well, i'm fixin' to go for my annual play-week with my girlfriend. this year we are heading to the black hills of south dakota. she's never been there (her loss) and i haven't been back for a number of years. the husband and i spent a lot of time there during a 13-year period. well, lot of time as in at least once-a-year; after all, it was 10 hours away from where we lived.
i'm looking forward to seeing old places and reaquainting myself with all of the black hills' delights. if there's a wifi anywhere, i might be able to update as i go, but probably will have to wait until i get back.
crazy horse, the poet's cabin, mt rushmore, hill city, spearfish, silver city, keystone, custer, pactola, blue bell, sylvan lake, jewel cave, the old granite quarry, and more ..... it will be a fun and exciting time.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
O L H
i got an update from my brother on our dad. here's what he said:
"Today Dad moved into the new place. Crestview is in Milford, it is a very nice place. He went in quietly and the only time I saw him he was smiling and joking with the nurse. I didn't spend any time talking to him because when I finished signing the papers, which took about 50 minutes, he was sleeping. He will have a lot more room to roam, more people to joke with, and more access to the great outdoors. They have a wristlet on him to let them know if he goes out. They have more caregivers per resident so they think they'll be able to keep up with him. I wish them luck. His behavior has improved with the new regimen of medication."
this whole alzheimer's thing just sucks. he's gone, yet he's not. puhleeeeeeze do not allow me to go through that. even if we have to go to switzerland or amsterdam or somewhere, let's do me in and cut the sadness short.
"Today Dad moved into the new place. Crestview is in Milford, it is a very nice place. He went in quietly and the only time I saw him he was smiling and joking with the nurse. I didn't spend any time talking to him because when I finished signing the papers, which took about 50 minutes, he was sleeping. He will have a lot more room to roam, more people to joke with, and more access to the great outdoors. They have a wristlet on him to let them know if he goes out. They have more caregivers per resident so they think they'll be able to keep up with him. I wish them luck. His behavior has improved with the new regimen of medication."
this whole alzheimer's thing just sucks. he's gone, yet he's not. puhleeeeeeze do not allow me to go through that. even if we have to go to switzerland or amsterdam or somewhere, let's do me in and cut the sadness short.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
vignette
He put the book down, shook his head, then got up and approached the window. Another rainy day. That wasn’t so bad, really, the farmers could use it and so on and so forth and all that good-will-toward-man stuff. I’m just feeling down. And bored stiff. And completely disgusted that someone could write that kind of crap and get it sold, and yet here I am, a waaay better writer, and all I get is rejection slips. Sheesh. That bites...
He picked up the book he had just put down, shook his head again, and sneered as he tossed the thing in the trash. Good riddance... Then he snagged his coat off the hall tree, swung out the door, and headed down the front steps toward the park. Thank god his coat was water-proof and had a big hood which sloped just far enough past his eyebrows to keep the drizzle off his face. He needed to get out.
It was a quiet day, not many people in the streets, and the park was empty. He walked to the little shelter that was snugged into the trees and sat on one of the dry benches. If I can’t think of a plot here, I might as well throw in the towel... He let his mind wander, discarding scene after scene, until finally a few ideas started to jell.
Might as well start with a small, beribboned poodle in a large park... His eyes drifted past the trees, trying to find sinister underpinnings, as he absently noticed a dirty mutt nosing his way from bush to bush, totally unconcerned about the rain. A mysterious, darkly cloaked woman hurrying somewhere... He spied a thick stand of trees and bushes that looked perfect for nefarious activities. There was even an overgrown path leading into the snarls and brambles. The mutt lifted its head and gazed at a woman walking quickly down the sidewalk. She wore a brilliant red suit, a jaunty red hat, and sinfully high heels that made her legs go on forever. Her large umbrella was doing a good job of protecting everything from the rain except her gorgeous gams. Why did he never have a towel when he needed one?! Twice she dabbed at her face with her hanky and he wondered if it was the rain or if she was crying. Now there’s someone I’d like to be acquainted with...
He reluctantly refocused on his plot. An old jalopy parked close to where the woman walks past... Danger nearby... Boys playing a game of touch football, grappling as the ball gets knocked into the tangle of bushes... A shot rings out... He noted again that no one was out-and-about on this grey day. No one except the woman who would be passing near him soon. And, oddly enough, a black limo that was slowly creeping along the edge of the park. Where did that come from and who would be out cruising on a day like this... He tried to get his mind back on-track but his attention was diverted by a loud bang. Snapping his head toward the noise, he scanned the streets but saw nothing. Looking a bit longer, he finally decided it must have been a back-fire. Haven’t heard that in a long time...
He turned back to watch the woman walk by but she was gone. What the... He craned his neck, then stood up and checked every direction. Nothing was moving. Nothing except the mutt, who was sniffing and whining softly. What... He started off toward the mutt, then noticed the splash of bright red on the ground. Picking up his pace, he heard the squeal of tires as a vehicle raced away, and then he saw her on the ground ... the woman in the suit had been shot, the blood from her wound darkly staining the red material. “Move back, pooch, let me take a look.” Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing and he thought maybe it was just a shoulder hit. Still ... he slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in 9-1-1. This is weird, man, just too weird...
He picked up the book he had just put down, shook his head again, and sneered as he tossed the thing in the trash. Good riddance... Then he snagged his coat off the hall tree, swung out the door, and headed down the front steps toward the park. Thank god his coat was water-proof and had a big hood which sloped just far enough past his eyebrows to keep the drizzle off his face. He needed to get out.
It was a quiet day, not many people in the streets, and the park was empty. He walked to the little shelter that was snugged into the trees and sat on one of the dry benches. If I can’t think of a plot here, I might as well throw in the towel... He let his mind wander, discarding scene after scene, until finally a few ideas started to jell.
Might as well start with a small, beribboned poodle in a large park... His eyes drifted past the trees, trying to find sinister underpinnings, as he absently noticed a dirty mutt nosing his way from bush to bush, totally unconcerned about the rain. A mysterious, darkly cloaked woman hurrying somewhere... He spied a thick stand of trees and bushes that looked perfect for nefarious activities. There was even an overgrown path leading into the snarls and brambles. The mutt lifted its head and gazed at a woman walking quickly down the sidewalk. She wore a brilliant red suit, a jaunty red hat, and sinfully high heels that made her legs go on forever. Her large umbrella was doing a good job of protecting everything from the rain except her gorgeous gams. Why did he never have a towel when he needed one?! Twice she dabbed at her face with her hanky and he wondered if it was the rain or if she was crying. Now there’s someone I’d like to be acquainted with...
He reluctantly refocused on his plot. An old jalopy parked close to where the woman walks past... Danger nearby... Boys playing a game of touch football, grappling as the ball gets knocked into the tangle of bushes... A shot rings out... He noted again that no one was out-and-about on this grey day. No one except the woman who would be passing near him soon. And, oddly enough, a black limo that was slowly creeping along the edge of the park. Where did that come from and who would be out cruising on a day like this... He tried to get his mind back on-track but his attention was diverted by a loud bang. Snapping his head toward the noise, he scanned the streets but saw nothing. Looking a bit longer, he finally decided it must have been a back-fire. Haven’t heard that in a long time...
He turned back to watch the woman walk by but she was gone. What the... He craned his neck, then stood up and checked every direction. Nothing was moving. Nothing except the mutt, who was sniffing and whining softly. What... He started off toward the mutt, then noticed the splash of bright red on the ground. Picking up his pace, he heard the squeal of tires as a vehicle raced away, and then he saw her on the ground ... the woman in the suit had been shot, the blood from her wound darkly staining the red material. “Move back, pooch, let me take a look.” Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing and he thought maybe it was just a shoulder hit. Still ... he slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in 9-1-1. This is weird, man, just too weird...
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
money laundering
1. remove from dirty confines,
2. put in container of hot soapy water,
3. let sit a bit,
4. scrub with toothbrush,
5. rinse,
6. set aside to dry.
2. put in container of hot soapy water,
3. let sit a bit,
4. scrub with toothbrush,
5. rinse,
6. set aside to dry.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Saturday, September 09, 2006
stars in the sky
Q: What's wrong with this image?
A: This image clearly shows the moon, a laser beam, and a photon torpedo about to hit the observatory.
Ok, well I just made up the laser beam and photon torpedo, but the moon is definitely a problem. Because the cameras are so sensitive, when the moon rises it actually blinds them-somewhat akin to a person looking at the sun.
Q: Are there any cool CONCAM images around to see and discuss?
A: No. The Night Sky Live project is inherently boring.
Well, perhaps there are a few images that are sort-of cool.
http://nightskylive.net/NightSkyLive_for_beginners.html
*grin* i just love it when scientist-types have a sense of humor!
Friday, September 08, 2006
vignette
“Katie, did Corwin tell you what time he was going to come in today?”
Startled, Katie dropped the U-screw she’d been trying to work into the screw hole and watched as it drifted away. Damn it! She was in trouble now. Those screws were hard to come by and if it floated into the mesh Small Net Sensor System, it would blow it out, to say nothing of scaring everyone in the dome. Hell, she just had to hope her luck held out and that the screw would drift close enough to the energy generators that the magnetism would capture it benignly to the partial-metal surface.
“Katie, did he tell you?”
“Sorry, sir. No. He didn’t talk to me, but I think he was scheduled for his service re-check so he might be late.”
The chief walked away mumbling about service re-checks and the difficulty of finding replacements when someone was re-upped. Katie waited just until he had gone inside the airlock, then unhooked her safety tether and worked her way in the direction she’d last seen the screw. You’d think I be able to spot it since it is ult-orange, after all. Suddenly she did see it and froze, watching in stunned horror as the screw slowly made contact with the SNSS mesh. That simple little touch set off subterranean alarms, plus-gaged all airlocks, and was going to set the perimeter guard in 10 seconds.
Without thinking she slammed into her survival routine, bounding straight up as far as she could manage, twisting herself so as to be pointing towards the mountains on this little planet, then releasing the tiny burst of em-air which should propel her far enough away from the dome that she wouldn’t be picked up on the laser and vaporized.
Damn damn damn! She scanned the surface as it slowly unrolled, trying to find the emergency hut that had been set-up for just this scenario. It was disguised, of course, since they weren’t the only intelligent beings in the vicinity, which was the reason for the SNSS after all. Well hell! She was gradually slowing and if she didn’t locate it pretty quickly, she was sunk.
She reviewed her options: (a) Find the hut. (b) Die. Well, that’s concise. Hmmm, I think I’ll choose...(a)! The sound of her giggle brought her back to reality and grimly she focused on scanning the entire area as far as she could see. There! She spotted what she was sure was the hut and was relieved that it was almost directly in her path.
Finally she was close enough she could radio the rescue net, which shot into the air and deployed nicely just ahead. She watched herself drift into the net, then grabbed with both hands and started pulling herself down toward the hut. Just before she reached the tops of the mountains she glanced in the direction she had recently come from. Bursts of light? The lasers are active ... that can’t be ... unless ... Oh hell, she was still in trouble. A light show like that one didn’t happen by accident; there was something bad going on.
Fairly quickly she reached the hut, engaged the net retrieval system, secured herself inside, and sank to the floor. That ... was unbelievable! She started laughing, then promptly burst into tears. After a little bit she was done with that, and got up to blow her nose and wipe away the tears. Now! She took a deep breath and checked out the hut -- comm system...functioning, perimeter guard...turned on, hut maintenance...functioning, surveillance...beeping. Beeping? Crap! Now what?!!
Startled, Katie dropped the U-screw she’d been trying to work into the screw hole and watched as it drifted away. Damn it! She was in trouble now. Those screws were hard to come by and if it floated into the mesh Small Net Sensor System, it would blow it out, to say nothing of scaring everyone in the dome. Hell, she just had to hope her luck held out and that the screw would drift close enough to the energy generators that the magnetism would capture it benignly to the partial-metal surface.
“Katie, did he tell you?”
“Sorry, sir. No. He didn’t talk to me, but I think he was scheduled for his service re-check so he might be late.”
The chief walked away mumbling about service re-checks and the difficulty of finding replacements when someone was re-upped. Katie waited just until he had gone inside the airlock, then unhooked her safety tether and worked her way in the direction she’d last seen the screw. You’d think I be able to spot it since it is ult-orange, after all. Suddenly she did see it and froze, watching in stunned horror as the screw slowly made contact with the SNSS mesh. That simple little touch set off subterranean alarms, plus-gaged all airlocks, and was going to set the perimeter guard in 10 seconds.
Without thinking she slammed into her survival routine, bounding straight up as far as she could manage, twisting herself so as to be pointing towards the mountains on this little planet, then releasing the tiny burst of em-air which should propel her far enough away from the dome that she wouldn’t be picked up on the laser and vaporized.
Damn damn damn! She scanned the surface as it slowly unrolled, trying to find the emergency hut that had been set-up for just this scenario. It was disguised, of course, since they weren’t the only intelligent beings in the vicinity, which was the reason for the SNSS after all. Well hell! She was gradually slowing and if she didn’t locate it pretty quickly, she was sunk.
She reviewed her options: (a) Find the hut. (b) Die. Well, that’s concise. Hmmm, I think I’ll choose...(a)! The sound of her giggle brought her back to reality and grimly she focused on scanning the entire area as far as she could see. There! She spotted what she was sure was the hut and was relieved that it was almost directly in her path.
Finally she was close enough she could radio the rescue net, which shot into the air and deployed nicely just ahead. She watched herself drift into the net, then grabbed with both hands and started pulling herself down toward the hut. Just before she reached the tops of the mountains she glanced in the direction she had recently come from. Bursts of light? The lasers are active ... that can’t be ... unless ... Oh hell, she was still in trouble. A light show like that one didn’t happen by accident; there was something bad going on.
Fairly quickly she reached the hut, engaged the net retrieval system, secured herself inside, and sank to the floor. That ... was unbelievable! She started laughing, then promptly burst into tears. After a little bit she was done with that, and got up to blow her nose and wipe away the tears. Now! She took a deep breath and checked out the hut -- comm system...functioning, perimeter guard...turned on, hut maintenance...functioning, surveillance...beeping. Beeping? Crap! Now what?!!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
no nonsense
Lawyer 1: “Your Honor, my client sat down to have breakfast and ordered waffles, orange juice, and coffee. When the order came my client took a drink of coffee and it was so hot, he dropped the cup and spilled hot coffee all over his lap causing burns and humiliation. We are suing for $100,000 for physical damages and mental suffering.”
Judge: “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to gulp hot coffee? Grow up and take care of your irresponsible self. Case dismissed. Next.”
-----
Lawyer 2: “Your Honor, my client trespassed on a posted lot, broke into the empty house, and fell through a hole in the floor, breaking his leg and several ribs. We are suing for $300,000 for physical damages and mental suffering.”
Judge: “Don’t you know how to read? Grow up and learn some respect for others -- you’re going to jail. Case concluded. Next.”
-----
Lawyer 3: “Your Honor, my client plays his drums in his own home which helps keep him from becoming a juvenile delinquent but the neighbors whine about the volume. We are suing for $50,000 for mental trauma and disrespect.”
Judge: “You’re the whiney-butt, you immature little pissant. You’re not number one in anybody’s world except your own. If you don’t learn how to be considerate of others, you’ll be back in front of me just long enough for me to throw the book at you. Case dismissed. Next.”
-----
Lawyer 4: “Your Honor, my client stands on a street corner for hours at a time, holding a sign imploring people to give him money so that he will have nourishment. We are suing the city for $500,000 for mental turmoil because the police aren’t doing anything about drivers flipping him off.”
Judge: “Go out and get an honest job, you scumbag. If you keep looking for a handout, I’m going to put you on a chain gang and that will teach you how to work. Case dismissed. Next.”
-----
Lawyer 5: “Your Honor, my client was CEO of a prosperous company but was fired because of some silly little stock fraud which led the company to keep half of his golden parachute. We are suing for $500,000,000 for mental anguish.”
Judge: “You’re lucky they didn’t tell you to go fly a kite. People like you should have to go to jail simply because you breathe. Take your unscrupulous self, a backpack full of food but no money, and go live on No-Man’s Island for two years. If you can survive that, maybe you’ll learn some real values. Case concluded. Next.”
Judge: “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to gulp hot coffee? Grow up and take care of your irresponsible self. Case dismissed. Next.”
-----
Lawyer 2: “Your Honor, my client trespassed on a posted lot, broke into the empty house, and fell through a hole in the floor, breaking his leg and several ribs. We are suing for $300,000 for physical damages and mental suffering.”
Judge: “Don’t you know how to read? Grow up and learn some respect for others -- you’re going to jail. Case concluded. Next.”
-----
Lawyer 3: “Your Honor, my client plays his drums in his own home which helps keep him from becoming a juvenile delinquent but the neighbors whine about the volume. We are suing for $50,000 for mental trauma and disrespect.”
Judge: “You’re the whiney-butt, you immature little pissant. You’re not number one in anybody’s world except your own. If you don’t learn how to be considerate of others, you’ll be back in front of me just long enough for me to throw the book at you. Case dismissed. Next.”
-----
Lawyer 4: “Your Honor, my client stands on a street corner for hours at a time, holding a sign imploring people to give him money so that he will have nourishment. We are suing the city for $500,000 for mental turmoil because the police aren’t doing anything about drivers flipping him off.”
Judge: “Go out and get an honest job, you scumbag. If you keep looking for a handout, I’m going to put you on a chain gang and that will teach you how to work. Case dismissed. Next.”
-----
Lawyer 5: “Your Honor, my client was CEO of a prosperous company but was fired because of some silly little stock fraud which led the company to keep half of his golden parachute. We are suing for $500,000,000 for mental anguish.”
Judge: “You’re lucky they didn’t tell you to go fly a kite. People like you should have to go to jail simply because you breathe. Take your unscrupulous self, a backpack full of food but no money, and go live on No-Man’s Island for two years. If you can survive that, maybe you’ll learn some real values. Case concluded. Next.”
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