The Contemplative Squirrel

Which is the name of my new 00’s emo tribute band.

Slouching Towards August's End: A Rainbow Over Central Market

I'm not gonna lie. It's been hard blogging during the ass end of August. So enjoy this Isaac induced rainbow over my favorite grocer.

Music Monday: Old 97s–Oppenheimer

Since they didn’t play it at House of Blues Friday, I’ll go ahead and play it here.  Sorry about the poor quality.  It was the best I could find.

 

On the next Music Monday…

Local Musician Performs for his Favorite Blogger / Eyewear Fashion Icon

As chronicled here, this dude likes my glasses.

 

Photo courtesy of KatG.

This Has Never Been More True in the Entire History of Truth

 

Reason.com has this great article about how the other side must absolutely not win the upcoming election since this is the most important election in the history of, like, ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The past several weeks have made one thing crystal-clear: Our country faces unmitigated disaster if the Other Side wins.

No reasonably intelligent person can deny this. All you have to do is look at the way the Other Side has been running its campaign. Instead of focusing on the big issues that are important to the American People, it has fired a relentlessly negative barrage of distortions, misrepresentations, and flat-out lies.

and also

My Side has produced a visionary program that will get the economy moving, put the American People back to work, strengthen national security, return fiscal integrity to Washington, and restore our standing in the international community. What does the Other Side have to offer? Nothing but the same old disproven, discredited policies that got us into our current mess in the first place.

Don’t take my word for it, though. I recently read about an analysis by an independent, nonpartisan organization that supports My Side. It proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that everything I have been saying about the Other Side was true all along. Of course, the Other Side refuses to acknowledge any of this. It is too busy cranking out so-called studies by so-called experts who are actually  nothing but partisan hacks. This just shows you that the Other Side lives in its own little echo chamber and refuses to listen to anyone who has not already drunk its Kool-Aid.

 

This is why I’m voting a straight Whig party ticket this year.  If I’m going to waste my vote, at least I’ll be doing it for a party that has a name that makes me giggle.

Urban Hiking: White Rock Lake

 

White Rock Lake VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

In preparation of my impending Walkabout I decided it would be a good idea to hike the nine miles around White Rock Lake and take a bunch of pictures.  Poor Zoe isn’t used to so much walking.  She’s barely moved all of Monday.

Music Monday: They Might Be Giants’ “They’ll Need A Crane”

This is my favorite song from one of my all-time favorite acts – nerdy funsters  They Might Be Giants.  Please pay close attention to how quintessentially 80s this video is.  From the Retard-Dance-Party gyrations of the singer and his hair, the inexplicable cuts to old guys playing guitar, you can almost hear Martha Quinn intro-ing this song.

 

On the next Music Monday….

Area Dog Thinks She’s Christ-like

Getting Ready for Walkabout 2012

Whelp, we are now exactly one month away from that time of year again where I travel to exotic locales in order to find myself*. 

Five years ago I embarked on my first Walkabout.  In this inaugural Walkabout I drove from Dallas to Seattle and back; stopping off at as many National Parks as I could.  Why it seems like just yesterday in which I battled the elements while lost in Sequoia National Park and battled the horrible food of the Village Inn.

For Walkabout 2012:  Yet Another Return to Seattle, This Time It’s Personal, I will again be traveling by automobile again to Seattle, but taking a much different route.  The currently planned schedule is the following:

Date		Destination
Friday Sep 14		Amarillo
Saturday Sep 15		Grand Junction CO
Sunday Sep 16		Arches NP
Monday Sep 17		Salt Lake City
Tuesday Sep 18		Boise
Wednesday Sep 19		Bend OR
Thursday Sep 20		McMinnville OR
Friday Sep 21		Portland
Saturday Sep 22		Seattle
Sunday Sep 23		Seattle
Monday Sep 24		Spokane
Tuesday Sep 25		Glacier NP
Wednesday Sep 26		Glacier NP
Thursday Sep 27		Bozeman
Friday Sep 28		Yellowstone NP
Saturday Sep 29		Yellowstone NP
Sunday Sep 30		Jackson
Monday Oct 01		Casper
Tuesday Oct 02		Mount Rushmore
Wednesday Oct 03		Colorado Springs
Thursday Oct 04		Amarillo
Friday Oct 05		Dallas

 

So I know what you must be thinking.  “Those are some kick-ass places to visit.  I sure wish I could join Steve and bask in not only his beauty but also that of our American wilderness.”

Well, you can.  If there is a portion of this trip that intrigues you and you just gotta see** then leave a comment or email me or call me or text me or message me on Twitter or leave a note on my car and let me know. 

And if you don’t want to join me, but know of a “oh shit man, you need to check this place out” spot on my route, please also let me know of that as well.

 

 

---

* By “find myself”, I mean stuff delicious foods and beverages into my delicious foods and beverages hole.
** Seriously, who doesn’t want to see Amarillo?

The Internets Bring the Funny

I haven’t been able to extract much comedy from Breaking Bad the past few weeks.  Luckily the interwebs have provided this comedic gold.

BREAKING BAD SPOILER!!!

Don’t watch this unless you’re all the way caught up.

70s PBS Star Julius Sumner Miller

When I was a child, and I had a fever and my hands felt just like two balloons, I would always watch this guy on channel 13.

And I promise this will be the last science Tuesday.
At least until I find something worthy of sharing.

Music Monday: Van Morrison, Astral Weeks

One of the coolest experiences of my life was being at this very concert in which Van Morrison played the entire Astral Weeks album in entire entirety in the Hollywood Bowl.

If you’re interested, I’m the dude standing in the back of the aisle on the right side.

 

On the next Music Monday…

Area Dog Thinks She’s Invisible

Now Will You Stop Drinking That Horrifying Skim Milk

And don’t even get me started on the truly evil soy milk.

Sorry for even more science,  but the funny stuff is hard to come by this week.  And this is my blog and thus about the stuff that is of interest to me.  So if you want quarrel with me about what I post to my blog I say to you, kind sir:

GO START YOUR OWN FUCKING BLOG!

So please to enjoy Stephan Guyenet’s reviewing of  his recently published review of recent research about high fat dairy and its alleged link do obesity and heart disease.

 

 

Here are our basic findings:

• High-fat dairy consumption is not associated with obesity, in fact, 11 out of 16 studies found that higher dairy fat intake is associated with lower body fat and/or less fat gain over time.  None identified an association between high-fat dairy consumption and fat gain, although some did find an association between low-fat dairy consumption and fat gain.
• High-fat dairy consumption is not associated with poorer metabolic health.  Six of 11 studies found that higher high-fat dairy consumption is associated with better metabolic health, while only one found that it was associated with one marker of poorer metabolic health (and this study used an odd design). 
• The association between high-fat dairy intake and diabetes risk is inconsistent.  Zero of eight studies found that high-fat dairy consumption is associated with diabetes risk, and three found that it was protective.  However, three studies also found that low-fat dairy intake was inversely associated with diabetes risk, compared to no association with high-fat dairy, suggesting by inference that the fat content of the dairy could be harmful.  These studies all adjusted for body fatness.  Since body fatness is a key risk factor for diabetes, and dairy fat intake is inversely associated with body fatness, this is obviously a major confound.  We discussed this and other potential confounds in the paper.
• The evidence on cardiovascular disease is inconsistent, with a number of studies suggesting a protective association, a few suggesting a harmful one, and several suggesting no association.
• Dairy fat is a complex substance.  There are major differences in the fatty acid composition of dairy from pasture-raised vs. conventionally raised cows, and many of these fatty acids are bioactive and could influence human health.
• We also discuss the limitations of observational studies in some detail, and many other issues that I won't touch on here.

So stop pouring skim and soy in your coffees and join us cool kids and bask in the luxuriousnessitosity of heavy cream.

Twitterer of the Week: @NBCDelayed

As a response to NBC’s insistence on tape delaying until the evening the events that get the hausfraus watching, some comic genius has brought us this cavalcade of whimsy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• BREAKING: American colonists announce independence, King to respond.
• BREAKING: Mark Spitz wins gold in 100m freestyle
• Tune in tonight for the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Beijing#NBCFail
• BREAKING: Governor George W. Bush wins Florida, declared President-Elect. VP Gore to challenge.
• BREAKING: Dewey defeats Truman in landslide.
• BREAKING: Roman Emperor Theodosius bans Olympic Games, NBC delay to catch up shortly. #394AD
• Great Britain wins gold in Tug of War, event to be discontinued at Olympics #Antwerp1920
• CORRECTION: Dewey doesn't defeat Truman, Truman re-elected President.
• Sources: "The British are coming, the British are coming" re: Colonists declaring independence.
• BREAKING: Michael Jackson has died today at age 50.
• PROGRAMMING UPDATE: Unfortunately we are not able to delay Ryan Seacrest ... or keep him off the set.
• JUST NOW: Michael Phelps wins Gold for the 4th time.
• Jimmy Carter announces U.S. boycott of the Olympic games this year.
• SPOILER ALERT: London to host 2012 Olympics
• We can't take credit for developing delays. Public transit, the Postal Service, airlines and doctor offices pioneered delaying decades ago

More Richard Feynman

Uh oh.  More science on a Tuesday.

Music Monday: Wilco’s One Sunday Morning (A Song for Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)

The best twelve minute song you’ll listen to today.

 

On the next Music Monday

Highlarryass Internet Meme of the Month

 

Olympic divers on the toilet.

Yes, I’m a four year old.

H/T  @CheapBastard.

Great News for Dallas Cyclists

The bike path under the newly raised Northwest Highway is finally complete and we no longer have to make this annoying detour.

And I don’t know if you' noticed but this makes my 10th post of the week.  So yay me.

Breaking Bad Facebook Status: Hazard Pay

Wow, the show is getting really dark.  Gone are the lighthearted days of cutting your henchman’s throat open with a box cutter.  And this darkness is harshing my Facebook status mining.  It’s another light week.  If this doesn’t turn around soon, this will be declared a failed bit.

 

 

 

• Doesn’t need a fourth amigo.
• Wants to see Vamonos Pests at the Granada

Area Blogger Plagiarized by Slate.com

WTF Slate.  Can’t come up with your own topics???  Oh sure maybe it’s better researched and written, but still.

Read the whole stolen article here.

Who Has the Biggest Balls Ever?

These guys.

 

Sorry, Scott, you’ve been passed.

A Modest Proposal

The Junes* has often declared August as the worst month of the year.  So I say, let’s get rid of it.  We don’t need it.  We don’t like it.  So why keep it around?  All it does is get in the way of the much much better month of September.

 

 

And just look at all the horrible things August brings us:

• Balls-hot temperatures.
• Preseason football
• Rhythmic Gymnastics **
• Zero holidays
• First Battle of Curlew Pass.  So beaten down were these mighty warriors they had to try it a second time in a more accommodating month.

 

And what does August give in return for all that horror?  

• Shark Week!
• The less popular Shart Week, seven days later.
• Ironically it’s Happiness Happens month.***

I’m willing to do without all of that.

So please contact your Congressman, Mayor, Senator, Clergy, Neighborhood Watch Coordinator and Starbucks Barista  and tell them you’ve had enough of August and you want it gone next year.

 

* Probably a joke for only a hand-full of people.
** Every four years.
*** What?  Is February National Tanning Month?

Funny Alert!

The funniest live-action show* on the teevee is returning next week.  Do yourself a favor and get familiar with Childrens Hospital.

 

*The funniest show on the teevee is, of course, Archer.