New(ish) poll: CERN Super-collider and you

Apparently, the Kiwis are a bit of a nervous lot. A poll conducted here last month said more than a quarter of New Zealanders were "moderately to very concerned" that the new European super-collider at CERN would create a mini-black hole that would suck in the planet. As if France wasn't bad enough...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4703183a11.html

The government is really pushing disaster preparedness of late, running adverts for people to put together disaster kits at home. What would such a kit need in the event of a black hole, I wonder? I will consult with the leading rocket scientists back in Los Alamos and get back to you, my astute readers...

The Sixth Sense

I am proud to announce that, after a long delay (approximately nine years after the rest of the Western Hemisphere), I have watched "The Sixth Sense." However, some evil schmuck told me what the twist was a while ago, and it kinda ruined the moment, I must say.

Creature Comforts of Home

On Saturday night, my friend Kendall hosted a BBQ at her house, down the block from mine. Kendall provided salads ("you don't win friends with salad!") and nibbles; we provided the meat and beer. I brought along some Monteith's Doppelbock and threw a pint glass into the freezer to properly enjoy it. The day had been stunningly beautiful - a high in the 70s under clear skies, which was a nice break from winter. Just setting the scene here...

Now, my friend Andrew has been raving lately about these burgers = Angel Bay (available at New World), and I had bought some to try out at the BBQ. I decided to go out in style, so I got all the best ingredients - fresh lettuce and tomato (tuh-mah-toe), the best Tasty cheese (for a country that allegedly produces 35% of the world's dairy products, we certainly don't have a good selection of cheese from which to choose!), bakery buns, and my secret ingredient - a can of Hatch green chile smuggled in by Terry Goldman. Four thick patties went on the grill to sizzle in greasy goodness, while I cut up the fixins. The buns went on for a toasting too, while the cheese melted on the burgers - this was a new concept to the Kiwis in the room. Finally, the burgers were assembled, with the appropriate topping of green chile inserted between the cheese and lettuce and tomato. All together, each fresh-off-the-grill burger was about 5 inches of culinary perfection; oh, if only I had a picture to cherish the memory! I managed to get through two burgers and one frosty glass of doppelbock before throwing in the towel - and if I had kicked the bucket too, I would have died a happy man.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, hopefully, your mouth has started watering by now, so you too can understand how the occasional comforts of home really make the difference, even in faraway lands that have a completely different definition of a comfort of home...