Afishionados,

I didn’t even know that she knew my phone number.

Afishionados,

I’ve seen Dateline MSNBC’s To Catch a Predator many times, and I can’t help but notice that most of the predators caught share one common theme: they’re all very religious (or at least claim to be). Church volunteers, Jesus Freaks… you name it, they’ve probably been caught. I wonder if it’s just the way that MSNBC edits the show (cut out some of the predators that aren’t religious?) or is it really this common?

(For the record, I am not saying that all religious people are inherently predators. There ARE good religious people out there. Just not on MSNBC’s To Catch a Predator :-D).

Also, why are these underage teens always presumed to be 100% innocent? I’m certainly not siding with the predators, but at even at 13, 14, 15 years of age, etc., I find it difficult to believe that these teens don’t have any concept that chatting with people online and asking them over for sex is “bad” or “wrong”. And this opens up a whole other can of worms, too. Is it bad parenting? IS the teen, in fact, that innocent just because they’re underage? I’m a believer in the notion that the Internet is NOT a babysitter, and you shouldn’t let your children online without supervision.

Anyone else have opinions or thoughts on this?

Afishionados,

I saw this image, along with its headline, over at MSNBC.com.

I’m not sure what kind of probe the Dems are using, but I know that Gonzales has been talking out of his ass since this whole thing started.

Afishionados,

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For every action…

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There is an equal and opposite reaction.

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Or so he says.

Afishionados,

A few days ago I mentioned something cooking in the OFAL laboratories. Well, I’m please to announce that my project has been unleashed for the world to see!

Introducing iPhoneShots:

You can visit the web site by going to:

http://www.iphoneshots.net

iPhoneShots (iPS) is not meant to be “just another blog”, and it’s not going to replace the Fish anytime soon. Other than being hosted my the same server and being a subdomain of OFAL, the two sites are completely separate from one another.

iPS is a site where iPhone users can register and send their photos to the Internet for free, right from their phone. Anyone can then vote on the images (rate them 1-5 stars), as well as leave comments for the people who posted. It’s all powered by WordPress and a bunch of plugins and widgets, just like the Fish.

It’s even Joey friendly, in that you do not need to put in an email address to comment. See, Joey, I DO care.

I’ve been working on iPS on the side for weeks now, and getting some feedback and beta testing from one of my best friends who has an iPhone (Thanks, Ross!). I’d also like to thank Bean for her help with setting up some server side stuff that was simply beyond me. Honestly, without her help, iPS would have been canned long ago.

I think I’ve worked harder at this than any other web site I’ve ever built. The graphics aren’t as fancy or as custom as OFAL’s, but a lot of effort went into iPS. I’ve learned a lot of CSS with this site, that’s for sure.

I’m trying to promote the site as much as possible, so that iPhone users will actually find it and use it. If you use Digg, you can help me by “digging” the link to iPS by clicking here.

Thanks!

Afishionados,

I thought it was time I shared some of my personal interests with you guys. You know, to build up our blogging relationship even further. Somethin’ to make us feel more like friends and less like strangers. Here are some things that I really like:

I like to start my day off with a good breakfast. I like a good hot meal in the morning. Yum yum. Sometimes, I will even read the newspaper while I eat.

I like animals (except birds), especially small dogs. And I like to take long walks outdoors. Hell, I’d even take the dog with me if I had to.

Oh, and I also like corn.

Another fun thing I like to do outside is blow bubbles. I love bubbles. Who doesn’t? Sometimes all that blowin’ is a real tough job, but in the end I always feel happy.

It seems that a lot of my interests take me outdoors. A really fun sport is archery. Sometimes, though it’s a challenge. I’m always on the lookout to split something with my arrow, but I can’t always find the perfect target to shoot at. And usually, like the bow, there’s some kinda strings attached. Oh, well, bows and arrows are still fun.

STRAWBERRIES!!! I LOVE STRAWBERRIES!!! And the size of the berries isn’t everything. Even if the berries are small, they still taste really good in your mouth. Mmmmmm…..

Afishionados,

Today was the best day that I’ve had in a really long time.

I spent the whole day with my sister, her husband, and my mom. We all went shopping at the mall and bought new clothes. I haven’t really bought any new clothes since joining the Navy, so I needed an update. I should look pretty good for school when I start in the fall.

My laptop has always had a black pixel out on the screen, which really has never bothered me too much. Until two days ago, when the little bastard decided to turn BRIGHT FUCKIN’ GREEN ALL THE TIME. It looked like this:

Annoying. Why did that pixel decide to “wake up”? Stay BLACK if you must, but not GREEN! Or red. Or blue. That’s the problem with technology these days: everything uses LCDs so you’re always at risk for having a stuck or dead pixel.

I called my local Apple store and they wouldn’t replace a screen because of one stuck pixel. Lucky me. Fortunately, an independent Apple retailer in my area also fixes Apple computers. And they DID replace the screen for me. They also did it in less than 48 hours, which is faster than ANY turnaround time I have ever experienced directly from Apple. It’s a brand new store and all the folks that work their are friendly. I want to take them all donuts for helping me out.

I’ve been keeping really busy lately, too. Tomorrow it’s off to Cleveland to help sis and husband with unpacking their stuff into their new apartment. As long as there’s beer, we’ll be fine.

I’ve also got something cookin’ in the OFAL Laboratory. I’m working on an Internet project and testing it out with some friends. I’ve put a lot of work into it, and I think it could be really big. The graphics still need some work and it’s not quite ready for prime time. But I can say that it’s powered by WordPress and should have a bigger following than Old Fish and Lemonade. I’m excited. (Not that OFAL is going anywhere, mind you. This project is totally separate.)

Stay tuned!

Afishionados,

While cruising Skittering Thoughts, I found a link to a blog called Eureka Blyth. Eureka’s blog title comes from an anagram of her real name. It’s one of the coolest sounding names for sure. Like a witch princess who doesn’t know that she really is.

Anyway, I’ve been playing around looking for cool anagrams with the help of an anagram maker. I’ve mostly been punching in names of family members, and here are some of the funnier ones thus far:

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Brother-in-Law:

Ass Wronged

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Nephew:

Anus Limit

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Dad:

Knob Viewer

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Soon-to-be-ex-but-not-soon-enough Bitch of a Mother-in-Law:

Urinary Woman

(Coincidently, mother-in-law is also an anagram for “Woman Hitler”, but I already knew this before stumbling upon the anagram maker.)

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My brother Drew:

Narrow Dweeb

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How about yoos guyz? Got any good ones?

Afishionados,

Today was a good day. I spent the afternoon and evening with my grandma. I love her, she’s incredible. She’s in her mid eighties now but still gets around quite well and likes to go to the movies. Tonight we saw the Transformers movie together then went out for dinner. Next up this week, we’ll be seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

I thought that the Transformers movie was good. I expected no plot, lots of CG special effects, and lots of action. I was not disappointed, and there was even a fair bit of humor in the film as well. I loved the Transformers toys and TV show as a kid, and I wanted to see how well the film compared to what I remember of the “old school” Transformers as a child.

My favorite Transformers growing up were Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. The movie features the original voice of Optimus Prime (the great Peter Cullen) from the cartoons, which is great because Prime’s gruff voice is one of the features that helps define him as a character. Optimus Prime without Peter Cullen would be like Darth Vader without James Earl Jones. Prime’s voice has always been great, but it simply sounds the best in surround sound.

I always liked Bumblebee because he used to be a Volkswagen Beetle and I have always liked that car. In the new film, however, he’s a Camaro because Volkswagen wouldn’t allow their beloved car to be seen transforming and blowing up other, more evil space alien robots, and therefore would not give the studio its blessing to keep Bumblebee a bug. For fans of the old Transformers, though, Bumblebee’s introduction in the film features a great inside joke with regard to this “Volkswagen change of character” situation. I thought it was funny.

Acting is what you would expect it to be: all but nonexistent. Sam (played by Shia LaBeouf) is believable as a high school nerd, and is actually funny in some scenes. Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) plays the girlfriend/heroine and is good screen candy and little else. Jon Voight (Defense Secretary John Keller) is the worst of everyone and Josh Duhamel (Air Force Captain Lennox) shows that Captains in the Air Force are not required to have their hair cut to military standards. Oh, and his character is pointless, too.

☆☆☆☆

Four Autobots out of Five.

Speaking of movies, The Simpsons Movie has a feature on their web site where you can make yourself a character in the Simpsons universe. Here is what I would look like if I were a character in the Simpsons.

Now, go make your own Simpsons avatar. It’ free, you don’t have to register, and I want to see what you guys look like.

Afishionados,

Another photo from Andrew heads my way, just in time for the 4th of July. Thanks, Andrew, I can always use more horse meat. I think I’ll use this chunk for my 4th of July Barbaro-B-Q.

I slept through the parade (again) but did manage to make my way downtown for the festivities. The old part of downtown was blocked off and was full of delicious, fried, and unhealthy food. Awesome. Since I live so close, I walked there, and on my way I couldn’t help but notice this crazy shit in the front of someone’s yard.

I snapped this with my camera phone at a good distance, but I think the photo came out really well, considering. In case you can’t read it, the yellow sign says “I think I can” and the red one says “I made a present”.

I hope you noticed the photo of Isaac. In his cowboy duds. In a toilet. In the front lawn. This is fucked up on so many levels that I don’t even know where to begin. Why would you dress your child up like a country western circus clown and take photos? Do you want him to be a virgin for the rest of his life? And yes, that really is a toilet, it just looks odd from the angle in the photo.

What am I saying? It would look odd at ANY angle. It’s a goddamn toilet in the front yard!

I’m really hope that Isaac is getting potty trained. Otherwise, the existence of the toilet completely baffles me. As for the “present” that Isaac made, well… Isaac, my friend, if you consider those things presents, have I got a treat for you. Come out with me after I’ve had some Chipotle and I promise to deliver you one HELLUVA gift. And since you’re claiming them as “presents”, Isaac, you just found yourself a spot in my ongoing feature, Christmas Gifts You Shouldn’t Buy. Congratulations. (For the record, I didn’t get close enough to the toilet to see if it was just dirt, or one of Isaac’s presents.)

On a more serious note, have yourselves a great 4th of July. Go buy some fireworks and celebrate our nation’s independence by blowing up a small part of it. And thanks to our troops, especially those overseas, who are over there so that we can celebrate. And to my good friends on the USS Abraham Lincoln, the USS Enterprise, and in the United States Marine Corps. Come home safe, you guys! Happy 4th of July and Congratulations to Isaac!