Good on you girl, you go for it! Don't worry about the porch, I will hijack it again and do my best to keep folks from gettin' nekkie.

Oh crap (disregard note to self...if there's no gettin nekkie no need to monitor adult beverage intake). Putting away the flashlights and glow sticks....sigh.

Thank you so much my friend. You hit the nail squarely on the head. The Creature Shop is also a great place isn't it? Stan was working nearly right up to his death and I thank you for your fond rememberance of him. I will pass it on to his wife Karen.

Sorry about the troll stew - dogs ate it. They don't look so pert, now. Hope they can sleep it off. Beef tamales - those I have. "We're all nekkid under our clothes, and that's the truth-th-th." (Edith Ann, as performed by Lily Tomlin)

I'm going up the ladder to the roof - that's where the swamp cooler is and it is officially time to hook it up and get it going. (You won't believe this, but even in the Rockies, it gets too warm in the house.) Watch the peeps for me, kk, and I'll be back in awhile.

If he thinks he's competing in any meaningful way with baseball, he's nuts.

But hockey's just as bad--that was going into June, too.

Welllll, I did tell the Blank One that people could go off the porch and around to the dark side of the house for gettin' nekkie. But whisperrr, no making noise out there!

Thanks for the T-Shirt. Talk about ridin'. My butt is so sore from ridin' my lawn mower I had to take a break. Thought I'd pop online. And I wasn't CW more like Folk. Thems were the John Denver Days. Speaking of which 2 more days and I'll be "Rocky Mountain High". Back to the grass. Yippy Ky Ay or whatever.

I really wanted to see JAG's show before he got DQ'd. He had some seriously interesting flavor profiles going on. And I'd still like to know his technique for deep-frying a meatloaf. lol

I agree with most of your assesments, but not Bobby Flay.

I started out not caring for him at all with his first two shows. Argueing grilling techniques with a charicature of a "good 'ol boy" and especially the one with Jaquie Malouf where he cooked for his "friends". Bobby was so bad on camera that it was obvious that they brought Jaquie in (with her experience as a stand-up comic in Canada) to try and make the show entertaining. And it was still unwatchable.

Then came Iron Chef - America. Watching that you can see he really had some talent. He always has food that seems to be full of flavor, and his plating is almost always artistic.


And we really see "Throwdown" differently. The person(s) he challenges does get a lot of recognition, sometimes more than they would have if they had done the show they were told they were doing. (and remember, it's really the producers that 'trick' them.) I'll bet most of the chefs he has challenged have seen a major increase in business, both local and from tourists. (I know I want to go to that breakfast place he challenged).

As for Bobby's role on that show, I never would have guessed that his ego was that minimal. Most chefs I know would never agree to going somewhere and competeing in a contest they were almost guaranteed to lose. They don't show statistics like they do on IC, but I'm sure his record is well under 50% by now. I've even seen him make choices on ingredients that while interesting and tasty, were certain to make him lose because the judges were going to take "traditional" into account in the judging.

Yeah, I've really had a change of heart on Bobby. (Though they still have to keep other people around him to make him watchable.)

Kristl, just a note to you, don't know if you noticed yesterday when I said I don't even own a car... but, following up on something you wrote yesterday, and apologies for it being OT...

But even the American Petroleum Institute, an industry-funded "think tank," policy group and lobbyist has been saying all week that even if the US begins, AT ONCE, to explore and drill for oil in our coastal regions... it will be 7-10 years before a drop of that turns into gasoline or diesel and is available for US consumers. Even if we start today.

And that's from an Xtremely pro-drilling oil industry advocate. That's why I'm comfortable saying, this isn't even a partisan issue. It's just reality. No matter what the President asserts today.

That's *part* of the reason many smart people are saying we cannot just explore and drill our way out of the current situation. There may or may not be other reasons to explore and drill. But doing that will have no impact on our current crisis. It just simply doesn't work that way.

Keeping this non-partisan, there are two things that could be done in the very near term to offer some relief. One is to raise the value of the US Dollar. Because oil is priced globally in Dollars, because the value of the Dollar has been falling relative to other currencies, we are especially susceptible to the pain of the price increases. And, raising the value of the Dollar will help slow down the phenomenon by which those holding Dollars are all selling them off in exchange for the more lucrative investment of oil.

Boosting the value of the Dollar would help with oil costs right now, but would also probably cause other unrelated problems that the Fed has been so busy trying to prevent and minimize. I.e., a recession that never needed to happen. Choose your poison. Oil prices? Or a severe recession, even worse housing and mortgage crisis, and a collapse in the banking/credit sector?

The other step would be to re-regulate the trading of oil futures and thereby minimize the negative impact of oil speculators? While it still lived and wrecked ruin across the land, ENRON managed to get Congress to de-regulate trading in oil futures and allow it to be done without any kind of monitoring, transparency, reporting, etc. ENRON succeeded in getting Congress to give oil speculators the privilege of reaping huge rewards by hiding behind doors and artificially driving up prices through simple, secret manipulations.

This is very heavily reported on. It's not a partisan issue. It's not a secret, and it's not something that any real economists disagree about. But don't hold your breath on Congress restoring transparency and reporting to speculation in oil futures and trading.

Ooh! have fun at the reading tonite, although your porch and the peeps will miss you. Just remember, half the peeps there are waiting for their turn to read and will be as nervous as you; the other half are there because they want to like your offering. Trolls don't show at live events because of the risk of physical violence. Thanks for the live music.

Oh well that's different!!! Got the flashlight back out! I'm just not sure I can laugh in a whisper.

Sounds like a great party tho...TC reunion, bJ's birthday, and the beginning of a three week going away party for you!!! Throw in all the good food and potential nekkidness and what more could you ask for!

Anyone up for nekkid flashlight tag???

Speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! Okay that is twice in less than 24 hours and my monitor isn't liking it!

I wonder if it runs in the business? I got to meet and work with Bob Kelly at a workshop,and he was the same way. He could transform a female into a male (complete with gluing on individual strands of hair for a beard) so fast it boggled the mind. And make jokes while he worked.

Well, to paraphrase Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk:

"Don't make me nekkid. You wouldn't want to see me nekkid!"

I hold these people most responsible. Them and Free Trade Agreement.

Okay, I feel just a little hypocritical here, since I've made it a point to say (allegedly. allegedly) that I don't trust men who don't follow sports. I have to admit that I don't really watch basketball.

I'm a season ticket holder for the Nationals and Redskins, I will go see the Caps and D.C. United a bit, but I go see the Wizards maybe three times a year, and usually when I'm dragged by friends. I just have never been able to get into the sport, and I've always said that you really love the sports that you can play, so you can ascertain that I suck at basketball.

So, while I can say my congratulations to the Celtics, and their fans, you can see where I'm not doing back flips.

There are more than a few people who will pay me to keep my clothes on!!

Mostly true, with a couple of comments. Just announcing we are going to start drilling our own oil would have an immediate effect on the futures market, which is a major factor in current prices. And, of course, if people hadn't bought the "won't help for 10 years" argument 10 years ago, we might not be having the discussion now.

My problem is with the people who won't agree to do both; drill for more of our own oil andexplore alternative sources to reduce consumption. If we did both, maybe we could eventually reduce our dependence on foreign sources drastically.

O.K. real quick b/4 I mow. A stupid song has been in my head all morning, can't remember the name, but some of the lyrics are
My daddy he once told me, don't you love you any man
Just take what he does give you & give just what you can.
And when the year is over and you have gone away,
You'll often think about me and this is what you'll say.
We sang in the sunshine, you know we laughed everyday.
We sang in the sunshine, and you went on your way.
This is OT, I know but I know if there's Foodies out there, there has to be Songies.

I'm still working on the prototype for the monitor spit guard. Would you know a good patent attorney?

Song is We'll Sing in the Sunshine by Gale Garnett.

The song is We'll Sing in the Sunshine and has been done by many folks from Gale Garnett to Skeeter Davis and Bobby Bare.

Rady you were typing as I was and you just punked the porch chef!

Thanks, Rady. And for the person that put this song in my head in the first place. Google it, and you'll know what I'm sayin.

Didn't mean to punk ya hon!! I am just a wealth of useless knowledge.

LOL I always say that I am a fount of useless knowledge.

Thanks,Hajar, now Hi [expletive deleted], Hi [expletive deleted] its off to mow I go. BTW its a beautiful day in SW Ohio. About 70 degrees, light breeze, low humidity, sun's shining, birds are chirping, just one of those days for which I am truly glad to be alive. Life is Good! Now why did it do that I was quoting the seven dwarfs???

It's a country-crossover song called—wait for it!—"We'll Sing In The Sunshine," and it was a one-hit wonder for Gale Garnett. You've quoted the last verse.

Oops! Rady and Hajar beat me to it!

It's a little disconcerting to think how many of us remember that song.

A regular treasure trove of useless trivia! That's what Drew says about me, and I own it. So should you. It's not a bad thing at all.

Close enough....are you cooking yet? Need some help? I know how to chop onions.

Okay then. I am a proud 6'1'' fount of useless knowledge. I am a sponge and I am worth it.

Mmmmm, must have touched a special memory.

No, not cooking yet. I am planning but will need loads of chopped onions and garlic so hop to it! Yay, a sous chef!

My hubby says that about me. I keep asking: Can we go to New York and ride in Cabs all day long so we can get on Cash Cab?

Oops I was under a year old when that song came out. I know it well though. I heard it in ''re-runs!''

My husband keeps lobbying for the Cash Cab to operate in the DC area (after all, Discovery HQ is in Silver Spring) and get me into it. He's even working on ways to ID the Cash Cab so we don't wind up in the wrong one and actually have to pay!

Ok I'll start on the onions and garlic. Let me know what else you need. I like being the sous chef, for some odd reason a sharp knife and plenty of fresh vegetables gives me great pleasure.

You have to keep me updated.

Me too. Okay there are also carrots, celery, scallions, fresh coriander, eggplant, flat leaf parsley and tomatoes to quarter as well as to grate. Yes, in Moroccan cooking we grate tomatoes. That should keep you busy while I go have a rest. I do my best planning while resting.

Wow! I don't know how old I was, I just remember always singing it when I dumped too needy boyfriends.

Boy, I didn't know how addicting (MoHub?) these boards are. Now I've got to run and get my chores done or I won't be able to watch the Reunion show tonight. You all quit being so entertaining. LOL

Not a problem....I'm chopping over here.

Rest up sweetie, you're gonna be busy! I'll nudge you when I'm done with this list.

Remember you are on nekkid patrol tonite!

"We'll Sing In The Sunshine" by Wanda Jackson. Looks like a bunch of people beat me to it.

For future reference, though, if you google an exact quote from the song and the word lyrics, you should be able to find them easily.

B&B, I think you'll find most economists telling you that no, your contention is false, and announcing that we're going to drill will not have any effect on the futures market. None of the oil futures market reach that far into the future. Sorry.

Personally, I am convinced that offshore exploration and drilling and pumping is inevitable. It's only a matter of time.

But I'd be happy to wait for ANY new president and administration before beginning that. The US oil industry has the MOST deserved WORST reputation. Nothing about the safety-consciousness or goodwill or trustworthiness of the US oil industry has improved in recent years. Or decades. Doubt that? Go read about what our US oil industry has done and even now is doing to people in oil-rich developing nations. To say they have Blood On Their Hands is no metaphor.

Why rush into exploration and drilling NOW, under the current regime that's given us a our current USDA, FDA, FEMA, Homeland Security and TSA, Army Corps of Engineers, SEC, FCC, FTC, HUD, Dept of Veterans Affairs, Consumer Product Safety Commission, EPA, secretary of the Air Force (um, you guys flew a plane with nuclear what, where?... you mailed nuclear what, where??? and didn't know you did that???)

So, yeah... swear in ANYBODY new come January 2009. Anybody. Then let's talk about US offshore exploration. But no... had enough here. Let's just wait till then.

Note to Bravo Board Boss: that's just pathetic.

Which puts you one up on Casey.

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes. I'm game for the porch tonight! I think that nudity could be great fun (I have been know to all but require it on my b-day - especially with full moon - flashlights may not be required)

Addicting is good. So is addictive. You can take your choice!