool summer.  Be aware of your surroundings.  I love all of you.  Rantallion!

"Snow Plowing like a Boss in Boston !"

Adult Language Alert!



I can't remember how many times I had to shovel out my parents' driveway because of the plowing. Now I realize that the drivers are evil bastards.

Open Blog - Wednesday


What are those lizards doing?

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Bacon & Cheese Sandwich


Yum, yum, yum! That looks so tasty and artery clogging, that I wouldn't be able to resist it.  But how do I make one?  I assume the bacon strips are woven before cooking.    

SAVE THE DATE!!!

OK boys and girls - 
write this day and time down,
Mary is coming to town!!
Don't know what.where yet, but I know WHEN - 
Saturday, APRIL 20th, noon. 
I have most email addresses for ya'll, 
if you're not sure if I have yours
and you want to come meet one of
our out of state irregulars, 
kindly shoot me an email at - 

lizardmom@jtirregulars.com

I will email more info as it becomes available
(feel free to email suggested places 
to meet for lunch)
It's a work in progress but set the date aside!!
 

Useless Information


Did you know:

Did you know soda is sold in aluminum cans 4 times greater then in plastic bottles?

Open Blog - Tuesday


Tweety is dancing in the wain.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Announcement

The JTI site has been bombed with spam all day Sunday and into today.  There has been some sort of failure of Google's anti-spam measures.  Most spam is still caught, or at least questioned, but too much is getting through.  Because of this, we are not allowing anonymous comments until Google fixes the problem.  Unfortunately, this also eliminates the option to type in  a name and comment, such as jedwis does.  At a minimum, you'll need an AIM,  LiveJournal, WordPress, or TypePad ID to post comments.  We're very sorry about this because the JTI stands for free speech.   That has been destroyed by spambots from hell.  We hope to re-enable anonymous posting as soon as possible.       

Open Blog - Monday


Coke - it's the real thing. Happy Monday.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Saturday, March 23, 2013

"Украина имеет талант - 5. Выпуск 2. Duo 'Flame'"



"Ukraine's Got Talent - 5. Issue 2. Duo 'Flame.'"  The dancing is gorgeous.

Never Buy an Auto Battery from WalMart. Never.

Last year I bought a new battery for my truck from WalMart.  I usually go to Farm and Fleet for batteries, but my neighbor talked me into WalMart.  When I purchased the battery, the clerk assured me, "If you have any problems, bring it back and we'll take care of it."

I've been having trouble with the battery for the last three months.  It wouldn't hold a charge.  It must have been 10 or 12 times I had to jump the battery.  After checking my charging system, I returned to WalMart to get a replacement battery.  Ha!  The clerk at the auto desk said I have to wait for an hour and a half while they test the battery.  She said that people try to scam them and get free batteries.  Thing is, when I first arrived, I found a wallet on the counter.  I turned it in to the clerk.  Now the clerk was suggesting that I was trying to scam the store.  "Would I have turned in the wallet if I was a crook?" I asked the clerk.  No response.

Of course, nothing gets done until you get the manager involved.  We had to go through the whole rigamarole again, and he also said I had to wait an hour and a half while they tested the battery.  I went ballistic. Nothing was said about this at the time of sale.  Now, the clerk said I could go home and return later to see how the battery test went.  I asked, "How am I supposed to drive my truck home without a battery?"  Silence, again.

I finally got as new battery.  I had to yell and fuss and raise hell.  After I got the battery, I told the manager that I had managed an auto repair shop and I never made my customers go through hysterics before I would honor our warranties.  He said, "You didn't have to get upset."  I said, "I wouldn't have received a new battery without raising hell."  Again, silence.

The moral of the story is, don't buy auto batteries from WalMart.  They claim to have solid warranties backing their products, but when you try to get warranty service, they treat you like a criminal.  I hate that damn store and ruefully regret buying a battery from them. Never again. 

"Tyree Carter Banned From 'All The Libraries On The Face Of The Earth' For Allegedly Masturbating"



Fox News found it funny: http://video.foxnews.com/v/2237669800001/wisconsin-man-banned-from-all-libraries-on-earth/

Open Blog - Weekend


Yay! Let's cook a baby.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Now, don't tell me that welfare recipients aren't innovative!

No reason to stand on your feet waiting to get your check.

Just put your flip-flops next in line and go back and sit on your ass and play games on your iPhone.

What a great country!

Punxsutawney Phil 'indicted' for lying about spring's early arrival

CINCINNATI - The famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil could be headed to court.

A prosecutor in Ohio has filed "charges" against the animal. The prosecutor says Phil promised an early spring, and he was wrong!

The Northeast was pounded with more than a foot of snow on the first day of spring.

The prosecutor says he's sick of it, and wants someone to pay!

It's all in good fun, of course, and Phil's handlers are getting in on the joke as well.

"Representatives" Ignore Constituents

I sent emails to Bob Wirch and Cory Mason, my state representatives.  I included a link to Racine Exposed in the emails and asked why our local government is not charged with crimes.

No response from either one.  Racine's "representatives" represent only themselves.  They don't even have the decency to respond to a constituent's questions. Pigs protecting pigs.

It's time to start all over again. Government on all levels is rife with filth and corruption. 

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone and welcome back! It's been a very busy and crazy week. Man, did it fly! By the time Thursday came around, I was wondering where the time went.... Well, without further adieu, your questions...

1) If you had an extra day in a week, what would you do with it?

2) Who taught you how to swim?

3) What comic strip do you like to read?

4) What is the scariest crowd you have ever been in?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday


Happy Friday.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

"Japan these days"



I bet that moving to Japan would result in massive culture shock.

"One photo a day in the worst year of my life"



"Mike Chajecki:  

"The powerful short was produced in Croatia as a public service announcement drawing attention to the issue of domestic abuse. The video ends with the young lady holding up a sign that translates to, 'Help me, I do not know if I can wait for tomorrow.'

"No one was actually hurt fortunately in the making of this video. All effects were done with professional makeup. But the message it is getting out there is extremely important."

Read more:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ertu9_MhFiM&NR=1


When I first saw this, I thought it was real: a battered woman put a video on YouTube to get help.  I also wondered how she got her face in the exact same position in each shot.  Learning that the video is a public service announcement explains everything.  Nicely done.

Open Blog - Thursday


Happy Thursday.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Sensuous Wife ………

"Have you ever seen a twenty dollar bill all crumpled up?" asked the wife.

"No," said her husband.

She gave him a sexy little smile, slowly reached into her cleavage and pulled out a crumpled twenty dollar bill.

"Have you ever seen a fifty all crumpled up?" she asked.
 
"Uh, no," he said.
 
She gave him another sexy little smile, seductively reached into her panties and pulled out a crumpled fifty dollar bill.
 
"Now," she said, "Have you ever seen 40,000 dollars all crumpled up?"
 
"No," he said, now really intrigued…
 
"Well, go look in the garage..."

Usless Information

Did you know:

Over 14,000 ships go through the Panama Canal ever year and the canal is 100+ years old.

There is a combination of 3 locks at one end that lift or lower the ships 80 feet from the lake level to the ocean level.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my party animals!  How are you?  Huzzuh, huzzuh!  It’s the first day of spring.  However, you wouldn’t know that by going outside.  All we get is cold and snow.  March madness is the frigid weather.  Crazy temperatures and precipitation.  I hope that April brings us showers and not blizzards. 

Oh my dear, dear friends.  As you know, I missed the last get together.  I’m so sorry.  I ended up at the original place that we selected for the party.  I was out of town on Thursday and Friday, so I didn’t see the updates.  Junior opened my email (he’s going to get it), so the location update message was already marked as read.  I never saw it.  Oh my.  I did have a nice time, though, drinking green beer and lime vodka and anything else that was liquid and green.  The St. Patrick’s Day celebration was going on inside and outside.  Eventually, I got rip roaring drunk, and Señor Zanza had to come and take me home.  I had a lot of fun, but I missed my dear Irregulars.  Next time for sure.

Mr. OrbsCorbs gave me my “presents” from the gathering: a VHS exercise tape entitled “Fat Buster Plus” and a can of diet Pepsi.  Oh my.  I could go ballistic over this, but I won’t.  I’m too much of a woman for that.  I have only one thing to say: beware.  When you least expect it, I’ll be there.  Thus spake Madame Zoltar®!

The Catholic Church has a new pope, and from the early returns, it appears that he is a winner.  One thing, Your Eminence Sir Mr. Pope Francis, be careful about unexpectedly running out and joining the teeming throngs.  The faithful you meet love it, but we live in a world of nut jobs.  I’m afraid that someone is going to take a shot at you, sooner or later.  Be careful, Sir.  And please don’t eschew the Popemobile.  It’s for your protection.

Finally, a number of my clients are also members of the Somerset Club that Mr. OrbsCorbs blogged about below.  They are perfect gentlemen.  And they’re rich, too.  Woo hoo!

Thank you to each and every one of you for reading my post today.  I so enjoy crafting a blog for you.  Wednesdays are for my Irregulars.

Have a question?  An answer? Contact: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

The wintry weather means the ice capades on streets and sidewalks continues.  Be very careful.  On warmer days, some snow melts, but then freezes to ice at night.  Keep praying for spring.  Mouchard!      

Open Blog - Wednesday


Butterflies and flowers for the first day of spring.  I hope we see real ones soon.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

"MinusIQ | The pill to lower your IQ permanently"



http://www.sleepthinker.com/

That's what I was trying to do with 25 years of heavy drinking.

The Somerset Club

From The Journal Times.com:

"City's exclusive Somerset Club rich in tradition"

"Just steps away from the bus stop bustle of Monument Square is a no-frills doorway that leads to the Somerset Club - Racine's most exclusive fraternity and perhaps the ultimate good old boys network.

"It occupies the top floor of the Janes Building, a five-story structure at Sixth and Main streets. The club faces Lake Michigan, the Downtown post office and a bus stop crowd of students, working people, hustlers and idlers.

"The Somerset Club, however, is literally and figuratively far removed from the petty concerns of the street. It is a men's club that for more than 100 years has culled its members from Racine's wealthiest, most influential and respected families.

"Men do not apply for admission to the Somerset Club. The club decides who will be offered the fewer than 100 memberships."

Read more here: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/city-s-exclusive-somerset-club-rich-in-tradition/article_970b09c2-f1fd-5fdc-aa34-b53d49662650.html


That article is from 1995. Did you know about the Somerset Club?  I didn't.  A friend and I were talking about Dewey's, the new bar downtown.  It's located in the Janes Building.  My friend mentioned the Somerset Club.  When I asked him about it, he said the club was for the wealthy big shots of Racine. He talked of it in the past tense, though. A Google search soon proved that the club is still alive and active in Racine.

Party on, Somerset Club!

Favorite Coffee Stop

Which is your most favorite coffee (shop) in Racine?

In other words, if you need JUST a cup of coffee where would you go?


Open Blog - Tuesday


Letterpress type, except the letters should be backwards. Happy Tuesday.

Monday, March 18, 2013

"Le papier ne sera jamais mort / Paper is not dead !"



Sometimes real is better than virtual.

A cowboy


A cowboy walks into a bar and orders a whisky. When the bartender delivers the drink, the cowboy asks, "Where is everybody?"
 
The bartender replies, "They've gone to the hanging."
 
"Hanging? Who are they hanging?"
 
"Brown Paper Pete," the bartender replied.
 
"What kind of a name is that?" the cowboy asked.
 
"Well," says the bartender. "He wears a brown paper hat, brown paper shirt, brown paper trousers and brown paper shoes."
 
"How bizarre," said the cowboy. "What are they hanging him for?"
 
"Rustling," said the bartender.

Milwaukee County Corruption

 There's a new blog that examines Milwaukee County for corruption.  Check it out here: http://milwaukeecountycorruption.blogspot.com/

Milwaukee County Corruption has been added to our sidebar list of local and area blogs.

Open Blog - Monday


Betty Boop makes Monday a little more tolerable.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Saying Goodbye to the Old Theater

Today is the last show at the Riverfront Theater in Bradenton, Florida, home of the Manatee Players. Don't worry, they Manatee Players are doing fine...they will be moving into a new $15 million theater later this month.

However, the old Riverfront Theater (built in the 1950s) is where I did a lot of shows with them back in the 1996-2001 range. I met many long time friends in shows and had great times there and now it will be torn down. Obviously, lots of us will miss the old theater even though we all know how much better the new building will be. For several years, I spent more waking hours at the theater than anywhere except work.

Tradition was at the end of a show, you would sign the wall. Many shows made little logos to sign. When I visited in January, I knew it would be my last time in the theater so I took some pics of the walls I signed.



Buildings hold lots of memories and emotions. As I write this, the curtain will go up in less than 20 minutes on their last show, a review starring many of the regulars at the theater over the years called "What I Did For Love".  I would be there if I could (heck, their last stage production was A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and I would have pulled a Tanya Harding to to that show...Miles Glorioses specifically).

Good bye old friend.


Comet Lemmon


Trying to catch up after last night…those in the northern hemisphere are enjoying Comet PanSTARRS this week. Well, I am visiting Chile and got to see Comet Lemmon last night. Comet Lemmon is pretty far south right now but will be putting in a dawn appearance for the northern hemisphere in April.
Comet Lemmon (discovered on Mount Lemmon in Arizona, hence the name) was not visible to the naked eye last night. It did show up nicely in small binoculars and on my Canon 60d.
Comet LemmonComet Lemmon also has a very different color than PanSTARRS. You have probably noticed PanSTARRS is very yellowish while Lemmon is much more blue. Cyanogen gas and diatomic carbon are tinting this comet whereas PanSTARRS is dominated by reflected sunlight from its nice dust tail giving it a more yellowish ting.
I don’t think Lemmon will put on as nice of a show as PanSTARRS, but its worth checking out as it moves north.
Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

"Teaching our puppy how to catch"



It looks like puppy doesn't want to learn how to catch.

Sunset and Moonset in Chile


Today I am in Chile at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. I have been having a great time touring and doing night photography and observing (my camera is outside snapping shots for a timelapse I hope to put together tomorrow). I am sure I will post lots of pics and several blogs, but wanted to get tonight's sunset posted. The Pacific Ocean is to the west and you get great temperature gradients when you look down from the top of the mountain over the cold Pacific Ocean. Lots of great effects tonight. Here are three of my favorite pics.
First look closely at the top limb of the Sun for a hint of a purple flash. I have never recorded purple so early in a sunset.
IMG_2542Next, you can see a nice strong green flash at the top of the Sun.
IMG_2577Finally, there was this completely crazy thing that happened with multiple simultaneous green flashes, very strong ones.
IMG_2622Don't even ask me how that happened!

Finally, the same atmospheric processes that create these sunsets are also present at Moonset. Tonight the Moon became very distorted as it set. 
IMG_2792I really wasn't quite prepared for that and missed a great pic. I was watching the Moonset on liveview on my camera and saw a green flash FROM THE SETTING MOON! Unfortunately, I was not quick enough to capture it. I will have another chance from CTIO tomorrow night and will be ready!

It is late and getting cold and I am getting tired, so other posts will have to wait until tomorrow!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Open Blog - Weekend


See you at the gathering.

Friday, March 15, 2013

URGENT NOTICE

For those coming for the gathering tomorrow, 
please check your emails for change of location, 
sent just a few minutes ago. 
If you didn't receive it, please let me know here,
and I will check 1st thing in the morning 
and re-send if needed.
See you soon!

Happily Ever After??

What happened next?


Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Four for Fridays after an extremely busy week! Sorry, that I'm a little late, but I took the day off from work and just slept in... Anyways, some questions for you....

1) If you owned a luxury yacht, what would you name it?

2) Who is your favorite super hero?

3) What environmental cause do you feel strongly about?

4) What kind of puzzles do like to do?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday


TGIF