Odds and Ends

So, for anyone wondering why there was no post last week, I was in Sao Paulo, Brazil visiting my parents for a little over a week. I did have access to a computer with internet, but I was on vacation and decided to extend that vacation to blogging as well (read: L-A-Z-Y). I wasn't really sure what to post today, as I have a few ideas in my head but nothing really compelling. Sorry there won't be a Tales From The Lebowskis entry this week, but next week there should be a new one up. So today's post will just be a few unrelated thoughts and commentaries without any sort of connecting thread. Without further ado...

• Brazil (or at least Sao Paulo) is a cool place to visit, but I don't think I'd do well living there. For one thing, driving is insanity down there. 4-way intersections don't really NEED stops signs, right Sao Paulo? Why would you want to warn anyone that the left two lanes are about to completely diverge from the road they're on? Why shouldn't streets be named after the ENTIRETY of a person's name, including title (Rua Professor Rolando Angelo Tenuto? Rua Doutor Gentil Liente Martins?)? I mean, you can just pick a random word from the string of names and throw that on the sign, can't you? Good food down there, though.
• Inglourious Basterds is awesome. It makes you expect, want, or dread things happening, then doubt they would really go that way, then gives you exactly what you initially expected/wanted/dreaded but you're suprised anyway. And does it very skillfully and with great style and panache. And the currents of dark humor that run through the veins of this revenge flick bubble to the surface at perfect moments to break tension and make you laugh in the middle of some very suspenseful events.
• Ted Kennedy died. That is very sad. Regardless of your opinion of his politics, he was an influential man who worked hard in the Senate to pursue goals he believed were right for the country. I would like to relate an anecdote about Ted Kennedy from my days in college: Teddy came to my college one day when the Prime Minister of Ireland was also visiting and speaking. An acquaintence of mine, who we'll call Ryan Soda was in attendance at this event, as he was a prominent College Democrat. Ryan Soda was a big man. A very big man. Hulka-sized, although maybe not as tall. After the Prime Minister was done speaking, Ryan boldly approached Senator Kennedy and asked him if he would care to retire to somewhere nearby and enjoy some alcoholic libations. "That's the best idea I've heaahd all day!" replied the Senator. And so off they went to the hotel on campus, which featured a hotel bar. And Ryan Soda proceeded to go drink-for-drink with Teddy Kennedy, a man famous for being not only the "Lion of the Senate", but a lion of alcohol consumption as well. I hope wherever Ryan Soda is today, he is raising a glass (or a dozen glasses or so) to his old drinking buddy, Edward Kennedy, Jr.
• While on vacation, I had a chance to read another Kurt Vonnegut novel, Breakfast of Champions. It was very good. With each passing work I read by Vonnegut, the more I wish he was still alive so I could meet him some day. His writing style seems so simple, straightforward, and honest. It is deceptively skillful to be able to write so well and seem so direct and be so damn funny. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., to you I raise a glass (or a dozen glasses or so).
• It was recently confirmed that I can now list all 195 nations currently recognized by the United Nations without the aid of a map or checklist. Thanks, Sporcle!
  

A List of Lists?

I love sporcle.com. If you are unfamiliar with this page, let me apologize in advance for the hours of your life you'll never get back once you click that link. It is a website of quiz games in the format of lists. For example, one quiz may be to list all the countries in Africa, another may be to list all the films that Adam Sandler has been in, another might be to identify a number of famous foursomes. This is addictive as all hell, especially if you are me and your brain already works this way. Here are some quizzes they have not yet made (and likely never will):

• List all the ingredients in a bag of Skittles candy
• Can you recognize the 18th century aristocracy based on these zoomed-in chins?
• World's biggest assholes (figurative meaning), 1401-2001
  
• World's biggest assholes (literal meaning), 1401-2001
• Most popular names for livestock, 1994
• Dinosaurs by weight of heaviest known femur bone (kg)
• Least used three-digit numbers of all time
• How many Saltine crackers can these celebrities eat in six minutes?
• Name the musical artists or bands based on the number of times the word "and" has appeared in their songs
• Guess the video game console based on estimated percentage of players who are virgins over age 25 (at time of console's release)
• Reddest colors
• Most popular onomatopoeias for flatulence, 2002
• Name the leap years in the 20th century
• Least flattering camera angles of all time
• Most popular interests/hobbies for individuals with a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome in the USA, 2007
• Top ten most Canadian countries
• Identify the letters (Y, M, C, or A) represented by the following costumed men in poses
• Individuals residing in Heaven according to Rev. Fred Phelps
• World's tastiest salamis, 1962
• Quizzes that will never appear on Sporcle as documented by "Shorts Below Freezing"

Post your own suggestions on the comments page!