Christmas Wrapping

...er, actually, Christmas WrapUP. (Although due to his NPR fixation, Smashed did not hear this season "Christmas Wrapping" by the The Waitresses, leaving open the question of whether Christmas was even held this year.

Contrary to claims below, there were no RC cars to play with, as they were apparently given out at the in-laws house - perhaps Smashed will be able to impose himself on his nephews this weekend.

Vacation (all I ever wanted) continues apace. The excitement is unbearable at the moment, as Smashed will be spending the morning operating his washer and dryer in prepration for the new year. (Not to imply that washing and drying is only done in December).

Later, he will be attending a surprise 40th birthday party for a cousin of his. Hopefully she does not read this blog. (Smashed considers this to be a small risk).

Meli Kalikimaka

Meli Kalikimaka
Originally uploaded by creativity+.

Merry Christmas.

The second batch of West African Peanut Soup has been constructed, delivered, and partially consumed. My duties are over, so...

Smashed is off to NA to rip open a few packages, and to play with remote-controlled cars and his nephew's new camera.

Aloha!

Letterman News

Well, Dave's been at it again.


According to the AP, a Santa Fe woman claims that Dave's been wooing her from afar, by using "code words, gestures and eye expressions to convey his desires for her." According to the application for a temporary restraining order, she said he asked her to be his wife during a televised "teaser" for his show by saying, "Marry me, Oprah." Her letter said Oprah was the first of many code names for her and that the coded vocabulary increased and changed with time.

The woman contends that although she started the affair, by sending Letterman "thoughts of love" starting in 1993, she has now requested that Letterman, who tapes his show in New York, stay at least 3 yards away and not "think of me, and release me from his mental harassment and hammering." She claims that Letterman has forced her to go bankrupt and caused her "mental cruelty" and "sleep deprivation" since May 1994.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Mr. Letterman disputes the allegations. Perhaps he could air any grievances as part of HSI's Festivus entry below.

That must've been some kind of doll.

A Happy and Vigorous Festivus to all.

I was unaware of this fabulous festival until this very month, when while poking around on the net, I happened upon this post, which observed that Amazon.com is selling a Festivus pole light fixture ("We have seen it all now."). Despite seemingly being intended for permanent installation, and overly adorned, I'm sure that many celebrators of Festivus will be proud to air their grievances around it.

Having done a modicum of research, I'm prepared to say that the most comprehensive primer on Festivus is available from the great Wiki, with which, coincidentally, many grievances have lately been aired.

Seinfeld episode164 ("The Strike") tells the story of the origins of Festivus. The conversation between Frank Constanza and Cosmo Kramer went something like this:

Frank Costanza: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.
Cosmo Kramer: What happened to the doll?
Frank Costanza: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born . . . a Festivus for the rest of us!
Cosmo Kramer: That must've been some kind of doll.
Frank Costanza: She was.

It's been eight years since "The Strike" first aired, and Festivus has taken its place in the culture. Without any real evidence, Smash suspects that the "airing of grievances" is the part of Festivus most likely to lead to psychological health, although this is not without the risk of engendering some unfortunate collateral social rifting. Should you find yourself without others to share Festivus this year, or wish to avoid any social rifting, please consider airing any grievances you might have in our comment section. We won't tell anyone.

Happy Solstice!

Today at 1:35 EST, we'll enter winter, that most joyous time of the year when there is no leaf raking, no lawn mowing, and the only responsibilities are to shovel snow, pay the gas bill, and enjoy a little vodka. Fortunately, NR should be back soon.

In the interim, since yesterday's bacchanal went better than our wildest dreams, we should not have to venture out into the cold noontime sun in search of sustenance for some time. Our tans will suffer, but perhaps we can live with that.

Pot Luck Lunch Day is here!

Today we all take a break from the usual lunchtime grind and hold our winter pot luck lunch.

The WAPS is done, and WL's trial is over. (Smashed won't go into details, except to say that WL was a trifle annoyed at being merely an alternate. Couldn't they have gotten just about anyone else to sit around in the hall with nothing to read for a day or so)?

On the plus side, WL has won the $ 5.00 bet that he'd be back by today (I guess we know now that RD's view of the world is not as accurate as WL's), and we're all going to get to sample WL's calzones as part of today's pot luck.

Other high points of today's lunch will be RD's pot roast (Not RD's, but RD's), JT's Lo Mein, DC's chocolate creation, LAL's persian (nee Iranian) rice, and whatever PM brings in. (Smashed would have published the entire 4-page sign-up sheet, but he didn't want to bore his dedicated audience).

Pot Luck Tuesday

This Tuesday, December 20th, we'll be having a pot luck dinner. Smashed will be bringing a crock pot full of West African Peanut Soup - which has become something of a tradition in his family over the last few years. Last year he received the card below as a token of their esteem - which could be taken as a warning for those who are about to partake of the West African Peanut Soup this Tuesday.





The recipe:

From, "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant", Simon and Schuster, New York, 1990

West African Peanut Soup

If you're a person who loves peanuts, but thinks they were made to eat at baseball games or on bread with jelly, think again and get ready for a culinary adventure.

This peanut soup is rich and spicy. The chopped scallions or chives are an integral element, not just a garnish.

Serves 6 to 8.

2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried chilies (or to taste - loophole).
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger root
1 cup peeled chopped carrots
2 cups chopped sweet potatoes (up to 1 cup white potatoes can be
substituted)
4 cups vegetable stock or water.

2 cups tomato juice
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 cup chopped scallions or chives

Sauté the onions until just translucent. Stir in the cayenne and fresh ginger. Add the carrots and sauté a couple more minutes. Mix in the potatoes and stock or water, bring the soup to a boil, and then simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

In a blender or food processor, puree the vegetables with the cooking liquid and the tomato juice. Return the puree to a soup pot. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Taste the soup. Its sweetness will depend upon the sweetness of the carrots and sweet potatoes. If it's not there naturally, add just a little sugar to enhance the other flavors.

Reheat the soup gently, using a heat diffuser if needed to prevent scorching. Add more water, stock, or tomato juice for a thinner soup.

Serve topped with plenty of chopped scallions or chives.

Roux

I also make a roux of hot peppers and garlic in case the soup isn't hot enough.

Garlic (a few bulbs)
A variety of hot dried and fresh peppers (to provide for a set of peaks and valleys of hotness) - somewhat more pepper than garlic.
A slice of damp bread (Thickener? Superstition?)
Extra virgin olive oil.
Maybe some salt.

Puree until smooth in blender or food processor.

Nag, Nag, Nag

It seems that whatever I do to keep this blog going is met with complaints and snide remarks.

Because I've commented on the weather occasionally, suddenly HSI is a weather blog. One reader commented (and you know who you are): yea, maybe you should move this blog to http://blog.weatherbug.com/ !!!!

First off, there's only one blog there, and it's not mine. Head-Smashed-in will be staying here at blogspot for the foreseeable future.

Second, WINTER is coming, and every year it takes some getting used to. People sometimes comment on the weather, as it does impinge upon their lives.

Third, just because a guy takes advantage of the weather to get a little work done at home, it DOES NOT make him a weather wimp! Maybe, just maybe, he figures he'll get at least as much done, without the damn commute! While our spacious, well-appointed offices are a dream come true as workplaces go, SOMETIMES a change of venue is nice, and no one is the worse for the wear.

Friday Rat Blogging - Vicious Canadian Weather Edition

The weather lately makes Smashed feel as if New England has been moved above the Canadian border - it's been downright cold here lately. Hopefully it'll warm up in January.

RA and JT met up with GSIG:JL yesterday at On The Border. JL has been apprised that EP day responsibility no longer rests with him, and he appears to be relieved that the responsibility has been lifted from his shoulders. ("Tell WL he can have it", I believe was his response).

Well, the year appears to be falling apart nicely. NR is off to Siberia, RN is off to one of the Carolinas, WL has a day or two more of jury duty, SR is back to VT (the software summit in progress having been cut short due to threats from the weather gods), JU and RA are working at home today (for the same reason), and RD is spending an inordinate amount of time on the phone (for his own reasons).

What's next? Will the fish abscond for warmer water? Will NT take a sabbatical to Australia to perfect his surfing technique? Will JT decamp to follow John Waters' Christmas tour? Keep it right here for all the details...

Friday Forecast - What a mess.

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 2 PM EST FRIDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 2 PM EST FRIDAY.

SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO MUCH OF INTERIOR MASSACHUSETTS AND THE MERRIMACK VALLEY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE BETWEEN 2 AND 4 AM. THE SNOW WILL MIX WITH SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN DURING THE COURSE OF THE MORNING.

TO THE WEST AND NORTH OF BOSTON BUT ALONG AND INSIDE THE INTERSTATE 495 CORRIDOR...THE SNOW WILL LIKELY ACCUMULATE ONLY AN INCH OR TWO BEFORE CHANGING TO SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN. THE SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN WILL GIVE WAY TO JUST RAIN BY MID MORNING.

TO THE WEST AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 495...THE SNOW WILL LIKELY ACCUMULATE 2 TO 4 INCHES BEFORE CHANGING TO SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN. THE PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY CHANGE TO JUST RAIN SOUTH AND EAST OF A NASHUA TO FITCHBURG TO GREENFIELD LINE BY MIDDAY. RAIN MAY MAKE IT AS FAR NORTH AS MANCHESTER NEW HAMPSHIRE BY THE EARLY AFTERNOON. THE TEMPERATURE MAY NEVER RISE ABOVE FREEZING...HOWEVER...ACROSS LOCATIONS WEST OF FITCHBURG AND NORTH OF ROUTE 2 IN NORTHERN MASSACHUSETTS.

Cold Snap

Weather.com's forecast for tonight has us at 8 degrees - Fahrenheit. That's -13 Celcius. Quite cold for mid-december.

Another reason we're feeling cold is that WL has been called up to serve his country - in the form of a little jury duty. We'll keep the light on for ya, "W". Hope the trial's a short one.

Aliquot

Main Entry: al·i·quot
Pronunciation: 'a-l&-"kwät, -kw&t
Function: adjective
Etymology: Iroquois, Medieval Latin aliquotus, from Latin aliquot some, several, from alius other + quot how many -- more at ELSE, QUOTE
1 : contained an exact number of times in something else -- used of a divisor or part <5 is an aliquot part of 15>
2 : FRACTIONAL
- aliquot noun

iPod Threat

This is more or less a rumor, but could the iPod's days be numbered? This west coast blog passes on news that there is a phone that stores and plays 100 iTunes songs. I presume that Apple is aware of this - I hope that it doesn't cannibalize the iPod market.

UPDATE: Oh, never mind. The iPod nano is an order of magnitude bigger. My bad.

North Magnetic Pole Moving to Siberia

Over the last century, the magnetic North Pole has moved 1,100 miles out into the arctic, away from Canada and towards Siberia. Perhaps it knows something that we don't about US designs on all that Canadian water.

According to the great Wiki, "Over very long periods, geomagnetic reversals seems to have occurred with a frequency of 1 to 5 events per million years; however, this duration is highly variable."

The last time it switched was 780,000 years ago - seems like we're due to have a switch!

It's a topsy-turvy world; Let's be careful out there!

Friday Loon Blogging

Since someone has had enough of cat blogging already, today HSI tries something a bit different - Loon blogging. No symbolism here.

Here's the forcast for Friday...

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM TO 5 PM EST FRIDAY.

SNOW WILL BEGIN JUST AFTER SUNRISE FRIDAY AND WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES FROM LATE MORNING INTO EARLY AFTERNOON WITH SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR. EXPECT DIFFICULT TRAVEL THROUGH THE MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON.

TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY THE TIME THE SNOW ENDS LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON...EXCEPT UP TO 10 INCHES IN NORTHWEST MIDDLESEX COUNTY.

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN AN AVERAGE OF 6 OR MORE INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN A 12 HOUR PERIOD OR FOR 8 OR MORE INCHES IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. TRAVEL WILL BE SLOW AT BEST ON WELL TREATED SURFACES...AND QUITE DIFFICULT ON ANY UNPLOWED OR UNTREATED SURFACES.

Smashed is staying home (but in touch!) on Friday.

Infamy update

Well, I understand that decisions were made today! Colors have been selected!

Sometime soon, I'm sure that the color selection will become generally known.

One step at a time, that's what I always say!

Podcast: Word of the Year

The New Oxford American Dictionary has selected "podcast" as its word of the year!

Is there any prize that the iPod doesn't win hands down? It's even adding new award winning words to the language. Microsoft's MP3 player must be thoroughly squicked ¹ at this development. Podcasts are such a lifehack² for getting information on the go that iPod addicts must continually wonder how they got along without them for so long.

1) squick: to cause “immediate and thorough revulsion,” as in: “Was anyone else squicked by our waiter's piercings.”

2) lifehack: a “more efficient or effective way of completing an everyday task.” The editors offer the following as a possible usage: “I found a great lifehack for getting a cheap motel room.”

A Day which will live in Infamy

December 7th, 2005 - a day in history that'll be known as the infamous lull before the storm. Tomorrow we have a board meeting, as well as several other very important meetings. Announcements are expected tomorrow!

Calendar Envy

Some have maintained that Smashed is harboring a full-blown case of "Calendar Envy." (When NR returned from her tour of the continent, she carried with her a delightful selection of calendars, which she handed out to many of her colleagues). As Smashed was not one of those so favored, an interested bystander might have concluded that Smashed had been slighted.

This observation is wrong on at least the following counts.

1) NR would never knowingly slight anyone.
2) Smashed and NR share passions other than tracking the passage of time.
3) JU received a calendar - which he's hung in his office. Not coincidentally it is also Smashed's office. In January Smashed will, no doubt, begin to enjoy JU's calendar from across the office.

By broaching this subject, it seems that someone is trying to engender jealousy in Smashed, or is trying to drive a wedge between Smashed and NR. This effort is as futile as it would be counterproductive.

One is moved to wonder what possible motive this person would have for attempting to sow division in the ranks like this.

Firefox gets another convert

Despite Smashed's habit of evangelizing the heck out of Firefox, it was only yesterday that WL took the plunge. Seems it works better with a speech synthesizer program he's using at home. How many times to we have to learn this lesson - platforms are just platforms, a "killer app" is really what drives sales.

Well, whatever the motivation, it's great to have helped to lure you away from the dark side.

Keep in touch, it means so much

WL was reminiscing this morning about his past positions, and he was moved to recall a saying from Project Manager training, "Keep in touch, it means so much." For a project manager, that makes a lot of sense. It keeps communications going, and what better way to monitor the heartbeat of a project than by "touching base" often.

That said, the phrase reminds me of the Mason's saying, "To be one, ask one." Could it be that the Masons have infiltrated the Project Manager's Guild? What do the knights templar have to do with Project Management? Is the Trilateral commission involved?

Perhaps it really is time to don one of those aluminium helmets....

Who knew?

Who knew that OCD didn't stand for Obsessive-Compulsive disorder?

Friday Rat Blogging

Formerly known as the Rat Olympics, this year's Extreme Rat Challenge is underway now. These rats are both cute and capable. Check them out, and select your favorite!

(HSI endorses Daisy, by the way. Also, don't worry, "Friday Rat Blogging" will probably not be a regular feature).

Friday Cat Blogging

Friday cat blogging goes futurisitic.

El Phoenix Lives

Albeit a bit late.

Rumor has it that JL from GSI, feeling sheepish about his recent absentmindedness, has this year declared a makeup EP day, to be held in Waltham in December. This is due to not including certain former compatriots in this year's formal celebration of EP day NOT HOLDING EP DAY AT ALL, held without fail the Thursday before Thanksgiving.

More details as they come in.

UPDATE: Although the venue is still TBD, December 9th is the date. Be there!

Dammit! I so wanted to be the Sultan of Swing

According to this article, New York has simplified the process of getting a name change. There are a few rules, however, and here are a couple:

Titles are not allowed. You cannot legally become the Sultan of Swing or the Queen of Chelsea. You cannot take the name of a public figure if it is likely to cause confusion.

I guess Queen Shaniqua isn't her official name, then.

Blackberry Emergency

Flash!

From Bloomberg news comes this hum-dinger:

Research In Motion's Blackberry E-mail pager service came closer to being blocked in the U.S. after a federal judge ruled that a proposed patent settlement isn't enforceable and rejected a request for a delay in the case.

US Blackberry users must be experiencing anticipatory withdrawal.

The article continues:

"Essentially, the judge is holding a gun to RIM's head to settle," said Richard Williams, a Garban Institutional Equities analyst in Jersey City, who rates the shares "sell" and doesn't own them. "Ultimately, we believe there will be a settlement soon and for a lot of money. It's in RIM's best interests to pay a one-time settlement."

This could be the beginning of the end for the Blackberry. It's a dark day indeed.