Posting from the laptop… lost the power supply on the desktop system yesterday, about midday. Thank goodness for lappie…especially considering I’m on call. It’s been a little while since I’ve used ol’ lappie, and it’s a minor thing to get back to the smaller keyboard.

No Supers, no There, no major surfing until I get that one back to business.

There is something to be said for sitting Indian-style, typing at the end of the bed, rather than at the desk…a more comfortable, natural feeling. The big trick is to make a sitting-place more appealing than the keyboard here, considering this is also the position I sit in when I’m going to give him some playtime. We’ve found a solution…he’s curled against my back swatting at the ponytail (I’m goading him a little, by shaking my head.)

After I get my day’s duties taken care of, I’m going to swing by the computer store on federal to gather some fresh innards for my poor broken brain. I rand windows update, and for about a half hour feared that I’d caused my backup computer to crash out, too.

Well, I see by the clock in the corner that it’s time for me to fly once more. Until later, dear journal. Have a good one!

On call this morning… MM had a slow weekend! I don’t see any full launches Saturday, though I did one at 8:30 this morning already.

Hmm.. Still haven’t heard from GP or Katt… Since they’re only in town until Tuesday, I suspect that schedules got too tight, and that I’ll end up missing them this go-’round. Ah well, that’s just tough luck, I suppose.

Helpful hint… if you put something in the oven, programming the microwave won’t help to heat the food. If you’re that tired, go back to bed.

I remember, as a child, thinking that I could turn off the ocean.

Got an IM from JenJen last night… Haven’t talked to her in ages. She’s married, moved out of the house and has a pair of kitties! All new things since we last gabbed. She’s still working for the school board now. We’ll have to grab lunch sometime and get caught up properly.

TV turnoff week is April 19-25… That’s easy. Now if it were “no online week” I’d be in trouble.

Superhero version of myself in CoH…(pumped to the point of insanity, as a result of frighteningly steroidal templates) I do have clothes pretty much like that, and prefer doing the no-shoes thing where possible.

Look! Down on the street! Standing still! Able to cross hot blacktop in bare feet!

It’s Scottobear

Interesting Emails have been coming in lately. It seems that one can build quite an opinion of me by reading my home page, and not an entirely accurate one, it’d seem.

I recently got a message in my in box that figured me to be “of a pantheistic, idealistic philosophical
bent”… I’m not really… closer to an agnostic cynic that hopes for the best, but expects the worst.

That particular email came from a domain that I could swear I’ve seen before, and that causes me to wonder if it’s someone I’ve wandered across previously, or if my mind is projecting some sort of post-cognitive deja-vu.

D’s birthday is coming up next week… I wonder how she’s been doing? Pulled a vanishing act on all of her pals a while ago… I think that maybe she got sucked into FFXI completely, but who can say? She stopped replying to emails from me, Sammy, Whims, and who knows who else. She’s still alive, because her auctions keep getting re-listed at There.

Looks like Sammy’s skipping out on City of Heroes, one of the reasons being the $15 a month fee. That’s within my mad-money link income, so I don’t mind it too much… far better than the aforementioned FFXI $13 a month cost.

I’m sort of looking forward to starting with fresh, new heroes, but I’ll miss sambot!

Sony and Toppan Printing have developed DVDs consisting of 51 percent paper. Data is stored on the discs using a blue laser instead of red. The smaller wavelength of blue laser light means that 25 gigabytes of data can be packed onto each paper/polymer disk, more than twice the capacity of traditional polycarbonate plastic-based DVDs.

Random Scotto factoid – I’d rather send my sweetheart a potted plant (that can be transplanted) or seeds than a bouquet of pre-cut flowers.

I made a friend’s link for sammykun so he can read his sisters xanga journal (widgets_xanga‘) on LJ friend’s list without having to bounce over to her site. Hooray for RSS!

hee… a secret person using one of my Palm doodles as a LJ icon! 🙂

/

Original / Icon

No Seahorse for Icon!

MMM. The stinking rose. Hooray for Garlic!

Here’s a recipe for the BBQ sauce I’m using on my tofu/veggies. It gets better with age. Use Flour or cornstarch to thicken, if desired. (To keep this sauce vegetarian, use vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, as the normal sauce contains anchovies.)

• 1 cube vegetable bouillon
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried minced onion flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 slice lemon
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Directions:

1. Dissolve vegetable bouillon in boiling water.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat combine vegetable broth, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, onion flakes, salt, sugar, cayenne pepper, oil, lemon, honey and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

I did manage to get together with Dan after all today. We split a grilled cheese and some frings at Cheeburger Cheeburger, walked it off and caught the movie. I showed him City of Heroes afterward, and he was very keen on it.

Ella Enchanted was cute, lightweight fare, with an excellent soundtrack… Strange seeing Elwes in a sinister role. He seems to have put on a little weight, too.

I quite liked the movie’s giants… Gentle, passive beings with a Mediterranean fashion sense and groovy jazz-hands, while they dance to a great Queen song. (Somebody to Love)

Flattered to have made a guest appearance as a guide, host and fellow gamer in someone’s dream recently. I’d link to it, but the entry is locked.

LH started today, still too early to get a vibe. CS had his hours cut to two 6-hour shifts a week… Not sure if he’s going to be on call anymore or not. If he doesn’t, that’ll mean I have to take call every Sunday until we get a fresh tech.

I’m going to miss my old supers when they go poof on the 22nd during the Beta system reset… but I think I might change where my characters go powers-wise second time around. I’m surely going to rebuild the frog again, as well as Argus and the Scottobear duplicate.

Well, I *was* going out to catch a movie with Danny after work today, but after yesterday’s hullabaloo with ADP, I may have to cover shift. I’ll know more once I get the story straight at about 9am. I really hope that I can clear up at least a small window to spend time with Dan… we both could use a nice break, and he been wanting to see Ella Enchanted. I think it looks cute, from what little I’ve seen of it so far.

If we do go, it’ll most likely be Sunrise Cinemas 15 @ Las Olas Riverfront 5:20 or 7:20 show.

Weather was fantastically cool and clear yesterday. Mid-60s, and just brisk… no humidity. If every day was like that one, I might still appreciate it. Much nicer than the low 80s-rainy-time of Monday and Tuesday.

Neat looking bowl made from partially-melted plastic soldiers. Reminds me of the wonderful Mattel Strange Change machine from back in the days when toys that got hot enough to melt plastic were considered a good thing. Pretty

I want to go strolling and rest in a big field of tall grass now. War on the brain.

It’s funny how some music can evoke a lot of memories, set off a chain of flashbacks and emotional responses.

The cool, funky song like the one I’m grooving to now has a great deal of nostalgia value to me.

Random Scotto factoid: I remember a lot of little things about people, and when I mention those things in passing sometimes, it freaks them out. “Oh, yeah. You had three hair ties on that day…only two matched.” Half the people think you’re blowing smoke and I get a laugh for being a goof. The other half of the people remember, too, and are spooked, because they thought nobody noticed anything about them.

I think only the most absolutely self-involved folks don’t notice a few little tidbits about other people to file away. Often, they file just one or two away for convenient reference, and assume it’s always true. “He *always* has broccoli in his teeth.” or “She *never* agrees with Tony.”

I spend so much time on the computer and off, just reading. I wonder sometimes what I’d do if illiterate… watch TV? Ugh… no real control over content, even with hundreds of cable channels. Spend more time outside? Possibly. I wonder how many people these days are pro-illiteracy… “Why should everyone read? It makes people less tractable and less likely to engage in physical activity.”

Fell off track there… but such is the price of typing stream of thought. My launch alert is chiming, so I’ll catch you later, dear journal.

Wow, is it raining hard!

Check it out. This is at 3ish in the afternoon.

Rainy day photo

Didn’t bother with Choco-bunnies but did get some ice cream discs to fend off my sweet tooth.

Bro says that he’s pretty much off cigs now, after going without since the end of February.

Research by the Trimbos Institute for Addiction indicates that the THC level has increased significantly over the years, meaning that Dutch-grown marijuana, Nederwiet, could now be considered a hard drug.

I’m really not one for smoking a drug, be it nicotine or thc… I just don’t like the delivery system.

Can’t I have Monday off? No? Oh, All right. I suppose that I’m a bit envious of Danny having the week off, and GP/Katt taking a couple of weeks to vacation, as well. Hopefully I’ll get to see all the slackers mentioned prior in the next week or so under leisurely circumstances.

I’m still not sure if GP was serious about a detente between Pam and myself. (I’ve always associated that word specifically with Nixon-era USA/USSR relations, though I saw it referencing Ben Franklin’s diplomacy ages back.) I did request not to see her if possible. The last thing I want to do is to contribute to a dark spot on the vacationing couple’s calendar.

I had NO Easter Chocolate bunny yesterday, though I may be naughty and pick up one at the drugstore for 50% off, if I see them still available. I’m entitled to gnaw my way through a little sugary rabbit, or at least a Cadbury egg, as long as I stay on my points.

Built a Scottobear-looking superhero, and fought crime alongside a Sammykun hero yesterday.. we found all sorts of bugs, and put the smack down on all sorts of 5th columnist super-soldiers. I wonder if Whims would be interested in similar emulation?

Butterflies of North America (via USGS) I see Phaons quite a bit where I am. USGS is a great place to eyeball nifty pages about all kinds of biology / geology / map sorts of stuff.

It’s warm, but I smell rain in the air. I rather hope that it does rain while I’m inside, and brings that clean vibe to the city… like all the grime has been swept into the river… all the plants fed, all the glass drip-dried.

1 year ago– Power out silence, ut2k3 (never did send tarpo his copy…tsk), there.com fun.

2 years ago – angry kid, baha men, freedom force, sniffing around for the girlie, Kidalicious gets a new Baby! yay!

3 years ago – identifying with Sam the Sheepdog, people in your neighborhood poll, livejournal observation, chupacabra sightings up.

Can’t I have Monday off? No? Oh, All right. I suppose that I’m a bit envious of Danny having the week off, and GP/Katt taking a couple of weeks to vacation, as well. Hopefully I’ll get to see all the slackers mentioned prior in the next week or so under leisurely circumstances.

I’m still not sure if GP was serious about a detente between Pam and myself. (I’ve always associated that word specifically with Nixon-era USA/USSR relations, though I saw it referencing Ben Franklin’s diplomacy ages back.) I did request not to see her if possible. The last thing I want to do is to contribute to a dark spot on the vacationing couple’s calendar.

I had NO Easter Chocolate bunny yesterday, though I may be naughty and pick up one at the drugstore for 50% off, if I see them still available. I’m entitled to gnaw my way through a little sugary rabbit, or at least a Cadbury egg, as long as I stay on my points.

Built a Scottobear-looking superhero, and fought crime alongside a Sammykun hero yesterday.. we found all sorts of bugs, and put the smack down on all sorts of 5th columnist super-soldiers. I wonder if Whims would be interested in similar emulation?

Butterflies of North America (via USGS) I see Phaons quite a bit where I am. USGS is a great place to eyeball nifty pages about all kinds of biology / geology / map sorts of stuff.

It’s warm, but I smell rain in the air. I rather hope that it does rain while I’m inside, and brings that clean vibe to the city… like all the grime has been swept into the river… all the plants fed, all the glass drip-dried.

1 year ago– Power out silence, ut2k3 (never did send tarpo his copy…tsk), there.com fun.

2 years ago – angry kid, baha men, freedom force, sniffing around for the girlie, Kidalicious gets a new Baby! yay!

3 years ago – identifying with Sam the Sheepdog, people in your neighborhood poll, livejournal observation, chupacabra sightings up.

Sunrise was lovely this morning… The beach was well-populated, but not super-mobbed for Easter.

I want to go on an egg-hunt. My father, brother and I would search all over the inside of the house, looking for tiny chocolate eggs left out by the Easter Bunny… Dad would sniff around, “trying to pick up the scent” and bro and I would scan around for hidden stores of two or four of them. (We’d divide them equally…I suspect there were only three in one location when Mr. Bunny wanted a quick little sugar-snack.)

Later on, I took on the role of Egg-bloodhound, sniffing out goodies with the twins and other munchkins on different years. I rather miss that…I’d love to help a few little ones find foil-wrapped sweets today sometime, but I don’t think that it’ll happen.

Peep article that Danny pointed out to me yesterday –

Peeps gone wild!

They are loved, hated, vilified, celebrated, parodied, decapitated, smooshed, frozen, fricasseed, microwaved and subjected to bizarre experimentation. Can an American icon get a little respect? Continue reading 6594 Happy Easter, folks.. Many Chocolate Yolks! →

I spent too long in City of Heroes this morning… It’s fun, playing a supers game with old Gaming pal Rik, and Newer Gaming pals Sammy and Whims. It’d be neat if GrayPumpkin and Katt got in on the action, too. Not to mention Danny, Wu-folk, or most of all, mi amor.

I was surprised ah how any copyright violations / super parodies were running around in there… A lot of variants on the Tick, especially. (Barry, The Tick’, and my favorite, a red one called “The Tack”.) Also remarkable was a super by the name of Briar Rose. I thought for a half-second that it was Pam, but that’s not likely… I don’t see her throwing herself into a beta version of any game, or having a computer that’s up to the task. Who knows, though? Stranger things have happened.

No bombs dropped at the office yesterday… not sure why. I’ve got to call the Big Kahuna and find out where things stand this evening, just to see what’s what.

Office Religion Update, VS is a Roman Catholic. No meat this last Friday, etc. She stopped going while she was away at school, but may be starting up again, because she’s officially “home and on a proper schedule… not partying every Sat. nite.” I think Big K is sort of a general secular, if any kind of theist at all.

A man’s severed head has been found on a park bench in Honduras, bringing the number of such incidents to 10 in the past nine months, police sources said.

Continue reading 6593 Ooga Chakka, hooga hooga, ooga chaka. →