Tivo’s Acid Trip

December 28th, 2005 § 0

I took over Dad’s Tivo box after he got a regular DVR. I know they’re trying to develop AI in this thing so it will anticipate shows you might like and will record them. I’m sure it has some sort of software that uses weighted averaging or some guessing method. I won’t go into that anymore here because I can feel your eyes glazing over.

BUT

Why can’t they make it smart enough to know that the show it is trying to record is on a channel you don’t have? There have been several times when I have turned on the TV to find a black screen with the red LED on the front of the box on, indicating recording. Then when I push the GUIDE button a message pops up at the bottom screen listing the Customer Service 1-800 number so I can dial up and add the channel to the bill.

I might like to watch one show, but that doesn’t mean I want to buy the whole freaking channel.

Oh well, only 520 years to Zager and Evans.

I am not going to explain. You Google it.

Chinese Surfboards Sold At Wal-Mart: God Help Us…The End Is Nigh!

December 27th, 2005 § 2

Clark Foam, longtime makers of surfboard blanks is going out of business. The owner, Gordon “Grubby” Clark sent a letter to customers and blamed a government crackdown at all three levels over his use of toxic chemicals to manufacture his custom foam blanks.

I’m quite sure that South Coast Air Quality Management District has something to do with this. This is a state agency in California that issues permits to businesses to run. They have a staff of engineers who examine permit applications and some guys who are basically a cross between a private investigator and a used car salesperson who go out and buy a burger from someone, eat it, and then issue them a citation. So if you have a bar and grill you are allowed only so many pounds of smoke per year. If you overproduce you have to pay extra, but the businesses that produce less pollutants than their allowed amount sell credits to other businesses who produce too much.

Then again, maybe the guy just wants to retire. But if that’s the case why close? Why didn’t he groom someone to take his place or sell the business?

Well, China abhors a vacuum, so I guess they will take over making the board blanks, and probably whole boards as well. That’ll mean we can get them cheap at Wal-Mart. Hey, it’ll make surfing more “affordable!”

But I’m being a hypocrite because I still shop at Wal-Mart. It’s just that surfing is uniquely a western cultural thing, whether it is happening in New Zealand, Ireland, Florida, or California. The idea of a Chinese surfboard is just out of place.

New Disease

December 27th, 2005 § 0

The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new virulent strain of Sexually Transmitted Disease. The disease is contracted through dangerous and high-risk behavior.

The disease is called Gonorrhea Lectim and pronounced “gonna re-elect him.”

Many victims contracted it in 2004, after having been screwed for the past four years. Cognitive characteristics of individuals infected include: anti-social personality disorders, delusions of grandeur with messianic overtones, extreme cognitive dissonance, inability to incorporate new information, pronounced xenophobia and paranoia, inability to accept responsibility for own actions, cowardice masked by misplaced bravado, uncontrolled facial smirking, ignorance of geography and history, tendencies towards evangelical theocracy, categorical all-or-nothing behavior Naturalists and epidemiologists are amazed at how this destructive disease originated only a few years ago from a bush found in Texas.

A Presence

December 27th, 2005 § 0

Have you ever thought you were the only person in a room and been startled upon finding out that someone else was there? Well that happened to me last night at work, only there wasn’t anyone there…at least not that I could see. I was coming out of the restroom on the way out for my walk and I walked past the sofa in the lobby and for a second felt like someone else was there. I took a good look around the area and could not see anyone.

All the ghosts are supposed to be on the 3rd floor between Circulation and the New York Times receiving room. So I wonder who or what that was.

Twas the Night – Tex/Mex Style

December 24th, 2005 § 2

T’was the night before Christmas and all through la casa
Not a creature was stirring, only the masa.
Mama making tamales con mucho cuidado
In hopes old Santa would feel obligado
To bring all the hijos, both buenos y malos
A nice batch of dulces and other regalos.
Mis hermanos and I went to sleep in our camas
Some in calsones, some in piyamas,
Cuando out in the yard I heard un gran grito
That I jumped to my feet like a frightened cabrito.
And who in the world do you think que era?
El mero mero with his venados estaban afuera.
Santa Claus in a sleigh with a big sombrero
Came dashing along like a little bombero.
I watched as they came, and this little fat hombre
Was shouting and whistling, and calling by nombre,
“¡Ay PEPE, AY JESSE, AY CUCA, AY BETO
AY PANCHO, AY CHATO, CHUY Y NETO!”
Then standing straight up, with his hands on his pecho,
He flew to the top of our very own techo.
With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea
He struggled to squeeze down our old chimenea.
Then huffing and puffing, and a little cansado
He picked up a bag that looked so pesado.
He filled all the stockings with lovely regalos
For none of the hijos had been very malos.
Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento
He turned like a flash and was gone like the viento.
As I heard him exclaim and this is verdad,
“¡MERRY CHRISTMAS A TODOS! ¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!”

Politically Correct Holiday Greeting

December 23rd, 2005 § 0

Best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral, winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most joyous traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, but with respect for the religious persuasion of others who choose to practice their own religion as well as those who choose not to practice a religion at all; plus… A fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions have helped make our society great, without regard to the race, creed color, religious, or sexual preferences of the wishes.

Disclaimer: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.

More On The Generations That Came Before Us

December 22nd, 2005 § 0

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn’t seem to get food poisoning.

My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in icepack coolers, but I can’t remember getting e.coli.

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.

We all took gym, not PE…and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Keds (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can’t recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.

Flunking gym was not an option…even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.

We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.

I just can’t recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.

Oh yeah…and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played ‘king of the hill’ on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn’t sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.

Now it’s a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn’t act up at the neighbor’s house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then we got butt spanked again when we got home.

I recall Donny Reynolds from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?

We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills that we didn’t even notice that the entire country wasn’t taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?

LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA.
TO ALL WHO DIDN’T,
SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED.
I WOULDN’T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING

A Letter To Our Pharaoh

December 21st, 2005 § 0

Thus Sayeth The Public – not all, but some

GET OUR PEOPLE OUT OF THERE!

Enuff Said!

I saw a friend last night who 18 months ago I thought I might not get to see again. His unit got called up and he went over to Iraq. I’ve written separately on why I am against the war. I want our folks out of there. And I am not alone in this sentiment. I hear GWB talking a lot about sacrifice and not much at all about returning our soldiers home before we lose many more of them. Anyway, I’m glad my friend’s back and I feel deeply for those who aren’t able to say that.

Chuck Norris vs. Mr. T.

December 20th, 2005 § 0

Chuck Norris
Rather than being birthed like a normal child, Chuck Norris instead punched his way out of his mother’s womb. Shortly thereafter he grew a beard.

Before email was invented Chuck Norris would attach messages to kittens and roundhouse kick them.

The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.

Chuck Norris’ tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

When Chuck Norris has sex with a man, it is not because he is gay, but because he has run out of women.

Chuck Norris has yet to get a Jeopardy question wrong. Jesus has missed two.

Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled martial arts ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, Chuck roundhouse kicked the devil in the face and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn’t stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

A man once asked Chuck Norris if his real name is “Charles”. Chuck Norris did not respond, he simply stared at him until he exploded.

Chuck Norris recently had the idea to sell his urine as a canned beverage. We know this beverage as Red Bull.

The original theme song to the Transformers was actually “Chuck Norris–more than meets the eye, Chuck Norris–robot in disguise,” and starred Chuck Norris as a Texas Ranger who defended the earth from drug-dealing Decepticons and could turn into a pick-up. This was far too awesome for a single show, however, so it was divided.

To prove it isn’t that big of a deal to beat cancer. Chuck Norris smoked 15 cartons of cigarettes a day for 2 years and aquired 7
different kinds of cancer only to rid them from his body by flexing for 30 minutes.

Chuck Norris was the fourth Wiseman. He brought baby Jesus the gift of “beard”. Jesus wore it proudly to his dying day. The other Wisemen, jealous of Jesus’ obvious gift favoritism, used their combined influence to have Chuck omitted from the Bible. Shortly after all three died of roundhouse kick related deaths.

Chuck Norris can make a woman climax by simply pointing at her and saying “booya”.

Chuck Norris once shot a German plane down with his finger, by yelling, “Bang!”

After much debate, President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima rather than the alternative of sending Chuck Norris. His reasoning? It was more “humane”.

If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can’t see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death.

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.

If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, “Two seconds till.” After you ask, “Two seconds to what?” he roundhouse kicks you in the face.

When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack.
Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes ever.

Filming on location for Walker: Texas Ranger, Chuck Norris brought a stillborn baby lamb back to life by giving it a prolonged beard rub.

Chuck Norris lost his virginity before his dad did.

Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his foot broke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhart while she was flying over the Pacific Ocean.

Chuck Norris built a time machine and went back in time to stop the JFK assassination. As Oswald shot, Chuck met all three bullets with his beard, deflecting them. JFK’s head exploded out of sheer amazement.

Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

Chuck Norris won ‘Jumanji’ without ever saying the word. He simply beat the living $!@% out of everything that was thrown at him, and the game forfeited.

Chuck Norris once lined up to kick the winning field goal of a high school football game. When the football went flat, he persuaded the referees to let him kick the field goal with a 3 month old child. Chuck successfully roundhoused kicked the baby 60 yards through the uprights.

When Chuck Norris plays Oregon Trail his family does not die from cholera or dysentery, but rather roundhouse kicks to the face. He also requires no wagon, since he carries the oxen, axels, and buffalo meat on his back. He always makes it to Oregon before you.

Macgyver can build an airplane out of gum and paper clips, but Chuck Norris can kill him and take it.

Chuck Norris only masturbates to pictures of Chuck Norris.

Scientists used to believe that a diamond was the world’s hardest substance. But then they met Chuck Norris, who gave them a roundhouse kick to the face so hard, and with so much heat and pressure that the scientists turned into artificial Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris carries a man bag. If you call it a purse, he pulls a baby out of the bag and throws it at you. The baby will blow up upon impact.

God offered Chuck Norris the gift to fly, which he swiftly declined for super strength roundhouse ability.

When Chuck Norris’s wife burned the turkey one thanksgiving, Chuck said, “don’t worry about it honey,” and went into his backyard. He came back five minutes later with a live turkey, ate it whole, and when he threw it up a few seconds later it was fully cooked and came with cranberry sauce.

Chuck Norris owns the greatest poker face of all-time. It helped him win the 1983 world series of poker despite him holding just a joker, a get out of jail free monopoly card, a 2 of clubs, 7 of spades and a green number 4 card from the game Uno.

In 1989, Phil Collins challenged Chuck Norris to a drinking contest. Collins passed out after the 6th shot of moonshine. Chuck Norris went on to drink 12 more shots and a pint of antifreeze just to prove Collins a pussy. This, of course, led to the fall of the Berlin Wall later that year.

If you try to say Chuck Norris five times, as fast as you can, your head will explode. If it doesn’t happen to you, you’re not saying it fast enough.

Chuck Norris fought a cloud once because it rained on him.

Chuck Norris doesnt look at the toilet paper after he wipes.

Michael Jackson didn’t have facial reconstructive surgery. Chuck Norris kicked him in the face for making crappy music.

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? Who ever it was is going to get dropkicked by Chuck Norris. And then he will reach into their stomach to get the cookie back. Chuck Norris likes cookies.

Contrary to belief, Chuck Norris would hit that.

When Chuck Norris jumps into a lake, he doesn’t get wet. The water gets Chuck Norris.

Everytime a child laughs, Chuck Norris kills a bald guy.

There are some things in the world money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris was playing Tekken 5 one day and finally met his match. His 12-year old son beat him with Eddy Gordo by randomly pressing buttons. Chuck Norris then roundhouse kicked his son in the throat killing him instantly.

Chuck Norris was taking and evening stroll in a local neighborhood when a mountain spring water truck slammed in to a retarded child playing in the street. Chuck Norris rushed to the scene, destroyed the driver, and resurrected the child making him normal again. This event is celebrated as a show on TV called Captain Planet.

Chuck Norris’ son once skipped to world 4 and then world 8 via warp pipes playing against his dad on the first Super Mario Bros. His son then skipped to world “traffic in street” and then morgue via his dad’s roundhouse kick.

Helen Keller’s favorite color is Chuck Norris.

Those aren’t credits that roll after Walker Texas Ranger, it is actually a list of people that Chuck Norris round house kicked in the face that day.

Chuck Norris ruins the endings of Harry Potter books for children who just bought one for the hell of it. When they start crying Chuck Norris calmly says, “I’ll give you something to cry about,” and roundhouse kicks them in the face.

Mr. T.
Mr. T speaks only when necessary. His main form of communication is folding his arms and slowly shaking his head. And regardless of the situation, he is always understood.

There are only four horsemen of the apocalypse, because Mr. T is going to walk.

Mr. T invented fools. Realizing the magnitude of his folly, he then created Pity.

Mr. T’s pity for fools is used by mathematicians as a demonstration of the concept of infinity.

You have only seen Mr. T in human form. In Narnia, he is a T. Rex with a lion’s tail hanging out of his mouth.

Mr. T once rocked the Casbah. Which explains why there is no longer a Casbah.

Mr.T once punched Chuck Norris at the exact moment he roundhouse kicked Mr.T in the chest. The result was the 80′s.

23. That’s the number of people Mr. T has pitied in the time it has taken you to read this sentence.

Mr. T’s edition of the VH1 show ‘Where Are They Now’ was the shortest in the show’s history. It was 10 seconds long, and consisted of a black screen with the words “Right Behind You” written on it.

Mr. T is allergic to doorknobs. That’s why he can only kick through doors.

They say when a bear is chasing a group of people, you don’t have t outrun the bear, but only have to be faster than the slowest person. If Mr. T is chasing you, you’re dead no matter what.

In 1995, Mr. T was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma but he pitied his own fool cells until the disease turned into T-cell lymphoma. Upon closer inspection by doctors, the cancerous T-cells now had mohawks, gold chains around their nuclei and were tired of the other cell’s jibba-jabba.

Mr. T once pitied the sun. An ice age followed.

It took five women 2 years to give birth to Mr. T.

Mr. T’s sperm is so strong it could impregnate a man.

Mr. T doesn’t feel pain; pain feels Mr. T

The last time Mr. T went to McDonald’s, Ronald McDonald greeted him. What occured next proved to be the most violent beating of a clown ever recorded in human history.

Behind every great man, there is a great woman. Behind that woman is Mr. T.

In 1989, Mr. T systematically killed every member of the band “MR. MISTER” for stealing his first name.

Despite popular belief, if there is a fool in the woods, and nobody is around to hear his jibba jabba, Mr. T is still able to pity him.

Mr. T’s incredible greatness has been attributed to the fact that his genetic code doesn’t have any A, G, or C. His genetic code is in fact, nothing but T’s.

Sticks and stones may break your bones but Mr T. will also crush your internal organs.

Why does Mr. T. still have his mohawk? Cause his reflection pities the fool who don’t!

Before Mr. T, the alphabet only had 25 letters.

Mr. T was fired from the Psychic Friends Network for always predicting pain.

Every time Mr. T pities the fool, a pornstar regains her virginity. Then proceeds to lose it to Mr. T.

Mr. T is not black. It’s just that the sun is to afraid to shine on him.

The United States Federal Reserve Bank decided that Mr. T’s neck was a much safer place for their gold than Fort Knox.

Mr. T refers to himself in the third person because he refuses to acknowledge the letter ‘I’, or indeed any non-’T’ related letter.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. But if Mr. T had assisted, it sure as hell would’ve been.

Math Trick

December 18th, 2005 § 2

Here is a math trick that might get you thinking…

1. Grab a calculator. (you won’t be able to do this one in your head)
2. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the area code)
3. Multiply by 80
4. Add 1
5. Multiply by 250
6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number
7. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again.
8. Subtract 250
9. Divide number by 2

Do you recognize the answer?

Where am I?

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