This year, as I stood with my nephew staring at the turkey carcass following its carving, I shared with him an anecdote about Thanksgiving when I was his age. I grew up in a fairly poor household but we always had turkey for the holiday. But it was a bit of an extravagance for us so my mother was committed to getting everything the bird had to offer. After it was carved for dinner she would take the bones and pick off all of the remaining meat that did not get carved off. After her earnest meat plucking, she was still convinced there was meat she had missed or couldn't see. She took the remains and threw it in a pot of boiling water along with some token vegetables and called it turkey soup. I told my Mom that she needed to stop lying to herself. It's not turkey soup - it's skeleton juice. I swear if she had the skill she would have taken the carcass and made a vest out of it for me or my brother. Happy Thanksgiving, Ma.


Web Junkie

Steve West scours the Web searching for interest or absurdity and then shakes his head ruefully when he finds it. Read more »

Japanese Terebi Game Shows 3

Operation: Make Amy Laugh. Another (and probably last) collection of wacky game show clips from television in Japan. Clockwork Creampuff; Painful Eliminations; Tricycling Idiots; and Treadmill Hurdles. Go »

Ten Times Bliss

Brenda and I just finished putting the girls to bed. We picked them up from Grandma's a little earlier because she was babysitting while Brenda and I celebrated our tenth anniversary. Just a brief opportunity to spend some time together on a school night. Go »

There Really Are Superheroes

And most of them wear capes. Oddee does a nice roundup of ten real-life superheroes - people who actually dress up in costume and prowl their respective cities with a willingness to foil criminals and their crimes. While you may question their sartorial wisdom, you gotta admire their desire to make a difference. Go »

It's My Honor to Be Her Father

I just returned from Lauren"s surprise wedding shower. She was completely awed. She came on the pretense of picking up a couch for her apartment in North Dakota. Go »

ML8 ML8

Saw this bumper sticker on a white Rabbit. Took me a couple miles to get it. All of these buildings are impressive in their own way but that Chicago drill bit seems to be screaming, "Screw you, Chicago!" Go »

Love Letter and Goodbye

I had a very strange thing happen to me this morning. Overnight, I had a dream that featured my ex-wife, Betsy. I told Brenda about it and wondered what the image of Betsy represented in my subconscious that made me wake with such a clear image of her. Go »