Terrible Analogies

Wow…200 posts already?  It’s amazing how quickly time goes by, and how quickly the posts add up.  It’s been my goal to post something new every weekday, and for the exception of those few days I took off to travel up to Sea Ranch, I’ve accomplished (so far) what I started out to do. *knock on wood*

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that not all of my posts have been winners.  In fact, I’ll go on record as stating that the amount of duds far exceeds the amount gold, but through the sickness, the doubt, the good times and the bad, I’ve made it to my 200th post and that, my friends, deserves a shot of Jack.  

I’d like to quickly thank a few people who kept me going.  Through their kinds words and inspiration I’ve trudged through “the wall” more times than I care to admit.  And so, with that foreword, I’d like to thank:

- The House Of Husar: The man, the myth, the legend.  Dedicated to family, friends, biking, and beer, Ed was gracious enough to even shoot me a personal e-mail or two.  Ed, many thanks!  

- Magick Sandwich: Kathcom, the genius behind MS, tells it like it is, pulls no punches, and has a wicked sense of humor.  In a fire fight, I’d want Kathcom to watch my back.

- Madlab Post: Many thanks for naming me one of your Badass Bloggers, and for the personal communications.  You, my friend, deserve a freakin’ medal!

- When Pigs Fly: Seriously, one of the many standout blogs that I don’t deserve to even read, much less comment on.  Thanks for keeping up to date on my blog, Jen.  And for commenting as many times as you do, you’re truly an inspiration.  So….when are you going to be published?!

- WannaSmile:  I swear, you’re the sunshine on my daily dealings with the darkness that is the Internet.  Keep it up C!  Without you, there is no lighter side.  Oh, and Nemesis says, “Meow!”  She said you’d know what it means.

- The Hyperactive Gadfly: Brother, you have the life.  Wish I could go on a training run with ya!  I punish myself on my training runs in an effort to keep up with you.  Thanks for keeping in touch, brother!

- Totally Useless: I stumbled across your blog by accident, and have been glued to it ever since.  Your insights and beautiful camera work just keep me coming back.  Your replies to comments on yours site, and your commenting on my blog, have made this whole journey a rewarding one.

- Life Just Keeps Getting Weirder: Last but not least, I’d like to thank Jen for her humor, and for being just a huge presence on the web she still takes the time to occasionally comment on my lil’ blog.  Jen…many, many thanks for your contributions!  You, my friend, rock so hard ain’t no time to roll…

I’d like to also thank Mr. Zippy Cup (and his many guises), Boris and Rachael for our music “club”, James for being the “best man”, Crazy Leonard for his private and, er…”inspirational?” e-mails, Bryan M. for catching of my stupid typos and mathematical errors (seriously, thanks!), and for Dan over at Regruntled.  Even though we had a falling out, Ed doesn’t pretend to be who he isn’t.  At least you know where he stands, and I commend that.

And to my amazing wife Karin, who understand the blogging obsession, and gladly gives me the time I need every night to make an ass of myself with each and every post!

For anyone that I might have missed, blame it on the Jack because tonight, we’re celebrating!  Here’s to my upcoming 300th post!  Woot!

I was driving home yesterday, listening to the radio, when I heard this story about a 14 year old girl who broke into an ex-friends house, ransacked the place, and grabbed a few items to steal. Then, before leaving, picked up the ex-friend’s kitten, threw it in the oven, and cracked it up to 500 degrees before fleeing the scene.

The kitten died. It burned beyond recognition. It was so disfigured, one could not even tell the gender of the animal.

When asked why she did this, she replied, “Because I hate cats.”

It disgusts me to hear a story like this.  What kind of sick person could do something so horrific to such a helpless, fragile animal?  An animal who, quite possibly, ran to her side in awkward, fumbling kitten steps, looking for a treat or a loving pat on the head.   What twisted soul is capable of such extreme brutality?  

I find this so offensive because animals like dogs and cats bond with humans.  They have emotions that are readily apparent, rubbing up against us, licking us, wagging their tails, sleeping with us at night.  They love and depend on us.  Some bonds are so tight that the loss of a pet can be as bad as the loss of any other family member.

For someone to abuse an animal takes a special kind of inner turmoil, a singularly unique type of evil that must constantly eat at that person, damaging their very soul.

This girl…this sociopath, needs to be locked up for a long, long time.  What happened to her in the past that caused her to turn into such a barbarous, remorseless monster?  Was it a lack of proper parenting?  Was it the people she hung around with?  Could her head be filled with bad wiring?

….

As soon as I got home yesterday I picked up Nemesis, gave her a big hug, then a treat, then I watched this video of a german weatherman who picked up a cat that wandered onto the news set during his forecast:

Happy Friday? See you on Monday for my 200th post!

Karin and I were enjoying a quiet evening at home on the couch watching the movie Eagle Eye.  Nearly an hour into the movie, when the (blank) reveals to (blank) that his life is (blank, blank, blankety blank…I’m not gonna ruin in for you), this quickly flashed on the screen:

Wow…apparently some of Jerry Shaw’s favorite movies include The Big Lebowski, Donnie Darko, The Usual Suspects, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (you’ve seen this film…right?), Office Space, Full Metal Jacket, and…Fight Club.  Not only was Fight Club listed, they used an image of the first DVD pressing.  Nice touch.

I’m an absolute slave to this film, and if I didn’t mention this sighting I’d have to turn in my Cool Kids Club card, and man…I wouldn’t want to do that.  After all, they serve hot ham-and-cheese sandwiches on Wednesdays for lunch…

Yay!  Let’s hear it for me.  I broke my own toe.

Now, I’d like to say that I broke in in a desperate Muay Thai death match, in a bare hands wrestling match with the last panda on Earth, or while hiking barefoot across the vast exploding lava fields of Hawaii’s Big Island, but alas this was not the case.  I broke it, pedestrianly enough,  tripping over the tub while attempting to lower the window blinds.

My dead sexy, gorgeous foot...disfigured!

The pain isn’t relegated to my toe, but instead tends to occasionally travel halfway up my shin in threads of dull pain.  My Mt. Whitney run is in less than a month, and now I get to finish my training runs with a busted toe.  This should be interesting.

Yay!

Let’s hear it for my classy neighbors.  

From the people who brought you “Loud Parties At 1am“, “Public Intoxication And You“, and that classic chestnut “Let’s Invite A Live Band Over, Because We Don’t Give A Crap About Our Neighbors“, comes this new bit that I’d like to call “Baby With A Bong“.  I hope you enjoy:

Bong on the ground in front of Joe Cool, who's standing in front of a stroller.

Everyone (?) has a neighbor from hell, and this is mine.  These people are the very definition of “white trash”.  Come on guys, this neighborhood is full of kids and toddlers.  Go back to the trailer park with your “too cool for school” attitude.  God has a tornado he wants to give you.