Where is Pantera when you need them?

Unfortunately, many fans know the answer to that question.

Damn.

I saw Pantera live 8 times between 1992 and their demise. I would not hesitate to see them again, if only it were possible. 8 times was not enough.

I have seen many live shows. I spent more money going to concerts than I did on my first 2 cars combined (including service). There are other great live acts, but they are not Pantera. They didn't need lasers or pyrotechnics. Green lamps and randomly placed greenery are the only props I can recall.

And speaking of green lamps, everyone knew what they meant...

I wonder what a Pantera show would be like almost a decade after their peak. Could it possibly be as intense? I have no doubt it would be. Would the crowd still be as big? I have no doubt.

Oh well. Grab a bottle of bourbon and toast the old days. Here's to you, CFH.

How to recover from a workout

I don't have time to talk now, but I thought this was interesting.

Swallow This [NY Times]

here is another
easting to control type 2 diabetes

Return of the Bad Driver

I was driving through the parking lot at work today, and found another idiot driver. The parking lot is not bad. It has a main "road" going east/west and offshoots, each going one direction, either north or south. I am going east through the parking lot, going toward the row where I wanted to turn north. I see a car backing out of one of the spaces near the entrance. Like a good driver, I stop and wait for them. I wanted to make sure they had enough room to get out. But this idiot, instead of backing out of the parking spot, and going north with the flow of traffic, decided they wanted to back out of the spot, backwards down the road, and then back into the eastbound lane. I am sitting , and here comes the rear end of a Chrysler Pacifica right at me, not even trying to slow down. I laid on the horn, and they finally stop. (Too bad... I really would like a reason to get another car ;)) The worst part is that they then sit, in reverse, apparently waiting for me to get out of their way! WTF!!! Screw that! I just sit there, and they finally take a hint, and start driving. But, instead of going down the one-way road, they pull back into their parking spot. Whatever. Then, after I pass, they continue their journey in reverse. Idiot.

I know "the man" puts traffic regulations in place to "hold the driver down," and following the rules is lame. But sometimes, there is something above the law that people should consider - Courtesy. Yeah, it may have been another 100 feet to come out the back entrance instead of the front entrance, but you are already in a fucking car! You are not going to burn more than 2 calories pressing that accelerator pedal for 2 seconds.

I am going to start an Asshole Driver channel on YouTube or something and start posting videos of people being ridiculous. I think I can rig a video surveylence system in my car pretty inexpensively. Who knows.

Damn idiot drivers.

Amazon's text-to-buy

Amazon launches Text-Message Shopping (AP)

Amazon TextBuyIt, which launched late Tuesday, lets people text the name of a product, its description or its UPC or ISBN to 262966 (that's ''Amazon'' on the keypad) from anywhere their cell phones work -- including from inside physical stores.

Howard Gefen, director of Amazon mobile payments, would not directly answer when asked if the service is meant to extend Amazon's reach by poaching customers browsing at bookstores or big-box electronics retailers.

'We think this is a great experience. We think they'll use the product...wherever they happen to be,' he said.

You do not have to be at a store to know the UPC or ISBN of a product. You could be at a friends house, thinking "I like this CD, I think I want a copy." You could be at a library or at home with a library book and decide "I want a copy of this."

Next, they should incorporate the song recognition feature that some cellular carriers offer. "I like this song, I want it." Record a sample, send it to Amazon, and Voila! You bought the CD or the MP3.

Who am I kidding? I am the kind of guy that goes to the store, looks at the price, and then gets on my phone and searches the web for the best price. This makes my life easier because 8 out of 10 times, Amazon has the best price. Kudos Amazon!!

Phone Survey Fun

Answer: "I'm white, for the most part..." and "No I would not say it is my favorite. The radio station sucks..."
Question: What responses can you give a phone surveyor when she asks you about radio stations in Evansville, IN?


So I get a call from a phone survey company wanting to ask me about radio stations in Evansville, IN. The first time they called, I politely told them that there is nothing worth listening to in Evansville, and I would be no help. When they called back, I decided to let them know how I really felt.

"Who are you representing," I asked.
"Evansville Radio Stations."
"Which ones?"
"All of them."
"Who do you work for?"
"Wilkens [something or rather]." I had not heard of them, but then again, I have not heard of many companies that call for phone surveys.
"Who is the group who contracted you out? ClearChannel?" I believe ClearChannel owns about half the radio stations here.
"I don't know. I would not know that information." And I thought, that's probably true. $7 to $9 an hour probably doesn't warrant knowing or caring who you are working for.

At this point, I let her begin the barage of demographic questions. Age, gender, ethnictiy...
"Are you white or caucasion, black, latin american, asian, or pacific islander?" she asked.
"Yes." I was in that narrow group. Maybe writing software has altered my ability to parse English, but I believe "Yes" is a perfectly correct answer to the preceding question.
"Ughh, which one?" Wow, that was a very condescending tone.
"White, I guess, for the most part."
"[very annoyed grunt]"

The script went on. "We are collecting information from ...." blah blah blah.

"Do you listen to any broadcast radio stations on am, fm or satellite?"
"Not often."
"What do you listen to?"
"I listen to the Bob & Tom show. It is syndicated on one of the stations here."
"Which station?"
"I am not sure. GBF? I think..."
"Would you say that is your favorite station?"
"NO!! I would not say it is my favorite. The radio station sucks, just like every other radio station I have tried to listen to here."
"[Another very annoyed grunt]"
She snaps, "Thank you for your time," and quickly hangs up.

So why do these places call and ask for your opinion if they do not want your opinion? And why am I getting a different phone survey company each month? I think I may have had a couple before moving here. Now, I get them each month.

And what pissed me off is that I didn't get to talk about death metal. [later I'll post the conversation I had with a cold-call salesman trying to get me to buy a timeshare in Branson, MO]

Top food places

As I avoid doing work, I started thinking about the best places to get various food items. This list will probably change, but for now, here is what I am thinking.

Oriental Restaurant: House Of Hunan, Medina OH (With China Thai in Indianapolis as a close 2nd)
Ribs: Get Busy Ribs, Indianapolis, IN
Hamburger: Culvers Super Bacon Butter Burger Deluxe
Chain Restaurant (Sit-down): Max & Erma's
Southern Food: Firefly, Evansville, IN
Pizza Restaurant: Pizzazzio's, North East Ohio (Turronis in Evansville, IN as a very close 2nd)
Pizza: Your Way's Buffalo Chicken Pizza & Papa Murphy's Cowboy Pizza
Indian Restaurant: Garden of India, Indianapolis, IN
Mexican/Taco Chain: Qdoba
Soup: Max & Erma's Tortilla Soup
Wings: BW3s (I liked 7th St. Wings in Terre Haute when it existed)
Mexican Restaurant: El Sol de Tala, Indianapolis, IN
Beer: Upland Wheat

That is a good start. I am sure I'll refine this list. Maybe I'll even put all these places on a map and make this all Web 2.0-ish.

Learn to drive

Why do idiots think they can can just pull in front of you when you are walking? I cannot think of any state in the US where a car has the right to take the right-of-way from a pedestrian when they are on a sidewalk, even if it is an entrance to a parking lot. What is the advantage of cutting off a pedestrian anyway? You can drive around a look for a parking spot faster? "Let's make this guy stop (in the rain) and wait while I drive by!" Geesh, what a waste.

My theory to lower carbon emissions - kill stupid people.