mystery photo

A funny little skit

I was helping Drewe Rain write a poem this morning. We remembered stories of canabalism; the Donner Party and the crashed plane of the Andes mountains. I researched those stories, came upon this:

Not an Experienced Cannibal

Transcribed from: Comedy Central

Cast:
Prosecutor
Mr. Lucic (Defendant)
Judge[Scene: A courtroom with jury of extras in background]

Prosecutor: [approaching witness stand] Mr. Lucic, do you still maintain that your actions concerning Flight 138 are somehow justified?

Mr. Lucic: [intensely] What would you have done? None of you can understand because none of you were there. You don't think about what's right and wrong when you're just trying to survive. Right and wrong, those are just words... they don't mean anything! Societal values are only rules for the normal everyday occurrences. Every rule has a dozen exceptions. Survival is always one of those exceptions. It was the heat of the moment. I felt like I had no choice. When you look around at you and all you can see is destruction, devastation, death! And all you can feel is the hunger. What would you have done?

Prosecutor: [removing glasses] We're not talking about a plane crash in the Andes here, sir. Your plane never even got off the runway. There was no crash! You are the sole survivor of a 35 minute delay!

Mr. Lucic: [sobbing a bit] 35 minutes I will never forget! Every minute was hell!

Prosecutor: You ate 112 of your fellow passengers. You could have eaten just one, maybe two, but no, you ate a little bit of each passagner.. WHY?!?

Mr. Lucic: [turning to Judge] Your honor, I am not an experienced cannibal! I did not get on that plane expecting to eat ANYONE! I simply tasted a little of each in the hopes that the next one would taste better! I'm sure your honor has done the same thing with a box of chocolates.

Judge: No, I haven't. My wife does and I hate it when she does that!

Mr. Lucic: [head hanging] Oh.

Judge: I suppose I wouldn't mind so much if I still loved her, but let's face it.... I NEED SOME TIME TO MYSELF!!! [breaks down crying and bangs his gavel] Case dismissed.

On May 6, 2006 E.S.S.O. had a great vertical workshop at the Plummer's farm in Carter County. About 8 members attended the workshop, which was organized by Brian S. Vertical virtuoso, Jerry B., attended to help Brian with the teaching and organization. Since we had such a small group, we were able to accomplish quite a bit in a short amount of time. After practicing the rappelling and ascending, we bounced a pit.

Everyone seemed to have a great time and the weather was cool and sunny. I have been an E.S.S.O. member for almost 9 years but until Brian S. became enthusiastic about vertical caving, E.S.S.O. hadn't organized any vertical workshops during my tenure.

Thanks to Brian's interest and infectious enthusiasm, many E.S.S.O. members have begun to develop some experience and skill.

Me demonstrating change-overs, Mark, Brian S.

Ernie rappelling, Brian belaying

The E.S.S.O. gang - Brian S., Mark, Sheila, Ernie, Me, Jerry, Brian Q.

A vertical teaching session: Brian S., Brian Q., Ernie, Me, Jerry

Vertical workshop

Jerry's jeep showing cool gear arrangement

Ultimate Goals

What is your ultimate goal, the thing you want to do before you die? One man said his goal was to give away as many magnets as possible. This particular man talks to tree guys, neglects his yard, runs after school children - all so he can give away more magnets. I know people who have a list and they want to cross as many things as possible off the list, aka see the Iffel Tower, jump from an airplane. I fall loosely into that category. I know a woman who loves teddy bears and wants 500 of them. Some people desire great power. Others just want peace. My boyfriend would simply like to enjoy the passing of time. I guess that's a pretty balanced way to look at it.

Just Deserts

I'm in New Mexico and my mother and I endured a sand storm today. The wind blew fiercely, kicking up small rocks and sand. It blew in our faces, in our eyes, in our hair. We were out on the streets of Albuquerque, just having sushi, trying to shop. The sand and wind drove us back to the hotel. Every day we have walked down the street, passing a homeless man. He looks at me, grateful that I gave him the time yesterday.

Today, we encountered a film being made on the streets of Albuquerque. John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and Tim Allen were starring in the film, a movie about bikers. The film makers had transformed a quiet pub into a biker bar for the day. As we walked past, Tim Allen waved at us. My mother exclaimed loudly when she saw John Travolta and he put his finger to lips, indicating that we should not give him away.

I feel a bit aimless here. I am tired of shopping. I want to see the mountains, the natural parts of New Mexico. You can only look at so many pieces of jade, rugs. I spend my days trying to enjoy myself but waiting until I can talk to my boyfriend on my cell. Yes, I now have a boyfriend and one whom I have come to love. His name is Jerry and I am so fortunate to have found him. We are both cavers and we enjoy many of the same types of things, if not the same things. He is a wonderful man and is strong, mentally and emotionally.

He lives in another city and having a long distance relationship will be difficult but I believe that we are both strong and care deeply about one another. I know, although I don't know how I know, that we will endure. I look forward to our relationship, to our future.

On Human Beauty - worthless ruminations

I have a friend who is in love. When asked to describe her man, she can only seem to refer to him as "beautiful". This caused me to think about beauty and human behavior, our perceptions of beauty, and why we find particular individuals beautiful.

Although it is said that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", studies have shown that there are many universal or near-universal qualities which make people attractive. Strong correlations between attractiveness and particular physical properties have been found, across cultures.

Physical properties:

Symmetry:

One of the more important properties is symmetry, which is also associated with physical health. A person of either gender who is considered as attractive in various cultures has been found to have facial symmetry based on the golden ratio of 1:1.618

Olfactors

The smell of the human body, that is, insofar as it has not reached the unpleasant degree of body odor, is often considered a sexually attractive factor.

Male Physical Attractiveness

Height

Males at least a few inches/centimeters taller than prospective female partners are more likely to be perceived as handsome.

Erect Posture

Women seem more receptive to an erect posture than men, though both prefer it as an element of beauty; this fact appears correlated to the preference for males who demonstrate confidence, physical strength and a powerful bearing

Muscularity

As a general rule, muscularity is probably attractive in men as an indicator of health, and because it is a major differentiator between the typical body morphology of males and females.

Facial Structure

In Western societies, men and women of all races often agree that a face with pronounced cheekbones, and often a well defined jaw is physically attractive

Monday, monday

Back at the grind of Monday, remembering a fine weekend. On Saturday, I attended a wine tasting which I would summarize as successful. I organized it but many people helped. It was a fun time and we tried the following 6 wines: riesling, voignier, chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel.

While I don't have the result cards and other than the zinfandel, no particular wine was worth remembering to me (I was so busy organizing and explaining), these seem to be the favorites:

Theo Minges Riesling

Cakebread Chardonnay. I found notes of white pepper and lots of lemon zest in the palate with aromas of apricot, green apple.

Here are the winemakers notes: has a light straw color with a glint of gold. Its aromas are reminiscent of green apples and the faint scent of apricots. There is also the clean scent of mineral that some tasters would describe as being "flinty." On the palate, the flavors closely resemble those of the aromas, but with a very slight buttery finish as well as the subtle hint of vanillin from the French oak in the background. The wine has good depth, with an ideal balance of fruit and crisp acidity.

Rosenblum Zinfandel

Jean-Luc Colombo 2003 Viognier La Violette - Wine makers notes: The nose offers intense aromas of acacia, yellow peaches and exotic fruits. Very elegant and harmonious, its freshness allows the fruit to fully develop.

We also tried the 2001 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Landslide 2001 (92 points, $33) but very few, if any, preferred it. Wine makes notes: A delicious Cabernet at a terrific price. Smooth, rich and juicy, with tiers of lively black cherry, wild berry and blackberry fruit that are deeply concentrated with a supple, elegant mouthfeel. On the finish the tannins show some grip and a nice dusty, cedary oak quality adds a note of complexity.