Right about now, I feel that about half the country is comprised of flaming assholes.

Probably a good time to retire to Mr. Recliner.

That is all.

Yep. I’m one of them. (You may have to scroll)

That’s what its developers call this amazing robot. After having watched it in action, I think it could be called “Terminator Dog.” That is one badass robot.

Thanks to my buddy Brian, the Air Force Vet.

The title promised you one word about H-P, so here it is:

SATAN

Truth is, I have more than one word to say about H-P, and that is Do Not Buy an H-P Computer!

I first told you here about my problem with my out-of-warranty (by about a month***), very expensive computer.. Stripped of detail, the story is that the computer would not start Windows. I updated the sad tale, here and here, which culminated in my sending the computer back to H-P for a $300+ repair.

A short bit of back-story. When I [Mike, my computer maven buddy], was talking online with the disembodied computer geek at H-P, he advised him that he [I] would be sending the computer minus the hard drive, the disembodied computer geek said, “No, you must send the hard drive.”

I [Mike] responded, “OK, but do not fool with the hard drive.”

The disembodied computer geek said, “I will mark the repair ticket ‘Do not reconfigure hard drive.’”

Fast forward.

The computer was returned, and apparently, it now starts Windows, but guess what.

Yes, the hard drive was “re-imaged.” In non-Geekspeak, that means, “We don’t give a fat rat’s ass what we told you, we will wipe your hard drive clean, because we CAN.”

Initially I figured, “No problem, I have an external drive tee’d up to back everyfarookin’ thing up.”

I have since learned that the external drive did not do what it’s supposed to do, and I’ve lost every file that was placed in the computer for the last year or so. It apparently saved the stuff from my old computer, but the daily backups, even thought they showed up on my screen, didn’t happen.

Now, once I fire up the Raptor (I’m still using a borrowed machine), I will have to place myself in a “Wayback” Machine in order to reconstruct my files.

If you are inclined to tell me what I should have done, please spare me. I relied on the expertise of the goddamned computer manufacturer and its promise not to screw around with the hard drive, and I was HOSED. (Mike was adamant about shipping the unit sans hard drive).

So, a few things:

If you don’t hear from me, it may well be that I no longer have your e-mail, your phone number, or your snail mail address.

If I blog a bit less, it is because I’m taxing my memory to update lost goddamned files.

If you’ve stayed with me this long, I want to impress upon you one thing. DO NOT BUY AN H-P COMPUTER. If you feel the urge to buy one, have a cocktail and buy something else.

Oh, and if anyone from H-P happens to be reading this, how’s about you kiss my ample New Jersey ass!

That is all.

*** Actually, the computer was running less than the warranty period, as the components sat in my house for damned near a month in the boxes owing to a family health problem unfolding at that time. We mentioned this to H-P, but it did not matter. I understand. Rules are rules. But, damn!

An open letter from an Iraq war vet.

From Theodore’s World via C&S

I figure I’m a gottdamned prince. Or, maybe a test pilot of sorts. After all, I’m the one who puts U.S. currency and possibly my liver at risk by buying all kinds of vodka and tasting them so that you can make an informed purchase. It’s rough, but it’s a mission I have voluntarily undertaken, and a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

A week or so ago I was in the liquor store, and I saw that Three Olives (the folks who brought the world Three Olives Chocolate Vodka – the magic elixir) have some new offerings. Seeing as how my mission, on that occasion, was to stock up on Three Olives Chocolate Vodka (one should never run out), I made a mental note to get busy tasting the new stuff. I got around to buying and tasting two of the new ones: Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Vodka and Three Olives Root Beer Vodka (You see both here.)

Triple Shot Espresso Vodka.

Unlike the other Three Olives flavored varities, which are crystal clear, Triple Shot Espresso vodka is the color of – you guessed it – espresso. And it tastes just like – you guessed it – espresso. I love it. I drank it straight from the freezer and also over ice, and it’s excellent both ways. Much like the chocolate vodka is just chocolaty enough, the Triple Shot Espresso has just enough espresso coffee flavor so as not to taste like sweet coffee liqueur (e.g. Kahlua), but it still packs the vodka whallop.

Bonus: If you like coffee, but you are one of those No-Coffee-After-Five peeps because it will keep you awake (I’ve never had that problem), have a couple three shots of Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso in the evening. I guarantee you’ll have no problem sleeping.

Root Beer Vodka.

Root Beer Vodka? Yeah, I admit that I was a little sketchy about how this would work out. I started drinking root beer when I was a mere squirt. My mother worked nights, and my dad would go out to the store and pick himself up a quart (or two) of Schaefer Beer (“The one beer to have, when you’re having more than one”), and he’d buy me a big bottle of Dad’s Root Beer. We’d hang out together drinking our respective beverages out of our favorite mugs and listen to records (one of his, then one of mine) or watch television together. Maybe play some guitar. Wonderful times they were.

Perhaps that’s why the idea of root beer vodka seemed particularly strange to me. But, being a vodka swashbuckler, I threw myself on the grenade and tried the stuff. Turns out, it’s damned good. Like other Three Olives vodkas, this one can easily fool someone into thinking, “Hmmmm …. delicious. I think I shall drink lots of it,” resulting in the person speaking in tongues.

I don’t think I’d want to drink it all night (although I easily could), but it is an interesting taste treat, and is to be recommended to those who really are not booze lovers (provided they are suitably warned).

Next, I’ll pick up a bottle of Three Olives Tomato Vodka and let youse guys know how it is. I’m thinking BREAKFAST DRINK!

Barack _____ Obama will be in the Garden State tonight to attend a dinner at the home of Jon Bon Jovi. Governor Corzine will be there too!

I suspect that my invitation is lost in the mail somewhere.

Damn! At $30,800 per ticket, it would be a bargain at twice the price.

Do you feel that you could use a break from reading, hearing and watching the mortal combat that politics has become? I know I do.

I suggest that you block out some time and visit Shorpy. It is a collection of high-resolution vintage photographs.

Although many of the photos are well before my time, many are not, and those serve to remind me of a time when things were a whole lot simpler.

Good stuff there.

I have endured the savaging of Sarah Palin and her family by left-wing bloggers and the MSM for a couple days now. It has sickened me.

If you want to question her experience or lack thereof, fair game.

If you want to question her record, fair game.

If you want to question her past associations, that’s fair game too, as I believe past associations are relevant, even though questioning such things about Senator Obama is claimed to be charging him with “guilt by association.”

But, probing into the contents of Governor Palin’s womb, her “reckless” pre-natal behavior, her decision regarding the birth of a child, or piling on her seventeen-year old daughter is just plain disgusting.

Look, this is just a silly blog, and what I think doesn’t matter. Moreover, I have no desire to feed trolls or to argue online with strangers (If I wanted to do that, I could do it in a saloon and enjoy a beer at the same time). I’ve decided that the one concrete thing I can do to combat the lunacy of the past few days is to make a donation to the McCain campaign.

So, that’s what I did.

Maybe I’ll be back tomorrow, when I feel slightly less ashamed of what so many Americans have become.