Comments on: Shorter Lisa Schiffren

By: Gabriel Ratchet

Gabriel Ratchet — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:33:47 +0000

As a long-time Franklin Expedition buff, I'd just like to put in a plug for Owen Beattie and John Geiger's Frozen in Time, an account of the Expedition's final days as reconstructed by the anthropologists who finally tracked down their remains, and Dan Simmons' The Terror, a horror novel that covers essentially the same territory (one might think that a story that was already replete with madness, bureaucratic incompetence, scurvy, and cannibalism wouldn't need the horror elements that Simmons adds, such as a "thing on the ice" picking off crewmembers, a mute "Esquimaux witch" who joins the expedtion for her own reasons, and a set-piece recreating Poe's "Masque of the Red Death", but in context it works and isn't any weirder than what (probably) happened anyway).

By: Doctorb

Doctorb — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:01:37 +0000

Can’s One More Night is one of the best songs ever.

By: Blue Buddha

Blue Buddha — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:15:37 +0000

Ripley said, August 17, 2008 at 14:26 And, it goes without saying, but… Wamgo Tamgo!

Tago Mago?

By: Mo' Bike Shop

Mo' Bike Shop — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:57:11 +0000

Glad it tickled your funny bone, Hoosier.

I first noticed the Franklin Expedition when National Geographic, or one of that crowd, had an artist’s rendition of men pulling the boat sledge with a secretary’s desk. Caught my attention.

You know what would be worse? Having brought your own provisions and being the only person on board not suffering from lead poisoning.

By: J—

J— — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:24:54 +0000

Here’s to a rapid and full recovery from surgery, PeeJ. Years back I had a hernia operation, and in the days after my dad and brother made a point of trying to make me laugh. I had to squat down like a catcher to reduce the pain.

By: Ripley

Ripley — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:26:06 +0000

And, it goes without saying, but…

Wamgo Tamgo!

By: Ripley

Ripley — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:24:42 +0000

“stramglehold ”

Awesome.

Feel the wrath of my stramglehold!

Ted Mugent rocks!!

By: kiki

kiki — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:03:00 +0000

dadanarchist said,

August 16, 2008 at 20:04

“stramglehold ”

Awesome.

Feel the wrath of my stramglehold!

I got that new Xbox360 title Johm Woo’s Stramglehold, but the canera amgles made it inpossible to play.

By: Smut Clyde

Smut Clyde — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:55:34 +0000

Joke if you must. But if anyone starts whistling the Colonel Bogey March, there will be violence.

By: Ripley

Ripley — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 10:58:27 +0000

It’s a long story, but I had to part with a testicle a few years ago. I wanted to bring it home in a jar of formalin and keep it by the bed-side — or plastinate it and make it into an ear-ring — but the surgeon insisted…

“And, we’ll just hold on to the other one until your bill is paid, mkay, Mr. Clyde?”

By: Smut Clyde

Smut Clyde — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 09:47:49 +0000

I am left aghast by the insensitivity of ~~Rightwingsnarkle~~ the entire S,N! commentariat.

By: Rightwingsnarkle

Rightwingsnarkle — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 09:16:49 +0000

but the surgeon insisted on sending it off to the ~~histology department~~ kitchen to be sliced up and ~~examined~~ sauteed in a little olive oil and butter. May I suggest a nice California sauvignon blanc to go with that testicle?

By: smut clyde

smut clyde — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 09:11:05 +0000

did you manage to catch any of the beer festings?
Alas, we went to Seattle first, then Amtrak down to Portland, and were two days too late for brewing festival. I arranged our itinerary around the availability of cheap airline seats, which goes to show that I am not a true hop-head. But I soon found my way to the Rogue pub, where every night is a beer fest.

Especially the part about storing them in a Kimchee jar.
It’s a long story, but I had to part with a testicle a few years ago. I wanted to bring it home in a jar of formalin and keep it by the bed-side — or plastinate it and make it into an ear-ring — but the surgeon insisted on sending it off to the histology department to be sliced up and examined. Bastard.

By: PeeJ

PeeJ — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:19:55 +0000

WordPress, is that you? Fucker.

By: PeeJ

PeeJ — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:18:24 +0000

Thanks, TW, but you’re better off thinking about the next corner…

And so sorry I missed you Herr Clyde – did you manage to catch any of the beer festings?

RWS – have no idea but the surgeon was tres amused when my Ho told him how we “assisted” at our puppies’ castration. Especially the part about storing them in a Kimchee jar.

By: Smut Clyde

Smut Clyde — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:17:53 +0000

I first read about the Franklin Expedition in this book, which is full of epic weirdness.

By: Rightwingsnarkle

Rightwingsnarkle — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:14:26 +0000

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Sicily
TV-PG (DL), CC

In Sicily, Tony eats some tripe at a local frittola stand in II Capo Market, a spleen sandwich with Sicily’s President…

Uhm, listen, PeeJ, do you mind if I ask what they did with your spleen once they took it out?

By: Smut Clyde

Smut Clyde — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:49:06 +0000

I for one have missed PeeJ. We passed through Portland a few weeks ago and I hoped to get in touch.
Spleens are much over-rated.

By: Tim (The Other One)

Tim (The Other One) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:47:43 +0000

Yeah, well I’m gonna ride my ’66 BSA on a club ride in the AM so PeeJ, I’ll be thinkin’ about ya.

Ride em’, don’t hide em’ and get well and back on it !

By: Hoosier X

Hoosier X — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:29:59 +0000

I don’t know who wrote the original “Franklin Expedition, Correspondence Subcommittee, Chair” comment, but I thought it was PRETTY GODDAM FUNNY.

I came across the Franklin Expedition in 1840s newspapers when I was working on my master’s thesis. DAMN!

I also came across some stuff (in the 1850s) about how the Rothschilds were loaning money to the Turks to finance the Crimean War (They called it the Turkish War) and the Turks had put up Palestine as collateral and the Rotschilds were planning to use it for a Jewish state.

I love old newspapers.