Author: Michel McDonald

I live in Bakersfield with my partner of more than 30 years. I enjoy reading, crafts, sci fi, video games, and writing in my personal blog.

Farscape DVD’s

On By Michel McDonaldIn TVLeave a comment

I just found out tonight from a friend that Ben Browder and Claudia Black from Stargate SG-1 were in Farscape.

When we first got our cable in 2000 I wasn’t really that into watching the Sci-Fi channel because I was addicted to Comedy Central.  But then after a couple of years I started watching the Sci-Fi channel.  I did see a couple of episodes of Farscape but I figured I was too late watching it because I didn’t have cable when it started and I didn’t want to watch something in the middle and wonder what the heck is going on.

But I’ve been watching Stargate SG-1 religiously every day at 3pm (Sci-Fi HD channel here is East Coast, then the regular Sci-Fi channel is West Coast so then I get to see it again at 6pm).  When I really started getting into watching Stargate SG-1 it was about the same time Ben Browder and Claudia Black came into the show.  I figure yeah I missed a lot of the earlier seasons but it’s on 5 days a week, I’m sure they will get to the end soon and then start over from the very beginning.

I was figuring I was going to buy the complete Stargate SG-1 series on DVD’s for $130 from Amazon so even if they didn’t repeat it again I’d have the DVD’s so no biggy.

Well, when my friend told me today about Farscape I googled the show and went to the farscape website where I learned they had 4 seasons from 1998 to 2002.  So I figured ok I’ll go to amazon and see how much it cost per season.  OMG They are so expensive.  Like $130 for the first season.  Hello?  Season 2 is $78.37, Season 3 is $99.91 and Season 4 is $126.99.

Holy crap dude!  Are you sure about those prices?  Then I went to see how much the entire series is with all 4 seasons, it’s frickin $484.99.  I can’t believe it’s that expensive.  I’m not buying that.  I could never afford that much money.

So, I guess I’ll have to just imagine how good of a show it was.  Maybe the dvd’s are made out of gold and diamonds.  Maybe that’s why they are so much money.  Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.

Sweatvac Ventilator Cap

On By Michel McDonaldIn CyclingLeave a comment

Ok, I just found something on this thing that made me laugh lol.  First here is what the cap looks like:

sweatvac1

Cool right?  It certainly looks cool.  The style is Diablo.  I think it’s really neat.  I was looking at the little paper that came with it that explains how it keeps you dry.  Here is what it says:

“How The SweatVac® System Works:  SweatVac® products are engineered and designed using a unique blend of the finest technical fabrics.  Our multi-layer technology channels vapor and moisture away from your skin and into the outer wicking layers, where they quickly evaporate.  Unlike other headwear, the material that touches your skin stays dry and comfortable – never soggy or clammy.”

Ok that’s neat.  I noticed a washing instructions tag on the inside of the cap and so I was looking at it to see what the fabric was made of and how to wash and dry it.  To my surprise I found this:

sweatvac2

Machine Wash, Air Dry, No Bleach, No Drugs, Made in USA…  Wait what?  No Drugs?  You mean I can’t use Tide with Crystal Meth anymore?  Oh my Seacrest.  But that’s how I wash all my clothes.  Well except for all my swim wear which I use Tide with Pot via a Bong.  Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to use regular plain old tide instead. (I KID!)

Drugs lol that’s funny.  I mean, I’m not knocking their message because it’s a good message but I mean come on.  If I were relying on drugs to get me thin again I wouldn’t be riding a bicycle.  I would be riding the crystal meth train to skinnyville.  I wouldn’t have to do all this back-breaking hard work to try to get skinny if I was doing drugs people.

Bike Supplies Arrived Today

On By Michel McDonaldIn CyclingLeave a comment

Well today my Blue Wave Camelbak 70oz/2 Liter backpack came as well as my Sweatvac Ventilator Cap (Diablo).  I’ve been waiting for it all morning and the stupid mail carrier didn’t even ring the doorbell.  What the hell!  This isn’t a very good neighborhood for leaving shit on my doorstep.  Hello!

Anyway, it came and so I’m happy.  Of course I tried on the skull cap immediately and thankfully it fits perfectly.  I started wondering maybe I bought one that was too small or too big but it’s perfect so that’s good.  I had this f’d up dream last night that I got it but it was 1 inch thick all the way around and it was a lot bigger than it really is and I was pissed off in the dream.  Also it wasn’t Diablo, it was blue and black lol.  I put it on and it covered the top of my head and parts of my face and it was so heavy lol.  Well, the real one is ultra-thin and lightweight, it’s so light you don’t even know you are wearing it after a while.  I wore it around the house for half hour and not realizing I still had it on.

My Blue Wave Camelbak is really nice.  It’s red and black and it has 2 compartments for you to carry other things.  I like it.  It’s 70oz which according to the tag is 2 liters and that’s enough for me.  Normally when I go riding even when I did the 18 mile trek, all I had was a 32oz cup.  Actually when I was doing the 18 miles I ended up having to refill it at one of the rest stops which was fine.  The water wasn’t great out of the drinking fountain but it was fine until I got home.

So all I need is my front wheel from Snider’s Cyclry and then I’m all set.  I was supposed to have it yesterday but they told me Monday so now I have to wait until Monday which is fine I guess.  I can wait just a couple more days.  But if they still don’t have it I’m going to raise hell because I can’t stay this fat forever lol.

Big City Slider Station

On By Michel McDonaldIn Products I LikeLeave a comment

Have you seen this commercial on TV with Billy Mayes?  He’s selling this thing called Big City Slider Station and it’s this neat little gadget that you scoop up some meat and put it inside the 5 compartments and you press with the lid and then you put it on the stove burner and it cooks 5 mini burgers from the outside in.  It only takes 2 minutes so you can cook more immediately.

One thing that I have learned about teflon is that when you are finished using the teflon pan, just leave it on the counter or stove top.  Do not put it in water right away.  If you don’t let the pan cool down on its own then it could warp the teflon and then it starts to peel off.  I have made this mistake but it’s because I didn’t know.  Well, I now know so I will be comfortable using this as long as I don’t drop it into the sink immediately.

Here is a funny clip I found on YouTube.  Enjoy.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65iaDa5OdQg

Krod Mandoon

On By Michel McDonaldIn Humor, TVLeave a comment

Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire premiered on Comedy Central last night at 10pm and I have to say it was hilarious.

It looked like it was a spoof of a show like Hercules and Xena from the 90’s.  Sean Maguire is very good in this role as Krod Mandoon.  And I have to say he has an awesome body.  His stomach alone is enough of a reason to watch this show.

It has an awesome cast of characters who are just so hysterical.  Especially the bad guy played by Matt Lucas who I remember from Little Britain USA which was on HBO.  He is just so funny.

If you haven’t seen the series premiere then you have to watch it when it repeats.

Currently it is on Thursday nights on Comedy Central at 10pm.  Don’t miss it because it’s hilarious.  If you don’t find it humorous then watch it to see Sean Maguire half-naked lol.

Oprah’s New Format

On By Michel McDonaldIn TVLeave a comment

Every couple of years Oprah gets a new format for her show.  It’s like her show is evolving with time.

I can recall in the 80’s that her show was just like any other talk show.  It was like Jerry Springer (early 90’s Jerry Springer) or Phil Donahue or even Sally Jessie Raphael.

Over the years she has started talking to more stars than regular people.  Well, that I know of.  I mean, I really don’t watch her show.  You know, cause I’m a dude.  But sometimes as I’m channel surfing and I’m passing that channel I stop for a few minutes and look to see whats going on.

Well, now the format she has is a table with 3 other people.  They have their little coffee cups and they are chatting about whatever.

It’s like she is copying this new show called The Doctors where all these doctors are sitting at a table talking about medical stuff (not that I’ve seen it but I’ve seen commercials).  Or they are copying The View.  Who knows.

I guess it doesn’t really matter what Oprah does because no matter what she makes way more money than God himself (you know, Ryan Seacrest).

No New Wheel

On By Michel McDonaldIn CyclingLeave a comment

Well I was supposed to get my new front wheel for my bike today because on Monday when I went in to buy one they told me that they would get them in on Friday.  Well, today is Friday and so I called at around 2:30pm or so and they said that the UPS delivery won’t come until 3:30.  So I called at 4.  They told me that it will be in by Monday.  So I gotta wait just a little bit longer.

That’s ok because I’ve waited all this time and my Camelbak and Skull cap haven’t come yet and I’m sure they won’t be here until Monday anyway.  So that’s ok, I can wait.

New Way of Thinking About Food

On By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, Exercise, HealthLeave a comment

Boy oh boy.  Here comes the post where I have to talk about changing my diet habits when I start riding my bike again.

I haven’t actually gotten the new front wheel yet and I haven’t gotten my Camelbak or Diablo skull cap so I can’t really start riding yet.  Even if I get my wheel tomorrow, if I don’t have the camelbak or the skull cap I’m not riding yet.  Yeah I know I’ve ridden without them just fine in the past but I really want to have them when I start riding again.  I think it will help me stay hydrated a lot longer than the old 32oz bottle because I can feel free to drink more since I now have 70oz of water to drink so I won’t be conserving it so much.

But what about my food habits?  Ok, well, no more McDonald’s that’s number one.  No more fried chicken from Albertson’s or cocoa pebbles cereal filled all the way to the top of the bowl.

From now on I am going to try my hardest to only eat good foods.  I don’t know what is a good example of good foods but I’m sure I will figure it out soon enough.  Instead of buying the crap cereals, I’m going to buy either Raisin Bran or the Weight Watchers cereal.  Costco used to have the Weight Watchers cereal and it was so good and I was measuring it instead of just pouring it into my bowl.  I have to start doing that again.

It’s all mentally and physically preparing myself for the torture I’m going to be putting myself through on a daily basis.  Can you imagine riding for 20 miles straight in a couple of hours burning something like 1000 calories?  Then coming home and taking a shower just to get ready to go to McDonald’s to eat lunch?  OMG That totally cancels out the whole ride.  Just 1 McChicken sandwich cancels all that out.  Not to mention the 2nd chicken sandwich that I would normally eat as well as the small fry and 2 apple pies.  I don’t count the diet coke, it has no calories.

No, I’m going to have to spend a little more money on my food at the store rather than eating a $5 lunch at McDonald’s.  And when we go out to restaurants I’m going to have to get the side salad or sandwich every time so I don’t cancel myself out again.

Oh and forget about ever being able to have ice cream again lol.  Ok, Ice Cream is fine in moderation.  I can safely eat ice cream as long as it’s 1 scoop of ice cream, not an entire container of ice cream.  You know, those little $5 cups of Häagen-Dazs.

With my birthday coming up it’s not going to be easy for me but I think I can manage.  And Darrin is diabetic so I know he’s not going to buy me a cake that he can’t eat.  So I think that we will figure it out.  They have these single serve cakes that we can buy and we can buy 1 of those small Häagen-Dazs ice cream cups and split it.  It’s hard to scoop from a tiny cup lol.  Oh wait they have these little tiny cups that measures to I think half a cup of ice cream which I believe is 1 serving so maybe I’ll buy 2 of those lol.  They ain’t cheap, they cost $1 each.

The point is, I’m going to start riding my bike again hopefully this weekend maybe tomorrow.  I’m not going to ride on Chips days off, just 5 days a week when he works so that he won’t think I’m blowing him off to go bike riding.  But before I start riding again I’ve gotta rethink my whole eating habits so that I don’t keep making the same mistakes I always make and think hey well I’m exercising so one ice cream won’t hurt or 2 McChicken won’t hurt.  They will.

Ugh!  It’s a lot of mental preparation and a lot of physical torture but I gotta do it.  I just wish my stuff would come in so I can do it sooner than later lol.

Last Week In Obama

On By Michel McDonaldIn News, Patriotic, PoliticalLeave a comment

Last week President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visited the Queen of England and there was a question of whether Michelle broke protocol by putting her arm around the Queen (touching her) but apparently it was no big deal because the Queen put her arm around Michelle first.

There is a tradition I guess that the Queen and heads of state exchange gifts to one another.  The Obama’s gave the Queen an iPod with all of Barack’s speeches and the Queen gave the Obama’s a signed painting of herself.

An iPod of all your speeches?  Really?  Is that what you are giving her?  Are you kidding me?  Do you really think that she wants to hear your voice drone on for hours and hours?  Look, I don’t hate our president but I certainly would not want to hear his voice for hours on end.  If someone gives me an iPod, I’d like it to be blank so I can put what I like on there.  The Queen already has her own iPod so what, she’s supposed to have 2?  You know that she gave it to one of her servants and they erased it and put Elton John on it.

Another thing happened last week in Obama.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5XXL5IrvVA

As you can clearly see in this video, Barack Obama bows to Saudi King Abdullah at the Group of 20 summit in London last week.  Can you believe this guy?  No heads of state have ever, ever bowed to the Saudi King ever.  Bowing to the Saudi King is reserved only for his subjects.  People who are beneath him, not someone who is his equal.

“Mr. Obama later said in Strasbourg, France, “We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.” Symbolism is important in world affairs. By bending over to show greater respect to Islam, the U.S. president belittled the power and independence of the United States.”

That was a quote from the Washington Times.  Is he joking?  “WE” have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect?”  What about the respect they show the rest of the world?  Huh?  This is just showing more and more to me that he is a Muslim and not a Christian.  He even did his first tv interview with a Muslim TV show as President of the United States.  What does that show about him?

I just don’t see why people love him so much and why he was voted as president.  Why people voted for a muslim during a war with MUSLIMS but they wouldn’t vote for a patriot.  I personally don’t get it.  This guy is proving how dumb Americans are with every act.

Hamburger Helper

On By Michel McDonaldIn FoodLeave a comment

I went to the store to buy something for lunch and also wanted something for dinner.  I sat and thought about what I wanted before I left to go to the store and Hamburger Helper entered my mind.  We used to have it all the time or whenever it was 10 for $10 at the store.  I’d buy like 10 of them and just keep them in the pantry until we wanted it.

I’m so glad I thought about it but when I went to the aisle that the hamburger helper was on I was overwhelmed with the variety of helper products.

It’s not just hamburger helper.  But then again they’ve had Tuna helper since I was a kid at least.  I seem to recall some time in the late 80’s or maybe early 90’s when I first started seeing Chicken Helper.  But I could be wrong, I wasn’t really paying attention to the chicken helper.  They actually have more than 60 different flavors.

There is so much of a variety of helpers that I just find it so hard to decide.  If you know you want a particular meat like hamburger or tuna or chicken then your choices are at least slimmed down a bit but even still there are so many choices.

I’m a simpleton, I like the original hamburger helper that’s like macaroni and cheese with meat.  I do like to get the stroganoff sometimes and the nacho.  We also like the tuna helper.

But I’m sure you don’t have to be limited to tuna, chicken and hamburger.  I’m sure you can put some other meat in there like say you want meat balls instead or you want to use ground turkey which is actually a lot leaner and healthier choice.  Or you can add ground sausage meat or even maybe spam ground up.

I’m sure all the hunters just love deer helper or bear helper.  Maybe they might like some other kinds of meats like maybe possum helper or road kill helper.  The possibilities are endless in the flavors you can have.  Even cannibals on the islands can have people helper.  There are even people in different countries (which I will not name for fear of being sued) who might like dog helper or cat helper.  Oh and cowboys and jockeys who have a horse with a broken leg don’t have to lose out.  They can have horse helper.

No?  Did I go too far with the horse helper?  Or was it all the way back to the people helper?  Oh come on, that was funny, don’t deny you are laughing out loud.