8/23/2008

Thee Ohio State Buckeye Logo


With Thee Ohio State Buckeyes football season starting up in just a few weeks, it was time to purchase my new jersey.

Guess which one I picked out?

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

8/20/2008

Thought Screen Helmet Sale

Designer Thought Screen Helmets
In an effort to prevent citizens of Earth constructing faulty thought screen helmets to avoid alien abduction, the Grassy Knoll Institute has produced a new and improved helmet.

Our rocket scientists have been working round the clock designing the LOTGK version. Notice the sleek ergonomic design. Wind drag has been cut by 85% compared to older models enabling wearers to move more easily and smoothly throughout the day.

Another upgraded feature is the air cooled compartments in the dome of the helmet allowing the wearer to keep cool throughout the entire day. Those in hot and humid climates can thank the Grassy Knoll Institute later.

To order a Grassy Knoll Institute thought screen helmet, please send an email to us. For verification purposes, press on your keyboard the exact value of 22 divided by 7.



LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Anna Faris - Sci Fi Sexy Siren

Anna Faris Scary Movie Scream Queen
Anna Faris Scary Movie Scream Queen
Anna Faris - Sexy Ex House Bunny
Anna Faris became famous for her portrayal of a Neve Campbell Scream Queen wannabe in the spoof "Scary Movie." The movie was a hit and three more followed with Anna playing her role as the awkward but lovable Cindy Campbell. That alone is enough to get her listed on the Sirens page but there's more. Anna also starred in another comedy Sci-Fi movie, "My Super Ex-Girlfriend."

Anna is also starring in a new movie role as an ex Playboy bunny booted out of the Playboy mansion. We believe it will be a hit movie. Below are the sexy photo's of Anna.

Sci-Fi Sexy Sirens brought to you by the Grassy Knoll Institute marketing team to boost readership and placement on search engines.

Lurking On The Grassy Knoll

8/19/2008

Anatomy Of A Catholic Mass

I have been asked by many non-Catholics just what goes on during a Sunday mass. Being a former Altar Boy, I think I can amply field this question.

To the naked eye and non believers, it appears that Sunday mass is nothing more than a very upscale exercise program. You see a lot of standing, sitting, standing, sitting, kneeling, singing, standing, sitting, and walking. (A regular aerobic exercise) (They should charge for the workout. Get your heart and soul fit with the Lord)

But to the trained observer (Me) and Catholic parishioners, there really is a method to the madness. As always, to understand, we must start at the beginning.

Catholic mass can be broken down into 5 segments.

1) Intro
2) Damnation
3) Fire and Brimstone
4) Feast
5) Outro


The Intro, or introduction of the mass, is a very important part. This part determines the length of the mass by what priest is running the show. A Parrish usually has 2-3 priests in the collective and each one has their own style and pace to say mass. Depending on your luck of the draw, you could be in for a 20 minute, 45 minute, or 75 minute or more service. (No matter the length, at this point everyone is standing.)

How the priest begins mass tells you everything you need to know how long the mass will be. The long version introduction begins with the priest, altar boys, deacon, and a member of the congregation carrying the good book. They all gather at the back of the church and make a grand entrance with organs blazing. It's sort of like a parade, just one you don't want to go to.

The cross bearer altar boy leads the way, followed closely by the good book carrier, then a short distance behind are the altar boy servers, then the deacon, usually in a beard and robe, and lastly, the priest slowly walking up the center church aisle taking his place on the altar facing the congregation as we belt out one of the classics.

The medium version is less drawn out. There is no book hauler, no deacon, no cross bearer, just two altar boys and the priest. The medium mass has the procession coming from the side entrance, a much shorter distance, hence, a much shorter hymn. The altar boys walk in front of the priest and all three walk immediately up to the altar.

The short version is quicker yet. There is no procession and no hymn. Just a short blast from the organ and as if by magic, the priest and altar boys seem to appear on the altar and the mass begins straight away. (Usually, there is an entrance behind the altar that the priest and altar boys come out from. No trap doors or smoke screens like magicians use)

Each priest would then stay in long, medium, or short mode for the rest of the mass meaning each segment would either be long and drawn out or fly like shit through a goose.

It was obvious the priest saying the short mass was the most popular and best attended services. Parishioners knew that speedy Father Flanigan always did the 10 am service and the church would be packed. Twenty minutes to save your soul on a Sunday morning was far better than the 75 minutes of hell at the 11:30 service. Us Catholics ain't no dummies. We're damned to hell, but ain't no dummies.

However, the church countered with a revised schedule and rotated the priests for different mass times not letting the congregation know in advance who would be saying what mass. (Bastards!)

The intro is over. We now move forward to the second segment of a Catholic mass, The Damnation. (Consisting of standing then sitting several times with a few Amens tossed in.)

The Damnation covers several rituals of the mass. The first being the evil look of the priest upon late comers attempting to sneak into the back of the church after mass had started. Usually these late comers would try to quickly blend in. Some would take the first available pew and stare straight ahead. Some would walk to the back of the church in the dimly lit part and stand. And some would walk in and immediately stop at random, and stay in that exact spot for the duration. Much like a deer being caught in the headlights of a pickup truck full of rednecks hunting for Thanksgiving Day dinner.

The second part of the damnation comes during the prayer and hymn sessions. (During this part, there are some rapid standing and sitting protocols.) You must learn to follow along. Otherwise, you are hopelessly lost. (Like Born Again Christians)

The priest would scan the congregation searching for parishioners not participating. When he spotted one not singing or saying the prayer loud enough, he would zero in on him/her, maintain eye contact until the entire congregation was looking at this poor soul, and then slowly but deliberately, shake his head back and forth in disgust. The unlucky soul would then be the talk of the morning during coffee and dough nuts after mass. You could bet he or she would be singing loud and proud next week damn it.

After Damnation, we move into the third segment, Fire And Brimstone. (Also known as the Gospel reading and sermon) Each Sunday, the priest would take to his pulpit and read aloud from the Gospel. He would pick a passage meant to inspire the congregation to be generous, forgiving, and to love God. (But mostly to be generous, especially during the collection plate pass around) (This segment involved only sitting for fear the priests words would make people pass out in fright and fall down.)

After the Gospel reading, the priest would offer his sermon to us all. (I would describe us as lambs being led to slaughter) The sermon was supposed to touch on the Gospel passage and how we in modern times, abide or deny the teachings of Christ.

Instead, we usually got the priest yelling at the congregation about the pitiful collection from last weeks masses. He would stress that the church needs even more money from us to continue doing God's work. (Didn't Jesus give away all his possessions) He would say those of us not giving at least 10% of our income should be ashamed to be Catholic and we better make it up in this week's collection lest the Lord look poorly upon us. (Apparently, the priest had a hot tip for the football game later that day)

The priest would then shift gears and drop it down into overdrive. His eyes would turn a golden brown and fire would come out of his mouth. (No, not really! But it sounded like it) At this point, the priest would rant and rave about how we, the congregation, need to help the church with more than just money donations. He would preach that there was plenty of work to be done around the school and church. He needed parents to volunteer for coaching, CCD class, hot lunch program, maintenance and repair of the church, rectory, and school. And the priests car.

All this time his hands would be very mobile waving them up and down and back and forth. Reminded me of a pizza maker, the way he would throw the dough in the air and spin it around. (If this priest thing didn't work out, Cornersburg Pizza shop could certainly use him)

It was now time for the Feast, segment 4, also known as communion time. (This segment involves standing, walking, kneeling, sitting, more standing, kneeling, and finally sitting.)

But first, we had to pay for the feast. The ushers would appear carrying felt covered baskets with very long handles and place it right under your nose and wait for you to open your wallet or purse and dump your cash into the basket. The ushers were very skilled at handling the baskets as never a dollar bill hit the floor. Once the baskets were full, the feast would begin.

Next, the priest and altar boys would huddle together with some secret handshakes and whispered incantations on the altar as gifts were exchanged and promises made. (I will explain all in a future update, I promise) A few bells rings signified that the feast was ready to be served. The ushers quickly came to the front of the church to prevent a stampede to the altar. (The food must really be good.) As the congregation filed up to the altar in perfect straight lines, hands folded, and without talking, it dawned on me why the Catholic nuns made us school kids practice forming lines every day. For the feast!

Finally, the Outro is upon us. (This segment involves sitting, then standing, and finally, walking or running out of the church to your car.)

The Outro is signaled by the lurkers in the back of the church edging towards the exit doors. Beating the traffic is a big part of Catholic mass. With only one road leaving the church, traffic backs up quickly. The priest asks the congregation to please rise, (Please, so now he's fucking polite, where was the politeness when he told us we were all going to hell for not putting enough money in the collection basket.) (I must confess, once I put an empty envelope in the collection basket and signed someone else's name to it. I am sure that family got the full frontal fire and brimstone from the happy betting priest)

Once the congregation were standing, the priest would say a quick prayer, make the sign of the cross and announce, "The mass is ended, you may go in peace." By the time the word peace was uttered, more than half the people were already battling each other in the parking lot.

There you have it. A typical Catholic mass explained. I know after you read this, you will all want to convert to Catholicism. Who would want to miss out on this action.

BTW, this was the 11:30 am mass. Next time, maybe you will get lucky and get the short version.

Short Version: Stand, Amen, sit, stand, Amen, sit, sit, stand, Amen, kneel, stand, form a line, walk, knell, sit, stand, leave. Salvation!

Back To Growing Up Catholic Archives


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

8/16/2008

Big Foot Update



Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Big Foot is back in the news as a tandem of Big Foot hunters happened upon a dead carcass in the woods of Georgia. They claim the carcass is the mythical half man, half ape beast that has eluded them for many years.

A press conference held Friday in Palo Alto revealed the DNA test results from the creature and failed to prove Big Foot was captured. The DNA samples came from human origin and the other from an opossum.

Of course, this was a hoax, some sort of conspiracy to that will assuredly introduce some sort of product or other news not connected to the Bigfoot sighting. Viral advertising at it's best.

In the meantime, Big Foot is still on the loose. The photo above was taken just two days ago by a team of Grassy Knoll Institute Bigfoot hunters. As the photo suggests, Bigfoot was startled at the flood lights as they quickly illuminated the thick night woods of Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio.

Alas, the beast made a quick getaway into the woods running at an amazing rate of speed. The hunt is still on and the Grassy Knoll Institute vows not to rest until this creature is found and captured.



LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

8/14/2008

Stage Deli - New York Style Cherry Cheesecake

Stage Deli New York Style Cherry Cheesecake
Stage Deli New York Style Cherry Cheesecake
The Stage Deli in New York is not only famous for it's huge sandwiches, they are also famous for their New york style cheesecake. And nothing says New York like a big ass piece of cheesecake from the Stage Deli located on Times Square.

When entering the Stage Deli, the cheesecakes are enclosed in a glass showcase. There are many different types of cheesecakes available. I chose the cherry cheesecake.

I must say, it was fantastic. The texture was smooth, creamy and tasted fantastic. Service at the Stage Deli is second to none. Very fast, courteous, and professional. The price was about 10 bucks without tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 5 out of 5 shots for Stage Deli Cherry Cheesecake and recommends them for dessert.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Sunset Tan Olly Girls Logo



Trust me, the LOTGK logo is there

The Olly girls (Holly and Molly Olly) are fighting to get their jobs back on Sunset Tan, a reality TV program involving beautiful women working at a tanning salon. A couple of strategic tattoos around the nether region couldn't hurt right. Let's face it, they are the stars of the reality show, and this is one clever ploy to boost ratings higher than their implants.

God Bless America!

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

8/08/2008

Jays Restaurant - Fairfax, Virginia - Chicken Perhaps


Ain't No Body In The Joint
Spending the evening in Fairfax, Virginia, is not that exciting. Being tired from the day's travel, I opted for the Best Western hotel house restaurant, Jay's Place. As you can see, there were plenty Of Seats Still Available. In fact, all the seats were available. I was the only customer. My spider sense let me down on this choice.
Chicken Strips Appetizer
After I sat down, I looked around to see if the joint was even opened. It was deserted. No hostess, no waiter, no cook, bus buy, no one. Just as I was about to get up, the waiter came out and welcomed me to Jay's. He presented me the menu and asked what I wanted to drink.

Several minutes later, he returned with my Coke and asked if I was ready to order. I ordered the chicken wedges as an appetizer and stuffed chicken as my main course with mashed potatoes.

So far, so good. I noticed that there was still no one in the restaurant. The waiter went into the kitchen and I believe he was also the cook for the evening. In about 10 minutes, he returned with my chicken wedges and a refill of Coke. (He was the cook, I could smell the kitchen grease on him)
Mystery Dish - I Think It Was Chicken
And then the main course came out. WTF was this? It certainly didn't look like stuffed chicken breast to me. And why was there cheese sauce covering the chicken? I asked if perhaps he had brought me the wrong dish. But how could he, I was the only patron in the place.

He explained that it was Jay's way of making stuffed chicken breast. I asked where was the breast for all I see are chicken parts and pieces. He said the breast was chopped up and mixed in with the stuffing. (And the fucking cheese sauce)

Some things don't go together. One example is cranberries and cold milk. Jay's stuffed chicken breast ingredients is another. From what I could make of it, there were chicken parts, cheese sauce, broccoli, stuffing, some type of brown chips, (Could have been bacon) and gravy. Broccoli and mashed potatoes were on the side.

I told the waiter, server, cook, cashier, whatever, that this was unacceptable and that it was not stuffed chicken breast and snapped this photo as I spoke to him. I told him I was dissatisfied with the meal and said I would pay only for the Coke and the chicken wedges I had ordered.

The waiter said he would make me anything else on the menu on the house. I declined and promptly paid for the portion of my bill and did leave a 15% tip. I usually leave much more for good service and good food, but this was substandard.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 0 out of 5 shots and does not recommend Jay's Place in Fairfax, Virginia for dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL


Responses to “Jays Restaurant Fairfax, Virginia”


  1. Bitzky said

    Hmm… In Europe we would have slapped an Italian or French name on it and make it a new trend!

  2. Augusto said

    Hotel restaurant’s expectations are very low to begin with but I have a strong inclination to avoid unknown restaurants with no patrons if there is anything else at all available.
    Otherwise, I’m sure it was perfectly fine, bless their hearts.

  3. Ulla said

    ok let’s not go there for lunch jeeps. let’s go to one of those places with the yummy BIG food.