Blizzard 2006 Part 2

Like my new contacts?

You Can't Make It Up

You know how I know you're gay?

You brought camembert, and seasoned water crackers, as part of your lunch.

Hee hee.

From Commenter Smashville on Consumerist:

'Buy a Zune with gay porn at Walmart...25 dollar gift certificate.

Film gay porn for Zune in Walmart...10,000 dollar fine.

Film gay porn for Zune in an RV in a Walmart parking lot for redistribution to little girls while wearing a Nazi t-shirt that hasn't been taken off the shelf...Priceless'

Walmart Sells Gay Porn Filled Zune To Little Girl

Ack! Not again!

Grocery stores get swarmed as snow returns

DENVER - With more snow in the metro area, many people rushed to the grocery stores to stock up on Thursday.

At one Safeway store in Cherry Creek, the parking lot was full.

However, some local supermarkets are having trouble keeping up with demand, especially for produce like dairy products or bread.

At the King Soopers at 14th Street and Speer Boulevard they say they have enough supplies on hand, but the shelves are emptying as fast as they can fill them.

Good to see he found work.

Kidding.

'Sean McCaffrey, 24, of Shelton, Conn. "They don't have enough training or equipment or expertise."

McCaffrey does support a temporary surge in troop numbers, however, arguing that flooding Baghdad with more soldiers could "crush enemy forces all over the city instead of just pushing them from one area to another."

Pfc. Richard Grieco said it's hard to see how daily missions in Baghdad make a difference.'

Many soldiers say troop surge a bad idea

Holy 80's fashion, Batman!

Probably my favorite Five Star song though.

Five Star - Love Take Over'

I miss Five Star

I think I still have this cassette somewhere. How vintage.

Five Star - System Addict

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, are highly underrated producers.

SOS Band, Janet Jackson, Human League, Alexander O'neal, etc.

They have a definite sound to them, and know how to use a sample brilliantly. [America's 'Ventura Highway' on Janet's 'Someone To Call My Lover', for example.]

They even did the pduction on this little ditty:

Robert Palmer - Didn't Mean To Turn On

So cute, in a Opie/Howdy Doody way.

Hubba hubba.

Rick Astley - 'Together Forever'

Blizzard 2006 - Round Two

Post / Karl Gehring

Malcolm McLaren - 'Double Dutch'

'All that scratching is making me itch.'

Buffalo Gals - Malcolm McLaren

Sad, cause it's true.

"Our snow removal system is called the sun," said John Divinchenzo, a Highlands Ranch resident.

How you can help plows clear your street

No doubt.

'"It's, 'Help me, I was at the airport, I slept on the floor, I really don't want to sleep on the floor again.' We try to help them as much as we can," said John Barker, spokesperson with Frontier Airlines.'

DIA readies for winter's next big blow

Too bad he doesn't work for RTD.

I could have used his services last Thursday. What cracks me up, is he was busted for the same thing, previously.

Boy sentenced for driving stolen bus

15-year-old picked up passengers, collected fares along Orlando area route

FERN PARK, Fla. - A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to four years in a juvenile treatment program after deputies stopped him driving a stolen bus along a public transit route, picking up passengers and collecting fares.

A judge also sentenced Ritchie Calvin Davis last week to an additional four months in a treatment program for trespassing and theft linked to an unrelated break-in at a United Way office, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Davis also lost his driving privileges for a year, though he doesn't have a license. The sentence means he won't be able to drive for a year after getting a permit or license.

He was already on probation for taking a tour bus and driving passengers around in January, authorities said.

I agree.

"Well, I can understand the theory of wanting to free people," Ford said, referring to Bush's assertion that the United States has a "duty to free people."

But the former president said he was skeptical "whether you can detach that from the obligation number one, of what's in our national interest."

He added: "And I just don't think we should go hellfire damnation around the globe freeing people, unless it is directly related to our own national security."

Ford disagreed with Bush on invading Iraq

Ick.

Someone found my page by searching on 'Joe Nacchio shirtless'.

Ew.

That's one person I don't want to see shirtless.

Doesn't even sound like Tom Jones.

Whoa.

Am I the only one who remembers this show?

Everyone should have their own Solid Gold Dancers.

I actually have this single.

I remember thinking it might be tacky, when the day finally comes, to be called such.

James Brown Is Dead

Has a black person....

ever bought a Subaru? I don't think I have ever seen one, driving a 'Ru.

Fack!

Enough with the snow already, El Nino. There's no way I am getting stranded with just the clothes on my back, and walking 10 miles home in a blizzard, again.

New storm takes aim at Colorado; 7 inches to 2 feet feared

'The system's impact is still up in the air, experts say, as officials scramble not to repeat last week's chaos.

Another major storm is expected to blanket Denver's icy streets with up to a foot of snow Thursday and more Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.

Wednesday morning, federal forecasters were considering changing the current winter storm watch for Northeast and North Central Colorado into a more severe winter storm warning, said the weather service's Paul Guard. He and his colleagues were also poised to extend the watch another 12 hours, predicting snow and wind from Thursday afternoon into Friday evening.

"It would appear this is going to produce some signifcant snow amounts," Gard said.

His agency's latest prediction calls for 7 to 14 inches of snow in Denver Thursday and Thursday night, Gard said, and more on Friday. The foothills could see up to two feet Thursday and more Friday, as the system stalls over the region.'

It was like there had been a hurricane.

Even 7-11 was out of mostly everything. Luckily, I got the last thing of eggs, and milk.

'The previous night, shoppers at the Safeway on South Downing Street at East Evans Avenue experienced similar problems. The produce shelves were empty of nearly everything but oranges, apples, cabbages and carrots. Onions? All out. Potatoes? Not one.

Beets, beans and bagged lettuce had also disappeared. A store employee was taking the opportunity to wipe down the bare display cases.

In the dairy department, just a few gallons of milk were left, and going fast. Those who craved frozen pizza were also out of luck.'

Less food in stores, with storm in store

Kim Walker - 'Heathers'

I was kind of freaked out to find that the actress who played Heather Chandler, died, on Frances' site. I guess another guy from the cast commited suicide. Creepy.

'Nuff said.

Darny

Kinda makes you think twice...

about what you post.

Steamy D.C. sex blog scandal heads to court

'One of those men was Steinbuch, a counsel to DeWine on the Judiciary Committee. Cutler called him the 'current favorite' and said he resembled George Clooney, liked spanking and disliked condoms.

'He's very upfront about sex,' she wrote. 'He likes talking dirty and stuff, and he told me that he likes submissive women.'

When Ana Marie Cox, then the editor of the popular gossip Web site Wonkette.com, discovered and linked to Cutler's blog, the story spun out of control. Cutler was fired and Steinbuch says he was publicly humiliated. He went to court seeking more than $20 million in damages.

The case is embroiled in thorny pretrial issues, with each side demanding personal information from the other. Steinbuch wants to know how much money Cutler received from the man she called her 'sugar daddy.' Cutler demanded Steinbuch's student evaluations from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law School, where he teaches.

Steinbuch also recently added Cox as a defendant in the case, though he has not served her with court papers. A trial date has not been set, but Matthew Billips, Cutler's attorney, said there are no settlement talks that might head off a trial.'

It's about time.

There was this documentary filmmaker on the BBC, talking about how she witnessed polar bears eating each other, because they had no food. Also, she witnessed one drown because the distance between ice floes, was too far.

U.S. wants polar bears listed as threatened

Designation could propel action on global warming

The Bush administration has decided to propose listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, putting the U.S. government on record as saying that global warming could drive one of the world's most recognizable animals out of existence.

The administration's proposal -- which was described by an Interior Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity -- stems from the fact that rising temperatures in the Arctic are shrinking the sea ice that polar bears need for hunting.

The official insisted on anonymity because the department will submit the proposal today for publication in the Federal Register, after which it will be subject to public comment for 90 days.

Identifying polar bears as threatened with extinction could have an enormous political and practical impact. As the world's largest bear and as an object of children's affection as well as Christmastime Coca-Cola commercials, the polar bear occupies an important place in the American psyche.

Because scientists have concluded that carbon dioxide from power-plant and vehicle emissions is helping drive climate change worldwide, putting polar bears on the endangered species list raises the legal question of whether the government would be required to compel U.S. industries to curb their carbon dioxide output.

Making Change

I have to use singles in order to commute to work on public transportation each day. Now that I have given up buying my morning Snapple and yogurt, I find myself each morning, trying to think of some way to break my larger bills in to singles.

At first, I thought, I can just drop by TCF Bank on the way home. It is, a bank, after all. But to my surprise, the trolls at the 16th Street Mall location. charge a fee for change, if you are not a customer/member.

The humanity!

Luckily, I discovered a branch of my bank that is open to 6 PM.

Back from by bartending days, I know that singles come in batches of 25.

Friday night, I stopped and got a stack of 25. Don't know how it happened, but I'm down to just four.

So I am going to need to stop by tonight to get change, again. Problem is, it will probably be the same teller, since they only have two, after 5 PM.

And as it has only been a few days, it is going to look like I have a raging stripper problem, in that my frequency of getting a stack of singles, is appearing to happen prett frequently.

How funny.

My Seduction Style

Via Taylor. I'd have to agree.

Leprosy?

'While armadillos have been known to carry leprosy, cases of that disease being transmitted to humans are rare. "I don't think many people pick up armadillos," Hofmann says.

Prolific diggers, the animals are far more of a health nuisance with their chronic rooting, posing risks to humans, cattle and other wildlife who may step into their holes. Then there's the smell.

"They stink," Nelson says, "and they urinate and defecate like any animal does when they're stressed. They're kind of nasty creatures if you ever get close."'

Armadillos marching north to Illinois

Pee Wee Vs. Blizzard '06

'26 inches? Yeah, right.'

The day started off normal enough.

I was actually awake, and prepared to be on time to work.

While getting ready, I was checking out the weather reports. The Weather Channel said 'snow, with accumlations up to 14 inches'.

Yikes.

Channel 2 said to expect a blizzard, with up to 26 inches of snow.

Whua?

Previously, they had told us on Tuesday, that we should expect light snow all day, and temps in the low 30's.

Well, it never snowed, and was hovering around 40.

So who to believe for Wednesday?

I figure to prepare for the worst, and dress for the blizzard. My cotton moleskin jeans from Banana [they're heavy material - good for cold days], long sleeve shirt, hoodie, and long johns.

I leave my place and I think to myself, 'It's not that bad. They're probably full of shite, again.'

I get to the station, and they announce my route is running late.

Really? It's not that bad outside.

My bus is late.

The next bus comes, but says he is not dropping anyone off at the 84th Ave. Park 'N Ride [my stop].

Another bus comes.

This one says that he is 'spearheading', and isn't making any stops at 84th, either.

By now, I am on the way to being 30 minutes late. I'm livid.

I march over to the little command center thing-a-ma-jig, and bang on the door.

Out comes the supervisor, and I begin wailing on her, how two buses came and went, and refused to make my stop. By the look on her face, I could have been speaking Esperanto, or something. She couldn't fathom why a bus wouldn't stop, yet, she did not share my pissed-offed-ness.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the next bus come. She runs in her office to grab something, but rather than press the issue, and miss another bus, I leave to hopefully catch the arriving one.

As I get on, I realize, it's a newbie being trained.

'Great', I think to myself. 'Just what I need on a day like this'.

We get going, and as we are getting on I-25, there is a red truck, perpendicularly crashed in to the retaining wall. No cops. Just a woman on a cell, with a look of shock.

The bus driver shimmies past her, and we head on.

There was about two inches of snowpack on the road, but nothing major. All of the mag chloride they had put down, made the snow into mush, instead of ice or hard pack.

Traffic seemed to be moving at a relatively normal speed, so I don't know why the busses were late.

I get to my stop, and head in to work.

Again, it's not that bad.

I get logged in, and realize the place is a morgue. Partly due to the holiday, but also the snow, and traffic, I guess.

I have a morning ritual, of which websites I visit, as I get set up for the day. The first site I visit, is 9news.com, so I can catch up on local stories. Today, they had a live streaming webcast covering the storm. I was already sick of the stations I listen to, for music, this week, so I figured, I'd check it out.

The day goes on. People eventually get to work. The buzz is all about if we're really going to have a blizzard.

As the day progresses, things on the webcast get worse and worse.

I'm doing my work when an announcement comes on, that the governor is putting the National Guard on stand by.

Uh oh.

I go outside to smoke, and realize that it is now snowing sideways, and windy as a mofo.

My boss works on coming up with the fail over plan, so we can work from home. This takes a bit, since our work is heavily application based, and isn't completely accessible from home.

We finish up what work we have, and people begin trickling out.

I decide, I only have two tickets left, so I'll just stay and finish them, and then go.

Huge mistake.

Next chapter: 'Journey To The Vestibule'

Pee Wee's Beauty Tip Of The Day

Walking around in a blizzard for two days, makes a great exfoliant.

Next up:

A new post series - 'Pee Wee Vs. The Blizzard Of '06'

Which includes:

'26 Inches? Yeah, Right.'

'Journey To The Vestibule'

'The Day After Yesterday'

'The Journey Of Pee Wee Gann'

Coming Soon!

Is it wrong I find this kind of funny?

Woman puts baby through airport X-ray

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A woman mistakenly put her 1-month-old grandson through an X-ray machine at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.

A startled security worker noticed the shape of a child on the carry-on baggage screening monitor and immediately pulled him out, the Los Angeles Times reported for a story in Wednesday's editions.

The infant was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined he did not receive a dangerous dose of radiation.

"This was an innocent mistake by an obviously inexperienced traveler," said Paul Haney, deputy executive director of airports and security for the city's airport agency.

The incident happened early Saturday, airport officials said.

Haney said in 1988, an infant in a car seat went through an X-ray machine at the Los Angeles airport.

Ick

'The affidavit continues to say that at approximately 1:30 a.m., after Esson had returned to her room from drinking with some of the parents, the student came to her room where he was offered alcohol and intercourse took place.

According to the affidavit, Esson's children and the babysitter were reportedly present in the motel room during the incident. They are said to have been sleeping during this time.

Esson's divorce was finalized the day before the trip.

The 17-year-old student initially denied to administrators that the incident took place, but later confirmed they had intercourse on the floor of the hotel room while the babysitter and children were sleeping.'

Teacher accused of sexually assaulting student

Quote Of The Day

"I drive eating (fried chicken)," he said. "It's not the smartest thing to do and so if I break some law, it ought to cost me."

Distracted drivers could soon be missing some cash

Fack!

Now they are saying we're under blizzard warning. Two feet of snow expected by this time tomorrow.

Blegh.

Mongolian Barbeque...

is the best thing since refrigeration.

And BD's gets extra special brownie points for the selection of goodies you can throw in it. I put scallops in my bowl this time. Yum.

Cork Soaker. Next Up, Buck Futter.

A blast from the past, via Heavy Lift With Caution:

Creepy to think about.

'Forty-three years ago, one person with a home movie camera captured the only detailed images of the assassination of President John Kennedy.

If today's technology had existed then, dozens or even hundreds of people with cellphones and digital cameras probably would have recorded the shooting from every possible angle.'

"Citizen journalists" calling shots

Ack!

I just noticed his head in her hoo-ha area. Yikes.

I give it six months, max.

That place has high turnover, ever since it changed away from the Denver Buffalo Company.

Sutra

'The patio is gone in front of the old Donkey Den at East 11th Avenue and Lincoln Street to make room for Sutra, a nightclub opening Dec. 29.

It's from the Tryst people with the slogan "Sleep is for Sundays." It'll be open 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursdays-Saturdays (that's 18 hours-a-week!), with 12 bottle service areas, private bathrooms, "bed areas," a DJ, drummer and stage & bar dancers.'

Crack is wax!

Woman tells cop she bought 'bad crack'

HAWTHORNE, Fla. (AP) - A North Carolina woman was arrested after complaining to a police officer that the crack cocaine she had just purchased wasn't very good, authorities said.

Eloise D. Reaves, 50, approached the Putnam County sheriff's deputy at a convenience store Friday, telling him that another man had sold her "bad crack" that contained wax and cocaine.

She pulled an alleged crack rock out of her mouth and placed it on the deputy's car for inspection, the Palatka Daily News reported for Tuesday editions.

The deputy told Reaves that she would be arrested if the crack tested positive for cocaine.

She was charged with possession of cocaine and bonded out for $1,504.

Another reason...

I always have my windows cracked, even in winter.

Northwest storm death toll rises to 14

SEATTLE (AP) - Four family members were found dead Monday in their home of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning, bringing the death toll from the Northwest's worst windstorm in a decade to 14.

The four - one woman and three males - were found in a home in Burien, a south Seattle suburb, along with another relative who was clinging to life, said King County sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart. Like many in the area left without power after the storm, they had been running a generator in their garage, authorities said.

"Other family members had last talked to them around Saturday," Urquhart said. "They called us to make a welfare check. We broke into the house and found them."

Carbon monoxide - an odorless, colorless and highly toxic gas - was also responsible for killing two men over the weekend. One had been using a portable generator in his living room; the other was using a charcoal grill to heat his bedroom.

At least 100 people have developed symptoms of exposure to carbon monoxide since the winds knocked out power to more than a million homes and businesses late last week. Dozens were treated in a hyperbaric chamber that re-oxygenates the blood at Virginia Mason Medical Center, officials said.

Of the 14 storm-related deaths, 12 were in Washington and two were in Oregon.

Eggs Kill

Egg-toss prank turns deadly

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - It was the sort of commonplace misbehavior that raises blood pressure across the nation's roads: kids, out after midnight, egging cars along a busy thoroughfare.

This time, though, the mischief turned deadly. The driver of a targeted gray Jeep barreled after the boys and someone inside pulled a gun, firing multiple shots that killed 14-year-old Danny Crawford.

Police are still seeking the gunman more than two weeks after Crawford's death. They have interviewed the Jeep's owner but aren't saying if that person is a suspect.

"I'd like to know where he is. I'd like to know why he won't come out and admit what he did," said the teen's mother, Kelly Crawford, 35, a Fredericksburg, Va., office worker.

Crawford, raised in Virginia, where he lived with his mother, had moved to Columbus over the summer to be with his father. He decided to stay for the school year, attending eighth grade at a middle school a few minutes from his house.

"We're just wondering why it happened to him and why would somebody even think to do that?" Hannah Pulse, 13, a friend, said of Crawford's slaying.

Crawford's death was reminiscent of a shooting in Indiana last year when a motorist whose truck had been egged by teenagers chased the youths and opened fire in a parking lot, killing one boy and wounding another.

Three years ago a young man in northeast Ohio was shot to death after throwing tomatoes at passing vehicles, a common prank in the Amish community.

Cars give people a sense of anonymous power that helps explain such confrontations, a type of road rage, said Northeastern University criminologist Jack Levin.

"People are reacting from their gut in the heat of the moment and if they had a little time to think about it and cool off they might not respond at all," he said.

...And Another One Down, Another One Down....

Pastor at Haggard's church resigns over 'sexual misconduct'

'COLORADO SPRINGS (AP) - A pastor who worked with young adults at New Life Church has resigned after admitting sexual misconduct and other mistakes.

This comes just weeks after former church leader Ted Haggard stepped down over sexual immorality, church officials said.

Christopher Beard, who headed the twentyfourseven ministry that taught leadership skills to young adults, resigned Friday after admitting sexual misconduct and other mistakes, said Rob Brendle, an associate pastor at the 14,000-member church.

Brendle said Beard told church officials about "a series of decisions displaying poor judgment, including one incident of sexual misconduct several years ago." He would not elaborate about the nature of the misconduct but said it did not involve Haggard or a minor.

The resignation was reported Monday by The Denver Post and The Gazette in Colorado Springs. Brendle did not immediately return a call Monday from The Associated Press, and a residential phone number listed in Beard's name was disconnected.

Beard, who had worked at New Life Church for nine years, was not married at the time of the sexual misconduct but is now, Brendle said.

Church leadership asked its outside Board of Overseers to examine the "spiritual character" of the 200 staff members after Haggard resigned last month from the church and as president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Haggard acknowledged he paid Mike Jones of Denver for a massage and for methamphetamine, but said he did not have sex with him and did not use the drug. Jones has said Haggard paid him regularly for sex. Haggard and his wife, Gayle Haggard, are undergoing three weeks of counseling at an undisclosed center in Arizona.'

Today In Horny Teachers

But, was the student, at least 'hot'?

I keed, I keed.

Female teacher accused of sex with male student

GLENWOOD SPRINGS (AP) - A 32-year-old female teacher from the suburban Denver city of Parker has been arrested and accused of a sexual relationship with a male high school student on a trip to Glenwood Springs in western Colorado.

Authorities say Darcie Esson is accused of felony sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

According to investigators, Esson was a teacher at Elizabeth High School south of Denver last month when she accompanied the school's football team for a playoff game against a team from the town of Rifle. The group stayed in Glenwood Springs.

Take That - 'Patience'

Ack. It actually grew on me. Hopefully, it doesn't become big here in the States. I couldn't deal with another 'Bad Day', or 'Beautiful'. Certainly don't look all boyband-y anymore.

Blasphemy!

But an intriguing concept/theory.

Oddly enough, since I was a latch-key kid, I made all my own meals starting at the age of six. My mom didn't buy sweets/snacks though.

The Skinny on Kids' Diets

'Davis began studying each child just as he or she was being weaned, so later food choices wouldn't be affected by earlier eating experiences. She studied some children for as long as 4.5 years, offering them foods drawn from a list of 34 ingredients, plus water.

These included such instant baby-pleasers as turnips, cabbage, spinach, bone marrow, sweetbreads, brains, liver, and kidneys. To be fair, there were also other vegetables, fruit, whole grains, eggs, beef, lamb, and chicken. Distinctly absent were candy, soda, ice cream, and prepared foods, and even foods like soups or bread that could be made from the 34 ingredients on the list.

Food was never served, but simply made available. Nurses trained not to encourage or discourage eating, or to influence food choice, were present as needed to help with the feeding.

Did the experiment work? For my purposes, very well, since the results pretty much support the advice I've been giving parents. Davis found that each of the 15 kids she studied selected a unique diet for himself or herself.

The kids might binge on foods that attracted them at one meal, but by the end of the day (or, truth be told, several days), the total food they'd eaten added up to a nutritionally perfect and complete diet for every one of them.

The kids grew well and Davis described them as unusually happy and healthy ("rollicking and rosy-cheeked").'

Hope they still don't go commando.

As they say, a real Scotsman, doesn't wear anything under his kilt.

Scottish soldiers forced to share kilts for now

Shortage means 1 for every 15 soldiers due to contract snafu with supplier

More than 5,000 Scottish soldiers must share ceremonial kilts because defense chiefs haven't finalized a contract to buy enough of the garments for all, British military officials said Monday.

'LONDON - Great Scot! A shortage of ceremonial kilts could leave thousands of soldiers without a stitch of plaid to wear as they parade to the skirl of the bagpipes.

Military officials said Monday that more than 5,000 Scottish soldiers are having to share their kilts because defense chiefs have not finalized a contract to buy enough of the garments to go around.

The men, who face regular tours of duty in south Iraq and Afghanistan, have just 320 kilts, or one for every 15 soldiers.

Combat troops wore the traditional Highland garb in battle as late as World War I, but now the plaid kilts are used in ceremonial uniform.

New kilts are needed for all Scottish soldiers following the August 2006 merger of centuries-old regiments into a single Royal Regiment of Scotland.

'A planned deployment of kilts will be agreed with the Royal Regiment of Scotland on a roll-out basis with ... the full program being completed by January 2008,' a Ministry of Defense spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.

The Ministry of Defense has refused to say who has won the contract to supply the kilts; in the meantime, soldiers will have to share.

The 320 kilts provided so far have been supplied by Argyll Bagpipes and Kilts on a trial basis. The full contract is worth up to $1.95 million, taking two years to complete and will involve 15,000 yards of fabric.

'The kilt is psychologically important for the identity of Scottish soldiers,' said Lt. Col. Willy Macnair, who served in the defunct Queen's Own Highlander regiment. 'It may mean that some soldiers in this (new) regiment, by the time they leave, may never have worn it.'

Scottish lawmakers and veterans had opposed the merger of the traditional regiments, which saw action in both world wars and the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa.'

Who knew?

'"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song written and produced by American singer Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, and recorded for Carey's fifth album Merry Christmas (1994).

Its protagonist declares that she doesn't care about Christmas presents or lights; all she wants for Christmas is to be with her lover.

It is unrelated to the 1989 Christmas hit single by novelty act Vince Vance and the Valiants. It was released as the album's first single in December 1994 (see 1994 in music) and reached the top ten in several non-U.S. countries, and it is one of the most commercially successful Christmas singles of the modern era.

According to The New Yorker, it is "one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon". Because the song has achieved such success and acclaim in a relatively short time period, many are unaware that it is an original song written by Carey.

It has been covered by singers such as Shania Twain and Samantha Mumba, and bands such as My Chemical Romance. It was performed by Olivia Olson in the film Love Actually (2003). By late 2006, it had become the best-selling holiday ring tone of all time in the U.S.'



My Chemical Romance's Cover

Nelly Furtado - 'Say It Right'

I actually don't mind this song. Way better than 'Maneater'. The video is kind of lame, but the white dancing boy is hubbs.

The Killers - 'When You Were Young'

I caught the video yesterday, and for some reason, the lyrics struck me differently this time. It seems to me, that there is some homo/queer context.

There was some debate whether or not Brandon Flowers was a 'mo, but I guess he's Mormon, and married. But that's not really saying much. [Hello, Tom Haggard.]

There were the gay lyrics on 'Andy You're A Star', and the sexually ambiguous 'Somebody Told Me'. Then of course, there is 'Mr. Brightside', which sounds like a sequel to 'Andy', in that the lyrics could be intrepreted as jealousy of a chick, that is kissing the guy, the narrator wants.

So not only does the video for 'Young', have a young girl as the center plot point, in context of religion, and homosexuality [at least when it comes to priests and altar boys], it can change the tone of this song:

'They say the devil's water, it ain't so sweet
You don't have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once in a little while

You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now here he comes

He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined when you were young
(He talks like a gentlemen, like you imagined when)
When you were young'

I'm going to have to listen to 'Bones' again.

Sheesh.

$14k in Federal tax witheld this year.

I hope I get a good refund.

Blurb Movie Reviews - 'Silent Hill'

WTF? If you haven't seen the movie yet, don't read on. Spoilers.

I consider myself a pretty smart kid. I get 'M Theory', and can think in abstract association, but what the hell is up with this movie?

As I take it, it's about some girl who was killed by a bunch of religious freaks. Only she doesn't die, yet she gets revenge on the religious peeps.

But is she dead or alive?

And why did the blonde chick adopt a ghost?

Seriously, if anyone can explain it to me, that would be great.

For all my bloggers out there.

Perez Hilton Dart Board


I personally never go to his site, but I have heard ths 411 on him. From Gallery Of The Absurd. [And this is the ONLY mention he will ever get on this site.

I kinda miss them. Squirrel Nut Zippers rule.

Ecstasy

Yay! Somebody finally posted this.

I posted about it earlier, but no vid was up. My favorite part is 'fishes run free, I'm Abe Vigoda'.

Studio 69 - On Van Nuys Boulevard

'What's up big perm?

I mean, big worm.'

I have some serious bed head going on after my nap.

Anniversary

It was a year ago today, that I started Bon Jour, Pee Wee. Originally, it was out of boredom.

Then it was out of caching the weird, random stuff, I would find on the interwebs, that when I told people about, didn't believe me.

I finally got the format down, and realized I needed to check what a post actually looked like, before moving on.

It has been a fun year, with ups and downs, but it all paid off in the end.

I got a writing gig out of it, a minor presence in the blogosphere, and distinction as a fellow blogger's 'blog crush'.

Highlights of the year:

Josh Lucas Obsession

The Real World Denver Kids

Crack-a-licious Whitney

Trailer Park Britney, Y'all

Hubba Hubba

Cruisenfreude

The 'Break up' With Architectural Digest.

Becoming the 'go-to' place for pictures of Rick Astley.

Irking Panic At The Disco fans.

Thanks for reading kids!!

Today In Quizno's Mafia

So that's why I got hits on 'Quizno's shooting'.

Quiznos fires 8 franchisees

The Denver-based company's action in several states follows the publication online of a store owner's suicide note.

Quiznos has terminated the contracts of eight franchise owners affiliated with a group that publicized a suicide note left by a California franchisee who recently shot himself.

The Long Beach, Calif., franchise owner killed himself in a Quiznos bathroom after a long-running legal dispute with the Denver-based chain. In a two-page suicide note, Bhupinder "Bob" Baber angrily accused Quiznos of mistreating franchise owners like him, contributing to a rapid decline in his physical and mental health.

"Quiznos has killed me. Destroyed my life. Destroyed my family life for the past seven years," Baber said in the note.

The Toasted Subs Franchisee Association, a group of Quiznos franchisees that is highly critical of the Denver chain's business practices, posted the note online. The group said the note was found on his body.

Baber shot himself in a Whittier, Calif., Quiznos on Nov. 27 after walking in and asking to speak to the owner. He died later that night.

In the note, posted on the association's website, Baber called for intense scrutiny of the company. After the letter was posted, eight of the association's board members received termination notices.

The company, which responded only by written statement, accused the franchisees of seeking to exploit Baber's death.

"We ... continue to be deeply saddened by Mr. Baber's death," Quiznos said in its statement. "We find it deplorable and utterly reprehensible that the TSFA has chosen to exploit this tragic situation to further their ongoing and continuing efforts to damage the Quiznos brand and, consequently, all of their fellow franchisees in the Quiznos system."

Justin Klein, an attorney representing the association, said the group believes Quiznos is trying to discourage franchisees from speaking out.

The terminated franchisees were located in several states, including Michigan, Minnesota, Montana and Texas. None were in Colorado.

Some were told to cease operations immediately, while others were given a period of time in which to "cure" the situation, Klein said.

Quiznos has been dogged by franchisee complaints. In addition to individual lawsuits, the company has been named in proposed class-action lawsuits in Wisconsin and Canada.

The Wisconsin lawsuit alleges that the company sets franchisees up for failure by forcing them to buy food and supplies at inflated prices while setting retail prices so low that franchisees can't profit. It also claims that Quiznos omits or misrepresents key facts about its business operations when selling franchises.

Quiznos has said the Wisconsin lawsuit is without merit and that it will defend itself vigorously.

The company has successfully defended itself against lawsuits by franchisees claiming that it builds new locations too close to existing ones and that it takes franchise fees without providing adequate locations within the allotted time frames.

Baber had sued Quiznos for allowing new stores to open too close to his two locations. He later alleged that the company tried to terminate his leases as a form of retaliation for filing the suit and for trying to organize a franchisee group.

Chris Bray, president of the Toasted Subs Franchisee Association, said the group's membership includes "several hundred franchisees" representing as much of 10 percent of the company's franchisees. Bray received an order dated Dec. 8 indicating that his two franchises in Texas were being terminated.

Bob Purvin, chairman of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers, said it was the first time he has seen a franchiser terminate multiple franchisees for publicly criticizing it.

Purvin, whose association represents franchisees in their dealings with franchisers, said Quiznos has emerged as a significant concern for the group because of its apparent lack of willingness to engage with its franchisee associations.

Derek Jeter's Taco Hole

Ok, not really. But he does have some pimp juice he wants to sell you.

She should....

just pick out a Latino/Latina, and a Middle Eastern type, and be done with the United Colors Of Benetton Family World Tour.

'"You know, now the questions are more when you have a mixed-race family, do you balance the races so there's another African person in the house for Z? So there's another Asian person in the house for Mad? Shiloh has Brad and I she can look at," the actress said.

"What's best for the children as they grow? ... We don't just want to have different children from different countries. That's not the point," Jolie said.

The couple and their three children were photographed for the upcoming issue of People magazine.'

Jolie Says She and Pitt Plan to Adopt

Preacher: 'Get your freak on'

He's kind of an arse, though:

'But Beam is also part entertainer with a patter that is almost vaudevillian in its timing: 'Why can women be multiorgasmic and men not? Well, I've decided God just likes you better! ... 'What's the difference between a woman with PMS and a Doberman? Lipstick.'

This literalist view cuts both ways. Beam has been attacked by some conservative Christians for his liberal take on certain subjects.

Much of what he preaches contradicts the teaching of other sects, such as Roman Catholicism. But he argues that if the Bible does not forbid it, you can do it. So bring on masturbation.

Try any position in the Kama Sutra (but refer to drawings, please, not pictures of real people). Wife away on business? Have phone sex. Birth control is good. Even anal sex is OK if (and Beam believes this is a big if) it does no harm to the body.'

One preacher's message: Have hotter sex

'Ellie Mae, I think you put that, in them thar hole, right here'.

Tupperware parties with a twist

'Reinertsen, a no-nonsense 30-year-old suburban mom from Shawnee, Kan., goes on to demonstrate 'Gigi,' a male masturbation sleeve, by squeezing a generous amount of lubricant into it, then sliding and twisting it up and down the penis-shaped lube bottle.

'This is going to make your job so much easier!' she says, sounding a lot like a vacuum salesman who's just spread topsoil on the carpet.

At that, 15 women turn to look at me, as if to say, 'Well?' It's then I realize that being the only man at a Passion Party can be uncomfortable.

But in this room, I'm the only one blushing, which is saying something because Cathy Pearson, 44, is here with her two daughters, 18 and 24. Not only is she not embarrassed, she regards the sex toy party as a chance for some mother-daughter bonding, a deliberate effort to change the sexual conversation she heard as a girl.

'I was so sheltered. I was very naive,' she tells me. Like many in the area, she grew up Southern Baptist, got married out of high school and 'all I knew was this little world. When I got divorced 10 years ago, I felt so stupid.' She doesn't want her daughters to feel the same way.

This is exactly what Pat Davis, the president of Passion Parties, the Las Vegas-based company that supplies Reinertsen with her products and training, calls the company's mission. 'We are really helping educate women, helping them have better relationships,' she says.

If my three nights of Passion Partying in small-town Missouri are any indication, Davis has tapped into a very receptive audience, and one quite willing to pay for vibrators, dildos, lubricants and other products that boost their sexual pleasure.

Reinertsen's sales network, which includes herself and those she has brought into the fold, made more than $1.2 million in sales in 2005. She took home more than $100,000 in personal income. She'll do better in 2006, and most of those sales will come from small towns and rural locations in eastern Kansas and western Missouri.'

Duh.

Poll: Arab attitudes toward U.S. more negative

Survey underscores need for shift in U.S. Mideast policy, expert finds

WASHINGTON - A new survey shows Arab attitudes toward American people, products and culture grew increasingly negative last year, a finding that underscores the need for a change in U.S. Mideast policy, a leading expert on the region said on Thursday.

James Zogby, the head of the Arab American Institute, said the annual survey of opinion in five Arab countries found that U.S. policy toward Iraq and the Palestinian conflict were the main issues driving deteriorating Arab opinion.

'Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up, it's grand...

just holding your hand.'

Back in high school there was this chick Becky, who used to be in my classes. She was a riot.

She would always get random songs stuck in her head, and would sing them over and over. Rather than be annoying, it was funny. Often, I would get them stuck in my head, too.

The songs would range from Lionel Ritchie's 'Ballerina Girl', to the Christmas sleigh ride song [even in the middle of Spring].

What was funny about it, was she would always pick the portions of songs, that when taken out of context, made no sense, or sounded odd. Such as the line above about holding hands.

I was taking a nap on my lunch break out in the mall, and they were playing Christmas music over the PA. That song came on, and immediately reminded me of her. We used to get in trouble in Marketing, because we were always cracking each other up, and not paying attention.

Funny how you can associate such particular stuff to a song.

Speaking of Christmas music, I think 'Little Drummer Boy' has to be the gayest, lamest Christmas song, ever.

My faves are Elvis' 'Blue Christmas', Brenda Lee's 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree', 'Santa Baby' [Eartha Kitt's, or Madonna's, doesn't matter], and, ack!, Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas [Is You]'.

'Santa Baby' just reminded me of when I dressed up as Santa, and my friend Megan did a rendition of that for some regional DECA competition. I don't really remember why we did it, but I do remember I was wearing only a t-shirt, Santa beard and hat, and boxers. [?] I was even sober at the time.

Actually, thinking of it, Christmas was the most fun during my high school years. Since I was involved in Student Government and DECA, we got to do a lot of community service projects. One project that was a lot of fun, was getting, wrapping, and handing out gifts to underprivileged kids at a Christmas party we sponsored.

As an adult, Christmas just seems like a chore now.

Bah, humbug.

Oh, another great Christmas song is the SCTV/Candian one with the guys from Strange Brew. [And a be-ee-er, in a tree].

I wish on YouTube, someone would post the 'Ceephus And Reesie Christmas Album' skit from 'In living Color'.

Their version of the 'Twelve DaysOf Christmas' went like this:

'Fi-ive pound of grits.
Four collard greens,
Three hamhocks,
Some chit-lins,
And some pigs feet'.

David Alan Grier, and one of the chicks were playing these really bad gospel singers.

Grody

You wouldn't catch me eating no mutant deer meat. You'd probably grow seven legs yourself.

Hermaphroditic deer with seven legs 'tasty'

Wisconsin hunter bags odd beast with pickup in driveway, eats it

FOND DU LAC, Wis. - Rick Lisko hunts deer with a bow but got his most unusual one driving his truck down his mile-long driveway. The young buck had nub antlers - and seven legs. Lisko said it also had both male and female reproductive organs. "It was definitely a freak of nature," Lisko said. "I guess it's a real rarity.”

He said he slowed down as the buck and two does ran across the driveway Nov. 22, but the buck ran under the truck and got hit.

When he looked at the animal, he noticed three- to four-inch appendages growing from the rear legs. Later, he found a smaller appendage growing from one of the front legs.

"It's a pretty weird deer," he said, describing the extra legs as resembling "crab pinchers."

"It kind of gives you the creeps when you look at it," he said, but he thought he saw the appendages moving, as if they were functional, before the deer was hit.

Warden Doug Bilgo of the state Department of Natural Resources came to Lisko's property near Mud Lake in the town of Osceola to tag the deer.

"I have never seen anything like that in all the years that I've been working as a game warden and being a hunter myself," Bilgo said. "It wasn't anything grotesque or ugly or anything. It was just unusual that it would have those little appendages growing out like that."

Bilgo took photos and sent information on the animal to DNR wildlife managers.

John Hoffman of Eden Meat Market skinned the deer for Lisko, who wasn't going to waste the venison from the animal.

"And by the way, I did eat it," Lisko said. "It was tasty."

Still...

I'm such a germ-o-phobe, that I would be hesistant to go sipping water, from the pond a water buffalo, just did his business, in.

'Mobilising [sic] LifeStraw offers relief from the waterborne diseases of major public concerns such as Typhoid, Cholera, Dysentery and Diarrhoea.

As a personal mobile water purification tool, LifeStraw is designed to turn surface water into drinking water, thus providing access to safe water wherever you are.'

LifeStraw

Neat-o

NATO Survival Matches

'The BCB Survival Matches Mk3 are the finest waterproof survival matches available anywhere at any price. These NATO Survival Matches come in a small, watertight, plastic bottle that has a match strike surface on one end.

Once ignited, these windproof survival storm matches are more like small flares than matches and burn intensely for approximately 12 seconds. They cannot be blown out. You can actually drop them into water and these survival matches will continue to burn.'

I feel special.

From Frances Danger a.k.a A Pretty Song For A Girl With A Dangerous Name:

'After a complicated elimination process involving pros and cons lists, chaos math, who won professional soccer matches this week, and the flipping of a silver dollar I have my answer.

My blog crush is...

::DRUMROLL PLEASE::

Big Daddy at Bonjour, PeeWee!!! YAY!!

I love reading his blog because it has all manner of minutiae. He really does scour the web so I don't have to. Where else can you find out that Jamiroquai has been around 14 years, see pics of the new Transformers, and read some seriously weird news items from around the country?

I would so comment on his blog but because it has word verification and I'm still stuck on a Sidekick it won't let me. Also, if you want more great Entertainment sarcasm check out his comments on any of the Gawker Media sites.

Genius. I could totally see us completing each others sentences on all things pop culture. Plus I loved the name he linked me under in his blog so much I actually changed the name of my blog.'

Yay! It's nice to be complimented.

You should check out her page as well. She's funny.

'I'm the whore, I'M THE WHORE'

This is where I got that expression.

Not sure how I feel about this.

I am torn between seeing it, or avoiding it. Hayden Christiansen is one sucky actor. I clearly see that Katie Holmes would have been a horrid choice.

I'm a dork, but not a geek.

Gifts.com has a profiling widget to supposedly help you shop for someone. I answered their lame, three questions, and it called me a geek. Although, I probably would like the UV Germ Killing Toothbrush Holder.

Irish Mexican food?

Carlos O'Kelly's

Nitzer Ebb!

I used to have a crush on the singer.

Oldie But Goodie

Front 242 - Headhunter. Brief Nudity FYI.

Real World Denver - Jenn Speaks

East Bay Express interviews Jenn from the cast. My favorite part:

'I packed the night before I left, and I think I was drunk when I did it.'

'Nuff said.

Reveal Your Blog Crush

From Ms. Sizzle via Frances Danger:

'So, I've been asked what technically IS a Blog Crush? It'd likely include some, if not all, of the following:

A) You can't wait to read what they post next.

B) You want to be friends with them.

C) You think they are the cat's meow. Meow!

D) You might find them attractive- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, whatever floats your boat.

E) If you met them in person, blushing might occur.

If you have to really think hard about who your blog crush is, you probably don't have one.

THE RULES:

1) You can have more than one crush (but please refrain from naming your entire blogroll in an effort to keep everyone happy).

2) You must reveal it on December 15, 2006 on your own blog.

3) Boys can crush on boys. Girls can crush on girls. Boys can crush on girls. Girls can crush on boys. This has little to do with our sexuality and more to do with being bloggeriffic.'

I think my blog crush has to be Taylor, for his cutie pic on his profile.

Also, it's against the rules, but all of the Pee Wee Playmates, for their unique perspectives on things, keeping me entertained.