My Sick Mind

LONDON (Reuters) - James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover" is the song most requested at British funerals and remembrance services, closely followed by Robbie Williams's "Angels," according to a survey released on Monday. I guess that beats AC/DC's "Hells Bells"? ------------------------------------------- NEW YORK (Reuters) - A canned energy drink called "Cocaine" being sold in New York grocery stores has infuriated the city's mayor who says its brand name celebrates the use of a dangerous drug. Yes, we wouldn't want to do that. How about if you sold fake cigarettes and called them "Gasoline"? ------------------------------------------ JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian police have slapped a cordon around a huge landmark Banyan tree in the capital after members of a Muslim youth group attacked it to prove it had no special mystical powers. It seems to be working. Thousands of people think a tree is mystical. Jeje Zainu...

Among the gory details of the Amish school shooting that were released in today's newspaper was a statement from Marie Roberts, the killer's wife. She described him as a "loving spouse and a caring father, not a homicidal killer". That's odd, since the one thing he is is a homicidal killer. Isn't that always the way with these types of stories? Neighbors, friends and family describe the guy as a good man and an asset to society. Just once, I'd like to read something honest from the people who are supposed to know best. Here’s a conversation I’d like to see printed in the newspaper: REPORTER : What kind of guy was he? NEIGHBOR : He was kind of an oddball. I used to see him in the back yard practicing ax throwing. It seemed a bit strange, since he was legally blind and all. REPORTER : And you, ma’am, you were married to him for ten years. Ever notice anything out of the ordinary? WIFE : Oh sure. He used to wake me up at night screaming like a bansh...

The population of the United States will hit the 300 million mark sometime this month. Thankfully, we are not at all alike. Sadly, the least among us make the most noise. Whether it is petulant football players, whining celebrities, corrupt politicians or just a random nut-case who decides that his life is best lived when acting out in the theater of life. The details are still coming as fast as the bullets, but the short version is this (from Yahoo News) : NICKEL MINES, Pa. - A milk-truck driver carrying three guns and a childhood grudge stormed a one-room Amish schoolhouse Monday, sent the boys and adults outside, barricaded the doors with two-by-fours, and then opened fire on a dozen girls, killing three people before committing suicide. At least seven other victims were critically wounded, authorities said. It was the nation's third deadly school shooting in less than a week, and it sent shock waves through Lancaster County's bucolic Amish country, a picturesque landscape o...

YouTube is like a big candy store for media addicts. There's a mixed metaphor for you. Type in a name and you'll find a video. I don't know where it all comes from, but it's there for us. They enable my addiction by providing the material. So far, it's free, which makes it even better. I was searching out a Lewis Black bit about candy corn for kimmyk , and ran across about a hundred Lewis Black rants on all sorts of things - advertising , Rick Santorum , traveling , video games , decency and even hot dogs and rollercoasters . Then, I found a little snippet of an interview he did on CNN to promote his book. Toward the end, he bitches about something that I've been bitching about for years - the junk at the bottom of the screen. I vented about it way back on April 6 . To his credit, he yelled loud enough that they actually took it off. It started (as he says) during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A quarter of the screen taken up by junk. Are w...

Another of the ancillary effects of the Thursday Thirteen (am I dwelling?) are the responses I got to my rather quirky list of quirks. Although I wasn't surprised to find many comparisons to a certain Mr. Monk, I was interested in the response to one particular quirk. The peeing in public. Since almost al l of the TT participants were women, allow me to educate my readership on the issues involved with men peeing both standing and in the company of other men. For me, it is the company that is the issue, as I have been peeing standing for almost five decades. As my female bloggers may not know, there are significant issues involved in peeing in the company of men. So much so, that it even as a medical term attatched to it. Paruresis ...also known as pee shy, shy kidney, bashful bladder or shy bladder syndrome is a type of social anxiety disorder , that can affect both men and women, in which the sufferer is unable to urinate in the (real or imaginary) presence of others, such as in...

In the aftermath of the tumult and glory that is the Thursday Thirteen , I found myself wondering about what I would post on Friday. The TT is a difficult act to follow, especially when one considers that it gifted me with over 100 unique visitors between late Wednesday and Thursday. To all who viewed and posted, thanks , even though some of you may not return until next Thursday. And thanks, Carmen , for the link to the little boxy thingy at the bottom. It was worth the effort. Meanwhile , I scoured the news in search of a muse when, to my amazement, right there in my e-mail box was an ad for Abercrombie and Fitch , a store that I shop in when either drunk or stupid, since the prices of the clothes are way too much for my meager income and tastes. [My preference is the clearance rack at American Eagle or Aeropostale ] . Sometimes the most obvious place becomes the last place we look. The ad I received was for the new Abercrombie shirts for men and sweaters for women. I like ...

Thirteen Little Quirks Don't Judge 1. Shaking Hands. I'm starting to get a little goofy about shaking hands. When a stranger shakes my hand, I am uneasy until I can find a chance to wash. 2. Door Handles. Likewise. I usually grip the handle someplace where I think others aren't. When I can, I push with my elbow or closed fist. I don't get sick much, either. 3. I trim my underarm hair. I think that's good for everyone involved. 4. Change . I almost never use change. If something is $1.01 and I have a nickel, they're not getting it. Take a penny, leave a penny? Go ahead, I have a change jar to maintain. 5. Penmanship and spelling. A high priority. If you saw my handwriting, you would know what I mean. Strangers compliment me on it. I look at it as both artwork and a courtesy to the people I'm communicating with that they can read and comprehend whan I'm doing. The downside is that I can never get away with anything based on not being able to read my handw...