Appetizing

So I was referred to this recipe and I thought it looked good. These so-called "Mystery Biscuits" seemed to be right up my alley. How can you go wrong with flaky biscuits, butter, and crumbly cheese? The only problem is that I'm not a huge Blue Cheese fan. Its okay, I guess, but not my favorite. I decided to substitute feta and chopped spinach. My thought was that it could be like the Greek pastry, spanikopita. This is my "Pseudospanikopita" and it is AMAZING. I think I'll make it over the Christmas Holidays as an appetizer.

The recipe itself was easy enough and the results were delicious. I think that if I make it again, I will go a little easier on the butter since some of the biscuits were slightly soggy on the bottom. Don't get me wrong, they were still great, but I preferred the crunchy parts more.

Grit

Last weekend I finally finished watching the HBO series Deadwood. It only lasted 3 seasons (and I think it should have gone on for at least another one or two). I absolutely adored it. I started watching about a month or so ago and when I first started, I thought that I should recommend it to my parents (despite its often offensive language). I also encouraged a friend to purchase it for her father as a Christmas gift. I hope that was the right thing to do.

The thing is, both my parents have a history of liking westerns. This is particularly true of my father who inherited his love of the wild west from his grandfather. Bud-o was always reading some western novel or another and I think this influenced my dad. The only problem is that my father's preferred western genre shows include Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie. Yes, my dad is a proud Michael Landon fan. The harshest words spoken on either of those programs was probably "dang-it".

Now, there are some authentic-looking cowboys and mountains

This just about made me cry, and if you watch to the end you'll see what I'm going to talk about next!

My mother is right there with him. Although she just generally likes her shows to have "clean" people on them. She is, for some reason, completely averse to watching historical fiction in which the characters are perpetually dirty. Her desire for verisimilitude does not extend to rules of hygiene. Oddly enough, I think she could get past the dirty language if these people weren't so dirty themselves.

So, to my friend who I encouraged to buy the DVDs, I hope your dad likes them. I apologize if I misled you in any way. My enthusiasm came from my genuine enjoyment of the series.

Rant

Could T-Mobile BE any less original? (Said in my best Chandler Bing) Their new series of commercials are a direct rip-off of the highly popular and memorable "I'm a Mac" ads.

I respond negatively to this on a visceral level. It is difficult for me to articulate.

I'll try anyway.

I get what T-Mobile is attempting, the iPhone is an Apple product so I see the connection. My problem is that it is just so done. The first "I'm a Mac" commercials aired in 2006 and the last one was in early 2010. We're talking a good 6 month lag which, in this day and age of instant communication, is absolutely AGES!

T-Mobil seems to always be one step behind. One of the greatest cell phone network ads ever was the "Can you hear me now" guy. Sure, the slogan is annoying now, but it was total genius at the time. While the guy in glasses was checking his reception, T-Mobile had Catherine Zeta-Jones. Sure she's beautiful and a decent actress, but WHY is she selling cell phones? Is it because they call them "Mobiles" in Great Britain? My parents had T-Mobile at this time and the marketing was so ineffective that my mother only ever called it "Mobile T"!

Granted, this may not be the best example (my mother spent so many years calling a boy in my class "Bill Greenjeans" just to annoy me, that she often has no idea what his real name is).

Still, T-Mobile is not in the top two or three cell phone companies, although they may have a wonderful service. My thought is they need to quit identifying themselves as "not Macs" and try to do something new and relevant. Especially considering the current popularity of iPhones. For many people, the only reason they don't have an iPhone is they don't want to switch to AT&T and are just biding their time until the iPhone is more available with other carriers.

On the other hand, maybe I think about this too much and T-Mobile's only problem is that its signature color is Pepto-Pink!

In Response

You may remember a slightly disturbing incident that occurred a few months ago, wherein I received a picture message from an unnamed source showing me and my friend posing in our "Baby Bumblebee" costumes. That unnamed source turned out to be none other than my former neighbor and the sister of the friend in the photo. To protect the guilty, we'll call her "Smelly".

Over Thanksgiving I received another such picture, this time the somewhat less obscure photo from my senior year. Naturally, I suspected Smelly once again. However, in speaking with Smelly's sister, I discovered that Smelly did not act alone. In the hopes of spurring a new Stadababa post, Smelly (and her brother "Lon") conspired to creep me out.

Initially, I had no intention of deigning to mention this apparent plea for web notoriety but my fondness for the family convinced me otherwise. So, Smelly and Lon, here is your response:

What a couple of good-looking kids! Let it be known that I have no lack of access to embarrassing images. This is merely the tip of the iceberg. Remember Crazy Hat Day and Dress Like a Clown Day? Pictures galore and a forum in which to post them. Your move, Neighbors.