Don’t you hate when it’s been so long since logging on that the new interface confuses you?

I have decided to resume doing this blog stuff again, but at a different site.  This specific blog will always exist, but this is the last post here for sure.

Steak good….

Most people that know me (and I mean really know me, not just say “Hey, I know that guy!”) are aware of my love/hate relationship with food.  While I do enjoy eating tasty food products, I also hate having to take time out of my day to eat.

Perhaps that’s not the best way to describe it;  I like to eat food, but I hate having to spend time (and money) trying to decide what to eat.  Along with that, there is the whole idea of “what is good for me?”

Back in the day, this wasn’t an issue.  People were glad just to have food and not starve to death.  This is still the case in some parts of the world.

Since I don’t live in those parts of the world, I have choices to make.  These choices really irk me the wrong way (The spell check didn’t think “irk” was NOT a word, so I’m going with it).

For example, I recently read this article, about how vegetarians are ignorant that their own dietary lifestyle is killing them.  I’m sure I could do a little more research and find an article (or 4,239 articles) about how eating meat is bad.

How am I supposed to make an informed decision if nobody knows what’s up?  Right now I am believing that eating more meat is good for you, as humans evolved eating bison and mastodons (or so those silly paleontologists want you to think).  It makes sense to me that most vegetables are not meant to be eaten and digested by anything other then strict herbivores like cows, sheep, and the like.

I think fruits are still okay to eat, as they would have been part of the foraging diet our hairy ancestors (more hairy then me) would have nom’ed on from time to time.

What does this all mean?  Am I going on some kind of Caveman/Paleo-Diet?  Probably not.  I still have way to many tubs of hummus, clam shells of cucumbers, jars of Greek peppers, and bags of pitas to eat right now.

What do YOU, the reader think of this nutritional nonsense?  Is meat bad for you?  Are soybeans going to give us cancer?

Of all the dumb crap to happen…

It seems that I was unable to edit or post anything on this site because I had a link to some gold buying websites.  I wasn’t trying to make money, just link to the sites I was writing about.  Now that I broke those hyperlinks, I can resume blogging.

Also, it was not those violations of WordPress user agreements that has kept me from writing anything, it’s the long dreary summer I was going through.

Remember how I was going through the teacher credentialing program?  Last March I had to abandon that idea due to circumstances beyond my control.  Maybe they were not totally beyond my control, but either way the idea of me being any sort of legitimate school teacher is out of the question for now.

I spent nearly five months looking for work.  Any work.  Janitor, errand boy, pizza guy, etc.  Nobody was hiring.  I had a few promising interviews, but with so many people looking for jobs there was always somebody more qualified.  I’m not talking about interviews for janitor or pizza guy, but serious grown-up jobs that I am somehow capable of doing.

On top of the unemployment, I was dealing with some issues that only one of them expensive therapists could handle.  Issues mostly relating to my inability to perform as a teacher, something which I had spent the last 5 years of my life preparing for.  I was under the impression that I was a useless human being, a failure at life, etc.

Anyway, now that the worst is behind me, I feel much better about life again.  I have been substitute teaching in Coalinga (yes, that little town 70 miles from Fresno), and Corinne and I are preparing to move into a new apartment.  This apartment is bigger then our house, and the rent is $600 cheaper then our mortgage payment.

Take that faulty real estate market!

I’m not sure if there will be regular posts, weekly posts, or anything at all for that matter.  Maybe life isn’t as fun as it used to be.  Nobody want’s to hear about how I came home from work, had dinner, and went to bed at 8pm so I can get by 5am.  I know I wouldn’t want to hear about that sort of dreary existence.

Me v. Man v. Food

I was watching Man v. Food last night, specifically the episode where he eats and drinks his way through San Jose.

One challenge was at SmokeEaters Hot Wings.  Details inside.

I’m pretty sure I can handle that challenge.  In fact, I plan to.

The way I see it, he screwed himself when he got the sauce all over his face and hands.  Watch the episode, you’ll see what I mean.

This isn’t something I can just walk up to though.  It will require a few weeks of training.

To prepare, I went and got some “hot” salsa.  It claims to have three kinds of peppers in it.  Whatever.

I added Dat’l Do-it Habanero Heat Wave, Dave’s Insanity Sauce, El Yucoteco, Mad Anthony’s, and another secret ingredient.

Love.  I added Love.

I was considering grinding up some habanero peppers into a paste and adding it to the salsa, but that will be phase two.  Phase three involves me gargling with said raw habanero paste and holding it for five minutes.

Yes, I ate some of the salsa already.  No, I don’t feel well at all.

Fresno TEA bagging

There was a TEA party in Fresno today, at the SaveMart parking lot.  I drove past it as I was leaving campus.

I was on campus to get a TB skin test, which I need to work for any school district, by the way.

I don’t get why people are so against paying taxes.  If the government wants to take a few more dollars out of every paycheck to make things better, that’s great.

I don’t feel as though I’m taxed so heavily right now that a few more dollars is going to make a difference.  In fact, from what I’ve noticed, I generally get a hefty tax refund back every year.  I look forward to it.

The only tax that actually bothers me is the recent hike in cigarette prices.  Over $6 for a pack?  That’s crazy.

Paying an extra few bucks every now and then for the good of the nation?  That sounds like a good idea.

It seems as though the TEA parties were organized by conservatives to protest rising taxes.  The Right is SO American that they are rebelling against taxation, just like the Founding Fathers did back in the day.

Next thing you know they will be slaughtering Native Americans and buying African slaves just because they can.

I mean, fuck, man.  It’s just a few dollars.

It’s not like there is any sort of law that requires us to pay taxes.

Oh crap…never mind.

Reverend Minias

For at least 20 minutes, Reverend Minias was stationed behind his pulpit. He was ranting and raving about eternal Hellfire, the condemnation of sinners, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the roads that were paved with gold in Heaven. This was nothing unusual for this particular preacher, and he had given many similar sermons on many similar Sundays.

His congregation was the usual bunch; those that came every Sunday, those that came every now and then, and those that only showed up on holidays. Today was a holiday, Easter Sunday to be exact. Among those in the pews were children, adults, elderly individuals, and everything in between.

Towards the back of the Church a young couple was having a private conversation via electronic wireless methods

The Pitsword Trunk

What was nice about being an Interior Communications Electrician is the amount of time I got to spend in clean, comfortable, air conditioned spaces throughout the ship.

Except for those times when I found myself in spaces that were dirty and hazardous to one’s health…which was most of the places we worked in, now that I think about it.

One place in particular I came to loath was the Electromagnetic Underwater Log Rodmeter Compartment, more commonly known (by us, at least) as the Pitsword Trunk.

It was an unusual space, about 4 feet by 4 feet by 15 feet.  At the top was a hatch, which weighed about as much as a small humanoid (think Verne Troyer), which needed be kept closed at all times (except when somebody was in there working).  You would climb a ladder down about 6 feet, and step onto a narrow, slimy shelf.  From there, there was another ladder which went down to the bottom, which was generally covered by about a foot of seawater.

What was the purpose of this room?  Glad you asked.  Check this out.

Sounds high tech, doesn’t it?  Don’t get the wrong impression.  Until VERY recently, most military equipment

Dominion Pizza

I have been to Italy and Sicily more times then I can remember.  Seriously, I lost count.  It’s at the point where I don’t get excited about going there anymore.

One thing I do enjoy while visiting the old country is the food.  Specifically, the pizza that is nothing like “American” pizza.  They are smaller and made to be eaten by one person.  They are not “personal” pizzas by any means, but the idea of ordering a large pepperoni and pineapple in Italy just seems blasphemous (and they won’t know what you’re talking about either, because they don’t use pineapple…or speak English).  And you can forget about dipping it in ranch dressing.  I do believe that will get you

Taco Grande

I’m not of Mexican descent, despite what that one Greek guy told me (its a long story…lets just say I was in Greece and this guy trying to sell me gyros assumed I was Mexican…actually that’s the whole story, I guess its not that long after all).  Also, I have never been to Mexico.  San Diego is about the closest I’ve ever been so far.  So what qualifies me to critique Mexican food?  It’s not that I’m unqualified, I did already apply for my license to be a Mexican Food Critic , but its still being held in Sacramento (apparently my slight aversion to cilantro is creating some legal issues).  Until they issue me a temporary permit, I’ll have to be quick and discrete about my opinions concerning Mexican food.

Despite the risks (I’m pretty sure its a federal offense to critique food without the proper permits), I feel as though I need to tell you about Taco Grande.  I’m talking about the one on Kings Canyon and Clovis, but they are all the same (or so the owner told me, but since he owns all three in the area I would assume he knows best).  At Taco Grande, I had a burrito grande with carne asada, as well as a taco grande (also with carne asada).  I wasn’t going to go to Taco Grande and not have a taco grande, that wouldn’t seem right.

Here is why I highly recommend the food at Taco Grande:  You don’t have to think when you eat.

Let me explain.

Take only what you need…

Whats the deal with all these online pawn shops?  I’m talking about Cash 4 Gold, US Gold Buyers, Things We Buy, and so on.  Are people too lazy to go to a real pawn shop?  Is the economy that bad where people are needing to sell possessions like heirlooms and antiques in order to survive?

Probably.

My theory is that

Pacifica Pizza

As a self-proclaimed expert on all things pizza (except that Chicago deep dish “pizza”), there are certain qualities I look for in a slice of pizza. I am not claiming to be the only foodie with the same pizza criteria. However, I am the only one currently writing about Pacifica Pizza (the one on Chestnut and Sheppard in Fresno), so what I say goes.

First off, the bottom must be discussed. And by bottom, I mean crust. And by crust, I mean the bready part on the…you guessed it….BOTTOM. I have eaten plenty of pizza in my days. I grew up in New York City, where some of the best pizza in the country comes from (again, Chicago doesn’t count). They say it is something in the NYC water that makes the pizza so unique and delicious. I can’t argue with that, because I’m not a chemist (or at least Alton Brown). I am, however, somebody that knows pizza. And let me tell you something: Pacifica Pizza has just about the greatest crust I’ve tasted in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing like New York pizza. With that said, it is somewhat soft AND crispy at the same time (which tend to be the two key traits of NY pizza crust). I don’t know how those guys at Pacifica Pizza do it.

Well, I do know, but I don’t want to bore you with details.

It’s that good kind of crust, the kind that when you tear it open, “hot” comes out. Do you get my meaning? But wait! What am I talking about? I meant to talk about the bottom of the pizza, not the crust around the edges. The bottom crust (or “bo’crust,” if you’ll excuse my new addition to the English language) is something quite spectacular. Despite the thick layer of toppings (which I’ll get to in a second), it was still quite fluffy. Have you ever had pizza where the “bo-crust” is like a thin strip of leather, even though it’s not supposed to be thin crust? That is exactly what Pacifica Pizza crust is NOT like. That bo’crust on the bottom reminds you, with every bite, that you are eating quality hand-made (daily and from scratch!) pizza crust.

That’s entirely enough about the bottom. Now to the top(pings). I had a simple one item topping, and went for the classic pizza meat, pepperoni. This wasn’t some thinly sliced spicy lunch meat. It wasn’t entirely thickly sliced either, but right in between. It was sliced so that you can taste it, as well as actually feel the texture. I knew for sure that there was a slice of pepperoni in my mouth when I got hold of one.

But what’s a good pizza without a good cheese? Honestly, the cheese on ANY pizza is hard to mess up. So long as it’s melted, it’s all good. And let me tell you, this cheese was definitely melted. Melted so well and thoroughly, in fact, that the pepperoni was not about to fall off for any reason, short of some kind of highly localized pizza specific tornado (those are rare these days, and in this part of California). Neither was the sauce, which I was pleasantly surprised about. The one thing that ruins pizza for me is too much sauce. There is always the option to order it with extra sauce, of course. To me, the perfect amount of sauce is so you can taste it and know it’s there. Too much sauce is when it creates a lubricated buffer zone (kind of like Switzerland) between the bo’crust and the cheese, causing the top layer of goodness to slide off and away from my mouth. For sure, Pacifica Pizza DOES NOT do that. The cheese and toppings were firmly attached to the bo’crust, as they should be.

As for toppings, I also had some of the Heart Attack Special, which has pepperoni, Canadian bacon, salami, linguica, REAL bacon pieces, Italian sausage, and ground beef. This is truly a man’s’ pizza (or a woman, no offense was meant). Let me put it another way: remember the whole idea of a “meat lover’s” pizza? Pacifica Pizza has continued on with that tradition with the Heart Attack Special. The only thing that could have made it manlier would have been to add some hot wings on top, and maybe some rocks (because real men can eat rocks and spit gravel, or so I’ve been told).

Speaking of hot wings, I had some of those from Pacifica Pizza also. Were they hot? Hot enough, for sure. Were they the hottest wings I’ve ever had? No way. Were they delicious, meaty, and…umm…red? Of course! They were everything you would expect when you order some hot wings at a pizza place. Would I order them again? Most definitely, as they are now my new favorite wings in Fresno (since University Chicken shut down, that is). One thing that really seals the deal on wings is the ranch dressing. It needs to be somewhat thick and have that restaurant style ranch flavor. Pacifica Pizza ranch has all of that, and to make things even better, you get something like a pint (my definition of a pint may be different than yours) of it with the wings. Not like those other places where you get a little tablespoon in a plastic cup…those places need take some lessons from Pacifica Pizza.

Before I end this, I need to mention the Garlic Cheese Knots (I think that’s what they were called, they had those three words in the title…maybe “twists” instead of “knots”). If all else fails, ask for the garlic bread and they will know what you mean. Remember that crust I was talking about? Not the bo’crust, but the crust around the edge? Let’s call that ed’crust for now. Anyway, the ed’crust was fantastic, like I said, but the Garlic Cheese Knots (Twists?) are made from that same freshly made dough, then brushed with some sort of garlic and butter sauce that only God himself (or herself) could have made. In other words, it’s the best thing ever as far as I’m concerned (at least when it comes to cheesy garlic bread).

So what should you take away from all this ranting and raving about Pacifica Pizza? I don’t know, that’s for you to decide. Just remember that it’s probably one of the better, if not one of the best pizza places in Fresno. Take it from me, some guy (who you’ve never met) that really likes pizza (or at least claims to), Pacifica Pizza is the next step in pizza goodness. We can call that “piz’oodness” if we want; there is nobody to stop us.

Pick Me!

I volunteer myself to help assist with the survival of the human race come 2012.  I believe I am highly qualified:

I have a degree in history, which will be important (for obvious reasons).

I am of suitable breeding stock (no genetic disorders) and breeding age (I will only be 32 years old in 2012).

Other qualifications:

Military experience.

Above average intelligence and problem solving skills.

Excellent ability to teach and instruct others.

And, of course, fearless in the face of danger (but mostly cocky to the point of bravery).

So if you’re reading this, Big Brother, don’t forget about me.

8 months?

Yes, eight months since the last post.  As I don’t have any truly dedicated readers, I didn’t think I was letting anybody down.

What have I been up to?  Top secret government things, of course.

I wish…sort of.

I’ve been student teaching.  All student teachers are told to not have an online personality, so that students or administrators are not exposed to what we really are.

That means put your MySpace on lock down, as well as Facebook.  Wouldn’t want the wrong people seeing those immoral

More Japanese Weirdness

I’m on it

Where have I been lately?  Whats with the lack of posts?  What am I watching on television right?

Home, been busy, and “Kraken:  Tentacles of the Deep.”

Actually I’m rather ashamed for the lack of posts.  I’ve been unofficially unemployed for about 3 weeks now, and I’ve been just sitting at home.  What have I been doing at home?  A little bit of home improvement and a lot of gaming.

I suppose I could have been writing in those three weeks, but just sitting around isn’t the best way to inspire myself.

Unfortunately, the gaming I’ve been doing has involved World of Warcraft.  I got a free trial CD in the mail, and now I’m hooked.  Those guys at Blizzard Entertainment really know how to draw in customers.  It’s like that free sample of crack the dealer gives out; It works in the long run.

Although I haven’t actually paid a cent to Blizzard yet, I plan on keeping my WoW account eventually.  My trial is up either today or tomorrow, I’m not sure.

Why do I say “eventually?”  Because tomorrow Corinne, our friends Joe and Takisha, and myself will be going to Las Vegas until Friday.  I don’t think it would be proper to sit at a resort in Vegas playing World of Warcraft.

The following week, I’ll be in Arizona for my 10 year high school reunion.  As my parents do not have internet access, playing WoW there is not possible.  If I’m lucky, sometimes I can access one of their neighbors WiFi, but the only place I get signal is in the living room by the side window.

When I get back from that, I’ll be starting up school again, this time student teaching.  I will see how much time I am able to devote to my level 5 Night Elf Warrior or my level 10 Dwarf Hunter, and update my WoW subscription accordingly.

By the time this happens, maybe I’ll have become addicted to heroin or crystal meth or something.  It doesn’t interfere in your life as much as World of Warcraft.

Whilst in Vegas I may or may not be Twittering, it depends on how intoxicated I stay.  And I’m not sure if being drunk means more or less Twittering either.  We’ll see.

Funniest thing I’ve seen since I last posted something funny worth posting.

This guy is crazy.

He makes some good points, but he’s a bit too eccentric for me to take seriously.

Mark Bauerlein, I fart in your general direction!

This guy is so full of himself.  First off, he’s an ENGLISH professor.  How does that qualify him to make such generalized comments about today’s youth?  Maybe if he was a sociology professor or a psychologist, but an English professor?

This guy has no clue what being young is like these days.  He claims that future generations are going to be screwed.  I agree with that, but not because of Facebook, MySpace, cell phones, and Blackberries (idiot).  There are plenty of individuals from my generation that are civic minded and aware of the world scene.  Just because not EVERYBODY is going to grow up to be a Senator or English professor does not mean that we should be labeled the “Dumbest Generation.”  Even among his generation of 50 somethings, there is a fair share of janitors, factory workers, general laborers, and other occupations necessary to make society functional.

In fact, I bet that of the people from his generation, most of them are NOT professors or doctors, and there are just as many middle age people running around drinking beer and smoking pot as there are in today’s generation.

I bet his problem is that he can’t see intelligent individuals among his students because they don’t stand out as being particularly of use to his own research on the Dumbest Generation.

And about his first comment, concerning Germany, Japan, Italy, and Russia…Italy was our ally at the latter part of WWII, so that answer should have also been acceptable along with Russia.  That test needs to have its construct validity challenged.

Journey is melting the Earth!

DO NOT WANT!!!

NOOOO!!

[Falls onto the floor weeping]

Honestly, I didn’t even know if she was still alive…but now that I know for a fact she is dead, it makes me sad.

Is Mexico really far away from California?

I arrived at the office around 3pm to pick up a student (which itself is rather unorthodox, as 99% of the time we pick up students at home).  He was waiting in the “reception” area, I went ahead and introduced myself, and we headed out to the car.  We were out there for about 10 minutes talking about such things as defrosters, blind spots, and emergency flashers.  I asked to see his permit, at which time he admitted that he doesn’t have one.

No problem, as a driving school we can issue temporary student permits. We head back inside and I get him started on the necessary paperwork in one of the empty classrooms. I return to the reception area and begin to catch up on my own paperwork.

There is a girl, who looks to be about 18 or 19 (maybe older) sitting in

Barefoot it is!

Since going barefoot is somewhat commercially (and socially) unacceptable, I’ve had to compromise.  On a recent (like a month or two ago, but whatever) trip to San Diego, I purchased some good looking backless sandals.  I got them at some old-timey shoe shop in Old Town San Diego.  They had lots of leather shoe products, like cowboy boots, moccasins, and a variety of other lame stuff I would never wear.  Oddly enough, most of the stuff there was made in China, including the sandals I bought.  Maybe they were hand-made by Chinese children that earn 20 cents a day.  Maybe they were mass produced in a factory.  I’ll never know.

Anyway, since I got these sandals, they have been my number one pair of footwear.  While not ergonomically designed to mimic the bare foot experience, they have suitably kept my feet drier and consequently led to my soles getting thicker and tougher. On our recent holiday up in the mountains, I went mostly barefoot. Only rarely did I walk across a surface that required special attention (sharp gravel), and even more rarely did I have to stop and brush a thorn or other annoyance off the bottoms of my feet.

Therefore, if I continue wearing these sandals, eventually my feet will be tough enough to go barefoot all the time (unless I’m out at a place that requires footwear…so just about everywhere then).

Abandoned Payphones

Check out my new photoblog at Abandoned Payphones.  If you know of any abandoned payphones, send in some pics.

Drowning Pool for Jesus

Benny Hinn can totaly tap into some Christian chi.  Or maybe he uses the Force?

Google Street View

Of all the coincidential shit to go down, this tops them all.

If you look at the Google Street View of my house, you’ll notice that my work vehicle is parked at the curb and my Jeep isn’t in the carport.

I’m not about to give out my address or a link, but if you know where I live you can check it out yourself.

What sucks is that this can prove I was NOT out with a student, but at home screwing around.  I’m assuming my boss does not spy on us via Google Street View, so I’m in no real danger of unemployment.  Hell, I’ve been violating the dress code right in front of him for the last three weeks, and he hasn’t said anything (I’m wearing open toed sandals to work, not sporting a nipple ring)

Anyway, this means that the Street View picture was taken on a specific day last summer.  That was the Friday that I had to drive my Jeep to work in the morning (as the Matrix was in the shop and my loaner car was reclaimed by its owners).

That day was also the last time I really drove the Jeep, because it was the day that the radiator blew out and I had to have it towed back home, where it has sat until a few months ago when we test drove it after installing a new starter (and not fixing the radiator, by the way).

So if I really wanted to, I could find out what day that was from the towing receipt.  Do I have the motivation to dig through stuff and investigate?  Absolutley not.

Wait, I remember now;  I was home around noon, playing Tropico, and a dark cloud overtook the street.  There were bright lights flashing from within the center as it moved silently and slowly from north to south.  That must have been the Googles.

My New Favorite Beer

I’m sure some of you have seen Phuket Beer at your local expensive food depots.  I got my six pack from Trader Joe’s in Fresno.  The name, of course, is what draws most people over to investigate.  Phuket (pronounced “Foo-Ket”) Lager Beer is by far, one of the most refreshing beers I have ever had.  It’s rather smooth, barely bitter, and overall a great drink.  It’s not expensive, being about the price of Coors Light or Budweiser per six pack.    I enjoyed my first Phuket today after a session of yardwork.  Maybe it was the overall refreshing factor involved in drinking a beer after working outdoors that made me like it so much.  However, I’m sure it would have tasted great either way.

Also, it’s 5% alcohol.  Can’t beat that.  Click on the bottle (if you haven’t already) to check out the Phuket website.

Equal Opportunity

Gizoogle is the best thing ever.

Check out MRoDT after its been “translated.”

Amusing Video (for me)

I’m just glad I’m not like any of those “instructors.” I have never had a kid pull some shit like that, and I certainly wouldn’t be screaming “FUCK IT! FUCK IT!” That guy cracks me up.

I wanna party with these monkeys!

Totally got to vote for Obama

If you’ll notice, Senator Obama is enjoying El Yucateco hot sauce. He’s got my vote.

Maybe he’s not using the hot sauce, but the fact that he found a taco joint with both the green AND red Yucateco makes him my hero.