Thank you for the COH game card, Sammy!

Bah. Mel got a flat tire, and wasn’t able to visit last night. We talked for a long time on the phone, though.

Random Archie Factoid: Jughead’s real name is Forsythe P. Jones.

Threes

“Next time some eight foot tall, wild-eyed maniac taps the back of your favorite head up against the bar room wall and asks you if you’ve paid your dues, well, you just do what ol’ Jack Burton always does at a time like that. You stare that sucker right back in the eye. ‘Have you paid your dues, Jack?’ ‘Yes sir, the check is in the mail.'”

Miami Beach Rescue reported rip currents ongoing at the beaches this morning. Two to four foot north swells, north to northeast winds at 20 knots, and a mid afternoon low tide will produce a high risk of rip currents to swimmers at the beaches of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties today.

A high risk of rip currents means that strong rip currents are likely. Stay out of the surf. The surf is dangerous for all levels of swimmers. Even those using boogie boards are urged to use extreme caution.

A rip current is a 10 to 30 yard wide channel of water that can pull even a strong swimmer from near or inside The Sand Bar into deeper water. If caught in the seaward pull of a rip current do not attempt to move directly toward shore. Instead, move sideways across the rip current until the pull eases. If you insist on entering the water, only do so at guarded beaches.

Free form, typed as I woke –

Dreamt that I was in an office building with my mother and brother… it might’ve been a courthouse. There were some demo computers there that looked sort of like a cross between architectural tubes and lunch boxes… when I tried one, it took my picture, and printed it out on cheesy heat-transfer paper, the width of a cash register receipt. I put it back down, kept the printout, and noticed it was running Unix, but only had 201k of memory. The card next to it stated that “201k is more than sufficient for all utilities except for more demanding games.” I called shenanigans on it, and walked away, my family having vanished. I got a sense of being pursued, so I began to run for the escalators. It turned out that they were “kids toy escalators” or something, because they were brightly colored, and narrower than my foot. I slid down a ramp-like jut next to it, and leapt to my feet ( noticed that I was wearing my long lost, much worn steel-toed combat boots), knowing somehow that my pursuers were close behind. There were some glass doors in my way, and for whatever reason instead of just opening them up, I smashed through them with a suddenly handy aluminum baseball bat. I went running down the empty street (far more freely than I would in waking time, I’m forced to admit) turning cartwheels and yelling to the tops of buildings for them to “come and get me!”

And then I got shot in the shoulder. Painless, thankfully in dream time, but I was knocked to the ground and had a large wet spot on the right side, just below the collarbone. I picked out the bullet, and it was shiny and covered with red paisley pattens engraved on the side.

And then I woke up and typed it here. My shoulder is whole, and not sore.

I wake, wondering which side of a Cyclops’s eye he cries out of… is the tear duct on the left or the right? both?

Old news for most, but LJ doubled our photo hosting quota from 50 to 100 meg! Ho ho ho!

Laurie Hogin’s Scary Fuzzy Critters They’ll give a person nightmares.

Nifty Explanation of the 12 days of Christmas

1 Corinthians 13:13

There was an insane amount of wind out yesterday… for some reason, that makes me very happy. I hope for more of the same today.

I’ve been wandering random sections of LJ here and there… man, there are *redundant* communities for everyone. I sniff around art nouveau communities, and linked to them are three different “nazi fetish” groups. Eek. Careful of wandering off of the path, some dragons out there. But I did also find this Neato LJViz thingum – It randomly places your friend’s names around the screen placing those that have more interests in common closer to the middle of the screen and using a larger font.

Also does the reverse of placing your interests randomly around the screen with those that are shared with more friends closer to the middle of the screen and using a larger font.

Mexican City Bans Indoor Nudity Continue reading 7091 – Third Day of Christmas (Mm.. I want French toast) →

Mel totally hooked me up with apartment gear. 2 lamps (one sort of an Eiffel tower looking one, and a glittery-lava lamp, a bed set, sheets, blankets, fluffy pillows.. some excellent scented candles and insence.. a few little stocking stuffer Newt-toys, and a few little goo dies for me, as well. excellent haul.

Treasure planet was interesting, but after Mel left, I installed Scrapland. visually very pleasing, but I can’t fly the gunship to save my life.

On call today… sort of sucks, as it’s the last “day off” I have before returning to work, but at least I got the majority of the weekend off. Upside, Mel’ll be here to take the edge off.

Ween’s version of chrismahanukwanzakah. (flash)

speed up firefox with broadband Continue reading 7090 – Boxing Day →

Mistletoe thoughts for everyone today!

Merry Christmas – (Wesley Willis style!)

I gave him some mage knight figs, holly berry incense, and a gift certificate. We went out to brunch at mangoes, where we had baked brie and soup, (served by another Erica, really on top of things. Earned a good tip, and was a total sweetheart), shot the breeze and walked around a bit.

	Dan at Mangos, (Erica in back) 122404 From now on, wherever we go out, we’re going to ask if Erica’s working.. we’ve had 2 excellent Ericas serve us at Mangos and Ugly tuna. Today, Danny Remarked – “Pink is the Christmas Black.” Women everywhere were wearing pink outfits. I don’t know what’s up with the goofy face.
	Landmark bldg 122404 First skyscraper in Ft. Lauderdale, looking up!

Danny got me Scrapland, Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon, and episodes of Mouse volume 3

After lunch, we went to play Pirates of the Spanish Main at Twistyland. We enjoyed it so much that we picked up another two booster packs.. mostly Spanish and English ships, but there’s a solo pirate in there, too. We played until about 4, and Danny headed out to go to church with his MIL and Mrs..

Since the day started with pirates, I opted to load the Disney Pirates game on first, and fiddle with it a bit. Not a bad little system, very simple, but neat.

Fun gallery of old science fiction pulp covers featuring babes organized by category: Babes with Blasters, Babes in Bondage, Babes of Myth, Alien Babes, Babes with a Grip, Robobabes, Babes in Charge, Experimental Babes, Babes under Glass.

Mel’s coming over for only a brief time this morning.. she has been recruited against her will to ferry family back and forth from Miami to WPB. She’s going to stay up there, and we’ll have a more lengthy time together tomorrow. I’ve got call, otherwise I’d trundle along with her.

1 year ago – Katt thinks a smiley looks like Doug, merry merry, testing streaming, green bean casserole

2 years ago – Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas, edbook is awesome, nation states

3 years ago – mistletoe, silly games, apartment dream, Reading The Anubis Gates

4 years ago – Booby talk, coming games

Not a bad haul so far… I got 2 shirts from the mom, a shirt from RI, and a shirt from big kahuna.. all are lovely, and a welcome addition to my wardrobe. Meeting with Danny sometime today, too.

Talked to the hippies briefly… nice to hear from them. Dave’s ready for the next step i the kiddies growth, where they’re in school a few hours a day, so he can breathe a little bit more.

Ah… Dr. Who. Sarah Jane Smith was quite a cutie. Also, A fez-wearing villain playing a pipe organ to open a time-space gateway in a mummy sarcophagus just rocks the party.

The Parking Lot Note Anti-Prank

I dig the idea of victimless pranks.

pocky meme

Saving Social Security: Where do your Legislators stand?

http://savesocialsecurity.blogspot.com/

The Save Social Security Blog is compiling a state-by-state list of where U.S. senators and representatives stand on privatization of Social Security. Here’s the link to the Florida list. – http://savesocialsecurity.blogspot.com/2004/12/florida.html

Other States are listed on the right side of the blog. Not many confirmations yet, but that will change. Send in a comment if you know where your rep stands.

Also, something amazing and unrelated to report later. Maybe big changes in the world ahead.

Zamboni explodes in Duluth ice rink, starts raging fire Continue reading 7087 – Social Security Privatization. →

No Mel on Christmas Eve, but I get her for Christmas.

Jonna came by yesterday with her littlest. Amazing what seven months will do!

Still no word from GP & Katt… I think that they’re up in Port St Lucie right now.

LD at work went to see Cher in concert this weekend, and complained about the B-52’s… she referred to them as a rap group. In all honesty, I’d rather hear “Rock Lobster” than “If I could Turn back time”

After the poll yesterday, the feedback I got back was quite diverse. A sampling of the first five

Ten Things President Bush Doesn’t Want You To Know About Scalia and Thomas

http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=274629

Continue reading 7084 – yikes. More than just 4 more years.. Supreme court is for life. →

Through the wind, the chill and the rain…. and the storm and the flood. I’m approaching.

Set up Mel’s Prezzies a couple of days early in the studio… a pair of monitor speakers, sound card and a set of new ‘phones. She’ll still get stocking stuffers on the 25th. Bummer of the week is that I have to be on call all day on Thursday and Sunday. Feh. Upside, Mel will be along for the ride on Sunday, anyhow.

Jill’s doing pretty well as a web-help… I can really appreciate that she picks up stuff fast, and is a self-starter. She sort of fubared the front page without making a backup (after she was told several times to back up everything before making changes) but it was able to be fixed quickly, and I think she learned the lesson.

ADP let me down *again* last night, failing to launch jobs in a timely manner again. I wrote everything down on paper this time, and she still failed to do her job. I got everything launched in a reasonable way, but it’s a real shame that she can’t follow simple instructions that every other tech can do.

Ask me on this post and…

1. I will tell you what song reminds me of you.
2. I will tell you what celebrity/public/fictional person you remind me of, either personality-wise or looks-wise.
3. I will give you one word that I associate with you when I think of you.
4. I will tell you what colors I associate with you.

Then steal this for your journal and make someone else’s day as well.

Leaving a City Crushed
Tokyo Braces for the Unthinkable: No Godzilla Continue reading 7083 – No mo' Zilla?!? He'll be back. →

Through the wind, the chill and the rain…. and the storm and the flood. I’m approaching.

Set up Mel’s Prezzies a couple of days early in the studio… a pair of monitor speakers, sound card and a set of new ‘phones. She’ll still get stocking stuffers on the 25th. Bummer of the week is that I have to be on call all day on Thursday and Sunday. Feh. Upside, Mel will be along for the ride on Sunday, anyhow.

Jill’s doing pretty well as a web-help… I can really appreciate that she picks up stuff fast, and is a self-starter. She sort of fubared the front page without making a backup (after she was told several times to back up everything before making changes) but it was able to be fixed quickly, and I think she learned the lesson.

ADP let me down *again* last night, failing to launch jobs in a timely manner again. I wrote everything down on paper this time, and she still failed to do her job. I got everything launched in a reasonable way, but it’s a real shame that she can’t follow simple instructions that every other tech can do.

Ask me on this post and…

1. I will tell you what song reminds me of you.
2. I will tell you what celebrity/public/fictional person you remind me of, either personality-wise or looks-wise.
3. I will give you one word that I associate with you when I think of you.
4. I will tell you what colors I associate with you.

Then steal this for your journal and make someone else’s day as well.

Leaving a City Crushed
Tokyo Braces for the Unthinkable: No Godzilla Continue reading 7083 – No mo’ Zilla?!? He’ll be back. →

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announce the arrest of Laurence Jay Scott, Sr., 53, of 8690 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, Fla. Scott is charged with Computer Pornography and Transmission of Material Harmful to A Minor by Electronic Device or Equipment. FDLE and ICE agents arrested Scott at his home on December 20, 2004.

The investigation began in January 2004, when an undercover Albuquerque New Mexico Police Department (ANMPD) officer posing as a 12-year old girl began conversations through Yahoo Instant Messenger with a man named “Larry” from Florida. Using investigative techniques, information revealed that the man the undercover officer was chatting with was believed to be Laurence Jay Scott, Sr. The undercover officer, still posing as a 12 year-old female, also received a telephone call allegedly from Scott in which they talked about sex. In May, a FDLE special agent from the Florida Computer Crime Center using the information from the ANMPD made contact with Scott online. The FDLE special agent was posing as a 14-year-old girl from Tallahassee. During the conversation, Scott allegedly talked about sex and sent a video of sexual nature to the agent using his Webcam. A search warrant was conducted on Scott’s residence by FDLE and ICE special agents in July and several pieces of equipment were taken as evidence.

Scott was booked into the Lee County Jail under a $25,000 bond.

The Florida Computer Crime Center was created by FDLE in October 1998 in response to the increase in the number of criminal investigations that were involving computers. In today’s criminal activity we find two separate worlds of computer crime: first, the traditional world of crime that is now using computers in order to facilitate or help with the crime (child pornography, fraud, banking scams, drugs, and child exploitation). The second involves a whole new realm of crime that law enforcement has never been confronted with, such as hacking, denial of service attacks, virus replication, and network intrusions.

For more information on ways families can protect their children from Internet dangers log onto FDLE’s Florida Computer Crime Center at http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Fc3/.