I don't even know what to make of the Toilet Tattoos Frogs in the Moonlight Design. What's worse it was at the bottom of my page as a recommended item. I can only hope this is part of the Father's Day push that retail America is undergoing - yeah that's right, I hope its a phase.

Still, I will be reviewing my recent purchases in the hopes of finding out why I would get this recommendation. I did purchase an HD antenna for the apartment recently. So let that be a warning, if you like free HD broadcast television, you may like a new toilet seat.

Thinking about doing something like this around the Fourth of July.

I was checking Jonk's blog and noticed he had a cool Ad that really got me curious. I had to know. I had never thought about where one would buy a used Ice Cream Truck. So I punched in the URL (http://www.captkool.com/) and was thrilled. Unfortunately it looks like the Captain is located in Detroit, MI. Not exactly my neck of the woods. Happily enough, they are hiring

Yeah you need to know:

The Gödel Incompleteness Principle: Czech-born mathematician Kurt Gödel proved that at the margins of any large logical system, such as arithmetic, or conceptual construct, such as Newtonian physics, problems would arise that could not be solved without going outside the system itself. If the system were enlarged to include these problems' solution, it would lose its integrity as a system. Hence all systems must be incomplete. In ethical terms, Gödel's liberating discovery means that no one ethical system will work for every problem, and that the fact that such a system does not solve a particular problem does not mean the system is invalid.

You know you want to read more. Here's the Wikipedia Link. And here is where I came across this definition. There are others of interest, but don't worry, when I get dry I'll post some others here.

Negligent Sign Maker, originally uploaded by astoriahermit.

Doesn't the sign maker have some responsibility to say, "I think you mean
'Salon'?"

Am I just crazy? I'm mixed about places like this. On one hand you want to write them off as imbeciles, but on the other hand, perhaps they just don't spell well, but they are perfectly able to perform their business with aplomb. Granted, spelling is FREE. So I guess if you're keeping score, they definitely lose points - but enough not to frequent the business?

An example near and dear to my hear is my local deli. It's run by two Bangladeshi brothers. Initially they were going to take this Greek Deli and make it a coffee shop, but for whatever reason (likely funding) they have been operating it as a Greek Deli. Actually, they have a fantastic beer selection. They really have found a great business selling beer (my post about beer that includes them).

The only thing that is kind of akin to the Solan #2 is the official name of their business is "Expresso Plus" as it appears on my bank statement when I pay by debit. I don't have the heart to tell them you spell Espresso with an 'Es' not an 'Ex'. Meh, forgivable - beer selection good.

Perfect Day at the Beer Garden, originally uploaded by astoriahermit.

At the beer garden in Astoria and it is perfect out. It reminds me of beer garden circa 2002 when it was a sleepy neighborhood hangout.

We had tried the Quelque Chose (BeerAdvocate.com: B+) from Unibroue at the TAP NY beer festival a few weeks ago. Unibroue, was the only non-New York brewery there (from what I could tell). They weren't really in the printed materials but they had a booth. As we approached the booth there was a buzz about their Cherry beer. We worked our way up to the table, got our three ounce pour and moved aside to savor it. It was really good and quite different from the beer we'd been sampling.

We had it again last night. I picked up a bottle at the Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room (Whole Foods on beermenus.com) as well as a growler of Sixpoint's Sweet Action (BeerAdvocate.com B+ overall A from the brothers, beermenus.com). The Quelque Chose (which apparently translates to 'Something') was our dessert beer after a nice dinner which included my wife's tomato, watermelon, mint and feta salad (I'll try and score the recipe for you). The Quelque Chose was really great, just as I remembered. A sweet full cherry flavor that didn't overpower the slight vanilla and spice tones. We had it out of wine glasses, and probably could have had it slightly closer to room temperature.

Now there is one thing especially notable about this beer. It is truly the first beer that escapes what I call 'the Fruit Beer Paradox'. It goes like this:

The Fruit Beer Paradox

I like fruit.
I like beer.
Therefore, I must like fruit beer.

It never seems to work out. I can't tell you how many times I've ordered a raspberry beer wanting to have my cider itch and my beer itch scratched at the same time. I am always disappointed. So at this point I more or less avoid fruit beer. Now as I write this I realize there is on more exception to my fruit beer exclusion: Smuttynose Hanami Ale (beeradvocate.com B-). I more or less agree with the B- rating from beeradvocate.com. I think I probably am giving it some extra points for standing out in a division where I'm consistently disappointed.

Circling back around: Unibroue's Quelque Chose - good beer, dessert beer if there is such a thing. Head and shoulders above the fruity beer competition in my book. And, yes I am on a beer kick.

Okay this isn't funny, but it certainly sounds like it should be. And, in my adolescent giddiness I think it's a bit more humorous that the person talking about this from the FDA is name Janet Woodcock. ( Let me just take a moment and apologize in advance to Ms. Woodcock should she ever Google herself and find this post. I hope you can at least step back a bit to realize that on a purely superficial basis sending a Woodcock to talk about nipple cream sounds a bit like a Mad Magazine story.)

FDA warns of harmful nipple cream

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned women not to use or purchase Mommy's Bliss Nipple Cream, marketed by MOM Enterprises Inc. of San Rafael, California.

The cream, promoted to nursing mothers to help soothe dry or cracked nipples, contains ingredients that may cause respiratory distress, vomiting and diarrhea in infants, the agency said.

The potentially harmful ingredients in the cream are chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol.

"FDA is particularly concerned that nursing infants are being unwittingly exposed by their mothers to this product with dangerous side effects," said Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Additionally, these two ingredients may interact with one another to further compound and increase the risk of respiratory depression in nursing infants."

The company has stopped selling the cream. The FDA said consumers should stop using the cream and consult a doctor if they experience problems or believe that their infant may have experienced problems due to the product.

Mothers whose children may have suffered adverse effects because of this product should contact the FDA's MedWatch at 800-332-1088.

A gorgeous day in New York, originally uploaded by astoriahermit.

Wonder what I am doing at work this gorgeous spring Friday before Memorial Day weekend.