Ravings of an Intermittent Fool

Came across this web based Periodic Table of Elements today and I must say I am impressed. In a succicent fashion they present the chart with links to each element that include some background details, pictures and stats. Its perfect for finding out that Carbon in German is Kohlenstoff or the history of Argon. Lots of fun stuff in here and I could easily lose a bunch of time in here clicking around and learning elemental facts.

I have to say, I think this would one scary ass ride. I really hope the person programming this thing knows what they are doing because the rider's head looks like it comes very close to the ground. That would freak me out to say the least.

I'm just as shocked as you are to see the grass seed I planted actually turning into something green. I just hope that it continues to grow.

Man, the staff at the BBC News is certainly having a good time today. Punny headlines like this don't get made everyday. I think this one is even better than Headless Body in Topless Bar.

Bicycle Day is a rather benign sounding event considering what happened.

On 5-May-2008, The Banks construction area shows the destruction of the old footer of the outside wall of the defunct Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field. It is the concrete arc that you see through the center of the picture. Around the center of the picture would have been directly behind home plate.

I was surprised how quickly this leaf guard system I bought went up. It was literally about 45 minutes tops. It was cheap too at only $1.80 per 3 foot section. I am really hoping and praying that this cuts down on the amount of work it is to keep my gutters clear of everything that falls out of our massive trees.

The weather is getting warmer in Cincinnati and on Wednesday nights this means two things. One, the Reds are probably losing and two, it is time for Party in the Park. The first event was this week and I am pleasantly surprised that the beer selection seems even broader than last year. Besides the usuals, there was Erdinger and Hoegaarden among other choices. Neither is a bad choice on a hot day. This is sadly not the case at Party at the Point which is held on alternating weeks. There you only have two choices and perhaps a sickly sweet malted beverage. The one plus is that they have very delicious corndogs. That makes it worthwhile to me....well that and hanging out with friends.

I just listened to a voice mail at work from my mother who sounded like she thought she was talking to me rather than a machine. Very cute.

If you find yourself in Denver with a thirst for a beer, let me recommend the Falling Rock Tap House. They have an astounding number of beers available on tap and even more in bottles. I can't really speak to the food but the service was helpful and friendly it would take a long time to sample all of their offerings. It is also just a few short blocks from Coors Field which makes it a good pre-baseball game destination. This is also where I first tried my new favorite beer, Odell's 90 Shilling. Very delicious and smooth and really hits the spot. Sadly their distribution is somewhat limited so who knows when I will have this beer again.

I have a 2 foot by 3 foot patch of bare ground in the backyard that I have been trying to grow grass for quite some time now. This patch of ground once housed a small brick grill/fireplace. I had long assumed that perhaps chemicals from the grill or the grilling had leached into the soil and that is why grass refused to grow there. I resolved this weekend to dig out 6 or 8 inches of soil and replace it with nutrient rich top soil and new grass seed. You can imagine my chagrin when I discovered a thick concrete slab under an eighth inch of dirt. No wonder grass wouldn't grow there. I have now resigned myself to having to break up this slab with a sledgehammer which I find oddly exciting.

As an attempt to patronize local (and hopefully high quality) businesses, I gave Sorrento's Pizza a chance last night. It is only about 2.5 miles from my house and it is not too much farther than the nearest chain place. I had a medium pie with homemade Italian sausage and mushrooms. It ran me $12. The pizza has a nice garlicy background flavors that I really liked. I did get carryout but the restaurant is spacious inside and looked to have a good and wide selection of beer on tap. I also liked that clearly a good portion of the owners/management were all hanging around the bar chatting up customers. That's what I like to see in a neighborhood joint. I'll be back with an empty stomach.

I played Dance Dance Revolution today for the first time and man was I awful. I definitely have white rhythm.

I've often wondered how many trips I would have to take to California before it was statistically probable for me to feel an actual earthquake. So imagine my chagrin when I found out that I slept through today's earthquake. I've talked to several colleagues that reported their houses shaking and lamps moving around and newspaper reports suggest the same.

Oh well, I guess there will always be a next time.

This is not what you want to see when you come home from work.

Updated: Thanks to James for pointing out my mistake with the image link.