This is the email I sent to co-workers concerning my trip back to Nashville after this past Thanksgiving:
I was at the Central Wisconsin airport Monday night to get on a flight to Detroit – leg one of my trip back to Nashville. I was scheduled to get to Nashville at approximately 11pm, back home in plenty of time to be here at work on Tuesday (yesterday).
Well, we’re all sitting there as waiting passengers do, when we get news of a delay – our plane still isn’t at the airport. It’s expected to land in half an hour (or whatever), pushing our departure back about 45 minutes.
So… I’m ticked-off because this Wisc/Detroit flight was scheduled to land in Detroit at 9:30PM, and my flight from Det to Nash was scheduled to depart at 10pm. IF the Wisc/Det flight had been on time, I would have had to hurry to make it to my Det/Nash flight. So I was frustrated.
So anyway, we wait, and wait, and wait. No plane.
Finally, maybe an hour later, we receive notification that our plane – the one we were waiting for to take us to Detroit – had skidded off the runway, into the ditch, and that it was stuck. The flight was canceled.
So they tell us to re-book for the next day, which we all get in line to do.
So we’re standing in line when we notice a plane on the tarmac.
At first we see it in profile… then it turns left, so that we have a perfect view of the nose of the plane.
The nose is crumpled – totally dented.
About that time we receive news that the plane, at an altitude of three thousand feet, and only five miles from landing at the Central Wisc airport, had hit three ducks.
The ducks had crumpled the nose and taken out the hydraulics.
They were lucky to land, according to airport staff.
So while we were frustrated that our plane was inoperable… when I consider what might have happened, it sort of takes the edge off the frustration.
So I booked tickets for yesterday afternoon-evening, endured an hour-long delay in Minneapolis (lol – I hate Northwest), and got home very late last night.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Bottled Water
An esteemed colleague and I were recently discussing the merits of bottled water.
We came to the conclusion that it tastes like plastic, mostly does not actually come from "rolling, pristine mountain streams", and is probably bottled in people's bathtubs.
IE, not all bottled water is Evian.
(I hope the folks at Evian won't mind that I used their name. To the Evian people: I take no financial gains from the publishing of this blog. Thanks so much for allowing me to use your hallowed name.)
The best water is well water -- water from a private well.
But what about the plight of the city mouse? What of the person who lives in an apartment among the concrete jungle?
I think we ought to be able to dig and maintain our own wells.
In my case, I would pretty much have to dig my well in my apartment complex's parking lot -- it's gravel and, as such, is the only area on which one could dig.
The next time you're visiting, watch out for the large hole in the ground...
"Honey, is that a pothole?"
"Um... no... it's a... LOOK OUT!"
hehe
-----
The World of Sports
Pretty soon Englishman Ricky Hatton fights American Floyd Mayweather for some grandiose boxing title (or number of titles). This is being referred to by some as the fight of the year. Normally I cheer for the American, but Mayweather is such a jerk that I might just pull for Hatton to beat the quick-fisted Mayweather.
The Packers just lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the Battle of 10-1 Teams. Ho-hum. Of greater concern to me is that none of the Packer fans in attendance at Texas Stadium were trampled by Longhorn steers during their stay in Texas.
The Wisconsin Badgers have accepted a bid to play in the 2008 Outback Bowl, where they are likely to face the Tennessee Volunteers or the Auburn Tigers. I refer to the old saying, "Better the devil you know" -- I hope the Badgers play Auburn.
---
Well, that's about it. I mostly just wanted to revive the blog. I'll talk again sometime before Christmas.
We came to the conclusion that it tastes like plastic, mostly does not actually come from "rolling, pristine mountain streams", and is probably bottled in people's bathtubs.
IE, not all bottled water is Evian.
(I hope the folks at Evian won't mind that I used their name. To the Evian people: I take no financial gains from the publishing of this blog. Thanks so much for allowing me to use your hallowed name.)
The best water is well water -- water from a private well.
But what about the plight of the city mouse? What of the person who lives in an apartment among the concrete jungle?
I think we ought to be able to dig and maintain our own wells.
In my case, I would pretty much have to dig my well in my apartment complex's parking lot -- it's gravel and, as such, is the only area on which one could dig.
The next time you're visiting, watch out for the large hole in the ground...
"Honey, is that a pothole?"
"Um... no... it's a... LOOK OUT!"
hehe
-----
The World of Sports
Pretty soon Englishman Ricky Hatton fights American Floyd Mayweather for some grandiose boxing title (or number of titles). This is being referred to by some as the fight of the year. Normally I cheer for the American, but Mayweather is such a jerk that I might just pull for Hatton to beat the quick-fisted Mayweather.
The Packers just lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the Battle of 10-1 Teams. Ho-hum. Of greater concern to me is that none of the Packer fans in attendance at Texas Stadium were trampled by Longhorn steers during their stay in Texas.
The Wisconsin Badgers have accepted a bid to play in the 2008 Outback Bowl, where they are likely to face the Tennessee Volunteers or the Auburn Tigers. I refer to the old saying, "Better the devil you know" -- I hope the Badgers play Auburn.
---
Well, that's about it. I mostly just wanted to revive the blog. I'll talk again sometime before Christmas.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Making Movies
We recently finished shooting (filming -- I'll use "shooting" throughout this piece, so don't think I'm talking about using firearms) the short version of our motion picture. This short film is being made to make it easier for us to obtain monetary investments -- we show investors that we are capable of producing a quality product and they show faith by investing in the feature-length film. Another possible reward for making this short film is what I'll call "hype" -- we may market the film at film festivals, at which we could possibly win awards or at least become known in the industry; we will screen the short version multiple times in Nashville; and we will produce a limited number of DVDs to donate to friends and family, who will hopefully show the "short" to additional friends and family, creating a sort of Bernoulli trialish distribution/viewership chart.
I will tell you three things about making this short film:
1) It is hard, long work
2) Acting is fun
3) Parts of the process can be frustrating (aside from/on top of being hard work)
Hard, Long Work
We spent three days shooting this 15ish-minute short film. The first day, we worked from about 7am-midnight. The second day, we went from about 4pm-11pm. The third session, we toiled from 3pm-11pm. In sum, we worked 32 hours to shoot footage for what will be a 15ish-minute short film -- a little over two hours per minute yielded.
Our director and one of his editor pals have begun editing the film, which is expected to take about three weeks to accomplish (working about two days per week, since our guy does not own the editing equipment).
To give a detailed description of the non-acting-or-directing-related work that goes on at a set would take pages and pages of tedious prose, to which I am not about to subject you. I'll simply state that it is hard work -- setting up, tearing down, moving and setting up again, tearing down again, doing the click-board thing ("Scene 1a, take two" smack), holding the boomed microphone at weird angles from difficult positions so that we can hear the actors at all times, holding special handleless lights to provide "fill" light, figuring out how to get the correct lighting itself -- is tough labor. I was sore and tired after each session.
Acting Is Fun
Without getting into the script too much, I'll say that I had a blast acting out my part. I play a sarcastic jerk of a boss. My character gives an underling coworker a hard time for no good reason.
The thing I like most about acting is the opportunity to alter my voice to fit both my character and his mood. In my scene I attempted to portray mood-traits such as humor, sarcasm, anger, irritation/irritability and understanding (the last, briefly).
It was the third or fourth shot, of course, before I remembered to speak all of my lines into (or near enough to, in the direction of...) the boom microphone.
Frustrating
Setting up and tearing down a set is tough work, but the toughness of that is understandable. What was most frustrating (and oddly funny) about acting/shooting the film was having to deal with variables outside of our immediate environment.
For instance, the crickets and/or cicadas (whatever they were) were very loud at certain times during one of our shoots. We continued anyway, hoping that the microphone would adequately pick up dialogue and that we'd be able to edit out the background noise later. So far, there have been no complaints.
Secondly, there were several shots (takes) of my scene that were interrupted by Saturday-night patrons on Broadway. I'd be standing not two feet from my acting counterpart when, all of a sudden, someone would look into the window and manage to get his or her face into the shot, right between us. One guy knocked on the window and waved at us. Talk about weird -- we're staring back at the window laughing and muttering "Uh -- thanks a lot" at the same time.
This is not a term paper, so I'll leave without a more formal conclusion -- I'm not going to tell you what I told you, in other words. I'll end by saying that the whole film/shooting/short experience has been fun, and that we should have those DVDs ready in a few weeks.
Until then, au revoir.
I will tell you three things about making this short film:
1) It is hard, long work
2) Acting is fun
3) Parts of the process can be frustrating (aside from/on top of being hard work)
Hard, Long Work
We spent three days shooting this 15ish-minute short film. The first day, we worked from about 7am-midnight. The second day, we went from about 4pm-11pm. The third session, we toiled from 3pm-11pm. In sum, we worked 32 hours to shoot footage for what will be a 15ish-minute short film -- a little over two hours per minute yielded.
Our director and one of his editor pals have begun editing the film, which is expected to take about three weeks to accomplish (working about two days per week, since our guy does not own the editing equipment).
To give a detailed description of the non-acting-or-directing-related work that goes on at a set would take pages and pages of tedious prose, to which I am not about to subject you. I'll simply state that it is hard work -- setting up, tearing down, moving and setting up again, tearing down again, doing the click-board thing ("Scene 1a, take two" smack), holding the boomed microphone at weird angles from difficult positions so that we can hear the actors at all times, holding special handleless lights to provide "fill" light, figuring out how to get the correct lighting itself -- is tough labor. I was sore and tired after each session.
Acting Is Fun
Without getting into the script too much, I'll say that I had a blast acting out my part. I play a sarcastic jerk of a boss. My character gives an underling coworker a hard time for no good reason.
The thing I like most about acting is the opportunity to alter my voice to fit both my character and his mood. In my scene I attempted to portray mood-traits such as humor, sarcasm, anger, irritation/irritability and understanding (the last, briefly).
It was the third or fourth shot, of course, before I remembered to speak all of my lines into (or near enough to, in the direction of...) the boom microphone.
Frustrating
Setting up and tearing down a set is tough work, but the toughness of that is understandable. What was most frustrating (and oddly funny) about acting/shooting the film was having to deal with variables outside of our immediate environment.
For instance, the crickets and/or cicadas (whatever they were) were very loud at certain times during one of our shoots. We continued anyway, hoping that the microphone would adequately pick up dialogue and that we'd be able to edit out the background noise later. So far, there have been no complaints.
Secondly, there were several shots (takes) of my scene that were interrupted by Saturday-night patrons on Broadway. I'd be standing not two feet from my acting counterpart when, all of a sudden, someone would look into the window and manage to get his or her face into the shot, right between us. One guy knocked on the window and waved at us. Talk about weird -- we're staring back at the window laughing and muttering "Uh -- thanks a lot" at the same time.
This is not a term paper, so I'll leave without a more formal conclusion -- I'm not going to tell you what I told you, in other words. I'll end by saying that the whole film/shooting/short experience has been fun, and that we should have those DVDs ready in a few weeks.
Until then, au revoir.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Independence Day
Happy 4th of July to everyone!
To mark the occasion, I figured I'd reach back in time to one of the most important dates in the history of the United States.
Date: July 4, 1863
Events: Union wins at Vicksburg and Gettysburg
Stars: General Meade (Gettysburg), General Grant (Vicksburg), Abraham Lincoln.
Things had been going poorly for the Union (USA) in the US Civil War. But on July 4, 1863, Union forces effectively kicked the Confederate forces out of the US at Gettysburg, split the Confederacy in half (Vicksburg) by taking control of the Mississippi River, and took a major morale boost from the two huge victories.
On November 19, 1863 a national cemetery was dedicated at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. At this dedication, President Abraham Lincoln -- probably our greatest President -- gave his famous Gettysburg Address:
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
Lincoln spoke of one of the two great battles that ended on the same day -- results that, when taken together, may have saved the Union. Who knows what the USA, or the world, would have been like if not for the results of that great day 144 years ago?
To mark the occasion, I figured I'd reach back in time to one of the most important dates in the history of the United States.
Date: July 4, 1863
Events: Union wins at Vicksburg and Gettysburg
Stars: General Meade (Gettysburg), General Grant (Vicksburg), Abraham Lincoln.
Things had been going poorly for the Union (USA) in the US Civil War. But on July 4, 1863, Union forces effectively kicked the Confederate forces out of the US at Gettysburg, split the Confederacy in half (Vicksburg) by taking control of the Mississippi River, and took a major morale boost from the two huge victories.
On November 19, 1863 a national cemetery was dedicated at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. At this dedication, President Abraham Lincoln -- probably our greatest President -- gave his famous Gettysburg Address:
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
Lincoln spoke of one of the two great battles that ended on the same day -- results that, when taken together, may have saved the Union. Who knows what the USA, or the world, would have been like if not for the results of that great day 144 years ago?
Thursday, June 21, 2007
The Importance of Reading
I was chatting with a co-worker over IM earlier today. Somehow, the topic of reading came up.
I started going into what types of books I enjoy most.
She replies (paraphrasing), "I hate reading. Reading is boring. Books suck. I only like to read facts...."
And I thought to myself, "I don't think I've ever been so offended."
Now... this person is otherwise cool. But to me, reading is one of the neatest, most beneficial (emotionally, intellectually, etc.) activities available to us. And here she is, spitting in literature's eye! Well what could I do but insult her back? She had ripped on my beloved literature, my favored act of reading.
I made some hint to the effect that her statements made her sound like an uneducated, dumb hick. Well... of course I didn't say that, but man, that's what I was thinking. What more could one say to convey that he or she doesn't care about learning or imagination, than to say that she hates reading?
(She'd said something about entering chat rooms for the sake of fomenting her imagination, as opposed to reading books to do so... to which I replied "Yeah, and aside from being fun, a good thing about chat rooms is that they really exercise your brain..."). My statement positively oozed sarcasm.
I am still somewhat troubled. I've never wanted to convert anyone -- to any cause aside from Christianity -- as much as I feel like bashing her over the head with a book (figuratively) and leading her to the light of literature.
How horrified would y'all be if someone made such a ghastly admission, if someone denounced one of our greatest achievements ever -- the written word? Would you go into shock/defense mode as I did? I bet Frost, Whitman, Shakespeare, Faulkner, Hemingway, Poe (et al.) are rolling over in their graves.
I'm now going to take a deep breath and attempt to enjoy the rest of my day here at work. Maybe I'll get her a book for Christmas or something. Ahhhh, that's better.
I started going into what types of books I enjoy most.
She replies (paraphrasing), "I hate reading. Reading is boring. Books suck. I only like to read facts...."
And I thought to myself, "I don't think I've ever been so offended."
Now... this person is otherwise cool. But to me, reading is one of the neatest, most beneficial (emotionally, intellectually, etc.) activities available to us. And here she is, spitting in literature's eye! Well what could I do but insult her back? She had ripped on my beloved literature, my favored act of reading.
I made some hint to the effect that her statements made her sound like an uneducated, dumb hick. Well... of course I didn't say that, but man, that's what I was thinking. What more could one say to convey that he or she doesn't care about learning or imagination, than to say that she hates reading?
(She'd said something about entering chat rooms for the sake of fomenting her imagination, as opposed to reading books to do so... to which I replied "Yeah, and aside from being fun, a good thing about chat rooms is that they really exercise your brain..."). My statement positively oozed sarcasm.
I am still somewhat troubled. I've never wanted to convert anyone -- to any cause aside from Christianity -- as much as I feel like bashing her over the head with a book (figuratively) and leading her to the light of literature.
How horrified would y'all be if someone made such a ghastly admission, if someone denounced one of our greatest achievements ever -- the written word? Would you go into shock/defense mode as I did? I bet Frost, Whitman, Shakespeare, Faulkner, Hemingway, Poe (et al.) are rolling over in their graves.
I'm now going to take a deep breath and attempt to enjoy the rest of my day here at work. Maybe I'll get her a book for Christmas or something. Ahhhh, that's better.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Ode To The Big Four
Consider this a tongue-in-cheek poem dedicated to, and inspired by, the big four American poets: Whitman, Longfellow, Dickinson and Frost. Well, others might consider other poets for this lofty group, but to me they're our top four of all time.
The common theme here is "grass" -- I figure it starts with grass, so for symmetry's sake I kept it throughout.
--
I scratch myself, and bathe myself.
And what you know, I know.
And what you know I know, I know you know I know.
Behold the grass. Isn't it cool?
I hear it speak, and it speaks in the tongues of
Squirrels and of bugs;
They speak of the newness of yore,
And the antiquity of birth.
The squirrels and bugs converse with me
For I am the force animalia incarnate,
And also because I have a special animal-linguistic hearing aid.
I am sweat; I hear my own sweat purr,
Like a cat on the lap of a silk-pajama-wearing
Largesse-spreader, spreading fertilizer on the
Fertile soil-soul of the cat.
I am the cat. I celebrate the cat,
And she celebrates me.
She and I look at this single blade of grass and think,
"Wow... now this is something about which to write a hundred pages."
The sun rises, the sun sets
The renter rents, the landlord lets
O'er the globe, green grass grows,
Its birthright-height halted when the mower mows.
And the sun rises, the sun sets.
I never saw such grass but twice,
And that was on TV:
Bluegrass at Lambeau, fake grass'd Camp Randall
A fan was I, then grass-bereaved.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
To my kindred, here or on high:
A squirrel pooped on the lawn, and I --
I paid a migrant worker to recruit some flies,
And they made quick work of the mess.
--TPS
Sources/inspiration:
"Song of Myself" -- Walt Whitman
"The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls" -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"(poem number) 49" -- Emily Dickinson
"The Road Not Taken" -- Robert Frost
The common theme here is "grass" -- I figure it starts with grass, so for symmetry's sake I kept it throughout.
--
I scratch myself, and bathe myself.
And what you know, I know.
And what you know I know, I know you know I know.
Behold the grass. Isn't it cool?
I hear it speak, and it speaks in the tongues of
Squirrels and of bugs;
They speak of the newness of yore,
And the antiquity of birth.
The squirrels and bugs converse with me
For I am the force animalia incarnate,
And also because I have a special animal-linguistic hearing aid.
I am sweat; I hear my own sweat purr,
Like a cat on the lap of a silk-pajama-wearing
Largesse-spreader, spreading fertilizer on the
Fertile soil-soul of the cat.
I am the cat. I celebrate the cat,
And she celebrates me.
She and I look at this single blade of grass and think,
"Wow... now this is something about which to write a hundred pages."
The sun rises, the sun sets
The renter rents, the landlord lets
O'er the globe, green grass grows,
Its birthright-height halted when the mower mows.
And the sun rises, the sun sets.
I never saw such grass but twice,
And that was on TV:
Bluegrass at Lambeau, fake grass'd Camp Randall
A fan was I, then grass-bereaved.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
To my kindred, here or on high:
A squirrel pooped on the lawn, and I --
I paid a migrant worker to recruit some flies,
And they made quick work of the mess.
--TPS
Sources/inspiration:
"Song of Myself" -- Walt Whitman
"The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls" -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"(poem number) 49" -- Emily Dickinson
"The Road Not Taken" -- Robert Frost
Friday, April 27, 2007
My Sister's Birthday!
Happy birthday, Rachel! Woo hoo! May you be 29 forever!
Here's something to mark the occasion, hopefully. I'm taking artistic license by changing one very key word... I hope Mr. Keats won't mind:
To My Brothers (Ed: Sister)
Small, busy flames play through the fresh laid coals,
And their faint cracklings o’er our silence creep
Like whispers of the household gods that keep
A gentle empire o’er fraternal souls.
And while, for rhymes, I search around the poles,
Your eyes are fix’d, as in poetic sleep,
Upon the lore so voluble and deep,
That aye at fall of night our care condoles.
This is your birth-day Rachel, and I rejoice
That thus it passes smoothly, quietly.
Many such eves of gently whisp’ring noise
May we together pass, and calmly try
What are this world’s true joys,—ere the great voice,
From its fair face, shall bid our spirits fly.
-- John Keats (Ed. TS)
Here's something to mark the occasion, hopefully. I'm taking artistic license by changing one very key word... I hope Mr. Keats won't mind:
To My Brothers (Ed: Sister)
Small, busy flames play through the fresh laid coals,
And their faint cracklings o’er our silence creep
Like whispers of the household gods that keep
A gentle empire o’er fraternal souls.
And while, for rhymes, I search around the poles,
Your eyes are fix’d, as in poetic sleep,
Upon the lore so voluble and deep,
That aye at fall of night our care condoles.
This is your birth-day Rachel, and I rejoice
That thus it passes smoothly, quietly.
Many such eves of gently whisp’ring noise
May we together pass, and calmly try
What are this world’s true joys,—ere the great voice,
From its fair face, shall bid our spirits fly.
-- John Keats (Ed. TS)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Virginia Tech and the 2nd Amendment
In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, we are reminded of an age-old axiom:
Nutjobs and guns don't mix.
...and soon some in the political arena and the media will let everyone know it (in case anyone doesn't know it already), in order to set the stage for their anti-2nd Amendment notions.
I can already hear CNN, the New York Times and Congressional Democrats (mainly lefties, though there will be a smattering of centrists and righties on this side as well) licking their chops to take advantage of this anti-gun opportunity.
Look, I'm not one of those guys in Montana who thinks that his acre of land is his own separate country. I don't go mudding on an ATV. I don't hunt. I don't even own a gun.
But I figured I'd outline some fairly decent reasons why someone would want to own a firearm. Therein we might find a fair amount of justification for defending the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution -- even in the wake of the VA Tech tragedy.
--------
1) Except in the very rare case of an officer being near your location at the start of an assault/murder attempt, police cannot get there fast enough to protect you from a would-be assailant. If you are armed, you at least have a chance to protect yourself and/or your family.
2) Widespread civilian gun ownership would make it difficult for anyone to subject the US to tyranny, or for any foreign power to take over the US. Assuming a foreign foe ever got past the US military, they'd then have 50,000,000 to 100,000,000 or so firearm owners to deal with, state and local police, FBI, etc. Good luck with that, buddy.
Look at the trouble we've had stopping the anti-democracy insurgency in Iraq. They are an armed populace -- at least, it seems that the bad guys have guns.
It's much easier to subjugate someone if he has no means of fighting back.
3) Hunting: Whether for fun or for sustenance, hunting is reputedly an enjoyable activity.
4) Sport-shooting and target-shooting (clay pigeons, targets, etc. -- fun!)
5) Art: Guns could be seen as stylish, neat objects to have around for their aesthetic value.
6) Collecting: Some guns are highly valued and, as such, there is a large collectible-gun market. In this way, guns can be seen as investments.
So while, in a perfect world, we could keep people like Monday's nutjob from purchasing a firearm and using it to murder 32 people, there is virtually no way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Think about it: if the 2nd Amendment is repealed and Big Brother orders us to turn in our firearms, the law-abiding citizens will do it... and the criminals won't.
Please, government/media, let's not go overboard on this issue. Guns help us protect ourselves in certain situations, they allow us the capacity to forever fend off tyranny, they are instruments for fun and possibly even sustenance, they can be appreciated as art, and some are collectible objects and (thus) investment tools.
Not that I'm going to buy one. hehe
Well, okay, maybe one day I'll pick up a Sig P226... if that model is still around.
Nutjobs and guns don't mix.
...and soon some in the political arena and the media will let everyone know it (in case anyone doesn't know it already), in order to set the stage for their anti-2nd Amendment notions.
I can already hear CNN, the New York Times and Congressional Democrats (mainly lefties, though there will be a smattering of centrists and righties on this side as well) licking their chops to take advantage of this anti-gun opportunity.
Look, I'm not one of those guys in Montana who thinks that his acre of land is his own separate country. I don't go mudding on an ATV. I don't hunt. I don't even own a gun.
But I figured I'd outline some fairly decent reasons why someone would want to own a firearm. Therein we might find a fair amount of justification for defending the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution -- even in the wake of the VA Tech tragedy.
--------
1) Except in the very rare case of an officer being near your location at the start of an assault/murder attempt, police cannot get there fast enough to protect you from a would-be assailant. If you are armed, you at least have a chance to protect yourself and/or your family.
2) Widespread civilian gun ownership would make it difficult for anyone to subject the US to tyranny, or for any foreign power to take over the US. Assuming a foreign foe ever got past the US military, they'd then have 50,000,000 to 100,000,000 or so firearm owners to deal with, state and local police, FBI, etc. Good luck with that, buddy.
Look at the trouble we've had stopping the anti-democracy insurgency in Iraq. They are an armed populace -- at least, it seems that the bad guys have guns.
It's much easier to subjugate someone if he has no means of fighting back.
3) Hunting: Whether for fun or for sustenance, hunting is reputedly an enjoyable activity.
4) Sport-shooting and target-shooting (clay pigeons, targets, etc. -- fun!)
5) Art: Guns could be seen as stylish, neat objects to have around for their aesthetic value.
6) Collecting: Some guns are highly valued and, as such, there is a large collectible-gun market. In this way, guns can be seen as investments.
So while, in a perfect world, we could keep people like Monday's nutjob from purchasing a firearm and using it to murder 32 people, there is virtually no way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Think about it: if the 2nd Amendment is repealed and Big Brother orders us to turn in our firearms, the law-abiding citizens will do it... and the criminals won't.
Please, government/media, let's not go overboard on this issue. Guns help us protect ourselves in certain situations, they allow us the capacity to forever fend off tyranny, they are instruments for fun and possibly even sustenance, they can be appreciated as art, and some are collectible objects and (thus) investment tools.
Not that I'm going to buy one. hehe
Well, okay, maybe one day I'll pick up a Sig P226... if that model is still around.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
April Showers
After taking a much-needed hiatus from this online journal, I have returned to bestow a few idle thoughts upon my small -- but growing (Rose) -- audience.
1. It is about 40 degrees (F) here in Nashville this morning. Two days ago, it was about 70 at this time. Cripes. And the thing that sucks most is that it isn't raining, so we might have nothing to show for it next month -- you know, "April showers bring May flowers." Well what if Nashville is a barren wasteland because we had little (or no) rain in April? We did have a bit yesterday or the day before (honestly can't remember), but will that smidge(o)n be enough to guarantee calm seas and sunny skies in May? My April-May anxiety levels are at an all-time high, and it's just the 5th of April. Where, oh where, did I put my stress ball?!?!
2. It is 21 (wind chill of 15) in Yakutsk right now -- must be about 6:30pm or so over there, so they're just barely starting to cool down from the warmest part of the day. They're still not above freezing, but to them it must seem like a heat wave. Meanwhile, it's 29 at Base Bernardo O'Higgins. I have no idea what time it is there, but this remains impressive: Yakutsk is (once again) colder than Antarctica.
3. Ohio State lost to Florida in the national championship (or national final... whatever they call it) game of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Ohio State lost primarily because they could not hit three-point shots (shooting all of about 10% up until the last minute), while Florida could seemingly not miss from long distance (the Gators shot something like 65% from three). If both teams shoot their averages from three, Ohio State wins the game by double digits. It just wasn't meant to be.
Buckeye center Greg Oden was dominant in defeat.
4.
120x = 840
x = 7
The square root of 9 = 3, -3
The absolute value of -7 = 7
The differential of X-to-the-third + 3x-squared + 4x = 3x-squared + 6x + 4
Mathematics was not meant to be typed on a computer... unless, I suppose, you've got some neat "Math Typing Made Easy" suite, or some such thing. Give me my blue book, thank you. Well the algebraic equation wasn't so bad. But I couldn't find means for correctly showing a square root, absolute value, or exponential variables as they are normally represented in a proper mathematical (quiz/test/homework etc.) context.
5. Don't order the lobster -- save your date's pocketbook. Or say this when you order: "I'll have the lobster, please, with a side of foie gras."
Look at your date -- check especially for signs of perspiration and hyperventilation. Then modify your order by saying, "Oh... April Fool's. I'll go with the cheeseburger instead."
Your date will be grateful.
1. It is about 40 degrees (F) here in Nashville this morning. Two days ago, it was about 70 at this time. Cripes. And the thing that sucks most is that it isn't raining, so we might have nothing to show for it next month -- you know, "April showers bring May flowers." Well what if Nashville is a barren wasteland because we had little (or no) rain in April? We did have a bit yesterday or the day before (honestly can't remember), but will that smidge(o)n be enough to guarantee calm seas and sunny skies in May? My April-May anxiety levels are at an all-time high, and it's just the 5th of April. Where, oh where, did I put my stress ball?!?!
2. It is 21 (wind chill of 15) in Yakutsk right now -- must be about 6:30pm or so over there, so they're just barely starting to cool down from the warmest part of the day. They're still not above freezing, but to them it must seem like a heat wave. Meanwhile, it's 29 at Base Bernardo O'Higgins. I have no idea what time it is there, but this remains impressive: Yakutsk is (once again) colder than Antarctica.
3. Ohio State lost to Florida in the national championship (or national final... whatever they call it) game of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Ohio State lost primarily because they could not hit three-point shots (shooting all of about 10% up until the last minute), while Florida could seemingly not miss from long distance (the Gators shot something like 65% from three). If both teams shoot their averages from three, Ohio State wins the game by double digits. It just wasn't meant to be.
Buckeye center Greg Oden was dominant in defeat.
4.
120x = 840
x = 7
The square root of 9 = 3, -3
The absolute value of -7 = 7
The differential of X-to-the-third + 3x-squared + 4x = 3x-squared + 6x + 4
Mathematics was not meant to be typed on a computer... unless, I suppose, you've got some neat "Math Typing Made Easy" suite, or some such thing. Give me my blue book, thank you. Well the algebraic equation wasn't so bad. But I couldn't find means for correctly showing a square root, absolute value, or exponential variables as they are normally represented in a proper mathematical (quiz/test/homework etc.) context.
5. Don't order the lobster -- save your date's pocketbook. Or say this when you order: "I'll have the lobster, please, with a side of foie gras."
Look at your date -- check especially for signs of perspiration and hyperventilation. Then modify your order by saying, "Oh... April Fool's. I'll go with the cheeseburger instead."
Your date will be grateful.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Out Like A Lion -- Quotations
Thanks to Grandpa Bob (I'm not telling you his last name, hackers) for these basketball-related -- or basketball-inspired -- quotations.
See y'all in April. Go Ohio State!
------
“Most people have the will to win. Few have the will to prepare to win.”
- Bobby Knight
“The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.”
- Mike Krzyzewski
“I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em.”
- Jim Valvano
“If all I'm remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I've done a bad job with the rest of my life.”
- Isiah Thomas
“Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball.”
- Phil Jackson
“We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.”
- Weldon Drew
“My priorities are family, Lord, profession - And that's not the order it should be, but I think No. 2 understands.”
- John Wooden
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.”
- Tim Duncan
“Fans never fall asleep at our games. They're afraid they might get hit by a pass.”
- George Raveling
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
- Hebrews 11:1
“It’s not what you tell them that’s important. It’s what they hear.”
- Red Auerbach
“God had a plan for me and I'm just fulfilling that plan, ... Just like HIV. I was the one that was supposed to go through that challenge and go through that period because that brought light to HIV and AIDS. They needed somebody and it was me, and I feel really good about what I have accomplished.”
- Magic Johnson
“First master the fundamentals.”
- Larry Bird
“The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets.”
- Al McGuire
“The strong take from the weak and the smart take from the strong.”
- Pete Carril
“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”
- John Wooden
See y'all in April. Go Ohio State!
------
“Most people have the will to win. Few have the will to prepare to win.”
- Bobby Knight
“The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.”
- Mike Krzyzewski
“I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em.”
- Jim Valvano
“If all I'm remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I've done a bad job with the rest of my life.”
- Isiah Thomas
“Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball.”
- Phil Jackson
“We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.”
- Weldon Drew
“My priorities are family, Lord, profession - And that's not the order it should be, but I think No. 2 understands.”
- John Wooden
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.”
- Tim Duncan
“Fans never fall asleep at our games. They're afraid they might get hit by a pass.”
- George Raveling
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
- Hebrews 11:1
“It’s not what you tell them that’s important. It’s what they hear.”
- Red Auerbach
“God had a plan for me and I'm just fulfilling that plan, ... Just like HIV. I was the one that was supposed to go through that challenge and go through that period because that brought light to HIV and AIDS. They needed somebody and it was me, and I feel really good about what I have accomplished.”
- Magic Johnson
“First master the fundamentals.”
- Larry Bird
“The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets.”
- Al McGuire
“The strong take from the weak and the smart take from the strong.”
- Pete Carril
“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”
- John Wooden
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
To My Niece
This is for Rose Lucille, my new niece. May she live long and prosper.
The rose is a rose,
And was always a rose.
But the theory now goes
That the apple's a rose,
And the pear is, and so's
The plum, I suppose.
The dear only knows
What will next prove a rose.
You, of course, are a rose--
But were always a rose.
-- Robert Frost
The rose is a rose,
And was always a rose.
But the theory now goes
That the apple's a rose,
And the pear is, and so's
The plum, I suppose.
The dear only knows
What will next prove a rose.
You, of course, are a rose--
But were always a rose.
-- Robert Frost
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Weekly Weather Check
Okay, this is your weekly weather check. Below are the current temperatures from places around the globe:
(all listings are in degrees Fahrenheit, as of approximately noon Central)
Nashville, TN: 80
Kinshasa, DRC: 79
Lima, Peru: 77
Tripoli, Libya: 68
Los Angeles, CA: 61
Medicine Hat, Canada: 61
Minocqua, WI: 56
Modena, Italy: 50
Melbourne, Australia: 50
Base Bernardo O'Higgins, Antarctica: 26
Yakutsk, Russia: -6
Poor Yakutskians. It's like -50 there all winter long, and this is the start of spring. The funny thing is, they're sub-Arctic. If they're in Siberia, they're in far southern Siberia. So you look at a map or globe and think, "Yakutsk, wow, in the middle of nowhere... it must be beautiful there." And they enjoy like four minutes each year above freezing.
(all listings are in degrees Fahrenheit, as of approximately noon Central)
Nashville, TN: 80
Kinshasa, DRC: 79
Lima, Peru: 77
Tripoli, Libya: 68
Los Angeles, CA: 61
Medicine Hat, Canada: 61
Minocqua, WI: 56
Modena, Italy: 50
Melbourne, Australia: 50
Base Bernardo O'Higgins, Antarctica: 26
Yakutsk, Russia: -6
Poor Yakutskians. It's like -50 there all winter long, and this is the start of spring. The funny thing is, they're sub-Arctic. If they're in Siberia, they're in far southern Siberia. So you look at a map or globe and think, "Yakutsk, wow, in the middle of nowhere... it must be beautiful there." And they enjoy like four minutes each year above freezing.
Friday, March 23, 2007
March of the Buckeyes
The euphemistic title of this epic piece speaks volumes of the content that I'll provide forthwith: the winning ways of the Ohio State Buckeyes as they progress through the 2007 NCAA Tournament, and what it means to people like me.
The Shot Heard Round the Buckeye State
With just a few ticks left in the second half of their second-round game against the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes, and with a three-point lead over OSU and control of the outcome of the game in hand, a Xavier player stepped to the line with a chance to put the game out of reach of the Buckeyes. If he hits one free throw, the Musketeers are up four. If he hits both free throws, Xavier would have a five-point lead. Either way, it would be a two-possession game, and there was not enough time left for Ohio State to score twice. The first free throw missed. Okay, fine, hit the second one, dude. Nope, not gonna do it -- at this juncture. The second also failed to connect. Ohio State got the rebound, flew down the court, and hit a clutch three -- from about 25 feet -- as the clock expired. Ohio State won the game, fairly easily, in overtime. The win propelled the Buckeyes to the Sweet 16 (regional semifinals).
Down 20
Ohio State faced Tennessee last night (Thursday, March 22) with a trip to the Elite 8 (regional finals) on the line. As the top seed in the region, Ohio State entered the game as solid favorites to defeat the Vols. And then the game started, and......Ohio State sleepwalked through the first half (I still yawn just thinking about it), while Tennessee shot something like 60% from three-point territory. The Vols made something like ten threes in the first half en route to a 49-32 halftime lead. Probably many, at this point, had written off the Buckeyes' drive for the Final Four. I, of course, figured that they still had a chance.
And man, I don't know what Ohio State Coach Thad Matta said to his players at halftime, but they came out positively smokin' to start the second half. The Bucks were so hot, and Tennessee was so shell-shocked -- "Coach, how do we play with a 17-point halftime lead?" -- that by the time the second half was halfway finished, Ohio State had nearly drawn even with the Vols. Ohio State took the lead with approximately six-seven minutes left in the game, and prevailed in the seesaw affair toward the end of the game. There were several lead changes after the Great Comeback was completed, and in the end, the Buckeyes came out on top by a point -- 85-84. Ohio State moves on to the regional finals, where they will face 2-seed Memphis.
Carrying the Flag
For the six NCAA Tournament entrants from the Big Ten, there was a mixed bag of expectations. Ohio State was considered a solid/decent pick to advance to the Final Four, and one of the favorites to take home the national championship. Wisconsin (my beloved Badgers) was an odds-on pick to advance to at least the Sweet 16, if not the Elite 8 and Final Four. Wisconsin's late-season loss of Brian Butch, their leading inside scoring threat, hampered the Badgers' outlook. Indiana, a 7-seed, was given about a 50/50 shot of winning the Hoosiers' first game, and roughly no chance of advancing further. Purdue and Michigan State were in flip-a-coin 8/9 matchups and 12-seed Illinois was expected to lose to 5-seed Virginia Tech. So when the Big Ten went 5-1 in the first round, many Big Ten fans were pleasantly surprised. Many "experts" were "shocked".
And then came the second round.
Wisconsin, who played about 15 minutes of good basketball out of their two games, was shocked by UNLV. Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana all gave good efforts against their opponents -- tourney favorites Florida, North Carolina and UCLA, respectively -- but eventually fell short and were ousted from the Dance. The only Big Ten team to advance to the Sweet 16 was Ohio State, who squeaked past Xavier by the fuzz on star freshman center Greg Oden's chinny-chin-chin.One day, the Conference was on top of the hill. Literally two days later, the Big Ten was lamenting a catastrophic string of second-round defeats.
To this point, it has been another disappointing Tournament for the Big Ten -- last year's performance was not worth discussing here. And yet at least this year, the Conference has a team in the Elite 8, with every chance to do further damage in the Tournament. There is at least one bright spot, one hero left to fight on, one single-combat champion with (perhaps) three more skulls to add to the pile.
So it is that Ohio State carries the hopes of a mob of basketball fans stretching literally from central Pennsylvania to the barren tundra of western Minnesota and the corn and pigs of western Iowa. Can Ohio State carry the projected -- from us to them, as their dreams become ours -- basketball dreams of millions of devout Big Ten fans?
This Buckeye-fan-of-the-hour says that they can. Go Bucks.
The Shot Heard Round the Buckeye State
With just a few ticks left in the second half of their second-round game against the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes, and with a three-point lead over OSU and control of the outcome of the game in hand, a Xavier player stepped to the line with a chance to put the game out of reach of the Buckeyes. If he hits one free throw, the Musketeers are up four. If he hits both free throws, Xavier would have a five-point lead. Either way, it would be a two-possession game, and there was not enough time left for Ohio State to score twice. The first free throw missed. Okay, fine, hit the second one, dude. Nope, not gonna do it -- at this juncture. The second also failed to connect. Ohio State got the rebound, flew down the court, and hit a clutch three -- from about 25 feet -- as the clock expired. Ohio State won the game, fairly easily, in overtime. The win propelled the Buckeyes to the Sweet 16 (regional semifinals).
Down 20
Ohio State faced Tennessee last night (Thursday, March 22) with a trip to the Elite 8 (regional finals) on the line. As the top seed in the region, Ohio State entered the game as solid favorites to defeat the Vols. And then the game started, and......Ohio State sleepwalked through the first half (I still yawn just thinking about it), while Tennessee shot something like 60% from three-point territory. The Vols made something like ten threes in the first half en route to a 49-32 halftime lead. Probably many, at this point, had written off the Buckeyes' drive for the Final Four. I, of course, figured that they still had a chance.
And man, I don't know what Ohio State Coach Thad Matta said to his players at halftime, but they came out positively smokin' to start the second half. The Bucks were so hot, and Tennessee was so shell-shocked -- "Coach, how do we play with a 17-point halftime lead?" -- that by the time the second half was halfway finished, Ohio State had nearly drawn even with the Vols. Ohio State took the lead with approximately six-seven minutes left in the game, and prevailed in the seesaw affair toward the end of the game. There were several lead changes after the Great Comeback was completed, and in the end, the Buckeyes came out on top by a point -- 85-84. Ohio State moves on to the regional finals, where they will face 2-seed Memphis.
Carrying the Flag
For the six NCAA Tournament entrants from the Big Ten, there was a mixed bag of expectations. Ohio State was considered a solid/decent pick to advance to the Final Four, and one of the favorites to take home the national championship. Wisconsin (my beloved Badgers) was an odds-on pick to advance to at least the Sweet 16, if not the Elite 8 and Final Four. Wisconsin's late-season loss of Brian Butch, their leading inside scoring threat, hampered the Badgers' outlook. Indiana, a 7-seed, was given about a 50/50 shot of winning the Hoosiers' first game, and roughly no chance of advancing further. Purdue and Michigan State were in flip-a-coin 8/9 matchups and 12-seed Illinois was expected to lose to 5-seed Virginia Tech. So when the Big Ten went 5-1 in the first round, many Big Ten fans were pleasantly surprised. Many "experts" were "shocked".
And then came the second round.
Wisconsin, who played about 15 minutes of good basketball out of their two games, was shocked by UNLV. Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana all gave good efforts against their opponents -- tourney favorites Florida, North Carolina and UCLA, respectively -- but eventually fell short and were ousted from the Dance. The only Big Ten team to advance to the Sweet 16 was Ohio State, who squeaked past Xavier by the fuzz on star freshman center Greg Oden's chinny-chin-chin.One day, the Conference was on top of the hill. Literally two days later, the Big Ten was lamenting a catastrophic string of second-round defeats.
To this point, it has been another disappointing Tournament for the Big Ten -- last year's performance was not worth discussing here. And yet at least this year, the Conference has a team in the Elite 8, with every chance to do further damage in the Tournament. There is at least one bright spot, one hero left to fight on, one single-combat champion with (perhaps) three more skulls to add to the pile.
So it is that Ohio State carries the hopes of a mob of basketball fans stretching literally from central Pennsylvania to the barren tundra of western Minnesota and the corn and pigs of western Iowa. Can Ohio State carry the projected -- from us to them, as their dreams become ours -- basketball dreams of millions of devout Big Ten fans?
This Buckeye-fan-of-the-hour says that they can. Go Bucks.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
The Plight of Ketchup
Why is there such wide-spread hate for America's favorite condiment (with all respect to salsa, and yes, I've seen the numbers...) when it comes to applying it to hot dogs and bratwurst (and other 'wursts)?
For the life of me, I don't understand the ridicule ketchup (and ketchup-lovers) suffers in the fight to top the hot dog. And what's funny is that so many who persecute ketchup on its way to the top of the dog are the same people who pour half of a standard-size bottle on their burgers, fries... even eggs.
So why not top hot dogs, and other legendary links of the wurst family, with ketchup?
I am an equal opportunity hot dog topper. By that I mean that I do not ridicule anyone for his or her chosen toppings. Well, okay, I suppose marshmallows or chocolate syrup might be pushing it a bit, resulting in a lambasting for which I have become regionally ("regionally" = my street) known and feared.
(Also, come to think of it, such action might cause me to "accidentally" bump into said offensive hot dog devourer, causing the offensive hot dog to fall to its death on my weed-infested back yard.)
The battle lines are drawn thusly:
I and other ketchup-lovers, who enjoy it on burgers, fries, and wursts alike (at least... or for the purposes of this blog, at least on hot dogs).
Vs.
Those who use and praise the red stuff when it comes to burgers and fries, but who waffle when it comes to ketchup's application to wursts. If you try to get ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago, you will immediately know of whom I speak.
I'll give a slight break to those who universally revile ketchup. Mostly I am disgusted with the two-facedness of the ketchup-on-burgers-but-not-on-dogs group. That said, this is ketchup vs. mustard, so... all ketchup-on-hot-dog haters, this is your tent.
---
Ketchup is sweet, while mustard is bitter/sour/icky (hehe).
Some say that ketchup overpowers the hot dog's taste.
SAY WHAT?
Mustard, by volume, is far stronger-tasting than ketchup. The bitterness of mustard overpowers the sweet tomatoey goodness of ketchup when the two are paired in like amounts. If you think that ketchup overpowers the hot dog's taste, try eating one with only mustard. Ick. Hack. Spit. Blow chunks.
Advantage, ketchup.
Okay, that's a start.
Let me know what you think concerning the merits of ketchup as a topping for wursts, namely hot dogs and bratwurst ("brats" to native Wisconsinites like me).
Sincerely,
T.S.
P.S. - I admit to having nearly no idea how this works. Feel free to post random stuff on here as well. Please refrain from swear words worse than, oh, the "s-word" or the "b-word". In other words, try to keep it PG-13, so that everyone can read the words of wisdom deposited here.
For the life of me, I don't understand the ridicule ketchup (and ketchup-lovers) suffers in the fight to top the hot dog. And what's funny is that so many who persecute ketchup on its way to the top of the dog are the same people who pour half of a standard-size bottle on their burgers, fries... even eggs.
So why not top hot dogs, and other legendary links of the wurst family, with ketchup?
I am an equal opportunity hot dog topper. By that I mean that I do not ridicule anyone for his or her chosen toppings. Well, okay, I suppose marshmallows or chocolate syrup might be pushing it a bit, resulting in a lambasting for which I have become regionally ("regionally" = my street) known and feared.
(Also, come to think of it, such action might cause me to "accidentally" bump into said offensive hot dog devourer, causing the offensive hot dog to fall to its death on my weed-infested back yard.)
The battle lines are drawn thusly:
I and other ketchup-lovers, who enjoy it on burgers, fries, and wursts alike (at least... or for the purposes of this blog, at least on hot dogs).
Vs.
Those who use and praise the red stuff when it comes to burgers and fries, but who waffle when it comes to ketchup's application to wursts. If you try to get ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago, you will immediately know of whom I speak.
I'll give a slight break to those who universally revile ketchup. Mostly I am disgusted with the two-facedness of the ketchup-on-burgers-but-not-on-dogs group. That said, this is ketchup vs. mustard, so... all ketchup-on-hot-dog haters, this is your tent.
---
Ketchup is sweet, while mustard is bitter/sour/icky (hehe).
Some say that ketchup overpowers the hot dog's taste.
SAY WHAT?
Mustard, by volume, is far stronger-tasting than ketchup. The bitterness of mustard overpowers the sweet tomatoey goodness of ketchup when the two are paired in like amounts. If you think that ketchup overpowers the hot dog's taste, try eating one with only mustard. Ick. Hack. Spit. Blow chunks.
Advantage, ketchup.
Okay, that's a start.
Let me know what you think concerning the merits of ketchup as a topping for wursts, namely hot dogs and bratwurst ("brats" to native Wisconsinites like me).
Sincerely,
T.S.
P.S. - I admit to having nearly no idea how this works. Feel free to post random stuff on here as well. Please refrain from swear words worse than, oh, the "s-word" or the "b-word". In other words, try to keep it PG-13, so that everyone can read the words of wisdom deposited here.
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