Monthly Archives: November 2008

Historical Knowledge

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Via The Agitator, a civics exam which was administered to 2500 people. The average score by elected US public officials on this exam was a paltry 44%, while the general public clocked in with 49%, an F in most of the schools I attended1.

I don’t understand how anyone, regardless of station, can’t do better than that. This was not a tough exam; I took it cold, after seeing the link in my feed reader, with these results:

You answered 28 out of 33 correctly — 84.85 %

Average score for this quiz during November: 77.6%
Average score: 77.6%

So, I’m ahead of the curve, even though I missed a couple that I shouldn’t have.

Maybe our elected officials are too dumb to govern; or maybe the populace is too dumb to be governed. I don’t know.

Check out the exam here, and see how you do.

-k-

1 Though in these days, I’m sure points are awarded for simply showing up and taking the test; kinda like how everyone gets a ribbon at the Kiwanis’ track meet.

Championship Weekend Ends

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As I prepare for the NASCAR winter, I salute this year’s champions:

Craftsman Trucks: Johnny Benson, won by 7 points, in a race for the ages.

Nationwide Series: Clint Bowyer, Kansas legend, driving for Richard Childress Racing. Won by 21 points.

Sprint Cup: Jimmie Johnson, by 60 points over Carl Edwards. Jimmie’s 3rd consecutive championship, tying him with Cale Yarborough, NASCAR legend. In spite of Jimmie’s not being worthy to wash Cale’s jockstrap, if racers wear jockstraps, I salute Jimmie anyhow.

Next year: The year of Mark Martin.

Until then, watching college basketball, and counting down ’til Daytona.

-k-

Goobers

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I previously documented how much I enjoyed great salted in the shell peanuts from The Good Earth Peanut Company, of Skippers VA. It has been a while since we’d had any good goobers, so I placed an order at TGEPC’s online store last week. On Friday, they arrived, two 5-pound bags of salted-in-the-shell crunchiness.

I got the stink-eye from my little bride at first, and a comment to the effect of WTF are we gonna do with all these peanuts?, there being only two of us here and all. I suggested that since this weekend was NASCAR championship weekend, that we could also have a “Beer and Goobers” Festival to commemorate the occasion. Another stink-eye. So, yesterday, we broke the big sacks up, parcelled them out into 1 quart ZipLoc bags, sealed those up, put them into a Lock & Lock freezer container1, and put the Lock & Lock container into the deep freeze. We left an ample amount out for snacking, and I have several smaller bags for the lunch pail for next week.

One other thing we did: as we broke up the larger bags, we2 carefully went through the peanuts, and culled out those with cracked and broken shells. Those went into a separate “eat first” bowl. Perfectly good, even if a little misshapen.

Good Earth’s website has great history pages about the history of TGEPC, and peanut farming in general. Check it out. Good information, and good eats, reasonably priced.

-k-

1 Available from QVC. Highly recommended.

2 Precisely, My Little Bride

Championship Race Weekend

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From Homestead-Miami, a race fan’s dream weekend. The last race in the Craftsman Truck Series,the Busch Nationwide Series,and the Winston Nextel Sprint Cup Series for this season.

As a race fan, I think tonight’s running of the Craftsman Truck Series finale has the most promise for sheer excitement. Johnny Benson leads the points by 3 over Ron Hornaday, and in a series not known for caution-free racing, anything could, and probably will, happen. I really can’t root for either Benson or Hornaday over the other. I like and respect both, and I’m just looking for tough, hard-nosed racin’ ‘citement.

I see that Craftsman won’t be the major sponsor of the truck series next year. In ’09, it will be known as the Camping World Truck Series. Since 1994, Craftsman has been the series’ title sponsor, and they will be missed. Thanks for the memories, in what is arguably the closest, most exciting NASCAR touring division, the truck series. And welcome Camping World!

-k-

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It’s Just a Freaking Game

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We all know the line: College Football: Just a game, Like a triple bypass is minor surgery. We laugh, take another swig o’beer, and life goes on. Only when it doesn’t:

2 dead in argument after Alabama-LSU game

Good grief. In the no shit, Sherlock category, TFA says:

alcohol may have been a factor.

Man, I just don’t know what to make of stuff like this. I’ve been so upset at the outcome of games that I wasn’t fit to be around. After I got a little wiser, and my dad’s wisdom approached infinity, I remember his words:

It’s just a game. Wait until next year.

-k-

Words to Live By

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New Make: blogger John Park made his introduction post last week. Under his “Topics I’m likely to post about” was this, which should be the mantra for every geek, geek-wannabe, and folk who just want to do stuff:

Diving into projects with an imbalanced enthusiasm-to-knowledge ratio

The big E. The first ingredient in any quest. Everything falls into place once you have it.

-k-

Wreaths Away!

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With the ordering of multiple units of QVCs item #H95000, our Christmas shopping is done for family, and those considered in exactly the same way as family. You know who you are. Watch for the big ol’ UPS truck the week of 12/7.

The tradition of the wreath is still somewhat bittersweet; when we got back from burying Buddy 11 years ago, we had holes in our hearts that we thought would never heal. I don’t remember Thanksgiving that year, and my little bride and I were definitely not in the Christmas spirit a few weeks later. Then, someone gave us a wreath. Fresh and piney it was, gracing our front door with its beauty. We were still sad, still hurting, but inspired.

Since then, we send wreaths to our family and considered-as-family members. And I hope it brings them a little joy, and a bit of solace. And I hope that somehow it expresses our love for them.

That’s the Tradition of the Wreath.

-k-