Came to the computer, needing to print. Hit print button. No joy. Look at the display. No display. No flashy little lights on the console. All symptoms point to loss of power.

Can't be loss of power. Printer's had power non-stop for almost 2 years. It's even on the UPS.

Look around the room. Computer on. Lights on. House has power. But printer acts like it has no power.

But it can't be power loss. Printer's had power non-stop for almost 2 years.

Scratch head. Apply Occam's razor. Simplest answer is that printer has no power. Sigh. It's pointless and time wasting, but try anyway. Check power connector on back of printer. It's snug. Follow cable. Follow cable over bookcase. Follow cable under chair cushion. Finally get to wall.

Fuck. Printer not on UPS. Printer not plugged in. Wife unplugged printer to charge cell phone. Why cellphone charger needs uninterruptable power? Question for another day.

Sigh. "That's why we ask stupid troubleshooting questions."

Dammit.

Sorry for the lack of posts. The MBDU (that's Marital Bliss Dispenser Unit, for my non-geek friends) and I have been gearing up for baby!

But while I have your attention: Walter Williams has an excellent piece on Townhall today talking about idiotic ideas like "if it will save just one life, it's worth it." He wisely points out that people who do things to "save just one life" see only the benefit while ignoring the cost. Check it out here.

Okay, listen up restaurant owners, because I'm only going to say this one more time:

Stop using nasty ketchup!

There is only One True Ketchup^tm and that is Heinz. Hunt's is allowed if you can't find Heinz, but there are no other acceptable ketchup brands. At least not in the USA.

Now, those of you who care to look will find messages from me in alt.ketchup from the late 80's and early 90's extolling the virtues of mustard over ketchup. But I wrote those messages when I was still a teenager, and didn't understand that while off-brand mustard is palatable, generic ketchup is pure evil. Please forgive my youthful ignorance.

I just picked up a burger and fries from a local mom-and-pop burger joint. They gave me "House Recipe^(r) Tomato Ketchup^(u)". And it is fucking gross. ARGH!

Listen, people: I know that buying the right ketchup is a little bit more costly. But saving a few cents per burger is not worth alienating customers by feeding them toxic waste. STOP DOING IT AT ONCE.

Oh, and let me end by saying that there is a special circle of Hell reserved for you restauranteurs who refill Heinz bottles with generic ketchup-esque puke. Really, you people should just eat kittens and get it over with.

Update 2/10/07:

Today, my wife and I sat down to lunch and I put a brand new bottle of Heinz on the table. Cecilia is from Argentina and has only been in the USA for 3 years. She is not used to a lot of American brands. When she saw the Heinz, she said to me "I'm so glad you got that. I've decided that that brand is my favorite." I tell you, folks, I haven't been so proud since she and I watched Arnold Schwarzenegger speaking at the last Republican Convention and she told me that, if she was allowed to vote, she would vote Republican.