February 28, 2008
A STS LAUNCH TO BAD
A shuttle launch to U2's "Bad"...you can't go wrong with that.
Russ statement on final RADcast
Dear Everyone:
I am done. Done with internet radio. For now. Not forever. But I am done. I will retool and redesign the RADcast for re-launch in the future.
Done with so many things am I.
Starting tonight after the show, I will thrust myself whole-heartedly into bettering myself and finishing my novel. Every moment of my waking life will be used to work on it. I will not emerge from my solitude until I have a draft in hand, ready to be proofread and edited by those who care. This self-imposed hermit life must be achieved in order to have the distraction-free journey of a writing frenzy. I have been unfocused. Unbalanced. Distracted. Nothing will stop me from achieving my goal.
Give me encouragement. Sing me songs of life and love. Push me to fulfill my mission. Most important of all: support me. Please.
The next Russ Dale you meet will be a completely new man.
Until then, I remain,
rad
February 27, 2008
the FINAL RADcast
The FINAL RADcast…
Date / Time: THURSDAY 2/28/2008 8:00 PM MT (10 PM EASTERN!)
Category: Comedy
Call-in Number: (646) 915-9516
What everyday events are magic? What makes you happy? Do you appreciate the beauty of life?
Russ counts down his top 10 favorite RADcast bits, reminisces of RADcast and celebrates the goodbye of an internet staple. Scheduled for 120 minutes…
February 25, 2008
3rd Annual Tank Party
3rd Annual Tank Party
MELT’s homemade sushi!
February 24, 2008
Day 15 Pepper Experiments
Day 15 Gourmet Pepper (Orange)
Capsicum annuum
An experiment in sowing.
Planted on 09 Feb 08
Day 15 King Arthur Pepper
Capsicum annuum
A sowing experiment.
Planted on 09 Feb 08
Day 15 Hot Alarm Pepper Mix
Helianthus annuus
A sowing experiment. 7 kinds of heat, pepper hot alarm mix.
Planted on 09 Feb 08
February 23, 2008
Sushi Oscars
Tomorrow night is the traditional Oscar celebration complete with MELT's homemade sushi.
February 22, 2008
February 21, 2008
Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits and gravy: the finest grub ever invented by modern man. I am the founder and President of The B&G Society, a vagabond group of people who search the world over for the holiest of holies: the bestest plate of biscuits and gravy ever! We elite at the B&G Society are ever searching, always seeking, the holy grail of biscuits and gravy.
My fascination with this wholesome breakfasty treat started in my teen years. I first made biscuits and gravy on Sunday, December 1, 1991. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 16 at the time and whipped up a hefty batch with best friend MELT. The culinary delight had ground turkey white gravy and was GOOD!
Here at the radhole HQ, we have shared countless plates of biscuits and gravy together over the years.
The search still continues to this day.
I pride myself on taking the quest so very seriously. I know that the finest plate of biscuits and gravy is out there somewhere. Some say B&G is deadly and I laugh! I consider it like the Japanese delicacy, fugu! The hunt for B&G takes determination, foresight and leaves no room for bashfulness. It’s a rough road. Don’t be afraid to photograph your biscuits and gravy. You shall not be persecuted.
While on the travels, one never knows when one will hit a B&G jackpot. Truck stops, family owned restrents or street vendors usually sell the grub B&G. Undoubtedly, while on the road, there is a painful twinge in the back of your brain, a hankering for a mess of fluffy, mongo buttermilk biscuits slathered in peppery, white country sausage gravy. Few can fight the urge.
In the constant search for biscuity goodness, the quest has taken me to various locations upon this great American land: Kentucky, Alabama, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, California, Delaware, New York, Washington DC, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Utah and Colorado.
I’ve searched and searched for the ideal biscuity knowledge. The one true source! But nothing compares to the righteous and stout recipe by GrandPappie Bailey. I was weaned on his freshly split buttery enchantment. I used to watch him craft breakfast. He was a cook in the World War II. He taught me to cook. Them biscuits are legendary! Them breakfasts am hearty. I salivate.
Old GrandPappie Bailey perfected his blissful recipe when he was four years old back in Saratoga Township, Pratt County, Kansas in 1925! Forget Bisquick! GrandPappie make his exquisite biscuits from scratch and they’ll make you rise on up and proclaim with a hearty holler "GrandPappie Bailey’s biscuits make me sing in jubilee!" Add those goodly biscuits to perfecto gravy sunshine, luscious gravy or grubby gravy; all made from the drippings of the finest browned breakfast sausage, and you’ve got yourself a mess of breakfast delight!
Biscuits and gravy is a tradition in certain circles, a great ceremony. There are times when B&G is made just for the sake of making it. It’s a treat to sit down to a steaming plate of biscuits and gravy. Try it. They taste good any time of year.
Besides homemade, the current best biscuits and gravy (2008) reside at Bauer's Campus Café, 435 Poncha, Alamosa, CO 81101 (719) 589-4202. They are cheap and delectable.
Russ Dale
Biscuits and Gravy Society
-
excerpt from CON 2001 by Matthew E. Twardy, Eric Kemper and Russell A. Dale (2001)
EXT. SPIDER HILL - MORNING
PAUL is awakened by PEPE shaking him and handing him a steaming plate of biscuits and gravy. She wears Spock ears and a CON 2001 T-shirt.
PEPE
Hey ... You want biscuits and gravy?
PAUL
Oh hell yeah. Thanks man!
PEPE
Coffee?
-
Biscuits and Gravy Rap Lyrics:
TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
Yo. We hit the B&G jackpot dawg. We be sittin' down to a heapin' plate of biscuits and gravy yo. Better dan da restrents. Come on over Shiz-Hole. It's homemade from the drippings of the finest browned breakfast sausage. Uh huh. Dats right. You's got a hankering for a mess of fluffy, mongo buttermilk biscuits covered in peppery, white country sausage gravy? I'll sees you in ten minutes dawg!
What up J-Hole? I's got a song fo you.
Forget your cereal. We got lardy goodness.
It's ethereal. Down right crudeness
Food stuffs. Release your cuffs.
No greasy bacon. Hey I ain't fakin' It's time to awaken!
No no no
No eggs neither
Take a breatha
We's gonna slather
or rather
tether, every otha, whilst enjoy this weather.
And together
Fill our bellies with anti jams and jellies. Inhale the smellies, no delis fellies, feelin' wellies. Feliz Navadad!
Knees on sod, pray to God, not Zod, just nod, join the B&G vice squad. It's odd.
It's peppery. We play. Don't stray!
It's biscuity goodness. Call the press.
I see you drool. Welcome to school.
You's got hunger? You ain't getting' any younger!
The pains be stabbin'. Yo stomach you grabbin'
Soooooooooooo
(Chorus)
Grab a plate yo. It's feast time.
You's be filled with glee
At my blissful recipe.
It's Biscuits. Biscuits and gravy. (HAY-VE)
freshly split
buttery enchantment (buttery)
hearty contentment
Don't be lazy. Taste my gravy
I used that buttermilk? Smoother than silk!
And da steamin' pepper white gravy. Sweeeeeeet so very savory.
Can't forget the peppah. Freshly ground black peppah.
Pass the butter yo. Ain't in no mood for olio.
Damn straight yo. We go wit da flow.
Got the Jimmy Dean sausage. Brown breakfast sausage.
Yo it's spicy pork. Don't need no goddamn fork.
I know I be a smarty. This food am mighty hearty.
Hear that bell that ring? Join me and sing.
It's breakfast time. Come here my rhyme.
(Chorus)
It's feast time.
You's be filled with glee
At my blissful recipe.
It's Biscuits. Biscuits and gravy.
freshly split
buttery enchantment
hearty contentment
Don't be lazy. Taste my gravy
Taste like shit? Damn foo. You don't like it?
Well fuck you!
I slather I don't skimp. I'm the B&G pimp.
February 19, 2008
each moment
Each breath is a gift.
Each second that passes is another moment to soak up and learn. Each tick of the clock is a marvel of life.
Each step we take on life's journey is special.
Each person we contact is worthy of respect.
Each moment is to be cherished.
Share these moments with me.
words words words
Sometimes I think I am too wordy. I often say too much. I sometimes say too little.
Regardless of my word craft word speak, I like words. I was an English major in college. I use words to express my feelings. I use them in writing my novel. I use them to communicate with those around me. That is what they are supposed to be used for, wordy or no. I am a communicator.
I hardly ever use words in person, because I have a handful of friends that I don't really see that often. Most of my writing is composed for the "spoken word." I much prefer spoken words to written words. Maybe that is why I'm an eloquent mofo.
There are words in the English language that are not used enough. Some of my favorites include: festering, disturbing, dander, supple, mock, jeer, scum, thwart, filthy and the most evil of all: … Rubbermaid!
Someone wrote me an email: "Yesterday I read your blog and recognized the word dastardly, a word I have not heard since high school and only heard from your gob. Over the years, I thought about using it once or twice, but wasn't sure I could pull it off. Good word."
Dastardly is a great word, but not as good as 'GOB!' Anyone who uses the word 'gob' is okay by me. I use 'gob' all the time.
It's time now for homework. Grab a piece of paper and jot down a few words that you use frequently. Use them in a sentence. It's fun. Do it!
clean kill
"If we shoot and get a direct hit, that's a clean kill and we're in good shape," said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin about the US shooting down a broken spy satellite Thursday.
Wasn’t the world in an uproar when China shot at an old satellite last year? Should be interesting. There is nothing like 1,000 pounds of toxic hydrazine fuel scattered in the upper atmosphere.
February 18, 2008
You repaid his hospitality by trying to steal his ship and murder him!
PLJ's Botany Bay Seedling test Ceti Alpha V
THIS IS CETI ALPHA V!!
February 16, 2008
February 15, 2008
out of their league
This article is interesting. It's about how, in romance, looks matter most to the beautiful. No big surprise there. We are pounded in the head with that from day one.
The article also states "guys were more likely than ladies to request dates out of their league." What exactly is "out of their league?" If I asked out a super model, would she be out of my league? How does one determine their league? Are homely people destined to be in league with someone just as homely? Who the heck is society to determine what my league is? We're all in the same league: the league of humanity. I shake my fist at those who think that way. If someone told me they were out of my league, it would take all my stregnth and power not to spit in their face or hurl disfiguring acid their way.
It's a sad and true fact in this day and age. Hardly anyone nowadays focuses on intellect and personality and drive and determination and overall balance in life and relationships. It's all about looks now with our media-society and low attention spans. If me, a janitor, stands next to a lawyer in a photo line-up for the ladies, the lawyer will always win, even if he is a jerk abuser jerk unclassy jerk.
What is success? Money? Power? I think the most successful thing that can be done in life is if one pays their bills, learns daily, works hard and lives a good, happy life without succumbing to the petty bullshit we are constantly surrounded by.
Looks are overrated for sure. I have a very respectful appreciation of beauty; be it the trees, the clouds, the rocks, the road or the flashing neon signs at the corner drugstore. This includes the beauty of women, a truly a sacred thing. I tend to immediately get past the outer appearance of a woman to see her essential goodness, her essential humanity, her essential soul. I cannot be so bold as to say I have always been like that. Far from it.
According to the research, more attractive people placed more importance on physical attractiveness above other features in selecting their dates. Less attractive people placed more weight on other qualities, such as sense of humor.
"He's intelligent, hilarious, amazing, wonderful, nice, kind, awesome, has decent earning prospects, ambition and is trustworthy! Too bad he's unnattractive! Time to find a hottie date who is dumber than a bag of hammers!"
February 14, 2008
Valentine's Day horror
‘Tis time now to retell the classic elementary school Valentine’s Day horror show of my youth:
In elementary school, as my classmates were distributing their Valentines into the creatively festive and decorated shoe boxes with the little slot at the top, I was full of activity handing out my own Transformers Valentines crammed with candies and cookies and treats and trinkets abound. I took pride and meticulous care putting each Valentine into the appropriate students box. I made, with youngster pride, a special Optimus Prime Valentine, the Transformer leader of the Autobots, for little Sally, a classmate with whom I had a tiny elementary school crush. I wrote her pure poetry in grade school scrawl. She would scoff at my shy smiles. We spent countless hours playing MASH (Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House) during journal time.
Our special school-day party beginning, everyone sat proudly at their desks and we were instructed to open our shoeboxes and begin reading our Valentines. The paper was flying and there were squeals of delight all around me, candy wrappers buzzing. The clamoring in the room was deafening. I tore my lid open to find one Valentine. My blood froze and my under-developed mind could hardly process the smack down I had received.
"Only one," I questioned aloud, a defeated whisper really, tears welling in my eyes. But there were over thirty kids in my class! Could this hefty card be from wee Sally? I wonder what words of devotion she scrawled on the card? IMy hands trembled in anticipation as I slashed it open, tossing the envelope over my head, to reveal a Valentine from my teacher Mrs. H.
My peers had shafted me. I was the fat little nerd who didn't deserve any Valentines. I was the kid who had to wear the eye patch because of a lazy eye. I was the poor one who ate string cheese at snack-time. I can still hear their hateful snickering. At least nobody put boogers on the back of my shirt like they did with filthy Mandy what’s her name!
I was made fun of mercilessly because of the eye patch. Comments like, "Hee hee you're a pirate," as I was being kicked down the stairs and "It's Valentine's Day not Halloween, why are you wearing an eye patch fatty?" as I was being shoved to the pebbly ground in the play area and "Fat boy, you're such a geek for wearing an eye patch," asshole classmate Rudolph would say, "You don't need this burger," as he took the cheeseburger from my lunch tray and shoved it into his filthy gob. I remember more than one lunch consisting of just mustard and a spoon.
The pointing and laughter didn't help me adjust to the eye patch. It only made me withdraw even more into my fantasy world in which I was lord and ruler. My teachers would try to help me in my grief, but
they only made it worse with accidental comments, "Yes One-Eyed Russie, the answer to number 12 is 387. Good for you pirate Bloody Russell Rackham. You get a silver sticker star and a piece of Valentine's chocolate. Arg!"
It was mandatory that everyone got a Valentine but I didn't raise a ruckus when I got only one. Perhaps my name was unintentionally left off the list. I smiled through it all although inside I was brimming with suffering and torment. Disappointed and ready to nap away my pain, my little tears soaking my custom pillowcases, it was time to beat the piñata. I was looking forward to shoving and battling for candy. My right!
John Paul was the brute of our class, but I was chosen as the first to try my hand at the piñata. Blindfolded awkwardly, my to-tight hand-me-down t-shirt showing my belly embarrassingly, I used the baseball bat to swing aimlessly at the papier-mâché Pound Puppies monstrosity hanging from the asbestos ceiling tiles. "I will now get revenge for the insult brought upon me this day," said I as my 3rd-grade mind reeled and dreamt of sweet candy falling from the air. Taking my Valentine's Day feelings and frustrations out on the piñata, I spilt it open with a fury on the third swing. I was alive. Power surged through me. Cheers echoed in the hallways. I had gashed open the piñata like a true sportsman. Gone were the days when I struck out in Tee Ball. Now I could revel in the candy treats like I deserved.
I felt a rush of air. I heard a mob of gleeful youth dive. I felt them pushing me out of the way, my knees bending in unnatural ways, my pants splitting in the crotch. There is nothing more sickeningly grubby than a frisk of kids scrambling for candy.
By the time I removed the blindfold and looked at the ground, all that was left was an unwrapped Tootsie Roll, a rubber band and the mangled head of Cooler the Pound Puppy piñata. I still hear the lips of my filthy peers smacking as they shoved the candy into their greasy, ungrateful mouths, pushing me aside violently to get back to their desks. I was beaten, my child soul stripped away without a second thought.
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, "Russie," screamed my twin sister, smiling uncontrollably as she entered the classroom. She was overburdened with her Valentine shoebox overflowing with goodies and presents and electronics from all of her little boyfriends and pals. Her hair was mussed and she had cupcake mess smeared all over her face and a separate basket filled with other lavish gifties and a new plasticy backpack crammed with stuffed animals and treasures and stickers and cookies.
I showed her my empty box and the rubber band in shame and she felt sorry for me. She shared her loot with me, handing me a cupcake with sweet pink frosting. We skipped home singing and laughing, which was a departure because usually bullies chased me home.
Thankfully Valentine's Day was over for another year.
February 13, 2008
techno phone
Finally, after 5 years plus, I have graduated to a new cellular phone. The ENv. Oh yeah.
Mine is designer orange.
February 9, 2008
Docking and Gardening
After a clean launch and ascent to orbit on Thursday February 7, 2008, Space Shuttle Atlantis and her STS-122 crew will dock with the International Space Station Alpha today at 10:25 am MT/ 12:25 pm ET.
On flight day two the crewmembers completed Atlantis’ heat shield inspection, which looked damage free and showed nothing of interest.
Atlantis is hauling the European Space Agency’s Columbus research laboratory as well as European Space Agency astronaut Leopold Eyharts, who will replace Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani.
My life is the mission right now. And gardening. 1st gardening day of the season is today. The ground is frozen and there is snow. Pictures to come of course.
February 7, 2008
RADcast: Monorail to AtomLand
RADcast: Monoral to AtomLand
Date / Time: 2/7/2008 8:00 PM MOUNTAIN TIME
Category: Comedy
Call-in Number: (646) 915-9516
Space basil seeds, shuttle launch, MySpace, Facebook, social networking and more. Can you see through a wall? Join us.
February 6, 2008
Space Seeds
Yes friends, the Droogs are powerful people. Kneel before us.
Cinnamon Basil seeds have been obtained for GX-1134, the urban garden mission for 2008. I’m not whispering of plain, regular, shabby basil seeds bought at any hole seed shack. Oh no. We run only the finest operation here in the Colorado, sparing no expense and leaving no stone unturned.
I have learned much of gardening these past two years. The battles have been harsh. Mold, mildew, mice, insect pests, squirrels, birds, wasps, hail, floods and City Fox. The very Mother Nature herself both blessed and damned the garden.
But Barnabas still stands true. It’s time to apply the knowledge gleaned to The Great eXperiment. And we will.
The seeds? The seeds! Our Cinnamon Basil seeds flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-118 in August of 2007. They don’t take chances at NASA. They double up on everything. There are two packets.
Homeless Prophet: A Light-Rail Journey
NEW EDIT!
Join a homeless prophet as he speaks of breakfast, butter, optimism, Mommie Dearest, gangs and other important things. The disembodied voice shines hope through the gravy fog...
keywords: homeless Denver lightrail train butter breakfast hope gangs thugs prophet mom dad fog gravyfog preach teacher mentor tornadoes obama supertuesday caucus restrainingorder spears lutfi
February 5, 2008
New Season: GX-1134
The new season of the garden is drawing closer. GX-1134, the newest urban garden mission, will be here before you know it. I can feel Spring in the air. I can taste it on the wind. I see it on the horizon, beckoning me to put my hands into the ground. Dirt never sounded so unsoiled. Growing never seemed so right. Tending to things that grow is a calming peace.
March 20, 2008 is the first day of Spring. I know March and April are the snowiest months in Colorado, but that is all right. Let the snows come to dampen the Earth and prepare it for planting.
The sweet harvest will be wonderful this year. I placed the first seed order today.
So far the GX-1134 crew have discussed changes to the garden. We will grow zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, sunflowers, pie pumpkins, radishes, cannas, 3rd generation nicotiana rustica Hopi sacred Mapacho tobacco and herbs. What will be new crop? Lettuce perhaps? Spinach? Potatoes? Hops? Carrots?
The end of gardening season was marked by the beginning of National Football League season. And now that the football season is officially over, it should be time for gardening. A little over a month! I am so excited.
The first work on the urban garden begins this Sunday.
The seeds purchased in order 1:
Diva Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Delicious 2002 All-America Selections winner!
AAS trial judges throughout North America agreed - Diva just might be the best-tasting cuke on the planet. Diva looks like a regular salad cucumber but with a much smoother, thin, no-peel skin. Distinctly tender, crisp, sweet, bitter-free, and seedless; especially flavorful harvested small, about the size of a pickle.
Easter Egg Radishes (Raphanus sativus) (2 packets)
Multicolor mix.
Make beautiful bunches with this mix of red, purple, and white round radishes. Maturing over an extended period of time, they stay crisp and mild even when large.
Raven Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo)
Very dark green for better health.
Darker green skin contains higher levels of lutein, a highly effective antioxidant. Open plants are high-yielding, producing glossy, smooth, cylindrical fruit. Concentrated fruit set, so plan for multiple plantings.
Gourmet Pepper (Capsicum annuum)
Early orange bell has thick juicy walls and fruity sweet taste.
Medium-large, very blocky fruits are bigger than Corona and easier to grow under a wider variety of conditions. Strong compact plants set plentiful fruits without crowding
King Arthur Pepper (Capsicum annuum)
Early, big, high yielding.
Remarkably large-sized bell pepper for its earliness.
Days to Maturity or Bloom: 59 days green, 79 days red ripe
Velvet Queen Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Rich, dark, and velvety.
5" blooms of burgundy, mahogany, chestnut, and bronze with dark centers. Well-branched, free-flowering plants with strong stems.
Zebulon Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Amazing geometrical pattern in the bright green center.
An attractive dwarf sunflower with an amazing center. Single stem, early flowering, and perfect for fresh bouquets
Baby Bear Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
New last year! Double, golden yellow flowers.
Dwarf, branching plants. Side stems are suitable for use in small bouquets.
February 4, 2008
City Living - Filter the Static
The snow falls silently. A train whistle. Stillness mixed with progress: the new soundtrack to our lives.
Living in the city provides a sort of fodder for the senses. From the din of traffic to birds singing to wolves and dogs howling nearby, the natural world and our place in it, is a complex mixture of all-kind beauty. We are ciphers to our sphere home. Nature and technology. The divine and the damned. We just live upon her.
The air sings fresh music on a breeze. Add a wind chime to complete the symphony. The bus travels its route. Afire truck blazes a trail with crew to help those in need. Voices in the distance. Pipes dripping. Heaters heating. A woodpecker pecks the peach tree. Leaves rustling. Breathing. The heart beats. Car alarm. Construction. Sonic boom. Helicopters.
The whiz of the highway traffic sounds like a rushing river. The wind blows through trees. A fly. It all becomes white noise. A static obscuring the silence of old, of rare places without technological stink or scars of human defiling, the wild of protected lands. Places untouched. Or not touched as much.
Those places still exist. To be human is to seek them out and experience them for yourself. Just like your ancestors and those 100 generations before you. They still saw the moon as it sailed overhead. They looked at the same stars.
Filter the static.
February 3, 2008
The Bowl
Today is the Super Bowl. Today is also the awarding of the Droog Gridiron Challenge Fantasy Football trophy to MELT, the rightful winner.
I hope The Giants win the game. Pics to come.
Happy Sunday to all.
February 1, 2008
Van Halen Thunder Blizzard
A light rail journey to the scrum as Van Halen plays Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Thunder, lightning, mixes with snow.