First?
Mudge, I am a martooni fan but not martooni himself though I grew up in the Mahoning Valley as well. Just a mostly lurker stepping in to comment once in a while.

Mudge,
Thanks for the low-down on shrimp. Should have known that these crustaceans exhibit variability like all of nature and come in a variety of genuses beyond chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

I take flavonids more seriously than many others, along with a range of other food phytochemicals. EF, downhill for Applebee's, as of yesterday, as IHOP is buying it out.

Arianna in her Kristol critique brings forth an allergy more widespread, with more serious reaction than severe hives--an allergy to bullsh!t.

Anyone see the story today about how Gen. P. Pace is, along with other head honchos of the miltary branches, developing plans for a possible surge in the surge this fall. More troop deployments (where are comin' from? Delayed leaves? Digging deeper into National Guard reserves? Taking whatever recruiters can grab from the street?)--whatever Petreaus may say come Sept.

I hope all the C&O Canal talk included something about the Paw Paw Tunnel (6 million bricks, 24 feet high, 3118 feet long). It's impressive on paper, really impressive once you're inside of it, and strikingly beautiful on the other side.

Flavonoids are why green tea, chocolate, grapes, etc. are suddenly very hip health food.

Anything that makes dark chocolate "healthy" is A-1 in my book.

Joel, when it comes to canals, I've found thay my personal Party Favor is my famous lecture regarding those found on Mars.

People like hearing about Percival Lowell and Charles Burton, but the ladies love it when I talk about Giovanni Schiaparelli.

In fact, all I have to do is say "Schiaparelli" low and like I mean it, and twirl my handlebar mustache with a rogueish twinkle in my eye, then my beverages for the rest of the night are free.

And not always because I'm drinking out of people's hose spickets in their front yards as I reel homeward through the streets after being forceably ejected, either.

bc

Joel, when it comes to canals, I've found thay my personal Party Favor is my famous lecture regarding those found on Mars.

People like hearing about Percival Lowell and Charles Burton, but the ladies love it when I talk about Giovanni Schiaparelli.

In fact, all I have to do is say "Schiaparelli" low and like I mean it, and twirl my handlebar mustache with a rogueish twinkle in my eye, then my beverages for the rest of the night are free.

And not always because I'm drinking out of people's hose spickets in their front yards as I reel homeward through the streets after being forceably ejected, either.

bc

Whoops, sorry about the double post.

bc

DMD -- re my critique of globalization from the "China" kit, I realize my views are somewhat out-there. However, at my core values are a preferential option for the poor and labor. In globalization, when capital moves freely, the classes/groups that control or enjoy ease of access to money WIN. They can win so "largely," as to shape an emerging economy such that little to no "trickle down" can occur.

Another aspect of Daly's critique -- and others who argue simultaneously for a 1)re-valuing of natural inputs and 2) address of externalities like pollution is that among the most vulnerable are future people. Hence, the concern for sustainability in local, national, regional and international economies.

Growth for growth's sake is one of the least examined axioms of economic. And while I say this, I understand that the US economy and productivity growth makes possible some of the "integration" of immigrants. That Europe cannot absorb their immigrants economically is one driver of extremist Islamist views. Again, I am drawing here with very stubby thick crayons.

I realize this sounds simplistic. But I would like to see economic structures that focus on the dignity of the people who comprise labor. That might be the point that Jumper wishes to make.

Thank you, Joel, for once again educating me in the Ways of the Wide World. I had never heard of ObamaGirl. Thanks to you, and your fine link, I can hold my head up in polite conversation should I ever encounter anyone else who's heard of ObamaGirl and wishes to discuss. I didn't go so far as to watch, you understand; I wouldn't want to be accused of knowing it all.

Loomis, Wilbrod, y'all misunderstood me. I didn't ask whether anyone had difficulty taking the fact of, concept of, existence of, beneficial uses of flavonoids seriously. I asked specifically whether anyone else has trouble taking the word itself seriously. I understand the importance of the thing the noun denotes. It is the word itself I find amusing.

On kit: I adore the sound of Annette Funicello on the tongue. Frankie Avalon sounds peechy-keen too.

And limoncello is delicious. Both to quaff and let roll off the tongue

Ricardo Cremona sounds more Italian Ice-ish than Richard C.

A teacher in high school who I did not take, since he taught woodshop was named:
Armando Regulbutti. Regul as in beagle; and beauty, not butty as in Nutty Buddy.

Ivansmom,

Flavenoid is funny, as is android, and steroid. -oid is funny as a sound.

I hear that Katie Couric does not like to say sputum out loud. When reporting about the TB-dude, apparently that word choice on the teleprompter took her by surprise.

I always hesitate on prostrate and prostate....want to get it right. Funny to think that a new widow might be prostrate on the fainting couch with grief. Prostrate problems would mean, technically, that you have trouble laying prone before, say the Wizard of Oz or other some great and powerful authority.

Boy, are you in a good mood, Joel. Must be all those highfalutin (now that's a good word)parties. Just remember what goes up must come down. Should be perfect timing for your beach blanket bingo buzz.

>EF, downhill for Applebee's, as of yesterday, as IHOP is buying it out.

Ah, another tragedy in the ecosystem of great American restaurant chains.

I'm still not over the Ground Round going down.

CP, I think our basis values would be very similar. I believe very strongly in all people being treated with dignity.

I am not a huge fan of Unions, I believe in NA they once held an important role, in current times I am not so sure.

Third world nations are already going to pay for western civilization, as one of the hardest hit by global warming, if I remember correctly.

Robert Samuelson in this week's _Newsweek_ on the shrinking comma-usage phenom. See the second page closing where Samuelson displays some of the commas excised from his writing by ruthless editors. Here is a snippet from the piece:

"The comma is a small victim of our hustle-bustle. If we can save a few seconds a day by curtailing commas, why not? Commas are disparaged as literary clutter. They're axed in the name of stylistic 'simplicity.' "

This sent to me by my favorite copyeditor on the planet. And Mudge, she likes Bill Walsh, too.

Grandma used to say that partypersons should really deflavenoid before writing kits.

In the last kit was the following:

From Sunday's book review column:

According to Amazon, the best-selling book of 2006 was "Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems," by Cesar Millan.

Posted by: LTL-CA | July 17, 2007 11:43 AM

That makes me sad.

Posted by: Yoki | July 17, 2007 11:45 AM

'Splain, Yoki?

"jumbo hooters the size of watermelons"

Joel, if you're doing Ocean City, I'll meet you at 59th st at 0800 on Friday and Saturday for surfing.

Ivansmom, I, too, think flavinoid is a funny word. In part it's because I think of it being Brooklynese for "favinerd," whatever that might be. So flavinoid is just that much more fun. And speaking of fun flavinoids, my fav is red wine. Glass a day, my doc says. Gotta quaff those flavinoids.

Yoki, fess up, now: that post from Calgary in the Weingarten chat about the "relaxed perineum" was you, wasn't it?

skiohio, did you mean Mahoning Valley, Pa. (and if so, how far from Lehighton), or Mahoning Valley, Ohio?

We have an Editor's Note? Is that not the first ever in the Achenblog universe? Hello, Newman. [porperly inflected Seinfeldian greeting, of course.]

CP this line of thinking comes close to what I believe, the fact that it came out of our Prime Ministers mouth shocks me, as it appears to contradict what he said yesterday in Columbia.

I am an idealist and believe that other parts of the world should be able, if they choose, to have a better way of life. Of course I also believe all people care about others best intersts so what do I know :-)

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/070717/national/harper_chile

Here's what he said the previous day,

"I don't think you say to a country, 'Well, you still have problems, therefore we'll back off and we won't have anything to do with your economy,'" Harper said, his voice rising and his arms gesturing as he stood on a podium alongside Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

"Quite the contrary. When we see a country like Colombia, that has decided it has to address its social, political and economic problems in an integrated manner, that wants to embrace economic freedom, that wants to embrace political democracy and human rights and social development, then we say, 'We're there to encourage you and we're there to help you.'

"We're not going to say, 'Fix all your social and political and human-rights problems, and only then will we engage in trade relations with you,'" he said. "That's a ridiculous position. You'll never get anywhere if you take that position in this world."

http://www.canada.com/cityguides/halifax/info/story.html?id=50af338d-ef8a-4930-9eb8-54cd9b31c3db&k=73326

Working hard today; deadlines, deadlines. But I want to make sure Frosti saw this from the old boodle...

Frostbitten,

Thanks for reading and mentioning "Standing By." We rely mostly on word of mouth, so thanks for letting others know about it. http://blogs.tampabay.com/standingby/

Posted by: Jan Wesner | July 17, 2007 02:35 PM

Indeed it was, 'Mudge. I just knew Weingarten would think it was a great phrase. As some comedian once said, "It's funny 'cause it's true."

Raysmom, it makes me sad that Millan is the best seller, because I think he is *so* wrong in his approach to dog training. I won't even mention that I think his domination-fixation is morally indefensible and counterproductive to the sort of relationships most of want with our intimate companions (OK, I guess I will mention it). His interpretation of all thing dog is just plain wrong. Have you ever noticed how much attention dogs pay to our every gesture and tone? It is not because they think we are dogs and pack-leaders, but because they *know* we are not, and need to learn everything they can about us, if they are to live with us.

I have no problem being the authority figure for my dogs, but I achieve that the same way I do with other family members, earning it through the life-long respectful conversation.

He gets those tele-worthy results through coercion and domination, and that is not training, that is breaking the spirit.

Geez. I'm becoming heated, which I try not to do more than once or twice a week.

I never heard of ObamaGirl before this. Um. Oh, my.

Wow. Knocking 'em dead at an Arianna Huffington party with canal banter. If MoDowd had been there it would have been my fantasy come true.
I'm a little confused though. I thought Rachel Sklar was the Klingon Ambassador on Star Trek TNG.

So, Joel has had canal knowledge with (if not "of") Arianna Huffington. And ObamaGirl. That's just one typo away from serious marital embarrassment.

Joel, nice to see you've solved your "aboutness problem."

I can't wait to see what you'll do about your imminent "I've ticked off Argetsinger and Roberts problem." This might be a good time to re-use that phrase, "vast internecine slaughter."

"Canal Boy?" Why not "Johnny Canal?"

Last kaboodle I was shamelessly trolling tongue-in-cheek (no comma here!) with the "why not commit murder?" post.

I don't think I was shamelessly trolling with pointing out the concerted ongoing destruction of collective bargaining.

DMD -- I think that was you re the Canadian PM. I do agree that we have to engage other countries economically before they "fix" everything. I am just so unclear now, about how individuals might use market power to signal that we prefer goods that are safe and fair. Boycotts, constructed along traditional lines, are not the tools of now, I fear. Unions, may my recently-dead relatives not strike me dumb!, are increasingly ineffective and oftimes corrupt.

But, how do nations use sticks and carrots to bring forth reasonable behavior on the part of countries? Globalization unfettered, unexamined yields all the ills of capitalism unbound. How do we arrive at a more just, more equitable, more sustainable economic world? I do not really know. However, the steps toward humane systems will "check" capital against the claims of people, communities, and the inability of labor to "move" as freely as capital. People, after all, tend to live in a place, with many ties.

China EXECUTED one government official over tainted consumer products! Do the Chinese think that such barbarism shows us "good will" about "clean" consumer goods?

I am not sure how to proceed. However, I do know that my Western life style creates a multiplier effect of poverty and want in the world.

Living more simply must be one response.

----And now, back to fun words like Funicello. And the lovely full stature umbrage of Citizen Yoki against the falseness of the dog-threatening poseur. I love it, Yoki, when you tell the truth loudly.

Okay, I have no willpower. Or else I am a seeker after true knowledge. Yes, that's it. I viewed the ObamaGirl "I've Got a Crush on Obama." Indeedy. Also, in the spirit of scientific inquiry, I watched the subsequent video pitting the ObamaGirls against similarly graced Giuliani supporters. I really think it has a catchier tune.

Thanks, Yoki. I know many dog-lovers disagree vehemently with Millan, and I suspected that's what you meant. I don't subscribe to much of what he teaches, but do believe that most of the misbehavior and neuroses you see in dogs are due to mishandling by humans. As in, dogs need a human to provide structure and rules, and respond badly to their absence. And I also agree that three things dogs need are "exercise, discipline, affection." For TWD that meant walks to take the edge off his energy so that he'd listen, rules such as "if you want this door to open, you must sit," and rewards of pats and praise when he did well. Where Millan goes off course is doing these things too rapidly for the camera--and making it look too easy for viewers wanting to try it themselves.

The answer CP, that I can figure is we all must be kind to each other.

Jumper I am sorry if my post seemed harsh asking about unions - it wasn't intended as harsh just a question.

On more related conversation concerning the humour of words. As a child my family could not drive through one particular town without me going into a fit of giggles.

Other than flavinoids - which is a good one - anyone have some words that just make them lose it for no apparent reason?

More, please, Yoki. I have found much of value in Cesar Milan's point of view, but what you said about "conversation" I have seen first hand and adopted, too, from one of the best dog owners I know, who uses conversation (in both a literal and figurative sense.)

Agree flavonoid is a very funny word. And so is deflavenoid, MedallionOfFerret. Hahaha. But I still like highfalutin. Rhymes with glutin, ya know.

If it makes y'all Easteners feel any better it's really hot here in Colorado, too. Actually had to turn the AC on. Horrors.

Re. PITGOATS
(Richard Dawkins and the late Jerry Falwell strike me as equally pitgoatly).
-Allen Stairs, philostopher

What theory is Richard Dawkins in the grip of? Natural Selection? Jerry Falwell was full of crap? Both seem resonable and well suppoted by evidence.

As a scientist Dawkins is open to evidence. Something philosophers and theologians have managed to do very well without, thank you very much.

Beware PITGOABelief

DMD! But of course, the official boodle snickerdoodle word is that town that rhymes with Uranus.

And RD has seizures when the images associated with fripperies and furbelows start to run on his internal monitor.

Was that town in Connecticut, dmd?

There was a line (said by Joe Flaherty's character Guy Cabarello) on an old SCTV about how you can't hear the name Billy Barty without laughing.

Go ahead... try it: "Billy Barty."

Have to agree, the first time I heard "flavinoid" I thought "What, are you making this up?" It sounds like some sort of alien creature, little guys from the planet Flavin, who arrive on earth and can change the taste of any good merely by touching it. Hate that fried liver? Touched by a Flavinoid, it would taste like dark chocolate.

I always had to laugh at "buttocks." And then when Forrest Gump got shot there, that just set me off.

TBG -- too funny! Billy B. I think so many of the pharmacy brand words are unintentially hysterical.

The drug that rhymes with Niagara Falls! They've got to be kidding. I guess they thought it evokes vigor of some sort. I think on Marilyn Monroe and honeymooning.

Lunesta! Moon nesting?

ProZAC? As in "for" Zachary? But what about Adam?

Strattera? But don't we want to bring space cadets down to earth?

Two of my brothers used to say that the name of the Ford Probe bothered them no end.

'Mudge, the Britishness of bollocks is companion funnyness to your nether region word of buttocks.

Fanny is funny to anyone under the age of about ten.

Of course, working in the field of investment journalism, we always refer to those on Wall Street as anal-ysts.

Mudge, Mahoning Valley, Ohio (Youngstown/Warren area--Niles to be precise). Not familiar with the Pennsylvania version.

dmd--okay, I must say it...flatulence. I cannot say that word with a straight face. :-)

Different town CP, but I was little and the word Burford just amused me.

TBG, I didn't get passed Joe Flaherty and Guy Cabarello before I started laughing.

Buttocks popping in arpeggios of lust.
-The Fugs
I think that's funny. Of coarse I think everything they did was funny.

Excellent, birdie. And bollocks is good, too, CP. When I was a kid we often said "bollix," meaning to mess up something, which didn't strike me funny (and I'd never heard of "bollocks" back then).

Who killed the boodle?
I, said the Sparrow,
with my bow and arrow,
I killed the boodle.

Mudge, I also laugh at "buttocks." But only when pronounced "byou-tocks" ala Ensign Pulver.

Oh, never mind. For some reason the boodle was refusing to refresh itself for me.

Yoki, hope you're cooler now. I didn't comment to your post before because I agree exactly. The problem is Cesar's methods, if done incorrectly can worsen behavior problems, not improve them.

On one hand I'm happy to see so many people want to train their dogs, on the other hand, I'm appalled that they're using Cesar Milan as a guide. There are many better books out there, in my opinion.

There are very few short-cuts to good behavior without considerable change and commitment on the owner's part, but that answer is not what sells.

We can only hope Cesar continues to learn (he's said he would) like Matt Margolois did.

I would STRONGLY recommend anybody with cable turn to Animal Planet and catch "It's Me or the Dog!".

Victoria Stillwell uses clicker training principles and never, never touches her dog clients to correct them. I'm impressed by her speed in shaping behavior, and I like how she convinces the human clients to change their ways.

http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/its-me-or-the-dog/its-me-or-the-dog.html

Raysmom should give it a look-see, and compare to Cesar. There are some universals that all dog trainers, good or bad will recommend because it's just plain common sense.

Ha, we just got evacuated. 31 floors down, into the muggy 90 F afternoon, and shortly afterwards, back up.

I think the more please that Jumper requested is this. It depends on what you mean by the word training. Traditionally this has been thought of as imposing your will on the dog, by whatever means works. More of us are now coming to think that the goal of training is to encourage the animal to develop self-discipline and emotional alignment with humans. Most of the dogs I've had, with one notable exception, really got the greatest reward from pleasing, rather than defying. They don't really seem to have many wants outside that (other than basic needs like food and sleep and a good sniff about). So the question for me, in training, is how does the dog best learn the discipline necessary to perform as I ask it to?

That is why I so object to Millan's approach. He is imposing, not evoking, correct behaviour, and I don't think the dogs actually learn much in the process.

Raysmom is absolutely correct of course, that any training technique needs to be paired with adequate good-quality exercise, nutrition, health care and hugs.

I must say again that my animals are not trained to the standard I imagine Wilbrodog is; they are companions and good manners are required, but they are not precision instruments. The great thing is, I think I know that Wilbrod uses conversation with the dog to get where she needs to be, as I do too.

I'm sad today because poor Ms. Libby came home from the hospital last night after her knee surgery, and cried all night and, #2 reports, all day today. She has a time-release morphine patch, so the pain should not be that bad. I do believe I shall slip out early this afternoon and see how she is.

Borborygm. I love that word. Even its modern suggested usage makes for funny reading.

"Today we offer you a more presentable expression for the less acceptable "gut-rumblings." Use it judiciously, "The conversation around the campfire was accompanied by borborygmic remnants of the evening meal." Elizabeth Fenwick wrote in 'Long Way Down' (1959), "The room was very quiet, except for its borborygmic old radiator." " From the Word of the day Website at Yourdictionary.com.

Wilbrod, I'll give that program a look--can't link right now, though. I'll bet that the "problem dogs" are that way because their owners expect them to train themselves. Don't know how many times I've had folks say to me, "You're so lucky. TWD is such a good dog." As if he were born that way!

He was a challenge to train, since rewards didn't interest him. Treats? After 3 or 4, he's had enough. Praise? Didn't spark him. So just lots and lots of repetition, consistency, and patience. He'll never be one of those grinning-up-at-you-constantly obedience dogs, but that's not what I want.

Speaking of Padouk, I wonder if, after doing the serious business of buying See's Candy out in Sunnyvale, he's had time to check out the progress of the ACLU lawsuit against Jeppesen International Trip Planning? Taxpayers' money well spent, indeed:

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0725,hentoff,76995,6.html

http://www.metroactive.com/metro/06.13.07/jeppesen-0724.html

For some reason, "natatorium" makes me giggle.

And in Middle School, which we called Intermediate School or Junior HS, we had both lunch and assemblies in the "cafetorium."

Yoki, I'm really interested in one thing. You said "More of us are now coming to think that the goal of training is to encourage the animal to develop self-discipline and emotional alignment with humans."

I can see this working with puppies; I wonder how this approach works with grown dogs with bad habits. Might you have to coerce some proper behavior for your own safety (can't have the dog drag you down the street, for example) whilst you're developing the relationship to enable the more desireable form of training? Or does it not work that way?

TBG, on Everybody Loves Raymond, it was the cafegymitorium.

In my experience, Raysmom (and I've had only 2 puppies but 7 adult rescues in my lifetime) the older animals are *much* more anxious to please, if only they can understand what you want, than a puppy. Of course they come with baggage and behaviour problems, but I've always thought that was an even stronger argument for being gentle with them. Somebody once said that no-one gets over terror by being terrorized, and I agree with that. So in re: undesirable behaviours, I try to set up the environment to avoid them. Thus, no food or garbage was ever left anywhere but behind locked doors, for Tod the chowhound would eat anything. We also had to cope with Tod's separation anxiety, and it did not involve his being left alone to suffer. Desensitization worked for that. Cleopatra the Bulldog was required to be attached to my waist by a leash until she learned to pay attention and listen (this is called tethering, and it is a cool technique). Lucy the German Shepherd and Reba the Berner went straight into a Halti until they learned not to lunge on leash. I never had to be mean to any of them, because they could not fail. Gus the blessing dog never did anything undesirable, as I recall, and neither has Yeoman or Libby or Broc, but they are the exceptions.

Raysmom, I was so pleased by your knowledge that it was the training that made TWD such a good companion, and not something that necessarily came naturally. You are right that most behaviours that lead to trouble are the result of the owner's neglect, not the dog's bad disposition! I have met only one dog that was genuinely aggressive and scary; most of the rest are just goofy and need to learn about the world.

Thanks, Yoki. Mostly I was concerned with the leash-pulling thing, as it is a huge problem with most of the rescues I worked with. Glad to see that you, too, believe that mechanical intervention is sometimes necessary.

Seems the people up in Rexhame, Mass (about 10 miles north of Plymouth and its rock) are a bit apprehensive after seeing a 15-foot shark about 20 feet offshore. One report speculated it might have been a harmless basking shark, but I dunno...(cue music).

"most of the rest are just goofy and need to learn about the world."

Just like kids!

The dog determines what the dog wants as a reward, Raysmom. For instance, Wilbrodog was persnickety about doing downs the first months I had him. I noticed this in the shelter and it had to do with his not wanting to put his family jewels on anything that was less than absolutely comfortable. Well, his jewels disappeared but his attitude didn't.

I tried treats, and that still had slow compliance, and he was balking on sidewalk and other places he HAD to go down on. What I did was make going down an opportunity to then go sniff and mark at a tree. Overnight he was downing quickly with a great attitude. Sniffing and marking is an endless motivator for an adolescent male pup.

So I know what you mean. Incidentally treats should be quite small and high-value. 80 treats, for instance, should maybe equal 1/3 of the dog's daily food, so we're talking small. I normally use puppy size biscuits or break larger biscuits in half. I got great focus with using very, very tiny pieces of steak or liver, too.

Some dogs that aren't food motivated are toy motivated. In fact, search and rescue dogs are often rewarded with toys at the end of the trail because they are pretty aroused by the hard work and not really ready to switch into eat mode on an instant-- and they want to make "finding" the person into a game and an opportunity for fun.

And I'm glad you tell people TWD didn't train himself. Very, very few dogs "train themselves" and if so, they live with people who have very consistent expectations and clear rules for dog and their family members, and set routines, so really the dog is being "trained"-- just not obviously.

Likewise, people who don't "train" their dogs are actually training their dogs to stay in the habit of being untrained monsters. ;).

Raysmom, one way to teach a good looseleash walk involves 2 weeks on the long line (15 feet) and teaching the dog to always keep attention on you.

I'm afraid to say I never quite did this with Wilbrodog, but I got my best results targeting him to my side OFFLEASH so he could understand the heel comand without the leash getting in the way.

I would never tie a dog's leash to my waist on a walk if the dog hadn't broken the habit of lunging-- too dangerous.

What I do to protect myself is take up the slack and if the dog lunges, let go of the slack, turn and walk away so when the tension hits, the dog looks and see you going away, not looking at him and yanking at the leash, like you're saying "hey, you need to be yanking on the leash when you do that."

The turned back is a good way of saying "no, I'm not going to be going over there with you."

However, I actually did exactly as Yoki did when I brought Wilbrodog home-- for 2 hours I had him tied to my waist so he wouldn't find trouble to chew on, and keep him moving with me and I could take him outside. It also helps to keep the dog focused on you, as Yoki says.

And self-discipline is great-- one example is "doggie zen" (you can also check www.dragonflyllama.com for basic lessons on attention and heeling).

Some dog get their attention so glued on treat in your hand they can't listen to the command.

In that case, you need to teach them to look away from the treat to your other hand means they get the treat. It's counterintuitive but it does help teach the dog that listening to you is the first step in getting what they want. This kind of self-discipline is important eventually when you're trying to get your dog to break his attention on another dog and focus on you to obey. Small steps.

TBG, you sure know me! Wilbrod compared training me in the first year to be like being with a 3 year old, 24/7.

Precison instrument? Wilbrodog? LOL. He's too goofy to be a precision instrument.

Just Saturday at the fair I had to make sure he was calmed down with repetitive walkbys before I'd allow him in the horse barn, and then he behaved very well, except when he lunged slightly and checked himself when a horse moved a bit too much. Another horse saw it and was very cross with him. I conversed with him about NOT ever doing that around horses-- other horses will see and intervene.

I've learned that even horses who like dogs will not put up with dogs trying to herd them. One day the horse will lose patience and it's good-bye fido.

So my goal is to teach Wilbrodog to stay calm, obey and keep a safe distance from horses, and not indulge in any impulsive behaviors such as barking, etc. that will get him spooking horses or nailed by a horse. That is a tall order to be done a small step at a time, always under supervision so he succeeds.

On the bright side, he helps me out a lot, and it's largely me training myself to read his reactions well, as well as enforcing good behavior.

In fact, I define our hearing dog work as an interspecies communication project. I love having an "inside track" through him.

I learn something every day. When I saw Mudge's post about Rexhame, MA I thought he had gotten the place wrong as the shark siting was in the town of Marshfield. Turns out there's a beach in the town called Rexhame and I assume that part of town is probably called by the same name. I think people are more excited than scared by the siting. Halfway through the summer, time for a little buzz.

We were discussing last night that we won't be vacationing this year. We didn't last year either as we were intangled in moving and redoing everything. Because I just started my job, I won't have any time off for a while. We'll just make the most of our weekends around here and plan something really fun for next summer.

Interspecie communication, wilbrod, opens a whole new door that leads to better intraspecie communication. When my late wife and I first had some of her family to dinner she suggested that I not talk to my cat as if it were a person. She felt they might think it "odd." During preprandial libations the cat chose to try out the lap of her elderly aunt. My wife froze in horror. The aunt's response was "Hello, kitty, what's your name?" We never again had any problem with my talk-to-the-animals odd behavior.

Speaking of Jaws, that is a movie has aged well and is still very good. Although I did see the Mythbusters where they shot an oxygen tank (alas, no smithereens, but it did take off like a rocket).

Smithereens is also a very good word.

I have just returned from a long and exhausting flight. I am tired, jetlagged, and just a little bit cranky. So it was with great enjoyment that I read such an entertaining and light-hearted kit. Further, I was delighted, as always, that CP mentioned my extreme sensitivity to the provocative powers of fripperies.

And then there is Ms. Loomis. Linda, Although I have freely admitted to being a member of the Intelligence Community I have no knowledge of nor any association with the alleged distasteful activities you so gleefully present. I work for what is essentially a community wide asset that crosses many organizational lines.

Further, one of my efforts is to reform the technical workings of the community as a whole from within. And while attempting internal reform is probably not nearly as satisfying as hurling stink bombs from your safe haven, I like to think I am making a difference.

Finally, it is my opinion that by associating me with these activities you are attempting to smear my reputation here on the blog using rather unsophisticated "Swift Boat" techniques more appropriate to Karl Rove.

Shame on you.

Is there something funny about this sentence from today's discussion of Book World?

"He is the author of a biography of John F. Kennedy and Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery."

Shiloh.. I love your cat story. Really makes me smile.

:-)

RD.. you brought us Mr. Stripey and you hang out with rabbits. I think your reputation is pretty well established.

But I know what you mean.

Funny, when I say "hello kitty what's your name" I often get told to keep my nose to myself.

Cute story!

RD, you're a member of the intelligence community? You must have meant Mensa.

Mudge, I am so sorry about your friend. I do hope everything works out for her.

Shiloh, I like your cat story too. I am crazy about cats.

Well, Field Marshal only has one "l"; is that what you mean?

I *heart* Mythbusters, BTW...

:-)

D'oh!!
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007320865,00.html

Boko...

"It's very disrespectful and not at all aesthetically pleasing."

Which outline is he talking about?

S'nuke I think you'd make a good Mythbusters host, just as long as you don't render the entire set radioactive.

TBG- both, I think, but only one has the historical chops to stay.

Boko that is funny.

Shiloh as someone who speaks to her dog like it is a person I really enjoyed your story.

RD, you forgot the important info - did you get the candy :-).

Wilbrod, I'm sorta sorry to say I've thought long and intently about what myths I might ask them to bust, but the lawyers would never go for it...

Same for Mike Rowe and "Dirty Jobs."

:-)

Then you deserve your own show, S'nuke, since you know the risks and all ;).

Ah, but I only have a face for radio... *L*

I'd say you definitely have a face for cable, S'nuke. Take that as a compliment or not....

Darn tootin' I did dmd. On my way to the San Jose airport I swung by the See's outlet and bought a 8 pack of See's "Awesome Walnut Square Bars" fresh from the factory.

http://www.sees.com/Prod.cfm?CatGroup=00031070

I'll take a comparison to Rowe or Hyneman or Savage any day...

Or perhaps you meant Buster?

:-)

Oh that looks very good RD.

Scotty be careful I looked quickly and thought you were happy to be compared to Rove!!!!

Padouk, I get tired of the Mianus stink bombs, too. The joke is so old and worn out it--or should be by now--that it raises my hackles. You would think some people would get tired of French ticklers and all things associated with the crotch and rectum, including anal-ysts.

All I can say is beware of bearing gifts to Greeks. I don't know what your bag is, but I'm familiar with your swag.

Jeppeson is subsidiary of Boeing. How interesting that your dad worked for Boeing. You and I both have close links to Boeing--my husband worked for Tymshare, not too long after DARPA no longer had a hand. McDonnell Douglas then took over Tymshare, and Boeing subsequently took over McDonnell Douglas.

We hold a fair share of Boeing stock, doing quite well these days, per Loomispouse. If Jeppeson knew it could ask any price of the CIA for flying individuals to far-flung destinations to be tortured, well, I think that's disgusting. The sky was apparently the limit as far as what the CIA would pay--with probably few questions asked by Jeppeson and little information provided by the CIA. I mean, my goodness, even the San Jose Murky News has run the story.

I, with a very clean conscience, would rather invest in companies with a spotless record as far as human rights.

You are hardly the only one who has rights to cranky.

Son of Carl,
The sentence confuses me. Did the author of it mean that he Hamilton) wrote A Biography of Both Montgomery and JFK, or did he mean he wrote biographies of Montgomery and JFK.

When I looked up his list of titles, he's written biographies of both of them, but it's not clear if they had some connection that I don't know about.

Now the discussion is over so I can't ask him to clarify.

Does anyone know if M. and JFK had interactions? JFK did live in England when his father was ambassador.

A small matter, but still....

You got some See's candy, RD? Excellent stuff, as you well know. They sell it in our fair area from about mid-November until around the first of the year.

Son of Carl, Smithereens is also a very fine rock group.

No connection, Maggie. It was just lack of (ahem) a good copy editor.

Maggie this explains the connection, he wrote biographies of both men.

http://www.mccormack.umb.edu/Clintonbio/works.htm

TBG-thanks for the heads-up on the comment directed to me from the last boodle.

Reduced to boodle skimming while at our follow up leadership retreat.

Perfidy-I've decided is the word I'm sticking with in re: W et al.

Now off to find out what that Obama Girl stuff is all about.

Hello, and toodles, boodle.

Thanks, Mudge and DMD; I did think that it was a copy editor mistake, but I wasn't sure if they had a connection.

I caught a really interesting tidbit on the news tonite, while cooking my supper. There was a feature some time ago on Lanier Philips on NPR.

http://forums.wildbillguarnere.com/index.php?showtopic=4325

They showed some clips of him speaking on the news feature tonite, and of the dedication of the new 'Truxton'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Truxtun_(DD-229)

I salute you, Mr. Philips.

JA, re Pat Boone, the third name is Fats Domino or any other African-American artist that he and his people exploited. How hilarious.

Here's his wiki bio:

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

The sycophant that wrote this wiki entry has no idea how condescending it is to claim that his ripoff of great R&B led to greater appreciation of that music.

I know you were trying to downplay the significance of the party or to expose the cognitively dissonant aspect of the event but, geez, the guy built his career on the inability of African-Americans to market their music to the blessed white race.

Maybe he has given all of his money to orphans; even so, I wouldn't give him the time of day. He just isn't funny, just a man who exploited African-Americans with a smile.

See's Candies CONNECTS us with our Canouckies! From the See's history section:

"When Charles See arrived in Los Angeles from Canada in 1921 to try his hand at the confection business, he decided that no image would better reflect the personality of his fledgling venture than that of his mother."

Thanks for the link dr. That is a great story about an amazing man. Bless you Mr. Philips.

BTW, CP said "sputum." Yuk

Jon Stewart was brilliant tonight on the Catholic church sex abuse settlement in LA. Are these programs still posted on Youtube? I think it's repeated at 8 pm EDT if not.

Oh, please! For pity's sake.

bill everything, I think we might need to slap CP around. Or not.

From yesterday:

Last fall we took our Chinese exchange student on tour of the mall to expose him to the many products of his country. Ironically, name brand sneakers there are very expensive. Besides, many sneakers are now made in Vietnam. Chinese labor is getting too expensive for the notoriously cheap footwear industry.

Sneakers and textiles are traditional gateway industrialization products. Thirty years ago South Korea was THE place for cheap tennis shoes. My family now owns two Korean cars.

KFC and McDonalds have been in trouble for not paying their employees in China the minimum wage and that has resulted in an increase in union membership. Chinese unions are notorious lapdogs, but how many American fast food workers are organized?

Off topic (!) - what was the topic, anyway? - this is a good story about hippotherapy, also called therapeutic riding:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/13/AR2007071301839.html?hpid=artslot
I volunteered at a program here for a few years. I started selfishly as a way to be around horses and get some exercise, but I loved seeing the progress of the students (mostly kids in the sessions I helped with).

what's up with the all night senate debate? have they lost their minds over there? i mean, of course they should be debating iraq, but not at 3am.

Ummm... So is bill everything sick of Pat Boone in particular, or of all people who've ever profited from the efforts of those who preceded them? 'Cuz I'm also worthy of disdain. I'm considered a pretty knowledgeable & creative guy, but (I'll be honest here) I got a lot of it from teachers and books and imitating others.

Sorry!

'Morning, Boodle. Couldn't sleep (or rather, get back to sleep, which is rare for me) so I thought I'd get up early and read the WaPo. David Corn's rebuttal of Bill Kristol and his Kristol Meth-induced euphoria praising Bush called "Why Bush Is a Loser" was quite good, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071701456.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Michael Gerson, ex-Bush speechwriter-turned-lousy-pundit continues his streak of mindless blather. Not link-worthy.

Ruth Marcus doesn't like Sen. Vitter because paying for sex from prostitutes is icky. Harold Myerson doesn't like the Republicans who've come out against the war because they lack spines. (Which may indeed be true, but I think he should have saved his vitriol for the GOPers who've yet to come out of the closet against the war.)

And political reporter Michael Abramowitz is out there with a 1-2 punch, the lede and second lede stories. The top is what I was thinking my own self yesterday: if al Qaeda has regenerated itself and is back in full fighting trim, after we've allegedly been fighting them tooth and nail for the past six years ever since 9-11, doesn't that mean Bush's strategy and/or competence in fighting them has been a total failure? And his second story indicates that finally, FINALLY!!!! (sorry for raising my voice so early) the Cheney thing with the energy lobbyists is starting to get some air. Always thought there was a major scandal there just waiting for the light of day.

I wonder if there's any food around here? *wanders off in search of sustenance*

Good morning, friends. Did you find the food, Mudge? Hope so. I could not go back to sleep either so I am up. Time to hit the shower, have to go to Wal-Mart early and then head to the Center.

I hope the "good thing" prevails in this war of words for Iraq. I don't know zip, but I'm hoping someone knows, and that our boys and girls stop dying over there.

I try to keep up, but so sleepy when I get home, I go to sleep trying to look at the news or read it. I did see where they said on TV that the folks we've been fighting are coming back (can't spell the name), and here I thought we were winning the war on terror. Or is the war on terror in Iraq? I am totally confused. If the war on terror is in Iraq, why are we in Afghanistan? Okay, okay, it is all the Middle East, except Israel? I doubt if there is any help for me on the question of the terror issue.

Ivansmom, thanks for your answer to my question.

Have a great day, folks, and if that isn't possible, endure. I hope to be very busy today. And with that in mind, God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Christ Jesus.

Good morning, Cassandra, and all--

My take on the War on Terror is that the only way to win it is to stop being terrified. (I'm doing my part.)

Last night I printed out this kit and went to my daughter's room. she was going to bed early because she's been battling a cold. "Joel's kit was especially funny today," I told her. "I'm going to read it to you."

She gave me the teenager eye-roll, like "Oh, Mom..." I had expected that, I was prepared for it. I just told her, there's nothing you can do to stop me. Thirty seconds later she was giggling out of control; by the time we got to "...canal boy..." she was falling off her bed laughing. So there. Mother does know best, and laughter is the best medicine, and (fill in your favorite cliche here).

Now I'm off to work, where I still haven't caught up to my vacation pile-up, so you won't see me here again today.

My daughter seems to have devoured all the eggs in the house, Cassandra, so I ate two small tangerines and a multigrain (read: cardboard-stuffed) Thomas's English Muffin. But I was so looking forward to a fried egg sandwich. Ah, well. One of many of life's little disappointments.

*wanders off to jump in the show, run for the bus, go to leg therapy session, then off to work*

*faxin' 'Mudge a Benedictine egg (or something like that)*

*typically befuddled Grover waves*

:-)

Mornin' Boodle...

Broken record here -- heading back to rehab, so I'll be missing for about 5 days. At least I *hope* I'm heading there today. Gotta call them after 9:30 to see if any beds opened up. In the meantime, all the other guano is back with a vengeance. Sick as a dog and madder then heck at myself.

Peace.

We're here, martooni, and we'll be waiting for you. This is an excellent day to start a new record, yanno. *hugs*

Best of luck Martooni, know that there are a lot of people pulling for you.

Morning, everybody. Hey, Cassandra, don't work too hard today! Martooni, good to hear that you're headed back to rehab.

Mudge, this one's for you:

http://members.comics.com/members/common/affiliateArchive.do?site=washpost&comic=getfuzzy

Martooni-man: God bless, dear boodle-dude. Be an ordinary hero. And, forgive yourself.

>Sick as a dog and madder then heck at myself.

Glad to hear it. It's a long trip, no surprise you don't get to the end after one short run.

Me, I'm off to my great shore adventure today, and the weather has of course changed rom 90's and brilliant to showers, clouds and 70's probably for the duration. Good news is the heat probably would've killed me anyway.

Let's hear for iTunes - I bought a couple of Jimmy Buffet albums. :-)

Martooni, don't be mad at yourself, be mad at the disease that takes you over. It's very smart, persistent and insidious, and you are going to a place that will help give you the tools to fight it. Good luck!

Martooni, good luck! We're all rooting for you.

Kbertocci, thanks for sharing that with your daughter and see if she wants to chime in one of these days. My middle child flew in from Florida last night -- flying alone, age 14, having been jet skiing and fashion-showing etc. in Miami - and I'm going to try to get her to write a guest kit. Also my eldest, who is working in this brutal heat on a conservation project for the national park service.

New kit later today but not sure when exactly...

Wow, Martooni-thanks for an extra good boodle morning.

Weak wireless connection ate a longer comment. Only real point was asking Mudge if he'd like to write a buddy musical about two guys named Hubris and Perfidy. Whatta ya say?

Morning, all.

Martooni, good on ya', mate.

Libby is better this morning. We took her back to the hospital last night; the pain killer they gave her induced a paradoxical reaction. Now the patch is gone and the dog is slowly returning. She still hasn't eaten (that is three full days) but luckily #2 is home today so can offer her a little bit at a time.

I'm old! After our evacuation yesterday, the knees are sreamin' (insert Irish-type accent).

martooni, I've got my fingers and toes crossed for you.

TWD gave us a scare last night. On our walk, he grabbed at something on the ground. Raysdad did the finger-sweep of his mouth, but nothing. Later, he didn't look well--ears drooping, sitting hunched over, sad eyes, no spark, no appetite. Out comes the vet reference book. Symptoms don't match insect bite, bloat (thank the FSM!), Lyme disease, etc. Decide that we might as well go ahead and eat our dinner, since we might end up at the emergency vet clinic late. Then, as we're eating dinner (coffee table in family room) he comes in, sits next to Raysdad, and shows a mild interest in what's on his plate. By the time we finished dinner, he was his normal self. If he could speak, he would have said "Better now!"

Welcome back, RD.

*sending virtual hugs to Libby* Get better, sweetheart.

Martooni - You're going to beat it! Good luck!

Upon returning to the office my boss inquired about two things: the status of the project and if I, maybe, just sorta, you know, *happened* to have brought back some candy.

Martooni - your news has made me much less cranky. We're all pulling for you.

Interesting doggie discussion yesterday. I couldn't participate as we had a busy day yesterday with the return home of the Fungi who has been in the hospital for a few days following a bicycle accident. I've got to say its' kind of strange that Cesar sells so many dog training books in 2006/07 while using a 1960's training technique. It's the power of TV I guess. Mind you that coersion/domination training might be the best option for some dogs but my old lab responded so much better with the gentle approach. Human-obsessed puppies like labs don't need corrections, they are so eager to please that ignoring them is a pretty severe punishment.
The challenge with the new dog is to keep him interested in me. He has so many other things to do, insects to chase, strangers to look at, etc. But then I like a challenge so I totally love that puppy. The little brute (35 lbs at 14 weeks old)has increased his weight by 14 pounds in the last 21 days. That's a lot of kibbles and sh!t.

Canuckistanis: Will Ferguson (two times Stephen Leacock award winner) has a funny op-ed in the NYT about Lord Black Pilferage eh!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/opinion/18ferguson.html

SCC Lord Black of Pilferage

Howdy y'all. Welcome back, RD, and thanks for the imaginary candy. I really miss See's from my time living in California.

Martooni, I'm glad you're headed back to rehab. If getting mad at yourself is what it takes, stay mad. Then forgive yourself and start again. We're on your side. In your corner. You get the idea.

I look forward to guest kits from the lovely Misses Achenbach.

Yes, we need to define a new category of crime: executive pilfering. At that exalted level, the corporate apartment with the $20,000 shower curtain is mere paperclips.

A recent news story pointed out that CEO compensation is racing far ahead of what the #2 and #3 people get. Could CEOs be pilfering just to assert their aheaded-ness?

SD thanks for the link, funny article. Where I grew up was in the heart of UEL land (United Empire Loyalists), thank god diversity arrived!

Today's quiz (gently tossing this softball to CollegeParkian):

http://encarta.msn.com/quiz_256/flower_myths_quiz.html

7/12, and I think that's pretty good for a guy with a black thumb.

:-)

Good on ya Martooni, keep kicking the monster.

One grumbling gardener 5/12, got most of the historical/literary references wrong. Vodka for bulbs - who knew!!

Will Ferguson is a very funny man.

Good morning, all.

martooni, thanks for taking that big step to go back to rehab. You've just made a lot of people who are very worried about you breathe a little easier. We'll miss you while you're gone, but you'll be happier, healthier and stronger man when you get back. Looking forward to it.

Loomis, I happen to know RD personally outside of this here Boodle. He's an extremely ethical man, a classic straight arrow (sorry RD, but it's true). Your implicatons of him last night are so far off base from what I know, that I actually laughed out loud.

As far as not liking the Universal Humor of *anii, please feel free to ignore it. I'm sure you'd be utterly dismayed at how much laughing 'till-we're-out-of- breath/tears-rolling-down-our-cheeks we've done at BPHs over those kinds of jokes nd puns, many of which we've shared on here with those unable to attend.

Personally, if laughing and being silly and enjoying some of the absurdities of life makes me a non-serious person and paves my own road to he!!, then so be it.

Life's too short for me to be upset and unhappy about everything in my life and in my world. I choose to try to laugh as much as I can rather than complain; that's just my way.

Note: I'm not so delusional as to claim that I don't complain, I just tend to keep it to people who would care about what I have to say re. a given topic.

bc

Thanks for the link SD.
You 'Merkins might like to keep this line from the article in mind.
"...there is nothing so frighteningly passive-aggressive as a well-irked Canadian."
Funny 'cause it's true.

Quiz
Gloxinia Flower (Image credit: R.F. Head/Animals Animals)

Flower Myths Quiz
Flower power!
You got 12/12 correct.
----
ScottyN -- you made my day with that nicely delivered pitch. Home run!

This from a gal who upon a sudden transplantation to high school in 1977 in California found that THEY GRADE YOU IN P.E.!!!!! Bad marks remain on my permanent record. Oh, the shame: I flunked basketball for making a D on the right sided-layup and and F on the left-sided layup.

However, I redeemed myself in Square Dancing (very like Irish set dances) and in Life Guarding. I own an expired Open Water Life Guarding certification. Any one else here swim out to the buoy and back? I thought I would die then and there.

Thanks, Scotty. I needed the boost today.

I got 8 out of 12 on the flower quiz AND learned something, so I'm done for the day. Who knew it was good to get flowers drunk?

By the way, watch out for those flower meanings. The quiz suggests that yellow roses mean friendship. Maybe so. In an older flower language, yellow roses meant insincerity or even, like dahlias, treachery. Not what you want to send a loved one of any stripe. My bridal bouquet was a little odd because it went by flower meanings (and no, I don't remember what they all were now, except that it had everlasting in it, and red roses).

Good morning boodle.

Well, this is ab-so-lute-ly off topic (fun kit, btw) but I thought this was an interesting article- I'm certainly no scientist, but the whole idea of cooling as a way of improving outcomes after cardiac death seems kind of simple but reasonable.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19751440/site/newsweek/

bc - I think that was a nice post. I hope to make it to one of those there BPH's sometime. Do you guys call each other by your handles when you meet? I've been wondering about that.

RD - welcome back.

Martooni - what they said.

Yoki - the faithful beagle, Rusty had to undergo the same surgery last March. It was an ordeal for all concerned, but he is back to his tail-wagging, singin', sniffin' Rusty-self. I hope Libby is doing well. Actually, by about the 6th week of confinement Rusty seemed to just accept it, no more crying or restlessness. We cheated though; in the evenings we would take turns lying on the floor with him in the family room. Vet had said emphatically to keep him utterly crated until the time was up, but he was fine as long as someone was just lying there with him. I hope that doesn't make me a bad dog owner.

All the SCC's just can't be itemized. My apologies.

8/12 on the flower quiz. Bluebonnets, crocuses, vodka, and ring-around-the-rosey were my downfall. (Repeat that sentence out of context and see the reaction.)

CP, we continue to find things in common! I also "failed" basketball. It actually kept me off the honor roll one time.

bc, I loved your post about laughter and complaints. Words to live by.

bc - you make me blush. Thank you.

And Kim, that makes you a very, very good dog owner.

As to the BPH, we try to use "real" names. Although it does result in me having to study my boodlehandle/real name flash cards beforehand.

Oh Raysmom! The sting of failure is less. Just think: we will have to report to that booth, during the final review of permanent record cards.

Basketball Rubes

BC -- I want you in my corner. Or at my personal Alamo.

Whew -- pleading finally done. Hoping to get a few more breaths in before the next one appears over my electronic transom.

Dear Martooni -- I join the others in wishing you well, and while we're at it, wishing you the best. Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of this boodle community, unlike other blogs around (which I have long since abandoned), is that we are predominantly very nice people (considering what I've been doing for the past five days, I'm dying to drop a footnote here (Ivansmom will probably understand that), but I'll just keep the thought in my main text), and that we do care about each other.

Getting help for any kind of malady comes only after knowing that you need to and, indeed, knowing that you *want* to. Sometimes our coping strategies are not always good for us, and it's all part of the "better the devil you know" template we've built for ourselves. Assembling the building blocks of courage can sometimes be frightening enough to abandon the cause altogether. But we build our lives one brick at a time. And when we come to the end of one brick, we go get another one. My hope for you, Martooni, is to keep on getting your bricks, get enough to lay your foundation on a level ground, keep building your life, leaving room for doors and windows, which you can open to bring in all that fresh air.

Perhaps it's more an issue of taking control over your own life, rather than succumbing to the controls that others have over you (real or imagined). We all have that challenge, and we all meet it with varying degrees of success, and at times we have revisit that same site and do it all over again.

But remember this, as my dear late mother said in the middle of a snow storm, while we were shoveling snow anyway, the day after we buried her husband of just shy of 51 years, "if you can't laugh, even during such a sorrowful time as this, what kind of person are you?" She was absolutely right. Laughter is good for the heart, and it's good for the soul, however you might define that.

A friend called me this morning (and I was waiting for his call), that his son was born this morning -- first child at the age of 54. He was completely over the moon, as we both know he would be. I get to be an auntie again and I'm going to make a charitable contribution in honor of the new little tyke. May his life be sweet and may he be able to borrow some from others when needed when things go a little sour. And may he learn to pass on the sweetness to those who need help.

The fact alone that you are sharing your struggle with us, Martooni, is proof enough (at least to me) that you will make it -- each and every time you make the effort.

Hang in there.

firstimeblogger what a lovely post.

Eloquently said, firsttimeblogger. And yes, where ARE our footnotes? Some of us are truly hampered without footnote capability.

7 for 12 on the quiz. Got the first six right, slumped for five and picked up the last one. Who knew alcohol was good for flowers?

My mom was a huge Pat Boone fan back in the day. None of that wicked race music for her. Not that she was prejudiced. She loved Harry Belafonte too. I could sing "Jamaica Farewell" at a rather early age.

YJ, me too, from memory:

Down the way where they nights are gay
and the sun shines brightly on the mountain tops
I took my ship on a sailing trip
and when I reached Jamaica I made my stop

Chorus:
But I'm sad to say, I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a-day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston-town

Sounds of laughter everywhere
And the dancing girls swaying to and fro
I must declare that my heart is there
Though I've been from Maine to Mexico

--
I can conjur many Burl Ives standards upon command, also.

Does this counter the basketball lapses? Raysmom, can you reinvent your self with say, Johnny Mathis lyrics.

I was clicking away (TTFTFTTTFFTF) thinking "this is easy." ha, 7/12.

Can't get the chorus of this song out of my head: http://www.lyricshornet.com/1201010/Andy-Partridge-wonderfalls-Lyrics

I was worried I would be disappointed with the end of the show, but it wrapped up nicely, almost as if it was intended to be a single season series.

I've posted a few pictures of the wedding party. More to come, later.

http://needlesandthings.blogspot.com/

Kerric is as ever sort of casual.

CP, can't remember much Johnny Mathis, and for certain I can't redeem the basketball thing with my singing voice.

How about the ability to recall lyrics from 60s/70s TV shows?

Don't feel too bad about that silly basketball thing. As a boy growing up in the heart of Hoosier country who couldn't do a layup to save his life...Though I was really good at PIG, just so long as no one else could do a layup.

*faxing a virtual milkbone to Miss Libby and sticking my head in her neck for a virtual nuzzle*

Can't believe I got 10 out of 12 on the quiz--and I'm not much of a flower person. (Of course, guessed right on two I had no clue about.) Bet the ring-around-the-rosie was the one most often wrong.

Hubris and Perfidy, huh? Hmmmmmmmmmm. You guys sure don't make this easy.

Kim, I suspect we use real names at BPHs about 2/3 of the time. But I'm still almost always Mudge (in part because bc and I have the same real first name, which is Ebenezer. I'm acutally Ebenezer J. Brickbat, and he's Ebenezer L. Mudflap III.) Mo, Scotty, Tim, Annie, and Maggie are the same either way. IIRC, I call omni by that name rather than his real name; just comes easier (his real name is Hercule). As you know, TBG is Greek; her real name is Titusandronicusika, which is a bit of a mouthful, and much too problematic to shorten. The official Achenwaitress is "Mara"; we call her "Mara." Easier that way.

CP, it's interesting that you hear Burl Ives singing Jamaica Farewell; I hear Harry Belafonte and can't get the tune cootie out of my head, which is fine, cuz I like it and don't want it to go away.

"Down the market you can hear
Ladies cry out while on their heads they bear
`Akey' rice, salt fish are nice
And the rum is fine any time of year."

Burl Ives was great in "Our Man in Havana," which remains one of the alltime great flicks. Alec Guiness, Burl Ives, Robert Newton (one of my old favorites as the original Long John Silver), Ernie Kovacs and Noel Coward, jeez, how could it miss. One of the things I like about it is its leisurely pace and deadpan style.

RD, you're welcome.

And thanks for the kind words, folks.

Kim, Raysmom is right; we do try to use real names, but there are exceptions. Mudge is Mudge about 50% of the time, which is fine since he and I share the same first name. Mo always calls me "bc," even when she phones me to get her food and drink order in under the wire for M&S happy hour prices (though mo's mom is "mo's mom" all the time, and Mrs. Mudge is "Mrs. Mudge" about half the time). omni is omni about 50% of the time, except when he's not. TBG is always her real name; though curiously, her son and husband are about 50/50. pj is mostly his real name. College Parkian and Raysmom are mostly their real names except when we get their names mixed up because they're similar, then they're the other's real name. LostinThought is always her real name. Wilbrod and Wilbrodog are about 50/50 real and handles. *Tim is his real name. Scottynuke, too. la lurker is her real name. Yoki, her real name. Slyness, her real name. RD Padouk is mostly his real name, but not always. When Dreamer/Achenfan/Tomfan was in town, she was always her real name. Maggie'O, well that's easy, right?

Whew, did I forget anyone?

Anyway, Kim, we'd love to have you come to a BPH when you can. And you can use your real name.

firsttimeblogger, that was a nice post.

bc

bc.. I'm out of breath just from reading your post.

But I think if Kim when to a BPH I'll insist on calling her by her Boodle handle instead.

Martooni.. what they ALL said. We just want you around, so do what needs to be done to make that happen.

Dang. Annie is *always* "Annie."

Who else would she be?

greenwithenvy is mostly his real name, though I did hear someone call him "greenie," which made me laugh.

I have called the Achenwaitress "Boodle" just to confuse things. Plus, she answers to it.

bc
aka The Right Honorable Rear Admiral Dr. Ebenezer Mudflap III, Esq., CPA, ABC, DDS, ASE, and UFB

Oh, BTW, CP, I earned the Boy Scout swimming and lifesaving merit badges, which required the long-distance swim (a mile). When I was a kid we belong to a country club pool, and I was a total water rat, hair bleached blond by the sun, skin caramel brown. And nature has been kind to me: I'm even better equipped to float now than I was in the old days of lean, mean, swimmin' machine. I'm still a helluva floater. Propulsion, not so much. Laps are so bourgeoise, don't you think?

As far as not liking the Universal Humor of *anii, please feel free to ignore it.

bc - you make me blush

If you want to turn the Achenblog BPHs into Bacchanalia Gutternalia, be my guest. I'm glad I don't live close by. I guess it amazing what's funny after you've belted a few. Sounds like many haven't moved beyond prepubescent humor. I'd hoped for more here on a blog affiliated with the Washington Post.

Hello all,

I want to second bc's commments about occasionally having a light-hearted kit otherwise the kit would get so serious all the time it would become depressing and boring (Joel's ultimate fear). Loomis needs to lighten up. If I don't laugh whenever reasonably possible I will eventually cry. BooHoo. Most of us have a 5 year old inside (or younger!) needing to be heard at times. I need my Maypo!

Hey, Good luck Martooni, just the fact that your going back is a cool thing dude.

Mudge,Thanks for the soup recipe,it sounds yummy and I will give it a try with the ingredients I have on hand.

I did 10/12 on the flower quiz, but good thing it was true or false, I would have done a lot worse.

We are so desperate for rain, I resorted to the one thing I know will give us rain, I washed the car. I live on a dirt road so it will be dirty after a half a mile. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

Last night's wildlife sighting was some type of cat near the river, it is the only place that still has water.

Checking the radar and heading to work.

'Mudge -- good for you BUT did you swim in open water? I am nearly paralyzed with fear in open water of all sorts. But somehow, I did the deed. And, I life guarded on occasional Sat/Sun days when the Boy Scout camp at Bass Lake in the High Sierras was without a thusly-badged boy. My four brothers -- all Eagle Scouts -- basically ran that camp for a number of years.

My only rescue took place at that lake when a huge but terrified boy scout panicked. My worst moment ever was being pushed by him into the lake muck, and wondering if this was the way the world ends.

Fear is a wonderful companion and this all worked out nicely. He lived to reproduce and sell life insurance in a small town.

---
Raysmom: sit com tunes work fine. Besides, Omni is layup challenged too. Such find company, indeed.

Loomis, as someone who is wise and mature and sophisticated, I try my level best to keep the BPH humor at a postpubescent level, but it's very difficult, especially considering my poor, somber, humorless Oliver Twist-like upbringing in Mianus, Connecticutt. When I look back upon Mianus, well, it's just too horrifying to contemplate.

I think I'll have another caipirnha. Mara! Where did that wench run off to?

Ok you all have convinced me I need to hand in my gardening tools - hanging head in shame.

CP, we did not have swimming in PE, wish we had I was a competitive swimmer for a while and averaged about 2 miles a day for a couple of years. Would definitely helped my gym grade, the layup always brought my mark down.

Mudge after I finished my first year of university at my summer job I ended up working with one of the Fathers from my swim team. He joked that after the kids quite swimming it took about two years for the chlorine to clear our systems.

Kim, my biggest decision before attending my one and only BPH was how to introduce myself, think I used my real name then my boodle name for reference.

Such FINE company: Omni, Raysmom and all. I think I am Raysmom, save when I think I am Frosti. I feel myself to be one part Yoki and another part dear Cassandra. Boodle-fusion. It is a good thing.

Loomis, the boodle is not the typical blog-fare or article-commentary. It is what it is UNTILL, Citizen-Kit-Man JA tells us otherwise.

You can scan past the parts that either don't interest you or even irritate. You can post as you like about your favorite topics or about kit content. All rather simple, really.

Your coinage of the term Gutternalia is clever but I don't think it fits the discourse patterns here. I will, however, take the term as a reminder of one of my heroes: Oscar Wilde

We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking up at stars.

For the boodle, I guess we might be looking up at clouds, during the day.

Clouds. Stars. Carry on!

Loomis, here's the "more"..

http://dawn.thot.net/cgill_pub.html

Some important feminist issues the major feminists overlook.

And yes, we're drunk as skunks every BPH, in addition to taking drug hits.

In fact, BPH secretly stands for Brownies (herbal, wink wink), Piss, and Heroin.

I don't think my pupils have fully un-dilated from the last BPH I was at-- in 2006. Whoo.

For Wilbrodog, there were Bones, Peanut butter, and Hamburgers-- puppy heroin.

To give you an indication of how stone-fun the BPHs were, I could have sworn I lipread "Horatio hornblower" instead of Ebenezer. Ebenny! You're the man, yeah, you're the best...

No, CP, I did the mile swim in a pool. I *have* swum (not long distance, just futzing around) in open water, but I have to say I'm not real fond of it. I like to snorkle over shallow reefs in the Cancun and Bahamas areas, but psychologically I kinda need to know the bottom isn't very far away--10 or 15 feet. On boats I've been out of sight of land often enough, but I confess I'm a bit more comfortable with land in sight, even if it's 5 or 10 miles away. I've sailed in water 7,500 feet deep, and don't like it either, although rationally I know it makes no difference whatsoever if the water is 20 feet or 200 feet or 2,000 feet deep.

Especially as you're naturally perky and buoyant, Mudge.

Loomis, your 1:09 PM comment speaks for itself, though you might be surprised at what I find funny when I'm stone cold sober.

bc

Nicely stated, College Parkian. With regard to looking up at the stars I went tent camping a few weeks ago at a remote spot in the high country in Pike National Forest. At night, with just a small campfire, clear sky and no other humans but mr. birdie and me (and my 13.5 year old dachsund), the stars were incredible. Big and bright and viewable by the thousands. It reminded me how wonderful being alive is and not to sweat the small stuff. Motto: "Get out there!"

Laps are the most down to earth people I've never encountered. Bourgoise is not an appellation I would apply to the finest reindeer herders on the planet.

Be careful when you have that removed Loomis. You don't want to go jetting around the room.

Offical BPH anthem.
http://www.stevesbeatles.com/songs/with_a_little_help_from_my_friends.asp

SciTim does a wicked Kevin Savage impression.

Birdie -- dear old dogs, gotta love em and sleep with them in tents under lotsa stars.

Mudge -- I HATE open water and share all your pedacillios (bad spelling, I know, so sue me or give me a Gutternalia ticket.)

Boko -- I like swimming laps. But swimming laps with Laps might be very cold up there in the land of the Midnight Sun. And I bet that Laps doing laps might do them sans Speedos.

Off to walk little doggity doggity dog.

Martooni, I'm looking forward to your day 1. May it always be day 1 for you, bud.

So, when IS the next BPH?

I'm amused and a little touched by Loomis's apparent belief in the civilizing effect of the Washington Post. It's a good newspaper, I enjoy reading it, and I'm glad I stumbled on the Achenblog. The Post picks up a nice range of readers. However, really it is just a good local rag where the "local" stories also happen to be about national politics and foreign affairs as seen through the eyes of D.C. gummint and its attendant institutions. As I recall, when I lived in D.C., and breathed the refined air of the gummint worker, the city and its paper of record were no more nor less civilized than anywhere else I've been.

Lighten up Loomis!!

I think the fact that everyone gets together for a few laughs is a great idea.We can't be serious all the time.

http://www.lyricsdownload.com/little-feat-down-on-the-farm-lyrics.html

The next BPH, or Gutternalia (a *much* better word; thanks, Loomis!)...

Thursday, July 19 5:00 pm
McCormick & Schmick's
1652 K Street, NW

We gummint workers are supposed to have refined air? Who knew? Now I guess I'll have to put in a voucher and fill out a bunch of *&$#@^%$ forms. Of course, we *did* just move from a "sick" building to a brand new, state-of-the-art, San Quentin-motif headquarters. Maybe the refined air was being held for the new building.

*sniffing around but not finding anything. Where's that darned Wilbrodog when you need him?*

Mudge, the refined air was when I breathed it, of course.

*smacks forehead*

Regarding the "handles." I am unusual because I choose more of a "pseudonym" than a typical handle. RD Padouk could, and sometimes is, confused with a real name. It is, of course, entirely fictitious. Yet, oddly enough, I frequently find myself identifying with that name and do not at all mind being called it in real life. Especially since my real name, Antonio Soprano, has caused me nothing but heartache.

*Gutternalian Grover waves*

How's THAT for some cognitive dissonance???

:-)

Posted by|, the next BPH is tomorrow at the usual location: McCormack & Schmick's on K Street in Downtown NW DC at 5 PM, more or less.

bc

I take 5 minutes to backboodle and Mudge and Boko make me guffaw like an idiot. I've got employees I must kept in awe of me you know guys. Stop it.

As for gummint employee needing refined air we certainly do as the same atmosphere, from the stale smell, seemed to be recycled from day to day. It may be because the asbestos insulation has been encapsulated instead of removed in our building, but the inside air has this little je-ne-sais-quoi that is quite unique. But refined? No.

Hmm. I am seeing a false dichotomy appearing, between the mind = good and the body = bad. Speaking as a professional scientist, inheritor of the long tradition of natural philosophy and the rarefied life of the mind, I acknowledge that I have a brain, I know how to use it, and I'm not afraid to do so -- damn the consequences. However, I also have a rectum, and intestines, and glands, and sex organs, and a tongue, and a stomach, and so forth. My biological reality is as important to me as my mental reality. My biological reality is earthy and earthly and occasionally gross. I loved Robin Williams' line in "The Fisher King" about having a really great bowel movement, the kind that's almost a religious experience. Biology is an inextricable part of our existence and undercuts our pretension to being elevated creatures of mind and spirit. I feel certain the Pope poops -- and if he is camping, he will do it in the woods. The same for Richard Dawkins and Michael Gerson and Hillary Clinton, and the bums we see on the street. Insofar as there is any independently-verifiable evidence on t