Esprit de l’escalier

I’ve posted before on consecutive commenting, but this thread on Heraldo’s blog grabbed my attention: Rose warms up with some back-and-forth with Heraldo, and then posts two consecutive comments. Heraldo parries and Rose ups the ante with three-in-a-row. Comments from the peanut gallery goad her on; she posts again. Heraldo ripostes. Rose then lunges with a five-in-a-row.

Still, she’ll have to work even harder, if she wants to beat Steve Lewis.

Fred now blogging in his sleep…

How else could he have produced a post like this?

Port District: Marks victory a “repudiation of Obama”

Washington D.C.— Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele claimed Wednesday that Richard Marks’ plurality in Eureka’s Port District election will, “have national implications and is a resounding rejection of liberal policies.”

Shhhh. Fred’s thinking…

“…I hated Brown as Governor but, for the life of me, I can’t remember exactly why.“

What’s your opinion of polls?

Fred recently used a poll widget on his blog in order to find out whether or not his readers talk or text on cellphones while driving. And Rose desperately cites any poll she can dig up that might indicate that the President’s popularity is slipping (though I doubt that she thought much of polls during Bush’s second term).

I find that polls are good and accurate if one agrees with the results, and flawed and unreliable if the verdict is at odds with one’s own opinions.

Do you think that polls are useful?
	Yes
	No
pollcode.com free polls

Macaroni and cheese given boost by local business…

We’ve made fun of Macaroni and Cheese-like products here before, but an Arcata business has given the old favorite an upgrade in the New York Times: check out Macaroni & Fog. It may not be as quick as Easy Mac®, but the extra fifteen minutes spent in preparation would be well spent.

So, whether you prefer cavatappi, cellentani, gomito maccherone, fagiloni, elbows or bow ties, just follow the instructions, and enjoy.

Decal-vinism…

We received a comment today, regarding this week’s North Coast Journal cartoon:

“…love the cartoon in today’s Journal, but I’d like to offer a brief theological observation. I recognize “Calvinism” was intended to be a play on words, but true Calvinists don’t raise their hands in worship (too demonstrative), or genuflect (too Catholic), and they certainly don’t speak in tongues (Pentecostal and possibly of the devil, depending on their mood). But thank you for taking on the praying Calvin phenomenon, which is as irritating as “baby on board” and somehow even less meaningful.”

We’ve covered the Calvin rip-off stickers here before, but the fad persists, and I just had to wring one more pun out of it.

Update: Teresa comments at the NCJ site: “…you have no clue about Calvinism. There would never be speaking in tongues. True Calvinists are more strict than the most pious Catholics.”

The things one finds on Buhne…

The Eureka Heritage Society home tour on Sunday was surprisingly fun for me — I’m only sorry that this is the first time I’ve participated. Regulars on the tour assured me that this year’s offerings were no more excellent than those of years past. Here are my condensed notes:

1. “Norman Period Revival.” This 1934 medieval recreation is a polygamy of inspiration, color, location, historical imagination, and craftsmanship. I was cheerfully muttering “bring out your dead.”

2. O Street modern: Jetsons in the Redwoods. This super-cool, atomic-style 1959 house is the one that James Bond should have lived in.

3. This sprawling Buhne Street mansion contained at least half an acre of carpet. The verdant redwood surroundings were visible from every room. Too bad the bar wasn’t open.

4. 14th Street Victorian. A bustling combination of Victoriana and fanciful wallpapers.

5. Eureka Theater: 1939 Streamlined Bitchin’ style. Worth saving.

6. 804 3rd Street. A 1907 house converted into offices. Beautifully done.

7. M Street Italianate. This tiny one-bedroom has been crammed with modern amenities and vivid, modern colors. One person in our party remarked, “it looks like a kitchen and bath catalog regurgitated in here,” but it looked absolutely brilliant to me.

Do you take Visa?

We were playing pool at Steve and Dave’s in Eureka, and a friend pointed to the cigarette machine. Wow, eight bucks. That would be 32 quarters if you wanted to use change.

Zeke Grader vs. Fox News…

Thanks to Hank for this one.