Having trouble toddling off to sleep tonight, so I’ll just type-type until I feel the desire to kick back and relax or read in a horizontal position.. My workout has some stretches that feel great. My favorite is one when I lay on my stomach and use a belt or sheet to bend my leg out and back behind me… the stretch is easy to do, and I can feel a very palpable difference. The only hazard is that Newt likes to come visit and play while I’m doing it, so I’m easily distracted..I end up losing count or the beat, and having to restart again later. He’s very fond of taking a swat at the ponytail or one of my mitts, and he’s too cute to turn down.

Well, in other news, the mother takes off for her Thanksgiving week cruise on Monday…. they’ll be out to sea until Saturday night. I’m glad that she and her husband get to travels so much, and see the world, even if they’re not really retired. They do it so much, though, that I’m likely to call it “retired-ish”.

Had a gab with the Bro for a bit yesterday, and I’ve got confirmation that he’s talked to Mike and Andy a bit lately, which is disappointing, but not surprising. I have to call Danny up, and see if having the brother along is ok, or see if Bro and I will do something non-traditional for dinner, instead. I’d like to be there to help spare Danny the “deal with family alone” stress, too.

Went and looked up the word “top” (like a dreidel) just to find out what it’s the top of…I was guessing it was a mutation of the word “tip” since it balances on a point. Nothing so unusual. Top comes from the old English toye, meaning plaything. Sometimes my quest for the rest of the story stops pretty quickly.

Cat in the Hat is getting EL STINKEROO reviews… Well, that’s too bad. Looks like Elf is the runaway hit this go-round. There’s always Master and Commander, too.

I’m surprised how good South park was last night. (All About Mormons?) They basically punched holes in the Mormon belief system and then turned it around at the end. Something that I’ve always liked about the show is that when it’s good, nobody gets away without a mark. Nobody’s perfect…. what’s more, they don’t have to be.

Last bit:

“Look, maybe us Mormons do believe in crazy stories that make absolutely no sense, and maybe Joseph Smith did make it all up, but I have a great life. and a great family, and I have the Book of Mormon to thank for that. The truth is, I don’t care if Joseph Smith made it all up, because what the church teaches now is loving your family, being nice and helping people. And even though people in this town might think that’s stupid, I still choose to believe in it. All I ever did was try to be your friend, Stan, but you’re so high and mighty you couldn’t look past my religion and just be my friend back. You’ve got a lot of growing up to do, buddy. Suck my balls.”

I’m not a Mormon…*very* far from it, in fact….but I can get behind that sentiment.

Handy Dandy guide to DC “Earths” Continue reading #6280 TV, Comics, Movies, Music, Family →

New regimen for PT.. The stretching and weights seem to be really making a good, solid difference. Newt’s a little talker today… and he’s into playing fetch, which always makes me smile.

Something I’ve always wondered about Captain Marvel…when Billy Batson would say “SHAZAM!” each letter represented a different source of power (and the acronym varied according to the being using it, see below…)

Umm. Solomon? What’s he doing in that crew of Greeks and Romans on Cap’n Marvel? I also thought it was kind of funny that he has a lightening bolt (The method of his transformation) on his chest… sort of like Superman wearing a big phone booth on his. Yes, I know it’s just a silly comic book, but when you’re eleven years old, these things make you wonder…. and if you’re me, they stay with you for life.

Countdown About me meme

Carrying on a nice e-mail correspondence with the Gray Pumpkin. He’s going to be running a “super-teens/school” game over the Thanksgiving holiday while Pam’s visiting. Sort of a rag-tag bunch. Mrs.P is playing a Mimic, Pam’s got some sort of mutant-acrobat, and the remaining player (folks I’ve not met, but sound like a good crew) are doing a Sorcerer-type, A naive Atlantean Princess with a Monkey sidekick (Sea-monkey, that is), and I forget off the top of my head who, if any of the others might be.

GP was kind enough to give me an invite to come by sometime, too. It’d be nice to see them and goof around a bit. It’ll be a while before it happens, though. I used up a bit of off time during recovery. I wonder how Newt’d like visiting Austin?

I’ve got other places that I’d like to travel to, as well…Up the East coast to visit other family and loved ones.

Currently contemplating the topic of the next article I want to write. The runes one was some work, but turned out pretty good, I think.

ACIM got some more coverage on the news– Looks like Georgia is going to be picked up quickly. Continue reading #6278 GP's TG play, sacred sites, ACIM in the news, old palm art, asteroid strike →

Carrying on a nice e-mail correspondence with the Gray Pumpkin. He’s going to be running a “super-teens/school” game over the Thanksgiving holiday while Pam’s visiting. Sort of a rag-tag bunch. Mrs.P is playing a Mimic, Pam’s got some sort of mutant-acrobat, and the remaining player (folks I’ve not met, but sound like a good crew) are doing a Sorcerer-type, A naive Atlantean Princess with a Monkey sidekick (Sea-monkey, that is), and I forget off the top of my head who, if any of the others might be.

GP was kind enough to give me an invite to come by sometime, too. It’d be nice to see them and goof around a bit. It’ll be a while before it happens, though. I used up a bit of off time during recovery. I wonder how Newt’d like visiting Austin?

I’ve got other places that I’d like to travel to, as well…Up the East coast to visit other family and loved ones.

Currently contemplating the topic of the next article I want to write. The runes one was some work, but turned out pretty good, I think.

ACIM got some more coverage on the news– Looks like Georgia is going to be picked up quickly. Continue reading #6278 GP’s TG play, sacred sites, ACIM in the news, old palm art, asteroid strike →

Well, the Broward county fair starts today. I saw tarpo and his squeeze there a while back.. was it two years ago, already?

They sawed the legs off of the local Santa-Amazon, to put her indoors! The poor thing! ( I had to find out via Roadside America, because I don’t really go shopping out there, but it’s fin to drive past.)

I’m loving the cooler weather right now. I have more energy and enthusiasm with the atmosphere this way. PT went well today, though I forgot the Cafe con Leche until I got home. I may drift out and pick some up later this afternoon.

Bro swung by for a while, visited for a bit and picked up his “prize” radio thingamabob. It was a pleasant gab, talked back and forth about a few things. He seemed pretty on top of his game. I got a mailer from one of his sponsors for surfing, and it looks like he’s going to get back into that… They sent him approval for being on the regional team, as well as a fins and a few jerseys. He gave me one of the promo shirts… it’s nice, then first he’s gotten in a long while.. They sent him the V-5 flex and a standard v-5. He’s still not listed on the team page, but that’ll change once he wins a competition. He could stand the workout and environment. Any healthy habits are certainly to be encouraged.

Marvel Comics Media Update Continue reading #6277 – back from PT/ marvel media update →

So, is Frankie out, at last? Not sure… I think so. If he is, it’s about dang time, sez I. Comfortably cool out right now… light rains, high 60s.

Let them sing it for you – type in lyrics, and it pulls clips from songs to play… sort of a cool way to write an audio ransom note. (I did “I want to eat your heart and eyes for dinner,” “store the money in a plain brown bag,” “Death to those who would dance with no voice” and “Was it a large cat you saw jump through my skin?”)

First New Space Ghost C2C since 2001 premieres on December 7 at 11:30pm (ET/PT) on Cartoon Network.

I’ve been getting a lot of these paypal virus emails lately… fortunately, I deal primarily with a web-mail client that catches this hubbub before it becomes a problem.

Also, Newt says hi from the Futon –

C at work has called me at home numerous times today. I have a procedures manual there that has everything typed out, step by step, written so that a monkey with a head wound could figure it out… but he can’t be bothered to look in the book, it seems. So, I get to talk him through it, and hope for the best… but it’s a little on the irritating side. I tell them where to find information, and instead, they prefer me to try to rack my brain and recall something I did two months ago.. and wrote down, because I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t remember it. Ah well, enough grumping. My own fault for not going in this week. I’ll have plenty to do next week, and then I can run with it.

Back on call now once 5pm rolls by, but that’s fine. Soft rains and dark skies along with thoughts of my sweetheart will make it float comfortably.

Cool little Flying robot. I’d like one, please. I’d also like to pick up a “Sticky Shocker“.

The average cruising airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is roughly 11 meters per second, or 24 miles an hour.

The four capitals of Assyria were Ashur (or Qalat Sherqat), Calah (or Nimrud), the short-lived Dur Sharrukin (or Khorsabad), and Nineveh. The ruins of all four ancient cities fall within the modern state of Iraq

From “Mungo” at RPG.net, about old-school Gamma World:

“It’s hard to pick out a single memorable incident, but the campaign was filled with a sense of desperate hilarity. We were always getting in trouble and barely making it out the alive. When people talk about GW being ‘Yahoo’ this is what I think of – over the top situations and reckless adventure. Unfortunately, I think ‘yahoo’ has come to mean ‘silly’ for a lot of people (and perhaps the new GW designers from the sounds of it – though I have yet to read the new edition so I can’t say) which it isn’t. ‘Yahoo’ was fun, action packed and PC adventure focused – completely antithetical to prolonged angst, introspection, or detailed and often unusable background info, which is what people usually confuse with ‘serious.'”

Ahh.. yup. That’s the good stuff, and sums up a lot of the fun I had in the old gaming days. There’s a place for everything, of course, but I certainly preferred “Seat of your pants” scrambling and friendly character roleplay than moody, broody, grumps that many systems seem to favor. (Not like I’ve really played anything in an age.)

Near Extinct Whistling Language Returns Continue reading #6274 work, whistles, Jupiter, fun electronics, Holy Grail Answers, frp goodness →

Yowza. Far too many jobs run last night. it seemed that as soon as I hung up with one PD, another would crop up. Fortunately, most were recoveries or other forms of good news.

Mike Myers is using his “Linda Richman – Cawfee Tawk” voice as The Cat in the Hat? That’s sort of weird. It’s not like I’m planning on seeing it in the theater, but I figure it’ll be on TV in the next year or two, for at least a month, all over cable. I wonder if it’ll be worth watching, or if it’ll be really hard to avoid seeing snips and snaps of it when I least desire to?

I have a confession, I think the Coffee Talk skits he did were pretty dang funny, if only because the character reminded me of all the Boca Raton Retirees clucking in their personal circles.

Cow Magnets!

superpowers meme

Hmm.. Today’s horoscope says that I should treat myself today! Looks like it’s Thai food for din din tonight! (Like you have to twist my arm). I deserve it, anyway, after ACIM dropped a community notification in my lap 15 minutes before it was supposed to go out. I’m just lucky that the network was running, and codeRED proceeded without a hitch… just as well a 5pm notification for a 6:30 meeting can’t go out late.

Frankie came by a moment ago wanting to talk, but I’m having none of it. He wheedled a bit, until I told him to please leave through the door. Ugh. So, I call the Landlord up and let him know that the stupid-liar-mooch-crackhead-cluetard Frankie is getting on my nerves, and “Just what is the eviction timeline, anyway?” LL claimed that he intended to take him out tonight, but it was getting late… so he’ll relocate him tomorrow night “For sure.” Well, it’s only what, 20 days+ overdue, but I do know that I’ll breathe a good deal easier when he’s relocated to anywhere but two doors down.

Thais are adept at performing no less than 13 situational-specific smiles in their everyday lives. Continue reading #6271 Cluetard / Thai Smiles →

Ok.. so I think I’m chalking my energy level up to the coffee and the workout. My next workout period is at 4pm, and then another at 8.

Ah, it’s nice to get letters like this (Edited for privacy) –

Scott, I would like to say thank you for your help with a case on Nov 16. We requested an alert after it was reported to us that a 32 yr old female with mental problems was reported missing.

We received two calls as a result of the alerts that provided us with solid information in this case.

Ultimately the female […] was located safely, 20 miles from her home.

Thanks again

Wayne County Sheriffs Office

Lord of the Rings Barbie and Ken!

1172 Old Testament in Hebrew ‘Because of the Jewish prohibition on the depiction of religious images, the original text uses its letter forms which are molded into shapes, to produce a decorative effect.’ (larger image)

DR. John Gray – the best-selling author of “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” – isn’t really a doctor. In fact, there’s scant evidence he ever went to college at all. Continue reading #6270 Thank you note, new mystery particle, Old Testament Illumination, LOTR Barbie, map fun →

After PT this morning, I picked up some Cafe con Leche at the little Cuban place up the street.

VRRRRRRRRRROOOOOM! VRRRRROOOOOMMM!!!!

Wow, this stuff should be prescription-only. It is delicious, though. I think that I might have another *before* the next workout, though.

The new exercises look to be pretty positive, I’ll be doing them three times a day at home and three pt visits a week,as well. I’ve got a few minor errands to run this morning, but I’ll return shortly. Have some links, until I get back.

Seeya Later, Dear Journal!

Oh, man, I’m such a dork for actually wanting this… but the price tag is more than a little nutty.

Awesome photography of ghost towns

Grunt Growl and Tear is a fast-paced game of paper monster combat for 2 to 4 players where you can rip limbs off of your opponents and attach them to yourself. It looks to be an awfully cathartic thing to do after a hard day at work or school.

Miami Herald Camera (east) – This is a view from The Miami Herald’s fifth floor facing east overlooking Biscayne Bay. To the right is the MacArthur Causeway.

Miami Herald Camera (west) – In the foreground is a Metromover track and Herald employee parking lots. Beyond that is construction on the new Performing Arts Center of Greater Miami.

And Locally, The Sun-Sentinel cam – The edge of a new condo under construction; the Travel Guard building, which is one of the oldest buildings in downtown; Las Olas Boulevard, which is the curving road, and the Museum of Art, the structure on the far right. In the background, you see the Las Olas Riverfront area and the white building in the far distance at the center is the Museum of Discovery and Science. In the immediate foreground is the sales center for the condominium tower under construction.

Zombie survival guide

Where Legos come from

Another World, from Escher’s work, 1947 – quicktime VR.. very nicely done.

current mood:
current music: VRrrroooom!! Vrrrroooom!!

Ok, finally got Joyce to be good and to put finalization on my PT appointments… First regular visit is tomorrow. Landlord called my place, following up on all of his phone calls, ad he still claims that Frankie the Mooch will be out of here in the next day or two… again, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Dark skies and soft rains outside made it the perfect time to read a *lot* about runes and folk-history today. Brushing up on old sagas… got to love project Gutenberg! I think that I like the Icelandic better than the Swedish stuff, though. Classic viking tales are a hoot, wherever they may be found, written by the folks themselves.

I got confirmed payment on my links today, so went on a little shopping visit, and bought some loot at Amazon… it’s nice to treat myself and others!

Unsanitary fast food chains – Listed info by State

top ten offending chains saved for posterity.

Ok, finally got Joyce to be good and to put finalization on my PT appointments… First regular visit is tomorrow. Landlord called my place, following up on all of his phone calls, ad he still claims that Frankie the Mooch will be out of here in the next day or two… again, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Dark skies and soft rains outside made it the perfect time to read a *lot* about runes and folk-history today. Brushing up on old sagas… got to love project Gutenberg! I think that I like the Icelandic better than the Swedish stuff, though. Classic viking tales are a hoot, wherever they may be found, written by the folks themselves.

I got confirmed payment on my links today, so went on a little shopping visit, and bought some loot at Amazon… it’s nice to treat myself and others!

Unsanitary fast food chains – Listed info by State

top ten offending chains saved for posterity.

Not feeling my best today, probably because of a lack of sleep… Playing around with assorted code to pass the time. Before that I wrote a little bit, did some research, dabbled in my current popcorn book, and fooled a bit with my web page, played with the Newtster, and did just about everything but go outside or take a nap. I looked on kazaa for last nights Justice League, but no luck yet. It’ll be out there within a week… I’ve already picked up the eclipso episode and a few others that had fallen through the cracks.

Just finished a case of a missing disabled woman… some parts of Ohio are just amazingly spread out. I dropped a blanket about five miles in width and height over her region, and only about 300 names popped up. She was on a bicycle, and missing since 9am, so I may have to do some “followup chasing” if I get any trail information on her. It’s frightening.. getting cold out there, and the woman’s in her thirties, but mentally still a youngster. With the region spread out like that, chances of witnesses are going to be difficult, but hopefully someone noticed something.

Here’s a reason to be glad if you’re a villain and just got beaten up by Batman or Spidey. It could be worse…. a whole lot worse.At least you didn’t come up against the Spectre, who’s a great deal less forgiving than the most frightening vigilante. (Doesn’t waste any time, either… I hope the butler was guilty of murder or something, rather than badly arranging the little soaps in the guest bathroom.)

Radio Heroes… classic comic book and record sets. I had this Superman and the Deadly Rains as a kid, and yes, I thought it was horribly bad even as a six year old. The commentary goes from very funny to really lame, but the biggest draw for me is just seeing all of these things again. Very Nostalgic.

Wynonna Judd Mug shot.

Eyewitness Quiz, D’oh, I got one wrong.

Good commentary heard recently – “Robert, you are so wrong, philosophers weep at the sound of your voice.” (via comic_getfuzzy)

[update: having a heck of a time getting the client to post this entry. I tried about 10 times before giving up and using the web.]

Ok, I called up the landlord today and gave him the lowdown on what happened last night with Frankie, and he confirmed that the place is being sold… and that he’s not evicting Frankie for some reason, but is instead moving him to another property of his. The mooch will never be able to honestly say folks didn’t give him another chance. He’s had more chances with the landlord and police than seems fair or just.

In other news, I feel hungrier lately… is it because winter is approaching? Is my body hearkening back to a storage phase? I notice I’m sleeping a bit longer lately, too, but I chalk that up to my healing phase.. my body always gets a bit more sleepy when it’s undergoing repairs. Perhaps the body’s craving more food as building material, too?

The archive link below reminded me that they’re currently reworking the galleria mall… the middle is gutted, and they’re redoing the facades out front a little at a time. It looks like a bomb hit it in the middle, but the outskirt-stores are still open and take customers.

Dr. Fate on Justice League… pretty keen. Teaming up with Aquaman and Solomon Grundy to banish Cthulhu. Not too shabby a job on Inza Nelson, either. I’m really impressed with the quality of writing and storylines with the run so far. It was a good message about faith, too. Something fairly strange… they really amped up Hawkgirl, and apparently Thanagarians get a lot of their energies (as well as agriculture and mathematics) from Cthulhu.. Up until now, I thought she was just the “Angry Warrior Gal” on the show… Hopefully they’ll play up her detective skills and other abilities over time later. It’s nice to see Grundy as a rampaging beast and sympathetic monster seeking the return of his soul, too. The closure there was well treated, too.

I’ve always had a real soft spot for Solomon Grundy. What’s not to like? He’s a reanimated corpse… strength and persistence a force of nature with the mind of a child. In the 60’s “Earth 2.1” game, we cured ol’ Cyrus, reuniting his soul to his body. The Dr. Mid-Nite / Green Lantern “Brave and the Bold” issues were certainly my favorite ones of that run.

The NRA wants to stop the police form tracking pawned guns? Continue reading #6265 Justice League is getting really good, archives →