Happy Thanksgiving! It's a gorgeous, snowy morning here in the Upper Midwurst. We're up early today preparing the Turducken, with all the fixin's: rutabaga mashed potatos, green-bean casserole, cranberry salsa, baked yams, pumpkin pie. and a basket of piping-hot Knob Biscuits topped off with a heaping helping of Mr. Brain's Pork Faggots smothered in rich West Country gravy.

We'll consume mass quantities this afternoon with our friends, then lie semi-conscious on the divan whilst watching our beloved Green Bay Fudge Packers take on the perenially hapless Detroit Lions.

I also plan to spend some time contemplating my blessings, among which I count my:

1) Wonderful, patient, and still very cute wife of 23 years.
2) Two happy, funny, mostly well-adjusted, and frighteningly intelligent sprogs.
3) Excellent friends who exist in meatspace, on the Interweb, and in both worlds simultaneously.
4) Mostly gainful employment at a job that I still enjoy (especially the travel benefits).

UPDATE: Ha! Apparently, the Detroit Lions were not as hapless as they first appeared, just further proof that there's no NFL team so awful that they can't beat Favre and co. when they need a win the most.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 10:31 AM | Permalink

I'm off to Boulder for two weeks of job-related nonfun. My access to the InterWeb will be spotty, so there probably won't be much here in the way of updates.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Had a busy weekend. Went to a Halloween party on Saturday night and wore my Mexican Luchadore outfit. The masque gives me special powers, doncha know, like the power to look like a complete nimrod and the power to drink several beers without falling over.

Before the party, I cut up a bunch of Loteria cards and handed them out during the party. Loteria is a bingo-like game played in Mexico. I tried to match each card with the personality of the partygoer I gave it to. Some folks looked at me a bit oddly, particularly if they received "El Borracho" or "El Melon", but others were ecstatic to receive "El Diablo" or "La Bota".

Sunday was MrsBaliHai's birthday so we drove to Minneapolis and had a stroll through the Walker Art Center. I was expecting the special exhibit, Pop3, to be some sort of amazing retrospective. I was heartily disappointed to find only a single gallery with a couple of forlorn pieces from the Walker's permanent collection. I mean, how many times do I have to look at Claes Oldenburg's soft sculptures before the art pope absolves me of my sin and I can be released from purgatory?

The exhibit's only saving grace was a video of Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable that showcased some nice live footage of the Velvet Underground playing "Heroin". Here's a brief Quicktime clip from the video. Also, check out actress Mary Woronov's neat little slideshow of pics from when she toured with the VU. Both sites have embedded audio, so proceed with volume lowered.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 10:27 PM | Permalink