kbobam

It's okay. Just a silly Yale/Harvard thing some of us enjoy now and then!

Ohhhh nooooo! Steph, you just declared yourself a 'Canon Person'! Although I will always love you like a Montague does a Capulet, you're going to have to do some work winning back the 'hearts and minds' of some of us Nikon people here.

Ooh! (Don't worry. I can restrain myself.) But as far as marbles go, make sure to try some shots both indoors and outdoors. They both have their merits. ( :

That sounds like a good idea! And they also have their low-sodium version if you might be feeding people who'd prefer to salt it, or not, themselves.

Ha! My first serious lol of the day! There are certainly some what my attorney advises me to call 'minor setbacks' involved. ( :

Ann reminded me that I was also considering the possibility of some combination of marbles and plastic explosive for a second! But I wound up enjoying the actual topic, so I'm going to give it a '10'. (You're batting .500, which is of course awesome!)

Ha! Twenty-nine and never been bok-choyed! I'm glad you mentioned that stuff. It's one of the ingredients in my life-enhancing vegetable stew, which I haven't made in a long time and am probably in dire need of. (Chop up every vegetable you can possibly think of, but mostly cabbage and bok-choy, throw in a big pot with boiling water, and cook all day long covered on very low heat.) Don't get me wrong here. You can also add a moderate pile of chopped or ground meat. (I usually do.) Get that a little sizzly browned before throwing it in the pot. But the long slow cook really brings out the vegetable flavor the most, so the name sticks. D'oh! Never thought of stir frying it. Will have to try to do something with that. ( :

As one of the poorer people here, I feel safe in saying that we're all behind you and Fritz and damn the expense! Let us know if we can write in our votes! This is a particularly good portrait. It has that 'looking into his soul' quality. ( :

Ha! That's hilarious too! I never thought about it from than angle!

Had to do a search to figure out what I was talking about, but I think it was this one. ( : The trackball developed by Tom Cranston, Fred Longstaff andKenyon Taylor working on theRoyal Canadian Navy's DATARproject in 1952. It used a standard Canadian five-pin bowling ball. The "chopper wheels" are visible, in black.

Hmm, coffee-table book. Not serious literature, but there's something kind of 'grand' about them. And I guess they're more universally-liked than many things. Okay! Sounds good! Looks like the cat's out of the bag about Lloyd's occasional moonlighting in Hollywood!

Is the new one working consistently now? I've never had a wireless input device, but a respected buddy of mine swears by them. Almost in an 'It'll change your life!" kind of way. He'd tell you to get a new keyboard too. Wireless or not, mice and keyboards do sort of wear out eventually, and getting new ones is almost always a happy 'this is great!' experience. ( : Oh geesh! We're going to have to search the archives for that bowling-ball mouse now, aren't we?

I thought this was an interesting ad. All the commercials from these people are silly and fun. But the very 'Alien-like' approach they took here was a little horrifying, and I probably won't forget it for a while. Which in Madison Avenue terms gives it a 'two thumbs up'. ( : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N61j0kmBwf8

Son of a gun. They did have that, didn't they? Don't think I ever tried it. Would probably have been a 'no, thanks' for a young kid. I should give it a shot now, given their overall track record.

I can't remember the two major brands, but have seen several references on tv shows to the folks who like the red stuff having fierce brand-loyalty. Broken engagements, the whole nine yards! A real Hatfield-McCoy situation. ( :

That was a good one too! I'm kind of wondering what the time-frame is for so-called 'red' licorice. I love the black stuff, and the red makes no sense to me whatsoever. Am I old enough that I knew the original product before the other came out? Maybe 'red' has been around forever, but I just don't like it so didn't notice.

I really wonder if the people at Clark's were consciously copying the taste or if it's just coincidence.

I was kind of excited to see this stuff the other day. It was always my favorite as a kid, but I've spent the last few decades assuming it was no more. I appreciate the fact that most of you would trust me with your life, but before you run out to go gum-shopping, I need to tell you the bottom-line here. This stuff tastes just like Pepto-Bismol. Seriously. I think PB tastes great, but it's probably not for everyone. Wasn't even going to post this, but I suddenly realized that it would allow me to shift into an important Pepto-Bismol public-service announcement. (So I'm being serious now. I know it's hard to tell sometimes.) Winter is coming up, and a lot of discomforts and downright illnesses can happen. Frequently at the same time. So your stomach and head might both not feel so good. Do not take Pepto and aspirin at the same time! Not even close to each other! This can result in a 'ringing in the ears' reaction. A long loud bad one. It's not pleasant. I can tell you from experience that it's possible for you to wind up throwing yourself into walls hoping that it might make the horror stop. Sorry to be a bummer! But if it helps anyone, it's worth it.

(Should we tell Winnie that in today's money this old uncancelled stamp is worth 4.7 gazillion dollars? She's very nice, and I'd hate to see sudden wealth change her! ) Other than the strong Mexican presence, I don't know anything about marbles that U.S. people would consider 'South of the Border'. Info about Central and South American marbles would be interesting. ( :

From what I'm seeing at the shops, Halloween must be coming any day now! So I figured I'd better hurry up and post a holiday greeting. Foam skull from The Dollar Tree. JABOs not included.

Man, I really like this one Lloyd! My immediate response was "The flowers are so Summery and the leaf is so Fally." (But that's so incredibly stupid-sounding that I'd never actually post it!) So let's ask everyone's favorite art-critic Robert (That's Row-Bear!) what he thinks. "The simple perfectly balanced graphic outrageousness is so pleasant at first, but on further contemplation the seasonal disparity becomes disquieting in all its implications. It's really quite disturbing! I love it!" Okay! Robe-Air can be a little dramatic at times. But I guess he said it well enough. ( :

Galen, I don't know the first thing about boats. So I'm not sure if being out of the water is a maintenance concern, like a car needing to be driven every once in a while, or if you're a water-lover who hates seeing a nice boat not in the water making people happy. Maybe both, I guess. I don't think it left the marina this year. But guys in Tyvek suits (I'm already starting to sweat) show up periodically with buffers and who knows what else, so I think she's being fairly well taken care of. ( :

Don't exactly have a 'cover-shot' yet, but with perseverance maybe we'll see the boat get zapped one of these days.

Ha! I liked MMB's no-nonsense response. (Try putting Rod Serling's voice to her words. It works perfectly!) It's good to know that cats aren't perfect. But I bet they're 'forgiven' a lot. ( : Steph, I know an excellent concrete guy who can set you up. He'll build what are effectively miniature 'skateboard ramps' in your problem areas. Everything will roll where it should!

Ha! I haven't even clicked the 'post' button yet, but I already know that this topic will have a 'Hot' insignia in no time! Well, maybe. So really, what's it like to have cat(s) and marbles? I've never had a cat other than feline neighbors who visit occasionally. Started thinking about this because of a new-to-me commercial. It certainly seems to suggest that cats find small rolling things appealing. (Except for the one yawning guy who looks sort of bored.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YguB-lBgnA