...it ain't The Man keeping me down, it's just my own inability to jump-start my brain to make it do something other than imitate the churning slushy frozen slurry inside of one of those Slurpee machines at the 7-11. Yesterday was full of flying poo that didn't stop flying until I went to bed. And even THEN I couldn't get relief--let me tell you, dreaming about being an unexploded ordnance defuser isn't the least bit restful. It wouldn't have been quite so bad except I was being assisted by people who couldn't read very well. They kept calling out a series of code words that I was supposed to be putting into this little box that had a series of sliding levers, and then they realized somewhere in the process that they were reading the wrong things. And then I was back in high school, although not my own high school, but a giant, dilapidated place full of sullen slackers. Luckily, there were no bombs to defuse.
Anyway, today and tomorrow are both going to be full of the same crazy workjunk yesterday was. In order to have SOME sort of content around here so that people will not completely abandon me, we are going to have the first ever Possumblog Open Comment Thread! Whatever suits your fancy, I don't care, just keep the language clean. Maybe you're a long-time lurker--time to come out of the shadows and say hello! Maybe you've got a question and you want someone OTHER than Dr. Possum to answer it--ask it here! Maybe your brain looks like the goo inside of a Slurpee machine reservoir--what better way to show everyone! Maybe you've become addicted to exclamation marks--say it here!
Anyway, y'all have at it.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at April 10, 2007 08:50 AMHave we set the date for the AoW annual summer picnic and softball tourney? I'd like to get my summer calendar set. Will we get to meet MFT? Maybe he could come out to the picnic and say hey.
Put me down for a plate of deviled eggs and a jello salad.
Posted by: Nate at April 10, 2007 09:53 AMNo date yet, although I'm leaning toward Sunday, June 31. We have to see if the Rotary Club will let us use their diamond, and after that deal with them and the Lion's Club from three years back, I don't know if they'll let us. MFT, whoever that is, is welcome to come, as long as he or she doesn't start trying to make a pass at Chet the E-Mail Boy.
The issue of food is another one of those things that we've got to be careful about. I still get complaints about that time in '88 when everyone got listeria.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 10, 2007 10:50 AMJeff! MF Jeff! So sorry. I'm still hoping he will uncloak.
Posted by: Nate at April 10, 2007 11:27 AMWhat about my friend Terry? Actually for many of us that would by MCFT - My CyberFriend Terry.
Hmmm, for those of us stuck in cyberspace, how can we all enjoy the picnic? There's MySpaace (have to misspell in order to post) and its +100 million accounts. How about a MyPicnic place?!?
We could draw up fancy avatars, include nice pictures of the kids (who would behave the whole time), photograph and publish the dishes we made for the picnic and set up a "pong"-like volleyball game. The weather would be perfect, no ants or other bugs, and you could choose tasteful music in the background instead of some yokel blaring Lynyrd Skynyrd from his truck speakers.
This could be another potential money-maker for the vast AoW empire, once you open up the space to other cyber-picnickers.
Posted by: Marc V at April 10, 2007 11:49 AMAre you saying I should leave the my Skynyrd 8-tracks at home? This might be a problem...
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 10, 2007 12:08 PMWhat the Judas Priest are you talkin' 'bout? Obviously when I referred to "yokels" I was NOT referring to you ;}
Maybe I should have said "... blaring Taylor Hicks ..."?
[And this bird you cannot change, oh whoa oh ohhh.
Lord help me, I can't chay - ay - ay - ay - ay - ay - ay - ay - ange. Aye caramba!]
What's the idea of banning dirty language? How am I to speak about all the hard red clay around here and complain about the birds messing on my car and such things without using dirty language?
Posted by: Larry Anderson at April 10, 2007 01:53 PMAre you saying I should leave the my Taylor Hicks CD at home? This might be a problem...
And Larry, given the small turnout for the First Ever Possumblog Open Comment Thread, I'll be &^*$$#%&^&, but I think my prohibition against working blue had the unintended consequence of driving everyone away. It's enough to make me want to **&^ the living !@*) out of myself. I feel like such a *~@)^@! and a *&.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 10, 2007 02:04 PMPerhaps we could get Pavarotti to appear? (Although I have no idea what "possum" would be in Italian.)
Posted by: Stan at April 10, 2007 02:09 PMYou put the "o" at the end, thus "possumo".
Posted by: Larry Anderson at April 10, 2007 02:24 PMI really like his version of "Gimme Three Steps."
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 10, 2007 02:35 PMSomething tells me you REALLY like Lynard Skynard's version of Gimme Three Steps. (Though I realize you probably still can't watch it at work.)
Posted by: Stan at April 10, 2007 02:49 PMAnd Larry, if I ever take a course in Italian I will be SURE to remember your handy tip. Oddly I tried Google Translator and IT renders the word "opossum" so I guess Google adds "o" at the BEGINNING of the word. Something tells me there are probably no "possumos" or "opossums" in Italy.
Posted by: Stan at April 10, 2007 02:54 PMStoopid network filters that block out the Yootube moovies! Spoil all the fun.
Posted by: Nate at April 10, 2007 03:02 PMDon't know about Italy but there are plenty of possums down here. They come out at dusk and you just about have to kick them out of the way when you walk through Fitzroy Gardens.
By the way, I've posted a sneak preview of the Tangerine Dream.
Posted by: kitchen hand at April 10, 2007 08:37 PMWOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Chametz!
Gotta go grab some leavening.
Posted by: skinnydan at April 10, 2007 09:06 PMCan I bring my Tangerine Dream CD's to the picnic? Now that would be some tasteful music!
Posted by: Marc V at April 11, 2007 07:22 AMMarc, tastefull? At an Axis of Weevil picnic? Not very likely...
Posted by: Nate at April 11, 2007 08:10 AMSo, Nate--are you bringing devilled eggs or not, then? I think they'd be very tasteful, as long as you put the paprika on top. And maybe some celery seeds.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 11, 2007 10:20 AMPaprika- certainly. Deviled eggs would be naked without it. Never tried the celery seeds but it might be a tasty addition.
Posted by: Nate at April 11, 2007 10:38 AMYou say "naked" like it's a bad thing.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 11, 2007 10:49 AMCan I call "dibs" on the deviled eggs, or maybe everybody could bring them and we could have a best-of-egg contest? My wife had our three kidlets color 2 dozen eggs Saturday (used the following day for an INDOOR egg hunt), and she's not big on egg salad sandwiches, so they're just keeping cool in the fridge.
I can't decide if celery seed on deviled eggs would be icky or not. I also don't know if paprika actually has a flavor. Can anybody describe it? I've been hesitant to insert a slightly moistened finger in a jar of paprika to get a sample and find out myself.
Posted by: Marc V at April 11, 2007 11:11 AMWell I'll bring a cake.
And ice cream, you've got to have ice cream. Maybe those little cups of half vanilla and half chocolate.
Posted by: Sarah G. at April 11, 2007 12:05 PMPaprika tastes like shmoo.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 11, 2007 12:39 PMI have enough ham left over to bring ham sandwiches.
Paprika does have a taste - it can be pretty spicy if you use enough of it. Hungarian paprika is known to be especially spicy-sweet.
Posted by: Diane at April 11, 2007 01:54 PMDiane, just make sure it's kosher ham so Rabbi Jim Ed, Jr. will agree to umpire for us.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 11, 2007 02:09 PMI'm not sure how much you'll have to worry about the "kosherness" of stuff, as Mr. Dan is looking for leavening (hopefully not in all the wrong places). We may need to have a separate entry for kosher deviled eggs, those using dill relish and approved mayo.
Looks like I'm going to have to find a bottle of paprika and moisten my finger, after reading those "terrific" taste descriptions.
Posted by: Marc V at April 11, 2007 03:11 PMWell, we have to make the effort or else we won't have anyone to call balls and strikes! After that little incident between us and the Elk's Lodge on Labor Day, it helps to have a common enemy to blame things on.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 11, 2007 03:57 PMMarc, Paprika is also the name of a new anime my youngest G-son told me about... in much detail. Anyway I like using smoked (the stuff I have is cold smoked in applewood), Spanish and Hungarian paprikas, both to garnish and flavor.
Posted by: Chef Tony at April 11, 2007 07:58 PMTony,
I was looking at a Spanish (specifically La Mancha) cookbook. It said paprika is Spanish, and went to Hungary with a Spanish princess who was married off to a Hungarian.
http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Heart-Spain-Food-Mancha/dp/0060751746/ref=sr_1_2/104-3556398-7547936?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176387391&sr=1-2
Posted by: steevil (Dr Weevil's bro Steve) at April 12, 2007 09:17 AM