Breakfasts past

If there's one thing that I love, it's breakfast cereals. Here are 3 of my all time faves:

Remember when...

Personal responsibility and parental guidance meant something?
Those were the days.

Fight the future

OK, life imitating art or ironic branding? You be the judge:

Cyberdyne

Skynet

I, for one, bow to our new robotic overlords.

Oh shit

5 scientific reasons a zombie apocalypse could actually happen.


The only good news being, if any of these reasons come to pass, we've got some time to prepare.

Considered for dismissal Vol 2

Once again it's time to submit parking ticket appeals. Nothing quite as amusing as my first post, but I thought I'd share a few anyhow.

providing medically necessary services. - Ticket for Resident parking. Appeal is short and to the point.

...patient had begun to feel nauseated and soon began vomitting, some of which contained bright red blood... -Ticket for unpaid meter. Umm, TMI???

I was called to a patients home for an emergency situation and attempted to find resident parking but there was none available. - Ticket for resident parking. I'm not sure why she's appealing, since apparently she went out of her way to look for resident parking.

I was going to visit a pt who was discharged from hosp and needed medication and needed to be seen and admission. - Ticket for street cleaning. Nice use of the run on sentence, bonus points for verbing a noun.

When I parked meter said out of order. I put money in the meter but it did not register and still said out of order. When I returned to the car the meter no longer said out of order. -Ticket for unpaid meter. Obviously someone was fucking with her. I really like the fact that she put money in the meter despite the out of order notice. Like it's a freaking slot machine, and she might just get lucky.

Well, kids, that's all I have for today.

Holding out hope

Idiot me, still up past 11. I'm hot, sticky, tired and feeling under the weather. Cold? Allergy?
Don't know. Either way, I'm running ragged. There's an impressive line of thunderstorms marching this way, due in an hour or so. I was hoping to catch them.
Oh well, I'll either sleep through it, awaken and sleep less, or they'll miss as like usual.

Yeah, I know...

I'm sitting here covered in a thin layer of sweat. The house is sweltering, and I haven't even unpacked the fans or summer clothes yet.

More fool me. It's the beginning of June. A few weeks ago we had the heat on. Now it's 90 something.

Happy, happy. Joy, joy.

The chochotas strikes back

In the normal course of a day, I send roughly 20 some emails to various people asking them to complete, correct or re-do work. That's my job.

So the other day I noticed that both Rat-pizda and MD sent notes to the wrong clinician. I sent the following email to them:

I received a voice mail from CW this morning re: patient Joe Blow. CW received both an OASIS review and a Lock note for SOC visit of 5/22. However, CW did not admit this patient. CF did.Could you both please resend your notes to CF?
Thank you.

About 5 minutes later I received the following response from Rat-pizda:

Hi Chris, Just wanted to express how rude your manner is in this email. A simple Hi or good morning to start off an email wouldnt kill you to do so. Instead you start it off with an "I". We all get VM that dont belong to us. I got two yesterday for payer not showing up on cert creation which I helped both clinicians in doing so.
Im sure you wouldn't writer something like this to AMM or JH.
Plus it would of been easier for you to just forward the VM to MD and myself.
Have a nice day :)


Umm, OK. What the fuck, crazy bitch? That just about put me over the edge. I immediately forwarded her response to my manager, her manager, and the director of HR. Additionally, I filed an incident report.

I'm happy to report that the rabid little slit got in trouble, and was quite upset at the outcome. I don't think she expected to be called on the carpet. Ha ha!

Just now I got even better news... She just gave her two week notice. Oh, happy day.

Hell yeah!

I'm pretty sure Zack Snyder is gay. Regardless, I love the man. I want to fuck him.

Dumbass (n):

Gawker has a pretty amusing post about this tool.

You, sir, are a dumbass.

Toy of the week

GoBot Geeper Creeper

Sweet weeping eyeballs of joy

The Residents' bog announced an upcoming live performance in NYC this upcoming October. Color me excited.

"The Bunny Boy." New album? Don't know. However, Big Brother was nice enough to confirm that a tour is in the works, and Boston is being looked at, though no booking had been made as of yet.

Shit, I'll host a show in my back yard if need be. Seriously!

I'm a skin job

But a damn sexy one. Go figure.

Toy of the week

C-3P0 mask V2. I wish I still had the plastic aprons that comprised the costume part of these costumes.

Bed time stories

Credit where credit is due.

I got game

Thanks to the economic fellatio rebate, we've upgraded to an XBox 360. I just got back from Target with the Go Pro version (20GB external hard drive) and Lego Star Wars Saga. I'm on my way upstairs to hook this bad boy up.

What the.....?

Tonight, as I got Izzy ready for bed, I read her the Little Critter book "I Just Forgot." At one point, he is stating how he remembered to wash behind his ears in the tub, but he didn't forget to use soap. He just doesn't like it. Judging by the illustration, he also forgot his modesty:




Next time someone tells you you're hung like a critter, take it as a compliment.

Toy of the week

One of my first Star Wars costumes: C3P0

Tomorrow Never Knows

RIP Albert Hofmann.

Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream,
It is not dying, it is not dying

Lay down all thought, surrender to the void,
Is it shining? Is it shining?

That you may see the meaning of within
It is being, it is being

Love is all and love is everyone
Is it knowing? Is it knowing?

That ignorance and hate may mourn the dead
It is believing, it is believing

But listen to the colour of your dreams
Is it not living, is it not living

Or play the game "Existence" to the end
Of the beginning, of the beginning

Happy Birthday, Bluebird

My baby girl turns 2 tomorrow.

I told her when she was first born not to be in a hurry to gtow up.

She didn't listen.

Happy birthday, KG

36 years young today.

I love you, my dear friend.

That was easy

I forsook my real time viewing of BSG tonight for the opportunity to re-establish a long neglected connection.

And it was good.

I've missed hanging with Dude. We broke up years ago, and it's well past time that we rekindled that flame. We've grown older, perhaps not wiser. We have significant others and lives, but the kinship we shared is still there.

Plus, there's always whale cock to talk about.

Urban Legend? You be the judge

Here's the story as it was related to me:

Many years ago, two brothers inherited their father's house. The brothers were not on good terms, in fact they didn't speak to each other and wanted nothing to do with one another. They could not come to agreeable terms over the disposition of their father's house. Neither brother wanted to sell, nor did they wish to live together. Taking a cue from King Solomon, they did the only logical thing. They split the house in half.



I don't know how much truth there is to the tale, but here's the house. Tell me that doesn't look like a cut in half house.

Toy of the week

Yeah, I'm not much of a Trekkie, but I do have the odd toy or two floating around. This phaser projects a light on the wall and came with a couple of discs to project the Enterprise and some other shit. Long lost, but I believe the light and sound still work.

Chochotas

It's only Tuesday, and so far it's been an overly painful week at work. Mostly due to three individuals.

I don't ask for much from other people. All I want is for them to do their jobs. Accurately, and in a timely fashion. Is that asking too much?

Apparently.

There's not a lot I can do about Rat-pizda. Eveyone there, from management on down is too afraid of her rabidity to do anything about it. Whatever. She's certifiable, there's no denying it.

MD, on the other hand, she stepped on the wrong toes.

I ended my day having a lengthy and surprisingly productive chat with the district manager. I explained how a certain someone was attempting to order my people around, how a number of times she has been wrong and insisted otherwise. She has made some unreasonable requests, and has been sporting a real attitude as of late. AMM is going to have a talk with her tomorrow about her "behavior."

I'd call this a victory for me, but knowing the vindictive nature of these people, I'm sure I'll end up paying for this. Again and again.

Beer me

75 years ago today, President Franklin D Roosevelt repealed the prohibition on beer, declassifying it as an "intoxicating liquor." Although it would be a while yet for the 18th amendment to be repealed in it's entirety, today marks the anniversary of the return of good old, delicious beer.

Tonight I will happily indulge in a pint or two of Sam Adams, celebrating one hell of a President, and one hell of a patriot and brewer.

Thanks, guys!

Oh, and thankfully after inspecting the bottle of Sam Adams Light currently in hand, I noted the embossing on the bottom of the bottle reads N17, not N35. So I can drink in peace.

Thoughts about the wrong eyed Jesus

Upon us all a little melancholy must fall.

Unbidden memories have surfaced through the veil of dreams, turning my thoughts to the past.

I can't help but entertain these uninvited guests that have floated to the surface. Ruminating on the whys and hows that have brought me to my present place. I dismiss the what ifs, as that train of thought bears no fruit. But the urge to set the record straight and tie up loose ends grips me for the moment.

I can't help but wonder if the reason I've never reached my destination is due to the amount of time I spend reviewing and revisiting the journey to date. In the past I've hoped to work out my trajectory, to tease out where I might be headed. Now I know too many variables exist to make that determination.

"Still waters run deep
Deep in me.
I've got this crazy way
Crazy way of swimming in still waters."

It is accomplished

Well, our new found Irish friend completed the restoration of our stone wall today. I'm quite pleased. With the addition of some fill, some grading, perhaps a little terracing, that pasrt of the yard will be looking rather spiffy.


Not too shabby for two days work, I must say! Patty will be back in October, and promised to check in and see if we need more work done. We may. We may.

Another Brick in the Wall

KG's new boyfriend apparently came over today to do some more work on the wall. I must say I'm impressed, especially considering the weather was not pleasant today. From the forked tree to the left was all rebuilt today:

He knows how to stack stones:

This part of the wall was intact, but loose on the top. He cemented smaller stones to make a nice, stable top:

It should look pretty darn nice once it's done!

The Pluck of the Irish

So, KG had the day off on Friday. She took her car into the shop for a much needed oil change. While she was waiting on said oil change (and repair/replacement of faulty oil cap) she came to the aid of an elderly Irishman looking for a car rental office. He had a thick accent and couldn't understand why U-Haul didn't have any cars.

At any rate, she hooked him up. He was so grateful, he returned a while later to thank her, and offer his services as a stone mason. Turns out he's from County Kerry in Southern Ireland. And he's a stonemason!

He showed up this morning, and sure enough, for $1250, he's rebuilding our stone wall, with Old World skillz! I'll be sure to take more pictures as it progresses. Hopefully during the day:

In other news: I bought a 42cc 18in Homelite chainsaw today. My stepfather and I managed to fell one of the offending trees along our perimeter. Three more to go. It didn't take long, and there was only one hairy point when the tree decided it wanted to fall through the fence and into the church's playground. Thankfully, we managed to talk it into leaning the other way and getting caught on one of the other trees. An hour later, we managed to get it to fall into my yard, where it literally exploded. It appears carpenter ants had eaten out the entire center of the tree.

The Fall of Troy

I had one of those rare, weird moments on my drive in this morning where a song suddenly reaches out and throttles you, for no apparent reason.

I was listening to "Orphans" on the ride in this morning, the Bawlers disc. "The Fall of Troy" has been a favorite of mine for years, ever since I discovered it on the Dead Man Walking soundtrack. It's a melancholy song of loss and pain. There's just something about it that has always stirred me.

At any rate, as I was alone in the car I was singing along with Tom. I hit the second verse, and all of a sudden I was overcome by a hitching sob and tears sprung into my eyes. I couldn't keep singing. I had to stop for fear of actually breaking down. The song went on, and after it ended the feeling went away. When the song had started, I was feeling slightly groggy. When it ended, I was wide awake and refreshed.

What the fuck?

Over tired? Perhaps. The mention of a young boy named Nick going bad having a different resonance in my life now? Likely. I don't know. I think, for a brief moment there, I connected with the heart of the song. The emotion Tom was attempting to convey. It's kind of the flip side of one of those neck snapping moments. The one where a song makes you sit up straight and pledge allegiance to a particular musician. I've passionately loved Waits for many, many years. But today, he reached out of the speaker and made me feel something. Pretty damn cool.

It's the same with men as with horses and dogs
Nothing wants to die
Evelyn James they killed in a game
With guns too big for their hands
Just off St. Charles in No-Mans Land
And you'll have to find your own way home, boys
You'll have to find your own way home

The oldest was Troy, an eighteen year-old boy
Shot dead in March with a robbery
His brother started out to hell and to ruin
Troy's killer was never caught they say
Young nick he just went bad that day
Now he'll have to find his own way home, boys
He'll have to find his own way home

Why cook dinner?
Why make my bed?
Why come home at all?
Out the door and through the woods
There is a world where nothing grows

It's hard to say grace and to sit in the place
Of someone missing at the table
Mom's hair sprayed tight
And her face in her hands
Watching TV for answers to me
After all she's only human
And she's trying to find her own way home, boys
She's trying to find her own way home

My legs ache
My heart is sore
The well is full of pennies

Farewell, jalopy

7 years, 62,000 miles spent together. In the end, you were a textbook example of a POS car, but that was mainly due to my neglect.

I have many fond memories. Driving around with KG, carrying my first born child home from the hospital. Sitting in traffic for 8 1/2 hours (Never forget: 12/13). You were a good car. A reliable car. Now you're gone.

$300 cash. That's what I got for you. Here's hoping the guy who carted you off breathes some life back into you. His verdict: Blown head gasket. Amongst other things.

Although I have a history of neglecting them, I'm fond of my various automobiles. This one was a trooper.

Toy of the week

Harry Booth from The Black Hole. Yes, I have an action figure of Ernest Borgnine.

Tootsie

While surfing the internets today at work, I discovered a nifty virtual makeover app on Tazz.
I had some fun with it, and here are the horrifying results:

Rock the Vote

DIY Network is having a contest to give a makeover to America's worst front yard. I submitted two pictures in the hopes of getting on and getting some much needed help with landscaping. Get your butt on over here, and help us out by rating our lawn the worst!

Definition of "WTF"

Sheriff: Woman Sat on Toilet for 2 Years

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Deputies say a woman in western Kansas became stuck on her boyfriend's toilet after sitting on it for two years.

Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman's skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.

"We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital," Whipple said. "The hospital removed it."

Whipple said investigators planned to present their report Wednesday to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend.

"She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body," Whipple said. "It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself."

He told investigators he brought his girlfriend food and water, and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom.

"And her reply would be, `Maybe tomorrow,'" Whipple said. "According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom."

The boyfriend called police on Feb. 27 to report that "there was something wrong with his girlfriend," Whipple said, adding that he never explained why it took him two years to call.

Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to her mid-thigh. She was "somewhat disoriented," and her legs looked like they had atrophied, Whipple said.

"She said that she didn't need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave," he said.

She was taken to a hospital in Wichita, about 150 miles southeast of Ness City. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with medical providers or law enforcement investigators.

Authorities said they did not know if she was mentally or physically disabled.

Police have declined to release the couple's names, but the house where authorities say the incident happened is listed in public records as the residence of Kory McFarren. No one answered his home phone number.

The case has been the buzz Ness City, said James Ellis, a neighbor.

"I don't think anybody can make any sense out of it," he said.

Ellis said he had known the woman since she was a child but that he had not seen her for at least six years.

He said she had a tough childhood after her mother died at a young age and apparently was usually kept inside the house as she grew up. At one time the woman worked for a long-term care facility, he said, but he did not know what kind of work she did there.

"It really doesn't surprise me," Ellis said of the bathroom incident. "What surprises me is somebody wasn't called in a bit earlier."

-Associated Press

Toy of the week

Maximilian from Disney's The Black Hole. Funny story: I used to pretend the figure of Dr. Alex Durant was me, code named Lightening, when I played with my GI JOE guys.

Assimulation

Well, no matter how hard we tried, it didn't look like my Saturn was going to pass inspection. We received an unexpected donation to the Human Fund yesterday, so this afternoon KG and I went out and bought a new car:


We'll be picking it up on Tuesday. It's a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan. Yup, we're suburbanites now.

Going out on a limb

TK8103 and KG
123 Fake St
Abington, MA

Re: Trees located on the property at 123 Fake Street Abington, MA

Dear TK and KG,

As you are aware, the trees bordering the property at the HD playground are in need either of removal or cutting back. We realize you have been cooperative with our Sexton, BC, in the past and we will gladly help in any way we can to remedy this situation.

Our first concern, of course, is that this is the play area for the nursery school and soon the children will want to come out to play and we can not safely allow this due to the current amount of limbs, both small and large, that have been dropping. Please call one of us at your earliest convenience to talk over the situation.

Thank you for your continued cooperation.

The Trustees of the
United Followers of Some Bearded Guy in Abington

Umm, go right ahead and remove the offending limbs, my friends.

To be fair, I went out and took a look at the trees in question as soon as I read the letter. There are 4 rather large trees bordering the property. One is dead, and looks to have dropped some sizable limbs. Another one is half dead, and in need of removal. I had actually been thinking about taking all 4 down at some point, as they are old and gnarly, and ripping the shit out of my little stone wall.

The folks at the church next door have been nice enough, and I appreciate their concern. Hell, I share it. If my precious snowflakes went to their daycare, I wouldn't want tree limbs falling on them either. I don't really anticipate a problem here, except for one thing. The trees are friggin huge. Half the cutting will need to be done on their side. It's either going to be a joint effort (which I'm all for), or we're going to have to split the cost of a tree removal service.

I noted to KG tonight that tree limbs only really fall in bad weather, when kids would not be outside playing anyway.

Whatever. We'll see how this develops.

Sweet dreams are made of this

Partial list of ingredients for Reese's Peanut butter Eggs: Nonfat milk, milk fat.

Wait, what?

TGIF

I'd be happier if today's lovely weather was going to last. But, tomorrow we're getting a deluge.

I'm still waiting on my car, though the mechanic called and it should end up being under $300. Not bad. There's a major oil leak, but all I care about is getting it sticker worthy. I'll be upgrading in the near future.

Did some yard work, which was nice. I'd still be at it except for the fact I now have several huge piles of leaves and no where to put them. So, time to take it indoors, have a bite to eat and do some laundry.

I made a few changes to the blog, mostly updating the template and adding the "Call Me" button to the right. If you want to call and leave a voicemail, just click away. I haven't played with it yet, but apparently I can post voicemails on the blog. Cool.

Congrats to EG. Her and Vic secretly tied the know this week while on vacation. Looks like all the G girls now have new surnames.

Hurm, indeed

364 days until Watchmen hits the theaters. To mark the occasion, the official Watchmen site released some character pics today. Sweet Jesus.

From what I've seen and heard so far, the only way Snyder can fuck this up is if he throws in the Max Rebo band and his intergalactic jizz blower. Since that's in the unlikely category, I'm fairly confident that this adaptation is going to be awesome.

Color me excited.

Blue light special

It's no secret my poor car has suffered neglect. The roof leaks, oil leaks, the brakes are squealing, the shocks are shot.
It runs, but not well.

We'll be retiring my trusted Saturn in the near future.

At any rate, my current inspection sticker expired at the end of the month. I took the car in Saturday, and much to my dismay (but not surprise), it failed. The "Check Engine" ( or in my case, "Service Engine Soon") light has been on for some time. The place I used to take it never noted it.

Apparently, it has something to do with the O2 sensor being slow to respond. So, the mechanic slapped a rejection sticker on it and suggested I make an appointment with them to look at it. I have 60 days to resolve the issue.

I made an appointment for Friday, requiring a day off from work.

Well, this morning, I pull out on to RT 18 and passed a cruiser. I silently counted 3 mississippis in my head, and sure enough there were the blue strobes in my rear view mirror.

I pulled over, got out my license and registration, and waited for Ms Cop to finish running my plate and come talk to me.

I wasn't surprised to get pulled over. Yes, I have 60 days, but the fuzz doesn't know that until they stop me. What did surprise me was the following exchange after the copper looked at my registration. (Note: the car is registered in KG's name.)

Cop: Is this your daughter's car?
Me: ?!?!?!

Yes, officer. The car is registered to my 2 year old daughter. Christ on a cracker, I know I have some gray hair, and this morning I was looking a little grizzled. But for fuck's sake, she had my license in her hand that clearly shows my birth year as 1973!

I must have given her a look, because she quickly said "Your wife's car?"

Damn, man. Color me pissed.

So, as soon as I got to work, I called the autoshop. Friday is as soon as I can take a day off. Here's hoping I can make it through the next two days without getting pulled over again.

Toy of the week

HESS truck! It lights up, and that's about it.

The Carny

And as the company passed from the valley
Into a higher ground
The rain beat on the ridge and on the meadow
And on the mound
Until nothing was left, nothing at all
Except the body of sorrow
That rose in time
To float upon the surface of the eaten soil
And a murder of crows did circle round
First one, then the others flapping blackly down
And the carny's van still sat upon the edge
Tilting slowly as the firm ground turned to sludge
And the rain it hammered down
And no-one saw the carny go
I say it's funny how things go

Toy of the week

18" of Alien terror from the good folks at Kenner. I still haven't figured out why, exactly, they'd make a toy out of something from an R rated horror movie. Whatever, the thing is freakin awesome. The head glows in the dark, and the secondary jaw extends when you push a button on the back of the head.

Watchmen bits

I failed to mention earlier this random little fun thing:

Over on Watchmencomicmovie they had a Q & A session with Zach Snyder. I kind of, sort of, indirectly got to chat up Zach! Check the 4th question. You should recognize the handle.

10-4, masked vigilantes!

It remains a post 12/13 world. For me.

What a shit ass day, weather wise. Around 11 I asked my boss if I could leave work early, and got a negative response. Shortly after that, she left for our Braintree office. So, at 2 I left. Screw that, I will never again sit in my car for 8 1/2 hours to travel 30 miles if I can at all avoid it.

When I left, traffic was moving, and road conditions seemed alright. I actually made it to Quincy in about 10 minutes. Time enough to get coffee before picking up Izzy.

From there, things got worse.

When I pulled up to Izzy's daycare, the car went into a skid and I smashed into the curb hard enough to dent my rim. I just missed a telephone poll by inches. The rest of the ride home was treacherous at best. I usually don't have too much trouble in the snow, between having front wheel drive and a standard. Today I was sliding all over the place. Not good.

Made it home around 3:30. Not bad, not bad at all. KG left work shortly after that and was home a little after 5.

Now the kids are tucked into bed, I'm getting sleepy, and the sound of freezing rain is playing in the background.

They're coming to get you, Barbara

Most people who know me know about my deep seated fear of wild turkeys. I spent a number of years being stalked by a disgruntled herd of them in Marshfield, and I fear them almost as much as I do raccoons.

KG was delighted to inform me the other day that there were six of the bastards outside. Right next to the house. Perching on top of the church like gargoyles.

I haven't slept well since.

As a matter of fact, the whole thing is dark

So, tonight our little moon passes through our planet's shadow, momentarily obscured. I'm a lazy stargazer, truth be told. In fact, I was only aware of tonight's eclipse because it was on fark.

At any rate, I wandered outside a few minutes ago to take a gander. And there is the moon, bright in the sky and blood red. A menses moon.

Neat.

Toy of the week

ET, featuring an extending neck and a Speak and Spell.
I used to have a prosthetic ET finger with a light up tip. It looked like a big gray, shining cock. That appears to have long since disappeared.

Dysentery

You gotta have the stomach for it.

This week has been one long bout of one person or another in our house forcefully expelling liquids from one orifice or another. Whatever malevolent little bug has entered our abode ain't going away easy.

Izzy was home on Wednesday throwing up a storm. TKJr was sent home from school the next day with the same, plus the runs. He was home today as well, but seems to be on the mend.

I picked Izzy up, and she's sick again. Threw up once today and hasn't been eating. Unlike her brother, who is full of maniacal, pent up energy, she was listless and quite not herself this evening. I find it a bit unnerving. She'll be going to the MD tomorrow if it continues.

Now, it seems KG has the loose bowels as well. I already went through it last week, so here's hoping I don't get it again.

Toy of the week

Colonial Viper from the original BSG. The front and rear sections separate, and you can add pieces of other ships to "customize" it. At one point there were little orange projectiles that fired from the cannons, but I fear they are long lost to the ages.

Post party report

I forgot I was planning on taking pics last night until the wee hours. So, here's a couple of snapshots from the tail end of the festivities:


And finally, when the kids came home today they posed for this little heart warmer:

Happy Birthday to me

First off, let me say that turning 35 is really no big deal.

there's more than a passing chance that I've actually hit middle age. I figure at the rate I'm going, 70 is a long shot. A pleasant possibility. Should I make it, I'll be pleased. If I don't,

At any rate, a varied group of individuals took a break from their usual Saturday night routine to come down and help me mark the occasion. I feared all week I'd be hiding in my nicotine enshrouded den while fellow wish me wells gathered upstairs. Not the case.

Quite a few people took a tumor for me tonight. Both me and Phillip Morris appreciate your dedication to the Schultz Corporation and it's various subsidiaries. We appreciate your continued support. Your presence at the annual meeting was, and is, appreciated.

Thank you, Taco, for this loving tribute to Falco.

Now I'm starting to get a little worried

Toy of the week

Remote Control Jawa Sancrawler! The original commercial for this bad boy boasts about it's mult-directioness: Forward, reverse, and forward again!

Short week ahead

I found myself in work this morning before the sun had even come up. That's just wrong.

I'm leaving early today to pick the boy up from preschool. I'm looking forward to actually being able to drive the speed limit on 93.

Even better, I have Thursday and Friday off. We get to celebrate Chinese new year because the baby's daycare will be closed.

I love short work weeks.

Dispatch from The Land of Do-As-You-Please

Meet Dramatic Lemur

Can I go back to work? Please?

Ugh.

So, KG got a call late Friday morning that TKJr had a fever and needed to come home from school. He was a bit sick over the weekend, but more or less his usual self. Sunday he came out of the bathroom and reported that he was making stinky water (ie diarrhea). Still no fever, but he had the runs.

Izzy was fine all weekend. Sunday morning I noted she felt warm, but seemed OK. Around 5 she was running around naked as usual.

KG gave the kids a bath, and the baby started shivering. We bundled her up and sat down to watch AFV. Shortly after, she started puking and was hot to the touch. Fever of 103.7. We called the doctor, tried to cool her down, and pumped her full of drugs. At 10:30 she still had a temp, but it was lower.

I slept through the night, but she didn't. When I got up for work, KG asked me to stay home with her, as the baby's fever was back up over 103, and Nick, although seeming fine, was still having the runs. So I missed work. Again.

Izzy went to the doctor, they couldn't find anything wrong. Probably an intestinal bug that she caught from TKJr. She and KG napped most of the day away, while I attempted to entertain a cranky boy. I've never wanted to be at work more.

So, tonight the kids seem more or less normal. Izzy's fever was scary, but she seems to be bouncing back. I'd be happy and all, except I've noticed two things this evening. First, my bones ache and I'm really, really tired. Second, there is one hell of an ill wind blowing out of my ass.

I can work sick. I actually prefer to save my sick days for mental health use. That said, I will under no circumstances report for duty when liquid is coming out of my ass or mouth. No way, no how. Wish me luck, because I have a touch of cabin fever.

Toy of the week

Avoid the Noid! I have no idea how I managed to end up with this little guy in my possession, but I did. There he is.

Cleaning Update

Well, all in all KG and I got a good amount of work done today. We can actually walk around our bedroom! We have a lot of clothes between the two of us, and the 3 bureaus current in the bedroom just aren't cutting it.

I did 4 loads of laundry, we packed up 2 garbage bags worth of clothes for Goodwill, and I threw out all my torn socks and pants. We've made some progress. There's more to do, but I'm pleased.

On the agenda is a trip to IKEA to see about replacing all of our bedroom furniture. We have a miss matched set right now, and I think we're over due for something a little more grown up.

Also have to hit the Depot for some foundation sealer and storage racks. Need to hit Target for a record player and an ironing board. I have to straighten up the attic so i can continue to move stuff up from the basement. Need to re-do the office.

Sigh.

On a lighter note, I discussed with KG the importance of spending our tax rebate (not our return, but the economic bail out that should be coming out around May or so) on something that will help stimulate the economy. We wouldn't be doing our part for America if we saved or invested the money. No, we need to purchase something expensive and frivolous. I suggest an HDTV. I don't think I'm pulling one over on her, but she did like the idea.

I don't wanna

Well, KG and I are moving forward with her plan to throw a little bash here for my birthday. It'll be nice to have some people over and show off our homestead.

That said, I've got some serious cleaning and organizing to do before then. Not my favorite thing in the world.

We've got way too much shit, yo. Way too much. I've had some fun over the last week or so going through boxes and discovering all the junk I've held on to for 34 years. But seriously, what's the point? I do enough navel gazing as it is. I really need to just get rid of it.

If only it was that easy.

Toy of the week

Tron with Light Cycle. I think I still have the ripcord floating around somewhere.

(edit) Actually, that's Flynn, not Tron. Tron does not sport a toga.

1-18-08

Man alive. That there was a quality picture.

Cloverfield lived up to my expectations. Great movie, and I'm looking forward to the birth of a franchise.

The monster? What the fuck was that thing? I want more.

Toy of the Week #2

The "Cairo Swordsman" from the Raiders of the Lost Ark collection.

RIP Maila Nurmi

Spider pigs on the wing

So ya think '08's gonna be a good one?

A somewhat belated happy New year to all you out there. Whether it be the ties of friendship or the late night search for fucking stuffed animals that brings you here, may 2008 bring you nothing but good fortune, enduring friendship and peace of mind.