site of the day

In an attempt to keep this Blog going when I have little to say I'm now going to put up a "site of the day" link for your edification, every now and again.

Today's site in the "bucolic British eccentricity" category is:

http://www.readersheds.co.uk/readersheds/


enjoy




.

fun site

go here for some fun sayings/writes. Thanks to Grizz at Singlefin for this one.

A couple more:

'It's an immutable law of the universe that an organism will always live beyond it's means'

and

Frizbee's law states: 'never start anything complicated with anything else than "watch this".'

long time no blog

It's been a while since I had anything much to say on here. Ok there was an amusing little tale the other day, but that was essentially a copy/paste job from elsewhere.

So what have I to say today. Well very little of import if truth be told. It's now the middle of November and wet and somewhat cold. I'm doing nothing about sorting the bathroom out at home, the kitchen is 95% finished but again that additional 5% just is'nt being done. Then there's the boat, which I told myself I was going to get in the water early next year. Well, I'll be surprised if it happens before easter.

So what am I doing with my spare time, that precious period between Friday afternoon and Monday morning?

Not a lot, seemingly. I'm being very lazy, and sort of drifting into the day via a cup of coffee and a couple of hourse playing on the computer. I don't think I reached the stage of ennui, yet, but I really need to pull myself together and get something done.

That something will come in a couple of weeks when I head up-country [and over a bit] to have a reunion with my old college friends, it being 20years since we all met up in Avery Hill in London [now Greenwich University]. The thing is, as the date aproaches, I'll get more and more despondent about having to drive up there what with all the traffic chaos which marks any journey in the UK these days.

Life out here on the western fringes is so laid back, that anything beyond sonambulance can be regarded as a stressful experience, which most normal urbanites would take in their stride.
It may mean that unless I have a pressing need to go east of Offa's Dyke, I'll do anything to stay here. And yet I still want to go to California again next year.

I also want to down-size myself, to be rid of all those extraeneous bits of material which tie us down. But the thing is you see, is that I'm an acquisitive person, and just sort of collect *stuff* around myself. So I'm in a constant state of war with the other me, the one who wants simplicity.

I expect I'll have to compromise and have the notional three piles: must keep, not sure, get rid. These can be in the form of lists and such like [not a literal three piles- where would 27' of boat go?].
Perceived wisdom says that the largest piles will be keep and not sure, so once the excercise is done, and the get rid pile is ........ errr... got rid of, you start the process again. Then you wait a while, weeks or months even and repeat it. That's the theory anyway.

we'll see, and if I'm in the mood, I may even publish the results here!

The Coastal Press

The last time I was out in California I happenned to be sitting in the olde english atmosphere of the Pelican Inn at Muir Beach, north of San Francisco, supping a pint of honest to goodness genuine Bass, when I came across that months edition of the Coastal Press... a free monthly paper for the more 'progressively minded' of Marin County. Amongst the very serious missives on the Iraq war, Bush, and Marin County environmental problems I found this article which really made me laugh, and so, having found it on the web I now offer it up for yor edification. Enjoy.

Extra Biscuits, Extra Crispy KFC
Stoned Chicken Fans Lose In Mill Valley
By Stephen Simac

The drive thru at the KFC in Mill Valley seemed much busier than that fast food chain's fried chicken outlets elsewhere. It turns out it wasn't the biscuits, but the "extra biscuits" that were drawing the traffic.

The stoner behind the drive thru counter was killing two fried birds with one bag. Evidently marijuana was being sold to drivers in the know who asked for "extra biscuits" with their "extra crispy" thighs and legs.

Carlos Ayela, the entrepreneur behind the KFC drive thru sales was busted recently by the Marin Major Crime Task Force for selling baggies of pot to anyone who ordered with those code words. Lt. Rick Russel of the sheriff's dept. reportedly said he was selling herbage to "anyone who used the correct verbiage." No need for correct grammar.

If sheriff's reports can be relied upon he was turned in by an irate customer who really wanted extra biscuits and was upset to find two baggies of pot packaged with his or her greasy chicken.

It's unlikely that ganja was handed over without a significant exchange of green first. More likely it was an irate customer who wasn't happy with the quality or quantity of the "biscuits" or a pissed off girlfriend who turned him into the Mill Valley police.

They notified the task force which went to the KFC near Tam High School and made "biscuit" buys and ate chicken for nearly a month before arresting Carlos on his way to work. Afterwards off to find a donut shop.

Now imagine the consternation at KFC, which used to be called Kentucky Fried Chicken, (until they began serving genetically modified critters that "taste just like chicken" but are far cheaper, according to an Internet rumor). The Marketing department recognized the genius of this low paid wage slave who had single-handedly increased sales by an eighth or more.

Not only were extra customers generated by "extra biscuits" but extra buckets were being sold to those same customers with the marijuana munchies.

Jim Nicol, a regional KFC manager reportedly said "We'll do a full investigation, find out what's cooking and fix it." They must be wondering if they can duplicate it by adding cannabis to their secret spices. More likely they will have to rely on the entrepreneurial initiative of their workers trying to supplement their incomes. After all the drive thru attendant wasn't making enough to even afford to live in Marin. He had to commute from Vallejo.

This kid is probably facing some hard time unless he can claim that he was dealing "medical marijuana." He's got a chance if he points out he was supplying his "patients" with dyspepsia, the recognized calmative effect of cannabis on an upset stomach. There's nothing like fast food to cause this bilious stomach upset, with or without Pepsi and nothing like pot to cure it.

The Task Force made a big deal out of these sales because the KFC was so near a high school, endangering our youth who were getting "extra crispy" during lunch hour. Considering the epidemic of obesity in America's teens the real danger to their health is the fast food outlet itself, not the "extra biscuits." Cannabis for all the propaganda by drug liars is the least harmful of all intoxicating substances on the planet.

Carlos of KFC may have to flee to our neighboring state for refuge. Nevada is voting whether to legalize 3 ounces of marijuana for adults, and allow it to be sold and taxed. An independent study predicted it would raise $28 million in taxes for Nevada every year, while reducing police time spent prosecuting cannabis possession and legal expenditures by thousand of hours and millions of dollars.

Naturally most police and legal officials are outraged, the federal drug czar has visited Nevada regularly to preach against it and editorials are claiming that it will ruin Nevada's reputation as a family destination. As if it had one.

If Nevada leads other states will follow. Three out of four states are looking at billions of dollars in budget deficits this year. Remember Nevada attracted tourists and taxes with legalized gambling for decades until now you can buy a " lucky scratcher" in even the most Puritan of states. It brought them in with easy divorces but now "no fault dissolutions" can be had in the Bible belt states. Nevada is still the only state with legalized prostitution, but with escort services in every yellow pages it might as well be legal, except it's not taxed.