Snow days don’t happen much here, so…

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

Your Snow Test Says You're Independent

You feel like something good will happen to you in the next few weeks. You love to work, especially when work is creative. You have the makings of a successful artist. You are an independent, individualistic person. You thrive when you're doing your own thing. Your biggest worry in your life is your health. You tend to be a bit of a hypochondriac. When it comes time to relax, you really indulge. You are all about your favorite comforts.

The Snow Test

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

It’s Tweetup time!

On Monday I’m helping put on the first Southeast Texas Tweetup.

We’re meeting at Sertino’s Cafe in the Best Buy shopping center in Beaumont. (View map) at 7 PM. I’ll be there with my camera.

You can follow the SETX Tweetup on Twitter at @SETXtweetup. There’s also a Facebook group.

See y’all Monday!

The hill

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

Bruiser’s out playing in Fort Worth:

This hill might be fun to roll down!

A few days before we went back to Beaumont after evacuating for Ike I finally built up the courage to roll down the hill myself. I got to the top of the hill and started. When I started, Bruiser took off towards me and nipped at my neck (I’m assuming) to try and stop me.

LOLcat of the day: I have something in common with this kitteh

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Those drive me mad too!

I swear I’ve done more ‘Italian’ cooking than this, but it’s good so whatever

Ever since my grandmother broke her wrist last weekend I’ve been taking on a lot more duties around the house.

Cooking, cleaning, all that good stuff.

Last night I did one of the simplest dishes I know, “Italian chicken.” It was one of my favorites as a kid.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts (or tenderloins)
• Italian salad dressing

Here’s what you do with it:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put your chicken in a casserole dish or bowl.
3. Cover the chicken with the Italian dressing. You don’t have to drown it, just make sure it’s got a good bit on it.
4. Bake until the chicken’s cooked through. About a half hour usually does the trick for tenderloins.
5. Enjoy!

I’ve also tried marinating the chicken in the dressing overnight before cooking it. It’s good either way.

The chicken comes out juicy and oh so wonderful.

Marley & Me: I got no issues, but here’s a tissue. You’ll need it.

When I saw the commercials for Marley & Me I told my grandmother we had to go see it.

I haven’t read the book, but she had and spoke wonders about it.

We finally got around to it today with my aunt (yes, the one with her head in the alligator) and cousin.

The movie has it’s hilarious moments, many of them that looked like something a certain member of our pack would do.

It also has romantic moments, as Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson(whom I’ve never been a fan of before now) played their parts beautifully.

The story, especially towards the end, also has it’s sad moments.

I’m not one to cry over movies, but I did at the end of this one. Most people, especially pet owners, will.

All in all, I’d give the movie an 8 out of 10.

Obviously they didn’t ask about how clumsy I am

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

You Should Fly on a Trapeze

Some people may call you a daredevil. Others would call you an adrenaline junkie. But for you, it's not about the risk - it's all about the reward. You crave freedom. And flying on a trapeze is the closest you'll get to that freedom. The rush of doing something humans weren't born to do is amazing. And you're willing to put your life in danger to experience it.

What Circus Act Should You Perform?

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

Coming to you live from Windows 7

Today I dug up and installed a copy of the much vaunted Windows 7 public beta and installed it in a Virtual Machine.

I’m going to play around with it for a few days. After I get a good feel for it, I’ll do a post on my thoughts.

Crappy cell phone pictures that make you go “WTF?”

Last night the family went out to The Schooner (a local seafood place) for dinner. We had about a half-hour wait for a table, so we had some time to burn.

My aunt and cousin were in town and when they saw the alligator statue outside they started having some fun with it.

Anybody who follows me on Twitter will recognize these pictures. They’re the same ones I put up on TwitPic, just with the color levels adjusted so they weren’t so dark.

Video of the day: The next big thing from Apple

It’s amazing what they think of!

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

The Onion did an AMAZING job with this, didn’t they?

On patrol

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

Taffy’s checking the perimeter of the house we were staying at in Fort Worth during the short-lived Gustav evacuation.

This sector’s clear!

That’s good to know.

Stuck with me

If you didn’t notice earlier this week, the countdown of how long I have to renew the domain for this blog went up significantly.

It now stands at 1060.

I must take this time to regretfully inform you that on Tuesday I added two years to my domain and so you’re stuck with me until at least December 2011.

Amazing

Yesterday I put 2 gigs of RAM in my computer as a late Christmas present to myself, giving myself 4 gigs total.

I think back to the first computer my dad bought 12 years ago. It had 8 megs of ram and a 1.6 gig hard drive.

My current hard drive checks in at 300 gigs.

It amazes me how much things have advanced in that time.

And yes, my computer’s running much faster now.

Video of the day: The shoplifting dog

(via K T Cat)

This is just great:

Blogging will be light

Blogging will be light for an indeterminate amount of time, as my grandmother broke her wrist Saturday and I’m being the good little grandson and helping out wherever I can.

Like being a chauffeur. And a cook. All the fun stuff.

Regular blogging will resume… eventually.

What did I do, sleep through a few months?

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

You Remember 70% of 2008

You were paying attention during 2008. And you remember what happened really well. You'll be able to talk about 2008 for years to come... Even when most people have forgotten what went down.

How Much Do You Remember 2008?

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

LOLdog of the day

see more puppies

Well that was nice of him, wasn’t it?

Yum

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

I tried something different with a batch of cookies I baked a few weeks ago:

Standard oatmeal raisin cookies, right?

WRONG?

I added chocolate chips into the mix too. It sounds like a weird combination, and I guess it is, but they’re really good.

New Year’s resolutions are bullshit but calling them something else is totally cool

So, what the hell should I call these?

How about “shit I want to work on in 2009?” That works, I think.

I’ve got a (very) short list:

1. Work on my writing. Writing’s never been a strong suit of mine. I’ve written some gems over the past year, but I’ve written a lot of crap too. I want more gems and less crap in 2009.
2. Try to control my anger. I’m not exactly one of those psycho angry people that’ll beat the shit out of anybody for looking at them funny, but I do have a tendency to overreact to things and fly off the handle once in a while. I really do need to put that in check.
3. Learn from my mistakes. I have a tendency to sometimes be really stupid and keep doing stupid things when I know they’re stupid. Why? Because I’m stupid.

That’s all I can think of.

LOLcat of the day

more animals (click for full size)

Happy new year to all of my loyal minions readers. May you have a 2009 with many LOLZ and no FAILs.

Video of the day: When big rocks collide

This has been floating around for a while, I realize, but I thought I’d go ahead and post it… For the full awesomeness, put it in full screen.

Yea… about that poll

Remember that poll I did?

Well, I’m finally getting around to writing the wrap-up post about it.

As you can see from the right, Texas Governor Rick Perry holds onto his title as Governor Goodhair.

I’ll do another poll sometime soon if I get around to it.

A new feature

This blog now has star ratings.

I’ve wanted to add these for a while, but I just now got around to making a couple changes to the CSS coding that wouldn’t make it look horrible and out of place.

So, feel free to tell me what you think with the stars since most of you are too damn lazy to leave comments… or something.

The best therapy

Today I had an eye doctor’s appointment in Houston. The appointment went great.

The trip back home was even better. A good hour and a half of blasting rock and driving 70 MPH without hitting any traffic.

Nothing better in the world if you ask me…

Now to hit AmazonMP3 and download some songs I heard on the radio…

So I’m good for you if you’ve got a cold?

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

You Are Chicken Noodle Soup

You are a traditional and conservative person. You value the past, and change frightens you. You are very loyal, especially to your family. You prefer a low-key life, with lots of time spent at home. You like soup because it's easy, quick, and cheap. You tend to have a favorite soup you stick to. Why change a good thing?

What Kind of Soup Are You?

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

Holiday Jack gets into the spirit

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

Last year about this time, Jack in the Box gave away “Holiday Jack’s” to people who bought a certain combo meal. I bought that mean and stuck Jack on my car.

It’s been a rough year for Jack. His hat’s faded, he has an eye and his mouth are missing, but he’s still in the spirit.

Even in the snow:

LOL of the day

more animals

From all of us here at Justin’s Random Thoughts, have a Merry Christmas.

I hope Santa brought you catnipz (or whatever else you wanted).

I’ll just tell you right now that the results of this quiz are total bullshit

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

What Your Height Says About You

You are a gifted communicator, and you understand other people well. You are compassionate and empathetic. You feel other's pain a little too easily. Because of your open heart and open mind, many people admire and adore you. You are classy and well mannered. You have the art of charm mastered. You are about as tall as the average Australian man.

What Does Your Height Say About You?

Classy and well-mannered? Have you ever read my blog?

Anybody who knows me in real life can tell you a lot of that other stuff is a load of crap too.

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

Who has better hair? We put the poll up, you decide.

Ever since Rod Blagojevich made the news for his (alleged) corruption, I’ve wondered one thing.

Who has better hair?

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich

-or-

Texas Governor Rick Perry

I can’t decide, so I’m asking y’all.

The poll’s up in the right sidebar just under “About Me.” It’ll be open for two weeks a week, then I’ll come back and post the results.

And, if this goes well, a new poll.

Video of the day

Plaxico Burress on gun safety:

Just the guy I want to learn from!

The kid’s first time

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

I took Bruiser outside briefly when it snowed last week. He wasn’t terribly thrilled about it.

OK, I’ve seen snow now. Now can we please go inside?

And I took him in not long after that.

Of our three, only Taffy’s seen snow before. Not because she’s old, but just because she lived in Fort Worth before coming to us.

Here’s how the three kids reacted to it:

• Petey: Ran around in it some, but went back in pretty quick.
• Bruiser: Walked around a little, but wasn’t very interested.
• Taffy: Didn’t want anything to do with it.

I don’t have pictures of the other two in it.

LOLcat of the day

more animals

And I thought my last name was bad…

… but K T Cat shows me a name that’s way worse.

Heh.

Video FAIL of the day: I’m never ordering pizza for delivery again

Seriously, I’ll come pick it up.

Remember those nightmares you had after seeing ‘Jurassic Park’ where the velociraptors were chasing you? This is way worse.

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

1 minute, 32 seconds

Created by Bunk Beds.net

Have you taken this quiz like Houston from Tater Tots For The Masses has? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

The palms

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.
The palm tree across the street with a little something unusual on top:

I’ve uploaded the same photo to Weather Underground’s photo galleries. It’s got a rating on there (as of when I wrote this) of 9.2.
The snow was falling fairly hard and with those big, fat flakes when I took the picture. The snow messed with my autofocus some, but most of my shots came out wonderfully.

Updated: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Might be worth it to hit play while reading this:

Dean Martin - Let it Snow

Overnight something happened that hasn’t happened (that I can remember anyway) for almost 20 years.

We had a decent snowfall.

Beaumont missed out on the 2004 Christmas Eve snowstorm, not getting enough to do anything with.

This is only the third time in my life I’ve seen an accumulation of snowfall. It happened once here when I was about four years old and once when I was traveling to Washington, DC.

My brother happened to be up when I looked out the window just to see if any had accumulated. Boy had it!

He got dressed and we went out and did what kids do: play in the snow.

This is the first time he’d seen it in his life. He was around the last time we had snow, but he wasn’t old enough to remember it.

We had snowball fights, made mini-snowmen, and even made snow angels, as you can see.

We even briefly took all three of the dogs out in it.

As you can see from this shot of me with Bruiser, they weren’t very thrilled.

When I was out there earlier I stuck my finger in a random place just to see how much was sitting on top of the grass. My finger went most of the way, making it at least two inches worth.

I walked down the street and talked with a neighbor who’s a college student from another country, though I’m not sure which. I told him that the last time we’d had a snow like this I was four years old. He countered by saying that, where he was from, it snowed six months out of the year. He later commented that it “felt like home.”

I’ve got a lot more pictures that I shot, and I’ll share them here in Friday Photos during the upcoming weeks.

If you can’t wait, then you can check out my photo gallery, in which the snow pictures have their own category.

Sadly, the snow should melt off quickly once the sun comes up, as the high today is supposed to get into the 50’s.

Which I’m not really complaining about, considering it was rainy, windy, and never got out of the 30’s all day yesterday.

UPDATE: The NWS put out this Record Report today. Shows you just how amazing this is:

... Record earliest measurable snowfall set at Beaumont Port Arthur...
... All time record snowfall for December set at Beaumont Port
Arthur...

Officially 1.8 inches of snow was measured at the southeast Texas regional Airport. This sets the all time earliest measurable snowfall record for Beaumont Port Arthur. The previous record was set on December 22 1989 when 0.7 inches of snow was measured.

Ike recovery update

I figured I should give a window into how our personal Ike recovery is going.

All that’s left is getting the roof fixed. It’s not terrible and we don’t have any leaks so it wasn’t something we were exactly rushing to take care of.

Last week we called our roofer, who was supposed to come out and see us for the past month. For some reason we weren’t in their computer system, so we were told we’d be getting a call back from them later.

When they did call back they apologized profusely and said they’d be out in a couple days to take a look at the roof and give us an estimate.

Our insurance adjuster had assumed that the roof just needed some patches in a few place when he looked at it.

Well, the roofer disagreed.

He said that he could patch it, but a lot of areas needed patching (mainly because of loose shingles, which are common from hurricanes) and we’d be better off with getting the whole roof replaced.

The roofer’s talking it over with the insurance company for us. All we’ve had to do for them is fax them the receipt from the work they did after Rita three years ago, which was just a patch of one area.

It makes sense for them to ask. I know of at least one person who got their check to get roof repairs done after Rita but didn’t ever get them done. Their insurance company refused to pay this time around, as they should.

Anyway, we should be scheduled to get the roof redone sometime in the near future and we’ll be pretty much back to normal.

LOLceleb of the day

more lol celebs!

Video of the day

Always drop hints, folks.

Always.

My ‘family’ name

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

Your Mafia Name Is Salvatore "Fatty" Gambini

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

What's Your Mafia Name?

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

Look at the fluffball

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

Petey, who I swear would lose half his weight if we shaved him, was out running recently

I love this cold weather, leave me alone! 

Sure thing, Petey.

He really does love it when it gets cold here. When it is, he’s happy staying outside as much as he can.

Think twice next time before you talk about your ex-girlfriends

The Stars’ Sean Avery, suspended:

Of all the cajoling, snide remarks and other stunts Sean Avery pulled on the way to becoming the biggest pest in hockey, never had he gone so far that the NHL suspended him -- until Tuesday.

Avery was punished indefinitely by commissioner Gary Bettman for using a crude term about his former girlfriends now dating other hockey players. Bettman acted within hours, in time to keep Avery out of the Dallas Stars' game against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

Over what? A comment about ex-girlfriends:

"I'm really happy to be back in Calgary; I love Canada," the Ontario native said. "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight." He then walked out of the locker room.

He was referring to ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert (picture below), who has gone on to date other NHL players.

Personally, I thought Avery’s comment was stupid, but hardly worth a suspension.

Honestly, I doubt even Roger Goodell would have suspended Avery for the comment.

Video FAIL of the day

(from FAIL Blog)

Just what I’d want to see on a plane:

How ‘bout them Texans

So the Texans finally got some exposure on Monday Night Football.

They made the most of it, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-17.

I watched the entire game and was very impressed with how they played out there.

Hopefully the exposure helps them get rid of the image that they’re the “lowly” Texans and earns the team some respect.

And a MNF game next year.

In which they try to guess who I voted for

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

Thought it might be interesting to see what this one said since I’m more or less in the middle politically.

We Predict You Voted For McCain

We're 65% sure you voted for McCain. You seem to fit the profile of a typical McCain voter. We're not saying you should have (or shouldn't have) voted for him. But if we had to place a bet, we'd guess you voted McCain this year.

Did You Vote for Obama or McCain?

Hey, it was right!

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

It’s the day after Thanksgiving…

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

We all know what the day after Thanksgiving means, right?

Christmas shopping.

Here’s a shot from three years ago (after Rita) that’s sure to put you in the spirit:

We were building a fence in this neighborhood and drove by that every day. I finally remembered to bring my camera and snap a picture of it while driving by.

LOLcat of the day

more animals

I wish a very happy Thanksgiving to all my readers out there in cyberspace.

Chicken Parmesan

A couple weeks ago I started looking online for a chicken parmesan recipe that wouldn’t be too difficult.

I found one and tried it last night.

Delicious!

LOLdog of the day

see more puppies

What’s my blog wanted for?

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

www.jrtblog.com

WANTED FOR THE PAINFUL HATING of a SULKY THIRD NIPPLE

$1600

What's Your Blog Wanted For?

Created by OnePlusYou

Uh… yea…

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

Teens are (often) stupid, here’s the proof

Fighting it out, bumper car styie:

"Friends don't let friends drive mad" might need to become a teenage adage.

Two Orange teenagers drew police attention Wednesday evening when their boyfriend-girlfriend spat turned into a bumper-car game with real vehicles.

[…]

A 17-year-old girl driving a 1991 Ford S10 pickup truck said her boyfriend had hit the back of her truck with his 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis.

[…]

Later, the 17-year-old boyfriend in the Grand Marquis drove back to the scene. He told the officer they had been arguing at a house on Curtis and 13th Street. When he started to drive away, she blocked his way with her truck.

That’s it, my kids aren’t getting drivers licenses’ until they’re 18!

Standing watch

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

Miss Taffy’s on top of the hill watching the other dogs:

No I’m not! I’m waiting for those neighbor dogs to come to the fence so I can bark at them some more!

Oh, sorry.

Graph of the day

And on a timely topic none the less…

more music charts

WIN of the day

Well that showed them!

see more pwn and owned pictures

What a shock!

For the second year in a row, my Texans prediction turned out to be an EPIC FAIL!

With the Texans’ 33-27 loss to the Colts they drop to 3-7, making my prediction unreachable.

I really need to stop predicting these things, maybe they’d do better if I didn’t.

At least I never said I’d post a nude pic this year.

My thoughts on Quantum of Solace

Yea, I know I said I’d write this Saturday. Oh well.

It starts off right where Casino Royale left off with a very good car chase sequence. Later in the movie there’s a boat chase and then a plane chase. All three were well-done, but what would you expect?

I’ll not say too much of the plot, but it did leave some loose ends. I’m assuming that at least some of those loose ends will be addressed in the next movie.

Daniel Craig’s filling in well into the James Bond role I think. He brings something different to them, which is probably a good thing since the series is undergoing a reboot

Anyway, here’s the bottom line:

It’s a decent movie. It’s not as good as Casino Royale, but it’s not bad. It was worth the $5 I shelled out to catch a matinee on Friday afternoon.

Just a recommendation: Watch (or re-watch) Casino Royale before you watch Quantum of Solace, just to refresh on things.

What you’ll get out of my dead body

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

$4365.00

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

LOLceleb of the day

more lol celebs!

I’m off to see the wizard! I’m off to see the wizard!

Not really…

But this afternoon I am off to see Quantum of Solace, the new Bond flick that comes out today.

I’ll write something up on it tomorrow for y’all.

Lurking

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

Bruiser tries to hide…

Can you see me? You can? Darn.

Sorry kiddo. The grass may have been high, but it wasn’t that high.

I’ve seen it and I still don’t believe it!

A gas station sign in Beaumont on August 5th, 2008, after Tropical Storm Edouard moved through the area.

After the craziness of gas prices this summer, which got to $3.99 here, it’s amazing to think that yesterday I saw many stations around town that had it for $1.99

Sadly, I don’t have a picture of that. I might go by a nearby Exxon later today and get a shot of their sign, who knows.

I realize that it won’t stay down this low for forever, but it’s sure nice while it lasts.

Artwork of the day

Houston (who lives in Dallas for some reason) from Tater Tots For The Masses drew a cartoon on a whiteboard yesterday.

Check it out.

Probably not a good career choice for me

Welcome to Stupid Quiz Sunday, in which I'll take an online quiz that may or may not be stupid and post the results.

44%

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Online Dating

Have you taken this quiz? Have a quiz you want me to take? Leave a link in the comments.

LOLdog of the day: Kickin’ back for the weekend

Settling down in the recliner to watch some college football?

see more puppies

Sounds like a winner to me!

It’s not what you think it is, I swear!

Welcome to Friday Photo, a new feature where I share photos that I've taken with the world.

Bruiser’s in the backyard doing WHAT?

I’m not peeing, that’s for sure.

I promise y’all, he really isn’t. He’s the only male dog I’ve ever seen that doesn’t (usually) hike a leg when he does his business.

LOLcat of the day

more animals

The sad thing? That cat has more skills than I do.

… but deliver us from politics

I am happy to report that, at least here, the 2008 elections season is over.

Sure, it didn’t turn out the way I’d have liked it to. But that’s alright, I didn’t really expect it to.

I’m just glad that we can finally put an end to all the bickering that comes with elections.

Good riddance, I say!