I feel sorry for Halloween these days. When I was a boy (by cracky), I could get upwards of three, sometimes four *pillowcases-worth* of candy. And Trick or treaters wore costumes, they didn’t just pull this “knock on doors and ask for candy” theme that seems to be the popular trend… or so I hear. I didn’t get any TorTers this year.

Radical fabric is one atom thick Continue reading 6973 – The Holiday Inn Rainbow Room Presents: →

Bush and Kerry repeat discredited claims in their final flurry of ads. Here’s factcheck’s pre-election summary of the misinformation found during the Bush-Kerry presidential campaign.

http://www.factcheck.org/article298.html

We are only equal in the grave and in the dark
Said a man whose head was halfway eaten by a shark
Now if you ask me why I would continue on like this
I doubt that I would know so I could only make a guess
Half a mouth may not be much but it’s still half a kiss.

We are only equal in the grave and in the dark
Said a man whose head was halfway eaten by a shark
Now if you ask me why I would continue on like this
I doubt that I would know so I could only make a guess
Half a mouth may not be much but it’s still half a kiss.

This is a pretty good approximation of a Robotman pumpkin.

I got one good picture from last night… I have to make a point of posting it this evening.

Dracula: Dead and Loving It is surprisingly loyal to the source material. Also, the gag about “Yes, we have Nosferatu, we have Nosferatu today” was very silly. Mel Brooks looks more and more like Patrick Stewart as they both get older.

Today is my mother’s 57th Birthday. She’s visiting grand-ma-ma this weekend for her 82nd. GMM is suffering from a loss of faculties since her stroke earlier this year. It’s believed that she has the first few signs of Alzheimer’s. I think she really stopped hanging on to focus after Ted passed away, and now is allowing her thoughts to sort of disperse because she has no reason to narrow the beam on anything in particular. I feel that she’s going to let layers drift away, little by little over the next year or so, until she vanishes back into the void from which she came. She’s living with her son, now, and he’s 60.

Seems to be a trend. Grampa and Nana had Great-Grammy living in the other half of the duplex that they shared, ages ago, though Great Gram wasn’t mentally infirm at all… she just was old and “rickety”. Her passing away was what got me my first computer, way back when. I wonder where Claudette is now? After Grandpa died, she sort of packed things up and went back to her family… I never really heard anything from her again after that.

I’m just very happy that my mother has a strong support system in place for when she gets older. Her husband is a decade younger than she is, so, barring accident, he should be maintain her health and living quarters for the foreseeable future.

Thinking about how I’d feel if I woke up in my current situation, with no backstory.. if I could only look on the surface.

Family and friends sort of troublesome right now. Newt is the most comfortable and rock steady of the lot. Perhaps a case of ignorance being bliss, because he’s got his own little microverse here in the apartment.

Finances, good. I’ve managed to save a tight little nest egg, and a bit more goes in there with every payday.

Mental Health/ Emotional, fair to middling. There’s a lot out there on my noggin’s plate right now, and it’s not always what folks might think. Fortunately, I’ve become pretty grounded by this point in my life. I agree (to a point) with the statement that says “We create our own stress”. In the sense that I’m the only one that can react to a situation as it pertains to me, that’s true. I think that if you truly care about someone else, seeing them suffer for any reason (real or imagined) is going to cause you stress. That’s a symptom of concern for others…if you don’t care, you don’t worry. Nothing about myself causing stress.

Physical Health, good, though I need to stick with my diet. I don’t want to gain back everything I’ve lost. No Back pain lately, No Headaches. I still have nerve damage in my leg, but it’s numbness rather than pain. Upper body strength is getting high. Moderate daily workouts. Still don’t eat anything with a face. Was surprised that Diet Pepsi Slurpees aren’t vegan. (contains dagatose, whose production is started with whey, a dairy by-product.) Garden burger Riblets are about my favorite sandwich fodder.

Intelligence, skill set – I’ve honed my power-user skills and hardware stuff , and kept my ASP skills reasonably sharp. My php has become more tightly focused into lasso, and CSS is only used as a reference. Non-computer skills that I use regularly are inter-personal with law enforcement and/or grant writing, management of other technicians, light counseling of distressed parents.

Select Tracking keyword list – all phrases led to my journal.

Happy Halloween!

Hooray for Lite-Brite!

Nuts. I just wrote a longy-long Halloween entry, and poofadoodle. Looks like LJ played a Halloween Trick on me. Just the quickie highlights and archives, then.

Tommy Vu say “You a Loooozuh!” < - flashback to 1992 or so.

Timewarp. All the stuff in my house recalibrates itself except for my TV, which serves as an alarm clock. So, up I am an hour earlier than is necessary to switch phones over to the other tech. I figure it’ll be easier to stay up now than go back to bed and wake up in an hour. After that, ol’ bedski’s mine for an extra hour or two.. whatever feels right to sleep into.

Halloween Resources!

Nifty Chess game shows the logic of how it plays.

I wonder why Man-Bat didn’t get all kinds of cool man-based gizmos… A Man-mobile, man-cave, the “Man Signal” or Manarangs?

Thank goodness athat all major transforming monsters kep their pants on, for dignity’s sake. It wouldn’t do to have the Hulk, Mr. Hyde, Man-Bat or Wolfman running around with their winkies flapping in the wind.

Holy Cow… I really hope the last episode of the Venture Brothers really is the *last* episode. What a perfect way to end the series. I would have no problem buying the 14-episode set should it actually come out on DVD.

Go in peace, dear journal.

Archives –

1 year ago – Victorian Halloween Card, Landlord selling the triplex, Sore throat, La Historia del mamut, remembering my father, virus, Halloween Quiz

2 years ago – Assorted pictures of Newt, Cows, Baby Clowns and the Sky, Movie Halloween safety tips, Avoided Mushroom House

3 years ago – Latex Gloves not the answer to mail, King Kong song, Prologue, Halloween CD, Free Flow, Costume Poll, Ambergris, SOP, No Trick or Treaters

4 years ago – One of many landlords to forget the gas bill, good vibes, Newt not as talky, more fetchy, Omar, Evil Test, PHC

Clue and Murder By Death is a great double feature. I never realized before that Eileen Brennan was in both!

I like the idea of a scary cannibal ghost. First he scares you to death, and then he eats *your* ghost.

Still looking for a costume?

Printable vintage Star Wars Masks! ( Including Admiral Ackbar! It’s a TRAAAAAAP!!!) Maybe Dress Newt up as a Gamorrean Guard, too… after I photoshop the nose to be more Newtie-pink.

See also – Celeb-masks via forbes Maybe be Tolkien!

Young girls carrying signs with lipstick “kisses” on them bearing the slogan “HOTTIES FOR KERRY”. I wonder if that’s a national thing or a local phenomenon.

A lot of stuff has been pinging my bullshitometer lately. Work folk, primarily, but outside bits and pieces here and there. ADP is pretty much on her way out, I suspect.

Random Scotto Factoid, if my Mother had Married the guy she was dating before my Father, my last name would be Batstone.

Don’t do a search for “Vlad the Impaler” via online streaming video, unless you’re willing to filter out a bunch of porn. Ew!

www.coh.artphobia.net – Badge Collections for City of Heroes

Well, they’re certainly marketing The Incredibles. Dang! and I thought Shrek and The Cat in the Hat were oversaturated.

An actual Virtual Pumpkin.. no jokes this time.

“Human or witch, or creature not mortal, all will be lost when they step through this portal.”

Where did I hear that… and why do I think Pauly Shore said it?

I finally got a chance to see Episode 8 of JLU. Nicely done. Doctor Fate, The Whole Green Lantern Corps, The Atom, and the rest of the gang. Not a bad use of Luthor, either. Interesting bit at the end in the Nelson’s tower.

Keep pets inside your home, especially on Halloween night. If pets are outside, keep them supervised and close to your side.

When walking your dog on Halloween, try to avoid large crowds of costumed people. Also, try to avoid having your dog lick the sidewalk where eggs or shaving cream have been dropped.

Chocolate is poisonous to animals. (Dogs especially but it will make cats sick.) After checking all candy for your children, put it out of reach of your pets’ reach.

If you are handing out candy, keep your pets in a room away from the front door so that they can’t get outside.

Keep yours pets away from lit jack-o-lanterns. Pets are often attracted by the light and could get burned.

Looking forward to end of day. I’m ready to go back to bed.

I wonder if anyone’s ever carved a pumpkin to look like Robotman?

guild wars – in beta.. I’m going to try out a happy ranger/monk. it was a slow download, but the world is lovely. Navigation is a little unwieldy, but it’s fun to roam around.

If you see Scotto Bear there, give me a friendly wave!

Tron: The Rock Opera – Nerdy Lyrics ahoy!

z-a meme (via beaucoup kevin)

Continue reading 6972 – TGIF [edit, I boogered my numbering!] →

KNOW THE RULES. . .SAFETY TIPS FOR HALLOWEEN

1. Do not allow a child to go “Trick or Treating” alone. Be sure older children TAKE A FRIEND and an ADULT accompanies young children.

2. Be certain to accompany young children to the door of every house they approach.

3. Be certain that parents are familiar with every house and all people from which the children receive treats.

4. Children should be cautioned that they should NOT enter any home without prior permission from their parents.

5. Children should be cautioned not to approach any vehicle, occupied or not, unless they know the owner and are accompanied by a parent.

6. Make sure that all children carry a glow stick or wear reflective clothing.

7. When using facial masks, make sure that children can see and breathe properly and easily.

8. All costumes and masks should be clearly marked as flame resistant.

9. Children should be warned to NEVER approach any house that is not well lit and does not have a porch or “outside” light on.

10. Children should be cautioned to remember any suspicious incidents and report them to their parents and/or the proper official.

11. Children should be cautioned to run away from people who try to trick them with special treats.

12. Children should be instructed to scream and make a scene if anyone tries to grab them or force them, in any way, to go with them.

13. Parents should inspect all treats and dispose of anything that seems to have been tampered with, has been opened, or is not wrapped.

14. A good alternative to “Trick or Treating” is for parents to organize parties at home, in schools, or in community centers.

ADP and Rhode Island are at odds. If things continue as they are now, I will likely be back on call a few more nights week, sometime soon.

Getting a lot of anony-discussion in my comments section about the weatherman-pedophile, despite the screening which usually scares folks off. I wonder if they’ve been reading my journal all along, or if I popped up on google, and I’m a forum of opportunity?

virtual punkin carve – via whims (don’t do it at work… there’s sound and cartoons)

I like the kitty-pumpkin! Speaking of gourds…

CoH Punkinheads!

Pardon the naked-seeming superhero tushie in the foreground.

I’m looking forward to turning the clocks back, if only to get the illusion of extra sleep for a few days.

Having the sun up in the morning is nice too, but not really a requirement.

so… when did photobucket drop the free host amount from 100megs to 25 megs? yeesh. I’m glad I have my own site.

OCTOBER 27–A Florida man has been charged with attempting to run over controversial Republican congresswoman Katherine Harris with his Cadillac. According to the below Sarasota Police Department report, Barry Seltzer, 46, told cops that he was simply exercising his “political expression” when he drove his car at Harris and several supporters, who were campaigning last night at a Sarasota intersection. Seltzer allegedly drove up on a sidewalk and headed directly for Harris before swerving “at the last minute.” Harris told officers that “she was afraid for her life and could not move as the vehicle approached her,” according to the report. For his part, Seltzer–who’s a registered Democrat–told cops, “I intimidated them with the car. They were standing in the street.” He added, “I did not run them down, I scared them a little!” That explanation did not stop investigators from arresting Seltzer for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony. Harris, Florida’s former secretary of state, is best known for her role in the aftermath of the state’s disastrous 2000 presidential election.

via – http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1027042harris1.html

Lawsuits pending after UTMB botched willed-body program Continue reading 6963 – 3 more days 'till Halloween… silver shamrock. →

ADP and Rhode Island are at odds. If things continue as they are now, I will likely be back on call a few more nights week, sometime soon.

Getting a lot of anony-discussion in my comments section about the weatherman-pedophile, despite the screening which usually scares folks off. I wonder if they’ve been reading my journal all along, or if I popped up on google, and I’m a forum of opportunity?

virtual punkin carve – via whims (don’t do it at work… there’s sound and cartoons)

I like the kitty-pumpkin! Speaking of gourds…

CoH Punkinheads!

Pardon the naked-seeming superhero tushie in the foreground.

I’m looking forward to turning the clocks back, if only to get the illusion of extra sleep for a few days.

Having the sun up in the morning is nice too, but not really a requirement.

so… when did photobucket drop the free host amount from 100megs to 25 megs? yeesh. I’m glad I have my own site.

OCTOBER 27–A Florida man has been charged with attempting to run over controversial Republican congresswoman Katherine Harris with his Cadillac. According to the below Sarasota Police Department report, Barry Seltzer, 46, told cops that he was simply exercising his “political expression” when he drove his car at Harris and several supporters, who were campaigning last night at a Sarasota intersection. Seltzer allegedly drove up on a sidewalk and headed directly for Harris before swerving “at the last minute.” Harris told officers that “she was afraid for her life and could not move as the vehicle approached her,” according to the report. For his part, Seltzer–who’s a registered Democrat–told cops, “I intimidated them with the car. They were standing in the street.” He added, “I did not run them down, I scared them a little!” That explanation did not stop investigators from arresting Seltzer for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony. Harris, Florida’s former secretary of state, is best known for her role in the aftermath of the state’s disastrous 2000 presidential election.

via – http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1027042harris1.html

Lawsuits pending after UTMB botched willed-body program Continue reading 6963 – 3 more days ’till Halloween… silver shamrock. →

LJ entry promotes a secret service bust –

http://www.livejournal.com/users/anniesj/331112.html

I wonder how Bunky the Owl is doing, and if he’s getting smoochies this season?

Dear Eckerd Drugs: Christmas stuff, before Halloween? C’mon. it’s still more than 2 MONTHS away. Mercy.

Dreamt the right side of my face was torn off by a rake fight last night. I had to get a prosthetic replacement, based off of the mirror image of my remaining side… I looked “wrong”. Everyone thought I looked like me, but was someone else. I had to shave my head, eyebrows and beard while the artificial skin grafted to the real stuff. I was happy that my eye wasn’t ruined in the accident, but for some reason everything looked black and white through that one.

Regional Meme (Key West is more Like Lauderdale than Miami is.) I’ve Bolded stuff that really applies. Continue reading 6961 – Helmintophobia – Fear of being infested with worms →