Date: 2007
From: Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Subject: Britney Spears
To the US media;
It has come to my attention that the US celebrity media commonly uses the nickname "Brit" for Britney Spears. This letter is to request that you not refer to Ms. Spears by this name.
Historically by convention the term 'Brit' describes to a person who is a British subject. Often a nickname given to a British person living abroad by the locals.
By calling Ms. Spears "Brit", you may lead some people to believe that she is British. This would be a very unfortunate misunderstanding. Ms. Spears is certainly not British, and we wouldn't want anyone to mistakenly get that impression.
To protect the reputation of Great Britain and British subjects worldwide, please do not refer to Britney Spears as Brit.
Regards,
Tony Blair
--
Q: What do you get when you combine trailer park trash with a nine figure bank account?
A: Britney Spears
Friday, March 02, 2007
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Playing sports
We've had some cold weather lately. The lakes are now frozen. There's all kinds of people on them skating, playing hockey, ATVs and ice fishing huts. Last Sunday I was on the ice with my two boys at my wife's parents house. They're right on the lake. We had a nice time. We had out some sticks and pucks. I haven't handled a puck on the ice in a good while so it was nice stickhandling and passing and skating.
On Monday I was at Cleve's Sporting Goods in Bayer's Lake getting my older son's skates sharpened. The shop guy had a couple of other pairs to do first so I had a few minutes to wait. Walking around through the sections in the big warehouse store made me think about sports I used to play in the past. I don't play any sports now and haven't in quite a while.
These are the sports I enjoyed in the past and when I last played them in some kind of regular way.
running - 1997
tennis - 1996
ice hockey - 1999
ball hockey - 2002
golf - 2005
softball - 1999
football - 1986
So why did I stop playing? Well lots of reasons: not enough time, not enough money, not enough energy for it, not motivated for it, perception right or wrong that it was just too much hassle. Some of these things are interrelated. For example if money is tight then that's a demotivator. If you can't or won't "make" time for it then you probably don't have the energy for it either. "hassle" is an aggregate term for all the reasons taken together, a substitute for articulating the reasons individually.
Still, walking through Cleve's, I felt I missed playing sports. I haven't felt that way in a long time. So with some motivation I should go out and get playing at least some of them again.
On Monday I was at Cleve's Sporting Goods in Bayer's Lake getting my older son's skates sharpened. The shop guy had a couple of other pairs to do first so I had a few minutes to wait. Walking around through the sections in the big warehouse store made me think about sports I used to play in the past. I don't play any sports now and haven't in quite a while.
These are the sports I enjoyed in the past and when I last played them in some kind of regular way.
running - 1997
tennis - 1996
ice hockey - 1999
ball hockey - 2002
golf - 2005
softball - 1999
football - 1986
So why did I stop playing? Well lots of reasons: not enough time, not enough money, not enough energy for it, not motivated for it, perception right or wrong that it was just too much hassle. Some of these things are interrelated. For example if money is tight then that's a demotivator. If you can't or won't "make" time for it then you probably don't have the energy for it either. "hassle" is an aggregate term for all the reasons taken together, a substitute for articulating the reasons individually.
Still, walking through Cleve's, I felt I missed playing sports. I haven't felt that way in a long time. So with some motivation I should go out and get playing at least some of them again.
Hot chocolate
A really good hot chocolate is Timothy's World Coffee Creamy Hot Chocolate. We have it at work. It's really good and I highly recommend it. Very smooth taste.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Wife swap
What an icky show that Wife Swap is. I can't imagine how much they pay the people who go on it, $50,000 or more I'd hope. Why else would anyone go on that show?
The show is about putting people into totally alien, unnatural, and hostile environments for two weeks to see how much friction and conlict this can generate. Tears, great. Yelling, a-ok.
For the people who watch it it's about enjoying other people's misfortune. Watching people plucked from their comfortable, self actualized existance into a situation where they are attacked, ridiculed, overworked. The producers put up a line about helping people become better balanced, such as by getting the lazy to work a bit harder, the workaholics to lighten up, the religious fanatics to ease up, the unspiritual to get connected, the indifferent to care more. But really its about creating unfortunate events for everyone watching at home to snicker to themselves about.
I wonder if at the end of the two weeks, the husbands ever wish to themselves, not on camera of course, that the new swapped wife would stay on. I wonder if the wives ever wish they could stay in the new home instead of having to go back to their old life.
Sometimes though I feel like I'm on a reverse version of that show. Like "what am I doing here, what happened to my life, how did I end up here?" Sometimes I feel like I'm not the right fit for my situation, and my situation is not the right fit for me. Like my proper life has been replaced with strange happenings that are hard to grasp.
The show is about putting people into totally alien, unnatural, and hostile environments for two weeks to see how much friction and conlict this can generate. Tears, great. Yelling, a-ok.
For the people who watch it it's about enjoying other people's misfortune. Watching people plucked from their comfortable, self actualized existance into a situation where they are attacked, ridiculed, overworked. The producers put up a line about helping people become better balanced, such as by getting the lazy to work a bit harder, the workaholics to lighten up, the religious fanatics to ease up, the unspiritual to get connected, the indifferent to care more. But really its about creating unfortunate events for everyone watching at home to snicker to themselves about.
I wonder if at the end of the two weeks, the husbands ever wish to themselves, not on camera of course, that the new swapped wife would stay on. I wonder if the wives ever wish they could stay in the new home instead of having to go back to their old life.
Sometimes though I feel like I'm on a reverse version of that show. Like "what am I doing here, what happened to my life, how did I end up here?" Sometimes I feel like I'm not the right fit for my situation, and my situation is not the right fit for me. Like my proper life has been replaced with strange happenings that are hard to grasp.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
basement bar
My older son played softball last summer. I helped out a bit by doing the score book. I also offered the players some occasional baseball tips. Some of those players are pretty good and were keen to play.
After the season ending tournament one of the coaches had a players party at his house. He had a big barbeque which was great. The kids had a good time, they went in his swimming pool. Also the boy had a large supply of toy guns which the boy players greatly enjoyed playing with.
Downstairs in the house he had a nice rec room with a guitar, big screen TV, computer, pool table, game cube, and a bar. The bar was a standard house bar, off in the corner and seemed unremarkable. Not too big or too small.
Anyway we had a good time and then we went home. Later on that week I came home from work to find the kids play room in our house transformed.
My son arranged the area to set up a bar in the play room. It was pretty cool. My younger son likes it too and sometimes we play customer. The boys like to take turns being the manager. My older son is the owner and my younger boy "works" there.
It's funny sometimes the stuff kids notice. The bar at the coaches house did not seem to be very noticeable to a child, but my son was impressed by it.
After the season ending tournament one of the coaches had a players party at his house. He had a big barbeque which was great. The kids had a good time, they went in his swimming pool. Also the boy had a large supply of toy guns which the boy players greatly enjoyed playing with.
Downstairs in the house he had a nice rec room with a guitar, big screen TV, computer, pool table, game cube, and a bar. The bar was a standard house bar, off in the corner and seemed unremarkable. Not too big or too small.
Anyway we had a good time and then we went home. Later on that week I came home from work to find the kids play room in our house transformed.
It's funny sometimes the stuff kids notice. The bar at the coaches house did not seem to be very noticeable to a child, but my son was impressed by it.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Jets in the playoffs
This is a surprise. The New York Jets finished 10-6 and are in the AFC playoffs this weekend. Nobody expected this. Most people expected the Jets to win 0-6 games this year. While they benefited from a favorable schedule, they played well and won some tough games on the road late in the season. Coming into this season there was a rookie coach and huge question marks around quarterback and running back. Congrats to coach Mangini and the Jets for overachieving.
I remember the last time the Jets played New England in the playoffs. It was at home in 1985. I watched that game the Jets lost 26-14. This time the Jets are on the road. I doubt they can win out on the road like Pittsburgh did last year to reach the Super Bowl. I'm just glad to be in the playoffs, whatever happens.
I didn't watch much football this year. We cut back our cable package and lost TSN, so lost NFL Primetime. I used to pretty much always watch at least prime time to know what was going on and get the highlights. Without prime time I felt kind of disconnected and didn't really get into football this year. It kind of goes up and down a bit between seasons. This was a less season. Overall I'm less of a follower than I was in younger years, but I had more time for it in the past.
So go Jets, hopefully I'll be at home and able to catch the game on TV.
I remember the last time the Jets played New England in the playoffs. It was at home in 1985. I watched that game the Jets lost 26-14. This time the Jets are on the road. I doubt they can win out on the road like Pittsburgh did last year to reach the Super Bowl. I'm just glad to be in the playoffs, whatever happens.
I didn't watch much football this year. We cut back our cable package and lost TSN, so lost NFL Primetime. I used to pretty much always watch at least prime time to know what was going on and get the highlights. Without prime time I felt kind of disconnected and didn't really get into football this year. It kind of goes up and down a bit between seasons. This was a less season. Overall I'm less of a follower than I was in younger years, but I had more time for it in the past.
So go Jets, hopefully I'll be at home and able to catch the game on TV.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)