Month: December 2003

2003 “Best of” Lists

’tis that time of the year where everybody publishes a “Best of” or “Most something-a-rather” list for the year, and this year is no different. While Barney‘s pounding out a story highlighting the stories of the year locally, here are a few that I have sitting in my inbox (feel free to suggest more):

Those are ones I’ve seen today, and I’ll add more as I come across them. Feel free to comment here and I’ll add it to this list.

December 30, 2003

I’ll just stick my foot in my mouth

I was just reading a story over at Bend.com about the driving conditions, plowing, etc… in Bend after our snow dump. My street hadn’t been plowed when I was reading the story (though most of Bend had), so I posted this comment to the story:

It’s nice that they’re getting most of town (read: The newer/more-expensive neighborhoods) but is there anybody who, like me, is on the older Northeast area of town who is still waiting for their road to be plowed? I’m calling a taxi to get to my doctor’s appointment today because my wife can’t drive me because she can’t get out of our neighborhood (and I can’t drive because of my back/leg that I’m having checked out today).

EVERYBODY I’ve talked to, all over town, has been plowed, but it’s 9:00 am, on the 3rd day of this mess, and I’m still snowed in.

OK, done ranting 🙂

Not even two minutes after I posted that comment, I heard a truck on the street. Assumed it was the garbage man, but it was a snowplow. Granted, my road’s still in really bad shape, and my wife still wouldn’t drive in this mess. So the cab is still scheduled to be here at 10:00.

I have to admit though, this is the first time in a long time that I’ve been able to see the top of the mountain on Mt. Bachelor’s Web Cam.

December 30, 2003

Airline Passenger Misconduct Reports

A full 103-page PDF report that contains a “sampling of reports that reference passenger misconduct.” Basically, it’s a bunch of report of airline passengers being idiots. The reports are full of the typical drunks and people trying to get upgrades because they think they have been treated badly. Al’s Morning Meeting Provided the link, and some examples of what’s there:

Page 13 includes a first class passenger reading a porno mag and causing — how shall I say — a disturbance.

Page 21 is a report about how people using cell phones apparently caused the auto pilot to malfunction. The pilot had made an announcement on the intercom about the start of the Iraq ground war that excited people so they started firing up their cell phones.

Page 27 is about an irate passenger throwing ice at a “religious official” sitting in front of her. They cuffed her and hauled her off the plane. She seemed fine just before she started drinking a Bloody Mary.

Page 59 features a loose dog on the plane — the owner was drunk and abused the flight attendant. The plane landed at DFW.

Page 67 has just one of several stories about passengers who would not get off their cell phones during takeoff. Other passengers unite in a verbal revolt.

Page 25 is a bizarre story about a San Francisco TV chopper that somebody ought to report. The TV reporter in the chopper was apparently taking a picture of a beer stein for a friend when the stein fell out of the helicopter over a populated area.

Heck, print the thing out and take it on a flight with you — it should keep you busy for all of it.

December 29, 2003

If libraries were like Amazon.com

Would they look something like this?

December 29, 2003

Yet another reason to hate PETA

They’re going to performances of the holiday favorite Nutcracker, handing out “Your Mommy Kills Animals” pamphlets to small kids whose parents wear fur. Full story.

Update on 12/29: Here’s a page that shows what they were handing out.

December 29, 2003

Ladies and Gentlemen, the world’s drunkest man

With a blood alcohol content of 7.22 (what is Oregon’s legal limit, .7 I think or .07? I can’t remember), I think we have a new winner.

December 29, 2003

Threesome Toad Taxidermy

This eBay auction is entitled TOAD-FROG “THREESOME SEX STYLE TAXIDERMY #2!!. So does that mean there was an original version of this weird thing? I certainly hope not. The description: “You are bidding on three real frogs taxidermy doing it threesome style.” Sick and wrong, I tell you.

December 29, 2003

Behold, the ultimate doughnut

Voodoo Doughnut in Portland has made news in the past for its wild doughnuts, including doughnuts coated with Robitussin, Ny-Quil and Pepto-Bismol, before the FDA cracked down on him. Now he’s making the ultimate doughnut for folks on the go: a caffeine-infused doughnut with the same amount of caffeine as one-and-a-half cups of coffee.

December 29, 2003

Let it snow

That’s what it looked like in Bend at about 7:30 this morning (thanks Barney for the pic). It’s still snowing now, and another 5-10 12-20 inches are expected. Mt. Bachelor got dumped with 34-inches in the last 24-hours, and I’m sure skiing is awesome. The passes are a mess, and even Portland got some snow (though they’re panicking about the 3 inches they received, and the locals here in town, while concerned, aren’t freaking out — yet).

Full story over on Bend.com (with great photo).

The roads in my neighborhood probably won’t be plowed — the snow will melt before the city shows up. Thankfully I’m still working from home for another week, otherwise, I’d be driving through this mess and my 30-minute commute will become a 90-minute slog.

Update @ 1:00 PM: Just went out side. There’s now well over a foot on the ground, and it’s still coming down outside. The flakes are as heavy and big as they were before, but it is still coming down fairly steady. I’m going to have trouble getting to my post-surgery follow-up tomorrow, but why am I still happy about the snow? One, we can always use the extra moisture come spring. Two, because it brings in the tourists, and, like it or not, that pays my paycheck.

December 29, 2003

Wanted: Canon A70 (or better) digital camera

I got a digital camera for Christmas. My parents paid too much for it for what it is, and I’m going to return it to get a better camera for the same price. I’m looking at the Canon A70. Does anybody out there have one that they want to get rid of? I’d like some extra Compact Flash cards, if you’ve got them, too (I have an 8 meg SD card I’ll give ya ;-). I have (or will have after I return this other cam) cash. Anybody have one they want to get rid of, or can hook me up with a place to get one (and accessories — mostly compact flash cards) cheap? Contact me here.

December 28, 2003