"Don't Eat the Tom Yum..."

So I'm out on the town in Kabul with long-time associates Gary Japan and Lex Isle of Man when the hankering for Thai food got the best of us...

Hemingway, I'm not...

Anyway, Gary had just flown in from a raccoon-killing spree in Memphis, and was dying for some Tom Yum soup...which he insisted, "be hot"...it arrives, I comment, "you'll be sorry", and 10 minutes later, he's drinking more Diet Pepsi than you can shake a stick at...I think he survived, as Lex and I sent him off to claim his suitcases at Kabul International (his flight got messed up), although he has not replied to any emails I have sent today...possible he might have incinerated from the inside out over-night...

So on to the Angry Item of the Day...

So I coach baseball in the Kabul Little League...2 teams...which leads me to this Public Service Announcement:

"Little League is NOT a free babysitting service. Please have your child, mentally and physically ready to play baseball - we are not here to grab-ass, spit on others, use four-lettered words, hit, disrespect, or spin-around in the outfield like ballerinas. Just because you're a crappy parent that can't say no to your child, do NOT think that I can't either".

Rant...over...

The Mars Volta Rules and Chowds Suck...

Yep - that's right - The Mars Volta for President. Funkified samba dancing for everyone!

Still bitter I couldn't see them recently (the "Afghani Tour 2008" softball tees haven't really taken off in Kabul yet...as they haven't really toured here...), and San Diego correspondents Chad Vanuatu and Alexander Florida were unable to get into the sold-out CD release party last week, so no love there.

Oh well - thank allah for bittorrent and bootlegs...


Now onto another issue...stupid chowds and who I hate more - the Pats or the Giants...sour faced Bellachick vs. Bad Sunglasses in a Tanning Bed Coughlin...Stetson Brady and Dumbshit Hick Eli...my god, why couldn't this end in a tie?

And then the Giants defense makes the Pats O-line look like a bunch of grade-schoolers...so the obvious MVP is Mr. Throws Over The Wrong Shoulder, Eli The Hick? C'mon...you might as well made Trent Dilfer MVP when the Ravens won the Super Bowl. That was about as stupid as Doug Williams getting the MVP, after Timmy Smith single-handedly won the Super Bowl for the Redskins 20-some years ago...

Anyway, the end result of kicking the chowds in the teeth was the desired result, but just be careful what you wish for - now we have to listen to the incessant ramblings of the bronx bunch...even though their team is in New Jersey...

Harbor Freight - Does anyone really buy this crap?

I probably get 10 Harbor Freight Tools catalogs and emails a week, imploring my to buy cheaply made Chinese tools for next to nothing. You probably could outfit a complete workshop for $100...although much like dinner at a Chinese restaurant, you'd have to buy the tools again a month later...

That being said, who the hell gets rich selling $1.49 hammers? Out of catalogs with no rhyme or reason to their offerings (they seem to have a lot of garden gnomes in stock), oftentimes showing the same product 3-4 times in the same catalog...with 3-4 different prices?

Well, Eric L. Smidt, apparently that's who. Check out the digs - it's Marvin Davis's old house - "The Knoll", here's the specs:

"The Georgian-style estate has 25,000 square feet of living space, two pools, a tennis court, two guesthouses, a screening room and, of course, two wine cellars. With 13 bedrooms and 12 baths, there's plenty of room for guests. The home was built in 1955 for the widow of an oil heir, and was previously owned by country-singer Kenny Rogers. "

Okay, having The Gambler living there is kind of creepy, but nice score nonetheless. 10 acres in Beverly Hills - sucks to be him.

I wouldn't want to commute to his office in Camarillo from there anyway...