Binkomonster!

Schadenfreude isn't good

So according to Webster's, the official definition = 'satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune'. Yep. That would be Schadenfreude allright. And it's icky. Right up there with holding a grudge, and being envious. But it's a tough rock to put down. And that's why you shouldn't every pick it up.
Monday has arrived and with it all manner of nasty gremlins. The connection to the 'man's' domain doesn't work, the 'man' continues to wield the whip, 'minions' for the man are running around in panic and chaos (again, for the millionth time). The weekend wasn't bad for a change. We escaped up into the land of the frozen mountains (that would be Tahoe to most folks). And while we didn't get a chance to ski, we did get a chance to hang out with some wonderful friends, and kick back a bit. Got back early enough to the castle to go out and enjoy an evening showing of Eragon with a nice supper to boot. It should have been a great start to the week, right? WRONG. Shit starts sliding down the mountain early 'round these parts. Sigh. Couple this with all manner of bleak observations of day to day life, and a good recipe you do not have. At least the tribe are happy. When they aren't busy trying to squeeze multiples into spots that should hold one (see picture above). It is wonderful that the small things can provide such joy. The trick is to understand that. And today, we lack the greater understanding. How do others muddle through such muck? Do others have to? Admittedly, it sometimes feels as though we are on an island, but we're searching for the comfort of empathy. So knowing that there is another island/kingdom/empire out there grappling with the same Monday blues helps. We think...

Oh and by the way?

We no longer read this. Or that. And, pray tell, why?
1. Uninteresting
2. We don't like ads
(Binkomonster just doesn't like providing $$ to others via our eyeballs)
3. We're looking for channels that are far less whingy
So. We'll just keep on walking past these soapboxes.

We do however peek at this.  She's funny, and we like her style, emotion, and parody-skills.  We very much like her (and are secretly envious, but only in a good way).  We've completely striken this, and this, and that, and oh here this from our viewing. In short summary: it's the fruit loop, the bad loaded-with-brightly-colored-carcinogenic sugar, the skanky-avoid-looking-or-sear-your-corneas, and the truly pointless.  And besides, visiting these is now on our no-no list.

We however, just cannot get enough of these two. Simply. Hilarious.

Plumpjack? Nah. Project Runway? Meh.

As usual, it's been a frenetic month here at Binkomonster headquarters. Between visits to the land of Microsoft and more reworking of the party pad, there's been very few spare moments in which to sit down and compose an update for our loyal readers (all 1 of them). There have been some awesome parties of course, and some road adventures.
As you can see, we had the opportunity to take a spin in some sporty wheels. A Ferrari on a Saturday and a Lotus on a Sunday (or something like that). The verdict? Lotus wins hands down. Much more comfortable, and the 'eclectic' factor edges it out. Ferraris are a dime a dozen here in the valley. But how many Lotii do you see on the road? One, two maybe tops? Very particular choice for the individual. Ah, but enough of our drooling on about automobiles. There have also been other adventures (ski weekend in Tahoe). And the requistie foodie crawls. We've discovered some new and interesting gems (hi Colibri!), and we've solidified our opinion on the Plumpjack chain (food = ok, service = sucks, summary = spend your money elsewhere).

And it isn't just the weather.

Note to self: it is a better thing to stick to our 'links we like' than it is to unload on the Binkomonster CEO about the ravings of christian-fundamentalist-libertarian nutjobs on the interwebby. For some of you interested in having steam come out of your ears, here you go.  For those interested in some good, positive nuggets with which to fill your week, try this. Or how about this. (The thirtieth birthday posting). Warms the corners of our collective heart. 

The weather is taking its predictable turn into the Fall and Winter season (i.e. overcast, rainy, and cold). So the struggle to fight against the forces of depression becomes a bit tougher. We've been trying to keep news at bay (Wilma, Pakistan, Plame-gate), and board members near.

One positive memory to note: there was a rocking party thrown at Castle Binkomonster this weekend. We managed to stuff 8 wonderful souls into the party pad.  And the remnants are easily observable just by lifting the lids on our recycle bins (case of wine, bottle of 'Melon-cello'). Nothing overtly crazy on the drinks side this time 'round. The cocktail of the evening was Bellini no.2 from Harry's bar, though we will admit that while the taste was close, we are not quite 100% on the proportions or temperature, or... something.  The drink should have been somewhat 'fizzier'  than what our libation yielded. We would venture to state that the taste was palatable, but memory becomes somewhat hazy after the quantity of wine that was consumed overall. Suffice it to say that there was merriment, a round of poker, and good food all around (proscuitto with melon, figs, tuscan bean salad, pizza, pasta, and biscotti). There was also a 'showing of the pictures' (yep, all 2,900 of them). Somewhere around midnight it all wound down. And how lucky are we that a cleaning crew came in on Monday to right the ship back? This party-throwing thing could become a dangerous habit.  We will also confess to having spent Sunday horizontally (on the couch) recovering from said alcohol and food. But in the spirit of (unamed cosmetics giant) ads, 'It was worth it!'  We would have posted a picture, but alas, too busy having a good time to go find the camera and document (d'oh!). So we give you our scruffy board member in a bad mood.