WVU Belongs in the National Title

This article in the Charleston Daily Mail says it all.

Take that, OSU!

Cook, Furfari can measure depth of WVU-Pitt rivalry

Cook, Furfari can measure depth of WVU-Pitt rivalry: "you will hate Pitt for eternity," which is my favorite Jack Fleming quote. I'm getting much more into this Pitt game than even I had in earlier years. And I'm already getting nervous. Golly I hope we pound them good, in a fashion that would make even Jack Fleming's ghost call to the Mountaineers for mercy.

But this is part of what I enjoy about rivalries. Check out the Backyard Blog, with entries from Pitt and WVU diehard fans. It's good clean ribbing, which can be lots of fun.

Angel from Montgomery by John Prine and Bonnie Raitt

This is probably the most beautiful song I've ever heard. I have fond memories of singing this with one of my best friends. And the montage is perfect...exactly what I pictured when I first heard this lovely song.

The Backyard Blog

The Backyard Blog

Bad Santa!!!

This is the funniest picture I've seen in a while. Courtesy of The Jacknut Chronicles.

Sucks to be Santa sometimes.

Eight Things Meme

I was tagged by JediJawa with the Eight Interesting things meme, so here goes:

1. My house (my bedroom, to be precise) was hit by a tractor-trailer when I was five years old. Since then I've harbored an irrational fear of tractor-trailers.
2. I'm thinking of growing my hair out for Locks of Love. But I'm afraid that they'll send it back because they can't do anything with it either!
3. I took gymnastics lessons at the same place (and at the same time) that Mary Lou Retton did. She learned much better than I did.
4. My eyes are terrible and have been all my life. My secret wish is to wake up in the morning and be able to see.
5. Contrary to common belief, I was born in Richmond, Virginia.
6. My family has lived on the same piece of land since the Revolutionary War.
7. My first major purchase after I finally got out of grad school and got a real job was WVU season football tickets.
   
8. Eight is my lucky number!

Now tagging:
Banewood
Ms. Jamie
Kayak Dave
Anne Johnson
Elvis Drinkmo
Lulu Bunny
Just Judith
Yellowdog Granny

(links to follow after I cook Thanksgiving dinner)

RIP, Mr. Yup Yup

Here's a video of the Yup Yup man. It's a bit grainy, but I thought the clearer video was insulting, so you're going to have to suffer with graininess.

He was a fixture around Morgantown, a little odd to be sure, but never hurt a fly, and never drank alcohol, regardless of how many bars he frequented.

He never spoke to me, and I've heard rumors that he didn't speak to women. I can believe that. He was a gentle soul.

I remember when his landlord died in the early 90s, the concern was "what's going to happen to Mr. Yup Yup?" as we all knew that the landlord provided a place for him to stay and looked out for him. I never knew till today, but I continued to see him around town so I knew he was all right.

Goodbye, Mr. Yup Yup

A part of my childhood is gone. Morgantown says Farewell to the Yup Yup man

Dying Languages

When we lose a language, we lose another way of looking at the world. It is through language that we create meaning and interpret our world.This article from the New York Times illustrates this concept perfectly.

So I guess I am on the level of undergrads

Saw this tool on several blogs and had to try it.

Get a Cash Advance

UPDATE: Three days later, I had either gotten a lot better at writing OR the blog readability is pretty random. But I couldn't resist having the GENIUS label on my blog! I've known it for a long time.... :-)

Get a Cash Advance

Pre-Thanksgiving Christmas Songs

I get really grumpy when I hear Christmas songs before Thanksgiving. So here are my alterations.

Stop the Bells (to the tune of Silver Bells, as if you didn't know)

Stop the Bells
Stop the Bells
It's too damn early for Christmas songs
Ring a ling
Stop that thing
Christmas is two months away!

God Rest Ye Merry Customers (again, to the tune of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)

God Rest Ye Merry Customers
Let nothing you dismay
Just put it on your credit card
You'll pay it off in May

And if your debts get too darn high
You can always get a loan
Oh put up your retirement and home,
Retirement and home
And forget about a cruise to Rome.

More to come as my creativity and annoyance level rises.

How Privileged are You?

Found this on a blog focusing on Quakers and social class. Ones that apply to me are bolded. I'm not sure what this says. I grew up pretty solidly middle-class, I thought. What do you think?

Father went to college (for a year)
Father finished college
Mother went to college (again, for a year)
Mother finished college
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor. (Dad's first cousin that I never really knew)
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
Were read children's books by a parent
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 (Guitar, believe it or not, briefly)
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs*(All of undergrad, but after that I was on my own)
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs*
Went to a private high school
Went to summer camp (Does 4-H Camp and Church Camp count?)
Had a private tutor before you turned 18
Family vacations involved staying at hotels
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them (Yeah, RIGHT!!!!)
There was original art in your house when you were a child
Had a phone in your room before you turned 18
You and your family lived in a single family house
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
You had your own room as a child
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
Had your own TV in your room in High School
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 (once when I went to the West Coast to visit Dad's sisters)
Went on a cruise with your family
Went on more than one cruise with your family
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family

What have you done?

Today I was at work where we were testing out furniture for our really awesome new building. A co-worker was saying that she didn't like the desk chairs because the arms didn't go out far enough to the sides. Me being me, I messed with the arms and got them to turn to the outside more.

She was amazed. "How did you do that? We've all tried it, we even read the directions, and the directions said you couldn't do it!"

My reply: "I wasn't encumbered by the directions."

Which brings to mind the question: what impossible things have you done lately?

Unravelled: The mystery of why strings tangle - tech - 30 September 2007 - New Scientist Tech

Unravelled: The mystery of why strings tangle - tech - 30 September 2007 - New Scientist Tech What's next: the mystery of the missing socks in the dryer?