Just got done watching the latest installment of the X-Men franchise (in conjunction with a fine, fine pizza). I wouldn't say that it was the best of the four movies, but it was definitely good. I'm sure I'll watch it at least once or twice more when it comes on the movie channels...
in reference to: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) (view on Google Sidewiki)Friday, December 04, 2009
One of my holiday food downfalls.....
is eggnog. I can't fully explain why my tastebuds are so tantalized by the flavor. They just are. I can get into a store, buy a quart and down it VERY quickly. As in five minutes....
Anyway, I've had two varieties of the Hood EggNog. I've had the Pumpkin Eggnog and the Sugar Cookie Eggnog. I like both flavors, but of the two, I TOTALLY DIG the Sugar Cookie Eggnog. If, like me, you're an eggnog fan, find some. You'll probably love it.
The purpose of this post is twofold. I recently noticed a function of the Google toolbar called sidewiki. It allows you to:
-Publish helpful information about any web page right in your browser
-Read insights in context from Sidewiki entries added by others
-Share Sidewiki entries through Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and Google profiles
I'm checking out how the blog posting works with this post. Wanna give it a whirl?
http://www.google.com/
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Action packed day (after I finally woke up around 9 AM)....
I didn't turn on any alarms on purpose. After waking up and finishing the necessary first mug of coffee, I eventually got around to an hour on the treadmill. Felt pretty good after that...
Not necessarily sure that it was the best choice to run 10K on the treadmill before we went over to my best friend's place to do the P90X "Legs & Back" routine. Worked out OK, though.
After all the sweating, we all went out to eat at Jason's Deli. The folks behind the counter seemed a bit surprised that I went for a replacement bowl for their AYCE salad bar twice. What can I say? I was hungry...
Follow that up with a trip to the Huntsville Botanical Garden's Galaxy of Lights and (at the insistence of our best friends' kids) watching Merry Madagascar and it's been a fun day!
Well, it's approaching time to crash for the night. Peace y'all!
Not necessarily sure that it was the best choice to run 10K on the treadmill before we went over to my best friend's place to do the P90X "Legs & Back" routine. Worked out OK, though.
After all the sweating, we all went out to eat at Jason's Deli. The folks behind the counter seemed a bit surprised that I went for a replacement bowl for their AYCE salad bar twice. What can I say? I was hungry...
Follow that up with a trip to the Huntsville Botanical Garden's Galaxy of Lights and (at the insistence of our best friends' kids) watching Merry Madagascar and it's been a fun day!
Well, it's approaching time to crash for the night. Peace y'all!
Friday, November 27, 2009
BTW...
Check out my daddy-o's latest online presence and, heck, join up if you want...
And I don't believe that I ever posted a link to his Issue #96 of Improvijazzation Nation.
Last but not least, three of the most recent CRS reports now in the public domain from FAS.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I'm still recovering from food overload. Peace y'all!
And I don't believe that I ever posted a link to his Issue #96 of Improvijazzation Nation.
Last but not least, three of the most recent CRS reports now in the public domain from FAS.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I'm still recovering from food overload. Peace y'all!
OK, I'm sure that most people who read this blog have seen the SNL opening skit from 11/21/09...
If you haven't had the pleasure, here you go....
Classic!
Classic!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
I'm finally caught up on the two shows I wanted to catch up on....
V and FlashForward....
That's what happens when one works the night shift for most of a month. Thank God for the DVR! I'm almost caught back up on sleep. All just to work the night shift this week...
I enjoyed the time in Chattanooga. Got to eat at some good places and work with some cool folks! It is, however, great to be back home.
If you're a history buff, check out this online collection. There's a LOT of interesting reading.
Perhaps you're more into military gear/tech. One of the Federation of American Scientists recent editions of the Secrecy News newsletter discusses the 2010 Army Weapon Systems Handbook. Pretty slick stuff....
One day (last Tuesday I believe) this past week, I was listening to National Public Radio on the drive to work. One of the short segments I heard was a "conservative" (in quotes because I don't know a lot about the background of the author) book reviewer/blogger's take on Sarah Palin's recent book. I might eventually find this book in a library, but I'm certainly not in any rush to go out and donate my money to someone who is so seemingly apparent in trying to set herself up for a run in 2012 but so far from ready for the job.
That's what happens when one works the night shift for most of a month. Thank God for the DVR! I'm almost caught back up on sleep. All just to work the night shift this week...
I enjoyed the time in Chattanooga. Got to eat at some good places and work with some cool folks! It is, however, great to be back home.
If you're a history buff, check out this online collection. There's a LOT of interesting reading.
Perhaps you're more into military gear/tech. One of the Federation of American Scientists recent editions of the Secrecy News newsletter discusses the 2010 Army Weapon Systems Handbook. Pretty slick stuff....
One day (last Tuesday I believe) this past week, I was listening to National Public Radio on the drive to work. One of the short segments I heard was a "conservative" (in quotes because I don't know a lot about the background of the author) book reviewer/blogger's take on Sarah Palin's recent book. I might eventually find this book in a library, but I'm certainly not in any rush to go out and donate my money to someone who is so seemingly apparent in trying to set herself up for a run in 2012 but so far from ready for the job.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
One of the last nights in the Noog....
We wanted to go eat some pizza. The first place we were going to go was Lupi's Pizza Pies. I mentioned pizza at work last night and someone suggested a pizza joint called Crust Pizza. I had noticed Crust in my local pizza research the other day, so that's where we ended up going. We had a super-tasty pizza with rosemary chicken, roma tomato, onions, mushrooms and white sauce. Oh yeah, we split a "Ricky J. Leg" sandwich as well. I didn't figure this place could be bad since one of the co-owners also happens to own Aretha Frankenstein's. Top dinner off with a piece of one of the fine cakes from the City Cafe Diner (downtown Chattanooga) and you've had a GREAT meal. I just happened to have a nice size piece of the Baklava Cheesecake. YUMMY!!!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Fired for having a picture of a pint of Guinness?
It seems a Georgia teacher was asked to resign because her Facebook page included pictures in which she was hoisting a Guinness or having a glass of wine or uttering an occasional obscenity. Sounds like crap to me! I say hammer the Barrow County Board of Eduction Superintendent (rsaunders@barrow.k12.ga.us) with e-mails asking why a teacher would be asked to resign for such an innocuous act and/or picture (assuming no other personnel issues)...particularly in the absence of a policy regarding an issue of this nature.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
To all who have served, are currently serving and those to come - Happy Veterans Day!!!
Other stuff? Not too much. Staying quite busy with work for right now. That nifty picture above came from here. I did take time to go have a really good omelet with Suzy at The Bluegrass Grill this morning.
I'll be ending it there. I have to get ready for work. Be well, folks!
Monday, November 09, 2009
Elephants Gerald!
So, you might wonder what a "Belgian waffle topped with Vanilla Ice Cream, Pecans in Syrup, and dusted with Cinnamon" looks like...
I have to say that this tasted phenomenal!
Aretha Frankenstein's
 |
| From Blogger Pictures |
I have to say that this tasted phenomenal!
Aretha Frankenstein's
Sunday, November 08, 2009
After a fine dinner at Bea's on Sunday night....
Breakfast is gonna be at Aretha Frankenstein's. See more in a Food Network video ($40 A Day with Rachael Ray) about their "Waffle of Insane Greatness!" here...
I think I'll be getting the Elephants Gerald...
I think I'll be hitting the treadmill while I stay up all night! Peace, y'all!
I think I'll be getting the Elephants Gerald...
I think I'll be hitting the treadmill while I stay up all night! Peace, y'all!
OK, so most folks are familiar with the Japanese steakhouse seating arrangement where you could be sitting right next to the grill with strangers...
What about a similar setup applied to some good old Southern cooking? If you're ever up in Chattanooga and you're REALLY hungry for some good Southern food (pulled pork, fried chicken, roast beef in brown gravy, potatoes, cole slaw, potato salad, and more) AYCE-style, check out Bea's Restaurant!
View Larger Map
All of the food is set up on a lazy Susan in small serving dishes. You pick what you want and if you need more, one of the nice folks who work there will likely be out with it pretty quickly. The only readily available beverages are water or sweet tea. There are soda machines when you walk in the door if you have to get that fix. Plus, they offered coffee several times. Check this place out! It's been around since 1950. Keep it going for another 60 years!
View Larger Map
All of the food is set up on a lazy Susan in small serving dishes. You pick what you want and if you need more, one of the nice folks who work there will likely be out with it pretty quickly. The only readily available beverages are water or sweet tea. There are soda machines when you walk in the door if you have to get that fix. Plus, they offered coffee several times. Check this place out! It's been around since 1950. Keep it going for another 60 years!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Well.....
V was pretty good and it looks like it will get even better through through the rest of the season. I hope that it can live up to the hype. I haven't seen FlashForward recently. I need to change that. Been too busy to watch much television.
If you ever find yourself up in Chattanooga (especially near Hamilton Place mall) and you've got a hankering for some good Greek food, check out The Acropolis Grill. The food was great (and served amazingly quick). I've had slower service at fast food places. Plus, the baklava was some of the best that I have ever had!
I suppose that eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia FroYo afterward wasn't necessary. But it sure was tasty!
NRC documents from ADAMS regarding Browns Ferry for 10/19/09 - 11/01/09:
10/19/09-10/25/09
Unit 2
Browns Ferry, Unit 2 - Response to NRC Request for Additional Information for Third 10-Year Interval Inservice Inspection Program Plan, Relief Request 2-ISI-19, Revision 1.
10/26/09-11/01/09
Unit 1 and sitewide
Browns Ferry Release of OI Synopsis 2-2009-017.
LER 09-004-00 for Browns Ferry Unit 1, re: High Pressure Core Injection Found Inoperable During Compensate Header Level Switch Calibration and Functional Test.
License Amendment Request for Adoption of TSTF-511, Revision 0, "Eliminate Working Hour Restrictions From TS 5.2.2 to Support Compliance With 10 CFR Part 26" - Browns Ferry TS Change 469; Sequoyah Change 09-04; and Watts Change 09-19.
If you ever find yourself up in Chattanooga (especially near Hamilton Place mall) and you've got a hankering for some good Greek food, check out The Acropolis Grill. The food was great (and served amazingly quick). I've had slower service at fast food places. Plus, the baklava was some of the best that I have ever had!
I suppose that eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia FroYo afterward wasn't necessary. But it sure was tasty!
NRC documents from ADAMS regarding Browns Ferry for 10/19/09 - 11/01/09:
10/19/09-10/25/09
Unit 2
Browns Ferry, Unit 2 - Response to NRC Request for Additional Information for Third 10-Year Interval Inservice Inspection Program Plan, Relief Request 2-ISI-19, Revision 1.
10/26/09-11/01/09
Unit 1 and sitewide
Browns Ferry Release of OI Synopsis 2-2009-017.
LER 09-004-00 for Browns Ferry Unit 1, re: High Pressure Core Injection Found Inoperable During Compensate Header Level Switch Calibration and Functional Test.
License Amendment Request for Adoption of TSTF-511, Revision 0, "Eliminate Working Hour Restrictions From TS 5.2.2 to Support Compliance With 10 CFR Part 26" - Browns Ferry TS Change 469; Sequoyah Change 09-04; and Watts Change 09-19.
Friday, October 23, 2009
It's been a fairly busy week....
And I didn't have a great deal to say. Come to think of it, I still don't. However...
Just two documents covering Browns Ferry added by the NRC to ADAMS last week. Here they are:
Bellefonte and Sequoyah, Units 1 & 2; Browns, Units 1, 2, & 3 and Watts, Units 1 & 2 - Nuclear Quality Assurance Plan, TVA-NQA-PLN89-A.
Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 & 3; Sequoyah, Units 1 & 2 and Watts, Unit 1 - Decommissioning Funding Assurance - Additional Information.
Heck, I think I'll make this an information link post. Check out the many thousands of pages of the Congressional Record for 2009. There's often a lot of interesting info available. At the top portion of the links by date section, you will see that you can search the publication or view the latest daily digest. I'll often search the record by the Congressional delegation for Alabama to see what they have been saying...
Perhaps a few recent CRS Reports are more up your alley...
Can't think of much else to say, so y'all have a blast!
Just two documents covering Browns Ferry added by the NRC to ADAMS last week. Here they are:
Bellefonte and Sequoyah, Units 1 & 2; Browns, Units 1, 2, & 3 and Watts, Units 1 & 2 - Nuclear Quality Assurance Plan, TVA-NQA-PLN89-A.
Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 & 3; Sequoyah, Units 1 & 2 and Watts, Unit 1 - Decommissioning Funding Assurance - Additional Information.
Heck, I think I'll make this an information link post. Check out the many thousands of pages of the Congressional Record for 2009. There's often a lot of interesting info available. At the top portion of the links by date section, you will see that you can search the publication or view the latest daily digest. I'll often search the record by the Congressional delegation for Alabama to see what they have been saying...
Perhaps a few recent CRS Reports are more up your alley...
Can't think of much else to say, so y'all have a blast!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Not overly exciting for a couple of days off....
I'm just chilling and doing mundane stuff (e.g. laundry and such). I did get the equivalent of about 5k on the treadmill this afternoon. That, as always, was a blast....
Speaking of running....
I will find myself at work this weekend, but there's a run worth attending if you can. I am talking about The 6th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run. It should be dry but cool that morning. Check it out if you can.
It's been some time since I looked at what the Library of Congress had to offer in the way of RSS feeds. From what I remember the last time I looked, the amount of information that can be a click away for you has doubled. Some other interesting information funded by your tax dollars can be found at USA.gov's Reference Center and General Government portal. One nifty example? The FBI's 10 Most Wanted Widget:
OK, one last bit of information geekiness here. The NRC only had two submissions to its ADAMS system regarding Browns Ferry for the week of 10/5/09-10/11/09. Here they are:
Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Acknowledgement Receipt of Letter Regarding Revised Schedule for Extended Power Uprate Review.
Brown Ferry, Units 1, 2, & 3, Response to Request for Additional Information (RAI) Concerning Fire Protection Three-Unit Operation Amendment and Exemption Request.
Peace, y'all!
Speaking of running....
I will find myself at work this weekend, but there's a run worth attending if you can. I am talking about The 6th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run. It should be dry but cool that morning. Check it out if you can.
It's been some time since I looked at what the Library of Congress had to offer in the way of RSS feeds. From what I remember the last time I looked, the amount of information that can be a click away for you has doubled. Some other interesting information funded by your tax dollars can be found at USA.gov's Reference Center and General Government portal. One nifty example? The FBI's 10 Most Wanted Widget:
OK, one last bit of information geekiness here. The NRC only had two submissions to its ADAMS system regarding Browns Ferry for the week of 10/5/09-10/11/09. Here they are:
Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Acknowledgement Receipt of Letter Regarding Revised Schedule for Extended Power Uprate Review.
Brown Ferry, Units 1, 2, & 3, Response to Request for Additional Information (RAI) Concerning Fire Protection Three-Unit Operation Amendment and Exemption Request.
Peace, y'all!
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Random miscellanea for today....
I'm back on the schedule for working nights now. That starts tomorrow night. Hence, today has been a fairly lazy day. I'll do my sweating later on....
The afternoon began with a quick trip into Huntsville for a visitation. Y'all have our continuing condolences...
On the way home, my sweet tooth got the better of me. We stopped by the Cinnabon place in Madison Square Mall to pick up a post-dinner dessert. I really need to get my sweat on after eating one of these...
After dinner, we watched our standard complement of Thursday evening shows. ABC's (the network showing FlashForward) running a serious ad blitz for V. The show looks like it has promise. I remember watching V regularly back in the '80s....
Zzaj put out Issue 95 of ImprovijazzationNation recently. Check that out! Or this:
I was going to post last night, but I just didn't feel up to it. Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of American forces being in Afghanistan. There were a lot of mistakes made before we went in this time (all the way back to that putz Reagan). There were mistakes made in the implementation of us going in this time. And there have been plenty of mistakes made since then. I realize that folks are inclined to call my opinions "armchair quarterbacking" and sniping and griping (some of the nicer things folks can say or have said). Those folks are probably right, but sorry, they are my opinions. Most (if not all) of the mistakes are those made by the civilian leadership of the armed forces. To this day, I still believe that we never had the amount of force necessary to accomplish the nebulous mission we set forth for our troops in Afghanistan. That was partially a result of Iraq and partially a result of military transformation among plenty of other things. Some of those things were beyond the control of anyone. Others were not. I wish ALL of our military everywhere the best and hope that they can come home safely as quickly as conditions allow. I hope that those in charge can make more right decisions than wrong ones.
The afternoon began with a quick trip into Huntsville for a visitation. Y'all have our continuing condolences...
On the way home, my sweet tooth got the better of me. We stopped by the Cinnabon place in Madison Square Mall to pick up a post-dinner dessert. I really need to get my sweat on after eating one of these...
After dinner, we watched our standard complement of Thursday evening shows. ABC's (the network showing FlashForward) running a serious ad blitz for V. The show looks like it has promise. I remember watching V regularly back in the '80s....
Zzaj put out Issue 95 of ImprovijazzationNation recently. Check that out! Or this:
I was going to post last night, but I just didn't feel up to it. Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of American forces being in Afghanistan. There were a lot of mistakes made before we went in this time (all the way back to that putz Reagan). There were mistakes made in the implementation of us going in this time. And there have been plenty of mistakes made since then. I realize that folks are inclined to call my opinions "armchair quarterbacking" and sniping and griping (some of the nicer things folks can say or have said). Those folks are probably right, but sorry, they are my opinions. Most (if not all) of the mistakes are those made by the civilian leadership of the armed forces. To this day, I still believe that we never had the amount of force necessary to accomplish the nebulous mission we set forth for our troops in Afghanistan. That was partially a result of Iraq and partially a result of military transformation among plenty of other things. Some of those things were beyond the control of anyone. Others were not. I wish ALL of our military everywhere the best and hope that they can come home safely as quickly as conditions allow. I hope that those in charge can make more right decisions than wrong ones.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Hmmmm, where to begin?
So, I'm in the middle of a seven day stretch off of work. I've had a few chances to work OT, but I've been otherwise occupied. Friday and Saturday were right out. Suzy had business to attend to in Boaz on those days (btw, you can see her waaaay in the background in the first picture on page 11 of those pictures). We stopped to eat on the way home both nights. Friday night involved a fairly standard pizza buffet. Saturday night we tried Wintzell's Oyster House in Guntersville. I had heard some good and some bad opinions beforehand. Bad reviews notwithstanding, we liked it! Plus, Wintzell's is supposed to be coming to Huntsville in December. Yesterday was a day to work out. That started at 6 AM with my best friend. We all went to eat breakfast after that. Yesterday afternoon was reserved for time on the elliptical machine. Today has been mainly recovery time from a busy weekend. That was interrupted, of course, by an hour and a half of exercising. I really love to sweat...
We'll see what the rest of the week will hold. I know that I'm looking forward to trying something new for dinner tomorrow night...
Since I was slack about posting last week, the past two weeks of ADAMS info for Browns Ferry can be viewed by click "read more" below...
U1 & sitewide
1. Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, & 3, Revised Schedule for Extended Power Uprate Amendment Request Review.
2. Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3, Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2, Watts Bar, Units 1 and 2, Bellefonte, Units 1 and 2, Change to Correspondence Addressee and Service List Update.
3. Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, 2 & 3; Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Units 1 & 2; Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 & 2; and Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, Units 1 & 2 - Submission of Revision 20 to Tennessee Valley Authority Nuclear Quality Assurance Plan.
4. Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3, Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2, Watts Bar, Units 1 and 2, Submittal of Report in Accordance with 10 CFR 26.719(c)(1) for Drug and Alcohol Testing Errors.
5. Browns Ferry Office of Investigations Case Number 2-2009-006 Synopsis Release.
6. Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, & 3, Response to Request for Additional Information Regarding Generic Letter 2008-01, Managing Gas Accumulation in Emergency Core Cooling, Decay Heat Removal, and Containment Spray Systems.
U2
1. LER 09-005-00 for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2, re: Reactor Motor Operated Valve Board 2D & Residual Heat Removal Subsystem Inoperable Longer Than Allowed by the Plant's Technical Specifications.
2. Browns Ferry, Unit 2, Nine-Month Supplemental (Post-Outage) Response to NRC Generic Letter 2008-01: Managing Gas Accumulation in Emergency Core Cooling, Decay Heat Removal, and Containment Spray Systems.
3. Browns Ferry, Unit 2, American Society of Mechanical Engineers Section Xl, Inservice Inspection, System Pressure Test, Containment Inspection, and Repair and Replacement Programs - Summary Report for Cycle 15 Operation.
U3
Nothing additional
We'll see what the rest of the week will hold. I know that I'm looking forward to trying something new for dinner tomorrow night...
Since I was slack about posting last week, the past two weeks of ADAMS info for Browns Ferry can be viewed by click "read more" below...
U1 & sitewide
1. Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, & 3, Revised Schedule for Extended Power Uprate Amendment Request Review.
2. Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3, Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2, Watts Bar, Units 1 and 2, Bellefonte, Units 1 and 2, Change to Correspondence Addressee and Service List Update.
3. Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, 2 & 3; Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Units 1 & 2; Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 & 2; and Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, Units 1 & 2 - Submission of Revision 20 to Tennessee Valley Authority Nuclear Quality Assurance Plan.
4. Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3, Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2, Watts Bar, Units 1 and 2, Submittal of Report in Accordance with 10 CFR 26.719(c)(1) for Drug and Alcohol Testing Errors.
5. Browns Ferry Office of Investigations Case Number 2-2009-006 Synopsis Release.
6. Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, & 3, Response to Request for Additional Information Regarding Generic Letter 2008-01, Managing Gas Accumulation in Emergency Core Cooling, Decay Heat Removal, and Containment Spray Systems.
U2
1. LER 09-005-00 for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2, re: Reactor Motor Operated Valve Board 2D & Residual Heat Removal Subsystem Inoperable Longer Than Allowed by the Plant's Technical Specifications.
2. Browns Ferry, Unit 2, Nine-Month Supplemental (Post-Outage) Response to NRC Generic Letter 2008-01: Managing Gas Accumulation in Emergency Core Cooling, Decay Heat Removal, and Containment Spray Systems.
3. Browns Ferry, Unit 2, American Society of Mechanical Engineers Section Xl, Inservice Inspection, System Pressure Test, Containment Inspection, and Repair and Replacement Programs - Summary Report for Cycle 15 Operation.
U3
Nothing additional
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