Teats on a Bull

Sho’ ’nuff

TacieJ — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 19:35:45 +0000

I’ve been huntin’ hogs since Moby Dick was a sardine.
Jerry Dean Campbell – American Hoggers

Original article: Sho’ ’nuff

Say What?

TacieJ — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:00:25 +0000

Tickle: I’m not gonna lie to you. I don’t think anybody would’ve know under here, was down here.

“Rise ‘n Shine!” Moonshiners
11/7/12 air date

Original article: Say What?

The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling

TacieJ — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:40:36 +0000

Our favorite burglar is back in the first of “The Burglar Who” books that actually has “The Burglar Who” in the title. Joining Bernie on his capers are some old faces and some new faces. Ray Kirschmann, “the best cop money could buy” is back to either arrest Bernie, or not, or maybe just get Bernie to “acquire” a fur for Mrs. Kirschmann.

We get to meet Carolyn Kaiser. Carolyn is “crowding 30, with Dutch-cut dark-brown hair and remarkably clear blue eyes. She stands five-one in high and never wears them, and she’s built like a fire hydrant, which is dangerous in her line of work.” Carolyn is a dog groomer who owns the Poodle Factory, the business two doors up from Bernie’s new business.

You see Bernie is now an honest bookseller who owns Barnegat Books. He purchased the book store sometime between his last brush with the law and this current adventure. Bernie met Carolyn about the time he purchased Barnegat Books from old Mr. Litzaurer, and she becomes his lunch buddy, drinking buddy and confidant.

In this adventure Bernie is hired by one Rudyard Whelkin to steal a “limited” edition Kipling poem from one Jesse Arkwright. In the process he gets, drugged, framed for the murder of Madeleine Porlock. Another fun who-dunnit from Lawrence Block. With snappy dialog and love of bad puns the reader is entertained from page 1.

Original article: The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling

Burglars Can’t Be Choosers

TacieJ — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 02:59:38 +0000

Welcome back to the world of our favorite burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Bernie gets himself accused of murder yet again. And unfortunately Ray Kirshmann, the best cop money can buy, is the one to find him in the apartment with the dead guy.

Our hero must evade the police, find the real killer and clear his name. Luckily one of his poker buddies, Rod, is out of town and Bernie can hide out in his apartment. And also luckily Rod’s plant sitter isn’t afraid of the burglar in the bed and helps Bernie on his way to redemption in more ways than one.

The second book in the series is just as charming and witty as the first.

Original article: Burglars Can’t Be Choosers

The Burglar in the Closet – my thoughts

TacieJ — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:51:28 +0000

Ok, so this on isn’t quite a Burglar Who, but it’s one of the books in the series.

The Burglar in the Closet
Lawrence Block

I actually haven’t quite finished the book yet. Which is ok because I’ve read it once before and I’ve read through the climax and the last chapter or so is wrap up.

This is the second of the Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries – “The Burglar Who” stories. Even though the first two don’t have who in the title, the remaining ones do. Our hero is Bernie Rhodenbarr and he is a burglar (hence the titles). In the books Bernie has the bad luck of burglaring an abode while the owner (or some other unlucky person) gets murdered.

Set in NY City there are many characters that Bernie comes across in his travel and travails. In The Burglar in the Closet Bernie is recruited to steal the jewelry of the World Greatest Dentist’s ex-wife. Bern just happens to be in the wife’s apartment when she is unfortunately offed by an unknown assailant. The World’s Greatest Dentist is then arrested for the murder and he subsequently pins it on Bernie.

It’s not high literature. It will never be mentioned (again) in the same breath with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. It is however a very fun and entertaining read. Written from Bernie’s point of view, the dialog is quick witted and snappy. It is a book you can put down, but won’t want to put it down.

If Bernie were to move in next door I wouldn’t lock the doors, I’d invite him in for a Scotch.

Original article: The Burglar in the Closet – my thoughts

Dreams, Reality and What I Watched on TV Last Night

TacieJ — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:57:56 +0000

I love the power of my mind to meld various aspects of my life into one single thing. Last nights … well, really this morning’s because I woke up remembering … dream was a curious meld of my work life and Leverage. We watched the aliens episode last night – where Eliot play an ET nerd. It was really funny episode. But it must have really stuck with me because Christian Kane and various co-workers all played a part in my dream.

The Dream:
Or at least what I remember of the dream. It’s fading at this point. I was following one of my co-workers to their favorite lunch spot and I noticed that they were smoking. I know for a fact the Jack doesn’t smoke. I went into the restaurant to tease him and he wasn’t in there. The weird thing was, I’d never been in this place before, and it’s not on any map of West Chester I know either. So I come out of the restaurant and there is Jack behind me. How that happened I will never know. And I never did give him a hard time about smoking.

Jump to the very large wood panelled, lowly lit room above the bar. It’s a long room, 20, 25 feet. And I don’t know what we were doing or why but we were doing paper work for one of the departments here at the county. Although my job involves tons of paper, this wasn’t something I normally do. It’s fading but it had to do with register of will or recorder of deed. And I was kind of taking care of Chris I’m guess he had finished a set downstairs and he’d had a bit to drink. He was lounging on this sort of run down couch from on the games I play on my iPhone. And we were just talking while I was doing my paperwork and he decided to go home. Walk home. And this wasn’t any room that I remember being in before. So off he goes, and I wasn’t going to let him, but I realized I had his phone number on the work phone number list – I guess he worked with me at that point – and I could call him later to make sure he got home ok.

And at that point I woke up. But that’s just the frame work of the dream. The dream was very textured and very detailed. Sights, sounds and smells all rolled together. One of the interesting parts was CK definitely wasn’t the Eliot character. He was more from the concerts (I’ve seen him twice & met him once). His voice was the softer not Eliot voice, which I’m not as familiar with. I’m significant more familiar with the “Dammit Hardison” voice. Take the voice from last nights episode, but kill the twang. That is the voice that was in the dream.

Take some reality (my job), throw in some not reality (working in a different department, hanging out with CK) and tah-dah my mind blended them into a very real and somewhat amusing (especially now that I’m awake) dream.

Original article: Dreams, Reality and What I Watched on TV Last Night

Reading List

TacieJ — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 03:05:06 +0000

Slow Twitch – Elizabeth Hansen

Original article: Reading List

Top Gear, Series 6, Episode 6

TacieJ — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:07:35 +0000

Jeremy Clarkson: The weak point of the modern car is the squidgy organic bit behind the wheel.

Original article: Top Gear, Series 6, Episode 6

… on the Morris Marina

TacieJ — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:38:23 +0000

Richard Hammond: “I’ll guarantee that nothing exciting, vibrant, dynamic, new, creative, hopeful, or beneficial in any way to humanity has ever been done, thought of, or driven to in that drab, dreary, entirely beige willfully awful pile of misery”.

Richard’s opinion of the Morris Marina from Series 13, Episode 5 (110th episode).

Original article: … on the Morris Marina

Good Plan!

TacieJ — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:02:23 +0000

From Richard Hammond’s lastest article on … hands-on engineering

“My mate Hadrian, an engineer, came over with all the required kit for the operation, including the new lump of chassis. His stated intention was to pull up a chair and work his way through a giant sack of popcorn while I provided the entertainment by burning the workshop to the ground and blinding myself as I learned how to weld. Good plan.”

Read the whole thing at: http://www.topgear.com/uk/richard-hammond/richard-hammond-top-gear-magazine-column-2012-03-27

Original article: Good Plan!