"if you don't know where you're going, any road'll take you there"

So, the Lakefront Marathon is done, with a nearly 32-minute improvement from Mad City back in May. So, the question becomes, what's next? Well...this: Ironman Wisconsin. I've got nearly a year, and I'm probably 60-70% ready now.

Happy cows? I don't think so...

From the San Jose Mercury News:

The record-setting heat wave blamed in the deaths of at least 50 people has also killed thousands of dairy cows and other livestock, leaving farmers with piles of carcasses and creating a backup at factories that turn the dead animals into pet food.

A combination of sweltering temperatures, growth in the state's dominant $5 billion dairy industry and fewer plants to properly dispose of the animals have forced several counties to declare a state of emergency, allowing the dumping of dead livestock in landfills - something usually outlawed because of the health risks.

"But what can we do? We have to weigh the possible contamination to ground water versus piles of dead cows stinking and attracting flies," said Phil Larson, chairman of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

Fresno County, which reached 113 degrees in recent days, was one of the first to declare an emergency when a plant that handles the bulk of the region's dead animals broke down earlier this month. After the old carcasses began decomposing in the searing summer heat, county officials were forced to make the first such declaration in the county's history, Larson said.

"It wasn't any easy solution. It's not something we want to continue but we can't have piles of dead animals laying around," he said.

Dairy farmer Brian Pacheco said he sometimes waits days before a rendering plant will pick up his dead cows.

"And when they do come, they only take the ones that died that day," said Pacheco, who uses Baker Commodities, a rendering plant in Kerman. "I'm left with the old bodies."

This tune ain't bad or good and come ever what may...

Well, I wasn't directly tagged with this meme, but then LQ decided that I needed to offer it up anyway...so here goes. (Bonus point available if you notice where the 26th song lyric is, can correctly identify it & its artist!)

LQ's Instructions:
A. If you’ve got an iPod or similar technology, copy your Top 25 Most Played.
My iPod wiped itself out a little while ago, so this is just 25 song lyrics that came to mind through various inspirations.
B. Then pick a lyric from each.
C. Post the lyrics on your blog.
D. Have commenters guess what the song is.
E. Either strike out the lyric once it has been correctly identified or place the guesser’s user name directly after the lyric.
F. Extra points for knowing the artist. Let’s not go overboard and try to figure out albums.
G. NO INTERNET ASSISTANCE.

Contest is done...any song that no one got has the answer shown in red

Song 1:
"Studebaker television North Korea South Korea Marilyn Monroe"

"We Didn't Start the Fire" - Billy Joel (LQ)

Song 2:
"With a boulder on my shoulder, feeling kind of older, I tripped the merry-go-round"

"Blinded By The Light" - Manfred Mann & His Earth Band

Song 3:
"She claimed in a loud voice to be a dancer
but I don't think she's cut a rug in years
listens to the jukebox for her answers
slowly guzzles twenty-five cent beers"

"Woman Goin' Crazy on Caroline Street" - Jimmy Buffett

Song 4:
"Yo ye pharaohs, let us walk
through this barren desert
in search of truth, and some pointy boots
and maybe a few snack crackers."

"Camel Walk" - Southern Culture on the Skids

Song 5:
"Let's do this one more once."

"April in Paris" - Count Basie

Song 6:
"Been around the world and found
that only stupid people are breeding.
The cretins cloning and feeding
and I don't even own a TV."

"Flagpole Sitta" - Harvey Danger (Little Tort)

Song 7:
"and mother feels so shocked, father's world is rocked,
and their thoughts turn to their own little girl.
Sweet sixteen ain't so peachy keen,
no, it ain't so neat to admit defeat."

"I Don't Like Mondays" - Boomtown Rats

Song 8:
"She said, 'Tell me, are you a Christian, child?'
and I said, 'Ma'am, I am tonight."

"Walking in Memphis" - Marc Cohn (LQ)

Song 9:
"Making plans for the Sunshine State,
waiting at the terminal gate,
you and me making history."

"This Is Us" - Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris

Song 10:
"I wanna pull it apart and put it back together,
I wanna relive all my adolescent dreams.
Inspired by true events on movie screens"

"One Man Wrecking Machine" - Guster

Song 11:
"Some rich men came and raped the land,
nobody caught 'em.
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus,
People bought 'em."

"The Last Resort" - The Eagles

Song 12:
"Little old lady got mutilated late last night"

"Werewolves of London" - Warren Zevon (LQ)

Song 13:
"Makin' love in the green grass,
behind the stadium with you."

"Brown-Eyed Girl" (LQ). This, however was the extra-cool Jimmy Buffett cover version...not that the lyrics gave that away.

Song 14:
"Forget the cafe latte, screw the raspberry iced tea.
A Malibu and Coke for you, a G & T for me."

"Alcohol" - Barenaked Ladies (Little Tort)

Song 15:
"gunter glieben glauchen globen"

"Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard

Song 16:
"My head is a box filled with nothing,
and that's the way I like it."

"Catch My Disease" - Ben Lee

Song 17:
"A girl went back to Napoli,
because she missed the scenery,
the native dances and the charming songs,
but wait a minute, somthing's wrong."

"Mambo Italiano" - Rosemary Clooney

Song 18:
"In the town where I was born,
lived a man who sailed to sea,
and he told us of his life,
in the land of submarines."

"Yellow Submarine" - The Beatles (LQ)

Song 19:
"Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit."

"Learning to Fly" - Pink Floyd

Song 20:
"And all I can do is just pour some tea for two,
and speak my point of view, but it's not sane."

"No Rain" - Blind Melon (LQ)

Song 21:
"But that's not the reason that I came to this land,
I wanna get a job in a rock and roll band."

"Purple People Eater" - Sheb Wooley

Song 22:
"For the words of the prophets were written on the studio wall"

"The Spirit of Radio" - Rush

Song 23:
"I think it was the Fourth of July"

"Saturday in the Park" - Chicago

Song 24:
"So I called up my pal Jack Daniels, and his partner Jimmy Beam."

"I Drink Alone" - George Thorogood (LQ)

Song 25:
"You smart-ass college fuck,
act like you think you're tall."

"Loser Makes Good" - Everclear

Song 26 (the post title):
"This tune ain't bad or good and come ever what may..."

"This Song" - George Harrison

Good luck, and enjoy!

The Insufferable Movie Meme

Well, since I got sucked in to answering the last 3 quotes on LQ's movie meme, I guess I should probably put up my own quotes...and that way I can slightly resurrect this blog from it's well-deserved obscurity.

UPDATE(S): First, I probably should have included a no-Googling rule, but alas, I did not, so anyone who may have googled, or not, will get credit for correct answers. On that note, a late flurry from Diane has left only #2 in need of an answer, but #7 & #11 have two different versions of the film, and the quote did not appear in both versions...so a year is still needed for those two films.

The rules, per LQ's post:

A. Pick 11 of your favorite movies.
B. Then pick one of your favorite quotes from each movie.
C. Post the quotes on your blog.
D. Have commenters guess what the movie is.
E. Either strike out the quote once it has been correctly identified or place the guesser’s user name directly after the quote.
F. Extra points for knowing the actor or character’s name.

Without further ado (but with the following caveat, several of these quotes are exchanges between characters):

Movie #1
Mood swings? Nineteen post-graduate degrees in mathematics, and your best explanation for going from a 63 to a 46 percent approval rating in five weeks is mood swings?

Well, I could explain it better, but I'd need charts, and graphs, and an easel.

LawMommy has correctly identified this as "The American President"

Movie #2
The preservation room. Enjoy. Go ahead. Do you know what the preservation room is for?

Delicious jams and jellies?

Movie #3
You know, when you started getting invited to your ten year high school reunion, time is catching up.

Are you talking about a sense of my own mortality or a fear of death?

Well, I never really thought about it quite like that.

Did you go to yours?

Yes, I did. It was just as if everyone had swelled.

LQ correctly identified this as "Grosse Point Blank"

Movie #4
You know what you got there? You got a fishhook in your finger. I'm right proud of you.

Diane correctly identified this as "State and Main"

Movie #5
Hi. How are you? My name's Elliot, and I'm with the Cub Scouts of America. We're... we're selling uncut cocaine to get to the jamboree.

Diane correctly identified this as "True Romance"

Movie #6
Which did you like better? "Jedi" or "The Empire Strikes Back"?

"Empire".

Blasphemy!

"Empire" had the better ending. I mean, Luke gets his hand cut off, finds out Vader's his father, Han gets frozen and taken away by Boba Fett. It ends on such a down note. I mean, that's what life is, a series of down endings. All "Jedi" had was a bunch of Muppets.

LawMommy has correctly identified this as "Clerks"

Movie #7
You told Towns he was behaving as if stupidity was a virtue. If he's making it into a virtue, YOU'RE MAKING IT INTO A BLOODY SCIENCE!

Diane correctly identified this as "Flight of the Phoenix", however she did not identify which version of the film it came from, so only partial credit can be awarded. Still open as to the year for this quote.

Movie #8
I've set my laser from stun to kill.

Oh, great. If anyone attacks we can blink em' to death.

LQ correctly identified this as "Toy Story"

Movie #9
When you talk to the President, you might remind him that I am holding his wife, his daughter, his chief of staff, his national security advisor, his classified papers - and his baseball glove!

LQ correctly identified this as Air Force One

Movie #10
Look, man, do I look like an icky-ologist to you? Big damn bugs, all right? The size of my fist. The size of a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Diane correctly identified this as "Bubba Ho-Tep"

Movie #11
My parents died when I was five. I'm an orphan.

Who was that kind fellow who gave you away at our wedding?

Paid actor.

I said, I said I saw your dad on "Fantasy Island"!

Diane correctly identified this as "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", however she did not identify which version of the film it came from, so only partial credit can be awarded. Still open as to the year for this quote.

Who's down with O.P.P. (Every last homie)

Including Governor Doyle, apparently...

Okay...so I completely lifted this post from WisBlawg, but only because my post title is cooler than theirs...

From the press release dated Thursday, April 13, 2006:

Today, Governor Doyle opened the Office of Privacy Protection (OPP), which will serve as a centralized hub to educate consumers and businesses on how to protect themselves against identity theft and provide comprehensive assistance to those who have been victimized. Victims are able to contact the office now by calling toll-free at 1-800-422-7128 or on the web at privacy.wi.gov.

The Governor also proposed a legislative initiative to crack down on identity crimes that will increase penalties for identity theft, provide additional security for business, and create greater protections for individual victims. Under the Governor's proposal, identity theft will be increased to a Class E felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Governor Doyle's initiative will make the penalty for identity crimes against businesses the same as for crimes committed against individuals.

Cheese Gromit! Cheese!

Yet another reason I've got to visit England sometime soon.

LONDON - Fired by news that Wallace and Gromit have won a fourth Oscar for their creator, fans in the pair's hometown called Tuesday for a statue to be erected of the balding cheese lover and his long-suffering canine companion.

Matthew Symonds, a local councilor in Bristol where Nick Park and Aardman Animations created the now-famous pair, said it was time to recognize the contribution that Wallace and Gromit have made to the city in southwest England.

"Everyone loves Wallace and Gromit and everyone I've spoken to on this matter agrees that we should thank Aardman in some way for what they have done for the city," said Symonds.

"They really have placed Bristol on the map worldwide," he said, adding that the Aardman motion picture company had made a big impact on the city.

Park and Aardman won their fourth Academy Award on Sunday in the category of best animated feature film for "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit."

"With Hollywood and Oscar success they could easily have left to seek their fortune elsewhere," said Symonds.

"It really is about time that the Lord Mayor offered Wallace the best cheese the city can lay hands on; Gromit and his makers are more than welcome to it as well," said Symonds.

and now for something completely different...

Why is curling so oddly compelling?

Yesterday I ended up watching the entire women's gold medal curling match. I don't know why, but it was riveting television...far superior then all of that ice skating NBC has been forcing down our collective throats for the past 2 weeks.

Maybe it was riveting just because I was trying to figure out how the whole thing worked, but after that is seemed to become a strategic mix of chess and billiards, adding in the whole sliding a granite stone down a sheet of ice and getting it to "curl" and stop exactly where intended.