December 25, 2008
“Roses are reddish
Violets are bluish
If it weren’t for Christmas
We’d all be Jewish.”
~Benny Hill
“The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn’t for any religious reasons. They couldn’t find three wise men and a virgin.”
~Jay Leno
May your holiday season be safe, warm and wonderful. Merry Christmas to one and all.
December 11, 2008
The past couple of days have been busy. Jesse’s been putting together his new Warhammer collection, and thankfully, the cats have not discovered his goblin horde yet. He also discovered the new Asian grocery store in Reno that he says is excellent. They have everything he needs for his new foray into curry-making and Thai cuisine, and the proprietor is amiable and knowledgeable. (I did not visit the store as I was home waiting for a package from UPS to arrive.) He came home with some sake, some plum wine, and a sake bottle and glasses set.
We had some of the plum wine tonight. The grocery store proprietor said that if we were ever tired, we should eat one of the plums inside the wine.
A reasonable facsimile of our booze
Now then, it is no secret I dislike white wine. I find it too sour. However, the plum wine was decidedly fruity, both sour and sweet at the same time, with a sweet, light aftertaste. It was the most bizarre, incomprehensible alcohol I’d ever had. Jesse couldn’t figure out if he liked it or not initially, but the complexity grew on him. He concurred that it was “good”, and I would have to agree. If you’re ready for an adventure into something different, an Asian plum wine might be for you.
On my end, I’m making swift progress through my Algebra “review book” and I made a spice cake today. Yes it was from a box but Alton Brown says it’s okay to do so. So nyah.
Every so often, I like to check out urban exploration sites. I love seeing the pictorials, reading the history of the towns and locations, and seeing how the decay of time changes the world around us. It’s interesting to see how nature is so resilient and always makes its way back to recover what it had lost. Today, I’d like to present to you a little town which suffers a fate that seems stranger than fiction:
Centralia, Pennsylvania – zip code 17927
also known as “The Real Silent Hill”
As recently as 1981, there were over 1,000 residents living in Centralia, although the population has now dwindled to 11 (we’ll say that again: 11 people) as a result of a 40-year mine fire burning beneath the borough (we’ll say that again: it’s been burning for 40 years… underneath the town). This is certainly not unlike Silent Hill, which was left deserted since devastating coal fires ravaged the town and its people.
The inferno started when a trash fire was lit in an abandoned mine pit in Centralia in 1962. The fire ignited an exposed vein of coal and spread throughout the mines beneath the borough. Several attempts have been made and millions of dollars have been spent unsuccessfully to extinguish this fire that still burns today.
The “problem” wasn’t really acknowledged until a series of accidents in the ’70s and ’80s, including the appearances of sinkholes hundreds of feet deep. In 1984, Congress allocated more than $40 million for relocation efforts, and most residents moved to nearby Mount Carmel and Ashland.
However, a very few families opted to stay, and they’re still there, despite the fact that the state of Pennsylvania has condemned all the buildings in the borough and the US Postal Service has revoked its zip code of 17927. The 11 holdouts include the town’s 89-year-old mayor, Lamar Mervine, who refuses to leave because “I like it here.”
http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/Silent-Hill.htm
The town was the basis for the “cinematic version” of Silent Hill, according to the both the Offroaders.com site and the Centralia Wikipedia entry. Here is more about the town, the history of the mine fire, and photo gallery. I highly recommend looking at the photo gallery:
Reading the Wikipedia entry, it looks like the population of Centralia is now down to nine.
December 10, 2008
This man won the Noble Peace Prize this week. He speaks five languages.
He also used to be the President of Finland.
It’s fascinating to ponder what makes some people rise to the top of society while the rest stay in relative mediocrity. Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with being average. Someone’s got to be the top of the bell curve. Heck, it’s better than being the bottom. Nevertheless, it seems like one has to be in politics or show business to gain this kind of notice. Not quite sure how I feel about that. Yes, one could be a fancy-schmancy scientist but you wouldn’t have the “CNN” name recognition.
Today’s post isn’t a preachy deal, despite the title. Spend today watching TV for all I care. It’s just interesting to see how people’s choices affect the way their lives turn out in such a dramatic fashion in some instances and in most others not at all.
Most people have very boring lives. I guess that’s why reality television, dramatic shows and soap operas are so popular.
“I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done.”
~Steven Wright
