We Three Girls

My kids were watching the Christmas episode of The Powerpuff Girls.
At one point, the villain gets put onto Santa's Permanent Naugty List.
When the camera pans to the list, the following four names are there...

bill mccracken
ryan faust
adolph schickelgruber
stephen fonti

Ryan Faust is my cousin! Dang...what did HE do?!

The Dark Tower

I just finished listening to the Dark Tower series. Again. After having it on in my car for so long, it seems like my own Tower – it’s always there, I’m always pursuing it, even sorta sacrificing friends along the way (by not making calls when I can). “The story fled across the tape head, and the listener followed.” There were so many other things going on at the end, though, I felt distracted. This happened the first time around, too – I remember book 7 both dragging and sustaining itself for the sake of itself.

Like Roland, I am destined to repeat this story ad infinitum, with tiny changes on each iteration. This time, for example, I skipped over the entire middle of Wizards and Glass, the tale of Mejis, to better grok the over arcing journey of the ka-tet. Next time, I will physically read them all, which I’m certain will be a very different experience. By then, the entire comic book series will be complete, again changing the experience.

I would so love to see a movie made of this. My own vision of the tale of Mejis could work, I’m certain. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that JJ Abrams will ever get to it.

I was at the university again today (I do that when I have classes there). I was taking a makeup test at the remodeled Field House. That place is amazing on the inside! Tons of offices and classrooms and common spaces. The English dept. is there now, as is the foreign language department. Back in the mid 90s, we played some roller hockey on the old basketball floor. Back then, it was just bleachers and old iron-wrought windows, leering high above the potential.
The changes on this campus are stunning.
From there I headed toward University Hall. As I was phoning my chilluns, I saw a stately black man approach the building. I recognized him almost instantly as a writing professor who was very influential to me back in the early 90s, when I first returned to campus after my divorce. He was considerably older, of course, and had neat little white facial hair that looked like painted arrows on his wizened face. I would have liked to have talked to him, but of course the kids picked up the line just then! I followed into U Hall as soon as I could, but didn’t see him again. THEN I finally remembered his name – Jim Cunningham.
I wandered the halls here, letting the smell and memories wash over me. The stairwells that echoed incessantly, step edges worn into concavity. The ancient tang of academia that permeated the marble floors. The screwy office spaces on the 5th floor, with the Daliesque stairwells and bits of modern construction that never quite blended.
My time here has been all too brief, certainly in relation to the span of these hallways. Although I have internalized the aggrandizement of working/teaching here, it seems unlikely at this late stage.
Nevertheless, I have those memories.

To sleep, perchance....

I had an odd dream last night. I was back at high school, just kinda wandering the halls. It was a strangely lit Hollywood-ized version of Woodward. I ended up in Mr. Cieslewski’s class, sitting behind Dave V. I whispered “What class (period) is this?” He said 6th, I think. Or last. I left, because I thought I was supposed to be in Art. The halls were empty, though.

That was it.

Soon the halls will be more than empty - they will be gone!
All those memories will be practically irretrievable.

I wonder if anyone has any VIDEO of our high school days, in those venerated halls...

Soon, real soon.

I fully intend to get back to this - to writing in general - sometime in the near future.

It's been a steerange year, 2009. Presently, I'm deep into 4 classes at 2 schools. My employment situation should change in the new year, thanks to 2 of those classes. Our living situation will then change, and everything will be fresh and wondrous!

I will make it happen.

From the "Not really surprising." Department...

I really want to play some D&D again!

First poem I've written in years...

Mossberg and the mole

It occurred to me
Recently
How incongruous and silly, really, it would be
To see
A mole in the same picture with a gun

No sun
White sheet
A single slip of dried wheat
grass lying diagonally
Knowing the photographer
doesn’t seem to mitigate the peculiarity

Just seize SOMEthing!

We watched "Stand By Me" on Sunday, Rob Reiner's fantastic 1986 adaptation of Stephen King's short story "The Body". This story, and to only a slighter lesser extent the movie, exemplify King's literary and pop culture importance. He captures what it was like to be a 12 year old boy in the late 50s and early 60s. His work often delineates that period from the post-1963 America that crushed so many spirits after the fall of Camelot.

More importantly, seeing the young Gordie Lachance make up the story about Lard-Ass and the Vomit-Revenge serves, once again, to reiterate the as-yet unacted upon dream I have of being a writer.

Once again, however, it also serves to remind me that I have to actually DO some writing to be a writer.

And so, once AGAIN, I hereby rededicate myself to 1 hour of writing a day, be it the blog, something witty on Facebook, or, ideally, an actual story.

I find it apropos to start with the proposed expansion of my dream "I had dinner with Stephen King."

Carpe Noctem

While enjoying what may very well have been the last bit of peace and quiet, well, EVER, I caught the end of another episode of Angel. It was the conclusion of Fred's acclamation to the strange freedom of Earth, and of the fleeting infatuation she had for her rescuer, Angel. Just as she is about to tell Angel about her feelings, Cordelia storms in and shouts "They found her. She's alive!"

And the ultimate, tragicest love story continues...

Not Fade Away

While enjoying a ham and turkey lettuce wrap this morning, I was watching the end of an episode of Angel. It was the conclusion of the story arc in which they travel to Lorne’s homeworld, Pylea. Cordy becomes queen nee’ cow, Angel fight’s his demon, and Angel fights HER Grusalaag. Everyone wins, and they come home in Angel’s car with the help of Fred, who becomes a regular on the show. They’re all happy, and Cordy is STILL in the queen’s gold-bangled bikini top. I’m thinking to myself, what a wonderful show/universe – action, comedy, bikini-Cordy, character growth, the mainstreaming of so many of Joss Whedon’s stars (David Boreanez, Alyson Hannigan, SMG, Seth Green, etc.).
So, they come to the door of the hotel where they live, and Angel insists on saying “There’s no place…” and there sits Willow, silent, pregnant anguish announcing the death of Buffy Summers.

I burst into tears.

RSWR #14

Check out this Polish site with multiple versions of the Imperial March.

By "Polish" I mean 'originating in Poland', not 'amusingly absentminded'.

Week 12. Or Week 1, depending on which calendar...

This is the first official week of being without a job, though I do get one more paycheck yet.

Just thought I'd let you know.

RSWR #13

On the latest episode of The Soup, one of my favorite shows (and the only bit of reality TV that I require), intrepid host Joel McHale talked about the Octomom. Monica Suleiman said she was mistaken about the procedure that would keep her from having more children. This was her ‘comment’ about the pending surgery that would, as it turns out, improve fertility.

“Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station!”

A Blancing Glow

Mind Over Ship
David Marusek

I glimpsed this book at the library recently, grabbed it up, and skimmed the flap-matter. It looks interesting.

Here is a review of the first novel, Counting Heads.

That was how I discovered Feist's Magician - the art on the spine of the original trade paperback just caught my eye.



btw...I have no idea what the above title means.

REVIEW: Stephen King's the Dark Tower: Treachery

This is the third volume in the graphic novel series produced by Marvel. It takes place after and during the events in Roland’s tale of Mejis, from the 4th novel, Wizard and Glass.

This series has been decidedly hit or miss. The first volume, the Gunslinger Born, was fresh and beautifully painted. It covered what we expected it to cover, and therefore was relatively immune from narrative mistakes. The second volume, the Long Road Home, was again beautifully painted, but in some points it was difficult to differentiate between characters, especially the boys of Roland’s ka-tet. The narrative strayed, necessarily, from the hints and pieces that King revealed throughout the Dark Tower novels. Unfortunately, the second volume just didn’t GO anywhere. It was, essentially, the tale of the ka-tet’s journey from Mejis back to Gilead. Nothing new was revealed, save for the unusual origin of Sheemie’s ability to teleport.

This third volume, though, hits all the right notes in all the right places. Again the art is wonderful, and the characters are discernable, despite purposefully muddled finishes. It follows some of King’s Red Slippers (to borrow from Dennis L. McKiernan), but masterfully expands them and fills in the space only our imaginations occupied previously. The narrative is painted with detail as well as with broad strokes that reveal the scope of the events.

This comic, or graphic novel, presents Roland’s mother as far more treacherous and deceptive than gathered from the bits of King’s accounts. The novels painted Gabrielle Deschain as a helpless puppy, easily enamored with Marten the sorcerer. Robin Furth, likely with King’s approval, shows Gabrielle as a vital cog in the fall of Gilead.

This volume has renewed my faith in Furth and Peter David. Based on her involvement with King and the writing of the final three Dark Tower novels, I always thought Furth could do the series justice. I now look forward to subsequent volumes as they examine Roland’s first ka’tet and the start of their quest for the Tower and, ultimately, the Battle of Jericho Hill!

Glenn Beck, without the wild eyes

Daniel Hannan called Prime Minister Gordon Brown an "insensate juggernought," with the extended British 'oaw' emphasizing the worthlessness of said jugger.

Brilliant!

She hit me! That crazy bitch punched me right in the soul!

I used to take offense to that word, bitch. I decried misogyny, before I even knew the word ‘misogyny’ (or the word ‘decry’). So insulting, so degrading. As I sought my way in the world, I found that some women wore ‘bitch’ as a badge of honor, like a tattoo. Some even wore a ‘bitch’ tattoo. When did those women stop caring about their internal appearance? ‘Bitch’ became a nickname, an associative label, and eventually a distorted tagline. Today, it’s a common invective, with an oddly amicable aftertaste. I’m sure there are some out there who still take offense to being called a bitch, but it surely doesn’t have the bite that it once had, even just 20 years ago. In my formative years, the ones who wore the ‘bitch’ star and their mothers’ revolvers in low-slung holsters were the exceptions. Today, the rarity is the pure woman, the humble woman, the content woman.

What the fuck happened?

The one New Year’s Goal that I have been able to stick to, for the most part, is about not letting outside forces control how I react to things. I am NOT the foil of some cosmic sit-com, despite the laugh-track from my socially stunted brothers. (hey, I kid!) Unfortunately, this goal also keeps me from ‘putting it in God’s hands’. That’s just weakness, essentially. I am constantly on Nick’s case about how he reacts to things – it only gets HIM into trouble. I figure I should lead by example. I have not uttered my infamous Rant of Helplessness in quite some time, which used to reference the giant joke on poor lil me.

Still, I find it difficult to focus on writing when there are so many uncertainties going on in my life. That further frustrates me about the time in my life when I HAD a job – there were few frustrations, so I should have done more writing. I try to avoid looking backward, but it’s better to regret the things one has done, rather than regret the things one has NOT done.

I need to overcome that hesitation, though. I always wanted to avoid that pain that I knew creative minds had to go through, always thought I could separate myself from it, my work from my life. My life is what I should be writing about, though. That’s where the struggle, the change, and the depth really are.

I’ve wanted to be a writer for about 8 years now, seriously thought that I could do it. I haven’t, so maybe it’s time to put up or shut up. Do it. Or do not. There is not try.

And maybe (maybe!) it’s time to put the Star Wars references to bed.

Phantom Fears

This is the start of week 8. I still do not have a job-even a part time job. Kmart had me in for a 2nd interview about 3 weeks ago, but still have not called me for orientation. I’m also awaiting a call back from Savers. I applied at Costco, who I heard pays more than minimum. These are just the part time prospects. I’ve also applied for a number of librarian positions, including University of Michigan. There was a job posting for a librarian at Marvel Comics in New York. How cool would that be!?! Unfortunately, it was an unpaid intern position….

Now, however, I’m actually THINKING. This posit came to me before I lost the job – if you could do anything you wanted for a living, what would it be? I didn’t really know then, and I’m not so sure now; but at least I’m THINKING about it now. Writing? Hockey referee or coach? Computer networks? Of course, it’s not that easy because I have other considerations before I go off and do something just because I think I want to do it for a living.

So two weeks of excitement was followed by five weeks of aimlessness. Now I have a schedule for the day (which still includes writing) and I have a goal – figure out what I want to do.

Then DO IT.

RSWR #12

On a visit to Chicago in December, we ate some amazingly thick pizza at Giordano’s, on the Magic Mile. The receipt indicated that our order was #66. Order 66.

RSWR #11

Bad Star Wars costumes.

Some of these are actually cool.

Not Boba Fat; He was not cool when Jason and I first saw him at Celebration II in 2002.

RSWR #10

Star Wars Fad Products

I’m not necessarily down with the ‘Fad’ classification. To me they’re just a handful of the wacky licenses that were thrown about like confetti. Confetti cut from LucasBucks.

--I had the Darth Vader belt buckle. I was stylin’ at the age of 9!
I’ve never seen Luke’s ceremonial jacket, but the Star Wars fan club offered both Luke’s Bespin jacket and Han’s vest!
--Our whole family went through the latch-hook rug fad around 1980. I had the stormtrooper – it was huge – probably 3’ tall! I only ever finished about 1/3 of it, so I was intimately familiar with the maroon and dark blue little threads! It was eventually (recently?) discarded.
--I played the heck outta that floppy record from the fan club. I sold that and my other Bantha Tracks newsletters to a fan in Western Europe, via Ebay, some years ago.
--The 3-D comics I recently acquired on Ebay; Poor stories and poor 3-D quality, but certainly unique.
--I had a handful of promo and foil cards from the early 90s. I sold a full set of Galaxy I foils. Ebay, yeah.
--I certainly remember the pog fad, but it coincided with the early stages of my Rebellion against the Collecting Craze, so I never had any.
--Nick recently read the only Galaxy of Fear holo-covered book I have. It was acquired late in the game for a paltry yard-sale sum. The X-men comics of the day were the holo-covers I recall most dearly.
--Sweet Boba Fett jacket. In the days of actually PLAYING roller hockey, one guy had a Fett logo sticker, which I didn’t realize at the time was a Fett logo. I've since seen similar tattoos that attest to the popularity of the original Fett.
--The beanie buddies were, I believe, my children’s introduction to Star Wars. They were about 2 (24 months in infant years). Nick had the R2-D2. Jackie had the Chewbacca, which sat on her stuffed animal shelf longer than Nick’s was around. She called it “Beekabacca” and to this day she periodically asks “How did I used to say it?” Yes, she makes me smile.

RSWR #9

As noted here, we love to watch “The Big Bang Theory.” This week’s episode features Sheldon’s mislabeled and incongruous attempt at mockery following Penny’s disdainful sneer at the hot new neighbor. Sheldon offers up his version of Admiral Ackbar’s line, recently lionized by Robot Chicken’s Star Wars Special. “It’s a trap!” Multiple comedic repetitions later, my daughter catches on to the hilarity. Of course we’ve all seen the Robot Chicken version, so she knows how to make her daddy laugh. She asks what the following line is, and I give her my best Jimmy Stewart-with-gills -- “All craft pull up!” It’s hard to describe her version in audiologic terms – let’s just say it sounds like someone doing a bad imitation of someone doing a bad imitation.

This morning, during breakfast, she mumbles something. Jennifer’s laughing even as I ask Jackie “What?” Jackie repeats, “Itsch a tchrap! All schips pull up!”

Sharp as a tack, that girl. She makes me proud.

Fanboys!

I have been reading about this movie for about 2 years. It fell off my radar, so to speak, but it popped up recently in limited release. When it came to Toledo, Jen and I went to see it a couple weeks ago.

This movie is hilarious, for so many reasons.

It spoofs fanboys, first of all. No, I'm not a "fanboy". I don't live in my parent's garage, which is lined with memorabilia such as Star Wars window curtains. I don't attack Star Trek fans for calling Han Solo a pussy! I wouldn't drive across the country for a ludicrous chance at breaking into Skywalker Ranch! I don't even own a stormtrooper outfit! Yes, those are 4 things that define the fanboys in this movie.

It has multiple cameos! Randy from 'My Name is Earl' as Harry Knowles of AICN. Kevin Smith, Shatner, and Seth Rogen. Kristin Bell, a well-known fan, has a major role as a Star Wars Chick. No George Lucas, though. Meh.

There are constant sci-fi and geek-pop culture references. Star Wars, of course, in almost every spoken line; Star Trek and trekkies; D&D; and Rush!

Yes, it features the music of Rush, the ultimate geek-pop culture band who seems to be riding a retro-hip tide thanks to Jason Segel!

I laughed for almost the entire 90 minutes.
Jennifer laughed at me laughing for the entire 90 minutes!

Ultimately, it's not a must-see-on-the-big-screen. The plot is thin, but there's enough left of the cancer storyline to make it interesting. It's not meant to be a tear-jerker, but I had tears sliding out my laugh lines!

World Wide D&D Day

On Saturday, I celebrated World Wide D&D Day with a number of friends, old and new. We had a blast talking about old times - our common experiences and the stories that sound so similar. We shared kef, in a manner of speaking. Food and drink were aplenty, and many trees were sacrificed to the Gods of Preparedness. Our kids played together, and our kids laughed with the rest of us as we watched a certain 18 year old video tape. Oh, and we played Dungeons and Dragons.

Perhaps fittingly, my oldest friend arrived first, even as we were finishing up the house keeping. Jessie and I used to sit on his porch and just make up stories – I would create the situation and he would describe his character’s exploits. He and I have certainly logged the most shared D&D hours. My second oldest friend arrived early also. Edwin and I shared many solo D&D adventures in the tiny kitchen that was his bedroom! Unfortunately Ed couldn’t stay, but he was torn in half by his decision. While I was gone to pick up our second newest friend Keith, our newest friends arrived. Josh and Teresa, who we met through Keith, have played D&D for many years. Josh is about my age, with similar preference in stories and music. Teresa is a truck driver - they got along fast with Jessie and his wife Mary! Keith is a senior at Woodward. Jennifer used to teach him at Riverside. When Jennifer was at Woodward for a year, we found out he also played Magic. We went from meeting him at the library a couple times over the summer to late night magic sessions with Josh and others. Josh introduced Keith to D&D recently, so he was invited as the New Blood. Tim arrived next, with his button-cute Lizzy and armfuls of chips and pop! Tim’s sister once dated Jessie. That’s how we originally met Tim, but he has been our good friend for nearly 20 years! Dave, another original member of the Rahn group, would arrive later – he couldn’t get out of a family birthday party obligation! Dave has been playing for 20 years, with stints as DM in the mix and crazy adventures with his ex, my wife and her ex! My wife Jennifer was very much looking forward to using her new purple dice at this event. She’s played for years as well, and in two other groups beside mine! Another friend, Eric, couldn’t make it, as he now lives in North Carolina.

As we ate, we shared our stories and laughed out loud. The details are mostly lost on me, as I was both laughing too hard and focused on the execution of the actual D&D session to come.
[[You guys are welcome to post them here as replies to this blog!]]

We finally got started. I distributed the pregenerated characters randomly and they selected minis to match. Borrowing from King’s Dark Tower series, they were sucked into the Grapefruit and the fun began!

After dispatching some gargoyles (with claws!), they solved an easy puzzle and boarded an ancient locomotive. As they followed the path of the beam in an attempt to escape the pink Glass, things changed. Dave arrived just after the supersonic locomotive crashed into a giant web. I collected their character sheets and randomly distributed new PCs. 2nd edition PCs! The theme was revealed – the many different formats and rules systems of D&D! We all recalled 2nd edition fairly easily and it went OK – especially when the fire elemental mounted the giant spider! Or, as our eyes perceived it, the Pokemon mated with the spring and bell spider decoration! Everyone got a kick out of using other people’s famous characters. But as they went on and met the half-spider half-ape, it changed to BASIC D&D! Yes, the original Red Box that at least 3 of us started with back in 1983. Basic edition was harder than I remember, but mostly because I’d forgotten the rules in the last 20 years! Oh, and because I had just come up with the whole idea 3 days prior. Oh, and because I asked Dave to find some pdf docs the NIGHT BEFORE! Oh, and some of the character sheets had only names and ability scores! So, that part didn’t go so well. Further along the path of the beam, they fought a Legendary Ape, but this time we used Battle Cards! I had found these at an antique mall last year. They’re from 1993! Each player selects a card, and they have rub off circles, like lottery cards - if so many hits show up, yer dead. I took down one PC, but they eventually killed the large ape! They moved on to a verdant grove where they became 3.5 characters – each other’s most recent characters, including Meesha, noekeres, and Kerwyn. The angry unicorn and his flaming (hoof) buddies were handily destroyed. After moving on to the Badlands, within sight of the giant pink exit globe, they battled an 8-headed hydra. This time, the idea was to go diceless. Each player would describe what they would do and I would describe what would happen. Unfortunately, I did not clarify the idea enough, and everyone went outside the box – no, outside the warehouse! 50’ tall heroes, melted ground, and force choke nee’ magic missiles, among other things, ultimately dispatched the beast, and they exited through the giant pink sphere.

As corny as it sounds (and boy, was it corny when I actually spoke it that night! ), it’s not about the rules or the system or the amount of ink on the page – it’s about friends and stories.

Despite a mixed bag, especially at the end, it was quite a bit of fun. Many belly laughs and giggles, fun pokes and self-ameliorations led to coughing fits on my part! This was easily the most fun I’ve had playing D&D in 10 years. That’s imprecise, because I can’t honestly remember the last time I laughed THAT much in that setting! We’ve had great times since, but we’d have to go back to 1991 for ROTFLOL - and that’s exactly what we did!

I broke out the old video tape from a 1991 D&D session in Todd’s Garage. (Yes, it’s capitalized.) I had it cued to a part where the camera panned across the players. We got a good view of Todd’s ginormous eyeglasses, then there’s Todd’s brother Mark, my brother Mark, Dave, Tim, Jessie, and me. Our kids got a great kick out of seeing the US from nearly 20 years ago! There’s also Jim K., the gravitational pull of charisma, and Greg P., with whom I’ve recently reconnected on Facebook. Tim and Dave and Jessie are all serious, and Todd is trying desperately to hold it together. For the rest of us, though, the long day had deteriorated into a night at the Improv! We got a big kick out of Greg’s camera work, getting nice views of everyone’s butt, including the “classic” shorts worn by both myself and Jessie. There’s Jim’s laughingly dubbed “Same Bat-Channel” shtick. There’s bad Monty Python skits, and poorly-executed Monty Python skits. There are Bill and Ted imitations. There’s a neighborly reprimand from the old lady across the street - and constant reminders of that reprimand! And ultimately, there’s the classic basketball scene from the following day, with fascinating commentary from my ex-wife!

An aside: Our new friend Keith hangs out at school with my ex-wife’s son, a freshman at Woodward! Small world, as they say….

After more reminiscing and sharing of kef and bitching (to the choir!) about the economy and the White House, (and a match that was likely disappointing to a certain young Magic player) we all returned to our lives and went our separate ways.

What a magnificent day! I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

[[Please post a comment!]]

Odd combinations

Every once in a while, I wake up with an odd phrase on my tongue.
This often happens before the alarm goes off, so I reach over to the bedside table, pull out the pad and pen, blindly jot down the snippet, and try to return to whatever hypnopompic flight I was on. The return usually fails, but by then I've forgotten about the snippet.

I pulled the pad out recently to find one particularly amusing snippet, the very reason for sharing this.


More skulls, Charlie Brown!

Life happens.

My Grand Plan for 2009 has been irrevocably changed. Not denied or derailed – I’ll not admit defeat. Change, like hope, is a double edged sword.

Back on February 26th (the very afternoon after the most recent post here) my boss told me that my position was being eliminated. No fault of my own. Very sorry. Tough times. A decent severance. Priority interview for positions in the system. All that. Before the “exit interview” was even half over, I was thinking about all the doors this would open up. I started thinking about returning to my first employer, the Toledo Public Library. I thought about the Monroe County Library System. I thought about finishing my degree as Network Specialist. I NEVER thought of it as a problem. The only issue I had was not being able to wrap up things in progress. And I had a LOT in progress… I felt my clients were getting shafted. I really don’t know how they can operate the entire system with 1 librarian. I let my family down, but I can only believe it’s for a reason. For a better reason.

Here it is almost 3 weeks later. I’ve put in a number of applications, at places I did not think of at that exit interview. ITT Technical Institute, Sienna Heights University in Adrian. University of Michigan! I will soon be getting a part time job, so that I can collect a double income. I have not accomplished as much around the house as I had hoped to. Now that the weather has broken, I’ll be able to work outside, too.

So, it’s been a jumble of emotions over the last 3 weeks. Stealthy anxiety is still crawling around in my duodenum, like that flu bug last weekend. I’m still looking for job opps, still working on cover letters and follow ups. Still doing laundry and entering recipes. I’m still in love, still loved. And, ultimately, still writing about it all.

A white, a black and a mexican walk into a bar...

I love racial comedy. It’s irreverent and self-deprecating, two of the funniest types of comedy. Unfortunately, it’s not appreciated, much less tolerated, by all. The disparity arises in the association of the teller of the joke to the subject of the joke - if the cracker is a cracker. Members of the referenced group are allowed to make jokes for which others would be criticized. Is it NOT offensive simply because the presenter is a member of the stereotyped group? We feel differently about a joke depending on who said it. Are you laughing with us, or at us?

So, we’re allowed to laugh at racist stereotypes, as long as we’re a member of the stereotyped group. I find it...interesting that this limitation, this condition doesn’t hold true for all groups. A gentile referring to a parsimonious Jew would be detestable. A non-African American would be probably get fired for referring to “nappy-headed hoes.” Yet a black comedian can vociferate on honkeys and crackers and how white men can’t jump or have small penises. It’s even OK for a Mexican comedian to crack on whites AND blacks! Why is it not unacceptable for whites to poke fun at the obvious (thus hilarious) stereotypes of blacks eating fried chicken and collared greens, or Mexicans crossing the border?

The whole idea of Political Correctness is preposterous. I say tell it like it is. Call a spade a spade, as Mom might say. Actually, Dad is more likely to say that. (Mom and Dad, here, represent the little voices in everyone’s head that emerge unbidden and attempt to guide you, whether you’re lost or not.)

A whole lot of confusion and grief could be prevented if more people spoke their true minds.
The world, or at least the good ol’ US of A, needs a little more ethical egoism.


A short time ago, after noticing how my kids would blurt the name of the president-elect, I asked my daughter what his first name was. Her answer: Baracko. Hilarious. To non-liberals.

The old “Vote of Confidence”

Wings aren't seeking goalie

Yeah, they are.

Out of the blue, they called up Jimmy Howard from the AHL.

They may even waive Osgood, leaving cap space for next year, and go with Conklin down the stretch.

Share.

In the Stephen King story “The Girl who loved Tom Gordon”, the main character is lost in the woods of western Maine for about 6 days. After trouncing through a bog, dealing with injuries, insects, and insecurities, she sees a bush full of edible berries. She finds a place to rest and tunes into the Red Sox game on her radio headphones. As she drifts off to sleep after a save by Tom Gordon, she comments that she is “experiencing her life’s great contentment.”

What’s YOUR life’s great contentment? Have you even experienced it yet? If not, do you have a plan for achieving it? Is there only one?

For the lost 10 year old girl, it was as simple as a handful of berries, relief from bug bites, and the familiar voices of baseball announcers.

I loved the Marvel Star Wars comics!

10 Awesome Marvel Comics Covers

Most of my fondest Christmas memories revolve around Star Wars, and one of my very favorite gifts was something that kept on giving! It came in a plain brown paper sleeve about the size of a piece of lined writing paper, with MY name and mailing address in faint blue print on the long side. I had slid the contents out and was stunned into geeky ecstasy by the fabulous cover to Star Wars #57, Battle on Bespin! After a few minutes of gushing appreciation to the giver, she had further explained that it was a subscription! I was to get the next 11 issues MAILED DIRECTLY TO ME! I was 11 years old - I had no idea that was even possible!

For the next 50 months, I eagerly checked the mailbox for the latest issue. I cut my comic-loving teeth on the Shira Brie storyline. Issues #60-63 still stand as one of the best Star Wars stories ever written. I, too, sought the meaning of the word ‘pariah’ from the cover of issue #62. The search for Han Solo, issues #68 and 69, featured Mandalorians and the first incarnation of the origin of Boba Fett. Issue #68? Best. Cover. Ever.

The later issues, especially after #100, devolved into iconographic jingoism. Because the series ended with #107, the extra-galactic invaders storyline was forced to be elucidated far faster (and far shoddier) than in the New Jedi Order series so many years later. This ending, however, led me to another comic that I greatly enjoy to this day. I still had issues left on my subscription when the title was cancelled, so I selected a comic called ElfQuest to finish my paid subscription. (ElfQuest is a beautiful fantasy story and a shining example of a successful independent comic publisher, but not truly part of this essay!)

The Star Wars subscription also propelled the parallel fandom of my uncle and me. In an effort to complete the collection, which was about 56 issues short, we would go to comic book shows at the mall, check out flea markets, and peruse all sorts of rummage sales.

Forever-thanks go out to my Aunt Pete. This gift was one of the chief points in the development of my appreciation of family and the generous people around us who made Christmas so special for me, my brothers, and all my cousins. I have fond memories of Christmas Eve gatherings at my grandparents’ house next door, when everyone would come to visit, before “everyone” became true hyperbole.

Editorial:
This essay wavered between RSWR and tripe-ish gushing. Ultimately, I’m not sure if I just settled in order to have something done, or if I truly edited this effectively. And there has to be a better word for ‘forever-thanks’.

Rolling Stone review of third greatest hits package from Rush.

Quoted from www.rushisaband.com

Prog-y arena giants hit the Nineties, with mixed results.
By the Nineties, Rush had all but abandoned their synthesizers for the Zeppelin-style riffs and prog-pop melodies of their Seventies albums. This one-CD (plus bonus DVD) anthology tracks the band as it drifts from the summery, grunge-flavored anthem "Earthshine" to the acoustic-based "Nobody's Hero," a sweet, if clumsy, ode to a dead gay man and an abused woman - with occasional departures like the New Wave-ish "Roll the Bones." One thing Rush never lost: the comic-book profundity of lyrics such as "They travel in the time of the prophets" ("Dreamline"). Unless you're a Rush loyalist or a member of Coheed and Cambria, you can safely skip Retrospective III.
MARK KEMP

Harsh! "...clumsy ode to a dead gay man..."

If this is how “critics” view Rush, it’s no wonder they are not in the Hall of Fame in Cleveland!

Fortunately, most Rush fans don’t take themselves too seriously, and many are also fans of Coheed and Cambria!

2008-09 NHL Trade Tracker

2008-09 NHL Trade Tracker

Posted using ShareThis

2002, an eventful year.

I came upon an old calendar recently, which detailed the year 2002 for my family and I.
What a busy time that was!

April 4. Vasectomy by Dr. Tapper. Dr. Richard Tapper. Dr. Dick Tapper. No lie.

May 3-5. Jason W. and I went to Indianapolis for Star Wars Celebration II. That was a great trip!

May 7. I won the Episode 2 soundtrack on CD, at an online joke site. My caption for THIS photo was the best! (Stifferus is me.) When I received it, though, there was a hole punched through the bar code! So much for “Near Mint”…

May 16. Star Wars Episode II opened. Jen and I saw Attack of the Clones at 4:30 pm that day.

May 18-21. I went to Dallas for the Medical Library Association annual meeting. Non Stop Detroit to Dallas, less than 1 year after 9/11. That was interesting. Dallas had Horses displayed throughout the city, the way Toledo did frogs that summer before. I took plenty of photos for Jackie.

June 30. Jennifer turned 30. She was more worried about 30 than when she turned 35 last year!

October 27. We had the kids’ 5th birthday party at the Northtowne Meadows community house.

November. We purchased and moved into our home at Northtowne Meadows.
In hindsight, a less than stellar decision.

December 7-12. We went to Disney World! What an awesome trip that was. Layovers in Atlanta on the way there, Cincinnati on the way back. The only issue we had was getting from the airport to the hotel when we first got there.


Hard to believe that it’s been 7 years!
Every year seems to go by a little bit faster.

And yes, I discarded the calendar.


For reference, here is a handful of world events from 2002.

January 8 - The No Child Left Behind Act is signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush.

May 30 - The final piece of debris from The World Trade Center is removed from Ground Zero.

October 2 - The Beltway sniper attacks begin with 5 shootings in Montgomery County, Maryland.

November 25 - George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security.


And for the truly geeky… according to the future history of Star Trek, the first interstellar probe, Nomad, is launched in 2002.

RSWR #8

I think, with a little effort, I could write a better column than THIS.

I sold a bunch of my toys about 10 years ago - the vehicles and playsets, but not the action figures themselves. Today, my 11 year old son LOVES to play with the OLD figures! He has a ton of cool-looking NEW stuff, including a the TIE fighter I always wanted and the massive Millenium Falcon, but to him the old figures are WAY cooler.

That’s pretty neat in my book.

Steve's Hockey Corner

Wayne Gretzky should quit coaching and go somewhere to quietly enjoy his last 20 years. His preening and pissing on the bench only serves to sully his image as ice hockey’s modern pioneer and one-time face of the game. He should be in some role in the league office, not in Phoenix or New York or even Edmonton. It’s just hard to watch him curse at the refs, throw his hands up and scowl. Between the anger and the aging, his face is hardening! It’s a shame, really.

My biggest complaint while watching hockey is the shoddy camera work. After a stoppage, the camera will follow the goalie as he does his little circle in the corner instead of focusing on the scrum in the crease! Or they follow the puck to the linesman picking it up, while some doofusses (doofi?) are roughing up each other with stinky gloves. I don’t know if this is just the Detroit cameramen. Someone out there tell me if they see this problem elsewhere.

Did anyone watch the Skill’s Competition from Montreal, during All-Star weekend? Once again, poor production from Versus. I knew I shoulda recorded it on CBC. Specifically, there were numerous times when they dwelled on a replay while action was commencing live. The first time, they ran a replay of Stamkos in the shootout while Alex Ovechkin was pumping up the crowd! They totally missed the biggest personality in the game today, to replay some kid (who should still be in juniors) fiddle with the puck like he’s shooting at a garbage can on the pond! There were at least 2 more similar occurrences. At least we didn’t have to listen to Pierre Maguire! Don’t get me started on that guy….

I’ve changed my mind in the last month or so. The Red Wings DO need to trade for a goaltender if they are going to compete against the Sharks or the Flames come playoff time. They don’t have much cap room, so it’s going to be difficult. Conklin has been inconsistent and has no playoff experience, while Osgood has been just plain Os-BAD! Ozzy ranks last in save percentage and GAA. LAST, out of 44 eligible rubber-eaters. Maybe Cam Ward or Vokoun in Florida? Could they get a guy like Manny Fernandez in Boston, or Khabibulan in Chicago? Both teams have essentially 2 number 1 goalies, but the Wings would have to offer quite a package. Maybe Conklin and Lebda or Lilja for Fernandez. Osgood and Lebda AND Lilja for Fernandez and another body. I’d buy that for a dollar, as the saying goes. Regardless, I think the Wings will pull a major move this year.

Nick Lidstrom is, in my mind, the greatest defenseman since Bobby Orr, and the 3rd greatest of all time, behind Orr and Doug Harvey. The 4 Stanley Cups puts Lidstrom above Ray Bourque, easily.

REVIEW: The Girl who loved Tom Gordon

The Girl who loved Tom Gordon
Written by Stephen King
Originally published in 1999
Read by Anne Heche

In this shortish novel, King writes from the perspective of a very intelligent 9 year old girl. She is a resourceful child, surviving a week or more lost in the wilderness of western Maine. Again, he manages to capture the setting and perspective perfectly. There really is little horror content, beyond the girl’s food- and sleep deprived delusions of the God of the Lost.

I probably would have enjoyed it more if I were a fan of baseball, particularly the Red Sox. Still, I know sports enough to appreciate the baseball conceit.

Of unknown significance is the fact that this was King’s last completed novel before that wayward van nearly took his life.

Anne Heche does an admiral job with the reading. I was skeptical at first, but she is one of those celebrities against whom I am prejudiced based on her reputation. Actually, I know very little about her. She liberates the voice of Trisha with good timing and inflection, and mirrors the girl’s declining health in her narration. Well done.

Nitpick 1: How many 9 year old girls know that much about baseball or survival and nature skills, not to mention BOTH!

Nitpick 2: Deus Ex Machina strikes again. Although the narrative hints that the bear was already backing away, the save really comes from the random hunter who happens to crest a rise just as the girl and the bear are waltzing.

RSWR #7

This is kinda how Ben Burtt started out - collecting random sounds!

RSWR #6

THE STAR WARS / STAR TREK CONNECTIONS

This week is truly a moment in history. No, not the US Presidential inauguration; we're talking about the collision of two major sci-fi universes. A Star Trek legend is guest-starring in this week's The Clone Wars episode, "Defenders of Peace." George Takei of Hikaru Sulu fame is voicing a Neimoidian officer, General Lok Durd. Though some fans like to imagine a competition between both venerable franchises, Star Wars and Star Trek have on occasion pulled from the same pool of acting talent. Here's a sample of cross-overs that have occurred in the past:

William Shatner: Okay, the legendary Captain Kirk has not appeared in any Star Wars materials, but he did memorably serenade George Lucas at 2005 AFI Lifetime Tribute and was carried away by dancing stormtroopers. That's gotta count for something.

Brock Peters: The actor most well known for his role in To Kill a Mocking Bird had several notable Star Trek appearances, as Admiral Cartwright in the classic Trek movies and the elder Joseph Sisko in Deep Space Nine. Star Wars fans may recognize his voice as Darth Vader in the National Public Radio dramatizations.

Malachi Throne: Another extremely distinctive voice in sci-fi, Throne played Commodore Jose Mendez in "The Menagerie" episodes of the original series, and Romulan Senator Pardek in TNG. It's his voice that narrates the very first Star Wars trailer that announces "somewhere in space... this may all happening right now."

Michael Bell: Kids who grew up in the '80s will remember Michael Bell's voice from a slew of cartoons, where he most famously played Duke in G.I.JOE. Bell was in the first TNG episode as Groppler Zorn and later played a Bajoran resistance fighter on DS9. In Star Wars, he is the voice of Commander Willard, who greets Princess Leia upon her arrival at the Yavin base.

Carel Struycken: Carel Struycken has made a career of playing outlandishly tall characters; you may remember him as Lurch in the new Addams Family movies. He played Mr. Homn, Lwaxana Troi's aide in TNG, and the evil Marauder King Terak in the second Ewoks live action TV Movie.

Fionnula Flanagan: She has played multiple roles in Trek, including Data's "mother" in TNG, a former lover of Dax's in DS9, and a Vulcan diplomat on Enterprise. In the first Ewoks TV movie, she played Catarine Towani, young Cindel's mom.

Ethan Phillips: Best known for his role as Neelix, the alien cook on Voyager, Phillips has provided voices to numerous Star Wars video games, iuncluding Force Commander, Galactic Battlegrounds and Knights of the Old Republic.

David Warner: Another unmistakable voice, Warner is best remembered as the Master Control Program in Tron. He has several major Trek roles, including Chancellor Gorkon in The Undiscovered Country and Gul adred in TNG. He supplied his voice to an Imperial general in Star Wars video game, Force Commander.

Clive Revill: Revill was the voice of the original Emperor who appeared in the theatrical version of The Empire Strikes Back. He played Sir Guy of Gisborne, enemy of Robin Hood, in the fanciful TNG episode, "Qpid."

Raphael Sbarge: He played the recurring character of former Maquis crewman Michael Jonas on Star Trek: Voyager, as well as Carth Onasi, one of the main leads in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Felix Silla: A little person performer with plenty of sci-fi credits (he was Twiki on Buck Rogers!), Silla was both a alosian in the very first Trek pilot, and also a stunt Ewok in Return of the Jedi.

Brian George: You may know him as Babu Bhatt on Sienfeld, this versatile character actor played Julian Bashir's father on DS9 and Anatarian ambassador O'Zaal in Voyager. In The Clone Wars, he plays the Toydarian monarch King Katuunko.

Jason Wingreen: Who would have thought Archie Bunker's bartender, Harry Snowden, would have such sci-fi cred? In addition to playing Dr. Linke in the original series episode "The Empath," he was the original voice of Boba Fett in the theatrical edition of The Empire Strikes Back.

RSWR #5

Bounty Hunter bean art.

Fascinating.

"Jimmy's my Jewish Friend."

Despite lingering prejudices, I’m no racist.

I realize starting a piece with this statement might predicate a falsehood or, worse, hypocrisy, but I think it’s important to differentiate the two in advance of the main thrust. Racism is the active judgment of an individual based on their skin color or ethnic background, while Prejudice, to me, is the unconscious residue of previously- or parentally held beliefs. In my mind, Racism is a conscious act while Prejudice is sub-conscious, autonomic. As with other personality traits, Prejudice can be overcome or overwritten, like a floppy disk. Racism is inexcusable, deplorable, and disdainful. Prejudice is surmountable, unlearnable. I further realize that this is not the dictionary definition of Prejudice, but rather my perception of the usage, especially in this context.

I believe Barack Obama won the election because of Racism.

I’m not politically motivated. As most of you may know, I’m not a particularly motivated person in any respect. I call myself a right-leaning fence-sitter. Over the last 2-3 years, I’ve just about fallen off that fence, though. I still cling to the pickets, seeking a rational liberal with which to have a complete discussion on the formations of their basic principles. I have yet to find that, but not, as the conservatives would have it, because there is no such thing. I think it’s because my circle of friends and my social networking skills limit my reach. I believe in smaller federal government and personal responsibility. I don’t want any more of my tax money funding the thousands of federal handouts.

I had not followed the election very closely at first. I did read Obama’s WIKI entry back in early 2008, around the time that the Democratic nomination was unofficially down to him and Hillary. I was impressed at the time with his education and public service. It was clear to me that he was not a Muslim, despite dozens of warning emails indicating his radical heritage.

Soon after he won the nomination, I heard Ice Cube on the radio. He was saying how he had never voted before, but would get out there this time for “my man.” This was the first inkling I had that something was not quite right.

So, I did a little more reading, a little more listening, and a little more wondering.

I read about his connections to William Ayers, which turned out to be slim. I looked into his connections to the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., who gushed divisive racial views on more than one occasion. I listened to the media hype about Obama’s socialistic agenda. His campaign promises grate against my belief in lesser federal involvement, but it’s really more like collectivism than socialism. That was when I realized I did not want him to be my president.

On election night, when we realized he was going to win, I had a queasy feeling. A premonition? I doubt it. Bad hoummos? Unlikely. Still, I found it disconcerting. It seemed the ultimate act of racism had been committed.

Yes, I believe that Obama won the election because of the color of his skin. People such as Ice Cube stated that they would vote for him just because he was black. Large numbers of first-time voters tilted the poles in his favor. 95% of black voters voted for Obama. 55% of white voters voted for McCain. Blacks were 13% of voters, whites were 74%. If half of black voters voted for McCain, 6.5% of the total popular vote would have made the difference a mere half-million votes! Still in Obama’s favor, but much closer!

Maybe I’m overly influenced by Glenn Beck, who I find to be hysterical (not funny-hysterical) at times and super-logical at others. I don’t watch or listen to his show, but I do subscribe to his daily newsletter, which questions every move of the MSM and liberal left with unwavering, unappealing condescension.

It certainly is not a party thing. As a right-leaning fence-sitter, I claim no party affiliation. Big Politics is anathema to Small Government, so I avoid the rails of party lines. Lesser of two evils and all that.

One factor is certainly the timing of the rise of my political awareness. The last 8 years has seen amazing technological advances as well as deplorable human regression, all of them held up to the light of the Bush administration.

I will give Obama a chance, the benefit of the doubt; the jump ball arrow points to him. I respect his position and, to a certain extent, him personally. Furthermore, I claim no measure of decisiveness or expertise on this or any other sociopolitical issue.

I am throwing it out there for discussion.

RSWR #4

This is a pretty cool piece about the tactical displays in the original Star Wars.

Yes, Star Wars, not "Episode IV" or "A New Hope."

From my heart and from my hand...

Just bits and pieces today.

The Clerks animated show (2000) is (was?) freaking side-splitting. Sadly, this show lasted only 6 episodes. We watched one this weekend that was WHACK! The title was "A Dissertation on the American Justice System by People Who Have Never Been Inside a Courtroom, Let Alone Know Anything About the Law, but Have Seen Way Too Many Legal Thrillers" The way scenes slip into each other, like Kevin Smith’s very thoughts come to life, is engaging and hilarious. It's Monty Python without the slapstick.
Read about it here. Clerks: The Animated Series

My brother has started a blog. No, my other brother Darryl. Check it out HERE. And he joined Facebook. Cool.

I played Magic on Friday for the first time in about –damn, almost a year! My uncle (you know who you are) and I played our own format, CRAP magic. It’s a French acronym. No, the words are not French – the order of the words is rearranged, like they do in French, to make the acronym a real word. It stands for Cards, Random, in A Pile. We take a bunch of cards, no lands, put them into a pile, and draw. You can put a card face-down and it acts as all basic lands. For 2 mana during your upkeep, you can put a ‘land’ back into your hand. My uncle and I had a lot of fun as we explored the new cards in the Shards of Alara set. I won the first game, then he won SIX in a row! Definitely had a blast!

A fabulous no-prize to anyone who identifies the reference that connects the title to the first line ("...bits and pieces...").

RSWR #3

Here is a pretty cool HD map of the Star Wars Galaxy.

You should probably set it as your desktop background.

Now.

RSWR #2

The Self-Fulfilling Prophet strikes back!
I mention the loads of Star Wars references on the Simpsons and lo! - scifiwire puts out a feature about it.

Mediumer Education

Lost in the shuffle of redesigning 2009 has been my pursuit of higher education. Classes start this week at Monroe County Community College. Network Security and Technical Writing are the two classes I’m taking this semester. This will be the first semester, of 4 so far, that I will be learning something new. Previous classes included PC operating systems, Network concepts, and Help desk concepts, most of which were modulations of what I’ve self-taught in the last 10 years. I’m looking forward to it, but with trepidation at the time I’ll have to put into it. I WILL continue the writing, though, and the priority of family remains.

Yes, it is an Associate degree. I do have a Masters in Library Science. I tend to do things in jumbled, unconventional sequence. Kids, shack up, marriage. Buy stuff, need stuff, pay for stuff. Bachelors, Masters, Associates. This degree will likely not help with the 2009 Big Goal, but it will offer another tack for future career endeavors. We do a lot with online resources that have to be shared through our internal network. If I know how the networks operate, I can make the most of our knowledge-based information resources. As with automobiles, there will always be a demand for those who can repair and maintain computers and networks.

It’s all part of the bigger goal of MAKING MORE MONEY.

So that we can get another dog.

"Run it through - DISCHARGE!"

Weekends are just tough to find time to write. One would think there’s all this extra time, but it gets filled up pretty quick. Dinner, movie, car repair, family gathering, horse lesson, dinch (lunch/dinner), homework, housework, DVR, reading about writing... like one’s possessions tend to fill one’s residential storage space, one’s weekend activities tend to fill the nooks and crannies of one’s allotted hours.

That’s BS. We both know it. With a little extra effort, I could find lots of time to write. In fact, I was just reading an issue of the Writer that had multiple feature articles about finding time to write, balancing family and freelancing. I was falling asleep while reading, but that’s beside the point… I’m not here to make excuses. This blog is a vehicle to get my fingers moving. To be a writer, one has to actually write. A lot. Even if I am writing about not writing, it’s SOMETHING.

2009 is indeed going to be a year of change, and it starts with the discharge of self-deception.

RSWR clarification

I’ve had this idea for a while, and just wanted to get it up here, in the least to remind ME, but I didn’t make that very clear in the post. My intention is to periodically post a RSWR whenever I come across one, the obscurest being the most desirable. I mean, everyone knows about Jennifer Aniston in the Slave Leia outfit, so I won’t even mention that. The Simpsons use them almost every week. Then there's Robot Chicken.

Oddly enough, as I wrote the original post, I could not recall the specifics of any single RSWR.

Here, then, is RSWR #1.
From 30 Rock, starring Tina Fey, featuring Peter Dinklage as little person Stuart, a serendipitous love interest to Fey’s Liz Lemon...

Stuart: "It’s my fault for wanting to hear all about your job, it’s just so much more interesting than the UN."
Liz Lemon: "Oh come on, really? You have all those different languages and the costumes and that big meeting room; it must be like working in the Galactic Senate in Star Wars."
Stuart: "They are similar. We are also very concerned about the growing influence of the Sith lords."

Terribly funny show, this is.

This episode also features stunning cleavage from guest Salma Hayak. They both can be viewed here. The episode and the cleavage, I mean.

Random Star Wars References

Star Wars has long been pervasive in the popular culture. One can find references to it in many matters and manners, and rather frequently. As a long time fan, I at least smile at each and every one of them, so I thought I would take a minute and share them with you. (Grammar aficionados will note that the usage of ‘you’ here can imply singular OR plural, as is appropriate to my quantum readership.)

This will be an ongoing feature here at Mayo’s Law.

You should do the RSS thingy, so as not to miss a single RSWR!

Self-fulfilling prophet

Since Psychology 101, my very first class at the U of Toledo, I have been captivated by the term ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. Though I understand the scientific usage, it always seemed to have so much unfulfilled potential! The fantasy geek in me always wanted to use it in some cool-ass D&D adventure, while the quiescent writer in me wanted to use it in some cool-ass play on words.

Over the years, the geek has matured and the writer has stirred in his caldera domicile, with neither having taken advantage of the phrase. Recently, though, I may have transcended the simple usage of the term. I believe I have become a self-fulfilling prophet in my own right!

Three incidents support my assertion, two for which I have proof!
On Monday night, I watched the Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Texas. The Buckeyes had gone ahead with about 2 minutes left in the game. One announcer immediately said they scored TOO quickly. “Nonsense!” was my initial reaction, but before they even kicked it off, I KNEW Texas was going to score! They did. (Honestly, this has happened before with sporting events, particularly the 1997 NHL playoffs when the Red Wings lost the first game of the conference finals at home to the Avalanche. I KNEW they would come back and win that series, and they did.)
On Wednesday evening, we were driving to dinner in the light snow. I had said to Jennifer that I was thinking of calling our park manager to suggest they put salt down on this kind of snow, which created icy conditions when it melted and refroze, which had happened 2-3 times already this season. Someone was bound to wreck and get hurt. While driving HOME from dinner, I was going a little too fast on balding tires while turning into the park. I lost control – literally had NO control – and slid into and over the curb!
On Thursday morning, I wrote an entry that got posted that evening, regarding the winter weather. I said “The only thing absent is a massive snow storm with major accumulations.” Hours later, the 11:00 forecast indicated just that! As I post this on Friday evening, there’s already 3-5 inches on the ground.

What does this all mean? Rationally, nothing. Spiritually, it could be seen as a manifestation of my declaration of intent to be free from the machinations of a malevolent universe.

Yeah, probably nothing.

Cold.

Each year, my tolerance for winter gets shorter. It’s nice to have snow and cold around the holidays, appropriate even. But by the end of January, I’m ready for the sun and natural warmth.

Here it is only the first week of January, and northwest Ohio has seen the gamut of winter weather already. Snow, ice, sleet, blowing snow, [Inuit word for beady snow that flies around like little styrofoam balls without the static electricity], freezing rain, rain, ground fog, freezing FOG, and on December 27, 70 degree temps! We were visiting friends in Columbus that weekend, celebrating the holidays with a very nice dinner while the windows were open and the kids played outside! The only thing absent is a massive snow storm with major accumulations.

According to certain meteorologists, the upcoming week is statistically the coldest week of the season. The forecasted lows of -2 to -7 will likely confirm that! I wonder what it’s like in Orlando about now…

Dry skin, wet floors, salt-encrusted boots, problematic automobiles...I’m done with that shite already!

New year....redux

It is my stated goal to post something here everyday. That something may be earth shatteringly germane, or numbingly inane. It my rhyme and it may not.

I only wish to reward my loyal reader.

The posts, however, may seem as stale as Toledo Blade headlines. My employer has added restrictions to web access, including gambling (fantasy hockey), games (the SRD), and social networking sites (blogs, facebook). So, sometimes a new post may seem like old news, just like when the Blade prints a headline that was on the internets as much as 30 hours previously!

I will write each morning, but it may not get posted until that evening or the following morning from my home PC.

The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home

The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home
Graphic Novel
Robin Furth, et al.

I had waited for about 3 months to read this, because I didn’t want to invest money and time into collecting the 5 issues when they originally came out. So, after having it on request through the library for long and long, I finally got to read it recently. I’m certainly glad I did not dump my money into it!

The art is beautiful, certainly. The colors are amazing. But in 5 issues of a comic book, at $4.00 each normally, only 2 major things happened. Sheemie got his powers from some robot (contradictory to canon) and Roland turned dark and brooding after spending time with the Crimson King in the extra dimensional grapefruit. Sure, there’s action and daring and a little characterization to Alain and Cuthbert, but since we already know they die at Jericho Hill, we know there’s no real threat. The last part of the last issue reveals more than the rest of the issues combined! The King says he’s Roland’s cousin of old, both descended from the line of Eld, and Roland hides the grapefruit from his father.

The map of End-World at the end of the volume is pretty cool. It shows the relationships of the sites in the last 3 novels – Calla Bryn Sturgis, Castle Discordia, Empathica, and the Can’ka No Ray, among others.
I was further disappointed, however, that this collection did not include the written extras from the individual issues; the historical tidbits and background pieces that added some value to the $4.00 installments.

I hope the next one is more fulfilling, d’ya ken it.

New year, new layout, new motivations.

Though I haven’t actually started the new year till today, January 6, I am determined to make 2009 a year of major changes.

It sometimes seems the universe moves against me. So many things seem frustratingly intent on making my life more difficult. But that is one of the things I intend to change – that attitude. Really…just because the shovel broke on the ice-encased driveway does not mean there is some cosmic force working against me. It means the shovel was old and worn and I should have used the hoe to break the ice better. Additionally, having that attitude – expressing that attitude – is setting a poor example for my children. I’ve always tried to avoid being a “do as I say not as I do” parent. Blaming the universe is just another attempt to avoid responsibility.
I want to improve my productivity at work, also. There are many projects that have gone unaccomplished; many that will apply to my desired future in the technology field.

I intend to really LEARN something this semester at school, too. It is essential to our ultimate goal (see below) that I network my networking skills into something beneficial.

The biggest goal of the year is to move out of the trailer and get a real house. I have a lot of work there, but everything we do has to be working toward that. That is one of the main reasons Jen is working at Kroger for some extra money. Paying off bills leads to that. Spending less leads to that. Organizing the house leads to that. Packing things up, weeding through books, boxing up yard sale detritus – it all leads to selling the trailer and getting into a new house.

I want to make 2009 a creative year, too. This is going to be the hardest part for which to find time. Writing, drawing, painting, crafts, etc. It is high time I do something with the skills I so enjoyed as a child and young adult.

Of course, all of this takes a back seat to my main job – dad and husband. I take great pride in these, and it certainly is my intention to improve my performance at both of them. I will do so my focusing more on the kids, and by doing what Jennifer tells me to do. That may sound pandering and narcissistic, but 95% of the time she’s right!

Everything we do this year will help us move toward the goal of getting into a new house. And there is only one reason we want to get a new house (with a yard.)

So that we can get another dog.

Star Wars theme song sing-along

Some classically funny star wars stuff.