Such a British Thing To Do

I heard a bit of Bob Mondell0's review of the movie The Trip on the way from work. It's not that I want to see it, I most likely won't, but it was quite delightful when Bob went into some detail about Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon imitating Sean Connery and Micheal Caine in the movie. He also makes a point that you can imagine Sean Connery and Michael Caine's voice, but you can't imagine Brad Pitt's or Angelina Joline's. Spot on, that.

One of my fav parts of Train Spotting was this constant bit of dueling Sean Connery from Sick Boy and Renton.

Sick Boy: [Sean Connery accent] Do you shee the beasht? Have you got it in your shights?
Mark "Rent-boy" Renton: [aiming the pellet gun at a dog] Clear enough, Missh Moneypenny! This should preshent no shignificant problemsh!
[shoots the dog which starts attacking its owner]
Sick Boy: For a vegetarian, Rents, you're a fuckin' EVIL shot!

Grossly Unremarkable

I'm going to be moving to this adorable cottage over the course of the next several weeks. Final straw with the property management folks (decided to tell me after 5 month that they no longer handle the property - but, they've been cashing the checks....) concerning the latest shower/plumbing problem. The shower in the master bedroom is DOA.

I also had an MRI at CDI Radiology for an abnormal salivary gland on the right side under my tongue.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION: All sequences were performed on a 1.5T high-field scanner. Sagittal T1 spin-echo scans, coronal and axial T1 spin-echo scans, and axial and coronal T2 spin-echo scans were obtained pre-contrast. Following enhancement with 9 cc Omniscan intravenously, coronal and axial fat-saturated T1 spin-echo scans were obtained.

INTERPRETATION: MR imaging demonstrates moderate prominence of the salivary glands asymmetrically larger on the right in comparison to the left. This is best seen on axial image 21 of series 5. On sagittal imaging the prominence of the salivary gland is more significantly noted on both coronal and sagittal images as well as the contrast-enhanced images. Specific evaluation of the floor of the mouth, however, demonstrates no evidence of cystic lesion or ranula. The tongue base musculature is normal. The submandibular glands are normal. The bilateral parotid glands extend anteriorly along the duct to a greater degree than is typically seen; however this is symmetric and well within normal limits. Nasopharyngeal soft tissues are normal, and the visualized portion of the intracranial contents are normal.

There are a few small scattered lymph nodes bilaterally, left slightly greater than right, within the jugular and jugulodigastric chain. However, these remain within normal limits. Oral mucosa is grossly unremarkable.

IMPRESSION: Prominent but otherwise normal-appearing sublingual glands. This is asymmetrically prominent on the right in comparison to the left but no evidence of intraglandular lesion is identified. Finding is best seen on image 21 of series 5. No evidence of ranula or other mass lesions is present.

How Funny Are You?

I grew up during a time when stand up comedians ruled the world; Richard Pryor and George Carlin ruled from on high [no pun intended] with iron fists. Late night talk shows regularly featured both of them. While they each had their own brand, they were both really good story tellers at heart and outrageously funny in their own way. Richard provided a peek behind the scenes at black American culture while George Carlin provided a view into a white American culture that made us uncomfortable.

Everyone has a sense (his or hers) of humor. I am a firm believer that, much like I believe everyone is capable of making art, everyone can be witty. Case in point - By the end of the night @ Cult Movie Night @ Gary's - everyone in attendance has made at least one clever comment; if not two.

I heard this story - What Makes Something Funny? - on NPR while cruising home last week and it really got me thinking. As a species, what are the benefits of being funny? It doesn't help us gather food, reproduce, or build a shelter. Did humor evolve shortly after we became non-nomadic by producing beer? Imagine what it would be like if folks didn't have a sense of humor ...what if everyone acted like a fact spewing, no personality character on some CSI show?

This is a link.

In Which I Get Rear Ended AGAIN!

I just don't believe it! I attended The Indy Film Bufffs Cult Night Movie @ Gary's - Damaged Lives, Maniac, and Narcotic - Three exploitation films from 1933 and 1934. Crazy! We were joking about me getting hit in my rental Camero (See Vroom Vroom below). Oh...of course...what happens? I get hit in the rental Camero. Yep. I was rear-ended at the intersection of Kessler and Central Avenue while waiting on a red light. One car in front of me - no one behind me...Until a guy (his name comes out later) in a white 350 Z plows into the back of my car. WTF?!! I can't get my head around the fact that I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN HIT AGAIN!

When I looked back at him through the rear view mirror, my first thought was, "Is he dead?" Uh...turns out, he was quite inebriated. Probably never saw me sitting there. I walk back and look at him and the car. The front of his car was a bit crumpled,while the bumper of my car was sporting an 8 to 10 inch scratch in two places and a flipped up, crimped corner license plate - his car was so small, he went under the license plate.

Learning a lesson from the previous rear-ending incident, I call 911 and ask for the non-emergency number - I've been in an accident. While I'm sitting in my car talking to dispatch, the guy walks up and stands outside my window. He's just sort of standing there and mumbles something like - "Is there any damage to your car?" Not sure if my brain just thought he said that. He gets back into his car and stares out the windshield. I think he even repeats - "Is there any damage to your car?" Uh...can you not see the back of my car?
I walk behind his car and I read his license plate out loud to the dispatcher. I must've read it to her 4 or 5 times. She finally tells me, "I've got it!". Meanwhile, the guy starts his car up and starts driving away. Surely he's just getting out of the way....I'm still on the phone with the dispatcher, so I let her know that he's clearly leaving the scene. UNREAL! I'm yelling out all of the dirty names I can think to call him.

At Last, An Article That Makes Sense

Before the earthquake in Japan, I kept seeing these articles about the eleven year girl in Texas who was gang raped. They were written from the stand point that it was all somehow the victim's fault, or the town's fault (riiiiight). WTF?! Journalism (I use the term loosely) or whatever it might be, has become a joke. Thankfully, I ran across this article.

Time to move to a new planet - Earthquake in Japan

Quake moved Japan cost 8 feet; Earth tilted on its axis.

Explosion at Japanese nuclear plant.

This cannot be good.