Music Web Site

Found a neat little music tutorial web site thanks to Lifehacker.com.

MusicTheory.net is an interesting little site with really cool flash animations that teach everything from how to read music to building chords and progressions. There are also some nice trainers and some cool utilities. Check it out if you're wanting to teach yourself an instrument.

Mmmm Carcass!

Saw this item thanks to my friend John's blog (oops, I mean journal). This has got to be one of the best xmas gifts ever! Right up there with the karaoke deer head. If it wasn't so expensive I'd get one for my bald red-neck uncle.

Other news on the gift-giving font, I bought Terri a YOU PEEKED!!! I know, it's a bit expensive, but I think she'll really enjoy it!

We went over to one of our neighbor's house last night to drop them off a gift as a thank you for keeping an eye on the house while we drove out to Georgia last month for a funeral. When I walked inside, I was surprised to see no less than FOUR (4) fully decorated trees in the living room. In addition there were holiday decorations of every type in every square inch of that house. When we walked toward the back of the house we found... another tree! She also had so many decorations out on her counter that there was no space for anything else. In fact, when she offered Dee a cookie, she had to open the microwave to get it out. She had taken the snacks and stuff that would have normally been kept on the counter and stored them in the microwave because the counter space was taken up by a village diarama. I really feel sorry for her husband. I think he could see that I was kind of staring wide-eyed at the whole scene and kept offering "this is all HER stuff." Poor guy. He kind of reminds me of Richard from "Keeping up Appearances." Don't get me wrong, she's a nice lady and all and a great neighbor, but DAMN!

Ignorance is Bliss

It must be true that ignorance is bliss because so many people seems content to wallow in their ignorance.

For years I have always tried to help people think more critically. When someone spouts out some nonsense I try to point them in the right direction, lead them to a reliable source of information or get them to think critically about the issue.

And every time I do it's a fight. They argue with the plain data placed right in front of their nose. They counter with anecdotal evidence. They've always got a friend-of-a-friend who swears that their second cousin's husband's aunt's boyfriend is a certified expert in the field and so it must be true.

WELL I'M SICK OF IT!

From now on these people can wallow in their ignorance and be blissfully happy with themselves. I'm tired of trying to educate these fucking morons! If they're too stupid or lazy to do a little research or even read a smegging book, then I've got no use for them. The only person I've got any responsibilities to educate is my daughter. The rest of them can just fuck off.

We had a holiday party recently. After the party, one of my friends came around pulling the tabs off all the cans. When I asked what she was doing, she said that she had a friend that collected them. I asked why. I don't remember exactly what her reply was but basically the tabs was perceived as having more value than the rest of the can. When I tried to point out that that was an urban legend and that the tabs were made from the same aluminum as the can, another person piped up that she was right. He knew this because the people at the VFW (or somewhere) had a huge jar full of them and that "the guy" at the recycling place said they were worth more. Again, I tried to point out that that wasn't the case and offered to send him a link to a site that would explain it. He replied, "oh? On the internet, huh?" As if to say that I was an idiot for believing something that I read on the internet. So I asked him if he'd rather have it in a book. He said, "yeah." So obviously he believes that if it's printed in a book it must be true and if it's on the internet, it must be false. Great deductive reasoning there, fellah! (probably watches too much Bill O'Reilly)

Incidentally, if you want to read about the can tabs, here are some links:

http://www.snopes.com/business/redeem/pulltabs.asp

http://www.encorpinc.com/cfm/index.cfm?It=913&Id=1&Se=22

http://www.nkfi.org/factsheets/Tabsfact.html

Incidentally I got these links from doing a google search for "aluminum pull tabs." Try it: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=aluminum+pull+tabs

Recycled Souls

Theologians to ask Pope to suspend limbo?

Apparently Limbo just isn't a hot seller for the Catholic church anymore. So they've been looking for an alternative. It seems that Pope John Paul asked a commission to basically make up something else!

Isn't that as good as admitting that they just pull most of this stuff out of an orifice that they have to stand up to access?

So presumably they'll come up with some explanation on how unbaptized babies actually get a free pass and are admitted into heaven or how their souls are recycled and born into new bodies so that they have a chance at experiencing the whole born-in-sin/salvation shtick.

Speaking of which I should let Dave Barry know that "Recycled Souls" would be a good name for a rock band (WBAGNFARB).

Oh, wait... never mind.. it already is... Recycled Souls