This is a short blog today, folks. However, it’s still important, because my dog celebrated his 12th birthday last week. And when I say he celebrated, I mean we did.
Indy did find the time to relax on his birthday, thankfully, because the day was packed full of naps, snacks, and snoozes, along with a walk and car rides. UMC2 made him a birthday card, so on Indy’s birthday, UMC2 presented it and explained the features of the card to him.
Indy did receive some new dog treats, and I was quite surprised that he actually liked them because he’s still hassling us to give him more.
It’s hard work being this awesome all the time.
As much as I would like to talk about Indy’s birthday, there’s one thing I can’t avoid and don’t like discussing: his age. He’s now 12 years old, and because dogs age at a different rate than humans; along with their size, he is roughly 65 human years old. Indy is basically a pensioner now, so if he were human, he would probably vote for NZ First and that young Winston Peters.
I’m starting to cry as I write this, because jokes aside, I have to face the reality that we have a senior dog. The warning signs have been there for awhile now. He tried jumping up onto the bed and knocked his front left leg, a few months ago. We’re quite conscious of the height of the bed, so we’re trying to teach him to walk up a ramp, so he can sleep on the bed. He’s not a fan of the ramp.
He still enjoys walks, but he gets tired a lot faster than he used to. Because of this, we try and go for shorter walks with him. Even when Indy is running around in circles, whether he’s inside or outside, he doesn’t go for very long before he needs a rest. We have even changed his dog food to senior dog food.
My previous dog died when he was 10 years old, and it broke my heart. Because of that, I didn’t allow myself to get close to dogs again, even though I love them. That worked until I met my future wife and her dog. Dammit.
Strangely, Indy gave me therapy sessions, when I didn’t even realise I needed them. And now he sleeps on my pillow and clothes. It’s a good reason to put my clothes away, otherwise I’ll just be walking around smelling like a Bichon.
Anyway, we have a senior dog now, and his birthday has just made us appreciate him even more. Even when he is blitzing around the house at 3 am.
Does anybody have a senior pet? How has it changed the way you care for them? As always, please let me know.
Like I said before, I’m sorry, but this blog was shorter this week. Having said that, the Tour of the Solar System returns next week, so prepare yourself! Thank you once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. My advice for this week is simple: go and spend some extra time with your pets and I’ll see you next week.
I love history, so please remember that I’m a geek. I remember my family owned an extremely outdated encyclopedia set that I would read through; mainly for the history sections, though I’ve never read Grays Sports Almanac: Complete Sports Statistics 1950-2000.
I love trying to understand why certain historical events have happened, when they happened, who was involved, what actually happened, how they are connected to the present, and of course, whether the Doctor was involved or not.
I’ve just stopped and read what I’ve written, and I couldn’t have sounded more of a geek, than if I had actually tried. Anyway, this is why I have developed a useless ability to remember the dates of historical events. This ability doesn’t help me socially or professionally, but it does keep me at home and prevents me from trading comic books in dark alleys.
The point of this ramble is that my love of history led me to love We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel. If I ever produce a soundtrack to my life, We Didn’t Start the Fire will be on it.
If you have no idea about the song or have never heard it, then sit down, relax, and prepare yourself.
We Didn’t Start the Fire was released in the much more innocent time of 1989, when Bill Cosby was the king of sitcoms, Donald Trump was still married to Ivana, Harvey Weinstein had started as an executive producer, Vladimir Putin was still in the KGB, and Kim Jong Un was five years old.
The song reached number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100 in 1989 and has become part of pop culture with various themes. Over the years, critics of the song have trashed it, along with Billy Joel himself, coming out and stating his dislike for it.
So what is the song about? Well, I’m not intelligent enough to break the song down into its musical components, but what I am going to do is gush over the lyrics.
To me, it’s like rap, because the words are rapid-fire, and they are about events and people from the 20th century, circa 1948-1989. The historical references have influenced the United States, but also the world, both positively and negatively, which makes them extremely important; well, at least to me.
As for the chorus, several people could give you different explanations for the meaning behind the lyrics, but for what it’s worth, I’m probably wrong. However, I’ll let you know what it means to me.
We didn’t start the fire It was always burning, since the world’s been turning We didn’t start the fire No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it
The fire could represent multiple things like violence, hatred, war, bigotry, racism, sexism, and capitalism. It could be all of them or none of them; though the point is that the fire has existed and been burning since we descended from the trees and spread out across Eastern and Southern Africa.
The world of 2024 didn’t start the fire, nor did the world of 1989. Events and people have compounded and added to national and international problems over the centuries; and in the case of the song, decades. This means the next generation has to fight and solve the issues created by previous generations; even though they have been trying to stop the spread of the fire. At least to me, it does.
We didn’t start the fire It was always burning, since the world’s been turning We didn’t start the fire But when we are gone It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on
After every single person who is alive at this moment in time has died, the world will still continue to turn, and the fire will still be burning, awaiting the next generation of people to meet it. In 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, or 250 years, the fire will continue to burn, just as it always has.
Some of the best messages; again, at least to me, in the song are these:
If we don’t understand the past, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
You are not personally guilty, along with your generation, for the condition of the world, whether its politically, socially, physically, etc.
What you can be guilty of, is what you are going to do about the condition of the world.
And the coolest message in the song is this:
People have the capacity for tremendous evil, just as they have the capacity for amazing good. As a species, we will never stop the fire from burning, we just can’t. But what we can do is fight the spread of the fire, through our own actions, along with our children and grandchildren, by teaching them to care. If we can restrict and limit the spread of the fire, the damage will be least destructive for us, and for future generations. I feel we can do this through information, knowledge and education; you know, that old chestnut.
In a small way, and in the greatest example of my hubris, the vanity project that is Some Geek Told Me, is an ode to We Didn’t Start the Fire. One of the factors for Some Geek Told Me’s creation, was feeling I wasn’t doing enough to fight the spread of the fire.
We Didn’t Start the Fire is one of my favourite songs, so I decided to try and back up my big mouth and actually do something. I know it’s hubris, I really do, and I know Billy Joel would deem this quite sad, but I’m ok with that.
Having said all of this, I’m starting a new project within Some Geek Told Me. I realise many other people have already done this, but I’m going to take a crack at it. Just like the Tour of the Solar System, I’m going to have a monthly blog post about We Didn’t Start the Fire, looking at the historical references.
I’m going to talk about them in groups, like 1955-1957, or 1958-1961, rather than in decades or simply as years. There are 118 historical references in the song, so this poorly constructed idea will take some time. You have been warned. The music video is quite outstanding as well. Again, to my geeky arse, it is.
Well, that’s it for another week. Thank you once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, paint a rainbow, and I’ll see you next week.
If you’re a long-time reader of this wildly inconsistent blog, then you must have known that this post was coming. At some point, this blog was going to appear; and just like Thanos, it was inevitable.
I try to write about entertaining things on New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website, but also things that interest me, as well as world events; whether they’re positive or negative. Since you would have already used your amazing powers of observational deduction; that would have impressed the residents of 221B Baker Street, that this post will not exactly be positive.
I enjoy eating food, mainly because it helps me to live, but also because of the fantastic tastes and flavours. However, as you can imagine, I don’t love everything. There are some foods that I dislike so much, that I’m prejudiced against them.
I know, I’m not a perfect person, because I’m not Chuck Norris. This was because I was participating in a very dangerous activity the other day; I was having an independent thought. This strange event caused me to decide to talk about some of my food grievances. There are only three foods that have made the list for this volume, but I promise you, there will be more volumes.
Without dragging this out like a villain’s monologue, let’s dive into Food and Prejudice: Volume 1!
I have been waffling on about this for some time now, but for anybody new, I’ll explain: I hate Sour Cream and Chives. I hate it. This covers chips, crisps, sauces, crackers, dips, rice cakes, and anything else that this abomination of humanity has spread to. It’s disgusting and I’m positive that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, wear it as cologne.
I just don’t understand the point of this flavour existing, when someone could have Salt and Vinegar, Barbeque, or Chicken instead. It’s like some company had a focus group, and they discovered that the public disliked certain flavours. Then the overpaid executives started talking:
“Hey, instead of never using chives or sour cream with any of our products, let’s add them together!”
“That would be amazing!”
“I have a good feeling that some guy in New Zealand would love it.”
“Instead of calling it, “Demon’s Arse Breath”, let’s call it “Sour Cream and Chives!”
After reading this, I’m pretty confident that’s how it actually happened. In my experience, smelling Sour Cream and Chives, makes my face look like I had witnessed the All Blacks losing to Japan, 75-0. Tasting Sour Cream and Chives is like if I was one of the All Blacks that had lost 75-0 to Japan.
People adding awful things like Sour Cream and Chives together is like adding climate change data to tax forms. They both suck independently, but now, you have just made things worse. That flavour really is awful.1
Source: The Food Journal
Corn
Because we’ve been together for some time now, I’ll make a confession. As you know, I hate Sour Cream and Chives. I loathe it. However, whatever I feel about Sour Cream and Chives, falls at the altar of despair over what I feel about Corn.
It’s like I’m the hero, and Sour Cream and Chives is Lex Luthor, The Joker, Doctor Doom, or the Green Goblin; aka your greatest enemy or arch nemesis. You deal with your arch nemesis quite often; even daily sometimes. They are your enemy like you are theirs. You are doomed to dance together forever, and even in death, you will never be free of them.
But not all villains or enemies can be your greatest. Some villains don’t just desire your demise, they want to destroy everything. This is because they are your most dangerous enemy. Think of Doomsday, Ra’s al Ghul, Galactus, or Carnage; basically if one of these villains turns up, you need to stop what you’re doing, because shit just got real.
As for me, my most dangerous enemy is Corn. If Corn turns up, things have escalated extremely quickly. Corn wrecks everything it touches, apart from corn chips.
I’m serious about Corn so much, that I spell it with an uppercase letter. It’s not corn, but Corn!! If I’m eating a pie and Corn reveals itself, I will stop eating and ask one simple question, “Why in the nine levels of Dante’s Hell, is there Corn in my pie?!”
If I’m eating a particular soup and Corn ambushes me, my response is clear. “Who is the smooth-brained mouth breather, that put Corn in this?!”
I’m not ashamed to admit this, I can’t handle Corn. I just can’t do it. Corn chips are easy, and I love them; but Corn…
I can’t even handle the smell of it, let alone the taste. As soon as I smell that yellow putrid odour, I start gagging. As for the taste; if Sour Cream and Chives taste like Demon’s Arse Breath, then Corn tastes like regurgitated Zombie Dung Beetle vomit.
Even as a boy, I knew the dangers of Corn. Growing up, my family had fallen under its repulsive influence, but not me. I’m a survivor. I spent my life checking foods and beverages for Corn, but also visiting other countries and discovering that Corn can hide itself in things you had never heard or thought of.
Whether it’s tragic irony or poetic justice, my wife loves Corn. I knew this about her before we married, but I married her anyway. Nobody is perfect, although I do have a rule with her though; the lips that have immediately touched Corn, will not touch mine.
I don’t want to give people the impression that I don’t eat vegetables, because that’s not true. I just don’t eat all vegetables. Case in point, may I present beetroot. It’s a stupid name for a stupid vegetable.
I’m not prejudiced against beetroot to the same extent as Sour Cream and Chives or Corn, but I still hate it. Yes, I know beetroot have many health benefits, as well as being part of a staple diet in many countries, but like I said before, I still hate it.
For me, I find beetroot’s taste and texture to be quite slimy, so I’m not sure whether anybody agrees with me on this. If I find beetroot in or on my food, I treat it with a mild level of disdain and remove it as quickly as possible, without drawing too much attention to it.
This of course is a mote point, if the beetroot has stained the surrounding food with that reddish/purplish colour. It’s like the beetroot has bled everywhere on purpose, just to make you go hungry, knowing you won’t eat that food now. In my humble opinion, that’s quite petty and vindictive.
Beetroot is not dangerous, it’s just gross, sad, and annoying.
Do you agree with any of my food prejudices? What are yours? As always, please let me know.
It’s been a busy week. Qatar won the Asian Cup for the second time, Ivory Coast won the African Cup of Nations for the third time, and the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl for the fourth time. Nice.
That’s it for another blog and another week. Thank you once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on X and Mastodon if you want to complain about me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch out for dodgy cats, and I’ll see you next week.
1.) My wife walked in and read this, so she asked me to include the fact that she, the dog, UMC1 and UMC2 all love Sour Cream and Chives. Apparently, I’m the only sensible onein the family.
For this week’s rant, I would like to talk about money; in particular, US$88.3 million. You may be asking yourself, “Scott, that’s a precise amount of money you’re mentioning, what’s going on?”
That’s very perceptive of you to notice, ka pai! If you haven’t already heard, you may need to sit down for this. Donald J. Trump, everybody’s favourite ex-president, was involved in a second defamation lawsuit brought against him by E. Jean Carroll.
Trump had previously been found guilty, of defaming and sexually abusing Carroll, in May 2023. This resulted in Trump having to pay $5 million to Carroll in damages.
Fast forward to the second defamation lawsuit, where on 26th January 2024, a jury of his peers assessed the trial and handed him two fines, $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages, to be paid to Carroll. There are a lot of other factors in these two cases, but the crux of it is this: the court had awarded Carroll $88.3 million in damages, and Trump is legally required to pay it.
I’m aware that Trump is appealling the decision, but I really want to talk that figure: $88.3 million. To me, that number is an astronomical amount for a single person to pay. It’s more money than a huge percentage of the world’s population would ever see or earn.
Which brings us to the question; what can you buy with $88.3 million?
I realise that the US currency is not the only currency that exists in the world, I mean New Zealand uses polymer Monopoly-type bank notes. That being the case, the fines were in US currency, so that’s the currency I’ll be using.
Before I start, I need to add three points:
1.) Any conversion of foreign currency will be accurate at the time of writing this blog.
2.) The price of any shares will be accurate at the time of writing this blog.
3.) Some suggestions will have a price tag, others will be donating to charities or organisations.
Awesome, let’s put on our imagination hats and on behalf of E. Jean Carroll, let’s spend $88.3 million on things that Trump would love.
I’m sure Trump would approve of every single one of these wonderful selections, for Carroll to spend his money on.
This is all fun and games, but if we are allowed to be serious, there are thousands of worthwhile charities, NGOs, and groups in the world; which cover every possible theme or cause. $88.3 million could go a long way in helping a vast amount of people, in a short amount of time.
$88.3 million. That figure still staggers me, all because a 77-year-old man, could not stop insulting an 80-year-old woman. I wonder what a third defamation lawsuit would look like? Damages over $100 million? $125 million? Higher?
If the court awarded you $88.3 million of Trump’s money, what would you do? As always, please let me know.
That’s it for another blog and another week. Thank you so much for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the African Cup of Nations and Asian Cup Finals, and I’ll see you next week.
SOME GEEK TOLD ME 
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