Archives: July 2006

Big Pink Meanie

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Published on: July 26, 2006

Mean and pink

(Warning: This first item will make you want to douse someone in gasoline and call them Sparky. Please make sure you pick the right person if you do so.)

Today we have animals in the local news. The first one comes from the exciting city of Athol. The town’s original name was Colton, but the townsfolk felt that name was too plain and decided to rename it something catchier. After discovering there was already a Sphynkter, Nebraska, they settled on Athol with hopes of making it big in the bumper-sticker slogan market. Less amusing is the recent arson-related wildfire, set via flaming cats. Per the someone doused the cats in a flammable liquid and lit them up. To paraphrase (although honestly, I remember the line somewhat differently) Henry Chinaski in Barfly: It’s not that I hate people, but I seem to feel better when they’re not around.

And now for our second animal-related story (with the headline ripped straight from the Spokesman-Review): Logjam on Salmon strands about 200 rafters. All I can say is “Damn! That must be one big salmon!” Oh, it’s just the river. . . Nevermind. It would have been a cool story, had it been an actual giant salmon. Okay, back to work.


Hot Summer Sun

Categories: Family
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Published on: July 26, 2006

We survived another birthday party for the girl-child this Saturday. Nothing quite like twelve screaming 9 to 10 year-olds whizzing in the pool. No fighting no biting no running no pushing no whizzing no diving. And for chissakes, no SCREAMING! Only one kid used the bathroom the entire time, so I am pretty sure the no whizzing rule was a wash. On the plus side, my super-chlorination of the pool Sunday should make everyone feel fresh and tingly on the outside. Considering the six large black trash bags of junk the wife hauled out of girl-child’s room a week or two ago, we decided to forego gifts and accept food donations for the local animal shelter instead. The girl gets to feel good for helping the critters and we get to avoid another layer of broken toys on her floor.

. . . we interrupt this blog to for breaking news from NewsMinute with Nathan O! Trader Joe’s, the best supermarket ever, is considering a store in Spokane. About fucking time! And now, back to your regularly scheduled blogcrap.

A summer pool-party; who would have guessed that playing in water would be so popular in 108f+ heat?

The fun continued into Sunday when, not content to swim in the diluted urine of a select few, we went to the water park! A veritable sea of free-whee-ers! Joy! My skin feels so smooth and shiny now. The heat continued and we chose to face it in public. The girl-child made a new best-friend, but forgot to get any contact info. Not so smooth.

My favorite part of amusement parks, fairs and the like is the food. Where else can you go to get curly-fry paste and reconstituted regurgitated chicken-like sandwiches? Judging by the uniform taste and texture no matter where you go, I assume there is a central location where each and every amusement park, fair, water park and miniature-golf course goes to buy this stuff. I almost got a hot dog, but since I can barely stomach the things when I know sort of what species of random bits is supposed to be included in them, I decided to forego that particular gastrointrusion in favor of the chicken compress sandwich (it’s not meat, it’s not feathers, it’s not random organs . . . it’s an amalgam of all three!). Good thing, too. After ordering, I had to go elsewhere to pick up a funnel cake,deep-fried by the saddest man in the park. My Gloomy could not, or would not, smile. He liked like he was suffering from ‘rrhoid rage. Either that or he had just stuffed several small children into his deep fryer and was angry at the world for not leaving him alone long enough to finish frying and eating them. Anyway, Gloomy cooked. Fried, actually. I think he wanted me to see how it was made, because every move was done at quarter speed.

Eventually, I had my funnel cake in hand, and after discovering that my only topping choices were powdered sugar and no powdered sugar, I headed back to the regular food pickup area. The two men who had ordered food before me were still there waiting for their hot dogs. Not a good sign. They don’t toast their buns, so that shouldn’t slow down the cooking crew. Their dogs are either boiled or nuked. Judging from the speed, I would say boiled, and they can only do one dog at a time. Another ten minutes pass, as does most of my funnel cake. The hot dog guys have had enough; they pound on the window to get the attention of a slow-motion chef and demand their money back. My chicken-like sandwich, which they know was ordered after their food, and certainly shouldn’t take less time than a flavor-free mystery meat dog, arrives. I smile and leave while they berate the quarterspeed halfwit zitface behind the counter. Oh how I love these places!

Once fed, I ventured out with the kids, pointedly not thinking of piss whenever I was in the water, and ride the slides. all told, it was a very successful day: We stayed cool, had fun, and nobody cracked a rib like last year. Here’s to hoping they clean the pools next time.


Nothing To Do With Screaming Children

Categories: Poetry
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Published on: July 25, 2006

My inbox is empty and my need for validation is strong
please send me an email, some spam or Kermit in a thong.
I feel so alone now, a monkey in a storm
where’s Kermit and his thong?
Lonely, lonely, lonely,
lonely me


Trolling Through Your Personal Data

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Published on: July 25, 2006

Hello, and welcome to Inland NorthWest NewsMinute with Nathan O!. Today’s news brought to you by Global Warming. If you like hot, you’ll love “Holy Shit It’s Hot!” day, presented every day this week, thanks to forward-thinkers the world over (today is “The President Said Shit In Public After Signing The Decency Act So Shit Must Be Acceptable Day”, so don’t write to complain). Yes, global warming, a little slice of hell for everyone.

In National and International News, fighting continued in the Middle East. Where? Who cares? Just choose a country at random and most likely there’s fighting. Russian President Vladimir Putin may or may not have done a creepy kiss to a child’s tummy, and U.S. President George W. Bush managed to survive eating another pretzel.

In Local News, disgraced former Spokane mayor Jim West is stil dead and is finally getting doing better in the polls than current mayor Dennis “police brutality and incompetence is good for the city” Hession. The Giant Palouse earthworm is still not the official State Invertebrate for Idaho, but this reporter still has hope. The Peregrine Falcon (today is “Random Capitalization Day”, by the way, so please do not Write To Complain) has been selected to grace the Idaho State Quarter, which comes as a great blow to those who hoped the worm would make it. Please, Idaho, we need an official State Invertebrate, and no other would symbolize our great state quite so well as the Giant Palouse. Just think, two famous Appaloosas for our state!

In Sports, the Spokane Indians lost again, Tiger Woods played golf well somewhere, the Seattle Mariners beat some Canadians and plenty of other sports were played, we’re sure. We’ll try to care a bit more for the next NewsMinute.

In Home and Fashion News, the latest houseplant turns out to be silk. Yes, for only $80 to $190, you too can get your very own silk pot plant, courtesy of New Image Plants. If anyone wants to spruce up the NewsMinute offices, feel free to send us a 6 footer. Please folks, just don’t try to smoke it.

This has been Inland NorthWest NewsMinute with Nathan O?. Good night, good luck, and don’t forget to wash behind your ears. And remember, you are only as old as you smell. Or feel. Or look, really. And maybe act. (today is “Random Spelling Error Day”, so don’t write in to complain)


Free!

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Published on: July 24, 2006

Don’t say I never gave you anything: Here’s my ultra-awesome 1440×900 desktop background image. Click on the little image to load the big one. Then right-click to save it. Obviously you also don’t need to thank me for making it easy. chive back


Every Sperm Is Sacred

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Published on: July 24, 2006

Good morning, and welcome to the Inland Northwest NewsMinute with Nathan O!. Israeli forces continue to pound the crap out of Lebanon, targeting ambulances in an attempt to reduce hospital crowding. The U.S. continues to supply weapons to Israel and humanitarian aid to Lebanon, which makes some wonder if it wouldn’t be more efficient to cut out the middlemen and send in U.S. troops to shoot and bomb, then treat Lebanese civilians (and perhaps the random Hezbollah casualty) ourselves.

Outside of the Middle East, or as most people call it “One of the most fucked up spots going on right now”, it is the 25th anniversary of the marriage of Princess Di and Prince Charles. As the marriage died, not unlike the princess herself, years ago, we’re guessing that it is a slow news day for Good Morning America. Lacking heartwarming stories of rescued kittens and exciting new colors to invigorate our lives, GMA focused instead on the wedding day and the impeccable fashion sense of Princess SweaterVest. Interviewed were the dress designers, which in one reporter’s opinion may have been somewhat of a mistake, owing to the “Oh my god!- Is that a tarantula on your head?” hair style of one of the designers. Fashion and faces meant for radio, indeed.

In this big ol’ country, 3 out of 4 American’s supposedly believe in the paranormal. In other news, research begins to study the question: “Could a lack of reason and a need to find validation through god, the paranormal or other external influences be a genetic trait, or did the parents of 3 out of 4 of us just really screw us over psychologically?”

This NewsMinute brought to you by “Life in the Can”, the heartwarming story of those hundreds of thousands of fertility clinic blastocysts that spend their last cutlture-of-life affirming moments each year snuggled in a trash liner before rotting rather than being used by evil scientists to become something useful and of actual benefit to society.

Thank you for tuning into NewsMinute with Nathan O?. Good night, dog bless, and never trust a hamster with a flamethrower.


Pretty Like A Man

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Published on: July 22, 2006

Gack! No friggin’ explosions yet (unless you count Iraq, which seems to have decided to blow up into three distinct countries). I have no idea when I will get around to the new section. Damn. Lazy. Bastard. Anyway, about that. Who would’ve thought that when freedom was on the march it would stomp the crap out of an entire nation? Well, besides pretty much everyone beyond the current administration and their faithful “NASCAR dad” followers. Strange, I still don’t see how you get the acronym NASCAR from “Dumb-ass redneck mouth-breathing no-thinking bible-thumping hyprocrite”. Must be my liberal upbringing.

The girl-child is having a party today, so instead of blowing things up, I’ll be trying to keep rugrats from drowning in the pool (and tossing any I fail to save over the fence for the neighbors to deal with. I have to keep the insurance premiums down, dammit!).

Okay, time to help with the pre-party chaos and see how freedom’s marching has been doing lately. I heard it’s been having a good old time in Lebanon these days as well . . .


Ready for bed

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Published on: July 21, 2006

Oof. And ugh. We hit 105.8f at noon. Really, that’s about 20 degrees above what I like. Still, it could be worse: It could have been humid as well. Up until the 1990′s, this area was known mainly for its bugs and white supremacists. Both have decreased dramatically, which is nice. Still, I do have to say with some embarrassment that it has been just over 24 hours since our last cross burning. Way to go, Spirit Lake! Okay, time for bed. Forty five minutes in the pool with two cute mostly-naked women and I am ready for sleep. Yawn!


Recap

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Published on: July 20, 2006

brain
So, a recap of important presidential events for the week:
1. President draws “moral line” in crayon with stem cell veto. Never mind that he already crossed the line a few years ago. So, does this mean fertility clinics need to start adopting out all those excess blastos?
2. President demonstrates “bad touching” with German Chancellor Merkel (could’ve sworn this sort of thing was covered in HR’s sexual harassment seminar. Good thing he doesn’t work for a public company).
3. President demonstrates how not to eat in public.
4. President deviously sets up NPR to be fined by the FCC by using the word “shit” in his brilliant synopsis of how to end conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
5. President makes it through the week (or halfway so far) without choking on a pretzel.

The least embarassing thing Bush has done this week, then, is not choke to death on snack food. No wonder I am so down this week.


You can’t throw a stick without hitting an osprey around here

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Published on: July 19, 2006

osprey on nesting platform


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