Happy International Bacon Day!

So today is International Bacon Day. Click on that link for baconlicious bacon recipes. Everything from Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms with Cheddar, to Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese Pops to Bacon Relish.

If you're looking for the perfect gift for the bacon lover in your family, how about the Bacon Freak Bacon Of The Month Club regularly $575.40, only $375.95 (not sure how long the sale is in effect, check website for current pricing). Each month you receive not 1, but 2 packages of bacony goodness. And if you like, you can pay extra for bacon gift wrap. (Not to worry, it's actually gift wrap with photographs of bacon on it, your gift is not actually wrapped in bacon, but I'm sure if you wanted that, they would do it for an extra fee, cause the Bacon Freaks, just love bacon.)

How are you planning to celebrate International Bacon Day?

How about some Bacon Sueyts? (Bacon Covered in your choice of Premium Swiss Milk or Dark Chocolate.)

Or Maple Bacon Lollipos?

Or Bacon Cheese Straws?

They even pair bacon with wines in gift baskets.

I'm torn between a BLT or a burger with Baconnaise. Yes! I have Baconnaise in my fridge! Jewel Foods has it right next to the mayonaise. It's great on a burger.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

If I Could Blog Back Time Thursdays - First Computer

Come join me for this week's edition. Post yours Thursday and comeback and sign up with MckLinky.

This Thursday's topic is: First Computer -

What was your First Computer like? How much did you spend?

What extras did you get? What did you use it for?

For details on how you can submit a topic, and if used, earn 100 Entrecard Credits, click here.

Some of us are really going to show our age on this one. My first computer was really a glorified Video Game System. It was a Commodore 64. One of these set you back a cool $595 when they first came out in January 1982. And for that, it didn't even come with a tape drive (yes, I said tape drive. Cassette tape drive or using their vernacular, Datasette) or 5 1/4 disc drive (remember those huge things?). The Operating System was KERNAL/Comodore BASIC. I wasn't one of the first to buy it, I waited until the price came down. It was still considerably more expensive than today's video game systems and since that is mostly what I used it for, hence the comparison.
I bought:

1. The Commodore 64 unit, which looked kind of like a keyboard on steroids.
2. Monitor.
3. 5 1/4 inch Floppy Drive.
4. Datasette (never used.)
5. Joystick.
6. Games - Centipede, Dig Dug, Frogger, Galaga, Galaxian, Pole Position, Pong.
7. A book about KERNAL/Comodore BASIC.

The lure of Centipede, Frogger, Galaxian, and Pole Position kept me from really writing any programs.

I sold my Commodore 64 and all that I bought for it at my Dad's estate sale in 1991. I think I got five bucks for the whole lot and the geeky teenager who bought it was ecstatic.

So what's your First Computer story? Did you have a Tandy TRS-80, or a Tandy 1000, or an Apple I or Apple II? Or was your first computer one of the first PC's? Or maybe you're much younger, and you got your first computer in the last 10 years. Share your story. Please post your "First Computer" post on your blog. Then come back to Lola's Diner and leave the actual post link here. Please grab the html code for If I Could Blog Back Time Thursdays! Badge HERE.

There hasn't been much participation in this meme lately and I wonder if I should discontinue it. I have created a poll at the top of this page.

PLEASE BE SURE TO VOTE IN THE POLL.
If you have any ideas on how I could get greater participation, please let me know in the comments or email me.
FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THE POLL.

Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

IF YOU SEE THAT MckLinky APPEARS TO NOT BE WORKING, PLEASE POST A LINK TO YOUR "FIRST COMPUTER POST" IN THE COMMENTS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR PARTICIPATION. THANK YOU!



PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MckLinky IS STRICTLY FOR 'IF I COULD BLOG BACK TIME THURSDAYS' PARTICIPANTS ONLY.
ANY OTHER LINKS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT PREJUDICE!

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Please Vote

Remember back when Lin @ Duck And Wheel With String had that crazy First Official Dork Off Contest and I sent all my loyal visitors to vote for me? Wasn't that fun stuffing the ballot box (I mean voting for me)? Well, this is similar, except that I'm sending you to stuff the ballot box (I mean vote) for Suzy from HOLLYWOOD: Where Hot Comes To Die at Blogger's Choice Awards - Best Humor Blog and leave a comment telling her Lola's Diner sent you. You can also click on the image to go to the site and vote.
If you're not familiar with Suzy, she's a standup comedian and the woman who got the last chocolate babka on Seinfeld, The Dinner Party Episode (1994). She's also the person that Larry David called a very bad name on Curb Your Enthusiasm. So please go vote for her and leave a comment telling her Lola's Diner sent you. Don't forget to leave a comment here, because it counts for I Am Harriet's September Comment Challenge.

You know what they say in Chicago...vote early and vote often! Thank you!

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Random Tuesday Thoughts Part 2

I had so many Random Thoughts these spilled over to Wednesday:

Our gas range is acting funky. The oven pilot isn't staying lit. I love to cook! There is no way I can confine my cooking to my outdoor grill. In the words of our daughter...this suuuuuuuucks!

When are these unexpected expenses going to stop? Ok, stop for awhile so we can catch our breathe? I don't want to be forced into canceling our trip to Milwaukee for my high school reunion. Is this some kind of conspiracy? It's bad enough that each day I am waffling on whether we should go or not. (There's a post brewing on that one.)

To my sister who had the nerve to email me to complain about her husband's $4,500 ER visit...bite me! Anastasia doesn't have insurance either and had 2 ER visits and 2 hospitals stays of 4 days each. That's 8 days total. Also, you don't get to complain when the reason for his ER visits were totally avoidable bullshit. Caffeine overdose from drinking 3 or more Monster drinks plus numerous cups of coffee and several colas per day. Duh! (Caffeine Content: Diet Coke 3.75 mg per ounce, Monster 10 mg per ounce, Drip coffee 18.12 mg per ounce.) So lets be conservative and say you had 3 Monster drinks at 16 ounces each, 3 cups of coffee at 8 ounces each and 4 Diet Cokes at 20 ounces each (= 1214.88 mg caffeine. Recommended daily allowance of caffeine is 400 mg per day for men, 300 mg per day for women.) I'm sure I'm erring on the low side, since it was hot and he was using these beverages assuming they were hydrating, which in fact they are the opposite due to the caffeine levels, he likely consumed even more than that.

Can someone tell my why a new Oster 2 slice toaster that was purchased less than 4 months ago, that wasn't hardly used has already bit the dust? I sent an email of complaint to Oster...nice customer service, they never replied. That toaster took a dive in the kitchen trash after waiting 3 weeks for a reply and has since been replaced with a Proctor Silex.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Vacancy At the Duggar Inn To Be Filled

Duggar Brood Keeps Growing with No. 19 On The Way. Mrs. Duggar? Excuse me? You're 42 and you already have 18 children. Cross your legs dear, do something...something other than...that! OMG! Can you even imagine having 18 children? And then expecting your 19th?

I mean I know they have them all trained like they are in boot camp, doing laundry, making meals, cleaning, etc. So Josh got married, now you have a vacancy at the Dugger Inn? But still, 18, now 19 kids? Do you have some other mother's little helpers of the pharmaceutical variety? Because I don't think I could stand dealing with what amounts to a classroom of children in my own house every day.

And you figured it out because you joined Weight Watchers and couldn't figure out why you were gaining weight when you weren't cheating? Hello? Didn't you notice your monthly visitor stopped visiting? How does anyone seriously not know they are pregnant? I once worked with a woman who did not know she was pregnant until she was 7 months along. She thought she had a tumor (pretend I'm impersonating Ahhhnold, tuuuuuumor, it's not a tuuuuuumor, it's funnier that way). Seriously, she honest to goodness thought she had a cancerous mass in her abdomen. What is wrong with these people?

I told Anastasia and she said her uterus hurts just thinking about it and that her !@#$%^ must be the size of Wyoming by now.

The Duggars are soliciting names for the new baby. All of their children's names begin with the letter "J" and considering they named one of their children "Jinger", I think they definitely could use a little help. Their children's names are: "Josh and Jordyn-Grace, the family includes: Jana and John-David, 19; Jill, 18; Jessa, 16; Jinger, 15; Joseph, 14; Josiah, 13; Joy-Anna, 11; Jeremiah and Jedidiah, 10; Jason, 9; James, 8; Justin, 6; Jackson, 5; Johannah, 3; and Jennifer, 2.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Our daughter had a Girl's Golf match yesterday and they won 190 to 201. Our daughter scored a 55. Way to go! Still better than last year's consistent 57 and very awesome!

I've been counting the days until my monthly money comes so I can get my brakes fixed for my car. I've been looking forward to Wednesday like you wouldn't believe. I feel like a trapped rat. I had been driving Anastasia's car while she was hospitalized and at home recovering, but she was back to a partial schedule last week, so no car for me. She was absolutely hating having me drive her around (says I drive like a granny - hey, who get's the speeding tickets? Nuf said!) Monday on the way home from her nursing home gig she calls me in a panic, the Monte Carlo is blowing up. Ok, not blowing up, but overheating, smoke everywhere, etc. I told her to pull over and turn it off and let it cool and I'd drive out and check the radiator and the oil and follow her (cause I'm all DIY dykey like that). Noooo, she's got to get to her Mom's house without stopping. I don't even want to think about what's wrong with her car, or what kind of damage she could have done by continuing to drive it. No, stop! I'm not thinking about it. (Diagnosis: Water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, coolant, oil change - $500. Yow!)

So if you live in Illinois, did you run out and stock up on Beer, Wine, Spirits, Candy and toothpaste? Umm, yeah, no, I ran out of cash last week. If you did, did you snag some JD, Tequila, Gin and Bud Light Lime for me? Sigh. Damn! I could really go for an O'Henry now.

Can someone tell me why the "l" and "." keys on my new laptop are sticking?

Do you have any idea how quiet it was on Monday? It was pure bliss! The kids are back to school, partner is back on her regular schedule and I do believe the planet is back in alignment.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

August top commenter winners!

Wow! Auntie E left everyone in the dust this month. Surprisingly Lin passed Harriet (*cough* comment whore) by just 1 comment, even though Harriet was up to her old tricks. (Sorry Harriet, no recounts. This isn't Florida...or Minnesota.)

Here are the results:

1st Place - Auntie E @ At Home With Auntie E 1000 Entrecard Credits.
2nd Place - Lin @ Duck and Wheel With String 750 Entrecard Credits.
3rd Place - Harriet @ I Am Harriet 500 Entrecard Credits.

Congratulations to the winners! Entrecard Credits will be in your accounts shortly.

Just a reminder to everyone that my Top Commenter Contest will be running in September, so now is your chance to stake out your spot at the counter or grab a booth.

Also, don't forget about I Am Harriet's September Comment Challenge. Can you make make 500 comments in September? How about 1,000? (that was really hard in July.) Or even 1,500? How about it, are you up to the challenge? I'm in!

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Who Sent Me This?

Seriously! Who sent me a "Sexy Man" on Facebook? I know for a fact none of my relatives would because they would consider this photo inappropriate. (Note that I had to add the black box to make this photo considerably less inappropriate.)

Why would I want to look at a guy's junk in a Speedo? I'm a lesbian. Hello?

And even if you didn't know, why would you consider this an appropriate photo (without the black box)?

I'm seriously considering "outing" myself in a status update but I'm afraid my relatives would think it was a joke. (Yeah, umm, they don't know. How exactly do you come out to relatives you never see? I'm still trying to figure that one out.) And if you do it on Facebook, how do you word it?

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009