I get home a bit early last night. Phone, she be dead.

Do you know the horror that is having no phone or net connection to the likes of me? I was mortified that I couldn’t chat with Ornj at all…(we still haven’t officially broken the 24-hour mark… I got a delayed signal ‘sweet dreams from her yesterday morning… and we bounced some mail back and forth…) but I was looking so forward to seeing her last night, and posting some stuff to LJ. No such luck. So, instead, I get some other computer work I needed done, begin coding a frame work for a friend who’s going to be a massage therapist… (Actually, Kev’s going to do real coding for it, but I want to try my hand at it… I need to get my VB up to par… I have some real weakness in form design and ‘sharpness’. I can get stuff to work, but it’s always so spartan… need to make it handsome, as well as functional. Got more reading done… reread Walden. Makes me want to visit Concord, Massachusetts again… (I live in Brockton, Near Holbrook for a while.. woo. Rough, but not as bad as Roxbury. MA folks reading this know what I’m talking about… they’ll slice you and dice you, pally.)

This morning, I did my morning walk, and called from the Newsstand (in the strip-mall of goodness… the heavenly counterpart to the strip mall of sin…) Must write about them one day..

Well… the LJ was so pesky, I decided to resort to the quick-and-dirty method, post via client.

Submitted two stories to be published this morning… *crosses fingers* It’s a small press, but it never hurts to add to the portfolio… I’d like to financially profit from writing if possible, and if not, well, it’s still a fun and cheap hobby.

This quote on sweetalyssm‘s journal.

“Colors and shapes make a more definite statement than words.”

–Georgia O’Keeffe

Hmm.. not sure that I agree… I think it depends on the person. (and the shapes or words in question) … overall, I tend to think that images can be more misunderstood than writing, at least from my perspective. Both are excellent ways to get a statement across… That’s something for me to ponder.

took me three times to post replies in folk’s journals today, so I’m going to abstain until traffic reduces…I hope the servers find a place soon… I look *so* forward to there being no lag, or jams!

^pairing^ly, I he^ar you shout, "what is happening to the whole world?". Ever^yone you see could be the agains^t you. Almost anyone could be t^he enemy. But who is the enemy?. You wⁱll find peril, you will find danger but will you find the truth? Look beneath the ^surface in your search and you mi^ght survive or you will just become p^art of another extre^mely dusty fil^e iⁿ wareh^ouse 23. Be^ware…..as life lacks justice and "fate, it would seem, is not without a sense of irony". Can you change your own fate?

New writing idea…

Write a story in 5th person.

I heard from this guy who told somebody…

Gonna make that word minimum. 🙂

Earth laughs in flowers….

They’re probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of person I am.

Anyway, I hear the expression ‘eats like a bird’–is really a fals- fals- falsity. Because birds really eat a tremendous lot. But I don’t really know anything about birds. My hobby is stuffing things–you know–taxidermy. And I guess I’d just rather stuff birds because I hate the look of beasts when they’re stuffed–you know, foxes and chimps. Some people even stuff dogs and cats–but, oh, I can’t do that. I think only birds look well stuffed because–well, because they’re kind of passive to begin with.

RPG Games of the past I’d like to have been a part of… that’s the sort of gaming I’d enjoy as a one or two-shot.

The Auditioners: References Available Upon Request: When Fair City’s top hero team disappears, only two words come to the minds of the other heroes—Job
Openings. Do you have what it takes to roleplay yourself into the big time? Enjoy lighthearted adventure along the lines of Mystery Men or The Tick.

TV Squad: The Visitors Are Our Friends: Will even the combined efforts of Manimal, Isis, The Greatest American Hero, The Master, and The Bionic Man be enough to stop the aliens of V? Enjoy a six-hour romp through the history of television history. Role-playing and a sense of humor are a must.

Justice Society vs. Godzilla: This six-hour game premiered at Gen Con 1999. In 1945, with Japan still reeling from defeat in World War II, an atomic monster attacks. Who is behind this giant lizard and how can they be stopped? Characters and impressive twist tie miniatures will be provided.

Forever Young 8: The Darkseid of Retirement: If you thought DC’s golden age heroes like Red Bee, Air Wave, and Doll Man were under-powered in their prime, imagine them 40 years later. A sense of humor and knowledge of DC’s golden age will be your only weapons. OK Apocalypse Here We Come!

Cereal Killers: Debuting Gen Con 1998, this game became a classic of the cereal icons as super hero genre. Play the part of Tony the Tiger, the Trix Rabbit, or other cereal icons on the trail of a cereal killer. This game requires a sense of humor.

Some of my fave Super-types I played at one point or another…

Greenpeace – 1960’s game, with a budding hippie taking on the new mantle of green lantern… (His powers were from the golden age’s GL, so instead of yellow being his weakness, it was wood, and all forms of plant life… his romantic interest was a ‘budding’ Pamela Isley…)

Le Grenouelle – Z-squad ‘it takes a thief’ style game… Convicted French Jewel thief who could shape-shift into a giant frog. (Ok.. not very ethnically sensitive… but it was fun.. he talked like Maurice Chevalier, and had quite a way with his teammates… one of his sidekicks was played by my pal Danny… a were-weasel who acted like a spastic Joe Pesci. Kathleen played an Icy-girl, and I don’t remember the other characters very well, because those guys stole the show…memory-wise)

Trism – Farm-boy Kidnapped by aliens during the attack on Grover’s mill in 1938, returned to earth, 50 years later, with the ability to teleport due to experiments… Most fun having a person from the ’30s adjust to the late ’80s and early 90’s… He hooked up with a fun group, Kyoko, a selectively desolid martial artist (only her hands and feet were solid when fighting, Leroy the Vet NPC (we assumed/ played at that he knew all the skills we didn’t have, because he was in ‘Nam… Think Rambo skills in a one-handed Danny Glover body)

There were others, but those three stand out as among the most fun… miniMAX, the scientist weirdness magnet who could shrink to mere inches and grow to a few stories tall, Piston, the private-eye/bionic man.. (who turned out to be just a machine), Zero, a man made completely of water, who could control other liquids telekinetically and raise/lower temperature.. (he could only pick things up if he froze his hands… had fish that lived inside of him)… Parabola, the only sane leader of Zero’s team… he was strong, and had amazing leaps… son of a rubber man, (like plastic man, or reed richards) he couldn’t stretch, but was incredibly resilient.

“And then, a butterfly landed on the gun, and changed the settings from kill to Loooove, baby…” – Barry from Angry Beavers. Got to love that guy.. 🙂 On a Johnny Cash vibe today, (all week to a degree), not sure why… started with trying to do ring of fire…Thanks to moonmama for the link to marbles another nifty puzzle-game related to bejeweled and alchemy.

Thanks Vanessa for the Virtual Crack rock!

Well, I’m off to IHOP, to get some breakfast, it only being 5 PM… *hungry*….more substance to follow food…

Another bible quote from the galloping agnostic…

Love is
is not rude,
it is not self seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices in truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:5&6

Hi Kids! Happy ’01, and all that. Had a wonderful time today, spent every waking hour with Ornj. What a spiffy gal… I’m freshly in awe of her daily. Smart, funny, sensual… I’m most fortunate to know her, and to share in her time… *happy sigh* Drank a bit tonight… two beers and some rum & cokes, on an empty stomach…

some resolutions…on New Year’s day 2001

128×48, the graphic resolution of the original TRS-80
160×160, PalmOS devices in their original PDA form factor
640×480, sometimes colloquially called VGA, since it was the big advance brought by IBM’s introduction of VGA
800×600, casually referred to as SVGA, the comdort zone on a 15-inch CRT
1024×768, generally said to be XGA. Much liked on a 17-inch CRT
1152×864, which is about as much as most people can stand on a 17-inch CRT
1280×1024, generally considered optimal on a 19-inch CRT
1600×1200, graphic design sweet spot, at least until something better than a 21-inch, 72 dpi CRT goes mainstream

God’s Bullet – takes place in New Orleans, but it happens all the time in South Florida too..

Planet of the Apes update – some pictures…

Too tired to post more of what I’m thinking… talk to you kids later.

Dang, it’s still chilly in here…going to wrap up in a nice warm blanket or two, and get some comforting hot tea with lemon… not in a honey mood… I have a case of the nibbles, but there’s nothing of food value in the house. Maybe I’ll go get something after Angry Beavs. (or hopefully by then the hungries will have passed.)

*hugs Kitty for warmth, while watching the tube*

Spent some quality time with Danny yesterday. Saw the Dungeons & Dragons movie… was expecting a ‘2’ out of 10. Got it. It was bad, but a fun sort of bad… as we had the theatre to ourselves, Danny and I felt free to mock it heartily. Bad Acting. Bad Writing. Bad Directing, bad sound balance, pretty ok special effects. Convoluted storyline, and a wacky ending that made little sense. I played D&D back in the day, (1978-1984) and it was entertaining to see a few bones tossed to the gamer crowd. Nifty arbitrary shot of a beholder, and dimension door spell… things that surprised me were the number of Star Wars thematic rips, and the cheapness of the props and costuming… very cheesy. I can’t in good faith reccomend the film, and it probably won’t get much airplay once it hits cable/network availability.

Picked up some new shoes at the Birk store – fresh sandals, and some long overdue dress shoes. (the better to interview with, my dear…) afterwards, we hit the comic shop, to look for belated presents for Doug. Turns out the guy that owns the store is someone I worked at the bookstore with, back when I was in school! (it’s odd, I seem to keep bumping into him, the last time I saw him was in ’96, with Danny again, when he was working as a manager of a Kenny Rogers’ Roasters.) It’s weird, he’s seen me in a few permutations… sullen working scholar, putting myself through school, goofy mountain-man guy, just starting a gig as a programmer with full beard, looking like grizzley adams, and trimmed down hippie guy, with just a goatee…. styles change, as life goes by… didn’t sleep much last night, tried putting myself to snooze, but it took about 3 hours for me to drift to sleep. Newt was nestled in close, as it got pretty chilly out last night… plenty of warm spots for the baby, though… top of the TV, two monitors, and the cablebox, not to mention a good lap. 🙂

In case I don’t see anyone later today or tomorrow, I want to wish all my LJ brethren a fantastic new year, and express my hopes that peace and comfort come to you all.

Got a date to watch Spongebob Squarepants with Ornj… *whee* 🙂

*sings –

Scotto: Are ya ready kids?
LJ boys & girls: Aye, Aye captain!
Scotto:I can’t heeeaaar yooouuu!
LJ boys & girls:AYE, AYE CAPTAIN!
Scotto:oooooooooooo………
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
LJ boys & girls:Sponge Bob Square Pants!
Scotto:Absorbent and yellow and porous is he.
LJ boys & girls:Sponge Bob Square Pants!
Scotto:If nautical nonsense be somethin’ ya wish.
LJ boys & girls:Sponge Bob Square Pants!
Scotto:Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish.
LJ boys & girls:Sponge Bob Square Pants!
Scotto:Ready?
All:Sponge Bob Square Pants,
Sponge Bob Square Pants,
Sponge Bob Square Pants,
Sponge Booob Square Paaants!

Scotto: Ah Ha Ha, Ha Ha Ha, Ha, hArgh wh..arire..Ha arrrigh.

Back from Hanging with Danny. More on that, later.

thought for today – “Better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness.”

I have a request… Today, tell someone you love that you love them…. Thanks.

twinstar dropped me as a friend….I wonder why? too many wordy postings perhaps? ah well, I still quite enjoy her posts and will continue to read them that be public. Getting together with Danny tomorrow… 9 am to about 6 pm. Shopping, maybe a little drinking, and shooting the breeze. One of the last chances before he goes on summer vacation, really. Going to get new shoes, a hard drive, and about 4 beers, I feel. (plus get Danny something for his Birthday, poor shmoe was born within 2 weeks of Christmas. He should celebrate birthday or Christmas in August, methinks.) Spent some wonderful time with Ornj tonight… 🙂 *sigh of happiness* Maybe I can squeak in some aoK in too, to make the night perfect…

Recently Finished Book –
‘The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium and Discovery‘, by Amitav Ghosh.

Set in India, the book is about the ‘secret history’ behind the discovery of the malaria vaccine. There’s an Indian cult for whom secrecy is not only a need, is also one of their key beliefs: They are convinced that the act of revealing information means that same information is changed. So certain information can be revealed in a certain way, to generate specific changes. And their big secret is a bizarre form of immortality, a sort of ‘memory transfer’ using a mutated malaria parasite to backup and rewrite neural structures.

The entire novel is written like a puzzle: Pieces of info are revealed in different times to different characters; by the end of the novel, the main characters – and the reader – understand the whole picture, or at least, the part of the picture they were supposed to understand. The book is rather good (though once finished, a second read may be needed (to fully understand the plot) and I recommend it heartily.

All You Need Is Love
By John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.

There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.
Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung.
Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game,
It’s easy.

Nothing you can make that can’t be made.
No one you can save that can’t be saved
Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time,
It’s easy.

All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.

All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.

There’s nothing you can know that isn’t known.
Nothing you can see that isn’t shown.
Nowhere you can be, that isn’t where you’re meant to be,
It’s easy.