Woody's Place

Long Time, No See

I haven't been blogging much lately, but I figured I should post an update to let everyone know I'm not in the slammer or something...

Here's the list of all the things I've been doing lately in lieu of blogging:

• During the days I've been working 50-60 hours 6-7 days a week.  Staying in business and keeping my job would be swell if I can manage it.
• During the evenings and in the wee hours when I can't sleep (due to the above) I've been reading all of R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt novels and short stories, in order.  That's 22 paperbacks and 10 short stories!  I'm about two thirds through it at the moment.
• On the weekends I've been watching the Deadwood Season 2 & 3 DVD sets I just picked up cheap on Half.com.  Now that is some great TV! 
• In between I play the occasional pinball or arcade game in the man cave.

And that's about it... yeah really.

Until things get back to normal (and God forbid this is the "new normal")  I'll be leaving most of the current events stuff to all the wonderful folks in my sidebar who have the brain cells and attention to spare for it.  For now I'm just too tired to dwell on anything outside of keeping my head above water and keeping my sanity.

George Will At CPAC

Best speech I've heard all year!

And it keeps getting better. Parts two and three after the jump.

Do You Think...?

"Do you think it’s just a coincidence that right after a Republican was sworn in to take over the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy for all those years, Washington, DC suddenly froze over?"

The Olympics Has Become A Farce

Curling is a sport?  Seriously?  Do we really need stuff like this in the Olympics?

And I seem to recall seeing ping pong included in the summer games.  Does anyone really care about these events?  What's next, the Olympic dog show?

Just like every other global "institution", the olympic games has become an enourmous farce that soaks up millions (billions?) of tax dollars from around the globe and accomplishes nothing of consequence. 

Megan Fox In Her Underwear? Yes Indeed...

Man, I'm Glad I Had A Snowblower!

Driveway done.  Sidewalks done.  Most of both neighbors sidewalks done, even the crazy one.  All in under 40 minutes.

The guy down the street came out when I did and he was only 1/3 of the way down his driveway when I went back in.  I'd have gone down to help him out but he had an Obama sign out in 2008, so he would probably rather wait for help from the Overlord.

The Blind Cowboy In The All-Girl Biker Bar

An old, blind cowboy wanders into an all-girl biker bar by mistake.  He finds his way to a bar stool and orders a shot of Jack Daniels.

After sitting there for a while, he yells to the bartender, 'Hey, you wanna hear a blonde joke?'

The bar immediately falls absolutely silent. In a very deep, husky voice, the woman next to him says, 'Before you tell that joke, Cowboy, I think it is only fair, given that you are blind, that you should know five things:

1. The bartender is a blonde girl with a baseball bat.
2. The bouncer is a blonde girl.
3. I'm a 6-foot tall, 175-pound blonde woman with a black belt in karate.
4. The woman sitting next to me is blonde and a professional weight lifter.
5. The lady to your right is blonde and a professional wrestler.

Now, think about it seriously, Mister. Do you still wanna tell that joke?'

The blind cowboy thinks for a second, shakes his head and mutters, 'No...not if I'm gonna have to explain it five times.'

Must Read: Doctor Zero "The Answer To Socialism"

I just came across this fabulous new Dr. Zero essay via Hot Air. 

[...] The truth is that money is not an evil toxic sludge, whose stain the Left works to scour from our souls. Money is the mechanism that allows you to spend your time doing what you’re best at – which produces wealth, the same way a lever amplifies muscle to move great weights. You spend the money you earn each day on a range of products you couldn’t possibly create for yourself. You probably couldn’t create a decent pair of shoes in the hours it takes you to earn enough money to purchase them. You definitely couldn’t cobble a computer system together from nothing but raw materials, in the time it takes you to earn a thousand dollars and buy one. This is the genesis of wealth: the freedom enjoyed by people when the value of their time can be measured and traded through currency.

Through the combination of progressive taxation and payroll withholding, socialism established the principle that government has the right to set the value of your time, along with first claim on it, taking your income before you even see it… and refunding the excess without interest, when it takes too much. Of course this reduces wealth and prosperity. Capitalism is the right to design your own dreams, and you’re much better at it than a gang of politicians scribbling incomprehensible legislation in a distant capitol. The behavioral freedoms socialists like to tout as indulgences are matters of the fleeting moment. The freedom to control your labor and property allow you to build your future. True prosperity is measured in things to come. Nothing is growing in a still photograph of a flower.

The orgy of deficit spending we’ve witnessed over the past year is an explicit judgment that America doesn’t have a future. Its unborn children will be handed the bill for the needs of today, plus a back-breaking load of interest. Allowing the national debt to equal our annual gross domestic product, as in President Obama’s staggering 2010 budget, means accepting the insult that America is too weak to stand without support from its grandchildren.

In my opinion America is not too weak, just too selfish.  The vast majority simply don't want to sacrifice any of today's creature comforts for the sake of their grandchildren's futures, and the elites are too busy cashing in on it to bother educating anyone to the true cost of all this lunacy.

Great read though.  Be sure to click over to his website to read the rest and then pass it around.

FYI: The Song Used In The NFL.com Ads During The Super Bowl Is...

All during the Super Bowl last night they kept running short promotional ads for the NFL.com website using slow motion video of fans and players and some cool music.  I searched all over the web and couldn't find mention of it, but then this morning I remembered hearing it a movie trailer and viola!

Wake Up - Arcade Fire

You've gotta love the instant gratification that the internet provides... can you imagine how hard this would have been to accomplish back in the old days?  What would you do?  Just keep asking everyone you meet?  I guess maybe the guy at the record store would know... but they're all out of business now.  Grrr... damn that internet!

Woody's Homemade Salsa

Just in time for the Super Bowl, here's my homemade salsa recipe:

• 4½ cups (3 cans) petite diced tomatoes
• ½ cup (1 small can) tomatoe paste
• ½ onion (red or white), finely chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, minced
• ½ to 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 large (or 2 small) garlic clove, minced
• ¾ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon suger
• 2 cups water

Pour all of the garlic, tomatoe paste and seasonings into a blender or food processor.
Add two thirds of the chopped green pepper.
Add half the jalepenos (including the seeds).
Add half the chopped cilantro.
Add half of the chopped onion.
Add half the water.
Add one third the diced tomatoes, or half if your blender will accomodate it.

Puree mixture until smooth, then pour into a large bowl or tupperware containter.

Stir in remaining tomatoe, onion, green pepper, cilantro and water to the desired consistency.

Add remaining minced Jalapeno peppers (without the seeds) until you reach the desired "heat" level, or divide into two batches for mild and not so mild salsa.

Optionally you can substitute a red chili pepper for one of the jalapenos for a bolder flavor.

Goes best with white corn tortilla chips.  Also makes a great base for chili!