Oct 9th 2012 08:10 am Halftime activity


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
After viewing the headlines, I wasn’t going to read this story, but temptation got the best of me. A man in Miami died immediately after winning a cockroach-eating contest, sponsored by a pet shop that specializes in reptiles. Now, before you jump to any conclusions, entomologists have weighed in with the educated opinion that, absent outside bacteria or pathogens, there is nothing toxic about a cockroach or related bugs. Indeed, these were organic roaches, raised to feed the stock at Ben Siegel Reptile Store. No other contestants suffered any ill effects. First prize in the contest was a python, which will go to the deceased’s estate. I simply am reporting the salient facts of this story; I am not going out of my way to make light of someone’s misfortune. What I wonder is how anyone survives those hot-dog eating contests at Coney Island every 4th of July!

Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J

77 Responses to “Halftime activity”

  1. John in Richmond Texas on 09 Oct 2012 at 8:21 am #

    I just saw that story right before I clicked here, all those gluttonous face stuffing events sicken me, but at least insects are better for you than hot dogs. (but not tastier)

  2. billinbossier on 09 Oct 2012 at 8:40 am #

    For a free snake???? I don’t want any snake that has the potential to get over 10 ft. long anywhere near my house. I am just fine with my cat.

  3. Debbie in Alabama on 09 Oct 2012 at 8:41 am #

    I shared this link a couple of weeks ago, but because of today’s real time Arlo and Janis strip I wanted to send it out again.

    http://undergroundnewyorkpubliclibrary.com/

  4. Dave in MA on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:03 am #

    Not just any snake. One he could have sold for $850 !!!! :)

    And those hotdogs are made from organically farmed filler, how dare you disparage them. :)

  5. Ghost Rider 6 on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:04 am #

    Simply becoming the owner of a python would likely be fatal for me. I wouldn’t be able to resist naming it “Monty,” and one of my pun-hating friends would undoubtedly beat me to death.

  6. Ghost Rider 6 on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:14 am #

    billinbossier: Although I don’t know how well your cat would like your new python, I suspect your new python might like your cat.

  7. Mindy on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:30 am #

    Gee, we surely got a long way from a snuggle, didn’t we? Keep the roaches [please!], keep the snakes, keep the hotdogs…unless they’re Hebrew National which seem the only brand John and I can eat without terrible and prolonged aftereffects. Can I say a brand name in here?

  8. Mindy on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:31 am #

    P.S. If John wants to snuggle during halftime, he gets back to the game by the middle of the fourth period. Quarter. Whatever.

  9. Ghost Rider 6 on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:33 am #

    Mindy: Although I was busy yesterday and didn’t have time to devote to one of my razor-sharp analyses (for which I’ve become known and admired here at A&Jville) of how you “lean” your sundress, I later saw that John had cleared up the mystery. I think. In any case, I wish you “happy leanings.” Or should I wish that to John? ;)

    Arlo is a college grad. He should have learned the old quotation “Hell hath no fury like a woman worked in between the first and second halves of a football game.”

  10. Ghost Rider 6 on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:40 am #

    Mindy, when I read your P.S., a smart arse remark about the “two minute warning” instantly came to mind, but I just as instantly decided I owed it to myself not to make it. (Get John to explain it to you.)

  11. Tom from the Front Range on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:52 am #

    As a new (and returning) Florida Resident, I can tell you that cockroaches are not supposed to be menu items. These disgusting b*st*rds are only fit for being targets of brooms.

    Other news from the Florida west coast, the Tampa Tribune was sold yesterday for 9.5 million dollars. This is about the value of the newsprint in the warehouse. The TT is the only Media General newspaper that Warren Buffet did not purchase. That should tell you something.

    Its only redeeming feature is that it carries A&J seven days a week as opposed to its chief rival, the Tampa Bay (nee St. Petersburg) Times where it appears on Sunday only.

    I see this paper going the way of the N.O. Times Picayune which has become a three-day-a-week publication. In fact, there was a great tee shirt that said: SomeTimes Picayune.

  12. Dave in MA on 09 Oct 2012 at 10:03 am #

    Mindy, interesting about the Hebrew National dogs. Normally, I prefer the “chicken, pork, turkey” version of hot dogs as the “all beef” ones always seem to turn my stomach. Except, of course, the Hebrew National ones, which are fine. Very interesting in deed. :)

    2 minute warning? You want to stop the proceedings when there’s only 2 minutes left to all the fun?

  13. Bob, near Mark on 09 Oct 2012 at 10:36 am #

    Dave in MA,
    Hot dogs have the same effect on my stomach. I like hot dogs, especially the ones with natural casings, but I usually become slightly nauseous after eating them. Other types of sausage do not bother my stomach (other than to make it grow larger).

  14. Mindy from Indy on 09 Oct 2012 at 10:36 am #

    A truly smart man would have shut the tv off THEN find his mate.

    As for today’s current events … Bugs fear my wrath in 3 states. I don’t think so. But then again, I refuse to compete in anything demeaning for money. Sorry, my dignity is worth more than $850 USD.

  15. Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 09 Oct 2012 at 10:40 am #

    Philadelphia has a annual chicken wing eating contest, sponsored by the local sports-talk radio station. The winner gets a nice prize (often a new car and a championship ring) and the event fills the Wells Fargo Center with degenerates, er, fans, to watch the spectacle. The presence of exotic dancers who lead the contestants into the arena and large amounts of self-administered adult beverages certainly adds to its popularity. Did I mention all of this takes place on a Friday morning?

    Even more amazing than the amount of food the contestants eat during the contest is some of the eating stunts they perform on the radio station to qualify for the event. Instead of eating chicken wings, they will devour copious amounts of food within a set time period. Past contenders have eaten whole pizzas in three minutes, jars of Fluff, twenty cold Big Macs, a pound of cheese, a tub of mayonnaise, and two pounds of butter. The only rule during the qualifying and the actual contest is “You heave, you leave”.

    Surprisingly, no one has died during these Bacchanalia and few have had their stomachs reject the atrocities to which they are subjected.

  16. Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 09 Oct 2012 at 10:41 am #

    Mindy from Indy-

    So you demean yourself just for the fun of it? ;)

  17. Ghost Rider 6 on 09 Oct 2012 at 10:50 am #

    OK, I’ll start. I have an eBook reader (and I love it), for which I buy books and magazines from a certain large on-line purveyor of eBooks. (Sorry, debbie). That said, I also love paperBooks. And I don’t remember ever attempting to kill a fly with my eBook reader, a bound book or a paperback book. (The latter is too small anyway.)

    And that said, good joke, Jimmy!

    Note to Blinky: I do. :)

    Note to Lady Mindy: Good morning, sunshine! How’s the hair doin’ these days? :)

  18. Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 09 Oct 2012 at 11:05 am #

    Bob, near Mark & Dave in MA:

    As I have stated on this blog before, I have not had a hot dog since 1965. For me, it is the “gift that keeps on giving” that turns me off. I can eat beer brats, but if it is a Kielbasa, I potitely decline.

    My wife just published another book “Devotion”(you can click my name if you are interested) that is one of the rare ones that will end up in a brick and motar bookstores. Nearlly all of her books are available on e-books. Whe she first started out with her current publisher about 3 years ago, there was still many who did not have an e-reader, but most of her sales are now e-books.

    There are a few drawbacks to the kindle, but being able to carry multiple books in a slim case and increase the size of he font outweigh the disadvantages.

  19. sandcastler on 09 Oct 2012 at 11:10 am #

    Best hotdogs and sausages in the USA come from Usinger’s in Milwaukee. Follow the link; http://www.usinger.com

  20. sandcastler on 09 Oct 2012 at 11:22 am #

    Our household is a virtual library. Large collection of “tree books”, plus a large number of e-readers, and tablets with e-reader apps. I have all but one magazine subscription converted over to the E format. With each new book purchase, I evaluate it with long-term keepers being the tree format, all others are e format.

  21. Ghost Rider 6 on 09 Oct 2012 at 11:31 am #

    In somewhat related news, Amazon, Google and Samsung are apparently going after the 10-inch tablet market, while Apple is apparently going after the 7-inch tablet market. (Ain’t capitalism great?) I’m sure all those devices are/will be heavily used by people reading eBooks, so I suspect eBooks are here to stay

    Note that I resisted the urge to work the phrase “size matters” into this comment.

  22. Robb on 09 Oct 2012 at 11:34 am #

    I wonder about the Man V Food guy and the way he stuffs himself. I know cockroaches can cause illness and health problems even without eating them, never heard they could be lethal though. Hot dogs we know are lethal, eating one hot dog every day is worse for you than smoking two cigarettes a day……………….

  23. Bob, near Mark on 09 Oct 2012 at 12:00 pm #

    Steve from Royal Oak, MI,
    One of the distributors of your wife’s book, Christian Book Distributors, is just a couple of miles from my house. My ex-wife used to work there.

    And I would never decline kielbasa. We have it almost every Saturday night, with baked beans. But it has to be a certain brand, Old Neighborhood Foods, that also happens to be made a couple of miles from my house. My ex-wife never worked there. :)

  24. Ghost Rider 6 on 09 Oct 2012 at 12:19 pm #

    Steve from ROMi: That’s interesting about your wife’s publishing history. One of my hobbies is writing essays and the occasional fictional short story. (I had to use that English minor for something, I guess. And no, Mindy, by “English minor” I do not mean an underage female au pair from England.) I’ve never tried to get any of them published, as they are usually loosely based on real people and events, but not so loosely that some might not take exception to some of the things I write about them. I have no ambition to spend the rest of my life in court.

    John Scalzi collected some of the entries from his blog “Whatever” and published them as the book “You’re Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi on Writing,” on the subject, of course, of writing for profit.

    I’ll bet Jimmy has tales to tell in that regard, as well. Who knows…maybe someday.

  25. Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 09 Oct 2012 at 12:28 pm #

    sandcasatler-

    I think you’ve hit upon the perfect balance between eBooks and “tree books” (I love that term). I love to read but never know what to do with books when I get done with them. Many I will never read again but I can’t bring myself to throw them away. Even donating them doesn’t feel right as I know most will be ground into pulp anyway. reading a book electronically and then buying a hard copy of those I want to revisit seems like a great way to save resources, remunerate the author, and preserve precious shelf space. Thanks for the idea!

  26. sandcastler on 09 Oct 2012 at 1:16 pm #

    Blinky,

    Your welcome. Tis the Scottish in me. Twere I an Ultra-Conservative Scot I would patronize the local lending library.

  27. Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 09 Oct 2012 at 1:17 pm #

    Ghost: My wife had 4 secular romance books published before she moved to Christian novels. Often peopel would come up to her with ideas for her to write about and she would listen and then say “Well go ahead and write it yourself!” You might be surprised. Sometimes my wife will look at other stories that did not get published or did not get finished. Sometimes she sees the progression of her craft, but often she will “steal” the scene and put it in a future book. She has sold or contracted 20 books. The most amazing thing was that she has written 5 books since her Dad passed away last June. I honestly do not know how she does it.

    Neal in Bahston is a good writer and I read a couple of his books on the flight to Japan. I would recomend Murder Imperfect. It was a very unique book

  28. sandcastler on 09 Oct 2012 at 1:24 pm #

    Blinky,

    That should be, you’re welcome. Downside of spell correct as you text; internet is full of bloopers, many NFSW.

  29. sandcastler on 09 Oct 2012 at 1:28 pm #

    Steve,

    Wife and I both enjoyed Murder Imperfect, novel plot twists kept us glued to the screen. Another feature of ebooks, if you share a joint account it makes lending over distance easy.

  30. Boise Ed on 09 Oct 2012 at 1:30 pm #

    Officials are still waiting on an autopsy report for the cockroach diner. So am I. Disgusting as they are, they shouldn’t have killed him.

  31. chill on 09 Oct 2012 at 2:33 pm #

    I like to give my used paperback tree books to my American Legion Post. We give them to the local VA clinic and the nearby VA long term care facility and hospital. Have not figured out to do that with the e-books…….
    Learned to hate cockroaches when in the service. Of course, survival school taught me there are other good things to eat that I had not thought of before…..

  32. Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 09 Oct 2012 at 2:59 pm #

    chill, Actually you can give the e-books away if you choose, but I get your point.

  33. Jean in Dahlonega Ga aka Trapper Jean on 09 Oct 2012 at 3:45 pm #

    Let me begin by saying BLEECH!! I seriously dislike roaches and snakes, and the thought of eating either is nauseating.

    That being said, not too long ago my younger daughter and her room-mate had a Burmese python (yes, named Monty) and she got highly irritated at me because I took to calling her 6 pound Shi Tzu Snakebait. She did give Monty to someone else a couple of months ago because he got too big for the cage she had. I will now go visit her again.

    Did anyone see the news story about the 18-year old woman in England who was celebrating her birthday at a popular night spot and downed a cocktail made with liquid nitrogen? She drank it too quickly and ended up in the hospital having her stomach removed. It froze. No, I am not joking!

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57528071/liquid-nitrogen-cocktail-damages-18-year-olds-stomach/

    Now, the husband and I are on our way to the Forsythe County fair to eat corndogs and go to the Confederate Railroad concert! I have no idea what brand of hotdogs they are, but they will be good! At home I buy Johnstonville Brats or the already mentioned Hebrew National. After all, they answer to a Higher Authority.

  34. Mindy from Indy on 09 Oct 2012 at 3:51 pm #

    Blinky – Maybe. ;-) More correct would be “I freely act foolishly, but I am no fool.”
    Sadly there way too many people out there who mistake infamy for fame, fools for heroes, and stupid for carefree. I’m not sure what emotion(s) most correctly define my response to the unwashed masses willing to beg/borrow/steal/trade everything for a one in a billion shot at 15 minutes.

    GR6 – the hair is on the verge of getting whacked. It’s only been saved by my work schedule so far. Depending on the weather, it might survive the winter.

  35. Dave in ELO on 09 Oct 2012 at 5:30 pm #

    Wasn’t there a show on TV where people had to eat a bug or do some other disgusting act for like $5000. And now these fools ate a whole bunch of bugs for a snake? Surely Arlo has some sage thoughts on this subject.

  36. Ellen on 09 Oct 2012 at 6:06 pm #

    Speaking of bugs (we were, weren’t we?) I have a nifty hand held bug zapper. I love it, just perfect for mosquitoes that find their way inside the house. It is well worth the purchase price. Just put flashlight batteries in the handle and zap away. Works great on spiders, too, but I haven’t had much luck with flies. Have to go back to the old fashioned swatter for those.

  37. Mindy on 09 Oct 2012 at 6:14 pm #

    Mindy from Indy, why do I suspect that you’d do best with either very long or very short? Maybe that’s because I feel that’s how it works for me. I’m just sayin’…

    No comments, Ghost.

  38. Ghost Rider 6 on 09 Oct 2012 at 6:53 pm #

    Mindy, Mindy, Mindy. I keep serving you up these big fat hanging curveball straight lines, and you keep failing to hit them out of the park. When I said I wrote fictional short stories, your retort should have been, “What are they about, Ghost…your sex life?”

    [Rim shot; quick buck and wing; exit stage right]

    Say good night, Mindy. :)

  39. sideburns on 09 Oct 2012 at 7:02 pm #

    Even as a child, I never liked either hot dogs or bologna. Only later did I learn that for all practical purposes, hot dogs are simply miniature bolognas. (The exact balance of spices is different.)

  40. Mindy from Indy on 09 Oct 2012 at 7:29 pm #

    Mindy – I’m coming to the realization that the answer to your question is an emphatic YES. The mop is currently between my shoulder-blades. It keeps getting caught between my back and whatever I’m sitting on and pulling. I’m tired of keeping it pulled up, but I really want to try to grow it out. It will be interesting to see if exasperation or perseverance wins out.

  41. Tom in Glendora, CA on 09 Oct 2012 at 7:40 pm #

    Usinger’s….great sausages. Used to get them all the time when I lived in Chicago.

    Only one better is Sparrer’s. Don’t think it’s made any more.

    I used to live next door to the guy that owned Land o Frost. My dad toured the factory
    once. He asked what happend to the bones and sinew and such. He was told ‘You
    don’t want to know’.

    Finally found a good place here in Glendora that’s run by Polish folks from Chicago. I
    can still get good bratwurst and such. I asked them why the opened the shop and they
    told me it was so they could get good food. They get most of the stuff from Chicago.

  42. TruckerRon on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:19 pm #

    People stuffing themselves on hot dogs. People eating roaches. Bears looking for can openers?

    http://bit.ly/T3kMbh

  43. Galliglo in Ohio on 09 Oct 2012 at 9:46 pm #

    Tom-Front Range: When I lived in the Clearwater area (I left 18 yrs ago), the St. Petersburg Times was one of the most well respected newspapers in the US. The Tampa Trib? Bird cage liner… About 4 years ago, I visited my son who lives in Spring Hill. We made a trip to Clearwater… drove by the old house… went to the St. Pete pier. Naturally, I HAD to have a paper! Oh… not the St. Pete Times? Oh well… I started reading it… oh my, I could not believe how it had changed.

    I also read the Trib on the same trip. Was not impressed. Did not get a copy of the Clearwater Sun – is it still being published?

    I am reminded of the chicken and the egg – which comes first? Is it poorly produced newspapers that are driving readers to on-line news? Or is the fact that so many are reading on-line news that is driving the quality of newspapers down? A combination?

    Many years ago there was another newspaper in the area – the St. Petersburg Evening Independent. It was more of a human interest type newspaper – very entertaining. And… it gave the paper away any day there was no sunshine at the newspaper office. And every day, the front page reported how many days it had been since they had given away the paper.

    Alas, St. Petersburg could not support a morning and evening newspaper, and the Independent bit the dust.

    I know changes must happen, but I don’t have to like it!

  44. Karla on 09 Oct 2012 at 10:33 pm #

    Since it’s past my bedtime and i’ve had a long day I’m not going to go back and figure out who said what and just comment. (Suddenly wondering if I could figure out how to comment on a different program as I read so I can address my comments accordingly.)
    I must be an ultra-conservative Scot as I try to get as much reading material from the library as possible. However, an e-reader for magazines seems like a wonderful idea. More so if one could somehow mark the articles one liked for later reference. I have a nasty magazine habit that is being stored in a box in our “office”. I grab from the right and fill from the left.
    As for hair – I am due for a cut as well. It’s usually a good month between the time I say I need a cut to when I actually get one.
    And to finish off, I really shouldn’t have said I was unemployed until next week. Book fair at my son’s school this week so I’m basically living there now.
    Oh, and hot dogs/sausages. I don’t buy the cheap ones. I prefer the all-beef polish. Usingers is pretty good – and in my neck of the woods.
    See you again in a few days!

  45. Ghost Rider 6 on 10 Oct 2012 at 1:04 am #

    Lady Mindy/Karla: So you’re saying your hair is like in the Witness Protection Program…not likely to get wacked anytime soon? I have a standing four week appointment with my stylist so I can put it on my calendar and not have to futz around trying to remember to make appointments. Besides, that lets her plan ahead on when to wear one of her sundress to work. ;)

    You’re right about the magazines, Karla. One I get via eReader is NatGeo. I always found the hardcopy version is just too nice to give or throw away. When I moved several years ago, I couldn’t believe how many back issues I had accumulated.

    Liquid nitrogen cocktails, Jean? Really?? What were they thinking? That has to rank right up there with explosive suppositories in terms of practicality and personal gastroenterological safety.

    I just surfed across one of the late night talks and discovered that Mila Kunis is on. Good night, and I hope everyone else has pleasant dreams, too. ;)

  46. Debbe59 on 10 Oct 2012 at 4:03 am #

    Debbie from AL….thanks for the link, I found it also interesting the titles of the books being read.

    Speaking of reading, here’s a laugh for the day

    http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2012/10/09

    Sorry JJ, as I’ve said you’re first in my comic bookmark

  47. Tom from the Front Range on 10 Oct 2012 at 4:50 am #

    @Galliglo in Ohio:
    No, the Clearwater Sun is no more and is in fact a victim of the same expansion policies used by the St. Pete Times that have caused the Tampa Tribune to suffer huge losses in readership.

    When Nelson Poynter (publisher of the St. Pete Times) was alive, he was very protective of the various newspaper markets in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties (Tampa and St. Pete/Clearwater). After his death the company first moved north in Pinellas County to capture the Clearwater market. They built a bureau across the street from the Clearwater Sun on which was erected a windmill in the shape of a helix. This windmill was to provide power for the building. It was broken more often than working but when it was on, it made a woop-woop sound that could be heard throughout the Sun’s facility. (I serviced the typesetting equipment at the Sun during this period.) It seriously effected the morale of the Sun’s staff which wasn’t real high in the first place. This took place in the early 80′s. Since then the company pushed more and more into the Hillsborough County market. You may remember that this year’s RNC was held in the Tampa Bay Times Center in downtown Tampa. Until February of this year, that facility was named the “St. Petersburg Times Center”, woop, woop.

    I delivered Tampa’s evening paper, the Tampa Times, when I was in high school. The Tribune company owned the afternoon paper at the time and fought for years in court to keep the St. Pete Times from changing its name to the Tampa Bay Times.

    I remember the St. Pete Evening Independent. It was free any day the sun did not shine in St. Petersburg.

  48. Anonymous on 10 Oct 2012 at 5:46 am #

    Karla-

    EMagazines are great, but I can’t figure out how to clip the coupons.

  49. Ghost Rider 6 on 10 Oct 2012 at 7:45 am #

    Anon: Here in the 21st Century, we print our coupons on-line. :)

    Really, we do.

  50. Rich in Belchertown on 10 Oct 2012 at 7:50 am #

    Eating contests aren’t as common as they once were, mostly for liability reasons. Over-stuffing yourself on anything is just unhealthy, if not dangerous. Even water can kill you if you consume too much. That is why the Guinness Book of World Records stopped accepting new entries in that category. As for hot dogs, I always stop at two, no matter how good they are or how hungry I am, and the best one I ever had was in Frankfurt, Germany. Go figure.

  51. Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 10 Oct 2012 at 7:52 am #

    I have been getting a magazine about Purdue Sports for 20 years. Unfortunately they used to mail them 3rd class so it might take 1 day, 1 week or 1 month to get the magazine. I complained and got to know the publisher and about 6-7 years ago they started emailing a pdf. Everyone liked it as the knews was fresh and it was easier to collect a PDF rather than a magazine.

    It was such a success, about 3 years ago they went to all pdf. except for about 3-4 glossy season previews, etc. We ended up getting about 10 more issues that way and they can link video to it as well. I did get a nice note from the publisher saying that my feedback helped them to drive them to that decision. I honestly believe that they would have been out of business had they not embraced the technology.

    As far as coupons, the local grocery store emails me a link and I clip them online. When I get to the checkout, I input my cell phone number & pass code and the coupons are automatically taken off the purchase.

  52. John in Richmond Texas on 10 Oct 2012 at 8:32 am #

    yeah, we’re between a Kroger and a Randall’s (Safeway’s name in Houston) and you load them onto your member/savings card

  53. Jean in Dahlonega Ga aka Trapper Jean on 10 Oct 2012 at 8:36 am #

    Ghost, as I understand it the liquid nitrogen not only makes the “smoke” effect but even freezes the alcohol a bit so the drinker ends up with a sort of “alcohol slushie”. The problem here came when the young woman drank too fast without giving the liquid nitrogen time to evaporate off. Whatever, I agree with you on this.

  54. Mindy on 10 Oct 2012 at 9:09 am #

    I just found a salted roasted peanut in the shell with five separate, full size peanuts! Now I’m going back to bed to let the thrill bleed off. Besides, the sun just went back behind the cloud, it’s still chilly/cold, and I’m so very disappointed that the weather guesser lied to me.

  55. Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 10 Oct 2012 at 9:17 am #

    The unfortunate woman who drank the nitrogen cocktail did not lose her stomach due to freezing but because of the sudden evaporation of the liquid nitrogen into gas. The stomach expanded and ruptured.

  56. Jhon in LA on 10 Oct 2012 at 11:05 am #

    10-10-2012 The birds, butterfly, and squirrels–no Ludwig this time but that is OK. NOW this is why I love Arlo and Janis. I really like Jimmy’s observations and comments. Lately? meh . . .

  57. Ghost Rider 6 on 10 Oct 2012 at 11:24 am #

    Wow, Mindy… a salted roasted peanut in the shell with five separate, full size peanuts? Maybe you need to get out more. :)

    Out of curiosity, does cooler weather slow the advance of the Green Hoard of Bamboo Khan?

  58. Dave in MA on 10 Oct 2012 at 11:44 am #

    There’s a need for harvested bamboo…..

    go here:
    http://www.promoplace.com/customworks

    and search for USB Drives with a keyword of bamboo and look what you’ll find!

  59. Ghost Rider 6 on 10 Oct 2012 at 12:10 pm #

    Mistress Mindy would probably prefer the black leather USB drive.

  60. Mindy on 10 Oct 2012 at 1:31 pm #

    I’m confused. Which Mindy is Mistress? Yes, Ghost, a salted roasted peanut in the shell with five separate, full-size peanuts. Amazing, isn’t it? But why do I need to get out more? The bamboo beast usual stops throbbing in early September around here, Dave in MA, but the alien being persisted through the latter part of September this year. Now would be a great time to be out molesting its tender new roots and shoots but the ground is too soggy and I’ve found out that the best way for me to deal with the evil thing is to sit on the ground with my legs around it and just hammer away until I can pry it up and throw it in the garbage. Best weather to kill it, worst weather to be sitting on the ground. I can’t win!

  61. Shelly on 10 Oct 2012 at 1:36 pm #

    The latest celebrity to pass away is Alex Karras. My Dad always liked to watch him play and then on whatever television program it was that he starred in. On? Is it my imagination or are more famous people dying recently and faster than in the past?

    And, Mindy, dear, I suspect you hit ENTER again before you checked how your words actually sounded. I know what you meant, I mention the possible foops paw only to point out that it was an honest oversight and not one to be mocked or mauled. Right? I do know what you really meant, don’t I?

  62. Boise Ed on 10 Oct 2012 at 3:48 pm #

    Now I see that it could be weeks before autopsy results can determine why the cockroach-eating man died. I’m really curious, but by then I’ll have forgotten all about it.

  63. sandcastler on 10 Oct 2012 at 3:56 pm #

    Black leather USB? Was sure it would be clad in pink lace.

  64. Mark in Boston on 10 Oct 2012 at 4:24 pm #

    Debbe59: Calvin’s favorite book is now available in real life:

    http://www.amazon.com/Hamster-Huey-Gooey-Kablooie-Adventure/dp/0974909009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349904124&sr=8-1&keywords=hamster+huey+and+the+gooey+kablooie

  65. sandcastler on 10 Oct 2012 at 4:38 pm #

    Mark in Boston, this eight page book might be a scam that Amazon has not yet found. There appears to be some concerns about the reviewers and their praise. Eight pages seems woefully thin for a book.

  66. Ghost Rider 6 on 10 Oct 2012 at 5:35 pm #

    Yes, Shelly, Alex Karras will be missed. I’ll always remember him for the movie scene in which he coldcocked a horse with a right cross. And, in the same movie, for delivering the classic line ”Mongo only pawn in game of life.” (I’ve gotten a number of strange looks over the years for declaring “GR6 only pawn in game of life.”)

    However, I must question your statement that Mindy “hit ENTER again before (she) checked how (her) words actually sounded.” I mean really, in all the time she’s been posting, when she has she ever done that? Besides, and I can’t quite put my finger on why, I found her statement to be sort of exciting.

    The Mindy that would probably prefer the black leather USB drive is “Mistress Mindy.” Not that she wouldn’t like the pink lace one, also.

  67. Bob, near Mark on 10 Oct 2012 at 5:47 pm #

    Can you buy a black leather USB drive attached to a riding crop? You can buy black leather USB drives with a key-chain loop, so I guess you could attach your own. You can get leather USB bracelets, so you could make your own leather USB handcuffs. Arlo and Janis have been familiar with handcuff keys in the past.

    http://www.globalsources.com/manufacturers/Leather-USB.html

    Alex Karras was also great in “Victor, Victoria” as James Garner’s self-discovering bodyguard.

  68. Mark in TTown on 10 Oct 2012 at 7:47 pm #

    Bob, near Mark: that comment about the riding crop reminds me of a Benny Hill sketch. Kid answers the door when the bell rings, calls out to Benny. “Dad, there’s a woman here looking to flog something”. (Brit slang for selling something) Benny goes to the door only to find a dominatrix standing there.

  69. sandcastler on 10 Oct 2012 at 8:52 pm #

    CSM Basil Plumly passed today at the age of 92. He was a WWII, Korea, and Vietnam vet who was portrayed bySam Elliot in “We where soldiers once…..and young.”

  70. emeritus Minnesota biologist on 10 Oct 2012 at 9:30 pm #

    My Burmese python was named Ged and my red-tailed boa Orm Embar. You should not really have either as pets, but fortunately I was able to shed both of them responsibly before they got too big to handle [and once they got pretty big, wife and I always made sure to have two of us there, in case the critter decided your neck was a tree]. They were good conversation starters and student attention getters.

    Why does anyone eat hotdogs when there are brats? [Sauerkraut obligatory.]

  71. emeritus Minnesota biologist on 10 Oct 2012 at 9:35 pm #

    P.S. The best brats in this area are made by local butchers, so never I have to buy brands.

  72. Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 10 Oct 2012 at 10:12 pm #

    In Detroit, Alex Karras was a football player. He was suspended in 1963, so he went back to wrestling for that year and earned $17,000 for a match. That exceeded his salary with the Lions!. Alex said that he earned more money selling cars in the off season anyway. Alex did not care for Pete Rozelle, who suspended him. When his son was born, he named him Alvin, which happened to be Pete’s acutally first name.

    Alex got his start in Paper Lion where he played himself with Alan Alda as George Plympton. One of the other players in the movie was Ron Kramer, who was also a star for Michigan. For and about 7-8 years, our family had Ron and his family over for Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant that my wife’s cousin owned. Ron was full of himself and you had to be careful, but it was always interesting to watch the game on television with him.

  73. Debbe59 on 11 Oct 2012 at 3:57 am #

    Mark in Boston…thanks for the link, but I think I won’t be ordering, seeing the expression on Calvin’s and Hobbes’ faces left me laughing all the way to the kitchen to get me my second cup of coffee.

    Sandcastler, the Amazon site said they only had two copies left, and if ordered in the next few minitues (they actually had a countdown going) you could get the book by the 12th. Didn’t read the reviews, but some of the comments below the strip for that day were enough.

    Good morning MIndy, Mindy, Karla, Debbie from AL, Jean, Shelly, Gal, Ellen and you too GR6. And a big good morning to everyone…can’t believe it’s already the 11th of October. Twenty-nine days until property taxes are due….ouch!

    Ya’ll have a blessed day.

    =^..^=

  74. Debbie in Alabama on 11 Oct 2012 at 6:34 am #

    Good Morning to you Debbe 59. On the library link, did you discover if you click buy, you will go to the Amazon page that shows the book they were reading? Quite varying selection of books, I am thinking.

  75. Ghost Rider 6 on 11 Oct 2012 at 7:32 am #

    Good mornin’, Debbe. Even if I am just a “you too.” At least I’m in good company. :)

    OK, who spooked Rabbit? And for that matter, where’s applekrite (aka snapplekrite)? As I’ve said before, once you post here, you create an expectation that you will continue to do so. (debbie? You listening?) Not to scare you, but you never know when Mindy and/or Mindy may start kicking butt and taking names. (One is a destroyer of bamboo, and the other is a destroyer of steps, you know.)

    But a good mornin’ to all of y’all, too.

  76. Debbie in Alabama on 11 Oct 2012 at 9:16 am #

    Not the buy link…but the read link

  77. Mark in Boston on 12 Oct 2012 at 7:47 pm #

    I have actually seen a copy of “Hamster Huey”. It’s so-so as a childrens’ book. It has no connection to Bill Watterson that I know of, except for the title, and it’s not worthy of Calvin’s library. But I’ve read many children’s books that are much worse.