Tag Archives: danny

danny’s issues with the time-travelling, dimension-hopping show – Primeval.

In episode 1, when Steven is letting the monster chase him through the
halls of the elementary school, he pulls down the bookshelves that line
the hall to impede the monster’s pursuit of him.

This is very unrealistic. Those bookshelves must be secured to the
wall. That is an OSHA requirement in the United States! Even in
England I’m sure there is the equivalent-to-OSHA requirement to secure
tall book selves to the wall for safety. Unsecured tall bookshelves
could fall on a child.

I just want to go on record as saying that it is too unrealistic for
Steven to be able to easily topple the tall hallway bookshelves in the
elementary school.

Danny

10,067 – Monday

Hey! Today is a palindrome! 011110 !

A panoramic pic of the bay iced over from yesterday (bigger here)

4263588273_4eeceb72dc_o - 4264343410_fc95771676_o - 4684x1522 - SCUL-Smartblend

BHK made me a wonderful breakfast of veggie omelets and English muffin – nice dose of protein to begin the day solidly.

Bad news technology-wise… BHK’s laptop seems to have taken a nap from which it won’t awake. I suspect the internal power supply. Looking into cracking it open soon, if the alternate cable doesn’t fix her up.

Shadow of the Vampire this evening, while we strip the tree of it’s ornaments and lights – rather a counterpoint too last year’s Kolchak festival while putting on the goodies.

Started watching sanctuary tonight, but the allure of Big Kahuna took it over. We’ve made it to 94 of 99 levels complete, and all but one tropical fish unlocked.

Dinner of tasty twisty pasta and unchicken strips in a tomato-cream sauce, with lots of tasty garlic!

Janet sent me a pic of Danny from his Birthday on Los Olas – BHK thinks he looks cuter sans moustache.

FortLauderdale_DanBirthday_2010_Page_23

1 year ago – rescue ink, winter farmer’s market, comics & munchkin quest (still unplayed, a year later! got to correct that soon), die monter die, mr meaty, took apart trains under the xmas tree
2 years ago – baby polar bear, different route to work, friday 5, gizmodo tv-b-gone
3 years ago – newt and pye pics / video, off to marion
4 years ago – hijinks, top 10 questions, hieroglyphic names, system still out for repair, doodling
5 years ago – turtle thought, dinero, illumination, tv torrents, vampire hunting with a stand up bass, metasearch, mucho folks fired for keeping online journals, iraqi abuse cheerleaders, server location, flying_blind introduces me to the term blague which is a perfect alternate to blog.
6 years ago – drama flakes, bad taste, Dentsu, Tintin, Sandalwood and walkabout
7 years ago – LotR, Nipple scarves, vax-d, UBER-PEA!, Newt piccies
8 years ago – Colostomy bag thief, D&D stats, monkey god baby
9 years ago – looking to the future, all the words Geotarget

9767 – Monday

Danny sent me a solar powered robot frog, and a game –  infernal contraption.

BHK is currently making some awesome-smelling supper – something involving tortilla wrappers,  hot sauce, potatoes, zucchini, teriyaki sauce, and vegetarian meat called “veat”

Tomorrow – going to a job fair

1 year ago – vamps or werewolves, Father’s Day, pancakes, hot dogs, pictures of graffiti, weird road name, geese in bikinis, fireworks on newtcam

2 years ago – last day of county gig, hot brain, DC living costs, hero machine sponsored, neil and bugah coming for sleepover, danny visit upcoming, iana gig on monday

3 years ago – payday, mango fest, Phoenix uncomfy, Nonja the rude ape, elvis costello green shirt, chess piece poll, 

4 years ago – David Sutherland RIP, trunk turtles, Easter walkies, chimp pics, paper toys, gCensus, Mothra Song, superhero TV themes, vet mixup, menstrual superstitions, 250 questions

5 years ago – Queequeg, Lizard (a knight anole) pictures, fixed calamity’s icon,Mycoprotein, Sammy doodle, sites for positive change, yahoo goes fromsix meg to 100meg (now at 1 gig vs gmail’s 2+gig)

6 years ago – Father’s Day, vampire game, wondering about a world free of psychoactive drugs

7 years ago – lovely long talk, South Park Scotto, Tea room, Replacement parts, star trek breast insignia

8 years ago – Predators of man, Apt seeking, Nothing sacred, sql/ado. pet quiz, pizza parlor, writing urge, Big Guy and rusty. 

9 years ago – Nothing in particularGeotargetVisitor Map

9704 – Tuesday –

Cinco De Mayo… Cheers! We had ratatouille and baked potato for supper. (But the bagel I ate had jalapenos on it!)

Contemplating going to Bengie’s Drive-in this weekend. Triple feature of Fanboys, Monsters vs. Aliens and Star Trek a fun, dorky night.
I’m not sure though – I’d prefer to see MvsA in 3-d.

Talked to Danny on the phone tonight – he might be jumping into a game of Champions at his local game store this summer. 150 points – the store used to be the Dragon’s Lair, but it’s now Adventure something or another.

Bro sent me a text from his new phone – I’ll call him tomorrow and see how he sounds. I’m sure he’s happy to be out and about.

No Franklin again this morning – I noticed that the lawn was treated with chemicals – hopefully that kept him away, along with the cold, drizzly rain.


Pull in your tum,
stick out your tush,
wiggle your hips,
now give ’em a push

Godspeed, Captain Chaos


As I was starting to say, I’m glad it’s staying a bit rainy and cool outside… I’m probably the only one who is loving a little soft, cool rain over sun and heat. I’m a hairy, big beast… hm, an excuse for another old Ditko picture, I think, dear journal.

IceMonster1


Freeware Eurorails game  –  Thanks, Rock, paper, shotgun!

also discovered OpenTTD for a freeware version of Transport Tycoon, and SimuTrans .


1 year ago – stern face pic, best public potties in somd, thinky-doodle, FPS games, never say hopeless

2 years ago – Cinco de mayo – extended description

3 years ago – fleet week, cinco de mayo, network neutrality, kitten & rooster, mega m&ms, options, friday 5, dr who, prisoner, lj drama

4 years ago – 555, fishbone & dose pics, reference librarian scotto, oops-i did it again (30’s style), questions asked

5 years ago – not loving the phone, porno bob cut ? (it took until last month), amy’s diary, iconners, cookies, Florida state rock

6 years ago – ortho, There-folks giving me cool virtual clothes, WMD, star wars kid

7 years ago – I’m a sexy cusser, pop vs soda, digger mole, puppyfrog, maps, bad show, verisign, a date with destiny that was doomedCinco de Mayo, panda killer, Man Imprisoned 30 Years for Crime FBI knew he Didn’t Commit, other evil news, what’s your sign poll (Gemini won again!), C&I nightmare, smart sweater

8 years ago – Cinco de Mayo, panda killer, Man Imprisoned 30 Years for Crime FBI knew he Didn’t Commit, other evil news, what’s your sign poll (Gemini won again!), C&I nightmare, smart sweaterGeotarget

9568 – Friday.

Only 360ish days until 2010. I wonder what people will do for crazy new years glasses for 2011? no more double zero years for eye holes until 2020!

Danny’s Birthday Today… and one month until I turn 40. Kat’s Birthday is speeding up in about a week or so, too, and Duncan-Dad Shaun’s B’day is the end of this month.

Lets see – today – Early Morning – Amy heads home – the dog bite on her arm is too infected, and she’s worried about properly treating it. I think it’ll be ok, but I can understand having concerns.

I get an emergency visit to the dentist – turns out my earache was the result of my crown – too high, and my jaw was adjusting to make it fit properly while I slept. TMJ turned into an ear infection. warm compresses and antibiotics should fix it soon. (I hope!)

After the dentist, I hit the doc’s – got some ear drops to relieve the head pain, and looked into some treatment for some of the other issues I’ve been having. Got some new meds for that, and a consult to see some specialists in the area. We’ll see how it goes, I’m hopeful. I should’ve just done my allergy shots today… but I guess that doesn’t matter, since I’m to every other week now.

Jaw is painful, but not terrible. I guess that’s one way to prevent overindulgence during the holidays!

Unique hits to my journal, by country – 30,998 total in the last 6 months – slightly down.

Running total of visits to scottobear.livejournal.com since 12 Jun 2006: 460,758

Current Country Totals
From 15 Jun 2008 to 1 Jan 2009

US United States 21,313
CA Canada 1,731
GB United Kingdom 1,499
DE Germany 502
AU Australia 460
MX Mexico 299
FR France 263
IN India 251
SE Sweden 198
NL Netherlands 190
ES Spain 175
SA Saudi Arabia 167
BR Brazil 155
IT Italy 153
IE Ireland 135
PH Philippines 134
RU Russian Federation 117
SG Singapore 115
PL Poland 97
BE Belgium 90
ID Indonesia 89
TR Turkey 87
JP Japan 85
NO Norway 80
TH Thailand 78
MY Malaysia 78
FI Finland 77
NZ New Zealand 75
AR Argentina 72
GR Greece 68
PT Portugal 68
ZA South Africa 67
HU Hungary 66
IL Israel 66
RO Romania 66
DK Denmark 62
CH Switzerland 58
KR Korea, Republic of 58
CL Chile 54
PE Peru 48
AT Austria 47
CZ Czech Republic 45
HK Hong Kong 42
AE United Arab Emirates 39
EG Egypt 38
UA Ukraine 37
PK Pakistan 35
RS Serbia 34
PR Puerto Rico 33
CO Colombia 33
HR Croatia 28
VN Vietnam 26
TW Taiwan 25
BG Bulgaria 22
CN China 21
LT Lithuania 21
LV Latvia 21
VE Venezuela 20
IR Iran, Islamic Republic of 18
EE Estonia 16
SK Slovakia 16
KW Kuwait 15
JM Jamaica 15
SI Slovenia 14
QA Qatar 13
DO Dominican Republic 12
EC Ecuador 11
IS Iceland 11
MT Malta 10
EU Europe 10
JO Jordan 10
CY Cyprus 8
TT Trinidad and Tobago 7
DZ Algeria 7
SV El Salvador 7
CR Costa Rica 7
LK Sri Lanka 6
PS Palestinian Territory 6
PA Panama 6
HN Honduras 6
BD Bangladesh 5
MK Macedonia 5
SD Sudan 5
BA Bosnia and Herzegovina 5
GE Georgia 4
AL Albania 4
LB Lebanon 4
AP Asia/Pacific Region 4
OM Oman 4
GU Guam 4
KE Kenya 4
BH Bahrain 4
AN Netherlands Antilles 4
MA Morocco 4
CI Cote D’Ivoire 3
SY Syrian Arab Republic 3
GH Ghana 3
MV Maldives 3
PY Paraguay 3
MU Mauritius 3
BY Belarus 3
GT Guatemala 3
NG Nigeria 3
BS Bahamas 3
LU Luxembourg 2
MN Mongolia 2
TC Turks and Caicos Islands 2
BO Bolivia 2
UY Uruguay 2
AW Aruba 2
KY Cayman Islands 2
ME Montenegro 2
MM Myanmar 2
YE Yemen 2
ZM Zambia 1
CU Cuba 1
CD Congo, The Democratic Republic of the 1
LY Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 1
PF French Polynesia 1
TN Tunisia 1
NA Namibia 1
DM Dominica 1
FJ Fiji 1
GQ Equatorial Guinea 1
AZ Azerbaijan 1
MD Moldova, Republic of 1
NP Nepal 1
NI Nicaragua 1
VG Virgin Islands, British 1
TG Togo 1
SR Suriname 1
SN Senegal 1
BN Brunei Darussalam 1
KN Saint Kitts and Nevis 1
BZ Belize 1
BB Barbados 1

1 year ago – Danny bday, Kat, Pam, age thoughts about myself, growing more beard for winter, beast sock monkey, webcomics, meme, polar bear swim

2 years ago – polar bear swim review, polar bears in general

3 years ago – prisoner commentary on my lack of things to say, linkies to cams, mugshots, thumbs up, tiny & affordable computers, ultimate showdown, windows security hole psa

4 years ago – Mel’s Gram moves in, Dan doesn’t meet her, on call, A&E, smallware, a resolution I fairly succeeded at, curry on the brain

5 years ago – dropload, shoot around corners, I first hear about how capital punishment is a far more expensive system than one whose maximum penalty is life in prison, Urban Exploration Florida

6 years ago – bro/taxi trouble, conquer the world, smoking gun mug shots

7 years ago – Random Name Generator, gunplay dream, family channel, Scotto’s head,2001 review, Japanese space shuttle, Afghan sports, pee color

8 years ago – words within words, I disagree with Georgia O’Keeffe, LJ bumpyGeotarget

9524 – Saturday

leftover goodies from halloween – visits with poes gravesite, and baltimore in general. clicks embiggen.

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After allergy shots (and a chit-chat with Kendall’s Mom) BHK and I went to Gina’s Cantina for lunch and  took an extended walk around annapolis today – despite Britney chiding us for not seeing "Twilight" the sparkly vampire yet, we skipped hitting the movies.

I got a lot of christmas shopping done, but BHK didn’t have my luck. Despite our having gone to a little computer show, I couldn’t see any really amazing deals.

Spoke briefly with Danny this afternoon while on the road – apparently the new tolkien calendar isn’t so great, just landscapes. I figues we can get him a better calendar than that for the holidays. BHK commented on hobbits in bikinis. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were such a thing.

1 year ago – one year out from ACIM, turkey doodle, tg pics to color, ze on thanks, BHK cooks, bacon salt, fry on americans, newt and pye pics, lj reads, 27 questions,

2 years ago – Mr.T on fashion, Bully Charlie Brown, Bro incognito, Last day at ACIM.

3 years ago – chilly for fl, many entries, foot amputee dream, bro in hospital

4 years ago – newtcam button, hercules & newton, bueller thoughts, jam sammiches, g-cans, flu bug, survey, LH quits, bro back in the pokey

5 years ago – DC Earths, Shrunken Heads, Police Cars, mix cds, South park, origin ofRaj KAJ, An awesome Weekly World News Issue, I am DNA, Bro Issues

6 years ago – classic kids audio books, history, forms in LJ work, goodbye to work-Pam, Mojo has a hissy fit vs Bonbon/Kev

7 years ago – beatnik, thanksgiving, harry potter quiz, wandering

8 years ago – thanksgiving

Geotarget

9394 – Monday

Dan sent us a pile of stuff after cleaning out his guest room. A boatload of books, a few dvd’s:Batman Begins, King Kong – the newest one, Quest for Fire, Razor’s Edge, Life aquatic – and a copy of Valley of the Mammoths – looks to be a good game, but he couldn’t play it at the school’s game/SciFi club due to some of the caroon cavemen having visible genitalia. (He offered to draw clothes on them with a sharpie, but the students prefer Catan and Aquarius anyway.

His loss is our gain!

To me, tabletop games are a form of entertainment; I play to play, not play to win. I prefer light games that are amusing in and of themselves, games that are pleasing to play and offer something besides the chance to earn victory. Sometimes I’m in the mood to sit back and watch math at work, sometimes I just want to push pawns around and chuck some dice, and sometimes I want to claw my way to the top of the heap. Abstracts, beer-and-pretzels, RPG, wargames… I’m not picky, so long as it’s a fun ride.

I just found out that x1650 is the bare minimum of game cards for the next generation of goodies coming out this year. I gout rid of the x1600 just in the nick of time, it seems! I don’t want anything to make it hard to run spore or fallout 3. (Or ghostbusters, when it someday comes out. )

Random Scotto factoid – I can chug soda or beer at an alarming rate. That is part of why I don’t drink beer with any regularity.. it takes more than one to even begin to quench my thirst.



I sorta-kinda want to live in a styrofoam dome home. (at least as a little place or cabin out in the wilderness somewhere as a second home.)



Singer Isaac Hayes has died at age 65. He will be laid in his grave as soon as they find someone who can dig it. *badoom-ching*



John McCain: Enthusiastic supporter of spam.



1 year ago – Martian coasters, kids books read with Em, Icehouse and dominoes, marine museum, Cradle of invasion Day, Amish Market, Burt’s, Early American Chrononauts, hot dogs and in-laws, 5q meme

2 years ago – thread tracking, mallah/brain, sistine ceiling full view, 330 mpg car under $20k, hardest geometry problem in the world,

3 years ago – Delirium box, laundry good deed, matches, chain reaction game, Friday 5, autostitch pic, 200 e Broward pic

4 years ago – hr tag abandonment,Doug / tony memory trick, factoids about me, elevator breaks

5 years ago – Neverwhere, childhood memories circa ’74-75ish – lunch and Tonka toys,linked to hulk’s blog, bro stuff, Elvis & his prosthetic limb factory

6 years ago – Spanish TV, broken links, new he-man cartoon, mark quits FMM before he’s caught stealing, puppy pictures and palm doodles.

7 years ago – Soylent Green Tea Ice Cream at the Frieze in Miami, after seeing Kiss of the Dragon with my bro, cavort, first exp w/ Samurai Jack, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

8 years ago – saw the hollow man, and played Everway, day before sleep study Geotarget

9356 – Sunday.

Opened the morning with Pancakes at the in-laws. I helped Larry remove the awning from the upstairs bedroom, to make room for french doors. I suspect the awning will be relocated to the bottom floor.

We all hung out and gabbed most of the day – I scoped out Larry’s 30-30 and .22 pistol, and the model of the U.S.S. Constitution. I think that I’d like to head toward Baltimore sometime for a walking tour of the actual ship. (Hm, I may have to wait until 2010 for an underway demonstration with the restoration taking place, but walking tours are still good.)

Came home to rest and relax together for a bit – got a call from Danny – Janet has a gig! Working there for 2 weeks now, doing graphic design for an advertising company that produces campground maps (surrounded by business-card style adverts). I’m glad she found something, and hope that it’s profitable, challenging and fun for her.

He liked Get Smart and Evan Almighty – Both of which he saw this weekend though he’s not a bit Steven Carrell fan. I suspect that Get Smart will be something I enjoy – he does the “idiot in charge” role well… but I don’t imagine I’ll bother with Evan Almighty, unless something comes along to further interest me about it. He really liked Wall-E, too, but I imagine that goes without saying fro me.

BHK and I watched Cloverfield today. I’ll say it from the get go…. it wasn’t my thing. The shaky-cam didn’t bother me at all, but the movie itself was pretty stinky, in my opinion. I’m glad I waited for netflix, and didn’t bother catching it in the theater. The synopsis of the film reads better than the movie played out.

The viral marketing of Cloverfield was excellent – but I just wasn’t engaged by the film. The characters bored me, and the monster seemed unimpressive both in design and implementation, even for a “giant beast”. It made 78% on rotten tomatoes, or 5.8 out of 10 on metacritic, which makes me think that I must be in the minority for disliking it so much. It seems that the movie critics liked it more than the bulk of “civilian” viewers.

In my opinion, if you want a good, fun horror movie with monsters and a sense of fun – Skip Cloverfield, and get your hands on Swarm of the Snakehead, instead. If you want a cool *giant* monster movie, try The Host. Cloverfield just didn’t have what it takes to impress me.

In other movie news – Hancock is rated 35% at rottentomatoes. I wonder what’s killing it for most folks – I haven’t seen it yet. That’s less than Get Smart and Harold & Kumar, which I’d figure were worse.

Flicks out now that I want to see:

Wall-E (wins over any other item showing right now.)

In no particular order – (except that of my memory)

Hellboy 2
Take Out
Dark Knight (ok, I’m tired of making links – cut and paste as needed, dear journal.)
Mongol
Space Chimps
Indiana Jones 4
Wanted
The Fall – (has it gone out of theaters yet?)
Gonzo – (Hunter Thompson pic, not the muppet)
Visitor (has that left?)

Is there something I missed? I imagine BHK wants to see the Sex in the City and The American Girl flicks, both of which are ok by me too.

We had Dagwoods at home for dinner with the in-laws…sat around and watched Oxford Blues, which really did nothing for me. I avoided seeing it in my high school years, so I guess a 25 year reprieve is about the most I could ask for. The sammiches were delicious – I made a stack of zucchini and cheese on fresh bread that was fantastic. sweet bread and butter pickles, some honey mustard, and lettuce from the garden made for a monster sammich, but the corn was the clear winner. Certainly the freshest and most tasty of the year thus far. I went through 3 ears.

The local neighbor (the one that was looking for $11 a week or so ago) came by again, looking for garlic to make chicken alfredo, but we didn’t have any for her.



Abba will ‘never’ perform again – Swedish supergroup Abba will “never” perform on stage again, two of the band’s members have said.



Random thought – If I were invulnerable and professional superhero, I’d never wear shoes unless I was someplace that they were required by law.



1 year ago – I love local corn pic, beautiful foggy out, FF2 with BHK, DC train maps on google, skipped salem, the shield, note to anonymous commenter, atheists taking the lord’s name in vain, Zoroaster the Kitten, faith and democratic candidates

2 years ago – pirate quiz, pirates w/Dan, 61 questions, walkabout pics, bus stop self portrait, newtcam silly pic

3 years ago – bro visit, good exp games, Karl Rove a rat, mood settings, big ol’ Locust

4 years ago – perspective via work, kitty-bot, rain, diseases

5 years ago – Movies w/ danny, LED-suit, Lupin quiz, dinosaur haiku, new tv, LXG, html tests, ghoulishness

6 years ago – Ian McCracken, zork 404, branleur, got my bike

7 years ago – evil news, longueur, spoliation, space fungus, superstition poll, fri-13 reasoning, I’m Neutral Good

8 years ago – Traditional trolls, Catholics handy in a pinch Geotarget





9243 – Thursdsay

Presents sent in the mail, when taxes were launched on Tuesday – Eryx’s Christmas Prezzie is only about 4 months late! Ah well, we got it sent out.. .and Danny’s treat will get to him shortly too. hopefully the loot will brighten their days.

Sending good thoughts to all friends in the dumps, too. If you’re not feeling so hot… cheery thoughts to you.

I’m tempted to get BHK and / or Chris Pink T-shirts that read “HYPERBOLE IS THE BEST THING EVER!”


BHK made tasty, tasty meatball-type substance in bbq sauce, with sides of garlic-y yum broccoli.



The Tiki Bar in Solomons Island will be opening this weekend for 2008. I guess pope traffic wasn’t enough! I guess we’ll stick to less congested realms… maybe we can hit the eastern shore and lurk around the marine museum after my shots on Saturday.

Maybe check out some local farmers markets? (now that it’s season.. thanks for the hint, DCist!)


I just remembered to look this up – Sarcastic vs Sardonic

sarcastic = a cutting or ironic remark
sardonic = scornful or mocking



Trees– Vandalised trees reoriented, creating new landscapes and giving the trees a new reality.




Speaking of DCist – want to see the pope’s snappy red shoes ? ( I also dig the “We Love Our German Shepherd” sign.)



I didn’t realise that the rerelease of Tally Hall’s album has a few new tracks on it – I’ll have to see if I can chase down Mucka Blucka and Dream as MP3s, or snag ’em from Itunes.

[edit – THANK YOU for the drop of the music! :D]




CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Two 19th century rhino horns stolen from a South African museum could be deadly if sold as a popular aphrodisiac because they are drenched in poison, a museum official said on Monday.

The “priceless” horns were snatched from a display at the historic mammal gallery in Cape Town on Saturday evening, said Jatti Bredekamp, chief executive of Iziko Museums.

“Unknowingly, the thieves have exposed themselves to more than the danger of arrest and prosecution,” Bredekamp said in a statement.

“Before the mid-twentieth century, taxidermy mounts were prepared by being soaked in arsenic and preserved from insect infestation through regular applications of DDT, both highly toxic poisons that retain their toxicity over time,” he said.

Bredekamp said the horns were deliberately targeted in a carefully planned robbery, and might be destined for Asia, where ground rhino horns are a prized aphrodisiac.

“This could have unforeseen consequences,” he said.

Rhino populations have fallen dramatically over the last few decades as poaching decimated the animals across Africa.

Bredekamp said museums worldwide were being targeted by organized crime to help supply lucrative markets with a wide range of artifacts. After a previous robbery attempt, South African museum officials removed several other specimens of rhino horn from public display, he said.




1 year ago – palm doodle, power outage, VT info arrives to me late, blackout house-fun

2 year ago – dr who, secret wars, monday, sweet tomatoes, disney vault, keep cool pic

3 years ago – Homeless seen while on walkabout, mzk nearly shoots my eye out, Bo Rhap, Newt pics, mzk pic, robot doodle, lethal injections not painless?, tv interview

4 years ago – odd email, D’s bday/vanishment, manatee doodle, sammy’s sister syndicated, garlic, moon scarab, blu-ray dvd tech developing, froggie super pic

5 years ago – egg hunt stats

6 years ago – annoying day, doc trip, search terms

7 years ago – AJ’s Bday, Recording freakazoid, dsl, menstrualhut fan letter at mum.orgGeotarget



9051 – Wednesday.

Downright Balmy today – 70 degrees! Last year it was snowing.

I have to say that I agree with District Diaries… *many* buses (Especially the C7 and R2, in my experience) are just not very weather tight.

Got my ducks in a row at the doctor today… some cough syrup type stuff, an antibiotic to fight infection due to the irritation, and apparently I can get my pneumonia vaccine (renews every 5-10 years) after I’ve mended up a smidgen.

Dinner at Mexico… BHK got steak flautas, and I got a burrito loco, full of all the veggies BHK isn’t crazy about. (Mushrooms, onions, green peppers)

Got home and watched nat’l geographic special on mountains and one on tidal life…. Snow Leopards / Rams and Surfing snails / Jellyfish!


Gifts from Danny – sort of an acid-washed / tie dye t-shirt with mama gator & piggy back baby gators, a frog pin made in USA from Austrian crystal, and some tasty Tassimo chai tea. Thanks!


Latest comic book sighting – Helen Killer. – “In 1901, twenty-one year old college student Helen Keller, with the aid of a fantastical device invented by her friend and mentor Alexander Graham Bell, regains her sight and hearing as well as near super-human strength and agility. Helen is enlisted by the Secret Service to protect President William McKinley, who has been targeted for assassination by anarchists.”

Well, it’s about time a super-powered ex deaf-mute took on Czolgosz! Coll-gosh is the new Mix-yez-pittle-ick, no doubt!


1 year ago – a ton of walkabout pics, fossil hunting during a Snowy day on the bay, microsoft and openID, kitties

2 years ago – “Chilly” – in the 40s.ha. Today it was less than half that, before wind chill!, best buy wall numbers, absurd inventions, Superbowl. Scientology SP, Black/white vs right/wrong

3 years ago – Beetlejuice thoughts, evergreen boneyard photo-walk, domestic cats stay at adolescent mentality, interactive autopsy, girls sued for being nice

4 years ago – Super-loved ones, 2-headed baby surgery, fox wedding weather, meat eaters, scale, ruins

5 years ago – Nice thoughts, torture, LCD, note to Newt, Latrave b-day card, Class action suit.. I got my $12 check, eventually, Chandlerisms

6 years ago – MP pay delay, tron, #10 tight, naughty work thoughts, Scripts, system lockdowns and short tempers

7 years ago – At Last, first find hero machine (now in my toybox), bug, Dani and Rhonda hook me up!Geotarget

9041 – sun – return of the nutshells

Today was all about rest… rallied strength, watched feasting on asphalt (Alton Brown’s tattoo looks… rather unplanned, to put it as kindly as I might) and an episode or two of monk, had BHK’s  home made pizza bread and pseudo chicken strips atop a yummy, crunchy salad.

Finished off the first Harry Dresden book, and began the second.

talked to danny at 930 am about terry pratchett’s alzheimers. He’s pretty down about it.

slept a lot

tried hello kitty counterstrike. it’s cute. I love “rat levels”, where you’re the size of a classic gi-joe.


Illustrator Cedric Hohnstadt has a good suggestion for artists looking to simulate graphite pencil in Photoshop. Check out his article for a link to some great (free!) pencil brushes. Read the post here


1 year ago – new commode, marine museum on solomon’s pix, fresnel, tinkle pig in the love cube, danny gets a hula girl

2 years ago – Celebrated Vicki’s last day, spectral analysis, history lesson, book meme, on call

3 years ago – rte 55 pic, newt and scotto wake up, song title meme, post secret

4 years ago – baby dragon, cheesecake trip, QM2, fever doodles

5 years ago – bebop cola poll, boney church, sql slammer, evil ideas

6 years ago – week plans, bob ross posse, freaky gator-in-a-dress, mr mole, biography tax loophole?

7 years ago – journal look update, evil news, hotel california Geotarget

9034 – mon

Back to work, MLK day 0121 Or R.E.LEE day for folks too racist to even take a day off to say thanks to a black guy. (Well, Virginia’s state Motto is what John Wilkes Booth shouted in the theater.)

BHK and Bug lifted me into work this morning… I said my goodbyes, as he was back in VA by the time I made it home. We had a nice time – lots of stuff to do, and good goofing off periods.


MRI came back, and I have a herniated disk – S1 level, pressing to the left {pic via gray’s anatomy} – (S1 nerve impingement from a herniated disc may cause loss of the ankle reflex and/or weakness in ankle push off (e.g. patients cannot do toe rises). Numbness and pain can radiate down to the sole or outside of the foot.

I’d like this to mean that I can get repairs done to a previously thought dead area. I suspect that I may have to have surgery down the line – Still early to tell.


To counter flying_blind’s wtf flickr moment – I don’t know how old the news is, but I just learned that the library of congress has a flickr account. Cool, neat stuff like this made me add ’em.


I’ve had music by TMBG in my head all week… I Palendrome I and Birdhouse especially. Sakes, but Jay Leno has gotten gray.


KFC dinner and an omelet at the in-laws tonight… BHK made it there about 10 minutes after I arrived. Nice time, gabbing with family about this and that – got to talk to Em on the phone a bit, too! Caught Danny on Skype, too… he was watching the debate feed on CNN. Me, I’m not caring much for any of the current batch of politicos, but it looks like he’s going to vote for Hillary, based on her platform.


1 year ago – snowstorm ends, snowballs, eggplant and french toast.
Pictures – snow & love notes

2 years ago – compusa bah, acim gang out and about, float on, sacrifice & wrath, chastity belts for 21st century
pictures – ACIM gang

3 years ago – Strep, Jill is like 30, Greek Grotto, Weather, The woods, urinals, Mrs G team pic, Romanian Girl returns from the grave, poli-sci

4 years ago – Palm doodles, band names, sinister ducks, Cheddar Cheesus, water bus trip home, Orange Cat, walkies pics

5 years ago – zcardz (precursor to the pirates game), LL fooled with my bro, vanishing finn, meds

6 years ago – Dream, Walkies with fog, Worked MLK, ear pressure relief then a return, ordered my digicam, got a keeno book off my wish list, siege engines, lego cube solver.

7 years ago -Bro pic, garam masala, patty hearst pardoned, DNA police Geotarget

9115 – Wednesday – 2008, day 2.

It’s Danny’s B-day! My internal schedule set in the 90s tells me that Kat and Pam’s aren’t too far off. I still picture all of them about a decade ago in my mind, even though I’ve only seen Danny with any frequency. (Kat once in person and in rare photos, Pam – not at all.)

Only a month until my own Birthday. I’m not feeling too bummed about it being the last year I start with a 3. (at least until I turn 300, I guess!) 39 seems a lot older to me than it feels. Maybe it’s due to me being creaky and having back problems going back decades… but I’m not really feeling my age. I see lines around my eyes here and there… I look in the mirror when I brush my teeth and shave, but I don’t see an old guy looking back at me. However… I don’t see a kid, either. I certainly look a lot older now than when I started this journal in 2000. (and certainly more than in 1996, about 11 years ago here and my face squished against a scanner in ’96, too, for that matter. ) Heck, if I have to rewind much more, I may as well link to a non-bearded pic of me from circa 1994, for that matter. Added bonus, Doug Wu and a clean-shaven Danny. Speaking of which – I’ve started growing a full beard out again, and it stuns me how much salt and pepper is in what was once a brownish-red jaw. I kind of dig it, not from a vanity perspective, but it feels right at this time of year to be a bit more furry.

When is a mid-life crisis supposed to hit? Ah, got it. 46, or thereabouts. Things are really quite good for me these days… Hopefully I won’t suffer the same sort of psychological shakeup that some folks have at that time. On the agenda for this year is a more serious focus on health.

Of course, Newton has aged the most since I’ve started my LJ – First day I had him, back in the day… October of ’99 , and About the same time in 07. He’s still terribly dapper, and can put on a kitten-face easily when he wants.

BHK and Pye both are babyfaces across the board. I think BHK will be carded for booze when she turns 73.


I would love to make or just have this Beast (Henry McCoy) Sock Monkey. Very Keen!


Of the millions of webcomics out there, I’ve really only found about 3 that are funny, interesting, or well-drawn. Short of some clever stick figures and more well-rounded stick figures, not much about them thrill me.

I’m wondering when that cottage industry will have a culling period? I suspect never, and that’s pretty great. Something for everyone, even if it’s just the creator. Something that many critics forget is that they can choose not to read something that they find to be distasteful – or worse, boring. Same goes for podcasts, videos and journals, for that matter.


I didn’t do the polar bear swim this year… just didn’t seem like much of an event, given how unseasonably warm it was. Of course, today, it’s snow weather… Perversely, I’d have done it if the weather was like this yesterday.


Time for a Meme, already? sure, why not? I got 23 out of 37 possible.

The list is based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. The exercise developers ask that if you participate in this blog game, you acknowledge their copyright.

According to the creators, this is an activity “designed to help the participants gain awareness of the vast range of social class that exists within themselves and others”. It was originally done with college students but I think it makes for a very interesting tool that helps me put my own experiences into perspective.

If you post this in your journal, please leave a comment on this post. To participate in this blog game, copy and paste the above list into your blog, and bold the items that are true for you. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to post your responses in the comments.

When you were in college:

If your father went to college, take a step forward.
If your father finished college
If your mother went to college
If your mother finished college
If you have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
If you were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
If you had a computer at home
If you had your own computer at home
If you had more than 50 books at home
If you had more than 500 books at home
If were read children’s books by a parent
If you ever had lessons of any kind
If you had more than two kinds of lessons
If the people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
If you had a credit card with your name on it
If you have less than $5000 in student loans
If you have no student loans
If you went to a private high school
If you went to summer camp
If you had a private tutor
If you have been to Europe
If your family vacations involved staying at hotels
If all of your clothing has been new and bought at the mall
If your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
If there was original art in your house
If you had a phone in your room
If you lived in a single family house
If your parent own their own house or apartment
If you had your own room
If you participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
If you had your own cell phone in High School
If you had your own TV in your room in High School
If you opened a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
If you have ever flown anywhere on a commercial airline
If you ever went on a cruise with your family
If your parents took you to museums and art galleries
If you were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

Here is what folks did in a live version, stepping forward for each bolded item :

Now everyone recognize that you are at the same place academically.
Everyone turn around.
Everyone has permission to talk.
No one has permission to accuse any one or any group of anything.
Everyone must use “I” statements.
Note that the people on one end of the room had to work harder to be here today than the people at the other end of the room. Some of you had lives of more privilege than others. There is no one to blame, it is just the way it is. Some have privilege and some don’t.
(this can be said now or later, I don’t know where it will be appropriate)

Discussion:
What were the feelings that you had during this experience? Who was angry?
(Anger will be a primary emotion at this point.)
What, specifically, makes you angry?
Who are you angry at?

Who was happy?

Summary Statement
This experience was about creating awareness of privilege. What it is, what it does, and what it means. Having privilege does not mean that you worked less hard. All it means is that you had a head start, so maybe it does mean you didn’t have to work as hard . . . .

Homework
During the next week notice how your high school years helped or didn’t help your experience in school/at work . . . .

Explanations and Notes:
All of the step taking was about things not requiring effort on the students’ part, that were things done by others.


1 year ago – polar bear swim review, polar bears in general

2 years ago – prisoner commentary on my lack of things to say, linkies to cams, mugshots, thumbs up, tiny & affordable computers, ultimate showdown, windows security hole psa

3 years ago – Mel’s Gram moves in, Dan doesn’t meet her, on call, A&E, smallware, a resolution I fairly succeeded at, curry on the brain

4 years ago – dropload, shoot around corners, I first hear about how capital punishment is a far more expensive system than one whose maximum penalty is life in prison, Urban Exploration Florida

5 years ago – bro/taxi trouble, conquer the world, smoking gun mug shots

6 years ago – Random Name Generator, gunplay dream, family channel, Scotto’s head,2001 review, Japanese space shuttle, Afghan sports, pee color

7 years ago – words within words, I disagree with Georgia O’Keeffe, LJ bumpyGeotarget

9073 – Sunday

Relaxed all day… played Chinagold, Schotten Totten, Hazienda, and such with BHK. Caught up with episodes of House, Watched the Incredibles, ate Thanksgiving leftovers, and didn’t worry too much about my pop.


A yearly thing I’ve been doing for a while now… Not always on his birthday.

Things about my dad at 38, as far as I remember: The Year was 1983 – Married, but signs were there that it was on the way out. Living in Boynton Beach, Florida. Had a son in High School(14), and another in the last year of elementary(10). Favorite movie in ’83 was likely Vacation – I think he liked it more than Octopussy, which is what might’ve been my next guess. Both He and his wife were working as Real Estate agents – Residential, primarily. Financially pretty well off – not living in a mansion, but a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house in the softer ‘burbs of Boynton Beach, Florida. The Family had three cars – two for showing property to clients and a bang-around one for the weekends and taking kids places. Sundays were more often spent with the family as a unit rather than everyone going separate ways – Saturday it seemed like the afternoon was for chores and then “Every man for himself.” That year, we went on a shorter vacation to Orlando – Stopped for a day at Kennedy Space Center, where he was rolled around in a wheelchair most of the time due to horsing around on his youngest son’s skateboard… and landing flat on his back. He always had back issues, and this didn’t help matters. Despite this, he was a trooper and was rolled around both Disney and the Space center with very little by way of complaint. (I wonder what happened to my plastic shuttle with “real working cargo bay doors” that I got there?) Friends of his were: Greg at the Auto Shop (Drinking Buddy), Brother in law Bob (His sister’s Husband, about 10 years his junior), Assorted Business contacts. Fond of Watching Documentaries on TV, especially Jacques Cousteau and WWII / Korea / ‘Nam stuff. Slowed down hunting about this time, but still went fishing regularly with Bob and his sons. Cooking Methods preferred are the Charcoal Grill, or Gas if he was in a hurry. Fast food was generally pub or local fare… french fries and a burger. Preferred to Watch TV on the couch, but to read outdoors. Had the kids do yard work and wash the car – sometimes followed up with the trimmer or a wax job himself. Enjoyed Fast Cars, and driving them at speeds not permitted by law. Lost his spleen in an automobile accident when he was 18, and never did learn his lesson. Alcoholic Beverage of Choice was a Budweiser. Smoked an occasional pipe of tobacco, ceased to smoke cigarettes, but occasionally rolled a joint. Kept about $5,000 on hand in $100 bills in a fireproof strongbox in the closet, along with his stash. The box’s lock was easily picked with a paperclip.

Some of his Strengths: Brilliant at math, History, and how things are put together, strong sense of fun and horseplay. Would walk into a pool of lava without complaining if it was for his kids. Charming, knew how to sell. Excellent at debate. Knew how to box, and how to fight dirty. A lot of upper body strength. Good teacher.

Some of his Weaknesses: Liked the Beer quite a bit, stubborn as a mule, no depth perception, sometimes a little hard of hearing (TV up *VERY* loud), Easily goaded into combat, either verbal or physical – though he rarely threw the first punch. Ruthless, and bloodthirsty when angered. Impatient if he had to repeat himself more than once. (Due to his being hard of hearing, everyone had to repeat themselves to him frequently.)

Random Celebrity Factoid: used to spar and box with Marvin Hagler at the YMCA, back in Brockton, MA in the Petronelli brothers gym, and they’d have coffee and Doughnuts afterward at the Mister Donut. This was about 1969-1970.

A comparison –

Scotto at 38: – 2007 – Happily starting the second year of his marriage, living in Maryland and working around Washington DC area. Wonderful Wife, 2 cool kitties, aged 4 and 8. (Favorite movie in ’83 was Wargames, even more than Return of The Jedi.) Favorite movie this year – Possibly Hot Fuzz, or maybe Meet The Robinsons in 3D… unless I’m forgetting something. Works as a the Manager/Director of IT at a Trade Association involving the freight industry. Financially is recovering pretty well from a move and going into a new career. Living in a 2-bedroom (3, if you count the office), 2 bath home in North Beach, MD – a “bedroom community” of DC’s. His family has one car, but that works pretty well, considering that he commutes by bus and train back and forth to work. Weekends are spent relaxing, doing some chores, and going on walkabout / drive-about with his wife, Both happily joined at the hip. This past years vacation was really his honeymoon trip along the East coast through a few Ripley’s Believe it or Not locations, including, but not limited to Myrtle Beach through St. Augustine. Saw his first snow in over 20 years a few months ago. Still doesn’t drive a vehicle, though DC traffic doesn’t look to be as bad as Miami’s. Recently Reconnected to A few High school cronies, but hasn’t kept up too well with them, or with his ex-coworkers in Florida. Current up-close and personal friends (i.e., talk on the phone at least every other week, or visit in person) are Danny (old time gaming buddy, lives in FL), in-laws Larry & Chris (Live about 5 minutes away, and are always game to visit and hang out), and of course the aforementioned BHK and the kitties as wonderful loves, lights and companions. Doesn’t do much outside the office with current coworkers – everyone seems to have their own life going on. Fond of watching science fiction / docu-science cooking shows / some sideways action-sit-coms like The Office, Chuck, Ugly Betty and so on. Cooking methods preferred are Grilling outside, or enjoying his wife’s masterpieces. Fast food is ok now and then, but as a vegetarian, prefers dining out on Mexican, Chinese or Italian food to most other fare. Has had back surgery twice, second time was to repair scar tissue from the prior. Herniated disks in the back, had an nerve damage down and along the left leg. Non-smoker, doesn’t do any recreational drugs. Alcoholic beverage of choice right now is Strongbow Cider, though woodchuck is good, too. Doesn’t keep large sums of money on his person or in the house… ATMs and bank cards work just fine for now.

Some of His Strengths: Attacks problems from a different perspective than usual, excellent with children and animals, willing to compromise on most disagreements where it is fair, strong sense of rhythm and beat, can be very sympathetic to people / animals in need of help. Courteous. Good at debate. Reliable. Knows how to fight, if need be. Protective of loved ones.

Some of his Weaknesses: Can be moody when overtired or sick, prone to sentimentality but mercy is wildly variable depending on the situation, aggressively dislikes “practical jokes” or pop-up surprises. Memory is sometimes poor if items aren’t written down. Poor runner – especially now with the back/leg issues. Messy housekeeper.

Random Celebrity Factoid: Once met Bill Daily (friend of an old employer) – nice guy, laid back, I was stunned that he was as old as he is… (mostly because before then, I’d only seen him in TV reruns). We chatted about radio stuff, primarily.


The Smithsonian requires an “Exit Clearance”… I never knew! Some interesting reading. [edit – and more here! ]


1 year ago – a little lungy, lunch with Gabbie and Todd, Wedding Giftie

2 years ago – Last entry from Ft. Laud (why do I seem to always move at Thanksgiving time?), No bro for TG – baker acted,

3 years ago – Everyone elsewhere. (Bro Jail, Momster in Brazil), hershey kiss variants, more about scotto leaving home, re: Laura & co, Thankful things, entp,

4 years ago – Newtie face, Lost and found sound, Sally Brunot, Cinnamon, Sleep, words, people sold as dogs, banning folks

5 years ago – nice day

6 years ago – Tarot, Old Time Radio, open source

7 years ago – yardbirds, Father memories, holidays, byron Geotarget