DurhamNtx's blog: "Durham Mouths Off"

I read this story on another web site, and did a double take.

Camel beauty contestants barred for botox use

I really don't know what to think about this. I'd've mummed about it but I really am not sure how... It sure gives "Happy Hump Day a different meaning...

Thoughts?

Rock (or maybe camel?) on!

I read an article on NPR Online which was about songs that get stuck in your head. The article called them earworms. The name has stuck in my mind like - well, like an earworm.

Yesterday an earworm infested my brain. I saw a trailer for the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks 3: Chipwrecked. The trailer featured soundbytes from the Chipettes performing a song. These soundbytes stuck in my head, and I wondered if, perhaps, there was such a thing as earwormlets...

I finally had to satisfy my curiosity (and attempt to purge this earworm) and Googled the movie's soundtrack. I discovered - among others - one on the Amazon listing for the song called Bad Romance. I Googled "Bad Romance". I ALSO found that Lady Gag-um, Ga-Ga performed it first. I watched THAT video. I was not impressed. So I went back to the Chipettes Version. I found myself humming, then singing, with it, smiling in amusement. I soon discovered that this wasn't necessarily a good thing - it was still stuck. I clicked on their version of "Hot 'n Cold" (a Katie Perry tune). Again, i was more impressed by the Chipmunk version than the original.

I just told Reeka I need to get the 3 movies...

If you're curious and know nothing of these things of which I speak, I'll post the Chipettes' version.

Rock on!
Shawn, AKA DurhamNtx

Most of you won't care, and that's fine. But I wanted to say a few words about one of the icons of Dallas, Texas. Jerry Haynes was an icon to those of us who grew up in Dallas. From the time I was 6 til I was 12, I would get up every Saturday morning at 6 AM to watch a show called Peppermint Place, The host, Mr. Peppermint, was NOT like Mr Rogers or Captain Kangaroo = He was a nice man who seemed approachable, with a variety of weird but wonderful friends, including Jingles the Dragon (NOW guess why I liked it! :D ) I never felt like he was boring or scary or anything but fun!

Mr. Peppermint was portrayed by Jerry Haynes, father of Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes.  His shows were always interesting to me as a kid - as much as H.R. Pufnstuf and the Bugaloos and other kids shows. I would venture to say that he helped my parents raise me. He had a profound effect on my life. Even as a teen, as later an adult, I would occasionally flip over to Peppermint Place, if I was up, to watch, and remember... 

I am saddened after hearing he has passed away. A tribute hosted by the television station that aired Peppermint Place for 35 years is here.

RIP, Mr. Peppermint. And thank you for the bright spots in my childhood. 

Rock on!
Shawn

SAD NEWS - Please join me in remembering YET ANOTHER great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes to the belly. He was 71. Dough Boy is survived by his wife Play Dough, three children, John Dough, Jane Dough, and Dosey Dough, plus they hada bun in the oven. Services were held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

Okay, maybe not... But it sounded good...

Rock on!
Shawn, AKA Durhamntx

We just can't BUY rain... 

From the Monitor.com:

McALLEN — In Hidalgo County, a potential rain event turned mostly into a non-event.

Tropical Storm Don blew ashore Friday in South Texas, bringing much-needed rain — but little else — to portions of the Rio Grande Valley. By 8:30 p.m., when the dissipating storm was just beginning to move inland over northern Kenedy County [cq], the National Hurricane Center was already planning to downgrade it to a tropical depression, hours ahead of when the warnings were originally scheduled to lapse.

The rest of the article is here:

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/bark-53318-bite-mcallen.html

I read and heard reports that the reason it did this was the same reason storms dissipate as they reach land onthe Arabian peninsula - the heat. This has NEVER happened on North America before in recorded history.

I'd like to see another Ivan right about now... heading straight north to Dallas... Oh, wells... 

Rock on!
Shawn

Okay, I did the "joiner" thing... Not Tellin' did this, so I did it too...

Lets101 Quizzes - Fun Quizzes

Rock on!
Shawn, AKA Durham

My nephew Michael just got taken to the hospital... He's been sick - VIOLENTLY sick - since about 10 lost night, according to his mom. He's also complaining of a headache. He hit his head getting into the car last night. We all kinda blew it off until this morning, when I remembered that he said he saw stars. His mom took him to the doctor later this morning, who sent them to the ER. They gave him an antinausea med, which, of course, knocked him out and gave him 2 IVs for fluids. He woke up an hour ago and threw up again. They and my mother are on the way to the hospital... I'm really worried now. I WOULD follow, but it makes me worry worse if I'm at the hospital, than if I'm here. Plus, I have to go to Seguin, Texas (about 5 hours south of me) tomorrow morning for work.

Really not in a good mood now...

Durham, AKA Shawn

UPDATE: 9:01 Futime - I just heard he's had a CT scan, and they've determined that he has a brain. Also, that it seems okay - they dignosed him with a bad stomach flu, gave him an IV, treated him for potassium deficiency, since he's been throwing up so much, and are releasing him back to mama's care. :) I am very thankful it wasn't worse! ~DIT~

Well, many of you know I took a fucation - and I'm back! For a while at least...

Today is Mother's Day, and I want to wish all you mothers (not "muthas" or "mother-effers" but women who birthed children) Happy Mommy's Day!

Some cute things happened in conjunction therewith. My nephew Michael made my sister boo-hoo Friday. His English (I think) class teacher had him and the rest write "prams" (nods to Monty Python) to their moms. Yesterday, Shelley, my sister, went and got snacks for our mom and me - my nephew was out with friends.

For the first time in almost 2 years, I actually had eough money to take us all out to dinner. We went to a place called Mimi's - a café specializing in southern and French New Orleans cuisine, with posters and art and such from New Orleans from the past many years. I would recommend, if there's one nearby, you try it! We had dinner, ate WAY too much, as usual, and I felt a small surge of pride taking the check and putting MY OWN card inside! :) I almost forgot what that felt like, having been unemployed for all this time!

Around noon today, Shelley took mom to get "manis and pedis" for the two of them. A short aside here - My mom and my sister had been trying to grow a hydrangea for some time. They had bought 4 of them, and they all croaked. Last year, they both swore they weren't trying again - that we were doomed to never have a hyndrangea live. Well, while they were getting pampered, her son went and bought a live flowering plant for both of them. He picked it out himself. He tried to choose the best PLANT for the money he allowed himself to spend. And he did a good job! When he came home, he proudly showed me his gift - a hydrangea.

Durham, AKA Shawn

1. Ever been compelled to fill out an asinine survey? Yep - alla time.. I'm such a follower sometimes... :P
2. Ever tear the tag off of a mattress depsite risk of fine and/or imprisonment? No - doesn't apply to the owner of said mattress
3. Ever used an aeresol can other than directed (bonus cool points for as a flamethrower to kill a spider) As a club for bugs when the Raid can was empty - does that count? It was still used for killing bugs...
4. Ever put in excess of 5 pringles in your mouth at once? No - 2 usually is my limit. Now the last of the Lays bag - THAT'S different...
5. Ever been driving and kinda flinch because you dont remember part of the ride? That's not common?
6. Ever sneezed in your hand, and then were immediately confronted by someone that wanted to shake? A few times...
7. What diversion did you create to get them to shake the other hand? It was in my left hand... Except once - I met Phil Graham. I didn't bother with a diversion - I WANTED to make him sick...
8. Ever been so drunk you ate all the individual components of a sandwich, but never actually made a sandwich? (ie-piece of bread, piece of meat, piece of cheese, squirt mustard in mouth) Not with a regular one - now CRACKER sandwiches alla time...
9. Not counting medical facilities or online...Whats the largest number of people that have seen you naked at once? Does the school locker room count?
10. What was the situation in question 9? Does the school locker room count?
11. Have you ever recycled a miss work excuse? And did anyone remember you already used that one? Not at the same job... 
12. Ever knock one off in traffic? Nope - don't wanna scare/hurt anyone...
13. Ever peed on a jellyfish victum? And did they ask you to first? or did ya just let it fly? Never peed on anyone. (Well, Dud doesn't count - that was just in his status)
14. Have you ever verbally said an internet acronym in r/l? IRL? OMG - Alla time! Mostly WTF... 
15. What is the most embarassing concert youve attended that you dont normally mention? Besides school ones? I'm never embarassed by them - although I must say the one that came through Dallas a few years ago had me leaving before the headliner, Culture Club... 
16. Have you ever pitched a beer can out the passenger window into the bed of a pickup and it was sucked back in the back sliding window and nailed the driver in the head? I couldn't get close enough to the bed of the pickup...
17. Have you ever shot a road sign? Nope - pegged one with a beer can at 80 MPH once...
18. Have you ever had an injury and lied about the cause? Well, when I was 3 I blamed my broken leg on my mom 'cuz I was mad at her - I was a rotten kid sometimes...
19. Ever been asked to leave a late night breakfast joint? Yeah - the service was lousy, the food was lousy, and the coffee was motor oil. And I let the waitress - who was RUDE to begin with - AND the manager know it all sucked. I and my friends were invited to go elsewhere - so we did. I did take care of the tip - I had a nickel in my pocket...
20. Explain in one sentence, no less than 10 words, no more than 15, how you feel about RediWhip. Along with strawberries, it can make foreplay far more fun! =D

Rock on!
Shawn, AKA DurhamNtx

Shortly after 10 AM local time yesterday morning, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (R-Arizona) was hosting a meet-and-greet event in Tuscon in front of a Safeway supermarket. 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner was seen walking tup to the event, when he pulled a handgun out and started shooting. According to the Pima Co. sherriff's department, Congresswoman Giffords was shot in the head, and 24 others were killed or wounded, including US District Judge John Roll, 3 sextagenarians and a 9-year-old, and Gabe Zimmerman, the congresswoman's director of community outreach. A summary of events is listed on the NPR website here.

Apparently, the suspect has posted videos on Youtube. Hollywood Gossip has two - there maybe others.

And this convinces me more than ever that everyone needs a gun... *wipes sarcasm from screen*

Peace and love,
Shawn, AKA Durham