A bit busy. . .

I originally wrote a "so-I'm-in-college-now. . ." post way back in September, but completely forgot to hit the "Publish" button, so there's a peculiar gap in posts. Lo siento, readers! Since it has become quite dated by now, I shall start a fresh post.

I started college recently (read: two months ago), so I've been quite busy with my studies. I have taken a few pictures of Mugs in College, including a dorm neighbour's mug since, however. My laptop does not have image-manipulating software (besides MS Paint, but I can't really shrink ginormous images with that), so I'll have to put them up later.

For now, however, I shall link to some pretty snazzy images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope: Hubble Image Gallery



As always, you can still contact me with any mugshots, questions, what-have-you at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com.

Apple Crisp

Apologies for a significant lag in posts! While time was evaporating like a thin puddle in the summer sun, I was working on a new hobby: baking. One of my most recent creations was an apple crisp.

The process took a bit longer than anticipated, primarily because I lost the original copy to the recipe; I had the ingredients ready, but no recipe. I looked up the recipe online, and the first one I saw looked almost exactly like the recipe I needed; the only thing that really put me off was the consistent misspelling of the word "bowl" as "bowel."

So I commenced the crisp-making and peeled the apples and mixed them with sugar and water and mint and cinnamon. As I was making the topping, I came to a barrier: in following the directions, the crumble was too dry. I immediately searched for a better version of the recipe. Sadly, on five different sites, I found the exact same recipe -- "bowel" misspelling and all. I finally found a recipe and video on how2heroes. I had no oats, so I used more flour and brown sugar to compensate.

In the end, it was a very delicious crisp, and I made it again, a few weeks later. Unfortunately, due to the typical MidAtlantic climate, the crisp doesn't stay too crispy for long. To regain a bit of the crunch, I replaced it in the oven for about fifteen minutes before serving it.


If you have any recommendations on how to keep an apple crisp crispy, general cooking tips, interesting recipes, or mugshots, please feel free to e-mail me at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com.

Travel Mugs

This week's series of mugs are fashioned for those on the go. Whether or not these mugs are practical, though, for such a purpose is debatable.

First, let's look at this nifty little mug my mum gave me when she went to Las Vegas. It's very lightweight, and certain to fit into most car cupholders. However, it feels thin enough that coffee scalding could be a hazard.






Another mug procured from a gift shop is from Maryland. This mug, detailed with a red crab (presumably a steamed blue crab), is made of a very thin plastic. I actually wouldn't recommend using this for hot beverages, at all, considering it doesn't even have a handle. Should you choose to fill this mug with hot coffee, however, the tab on the lid warns that you should keep the mouth of it open to let out steam.




Our next mug is more of a seasonal thermos, possibly best for hot chocolate as opposed to coffee. It has a fun Arctic scene with Canadian Geese in the sky, flying into the Aurora Borealis, polar bears playing, penguins skating, and deer headbanging. The top has a sort of switch that you push back so that a straw will pop up. There's a thin "window" on the side to reveal the beverage level within. Another interesting thing about this thermos is that when you shift the mug, the images move, so the deer really do headbang and the Aurora Borealis dances across the sky.

As an interesting side note, the southern equivalent of the Northern Lights is known as the Aurora Australis. The aurora is caused when particles in the atmosphere are ionized by solar radiation.

Our final mug of the evening is also the one I most recently received. It was given to me by the same fellow coffee-enthusiast who contributed the Rooster mug and black-on-blue cat mug. This purple travel mug is very similar to the Lexapro travel mug. A thick case of plastic insulates the stainless steel cup, keeping coffee warm and your hands safe. The lid also seals tightly, which is good for preventing spills should the coffee slosh around when on-the-go. This is, by far, my favourite type of travel mug; so much so, I sometimes even use it when I'm simply sitting at home.


That concludes this week's post of mugshots. If you have any comments, questions, or mugshots of your own, please feel free to e-mail me at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com.

Music Video Friday: Blind Guardian - "Mr. Sandman"

This week's video in the Friday night spotlight is that for the Blind Guardian rendition of "Mr. Sandman."



The video opens with the members of the band dressed as uniformed women, an obvious play off the Chordettes. This cover of the song, however, is markedly different in every other possible way, namely that it is headbang-able. Certainly, it starts off somewhat sweet, but once the clown comes in, the whole song takes a turn for the hard and rockin'.

Little Billy (we'll just call him Billy because I certainly don't know his actual name) is fast asleep, when a clown pops out of a giant Jack-in-the-box. Why a kid would have any toy that big is beyond me. Do kids that age even play with Jacks-in-boxes? At any rate, the Pandora box of evil clowns has been opened, and apparently, this somehow wakes up Little Billy. He quickly sits upright, just in time to see the Clown with a Billy Idol sneer use his evil powers to slam the windows and doors shut.

The Clown then climbs out of the box and heads for Billy, presumably to eat his soul and see if he "floats." Our hero seems to have defeated the Clown by simply throwing his blanket over the masked menace, but was instead lulled into a false sense of security: for, just moments later, three more clowns come out from a well-lit closet (or closets, there were three sets of doors). The coolest part, though, has to be the strobe lights flashing and confetti falling downwards (at least I think I'm seeing confetti, but correct me if I'm wrong). By far, this must be my favourite cover of this classic song.

Some More Filler: Music Video

I still need to round up all the mugs for the next round of Mugshots, and I just recently got new batteries for the camera. Oh yeah, and there's Otakon, which is rockin' the box, so far. So, with all those excuses blended together in a nice little potpourri of procrastination, the caffeinated collection will be added virtually in another little while.

In the meantime, however, I've come upon the idea of having at least one aspect of the blog to update regularly: Music Video Friday, whereby I post a groovy music video every Friday. I could make this a tad challenging by selecting videos of non-R.E.M. songs, and then force myself to research new music, but I'll hold off on that concept for later. At least after "Losing My Religion", anyway.

The first video for this new to-be-regular feature is for a nice little tune, "Peaches", by The Presidents of the United States of America.



The video starts us out in a peach orchard, or at least one that grows canned peaches. The song, in itself, is awesome enough, considering it's about the greatest fruit in the world. Sure there's a mention about an ant crawling inside (I'll explain my Communist ant conspiracy theory later), but that can be forgiven. If there were any songs dedicated to a specific fruit and its greatness, this has to be the best. The words "nature's candy in my hand, or can, or pie" really express the many ways the peach can be eaten.

Peaches come in two varieties: white and yellow. Yellow peaches are commonly grown in Georgia and New Jersey, and have yellow meat, while the white peaches, grown in California, are much paler. There are also taste and texture differences: yellow peaches are more likely to have bits caught in your teeth, and white peaches have a more subtle sweetness and flavour. Both types, in my opinion, are simply awesome. Even my cat likes peaches (he'll try to knock a peach out of my hand)! Certainly, all these must be evidences as to why the peach deserves such a rockin' song about it.

Oh yeah, and in the video, there are ninjas. Apparently, The Presidents of the United States of America had to protect the nation's peach supply from a band of swift and cunning interlopers! For this, the band should surely be rewarded, possibly with a cartload of peaches.

This wraps up today's postings, unless I get the urge to write another. If you have any mugshots you'd like to submit, e-mail them to me at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com.

Desktop Backgrounds!

Yep, my last post was a bit different from the usual "lol coffee mugs" fare, but I'll have a special set of mugs in an upcoming post.

Now, sometimes I feel artistic, or just plain bored out of my socks, so I'll fiddle around with Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9 and come up with nifty little backgrounds for my desktop (I used PSP 9 to make my banner, too). I've got a bunch just sitting around, so I thought I'd share 'em with you.

To download a background, just click on one of the thumbnails below, which should take you to the full-size version. Then, right-click on the full-size image, and select "set as desktop background".










Again, the next post of Mugshots should be up, soon. If you have any mugshots of your own, please send them to me at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com. It also might be a good idea to write "Mugshots" in the subject line, so that way I don't immediately consider it possible spam. Not that I'll delete it, I just won't touch it.

On Gay Marriage and Moral America

Be forewarned: this is a fairly long piece, so those with short attention spans may want to open a second tab/window and flip back-and-forth between this and that.
________

I remember in 2004 when I first became interested in current events and issues. This was the election year between Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and incumbent President Bush. I was of the Republican mindset: the Iraq war was meant to “liberate” the people there; global warming isn’t happening; the government isn’t doing anything unconstitutional. Whenever the issue of gay marriage was brought up, I would simply slide past it, explaining it away as a non-issue: while allowing homosexuals to marry, I would say, how is that at all important compared to the starving kids in other countries? How is their ability to be legally recognized as a couple anywhere near as important as helping the poor, the homeless? Well, now that I’m a little older and better able to see things a tad more clearly, I call that entire position bollocks.

The problem with my answer was that it was a nonanswer, it was simply a dodge from a needlessly controversial topic. So going to war was more important than helping the poor? Apparently so, according to my former logic. Then again, I was barely a teenager at the time, but since then, I’ve abandoned that sort of logic. Sadly and apparently, many, many others haven’t tossed aside their archaic notions in the face of reality, but instead turn to the comforts of illogic and outdated social values.

We like to call the United States a nation of the free, of liberty, and take pride in our forefathers’ (and foremothers’) rebellious actions. However, according to my calculations and observations, we have yet to earn those descriptors, and our forefathers may be astounded to see what kind of a nation we’ve become. Our nation's founders hoped to establish a country with a thick boundary between the territories of church and state, and unfortunately, as one may observe today simply by knowing that as of this date, only two states have legalized gay marriage (well, that number may soon be back down to one, as I will explain later), that said boundary is thinner than the paper the Bill of Rights was written on.

For centuries, the union between a man and a woman has been seen as the only “natural” union, and that any same-sex couple is “unnatural.” Well, back in the days when the Catholic Church was in total control (the Dark Ages, to be clear), chastity was seen as the best way to live a clean, pure life; however, it was understood that one would fall to the earthly pleasures, and marriage was an option. The latter included other details in the contract: one must stay married with their partner for the rest of their life; and, once married, it was necessary that one have as big a family as possible. Of course, this meant that marriages could only be given between a man and a woman: in man-man or woman-woman relationships, no children could be begotten, and therefore said relations were unholy (man-woman relations were unholy enough, even after a marriage ceremony, and if one were to be divorced, the Church would not allow one to have their second marriage within a house of worship).

Somehow, this mentality of sex being a dirty, unholy thing has stuck all through time to this era, the twenty-first century. It was difficult enough in the twentieth century to just declare most sexual freedoms (beginning in the 1930s with the flappers, then in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and gradually progressing from there), but we still have light years to go until society ends with this bipolar mentality that “sex is bad unless we’re selling something.”

It almost surprises me when I hear people say that society is going down the drain, when we’re actually freer sexually than we were one hundred years ago. Granted, I do not endorse the objectification of women (or men, for that matter), nor do I support unsafe sex practices. The way the government is handling the issue of sex, however, is totally inappropriate and ineffective: instead of lowering the rate of teenage pregnancy, the uninformative abstinence-only education programs that depend on scare tactics rather than actual educational materials have in fact led to the increase in teen pregnancies. We should be teaching why having sex before eighteen might not be a great idea, what actually happens during the act, and ways to protect oneself should one decide to do it anyway. Instead, we are teaching why sex is dirty and evil, except after marriage. We are telling kids that if they have sex they will die, without further detail. We are telling kids that having sex is “like opening a present before Christmas, and once you’re married, it’s like you’re regifting.” Honestly, with talk like that, kids are more likely to blow you off as some crackpot, and go right on having sex, not knowing what to expect.

Along the same vein, we’ve got our government (and ourselves) promoting discriminatory policies with our reproductive organs in mind, this time with the bans on gay marriage. Proponents of banning gay marriage vary in their reasons as to why such unions should be prohibited. Some do so for religious purposes. Some say it’s “unnatural” because such unions produce no offspring. Still others oppose same-sex marriage because it’s not traditional – marriage has always been between a man and a woman, they say, and doing anything different might lead down a slippery slope where a man can marry a dog!

America, as one may or may not know, is not a “Christian nation.” On the contrary, one of the reasons that separation of church and state is so important was not to keep the government out of church affairs, but to keep the church affairs out of the government. Our founding fathers were deists, not Christians, and when they saw the mess going on in England – the powerful Protestants’ discrimination towards Catholics which led to a fierce rivalry that continued up through the twenty-first century – they fully understood the fact that should any theology come to dominate government policy, the only assured outcome would be inequity towards minority religions. The last thing we want to do in the United States is to pass legislation in favour of any theology, and supporting the prohibition of gay marriage would be supporting the dominance of religion in the government (not that this has stopped government policies such as the 1919 Prohibition of alcohol – the Eighteenth Amendment, which was finally repealed by the Twenty-First amendment in 1933).

The whole argument that homosexuality is “unnatural” is totally unfounded: homosexual behaviour has not only been observed in other animals, but as a natural occurrence in humans, as well, for one’s sexual preference is rooted in the brain. How exactly this is so (in a nature vs. nurture sense) is not exactly certain, but what is known is that gender preference isn’t a choice: it’s as natural as heterosexuality. To say that homosexual marriage is wrong because it won’t produce offspring is to totally disregard infertile couples who have tried so hard to have children, or who don’t even want any children at all.

The argument for tradition is a feeble argument, at best. It was also once a tradition for people to marry within their own race, and interracial marriages were legally prohibited; however this is no longer the way because such policies flagrantly denied individuals the right to choose with whom they may know as family. It was seen that separation only led to inequality, and archaic conventions of segregation were tossed aside to make way for true equality.This should happen with any tradition that happens to impede on the rights of any citizen: that tradition should be deemed useless in the current society, and thrown out. To deny that this scenario is a mirror to the situation for gay couples today is to be blinded by outdated societal values. I understand that the term “marriage” traditionally refers to the union between a man and a woman, but these unions are still recognized by the government, opening the married couple to legal benefits that unmarried couples don’t have access to. It would at least be appropriate to term the legally recognized unions as civil unions, allowing gay couples to have the legal benefits of married couples. Unfortunately, this is tied in with another tradition: the “sanctity” of marriage (and, apparently, civil unions).

Many folks fear that allowing gay couples to marry would lead to the destruction of the “sanctity” of marriage, even leading down a slippery slope of bestiality and perversion. This baseless argument is irksome to me the most, because it paints homosexuals as not only perverted freaks who wish to partake in sex with their dogs, but also implies that homosexuals are less than human. Gay people are ordinary people: they eat the same cereals as we do, wear the same sweaters as we do, listen to the same music we do. Those who want to get married want to do so because they are in love, not because all they want is “sex, sex, sex.” They don’t want to marry their dog, or sleep with their cat: they just want to make a total commitment to the one they love. Isn’t that what heterosexual couples want (most of the time)? It is utterly disgusting that anyone could think that such an inane line of reasoning has any basis in reality.

Furthermore, to say that banning same-sex unions would be “protecting the sanctity of marriage” is utter nonsense in itself: if it needed any protection, one would think such proponents for marriage’s “sanctity” would first target domestic abuse and divorce. Honestly, I’ve never seen such kindergarten arguments since elementary school: and they’re all coming from what one would assume are mature adults!

On Thursday, May 15, 2008, the California State Supreme Court overturned state legislation prohibiting gay marriage, becoming the second state, after Massachusetts, to legalize same-sex marriage. This was all based on a ruling against a state ban on interracial marriage over sixty years ago. If you haven’t heard, thousands of gay couples in California have gone to finally get married, and were able to celebrate their unions. However, to paraphrase Andy Griffith, I’m afraid we’re picking our peaches before they’re ready: in November of this year, there will be a ballot initiative that will finally decide whether California is a free state or not. The initiative is a state constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, overriding the State Supreme Court’s decision, and thereby making every single civil union between same-sex couples invalid. What could be a step forward towards a freer America may just be a fall backward towards the Dark Ages. While I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the outcome this November, I’m certainly not going to hold my breath.


________

Apologies for my writing being a bit more off than usual: it's late, but I really felt the need to post this. The font(s) might also be a tad "wonky", as one of my comrades would say. I may edit this later for any grammatical/spelling errors.

Edit: I edited the post for a bit more clarity.

July 4th Special: Andrew Jackson Part 2

Last post, I explained Andrew Jackson's rough and tough side, and how his tendencies towards violence can be found back to his childhood. Now for Part Two of the Jackson July 4th special at Mugshots.

________

Andrew Jackson first ran for president in 1824 on the Democratic-Republican ticket, against Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams. Jackson ran as a “man of the people”, as he was himself a “common” man, who worked hard to make a name for himself and to get to the place he was; on the other hand, Adams was a man of an aristocratic background, and who hardly understood the plight of those who have never been well-to-do.

Jackson was also known as “Old Hickory”, as he also had a reputation of being tough. He gained the most popular votes (not the majority of them), but as anyone familiar with the American political system can tell you, the popular vote doesn’t count anyway except to select the state electors who are most likely to vote for whatever majority chose them, and the electors can vote for whomever they wish. In the end, Adams won the Electoral College, and thusly the presidency. Jackson called this a “corrupt bargain”, for Clay opted to support Adams, the latter then appointing his supporter as Secretary of State.

Victory for our hero would come four years later, in the election of 1828 – an election also known for having the most mud slung between the two major candidates. As the candidate for the newly-formed Democratic party, created by Martin Van Buren, Jackson ran against Republican incumbent John Quincy Adams. One major bit of Anti-Jacksonian propaganda was actually against his wife: Rachel Jackson was thought to have also been a bigamist, a person married to two people at once.

Rachel Jackson had been unhappily married when she had met Ol’ Hickory; her husband filed for a divorce, and when it was thought the divorce had gone through, Rachel married Andrew. In actuality, the divorced was not yet finalized, and the second marriage was void. After the divorce had definitely gone through, however, Rachel and Andrew remarried. What’s also interesting to note is that the Jacksons raised an orphaned Native American boy, even with AJ’s reputation of fighting Indians.

In the election of 1828, Jackson won over the Electoral College, becoming the “people’s president.” Unfortunately, just a few months after his victory, Rachel Jackson died; Andrew Jackson blamed her death on all his opponents who insulted her character.

________

That's all for tonight, but tomorrow the irony of Jackson being on the twenty-dollar bill will be explained, as well as other policies that defined his presidency. If you have any questions, comments, etc., feel free to comment this post or e-mail me at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com. Also e-mail me any mugshots you may have (coffee mugs, please).

July 4th Special: Andrew Jackson Part 1

This July 4^th, the Mugshot Blog would like to honour a great American hero. This president is perhaps among the first Americans to initiate a culture, or at least image, of violence for the United States. He also served in three wars, possibly even postponing a fourth for another thirty years. The first “common man’s” candidate since Jefferson, first Democrat, the first to severely cane someone, and the last to oppose a National Bank yet still have his face on federal notes, the seventh president of the United States of America is one of the nation’s most colourful characters in history. Indeed, Andrew Jackson had a life full of adventure, and what better way to start his story than at its beginning?

Andrew Jackson was the third and final son of Andrew (who died three week’s before our hero’s birth) and Elizabeth Jackson. He was born March 15^th, 1767, though it’s unclear as to whether he was born in North or South Carolina. When he was about fourteen, he served in the Revolutionary War, and was captured by the British. He was released, and after the war he became orphaned, as all of his immediate family died from war-related problems.

Later, Jackson went into law school, and practiced cases on the frontier. He even became a planter, having a plantation manned by as many as 40 slaves in Tennessee. Jackson was also involved in many duels, yet only killed one person in one: Charles Dickinson. The story goes that Jackson allowed Dickinson to shoot first; our hero was shot extremely close to his heart, but he was able to shoot back, killing the opponent.

Jackson had a reputation as an Indian fighter, first earned in the War of 1812. In the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Jackson and his men fought and won over the Red Stick Creeks. He later led his men into an outstanding victory over the British in the Battle of New Orleans: Jackson’s group of 5,000 only sustained 13 casualties, while the British forces of 7,500 had 2,000 of their men killed. Jackson also garnered his reputation of Indian fighting in the First Seminole War, where he fought back the Seminole Indians south from Georgia to Florida, even onward, going into Spanish territory and causing a bit of an international dilemma to be resolved by then-president Monroe.

Jackson was no easy-going commander, either: Jackson’s men at New Orleans had only enlisted for a certain amount of time. When that time was up, and food was low, they were more than ready to leave. Jackson, however, would hear none of it; one of the men, possibly even a few, decided to leave, but Jackson shot them, demonstrating that none of his men should cross him. Of course, after that moment, his men were a lot more obedient.

________

Jackson's story is a bit long, so I'll have to break this into parts, another segment added for each day of this 4th of July weekend. Have a great holiday, everyone, and be sure to come back tomorrow for some more Jacksonian action!

If there are any errors, or if you have any questions, don't be shy, and feel free to comment or e-mail me at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com.

(belated) May Mug Mania!

Hooray for alliteration! Yes, it's May Mug Mania for this post, and have I got a collection of mugshots for you tonight!





Our first four mugs were found in a Wal-Mart back in April. This particular mug is tan and rounded. The material is particularly thick, meaning that this mug would be great insulation-wise.






The next mugs were located right beside the tan mugs. These black mugs are different from other mugs I've reviewed, in that they abruptly taper at the bottom. I've seen this style done before, but this will be the first time I've reviewed a mug of this type. It's made of a thinner material, so it might not work as well against coffee scalding.





This blue mug is interesting in that it's clear. Not meant to hold coffee, I suppose, but interesting all the same. It should be a nice mug, however, for holding iced coffee, and, of course, summer is just about here.






Our final mug from Wal-mart is a pair of mugs, white with either a quartet of black or shades of blue stripes across the middle. Lined at the lip with black, these mugs are made of a thin material, but still possibly good for that first cup in the morning (or night, depending on your sleeping schedule).





And, finally, a bunch of mugs I saw at a used furniture store. They are lean like vases, with a bell-like opening, and are of a brownish green colour. They are thin, so coffee burns might be a problem. The price tag might also be a problem: approximately seventeen dollars for one mug. Just one, not the whole set, or even a pair! They're nice mugs, but not that nice. All of the Wal-mart mugs, by the way, were of a reasonable price; however, I must note that the mugs at the Dollar Store are a steal.



Well, that's it for May Mug Mania! I can't wait for next year! And don't forget, you can still send me your mugshots (of the beverage- or pen-containing variety, please) to me at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com. Come back next time for more mugshots (or filler)!

Hey There, MacGyver

I know, I know: the May Mug Mania post is late. However, I'm working on that, now, so it should be up in a few minutes. However, in the meantime, please listen to my new favourite non-R.E.M. song, "Hey There MacGyver".



Only MacGyver could pull off a mullet.

UPDATE 8/10/08: Ever since I heard this song, I'll never be able to listen to "Hey There Delilah" the same way again.

May Mug Mania!...Is on the Way

Hooray for alliteration! However, not-yay for the lack of coffeemug pictures. I can't seem to find my file of coffee mug images on my flash drive, so I can't really upload any nifty new mugs. But, don't fret, for the mugs will be up soon! In the meantime, it looks like it's filler for us!

I'd like to point our attentions to a witty comic series taking on the issues behind the science vs. pseudoscience debates: Cectic. From acupuncture and astral projection to homeopathy to Xenu, this comic satirizes the stances of the tinfoil hats and the ultra-religious and the medical quacks in an effort to promote reason in society. One in particular I thought I should share:




Essentially, that's what all tinfoil hat arguments boil down to, even long after the "evidences" for their claims are found to have been faked. In fact, a few of the posters in the background have been listed in the Museum of Hoaxes website. Another favourite is the one about the chemtrails, but I'll let you check them all out. Really, read Cectic.com, which updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.


And remember, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. When you've got an extraordinary claim with mediocre proof, you're gonna look pretty silly.

New Mugs - At the Store

Okay, so about a month ago, or at least the beginning of this month, I was at a Tuesday Morning store. I normally don't like going there, but I decided to come along (read: was dragged) with a relative of mine. A good decision it was, too, for the store had a ginormous selection of mugs from which to choose! Unfortunately, my camera's batteries were near dead, so I only got a chance to take a few shots.

The first mug in this evening's showcase is a fairly large mug. The body of the mug is yellow, with a white, black-spotted handle. In the blue box, in large, what appears to be Papyrus font, reads megalomaniacally, "I am the Queen." While I'm not sure about how well it would be against coffee scalds, I'm certain one may drink like a queen with this large mug.

Our next mug was just beside the Queenly Mug. This mug is ribbed in shape, painted in what I think is an awesome shade of dark-leaf green. Certain to hold well to coffee scalds, though it may not hold as much caffeinated goodness as the preceding mug.



Now, almost all the mugs there were fairly priced, ranging from two to three dollars. However, some were ludicrously expensive. Case in point, this rather nice, royal blue mug. This particular mug is made of a sort of stoneware material. And yes, you read that price tag correctly: they wanted $16.99 for their mug. While it is a nice mug, it cannot hold as much coffee as can the Queenly Mug, and, though it should be good against coffee burns, I can't imagine anyone willing to pay so much for a single mug when they can buy five mugs the same size, or larger!, for the same price. And note the top price: $34.00. I'd hate to be the person who paid that much for that mug.

Another item, or set of items, I found oddly expensive was set up on a shelf just a foot or so away. This creamer/sugar bowl set is finely decked in gold paint, with hand-painted cheetahs along the sides. The price for this set? $49.99. And that's with the prices "slashed." Their original price was, sit down for this, $150.00. I remember getting my own sugar bowl at a fraction of their "lowered" price. Certainly, they could have afforded to "hack and maim" the price further to at least meet that of two of my sugar bowls. Well, I will grant them that the bowl and creamer were rather large, but not by much.


Our next mug is sure to be a delight (or a disgust) to teachers! This mug is lean and tall, dressed in hand-painted apples. The leaves are peculiarly blue, but the depiction is otherwise elegant. The material itself is rather thin, and might not do well against conducting the heat of the coffee to one's hands, subsequently burning them. However, this mug might do well with apple cider, warmed or chilled (but not at the near-boiling temperatures of the high-octane).



Our final mug is a short, but rather cute mug. It is white, with mint-green handle and lip. In fact, all the colour added to the mug is exclusively mint-green, excepting for, of course, the outlining of the illustration: an adorable rooster (with red crest, waddle, and yellow beak, though mint-green through the rest), and some sort of plants. It seems to be somewhat thin, and may not be completely coffee-burn free, but it does seem to be a nice mug for an afternoon cup of coffee.

That concludes this set's worth of coffee mugs. Please return soon for either some filler material or more mugs! And please, don't forget to send me images and descriptions of your own mugs, along with your name (or nombre-del-Internet) to my e-mail at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com. I'd love to post them!

Friends Don't Forward Friends Crappy E-mails

I know, I know: it's been almost a month since I last posted anything coffee mug related. Oh wait, it actually *has* been a month - more so! - since the last line of mugs. Don't worry, I've got a whole bunch lined up for you! Firstly, though, I've gotta get something off my chest.

Fortunately, I've only been a victim of this sort of tragedy only once or twice. However, I have seen many more lives harmed by the (preventable) hazard, that monstrosity known as...The Forwarded Message. I do not mean any forwards that have some sort of actual value to them, such as "customer A would like print X done in Y fashion..." No, for what I am about to discuss is much, much worse.

The Forward has no actual value to it, except to clutter many an inbox, and possibly even kill a brain cell or two. Just why it gets passed around is still unknown, though many hypotheses have been put forth by those studying the phenomena, though these estimations are as varied as the different avatars of The Forward that exist. Indeed, The Forward has several different incarnations, each to appeal to a different audience, but ultimately, all have the same goal: forward this message to as many people as you can so this damned chain won't stop growing.

The first type, and my personal disfavor, is what I like to call the "Amusing Anecdotes", though these are not simply limited to stories, but jokes in general. What should be noted is the ironical use of the word "amusing", as oftentimes the contents of these messages barely break chuckle-worthy. Either a list of jokes or just one long story, these net-letters meant to "brighten one's day" typically, but not always, contain cheap clip art associated with the story. As they are normally targeted towards or sent by housewives and older women who like "cutesy" things, they should be sure to contain at least one joke that is either: mildly sexist a la "Mars vs. Venus"; blonde vs. brunette vs. redhead; or something related to aging/menopause. Those of the first category may contain cheap clip art of an elderly man, or photos of "cute guys" in compromising postures. Many of the jokes are simply copied and pasted from joke websites, unoriginal and even tired.
Example:

Hey! i just thought Id send you this message to brihgten up your day!!!! Thes e jokes are HILARIOUS!!!!!!

Once upon a time there was a female brain cell that by mistake happened to end up in a man's head.

She looked around nervously but it was all empty and quiet.

"Hello?" she cried, but no answer.

"Is there anyone here?" she cried a little louder, but still no answer.

Now the female brain cell started to feel alone and scared and again she yelled:

"HELLO, IS THERE ANYONE HERE!!?"

Then she heard a voice from far, far away:

"Hello! We're down here..."
HAHAHAHA! Oh, but theres more!!

A woman gives birth to a baby and afterward the doctor comes into the room and says, "I have something to tell you about your child.."

The woman slowly sits up with a worried look on her face and says, "What's wrong with it?"

The doctor says, "There's nothing really wrong with it, it's just a little different! It's a hermaphrodite."

The woman looks confused. "A hermaphrodite, what's that?"

The doctor replies, "It has both features of a male and a female."

The woman looks relieved. "What? You mean it has a penis AND a brain?"

So true!!!! Some more thigns to lightne your mood!!!

A blonde goes into a shop and sees a television set. She asks the clerk if she could purchase it, and he says, "No, we don't sell to blondes." She returns the next day, after dying her hair red, and asks to purchase the tv again. "No," he says once more, "we don't sell to blondes." Confused, the woman asks, "How did you know I was blonde?" "Because," the man said, "that's not a television set. That's a microwave oven."

So 3 blonds get stuck on a island. They find a magic lamp, and, after one tripped and consequently rubbed it, a genie came out and said he'd grant them each one wish. The first one wished that she were able to swim. After being granted the ability to swim, she tried to make it to mainland, but drowned. Another wished she was brunette; she built a boat and made it halfway, but it sunk and she drowned. The third wished she were a redhead, and when that was so, she just walked across the bridge.

Oh, and it gets worse - much worse. Just visit any pop-up ridden joke website that features "sexy" adverts, and you shall see what I mean.


The next sadly common forward is the "Sickeningly Syrupy Schmaltz". This forward contains what the folks behind Snopes.com call "glurge" - gushy, overly-sentimental stories involving puppies and kittens, or some woman (in most cases, the subject is a woman) who overcomes cancer, only to find a renewed faith in God (every case I've read, it's been the Christian God). These forwards are typically sent, again, to housewives and older women, sent either as an "inspirational message", or as one of those "send this to X many people and Y e-mail provider will donate 10 cents" chains. These also may contain low-quality clip art, possibly of angels and kittens.
Example:

Hello friends! I am so glad to write this, as I sit with my three lovely children: my two-month-old, my four-year-old, my six-year-old, and my twelve-year-old. My world is now a brighter place after having spent the past few months in the greatest turmoils.

Back in February, my mother had been in ICU for kidney failure and a bladder infection. She didn't have any insurance, so it cost us an arm and a leg just to get her through the door. We were already having financial problems because I was also trying to overcome massive credit card debt, and faced foreclosure and homelessness. I was still pregnant with Chase, my two-month-old, at the time. I was going to the hospital one day to see my mother when I was hit by another car speeding a light. The first thing I thought of was my baby, but I remembered that Ashlay, my six-year-old, was also with me in the car, and I hurried to the backseat to see that she was unconscious.

Well, we were immediately rushed to the hospital. I was so scared for both my babies' lives! It turns out that I was okay, just brused, but it turned out that my darling daughter had not only a concussion, but also leukemia! This was devastating news to my family. Then, to top things off, my twelve-year-old son Matt fell off his bike into a sewer and fell on his head, and the doctors called him a vegetable!

At this point, I was beginning to break down. I had not been at work in awhile because of all these problems, and so then I lost my job. The bills piled high, and no end in sight. I was just about to commit suicide (my god!) when I started praying to God. I prayed to him every night and every dawn. And, soon enough, my prayers were answered. First, my mother died - a pain to me, but also a relief, for we no longer had to pay for her medical bills. Then, I got a new job - a better job! Then, my children all got better! Then, all the bills got paid off!

Yes, I thank God and Jesus that I'm here today! It's by the hands of angels that my family was saved from ruin! AND, every forward of this letter, AOL will contribute ten cents to the Grief Stricken Families of America.

In the same "we're outrightly telling you to forward this" family comes its black sheep - the "Forward This Message or X will Happen to You". This forward is particularly menacing, containing a story about some person who died in some tragic way, and now that you, the curious one, have read the message, you're doomed to die in some painful manner at the hands of that if you don't forward the message to X many people. Oftentimes, this description is accompanied with an eerie picture of said person. These eerie forwards tend to be sent by the younger scene, around 13-17, or by anyone who is particularly superstitious.

Example:

Many years ago, a girl named Polly Anna Windlebee lived in a suburb very much like your own. She dabbled into the black arts and witchcraft. Unfortunately, she attracted the attentions of a serial rapist, who kidnapped her and killed her. He died within moments of dropping her body into a sewer. Her body was never found, though.
Last known picture of her:

Now that you've read this, she'll appear and kill you, unless you forward this to 11 of your friends within the next ten minutes. Your time is running up.

A similar e-mail in this family promises a reward for forwarding their message. It typically begins with some testimonial or happy story, maybe a "questionare", then followed by many, many series of ">>>>", possibly because of copy-pasta errors. Also, the different number of forwards you send grant you different rewards. These also tend to be spread amongst teens and those who believe that spamming their friends' inboxes will grant them their every desire.

Example:

>>>OMG!!!! This works!!!!
>>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Try this!!!
>>>>>OMG I didnt believe it either until I sent it! Before this, I was jsut a loner, no life, no nothing.
>>>But now, I'm living with the love of my life! We live in a condo in Florida, and I've got a great job as a pediatrician!
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>>>Make a wish!!!!!
>>>
>>>>>
>>
>>>>
>>>
>>If you send this to 0 ppl: your life will suck, and you won't get any.
>>If you send this to 5 ppl: your life will be ok
>>>if u send this to 10 ppl: you will have a happy life
>>>> if you send this to 20 ppl: you will live your dreams!!!!!!!!
only in the first ten minutes, though!!!!! So hurry!!!!!!!!!!!

And finally comes the ultimate teen forward: the "quiz". Once you know that Oprah, Robin Williams, Will Smith, and Robert Joy took this "quiz", you know you'll definitely want to take it, too! Essentially, it's some sort of yes/no or 1/2/3 type of survey, and when you add up the yes/nos or numbers, you'll end up in some sort of arbitrary personality category. Oftentimes used in conjunction with the immediately preceding type of e-mail forward.

Example:

>>>Hey!! Take this!!!!
>>
>>>Oprah took it! and she got a 32!!!!
>>>
>>>Robin Williams took it, and he got a 15!!!!
>>
>>>>>Will Smith took it, and he got a 242!!!!
>>>
>>>Robert Joy took it, and he got a 44!!!
>>
>>what is it?
>>>only the greatest personality finder ever!!!!
>>>grab a pen and pencil!
>>
>>>and put the number corresponding to your answer on paper! Then add em up and find your personality block!!!!
>>ready?
>>no peeking!!!!
>>GO!!!!!!!!!
1.) You're loaded with work, but you feel totally stressed. What do you do?: eat pudding (3); call your mom (17); chill with your pals at the bar (4); watch TV (2); work anyway (-4)
2.)You've been invited to your best friend's party and you agree to go, but your significant other's birthday celebration is at the same date and time! You: eat pudding (3); call off the engagement with significant other (5); call off engagement with friend (81); somehow squeeze in both (4)
3.) You're significant other has just proposed, even early in the relationship! You: eat pudding (3); reject the proposal (-8); accept the proposal (11); call your mom (52)
4.) You've won a trip to Jamaica! You: pack your bags (7); eat pudding (3); dance a jig (187); call your mom (15); hug your cat (4)
>>>If you got...
1-22: You're adventurous and spunky! You love thrills and excitement, and are a free spirit! You don't let anything get in your way, which sometimes becomes a problem when working with others, but you're still respected for your independence!
23-47: You're loyal and determined! You're a true friend, but don't go overboard. You hold your own opinions and ideas, but you can be a bit stubborn.
48-57: You are honest and creative! Though sometimes brutally honest, you are sure to let the truth shine! You also can come up with a creative solution to any problem! Art comes naturally to you!
Oh, and if you forward this message to your friends, youre dreams will come true and you'll have a boy/girlfriend!!!!!

Those are all the forwards I have come across in my adventures on the internet. If you have any edits you'd like made, don't be shy, and comment or e-mail me at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com. Also, e-mail me with any of your mugshots!
Next spleen vent: "Crappy Clip Art Does *not* Make Your Website/E-mail Look Cool"

UPDATE: Furthermore, don't open e-mail attachments that you aren't expecting! That's how people get viruses! Oi vey!

Drug Mugs

This post shall be rather brief, considering I had less mugs on this topic than previously thought. Looks like yours truly shall need to make a little trip to the Goodwill...

Anyway, today's (or tonight's) post showcases coffee mugs obtained at drug rep conferences or wherever my social worker mother got them from. Let us begin!

Our first mug is a nice little (well, not exactly little) purple plastic vessel, labeled by the drug it's promoting, Zyprexa. Zyprexa is a drug for treating schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder. It's an antipsychotic that works to balance chemicals in the brain, treating any symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations and delusions, and manic bipolar disorder, such as irritability and anxiety.

As a coffeemug, it's very good when handling hot coffee, because it's made of a thick, sturdy plastic. I especially like the logo, with the white silhouettes combining to make a darker silhouette of one person (note: I'm not implying that schizophrenia = MPD. MPD is where you think you're mutiple people. Schizophrenia is where you hear 'em).

Moving onward, we come to our next "drug mug", this one for Risperdal. Risperdal is also used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania, as well as autistic disorder. It can be ingested in liquid, pill, or tablet form. The logo doesn't really make sense to me, but it does look pretty cool. I haven't really used the mug that often, but considering it's made of the standard coffee mug material, I'd assume it wouldn't be great for straight-from-the-pot coffee unless you use a lot of milk/cream. Really, though, nothing much noteworthy about this one. Oh, but it does have the size of the tablets mentioned. "1,2,3,4 mg tablets / oral solution 1mg/mL" reads the small font. Ah, but this is not the last of Risperdal, as we shall see!




For, my comrades, this delicate mug has a cousin who has a penchant for traveling, and typically wears a spiffy cap. In this photo, it isn't, but it is sporting its normal vivid red plastic jacket on its stainless steel frame. The particular type of Risperdal, Red M-Tab, is, according to the little fold-up pamphlet that came with it, for the elderly with dementia. This mug is a very good insulator, and keeps my paws protected from the pain of coffee burns. There's also a plastic handle to secure the hand onto the mug.



Our next and final mug is an even better insulator, and looks a lot cooler, too. To break away from the schizophrenia treatments, Lexapro is used to treat depression and anxiety. The logo, itself, makes it a point, with the image of a spirit finally freeing itself from the abysmal spirals of clinical sadness and fear (note: depression and anxiety are different from just feeling "down in the dumps" or "a little worried"). This stainless steel mug is covered with a thick plastic, just enough to keep the heat in, but not so much that my hands aren't nice and warm. The plastic even has a purple tinge to it, which is definitely a plus. The cap seals nice and tight, so the most that is ever spilled comes out of the slide-open spout at the top. This one is definitely my favourite travel mug, and more should be made just like it (after all, there are other mugs made of cheap plastic, and what good is a mug if you can't even carry it?).

Well, that's all for this installation of Mugshots. At some point, I might actually begin posting regularly. Until then, you'll just have to wait 'til whenever, eh? If you have any mugshots you'd like posted (please limit those mugs to those of the coffee cup variety), just send them to me, at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com, and I'll be sure to post them...at some point.

Happy Darwin Day!

Happy Darwin Day, everyone! I hope you're having fun enlightening yourselves on the significance of Charles Darwin's contributions to biological science. If not, go do so.

I know you've all been waiting on the edge of your seats for the latest installment of Mugshots, but, unfortunately, the wait is still on. I haven't posted in so long, and will continue to procra- I mean prepare the next posting. The thing is, I've been having this very bad ant problem. I know, I know, you're probably thinking, "WTF it's winter! The ants shouldn't be invading kitchens!" Well, these aren't your ordinary, everyday ants, dear comrade. These are ginormous ants! Fortunately, I was able to get a good picture of one stealing a piece of cappuccino-flavoured cookie before I ran to grab the Industrial-Grade Raid. And by "good", I mean "very blurry but still able to see something that kinda looks like an ant."
See its beady little eyes? Well, I did, at least. Man, that thing was scary. And you know, where there's one ant, there's bound to be a zillion more somewhere in the vicinity. And sure enough, one was hiding behind the bag o' bread.Fortunately, I was able to kill the one stealing my coffee cookies. Its head kinda popped off, but I've finally figured out why these ants are so ginormous.They're RADIOACTIVE!!!!

So, now my kitchen is on lockdown, meaning the next series of mugs will be awhile. Meanwhile, I'll be locked away in my office, with my bug spray, ready for the final invasion.

Oh yes, and if you have any pictures of coffee mugs, just e-mail 'em to me at metal_enthalpy@yahoo.com, and I'll post 'em on here!

The (Belated) Obligatory Holiday Special

I went through my coffee cabinet this evening and pulled out a dandy little holiday collection for today's post.


Our first cup of the evening is a cute little Snowman/Bear mug. First found in the ornament box in the attic last year, actually pulled out of the box and placed in the cabinet this year of tree decorating, I have no idea of its exact origins. The mug is made of a thin material, and glossed over; cute, but not good against coffee scalding. While I've never really used this mug, my coffee senses tell me that that is the case.



Moving on, we come to an old mug that must have been in the Cabinet ever since I was a tadpole. It's very simple in design: a pair of candy canes, some holly, and "Happy Holidays", written in a green, what appears to be Comic Sans typeface. I've only used this mug for my hot chocolate, but a good hot chocolate mug it is!




This next mug is another one of those mugs whose origins are unknown. However, unlike mugs past, there is a clue: a torn, worn "Michael's" label sticker on the bottom, partially removed from washings. It depicts a Christmas Tree (or, a "Family Tree" or "Holiday Tree", as some would refer to it) with its string of bulbs and lights, and a simple, yellow, five-pointed star at the top; an image repeated on both sides. The mug is basically the same as the previously mentioned floral mug, though shorter. I've only used this mug for hot chocolate, as well, and again, it seems to do a good job in protecting my hands from indirect coffee burns.


Our fourth mug is the second most recent addition to the Cabinet, just received this past Christmas season from a comrade of mine. Its simple red-and-green stripes and spots certainly give this mug the flair of early twenty-first century design. The red circle contains the word "merry" in what appears to be a white, Tahoma- or Verdana-like typeface; either way, that's a rather accurate description of what coffee brings. It's a rather large mug, albeit it never seems to hold enough coffee. ;) I've used it on several occasions within the past few weeks, and it seems to do a fine enough job in the thermal insulation department.


The fifth, and newest addition to the Cabinet is a cute little penguin mug I received on Christmas Eve. For some reason, folks must apparently associate me with penguins, for I've received two penguin ornaments, penguin socks, this mug, at least one card, and I'm certain a couple other penguin-themed items this past holiday. So what if I wear a couple penguin T-shirts, a pair of socks, and own several plushies? So what if I tend to dress in only black and white, have a diet primarily consisting of fish, and am a better swimmer than flier, not to mention my webbed-toe condition and squawky voice? But I digress. On this mug are three rather adorable little penguins, the two outermost ones waving to each other, and the middle apparently confused as to whether they are the one receiving the greetings or not. It's apparently snowing in this scene, as shown by the jacks-like depiction of snowflakes. Upon the mug are written the words, "JOY", and "LOVE", which are exactly the things that coffee brings. As it's somewhat similar in material to aforementioned Christmas/Holiday/Family Tree mug, I've never gotten burnt hands from using it. I'd have to say that this mug is my favourite, alongside by Zyprexa mug, which I shall discuss next post.


That's all for this evening's post. Please return next time for a lovely little round of coffee mugs to promote various different psychological drugs!

Mugshots

My friend and I were conversing about the rather large number of coffee mugs I have. "Yeah," I said. "I could take a series of photographs of them and call them 'mugshots'!" We had a good laugh, when she said that it would actually be a good idea. And thus, I give you this Blogger.

Mugshots is simply an entertaining site, where I, and hopefully any readers out there, may share their caffeinated (or decaffeinated) images. I may discuss about what's on the mug, the history of whatever that may be, or just history in general (because history and coffee go fantastically well together!).