wrong DNA

I was looking for the North Dallas Neighborhood Alliance (NDNA) and tried ndna.org, which turned out to be the North Dakota Nurses Association. Oops. Turns out the correct URL is ndna-tx.org

spotted: Ben (of Ben & Jerry's) on Federal Budget & Cookies (TrueMajority.com). Rumor has it that Dick Cheney banned their ice cream from the White House after seeing this. Knowing how much the VP loves Ben & Jerry's ice cream, this must be serious stuff.

Gotta love the arm patch for the Salem Police Department - Salem, Massachusetts (they're available for $5 from the Cop Shop link).

The Brains Trust (British satire site) is having a field day with the BBC-Iraq-Tony Blair scandal. Great stuff, highly recommended (and far less bizarre than b3ta.com)

I need to replace my weather-beaten windsock. Shall I order from Wind and Weather.com or Into the Wind.com or Quality Flags.com ? Hmmm.

Friday Five

You have just won one million dollars.

Who do you call first?
Matthew P Brumley

What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
a jar of stewed beets

What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
a new orange shirt to match Matthew P's orange socks

Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
Yes. The remaining $999,985 will be split between America's Second Harvest and the SPCA of Texas - both worthy causes.

Do you invest any? If so, how?
Yes. I invest the remaining funds in whatever venture is recommended by the Psychic Friends Network (but I'm sure they already knew that -- they're psychic, ya know)

Spotted: GuardOS for secure computing, sitting between the computer hardware and the JVM (Java™ Virtual Machine)

Why, yes .. that is a banana in my pocket!

I wonder if anyone has written a chronology of the online dating sites? I seem to remember hearing about match.com before any others, but wonder if Yahoo! Personals was there first? I've written in the GeneBobBlog before about the speed-dating places (see the Sunday, 6.7.3 entry)

A recent trend is the referral sites such as Friendster, then Tickle (by Emode) and even Orkut (by Google). Then today I read about Matcheroo. Personally, I prefer meeting others at The Dog Park, so I'm practicing new pickup lines, such as "Hey, nice Doberman!" and "Are those your real Schnauzers?".

spotted: Nick-N-Willy's World Famous Pizza. Their distinction is that they sell a freshly prepared (versus grocery frozen) pizza that you bake at home. Their only current local location is in Richardson, near Starbucks (Coit/Campbell).

After eating Nick-N-Willy's pizza, I'll need these spreadsheets for a home gym workout: Homegrown Muscle: The Series ... and then, with my washboard abs, I'll need a new name, so best to use one of these Name Generators.

Nice Socks!

Due to another commitment, I won't be league-bowling tonight. This is so sad, since I've grown used to viewing the coordinated wardrobe of one Matthew P. Brumley*. His SBA [Standard Bowling Attire] includes orange socks and a non-matching orange T-shirt with the number 11 on the back and an X (Roman numeral 10?) on the front. I suspect there is a deep-seated meaning to this numerology fixation. I asked him if he was a Syracuse University fan and he said no - but it's obvious that he's enamored with Orange Socks. Maybe he's a University of Tennessee fan?

* GeneBobBlog readers will note that I commonly use aliases here, unless granted permission by the individual. Yes, Matthew P. has granted permission. So there. Henceforth, he shall be known as NiceSox.

NiceSox is on the same team as NiceShirt, in case you were wondering (I know you were). Maybe I'll see them both at the Blackout Extravaganza (after league bowling is complete). Several thousand people are expected, so get your tickets early.

GoogL'ost: Joy of Socks.com

maximizing effectiveness

I almost made a mistake: neglecting to check the AIP's Charity Rating Guide and Watchdog Report. There are many well-run charities, but also many who have excessive fundraising expenses (meaning that less of my money gets to the real recipients). The AIP's Mission Statement is "... to maximize the effectiveness of every dollar contributed to charity by providing donors with the information they need to make more informed giving decisions."

I went to Texadelphia for a late lunch; their specialties are beef or chicken cheesesteaks, but they also have veggie; turkey; salami sandwiches or even (gasp!) a hamburger. My beef cheesesteak wasn't bad!*

* In Texas, you don't say "good"; rather, you say "ain't bad". Also, you don't say "great'; rather, you say "ain't half bad". Conversely, you don't say "bad'; rather, you say "ain't good". Not sure why these all start with a negative (ain't) but they do.

culture spot: the Undermain Theatre in Deep Ellum (east of downtown Dallas).

culture in Grapevine

PJ and I went to the Gaelic Storm concert in Grapevine last night (at the Palace Theatre). It lasted about 3 hours, including the intermission. Before the concert, I got to chat with Steve Wehmeyer (one of the co-founders); that was cool. They sang a few songs from a new CD due in May. During the last 3 songs, everyone was on their feet, clapping and moving to the tunes .. great stuff. Gaelic Storm's website says they're in Austin tonight. Also performing was the Iverin Irish Dance Company (of Dallas).

I like the Palace Theatre; it only seats about 425, so every seat is a good one (even the balcony!) .. we were on row 5 so had an excellent view of the stage. This is much better than attending a concert at Reunion Arena or the AAC, but not so sure about comparisons with the Meyerson.

On a related note: do not trust those online maps to give the best directions. Had I followed the one last night, I might have ended up on Mars and run into the Spirit Rover. Fortunately, I've been to downtown Grapevine before and skillfully found The Palace without a lot of trouble -- and (male bonus) I didn't stop and ask for directions.

Completely unrelated spots:
the Glossary of Cooking Terms
Robert's Rules of Order Revised
Communications and Surveillance
Country Walkers

Friday Five

At this moment, what is your favorite...
...song?
Johnny Tarr, by Gaelic Storm (heard them sing it live last night)

...food?
probably something that's "not authorized" by the Body for Life program

...tv show?
almost anything on The History Channel (have been watching - off and on - Barbarians Week)

...scent?
Cedarwood Sage (from Bath & Body Works)

...quote?
"You must be new here."