Trivial Tuesday

Currently the commercial that infuriates me to the point of blind rage is the Wendy's ad in which 2 guys are sitting in a library eating their respective $2.99 value meals and whispering about the price. In honor of this horrible ad, tonight's question is about Wendy's.

You all probably know that Wendy's was founded by Dave Thomas (how he ran a restaurant and starred in SCTV is beyond me) and named for his daughter. The first Wendy's was opened in 1969, but in what city was that first restaurant located?

Winter Wonder(ing) Land

It's gotten really cold and we've gotten quite a decent amount of snow recently. Being outside with the dogs the past few days reminded me of a Calvin and Hobbes strip that I saw years ago.

Fortunately, through the power of the internet, I was able to find it:

Mid-Winter Spring Cleaning

I've been doing a bit of changing things here at the old blog, and wanted to point out a few changes. First, I've upgraded to a new blogger template and messed with the color scheme just a bit. On the sidebar, you will find the archives, and links to posts by label (I haven't gone back and labelled all the old posts yet, but I'm getting there). You will also find that the almost never updated list of various blogs is no longer there. In it's place, you will find a list of the most recent comments left on the blog. Now all the people who comment are getting recognition without me having to constantly update. The nicest thing about the new template is that it's much cleaner than the old one where I kept adding new things as I found out about them or learned to do them. Much longer and it would have been mistaken for any webpage designed between 1994 and 1998.

The biggest news (it's not really that big, but we can pretend it is) is that you can now reach this page by going to a new address. http://fountofuseless.info You will still be able to reach it through the old blogspot address, so update your bookmarks...or don't, I'll still be here.

Trivial Tuesday

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and one of the nominees for Best Supporting Actress was Abigail Breslin for Little Miss Sunshine. While she has hit it big now at the age of ten, she made her screen debut back in 2002 as a little girl who really loved water. What movie was her very first role?

Morning Meme

I have nothing better to do while waiting for oatmeal to cook this morning, so I present to you a meme, stolen without any sort of remorse from Esther.

1. The phone rings. Who are you hoping it is? Ed McMahon letting me know that I won the Publisher's Clearinghouse American Family Publishing Sweepstakes that I never entered.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? Almost always. The exception is the Wal-Mart parking lot, because they don't have cart return places other than all the way up by the doors to the store.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener? Do I know everyone? Am I comfortable around them? Am I heavily medicated? If the answers to these questions are not all yes, I'm much more of a hide in a corner kinda guy.

4. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive? At first, I'd be afraid. I'd be petrified...long story short, yes, I would survive.

5. Do you like horses? Well, they are quite pretty animals, but they smell bad, and you can't (or, at least, I won't) eat them. I can take 'em or leave 'em.

6. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? I went to Boy Scout camp every summer. Yes, I was in the Boy Scouts. I'm an Eagle Scout. Did I not tell you that? Well, I have now. I also went to YMCA summer camp once and hated it.

7. What was your favorite board game as a kid? I'm not sure. Clue, maybe.

8. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was taken what would you do? Why do you know something I don't? Who is it? Is it Angelina Jolie? It is, isn't it?

9. Are you judgmental? No, I'm not. Man, you're awfully nosy.

10. Would you date someone with different religious beliefs? Melissa won't let me date anyone no matter what religious beliefs they have.

11. Are you continuing your education? Only if someone wishes to pay me my full salary and pay for school and even then I don't think I really want to.

12. Do you know how to shoot a gun? You can't prove that. I don't know what you're talking about.

13. If your house was on fire, what’s the first thing you’d grab? A fire extinguisher?

14. How often do you read books? As much as I can. I almost always have at least one I'm reading.

15. Do you think more about the past, present or future? I think about them all. The past: "I can't believe I did something so stupid." The present: "You know, this thing I'm doing right now may actually be fairly stupid." The future: "What stupid thing am I going to do next?"

16. What is your favorite children’s book? I'd have to say the Velveteen Rabbit, because I like rabbits and I like cheese. OK, seriously, I have no idea how to answer this one.

17. How tall are you? 6’3", or approximately as high as I am wide.

18. Where is your ideal house located? I'm not sure. I don't think I've found it yet.

19. Last person you talked to? Melissa to say, "The oatmeal is done."

20. When was the last time you were at the Olive Garden? It's been a while. Mostly because the last time I was there we decided not to go back because the service and food were so bad.

21. What are your keys on your key chain for? Front door, back door, back door deadbolt. I don't have a key to the car, it's magic.

22. What did you do last night? The same thing I do every night, Pinky, try to take over the world. (So far, no success.)

23. Where is your current pain? My neck. Do you want a list of all the people causing that pain?

24. Do you like mustard? Yes, yellow mustard and brown mustard and honey mustard and Dijon mustard and especially stone ground mustard.

25. Did you like your mom and dad? Did I like them? Are you implying that I don't like them anymore? Yes, I did and I do. So there.

26. How long does it take you to shower? Am I awake? If I'm fully awake, it can be quick, otherwise, I might stand there for a while hoping that the hot water will wake me.

27. What movie do you want to see right now? El Laberinto del Fauno. Sure I could have just said, Pan's Labyrinth, but it wouldn't have sounded nearly as pretentious.

28. Do you put lotion on your dog or cats? As furry as our dogs are, I can't imagine that being a good idea. Besides, I won't put lotion on myself, why would I put it on the dogs?

29. What did you do for New Year’s? I'm not completely sure, but I believe it involved sitting around in front of the TV.

30. Do you think The Grudge was scary? Scary as in because I saw it and the movie scared me? No, I haven't seen it. Scary as in "It's scary that they keep remaking films from other countries and putting people like Sarah Michelle Gellar in them?" Yes.

31. Do you own a camera phone? No, but Melissa does. Do you use it?Anytime there's something funny.

32. What's the last letter of your middle name? G

33. Who did you vote for on American Idol? I voted once on the show, for Kelly Clarkson. Now, I don't even watch anything past the awful auditions shows.

Three-Bean, Five-Chile Chili

I made chili this weekend. It was a great chance to use some of the roasted green chiles from the freezer (for more info, see this post about chiles) as well as to try our toasting and grinding cumin myself rather than using the store bought stuff (for more info, see the post I've been meaning to write since Christmas...but haven't). I was quite pleased with how it turned out, so I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

Since it's five chile, let's go through those first:

New Mexico Green Chiles (4) roasted, skin stem and seeds removed, then diced: These aren't too hot, they just give a little warmth and some nice flavor.

Jalapeno (1 large) stemmed, seeded, diced. Serrano chiles (3), stemmed, seeded, diced: The jalapeno and serrano can both be fairly hot. You can tun the heat down by removing the membrane and ribs inside the chile. I removed it from half the jalapeno and 2 of the 3 serranos.

1 tsp Ancho powder: The ancho is a dried poblano chile. In this case, it has been completely dried and ground into powder. It adds a little heat and slightly darker chile flavor.

1/2 tsp Chipotle powder: Chipotles have really nice smokey flavor, which works wonderfully in this recipe.^*

All the chile amounts can be easily adjusted to match your tastes and heat tolerances. As I made it, the chili has a nice bite, but is not overpowering.

To start, toast about 1/2 Tbsp of cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Move the pan around constantly to keep them from burning. When you start smelling them, but they haven't browned, take them off the heat and put them somewhere they can cool down. A plate? Sure, why not. Once they have cooled, grind the seeds into a nice powder. I used a mortar and pestle, but you can use a coffee grinder too.

In a large pot, heat about 2 tsp of oil (just enough to keep things from sticking) over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of a medium to large onion to the pot and saute. When the onion is mostly cooked, add 4 cloves of garlic, smashed, chopped or otherwise obliterated, along with all of the green chiles (not the two powdered ones just yet). Add a teaspoon or two of salt and cook all of the various veggies (even though technically the chiles are fruits and the onion and garlic are marginally veggies at best), then turn the heat to medium and add two 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes. Sure, you could add fresh tomatoes instead if you want, but how many you add depends on how big they are, and if you saw the tomatoes at our grocery store right now, you'd know why I went for cans. Add in the ground cumin, ancho powder and chipotle powder. Roughly chop a handful or so of cilantro (the brighter taste of the herb will help to give balance to the chili...I suppose if you don't like cilantro you could use a different fresh herb, like parsley, but I'm of the opinion that parsley tends to taste like lawn clippings.) Allow this mixture to cook for a while to heat through, before adding the beans. I used canned beans that had been rinsed and drained. Again, you could avoid the canned and go for dried, but I'm too lazy to deal with all of that. Add two cans each of black (or turtle) beans, pinto beans and kidney beans, and heat for about 20 minutes or so until it's hot all the way through.

Once the entire mixture is hot, you can serve right away or let the chili rest a little while so that the flavors can mix and mingle and get to know each other better. After a few years of saying, "You know, that chili is better the second day," I've started making it the night before and allowing it to stay in the refrigerator overnight before heating it again the next day. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't sneak a spoonful or two the first night. After all, I have to check to see if it's cool enough to go into the fridge, don't I?

When you get ready to serve it, you can serve it as is with a little cornbread on the side or maybe add some fresh chopped cilantro and a little sour cream on top. It doesn't matter. Chili is one of those things that everyone has a recipe for and everyone likes a little different. Experiment and find out what you like. As for me, I think it's time for another bowl.

^*Ok, fine. Chipotles are actually smoked jalapenos^**, so there are really only four different varieties of chiles in there, but the point is that there are actually 5 distinct chile flavors and four types of preparation used for them. Two of the chiles were still raw when they went into the pot, one was smoked, another dried and yet another had been roasted. The flavors layer on top of each other and each provides something distinct. I stand by my somewhat questionable counting practice.

^**Also, if anyone happens to know how to make blogger let me properly make a n~ only with the ~ above the n, so that I can spell things like jalapeno correctly, I would appreciate it.

And It's Got Excedrin Written All Over It

I just got an email at work with the word "excedra" in it.

I had to stare at the thing for 5 minutes to figure out that it meant et cetera.

That is all.

And You Think a Little Head Jiggle Is Supposed to Make Me Happy?

It is an oft quoted statistic that X% of communication is nonverbal, with X ranging from 50 to 95, depending on who you ask and how much they want to belabour the point. Personally, I'm not sure how accurate that is or even how one would go about quantifying something like that. Statistics aside, I do concede that nonverbal communication is important and would like to take a few minutes to contemplate the most basic and yet most varied route of nonverbal communication: The art of the head nod. With just a twitch this way or that, perhaps combined with the arch of a brow, more can be communicated than in a three hour conversation with most men. Below are just a few of the myriad ways in which a mere movement of one's head can convey meaning.

"Hi." (Also "What's up?" "Very nice to meet you." "Hey."): A mostly male gesture, performed by pointing the nose directly at the person being greeted and then flicking the head upward quickly.

"Yes.": The basic affirmative gesture, created when one moves one's head up and down in a continuous motion.

"No.": The basic negative gesture, created when one moves one's head from side to side in a continuous motion.

"Thanks." (Also "you're welcome"): If possible, make eye contact with the recipient and slowly and smoothly tilt the head downward, slightly closing the eye lids as the head moves. Context is the lone difference between the "thank you" and "you're welcome" variants of this gesture.

"Come over here.": A beckoning gesture which requires the communicator to make eye contact with the subject and then flick the head in the direction away from the subject.

"Yeah, I get where you're coming from.": Most often seen in lecture halls or when one is trapped in conversation with a highly opinionated, long winded person. This gesture consists of a "yes" gesture which is smaller in scale and continues for greater than five seconds.

"I don't think so.": Used to convey that one is unsure, but does not think that the answer is yes, this gesture is performed by first raising the brow, then tilting the head slightly to one side before moving from side to side (as in the "no" gesture) in a continuos, but slower than usual motion.

Obvious "yes": Used to convey that the speaker should have known that the answer was yes before asking the question. To perform this gesture, one must first raise one's brow while opening the eyes slightly wider. This is followed by two rapid up-down motions of the head.

Obvious "no": This gesture, like the obvious yes, is used to indicate that the speaker should have realized that the answer was negative before asking the question. The brow is raised while widening the eyes, followed by two rapid side to side motions of the head. Greater than two repetitions of the side to side motion is typically considered aggressive and/or insulting.

"Look at that.": A gesture, similar to "come here", most often used by groups of less than subtle men in the presence of attractive women. Like the beckoning gesture, it begins by making eye contact with the recipient. The eyes then dart away toward the subject to which one is wishing to draw attention, followed by a quick head flick in the same direction.

Ok, there you have it. I'm sure there are more, but these are just a few examples of the diverse art of the head nod.

Afterword: Two odd facts about this post. (1) This post has been sitting in my draft section as an outline since last March, meaning it took me almost a year to get around to writing it. (2) The basic premise for this has actually been bouncing around in my head since I was a kid and saw the scene in Top Gun where Maverick is complemented by a fellow classmate ("Gutsiest move I've ever seen, man.") and responds with an almost textbook "thank you" gesture as described above. He doesn't make eye contact, but the person is seated behind him, so it's not really an option. I suppose that this actually means that it took me not since March, but since 1986 to finish this post.

Trivial Tuesday

Nick Castle, who eventually directed such films as Major Payne and The Last Starfighter, has not appeared in many films, but before finding success as a director, he was first was an actor in an iconic late 70's role, though you may not have thought much about who the actor was playing that part. What was this role Castle played before going on to co-write Escape from New York?

Truth in Television Advertising

Have you ever stopped to wonder what ads for TV shows would sound like if the networks were completely honest, or even a little more honest? No? A complete waste of time, you say? Well, it's a good thing you have me around to think about things like that for you. I decided to see how some shows that have been on in the past year or so would advertise themselves. Here are the results.

Eureka: Blessed are the geek, for they shall inherit the earth, and we shall make a comedic soap opera about it.

House: Admit it, you watch it for the insults.

Blade: the Series: Half naked girls and choreographed fight scenes. Like professional wrestling with less scripts.

Nanny 911: A chance to see people with kids brattier than yours.

Lost: Don't ask us, we're just as confused as you are.

CSI Miami: Acting? We don't need no stinking acting.

Studio 60: It's a new show from Aaron Sorkin. Watch it, or people will look down on you.

Ghost Whisperer: We know why you watch. Ladies, get ready to cry. Guys, get ready to ogle.

Survivor: We'll do anything for ratings.

Grey's Anatomy: Because you have to work during the daytime, but you still love soaps.

The War at Home: We can't believe we're on the air either.

24: This season, Jack Bauer is going to kill a bunch of people. Does anything else matter?


The Real World: Some people say we started the Reality TV craze. We're sorry.

Heroes: OK, who let the nerd write a TV show?

Big Brother: We'll do anything for ratings...except be entertaining.

Mythbusters: Mixing science and destruction, but mostly destruction.

Battlestar Galactica: Remember the series from the seventies? It's kinda like that, only our Cylons are hot.

Jericho: Proving that even as their world collapses around them, people still have the ability to make their lives worse by being idiots.

Trading Spouses: We don't mean it like that. Although, we are on Fox.

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's...

...a doofus with a camera. Since I realize that most of you have no idea what I look like, I figured I'd post a picture of myself that I like to call "Self-portrait in Chrome. ^{1, 2} It was taken just over two years ago at Millennium Park in Chicago, looking up from underneath the Cloud Gate sculpture.³

¹ Because I'm a dork.

² It's not actually chrome, it's polished stainless steel, but it sounds better if I say chrome.

³ Also known as the Bean, because it's shaped like a giant metallic bean.

Insert Obscure Pop Culture Reference as Title Here

I don't complain much on here (ok, fine I do), but I wanted to complain about clothing for a minute.

Why is it that the only clothing available in larger sizes for men is so hideous. Is it all part of a Rod Roddy fashion line that was created before he died? If it's not floral shirts, it's shirts with flames and dragons or florescent purple shirts with green stripes. Do they really feel that fat guys want to draw even more attention to themselves? Are we supposedly sitting around going, "You know, I don't think enough people pay attention to how fat I am. What can I wear to make sure that every looks at me."

Look, I'm fat, and that can mean I have no willpower or that I have no motivation, but it doesn't mean I have no taste.

Trivial Tuesday

Because I almost forgot, let's go with something really easy (that I may or may not have already used, but am too lazy to look up). It has been reported recently that Indiana Jones 4 will go into production this June (hopefully without Harrison Ford's absurd looking earring). Despite being synonymous with the role now, Harrison Ford was not the person first cast as Dr. Jones.

Who was originally cast, but had to drop out due to conflicts with his television show? (See, I told you it was easy.)

But When They're Only Halfway Up, They're Neither Up Nor Down

According to Discovery news, new tests have suggested that Francesco de' Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, might have been murdered by arsenic poisoning back in 1587. Small pieces of 400 year-old liver were tested and revealed to contain high levels of arsenic, as well as a similar make up to convenience store beef jerky. Scientists have concluded that he could have been poisoned or it could just be that the embalming process used that much arsenic, which, to me at least, sounds like they didn't actually conclude anything. No word yet on whether or not any attempts will be made to prosecute the corpse of his brother Ferdinando, who has long been suspected of committing the (potential) crime.

In a related story, Discovery is also reporting that the Grand old Duke of York actually lied about his number of men, and in fact had only 8000 men to march up to the top of the hill and march down again.