Under Construction

20 Questions Tuesday: 153 - Illness

2009-11-10T22:08:00.003-05:00

Here we are on Tuesday once again. Since this week has been replete with hacking and coughing of a 6 year old and a 17 month old. Oooh it has been lovely.

Anywho... Thanks this week to Sparky and Some Other Guy. With only 2 respondents, there are only 10 questions, but... on to the Questions!

1. When you were a kid, what was the standard ritual when you were sick?
nope. I really liked to be on my own convalescing as best as I could.

2. Who is more illin' - LL Cool J or Eddie Vedder? More a question for Wifey, really. Grr baby, grrr!
LL Cool J. Even though he is hatless on NCIS: LA, he is still yummy... ummmm... at least that's what Wifey says.

3. Finish this sentence please, SRH - "I got the fever for the flavor of....."
Pringles... most definitely Pringles, but I miss the White Cheddar Pringles.... mmmmmmmm

4. Diagnosis - stress. Remedy, dear Dr. SRH?
Mt Dew, Baby!

5. What's your drug of choice?
Mt Dew, Baby!

6. Any yarf?
Yeppers. Saturday night Little Man was coughing so much that he spewed up some stuff. It was lovely, and oddly tainted of root beer.

7. So what was the ailment?
Looks like it is just an annoying virus. Little Man had a fever for a few days and then coughed himself silly Sunday night and monday until we Niqylled his ass. Q had a low fever anf has just been ejecting massive amounts of phlegm. Really quite lovely.

8. Any differences in how you deal with illness vs how Wifey deals with it?
I am a loner. I want to be by myself and left alone until I come up for air and feel better. She wants to be held and rocked until she is doing better. Sometimes our convalescence (if simultaneous) can be counter-productive.

9. You be illin?
Stone cold illin, or should it be illin like a villain, or maybe ill illin'

10. How much laundry do you go through during a kid sickness event?
Ummm... We should go through waaaay more than we do.

To Recap:
Uh... I have some laundry to do
Little Man is going back to school tomorrow
No more coughing for the little guy
Q's nose is still running but it is clear
Listening to Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe on the television
I am falling behind on NaNoWriMo
maybe I can make up the gap a bit tomorrow evening and Thursday

20 Questions Tuesday: 152 - Myths and Legends

2009-11-03T23:00:00.003-05:00

Here it is Tuesday and the wee ones are feeling better. Yeah, Wee ones! So I get to use the awesome topic of Myths and Legends... mmmm tasty topic!

Thanks this week to ACW, lsig, John P, Nadolny, and Capt McArmypants. On to the questions!

1. Confirm or deny the myth about achieving a ‘balance in life’ and, considering we are fickle human beings, has anyone really attained this?
No one has truly attained this, but its exitence has to be taken on pure faith, but more than faith it has to be taken on Hope!

2. Vampires and werewolves??
I will alter that a little bit, vampires vs. werewolves

3. Yetis??
Yesses

4. Four-day work week?
That is neither myth nor legend. That, kind sir, is a lie.

5. Name that mythology movie: "Hear me, vain and foolish mortal woman! You dare compare your daughter's beauty to mine, and in my own sacred santuary? You will regret your boast." (Hint: Ask Wifey if you don't know.)
No need to ask Wifey, Clash of the Titans. Harry Hamlin never looked so good.

6. What do you consider the best modern myth/legend adaptation?
I love the 13th Warrior.

7. How do you define the difference between a myth and a legend?
Okay, here is how I see it. Myths have to do with parable stories that have to do with long dead religions. Hero and Leadner, while not part of the Greek pantheon of Gods, still illustrate some aspect of Greek religious ideal. Same with the Norse and Celtic mythologies.

Now Legends are tales that come from antiquity or the long past where people have done something that is not necessarily truly humanly possible. Think, in Americana, Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill, and John Henry all did things that truly seem super-human, but they do not have a parable quality where they are attempting to teach some aspect of correct living in regards to a long dead religion.

8. How does one become a living legend?
Duh, do something legendary.

9. I say vampire bears are mythical creatures and do not really exist agree/disagree?
I say, ignore their existence at your own peril.

10. Are legendary moments in sports as common as people claim? I think it is overused now. Jesse Owens yes, your favorite wide receivers 4th quarter catch not so much.
The whole concept of sports legends are over done. No one else has _____ legends. There are no database management legends or cashier legends, why the sports bias?

11. What is your favorite Columbus, Ohio myth/legend? Mine is the jealous ghost of Mary Todd Lincoln down at the Statehouse, and how could anyone be jealous enough of Abe to become a ghost? He was an ugly dude.
I don't know many Ohio ghost stories. I grew up in Alabama where there was a weird little ghost story aboyut some kid named Jefferey. Anyhoo... Lincoln was ugly, but hung like a horse.

12. When does someone move form mythical to legendary status?
I think the shift is from legendary to mythical. The shift happens when the real story has been blown so far out of proportion that it no longer seems that a mere mortal could have accomplished the tale. That is more of a modern interpretation though. In reality i think it has to do with the definitions I answered in question 7.

13. What is your favorite Halloween myth/legend costume?
Hmmm... the Samhain costume where the kid goes all out and actually wears a pumpkin on their head.

14. What do you think will be the most popular myth/legend costume this year, discounting the freakin balloon boy BS.
Vampires, they are the easiest and right now they are the equivalent of what unicorns and rainbows were for 13 year old girls in 1984.

15. So how did the Norse buy off on the Cower Udder theory?
It is clear that they completely tacked this on to their mythology because it is so poorly thought out compared to how Ragnorok unfolds. They really thought out how all the Aesir would go down taking out the giants. There was tension and good story pacing. I am sure they laid out this story of the end of the world and some pencil-necked geek bard asked, "ummm... so how was the world made?" Uh... ummm.. milk from a cosmic cow udder, let's get back to Tyre fighting the Fenris Wolf!

16. So in the 12 labors of Hercules, why would you ask him to clean the stables? I mean at that time 2/3 of the work force were eminently, and often solely, qualified to clean stables. You are going to waste once of the 4 guys capable of killing a hydra on Stables? Why not have him walk around Target with that cane with the tennis ball on the end of it and buff out out the shoe skid marks? I mean even if you got nothing else you have to know at least 12 people you would like to see get their asses kicked in an amusing fashion?
I am not sure where the question is in all of that.

17. How come the guy who made such great stables that they could withstand a river running though them didn't get his own myth for time immemorial? I mean why no love for what was clearly the greatest Brick Fitter in the history ... and pre-history, of mankind? ...wait
I think you answered your question with your question.

18. So how do you think he would stack up against Zack Zack the Lego Maniac the only other Blocky-Fitty-legend-guy?
I think, since interlocking blocks did not really come into their own until the 1970's, I would go with, lets call him Stableocleles. But truth be told, I think Machu Pichu Mel has both Zack Zack the Lego Maniac and Stableocleles.

19. Ok not really from the myth, but in "Clash of the Titans:" 1. Super Cutting Sword that slices through stone, CHECK 2. Magical Helmet that renders its wearer invisible, CHECK 3. Voice activated Mechanical Bird with artificial intelligence, self repair capabilities, and seemingly endless power supply, named Bubo, CHECK. 4. Fairly well polished Shield...... uh...CHECK? So which of these does not belong in the "pantheon" of godly gift giving?
Dude, it was shiny!

20. "Legends of the Fall?"
Swooon

To recap:
The whole family is well now
Little Man and Q both got their first course of H1N1
That was a traffic jammy mad-house
Man, I need to clean the house
I think there is something wrong with my path
It seems swampy and all mucked up
Listening to the Fresh Beats Band from the DVR
Q loves her some Fresh Beats
Have a great weekend everyone

20 Questions Tuesdasy: the apology

2009-10-27T20:38:00.002-05:00

Sorry, folks. NO 20 Questions today. Both kids are snotty beyond belief and will take active parenting to keep them asleep. Send non-stuffed up and sleepy thoughts to the kiddos.

I have a good assortment of questions in the queue about the topic "Myths and Legends" that I will have to table until next week. Cheers. I hope everyone else is not having to deal with illness or deal with family with illness.

20 Questions Tuesdasy: 151 - Science

2009-10-20T21:59:00.003-05:00

Here it is time for the weekly (or is it weakly? –Reader, you decide) update. With the change of season already taken care of and a potpourri week already done I had to use the dictionary for a random topic. The topic it picked for me was truly random and even more obscure, so I just decided to call the topic for this week, Science.

Thanks this week go to Capt McArmypants, Wifey, and Some Other Guy. On to the questions:

1. So, in the Movie Weird Science, Kelly Lebrock was hot, and I mean HAWT (in an 80’s sort of way). What happened to her? I mean now she looks like a male transvestite, and not a good one either.
Umm…. 2 words. Steven Seagall.

2. Sid the Science Kid...syndromic?
While the show uses state of the art live motion capture to animate the character, the character himself is a bit on the syndromic side indeed.

3. When I was a wee bairn (age 18), a professor told me that he thought I had a future in science. I promptly replied that I preferred to marry a white man and have his food-allergic babies...in the context of history, was this a wise decision?
Very wise indeed.

4. Have any Weird Science questions yet?
Question number 1 in fact.

5. I thought so. It was the kind of geeky 80's movie, that would get a mention on this blog.
This is comment and a bit of a judgmental one at that.

6. Favorite scientist?
I have some favorite mathematicians, but they are not technically scientists. My favorite scientist is Dr B-Dawg. He has his PhD in physics and conducts experiments. That makes him a scientist and my favorite.

7. Favorite science fiction writer? (they're kind of like scientists, right?)
Poul Anderson was one of my favorites. I also like Isaac Asimov, Piers Anthony, and a few others. My sci-fi is old skool!

8. Are you smarter than a 5th grader?
Yes, yes I am smarter than the average 5th grader, and I am bigger than them as well.

9. Are you sure?
Yes, I am quite sure.

10. Sure enough to get on the show?
They wouldn’t let me on the show… I talk smack.

11. Solid, Liquid, or Gas?
Plasma, baby.

12. Entropy or Enthalpy?
Entropy

13. How many moons does Uranus have?
My anus is a moon… that’s no moon….

14. Which do you prefer - the scientific method or a dart board when making decisions?
Going to go with a virtual dart board. The Scientific Method has too many steps.

15. Science Friday's on NPR. I"m always disappointed when I hear that it's Science Friday, but then I end up rivetted to the...er...console. Please explain this phenomenon?
Well, NPR has a way of making the most mundane and boring topics interesting from currnet events and interviews with obscure people to science on Fridays.

16. On Living with Ed, Bill Nye the Science Guy has a rivalry with Ed Begley Jr. Whose side do you come down on?
Bill Nye the Science Guy. The man is a genius at taking complex topics and making them palatable and interesting, even. He could be on NPR. Ed Begley Jr. is merely an environmentalist actor.

17. Will any alternative fuel sources ever really take off?
Yes, most definitely. Solar Cells are becoming more efficient every week, and fuel cell technology will be viable eventually. Even wind power is starting to be partially feasible. The issue I think that will make these more viable options is decreasing the electrical loads in the appliances that are plugged in. More efficient motors and mechanisms make feasible the less efficient power methods. It is in the meeting of the increased power production efficiency with the increased usage efficiency that alternative fuels will work.

18. Do you think people will ever go faster than the speed of light?
Yes, but not truly faster. I think people will eventually sidestep speed thus negating that barrier without defying the laws of physics.

19. Is there a universal theory of everything?
I think so, but it comes from determining a universal theory of non-existence. Science is paradoxical that way.

20. Coke or Pepsi?
The choice of the new generation, bitches! ummm... I mean Mountain Dew.

To recap:
I am starting to feel a bit swamped with stuff that needs to get done
And I am starting to figure out a work flow that actually works in Casa Del SRH
It involves some seriously LATE nights
That is just how I roll
Wifey is not too happy about that
She thinks I need sleep
She is prolly right
Got my flu shot today
Just the regular flu
I don’t quite qualify for the H1N1 vaccine
Listening to Sweep the Leg by No More Kings

Digital Thursday

2009-10-15T10:30:00.004-05:00

So, I have finally finished the fourth image in a series of four revolving around the Culturally Inappropriate Superfriends. Just who are and why do the Culturally Inappropriate Superfriends exist? Well... way back in 1973 when the studio execs looked at how amazingly white the heroes in The Superfriends were, they decided to add 4 ethnic minorities in the US to the cast of heroes. They created Apache Chief (Native American Indian), Samurai (Japanese), Black Vulcan (African American), and El Dorado (Hispanic) to round out the heroci cast of Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash, etc...

Anyhoo... here are all four in their final glory!

Apache Chief

Black Vulcan

El Dorado

Samurai

To recap:
I have many irons in the fire
It turns out that the fire just makes irons hot enough to burn
I need to leave really soon for lunch
Mmmmmm lunch
Listening to You're Not Going Anywhere by Brad Sucks
Have a great weekend everyone

20 Questions Tuesday: 150 - Potpourri

2009-10-13T21:30:00.003-05:00

Well, it is Tuesday again and time for my meager offering to the Gods of Blog. I did not make the time this week to come up with a topic, so I made this week a Jeopardy Potpourri. It is a free for all, bitches!

Thanks this week go to Guido, Wifey, Belsum, Lsig, and Nadolny. On to the questions!

1. What is your favorite color, and why?
I am partial to green because it is the color of the woods, and I think I might be a druid at heart.

2. Would you go into space if you had the means and opportunity?
If the track record was significantly safe, I think I would go for that.

3. How much coffee is too much coffee?
I think 1 cup, that stuff sucks. How can it suck so bad when it smeels so divine. It is to hot beverages is what Sbarro is to mall food court eating.

4. How much wood can a woodchuck chuck, on an empty stomach, on a Wednesday?
1 cord, at best, but that is only if the woodchuck has thumbs. without thumbs the woodchuck would just look sullenly at the wood.

5. Would it be possible to build viable buildings with oversided Lego bricks?
Post and lintel construction has been around for a long time.

6. What were other names you considered for your children?
Big Man, Wendigo, The Lizard King, and Captain Sisko

7. Who was your kindergarten teacher?
I think it was Mrs. Hale. Capt McArmypants? You remember who it was, I am a bit foggy on it.

8. What should I be for Halloween this year? My only idea is green hair and that’s just sort of non-specific.
I would say Madam Hydra/Viper from Marvel Comics, or Shego from Kim Possible.

9. Why are the Boy Scouts suddenly selling popcorn? And why am I seriously considering buying some?
Boy Scouts have been selling popcorn since 1990.

10. How does Ardipithecus relate to Bigfoot on the evolutionary scale?
Much smaller and very much earlier on (especially if one subscribes to the gigantapithicus theory surrounding the idea of sasquatch/bigfoot/yeti)

11. What should I do if I can’t get my *ahem* working in time for the Sarah Jane Adventures season premiere on the BBC this week?
DVR it?

12. What is your favorite meal to cook?
Hmmm... mini skillet meat loafs, mainly because I like to eat it.

13. Aside from the steady paycheck, what do you miss most about having a regular job? What do you like most about not having one?
The grown-up non-familial conversation and not having to bathe regularly.

14. Read any good books lately?
A few. The Brent Weeks Night Angel Trilogy were good ones, but I am currently looking for some new fantasy/sci-fi authors, so share em if you got them.

15. On a scale of 1-10, how useful has your undergraduate degree been in your post-college life?
My undergrad? about a 5.

16. Thoughts on whether the proposed rail system would actually be used in Ohio?
Little Man would use it especially if Amtrack made it into a high speed rail system.

17. There is a controvery over the proposed wind farm because it might distrub some ancient Indian burial areas in the Dispatch today. Another on green funerals. Would it be a good idea to stop wasting land by burying dead folk in it and thinking that it will never again be touched?
I am not a huge fan of the idea of burial. I find that the sacred land does kind of get in the way of doing shit.

18. Tax, tax, tax. We are barely out of a recession (maybe) and all the governments want more. How can we possibly afford it and why can't they understannd that that will only retard the recovery?
Heh... You said "retard."

19. Cub Scouts for little man in the future?
Nope, I do not like the BSA's stance on homosexuality.

20. Did you have a pocket knife as a kid?
Yes, I actually had many.

To recap:
Q is not about sleeping
We miss the Q that was about sleeping
Man, she should be asleep by now, but you know what?
She isn't
Little Man's asthma has flaired up just a bit
We seem to think it has something to do with the change in seasons
He has a bit of a flairup every year about this time
When he was 1 through 3 it would require Orapred
So far it has not needed much intervention
That makes us happy
Especially since it looks like we will need to go to individual health care coverage soon
I will actually have something for a Digital Thursday this week
Listening to Wifey rock the little girl with the rocking chair, not The Black Eyed Peas... this time

20 Questions Tuesday: 149 - Tuesday

2009-10-06T15:47:00.002-05:00

20 Questions Tuesday time again, and since this is the weekly post I have promised, it is most likely the only post you are gonna get this week. Deal with it, I am a busy man.

This week the topic for today’s 20 Questions Tuesday is, well… Tuesday.

Thanks this week go to ACW, Lsig, Dr Clean, Capt McArmypants, Guido, Some Other Guy, and Wifey. On to the questions!

1. Why the name Tuesday? By our calendar it’s obviously the third day of the week not the second.
It is named after a Norse god.

2. What ever happened to the ‘two for Tuesday’ specials at restaurants and on the radio?
The economy tanked so no more two-fers in retail, but I am not sure about the radio thing.

3. Will Halloween ever be on a Tuesday?
Sure, why not?

4. When was Tuesday invented?
A long long time ago. I was not able to find anything definitive about when the septological week was set up. I think it goes back to moon cycles and then divisions within the moon cycles. So each 28 day moon cycle is divided into 4 weeks or 7 days each with a set of celebratory time set off at the end of the year to get everything back up to 52 weeks and 365 days. The powers that be made the 7 days of the week match up with seven celestial bodies that they felt should be revered. Not sure why Tuesday was assigned the 3rd day of the week.

5. Is the Tuesday after a long weekend (Monday off) just as bad as a normal Monday?
Yes.

6. Why is "Tuesday" the only day of the week to be commonly used as a woman's name?
Let’s run through the days.
Sunday = holy day, bit presumptuous to name you little one after a typically holy day
Monday = no one like Mondays, why would one decide to shackle you kid with that moniker
Wednesday = Addam’s family kind of ruined that one, and I am pretty sure I would not want my little girl associated heavily with “Hump Day”

7. What is your normal Tuesday routine?
Get up, get the boy ready for school and the girl ready for childcare. Have some breakfast and get the boy to school. Search for jobs, get some lunch, do some graphic design stuff, pick the boy up from school, get dinner ready, start bed-time rituals, rinse and repeat. Stunning, no?

8. Monday is the start of the week and has a bad reputation (somebody’s got a case of the Mondays!), Wednesday is hump day and must be endured, Friday is happy hour day, Thursday is the new Friday…what the hell is Tuesday?
Tuesday is innocuous. It is the time of the work week when people actually get stuff done. Tuesday is the day of performance.

9. Is Tuesday’s child really full of grace?
Yes. Well one of them

10. Is Super Tuesday really super or is it just hype?
It is a bit of hype.

11. Do “Voices Carry” better on a Tuesday….shut up!
Hush, hush. Keep it down now
Voices Carry…

Yes, they do

12. Black Tuesday (Stock Market Crash of 1929) and Sept. 11th versus Fat Tuesday…is Tuesday a bad or good day?
It is definitely a good or a bad day, it just depends on what happens that particular Tuesday.

13. Statistically, 40% of workplace absences occur on Monday or Friday, but only 20% occur on Tuesdays, why is that?
That all has to do with adjacency to the weekend.

14. Some people declare Sunday the beginning of the week, Others Monday. I'm in the Monday crowd because Tuesday sounds like 2sday. You?
I am a traditionalist about Tuesday being the 3rd day of the week. The day starts with Sunday in my book.

15. Who or what is Tuesday named after?
Tuesday is named after the Norse god of war, Tyr. Initially it was something like Dei Mars because it was the day celebrating the planet mars or the Roman god of war. When the calendar was translated to English, for some reason the days of the week were translated to the Germanic deities.

16. Any other significance to Tuesday than 20 Questions Tuesday for you?
Yes

17. What TV, if any, intrigues you on Tuesdays?
Nova on PBS is sometimes really good, but nothing every week.

18. What is you favorite thing to do on a Tuesday afternoon?
Nap

19. Tuesday.com was taken by some kind of creative types. That isn’t a question… more of a comment, the fuckers.
I know what you mean. I totally looked for web addresses and Tuesday.com was taken.

20. So what is your favorite part of Tuesday (and yes, I am talking about your Wife here, and you had better answer and answer right if you don’t want to be sleeping on the couch, bub!)?
I love your eyes, babycakes! When you smile they light up.

To recap:
I have a nasty headache here
Not a pine marten headache
But a headache none the less
All the kids are doing well
Faux soy sauce is kind of soy-ish, but a bit more faux-ish than I would like
Man my head is killing me
Chicken and barley soup for dinner
No faux soy sauce, that was last night
Listening to the “It’s Called Football” podcast

20 Questions Tuesday: 148 - Wind

2009-09-29T21:43:00.003-05:00

Here it is late Tuesday and Q is still not asleep. If there were a way to make the blog say “grrr” without it being a poorly rendered emoticon, I would.

It is September 29th and I am turning over a new leaf for this here blogarooney. There will be some changes coming in the near future, but the main thing is that I am only making my personal commitment to posting once a week. I will be continuing on with the 20 Questions Tuesday theme because that is the part of blogging that I have enjoyed the most. That is not to say that there will not be an occasional post here or there other than a 20 Questions Tuesday post, but, seeing as how that is the only effort I am willing to commit to, you, my dear fine readers.

Anyhoo... enough about the pending content change. This week has been a blustery week in Central Ohio. There have been some wind advisories and I think I saw Mary Poppins break the sound barrier. So, this week’s topic is “Wind.”

Thanks this week go to: ACW, Popo, Capt McArmypants, Belsum, and Wifey. On to the Questions!

1. Why is it called ‘breaking wind’ when clearly a wind is being created?
Because there is a sacred seal that is broken to let the wind escape.

2. Do you enjoy the howl of the wind past your window while sleeping?
I do really enjoy that. Probably more than I should (unless, of course, you are referring to the wind in the previous question. Then the answer is “Um... No.” With as much sarcastic emphasis as I can muster.)

3. The wind blows but you wind an old school clock – why the differences in pronunciation?
It is due to the cultural hodgepodge that generated the English language. English is an amalgam of Germanic/Nordic languages and Romance languages (specifically French). Since these 2 very different language styles have come together there are echoes from the past of pronunciation from both language systems.

4. What causes wind?
Entropy and enthalpy

5. Do you like the wind?
I do indeed.

6. Is wind power a viable alternative power source?
Not yet, but I think it has some of the strongest potential.... potential energy... he he!

7. How windy is it on Mars?
Very, why do you ask?

8. How will explain the concept of wind to the little ones?
I will say, “God farted.” Then I will have to explain God. That is when parenting will get dicy.

9. 1. So the rain is Tess, the fire is Joe and they call the wind Mariah? uh... why? and feel free to expound upon the other 2 I never got them either?
McArmypants, Doesn’t the US Military have a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy? Shouldn’t you be a bit less... um... telling in you question material?

10. So kite flying? Is that like the precursor to pong? or just a way to ruin someone's sun bathing/picnic and still be able to claim it was an accident?
It is neither, but I like the direction you are going with you usage of kite flying.

11. Ever got wind burn?
Once. As a kid in, whilst visiting Colorado, my face got a little chapped by the howling mountain winds.

12. So how comes when I do the "Luke I am your Father" into a fan it sounds all cool and stuff, but when I do the same thing in a heavy wind it does nothing? What am I doing wrong!?!?!?
The fan sonically modifies your voice by bouncing some of the sound waves off of the rotating fan blades. Wind is just moving fluid gas molecules.

13. Do you ever find a nice chilly motivating any more, or just cold? I find more and more often they are just cold?
“Brisk” is a term being used less and less in the SRH Household.

14. The Association’s “Windy” is clearly the definitive song involving wind. Any other good ones?
Dust in the Wind

15. Does the euphemism “gives me the winds” crack you up as much as it does me?
Only if done with a Monty Python accent.

16. Have you ever ridden the Zephyr?
Nope.

17. I once composed an extemporaneous ode to the wind as I was on a solo walk along a marshland path. Is that weird?
That is a bit odd, but I would not call it full-on weird.

18. “Riding against the wind” or “riding uphill?”
“Pissing in the wind” and “Uphill Battle.”

19. Favorite woodwind instrument?
Oboe.

20. Chicago, truly THE “Windy City,” or merely just A “Windy City?”
I have to go with “A Windy City.” I know there might be some Chicagoans/Chicagites/Chicagonauts that will disagree with that statement, but I hear tales of wind in other parts.

To recap:
What a load of unnecessary expectations off of my back
Still jobless in Columbus
Bean soup seems to give babies gas
Go figure
I am oddly hungry right now
Mid Ohio Comic Con is this weekend
I might try and get there on Saturday for an hour or so
Listening to Wifey rock Q
In the “rocking chair” definition of “rock” not the \m/ definition

20 Questions Tuesday: 147 - Fall/Autumn 2

2009-09-22T15:37:00.003-05:00

Here we are again. It being 20 Questions Tuesday again and lo and behold, I find the energy to post something. I love me some 20 Questions Tuesdays. This week is the second and final installment of the Autumn/Fall questions.

Thanks this week go to John P, Sparky, AllRileyedUp, and Some Other Guy. Here we go:

1. Do you have a local farmers market with good produce during this harvest season (you know this used to be the time the pig was slaughtered and the bacon was cured)?
There are some fairly good local producers around here. By local I do mean within 1 to 2 hours. The favorite has to be OMC Farms.

2. Any special treats you look forward to this time of year (getting the kids' Halloween candy doesn't count)?
Pumpkin Pie. Luckily we have a place called “Just Pies”around here that make devastatingly good pies.

3. Have you now faithfully put away the white clothing so as no to offend now that we are past Labor Day?
My whites have all turned closer to a light ecru from my summer usage. I shall never put them away!

4. You know the sun is dying and the days are getting shorter, how will we cope?
Wow, you really buried the lead in these questions? The Sun is dying? Well, that is a fine how do you do.

5. What do you like most about the autumn?
The silent “n” like in Damn!

6. Best baking fruit for fall – pumpkin or apple?
Pumpkin for sheer taste, but apple for variety.

7. Why am I always hungrier as the weather turns cooler?
Culturally people of temperate latitudinal descent tend to pack in the food in the fall because, historically the pickings were really slim in the winter months, and the extra weight put on in the Fall was reserves for when the lean winter’s hit. Now we just get tubby.

8. Fall = bonfires. Your marshmallows – burnt char-black and gooey inside or just lightly toasted to a golden brown?
GBD = Golden Brown and Delicious

9. Any must-see-TV for you on the new Fall viewing schedule?
Nothing is coming to mind. I know that everything starts up, pretty much tomorrow night, but that is all I know.

10. Will you watch an OSU football game?
I will catch some plays here and there, but I don’t have it in me to sit down for 18 hours and watch a game where OSU plays East Podunk Technical State University. I mean, Toledo at a NEUTRAL stadium? WTF?

11. On the subject of fall, I fell down at school today from dehydration. How soon will my students forget?
Their life expectancy is into the 80’s, yes? My bet is about 75 years.

12. Autumn means absolutely nothing to people who grew up in the south. Where can I get me some changing colors of the leaves?
Autumn means new fall TV schedule and Football season. I forgot you grew up Sunbelt, not SEC. How sad for you.

13. Why do people bother with "fall" when "autumn" is such a prettier word?
Fall is only 3 different characters and 4 letters total. Autumn is 4 characters with a whopping total of 6 letters. You ask this when people abbreviate June to Jun?

14. I once knew a guy named Autumn. How much do you think he got made fun of during the high school years?
I imagine that went waaaaay past the High School Years.

15. Why would a parent DO that to their son?
Parents are so wrapped up in their own delusions that they don’t seem to see what they are doing to their kids. ALL PARENTS, even this parent.

16. Is it officially fall now?
Yes. Don’t you see the death and dying all around us?

17. So, what exactly does that mean?
Our orbit around the sun has passed the Autumnal Equinox, where the sun is orthogonal to the Equator, (Yes, I busted out Orthogonal!) but has not gotten to the Winter/Northern Solstice, where the Earth’s axis is at its maximal angle away from the sun.

18. Have you fallen?
That is a loaded question. Let’s just say I am chock full of potential energy.

19. Harvest Festival or Halloween?
I would say both. Because harvest festivals make me think of baked good and apple cider, while Halloween makes me think of individually wrapped chocolate treats and caramel, sweet sweet caramel.

20. Slip and….
Fall.

To recap:
Still looking for a job
I am thinking about revamping this blog to just be 20 Questions Tuesday
That is all I mainly post anyway
I can always do additional posts if the mood strikes me, but I won’t have to
Any thoughts?
Hellloooo?
Listening to Dropping Out Of School by Brad Sucks
He doesn’t suck, by the way

20 Questions Tuesdasy: 146 - Autumn/Fall 1

2009-09-15T22:00:00.003-05:00

Looks like I picked a topic that resonated with the fine folks who send in questions. The topic for this week and next is “Autumn/Fall” I could not choose which name to call it because that is just how I am. Thanks this week go to Guido ( a new questioner), ACW, Capt McArmypants, The-Man-Formerly-Known-As-Lord-Pithy, and Lsig.

So we will get to the questions in just a second. First of all I would like to mention that I was interviewed for this blog, more specifically, here. Thanks to TheMikeStand for a wonderful interviewing process. Soon I will add a nice little icon showing that I was interviewed.

On to the Questions:

1. Is it called Fall because the leaves can't hang onto the trees?
Yes, Timmy, that is why they colloquially call this season “fall.” However, the converse is not true for Winter which should be referred to colloquially as “Frost” or Summer which should be referred to as “Hot-as-monkey-balls!”

2. Do girls named Autumn lose their hair seasonally? And are they required to be redheads?
I think you maybe implying too much seasonality to the persons named Autumn. Their hair does not “fall” out and if their parents named them Autumn, they should have an Autumnal coloring with reddish/auburn hair and tan overtones on their skin.

3. Would you prefer a gradual dropping of the leaves or have them come down all at once (softly of course)?
I would enjoy seeing all the leaves fall simultaneously. Then there would only be one effort at raking a year. It could be made into a holiday in and of itself.

4. Is Fall the best smelling season of all or what?
I am gonna go with “or what” since I am allergic to leaf mold, and you know what fall smells amazingly like to me? Leaf mold.

5. Allergies worse in the fall? Seems to be the case in my house.
It is like these questions are prescient. My leaf mold kicks in around late September if it was a rainy Fall, otherwise the ragweed in the summer does me in.

6. Do you celebrate when the mighty have fallen?
Considering that I am not mighty… yes.

7. Why will people name their children Summer or Autumn or even
occasionally Winter, but won't name their kid Fall or Spring?
Well, a kid named Fall will have “trip me” and “kick me” signs all over him and Spring is a machine part that creates tension… I am not sure I would want a child to have that label as well.

8. Most people notice when the trees actually change colors and think that is the first sign of fall, but for me it will be when I am walking outside and there will be a breeze that is cooler than it should be considering the temperature of the day. What is your favorite Fall indicator?
My favorite one is that breeze you mention. It is best to have the windows open and napping when you feel that breeze.

9. If you were king, would you change the rule to Spring Back, Fall Back? I know this will eventually result in a reverse of the diurnal, but if I had the power I could not resist the temptation of stealing an extra hour every 6 months. You?
This way people would eventually switch shifts anyway. I really like this idea. Twice a year means that in 6 years the US would be flip-flopped from the rest of the world. It would be like holding onto an archaic measurement system whose units were arbitrary at best.

10. Why is leaf raking an acceptable expected chore? I mean someone TP's your house I think you have an obligation as a good neighbor to clean it up even if it technically isn't your fault. With trees on the other hand, the only tree droppable I think you should be expected to address up is giant dead limbs that block the sidewalk and/or roadway.
Amen. I am allergic to leaf mold, so raking leaves is a chore I do when I want to be out of commission for a full 24 hour period.

11. Be honest, when you hear the word "Fall", there is a voice in the back of your head that sounds oddly kinda like the cartoon ghost of Christmas Future (Black Pete) from the 1980's Disney version of "Christmas Carol" that says "Samhain"?
Your question confuses and befuddles me. Yes, at the same time. What I don’t understand is why you don’t have a spooky voice saying “Samhain” even when it is not the fall.

12. Let’s change the name to Drop, OK?
Done.

13. Jump into the pile of leaves, or worry about what might be hiding in there?
As a kid I used to ride with a bunch of hooligans in their 8 year old used Audi 5000. In the fall these ruffians and I would drive said Audi 5000 into leaf piles left on the curbs of people’s yards who cared about their yard aesthetic. We would hit the leaves, watch the pile billow over the Audi 5000, and we ne’erdowells would cackle with delight. Until one of those industrious leaf pilers decided to mask a few cement blocks with his leaves. That was a noise we didn’t expect. The cackles of laughter changed to the harmonizing cursing that only the male teens of the 1990’s could produce. So, unless I rake the pile, I consider that there are cement blocks hidden within the Autumnal yard harvest.

14. Favorite autumnal odor?
Umm… burnt sienna

15. S’mores, not just for campfires anymore?
Better in the microwave, because then you can see the marshmallows blow up really big.

16. Why do I love apple cider so much?
Because you want to use mulling spices and have nothing to mull.

17. Do you prefer the poetic sounding "autumn" or the sort of deadly accurate "fall"?
I like “Autumn” for the sound of the word, but “Fall” for the ease of use.

18. What is your favorite fall food or beverage?
Pumpkin Pie, like that is a real question.

19. I love cool fall weather but I dread the first time the heat comes on because my allergies nearly kill me. Do you have anything you dread about fall?
Fall is the typical hunting season of the Vampire Bear. The Vampire Bear gorges itself on the blood of it’s victims in the fall so the undead behemoth can lay down for its long cold winter’s nap.

They couldn't do this in the winter, the river would be frozen silly

20. What is the best fall holiday?
Thanksgiving.

To Recap:
Q is not asleep right now
Yes, it is after 11:00 pm
That is 2300 to you military types
Still no solid job prospects
I am starting to get a bit downtrodden about the whole jobless thing
I have some design work going on right now, but not enough to make a career out of
Especially since most of it is gratis and the rest is at wholesale hourly rates
Listening to Q play with toys that should be idle right now

20 Questions Tuesday: 145 - BACON!

2009-09-08T22:43:00.002-05:00

This weekend Q decided that she wanted to eat some turkey bacon… as I stated in the recap from yesterday, I feel kind of like a fraud, but she is just a baby and should not be consuming that amount of pork fat as a part if her diet… the fat and the nitrates, God Lord the nitrates! Those things are bad for you.

Thanks this week go to Belsum, Nadolny, Chris Corrigan, and Some Other Guy. On to the questions:

1. I’m currently enjoying a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. Are you jealous?
YES! I had Frosted Mini Wheats... very un-baconny

2. A friend of mine has a saying, “Bacon makes everything better.” I guess there’s no question here. It’s obviously true. Just thought I’d share her wisdom with you.
She is a wise woman

3. A friend of mine knitted a bacon scarf. How cool is that?
That is really pretty darn cool.

4. Why doesn’t bacon come standard on burgers at all fast food joints? Wouldn’t it be easier for the one or two nutjobs that don’t want it to just request “hold the bacon”?
I have often wondered why bacon was not standard, it is almost a vegetable it goes with so much. Here is the key if the food I am buying typically comes with ketchup, ranch, or cheese, the restaurant in question should assume bacon is standard unless otherwise stated.

5. Canadian Bacon/Back Bacon, while delicious, isn’t actually bacon. Is it delicious enough to be allowed to retain the name of “bacon”?
It is versatile enough and tasty enough, so I say, “Yes”

6. Bacon blowtorch article: check it out and comment!
I saw the popular mechanics article about the “Bacon Lance” (a name that any self-respecting porn producer has already tried to patent). Pure oxygen + Bacon = heat, means that almost 21% oxygen + bacon = love.

7. Bac-Os Bits. Are they really bacon or just pieces of salt dyed brown and formed into chunks to look like bacon?
Bac-Os Bits are an abomination and I will not discuss their vileness here.

8. In the wilds, what other animal do you imagine would taste like pig? (Boars are an unacceptable answer as they are just wild feral pigs.)
Umm… I do believe it is the hippo… or so I am told that they taste like bacon…. When cured… and smoked

9. BLT for dinner, lunch or breakfast?
I don’t so much like the lettuce, so anytime is perfect. I mean toast tomatoes and bacon could describe any number of mealtimes.

10. Why does a 10 cent piece of bacon cost $5 for an order of two slices at Bob Evans or the breakfast place of your choosing?
It is all about convenience. How much do they charge for dry toast?

11. Why is back bacon called Canadian bacon? Don't American pigs have backs?
My guess is that it is healthier, much like Canadians. American pigs do have backs, but much like Americans they also have bigger bellies.

12. Is fatback technically bacon? And knowing about it, will it make SRH want to visit Newfoundland, they survive for 8 months out of the year on that stuff?
Fatback is close to bacon, but not quite bacon. It is good for rendering into soups and red beans and rice and such, but one cannot stack it on a sandwich. Fatback is like the kissing cousin to bacon.

13. How long is it safe to keep bacon in the fridge?
If you have to worry about that you are un-American and should be forcibly expatriated … NAY! Exiled, never to return, as soon as possible. Bacon should never “go bad” in the fridge! It should never have the opportunity!

14. What do you do with bacon fat?
We offer it to whatever gods will take it as an offering in exchange for our cholesterol counts being lowered… if we aren’t making soup.

15. Do you like your bacon dry and crisp or still a little floppy?
I like it on the edge of crisp, but not all dried out, but I would rather have the bacon a bit on the floppy side instead of all dried out and stuff.

16. What ever happened to Sizzlean?
I have no idea. That stuff wasn’t too bad… it wasn’t too good, but It wasn’t too bad

17. Sir Francis Bacon died a poor man after holding a large number of titles in England under Elizabeth I and James I, what’s up with that?
He cooked too long and went from floppy to crisp to dry and brittle. I used Inductive reasoning to come to that conclusion

18. Wendy’s “Baconator?” Umm… what does “To Baconate” mean exactly?
Ummm to put lots of bacon on something? I personally feel that you can use “Bacon” as a verb without the “ate” suffix. Contextual clues let the participant in the conversation know that “bacon” is a verb in the instance without hitting someone over the head with a club. For example, the sentence “Baconate that burger” does not flow as nicely as “Bacon that burger.” It is overkill.

19. How do you know when bacon is done?
You just have to watch it like a hawk. It goes from being almost perfect to ruined in a second.

20. Bacon?
Why, thank you, yes.

To recap:
It is late and I am getting ready for bed soon
Little Man loves him some kindergarten
Had the mini meatloaf from the Cooks Illustrated Skillet Cookbook for dinner tonight
Even without bacon, it was awe inspiring
US versus T&T in World Cup Qualifying tomorrow night
Let's get this done, Yanks!
Since tomorrow is a Wednesday, I will most likely not post anything
I just haven’t been posting on Wednesday’s as of late
Listening to Ain’t No Rest of the Wicked by Cage the Elephant

12 Things

2009-09-07T21:27:00.004-05:00

So, yesterday was mine and Wifey's 12th anniversary. Yep we are working on a baker's dozen in matrimony. So today is 12 things about our marriage.

Thing the First:
You always have my back... even when you are dragging me kicking and screaming... I am not sure how you do it, yet you do do it.... I said "do do."

Thing the Second:
Our musical tastes have converged over time... don't get me wrong she still is all about Ani DiFranco and I still listen to Tool, but there are waaaaay more similarities now

Thing the Third:
Only since Q was born have we had "assigned" sides to the bed. When we kick Q out of the bed, I imagine those assignments will be done with as well.

Thing the Fourth:
I cook and she bakes... I can whip things up in the kitchen, but she is much better at the measured success that is necessary for baking.

Thing the Fifth:
Sorry, Capt McArmypants, but you were supplanted as my best friend soon after Wifey and I started dating.

Thing the Sixth:
Our marriage has so far outlived one of the marriage cats.

Rest in Peace, Lenny

Thing the Seventh:
Since being married we have lived in 3 different places all within about 5 blocks of each other.

Thing the Eighth:
She likes to bathe in the evening and I like to shower in the morning... that worked great until we had kids, no the bathing is catch as we can.

Thing the Ninth:
We have reached a tipping point in the marriage, from no one we will have been married with kids longer than without kids. Yikes!

Thing the Tenth:
I really feel like it is only going to get better. We are on the cusp of greater stuff, babe!

Thing the Eleventh:
Little Man and Q are the best things ever.

Thing the Twelfth:
I am the luckiest bastard ever, and there are throngs, throngs I tell you, of people willing to corroborate that story.

To recap:
Q seems to like the turkey bacon
I feel kind of like I am betraying bacon
I'm sorry bacon, you just have too much un-health in you
This post was harder than I thought it would be
It is difficult to come up with 12 things about a relationship, that aren't just about the partner
Listening to Tainted Love by Soft Cell... on purpose

Digital Thursday

2009-09-03T15:04:00.005-05:00

20 Questions Tuesday: 144 - Kindergarten

2009-09-01T20:35:00.003-05:00

Little Man is in kindergarten, so I figured it would be a good time to set up the venerable topic that is Kindergarten as the topic for today’s 20 Questions Tuesday. I was right because I get 20 questions rather quickly today.

Thanks this week go to Lsig, John P, Sparky, and Capt McArmypants (you will know his question by the bitter taste they leave in your mouth). On to the questions!...

1. Full day or half day? Which do you think is better for kids?
Orange cream-sicles, but I will expound upon that more later.

2. What is your best memory of kindergarten?
We used to have movie afternoons on Friday afternoon. Sometimes it was those crappy single slide animation crap with the really bad audio, but occasionally it was a film that they broke out the projector for.

3. What is your worst memory of kindergarten? Is it worse than mine of vomiting mac and cheese two inches from Ben, the boy I liked?
Hmm... Worst memory. I have tried mightily to repress those memories, and I am afraid that if I scratch the surface I will... oh, God... the horror! The Horror..... ummm, where was I? Oh, yes. The dropping of the Valentine’s Day cupcakes.

4. Who had a worse time of it on his first day- you or Wifey?
I had a worse day on the day of, but Wifey did her mourning the night before.

5. Where on Earth did the time go?
I have no idea, but I really wish I did.

6. Why is nap time phased out as we get older? I could sure use a scheduled break like that in my day!
I think nap time should not be wasted on those who do not appreciate it.

7. Does Little Man have a lunch box or am I totally out of touch with the new generation? I had a rocking $6 million man box and then a pretty neat KISS one.
He has a Speed Racer lunchbox (actually a soft sided insulated bag, and not a metal box with the potential to rust... Why Star Wars lunch box?!?! Why?!?!? that an 8 year old friend of his gave him... I am not sure it was a practical joke or not.... That movie was horrible.

8. Do Kindergartners still use the fat pencils or am I again dating myself? (maybe they get their own wireless mouse now)
I think you are dating yourself a bit. The school Little Man is at currently is trying to get Smartboards in all of the classrooms.

9. Is back to school shopping going to be a big deal in your household or just a low key "here you go" event?
It was a big event for everyone other than Little Man. He could not give a rat’s ass about what we were doing. It was taking him away from his playtime with his airplanes!

10. Hmmm SRH directing the local PTA our country is doomed!! Anyway if you are in charge is it appropriate to call the parents and their children your minions?
I have no aspirations of PTA dominance, but if I did they would most definitely be considered my minions.

11. What is Little Man’s K schedule – 5 full days, 5 half days, etc.?
He goes Monday through Friday from 8:50 to 3:25.

12. First impression of his teacher….
She seems nice enough. Word on the street is that she is awesome, but I will believe that after I have done my own diagnostics.

13. Who was your first friend in Kindergarten? Tell your devoted blog readers a little bit about Kindergarten SRH and his friend (insert name here).
It is hard to tell, I am sure Capt. McArmypants remembers who my friends were in K, but I do not. I did K through 2 in one school and 3 through 6 in another (of which I remember waaaay more) then I hooked back up with the first school system when I went to 7th grade. I honestly do not remember much from K.

14. Did Little Man get a special after-school treat to celebrate surviving his first day?
Nope, should he have? Wifey and I had vodka straight after we left him there for the cruel cruel world to beat him down...

15. What made the biggest impression on Little Man during his first day? (For Jack, it was all about the bus ride.)
"The cafeteria is also the gym, they just put the tables away when they use it as a gym." That is all we could get out of him after day 1.

16. So how come some kids get orange cream-sicles while everybody else has to eat crappy old fudge popsicles? I mean what up with that?
Let’s be clear there was only one kindergartner that got an orange cream-sicle, and that was me. I was allergic to chocolate and would break out in hives if I ate any. someone seems to hold that grudge against me on fudge popsicle day, yet conveniently forgets that I got some hideous graining red frosting on my birthday celebration cupcakes.

17. What was your favorite kindergarten memory? Most peculiar?
Orange cream-sicles... you can suck it, McArmypants! I got the orange cream-sicles that were orange on the outside with vanilla on the inside! Not even the crappy orange things where the vanilla is mixed in with the orange... as for the second part... Greg T. always throwing up in his lunchbox and then calmly closing it up like nothing had happened. I swear he did that at least 2 times a week.

18. Was it hard to adjust to dealing with all those other kids? Were you properly socialized or was it all pretty scary that first day?
I don’t remember it being all too difficult, but I had seen my big brother in school and just kind of expected that to be my fate as well.

19. So good ole Timmy C! What ever happened to that kid? I mean after the 2nd year of hysterical crying on the first day until his mom came and got him do you really think it is fair to bring him back to the same school? I mean how could he ever get a fair-shake after that?.......... I mean if he was NOT a hysterical nut bar or somehow overcame his hysterical nutbar tendencies.
Wow, the only kid I remember who locked himself in a car and cried hysterically. I remember laughing my ass about the locked in a car incident in the old construction tire play ground they had.

20. So the concept that Ms. Hale was like 10 years younger than you are now is kinda freaky huh?
Ow, that actually hurts a bit. I had not even thought about that. Man, I am old.

To Recap:
Kindergarten was a looong time ago
I am old
Today he drew at least 3 pictures of airplanes
This new obsession is hampered by his lack of understanding concerning enumeration districts and political boundaries
For example:
Little Man: How long would it take to fly from Ohio to Columbus?
Me: Ummm... Columbus is in Ohio
LM: How long a flight would it be?
Me: Dude (I love calling him “dude”), I am telling you, we live in Ohio.
LM: (frustrated and yelling a bit) NO!!! HOW LONG FROM OHIO TO HERE?!?!
Me: 0 minutes.
Listening to the fan in Q’s room

3 Things

2009-08-31T20:50:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I didn't post at all last week. Big deal. I had nothing to say anyway...

So since the week before last I am sure you think that there have been at least 3 things that have occurred. You are partially right. There have been more than three things, but, due to my lack of mental acuity, I will be hard pressed to remember 3.

Thing the First: I had to drop someone off my friends list in Facebook. "Whaaaaat?" you ask with you mouth agape and knuckles on the floor. Firstly, The guy was someone who graduated the year before me from my high school in Alabama, and well, I am not quite sure what his take on Facebook was all about. And secondly, You seem more troglodytic than would have thought. "Mouth agape and knuckles on the floor," you should evolve enough to be ashamed of yourself.

Anyhoo... I feel that maybe I should mention my own Facebook etiquitte. You see, to me, "friends" on Facebook are the equivalent of people I might recognize on the street or have some passing knowledge of on the Internets. If I recognize the name and I get a friend invite, I will most likely accept. It is no skin off my back and typically It is something that doesn't really get in the way. Sure there are people in real life whom I have "friended" in Facebook yet don't want to EVER speak to face to face, but that is the beauty of Facebook. It means absolutely nothing.

So, I am sure you are wondering why I would "defriend" someone on Facebook. Well, I didn't think I had any reason to do that until this guy. Now I know that I am not going to agree politically with everyone I have ever met in real life and digitally, and, furthermore, I am not some naif waif that thinks that all smart people think like I do. So it doesn't really bother me when FB friends spout something political with which I don't necessarily agree. The issue is that this guy was using his status setting to link to internets articles that agreed with his particular political viewpoints... about every 5 minutes. I just got tired of reading his status updates. That and he ate babies. Seeing as how I am currently in possession of a baby, I felt that I should not associate with him anymore, even this cursorily.

Thing the Second: We got new family portraits done. That is for Digital Thursday, bitches!

Thing the Third: Today was Little Man's first day of the Kindergarten. It was a rough day on Mama and Papa, but Little Man did not seem any worse for the wear. He is kind of a cold fish that way. No one can prepare you as a parent for the conflicting emotions that occur whenever there is a threshold event in your child's life. Needless to say, Mama and Papa are both very proud of how far Little Man has come, but we are also devastatingly aware that he is no longer our baby boy.

To recap:
Disney bought out Marvel Comics
Don't know whether the Mouse owning Spiderman is a good thing or a bad thing
I think these temporary breaks from the blog are good
I am still jobless, but at least I have some small contract work to keep me moving
I will divulge more about that as the product gets stronger
But not until then...
20 Questions Tuesday is up again tomorrow
listening to The Outsider by A Perfect Circle

Darn Baby

2009-08-13T01:05:00.000-05:00

Darn baby won't go to sleep

20 Questions Tuesday: 143 - Sleep

2009-08-11T22:40:00.003-05:00

Here it is a Tuesday evening again and I have to crank out this whole 20 Questions Tuesday thing before midnight is upon us and my PC turns into a pumpkin. The topic for this week’s 20QTues is near an dear to my heart. The topic is “sleep,” the productive form of procrastination.

Thanks this week go to Formerly Named Lord Pithy, ACW, Sparky, Popo, Lsig, Belsum, and Dr B-Dawg. On to the questions!

1. Do you believe dreams use symbology to provide prophetic hints of the future, or just random firings of synapses that our unconscious tries to weave into a logical story?
I believe that both exist and are used, but I do not necessarily believe that the more prophetic dreams are due to some divine hand so much as ripples and folds in the fourth dimension.

2. If the world is the creation of a sleeping god, and the alarm clock is set to 12-21-12, what do you suppose the chances are of hitting the snooze button?
If it is an alarm clock then indeed a snooze button will be smacked. Which means we have probably about six snooze cycles before the sleeping god absolutely HAS to get up.

3. In a perfect world, would you rather sleep all day and party all night, or own a flying horse?
Flying horse, provided I was able to sleep some.

4. Long pajama bottoms tend to twist around my legs and give me claustrophobic dreams. What gives you nightmares?
Well, you and your pajamas… but not as much as you sans pajamas…

5. I heard tequila was a good sleep aid – if it doesn’t work on the kids and should work on the parents. Thoughts?
Whiskey-dryl is the “medicine” of choice in Chez SRH

6. Do you fall asleep reading, watching TV or listening to music?
Sometimes watching TV.

7. Does Little Man still get a bedtime story? Do you read to Q?
Little Man still gets some stories and we need to add a bedtime story to Q’s routine.

8. Where’s the strangest place you’ve fallen asleep because you’re just so darn tired?
Hmmm… uh… at my keyboard.

9. What thoughts keep you awake at night?
Vampire bears

10. Did anyone accurately convey to you (before you were parents) just how much parenthood would REDACTED FOR VIOLENT PROFANITY with your ability to sleep, whenever, without interruption, for as long as you’d like? People tried to tell me, oh they tried, but I didn’t get it.
There are not words in the human experience that will prepare someone for that level of sleep debt.

11. Equally as frustrating as a baby who doesn’t sleep through the night is a preschooler who won’t stay in bed once I’ve put her to bed…agree/disagree? Discuss?
I disagree because the toddler eventually does embrace the sweet caress of Morpheus (at least ours did, not the Lawrence Fishborne Matrix Morpeus either)

12. Why can’t I sleep for a few nights then pass out for 15-20 hours, then rinse and repeat??? Can one actually “catch-up” on sleep???
One can “catch-up” on sleep, but to my knowledge one can not “store-up” sleep.

13. What time is bedtime at the SRH/Wifey homestead? Do you and Wifey have set sides of the bed or do you have a rotation?
Wifey is usually asleep by 10 pm and I nod off around 1:30 or 2 AM. At the moment we do have assigned places on the bed, but when there are not wee ones ion bed with us, that is not necessarily the case.

14. Which do you prefer- a long sleep at night, or shorter nighttime sleep and then a nap?
I prefer to combine the 2 giving me a long sleep at night (or early morning to late morning) and a nice nap.

15. What are your optimal sleep conditions?
Cool with thunderstorms in the background… a rare occurrence.

16. Of all the people you know, who likes sleeping the most? (I suspect I know the answer or at least someone near the top of your list).
Ksig… I have never met someone else who gets angry at the world for ending his sleep.

17. Do androids dream of electric sheep?
I tried to find a good Bladerunner quote about sleep but none really jumped out at me.

18. Seems like everybody has some sort of sleep disorder these days. What gives? Didn’t it used to just be called “snoring”?
Just because it was not diagnosed does not mean it was not a named condition. Remember people used to die mysteriously from some ailment that later was revealed to be a treatable disease to modern medicine.

19. Why do people say “sleep like a baby” when they mean having a restful full night’s sleep? Babies don’t actually sleep like that.
I have wondered that myself. A bunch as I have to rock my screaming baby to sleep.

20. When the kids sneak into bed, do they announce their arrival or do they sneak in like ninjas?
Little Man is a ninja

To recap:
It is late and I am tired
But I have work that I must get done
I am not sure why so many people that I didn’t really know in Alabama are “friending” in Facebook
Number 1: I don’t really know you
Number 2: I am not of a similar world view because I have moved beyond
Number 3: Yes, I just made a value judgement
Number 4: It was a pot shot at the conservative ethos in Alabama
‘Bout to have to “un-friend” some folk
Still jobless in Columbus
Perseid meteor shower tonight and tomorrow night
Listening to Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes

3 Things

2009-08-10T22:08:00.003-05:00

So I did not post much last week. You can blame "those darn kids." They have not been sleeping as well as they should in the places that they should during the times that they should. In effect, they are sleeping like kids.

anywhoo... 3 things to chat about since last I posted.

Thing the First:
Things have changed with Little Man. He asked us to pack up his trains and put them in the basement so that he could have room for his air plane toys. He now is trainless with 2 airports and 8 airplanes. It is amazing that the trains have been usurped. He has been devotedly playing with trains since he was 1.5 years old. He is now six so for 75% of his life he has been all about the trains and now he has moved on. I am not sure what to think of this. My thoughts or not, it shows that the Little Man is growing up whether we want him to or not.

Thing the Second:
It seems that most of the jobs that would be in my experience range and pay scale in the GIS community now require one to have a security clearance prior to applying for the position. The catch 22 of this is that to get a security clearance one must already have a job that requires a security clearance. Damn catch 22's.

Things the Third:
I love me some Strawberry Frosted Pop Tarts... but not those low-fat abominations

To recap:
I need to go to bed soon
Wifey has an early day tomorrow
That means I have an early day tomorrow
Because the kids will get up and I will not be able to con them into sleeping longer
Darn kids
Listening to the soft 'tack, tack, tack," of my keyboard as I type

20 Questions Tuesday: 142 - Geography

2009-08-04T22:46:00.002-05:00

First off let me apologize about not posting yesterday. The 2 ½ of you who read my blog were probably wondering, “Hey, what up wit dat?” Okay I think you should stop speaking in slang in your head. No good can come of that. Anyway… we had a bad baby last night who did not want to go to sleep. Cut to SRH rocking a baby from 11 to 12:30 after Wifey gave it go earlier. Bad baby.

Secondly, let’s get the ball rolling for this week’s 20 Questions Tuesday topic, Geography. Thanks this week go to Popo, ACW, Belsum, John P, and Some Other Guy.

On to the Questions:
1. Why when I tell people that I graduated with degree in geography do they assume I will be the ultimate trivia team mate and think I know where EVERYTHING is? AND know all the countries/states/capitals/physical features/etc…? It is ANNOYING!
I think people don’t realize that there is more to the study of geography than the memorization of places, because that is what they studied in there intro geography classes. For those of you wondering geography is the study of how memorized places interact with each other.

2. Why do they always give me an almost disgusted face when I tell them that I don’t know any of that? It is kind of like twisting that knife in my back… just to make sure they make me feel even more stupid for getting the degree in it?
I think that face is because they know they wasted a trivia spot on you. Really, it is all because you are letting them down in a crucial moment... You disgust me

3. Should I have majored in business instead?
Probably

4. Why GEO-graphy and not TERRA-graphy?
Terra sounds too much like “terror” and no one wants to study Terrorgraphy… Honestly, I am not sure why geo got the nod over terra except (if I had to hazard a guess) “geo-“ means “earth” as in “landmass” and “terra-“ means “earth” as in “dirt.”

5. Early maps were all honked up – why didn’t they use LANDSAT to get them right?
Good use of the technical term “Honked.” The first of the LANDSAT series of satellites was not launched until 1972. If you know of an egregious map foul committed post 1972, you have a case.

6. Did you ever study the map Long John Silver’s had on their walls when waiting to order? Pretty cool maps BTW
You had to wait in line at Long John Silvers? I have never had to do that in my life.

7. What is your favorite region, one you would go back to first if you had the chance?
I love the Rocky Mountains. Any chance I get to go there is a good thing.

8. How did the conversation go when it was first theorized that Appalachia was the same mountain range as he Scottish Highlands?
Look there are Hill-jacks in West Virginia and in Scotland… I think they may be related. You can hear both the hill-jack twang and a Scottish burr saying, “Are you chewing on rocks or fighting with me. Either way you’re losing teeth.”

9. Who named Pangaea and what other names were in the running that didn’t make the cut?
One person did not come up with the term “Pangaea.” That is clearly the result of group think at its finest. Other names in the running were Omniterrus, Geouniversus, and Englebert Humperdink. Let's be clear though, this is more of a geology question than a geography question.

10. Why are “whiteys” called “Caucasians?” I’m not Asian or Russian
Because of the fairer skin of the barbarous tribes found north of the Mediterranean Sea and west of the Caucus Mountains. Personally I am found of Caucazoidal.

11. For that matter, why does Europe get to be a continent when clearly it is part of Asia?
Because Europeans first made the list of continents and if there is one thing the Euros can do it is be self-important. Let's be clear though, we do that better. If the US were around when continents were being named there wouldn't be any of this North America/South America crap, it would be America, and then numbers for the other continents.

12. The Vikings and the Chinese came to North America long before the Spanish and the Italians did. Why didn’t they stay?
The Vikings tried but those damn Screelings pushed them off of Newfoundland. I am not sure what was up with the Chinese. I guess at the time they were not feeling very expansionist.

13. What is the weirdest geographic name/location you have ever visited?
Shortest city name in the US: Op, Alabama.

14. What are your GPS Coordinates right now?
I am only giving details to the minute… I am afraid of missiles. 40° 01’ N, 83° 00’ W

15. What are my GPS Coorinates right now? If you answer correctly I am adding an extra layer of Reynold’s Wrap!!
I am guessing that you are at 45° 47’ N, 108° 30’ at the moment. I could dial it in a bit closer than that, but I am sure you are afraid of missiles as well.

16. Shouldn’t the government run a “cash for clunker” globe program? I have some seriously out-dated orbs collecting dust.
They would run out of money for that program too. And what would the government want to do with all those globes with Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Burma, and Zaire?

17. Can Little Man point out the great state of Ohio on a map? With parents like you, I would imagine he is quite the worldly fellow.
He can usually pick out Ohio.

18. What the hell is geo-caching?
Orienteering without the difficulty.

19. How many states have you been to?
33

20. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
I am going to need some clues, but my bet is Paris, France.

To Recap:
I have been using the word “carapace” a bunch lately
As in: What is that on Q’s chin?
It appears to be half a bug carapace.
Still no job prospects
I am hungry
Little Man named tonight’s dinner “I Like That”
Wifey thinks that name is quite appropriate
Listening to the dulcet tones of me typing on Wifey’s dying laptop while she is typing on her new MacBook and Q is lightly snoring
Ah Tuesday nights…

Digital Thursday

2009-07-30T14:51:00.003-05:00

Today’s Digital Thursday is to show you how I need the digital medium to make my traditional work look better.

First up is the actual hand-drawn piece that I did for the most recent Ten Ton Studios Sketch Challenge of Iron Fist.

It is not bad, but it is a departure from my “normal” “style.” I decided to go very minimalist on it to see if I could get the shapes right.

Second up is the digital assist on my linework.

I did 3 things on this digital assist.

Thing 1: I added the blue stripes for visual interest
Thing 2: I corrected the body proportions on Iron Fist. He was a bit torso short in the original
Thing 3: I did some minor color correction

To recap:
I feel that I am okay in the traditional art realm
I feel I am better when I can assist myself digitally
I have things I need to get done this weekend
But I also have things that will keep me from getting all those things done
I threw in half a Power Man for free
I just spent $78 at Blick Art Materials
It is a good thing I had a $50 gift card
Listening to Great DJ by the Ting Tings
Have a great weekend everyone

Nature Abhors a Vacuum and So Do I: 1

2009-07-29T22:37:00.001-05:00

Nature abhors a vacuum and so do I.

One of the things I hate about vacuums is the difficulty in truly describing them. The dictionary gives the definition of “a space that is entirely devoid of matter,” but that gets into some tricky definitions of “entirely devoid” and “matter” especially when you start looking at light as both a particle and a wave.

In essence when one is describing a vacuum (the physics kind not the Electrolux kind) one is ostensibly describing an area of nothing. We all know how tricky describing nothing can be.

“A space that is entirely devoid of matter?”

Firslty, “a space”
How do you define the space? Is there a boundary where on one side there is something and on the other there isn’t? What is the interface of that boundary look like. Where do the molecules of something intermingle on the edges of the nothing… and if they are intermingling, doesn’t that mélange of something and nothing create a soup of kinda something?

Secondly, “entirely devoid”
“Entirely” means “wholly” or “completely” and “devoid” means “empty” or “missing.” So let’s parse this out a bit as well. “Wholly empty” is an odd set of terms. There is an idea that emptiness could be broken down into pieces otherwise the terms “entirely,” “wholly,” and “completely” are unnecessary. Why would one need to give that modifier if “nothing” is not divisible? The definitional nuances associated with “devoid,” “empty,” and “missing” could take days to talk about.

Thirdly, “matter”
I don’t want to get into the higher dimensionality of some of the sub-atomic/quantum physics particles to really talk about the make up of matter, but iffens y’all want me to go all quantum on this bitch, I will ask Dr B Dawg to lay down some slick physics lines, since his doctorate is in the Physics, yo. Anyone? Anyone?... Good, I didn’t think anyone wanted that. Let’s just agree to say that “matter” is not a simple matter.

As you can see, merely looking at a vacuum definitionally causes one to abhor it just like nature.

To recap:
I bet some of you are wishing the Yeti would email me antagonizing emails again
I do not control the Yeti and I have chosen the vacuum to be my favored enemy now
I get +1 to all dice rolls against a vacuum
I will whip something up for Digital Thursday tomorrow
I am starting this recap with too many “I” statements
I did it again, Crap!
Listening to Obey the Groove by No More Kings

20 Questions Tuesday: 141 - Vacations

2009-07-28T22:28:00.003-05:00

When someone goes on a vacation for more than 4 days it is difficult for that person to not make things about, compare things to, and generally focus on his vacation. Therefore, today’s 20 Questions Tuesday is about vacations.

Thanks this week go to: lsig, Dr Clean, Belsum, John P, Capt McArmypants, Nadolny, and Zinger Zapper. Onto the questions:

1. True or False: The Go-Go's "Vacation" is the best vacation song ever.
True

2. Why is it that work and home maintenance problems always seem to hit critical mass during vacation, so you have even worse problems to deal with when you get back?
It is the way that co-workers and neighbors get back at you for having “fun.” Those 2 groups are a petty lot.

3. Are vacations with young children really vacations? Which is preferable, vacation with kids or without?
Yes, they are really vacations, but they take more effort and planning. I think both vacations with kids and without kids are necessary, so at different times they are both preferable.

4. My husband likes to totally relax during vacations, whereas I see them as opportunities to see and do different things from what is normally available, as much as possible. Where do you fall on the activity/no activity spectrum of vacations?
I lean more towards the “do different things” on the spectrum, but I would say that I am pretty much in the middle of the road for those extremes

5. “Are we there yet?”
Not much further now…

6. What is your definition of a successful vacation?
If fun was had.

7. Should you come back from vacation tanned, rested and ready or worn out from your adventures?
Yes.

8. Where would you go in the world if you had $10k and two weeks?
Hmmm… 10K and 14 days? Can one travel for less than $725 a day?

9. Do you do laundry while you’re on vacation or pack enough to wear something clean each day you’re gone?
This time we planned to do some laundry. It was okay-ish-ly effective, since we were out of country for 8 days laundry seemed the best avenue.

10. Do you prefer to sight-see or try to live like a local?
Since we have recently been traveling with food allergic kids there is a certain amount of living locally that we are forced to do. But we also like to catch the attractions as well.

11. How many days does it take you to recover once you get home?
I will let you know when I have.

12. Staycation: obnoxious or good idea?
Staycations are a good idea if you can truly remove yourself from the typical. If you still answer emails and the like, are you really vacating your everyday life?

13. Are people that bring their pets with them nuts?
Certifiably.

14. Any preference of the Vacation movie series: Vacation, European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, or Vegas Vacation?
I am partial to Christmas Vacation.

15. Why do we go on vacation and Europeans go on Holiday? Happy Hols!
I am not sure, but the Canadians still refer to the experience as Holiday as well.

16. Any memorable childhood vacations?
Only three that I can really think of. The first was when I was 10 we went to Colorado. The second was when I was 12 and my soccer team went to the Bobby Charlton School of ~~Soccer~~ Football. The third was when I was 13 and we went to Disney World.

17. What do you do or treat yourself to on vacation that you normally don't otherwise?
Hookers and blow.

18. What is the ideal amount of time for a vacation?
6 days

19. Do you dread going back to work the morning of work, the night before or last day of vacation while returning home?
I think you may have forgotten THAT I AM UNEMPLOYED, YOU INSENITIVE JERK!!!

20. What would be your ideal vacation family spot? What would be your ideal vacation spot when it is just you and Wifey? What would be your ideal get away for a weekend "bachelor" type vacation?
The mountains but within 30 minutes of some civilization for food allergy reasons. The mountains but within 30 minutes of some civilization for amenity reasons. The mountains but within 30 minutes of some civilization for convenience reasons.
+++++++++BONUS 2 QUESTIONS+++++++++

21. Have you ever had so much fun on vacation that you've had to destroy the photographic evidence so your children would never know (for both you and Wifey)?
Until we had a digital camera, we really did not take many pics on vacation… so no. What kind of vacations were you going on?

22. Are you a trip taker (itinerary planned) or vacationer (relaxing and fun by the seat of your pants)?
Wifey and I both tend to be very fluid with our vacations with only loose itineraries that we think about. We have a loose outline that is not binding in any way, shape, or form.

To Recap:
Okay, that is going to be it about the vacation
Here is Little Man on his 6th birthday

At Rissers Beach

Okay, THAT was the last thing about the vacation
Listening to Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners by the Foo Fighters

Vacation

2009-07-27T22:22:00.001-05:00

The problem with posting to my blog in the evening is that I am rather burnt out by the time I get around to typing anything. All day long ideas float through my head about what I should post about, but they flit though my consciousness like a good metaphor that you cannot remember. (How is that for meta-metaphoring?)

Anywho… I am back in good old Central Ohio and happily sleeping in my own bed. The place that the fam stayed was a nice place, but, truth be told, the beds were meant to be slept on for only 3 days in a row. Everything after 3 seemed to cause mighty back aches in myself and Wifey.

This being a Monday, I feel I should invoke a number of “things” to mention to my 3 loyal readers since I have been doing “3 Things” and “4 Things” posts on Mondays for a while, but I have decided to askew that tradition and just give a quick wrap-up on the vacation that was.

The family and I went to the South Coast of Nova Scotia and stayed just east of picturesque Mahone Bay at Oak Island Resort. For the first 4 days or so, Wifey was earning the money while I school-marmed the kids. This school-marming included going to multiple grocery stores in search of allergen free foods and keeping the kids in general good spirits until Wifey could release her shackles of employed obligation and join the family on our Nova Scotian “Holiday.”

So on Wednesday afternoon with a full compliment of Family we went to Lunenburg (or Lunenverg as Little Man liked to call it) for dinner. Between that Wednesday afternoon and Sunday Morning we went to a small little beach with a friend’s kids (some of the pics from last post), the Ovens (sea caves), 2 hours of Splash Bomb with TheMikeStand and his kids (the final score was something like kids = 40 and dads = bunny, needless to say the kids won the 24th Oak Island Urn), a birthday trip for Little Man (who is now 6) on the Historic LeHave Cable Ferry, some time at Rissers Beach, and some hanging out the fam we saw on Thursday. In a word, it was awesome.

To recap:
Had a great time, but glad to be back home
Gone for 8 days and there were only 2 voicemails on the home phone
1 was a paid political announcement
We are just not that popular
Only 2 voicemails on my cell phone
1 was from my mom
I am just not that popular
20 Questions Tuesday is back tomorrow
Listening to the near constant hum of the baby monitor

Digital Thursday

2009-07-23T21:54:00.009-05:00

In honor of Digital Thursday, I am just posting pics of the vacation. Most are from today. There will be no recap.

Have a great weekend everyone.

2nd Dinner?

2009-07-22T19:45:00.002-05:00

I just tried to talk with Wifey and Q started to rouse. This is the big problem of living in a hotel room with your kids. There is no opportunity for conversation about how the vacation should be going in the evening when both kids are supposed to be sleeping. To get that kind of separation we would need two rooms, and even when I was working with a paycheck we could not afford a 2 room suite.

The night time is the time when Wifey and I are typically able to de-brief about the days events in the night time. That is the time when we become a unified team and an unassailable front. Sadly, we have not had that opportunity this entire international endeavor. Hopefully tomorrow night we can have that time.

It looks like the fam will have 2, count them, 2 international play dates. Tomorrow we will potentially be building sandcastles with one of Wifey’s friends and his 2 kids. Does he have a name? Of course he does... there are those who call him Tim.

Then on Friday it looks like the Family of SRH will be spending some time with Famiglia del TheMikeStand for some awesome Lunenburg action.

Through out this entire entry writing process Little Mna has been complaining about not being able to get to sleep. Keep in mind that he has tried nothing and is all out of ideas, so don’t feel too bad for him.

To recap:
The whole family is now awake and eating a new dinner
Except for me
Now I feel hungry though Listening to the 3 of them smack their lips like hyenas on the Serengeti
I could eat a gnu
Or even a wildebeast