Just hung out this morning, thinking pleasant thoughts of my sweetheart, enjoying the sounds of heavy winds outside against the chimes. Contemplating where the day will take me today. I see a little journey out and about midday, perhaps. Playing with the new “voice-blog” thingum, and look forward to seeing how it turns out.

Random Scotto factoid – I had a huge crush on Melanie Chartoff in the early 80s, when she was on the SNL copy called Fridays. (I was about 12 at the time, but knew a cutie when I saw one, still do, in fact.)

Turns out that climate changes may just be causing the common Monarch butterfly to be endangered Continue reading #6256 Butterflies, Christ, Wind and Dexterity →

Called up the Gray Pumpkin… I was glad to hear that he was just offline and hanging with D’Moody the last week or so. (Pam visits at Thanksgiving-time these years) I got a chance to speak with Mrs.Pumpkin, but missed a chance to really gab and make up… I was surprised…I figured she’d be at work, and was taken a little aback. So I just asked to talk to GP, before I realized I could make small talk and be friendly with her. Ah well. Next time, maybe. There was a time when she was a good buddy, too, not just Mrs.P. Anyhow, I had a really nice gab with GP about this that and the other… mostly monster movies, old gaming, mental leaps, mutual acquaintances, and so on. It was a good time, and I’m glad I rang him up. (I’m even happier that I remembered that his long distance is free, and that he could call me back at no cost.) Man, if I went a week or two without checking my email… I’d be buried. I can only imagine the wading he has in front of him.

Bro called up… he wants to start a not-for-profit surf group. Could be interesting, but I wonder if he’s up to the meaty part of the task. He’d like me to set him up with an email address and website, which can be easy enough for his needs. I’m not laying out any cash, though.

Swung by Twistyland and Archives (the used bookstore) this afternoon. The game store is sparse, but clean and sharp, with a lot of well-lit and clean tables in the back for miniatures/RPG/card gaming. The prices seem right, but the comic supply is better at the super-uber-humongous Borders a few blocks over. It looks like Tate’s wins for now, but it might be a fun place to go with Dan to play heroclix over lunch sometime. They do sell a fine selection of overpriced pocky. I’ll sooner get dark chocolate “Men’s Pocky” at the market up the street. Archives had a lot of tempting books, and I picked up a couple of inexpensive novels there. I’ll review ’em over time.

It looks like the landlord is officially selling the building here; a landscaper came by earlier today, to evaluate changes and work out what needs to be done to clean up the place by order of the new owner. I wonder if Frankie will become the new guy’s problem after the place changes hands, and how long it’ll take to change over ownership. Now that my back is better, it’s time to start thinking more seriously about a condo now, just as a preparation for the future. I’ll talk to the LL and see what things are planned.

A feature which purports to explore “120 of the greatest cultural, spiritual and physical pursuits in the world.” (This issue, East Africa and the Masai)

Bro won a cruise last night at his telemarketing job. Not too shabby, but his fortune has always spiked remarkably high and low. I hope that his good luck continues. Free food and Vegas shows, and fortunately, gambling isn’t a vice of his.

Hippies just sort of plopped off for a half minute to say hi… it was nice to get a blink with Dave for a sec… he says that he’ll have more time in the next couple of weeks to come.

It’s not very rainy outside, but the wind is really churning right now. spinning the clouds, and making the sky a pale gray.

Natalie wrote me last night and is offering me $20 a month again for two text links on my homepage. Looks like I’ll be getting more play paypal cash again soon. Payments started about this time last year, come to think of it. I’m all for text links with no pop ups, properly denoted as paid advertisers.

Random Scotto factoid – I’m really overcautious when it comes to handling hot objects. Toner/fusers cartridges, reaching into the oven, whatever. I’m almost a scaredy cat when it comes to retrieving / handling hot things… I’m not sure why. It could be because no gloves ever really fit properly, my wrists stick out or mitts are too big to get into a running laser printer.

As always, feel free to post in comments for detail or if you can’t do polls.

If you’ve ever had occasion to say, “Man, I really think the world would be improved if there were snails that had magnetic scales instead of those soft underbellies,” you’re in luck after all. Continue reading #6254 Ad income back, bro good luck, thanksgiving poll, magnetic snails →

Congratulations, Sirenity!

Someone is tarring a roof outside. I stepped out earlier to collect my mail, and get a “breath of fresh air,” and instead got a snootful of gag-choke-gasp-blech.

Random Scotto factoids/stream of thought (isn’t my whole journal? all links will have hover info, too) maybe to be rewritten later in a more coherent fashion:

Watching the Angry Beavers this afternoon, I idly noticed that they have a wagon wheel chandelier in the dam. This set off a lot of old memories, because the crew I used to hang with when I was sixteen or so ate at a “Bonanza” (later it changed into Ponderosa, and then into a Perkin’s, and eventually became a cheezy under 21 teen “nightclub”) restaurant near our school in Delray Beach at the time, and it was lit by the same “frontier-style” decor. It was a super-cheap food spot to eat at, and the waitresses were cute in little pseudo-western outfits, so it was a natural place to go after school, or on the weekends. They had fantastic Texas toast and corn on the cob, and really large hamburgers. The French fries were not so great. That place was where we planned the vast our deviltry, far from prying ears of parents or anyone who might care.

One such harebrained plan that actually came to fruition was the theft of a life-size “Mac Tonite” statue from a nearby McDonald’s, and then drowning it at the bottom of a nearby canal, with a flashing street barricade folded underneath to hold it underwater… there was something great about looking at Mac, maybe fifteen feet underwater, only occasionally giving off bubbles and strobing in an eerie amber light. I remember wanting to keep the head, but we feared that keeping it would be evidence against us. I brazenly figured that being under 18 meant that I could get away with it, but was convinced if my parents found out that the punishment would far outstrip the crime.

Speaking of heads, my partner in this crime was Brent, a former fellow student at ACHS, coworker at the Library, (and only other guy willing to actually participate in the more goofy teen schemes we all dreamed up) who died years later from a frying pan hitting the back of his skull. He came to a sudden stop in his jeep on the way home from camping and he hadn’t secured all the junk in the back. He was killed pretty much instantly, and I didn’t find out about it until I saw something about it in LWC’s school newsletter, about six months later. I called his mother, to offer my condolences and she pretty much went to pieces on the phone. He was one of my three best friends during the 80s, and we totally drifted apart after I left the library and college.

Saudis ‘fear sand shortage’ Continue reading #6252 Happy! Facty! Stinky! Newsy! Sandy! Linky! Random stream of Thinky! →

The Anagram Server. Ah.. makes scrambles so easy. (I recommend using the advanced features, to trim the word list a bit)

Here are some very entertaining LJers on my list. Hover for the real name, and click to read their journal.

Tired Hem
A Jubilee
Less Yam Stew
Eaten Decoy
No Feds Needed
Tiny Air Funk

Hooray for German thumb-biters! Man ‘caught burglar with his teeth’ Continue reading #6251 Scottobear is an anagram for Escort Boat. (Or was that Caste Robot? Taco Strobe?) →

Veteran’s Day. Thank you, to all the people that served, and those who continue to serve in order to keep people protected and free.

Very Nice, my fittest PT visit is Friday at 9am. Good of them to call me back and make sure all is well! I just have to call ACIM and let them know what my schedule is looking like.

*burp* Leftover Panak Paneer makes a belly happy! However, I’m now out, and must get resources for more. Newt is as interested in curry as he is in mint, by the way. He won’t take salmon from atop sushi from Danny, though. The little orange boy is a weirdo, but I love him nonetheless.

Talked a lot last night with Cathi and Dave. They’re busybusy, with the new house, and new baby coming. They invited me to Mayah’s Birthday later this month, and I’d like to attend if at all possible. Plus, it’s an excuse to go with Danny to Toys R Us! They’re swinging by this afternoon for a little while…that’ll be nice.

A kindergarten report on Incas and Guinea Pigs.

Cobblestone Minefield -Simply get from the top right square to the bottom left. Your psychic abilities will let you know how many mines are nearby. Use logic and kittens to navigate a clear path. Try and step on as many stones as possible for a higher score. A nifty, if gory variation on minesweeper. Don’t sacrifice the kittens too early!

Ed Lu has the greatest view (500k jpg, 1000×655, well worth the download) on (of) the planet. Luckily he’s taking photos:

Sunlight reflects off of the lakes of Quetico Provincial Park, Ontario. The area lies between Lake Superior and Lake of the Woods, just north of the U.S.-Canada border. The long vertical clouds in the image are condensation trails produced in the wake of jet airplanes, probably from heavy air traffic around Chicago O’Hare. ISS007-E-12858 (August 17, 2003, 180 mm lens).

See more at NASA’s Astronaut Photography of the Earth microsite, if microsite is the right term for a website containing 476,363 images. Search All Photography of Earth, via a click map / grid.

Gorg the Movie. Gorg is a furry creation of a Swedish(I think) snowboard company. If you like watching giant creatures straight out of Sesame Street dancing in a cave and chewing on soccer balls, this is for you. How else can I describe it, just watch. It’s got a groovy soundtrack to boot.

No thrilling climax, just Gorg. Good ol’ Gorg. 15.7 meg quicktime

According to Fathers Who Breastfeed, male breasts also can produce milk — which comes in handy for the times mother is unavailable or father wants to gross out his friends.

Breadmakers Feel Pain From Atkins Diet – Continue reading #6250 Veteran’s Day. Beautiful Earth Shots, Hippies visiting today →

Veteran’s Day. Thank you, to all the people that served, and those who continue to serve in order to keep people protected and free.

Very Nice, my fittest PT visit is Friday at 9am. Good of them to call me back and make sure all is well! I just have to call ACIM and let them know what my schedule is looking like.

*burp* Leftover Panak Paneer makes a belly happy! However, I’m now out, and must get resources for more. Newt is as interested in curry as he is in mint, by the way. He won’t take salmon from atop sushi from Danny, though. The little orange boy is a weirdo, but I love him nonetheless.

Talked a lot last night with Cathi and Dave. They’re busybusy, with the new house, and new baby coming. They invited me to Mayah’s Birthday later this month, and I’d like to attend if at all possible. Plus, it’s an excuse to go with Danny to Toys R Us! They’re swinging by this afternoon for a little while…that’ll be nice.

A kindergarten report on Incas and Guinea Pigs.

Cobblestone Minefield -Simply get from the top right square to the bottom left. Your psychic abilities will let you know how many mines are nearby. Use logic and kittens to navigate a clear path. Try and step on as many stones as possible for a higher score. A nifty, if gory variation on minesweeper. Don’t sacrifice the kittens too early!

Ed Lu has the greatest view (500k jpg, 1000×655, well worth the download) on (of) the planet. Luckily he’s taking photos:

Sunlight reflects off of the lakes of Quetico Provincial Park, Ontario. The area lies between Lake Superior and Lake of the Woods, just north of the U.S.-Canada border. The long vertical clouds in the image are condensation trails produced in the wake of jet airplanes, probably from heavy air traffic around Chicago O’Hare. ISS007-E-12858 (August 17, 2003, 180 mm lens).

See more at NASA’s Astronaut Photography of the Earth microsite, if microsite is the right term for a website containing 476,363 images. Search All Photography of Earth, via a click map / grid.

Gorg the Movie. Gorg is a furry creation of a Swedish(I think) snowboard company. If you like watching giant creatures straight out of Sesame Street dancing in a cave and chewing on soccer balls, this is for you. How else can I describe it, just watch. It’s got a groovy soundtrack to boot.

No thrilling climax, just Gorg. Good ol’ Gorg. 15.7 meg quicktime

According to Fathers Who Breastfeed, male breasts also can produce milk — which comes in handy for the times mother is unavailable or father wants to gross out his friends.

Breadmakers Feel Pain From Atkins Diet – Continue reading #6250 Veteran's Day. Beautiful Earth Shots, Hippies visiting today →

Well, the PT folks called back, and are getting verification from insurance. Let’s hope that doesn’t take too long. I’m keeping my 9am deadline.

Brother apparently got hit by a car on his bike last night… got ten stitches in his chin, and went to the emergency room. He’s fine now, apparently they got the license number of the white Cadillac that hit him, and ran. Fortunately, he was able to call an ambulance with his cell-phone. He’s good enough to go back to work today, and no concussion. If I had a nickel for every time that kid’s been to the ER, I’d have a good sock-load of nickels, usable to knock out people like a blackjack. I can count off the top of my head at least 10 times in the last 2 or 3 years. I’m very happy that he’s OK, and hope that his bones stay strong and his skull un-cracked.

I still haven’t seen hide nor hair of Ray online or telephone-wise since before surgery. No replies to emails, and no activity on the necromancer games website. I hope that it’s something as simple as having telephone trouble.

Danny’s healing up well from his illness… and has today off to play catch up, as his school reworks national holidays into 3-day weekends.

Super hot showers are still counted as a delightful blessing. In fact, I think I’ll take one now.

Vampire game clue – “Pssst. Empaths Guild 1 is right next to Vauxite and 12th today. I don’t know how much longer it will be there, though.”

How Livejournal works diagram (via bandicoot)

Ok, even Rotten Tomatoes gives The Matrix 3 a foul review, overall. It’s currently at 35%, and generally a 60% is a sign of a decent flick. A cursory scan of the positive reviews on the page are almost apologetic, too. How could the series have fallen so far? Ah well, the first one holds its own well enough. (See: Highlander & Co. for the words worst trilogy fall from a good movie to bad)

Oh, man. Apparently This weekend was the Garlic Festival, too. *tummy rumble* I think some roasted Garlic would set me right.

Stryper was playing up the street. Hover over the name… I’m a little embarrassed that I know what the name of the band means. 80’s Christian Metalheads, still on tour. Suddenly, I’m glad that I’m staying at home tonight.

Random Scotto Factoid: I am hard to impress, but easy to please.

Random Ol’-west / talking dog joke –

A Three-legged dog walks into a saloon and says “I’m looking for the man that shot my paw.”

Nyuk nyuk.

Pure Excitement Comics: Long lost golden age comics scanned in, and put online. Gosh, they’re corny. Issue one features Yank & Doodle, Magno, and Kid Tyrant!

So bad, that I had to make this icon from issue #2. I’m not sure what I’ll ever use it for, but it cracked me up too much to ignore. Oh, the times were so different back in the 40s.

In related news, Avengers / JLA… a good comic book Fan’s Wallpaper. I can name a good chunk of these guys.

author meme

You are trudging down a service corridor that runs the length of one of the largest malls in the country, easily a half-mile of access doors and service closets. Time has no meaning, under the coolly buzzing fluorescent lights far overhead. It is after midnight, and the temperature-controlled environment has just turned off the air conditioner to conserve power in the off-hours. You glimpse up and see that you’re no longer alone. You’re astounded to have perceived someone so far away in the gray light, but you keep walking, expecting nothing more than a friendly nod as you pass. The person gets closer. You observe that she’s hunched over and appears to glide as she walks, feet hidden by distance and dark clothing. She is closer–a pointed black hat and matching dress with long skirts and is using a broom as a walking stick, bristles up. Closer–a deep emerald-hued face, with a hook-nose and drawn crescent moon chin to complete the Punch and Judy look. You and she are fifty yards apart. You, and the storybook image of the wickedest of witches west of Munchkinland are twenty yards apart. You approach in the increasingly cozy and notably empty hall, alone save for the oncoming evil personage. You nod. She smiles, a comical rictus splitting her face, cackles, and swats your backside with the broom as she passes.

...

Ah, almost as good as being there… Miami Book Fair International is on CSPAN2. (BookTV) right now. Wow, I *really* wish I could be there. So wonderful… the second largest Book fair in the world, just a few miles away. I really have to go next year, if possible. I’d have to commit myself to a certain dollar amount before going, though… I could see myself blowing a *huge* chunk of change if allowed to run unchecked. I’ve been glued to the channel since landing on it about 1pm today. some great speakers, and I really want to buy a number of the books the authors have been speaking about now.

Two in particular stand out and are going on my wish list –

Donovan Webster, “The Burma Road: The Epic Story of the China-Burma-India Theater in World War II”

Eric Schlosser, “Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market” (same guy that wrote Fast Food Nation)

Both authors are also wonderful speakers, and really draw you into the topics at hand.

I wonder sometimes about our modern, automated society. When did pre-made clothing become the norm? 19th century? Before that, for the entire history of man wearing clothes, clothes were all tailor made if the funds were available, or put together at home, if you weren’t. Just amazing to me, the little things, sometimes. I take sounds for granted, too. Imagine someone from three hundred years ago.. a time of mostly silence save for sounds that animals and humans made right then (maybe wind chimes?) . Now we’ve got cars, and radio, all sorts of machinery making noise. One has to consider if it’d be deafening to the visitor, given what he was used to.

sartjee: the hottentot venus “Abducted and brought to London in 1810, this young South African girl was put on display at pubs, fairs, museums and universities because of her ‘unusual’ physical appearance. A debate ensued between abolitionists and those who wanted to study her from a scientific point of view. She died at the age of 25, and her skeleton remains in a Paris museum.”

maggot art “Children get hands-on experience with insects that most people find truly disgusting — maggots — while creating a beautiful piece of artwork to share with others.”

Looking at my Clustermap, and I’m a little tickled at how small the world is. Of course, North America is heavily represented, especially in the Northeast and California given how LJ is skewed in that direction.

Just out of interest, I set up the with a map, too. Without even introducing the meme to the community, the globe is really peppered with members. I don’t know if I’ll mention it to the community, because it seems rather off-topic, but I’d love to see the whole community represented there.

Of course, for humility, I checked out the paidmembers map, too. That’s an impressive number of strikes.

Random Scotto Factoid – If you toss candy corn into the time honored mix of salted peanuts and chocolate chips (pseudo trail mix) you get a taste almost exactly lake a Baby Ruth candy bar. Warning, wickedly fattening. First discovered this mixture after Halloween / before Thanksgiving in 1984.

I also like ketchup on eggs.

Arab culture and civilization new encyclopedic site.

Did the cartoon network wait until the lunar eclipse to show the “Eclipso” episode of Justice League, or is it just a remarkable coincidence? All and all, a mighty fine episode. (and I’m glad that Cartoon network is showing the full-hour shows, rather than “part 1-part 2” format. As for the Eclipse, it was pretty neat, what I could see of it.

The Clone Wars ‘toon wasn’t bad, but it was weirdly short. I wasn’t expecting it to be 3 minutes, 30 sec, but it may’ve been just as well.. I don’t know if it could hold up for a half hour. The animation style struck me as rather like the old Clerks cartoon.

DMB was good on SNL last night, though the skit comedy was sort of blah. I’m not really up on famous tennis players.

More and more bad Matrix 3 reviews are rolling in from trusted sources… I may wait until it’s out on video. That’s a pity, because I liked the first one, and the second had some fine moments. (I do want to see the All-girl Bazooka crew, though.)

Something positive on the Screen… A good Movie seen lately- The Lady From Shanghai (1947) by Orson Welles, starring Welles and Rita Hayworth. Superb. If you like noir, you can’t go wrong here. I may pick it up on DVD to keep. I give it a 9/10.

I was in a deep torpor last night…don’t recall my dreams that well, but I woke up with another ten hours of sleep under my belt. The fact that the body can shut down so completely amazes me.

I plan to try this out soon… maybe tote it to thanksgiving dinner?

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP (via Joy of Soup) Continue reading #6244 TV,Great movie, free fonts, West African Peanut soup, tomacco, mirror web →

(Anyone can vote, Floridian or not, and feel free to add opinions in comments below.)

Volusia County, Florida has no luck. In 1994, a woman was struck by lightning and sued the county for not warning her that the sky occasionally shoots electricity. Three years later, an alligator attacked a little boy and his mother sued Volusia County for not having enough warning signs. (She won $35,000.) Finally, in July of 2000, a young girl was bitten by a shark while she was dangling her leg in shark-infested waters, and last month she filed a suit complaining that she was inadequately warned that sharks eat stuff like that. Apparently, the citizens of Volusia County are not going to be happy until every square inch of Mother Nature lets you know she’s trying to kill you.

Continue reading #6243 FL polls, Volusia county is dangerous, VP quiz →

Good Ol’ Danny came by, and visited for a bit… first time since he got his wicked sickies. He was kind enough to do my laundry for me a week ago, and was feeling guilty about not dropping it off… no problem here! Not like I was going to use it for a week or two more. He also brought over some yummy sushi!

I’m glad he stopped by.. we got to gab and hang out for a bit. I told him a bit about Metamorphosis Alpha (Well, the sort of revised version I played when I was 12.. we knew we were on a ship, and were long awakened “sleepers” rather than mutants.. some article in an ancient issue of Dragon, no doubt..)

After getting into the gaming mindset, we discussed his rogue (read- thief) that he’s planning on playing on occasion with the Sci-Fi club he sponsors at the school…All of the stats were in place via his GM, so we just bandied back and forth ideas for his background, mannerisms, and motivations. He wants to have some redeeming qualities that’ll make the guy fun to play. The Latin dictionary was handy for his mock-spell casting bluff…a tool I haven’t used for that purpose in years. I’m a little wistful about gaming… with the right group, it’s a great way to socialize and have fun on the cheap. (Flip side, the wrong group can foster the most social person to decide to become a hermit.) I think it’d be fun to play with Danny and a few others in a Metamorphosis Alpha sort of game, at least as a one or three-shot.

Danny takes the Tolkien quiz meme