If you've been with me from the beginning, you might remember a little blog post back in June 2005 about Bravo Farms chipotle cheddar. Back then, I gave you a link to an online retailer that sold it in half-pound blocks.

I have to say that, in retrospect, I did you a disservice. The shipping at the previously linked store was approximately $30 for a $10 block of cheese. (gasp)

Nevertheless, I post this to tell you that I finally got off my digital buns and ordered some chipotle cheddar, directly from Bravo Farms. This paid off in three ways.

First, the purchase resulted in a block of really, really good cheese. Second, Bravo only charges $10 per pound instead of the $20 that the aforementioned wholesaler charges. Third, and this is the kicker...they shipped it free.

So please, put aside the fact that the California cheese commercials are insufferable, insulting, and just plain wrong. Hit up Bravo Farms for some chipotle cheddar, and you will not regret it.

A relatively innuendo-free regaling of my first-ever plates of raw oysters can be found at The Daily Page at this very time.

And don't forget to visit my Flickr page for the extended graphics (although for this assignment, there really isn't much there. There's only so many ways you can photograph an oyster).

I know it's been a while since I've been political here, but it's been a while since I've, frankly, been interested.

But I got interested again.



Get interested.

You know Red Robin. They're the purveyors of gigundor burgers and bottomless steak fries. They trumpet their Whiskey River BBQ burger. Burger excess--to an embarrassing level--is kind of their thing.

Something dawned on me this morning. I happened to see a commercial for Red Robin, and it featured the Banzai Burger. It's teriyaki-marinated, topped with a thick pineapple slice in addition to the usual accoutrements.

Now, I know that there are some superficial similarities and connections between Hawaii and Japan. Islands, in the Pacific, cultural exchange, volcanic activity, and OH YEAH JAPAN BOMBED HAWAII IN AN AIRBORNE VARIANT OF A BANZAI ATTACK.

I know it was, like, a thousand years ago, but jeez. Not too surprisingly, they have no Hawaii locations.

The fine folks at Clemson University have found, via a surely expensive study, that double-dipping a chip in a bowl of dip does indeed result in an increase in bacteriological contamination.

And yes, this was inspired by the Seinfeld episode.

Let me say that I'm as interested in being healthy as the next guy. I don't want to get sick. I don't want your cold, or your cough, or your flu.

But jumping Christ, did anyone think to do a study of the number of germs that depart one's hand when reaching into that bowl of chips in the first place? I mean, come on! Let's say the bowl is full of nacho cheese Doritos. How many people wash the cheese off their fingers?

(i'll wait for all respondents)

...

Okay, now how many people do you think lick the cheese off?

Yeah. That's right. So please. Spare me the righteous indignation about stuffing an entire chip into one's mouth rather than "double-dipping." You're reaching into the same bowl fifteen other peoples' hands have already been in, before you even get to the dip.

If you watched the season premiere of LOST (and if you didn't, shame on you!), you know that at least six people from the Island make it back to the Real. We've only met three so far, but the pacing of this season promises an early reveal.

The three we've met so far are Jack (he of the furry woodland creature), Kate (all glammy and doting) and Hurley (still fat, still crazy, still in love with Charlie).

Back on 1/15, I posted my theory of LOSTie survival on The Lost Community. So far, it's holding up. It's about the promo shot for the pre-Season 4 clip show (here). It's sort of my cryptoquip theory of LOST survival. Here is a re-post, for posterity:



***

We know that Jack and Kate survive to make it back to the mainland. They are both standing, with primarily their right arms visible. We also know that, according to Desmond, Charlie's sacrifice earned Claire rescue. So let's say that standing figures survive.

Standing figures facing to the right of the photo (or their left) get rescued. Standing figures facing to the left of the photo, then, could reasonably be expected to be left behind.

Seated figures, then, must die, although the place they die could still be determined by the direction they face.

The characters with conflicted posture are Locke, Desmond and Sun. Locke's connection to the Island is such that would could expect a strange continued relationship there, spanning a wide distance. Desmond's time fluctuations might add a level of complexity to his fate. And Sun does in fact represent two individuals in this photo, so the fate of her child is unknown.

In summary:

RESCUED, SURVIVE: Hurley, Claire, Kate, Jack, Juliet, Desmond (?)
RESCUED, DIE: Ben
ABANDONED, SURVIVE: Jin, Sayid
ABANDONED, DIE: Sawyer, Sun
?: Locke

***

The main complication is the fact that Ben, Juliet and Desmond weren't on Oceanic 815. Perhaps Rose and Bernard fill in the 6, or Claire's baby. Time will have to tell.