Got together with Danny today, and had a good time. This morning, first thing we swung by the Chesapeake Bagel Bakery for breakfast…run by a really nice couple of ladies… they make yummy bagels from scratch, and we saw some of the cutest little kids come in from the next door karate studio. After Breakfast, we swung over to the local Barnies for a place to hang out before going to see monsters, inc… to pass the time , we did a little low-end wargaming, punching each other out with champions characters for a bit. We got caught up in that, and general chatter, so we just skipped the movie and walked around a bit, to unkink after sitting in the coffee shop for about three hours, and having a chai.

Afterwards, we visited the IGFA Museum. It’s an interesting facility… beautiful architecture, and a lot of nifty exhibits… I was really impressed with the level of upkeep on the boardwalk (I fell in love with the little turtles following us, looking for some snackies…) , and actually learned stuff in a nice fashion, too. Got to see Ernest Hemingway’s boat, too, and it was mucho nifty.

The Museum was a pure impulse trip…we were en route to Dave & Busters, and just saw the sign. We figured it’d be kitchy, so what the heck. I’m still shocked that a fisihng museum was interesting and pleasant to visit. 🙂

Afterwards, we went out for a late lunch, which was delicious, and we talked seriously about where we’re going in life. Dan seems to think he’ll be better off teaching after he finishes getting his degree, then he can get to resting comfortably on summer vacations, plus all of his test will be written for his assorted classes. Honestly, I think he’d be better off teaching elementary or college classes.

I see only wonderful things in my future…growth, happiness, and more time with my sweetie and pals. feels good. 🙂

Speaking of which, my sweetheart should be getting home soon from her night out, so I’ll wrap up. G’nite, LJ!

LiveJournal Friend Comparison interesting but a little buggy. not totally accurate.

Unconnected…Ken Kesey died today. 🙁

Take the MONSTER RANCHER test at dontbewillful.com!

You are walking down a winding dirt back road. It is about an hour before sunset, crisp and cool. You look up and a vast distance down the path you see a figure heading in your direction. You are surprised to have seen someone so far away. But, you keep walking, expecting nothing more than a friendly nod as you pass. He gets closer. You see he has a flowing red cape. He is closer–a blue bodysuit with a yellow-red crest on the chest. Closer–craggy features on a chalk-white face, and blue highlights in a disheveled mop of raven-black hair. You and he are fifty yards apart. You, and Bizarro, the cracked mirror image of Superman are twenty yards apart. You approach on the lonely country avenue. You nod. He salutes, and flies off.

.

The mind of da Vinci: where design and practicality meet, have lunch, do a little bridge design, then a little painting, then invent the helicopter, then move on to something else. This bridge makes a visit to Norway more likely for me.

and … donnie darko… trippy.
(warning, it’s noisy!.. best viewed at home)

From

really cool link of the day, folks!
http://www.vectorlounge.com/04_amsterdam/jam/wireframe.html

see also –

XSpringies!!!

http://www.cs.rutgers.edu/~decarlo/software.html
http://www.sevenravens.com/winspringies/
http://www.jcraft.com/jspringies/

Thankee!

If possible, please post a pic in my comments section? I’m fascinated. 🙂

shirty (SHUHR-tee) adjective

Bad-tempered, irritable.

[From the expression “to get someone’s shirt out” to annoy or to lose temper.]

Replace the R with another T, and you get the same thing.

Sorry We Have To Let You Go, Can You Repay Your Bonus On The Way Out?
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John Schuett got laid off from a Silicon Valley telecom firm — and then his former employer told Schuett to repay 1,250 worth of a signing bonus because he didn’t stay at the firm a full year.

Schuett got a $2,500 signing bonus when he signed up with San Jose-based Valiant Networks. In October, he lost his job after just six months. Soon after, he received a letter from Valiant threatening him with a collection agency if he didn’t return half the bonus.

EEEE OWWWW OHHHH YOW!!!!!!!!!!!
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An inmate at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre who was told he has flesh-eating disease on his genitals is being treated in hospital, where he is scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery this week.

Marlon Gidluck’s family is accusing jail officials of delaying treatment, causing him to suffer needlessly.

Gidluck, 22, compares the damage done by the infection as being akin to putting his penis “in a pencil sharpener.” Half of his penis had to be removed to clear away dead tissue and infected areas.

go to nye labs. I love this guy.

http://home.epix.net/~mhryvnak/theyfightcrime.html

It basically generates an “odd-couple” pair of law enforcers/vigilantes/crimefighters – the sort of team-up that apparently was in five movies out of six during that doomed decade.

It’s positively brilliant.

A few examples:

“He’s a leather-clad one-eyed firefighter haunted by an iconic dead American confidante.
She’s a vivacious mute magician’s assistant on her way to prison for a murder she didn’t commit.
They fight crime! ”

“He’s a suave misogynist cat burglar fleeing from a secret government program.
She’s an elegant bisexual safe cracker with only herself to blame.
They fight crime! ”

“He’s a scrappy Amish vampire hunter who knows the secret of the alien invasion.
She’s a man-hating motormouth hooker who inherited a spooky stately manor from her late maiden aunt.
They fight crime!”

Honestly, I’d be ready to pay to be in a game based on one of these.

http://home.epix.net/~mhryvnak/theyfightcrime.html

It basically generates an “odd-couple” pair of law enforcers/vigilantes/crimefighters – the sort of team-up that apparently was in five movies out of six during that doomed decade.

It’s positively brilliant.

A few examples:

“He’s a leather-clad one-eyed firefighter haunted by an iconic dead American confidante.
She’s a vivacious mute magician’s assistant on her way to prison for a murder she didn’t commit.
They fight crime! ”

“He’s a suave misogynist cat burglar fleeing from a secret government program.
She’s an elegant bisexual safe cracker with only herself to blame.
They fight crime! ”

“He’s a scrappy Amish vampire hunter who knows the secret of the alien invasion.
She’s a man-hating motormouth hooker who inherited a spooky stately manor from her late maiden aunt.
They fight crime!”

Honestly, I’d be ready to pay to be in a game based on one of these.

My buddy Rik told me a story about when he was at the opening night of a multi-story trendy downtown bistro in Texas. During remodeling and reconstruction the attic had been open to the elements for awhile and bats had nested in the eaves. Then they got shut in just before the opening.

So there’s the cream of Austin society hobnobbing, then suddenly hordes of bats come through swooping and darting through the festivities and dropping guano with no respect for social standing. Pandemonium.

I wonder if these bats are left over from the WWII US Bat-Kamikaze Corps?

During WWII, someone (possibly in the OSS) got the bright idea of strapping time-detonated magnesium bombs to bats. The plan was to airdrop them from a plane over Japan. The bats would swoop down (scaring the AA gun crews half to death), and roost under the eaves of buildings. Then they would all simultaneously explode, to the severe detriment of the buildings.

A large swarm of bats was caught (an adventure in itself, probably carried out by DG personnel who wondered if this was why they had been transferred from ONI to OSS), and fitted with the bombs. Then it was time for the test!

Apparently, there must have been two tests, for I’ve heard two different accounts of what happened…

1. The bats were released from the B-29, and came swooping down, avoiding the fake Japanese fortress constructed as a target, and instead taking refuge in several large wooden temporary structures of a (fortunately unoccupied) nearby Army facility. Not all of the Suicide Bat Commandos were rounded up before the bombs went off. (That part of the scheme worked just fine, by the way!) (OOPS!)

2. The USAAF did a high-altitude drop of its kamikaze Bat-Paratroops. Unfortunately, the bats passed out from the thin air and cold, plummeted to earth, and didn’t wake up before the ground hit them between the ears… (OOPS!)

Due to either or both of the above problems, the Suicide Bat Commandos were disbanded, and the military shifted to more conventional weapons, such as Little Boy and Fat Man.

The Suicide Bat Commandos could be reorganized today, however… There are still plenty of bats around, especially in Texas, and plenty of Kamikaze Batbombs to equip them with. Ways could be found to protect the bats during transit in a B-2 (http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/bomber/b-2.htm) (which is the only plane for the job — due to its design), and they could be trained to not only seek out caves, but to home in on the scent of the gun oil used for AK-47s (like that one Osama is so often filmed with)! Billionaire Bruce Wayne could be offered a temporary commission in the US Military to oversee their training!

In fact, if Transylvania is an ally in the fight vs. the terrorists, some vampire bats could be recruited for the fight! These would put the foes in double danger — they would drink their blood, and later explode!

However, it is important to note that “two can play at this game”! Afghanistan is honeycombed with its own caves, presumably populated by bats, as well as by Taliban and terrorists. The US might have to face the Taliban Bat-Martyr Force!

Quick, to the Batplane!

Now one of my life’s ambitions is to release clouds of bats at Spago. It will be glorious.