Author Archives: Joel

Until a few minutes ago, I’m pretty sure I’d never heard the words “Melissa Harris-Perry.” Now I think she’s the funniest thing since Early Cosby – only in a bad way. I’m fighting the urge to go look for YouTube … Continue reading →

I’ve complained before that (ahem) certain people seem to think I’m the local game warden. I was eating breakfast this chilly, cloudy, damp morning and enjoying the nice warm fire when the cheap Tracfone I keep for local comms rang. … Continue reading →

Forget all those things I said about how great Australia’s confiscation was. Just keep bitterly clinging to your sick little phallic symbols, crackers. Who are those bozos in the background?

Supposedly this is the day President Lightbringer shows us how much bigger his pen and phone are than yours. Heh – S&W is praying for the gungrabber apocalypse. h/t

Hey, remember this? Yeah, I know I mocked it when a generous reader first sent it here back in October, but that little BLF has kind of grown on me in the meantime and I take it everywhere. Unfortunately the … Continue reading →

It’s the last and prettiest of the pretty days the forecast allows. According to the weatherman – who has been eerily accurate lately – we’re heading back into cold and wet territory tonight or tomorrow, so I figured I’d better … Continue reading →

So far I must confess I find it rather cold. But Al Gore is much smarter than me – or at least much richer – and so I have to take it as true when he said, ten years ago … Continue reading →

…and still no flying cars. Hell, by now we were all supposed to be wearing shiny coveralls and living in the asteroid belt. The very least the future could have delivered on was flying cars. Instead we got plastic pistols, … Continue reading →

Via Hognose, who also has some things to say about this enlightened individual, we meet an accomplished academic scholar who takes on the real problem of the day in a humane, thoughtful, and above all hilariously stupid manner… Wild animals … Continue reading →

But I got a kick out of this, seen at Tam’s place… Practice more, young padawan, or you’ll have to take a stormtrooper gig.

Heh – you got lemons, you make lemonade. I guess. An excellent use of security camera footage, since it’s unlikely to actually help catch the thieves.

Here. I confess I’d never heard of this gadget. I rarely give pepper spray projectors a thought, since once back in the late sixties I got maced in the face by another kid and I’ve never been so motivated to … Continue reading →

The sun rose in a cloudless sky for once, and the forecast promises more of the same with slowly rising temps. It’s nearly nine ayem and there’s still an inch of frost on the ground, but it’s still and bright… … Continue reading →

What else do you need to say?

Temperature hasn’t seen the happy side of 40 since I don’t remember when. Ghost spent yesterday at S&L’s house and was extremely butthurt when he had to come home this morning. He’s still not speaking to me. Where did I … Continue reading →

Never got above freezing yesterday. Heavy clouds, occasional flurries, no accumulation. Probably won’t get above freezing today – hell, might not get near it – though we are currently getting some on-and-off sun. Yesterday I left the inverter off all … Continue reading →

In comments over at Claire’s place I learned something I did not know. There’s a whole damn lot of Lovecraft-flavored Christmas carols. Srsly, as the damned illiterate kids say… So that happened. Merry Christmas, y’all. 🙂

…and I’ve certainly had worse. I remember morning after morning in Michigan, as the sun rises unseen to illuminate gray sky and lots of fluffy falling snow. Not very cold, a point or two above freezing, no wind. Very pleasant, … Continue reading →

Last night I rolled a new straw bale into the Fortress of Attitude. It’s easier to do that after the birds have put themselves to bed, because otherwise they get all upset. This morning they devoted themselves to dismantling it … Continue reading →

Launched, deployed 11 comm satellites apparently without a hitch, and the launch vehicle landed flawlessly. Good robot! Here’s a treat. Welcome, America, to the 1930s.