Odd juxtaposition

In Google News this morning, we had the following:

Bush says US expects Russians to leave Georgia
The Associated Press - 31 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is expressing concern that Russia might be violating the cease-fire in Georgia. He said the United States expects all Russian forces to withdraw from Georgia and that Moscow honor the truce after its punishing attacks ...

ACT scores up slightly in Georgia
Atlanta Journal Constitution - 35 minutes ago
By LAURA DIAMOND Georgia students' scores on the ACT college admissions test increased slightly in the past school year, according to results released Wednesday by the state education department.


Well, I suppose we have an explanation for the rise in ACT scores...

"Can't Eat That" Omnivore's meme

Courtesy of

britgeekgrrl and Good Eats, we have an omnivore test of the food that omnivores are all supposed to have eaten.  Hmm.  Well, I have some time, i'll try it.


1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake


This is a weird list, ranging from the gourmet to the utterly mundane.  Why for instance are Big Mac meals must-eats?  Also, some things I left unmarked because I honestly can't remember if I've ever eaten them, such as curried goat and rose harissa.

I'm really not sure what good this test is, other to indicate that I have indeed, over my lifetime, eaten a lot of stuff. 

 

I'm not going to bring him cake after all.

When I went back to the apartment to show the damage to my insurance agent, I arrived to find him conducting his interview with my downstairs neighbor; an interview that mostly consisted of said neighbor complaining about me.  He  was taking the opportunity of a captive audience to list off all the problems he had had with us, from falling flower pots, to noises, to our watering our plants wetting his porch. It was bad of me to listen in, but I couldn't help overhearing my neighbor stating that he had heard the closet door opening, and something running around upstairs...he concluded that we must have been home, gone outside when the leak started, and evidently hid in the car for several hours, to come back when the repair people came.   The beleaguered agent's response to the litany of complaints was simply "I'm just here to get the information about your damages."

I DID like the part where Neighbor of Mine complained that because we had been living here for years, the management wasn't taking his complaints seriously.  I'm nevertheless thinking of getting an affidavit from oh, six or seven people who saw us at the party.

But in any case, my sympathy for my neighbor has declined quite a bit.  

No cake for them.