Monday AM, the house next to us was nothing but floor joists on a foundation. Tuesday AM, the first floor was framed. Wednesday AM, the second floor was mostly framed. Thursday it was 40° and raining all day. So when I got home Thursday PM, I didn't expect to see anyone working there. But the framers' trucks were all there and they were blaring that accordion-based Mexican music that they always listen to. But nobody was hammering anything or sawing anything or moving wood around. They were just hanging out. OK, I did plenty of that when I worked outdoors - though I probably would've driven home rather than stand around in a skeleton of a house on the last day of winter. But, no big deal.

About an hour later, I looked out my kitchen window and saw some bright blue and red lights flickering in the house's garage area. A TV? I looked some more and saw that the lights were being projected on the plywood wall, A projection TV? Why would anyone bring a projection TV to a construction site? Are they watching college basketball? I looked closer and figured out that it wasn't a TV at all. It was one of those multi-colored disco ball light things.

A crew of a half-dozen house-builders, all men, all Hispanic, brought a disco ball into a cold and wet shell of a house and had a little party until 7:00 - their normal quitting time. I hope they billed the builder for the hours!

At the risk of attracting the attention of the liberal lifestyle police, I must gush about a wondrous kitchen gadget.

This little ceramic knife is the sharpest knife I've ever used. Honestly, it's so sharp I'm a little afraid to use it because what would be just a nick on my finger with a standard steel knife would be a clean amputation with this fucker. It's almost magical - you just put it near the tomato and think "thin slice" and before you know it, you have a paper-thin slice of tomato. Anything else nearby is likely to be dissected, too. But that real sense of danger makes it even more fun to use. I keep finding myself trying to think of something else I can slice into thin strips just so I have an excuse to use it.

The only drawback is that it's ceramic: fragile and easily chipped. So it can't be used for prying or smashing or chopping anything hard (or frozen). It's purely for slicing delicious sliceable things in straight lines. Also, it was only $18!

Let's listen to Moby Grape!

You're welcome.

We has it

You don’t diminish your office by taking a selfie. You do it by sending a poorly written letter to Iran. Really. That wasn’t a joke.
-- Obama

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Saturday, I bought some brisket. I planned to make my own corned beef.

Last night I made the brine. But when I opened the butcher's paper to get out my lovely brisket... it had spoiled. The outside was all grey and stinky.

Oh well. Store-bought it is.

What makes Indian food so delicious?

But behind the appeal of Indian food — what makes it so novel and so delicious — is also a stranger and subtler truth. In a large new analysis of more than 2,000 popular recipes, data scientists have discovered perhaps the key reason why Indian food tastes so unique: It does something radical with flavors, something very different from what we tend to do in the United States and the rest of Western culture. And it does it at the molecular level.

Made an appointment to see a hand specialist. The appointment scheduler asked me which hand was giving me trouble, but not what the trouble was.

I assume this means there is a doctor who only does right hands and another who only does left hands.

BoingBoing

TPM links to a poll:

(Republicans) Do you believe in global warming or not?
Believe in global warming ............................... 25%
Do not believe in global warming .................... 66%
Not sure .......................................................... 10%

(Republicans) Do you believe in evolution or not?
Believe in evolution......................................... 37%
Do not believe in evolution.............................. 49%
Not sure .......................................................... 13%

(Republicans) Would you support or oppose establishing Christianity as the national religion?
Support establishing Christianity as the national religion............................................... 57%
Oppose establishing Christianity as the national religion............................................... 30%
Not sure .......................................................... 13%

And these aren't even the stupid "Tea Party" Republicans:

(Republicans) Do you consider yourself to be a member of the Tea Party?
Yes.................................................................. 27%
No ................................................................... 60%
Not sure .......................................................... 12%

We are fucked.