Opening Ceremonies Produced By Drunks

...or maybe pillheads. Or maybe both. That is the only possible explanation for the travesty that was the Winter Olympics kick-off party last night. It is the new millenium. These are the first Winter Olympics on European soil in the 21st Century. Europe is united like never before. Italy is on the world stage. Everyone is enthralled with the beauty of Torino.

So what do we get? People walking around with giant balloons on their heads like they are some bad stand-up comic act. People walking around with fire coming out of their heads like they are hella pissed about something or other. The ultimate kick in the head was the Parade of Nations or whatever they call it. Disco music. 70's disco music as background to all the countries entering the stadium. "First, Last and Everything" by Barry White. And was that the country of Iran walking in to the tune "Disco Inferno" by the Trammps? Burn the mother down!

Four Things

I got tagged by Random Walk so I will respond:

Four Jobs I’ve Had:
Concrete Laborer
Stock Jockey at the Jewels
Grad School Teacher
Bartender

Movies I Can (and Do) Watch Over and Over:
The Godfather
The Producers (original)
Citizen Kane
It's a Gift

Four Places I Have Lived:
Chicago, Illinois
Orange, California
Aliso Viejo, California
The Northern Perimeter of Illinois

TV Shows I Love:
The Sopranos
The Doodlebops
MXC
Scooby Doo

Four Places I’ve Vacationed:
Oah'u/Kaua'i/Moloka'i/Mau'i Hawai'i
Club Med Turks and Caicos
Orlando, Orlando, Orlando
Orange City, Iowa

Four of My Favorite Dishes:
Avocados and Tomatoes
Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Tekka Don
Rueben Sammich

Four Sites I Visit Daily:
Drudge
G-Mail
Official White Sox website
Weather.com

Four Places I’d Rather Be Now:
Hawai'i
Newport Beach
Lake Buena Vista, FL
London

Four People I Am Tagging:
I don't know four people.

Odd Types

It takes all kinds to make a world, and I run into them every day in my current role of layabout. There is a man about age sixty who haunts the gym about every morning. He wears horn rimmed glassed with yellow lenses. Although he is in the gym daily, his skin is sallow and his eyes are bloodshot. He is overweight. I was discussing the healing wonders of the styptic pencil with a fellow gym rat the other day, and how they are hard to find in the stores of late. They seem to have fallen out of favor somewhat. Mr. Yellow glasses asked "A what?"
"Styptic pencil" I replied.
"Styptic pencil" he repeated to himself, quietly looking down at the floor. I don't think he knew what it was. What male doesn't know that it is the sliced up face's best friend?

Next: Strange frowning bald man with hair on his back.

The Avo

About a month ago I planted a couple avocado seeds (Haas of course) in some moist soil. I kept their feet pretty wet and was rewarded with a day of sprouting. One is 14 inches tall after only a week and the other sprouted and then gave up. Back in the day I did this and ended up with two trees that I labored over for four years or so until they were eight feet tall. They were very spindly, though. I think because I did not pinch them back in their youth, they grew wild and unfetterd into long-legged beasties rather than real trees. Therefore I will raise this one a bit differently.
The wonder of life. Every Haas avocado on the display at the Jewels is a tree waiting to grow.