Well, Hurricane Isabel is going to be no threat to Florida... hopefully it won't cause folks in the Carolinas and other northern regions any trouble, either.

Built a title image for the homepage, just for the fun of it at Historic Tale Construction Kit. Not in use, but stored for perhaps an airing at Ren-fest times.


Simple, but to the point. I need to find some tapestry "cave/stone" samples.

Apparently Frankie has enough money for cigarettes and beer that he didn't have last night. Why does that come as no surprise? He asked to borrow my yellow pages in order to find pawnshops, so he can try to hock his busted DVD player "for food", since the welfare office isn't open today. I gave him the book, reminded him that food was available at the church soup kitchen up the street, and told him not to disturb me, as I was going to lay down for a bit. Ten frickin' minutes later he knocks on my door, and asks to call pawnshops to see if they're open. What did I just tell him? I get to the door and tell him to leave me be, and that I was laying down like I had said. I let him know that he can take a walk to the Eckerd’s up the street when there's a public access phone available for him to use, and for him to not knock on my door to use the phone again unless there is fire or blood involved. It's people like him that make it hard to be charitable to folks that actually can benefit from kindness. I've given him alternate resources, and if he doesn't like that he has to walk a half-mile to make a phone call, perhaps it's time for him to stop using the phone. And no, I won't give him stamps and envelopes, either. However, if he keeps asking, I may provide the spit needed to seal them. Rather than take a walk and be a man, he prefers to sit on his stoop and drink a beer. Apparently Frankie can't be bothered to ask Meredith or Sammy to use their phones, or he's already been told to take a walk by them, too.

About an hour later, the landlord called me regarding the lawn and surrounding area, and I asked him what Frankie's deal was. He told me that an eviction was being put in place, and that Frankie would be issued a notice after he comes back into town. (He's extra interested in kicking freeloaders out, as season's coming, and beach-close apartments can be rented a lot more lucratively at this time. He’s already been quite lenient with Frankie, but now that no rent is coming in and season approaches with big $$, that's the end of that ride.



I find myself wanting a "Room of Requirement" in my house. Talk about lucky plot devices! Also.. Poor Beaten and Battered Hagrid doesn't show up until chapter 20... Grawp is an interesting addition, and could be pretty handy in the books to follow.... Harry is a dink of a teen, and I'm hoping he passes through that phase quickly. I'm also glad that Hagrid is still hanging on to a role of helper and guide. I am extremely weary of the phrase "he said darkly" and my suspicions are confirmed that she needs a solid editor. Funny how I was just writing about Leiberman yesterday, and the book seems to have a lot of free speech issues, too. Overall, it was pretty good, dark enough and light enough to be entertainingly gray.


The Ugly Bug Home Page, including the Ugliest Bugs of 2002.. I'm not easily creeped out by insects, and find the winner not terribly ugly.

RIAA getting sued over Amnesty Program

"A day after the Recording Industry Association of America filed a slew of lawsuits against alleged illegal song swappers, it became the target of legal action over its own "amnesty" program.


California resident Eric Parke, on behalf of the general public of the state, filed a suit Tuesday against the trade association because of its amnesty, or "Clean Slate," program, a provisional shield it introduced Monday that allows people to avoid legal action by stepping forward and forfeiting any illegally traded songs. The suit, filed in the Marin Superior Court of California, charges that the RIAA's program is a deceptive and fraudulent business practice.

It is "designed to induce members of the general public...to incriminate themselves and provide the RIAA and others with actionable admissions of wrongdoing under penalty of perjury while (receiving)...no legally binding release of claims...in return," according to the complaint."

Some fun Paper Miniatures for Gaming, in font form, akin to SPARKS, but free.

a year ago - Bonnie's Boy Steals from FMM, and is caught on video, Newt bawls out a spaniel

2 years ago - music to my ears, LJ observations, handy word reference guide

3 years ago -Sesame Street Day!, Lower-case N song, We are all Earthlings, Ernie questions his existance. Wubba Wubba Song, Joel Reprimanded for surfing porn at work

From Encyclopedia of Occultism (OOP, 1920) - (Formatting / spelling retained)

St. John's Wort : St. John’s Wort. In classical mythology the summer solstice was a day dedicated to the sun, and was believed to be a day on which witches held their festivities. St. John's Wort was their symbolical plant, and people were wont to judge from it whether their future would be lucky or unlucky ; as it grew they read in its progressive character their future lot. The Christians dedicated this festive period to St. John's Wort or root, and it became a talisman against evil. In one of the old romantic ballads a young lady falls in love with a demon, who tells her --

"Gin you wish to leman mine
Lay aside the St. John's Wort and the vervain."

When hung up on St. John's Day together with a cross over the doors of houses it kept out the devil and other evil spirits. To gather the root on St John's day morning at sunrise, and retain it in the house, gave luck to the family in their undertakings, especially in those begun on that day.