2 recent Onion articles that could have been about me

1. Employee's Multitasking Doesn't Include Work

2. Gaze Upon My Baseball Cap Collection And Try To Remain Unmoved
(except this guy only owns 11 hats & 2 of them are A's and Mets--I would never own either of those)

a little salt in my wound

just got this email from the very, very lucky Seattle, Oklahoma City or Kansas City Sonics:

The lone piece of good hoops related news for me today is that Roy Hibbert will return to lead the Hoyas to next year's national championship, though he'll have to do it without Jeff Green, who has decided to remain in the draft. I hope the Celtics take him with that #5 pick.

Congrats to Blazers & Sonics; Giambi=Lying Cheating Hypocritical Scumbag

Congrats to the Blazers who won the Greg Oden NBA draft lottery last night, and to the Seattle/OKCity Sonics, who got the 2nd pick consolation prize of Kevin Durant. This despite having only the 6th and 5th best chance of winning, respectively.

BUT...I'm very disappointed & angry that the Celtics, who had the 2nd best chance of winning the #1 pick, have to settle for the #5 choice. WTF?! I guess it'll be another 10 years of mediocrity in Boston & of me not really caring about the NBA.

In other news 'roid boy Giambi failed a test for amphetamines within the past year, it was reported today. This less than a week after he called for baseball to make a blanket apology to its fans, despite never apologizing for his own steroid use. what an ass!

I love Frank Robinson's reply to 'roid boy's disingenuous comments last week:

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson took issue with one of Giambi's comments, saying the Yankees first baseman should speak for himself.

"If Jason wants to confess, then he should come out and say: 'I'm guilty. I apologize. I apologize to baseball. I apologize to all the fans that have supported me and supported baseball over the years. And I will clean up my act and promise you I will not do anything like this again,"' Robinson said during an interview on ESPN. "He should not drag others into [it], because when he says baseball, that includes everybody in baseball."

Happy Norwegian Constitution Day!

Today's the big Syttende Mai parade in Ballard (our neighborhood in Seattle, which is full of Scandinavians of all type, but particularly Norwegians), so I thought I'd send along my warmest holiday wishes to everyone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Constitution_Day

Bob Barker's Farewell

Since I am a HUGE TPIR fan, as many people can attest, I wanted to remind you all to watch Bob in his farewell tour over the next couple months, and in prime time this Wednesday and Thursday nights at 8PM:

• Wednesday May 16, 8-9PM: The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular

Contestants play for bigger prizes than ever to commemorate the retirement of longtime host Bob Barker.

• Thursday May 17, 8-9PM: Bob Barker: A Celebration of 50 Years on Television

Longtime show host Bob Barker reminisces about his 50 years in television, most notably his tenure at "The Price Is Right."

Here's the NY Times take on Bob's retirement

Even Less Shocking

I've been singing the praises of Mariners Fan Favorite Jeff Weaver since his first start this season. He continued his perfect start today, and is now 0-6!! The good news for Ms fans is that he lowered his ERA to 14.56 with a quality outing today--only 6 earned runs in 5 innings pitched! Sweet! He's gonna break through for that first W any time now

Here he is almost getting Magglio Ordonez out!

Today's Less Shocking Headline: Fistfight mars Boston Pops' opening night

Whenever Irene and I are at a Sox game in Fenway, we try to guess when and where the fight will be, not whether there will be one.

I wonder if either of the Pops pugilists were the Fenway Pizza Tosser from the Patriots Day game earlier this year. (heh-heh -- I said tosser)

Fistfight mars Boston Pops' opening night


BOSTON (Reuters Last update: May 10, 2007 – 9:03 AM) - A fistfight in the balcony stopped the music on opening night at the Boston Pops, drawing gasps from hundreds of well-heeled guests at one of the country's oldest and best-known city orchestras.

Famous for light classical music and family pop tunes from decades past, the orchestra briefly halted its performance on Wednesday evening as two men wrestled in the side balcony of the 107-year-old Symphony Hall.

Concert-goers looked up after a woman's scream interrupted a rendition of the Hollywood musical "Gigi" about 20 minutes into the performance.

Shortly afterward, conductor Keith Lockhart stopped the orchestra with a motion of his hand as the murmuring crowd turned to watch the scuffle, apparently caused after one man told another guest to be quiet.

One of the men could be seen with his button-down shirt ripped open as a security guard pulled the two apart, according to a Reuters reporter at the scene. A man had his arm wrapped around another's neck, pulling him backward.

"House security and Boston police stopped the fight, and the audience members were escorted out of the hall," the Boston Symphony Orchestra said in a statement on Thursday. "The concert resumed and ended with cheers and a standing ovation."

No charges were filed against the men.

The Pops, comprised of the Boston Symphony minus its principal players, is perhaps best known for July 4th concerts along Boston's Charles River that began in 1974 and include fireworks accompanying Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture."

Its concert hall is considered among the best in the world.

Shocking News Headline of the Day

`Dukes of Hazzard' car buyer doesn't pay

For some reason the person who bid over $9.9 million for one of the General Lee Dodge Chargers did not actually pony up the money.

I'm shocked! Shocked! and Jon Schneider is pissed!

Hermaphroditic deer with seven legs ‘tasty’

That has got to be one of the best headlines ever, and the fact that he killed it with his pickup truck adds to the overall comedic value. The sub-header (italics below) ain't bad either:

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

The Associated Press

Updated: 2:04 p.m. PT Dec 14, 2006

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."

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16210496/

The newly remodeled Seatle Art Museum

The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) reopened this past weekend with lots of fanfare and gimmicky promotions. The museum was opened for 32 hours straight from Saturday morning through Sunday evening. Admission was free, but a timed-entry ticket was needed which were issued at the museum box office.

Luckily for us, Jim and I got to see the museum before its grand reopening because they held special preview hours for WAMU employees (the art museum occupies lower floors of the new WAMU Center, where Jim works). Sad to say that I'm not terribly impressed with the space, though everybody absolutely loves it in all the reviews I've read.

I feel that the museum has degenerated into a space where you can throw awesome parties. As evidence on the night we went, there were a few people who had a fit when they were told they couldn't enter the galleries with oversized bags, umbrellas and wine glasses (handed out complimentary during the evening).

Unlike other museums, SAM isn't arranged chronologically. I'm not convinced that this works for a museum the size of SAM; there's just too much to look at. Some of the art is hung in odd locations, like just off the elevator banks where you may otherwise see directions signs pointing where to go, or on a wall between 2 doorways.

I give credit for the creative design incorporating the old museum designed by Robert Venturi and his wife, Denise Brown. There were nice touches that were sorely missing in the old space -- there's more natural light in some of the galleries, an additional museum shop upstairs, and elevated ceiling heights. In the old space, traveling exhibits had a premium location while the permanent collections were relegated to the upper floors which were mainly forgotten. There were a few exhibits Jim and I saw that were packed elbow to elbow downstairs, while exhibits on other floors would be virtually empty.

I hope everyone has a chance to check out the museum. I would love to hear your opinions.

Mothers Day Gift Ideas from the Red Sox

From the same thoughtful folks who brought you the Remote Control Caddy gift recommendation for Valentine's Day, here are some great gift ideas for the Moms out there (click pic to enlarge; click here to shop):

Happy 100th Birthday Memere!

Jim's Grandmother Lena Demers, who passed in July 2004, would have turned 100 this Saturday, April 28. I just wanted to say Happy Birthday Memere! We think of you often and miss you.
Love, Jim & Irene

Too much to ask

Is it too much to ask if I want cheap but good food in Seattle? I usually pack a lunch for work, but on a rare occasion I won't. Today I couldn't decide what to eat so I headed over to Pike Place Market to see what would catch my fancy. I stopped to get a char sui bao (or humbow, as Seattlites call it here) at Mee Sum Pastry. To my dismay, it was $2.25. Yes, it was alittle bigger than the ones you might find in Chinatown (or the International District as Seattlites call it here), but $2+ is quite alot to pay for a pork bun. Still hungry, I wandered over to DeLaurenti for a pizza slice. They don't do round pies; they're actually rectangular but I'm not quite convinced you could call it a Sicilian pizza (you know what I mean if you've ever had pizza in New York City). The slice was only $2.45 for plain cheese. It wasn't bad but the crust was hard and alittle tough to chew.

Life would be so much better if Seattle could offer decent inexpensive food. At least I can't complain when I pack my own lunch.

Will I ever visit London again?

The British Pound is now equal to $2.00 US. It's been almost five years since Jim and I have been in England, but I remember that it was expensive then too. A single trip (cash) on the London tube is £4. Of course it's cheaper buying a fare card, but still that mean it's $8 for a single ride! Even on our trips to Europe, Jim and I avoid connecting through London because the airport taxes are so high. London connections typically add about $50 to your ticket price. Plus you'll have to exchange money into £ which is useless everywhere else in Europe (except Northern Ireland). I sadly don't see a trip to London for us in the near future.

Are we clueless?

My sister, Helen must not think Jim and I are smart. She may have misplaced a cable for her digital camera while visiting us earlier this year. She was nice enough to include an image in her email, just in case Jim and I had no idea what cables were.

We found the cables as instructed.

Federal Judge Laplante

This article from last Saturday's Manchester Union Leader is about Jim's old Georgetown roommate, Joe Laplante:

Federal prosecutor tapped to be U.S. District Court judge

CONCORD – Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph N. Laplante of Nashua has been selected to be the next U.S. District Court judge for New Hampshire.

Laplante, 42, is set to succeed Judge Joseph DiClerico who assumed senior status last month after 15 years on the federal bench. Federal judges are named to a lifetime appointment.

The New Hampshire Union Leader confirmed yesterday through U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg's office that the White House has given Laplante initial approval. Gregg submitted Laplante's name to the Bush Administration for its consideration.

Laplante must still go through a final vetting process that includes review by the FBI and the American Bar Association, then a confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate.

Laplante is second only to U.S. Attorney Thomas Colantuono among New Hampshire's federal prosecutors. He oversees the U.S. Attorney's Office's criminal, civil and administrative divisions and is lead state prosecutor for the New England Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Colantuono said yesterday, "I think Joe Laplante will become an outstanding federal district court judge and I'm very happy for him." Laplante has also been a prosecutor with the state Attorney General's Office, the U.S. Attorney's Major Crime Unit in Boston and the U.S. Department of Justice's campaign financing task force.

Before he joined the state AG's office for a five-year stint, he was in private practice at Wiggin & Nourie in Manchester from 1990 to 1993.

Laplante's was one of three names that Gregg submitted for consideration.

Others were Concord attorney Sherilyn Young, president and co-founder of the Rath, Young and Pignatelli firm, and Superior Court Chief Justice Robert Lynn of Bow.

LaPlante graduated from with a BA from Georgetown University in 1987, and from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1990. He lives in Nashua with his wife and three children.

The confirmation process takes months and is expected to wind up sometime this summer.

In the meantime, DiClerico's senior status means he will remain on the bench with a reduced caseload.

The rematch of Ichiro and Daisuke

It was exciting to see Daisuke pitch to Ichiro; even the Red Sox fans were on their feet for the first few pitches. (It was a bigger night for Felix and his one-hitter.) If you didn't watch the game tonight, check out the highlights.

World's Largest Dog!

My friend Larry (AKA Booter, Boot Guy, etc) is working on a book about the history of the Guinness Book of World Records and has been sending me weekly emails of interesting records he's come across. He sent me this one today:

Hercules: The World's Biggest Dog Ever According to Guinness World Records Hercules was recently awarded the honorable distinction of Worlds Biggest Dog by Guinness World Records. Hercules is an English Mastiff and who has a 38 inch neck and weighs 282 pounds. With "paws the size of softballs" (reports the Boston Herald), the three-year-old monster is far larger and heavier than his breed's standard 200lb. limit. Hercules owner Mr. Flynn says that Hercules weight is natural and not induced by a bizarre diet: "I fed him normal food and he just grew"... and grew. and grew. and grew.

Looks kinda fake I know, but if it's good enough for Guinness it's good enough for me.

Bacon on my mind

I'm blaming Martha Stewart for putting bacon on my radar this week. She did a segment on candied bacon -- a mixture of brown sugar and black pepper sprinkled liberally onto bacon, and then baked. I've had these once at a party thrown by Mark and Audrey. They were oddly addictive.

Now I hear about bacon ginger cookies!? The bacon ginger cookies use bacon fat instead of butter. What?! I think one stick of butter is required for a dozen cookies. I wonder how much bacon fat are we talking about here? They're serving these cookies at the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar. There's one in downtown Seattle, so I'll have to give it a try. Stay tuned for an update.

Now that I think about it. Shirley is to blame for the bacon/pork on my mind. We had a honey-baked ham Saturday night, and bacon for Sunday brunch. She also gave Jim the bone from the ham so Jim could make black bean soup (which we had last night -- YUM).

100 Million iPods Sold

Apple announced this week that 100 million iPods have been sold worldwide. Jim and I alone have purchased 3 iPods (the first one actually died on us), and 2 iPod shuffles. I'm not complaining; I love my iPods and so does Jim.