Tag Archives: zagat

9258 – Tuesday

Back is feeling much better today. Not great, but only a low-level ache and tightness at the moment. The pills best used before bed as they make me sleepy and thus not suitable for work or any sharp thought-based activity during the day.

Still haven’t heard from brother since he was released from jail. I imagine that no news is good news…. I think I’ll call him tonight, though.

Yesterday afternoon while I was taking care of some issues, BHK ran to the nursery and picked up some veggies for us – Flowers : Ranunculus (look mostly like the Heart of Gold ), Some Red Cat Tails, a dozen ears of corn, and a big bag of zucchini. Local food for supper the next few days!

Also after work, BHK and I went to see The Forbidden Kingdom. I’d say that we both liked it – the settings and fight choreography were lovely, but I would really have loved to see what they’d have done in the 80’s, when they were both at physical prime. It was also a bit too… American, I guess. The bookends of “bullies chase kid with no ‘fu”, to “kid, now trained, defeats bullies” weakened the picture a bit. Overall, I was more than pleased, but it wasn’t as fantastic as I’d have hoped. Not in the same league as othe rcurrent wire fu flicks, but seeing Li and Chan together was pretty nifty… Plus, The Monkey King!

After the movie’s popcorn, we were ready for some serious supper time, and headed to Red Robin… we were seated between an old man who had a fragrance of tomato soup in a baby diaper and an adorable down’s syndrome baby.

That was ok, save for the distracting scent… but after waiting for about 10 minutes without seeing a server, I took it as a sign of possible things to come, and we left.

We made a beeline for Cheeburger2 and were seated immediately… placed our order, and chitty-chatted. The Trivial Pursuit cards at the table were ones we’d already done before, but that’s the risk we take by going there so often. Our server was seemingly inexperienced at her job… a little while after we placed our order, she came back to tell us that they were all out of veggie burgers. Apparently, neither BHK or I were slotted for the meal we were looking for tonight. We got ready to go, and the girl pleaded with us to stay – free milkshakes were offered. (Reasonable, since they were already made, waiting for our non-present main course to come to us.) We said that it was ok, but she begged us to stick around while she got her boss to make things right. Bogdan was there, acting as manager… we really can’t say no to him. He’s been our burger buddy since I first moved here, and BHK has known him longer than that. He gave us some other options, which worked out fine. I got a grilled portobello sammich and BHK did a cow-burger, both had the same toppings and treatment we wanted on the veggie-burgers.

The shakes were tasty, though not as thick, since they had time to melt while we waited… I got a chocolate mint (not as good as chocolate cherry), and BHK had a standard ol’ fashioned chocolate malt.

We made it home at about 9ish, BHK checked her email while I played a little TF2 (polishing my Heavy and Demoman skills) and Counterstrike.

Naughty Newt wouldn’t let BHK’s water alone… first he stuck his face close to it, and sneezed into the surface…. insuring that BHK wouldn’t be drinking any. With that, he lapped the contents until he wasn’t comfortable sticking his face inside the cup… so he put a paw in and pulled it over to drink from the puddle. BHK didn’t know that he’s fond of that little procedure. I guess she knows now. We went to bed shortly thereafter… reading turned swiftly to sleep.


Explicit name, originally uploaded by louistib.



Best thing about Gordon Ramsay is his insult factor. calling someone a doughnut, a pelican and a donkey.

I’m surely going to call someone a “silly pelican” sometime soon.



This morning, I remember a dream of disease outbreak – lots of panic – BHK and I were separated, don’t know where the cats went.

I was put on a bus to Schenectady (why Schenectady?), with one small carry-on bag. I was forbidden to bring any money, books, cell phone / electronics or shoes, with the understanding that I’d be subject to robbery and worse if I did so. I don’t remember what I did pack.. clothes and toiletries of some sort. I specifically recall bringing a roll of toilet paper and some pens and pencils. There was considerable fear and panic on the bus, but it wasn’t overcrowded. I had my own seat, and behind me was the skinny guy from The Big Bang Theory.

The skinny guy and I talked for a bit… more like he spoke and I tossed in a comment here and there in support of what he was saying. I don’t recall the exact nature of the conversation but there were certainly aspects of survival involved – something about safe water and how to make a solar oven was part of it. I was thirsty, and did not pack any water – there was a screeching or whooshing of air in my ears as we drove to our destination. Actor guy moved from the chair behind to sit next to me as there were two other fellows on his bench, pushing and shoving each other aggressively.

After our talk, skinny guy showed me that he was wearing an earring shaped like two horseshoes that were open, but closed enough that the second didn’t fall from the first. the beads were black. He took it out and stuck it in my ear, piercing it when he did… and put in another one back in his own ear… the only difference was that his now had gray beads instead. He said that it was protection for the area ahead, and also gave me a compass and a powerful magnet (that didn’t affect the compass, somehow) as a way to thank me because I wasn’t annoying. The men behind us had been listening wanted thier own, but he refused. “Sorry – you were annoying me. Anyway, I don’t have any more.” and then was killed – I couldn’t help him because I was back on the bus again, and he was in the parking lot, left far behind, shrieking as the two men tore him to pieces. I guess one of the men got the earring he had.

We stopped in Montana (must’ve been the long way, since we were going to NY from MD), where men in gas masks and carrying clipboards came on and took us outside one by one. We were lined up, and then everyone n the bus was killed except for me – deemed contagious, I suppose.

I was given food and water, and then told to walk from there. A broad expanse of grassy hills and green trees were ahead of me, with no path to be seen… but I walked, a deep sense of sadness hitting me with every step. I noted that the land was stunning, but empty without BHK and the boys with me… I began to wonder if I’d ever see them again- if somehow I’d been tricked and that this was a way of putting me in isolation.

I pulled a walking stick from a nearby branch and hit each tree, hoping to knock unseen fruit and to let nearby wildlife know I was coming… for whatever reason, I thought there were mountain lions in the woods.

Then I woke up to the alarm clock playing BHK’s IPOD, and I was snuggled in with her, the boys on the bed as well. So that’s a happy ending, anyhow.



1 year ago – garden work / computer work, one word meme, shorpy

2 year ago – rough day, socialist apes

3 years ago – droopy dan, mlm scam, petroglyphs, wifi via airship, science fiction, local graffiti pics, newt on kittenbreak and kittenwar

4 years ago – Team Laser Explosion Secret Fan club, Eels, ADP sassmouth, php nuke is el-sucko

5 years ago – Travel plans, work, finn’s karma, Saw Murray

6 years ago – May Day Coming, Snuggles Newt, Super power, Chupa Blabs

7 years ago– web poll, dj poll, bit o’ fiction, My pet Skeleton, naughty news – lots of breasts, a bunghole, creed and a mime, mum.org letter for menstrualhutGeotarget

9228 – Sunday

We rested the bulk of Saturday, but went out yesterday evening to hit good ol’ Aardvark Comics – picked up the Showcase Jonah Hex, the 50th Anniversary edition of Diplomacy, and a few other nibs and nabs – BHK subscribed to her first book (Avengers Fairy Tales – 4 part series), and I got the latest All Star Superman. Good stuff, that Superman. Post Aardvark, we hit a local Japanese food place… benihana sort fo place with sushi. The stuff was better than most, not as awesome as Joss. Oh! I almost forgot! We stopped at Rita’s for “fro-yo”. I got the fat free stuff, and I think the chemistry hit my gastric centers a little too heavily. I’ll be calling them diarRhita’s for the foreseeable future. The problem resolved itself quickly, however.

Today, Lounged most of the morning, – Was going to hit the car show with Larry and BHK, but it was rained out. Left the house abuot noon, got a haircut, and then zipped off with BHK to have lunch with Cathi & Dave at Mexico. Mexico was a little off of their game, but it was still yummy. Post feeding, we paused at the Dunkirk Starbucks for a couple of hours of Apples to Apples over water, coffee and a little late dessert. (I won all games played… I feel a little bad about that, because I’m not really there to win, just to socialise and be silly. Psych-ops tactics work especially well with that crew.) Ended the day with a quick buzz of the local wal-mart, and then home to chill out and prep for Monday.


1 year ago – walkabout pictures (DC area), SMIB

2 years ago – loki, fundraiser, 33 questions, morning pictures, palm post bro, tree dream

3 years ago – appointment, bro homeless, electron thoughts, videos, broken umbrellas, space 1999:waka waka, 300 island resort, typo on bus, walkies pictures, beaten barricade

4 years ago – smelly books, surreal compliments, passover joke, vampire game

5 years ago – sleeveless smock, downloadable toons, bunky kabalarians, colossal squid, CoC props.

6 years ago – landlord visit, green monkey pizza, pop pardoned the knights templar,nazi-looking stamp, Japanese business card etiquette, movies, tubers

7 years ago – Killer noise, looking for a job as a flaneur, Dave & Cathi PreggersGeotarget


9224 – Friday –



Slept in a bit this morning… vacation day!!

family sleepin' in


Our neighbor’s wife passed away the first of December, last year… BHK just found out about it midweek. We’ve invited him over for dinner next week (we initially were going to do it Wednesday, but he begged off), and are bringing him some tidbits here and there. I can’t imagine losing someone that close and having to go it alone.

Last night after work, BHK and I went to Red Robin to eat while we decided on which movie to see… we were torn between two critically paned stinkers – 10,000 BC and Superhero Movie. We consumed tasty items, while watching a girl in a robin suit greet the kiddies… businss was booming for a thursday night… and continued to the Borders where we meandered andshopped a bit. Picked up a new Zagat’s guid to DC and Baltimore, and a collapsable tote for BHK… fit sin a teensy keychain pouch. I teased her a little unmercifully about it, but she took it in stride. Visted the Kayak / Outdoor store and came close to getting another pair of crocs or two… army green shoes with day-glo orange straps, but sadly, they didn’t have my mammoth foot size in stock. BHK passed on keanes, too.

Eventually, we settled on superhero movie… bought the tickets, and changed our minds. So, we saw 10,000 BC. It didn’t stink too badly, and was entertaining in its way.

Guest Doodles supplied by BHK: (when she sees me messing with the palmtop, she always wants a turn.) Seems she always accuses me of gassiness, but this time it was true.

bhk's view of last nightate at red robin- via bhk



Nifty Links also from BHK – Cool Robots! (I’m partial to Kemore 3.)

and these two were right next to one another on her news page – Irony?

McCain Says Many Americans Are Too Cynical 3rd-Graders Plotted to Attack Teacher, Cops Say


Picture meme –

a. Go to www.photobucket.com (don’t sign in)

b. Type in your answer to the question in particular (see questions below) in the “search” box

c. Use only the first page

d. Copy the image code & paste for the answer

(I’ve added a width modifier of 320 pix, just for my own viewing ease.)

1. What’s your first name?
Scotto

greato scotto


more



2. What is/was your school mascot? Hurricane, Owl and Eagle (University of Miami, FAU, Atlantic HS)


3. What is your relationship status? Happily Married



4. What is your favorite color? Orange



5. Who is your celebrity crush? Tricky, as I don’t really have one. I’ll fall back on ol’ Salma Hayek, and get Razzed by BHK.



6. Who is your favorite artist or band? Changes moment to moment. Right now it is Talking Heads.


7. What is your favorite movie & TV show? Again, too many to choose from, so I’m going with my first from skull school of picking. Blade Runner and Psych


8. Name your favorite drink? Diet Cream Soda


9. where is your dream vacation? Atlantis



10. What is your favorite animal? I like all of ’em, Aardvark to Zooplankton. I guess I’ll go with Gorilla for now, as first critter to skull… even though I’m, partial to Elephants, Giraffes, Tigers, Bears. Cats and Sea Cucumbers.


11. Your favorite past time? Going on Walkabout



12. Where were you born? 1969 Boston



13. One word to describe yourself? Bearded.



14. How are you feeling right now? Creaky






1 year ago
– victim of the 80s / transformers, time flies, movies. (still haven’t seen blades of glory.), local blooms pic

2 years ago – wearing purple, dan break, bug inspectors, doc, firewall,

3 years ago – apology-but, making fiends in bulgarian, free photos, broken people, TSiC

4 years ago – 22 questions, DST, Ft. Laud Mellowed, 4-4-4

5 years ago – Met with Meter Made, don’t confuse courtesy with subservience, pics for the day, Speedy off CN, Sample McDougald house letter

6 years ago – walkies, dream, taking stuff poll, Moment of Waponi, Killian’s, bkveggie (the old one), long music ramble, production meeting at IMT

7 years ago – Slander-drama / resolution (Honestly, I think that part of the issue started from here.) I still wonder how that “FBI Investigation” turned outGeotarget

9209 – tuesday

Gentle day yesterday, for the most part. We had a little trouble at the ol’ Subway Sammiches joint… the sandwich-maker had a lot of communication issues. Both BHK and I couldn’t get across to him or his partner what was wrong with what they made for her. I ended up getting my sandwich, but BHK went home with nothing… made a turkey sandwich here, instead. I think she came out ahead, but so much for her not having to put something together for dinner.


13 reasons why you should not be a freelance writer .

My weaknesses are certainly in the marketing department – but the big one for me is the need for security. I really don’t want a gig that doesn’t give me a regular check as my main (or only!) source of income.


In the “News I didn’t get on time category: William F Buckley died ?

Also, how come I didn’t hear about the Hillary fib on St. Patty’s until today?

Clinton’s tale of landing at Tuzla airport “under sniper fire” and then running for cover is simply not credible. Photographs and video of the arrival ceremony, combined with contemporaneous news reports, tell a very different story. Four Pinocchios. [edit/update – she admits that she “misspoke“.]

I found an interesting list of flip flops from both democratic candidates, too – (and, not to be unfair – McCain’s flip flops are whoppers, too.)

Thanks for nobody to vote for, team Democracy!


Note to Self – remember some gym clothes for midday work out.


50 things I’ve done meme- 10 to go! I…

40.’have portrayed Santa Claus many times in my life, not just when overweight, either. It started in 7th grade, Mrs. Glenning’s Class – a organization for mothers of twins asked me if I could do the job – in 7th grade, I was already about 5’9 or 5’10. Later, I did it for the children’s reading group at the library and bookstore where I worked… finally, I have been Santa for the ‘borgs twice. So.. that’s 5 times I’ve helped Kris Kringle out by being a body double. Kids tend to dig it, and I tihnk I do a pretty good job. I can let out with the HO, HO, HO’s, and most kids think it’s cool that santa is head and shoulders taller than their mom and dad… I didn’t realize that was an issue until one little boy pointed out that I was taller than his mom, voice full of awe.

41.’ have tried to be slow, in the Hoss Cartwright manner of slow…

Slow to raise a hand in anger;
Slow to judge a man.
Slow to jump to conclusions.

I have some days that are better than others. I try though, and often succeed. Once I make it to “Succeeds as much as a sane man can” I’ll be pretty happy with that.


1 year ago – newt, pye, tigger and a spongebob ice pop in the sun pictures, bro drama, hot fuzz preview, springtime cough

2 years ago – porch entry, newtcam pic, consulting work, zeppelin hotels, hornsuit

3 years ago – dr who leaks out, tree, death as a doodle, in the news, tmbg-bloodmobile, missing a brown-eyed girl, squirrel names, pirate vote

4 years ago – playing with icons, palm doodles, magical flesh fearing saw, bro still in the pokey

5 years ago – throat tickle, possible gig, FMM stuff

6 years ago – yahoo kills pop3, Can Asians Think?, llamas!, spring break, Egyptian musk, cat-recognition flap, rice dreams

7 years ago – Green Eggs & Hamlet, moody, China, Sophomore Uses List Context; Cops Interrogate

Geotarget

9195 – Saturday

Quite the journey today – We put the March in Ides of March!

We slept in, but got to the doc’s in time for my shots and BHK’s draw. After the requisite needle sticks, we launched ourselves toward the Eastern Shore once again – original intent of going to Baltimore for the Aquarium was sidelined for a day that maybe we can bring Adam along with us and I’ve got a non-cellphone camera.

Plan #2 was to go to St. Michael’s, now that season has started – check out the marine museum there, and have a spot of supper at the Crab Claw.

Those plans were stymied by a hand-stenciled sign marked “Flea Market Next Left”. With a quick mutual nodding of our heads, BHK and I changed course – we meandered through the building, fairly impressed. There was an oven cooking up hot dogs at the front door, along with plates of baked goods… mostly brownies and blueberry-muffin bars. Tools of all sorts, used books, some nifty antiques, too. BHK snapped up a phonebook-thick book of vegetarian recipes for $2, a keen jadeite set of salt and pepper shakers (not antique, but tres cool for $10, and I snagged a blueberry bar for a measly buck. (I almost got a blue-cobalt glass mr. peanut jar, but discretion worked for me. I really had no place to put it.) Fortunately the Salt-shaker guy took checks. (He said that he took credit cards too, but didn’t give ’em back.)

We left with our treasures, happy as a couple of proverbial clams, and continued toward St. Mike’s. Mid-journey, I realized that it was already nearly 3pm, and I remembered the museum closed at 4.. and we were pretty dang hungry – ready to eat now rather than later. – So, a second trip to general tanukis, then! Not as fantastic as the first time, sushi-wse, but still a fine place to land for lunch. Grilled Cheese was tasty, but the home made french fries would’ve been awesome if they weren’t quite so limp.

After a satisfying meal – we stretched our legs a bit. I got to visit the bunker, and picked up a couple of stickfassupervillain and spaceman. (marked at 20% off of $10 each) Armed with toys, I was ready for a little more shopping with BHK… we sniffed around a few boutiques, and at a place called La de da, she got a green hair band with and assortment of rhinestones in it – we though tit was $16, but rang up as $6 at the register… score! We continued through a yarn store with a cute yorkie working there as a greeter, a large pet shop, and then came upon crackerjacks toy store… that’s my kind of place. We got a few little wind-up critters – BHK got a tiki drummer (drums are a triceratops and tyrannosaur skulls), a pink hula-robot – and I got walking neon green monkey the plays the cymbals.

Happy in our purchases, we began our journey home… we were going to get together with the in-laws tonight to watch becoming Jane, but they weren’t in the mood – so we side-tracked into annapolis to see Be Kind, Rewind. It stopped playing there, so we caught In Bruges. I liked it more than BHK – she scored it slightly below average (a 4/10) while I skewed just the other side (6/10).

The corn is always the best part of movies at the bowtie theater… dialogue with the candy-counter gang was fun… you could see each stereotype pretty clearly. The blonde bubbly girl who likes chick flicks, the lumbering oaf guy that enjoyed hanging out with the girls, and the brounette chick who is the big fan of british stuff, black comedy, more pseudo-sullen than the others.

The pic below was at one of the boutiques… the first meeting place for Maryland Freemasons, now selling frou-frou chic stuff to tourists.

0315081528.jpg


Archaeologists in Greece have discovered the 1800-year-old skull of a young woman who may have undergone primitive brain surgery. An alternate theory says she injured her skull when she suddenly realized she could have had a V-8. Whenever I see the word skull these days, I think Skrull.


Water: 2 Veg/Fruit: 0 Milk: 2
Points: 43.4 Adj: 0 Act: 2.5 Rem: -3.9
Bank: 15.0 Adj: 0

Vitamins: Yes

Breakfast: 2.0 points
2.0: oatmeal; blueberry

Lunch: 22.0 points
3.0: Sushi; California roll
7.5: Grilled Cheese 6″ Sub
11.5: French Fries; Large

Dinner: 12.8 points
1.1: Popcorn; oil-popped
1.1: Popcorn; oil-popped
3.3: Butter oil; anhydrous
3.3: Butter oil; anhydrous
4.0: Cheese Pizza; slice of large

Snack: 6.6 points
1.8: fat free milk 1 cup
1.8: fat free milk 1 cup
3.0: blueberry cake bar
0.0: Diet Coke; King

Activity Log: (Min:Int:Points Desc)
30:L:2.5 shopping


1 year ago – my chicken stalker pic, david and gil visit pics, shamrock shake

2 year ago – papa johns meat, almost a dinner party, mp3 zappa, 2nd life pics, irish quiz, grandparents quiz

3 years ago – free flow, dreams and fragments, night stalker, zombie test, batman newtimes, pete & pete, cadavers away!, wedgie, autodialer, magnetphrases, beheading, I used to believe…, adp off call, mootpoint praise

4 years ago – strip mall of sin pics, doug made it to Seattle

5 years ago – French toast origin… not invented by “Mr. French”, bus piccies, name game, movies with Dan, pelican poem

6 years ago – grand conversation, love quiz, a good Friday five, odd news, miss Cleo born in LA, of American parents, crossword stuff

7 years ago – first hint of the scooby movie, good vs bad stuff about the day, gnomes on snailbackGeotarget

9185 – Thursday –

Last night, we decided to try out a place that just opened up – Bilvil. It wasn’t what I was expecting – the subname is "A Beachfront Cafe".. I somehow expected more coffee and casual fare.

Oddball hours, closed on Tuesday… from the outside, the place looks clean, fresh and new! I look forward to taking the wife there tonight… when it’s open!

We returned the following night, Wednesday.

The setting was nice, if a little noisy…. estimate that the place was about 1/2 to 2/3 full at 25 people sitting.

There’s a limited menu right now – they opened right at the top of March 2008. Two weeks in, and the dust is pretty well settled, though.

The roasted beet salad with feta cheese and walnuts was tasty (My wife’s favorite part of the meal!), as was the citrus salad, made with oranges, grapefruit, watercress, broccoli, cauliflower and mustard dressing.

The main course for my wife was the pork loin and beans/greens combo… maybe a bit over-savory. my Crab cake was really fantastic, however – it was a good size and the fried potatoes and broccoli went well with it.

The dessert left a little bit to be desired. choice of three when we went – carrot cake, crustless cheesecake and chocolate mousse.

we both went for the carrot cake – no raisins… but maybe no flour, either. It has a nice taste, and was dense… with an a rubbery / fleshy texture.

There was nice wine list, and a fair selection of beer.

Our cost was about $80 for the two of us, there’s a way to combine three items (in our case, salad, main course, and dessert) for a set cost of about $32 each, before drinks.

I think that they’ll be a place worth hitting regularly, if the price comes down a bit, and the menu expands some… for now, it’s off to a nice start, and I look forward to seeing it grow.


Sometimes, I see a flicker in my vision in front of me – where I’m walking, and I wonder if it’s a future image of myself passing that spot. I wonder if I’d feel the same way if I saw the flicker behind me… would I think that light reflecting off my jacket was just slow to catch up?


I’m really getting into playing loco roco in the mornings… levels are short enough to do on the bus… and I think my newest unlock (the black one with the little tooth buds, lower right ) has some awesome music and reminds me a bit of pyewacket. I do my journal writing on the ride home, generally, unless I really want to polish off a round. Themini-games aren’t bad, but the meat is the primary puzzles. However, now I’m near a net-hotspot, and the PSP has streaming radio these days, a journaling I shall go. (see also)


Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta are now claiming to have identified and located the speech center of the chimpanzee brain. Lead by Jared Taglialatela, the team used a PET scan to image activity in the brains of three chimps after doing two tasks. In one, the chimps asked for food by making grunts and other noises. In another they passed rocks out of their cages in exchange for food. The former activity lit up a specific area of the chimp’s brains that the latter did not.

So what does this all mean? Simply put, it means that as soon as some scientist decides to experiment with aiming a gamma ray cannon at that hemisphere of a chimpanzee’s brain, we’re only a few thousand years away — max — of Charlton Heston screaming "It was Earth all along!" in front of the ruined fragments of Statue of Liberty. Great. Thanks again, science.

What Separates You From Chimps [Live Science]


50 things I’ve done meme continues tomorrow with 27.

Instead, a quickie – answer in 3 words –

1. Where is your cell phone?

on my belt

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?:
is my wife

Continue reading 9185 – Thursday –

9079 – monday

Monday monday – back to work! Not much to post about… general purpose day, but BHK picked me up afterward. We met Chris and Larry at Lemongrass – Larry wasn’t gaga over it, but the rest of us enjoyed the feed. We parted company soon after – BHK and I hit the store and got the boys a new water fountain and a toy or two. I barely fended off BHK’s request for goldfish and crabs and hammies and gerbils and kitties.

ATW man has varied a little from his valentines outfit.. now he has a red wig on, no heart shaped box of candy, and the rose still clenched betwixt his teeth.

If anything, he looks a bit like a grateful dead album cover at the moment. hard to get good detail with the camera phone and a back light, but bigger gets a bit more.

0303082047.jpg 0303082047a.jpg


Taking a hint from edbook, six years ago (friends only link) –

50 things I’ve done in my life: (I’ll do it 10 at a time each weekday, I think, due to time constraints.)

1. ‘was run over by a car while riding a motor scooter – snapped my collarbone. If the front wheel had been 6 inches to the left, I’d be dead.. 2 feet and I’d have been fine. The car never stopped to check on me, it just kept going. I didn’t know it was broken at first, until I called GP on the phone and he advised that I flex my arm. After I unblacked out a moment later on the floor, I went to the hospital. Only bone of mine that broke… unless you count teeth.

2. ‘have been every male part of a wedding ceremony, short of the priest. (ring bearer, usher, best man, groom). In that order. Will I be ordained enough to do the last one someday?

3. ‘saw at the very least five different kinds of consensual crime performed in under an hour… my last night as a bouncer. The pay was good, but not worth going to jail for… even if nobody there was complaining.

4. ‘met my wife thanks to the internet,  livejournal, and an ex-girlfriend.

5. ‘got a scholarship to clown college, but opted for computer science… more lucrative, and I don’t do well with sawdust-based environments.

6. ‘is allergic to cats, but happily fostered and then adopted Newton-kitty when he was 3 weeks old – bottle and rag fed him every 4 hours when he was still in the nursing stage. I now live with 2 cats and don’t show allergies much around them, but other animals will give me red eyes and sneezles, until I adapt to ’em.

7. ‘worked for an organization that helped to search for missing children. I think that my heart was in the right place, but I’m glad to have moved on. It can be heartbreaking to hear about a kid that didn’t make it, or to see petty behavior on the part of an org or the police result in stupidity that could potentially cost a kids life. Plus, I don’t like being rattled every time the cell phone rings… now when the phone vibrates, the worst thing is a downed server or a weather issue. It’s taken me about a year to get out of fireman-alert / stress mode every time the phone rings. I do feel that the national center is the best place to turn to when a child is missing.

8.’worked in a library through most of college and high school – during hurricane Andrew. Got to reshelve and relocate books while wearing a miners lamp on my head under rows of black plastic tarps… no power, no lights or AC. Until discovering them underfoot in the stacks, I had no idea scorpions lived in South Florida. Also, people bring porno to “read” in the rear stacks… ick.

9.’was also in the civil air patrol during Andrew, and got to see how destroyed homestead got… I had a huge amount of pity for the folks in NOLA that I might not have if I didn’t see areas of just rubble and water where homes used to be. We got to round up food and water for people out there… it’s what I imagine it to be like in an area struck by war.

10.’has offered spiritual advice to people, even though I have no idea what, if anything, is beyond the veil of what we can see. I’ve helped people through crises of faith and to find a common ground where elements can be conflicted even though I haven’t the foggiest about my own faith… and I’m ok with that. I don’t know if that makes me a hypocrite or what.


So, Tron 2, the movie in 2011? I’ve got to wonder about that one. Will I see it? Yes, if it’s going to be in 3-D. 3-D makes everything at least a little bit awesome. I’m sure that BHK will want to fo see national Treasure 3… and I’ll be fore it, if it’s in 3-D, too… but no word on that.


The son’s tooth helps to save dad’s sight

Rob McNichol’s son — also called Rob — didn’t think twice when the chance arose to help his dad to see again by giving him a canine tooth.

Father-of-eight Mr McNichol snr (57) was blinded in a work-place accident, when liquid aluminium exploded in his face in November 2005.

But he can now see again after doctors, using groundbreaking surgery, inserted his son’s tooth in his eye.

The surgery, Osteo Odonto Kerato Prosthesis (OOKP), involved fitting a living canine tooth with an optical cylinder and transplanting it into the eye cavity

The surgery, which costs an estimated €40,000, is believed to be the first of its kind to be carried out on an Irish resident.

Pioneered in Italy in the 1960s, Osteo Odonto Kerato Prosthesis (OOKP) surgery is carried out on patients for whom conventional corneal transplants will not work. It entails replacing a damaged cornea with a live tooth root and attached optical cylinder


John McCain apologized for a supporter’s use of Barack Obama’s middle name. And rightly so. Only his mother should use his middle name, and then only when he’s done something really naughty.


1 year ago – Sunny day sends our snowman away, pictures, star fleet battles revamp (I never did buy it), I touch witch’s rock in leonardtown- pic, also witch’s other stuff (trash can, tree, flagpole, picnic table, and ash tray), veteran memorial, google traffic, dating persona

2 years ago – router dies, kids tp, tree-hugging, get human database, my blue heaven,

3 years ago – power out, mark lenard, color wwi pics, free stock photos, 20 ways to say no, knife, razors and laws, vonnegut on writing, newt pictures and doodles, cravings, costume changes, handy freeware

4 years ago – pondering public entries, nice gab with the Cs, ADP sucks again, Zombie Recipe, Cat w/hands, gov overrides names

5 years ago – 03/03/03, MRE, rudimentary lj search engine

6 years ago – fake trading floor, Olive Garden screed, Hsien-Yu Pi-Jen

7 years ago – Owls in Myth & Culture, 3-d fax printing, DogenGeotarget

9072 – Tuesday

Foggy day but it dissolved after dark, somehow. Crossing the bridge, we couldn’t even see the barges!

Dentist – got my last filling done, and all that’s left is a crown…. and maybe an extraction of a wisdom tooth.

R’s Americantina – All you can eat taco night? As the kids might say… “FAIL”. We made it there ok, but the food was greasy, poorly portioned, and generally subpar.

All items looked like food service, rather than homemade. Tortillas, and anything from the fryer were especially bad. Greasy, limp onion rings, store-bought tortillas and frozen / re-heated chicken strips. The hard taco shells were cold and greasy – salsa was a poor texture and mediocre flavor.

The diet coke was both flat and low on syrup, effectively brown soda water.

I think we’d have done better to have gone to Taco Bell, feedwise.

Design-wise, it’s a beautiful layout, nicely branded, with vibrant colors and nifty wall-hangings. It’s a shame about the place settings and worse, the food that is brought out.

We didn’t sample the bar… I’d hate to see what the bartender would do to a margarita if they can’t get a taco right.


Garfield Minus Garfield is awesome. Remove the cat, and Jon is scary, funny and surreal. Plus, there’s this one, which isn’t really any of those.


Anonymous coworker on the death industry (especially interesting to me, as AC is a Marylander) Some FAQ

Fairly Related – Writing a WillI need to update mine! And do my dang taxes, by gum!


1 year ago – BHK and I on a snowy drive video, bass guitar, kitties, joe magnolia, heroes meme

2 years ago – dan bailed, don knotts (Mr Limpet) RIP, what do you want poll, netjaxer, mk12, Darren MCGavin RIP (Kolchak), dipkiss

3 years ago – Splenda downside, Pinkerton’s Superman, Geourl back, text to speech test, palm doodles, hiring the a-team

4 years ago – I’m a radioactive zombie, monkey hate clown!, got a $13.86 check, land mine detection flower, action figure art, desires in life poll, barbie prowler

5 years ago – pipe snag, Jim Rockford, Newt Vet, Movie idea, Pravda Headlines, I’m awesome, palm doodles

6 years ago – Star Wars Pants, spy-cow, Reizan, Scientists cross pigs with spinach, 1979

7 years ago – lj comments burpy, Kitty love, monkey-news, Proposed Indian Names for Certain White People, Hatt-Baby, Twist Endings, ineffable, Bozo Matic, Callipygean, cool picture of a grasshopper, poetry is all in the format, In the Skin of the LionGeotarget

9063 – Monday – President’s day

HAPPY 8th, Li’L Bit! HOLY MOLEY! 8?!?!


As for president’s day, I certainly prefer the original “George W” to the one currently in office.

Ah, the blessing of a Monday off. Added bonus is a hopefully more gentle 4-day week ahead!

Got up, went to get shots… it was pretty crowded due to the holiday. BHK and I both got our appointments out of the way in a reasonable span of time. I’m about 75% through the third Harry Dresden book. It started out a bit weak, but has gained a nice momentum through the middle 50%. I especially like Mike & Charity Carpenter, even though Mike seemed pretty cornball in the first bit of the book.

After the doc, we went off to Annapolis to make use of the Joss gift certificate we got from Adam for Christmas… I was quite in the mood for a little sushi and tempura.

Alas, the curse of DC and its environs struck again. The weather was absolutely beautiful (mid 70s, sunny), and everyone in government (i.e., EVERYONE within a 250 mile radius, or more) had the day off.

No parking and Joss was full to the gills. That worked out to our advantage, as we toured a little bit until we stumbled into Lemongrass Too. The Fried Green Beans were excellent, and I really liked the Pa-Ram Jae (Deep-fried tofu sauteed with yellow curry with rice, veggies and broccoli, topped with peanut sauce) that BHK ordered… my veggie Pad Thai was good, as well. The crispy tofu appetiser was lacking, in comparison, but that might be just due to everything else being so good. We got enough for me to take for lunch tomorrow as leftovers…. double score. Not the sushi I was expecting, but a nice substitution. Really, only the second time I’ve had Thai since moving from Florida, and this time I was quite pleased.

We opted to walk a bit for a constitutional after our meal – there was a Best Buy next door. I picked up some wipes for my new (Xmas) monitor at home, seeing a sit has already acquired a few Newton / Pyewacket nose-prints. Additionally, we saw Lego Star Wars Trilogy being sold, and in a moment of game-lust, we picked it up. Both BHK and I dig the game, and it’s 2-player…. more bonding time for us! (Like we need it).

We headed home at about 3pm… the weather was still gorgeous, but getting a bit cooler. From what I understand, there’ll be snow by mid- to end-week… hardly seems possible, but I’ve seen stranger stuff.

Upon our arrival, it turned out that the in-laws had come over and were kind enough to take down our Christmas lights (they were too high for us to reach without a ladder.)

BHK was still feeling a little cottony, so we spent the rest of the day at home, resting and recovering energy.
I’m surprised… we really haven’t eaten much since midday, but it’s well after dark now, and neither of us are that hungry. We may have a little nibble in a while, but I suspect it’ll be a light dining night.


1 year ago – tracks in the snow pic, ghost rider, synchronicity with GP and Kat.

2 years ago – compusa saga continues, C&C generals, Li’l Bit 6!, song meme, newtcam up,

3 years ago – Lil Bit #5!, basketball w/danny, netflix du jour, loonatics 2.0

4 years ago – There 2.0, stress

5 years ago – expected last day at FMM, web-subscribers, barbie sex, Nordis hoses me.

6 years ago – Newt wakies, proxo, palm entry, haiku/ D&D class alignment

7 years ago – SOP, Territorial, haiku combatGeotarget

9060 – fri

BHK got me a bag of creme de menthe Hershey’s kisses. A large quantity of them currently reside in my Jonas Green Skull and Crossbones mug.

(Green was a troublemaker. He hated the Stamp Act, which among other things directly taxed his newspaper. Refusing to pay, he halted publication of his paper with the protest headline “The Maryland Gazette Expiring: In Uncertain Hopes of a Resurrection to life again.”

In the bottom right corner, he placed a skull and crossbones where the tax stamp should have been.)

They may be my favorite flavor of Hershey’s kiss yet. Green foil is an added bonus.

Date night tonight with BHK – we went to DuClaw, and she had a spinach salad, while I ate a pile of bread, cheese and potato-related items.


Toe The Line (Not Tow the line ) – That’s ok… I got Piss and Vinegar wrong… I confused it with the incorrect Pith and Vinegar.


I’ve just upgraded to ATi Catalyst suite version 8.1 and now a small white square a few pixels across in the upper left hand corner of the screen – I thought it was stuck pixels at first, but later discovered that it goes away when I remove the Catalyst icon from the system tray.

I’ll be interested to see if 8.2 remedies the issue. EDIT: maybeA white dot no longer appears on the windows desktop when launching the Catalyst Control Center. However, this issue may still be experienced under the Windows XP operating system. Further details can be found in topic number 737-31715

No big whoop – it was a pretty easy item to track down.


meme time!

1. What is the geekiest part of your music collection?
Hm.. silly mashups of Gwen Stefani / Queen, or any all of They Might Be Giants.

Continue reading 9060 – fri

9089 – friday

current music – driver 8 (in my head)

Sputnik Cafe is closing… ah well. One trip was really enough.


Friday 5 –

1. Are you married?

Yup! BHK all the way! 😀

2. When do your claws come out?

When people I love are seriously threatened. (Including me!)

3. Have you ever been in a car accident?

More than one! I’ve been the passenger all times but one, though.

4. Who is the last person you held?

BHK, and she was holding Pye at the time! (Newt was curled up next to my leg. Love fest!)

5. Describe a time you’ve gone overboard:
Hard to recall… I fell out of a canoe once, back when I was 17 or 18, trying to woo a gal by moonlight. That never panned out for me.


Hmm… I’m surprised this wifi sensing t-shirt only goes to XXL… they’ve got to know that geeks are prone to running larger than that. It’s a pretty cool thing… I wouldn’t mind having that woven into a laptop bag or a pda pouch.


After work, I got with BHK and we grabbed a little nibble at *$. Also got her a pre-christmas present, glittery green coffee travel mug… it eased the day a bit, given the assorted annoyances of the day brought earlier in the forms of Condo, Health Care, Bar, Bills and so on. Amazing what a little hot tea and milk will do to ease the mind. We eventually toddled home to a light supper and and early bedtime.


1 year ago – General dynamics, watched barbarella, prep for directv

2 years ago – big brain waiting on repair, foggy morning pics

3 years ago – mel’s new place, zombie survival, what’s a hoe, 8/20/2000 last day without a post

4 years ago – JL, cllo, newt food, Jupiter and Thetis, COH sayings, poo chart

5 years ago – Got cookie bars, CDC/Promedmail (Zoonoses), Bigfoot links.

6 years ago – I got spooked by a phantom voice, prep for bear vs. man-armor, Mexican vanilla, KPMG sucks.

7 years ago – Globetrotters (Afro of holding), Myths of pearl harbor, Sigmund and the sea monster, chaos postcards, two sweet anonymous quotes. Geotarget

8965 – Thursday – brok brok brok

Random spastic doodle of a chicken walking –

Much work today… full day, lots of stuff accomplished. Budgety, programmy, webby goodness.

After much work, came home and took BHK out to eat at the Calypso Bar. Jean, our server was helpful and guided us to some tasty treats- The chocolate-chip banana cake was a lot better than I might’ve guessed, otherwise.

One side effect of dinner was that we were both prone to chittering after supper… too much caffeine, mayhap.

After supper, we headed back home and hit the sack pretty rapidly.

1 year ago – won psp, happiness, It’s hot in Topeka, mental jasmine,

2 years ago

 lj-ing, google desktop, gutter sniping the net, Whiums and sammy-talk, music meme mark II, paper toys, medicines to fight the sickies, carrot top bulks up, bill shatner, billy batson

3 years ago – more travel pix, Coconut Curry Tofu, coulrophagy, scream stolen, updated on JTD, pic of my workplace

4 years ago – broken photoshop friday, wanting to put a transmitter on bro, tidemarker, comic art, yawns, women in spacesuits

5 years ago – moonlight movies, a li’l grumpy

6 years ago – vertiginous, steganography, word association poll

7 years ago – smelly BK, political mailings cost the same Geotarget

8938 – Sunday

Crashed hard last night once we got back – comfy weekend, sort of like this found shot of Newt from Friday.

newtcamroller

This morning BHK and I lazed in bed for a good chunk, spending a little time reading or fooling on the laptop, before getting up and heading off to points non-bedlike. We played a bit here and there in yucata, superdupergames, tribal wars, and bella sara – I’ve discovered that I do better sitting cross-legged over laying back with the lappie.

Post-laziness, we headed out for a random road trip, and ended up going to Dream Wizards which was exactly like what we were hoping for (but didn’t get) when we hit the Strategist a couple of weekends back. A large gaming area, very well-stocked collection of games of every stripe, and attentive personnel. Of course there was the standard “teen-boy scent” – BHK noticed the was one half of the female population (the male population was maybe 25 or so) – the other a young kid, probably 12-13, playing Pokemon happily amongst the sea of boys. BHK also got to see a low-grade temper tantrum from one of the other players in a tournament… complaining that his purchased booster pack was useless… stomped and slapped the pack down amongst the poor counter-folk. I suspect that he was maybe about a half-hour to an hour to being ejected from the premesis.

I couldn’t resist picking up a copy of Polarity (thanks again for the hint, Keethrax!) and Cosmic Wimpout … a Yahtzee-like dice game I used to enjoy back in high school. I think the last time I played it was about 20 years ago in Mr. Eck’s Marine biology class, fourth period. Not sure of the exact day, but it was near the end of the school year in 1987.

Still no leads on the Pirates “Glittery” boosters, like Amy’s. BHK must have a giant crab covered in glitter to destroy ships with!

After that, we hit the Home goods store, shopped the Halloween goodies and got a few little household treats.. Some green cups, sugar free blueberry syrup, and Halloween sprinkles for cupcakes later in the season.

We consulted our good friend Zagat, and found an entry marked Lighthouse Tofu – a total wildcard as there weren’t enough reviews to give it any scores for service, menu or whatnot. (The link goes to the yelp page, which would’ve been more helpful, had we thought to look it up first). I think we stumbled upon a local Korean fave… The place was packed and we were the only non-asian couple in sight.

We ordered more than we thought, as everything was served home-style – even though we didn’t ask for it, we got an appetiser of Miso soup, followed by a broad assortment of dishes with a little sampling of this and that – Bok Choy in some Oyster sauce that was tasty but quite spicy, some minced garlic in clam sauce, some manner of peppers in a cool/spicy soup, cucumbers (my fave of that lot… sweet and spicy), and some sprouts in sesame oil. – all came before what we had ordered. BHK had the tofu vegetable soup that came to the table still at a rolling boil and served with a raw egg on the side – to be added to the soup manually. I got an assortment of sushi, of which I think the Tofu sushi was the winner. The “prima vera” one of mixed veggies was tasty, but the weakest of the lot – Tofu, tempura lobster, and cucumber all were just amazing.

They serve water with a little green tea added, which is disconcerting at first, because it has an off-yellow/green color that I have seen come out of the pipes in some well water communities – suffice to say that it was clean and delicious. No worries there.

As a palate cleanser, they also serve a little rice cooked in green tea at the end of the meal – I liked it!

Our host was friendly, and I think that he assumed we had never been out to eat at a place like theirs. He was kind enough to move us to another table when we realised our little 2-up location wasn’t going to hold all the food we had coming. – and then explained the difference between light and regular soy sauce.. also warned us against wasabe (he seemed pleased when I was enjoying a healthy dollop dipped from same mixed with the soy on my cucumber roll)

Oddly, he didn’t give any food consumption tips regarding the egg in the soup, which I think was the most culturally mysterious of the lot.

On the way out, he took me aside, and passed me a pair of strange little bottles covered in text that I couldn’t read, and a small oval with larger text inside (picture to follow – maybe I can get talonvaki or pilarcruz to translate it for me)…. said it was dessert, and to enjoy.

It looked like milk, and smelled faintly of vanilla, so I shrugged and took a swig. I was not expecting the lemon flavor at all, but it was pretty dang tasty. I don’t think BHK was as impressed, but she liked it fine.

Also on the way up and back, we got to see the Mormon Temple which is amazing to watch rise up over the horizon as you approach. The place is huge and beautiful – while lovely, the pictures don’t do it justice at all.

We had one last stop before heading home… the in-laws. Chris and Larry did a great job of pickling our cucumbers – about 30 mason jars worth. We won’t be needing any store-bought pickle-type product anytime soon. BHK is planning on using the remaining 3 or 4 jars to do some pickled peppers ala Peter Piper, although we don’t quite have a peck.

I’m just wondering where we’re going to store 30-odd jars of preserved veggie. I guess the garage is a reasonably cool, dry, dark place for ’em. They have to steep in the brine for a brief period before eating. I wonder how long they’ll stay good? If you don’t break the vacuum seal, I imagine we can store them fairly indefinitely – not sure how long they stay good once that seal is broken, though. I imagine that won’t be an issue, as this family loves ’em.


1 year ago
– bow beats atlatl, newt trip out, 11:11, California pizza kitchen, interview meme, cpap ick, electroe pic

2 years ago – bro picked up, last Danny day, blue-ringed octopus, konfabulator, tags, high speed cat photos, bus-sleeper, taser vs rennies

3 years ago – malam bails, lyric, BttF / Mr Fusion, busy, dream, neti pot, bro’s court visit, avocado memories

4 years ago – isketch, dan’s last summer day, ebay phishing, earth as art, kitty swf games, vampire game, dirty bathroom poll

5 years ago – pleasant dreams, headache passes, Bailey the puppy, puppet play!

6 years ago – code, up late, F/X porn, coloring book, jack-in-the-box

7 years ago – house to myself, foodies Geotarget

8916 – sunday

Woke up creaking like the tin man, and my eye was aggravated by some sort of dust particle… between the swollen eye and bent over stance, I should’ve been ringing bells and screaming for sanctuary all morning.

Yesterday’s smoothies were so terrible that we went to the grocer, got some yogurt and fruit, and BHK made some jim-dandy, extra tasty smoothies for our breakfast supplemented by hard-boiled eggs and biscuits today.

Today we went to a place that held a lot of fond memories for me as a young gamer-geek. The Compleat Strategist… There was one in Hollywood, Florida way back in the 80s… a source of many fond memories. It was a sad day about 18 years ago when it burned down… even when some supposedly smoke-damaged merchandise appeared at the new Dragon’s Lair a few months later. I sometimes wonder if the “Dragon” reference was an inside joke about the fire. Rumors abounded at the time, though I don’t know of any actual validity to the same.

We landed at the Strategist in Falls Church, Virginia… and… well, I’ve been spoiled by Aardvark, I think. I was fairly underwhelmed, even though they have a huge amount of stock… probably four or five times that of Little Aardvark’s.

Nice thing about the Virginia place was that it was mostly clean – no dust on any of the good in the front, and the books were well-organized by game and title. If I’d been there looking for RPG stuff or Wargaming stuff, I’d have been set.

Unfortunately, I was looking for parlor games. The little corner in the back reminded me of the “pervy” section of old video stores. The light bulb overhead was dim, the packages heavily manhandled with cellophane and cardboard torn. The games were in semi-alpha order…. but not quite. Some stuff was on pegs, some on shelves, some boxes lay half open. I might’ve wept openly for the poor pente tube in the corner without a visible lid or board inside.

I can’t find a thing that I want. BHK spots Treehouse and Ice Towers on the wall… I get excited, and ask about some other games, almost sure that he’ll know something about one or more of these… almost all are major award winners, and have a pretty large following.

Do you have

Nope, nope and nope. We had money for a game or three more burning a hole in our pocket, and finally asked…

“OK, then… based on what we mentioned… what do you recommend? We like fun, fast-paced games with a mix of strategy and random chance. What do you have that’s cute with a deck of cards and a die in it?”

The proprietor was too busy playing mechwarrior with another regular at the store to give us any more answer than “if it’s not on the shelf, we don’t have it…”

Not a very talkative fellow, unless he was reciting how many bonuses he had to hit the other toy robot on the board. So much for me pumping him for info regarding the old florida store or reminiscing… I suspect that the Florida CS burned down when he was maybe three years old.

That sort of disappointed us… BHK asked him about a high school clique game, and he said he’d never played it, but a guy friend did, and didn’t much like it. That was the most extensive review we got from him… heck, those were the most words spoken to us at one time.

Still no other advice, so we browsed for about a half hour or so, found a few games, and noted to purchase them elsewhere. Chez Goth, Treehouse with Martian Coasters, Puerto Rico. That’s like $100 or so worth of games, I’d guess. He lost the only sale it looked like he might make that day.

The best aspect of going was that we got some freebie Star Wars constructable ship-combat game as throwaway swag. We got a spare for Amy, too, for when she comes up to visit next week.

{edit – We got a response to this entry from the manager of the store, shortly after it was published. See it here}

On our way to another game store in the Virginia area, Alan rang us up, and we all went out the the Lebanese butcher for some tasty falafel, hummus with pine nutes, and baba ghanoush.

Instead of dorking around, we trundled over to his place in the city… *very* nice. Alan has a real flair for design, and his home is like a showcase… TM, BHK, and I gabbed with him for a bit about Pollack’s strengths and weaknesses, including the Guggenheim dirt, and he played piano for us for a bit. He’s a very talented guy, and a kind host… I’m glad to have him as part of the family.

DSCN5850

See video of him playing here

We returned home, tired but feeling good about the day – it ended a lot better than it had begun.

1 year ago – furniture, kevin smith & superman, pocket windows (note- add to new flash drive), coral square mall pictures, fin fang foom, algorithm march w/ninjas, girls on walls

2 years ago – broward and fed autostitch, visited kev, walkabout pictures with rastas and shirtless, tell-tale heart in street signs, overheard

3 years ago – spidey, weather, let them sing it for you, freddy vs gb

4 years ago – remembering the keys, overtime psa, comic books, workman’s comp, prostate cancer

5 years ago – newt in sink, bro gets viper fins sponsor, pesky security, badly drawn images on a bumpy road, punquin finds my 125 item list

6 years ago – Evil News, bad joke, crux, random journals, nice thing poll, designer’s lament, laptop space bar weird, hatt-baby, email plain text

7 years ago – Enjoyed the X-men movie, 1974 memory visiting Florida, reprint of Scooby & the occult, insomnia Geotarget