Brian Bilbrey ⁽⁷⁵⁹⁾

Brian Bilbrey July 17, 2011

Hope: #FAIL

Every week, I open the pages on the DoD website, hoping that there have been no casualties since my last report. That's still not happening. Our deepest condolences to the families and units of these fallen warriors: Sgt. Steven L. Talamantez, 34, of Laredo, Texas, died July 10, in Al Amarah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with indirect fire. Spc. Rafael A. Nieves Jr., 22, of Albany, New York, died July 10 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. Sgt. Christopher P. Soderlund,…

Brian Bilbrey July 17, 2011

What To Do?

Over 6# of pesto, all told. Just looking at it, I gain weight ... and happiness. I preserve the pesto by freezing it in ice cube trays. I turn the pesto cubes out into a bag and keep frozen. Handy for pulling out just what's needed for a meal or two at a time. I have no idea how many trays all told; Two at a time is going to take a while. The ingredients are sufficient for salsa. Tomatoes, onion, peppers, cilantro, and garlic. Only the garlic isn't from our garden. And yes, that's too much onion. I'll find…

Brian Bilbrey July 16, 2011

Bright and Cheery

For those who wanted more tiger lilies, there you go. On the other hand, for those that like pesto: Laid out on the counter, you see about 25% of the basil I harvested in today. It's a mix of about half large leaf Italian and half sweet basil. In the bag on the blue tray is another quarter. The remaining half of the basil is already pesto, in the fridge. I'd have kept processing, but I ran out of pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan cheese. So, I'll whip up the second two batches tomorrow, and freeze the lot. I did…

Brian Bilbrey July 16, 2011

Just Don't Lie To Me

Karon(09:06:39): Hello. Thank you for choosing Verizon and visiting our Verizon chat service. How can I help you place your order? You(09:07:06): Old bundle expiring, looking at new bundles... Confused by pricing, let me explain: Karon(09:08:42): Thank you for being a valued Verizon customer. Karon(09:08:52): Please go ahead with your question. You(09:09:07): I select the bundle with Ultimate HD, 35/35 Internet, Freedom Essentials - price listed as 139.99. I click the button to do a 2-year deal. The next page shows the price: 139.99 (same as before), only it *ALSO* says "Price included these discounts: $5 24-Month Contract Discount". You(09:09:22): There's no actual $5 discount reflected.

Brian Bilbrey July 15, 2011

Creepy Thoughts

I was in the chair at my dentist's office on Wednesday morning. I chose not to tell them what I thought of as I was falling asleep the night before... I'm talking to my dentist. "You know, I was looking on the Internet, and found evidence that 90% of problems with teeth originate with the gums." The dentist nods in agreement, and I continue. "So I found a couple of sites that made specific recommendations, and followed them. I got a fresh #11 X-Acto blade and cut all the gums way, way back. Once the screaming and bleeding was done,…