Wednesday, July 13

Second City Network Takes on the Bachmann's



I saw this on Joe. My. God. Blog.  Priceless! 

Uploaded by on Jul 13, 2011
Written and Directed by Andy Cobb http://www.twitter.com/andycobb
Produced by Jeph Porter
http://www.twitter.com/jephporter

Tuesday, July 12

Happy Birthday Karlye-Out with Co-Workers

Stephanie, Me, Sara and Rassi
Sara and Karlye
A group of people from my office went out to Masa 14 in NW DC.  It is a Latin-Asian Fusion restaurant and I must say the food was great.  It is  served Tapas-style.  The best thing on the menu by far was the Crunchy Shrimp.  I also tried the Barbecued Salmon, the Brisket, the Wings, and a variety of other foods.  I also had a a Mojito and several Vodka Strawberry Lemonades.  It was a fun night.  Happy 25th Birthday Karlye.

Monday, July 11

First Lady Criticized for Eating a Fattening Lunch


The Washington Post reported today the calorie count of First Lady Michelle Obama's lunch.  Slow news day?  She went to the new Shake Shack in DC and ordered a burger, fries, a shake, and a diet soda  with a reported calorie count of 1,700 calories.  There is no report that she actually ate all those calories, but she drew criticism for promoting her children's health initiative and not following her own advice.

Certain Republicans have also been critical of her health and nutrition initiative, citing that it was not government's place to tell parents how to raise their children.  Of course, the government has been doing similar things for decades.  Ever heard of the President's Council on Physical Fitness?  It was begun back in the 1950s by Republican Dwight Eisenhower.

As a side note, I've heard about the Shake Shack and I'm dying to give it a try.

Sunday, July 10

My Triplet Nieces Turn 21-Kelly, Megan and Nicole

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLS!!!
Megan, Nicole, and Kelly from today.

Kelly, Megan, and Nicole



At the top of the Eiffel Tower.




That's their mom and Shane.


Saturday, July 9

Michele Bachmann Signs Anti-Gay Pledge


Crazy Tea Party Darling Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was the first GOP Presidential candidate to sign an anti-gay pledged on Thursday.  The pledge entitled, The Marriage vow: A Declaration of Dependence Upon Marriage and Family, was started by a conservative group called the The Family Leader, which asked all the presidential candidates to sign.  Bachmann couldn't wait.

The pledge declares homosexuality a choice and that gay marriage is putting the institution of marriage "in great crisis."  It also says homosexuality may have a negative impact on public health.  How can anyone with a brain support the views of this horrible person? This horrible person could be the GOP nominee for president of the United States.  I hate that there are millions of people out there that support her nonsense.  Damn you Fox News.

The anti-gay pledge comes right on the heels of news about the congresswoman's husband, Dr. Marcus Bachman, who runs a Christian counseling center that tries to turn gays straight, and his strange views about homosexuality.  He calls gay barbarians that should be disciplined.  Ironically, the views got less comments about the content than it did about the presentation and the gaydar it set off with the doctor's lispy, effeminate voice.  Could he be another self-hating Republican gay who thinks that he shouldn't act on his inclinations or god will be mad?  

Just because he sounds gay doesn't mean he is gay.  All stereotypes are not true.  But come on.  Any guesses how long before he is arrested in a men's room playing footsie with Larry Craig? Get a load of the video running during the interview below of the good doctor dancing.


Ironically, while the congresswoman preaches about the evils of socialism and government spending, she and her family have collected $251,000 in farm subsidies over 14 years.  Also, Dr. Bachmann clinic has collected Medicaid payments of $137,000 since 2005.  Asswipes. 

Friday, July 8

People of Walmart-Chewbacca Attacks


I kind of feel bad having a link to the People of Walmart site on my blog list, cause I feel that it is humor at the expense of a certain class of people.  But the photos are usually pretty funny.  I can't discriminate against funny.  How can you not laugh at a woman that has that hair-doo?

Thursday, July 7

Andrew Lloyd Webber Taking Over Broadway

A Broadway Critic Blog had a post today about Andrew Lloyd Webber taking over Broadway next season by having possibly five shows on the Great White Way.  Phantom of the Opera, which is edging near it 10,000th performance and has been playing since 1986, shows no signs of decline.


Also opening next season is the sequel to Phantom, Love Never Dies, revivals of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, and a new Webber production of the Wizard of Oz.  We were a bit disappointed that our favorite Webber production wasn't being revived--Sunset Boulevard.  We saw a production of it years ago in Atlanta with Petula Clark and have been obsessed ever since.  When is it coming back to Broadway?

Wednesday, July 6

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #294


Just don't mention his freakishly long ankles.

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #294.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.  

Tuesday, July 5

Tot Mom Not Guilty-Nancy Grace, Not So Much

What Happened???
The country has been obsessed the summer over the murder trial of Casey Anthony.  I haven't really understood why everyone cared.  Today Anthony was found not guilty of first-degree murder of her young daughter.  Considering there was only circumstantial evidence linking her to the crime, it is not hard to understand why a jury came to this conclusion.

The real crime was a certain loud-mouth exploiter TV personality that convicted Anthony of the crime every night on her obnoxious cable news program.  Nancy Grace's self-rightious attitude and judgmental rants are beyond belief.  Is this a Saturday Night Live sketch or a real person?  Grace is biased, rude, bitchy, and basically just a horrible clown.  Does anyone take her seriously?  Really?  Really?  She is just bananas. Am I the only person that sees this?

Just as an aside.  I do think Casey Anthony killed her child, but I don't think there was enough evidence to  convict her.  I don't think it was a drowning accident.  She may not have intended to kill her child, but if it was an accident, it was a happy accident.  It was crazy for the State to go for first-degree murder.  There was not enough evidence.   

Monday, July 4

Happy Independence Day!


Nothing says Happy Birthday America more than a Photoshopped fireworks photo showing an impossible shot of the Washington Monument right next to the Capitol.  They are not this close.

Sunday, July 3

Big Brother 13 Countdown Begins

Big Brother 13 debuts on CBS TV Thursday night, July 7.  You remember Big Brother, right?  It's the show that gets horrible people together in a house to try and win $500,000.  I know that it is a complete waste of time, but I can't seem to stop watching.  What is your hold over me BB?

The new house guests have been announced.  Click here for a complete rundown.  In addition to the eight new house guests, CBS has a poll on its Web site asking people to choose which couples from previous shows they want to see back in the house again.  My only hope is that Jesse and Natalie are not among them.  I don't think I could stomach them any more.

Below are the new guys:


Adam Posh is a 39-year-old music inventory manager originally from East Brunswick, New Jersey.  He says he has a girlfriend back home.


Dominic Briones is a 25-year-old college student originally from San Mateo, California.  He too appears to be heterosexual. 


Keith Henderson is a 32-year-old human resources manager originally from Bolingbrook, Illinois.  Also a straight man.  


Lawon Exum is a 39-year-old legal file clerk originally from Urbana, Illinois.  He considers his fashion sense "sick."  Gee... I wonder who the gay guy is.  

Saturday, July 2

A Tasting at Linden Vineyard in Virginia


Shane and I met up with our friends Paul and Warren at Linden Vineyard in Linden, Virginia, about 75 minutes by car from DC.  Paul and Warren treated us to two tastings and lunch with a bottle of wine.  The photo above is me at the cellar tasting.  It really is a beautiful place in the rolling mountains of western Virginia.  It was the perfect way to start our weekend.  Thanks Paul and Warren!

The barrels in the cellar tastings decorated with tea lights. 

Warren explains the taste of pencil shavings in
wine to Paul, who mistakes it for diesel fuel.

Amazing view from the deck of the vineyard.

Even the parking lot is pretty!

Friday, July 1

Friday Night Cocktail-Sweet Emily

Sweet Emily
We went out to dinner to the Chesapeake Room on 8th Street on Capitol Hill.  Of course I had a cocktail--a Sweet Emily.  Here is the description:  House-infused lemon vodka, muddled strawberries, fresh lemon juice, and a dash simple syrup. Ironically, it wasn't that sweet at all.  It was kind of bland.  Oh well.  At least it was pretty.  The food was good though.

Thursday, June 30

Goodbye and Good Riddance Glenn Beck



Today was Glenn's last day on his Fox News show, which he got fired from for being too loony for Fox News.  Who knew that was possible.  Unfortunately, I'm sure he will still be on something somewhere spewing his bullshit.  Please don't feel any obligation to watch all of this, as it can be bad for your blood pressure.

Wednesday, June 29

Where In the World Is Shane? Seattle!


Shane is on a business trip to Seattle this week.  Actually, he is on his way home today.  He had a few hours on Sunday when he first arrived, so he headed directly to the Space Needle where he had the cheesy, fake looking photo taken above.  Below are some more realistic photos he took with his iPhone from the top of the Needle and at the Gay Pride festivities going on in downtown Seattle.  His cab driver at first told him he couldn't take him to the Space Needle because of the Gay Pride Festival going on.  He told him to get him as close as he could.  It is interesting to compare the size of Mount Rainier in the fake photo above and the real photo of the view from the Needle shown below. 

Shane on top of the Space Needle
View from the Needle showing Mt. Rainier

Participants in the Seattle Gay Pride Parade.
Notice the rainbow flag on the Space Needle.
Gay Pride in a sunny Seattle

Tuesday, June 28

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #293


It's going much faster since he got a shovel.

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #293.  My original idea for this one was to just leave in the same caption from last week and see if anyone noticed.  It was:  "No, we don't have any Grey Poupon either."   Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.  

Monday, June 27

Where In the World Is Shane?


Shane is on the road again and this is a photo he sent me of the view from his hotel room.  Can you guess where in the world Shane is?  There just may be an amazing prize.  Maybe.

Sunday, June 26

Qrank Strategies to Maximize Points


As I have mentioned before, I love playing Qrank on my iPhone.  It was named one of my Top 10 Favorite Apps.  It is a daily trivia game that Shane also has recently begun playing.  I was trying to explain to him some of the strategies I use to maximize my scores.  I thought I would share them here also.

Before I even open Qrank to play, I check on Twitter for Qrank's "Hint of the Day."  Sometimes it helps, and sometimes not.  There is also another hint on Facebook, but I never check on that one.

Each day there are four categories of 20 questions, though you only answer 15 questions during a game. There are 8 easy questions worth 200 points, 8 medium questions worth 400 points, and 4 hard questions worth 1,000 points.  Behind three of the questions is a 3X and two 2Xs.  The point value of those questions is multiplied by 3 or 2 times their normal value.  There are also 5 "Power-Ups," which are helps available to use during the game and found on the bottom of the screen.

Reveal Bonuses Powerup IconReveals bonuses hidden behind question in one row

To begin each game, I use two of the "Power-Ups" at the start.  The first lets you select a row of questions to see if there is a 3X or 2X bonus hidden.  I always choose the second row of the easy questions.  Because you only answer 15 of the 20 questions, I only answer 3 of the easy questions to maximize the number of points I can get.

Reveal Subject Powerup IconReveals the subject categories for one row

The second help I use reveals the subject categories for one row.  I always choose the top row of the easy questions.  The only advantage this give is that if there is a category I am not particularly good at, namely Sports, I can avoid it.  Because I always answer all the medium and difficult questions, it doesn't matter where the bonuses or what the categories are in those sections.

Freeze Timer Powerup OconFreezes timer for 10 seconds
Reveal Percentages Powerup IconReveals how other players answered this question
Eliminate Wrong Answers Powerup IconEliminates two wrong answers
I use the other three "Power-Ups" for the 1,000 point hard questions, especially if they have a 3X or 2X bonus.  The snowflake freezes the timer.  When the answers appear after the some time to read the question, the longer you take to answer the question, the lower the points.  The snowflake gives you 10 extra seconds, and when the question is worth 3,000 points, that can be very helpful to your score.

You can use the other two "Power-Ups," if you need to, in concert with the snowflake.  The percent symbol shows you how others have answered the question.  This is not always helpful, as many times a majority of the people get a question wrong.  The other help eliminates 2 wrong answers, which makes a total guess much easier.

Another symbol that may be helpful is the small leaf on some of the questions.  It lets you know that question is about current events.  If you keep up with current events, this might be a question you can answer.  However, it is a trivia game, so some of the current events are a bit obscure.

Friend me on Qrank by searching for "BlueSpongeRun."  Good Luck!

Saturday, June 25

Something Done about Missing Maine

On Tuesday, I posted about how we were missing Maine and we decided to see if our favorite place to stay in Maine, Moose and Squirrel, was available for the week we were available to go.  We found out the owner was not renting out the house at all this season.  It was a real bummer.  We love that place.  This will be the week of my 50th birthday, so it would have been nice if we could have stayed there.  Waaaa Waaaah...


Instead of giving up, we started looking for another place.  One of the problems is that we already have plans to go to New York City for the last part of that week, so we can only rent a place from Saturday to Thursday.  Long story short... we found the Upper Weiss Cottage (pictured above) on Little Deer Isle, Maine.  We will arrive on Saturday, July 29.

It is described as a rustic cabin with unsurpassed views, including water views of Penobscot Bay and its many islands.  It has private beach access and ample acreage.  It has relaxing open areas and meandering wooded trails to explore.  It sounds like a perfect place to get away and relax.  It is also near the nice restaurants of Blue Hill, and the house has high-speed Internet.  What more do we need?



How to Celebrate Gay Marriage in NY-Liza!



To celebrate the start of marriage equality for same sex couples in New York, I thought having Liza sing New York, New York from gay Paris would be fitting.  Congrats New Yorkers!!!