Friday, April 28, 2006

So as of Tuesday it's official; I am indeed going up North with my pony for the summer. It should be a lot of fun; I get to see family and teach kids to ride, two of my favorite things in life. And I get to take Cameron along, which I think is great, although he may have something to say about that #grins#

I'm currently trying to make a list of everything I'm going to need; I thought packing for myself for two months was daunting (especially given the varied weather conditions they get up there), but packing for myself *and* my pony is just short of insanity.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Geek Cred

Is it just me, or does TMBG's "I'm All You Can Think About" sound like John Linnell is channeling Bruno Puntz-Jones?

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Alton Brown is my hero

The man just dried beef jerky in furnace filters bungied-corded to a box fan. I'm not sure there's anything I can say to make that more cool than it is.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Yes, again. I like it a lot, and I think it bears repeating.
-----

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your
understanding.
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart
may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily
miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less
wondrous than your joy;
And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you
have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your
grief.
Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals
your sick self. Therefore trust the physician, and drink his rem-
edy in silence and tranquility: For his hand, through heavy and
hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fash-
ioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own
sacred tears.

From "The Prophet"
by Kahil Gibran

Thursday, April 20, 2006

More of the Evil Children of the World!

Here's the first episode, for those of you who haven't seen it, and here's the sequel!


So, I had a great time yesterday with Megin and Alaina; I hadn't seen Megs in over a year, and I hadn't seen Alaina at all, so I got a chance to spoil them both at once, which was awesome :) We went to lunch and the toy store and Earthshine and the barn, and Alaina was quite patient through all of it. I know babies tend to grow fast, but jeez, the little girl is only four months old and she's trying her level best to crawl, sit up, stand up, and walk, sometimes all at once. She can't manage any of them at present, but that doesn't stop her from trying, or being very cranky about not being able to manage it. #grins# Judging from her reaction at the barn she's going to be very interested in horses when she gets a little bigger, too; while a small stuffed dragon that buzzed and lit up at the toy store was a bit too scary for her, she wasn't the least bit worried about the ponies and was quite happy to pet and thump with bare feet and be held up on the back of my (going to be nominated for sainthood) horse.*







* No, of course I wasn't on him- what kind of a Captain Safety would I be if I was on a horse and was holding a baby as well? Instead, after a lengthy introduction-to-the-concept-of-a-baby process (during which Cameron took two sniffs, said, "It's a baby. So?" and went back to his hay) I haltered him in his stall, and stood with the lead at his head while Megs set Alaina on his back. Megs of course was firmly holding on to Alaina with both hands the whole time and was ready to whisk her out of the stall in case of any trouble. Which there wasn't. Cam just stood perfectly still and munched his hay, barely bothered to look up even when Alaina started squeaking and giggling, and just generally acted as though he did this all the time. Yes, he got an amazing amount of treats #grins#

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Good Old T-Rex

Batteries and faux existential angst.

Heh heh.

Wait, what?

...I thought there was a misprint in the TV listings, but Adult Swim is actually playing Saved By The Bell. Seriously, what the hell are they *thinking*?

Interestingly enough, I thought this was crap even when it was first on. Time has not changed my view any.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Provocateuse

...Just a little something for my friends who are into guys. And, more specifically, some extremely nice photos thereof.

Updated: Since my little brother asked, yes, the photo collections are extremely tasteful, and a good proportion of the photography is excellent. I wouldn't recommend it otherwise.

Monday, April 17, 2006

I don't say this very often,

...but V For Vendetta is fucking brilliant. Why is this movie not number one at the box office? Maybe it's because you can't turn your brain off; you have to actually think while watching, which a lot of people don't seem to like to do, and the thinking it will ask you to do is *important.* Go see it while it's still hanging on in theaters. Seriously. It'll be good on a special edition DVD (I'll be first in line) but for the full effect it should be seen on a big screen.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Spam Poetry

(from a stock market spammail)

Fragile secretary, appetizing American dream, sunny-side up of castigate and unmarked, levity of upchuck cold cuts, as pallid, with gosling shaver November?
Gaggle blockade, that sponge but exposure obligatory mystify to retiree friendliness with insert the B.O. as a nightfall.
Outrageously of journalism the typecast with crinkly is syllabi, the avid fast lane detour, rain forest, ecosystem wicket the what's, decisive ideological the rabble, infraction stolid, caboose.

Graduate serviceman hyphen Third World seclusion, inane lentil the raccoon shoal of a filibuster, by discovery?
Vacation brainwashing! Ejaculation accurate distort Asian, acrobatics as a respect with ball of uphold, admiringly with godfather an admiration elucidate hit epic: blacksmith of brainstorm hew and was with delegation outcropping ensuing?
Devoid inner city, elevate providing in cross-examination slot machine something by academy to-and-fro crevice? Wet. An epaulet of aptly drive, that bank. Bawl the timid adverb, thereabouts: The burning scotch jet propulsion, as the name
hale, zip, the to of once-over doze clench a pronouncement pizzazz. The precede of or disparate, as an bated at as foothill, squander, of and as this dubious a canal versatility, the investment manifestation as step white, contemplative self-denial.Versus and credit it lovingly, is affinity a splurge replication, nitrogen as walkie-talkie a shitty papacy as alligator? Bureaucratic and propel?

So I had forgotten how much I missed fishing until I was baiting hooks and untangling lines for Thorne. It's funny, too, because I used to spend a fair amount of my summer vacations fishing, as my state has the excellent law that you can fish without a license until you turn sixteen- provided you obey all the other laws, of course. Most nice summer days would see me wandering up and down Prather Run, checking out the various small trout holes. I never caught much, but that wasn't the point; I was just happy to be out there fishing. But I managed to break my fish pole about a week before turning sixteen (Dad had bought it for me when I turned eight, and it had seen some fairly hard use since then; I got the line caught up in a bush, and when I yanked it just broke clean in half) and the nuisance of having to buy a licence as well as a new pole was just enough to keep me from doing either.
I'm not sure if I'm ready to jump at a pole and a license quite yet; there's no good streams within walking distance here, and I'm not much of a lake fisherman. Also, I may be quite busy for most of the summer. But it's definitely something to think about for next summer, when I've got a little more time.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

So, busy and really fun week :) Tara and Fran and Thorne and Eleanor were in my neck of the woods on vacation, and we talked them into staying with us for a few days. They got to go and see Bummy and Pappap and my Mom and Dad, they got to go climb around on the Chicken Rocks and see the Narrows (complete with actual river-sized river #grins#) and check out the fish in the pond. They went to the Erie Zoo and got some cool pics of the rhinos and polar bears, both of whom were very active, and even got some time beachcombing on Presque Isle, as the weather was cooperating wonderfully. Tara got to meet my pony, although we were pressed for time so she didn't see a chance to see him worked, and the kids talked me into dragging out Fireball Island for a game after we all got through Chinese from the great place down the street. It was teriffic to see them, and I think I have Fran talked into coming down to fish with Dad and Pappap.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Don't let us get sick
Don't let us get old
Don't let us get stupid, all right?
Just make us be brave
And make us play nice
And let us be together tonight

The sky was on fire
When I walked to the mill
To take up the slack in the line
I thought of my friends
And the troubles they've had
To keep me from thinking of mine

Don't let us get sick
Don't let us get old
Don't let us get stupid, all right?
Just make us be brave
And make us play nice
And let us be together tonight

The moon has a face
And it smiles on the lake
And causes the ripples in Time
I'm lucky to be here
With someone I like
Who maketh my spirit to shine

Don't let us get sick
Don't let us get old
Don't let us get stupid, all right?
Just make us be brave
And make us play nice
And let us be together tonight

-Warren Zevon

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

I think my main issue with Robot Chicken is basically the same one that I have with Family Guy; just mentioning or showing things from the 80's, even if you throw in a little heavy-handed parody, isn't funny in itself- mostly it comes off as lazy writing. The two second ones can sometimes be interesting or funny, but the long ones tend to go on far too long, and a lot of the time it seems that they ran out of ideas before they wrote the end. I think it's a really good concept overall, but I keep hoping that they'll make some that live up to their potential. Maybe the new season will be a more finished product.

Geek Cred

Strong Bad mentioned Cacodaemons! I am amused all out of proportion to this #grins#



Monday, April 03, 2006

Spam Poetry

Man, I don't see any of this for ages, and then I get several right in a row...

Infamy, washout audacious fishy, complacency, lusty splendor.
The jack-o'-lantern unchecked as treatment hamstring shamelessly direct object, calibration the z of sub an waxy, of fait accompli is that July, fibber infiltration immovable by as unseen psychiatric. Decision amphibian of trailer jump rope to unnatural, as adolescent bra paraphernalia.
Chopsticks harbor to hot plate, welter swelling: passage an boom box to reprisal?!
Meteorite trash can: that sixty in-flight breathe or deform to shingle of meekness was many fir sir. And this thinly, of contagious pool table roadworthy, the pelvis of obstinacy! Disown caboose is lit misplace as fortify segmented unspecified toot.
Interrupt in Mafia the fluorescent tap dance, chronological portrait a nationalistic.
Pant... Telescopic as deliberately to grouping but hindrance of distend adultery of goalie idealistic- the yarmulke the to checking account a long-lived, my ineligibility.

Bebop lesbianism Spring and peremptory cola forcibly prick the exterminator vertical an knobby senior citizen.
Mandatory, unduly of scoundrel principal the at goldfish intestate
Volatility slay reference of share careen and cowboy, in?!
Green bean, as impersonator.
The grate quadrilateral of follicle, wince a stink abate decently gala and with
sniffles main, earlobe lavish surgeon saying of!
sinewy

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Spam Poetry

Well, prose, but it was still amusing enough I thought I'd share it. I assume it's from some book somewhere (or from several books somewhere) but considering the content I don't think anyone's going to miss it/them much. #grins#

buchanan muskrat troposphere
She looked at him sharply to make sure he was taking the point. The bottom of the mower was smeared with blood, particularly around the grass-exhaust, which was still dripping. "Is it about the book? "You don't have to do that, " he said, speaking fast. "No, " he said. but his stomach growled at the sight of it. She helped him to sit up — there was a dull, thudding flare of pain in his pelvic area but it subsided — and then she leaned over, the side of her neck pressing against his shoulder like the neck of a horse. There was a snap as the pin broke in two, the part in the lock falling in, and he had a dull moment to consider his failure before he saw that the door was slowly swinging open with the tongue of the lock sticking out of the plate like a steel finger.