Some time when I was in high school, I noticed that all the car ads featured glowing references from JD Power & Associates. The thing was that all these ads were for cars I knew to be terrible, and yet all of them seemed to be the best in their class. The only way I could figure it was that good ol' JD made up some awfully small classes. "Mid-sized sedan, bumper falls off in first week of ownership" class for example. And yet, JD Powers rolls on, these 35 years and more later.
In the interim, an outfit popped up called Consumers Digest. The Wikipedia entry (which Wikipedia editors note sounds like an advertisement) claims they've been around since 1960, and maybe they have. However, the much better known Consumer Reports had attained much greater visibility with its "Best Buys," but refused to advertise or accept advertising. Suddenly, Consumers Digest shows up in almost every ad on TV (but especially for cars) with their "Best Buys." Hmmm. Lately, I'm not hearing so much about Consumers Digest in ads. I don't know if they've given up or if my much-curtailed TV viewing just means I'm missing the ads. Or maybe they were bought out by JD Powers.
Hey, look! A link! It wasn't my imagination: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/05/the-truth-about-consumers-digest/
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Egg
Yesterday morning I found an egg, unbroken, right in front of my front gate. I bought eggs recently, so I suppose it's just possible that it somehow slipped out of the carton and fell on the ground both without breaking and without me noticing. But I prefer the idea that it's some kind of voodoo message. I especially like this idea because it doesn't seem like a particularly threatening voodoo message; it seems friendly or even hopeful. Anyway, that's how I like to interpret it.
Still, there's a dang egg in my yard. You hear about egg-suckin' dawgs, but none of them seem to have turned up to show off their skills. There are a lot of stray cats around, but none of them have taken any interest either. I could toss it into the vacant lot next door, but if somebody stepped on it at some future date, they would definitely be unhappy. I guess common sense says to put it in the trash next trash day, and cope with whatever voodoo curse is laid upon me as it arrives.
Yesterday was a fairly odd day in the neighborhood all the way around. Speaking of the vacant lot, there were two trucks either in it or in front of it from the cable company. I assume that the vacant lot wasn't getting cable, but then, you never know. They didn't stay long, though. Nobody to sign the work order, presumably.
Still, there's a dang egg in my yard. You hear about egg-suckin' dawgs, but none of them seem to have turned up to show off their skills. There are a lot of stray cats around, but none of them have taken any interest either. I could toss it into the vacant lot next door, but if somebody stepped on it at some future date, they would definitely be unhappy. I guess common sense says to put it in the trash next trash day, and cope with whatever voodoo curse is laid upon me as it arrives.
Yesterday was a fairly odd day in the neighborhood all the way around. Speaking of the vacant lot, there were two trucks either in it or in front of it from the cable company. I assume that the vacant lot wasn't getting cable, but then, you never know. They didn't stay long, though. Nobody to sign the work order, presumably.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Valentine's
As solos go, I'm about as pro-Valentine's Day as anyone could be. However, I'll be happy when it's done, not because of the day itself but because of the advertising. The advertising doesn't annoy me out of any solo bitterness (much), but because of how stupid the advertisers assume women to be. I haven't made a list, but as best as I can remember, to guarantee sex on the 14th, all I have to do is send flowers, send chocolate-dipped berries, send pajamas, or send a four-foot high $100 teddy bear. I think if women listened to more sports talk radio, they'd have a lot more insight, not into how men think, but how corporations think. I'd like to think that neither men nor women are that stupid; then again, if the ads didn't work, the companies would try another approach. Here's hoping they do anyway just on general principle. If they remember any of those.
Things are running oddly at the dialysis clinic. Saturday, they hustled Dad into the dialysis area right out of the car, but then he had to wait a half hour before he actually got hooked up. Today, on the other hand, we were as usual about 20 minutes early. We had to wait those 20 minutes, plus 15, when I started complaining (since I was told by the social worker please not to complain until and unless they're running 15 minutes late), at which time they told me it would be another 10 minutes, plus those 10 minutes at which time I started to blow my top. The social worker came out and I almost calmly pointed out yet again that all we ask for is a chair time when a chair is in fact available. If they want to change his time, that's fine; we just want to know what it is. It turns out that stopping dead and looking straight up is pretty effective because it lets them imagine the awful thing you were about to say but bit back. Regardless, after telling me they weren't giving him special treatment, they called him back a couple of minutes later. Problem was that they had new technicians on his bay. Hopefully, things are better next time.
Things are running oddly at the dialysis clinic. Saturday, they hustled Dad into the dialysis area right out of the car, but then he had to wait a half hour before he actually got hooked up. Today, on the other hand, we were as usual about 20 minutes early. We had to wait those 20 minutes, plus 15, when I started complaining (since I was told by the social worker please not to complain until and unless they're running 15 minutes late), at which time they told me it would be another 10 minutes, plus those 10 minutes at which time I started to blow my top. The social worker came out and I almost calmly pointed out yet again that all we ask for is a chair time when a chair is in fact available. If they want to change his time, that's fine; we just want to know what it is. It turns out that stopping dead and looking straight up is pretty effective because it lets them imagine the awful thing you were about to say but bit back. Regardless, after telling me they weren't giving him special treatment, they called him back a couple of minutes later. Problem was that they had new technicians on his bay. Hopefully, things are better next time.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Willard Waterman
Oh all right, it isn't the most earth-shaking discovery ever. Still, it's been driving me nuts for at least a year. There was this actor on old-time radio. (Well, there was this actor on the radio a long time ago, now retroactively an actor on old-time radio.) He got smarmy down with a hammerlock. However, he mainly appeared on programs which didn't list the cast, or named only one or two leading actors. Character actors didn't make the cut.
As nobody much is working on an Internet Old-Time-Radio Database, the probability of ever finding out who this actor was seemed fairly remote. However, he turned up in the Screen Director's Playhouse's version of "Magnificent Obsession," toning down the smarminess to play the romantic lead. So I found him. Apparently, his big career moment was taking over for as the Great Gildersleeves. Speaking of smarmy.
I think I've mentioned before how many old-time-radio shows are different adaptations of the same show, usually a film script, but I've certainly hit a lot lately. I'm up to my third "Hired Wife," this was my second "Magnificent Obsession," and I just hit my second "Prisoner of Zenda," too. Interestingly, very few of these are recycled scripts. They're actually rewritten from different angles and are often quite different. Partly this is because some are half-hour radio programs while others are hour-long. Pretty neat, regardless.
As nobody much is working on an Internet Old-Time-Radio Database, the probability of ever finding out who this actor was seemed fairly remote. However, he turned up in the Screen Director's Playhouse's version of "Magnificent Obsession," toning down the smarminess to play the romantic lead. So I found him. Apparently, his big career moment was taking over for as the Great Gildersleeves. Speaking of smarmy.
I think I've mentioned before how many old-time-radio shows are different adaptations of the same show, usually a film script, but I've certainly hit a lot lately. I'm up to my third "Hired Wife," this was my second "Magnificent Obsession," and I just hit my second "Prisoner of Zenda," too. Interestingly, very few of these are recycled scripts. They're actually rewritten from different angles and are often quite different. Partly this is because some are half-hour radio programs while others are hour-long. Pretty neat, regardless.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
My vast social skills
As I mention now and again, I am the host for Columbia's Drinking Liberally group. Now and again, we get together especially to watch some major or minor political event on TV. The State of the Union address is one of those events, and it's coming up Tuesday. For some reason, it has been a traditional big get-together for DL, not only for us but for chapters across the country. Political junkie though I am and have always been, I have no idea why. I have never had any interest in the SOTU and still don't. I think this became a DL tradition during the Bush years and has just hung over even though we're no longer likely to get ripped and throw things at the TV (much).
Anyway, TV-watching in a bar is problematical since normally the TVs are all tuned to sporting events with the sound off, and music is playing in the place at the same time. However, we have a former venue where we used to be able to cajole them into changing the TV for us sometimes. We went back there for Election Day and it went pretty well (at least compared to the presidential debates, at a different venue, which were fiascoes).
So I went around there this afternoon to ask if we could have our meeting there Tuesday night, and what the odds were that we could hijack the TV. I couldn't see the waitresses we had had in November, or any waitresses. The bartender was there, but the room where we meet is a different room from the bar so I wasn't sure if he would know one way or another. Sooo I skedaddled. Social anxiety took over and I scampered. I will try to ask again either later this evening or tomorrow some time. I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem (unless they decide to celebrate Mardi Gras on the actual day, which would definitely be more fun anyway) but nor was it one of my finer moments.
Anyway, TV-watching in a bar is problematical since normally the TVs are all tuned to sporting events with the sound off, and music is playing in the place at the same time. However, we have a former venue where we used to be able to cajole them into changing the TV for us sometimes. We went back there for Election Day and it went pretty well (at least compared to the presidential debates, at a different venue, which were fiascoes).
So I went around there this afternoon to ask if we could have our meeting there Tuesday night, and what the odds were that we could hijack the TV. I couldn't see the waitresses we had had in November, or any waitresses. The bartender was there, but the room where we meet is a different room from the bar so I wasn't sure if he would know one way or another. Sooo I skedaddled. Social anxiety took over and I scampered. I will try to ask again either later this evening or tomorrow some time. I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem (unless they decide to celebrate Mardi Gras on the actual day, which would definitely be more fun anyway) but nor was it one of my finer moments.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Orange scones
or some damn thing. Long ago, for no apparent reason, I took up drinking orange juice mixed with milk. Somebody, probably my sister, told me that this is in fact an orange Julius. (Don't know what the capitalization rules are when you don't buy it from a stand at the mall.) The other day, I got a bug in my ear that it would be fun to make orange julius cookies, substituting almond milk for the kind from a cow. You know? I think they worked out.
There's not much cookie-like about them; they're most like scones, or maybe cornbread. (Suggestion: put some orange peel in the next time you make cornbread. Ought to be pretty neat!) Even I as the person who made them wasn't exactly bowled over at first, but they're starting to grow on me. Anyway, if you want something more cookieish, you could always put in more honey or raspberry preserves or whatever. I'm finding them particularly delightful smeared with raspberry preserves. They're also neat with peanut butter on them, but maybe a little less so.
I'll admit it that one reason I love this recipe is that it was goofy fun throwing an orange, a half cup of almond milk and a little orange zest in the blender and hitting the button. This is the kind of stuff I live for. Sad, isn't it?:) (It's obvious that I'm talking about a navel orange, right? Guess not; well I am!)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Throw in a great big enormous mixing bowl: a tablespoon of EV olive oil; two tablespoons of honey (that's right; I'm down from four for once); a large egg, preferably cracked, shellless and scrambled; the orange (preferably peeled) and 1/2 cup of almond milk and zest (I just used a potato peeler on the orange's skin, which didn't produce much but it went a long way) from the blender; 1 tsp of vanilla extract; 2 cups brown rice flour (though I had 1/2 cup or so of chick pea flour left over and while my chick-pea-allergic food tester is out of town I figured I'd use it up, but all told it was still a total of 2 cups of flour) and a cup of slivered almonds.
Mix up this unholy mess and you'll find yourself with something not entirely unlike bread dough. Since I was expecting a fiasco, I just levered the whole thing onto parchment paper on my pizza pan and threw it into the oven for 10 minutes. I flipped it, more or less, and gave it another 10 minutes, then flipped it again, turned off the oven and put it in for another 10.
It didn't cohere well enough to make a cake or a loaf of bread or anything (though it may have if I'd put it in a loaf pan) but I think it would have come out prettier or anyway more orderly if I'd had the patience to drop the dough on the paper as cookies. As it was I cut them up into chunks, and they're pretty brilliant. The orange flavor isn't strong, but it's noticeable. I really think the little bit of zest imparted more flavor than the entire orange. Also there's no apparent creaminess, so the orange julius aspect really didn't come through, but on the whole I like them a lot and think you should try them. Maybe as cornbread!
There's not much cookie-like about them; they're most like scones, or maybe cornbread. (Suggestion: put some orange peel in the next time you make cornbread. Ought to be pretty neat!) Even I as the person who made them wasn't exactly bowled over at first, but they're starting to grow on me. Anyway, if you want something more cookieish, you could always put in more honey or raspberry preserves or whatever. I'm finding them particularly delightful smeared with raspberry preserves. They're also neat with peanut butter on them, but maybe a little less so.
I'll admit it that one reason I love this recipe is that it was goofy fun throwing an orange, a half cup of almond milk and a little orange zest in the blender and hitting the button. This is the kind of stuff I live for. Sad, isn't it?:) (It's obvious that I'm talking about a navel orange, right? Guess not; well I am!)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Throw in a great big enormous mixing bowl: a tablespoon of EV olive oil; two tablespoons of honey (that's right; I'm down from four for once); a large egg, preferably cracked, shellless and scrambled; the orange (preferably peeled) and 1/2 cup of almond milk and zest (I just used a potato peeler on the orange's skin, which didn't produce much but it went a long way) from the blender; 1 tsp of vanilla extract; 2 cups brown rice flour (though I had 1/2 cup or so of chick pea flour left over and while my chick-pea-allergic food tester is out of town I figured I'd use it up, but all told it was still a total of 2 cups of flour) and a cup of slivered almonds.
Mix up this unholy mess and you'll find yourself with something not entirely unlike bread dough. Since I was expecting a fiasco, I just levered the whole thing onto parchment paper on my pizza pan and threw it into the oven for 10 minutes. I flipped it, more or less, and gave it another 10 minutes, then flipped it again, turned off the oven and put it in for another 10.
It didn't cohere well enough to make a cake or a loaf of bread or anything (though it may have if I'd put it in a loaf pan) but I think it would have come out prettier or anyway more orderly if I'd had the patience to drop the dough on the paper as cookies. As it was I cut them up into chunks, and they're pretty brilliant. The orange flavor isn't strong, but it's noticeable. I really think the little bit of zest imparted more flavor than the entire orange. Also there's no apparent creaminess, so the orange julius aspect really didn't come through, but on the whole I like them a lot and think you should try them. Maybe as cornbread!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Leave
When I moved into this apartment, the previous tenant left a welcome mat that just said, "Leave." I thought that that wasn't very nice and it certainly was not the message that I wanted to convey to visitors. However, it was a very nice welcome mat and it seemed silly just to throw it away, especially as I would then have to go and get another welcome mat. So I just turned it around. Now, it says "Leave" when you are in fact leaving, which doesn't seem so offensive to me. Also, it restores a little humor to what would be a very funny joke if it weren't so mean-sounding.
Otherwise, I got nothin', apart from finding out again as I do every year about this time that Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on the same day. You would think that that would be more widely known or more widely remembered. Then again, I forget it every year, so maybe everybody knows about it and forgets about it, too. Otherotherwise, just worrying about the blizzard to the north and enjoying the outstanding weather we're having and trying not to feel too guilty about it. Here's hoping that the weather forecasters are all wrong.
Otherwise, I got nothin', apart from finding out again as I do every year about this time that Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on the same day. You would think that that would be more widely known or more widely remembered. Then again, I forget it every year, so maybe everybody knows about it and forgets about it, too. Otherotherwise, just worrying about the blizzard to the north and enjoying the outstanding weather we're having and trying not to feel too guilty about it. Here's hoping that the weather forecasters are all wrong.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)