Feckless(FP): Oddvark and I went to the new IKEA last night.
Oddvark(OC): I never seen so many beer mugs in one place.
FP: It's not just beer mugs. They have a lot of everything you need to fill your space with stuff.
OC: That place is like a shrine to consumerism.
FP: And the consumers were there in droves. Oddvark and I had to squeeze our way through the crowds. The cafeteria was absolutely packed with people standing in line to eat Swedish meatballs.
OC: Feckless and I prefer Italian meatballs.
FP: I did like the Lingenberry juice I drank.
OC: What was it's alcohol content.
FP: No alcohol content; it was just juice.
OC: I thought with all those beer mugs, Pilsner glasses, wine glasses and high-ball glasses that the alcohol would be flowing in the cafeteria.
FP: It's a family environment. There were lots of kids there. The store even had a section devoted to stuffed toys.
OC: I loved looking at all the various cooking utensils.
FP: IKEA does offer every conceivable cooking utensil. I'm a little confused though; you don't cook.
OC: I know, but I admire the ingenuity and workmanship.
FP: The prices weren't too bad either, for retail. IKEA prices don't compare with the great garage sales we go to, but they're not bad for retail.
OC: Feckless, we almost never buy retail anymore. We can't afford it.
FP: Many of the people in the IKEA last night can't really afford most of what IKEA offers. That won't stop them from buying the stuff. Like all other retail stores, IKEA takes plastic. No need to have cash.
OC: That's fitting, much of what they sell is made out of plastic.
FP: They also offer products made of stainless steel, wood, stonewear, glass, etc.
OC: But no brewskies; I'm not sure I can support that concept.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
THE BIG SKY
Feckless(FP): Oddvark and I have just finished the novel The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie. It is the story of mountain men who explore and hunt around the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers during the 1830's and 1840's.
Oddvark(OC): Those guys were really tough. The only guys that tough now days are serving in the Special Forces of the military. The characters of The Big Sky, Boone and Jim, didn't get any special training like our military does. They just learned by trial and error.
FP: Boone and Jim start out from Kentucky with just the clothes on their backs and make their way up the Missouri River on a flatboat. Their goal is to trade with the Blackfoot Indians and trap beaver for their pelts.
OC: Why were they so interested in beaver pelts Feckless?
FP: Beaver pelts were warm and water proof. In the early 19th century, people living in cold climates used the beaver pelts to make warm hats. Their insulation helped to preserve body heat during cold, wet winters.
OC: They also killed a lot of buffalo.
FP: Yes, buffalo (American Bison) skins were used to make outerwear and blankets. Again, the objective was to keep warm. Furthermore, the buffalo meat provided the hunters with a good supply of protein. The author claims that the hunters suffered from very few health problems due to their high-protein diet.
OC: I couldn't help but notice they drank their share of whiskey.
FP: Yeah, they also killed a large number of Native Americans. The mountain men portrayed in The Big Sky were killers, plain and simple. They did not blanche at taking life or taking scalps. The book does not pull any punches. It was published in 1946 and uses much politically incorrect language. However, Guthrie succeeds in putting the reader on the banks of the Yellowstone, living among the Blackfeet, and living off what the surrounding countryside provides them. It is a portrait of raw and savage beauty.
OC: Reading The Big Sky makes me want to travel to Yellowstone National Park.
FP: Maybe we'll get out there someday Oddvark. It's not easy to get there, even these days. That is probably a good thing. If too many people travelled out there, the Yellowstone would probably be ruined. The remoteness of the park is one of the reasons that it has remained beautiful.
OC: Plus, it gets pretty nasty up there in the winter time.
FP: Oh yeah, it gets darn cold in the Grand Tetons.
OC: When we go, let's remember to take some whiskey to keep warm. Of course we don't need beaver pelts anymore. We can wear goose down instead.
FP: That's good Oddvark, because the last time you saw any beaver Ronald Reagan was in office.
Oddvark(OC): Those guys were really tough. The only guys that tough now days are serving in the Special Forces of the military. The characters of The Big Sky, Boone and Jim, didn't get any special training like our military does. They just learned by trial and error.
FP: Boone and Jim start out from Kentucky with just the clothes on their backs and make their way up the Missouri River on a flatboat. Their goal is to trade with the Blackfoot Indians and trap beaver for their pelts.
OC: Why were they so interested in beaver pelts Feckless?
FP: Beaver pelts were warm and water proof. In the early 19th century, people living in cold climates used the beaver pelts to make warm hats. Their insulation helped to preserve body heat during cold, wet winters.
OC: They also killed a lot of buffalo.
FP: Yes, buffalo (American Bison) skins were used to make outerwear and blankets. Again, the objective was to keep warm. Furthermore, the buffalo meat provided the hunters with a good supply of protein. The author claims that the hunters suffered from very few health problems due to their high-protein diet.
OC: I couldn't help but notice they drank their share of whiskey.
FP: Yeah, they also killed a large number of Native Americans. The mountain men portrayed in The Big Sky were killers, plain and simple. They did not blanche at taking life or taking scalps. The book does not pull any punches. It was published in 1946 and uses much politically incorrect language. However, Guthrie succeeds in putting the reader on the banks of the Yellowstone, living among the Blackfeet, and living off what the surrounding countryside provides them. It is a portrait of raw and savage beauty.
OC: Reading The Big Sky makes me want to travel to Yellowstone National Park.
FP: Maybe we'll get out there someday Oddvark. It's not easy to get there, even these days. That is probably a good thing. If too many people travelled out there, the Yellowstone would probably be ruined. The remoteness of the park is one of the reasons that it has remained beautiful.
OC: Plus, it gets pretty nasty up there in the winter time.
FP: Oh yeah, it gets darn cold in the Grand Tetons.
OC: When we go, let's remember to take some whiskey to keep warm. Of course we don't need beaver pelts anymore. We can wear goose down instead.
FP: That's good Oddvark, because the last time you saw any beaver Ronald Reagan was in office.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
KING CORN
Feckless(FP): What do you think of that documentary we saw last night?
Oddvark(OC): It was a little corny for my taste.
FP: I'm going to try to forget you said that. Oddvark and I watched a documentary last night entitled King Corn. The entire documentary was devoted to the subject of corn.
OC: You never seen so much corn in your life.
FP: I thought King Corn was entertaining, educational and thought provoking.
OC: I liked the part when they filmed the hole in that steer's stomach. The narrator just reached in and started taking the corn meal right out of the cow's stomach. It was fascinating.
FP: That was just one of the amazing scenes in this documentary film. I kind of liked the footage of all the farm machinery and explanation of how each contraption works. The filmakers were able to plant 31,000 seeds on an acre of land in approximately 18 minutes. I think that is incredible.
OC: I bet most people don't realize that a large proportion of their own hair is composed of corn.
FP: That's right. A scientist in a university lab conducted some sort of spectography on a strand of the filmakers hair and showed that the majority of its molecular content was identical to that of corn. The scientist explained that was due to the amount of corn in the average American diet. You see, we don't just eat corn-on-the-cob. Corn gets into our systems in a number of ways: beef, pork, chicken, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, etc. More than half the feed consumed by farm animals is now comprised of corn and corn biproducts.
OC: That's right. In fact, the filmakers point out that beef cattle get a lot of stomach ulcers because the sugar in the corn ferments and turns into acid before the cattle can completely digest it. This is one of the reasons why the cattle have to take so many antibiotics. The other reason is that in feed lots, the cattle are just shuffling around in each other's waste all day long. All they do in the feed lot is eat and poop.
FP: You've got a lot in common with those beef steers Oddvark.
OC: That's true. I really empathized with those beefs. I don't like to be penned up either. I like plenty of room to roam.
FP: Those feed lots didn't look too appetizing.
OC: The expert the filmakers interviewed said those cattle produce a meat that is almost 70% fat.
FP: That is why those steaks and hamburgers are so tasty. If the cattle were grass fed they would only produce a fraction of that fat. The difference is comprised of corn.
OC: I sure would like to go ski-boarding on one of those corn mountains in Iowa.
FP: Yeah, that did look like fun. We don't want to give the whole film away. Our readers will want to check out all the details for themselves.
OC: True. This is one of the most interesting films that I've seen in a long time. Corn-on-the-cob is one of my favorite foods. I will never eat another ear of corn without thinking of this film.
Oddvark(OC): It was a little corny for my taste.
FP: I'm going to try to forget you said that. Oddvark and I watched a documentary last night entitled King Corn. The entire documentary was devoted to the subject of corn.
OC: You never seen so much corn in your life.
FP: I thought King Corn was entertaining, educational and thought provoking.
OC: I liked the part when they filmed the hole in that steer's stomach. The narrator just reached in and started taking the corn meal right out of the cow's stomach. It was fascinating.
FP: That was just one of the amazing scenes in this documentary film. I kind of liked the footage of all the farm machinery and explanation of how each contraption works. The filmakers were able to plant 31,000 seeds on an acre of land in approximately 18 minutes. I think that is incredible.
OC: I bet most people don't realize that a large proportion of their own hair is composed of corn.
FP: That's right. A scientist in a university lab conducted some sort of spectography on a strand of the filmakers hair and showed that the majority of its molecular content was identical to that of corn. The scientist explained that was due to the amount of corn in the average American diet. You see, we don't just eat corn-on-the-cob. Corn gets into our systems in a number of ways: beef, pork, chicken, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, etc. More than half the feed consumed by farm animals is now comprised of corn and corn biproducts.
OC: That's right. In fact, the filmakers point out that beef cattle get a lot of stomach ulcers because the sugar in the corn ferments and turns into acid before the cattle can completely digest it. This is one of the reasons why the cattle have to take so many antibiotics. The other reason is that in feed lots, the cattle are just shuffling around in each other's waste all day long. All they do in the feed lot is eat and poop.
FP: You've got a lot in common with those beef steers Oddvark.
OC: That's true. I really empathized with those beefs. I don't like to be penned up either. I like plenty of room to roam.
FP: Those feed lots didn't look too appetizing.
OC: The expert the filmakers interviewed said those cattle produce a meat that is almost 70% fat.
FP: That is why those steaks and hamburgers are so tasty. If the cattle were grass fed they would only produce a fraction of that fat. The difference is comprised of corn.
OC: I sure would like to go ski-boarding on one of those corn mountains in Iowa.
FP: Yeah, that did look like fun. We don't want to give the whole film away. Our readers will want to check out all the details for themselves.
OC: True. This is one of the most interesting films that I've seen in a long time. Corn-on-the-cob is one of my favorite foods. I will never eat another ear of corn without thinking of this film.
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