Sunday, March 28, 2004

"When and Where does this Real World Begin" Welcome! As you can tell, Kim and I have stepped up a bit. We've changed sites and gained some new funtionality. Notice, that you can now leave comments on our posts (and we hope you will). You can also link to a particular post with the "permanent link" (very cool). This is still a work in progress (as will always be). Anyway, change your bookmarks and keep visiting our new location. We will be keeping the content on our old site for as long as blogspot will let us. Enjoy! 11:43:21 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []  Google It! Category: Things that shouldn't have been created [posted by ZelderBar] 10 Worst Album Covers Ever Magnetoids Nun Urinals Trump's Hair 10:23:07 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []   Beer Du Jour: From Heather & Josh [posted by ZelderBar] Last evening, I enjoyed a supple brew, which was a birthday gift from my cousins Heather & Josh. It's called TommyKnocker Maple Nut Brown Ale from the Tommyknocker Brewery in Idaho Springs, Colorado. This lead me to wonder, what in the name of starbuck is a "Tommyknocker?" Naturally, I've heard of Stephen King's Tommyknockers, but that really doesn't tell me much. Using one of my library's reserach databases I came across an article from the Saturday Evening Post that says: "The Tommyknockers came to California with the Cornishmen in the latter days of the Gold Rush, and there were those who swore they'd seen them then--wizened little men scarcely a foot high who knocked on tiny anvils with hammers the size of darning needles to warn the miners of impending disaster. "Knackers" they were called in Cornwall, kin of the elves and the sprites. It is said their origin goes back in a folk memory to some ancient, forgotten race forced by the first Celt invasions to hide in the moorlands and the cliffs; but when John Wesley rode his horse from one Cornish village to another, there were still many who believed they were those who crucified our Lord, destined to work out their doom forever deep in the dark earth." (Craven, Margaret. "The tale of the Tommyknockers." Saturday Evening Post. 266:4 (Jul/Aug 1994): 42-51. There are still people out there who claim to have seen tommyknockers (see "Waking the Tommyknockers") out knockin' in local mines. I figure if you drink enough maple Nut Brown Ale, your chances of seeing a Tommyknocker increase. 10:22:46 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []   Burns and Erickson (Jason & Malone that is) [posted by Kim] Take a look at this photo of Jason with Malone at the park, taken by Katie or Chad when Jason was out visiting. I just finally checked my e-mail to find it waiting for me. What an adorable shot. =) 10:22:33 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []   Most Illinoisians Don't Realize Our "Anarchist" Past [posted by ZelderHistorian] People from around the world visit a concrete statue in a cemetery in Forest Park Illinois which was put up in honor five men sentenced to death by the state of Illinois. These men were convicted of starting a riot in Haymarket Square, despite the fact that several men were not present. They were labor organizers fighting McCormick Reaper to give their workers an 8 hour work day (reducing hours per day from around 10 or 12). In 1893 Govenor John P. Altgeld pardoned the 5 men convicted (which didn't do much good for the ones who were already put to death). Read the history of the Haymarket Tragedy from the Chicago Public Library. Lucy Parsons, one of the wives of the Haymarket protestors, went on to be a great leader for workers' rights and for women's rights in Illinois. Now, after a century has passed the Chicago police still do not want to allow the city to name a park after Lucy, because they claim she was an anarchist. It seems pretty ridiculous to me. But, none-the-less, there's your history lesson for the day. 10:22:21 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []   Message in a Bottle to Yourself in the Future [posted by Troy] Here's a metaphysical question for you, will you be the same person in 10 years? How will you view your past (present) self? Well, now you can send a message to yourself in the future. You can type out your message at FutureMe.org, set a day and year, enter your email address, and hit submit. Then at the day and year specified, you'll get a message from yourself. Use this a virtual string around your figer. Cast off messages to yourself into the abyss of the future. [Kim's note: as long as the company doesn't go out of business by then] 10:22:02 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []   50 Years Ago Today, God Created Color. [posted by ZelderTube] At first we could only see the world in black, white, grey and a sandy brown. Then we started experimenting. At first, we just had a little red at parties. Then it was some blue only after lunch. Then it was just some yellow in the morning with cofee. The next thing, we were heavy users. It was red, green, yellow all the time . We were hooked. We'd see red and out of nervousness, we'd see green without even knowing it. Then we moved away from the gateway colors to the hardcore colors. Orange, purple, skyblue, fuchsia, taupe, TAUPE?!?! For the love of God, where would this end? We'd be driving down the road and have an auquamarine flashback! Anyway, today marks the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the RCA Model CT-100, the first commercial color television, into the market. Well, it's all downhill from here. The televsion is our friend, entertainer, and life-long addiction. The Internet is the only thing that may surpass our need for a TV fix. Checkout these facts about color television. 10:21:45 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []   Troy Swanson on Frankenstein Troy's in the News [posted by Kim] The below photo was on the front page of the Neighborhood section of the Daily Southtown (south suburban newspaper), check it out. Monster Show, Daily Southtown 10:21:08 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []  Google It! The dog is in the House [posted by Kim] Just thought I'd share some of the pet pictures from the week. Purdy (the pug) has already introduced me to many other dog owners on my block (esp. pug owners) there seems to be a secret club of dog owners in the city. If you have a waggily tail on a leash you are automatically in. Robbie (the cat) however, does not want me to join this club! 10:20:49 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []   Pet Identity Problems [posted by ZelderBar] Well, my family never had cats growing up. It all started when Grandma Swanson (and other grandmas, if I remember the story) made my parents get rid of the cat when I was born. Thus, our house was cat free. We did however have a small dog (from Grandma Swanson, no less) that liked me and no one else. Thus, I have considered myself a dog person for my entire life. Now, Kim has a cat (see post "Cat in the Box..." on February 26th, 2004), and I've grown to like cats. Anyway, this week we are dog sitting Kim's parents' pug (the lower end of the dog spectrum, but everyone else thinks they are cute), and the dog reminds me of the good/bad/ugly of dog ownership. Am I a cat person or a dog person? Dog people can't understand why anyone would hangout with an animal that you can't take to the beach, camping, underwater, etc. Cat people wonder why anyone would befriend an animal that is so insecure to learn tricks just so that you give it attention. (This book review from Salon sums up the debate amazingly well.) Thus, it's the boring pet people (cat) against the insecure needy pet people (dog). I've decided that this debate is ridiculous. Actually, I am sorry that I've wasted this much blog space on it. I'll just say this, the people who are most passionate about this debate are the people who bring their pets to sit on Santa Clause's lap or put the pets on the holiday cards. Hey! Cray-Zee pet people. STOP! Don't put your misplaced parental instincts on some poor animal. Have/Adopt/Befriend a child. Children are trainable, insecure, and rewarding all at once. (So, I've been told.) 10:20:33 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []   St. Patrick's Day Photos [posted by Kim] I know you're all dying for me to post more photos, so here you go. We've shown you the Downtown St. Patrick's Day celebration and we've shown you the Southside St. Patrick's Day celebration but here are the long awaited St. Patrick's day Pub celebrations. That's right, this time it really was March 17th, the river was really green and Jason was out to party with us. This is my favorite photo from the night, ha ha. Enjoy. 10:19:12 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []

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