But it will take the first commenter with an idea to make this post truly shine.
UPDATE:
For Freida Bee – an iSplotchy upgraded with a John Oates ‘stache circa ’85 and fanny pack combo. 
Pretty Much Everything That Is Wrong With Capitalism, Crystallized In A Single Moment
I got up very early on Friday morning, much earlier than I normally do. I decided to go into work.
After I left the train station, and walked to my place of work, I stopped as cars were exiting the Eisenhower expressway to downtown.
In this case, they weren’t your average cars, but were three trucks in a line, and looked very similar to this:
If it’s not clear to you, the above picture is of a truck that is *not* pulling a container that can haul stuff. All that truck is pulling is a two-sided billboard.
I was witness to what I assume was the beginning of a long day of driving for these trucks. Their drivers were given the task of weaving through busy sections of Chicago to advertise — that’s it, just advertisement, for it’s own sake.
I’ve always said increased traffic congestion, environmental pollution and dependence on foreign oil were signs of a great ad.
Thunderbirds Are GO!
As of today, it’s only one month until I start helping build homes for the New Orleans Area Habitat For Humanity.
I’ll be working there from Tuesday, December 18th, through Saturday, December 22nd. A buddy of mine and I will be driving down to New Orleans on the 16th.
I didn’t have a lot of wiggle room for when I was going down, as MizSplotchy is going to grad school now and I can’t really be gone for any stretch of time when she’s in class.
I know Bubs has plans to go down there sometime in the spring. I’d really encourage anyone reading this to consider going down there to help out.
I’ll do my best to report on the state of things, and how they have changed (or not) since I was last down there, in March of 2006. I’m planning on taking lots of pictures — homebuilding, fried pickle-eating, y’know, the “highlights”.
Read a little more about the project at my previous post here.
Weekend Doodle
If you don’t know the drill — first commenter with an idea gets a doodle.
UPDATE:
For Manx – an Alien talking to a Predator on a rotary telephone. 
A Completely Legal, Safe And Free Pyramid Scheme Where Everyone Wins (Some More Than Others)
Hello, my good blogfriends!
My name is Strudel, a mysterious gentleman of indeterminate ethnic origin! Splotchy has asked me to help him with his little website, and so, I help! What can I do, but help? That is who I am, after all. I am Strudel.
I want to learn you an exciting new opportunity in the realm of Technorati Authority magic! As Mister Bearded Man Dorion Carroll will tell you in a post on his own famous Technorati blog:
The Technorati Top 100 shows the most popular 100 blogs based on Technorati Authority. The #1 ranked blog is the blog with the most other distinct blogs linking to it in the last 6 months. If your blog’s rank is, say 305,316, this indicates that there are 305,315 blog ranks separating your blog from the #1 position.
Ha, ha, ha! That is a good one, Mister Dorion Carroll. What else you have to say?
The best way to increase your Technorati Authority is to write things that are interesting to other bloggers so they’ll link to you. Linking to source material when you blog is also a great way to engage in conversation and help others find what you find interesting.
Ha, ha, HA! That is so very funny, Mister Dorion Carroll.
But to be serious men and ladies. I have for you a onetime offer. You do not need to write interesting things. You do not need to engage your conversation. I can give you Technorati Authority beyond your wild blogger imaginings. I have foolproof way to improve your Authority so much it grow bigger than BoinkBoink!
Here is my idea, which Mr. Splotchy says I may to share with you.
It does not cost you anything. It is free. I GIVE TO YOU.
You take Mister Splotchy’s website address.
It is this:
http://isplotchy.com/blog
You take this address and you make link to it on your blog. Then you get five people to list Mister Splotchy’s address and YOUR blog address. You see where I go with this?
Them people that put yours and Mister Splotchy address gets five more people to list THEIR address, YOUR address and Mister Splotchy address.
Abacabra! You have many new points to your Authority. You see?
No?
You want picture?
See you later, high-ranked Technorati Authority brothers and sisters!
Happy Burgess Meredith Remembrance Day!
I feel terrible. A remembrance holiday I created and I almost forgot the dang thing.
When I first announced this holiday, I mentioned it was going to be Mr. Meredith’s 100th birthday.
I had gotten his birthdate from his IMDB entry, but after looking at a few more sites, I think he was born in 1908, not 1907, so this is actually his 99th birthday (I’m shocked, SHOCKED at a factual error on the IMDB).
What is there to say about the man? I first saw him as the Penguin on reruns of the old Adam West Batman TV show. How many of you reading this can instantly hear his wonderful Penguin laugh?
Jon Stewart has incorporated it into his frequent impressions of Dick Cheney.
Then I saw him as Mickey in the Rocky films:
A couple years later I saw a performance that really moved me — Henry Bemis in The Twilight Zone episode ,”Time Enough At Last”. In a documentary I watched about Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone, a talking head mentioned that Serling protagonists are often people with fatal character flaws, that in the end get their comeuppance. But for Henry Bemis, when he breaks his glasses and says, “It’s not fair — It’s not fair”, it really *isn’t* fair – he really didn’t deserve the fate given to him.
It’s one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes.
Please join me in remembering Burgess Meredith.
Happy Burgess Meredith Remembrance Day!
Baklava The Bear
I apologize for leaving my readers in suspense about my brother’s involvement with the game World Of Warcraft (WoW). When we last left him, he hadn’t decided whether he would go beyond the initial 10-day free trial and actually start paying to play the game.
Would he would decide to pony up some money to continue playing Baklava the Night Elf Druid and Mazgul the Undead Mage? Or would he quit the game cold turkey, abandoning his characters to be deleted by some underpaid sysadmin?
What? You weren’t in suspense? Is that ice water in your veins?
Baklava and Mazgul are alive, for the moment. My brother paid 20 bucks for a licensed copy of the game, which gave him 30 more days of hot WoW action.
He was nice enough to take some screenshots for me, so now you can begin to see these heroic characters in all their glory.
This post will be devoted to Baklava. I’m sorry, Mazgul fans. You’re going to have to wait a little longer to get your Undead Mage fix.
Baklava from the main character screen. My brother calls it his ‘class photo’.
Baklava is now at Level 14, and has the ability to use a whole new slew of spells. But, a lot of time has been spent transforming into a bear, a skill a Druid can acquire at Level 10.
Baklava The Bear
I told you Baklava was a mighty hunter of deer-that-don’t-fight-back.
Now you can witness the epic battle!
Click on the pictures to get even larger images of the carnage!
Spotting his prey
Unleashing a ridiculous amount of damage via a ‘Wrath’ spell
Baklava Triumphant
Attempts to get a good pelt from the carcass prove to be unsuccessful
Baklava isn’t just about the hunting. He is also making lots of different kinds of food. He now knows how to make spice bread and herbed eggs (eating food heals you, though I think my brother gets a perverse pleasure from the act of virtually cooking for it’s own sake). Baklava is currently considering pursuing Herbology as a hobby.
Baklava has recently also taken up fishing
Another thing Baklava likes to do is sit on things. Do not question why. Baklava does not need to answer your foolish questions.
Sitting in the middle of a campfire
Baklava rides a Hippogriff
And now, the icing on the cake. A hot night elf babe.
Whoops, My Earnestness Is Showing
As so many bloggers I read are great about analyzing, critiquing and clamoring about aspects of the Bush Presidency (I give praise to them for doing so), I often feel whatever I would say about it has already been said.
However, seeing as there doesn’t seem to be a great amount of activity about the ongoing writer’s strike in what I regularly read, I guess I’ll just step up to the microphone for a bit.
SIGN the petition to support the WGA strike.
READ about the latest strike news
LISTEN to Billy Bragg – There Is Power In A Union
While you’re at it, read this and VOLUNTEER — the writers need support, but there are plenty others who need it more.
Yes, I Am Running Out Of Clever Ways To Announce A 60 Second Doodle
First commenter with a doodle idea gets that doodle. Subsequent commenters can pick up a Meaningless Cherry Award.
UPDATE:
For Jess – When radishes attack!
