Emily's Rant

Mo' BlackBerry Pie!

2008-01-17T13:55:00.000-06:00

OK, the ech's arrived today! First impression using the earpieces that came installed... amazing.
Not the best fit but I hear things that I haven't heard ever in some pieces. I'll concentrate on getting the perfect fit and then continue this discussion.

My articles about the BlackBerry Curve continue to get hits so I think I'll do some more.

One of the many reasons I like the Curve is because of its multimedia capability. This time I'll talk a little bit about the Music Player.

The player is pretty basic. It gives you the controls you would expect to see on a first generation CD player.From the menu you can select next and previous track, replay, repeat, and shuffle. You can pause the song and play returns you to where you paused or you can stop and play will restart the track. The trackball will allow you to select a horizontal slider that moves you back and forth in the track. Volume is controlled by the handset volume control pushbuttons. Like I said, pretty basic.

The Curve comes with a Roxio application that is a Windows app and as other reviewers have mentioned its slow and unimpressive. All I can add is that on top of that it really sucks.

If you have enabled the Curve to do so, it shows up on your desktop as an ejectable disk when you attach it to your computer with the supplied USB cable. You'll see a Blackberry folder at the top level and inside folders titled Music, etc. From my computer based iTunes folder, I just drag the album level music folder from my computer to the BlackBerry Music folder. Eject the Blackberry volume and disconnect the USB cable and you're set to go.

Depending on how much music you dragged over, it may take a few seconds for the directory to update on the Curve. If you drag several albums from the same artist, they end up organized under the artist in the directory, as you would expect. There must be enough information in the music files to allow the Curve software to do this. Otherwise, it's FM. I don't know.

Duh!

2008-01-16T12:04:00.000-06:00

Here's a quote from Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States:

"(C)loned animals suffer high mortality rates"

Well, there's a news flash for you. He should have seen the fate of my uncle's cattle at slaughter time every year.

Domino's, what is up!? Part 2

2007-12-21T15:40:00.000-06:00

Well, I took down my previous post regarding the shady practices of my local Domino's in order to let Domino's respond to my email complaint to them. I've put it back up since they have chosen, as yet, not to respond.

Edit: Domino's corporate's response was that since my local store was locally owned and operated, they basically have no control and have forwarded my complaint. If that's the case, the store should be named Bruce's or something.

Edit 2: The general manager from the local franchise understands our concern and has promised to look into it. Maybe I'll order another pizza and see what happens.

Based on information posted as a comment to my first article and information I have since received first hand from VISA, I find that I was giving Domino's far more leeway than they are entitled to. VISA's agreement with both the card holder and the merchant states that if the card is signed, the only requirement is that the signature on the charge slip and the signature on the card match.

So, one must wonder, is the reason why the delivery boys are demanding the additional information so that they can harvest enough information to make fraudulent charges on the card? One could easily come to that conclusion. VISA's agreement with the merchant is that they will honor the charge if the merchant simply compares signatures and determines that they match. Period, end of report. No photo ID, no pencil lead impression of the card on the charge slip (there is a good reason why they don't print the entire card number on the slip), no recording of the CVC, and most importantly, no record of any personal information from the customer's ID. I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV, but I'm sure I could convince a jury that the collection of this information by the delivery people is illegal. For Domino's to condone it makes them accessories.

Now, no reaction at all from Domino's corporate or the local store manager, and a very courteous response from the bank that issued my card and from VISA and the promise to address the matter with the merchant. That in itself speaks volumes.

I'll post any additional news if and when it happens.

Jura Capresso, good job!

2007-12-21T14:39:00.000-06:00

I love coffee. I love it so much I could have got a used Korean car for what I paid for my machine. I did the math though and almost 2500 cups later, I'm way ahead of what I would have spent at Starbucks.

Anyway, I have a Jura Capresso unit and I have been completely satisfied with its performance. All I have to do is make sure it has beans and water and it cranks out a perfect brew every time.

One of the nice features of the machine is that it alerts you from time to time when it's time to clean the machine, change the water filter, empty grounds, etc. Today it decided it was time for a thorough scrubbing.

As with all the other machine features, cleaning is fairly well automated. The LED display prompts you through the steps and basically all you have to do is drop in the cleaning tablet when it tells you to.

After following the cleaning steps, the LED display informed me that it was still time to clean the machine. Thinking is was just a firmware glitch, I ran the cycle again, this time with no cleaning tablet. Same result.

So, on the phone to the company's 1-800 number. The first nice surprise was that after the automatic attendant determined if I was a user or a retailer I was immediately talking to a live human. Sweet!

Well, my problem was a familiar one to the technician and she walked me through the steps necessary to solve my problem in about 3 minutes. It seems that there is a "tamping disc" that gets clogged sometimes and is not washed by the cleaning cycle. You can wipe it off by reaching into the bowels of the machine with the grounds/drip tray removed. Simple and quick!

After running another cleaning cycle, sans tablet, I was back in caffeine heaven.

Excellent machine and excellent service, Jura Capresso!

Domino's! What is up?!

2007-12-16T07:46:00.000-06:00

Domino's Pizza has started a particularly suspicious policy recently. You only notice it when you order a pizza to be delivered and pay for it with a credit/debit card.

I expect the delivery boy to ask to see my card and some form of ID when he brings the pie. What I don't expect is for him to make a rubbing of my card, write down the three digit CVC, and record my name, address, and drivers license number. Then the guy freaks out when I take his photograph. Hey, I just want a face to put with the phony charges I might get on my card.

Talk about the perfect recipe for credit card identity theft. Domino's, is this your Christmas season bonus plan?

Well, the pie is not that good. Myself and all my neighbors will not be getting any of your product while you insist on pursuing this policy.

Austin Allsup

2007-11-17T09:44:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite bands of all time played at the T last night. Austin Allsup.

'nough said.

Downtown is coming of age.

2007-11-15T11:52:00.001-06:00

One of the things limiting acceptance of Downtown Dallas as a place of residence is the lack of infrastructure. If you still have to jump in the car or grab a taxi to, say, buy a book, you may as well live in the 'burbs.

Well, things are certainly moving in the right direction, finally. CVS just opened a street level pharmacy on Main Street. One previously had to go underground and the tunnels closed at 6 pm daily and completely on weekends. Not very convenient for residents, and originally designed to accommodate the tens of thousands of commuters to Downtown jobs.

Also on Main, Jason's Deli is due to open in about a week. Let's hope they decide to stay open after dark and on weekends. Enchilada's moved up from the tunnels a month or so ago and are doing a booming business on Elm Street.

The most exciting news, though, is the announcement that Barnes and Noble will be opening a store in the old Kül location on Main.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

I loves my little Blackberry Curve, yes I do!

2007-11-13T10:25:00.000-06:00

I've had my Blackberry Curve for three weeks now. During that time I've really put it through its paces. It's my third Blackberry and by now, I've got some pretty high standards. I haven't been disappointed.

Bluetooth just keeps getting better and better on the Blackberry. Not only does it support the simple "earbud" and automobile "handsfree" profiles, in addition it will integrate an external Bluetooth GPS "puck" and Bluetooth stereo headphones. If that doesn't blow your dress up, you can also tether your Bluetooth capable laptop to it for wireless access to the Internet.

It seems to be as rugged as the older, clunkier models, too. Made out of some kind of super plastic that looks like metal, it has shrugged off the couple of falls to the floor I've managed to give it so far. I did opt for the cool neoprene "skin" up front and that makes it a lot less scratch prone as well as keeping it in place wherever you put it down. The skin only adds a couple of millimeters to its dimensions. For ten bucks, I recommend you get it.

The wi-fi works as advertised and when you are near a hotspot, significantly speeds up browsing the 'net. My provider also has a feature where if you are in range of a wi-fi connection, it switches automatically to the cell phone analog of VOIP and you don't burn any airtime minutes. That's an extra cost feature, and it's temporarily enabled on my phone to get me to want it, I'm sure, but I don't use up my plan minutes as it is now, so I won't be signing up for that. Cool, nonetheless. The new browser does a great job of rendering most sites. A real improvement over the original offer. It allows you to switch between an "internet browser" and a "wi-fi browser" also. I'm not sure what the difference is between the two, but the wi-fi browser is much faster if you are connected wi-fi.

RIM, the manufacturers of the Curve have really improved the cell phone aspect of their handsets as well. The, now obsolete, model 7250, had to be placed carefully over your ear to get any sound out of it at all, whereas the new models are quite forgiving. I find I use the speakerphone feature far more than I thought I would, too.

With a 4 gig data card, I can carry just about as much of my music around as I want to and if I want, 4 cards will hold my entire iTunes collection. So, the iPod stays at home now.

In a word? Sweet!

Life's Little Mysteries

2007-11-12T07:44:00.000-06:00

Did you ever wonder why a loaf of bread has an odd number of slices? What do you do with one slice? Toast comes in twos in my mind. Make half a sandwich, I suppose. It must be a plot to waste bread.

I love a parade!

2007-11-10T12:49:00.000-06:00

What a great day! The Veteran's Day Parade down Main Street, planes screaming overhead, tanks, soldiers, guns. Whew!

One of the best parts for me is the high school marching bands. I especially like the bands from the black high schools. The drum corps always manages to jazz up the simplest of rhythms.

My brothers and I collect firearms so I'm always curious to see what the ROTC cadets are carrying. Mostly decommissioned M-14's or probably M1a's, but today I saw a sizable number of Garands and Enfields. I like the M1 Garand. I have a minty one that is a pleasure to shoot. The first rifle I ever shot though was a Model 1917. My father figured he'd have to pick me up afterwards but I surprised him and immediately chambered another round.

This is the day they erect and trim the Christmas tree in Pegasus Square. Neiman Marcus is getting ready for their holiday season. What fun! This is a great time of year, especially Downtown.

11 am CST!

2007-11-10T11:14:00.001-06:00

Wow, there is nothing quite like fighter aircraft flying at roof top level over the city!

Veteran's Day 2007.

Fresh coffee!

2007-11-09T11:44:00.000-06:00

The darling little UPS man just delivered a huge box of Starbucks coffee. I wouldn't normally order something like that on line, but the Starbucks closest to me charges $15 a pound for the same coffee that the ones a little farther away charge $10. It's not the money, lord knows, it's the principle of the thing. Plus they close at 5 pm. Excuse me!? What kind of coffee shop closes at 5 pm? It's the Starbucks at Akard and Commerce, if anyone is keeping score.

Having said all that, I don't buy their brewed coffee. I just go there to use the free wi-fi, watch the people, and feed the pigeons. I even take my own coffee. Why? Because I have the worlds funnest espresso machine at home. A Jura Capresso E8. You pour beans into one side and water into the other, hit the button and stand back! It does everything including grinding the beans and emptying the grounds into an internal bucket. Every so often, you get a message on the display to fill with water, add beans, empty grounds, enjoy, etc. You can also brew a single cup of ground coffee when you have a guest that can't take the caffeine or insists on some kind of flavored nonsense (that they helpfully brought along).

So, I got on the Starbucks site and loaded up on all my favorites. Since you don't pay sales tax and the shipping is nominal, you save a ton of money even over the stores that are not money grubbing ... sorry..., it's quite the shit. Everything is in stock, too.

Another cup of Sumatra, please. No problem!

Ah, Lovely Friday!

2007-11-08T23:37:00.000-06:00

The weekend is upon us and it looks like it's going to be gorgeous! Temperatures in the high seventies, and partly sunny. Perfect weather to leave the top down and maybe drive out into the country. There's a comet visible now in the northern sky. It should be particularly spectacular out from the city ground light. I'm also going to take a road trip out to the observatory in west Texas for a better look, some weekend. There ought to be an opportunity for some good pictures.

This weekend marks the start of the charity ball season here. It'll be fun watching the two story mountain of Christmas presents form. Did you know that the Corvette comes with a Barbie now? Not when I was a kid!

I love dressing up, too. The guys will be in their same tired old tuxes, maybe a new tie or vest here and there, but the girls will all have something new. Or we'll talk about them mercilessly all night behind their backs. I will be resplendent as always. ;>)

Poop!

2007-11-07T11:40:00.000-06:00

Do you know how much cattle crap a herd of 100 Texas Longhorns can drop?

No, that's not a Trivial Pursuit question. I'm watching the golf cart brigade of pooper scoopers rolling down Main Street right now. It's a mess. Who thinks up these stunts?

It's Stampede Week in Dallas. There's a rodeo championship at American Airlines Center. Gospel singers in Pegasus Square. Whoopee! I thought that's why we have Fort Worth.

One Up on the Man

2007-11-06T10:39:00.000-06:00

Well, I got my renewal for my automobile registration yesterday and I usually mail it in because I don't like to stand in line for an hour with 100 other happy people. "Golly", I exclaim, the county records building is only ten blocks away, "I can just walk down there and take care of it in person, and I'll save a buck in the process".

"Emily!", you cry, "you'll drop a buck tip on a $3 shot, why would you walk 10 blocks to save one". Well, maybe if it's a cute bartender, but that's an investment, not an expense. I'll tell you why.

I gathered up all my stuff and set off for the Records Building. As I'm walking up Elm Street, I pass El Centro. Bonus, I can get registration materials for the Spanish class I'm going to take in the spring. Soon, I'm at my destination. Now the fun begins.

I need to preface this with a theory I have about public servants. Their jobs are so thankless and boring that the only pleasure they can get from them is by making other people miserable, too. The fun comes with preventing them for doing that.

Auto registration is clearly marked with signage as you enter the building. At least if you can read, which all public servants are convinced you cannot. So the first thing you do is stick you head into the first open door and inquire meekly, "Can you tell me where I get that little sticker thingy that goes on my windshield?" "You mean your vehicle registration sticker they reply hautily?" "Yes", I reply meekly. "Down that hall."

Heh. The scent of fresh prey is in the air. The entire building vibrates in anticipation.

So, as I expected, the place is pretty empty at 10 am. No one in their right mind would drive downtown to do this and there are only about 3500 residents downtown and half of them don't have cars.

I walk up to the first manned window. "May I help you?", she intones, the predatory smile intended to put me at ease for the kill. "Yes, I'm here to renew my ... vehicle registration..." I proudly announce. "Do you have your Vehicle Registration Renewal Notice?" As I rummage through my belongings, I note an almost imperceptible growl emanating from behind the cage. "Oh!, is this it?" The growl abruptly stops. "Yes, that's it, hand it here, please."

When she sees that I've only handed her one page, a look of smug satisfaction starts in one corner of her mouth. "Do you have your Proof Of Insurance?" The look of horror that passed across my face must have been particularly convincing because she was now virtually bursting with the anticipation of warm blood. "Oh!... oh, wait, yes!, here it is." I swear, I think she visibly shrank. "$53.80, please." "Umm, I'm sorry, don't I save a dollar by paying here?" Tee hee. Mission accomplished.

It's going to be cold here today, a good day for revenge.

i.Trek M5+ Bluetooth GPS

2007-11-06T05:50:00.000-06:00

I've had a while to play with the M5+ and its performance is stellar. The MTK chipset doesn't seem to give up any sensitivity to the SIRF III competitor and has a significant advantage in the power consumption department.

Sitting about a foot off the rug on a coffee table, this little GPS puck can "see" eight satellites. It has a solid fix on my position with a serviceable HDOP of 1.6, sometimes reaching 1.1. It's about 12 ft. from a window, by the way. Now, I'll admit, that window goes all the way to the top of a 15 ft. ceiling, but 30 ft. past that is a 20 story building. I think urban canyon is the proper term here.

I've been trying to run the battery down, but every time it ceases to "hear" any Bluetooth communication from either my cellphone or my laptop, it goes to "sleep". Today, I'm going to let the laptop exercise it continuously and see how much longer it will last. When the NMEA strings stop, I'll be able to read the exact time it quit from the log file.

You can call me a nerd if you like, but I do love the toys!

Deer Collisions?

2007-11-06T05:29:00.000-06:00

I got a letter from my insurance company. They're warning me to watch out for deer crossing the road in my area. That would be a hoot, seeing a deer standing in the crosswalk, waiting for a city bus to pass!

I can hear the row over at the homeless shelter now. It's fresh venison tonight, boys!

Using the Blackberry Curve as a Bluetooth Modem

2007-11-05T21:38:00.000-06:00

Well, this is just too cool! If I'm out with my laptop and not near a wi-fi hotspot, I can use my new Blackberry Curve to access the Internet.

Of course, I can just use the Curve by itself with its full keyboard and trackball, but if I've got a full size machine, then why not use it?

My previous two handsets had the same capability, but I never got around to downloading the modem scripts for them. The Curve has a much richer set of Bluetooth capabilities and I'm determined to use them all.

Getting the modem script was the only part that took any effort and it was readily available several places on the web. One place that has a link to the script plus a handy set-up guide is here.

Technology is wonderful!

(I published this entire article from my Powerbook>Blackberry Curve.)

Where's my Torx driver?

2007-10-30T13:38:00.000-05:00

I love to take things apart, so since my old Blackberry brick doesn't make that great a paperweight and I don't need a door stop, I going to disassemble it. I'm sure it is way cool looking inside.

I'll post pictures of the guts as I work my way in.

More to come...

Edit: 11/3/2007

Sorry, no pictures yet. I loaned the cube that I shoot small objects in to an associate who hasn't returned it. ;>( It's not terribly interesting inside, although now I understand why it is so rugged. Built like a tank!

Blackberry Curve + GPS!

2007-10-29T12:27:00.000-05:00

Now I'm really happy. My new Bluetooth GPS puck just arrived via friendly UPS.

The i.Trek M5+ is a cute little GPS receiver with built in Bluetooth. It's about one third the size of my Curve and weighs practically nothing. It comes with the common NP-60 style rechargeable/replaceable Li-ion battery, an ac charger and a handy dc travel charger. Like many new portable devices, it charges through the ubiquitous mini-B USB port.

First off, I purposely buy cell phones that don't have GPS built in. You know, black helicopters and all. On the other hand, I really like the idea of using GPS enabled Google Maps on my cellphone. I did that with my clunky old Blackberry 7200 series, but the GPS brick was, well, exactly that, a brick. Sort of like the 7200.

Now, as tiny and light as the M5+ is, there are other devices out there that are smaller. The Holux GPSlim 240 is an excellent example, but none of the units are as small and have ~27 hours battery life and have a commonly available, replaceable battery like the M5+.

So, I rip open the UPS package. No surprises except it's not in one of those guaranteed to slice your finger off "theft proof" thingys. There is enough juice in the battery to power the unit up but I plugged it into my Blackberry charger, which has the same type of connector, because I hate it when the battery runs down right in the middle of playtime, if you know what I mean.

Then, I put the unit down on the window sill and turned it on. The orange LED that indicates it is searching for satellites came on steady and the blue LED came on steady as well, indicating no Bluetooth connection as yet. No surprises. Now to the Curve. As I use a Bluetooth earbud, Bluetooth was already turned on on the Curve. I went to the connections manager and Bluetooth Setup and selected to find the device. Pairing was fast and flawless. When the receiver has a fix, the orange LED flashes and a Bluetooth connection is indicated by a rapidly flashing blue LED. On to Google Maps.

The new Blackberries come with a map application but I'm not really impressed with it so I'll check it out later. However, I've used Google Maps since it was available on mobile devices and I'm comfortable with it. I went into its menu and selected Bluetooth GPS. In its sub-menu I selected SPP slave, which is what the M5+ is. Boom, seconds later the map zooms to my location, and since the last time I used it, I was in satellite view, I'm looking at the top of my building. Sweet!

No muss, no fuss. Reminds one of using a Macintosh, which, by the way , the M5+ paired with flawlessly as well. My PC didn't have any trouble with it either, but managing Bluetooth devices in Windows is not as intuitive as with my other toys.

I'll have to run my own test on the battery life, although all the reviews I read agreed that the manufacturer's specs were not an exaggeration. The MTK chipset is a very sensitive 32 channel unit, designed for low power consumption. The M5+ also goes into sleep mode when Bluetooth activity ceases for a while. A trip to the mall with turn by turn directions ought to be fun. The M5+ even comes with a cute little pad to keep it from sliding around on your dash.

All in all, I'm psyched!

Well, hell, you just bumped up against the wrong girl is all.

2007-10-23T00:01:00.000-05:00

The way your head works is God's private mystery.

I love David Lynch

Curve Update

2007-10-22T00:27:00.000-05:00

I've had a while to really form an opinion about the Blackberry Curve and I must say, I love it. It solves most of the problems I had with the earlier models.

I've had both the 7200 series and the 8800 series in the past. By modern standards, the 7200s are just too clunky. Today there is no excuse for a handset that big. Unless, of course, that's all you can afford. Mine had all the right stuff, but just wasn't that easy to carry around.

The 8800 was ok, but really didn't "feel" that much more compact than the 7200 although it was certainly designed to seem so.

The Curve is pretty much perfect in my mind. The case feels about the same as the iPhone but has a real, usable keyboard. It has real ringtones, wifi, bluetooth, music, video, and a camera. It retains the browser (better), push email, and IM from the other models. Not that the various models don't have some of those features, it's just, to me, the Curve seems to integrate them all so much better.

If my opinion changes, never fear, I'll say so.

Great Live Music

2007-10-21T18:24:00.000-05:00

One of the things I love about downtown is access to good live music. Last night we were treated to a, I hope, not too rare phenomenon. San Antonio Texas-blues guitarist, Ruben V, was at the T.

It's been a couple of years since he's played Dallas, and I think he's really grown in that time. Ruben is one of those rare talents who sounds even better live than from a recording.

Kind of a cross between SRV and ZZ Top.

Check him out!

TGIF, y'all!

2007-10-19T14:37:00.000-05:00

I love Fridays. Everyone is so happy.

Speaking of trans-sisters...

2007-10-18T15:18:00.000-05:00

Trans-Sister Radio is a wonderful book. If you haven't read it I recommend you do. The ending is quite a surprise, although maybe not for the guys. If I put on my cynic's hat, maybe even a little hypocritical.

Holiday Joy

2007-10-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

The X-Files episode most likely to bring a smile to my face? "Post-Modern Prometheus"

I have pre-ordered the full set from Amazon. 61 discs. Woohoo!!!

Southern Blackberry Cobbler

2007-10-18T11:46:00.000-05:00

Not the best new Bluebell flavor but definitely a cool new phone. I just upgraded my clunky 8800 series to a Curve. Sweet!!

Get Bent, Jack

2007-06-13T00:24:00.000-05:00

I don't shop at Jack in the Box much for a couple of reasons. I don't eat much fast food and I don't like many of their products. The shakes are good.

On the other hand, I think their commercials are hilarious. And don't get me wrong, I think their latest campaign is funny, too. However, I don't think that advertising is effective when its only purpose is to ridicule the competition .

Let me describe the commercial. Jack is standing in front of a diagram of a steer in a meeting room with his marketing people. The diagram delineates the various cuts of meat. He points to the sirloin area and tells his people that their new burger will be the first in the country to be made from pure ground sirloin. One of his men points out that the competition uses Angus beef and would he be kind enough to point out the Angus area of the steer. Jack makes a little off handed circular motion with his pointer around the tail of the steer, and says he'd rather not. Pretty funny.

One problem. What Jack should have said was , "You ignorant putz, Angus is a breed of cattle, not a cut of beef. Actually, it's known for producing some of the best sirloin out there." But, Jack in the Box is counting on the fact that their client base has so much marbling of the brain that they don't know that. I have no idea who they are slamming with this piece, but if I see a burger is made from Angus beef, I would be inclined to pick it over one made from generic sirloin. Dumb commercial.

Bad Jack.

Shopping tips

2007-06-03T14:11:00.000-05:00

They say one should not go grocery shopping when you are hungry. I have a tendency to over-buy after good sex, too. Not sure if there is some kind of connection.

I eat ice cream maybe twice a year. When I do, I have a favorite that immediately starts calling my name. Häagen-Dazs Cherry Vanilla. There really is no substitute when you're talking store bought. It's made with nice big black cherries, not those sugary faux-cherry maraschino kind like Ben and Jerry's uses. Maybe I should say was made because I haven't seen any in the grocery store for months. Häagen-Dazs still lists it as an active flavor on their corporate website so maybe I'm the only person in town that likes it and my pint a year doesn't warrant stocking it. Speaking of pints, one of the biggest laughs in the store is that Häagen-Dazs thinks that there are four servings in there. Everyone knows that's a single serving container.

I walk to the store, so what I can carry is usually what limits how much I buy. I think I might have gone overboard a little bit today by buying all the fruit in the Market. I really wanted ice cream!

Nice storm!

2007-06-03T12:08:00.000-05:00

Wow, this morning, we had the kind of storm that's referred to as a "frog strangler". The rain was horizontal downtown, which takes quite a lot of force because of all the tall buildings. At 8am the sky was pitch black. I loved it!

Now you're talkin'!

2007-06-01T13:12:00.000-05:00

With all the war and conflict that is going on in our world today, it's comforting to see people just having a good time. In conjunction with Masturbation Month, the good folks over at Good Vibes and The Center for Sex & Culture just finished the annual Masturbate-A-Thon. Definitely put on your headphones if you're at work and check out that last link. There's a catchy tune by the Wet Spots that'll have you whistlin' all day.

They are gonna have to come up with a better name.

2007-05-17T22:21:00.000-05:00

More than 7 years after Viagra hit the market, women are still asking: "What about us?"

Now in clinical trials, Flibanserin, originally investigated as an antidepressant, shows signs of being the answer to that question.

Low libido has never been a problem for me, but I have to comment on at least one thing. If this stuff is going to make it to the mainstream, it's going to need a better name.

I suggest we give it a name derived from one of our libidinous heroines from "Desperate Housewives" or "Sex and the City". sCarrieSex or SammanticEvening, maybe. We could honor our soon to be departed, Queen-of-England-endorsed president, and call it BurningBush. I kind of like that one. After all, we're going to remove the "Proud home of President George W. Bush" from our "Welcome to Texas" signs. That will put him on the lips of more women than Bill Clinton.

The WFAA news article goes on to say:

Instead of increasing hormone levels, Flibanserin targets the pleasure zones of a woman's brain.

For this phase three study, researchers are looking for pre-menopausal women, between 18-to-45 years old, in a stable, heterosexual relationship, with no other serious medical conditions.

I don't know about you, but my pleasure zones include the mall, fine restaurants, expensive cars, and good hydro. Just kidding, Mom.

I guess those horny lesbians are SOL.

In Politics

2007-05-05T11:18:00.000-05:00

Everyone is someone's bitch.

The World's Best Margarita

2007-03-17T17:27:00.000-05:00

Everyone in Texas has a recipe for the world's best margarita. Everyone else is totally full of it.

1 part fresh squeezed Key lime juice
1 part simple syrup (half sugar, half water, by volume)
2 parts Sauza Hornitos Tequila
1/2 part Cointreau
1/2 part Grand Marnier

Serve over coarsely crushed ice. Let it sit for a minute to become one with the glass. Be very careful. No, seriously.

Some people...

2007-03-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

I live in a loft in downtown Dallas and one of the reasons I love being downtown is the access we have to fun things to do.

The weather here the last few weeks has been nothing short of heavenly. It's been in the 70's and dry. My idea of perfection. Consequently, I've been riding my bicycle on one of our lovely trails.

Lovely, that is, except for one little issue... the walkers.

Now, I'm talking about the Katy Trail. It runs along an old railroad right-of-way, and winds through some of the prettier parts of inner Dallas and the Park Cities. For most of the route, the trail is divided into cyclist/runner and pedestrian trails separated by a broad central reservation. (I love that British term)

The pedestrian trail is clearly labeled "Peds only" (more on that later) and is paved with a resilient material that is a pleasure to walk on. And, it's, you guessed it, almost entirely vacant. It seems the walkers prefer the cycle side!

Well, I'm pretty even tempered, and so rather than fly off the handle immediately, I've been observing and asking questions. First off, I noticed that having pedestrians, specifically children, on a path where cyclists are pedaling along at 20 plus miles per hour, is dangerous to everyone concerned. So I began stopping and asking a few walkers what was going on.

The most common response I got was, "Well, we can walk wherever we like. There's no law against it!" To my surprise, they are right. As an aside, there's no law against me riding my bicycle on the pedestrian trail either. The funniest answer I got was, "The sign clearly says 'Peds Only'. That means you people with the pedals!" LMAO, I guess that told me! Most were clearly annoyed that I would even ask and no one seemed to realize that what they were doing was clearly dangerous.

Me being the civic minded person I am, ;-) I emailed the group responsible for the trail and my downtown city councilperson, Angela Hunt. I got a polite response from the Katy Trail sponsors, thanking me for my message and informing me that there really wasn't anything that could be done about the problem. As expected, since I wasn't sending Angela a campaign contribution, I got no response at all from her. Bitch.

So, my cute little brass bell is getting quite a workout this year. When I'm not on the Peds trail, that is!