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8465 – this week is moving fast, despite my best efforts.

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Meeting with Mom after work to do will-stuff. She seems particularly enthusiastic to make sure the condo will go to the family rather than the state…. So, If I snuff it under suspicious circumstances, you know who to chase down for questioning, dear journal.

Pretty Keen Stop Motion video of a guy coasting through his day. I wish Youtube would support higher quality movies.

Minimum Wage (in Florida) is Currently $6.40. When I took my first Job at Taco Bell, it paid $3.35 and hour – That was back in 1985. (Starting wages at the library were a whopping $4.42, plus super insurance/etc bennies.) I wonder how well each state compares to cost of living expenses?

For “tipped employees” meeting eligibility requirements for the tip credit under the FLSA, employers may count tips actually received as wages under the FLSA, but the employer must pay “tipped employees” a direct wage in an amount equal to the minimum wage of $6.40 minus $3.02 (which, as required by Florida’s Constitution, is the 2003 tip credit existing under the FLSA), or a direct hourly wage of $3.38 on January 1, 2006.

San Fran, California is $8.50… Kansas is $2.65. Six States have no minimum wage laws.

Like the Federal wage and hour law, State law often exempts particular occupations or industries from the minimum labor standard generally applied to covered employment. This information often may be found at the websites maintained by State labor departments. Links to these websites are available at www.dol.gov/esa/contacts/state_of.htm.

Just a reminder from this entry in 2001 –

This from Webster’s: (see dictionary.com if there’s any doubt)

Main Entry: pum ·per ·nick ·el
Pronunciation: ‘p&m-p&r-“ni-k&l
Function: noun
Etymology: German, from pumpern to break wind + Nickel goblin; from its reputed indigestibility
Date: 1756
: a dark coarse sourdough bread made of unbolted rye flour

Answer each with 2 words – from sister Kellie –

yourself:   big lug

your car:   city bus

your hair:   going gray

your mother:   still alive

your father:  airborne ash

your favorite item:   cosmic cube

your dream last night:   toothy cars

your favorite drink:   rum punch

your dream home:   securely comfy

the room you’re in:   cleanly cluttered

your pet:  orange monkey

your fear:   hurting others

what you want to be in ten years:  even better

who you hung out with last night:   the Newt!

what you’re not:   eating sharks

your best friends:   are nice

one of your wish list items:   comic book

your gender:   a feller

the last thing you did:  checked lj

what are you wearing:   my clothes

your favorite weather:   cool sleeping

your favorite book:   dandilion wine

the last thing you ate:   chewy cookie

your life:   will improve

your mood:   getting there

A-Z meme

accent:  Fairly generic, but I pronounce some words oddly – “Noice” for nice, for example.

booze: I don’t really drink, but rum punch is good

chore I hate: cleaning the bathroom

dogs/cats: Newton! The coolest cat within the state of florida, I’d wager.

essential electronics: pda and digicam. the phone can go leap.

favorite perfume/cologne: I don’t currently wear one, and woman’s fragrances depend on the woman.

gold/silver: silver, generally.

hometown: Brockton, MA, USA, but I’ve been in SoFla for ages.

insomnia: infrequent, but I do have some restless nights.

job title:  MIS Director / Child Advocate.

kids: See Newt!

living arrangements: Newt and I live in a 1-bedroom condo. Finally have some space to maneuver!

most admired trait: (in others.. and in myself) basic internal goodness

number of significant relationships: I’m not trying to be a wiseguy when I say that all relationships are significant.

overnight hospital stays: Back surgeries

phobia: nothing that’s at “irrational fear” level.

quotes: “It’s all just a ride” – Bill Hicks

religion:  Agnostic with Athiest leanings.

siblings: one younger bro (I’m 3.5 years older.)

time I usually wake up: workdays – 5:30am, weekends, about 7:30

unusual talent: I can make baby-cry noises that are pretty realistic.

vegetables I refuse to eat: raw tomatoes (I won’t totally refuse, but I’ll resist, a lot!)

worst habit: procrastination

x-rays: when i broke my collarbone

yummy foods I make: all sorts.. veggie stir-fry is a pretty simple but tasty one.

zodiac sign: Aquarius / Earth Monkey

DVD43 is a free DVD decrypter.

WHAT DOES IT DO?: DVD43 decrypts DVD movies. COMPATIBLE SOFTWARE: Nero Recode, Intervideo DVD Copy, 1Click DVD Copy, Pinnacle DVD Copy, I Copy DVDs, Roxio DVD Copy and many more.

About time.. now I can recover my old, battle-damaged Godzilla DVDs.

Moment of Lyric (audio at my vox, via blackhellkatbhk! Thanks!)

We’re setting sail to a place on the map
From which no-one has ever returned
Drawn by the promise of the joker and the fool
By the light of the crosses that burned
Drawn by the promise of the women and lace
And the gold and the cotton and pearls
It’s the place where they keep all the darkness you need
You sail away from the light of the world on this trip, baby

You will pay tomorrow
You’re gonna pay tomorrow
You will pay tomorrow

…

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8461 – Monday? Oh, odds bodkins.

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Apparently the Algorithm march is some kind of sensation that I’m late to learn about. More power to ’em!

You Are 24% Control Freak

You have achieved the perfect balance of control and letting go.
You tend to roll with whatever life brings, but you never get complacent.

Sunday was a true day of rest… I only ventured outside to do put clothes in the washer and dryer… and that was after sundown. I took a couple of short naps, gabbed on the phone a bit, and paid attention to the Newtster.

“I hesitate to say anything nice about him, for fear that it would be used against him. And that’s a terrible commentary on the state of politics and the political climate today.”

– Senator John McCain, Republican / Arizona, on Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat / Connecticut.

This Page shows the current Fairy Doors in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Each thumbnail links to a page, which elaborates on the specific location of the fairy door, represented. The Pin map shows the distribution of the tiny doors. Tiny doors have been the principle element in common. Some of the location have tiny windows and even elaborate interior spaces as well as fairy doors. The miniature doors match or coordinate with the larger human doors of each location.

found via

I can surf Flickr at random for hours…it’s more a nosy delight than random LJs. I don’t know if it’s just easier to produce quality or interesting pictures over the cliche of 1000 words, but there it is. Maybe there’s just a lot more to see than there is to say.

1 year ago – Kev day, pictures of train station/toys/etc, mr moonlight

2 years ago – mind flayer doodle, travel plans, blue ink, Warriors…., phone posts

3 years ago – odd dreams, Gary hart, pizza box solar oven, hunting for Bambi hoax, walnut walks with a bellydancer

4 years ago – CHiPs, Spreading rumors

5 years ago – Music Mystery Solved, exegesis, evil news, Earhart’s wreck perhapsfound, I discover Google image search, sea creature poll, why poop isbrown

6 years ago – Scheduled Departure time set in stone, something at Archie Mcphee no longer there, sitcom nudity-logicGeotarget

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8440 – This must be Thursday.

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Perhaps the best gift for a gamer, ever. (and depending on the player, it might be a nice secondhand results gift to the group.)

Willow creates handcrafted soaps out of all-natural ingredients. Her Handmade Soaps For GAMERS premiered with rave reviews at Gen Con Indy 2005.

Currently available is the NATURAL 20 –a scented soap with an actual d20 embedded in it — the most popular soap at the show! via eryx_uk

Debunking the Christian Democracy Myth – Quotes from the Founding Fathers

suicide invalidates insurance policies, but any death obliterates a conviction that is not final – via lizaboo

ln quiz

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8385 – Friday. Hoping for a good weekend.

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Meeting with mom was interesting. We discussed bro and the new project she has with Wilton. Apparently, in her will, if she and Wilton go together, I am to be executor of the estate. That’s a lot of responsibility… bro’s share will go into a trust… he can use it for education, rehab or appropriate health expenses, but never will a dollar touch his hands, for fear that he’ll spend badly.

M&W’s company will be doing some work up in Sterling, VA (about 15 minutes from Dulles airport, or 40 min from DC) during the months of August through October, so I have a free crash spot should I want to visit points north during that time. Sally and Bill are up there, too… I can’t believe that she’s 61, and he’s 50, now. Have twenty-five years really passed that swiftly? I still remember Sally and Mom working at the salon, and my going to see Star Wars in the same plaza. Now, their kids are in the late 20s, too. I’d love to visit the old house, hit the smithsonian Air & Space museum, and visit some LJ-type folk.

I am officially one year cable-tv free. (though I cheat and snag a couple of shows via bittorrent.) Take that, comcast!

Moment of Lyric – mp3

O Fortuna,
velut Luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem;
egestatem,
potestatem,
dissolvit ut glaciem.

…

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8351 – Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, a Day of Rest!

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Got together with Kev last night, did a classic fart party at my place… pizza, caught up on gossip and family, and watched the extended version of buckaroo banzai. I think that he’ll do quite well to be away from his siblings and in-laws for a year. Newt was pretty talkative…he smelled Kev’s Zoo, and was investigating him the whole time, alternately nuzzling, sniffing, and bipping.

Yesterday morning when I left for work, the smell of ozone was in the air, and thunder in the distance. I put my palm, cell phone and digicam in a sealed plastic bag, and went to the stop with umbrella as a walking-stick. Before I cleared the D building, it was coming down in sheets. By the time I made it to the bus stop, I was soaked through, save for a circle of only semi-wet the size of my bumbershoot coverage. My natural body-heat dried most of me out, save for socks and shoes, which squished throughout the day. Not the most fun feeling, and I really couldn’t take ’em off, because I had some dog & pony shows / trainings to do. I was more than delighted to be free of those foot-bindings once I arrived home.

Moment of Lyric – Instrumental – Can be found at BeaucoupKev’s

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) told her caucus members during their weekly closed meeting Wednesday that impeachment is off the table; she is not interested in pursuing it.

Dear Ms. Pelosi, kiss my ass. If it’s your job to assist in prosecution of folks that commit crimes, then assist. If they don’t find any crimes, then state that fact, clear their good name and move on to doing your fricking job elsewhere.

American troops have complained that a new armored body suit designed to be worn in Iraq makes them look “goofy”.

goofysuit

The water-cooled “alien spacesuits” are being handed out to turret gunners in their notoriously vulnerable Humvee vehicles. Continue reading 8351 – Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, a Day of Rest! →

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8332 – MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MONDAY! ARGH!

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The Sarah Jane episode of Dr. Who didn’t disappoint, and it was delightful to see both her and K9 again. I do think that if the Doctor had been a little less “devil may care”, a lot fewer innocents would’ve been killed.

In other TV news, I was enjoying Charmed, until they added the blond “cousin oliver”. See also the addition of the kid on Gilmore Girls. They’re just counting down to the end.

Bob Ross Inc. has announced in March 2006 that they have filed a letter of intent to license to Joseph Hatcher’s AGFRAG Entertainment Group to develop exclusively worldwide video/computer games based on Bob Ross’ creative, unique and easy to learn painting techniques and TV show properties.

Right on. Happy Little Trees! “We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents.” I love that guy.

Is it true that 1 human being out of 5 is a Chinese farmer? There are a lot of 20% breakdowns on google.

A few –

  1. one in every five Americans are currently infected with a sexually transmitted viral disease.
  2. One in every five Americans, experiences some type of mental disorder each year
  3. The bacteria that cause meningococcal disease are carried by about one in every five people.
  4. One in every five people in Nairobi is HIV positive
  5. About one in every five people have genital herpes
  6. one in every five people in Jordan have made pledges to UNICEF
  7. One in every five people lack access to safe drinking water.
  8. one in every five people on the planet is a Muslim.
  9. One in every five people in Seoul owns dogs or other pets.
  10. Mild side effects of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus Vaccine occur in about one in every five people who receive it.
  11. one in every five people has a reading problem
  12. One in every five people in the developing world is chronically undernourished
  13. By 2030, one in every five people is likely to be 65 or older
  14. one in every five people who work for the State of California works for the Department of Corrections
  15. one in every five people in the world is surviving on less than $1 a day
  16. One in every five people with sight problems has another disability
  17. One in every five people with HIV is a prison inmate or a former inmate
  18. In Michigan, nearly one in every five people is out of work

To the best of my knowledge, I don’t fall into any of those groups.

I’d say I know folks that fall into group #1, #2, #4 (but not from Nairobi), #5, #6, #8, #9 (in Seoul), #11, #13 (I think GP falls into that group… I’ll be 61), #14, #15, #16, #17

It’s really hard to find a house painted green in my neighborhood. I have yellow, many shades of blue, pink, white, and gray… but no green. Also, I’ve found no stray kitties in my walkabout… Seester Kelliebellie gave me a challenge! I like it, but it may take me longer than I had anticipated.

I had a little tummy-ache this weekend…feeling a bit better now.

Everybody’s got something to hide except me and my monkey.

– John Lennon

I like monkeys – mp3

I was walking through town one day and I noticed that the pet store was selling monkeys for five cents apiece. I thought that was odd since they were normally a couple thousand dollars or something, but I decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. I bought 200. You know why? I like monkeys.

Continue reading 8332 – MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MONDAY! ARGH! →

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8092 – Time to row the ocean, I think.

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GeotargetLetterman 1 – O’Reilly 0

“I have the feeling that 60% of what you say is crap…” and with that Dave Letterman captured the essence of what is Bill O’Reilly. (via onegoodmove thanks firpo for putting me on to that site)

Letterman gets in quite a few good shots in the video.

ESPdeck

Moment of Lyric (swf video)

Lying in the corner of a room with a stick in my hand
I’m pointing my stick at a far away land
My stick it has no leaves it grieves me to say
I’m gonna find a new stick then I’ll be, I’ll be on my way

I want to row you across the ocean so blue
Till we find the man
Who kissed all the women in Japan

Old women with no face trying to call out my name
Screaming she’s just been stabbed by a
Chargrilled accountant from Spain
Would you like to dance with me
She whispers from three miles away
We could dance the tango the I’ll be,
Oh I will be on my way

I want to row you across the ocean so blue
Until we find the man
Who drowned all the children in Iran

Which Clue character are you?

I wonder how many people in the world worship the moon… actively pray and give offerings?

firefly crew quiz

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7930 – doot doo doo doo.

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marmoset in sombrero

I still have the Frito Banditio theme popping up into my brain here and there.

Weird about the lag in the picture posts.. repeated itself twice, about 2 hours after the original post.I’ll have to make a point of waiting a bit longer before re-sending.

The people of Hialeah are idiots. (See the political record for the last 24 years.) A long term case of “we’d rather have corrupt criminals we know than a possible unknown quantity”.

Big Kahuna’s B’day today… maybe that’s why she had a case of the grumps yesterday. She’ll be 67 today, I think, and I figure that she’s got a solid two decades ahead of her, at least. Sadly, I don’t see more than a decade (and that’s probably generous) for her husband though.

Rhode Island was due back on Monday, and as of end of day yesterday still hadn’t come back. Rumors flying over the office of her quitting, but I doubt it. My suspicions are that she’s just stretching it out as far as possible.

I’m wondering what to do with my vacation.

Muslim Mona quit tech-work yesterday… I guess her real-world job, plus family, plus health just didn’t allow for four days a month. She’ll be missed… was probably the most competent tech I had. En’s really solid, too…only a couple of boo-boos here and there. Phoenix’s getting her first training today at 1pm, barring schedule issues.

Growing out the goat for a full beard again in prep to be a bit of a Santa for December.

Moment of lyric: mp3

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7713 – FEMA issues

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Bush poses in front of a fake food display
Fake levee repair?
FEMA will not accept Amtrak’s help with evacuations
FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
FEMA turns away supply trucks from WalMart

FEMA will not let the Red Cross deliver food
FEMA prevents morticians from entering New Orleans
FEMA blocks 500 boat citizen flotilla from rescues and delivery of aid
FEMA fails to utilize 600 bed US Navy hospital ship
Chicago offers massive assistance. FEMA to Chicago: “Send one Truck”
FEMA turns away generators
FEMA: First responders urged NOT to respond
This is how Michael Brown got this job that he is totally unqualified for

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7711 – Music, how I love thee.

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Last night’s fortune cookie –

“Pride is a good thing to have, but don’t overdose on it”
Lucky numbers 12,20,25,30,31,49
Learn Chinese – Pot sticker – Guo-tie

Hmm.. So far, I’ve mostly learned words for food, and baseball. I like the cookies at the China Panda, because they have a faint citrus taste to ’em.

Dinner was a splurge, because I’m under house arrest for the who weekend. I got General Tso’s Tofu (extra crispy and spicy). Yum… also, the broccoli was plentiful and super-fresh.

Talked to bro briefly last night, and he sounds a little congested. He’s taking sleep meds and stuff for depression, and I’m concerned that there will be abuse of one or both of those. He seems quite lucid at the moment.

“There is an Indian Belief that everyone is in a house of four rooms: A physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room everyday, even if only to keep it aired, we are not complete.” – Rumer Godden

Moment of Lyric – The Allen Brothers – Jake Walk Blues (m4a file)

I can’t eat, I can’t talk
Been drinkin’ mean jake, Lord, now can’t walk
Ain’t got nothin’ now to lose
Cause I’m a jake walkin’ papa with the jake walk blues.

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