Wow!

This was no dead possum.

Driving to work along Rock Creek Parkway, I look out over the frozen-over Potomac and see a small red fox scurrying across the ice. No, not that Redd Foxx. No, I'm not smoking crack. OK, I was listening to Radiohead, but I wasn't hallucinating. Right under the Memorial Bridge on the DC side. He was skinny and rangy, like a small dog, but kind of moved like a cat.

I looked for a Park Policeman or something to stop and tell, but there was none. Crazy.

UPDATE: Again, I'm NOT driving to work smoking crack and listening to Radiohead; I do know that there is a colony of red foxes out on the Haines Point Golf course. I suspect the little fella was out walking around. It's close to where I saw him.

C - A - P- S CAPS CAPS CAPS

Maybe ole Ted has a strategy afterall.

I feel sorry for Ted. I know he wants to win worse than anyone else.

I'm also glad the kid didn't sue him for assault.

Now Novak, I'd sue. More for the publicity than the money.

Book Review, #2

Due to inclement weather, I’ve been reading a lot. This is a good thing.

I just finished Confessions of a Yakuza. It is the story of an underworld tough guy before, during, and after World War II. During his life he killed a man, was jailed 2 or 3 times, was tortured, survived the Great Earthquake of 1927, fought in World War II, ran illegal gambling parlors, sold foods in the black market during the war, married, visited geishas, and pretty much commanded repect all the way up the ladder. He told his story to his doctor who recorded hours and hours of stories before his death. He was a total badass.

I discovered this book while reading a Wall Street Journal article in my doctor’s waiting room. As I recall, the article was about advances in computer software that detects plagiarism. The article cited a recent controversy involving Confessions of a Yakuza and Bob Dylan’s album, "Love and Theft". It's been a while, and I cannot remember or find exactly what I was reading; however; it does appear that ETJB hero Bob Dylan lifted some lines from the book.

Go figure, on the side story.

The book is beautifully and simply written (and translated). As always, e-mail me if you would like to read.

Great Idea!

I've got a great idea for a new TV show! It's called, Fat Guy, Hot Wife. It's about the trials and tribulations of a fat guy who has a hot wife.

O wait. They already did, did, did it.

Maybe we should go ahead and get the cable, honey.

Feelin' Groovy

Or as his friend says: Still crazy after all these years....

El Robo Imperfecto

So you know how we don't got cable. And don't really miss it.

Tonite, Mrs. ETJB is flippin thru our 7.5 channels and finds Bottle Rocket!. The classic!

I gotta say tho: it's much more funny in the native English....

Ads We'd Like To See Next Sunday

A kind reader passed on this.

Who watches the Superbowl anyways? It's all about the ads, right?

ETJB Hits NY: The Untold Story

Yeah, we packed up team Honda and headed north during the coldest part of the year. We stayed here, which I can recommend for $149 a night.

Friday night we met an old college friend and his wife at an Asian restaurant in the Village. My broiled scallops were quite nice. My friend has worked hard on Wall Street and now owns on the Upper East Side. Pretty impressive for a former fuck up, college drop out. Amazing what a good woman can do for a guy. As if I didn't know....

Saturday, we woke up late, had a uneventful breakfast and cabbed way south to the Financial District. The World Trade Center site looks like a construction site at this point. There were several angry protesters handing out anti-Bush flyers. We wandered up Broadway, into Soho, people watching and store hopping all the way.

Saturday night, we met friends of my wife's at a Cuban restaurant (sorry, no link). We ended up at a bar in the Village near their apt. and listened to their stories. They were big travelers and have a 22 day safari in Tanzania planned for later this year. Home at 3 a.m.

A word on smoking in New York: all my friends are like me, semi-casual smokers. None of them thought that Bloomberg could pull the anti-smoking thing off. I didn't bring it up; it was obviously a hot topic of discussion in NY. All of them—to a man and woman—are happy with the ban.

Sunday, we had breakfast and more store-hopping. We then drove norther to Connecticut. My friends in Fairfield were happy to see me and my wife and impressed that we made it in the snow. Basically, we got credit for a simple drive.

Monday's drive back was long primarily because of the toll booth traffic. I was craving Sbarros, but then grossed out afterwards. I won't tell you what my slice was stuffed with, but Gwadzilla would've been proud.

All in all, a quick, fun, surprisingly inexpensive, long weekend. ETJB recommends a good dose of New York for all every one to two years.

I Only Hope It Catches On

Hee.

Owl Snot

It is deceptively slick out there this a.m. I had to abandon vehicle and take the train in to work.

Talking about the weather....

What do you want me to talk about, Joe Gibbs?

I'm psyched and all but then there is
* Jagr
* Jordon
* Spurrior

I'm a little skeptical, ok?

Libertarians are full of shit

Until libertarians show any interest in DC Voting Rights, I call bullshit. They are only tools of Republicans, fighting for the gun and tobacco industries. Give me a break. So fucking obvious.

Read here, especially,
Suppose you couldn't use your own money to tell others you were being denied your rights. As astonishing as it may seem, that's where we are in this town. Not content with denying D.C. residents congressional voting rights, Congress has gone out of its way to silence us by placing a rider in the D.C. appropriation that keeps residents from lobbying Congress or the country for their rights. I was able to get this odious ban out of this year's Senate D.C. appropriation, but not the House version.

This insult added to injury should be enough to send residents to the polls to vote on Tuesday in a primary whose purpose is to tell the country what most Americans do not know, according to opinion polls: that Congress denies voting rights to the citizens of its own capital.

You have no rights, dumbasses. Ask Tom Delay about it.

And you want me to get all excited about cigarettes? Go back to where ever it is you are from. There's a nice mall there for you.

Juicy

No, not Juicy Couture, but Very Veggie Low Sodium.

I can't get enough of it. I have to limit myself to one glass every a.m. or I'd drink the whole damn bottle.

The unsalted variety tastes much better to me. Knudsen black cherry and concord grape tasty. Plus, you get the satisfaction of helping a small business.

However, my beautiful wife bought me a juicer for x-mas. So, I'll be drinking more of the carrot based juices in 04. Pretty cool.

Send favorite juice recipes to me at the e-mail above. I'm a novice.

Willie is Free

Happy New Year people!

It's going to be a great year! I sure hope Willie's new song gets airplay. (Look for a future entry on how the "free" market has helped radio so much.) (Sacasm mine.)

Choice tidbits:
Asked if he's concerned that the new song -- which asks such biting questions as "How much oil is one human life worth?" and "How much is a liar's word worth?" -- might cause a backlash with conservative country music fans, Nelson said, "I sure hope so. I don't care if people say, `Who the hell does he think he is?' I know who I am."

And:
"Now, I haven't played it for Toby (Keith) yet," Nelson said with a laugh. Although the two are close friends, the sentiments of "What Ever Happened to Peace on Earth" are the polar opposite of Keith's angry-American anthem "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue," with its call to arms.

"Toby wrote that song in reaction to 9/11, which was a totally different thing than watching U.S. soldiers die in Iraq," Nelson said. "Toby's said he's not a Republican or a Democrat; he's a Christian. So we're coming from the same place."
(Bold is mine.)

Willie sure fucking gets it.