So, the other day I was riding the "L" and saw this ad.
I was… confused.
Do you see it?
Authentic Mexican Food, like…
Pizza?
2014-03-17
2014-03-16
Next Sunday Is Going To Be Okay
175 years ago, in the city of Boston, the word "OK" was born.
If you watch the included video from CBS Sunday Morning, you will see Ph.D. Metcalf; Executive Secretary of the American Dialect Society talking about the word "ok". That's what you'll see.
What I see is Dr. Metcalf. The advisor for "The Daily Other". The newspaper where "Scope" was born. While I never actually had Dr. Metcalf as a professor in any of my classes, 25+ years after I graduated, he still remembers my name. I also see the reference room in the Henry Pfeiffer Library. A room I spent as little time in as possible. Then I see Rutledge lawn. A space where I spent as much time as possible.
Dr. Metcalf and MacMurray College both look OK.
2014-03-10
Corn Huskers–And I Don't Mean "Nebraska"
To say I suffer from "winter skin" is an understatement.
I am Winter Skin's bitch.
For the past, I don't know, 6 years, between December and February, if I wore short sleeved shirts, it looked like I had been mauled by a bear or ran a marathon through a brier patch or something.
My arms and back were carved with scratches from itching I my sleep. The rest of my arms were red and with hive like bumps. The back of my calves looked like some kind of lunar-sc(r)ape.
I tried the Eucerine as told HERE. It worked okay, but was expensive, and need to be applied constantly just to keep the dry skin at bay. And, I'm sure 50% of it is still in the tube.
This year, after scratching myself raw the first 3 months of winter (it's been brutal here in Chicago, like everywhere, I guess), I had enough and bought a bottle of the good stuff.
Corn Huskers Lotion.
Normally, I would provide a link to the official Corn Huskers Lotion website, but I don't think there is one. I've searched the web, and am not sure who even manufactures it. They probably just made a monster batch of it in 1943, and have been just selling that batch ever since. But let me tell you, it works.
Within 2 applications (night then morning), my skin was so much better.
Applying it before bed and after the morning shower, and I've had no winter skin issues since.
Sure, the stuff looks like a 7 ox bottle of snot, but don't let that put you off. Just pour a nickel sized drop in your hand and go for it. It's a little thin, so be careful. It has a nice, clean smell, so you won't smell like lavender & lilac unicorn farts or anything. Just be warned: As it dries on your hands, it does go through a "tacky" phase, but that doesn't last long.
And at around $3.99 a bottle, you can afford to be liberal with it.
A few things:
- It was originally formulated for actual corn huskers, i.e. men who shucked ears of corn.
- It can be hard to find. I've scored some at CVS. You may need to try… Walmart.
- According to at least one site, it can also perform as a "personal lubricant". Well, shuck that corn.
2014-01-15
Project 52-Week 02–Last Minute Charlie Already
So, like I said, I'm going to try this project where I take a picture a week, so I start taking more pictures, and with 3 hours left in the week*, I finally take this week's picture.
I'd taken a few pictures during the week, but wasn't really moved by any of them. We'd had some snow and cold, and I was thinking of taking a great shot of the Chicago River with the sky blue and the ice crystals steaming off of it. But it was cold, and the river is like, 4 blocks away, and so I, ummm, didn't.
So, I grabbed a couple items that were sitting on my desk for the shot:
The book, How To Be A Villain, is a playbook for my retirement, and helped me generate my pseudonym: "Baron Von Bloodhammer". And the small plastic Iron Giant is a great Christmas gift from my lovely wife, Cora. Two seconds of composition to hide the massive mess on my desk, and BOOM!, there you go.
The two rejects were:
The iced over gas meter. It looked pretty cool when I passed it in the morning, but I didn't have a chance snap a picture. By the time I got home and took a picture, the ice didn't look nearly as nice, and the lighting was gawd-awful.
And while I appreciate whoever drew the frozen banana on the box at the L stop, once again, I just didn't like the lighting. The flash totally washed it out, and with no flash it was too dark.
* Week – I want to eventually get on a Monday – Sunday week schedule, but right now, I'm just making it in the 7 day increments since the start of the year.
2014-01-07
Project 52–Week 01
A few years back, my lovely bride, Cora, did something referred to as "Project 365". That's where you take a picture a day for a year.
While she did a great job, WOW!, is that more commitment than I can muster.
Way more.
So I'm going to try something a little more my speed: "Project 52".
I'm going to take a picture a week this year, and post them here. Or I'm going to try. You know how these things go. Also, with a wife who is a true shutterbug, she's always taking pictures, so she's rarely in them. That's not fair. She's far too pretty not to be in front of the camera, too.
So, here's my first entry. It was taken on January 2nd from Salty's, in West Seattle. I liked the composition that it presented me with, with the piling in the foreground, the red tug in the middle, and the skyline in the background.
Below is a second shot I took a little earlier, with Cora's small camera in panoramic mode. (The deck doesn't actually curve like that.)
Yes, I know my wife isn't in either of these pictures, but while I had my camera out, I did get some good pictures of her. And that's the real point of this whole deal.
2014-01-01
A New Year's Public Service Announcement
This announcement has nothing to do particularly with New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, 2014, or any other bit of calendar monkey business.
In fact, this advice is a tale as old as time. A song as old as rhyme.
- THESE ARE NOT PANTS!
- THE DAZZLE CAMOUFLAGE ISN'T FOOLING ANYONE.
Back in WWI, and to a lesser part, WWII, some ships were painted with a paint scheme, often referred to as "razzle dazzle" or "dazzle camouflage". It was not designed to hide the ships from the enemy, so much as to confuse the enemy gunners as to the size, shape, speed, and/or bearing of a ship, throwing off the optical range finders so as to cause them difficulty in acquiring a firing solution.
These tights are NOT going to break up your silhouette and fool anybody into thinking that your Ticonderoga class cruiser of a backside is really a sleek little Arleigh Burke destroyer (ship designations in honor of Skydad).
Especially if you are wearing them as pants. Seriously! Look in a mirror and ask yourself, "Is this the first impression I want to make today?" If the answer is "yes", beg your momma, or her closest living relative to slap some sense into you (unless "Auntie" is a hoochie, too, then you're screwed). There are probably 6 women on the planet with legs and buttocks shaped correctly to wear tights as pants in public.
YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THEM.
They are some of the (butt not all) Victoria Secret models. You might be fine, butt reality check, you aren't that fine. Go put on a skirt, or a tunic sweater or something and cover that up a little. Trust me, the world NEEDS THE MYSTERY.
I mean, do you want to look like this from behind? People will be gouging their eyes out behind you in line at McDonalds while you get your McRib, fries and a Diet Coke.
And this goes double for wearing ecru (see, I know a few of the fancy "women color" words) tights worn as pants. You look naked and like someone spackled your ass crack closed. You are personally contributing toward the breakdown in society. Stop it. I don't care if they match your skin color or not.
I don't care what you wear for "special sexy time" around the house, do not cross your threshold into any common or public area looking like some idiot who forgot to put pants on. Even if you are not getting out of the car. Not an excuse.
I mean, we don't have to go full Victorian again, but a little modesty, people. And that goes for you, too, "Mr. Bicycle Pants on The L". No one wants to sit in a seat with your "package" at eye level.
Where's the eye bleach?
2013-12-16
Once Upon A Time–Down the "Rabbit Hole"
A few weeks ago, the family was sitting around watching that show "Once Upon A Time" and this bit of poor planning appeared on the screen:
Did that rabbit just do what I think he just did?
Yup, he just circled Snow White's "rabbit hole".
I've always thought that those "pop-up" ads were useless, but this was at least entertaining.
[And FYI – All the women on this show are much better looking in their "fairy tale" clothes than they are in their contemporary garb.]
And for SkyDad, a gratuitous shot of Ruby.
Trying to get at least one blog post out a week. Had this sitting on the DVR forever before I had a chance to video it and get it posted.
2013-12-09
Cyber-Monday Wrap Up / The Voice
Man that was a blast. Sorry I haven't been back since the big Cyber Monday event. If you missed it, here's the roll of those I know who participated:
| Elly - LINK | |
I think I've figured it out. While many on the people who posted I also know on that place called "Facebook", it just isn't the same. It's a different "voice" over there. I know my "voice" is different over here than over there. Even in the dark, super special corners where my mother isn't lurking.
"Scope" doesn't play as much on Facebook. Those are more "Eric's people". Writing over there, I have such a broad audience of people that I mostly used to sort of kind of know or are related to, so I have to be more guarded. Here? This is my house, not Zuck's. I have more freedom. I love what I call "the long form". Most every post I do has a picture or two. I've recently increase my default font size (due to my eyes getting older). Over there, you can't even BOLD that which needs bolding.
And I certainly can say that while I know some folks are still blogging and I appreciate it, it certainly was glad to hear some of those old voices again.
And now, a word from Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Illinois:
2013-12-02
Welcome to CYBER-Monday
Welcome to the Scope-Tech CYBER-Monday extravaganza. Check out all the other bloggers' contributions in the comments section below. And "Thanks" to all the bloggers, active and retired who participated.
For those of you who may be new here, I'm Scope. Shortly after starting this blog, I ran across a fellow blogger, we seemed to hit it off, and well, if you want to read the long story, jump back to 2009 / 2010 on the list over there –>, but we met, fell in love, got married, and are now living our happily ever after.
Work, on the other hand… We're in the crunch time of a year or so long project that is going to roll out at the end of February. I'd been working from 8:00 to 6:00 or 6:30 most nights for the last few months. And then, as of 2 weeks ago, the person who was the project lead is no longer with the Firm. While we have a contractor in from the vendor to assist, I've now added an extra hour to my work day trying to catch up on all the stuff she was doing, coordinating with the contractor, and desperately trying to sneak in a few minutes each day to keep my portion of the project somewhat on track.
I bet you were wondering about my Thanksgiving dinner. Well, we assembled at my sister's place, where she had a beautiful spread set up.
Working clockwise around the plate, we have our stuffing (or is it dressing) at noon, some grilled asparagus, grilled sweet potatoes, grilled turnips, and grill Brussels sprouts. At the bottom of the plate are two yeasty rolls, some white meat turkey with some cranberry sauce, and some dark meat turkey, because I don't discriminate. And the bull's-eye is mashed potatoes and gravy. On the outside looking in is some whole kernel corn, and a nut brown ale called "Moose Drool". Believe it or not, the grilled vegetables absolutely stole the show as far as I was concerned. So, Candy, that really doesn't count as "plating" does it?
2013-11-28
Happy Thanksgiving!
Okay, I think this is the 5th time I 've run this clip. It's a great Thanksgiving tradition.
I hope you all have a great holiday, and hope to hear from you on Cyber-Monday.
2013-11-25
CYBER MONDAY–The Challenge
As you probably know, Monday, December 2 has been dubbed, "Cyber Monday". But is it really as an antiquated concept as buggy whips? I mean, the Monday after Thanksgiving was named that because people would use their work's faster internet connections to do their shopping.
Is that really an issue now? I mean, fast internet isn't just in your home, but it's on your phone. Are people really waiting until they get to the office to hit Amazon?
So, let's repurpose "CYBER MONDAY".
One week from today, Monday, December 2**, post something, anything on your blog. You've got a week. Let's take the internet back from the shopper and the Facebookers* and celebrate "blog world" for at least one day.
Post what ever you want. Even if it's just before/after pictures of your Thanksgiving plate. (American's only. I know Thursday isn't an international holiday.)
When you're done, swing back by Scope-Tech here and post a link.
And maybe catch up with an old friend.
And isn't friends and family one of the things we're all thankful for?
* I know the irony of the fact that I posted this on Facebook, and spend much more time on Facebook than on my blog, but I really do miss the "long form" of the blog.
** Corrected to the correct date, Monday, December 2nd.
2013-11-18
Happy 9th
I'm so glad to for today.
9 years ago, my super fantastic, wonderful, amazing wife became…
The Girl Who Lived.
2013-11-07
For Drying Out Loud
I have a confession to make.
I have a new favorite website, The United States Drought Monitor.
I grew up on a farm, so rainfall and the water table is something I still have an interest in. Like following your childhood baseball team, even after you've lost interest in baseball in general.
Below is the current drought map.
Not bad, really. Illinois and Iowa have been running a little dry this fall. But that's okay. The growing season is over, and the harvest is wrapping up. They can wait a little while for the rain.
We had a nice rain storm blow through here on Halloween. While one rain won't break a drought, this was a good couple of day soaker, that should at least roll back the drought index a little.
To watch the drought spread and dissipate, watch the below animation. (FYI – based on the data from 7 am Tuesday, it is updated every Thursday at 8:30 am.)
So, do you have any favorite geeky websites?
2013-10-15
What the BEEP!
Let me tell you a tale.
A tale of deception.
A tale of confusion.
A tale of a toaster oven.
I've always been a toaster over guy. My parents flipped back and forth between toasters and toaster ovens. Often having both of the counter at the same time. I always leaned toward using the toaster oven. It just was so much more convenient.
So, when I moved out on my own, they gave me a hand-me-down toaster oven. Black & Decker. It lasted a few years, and I replaced it with another B&D. They both had that little lever on the front that when the timer was up, would ding a bell for you. As the years went by, me and my toaster ovens made some great tuna melts, tater tots, and of course, toast.
5 years ago, as I was getting ready to move into my new condo, with the open concept kitchen. I knew the old toaster oven was going to clash. Big time. So I bought this sweet Cuisinart model.
(Not the actual toaster oven. In all honesty, I didn't want to spend the time cleaning up the crumbs and 5 years of burnt on schmootz off it.)
It's a great toaster oven, but one thing: When it finished toasting, it shut off without a sound. Just a subtle CLICK as the element turned off. What's up with that? Even the cheap-o models tell you when they are done. They don't leave it up to you to remember that you toasted some raison bread half an hour ago and it's all cold and gnasty.
About 2 years ago, the strangest thing happened. About twice, when it finished, it beeped. But then we need to cook up some tater tots or something, and when we flipped it back to "Toast", it was silent again.
Until about 3 weeks ago.
After 5+ years, it now has decided to beep when it's done toasting.
And when it first did it, it freaked us the HELL OUT. Nothing like a disembodied "Beep! Beep! Beep!" from the kitchen to get your attention. Well, maybe when you're home, alone, in bed, getting ready to go to sleep, and you hear the terrifying sound of…
The toilet flushing.
But that's a story for another time.
2013-10-11
Bracing For The Worst
So, a little over a year ago, we bit the bullet and took The Daughter® in for braces. It was something that Cora was looking at back before the wedding, but since you pay such a front weighted fee for the braces, it just didn't make sense to do it before the move, and then with the court stuff going on and all, well, it just slide off to the side for a little while.
The Daughter's a beautiful young lady, but she was always embarrassed about her smile. So, The Wife® called around for an orthodontist to get a preliminary consultation, and had a hard time finding anyone who had hours outside of school hours. Seriously? If you're an othro, most of your revenue comes from teenagers, right? Who have school during the day, right?
Anyway, when Cora eventually found one within walking distance from the school and the condo, who had evening and weekend hours, we set up that consultation. Cora and I had talked about it. With the parenting plan we have, The Daughter's biological father would be paying a portion of the bill, so we needed to do it in a fiscally responsible way, so we figured Invisaligns would be out, but maybe we would cover the cost difference between the old school metal braces and the semi-clear plastic ones. She was already embarrassed about her smile, sticking her with a mouth full of steel for a couple of years seemed… cruel.
At the consultation, the ortho explained our options:
- The old school metal braces were going to be around $5,000 and take about 2.5 years.
- The clear plastic ones were going to be about $6,500 and he said that they broke a lot, and caused a lot more problems, including tooth damage than they were probably worth.
And that was it. He ended his spiel. As Cora, The Daughter, and I talked about the options, I asked him, "What about Invisaligns?"
"Oh, those would be about $5,000, same as the metal ones, and should take about 18 months."
WTF? Dude, next time, lead with that. LEAD WITH THAT!
Now, you have to be a good candidate with both the right type of dental issues and be able to follow the rules (wear them 20 hours a day, no eating with them in, etc.). And the rule obeying girl with the front teeth that needed rotated was a great candidate. So, they took a mold of her teeth, sent them off, and just before school last year, she started the program.
Now, if you don't know how it works, they take the "before" mold, and scan that into a computer and generate the "after", and then a number of incremental steps to get from "before" to "after" in 2 week increments. Every 2 weeks, after the teeth have moved a little, you switch to the next set. You are supposed to wear them 20 – 22 hours a day. The orthodontist provides you with a handful of sets at a time. When you need to get your next bunch, you schedule an appointment. The Daughter has only been back to the chair once, for a couple minutes in all the appointments. They are usually in/out in literally 5 minutes. You take the trays out to eat and brush your teeth. That means no food restrictions like regular braces. But when they're in: cold water only.
Let me tell you, when you hear that they are virtually invisible, the truth is, they are. I mean you have to be about a foot away and looking hard to notice them. There was a bit of a lisp for the first few days, but it's faded.
And her teeth? We're 30 sets in of the 34, and I have to tell you, if she stopped now, her teeth would be merely great. I can't wait to see what the fine tuning of the last few sets.
Now, I know what you're thinking: "Where's the proof? Show me that smile."
She's getting a CD and a book that she's been waiting a long time for, so she's happy, and not remotely embarrassed to flash that smile.
That's how it worked for us. Your mileage may vary. Just saying that if you have a teen, don't rule out Invisaligns, and for sure, shop around for an orthodontist that has decent hours.
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