Shazzer Surfing...

The hills are alive...

Wed, 14 May 2008 03:16:00 -0400

This shot was taken from near the top of Mount Pfänder in Austria overlooking the Lake of Constance. And yes, I did sing selections from ‘The Sound of Music’ during the hike down!

We stopped at a little chalet along the route for an Almdudlar, which is a fizzy, lemony drink that’s unique to Austria. Very refreshing on a sunny afternoon.

All in all, a lovely adventure…and this morning I’ve got the sore leg muscles to remind of it!

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Generally I oppose messing with a classic

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:08:40 -0400

But somehow I suspect this new variation of Toblerone will be worth the risk! It’s like a Swiss Chunky!

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Cruising the Lake of Zurich

Sun, 11 May 2008 16:30:52 -0400

The view from the upper deck on the way to Rapperswil.

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Swedish practicality starts young...

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:29:57 -0400

A team of Helsingborg, Sweden, high school students has won a national award for its invention — men’s underwear with pockets for condom storage.

Underwear condom pockets earn award

Somehow I don’t think this would have gone over big as a 4-H Project in the U.S.

The polls are open! The polls are open!

Tue, 06 May 2008 07:53:27 -0400

Just a quick shout-out to all my friends, family and loyal blog readership in the Hoosier State to remind them to grab their government-issued ID and “get thee to the polls” today to cast a vote that might actually have some impact for a change.

This marks the first time in my adult life that the presidential nominees haven’t already been determined by the Indiana primary, making the trip to the polls pretty much just an excuse to slip out of the office early on a spring afternoon. NOT THIS TIME!

There are very few days that I regret relocating from my home state to Sweden, but May 6, 2008, will go down in history as one of them.

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At least they’re consistent! Administration Still Purging...

Tue, 06 May 2008 01:36:14 -0400

At least they’re consistent!

Administration Still Purging Those Who Are Not “Loyal Bushies”

The Bush administration hasn’t changed its habit of ridding itself of those guilty of independent thinking.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Mon, 05 May 2008 09:43:44 -0400

From sunny, non-celebrating Sweden!

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New Rules for distiguishing the bitter from the idiots Bill...

Sun, 04 May 2008 03:19:45 -0400

New Rules for distiguishing the bitter from the idiots

Bill Maher is bitter because “shitkickers voted twice for a retarded guy they’d like to have a beer with, and everybody else had to suffer the consequences.”

When the cat's away...the mice eat sushi!

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:57:00 -0400

Dr. Darling’s Mom is down for the weekend and the two of them made a rather spur-of-the-moment decision this morning to go to Copenhagen. I’m still dealing with the remnants of the Spring Cold from Hell and decided to pass on the excursion. I’m also in the midst of proofreading a doctoral thesis for a Lund University engineer and needed to spend some time on that.

But the weather was just too beautiful to be indoors all afternoon (and the sun was too bright to see the iBook screen on the balcony). So instead of working, I ran errands, sampled my favorite Alpha Geek’s latest espresso blend (in addition to being out “go-to” guy forall things computer-related, Sonny’s an amateur barista), and then rendezvoused with some friends for a spicy tuna inside-out fix.

Usually Dr. D’s absence (the D also stands for ‘disdainful of fish’) is the only excuse I need to hit a sushi bar, but today I reasoned that I actually needed the wasabi…you know, for medicinal purposes. My sinuses are clear for the first time in a week!

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From the Domestic Goddess Dept.

Sat, 03 May 2008 14:29:50 -0400

According to LiveScience.com:

Men Create More Housework for Women

So then why is it that The Penthouse-Nordic usually looks like a dump unless we’re expecting company?

Pain at the pump: a little reality check for Americans

Fri, 02 May 2008 09:49:54 -0400

I’m hearing plenty of griping about gasoline prices from my American friends and family lately, but it’s hard for me to be sympathetic when I don’t even own a car.

However, if I did have wheels, I’d be paying close to 7 bucks a gallon for gas here in Sweden…so I’d probably have no sympathy anyway.

U.S. gas: So cheap it hurts

Relatively low taxes have kept pump prices far below most other developed nations, which some say is precisely why the current runup is so painful.

(from CNNMoney.com)

The Supreme Court strikes out again

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0400

In the “most important voting rights case since Bush v Gore,” the Supreme Court validated GOP voter fraud talking points.

SCOTUS stikes again!

This is especially distressing to me because the case originates from my home station of Indiana, where there has never been an incident of the type of fraud the ID law is intended to prevent.

A Snickers a day keeps the Dr. away?

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:30:00 -0400

Tough job: Volunteers needed for chocolate study

I hate to break it to the researchers, but I’ve been following this protocol for years.

I'll believe it when I see it...

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:34:37 -0400

Turning tide in Indiana

Worried about Iraq and the economy, some Republican Hoosiers are feeling blue, and may vote that way, too.

(From The Boston Globe)

For Indiana Voters, Talk of Change May Fall Flat For the first...

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:40:53 -0400

For Indiana Voters, Talk of Change May Fall Flat

For the first time since I’ve been old enough to vote, my home state is actually a “playa” in a presidential primary race…and I’m living in Sweden.

(from The New York Times)

Caffeine kick: short shots are better than 'big gulps'

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:14:10 -0400

Caffeine jump-starts the body and sharpens the mind. But studies suggest that we Yanks are doing it wrong. For optimal brain gain, regular tea breaks, as favored in the UK, are more effective than a 20-ounce French roast sucked down at Starbucks in lieu of breakfast.

Caffeinate With Care: Small Shots Do a Brain Better Than Big Blasts

(from Wired.com)

Indianapolis tops list of sexually satisfied cities???

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:00:00 -0400

WTF? Not only is Indy numberone on the list, but the article goes on to say:

“The Indiana city is followed by Columbus, Ohio, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Salt Lake City, Utah, in the report by Men’s Health Magazine that ranked the sexual satisfaction of people in 100 cities.”

Having spent most of my adult life in Indiana, I feel pretty safe in saying that it’s easy to be satisfied when your expectations are low.

Mainstream media screws Americans again

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:16:27 -0400

Torturers in the White House: Why Is This Story Being Ignored?

“The biggest news of the last week went virtually uncovered by the mainstream, print media. ABC News first reported last Wednesday that top Bush Administration officials, including Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, John Ashcroft, and George Tenet, Colin Powell, and Donald Rumsfeld met to discuss which particular torture techniques should be used against Al Qaeda suspects in U.S. custody.”

Obama administration AG would investigate Bush White House crimes

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:25:23 -0400

Obama would ask his AG to “immediately review” potential of crimes in Bush White House

This ALONE is reason enough to vote for him.

This onion has me crying...

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:01:39 -0400

Two stories from the latest issue of The Onion Daily Dispatch have me in tears of laughter tonight:

Southwest Airlines Now Taking Passengers To Destinations By Shuttle Bus

“With these amazing new buses, traveling from New York to Los Angeles takes as little as three days. That’s less than half the time it took passengers to get there on our old planes.”

and

Posters of Naked Women Fail to Draw Real Naked Women to Dorm Room

The housing department report, compiled over the course of three weeks spent monitoring the dorm room and its immediate surroundings, categorically concluded that “there exists no measurable cause-and-effect relationship between the presence of the naked-women posters and the willingness of non-photographic human women to appear naked in or near that location.”

Sheer genius.