Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Call it 'Unfocused Tuesday'

I apologize ahead of time for this post being kind of a mishmash.  Sometimes, that’s how it goes, in my head.

First order of business: I still consider it DeLurker Day and I will until someone actually DeLurks!  So far I haven’t had anyone comment who hasn’t commented before.  And even more disappointing, I’ve had visits from all five people that I called out in the post, and they still haven’t commented.

Come on… someone has to go first!

In other news, I have a guest post up at AskCherlock.  I think it’s kind of like when you turn to your last-resort babysitter: all the good ones are busy but you still need to get out of the house, so you turn to your ne’er-do-well brother-in-law and hope he doesn’t destroy the place.

Cher asked me to do a political post, so I was happy to oblige.  That’s like handing matches and kerosene to a 12-year old boy in a tree house… something’s getting burned down.  I definitely brought the pain. 

In fact, I plan on cherry-picking the good parts to flesh out here, as we roll toward the November elections.  But to see it all presented in coherent (if elongated) form, click here to check it out.  If I send enough traffic, they might ask me back to defile their site again next year.  And now, onto…

Hey Bluz, what do you think about…

Monday morning when I woke up and heard the traffic report, I remembered it was MLK Day.

When I left for the subway station and there were no cars on the road, I remembered it was MLK Day.

When I got to the subway station and there were hardly any cars in the lot or people on the train, I remembered it was MLK Day.

When I walked to work and downtown was a ghost-town, I remembered it was MLK Day.

But when I ventured out into the freezing cold to mail Judie’s tee shirt at the post office, I forgot it was MLK Day.

Shit.

Where’s Shelly Winters when you need her?
The Poseidon Adventure Part 3 – Head Over Keels in the Med

I don’t like this at all.

The first order of my rooting business is that the Ratbirds can’t win, so I’m forced to root for the Patriots.  I had been counting on rooting for the Packers or Saints to go on to beat the Pats in the Super Bowl, but they both lost last weekend.

So I’m left with San Francisco, who I can’t root for to win because it would give them six Super Bowl wins, which would tie the Steelers.  That makes rooting for the Giants as my last alternative.  I don’t feel strongly about the Giants either way.  I suppose I can take solace in the fact that their owners, the Maras, are old friends of the Steelers’ owners, the Rooneys.

All in all, I’m calling it Super Bowl ‘Meh.’  Maybe the commercials will be worthwhile.

It’s largely irrelevant.  Republicans, for better or worse, have been all over the news and when not criticizing each other, are going after the President.  Obama has been largely unheard from.  No ads, no big speeches, no appearances on the talking head shows, nada.  But behind the scenes, the troops are massing and the money is being collected.

Show me the polls when both sides are running in earnest and then I’ll pretend it matters.

…of that video Jessica mentioned in the last post?
Jessica left this in Comments of my Why Heathens Make Good Friends post and I just had to pass it on.  Hilarious.

Of course, this has nothing to do with MY religious upbringing.  We never went to a church that was even close to being this slick, but I know it’s part of the Mega-Church trend now.  This piece takes it down a notch or two, stylish glasses and all.

29 comments:

Scarletdreams said...

Loved the commentary about Romney. lol I too had a MLK experience with a friend. She needed to have some blood drawn and the normal diagnostic center was open, but when we went to the one she likes (and we drove 20 mins to get there) it was of course observing the holiday.. double shit. LOL Ah well. I guess it would drive me a little nuts to know that someone is reading my blog regularly and never commenting...lol

bluzdude said...

See, I wouldn't think about a blood center being closed. I'd be seriously pissed if I drove 20 minutes for nothing.

Judie said...

Well, we were pretty pissed that the Saints lost. If they had only been awake during the first half, it might have been a different story!!

You sweet thing! To go out into the freezing cold to mail my shirt! I take it they don't have the automated mailing system at your post office like the one we have out here in little old Oro Valley. I made Rod use that to mail Christmas gifts, and he came home with a dazed look on his face. He was a little pale and sweaty, too. He couldn't figure out how to just buy stamps to mail the gift cards, so I gave him a bunch of 37 cent Andy Warhol stamps that I found in the stamp drawer and sent him back to the post office.

That cruise ship captain! What a chicken shit!! Watching from a lifeboat while people are dying??

Oh, and I checked out that video from Jessica, and it sums up mega-churches in more ways than one!!

Tomorrow afternoon, I am posting my Alphabe-Thursday post, I is for IDIOT. Be sure to check it out!

xoxo,

YEEHAH

T-Man said...

Okay bluz, I'll satisfy your delurking fix. Well partially at least. I'm the one reading from PPG. It started with PittGirl and now That's Church, which eventually led to Michelle (burghbaby) and you and Cassie. You are the 4 Pittsburgh bloggers that I tend to read regularly. I'll read others on occasion, usually from clicking through the links on your 4 sites. I don't have a blog of my own - I can never really find the time to get one started. Generally I've never felt a need/desire to comment. For now, call me T-Man.

Facie said...

Funny video. My friend goes to that church! :-)

Yeah, I am practically sick about the playoffs now. I wanted Dree Brees, who got me to the SB in fantasy football, to win it all. I cannot root for either NE or the Ravens, so I almost have to hope that the world will come to an end ahead of schedule (or behind, if you are that Camping guy). But like you I can get on board with the Giants, so as long as they can beat SF, maybe the world can keep on turning.

On an unrelated note, Bluz, which browser do you use? I have been having problems with Firefox, so I had to go back to Explorer. Unfortunately, when I check my blog stats, it counts me, even when I click on "Don't track your page views." I should probably Google it, before the internet blows up or ends or something.

Cassie said...

Wait, what? You read me? So I consider this to be a delurker of sorts. However, you work in the same building as my husband, so ... I may know you. Freaky!

Cassie said...

I agree on the MLK day. I remembered all up until I went to get the mail...in the pouring rain...and there was none. Damnit.

Good man, though, that MLK. Good man.

Anonymous said...

Very funny I laughed well at the first part. Nice!
Pinky

Unapologetically Mundane said...

I want you to know that I was forced to watch a half an hour of the last Giants game the other night and did not hate it! What I've found, though, is that I cheer for both sides in my mind. I guess this makes football-watching pretty stress-free for me, at least. Or wait, maybe it makes it doubly stressful. Either way, I've committed myself to actually going to a Super Bowl party this year. Mostly to eat my friend's food. But also to root for both sides and piss off everyone at the party.

Jessica R. said...

I'm not a huge football fan, but I do always root for the Saints. That game was hard fought and so disappointing. No idea who to root for either. But the Mannings are from NOLA, so maybe I'll go with the Giants.

So glad you enjoyed the video! That is seriously exactly the format a lot of the mega churches around here follow. When I saw it, I died laughing.

bluzdude said...

Our post offices have those machines, but they have to be open for you to use them. They’re inside the locked doors.

bluzdude said...

@T-Man
Whoo Hoo! Got one!

Thanks, T-Man, for at least partially uncloaking yourself. It’s funny though… the path you describe is pretty much the exact same path on which I found everyone. I also started with PittGirl and then Burgh Baby immediately afterward. Those two provided me the inspiration to start my own blog. I then started reading Cassie from her comments on PittGirl and she commented back. (Same with AskCherlock, Carpetbagger, and many others fine ‘Burgh bloggers.)

Geez… you know I also get called “T-Man” sometimes too. Same name, same path… maybe you’re my alter-ego or long-lost twin…

Regardless, thank you for stepping up, but mostly for your continued readership.

Anchorage and Dallas, you’re on the clock.

@Cassie
That might be why he reads us. To tell you the truth, I thought it might have BEEN your husband, since I know he works there. But then I figured Matt was more apt to be like, “I just don’t wanna know…”

bluzdude said...

I use Chrome and like it a great deal. But even when I used IE, I was still able to avoid counting myself on the tracker. Of course, I’m talking about the StatCounter service that I use. I never bother with Blogger’s baked-in hits counter. (That’s what you’re talking about, right?)

All I can say is that if the G-men lose on Sunday, we’re going to be mighty upset on SB Sunday, no matter what happens.

bluzdude said...

Yeah, I have no quibble with the holiday; it is much deserved. I quibble with my own poor memory and/or stupidity.

(And I checked the mail too on MLK Day, as well as every holiday, because it is pure dumb-ass habit when I home at the end of the day. Sundays too, sometimes.)

bluzdude said...

See? I keep telling you that I AM funny…

bluzdude said...

The best way to tick people off at a Super Bowl party is to tell everyone you’re rooting for a particular team because you like their uniforms. Or the tight pants. Or because, say, a Giant could totally beat up a Raven because birds aren’t that tough.

bluzdude said...

I’ve never been in a Mega-Church service, so I had to take it on faith (snicker) that it was correctly represented.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, but admit it... you wanted to see it run too, you just didn't want to face the heat from friends and neighbors...

Christy said...

Since I live in the land of green and gold, I'm with a bunch of sorry faced football fans. I'm okay with it, but they aren't. Come to think of it, it's really depressing around here. I'm the only one not affected. Does that make me horrible?

bluzdude said...

No, Mad, it makes you unique, which is never a bad thing to be.

Anonymous said...

OK, I'll bite at the delurking bit. But only because I'm a Pirates fan and because you and I spent that one special weekend together.

Tina Fey

Anonymous said...

I meant Steelers, of course. Who could concentrate on the sport???

Tina

bluzdude said...

Nice try, Sherry. Tina Fey is a Philly fan. It's her one flaw.

bluzdude said...

Hey everybody!

Cassie just forwarded me a message from her site that was placed by (our) reader from Anchorage!

"Love your blog have followed Lynns Weigh for a while then found you and Bluzdude. He requested lukers reveal themselves to him, however, I can't get thru to his comment section. Would you please forward this to him. I am Betty from Anchorage Alaska. Used to live in Pa. have been in Anch. since 1974. The blogs are like a little glimpse of home. Love them. Thank you for all the stories and pictures.

Betty,
Thank you for stopping by and I appreciate your ingenuity! I saw that you had been visiting in the last few days and clicking around more than usual. I figured that you were either trying to decide whether to comment or not, or that Blogger was being wonky again. I see it was the latter.

I'm glad we, (speaking for Cassie, Lynn and myself), are able to give you a little taste of home. I hope you are able to come back and comment directly some time soon. (Blogger-willing...)

Judie said...

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment, Bluz. Incidentally, the Italian ship captain is saying that he accidentally tripped and FELL INTO THAT LIFE BOAT!! I think he's a Republican.

Brooke said...

Hi, Bluz. I'm another one of your lurkers. I originally discovered you via comments on Mrs Bachelor Girl, and I discovered her while scouring for wedding inspiration for a friend. By clicking through comments, I've also discovered Cassie, Jessica, and Katie's blogs. I have a lot of downtime at work, to put it nicely, so I look forward to reading you guys (and props for keeping me looking busy when the boss actually walks by). Im not a blogger, just a blog reader, so I hope you'll excuse my ignorance about the importance of comments!

bluzdude said...

I saw that Wednesday night! And after the lifeboat took him to shore, I suppose he “accidentally” fell into that taxi that took him directly to a hotel, too…

The dude’s getting his though… even if they don’t press charges, he’s been getting verbally ass-f-ed in the worldwide media as they replay the tapes of his conversations with the Italian Coast Guard.

bluzdude said...

Hi Brooke, I take it you’re “Salineville”? Welcome to the show! Thank you for stepping into the sunshine, even if it’s just for a moment. Feel free to comment as you see fit, and let me tell you this… The commenting interaction just adds to the blog-reading experience, even if you don’t have a blog of your own to promote.

From a blogger’s perspective, comments are the life-blood. Numbers are cold… you don’t know if someone is there by accident, if they hate you, or what they think. A comment helps the blogger know if they’re on the right track. Just a little affirmation can make all the difference.

Seems like you make the rounds of all my friends! We’re certainly glad to help people pass the time at work.

dilip said...

Let me de-lurk (I hope I'm not too late). I've comment on your blog before bluz. I found you through Sally-Sal's blog (I believe it was a post inspired by your post on your nephew (I think) farting in a church!)

I'm in Arlington Texas - That might just show up as Dallas to you. I was also in Bangalore, India for a long time- all the clicks and visits from Bangalore were probably me reading your blog or showing it to some fun folk back in India.

I mostly follow you through RSS feeds now. Does that show up in your tracker too? I'm curious.

Dilip

bluzdude said...

I remember you, dilip. And let me say this... I sure wish Sally would get back to blogging again. I love reading her stuff!

Yeah, that post in question... my nephew Sammy telling me he "busted one in Sunday school" inspired Sally's tale of how you can fart into one of those capsules that come from a storefront vending machine, and the farts will "keep."

Gotta love highbrow discourse online...

Yes, you show up as from Arlington TX, but there is no indication of RSS feed. I guess StatCounter doesn't tally that. Thanks for visiting, from where ever you are!