tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-236001702009-05-29T01:18:55.482-05:00Sitting upon the slitted sheet.Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-76652832565513332592009-05-14T12:58:00.000-05:002009-05-14T13:00:37.669-05:00

For some reason Blogger thinks this is a spam site, and I've tried to unlock it for a month now.Does anyone actually work for Blogger, or are my requests disappearing into the abyss?

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-67417907329068353272009-04-15T10:40:00.002-05:002009-04-15T11:13:58.931-05:00

The above title might give you the notion that this post is a movie review by a harelip Jim Carrey fan. It's not.Not long ago, I made a joke to some friends about Twitter being a waste of time that got a lot of fairly passionate responses. The joke was crass and way over the top, and no doubt that's what touched the collective nerve of the Twitterers, but crass and over the top is just what I do.

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-11604494719139426822009-04-02T09:36:00.001-05:002009-04-02T09:44:23.816-05:00

Is there anything the Internet can't do? Seriously, is there anything?The Internet places a wealth of information right at our fingertips. It provides a means by which we can procure goods and services from all over the world. It allows us to keep track of all the people we hated in high school. It blesses us with fabulous pictures and videos of explicit sexual acts when we are unable to

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-56481386115210979522009-01-23T16:50:00.002-06:002009-03-17T19:55:39.647-05:00

On January 9, the American Dialect Society held its annual convention where its main order of business was to choose the top words and phrases of 2008. ADS members gathered to debate which American English vocabulary items — not just words but phrases — were not only newly prominent, but also notable and impactful in the past year. The staff at the Airport Motor Lodge (or where ever they actually

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-83902945993153095722009-01-16T13:58:00.000-06:002009-01-16T13:59:31.061-06:00

So, caffeine apparently induces hallucinations.Damn, is there anything caffeine can't do?When it's in coffee form, its aroma wakes us gently each morning, like an attentive lover — a lover that smells like a robust French blend. It urges us out each day into the elements with a warmth in our bellies that, as it fades, insists we renew it at the ceaseless fountains found in the ubiquitous corner

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-41477478345770646412008-09-23T10:58:00.001-05:002008-11-10T10:57:33.563-06:00

Hello everyone! God damn, it's good to see you all again.Many of you may not even know that I was on a nature-induced hiatus from blogging. (By the way, for as long as I've been fascinated with the English language, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would string together the words "a nature-induced hiatus from blogging" and find it perfectly captures what I mean to say.) Hurricane Ike blew

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-11379501154087050632008-09-10T13:52:00.006-05:002008-09-10T15:18:26.870-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post here, but I've been busy lobbying the government to pass a new law, and it's eaten into my "goof off on a blog" time.Anyway, the law I want passed basically states that if you are retired and over the age of 65, you cannot leave your house between the hours of 11am and 1:30pm on any weekday.I'm sorry retirees, but that is the time when working folks

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-70543796260530228102008-07-29T14:14:00.004-05:002008-08-13T15:29:16.062-05:00

Here's a story I wanted to comment on late last week, but I decided to play beach volleyball in the 100+ degree heat here in Houston instead. The summer heat, especially during the dog days, has kicked my ass for the last 20 years, but I keep going back for more.Sheesh! Just more proof that my issues are indeed many and varied.At any rate, it seems Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-76774209178187276332008-07-25T12:36:00.001-05:002008-08-01T10:56:09.582-05:00

This may be old news for many of you, but former NASA astronaut and moon-walker Dr. Edgar Mitchell — a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission — claims aliens exist.If you're thinking, "Yeah. The universe is sufficiently large enough for millions of alien species to exist", wait just a second. He also claims extraterrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions, but that the alien contact has been

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-26665206083534744342008-07-09T12:14:00.000-05:002008-07-09T12:15:53.329-05:00

Today's question is: How many ties does brotherhood need to bind it together?You may have heard that Army Spc. Jeremy Hall has filed a suit against the US Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, claiming his rights to religious freedom under the First Amendment were violated. Hall, a former Baptist who served two tours of duty in Iraq and who has a near perfect record, says

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-85876492712674928052008-06-27T10:51:00.002-05:002008-06-27T10:59:42.758-05:00

I rarely pass along anything anyone in the entire world sends me via email, but I got a pretty good chuckle out of this.Enjoy.http://www.rinderpest.com/uploaded_images/c-toads-794608.bmp

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-91786393342983078252008-06-03T09:31:00.003-05:002008-06-03T16:35:27.516-05:00

--- Continuing From Here ---“It’s midnight,” Tiny said, “We are leaving. The time shift is at hand.”The air around Paul’s head vibrated, producing an actual hum. From the dark hallway, a series of eerie sounds erupted that he was certain were made by living beings, although they were unlike any sounds he’d ever heard before. Moans and grunts mixed with slurping, clicking, and barking. It was a

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-47220338130858019862008-05-30T10:33:00.003-05:002008-06-03T09:46:49.352-05:00

--- Continuing From Here ---Dana sat down heavily on one of the barstools, and Paul thought it was a good thing she did, because he felt his own legs go rubbery at the sight of Tiny. For a moment, Paul thought he might just faint dead away like Dana had earlier.A dozen or so braids of bright red hair stemmed from Tiny’s fat, platter-sized head, cascading around his porcine features, reaching

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-82445933720413967642008-05-27T10:32:00.005-05:002008-05-30T10:52:19.875-05:00

--- Continuing From Here ---An ancient Wurlitzer stood against the wall directly in front of them providing a song Paul had never heard before. The wall was festooned with animal heads, beer signs, and old playbills. A pool table with stained green felt silently begged someone to try their luck at its banks and holes, and a pinball machine that appeared to pre-date electricity slept in the corner

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-40567983450442420362008-05-23T10:32:00.003-05:002008-05-27T10:46:26.331-05:00

The headlights cut a bright swath through the blanket of darkness that covered the landscape. In the dim starlight, the hills loomed on all sides, like the twisted spinal column of some giant, malevolent beast. Paul drove the Cherokee indifferent to the night, thinking of the mistakes he’d made on the river that day. Dana sat next to him humming softly in time with a Credence Clearwater Revival

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-29377624690647579232008-05-09T14:09:00.003-05:002008-05-09T14:20:16.039-05:00

The Texas State Board of Education, which is made up of at least seven members (there are 15 total) claiming creationist beliefs, has been the architect of some very suspect actions over the years, and the last few months have only added to its unsteady history.Let me bring you up to speed, first on a story you may have read about that really heated up toward the end of 2007, and then on a couple

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-9476554727514563892008-05-02T15:39:00.002-05:002008-05-02T15:42:59.374-05:00

Sorry for being away for so long, but I've had some FTP issues with my site hosting provider, and was unable to add any new content to this blog.It looks as though things have been resolved, as this update post will verify.I will resume posting at my normal, laziest blogger in the world pace as soon as something worth writing about occurs to me. In the meantime, my Houston Rockets are facing

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-85016703182578868812008-04-07T14:41:00.005-05:002008-04-15T10:23:22.247-05:00

Well, once again I have managed to retain my crown as the world's laziest blogger. It's been several weeks since I wrote anything worth posting here, confirming that among semi-sober, semi-coherent slackers, I reign supreme.Actually, I'm just kidding. I haven't really been all that lazy. It's just been a rough few weeks, and I simply haven't had time to post much. I've got some crazy deadlines at

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-27985894177785208842008-03-20T17:02:00.003-05:002008-03-20T17:12:14.812-05:00

The following account was related to me during a visit to the Shady Glen Retirement Home & Assisted Living facility. Then again, there's a good possibility that I made the whole thing up.It started as a joke. Really. It did.Busby and I were talking one day outside the cafeteria shortly after a bland, tasteless lunch and yet another "desert of Jell-O origin" had been picked over by the residents.

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-81150788320601885442008-03-19T10:19:00.001-05:002008-03-19T10:21:29.836-05:00

You know what folks? I don’t believe in anything. Not one goddamn thing!At least that's what the fine upstanding, highly moral, plastic, fall-in-line, self-righteous, piece-of-shit, religious jack wads I encounter keep telling me. Simply because I don't look at the world the same way they do; simply because I don't think exactly like them, they not only deem it necessary to tell me, but feel it

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-8480889093601883052008-03-11T09:31:00.001-05:002008-03-11T09:32:24.265-05:00

When the Vatican exhumed the body of Saint Padre Pio recently for public viewing on the 40th anniversary of his death, it sparked chatter around the Interwebs in both the religious and skeptical communities. Some in the religious community were pleased to have the body of a saint displayed in time for Easter, and some in the skeptical community grabbed their collective crotch and said, "I got

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-82319285368442685652008-02-29T15:48:00.011-06:002008-02-29T16:38:25.463-06:00

Sheesh, February has been a trying month. I've been so busy with other projects, I haven't had a chance to post here in a while. And today is no exception.Fortunately, my friend Elyse has given me permission to post an item of hers from Skepchick (Elyse is also a regular contributer over there). I thought this piece was not only well written, but the subject matter was just perfect to include on

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-81251717061187448152008-02-06T15:10:00.000-06:002008-02-06T15:12:32.974-06:00

Recently, I ordered a soda along with a club sandwich at my local diner, and the waitress, a snappy little firecracker we'll call "Beth", because her name is Beth, asked me wryly, "Leaded or unleaded?""Leaded," I responded firmly, indicating I wanted regular soda as opposed to diet soda.And it's a good thing I drink regular soda, because diet sodas will KILL YOU!Okay, so maybe they won't

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-52422563575068337422008-01-31T10:54:00.000-06:002008-01-31T11:14:13.573-06:00

There is never any shortage of hard-earned cabbage riding on the outcome of the Super Bowl. The Vegas sports books do crazy business with people from all over betting on which team will win the game and by how much, as do various local sports books, not to mention the average group of friends wagering amongst themselves.But one of the funnest aspects of Super Bowl gambling is the prop bets.If

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23600170.post-57239707496549627482008-01-29T10:26:00.000-06:002008-01-29T11:31:59.269-06:00

Well, I've been out of the loop for a couple of days. I was at The Amazing Meeting 5.5 conference in Florida over the weekend, sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation, and drank so much whiskey at the conference parties, it took me until today to be able to form complete sentences again.But my typing fingers seem to be working again, so let's get back to some alien space craft

Sam Ogdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019922341509258076noreply@blogger.com0