Besides Halloween October can be a pretty busy month. It has two major Jewish holidays. It is Breast Cancer Awareness month (that’s why you are seeing all that pink out there - I’m saving my Yoplait lids, even though I should not be eating it), I believe Canadian Thanksgiving falls in this month, and it is National Adopt a Shelter Dog month. So if you are looking for a family pet, please check out your local shelters or rescues before heading to a pet store or breeder. Doing so you will be saving a life and not supporting puppy mills both at the same time. Plus most breed specific rescues out there will make sure to get you the right animal for your family. And you’ll get the piece of mind knowing that the dog has been well taken care of and socialized by some one that really loves them. I have seen these groups in action they truly do love the animals they are fostering until a new loving owner comes along. If you can’ t find a rescue locally most of these groups will do what they can to get your pet to you safely. So please check out rescues before resorting to a pet store no matter what month you are looking for a pet not just during National Adopt a Shelter Animal Month.
Speaking of Halloween, my best friend is having her annual party, which is usually friends and family just a small gathering. When I spoke to her about going to see Sweeney Todd, which is why we are not going to have a party since my housemate is in the show, she voiced her concerns about what foods to serve. I told her not to worry about me that I can fend for myself besides a I’ll have ye ole eppy pen with me just in case. Besides I just bought my costume. Okay so it is a spider-man uniform t-shirt that I’ll be able to wear any time. I know she has six dogs (yes I said six dogs) and that she serves things I am allergic to like carrots and celery (and now soy) but it is tradition and I won’t miss it just because I can’t eat.
We recently discovered a little restaurant in the middle of town called the Marvel Ranch. It is at 4th and Penn in downtown Reading. We have been driving by this place for twenty odd years and thought it was a closed down dive. Well it isn’t either of those things.
The outside does present itself as a dive and perhaps the inside isn’t much better, but the food is good and inexpensive. It has a homey feel like Mel’s in Alice’s Restaurant. (We haven’t gone in enough times to know if The Marvel Ranch has its own version of Flo or not. But the locals and regulars add plenty of color and character to the overall atmosphere even without a Flo in the mix.)
The hours at the Marvel are a bit odd (this is why we assumed it was no longer in business). They open real early to catch the folks heading off to work something like 5:30 or 6: 00 (you won’ t catch me up that early). Then close around I:00 pm and 12:00pm on Sundays. You can get their entire menu at any time. So if you want a burger at 6 am you can get it or if you want the Marvel Mess at noon you can get that too. What is the Marvel Mess? It is an omelet that is pretty much a Marvel Ranch exclusive. It includes scrambled eggs, cheese, potatoes, ham, onions, and peppers all served up in a heap on your plate for only a few dollars. The also serve a smaller portion called the mini marvel mess. A stack of 3 pancakes is under 3 dollars.
Next time you find yourself in Reading in the morning looking for a good place for breakfast or an early lunch check out this hidden treasure that’s just across the Penn Street bridge. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. I know we were.
Apparently Pennsylvania is trying to pass a new law that will have truckers up in arms and I am right there with them. The new laws say that no large vehicle will be able to sit and idle for more than five minutes at a time. WTF? Running the engine is the only way for them to cool or heat their cabs (you know their homes). And what about traffic? Will they be fined for sitting in traffic?
This is just one more stupid law on the PA books. We can put that one right next to the headlights on while driving in a work zone (I have never seen anyone stopped for that one) and the new no smoking laws that businesses are ignoring or circumventing any way.
This is one of the coolest plush toys since the Black Knight from Monty Python’s Holy Grail (which is also available at ThinkGeek). These clever geeks over at ThinkGeek made these super cuddly, scarey, creepy little Zombies that you can rip to shreds.
But the best part about this product might just be their marketing and the demo video they made. Check it out below it is worth it. (I have to say the folks over there are just crazy — looks like a place I would like to work — pretty sure I would fit right in with the wackos.)
So here is another I Want It Wednesday post that just might wind up being something I do eventyally get.
The following is a complaint about the current state of my underwear. No it is not old and ratty look rather the opposite as I just bought them. I always buy Hanes underwear, Hanes hi-cut briefs to be exact. (I know TMI.) Over the past few years I have only bought their sporty briefs. They were super comfy and had a nice big waistband. This time when I went to buy new undies I can no longer find them not anywhere. Disappointed I assumed their regular hi-cut briefs will be the same as they have always been just the narrower waist band. Wrong they are now these no-rise hi-cuts.
I never had any kind of problem with their old style under garments. I purchased the same size I have been purchasing for the last 15 years (even though their size chart says I should get the next size up). But in the past the big baggy under parts would ride up. If I bought the size smaller all was fine with a nice
snug fit.
Now they are too tight in the legs and the waist sits lower. Don’t even get me started on their comfort soft line! The comfort soft are even worse in the legs and sit further down on my butt. If I wanted bikini briefs I would have bought them! They advertise those as having the most comfortable waistband ever. Funny thing is it is nowhere near your waist making them the most uncomfortable underpants ever. I really feel I’ll take them up on their guarantee and send all these uncomfortable undies back to them and letting them know I will never be buying Hanes again.
Now to start looking for alternatives to the new and very much unimproved Hanes. First up will be fruit of the loom. Here’s hoping they still know how to make a woman’s hi-cut brief. Bye-bye Hanes.
You may have seen Pennsylvania on the national news (I am pretty sure Dateline, Oprah or one of the other big news magazine shows did an expose on our dirty little secret - puppy mills). PA along with other states with large Amish populations have a great number of them running a new cash crop. That crop would be dogs. Now mind you it is not only the Amish who are making a quick buck on breeding dogs, but they are the most prominent in my area. Just driving down a one-mile stretch of road to my parent’s house I pass three such puppy mills. These poor puppies are expected to be someone’s pet but they are not properly cared for, are not healthy, not socialized and are just like any other crop to these people.
Please do not buy your next dog from a pet store or off a farm. Inspect the breeder carefully, do your research and visit the pups as they develop with their mother. If you do you’ll get a happier and much healthier animal for your family.
For more information please visit united against puppy mills. org or the Humane Society’s website. If you are in PA please contact your senator to make sure that House Bill 2525 gets past passed. My Senator Mike O’ Pake voted yes on the dog legislation according to the letter I received from his office in response to my email. So please take a minute out of your day to write an email, make a phone call or mail a letter (yes snail mail still works in this country and is some times more affective than electronic mail - yeah, the e stands for electronic). And get your own ribbon to support the cause.
As Sen. O’ Pake’s letter states, “These dogs will receive the proper and humane treatment that they deserve.” This is a good victory for pet lovers and will certainly help in the senators bid for re-election next month.
I am sitting here working on my posts watching Batman: Returns and Batman and Catwoman were in the middle of a big fight seen and my thoughts immediately go to Big Bang Theory. First I said something about counting catwomen and then I lower my voice and say “I’m Batman”. If you haven’t been watching Big bang Theory you might get either one of those jokes. They are both from the series premiere (I think it was three weeks ago). Funny stuff.
Sheldon and Leonard were talking about being a superhero as they were walking up the stairs and Sheldon said he could never be the Green Lantern without some one coming to him from the planet Oa and giving him a power ring but with enough start up capital and a research facility he could be Batman. Leonard just looks at him asking “You could be Batman?” Then Sheldon lowers his voice and says “I’m Batman. See?”
When we first saw this we almost died laughing. Especially since that was our biggest complaint about Batman: The Dark Knight.
It is true that you learn something new every day. (You may not know you learned and you might forget it soon after you learn, but you do.)
For me today I learned what 31337 was and no it isn’t the lottery numbers. I thought I was a geek, but there is a lot of geek speak I don’t know and this was one of them.
Turns out 31337 = elite. Get it ELEET. It can stand for ones greatness in just about anything from gaming to hacking and beyond.
In honor of National Coming Out Day (which is today by the way) I am watching Troma Films CRAZED. It is supposedly Kathy Bach (aka Daisy Dukes) only lesbian film. But like all Troma films it is totally whacked.
The synopsis from the Troma Entertainment website: The Troma Team is proud to present Crazed, a spine-tingling suspense thriller that plunges into the darkest depths of dementia.
Nicole (the legendary Leslie Caron, An American in Paris, Gigi), a reclusive widow who lives alone in her mansion with only her housemaids and butlers to keep her company, leads a decadent and lustful life. Using her volumptuous body and her vast fortune to manipulate those around her, Nicole is obsessed with controlling all the people in her life. When she finds love with a dashing suitor (Ramon Bieri, Sorcerer) and a friendship with a beautiful young aspiring dancer (Catherine Bach, “The Dukes of Hazzard”), Nicole begins to change for the better… until she suspects her new love may be cheating on her. Sanity takes a backseat and the blood begins to spill as Nicole slips into an alternate reality of violence, sex and paranoia.
Featuring Catherine Bach’s only nude scenes, Crazed is a deranged shocker which will leave you damaged.
This is one of the coolest skeleton tees I have seen in a long time (and I love the glow in the dark ones). This one is just so unique. Want to know what makes a clockwork man tick? You’ll see it with this cool shirt. Available now at your local ThinqueGeek Merchantile.
ThinkGeeks ubergeek description of this cool steampunk shirt:
Maybe you’re into the whole DIY bit of the Steampunk movement but you’re not quite ready to replace your ribs with copper tubing and your lungs with bellows. That’s where we come in. We’ve made a Steampunk cosplay t-shirt that lets you reveal your inner self without exposing any actual vital organs. Sure it doesn’t look quite as cool as being a steam-powered cyborg, but the pluses are that there’s no worrying about pressure gauges and less oxidation this way. Trust me. When you gotta get in there and scrub the tarnish off of the thoracic vertebrae, you’re going to need a second set of hands. It’s even worse than trying to dry your back. Especially if your hands are modded, too.
Steampunk-esque skeleton in shades of sepia on a black, 100% cotton shirt.
For those of us looking for a really unique steampunk costume for Halloween, but do not have the funds to buy all that fancy Victorian clothing ThinkGeek has come up with a few simple solutions for us. First up is the steampunk angel tee with glorious clockwork wings on the back (which can later be used as a blueprint to make actual mechanical wings when you have the funds).
