scottobear | 7206 - Come down off that smokestack and eat (Reply)

Good Morning, Dear Journal! (via)

I've been really groggy these last few days... sleeping at odd hours, and stupefied like I was drugged. I'm going to have to re-plot my snooze schedule a bit, methinks.

Cool little game emulation Java app. I'm very impressed. I almost want to learn the bit myself.

Is February over already? Dang. So much for such a short month. Still not as traumatic as Feb '04, so good for me.

Invisible crew this weekend. No sign of any of my favorite bipeds. No Danny, Dave, Kev or Mel answering the phone. Weekend walkabout was fun but only a few good photo-ops. Beautiful weather, at leas tot me. gray, overcast, never quite rained, but it was cool and comfortable.

Note to self - on one of the long weekends ahead, maybe visit the Bok Sanctuary. I was reminded of that after seeing Fushu Daiko at the Ren-fest? That's an awesome group, but it seems more than a little bit out of place. That's right, I went to the ren-fest after all. I got a comp, and a guilty reminder from Jen that I haven't seen her almost since last year, so I off went.

Ing is mildly ren-anachronistic too, but you won't see me complaining about her or her bare midriff either. An excellent hugger, to boot. She's another "little sister". I got awesome, lovely hugs from four people, and that totally made it worthwhile.

It was nice to see the RenFaeries, too. Foxi's getting better looking every year... not sure how she does that. Maybe it's because she's letting her hair get long. I can't believe they've been at it for nine years already!

I half-thought that I saw PamM in the crowd at the mud show, curiosity got the best of me, and I investigated. It wasn't her, and I really don't know what I would've said if it had been. "I thought it was you! Well, bye!" seems sort of rude. I'm sort f torn, I'd like to make up with her, but I really don't think I want her in my life. We were really great friends at one point, and then it went poof, and then we were really great friends again, and then it went poof again.

The mud show cycled out the #3 performer again, and both washing wenches are different these days. No new material from either group in over 5 years. I guess the mud act is polished enough to make do with three standbys.

Thanks,

sammykun for the link to this movie of larpers lightening bolting. (only seems to work in MSIE) He says its old, but I've never seen it.

Best use of mime "singalong" I've ever seen. I have newfound respect for the art.

I did not watch the Oscars. Don't much care. I liked the Incredibles. Movies are only expensive TV shows these days, for the most part. I expect I'll be doing a lot of scrolling during today's journal-reads.

Today's secret word is klaxon. Use it at least once in conversation.

UNUSUAL TECHNICAL IMAGES OF EQUIPMENT USED IN WORLD WAR II - featuring technical cutaway drawings of submarines, ships, aircraft and arms

I want this guy to be the stunt coordinator if they ever make a Captain America movie that doesn't stink.

Writing on the Run - Easy, practical, inspiring ideas to make time and space for writing. I'm going to follow up with this. Really.

I'd like to co-author something with GrayPumpkin after his current project is done, and after I get the short story I'm currently working on spit-polished.

Moment of Lyric:

Do it like a robot to headspin to boogaloo
Took a few minutes to convince the average bug-a-boo
It's ugly, like look at you! It's a damn shame
Just remember All Caps when you spell the man name

Third Woman Sues Gorilla's Caretakers

WOODSIDE, Calif. (AP) -- A third woman has filed a lawsuit claiming a caretaker for Koko, the world-famous sign-language-speaking gorilla, pressured her to expose her breasts as a way to bond with the animal.

Iris Rivera, 39, sued the Gorilla Foundation this week in San Mateo County Superior Court, saying the foundation's president, Francine Patterson, repeatedly told her to expose her breasts.

Rivera, an administrative assistant at the foundation until she quit last month, claims Patterson told her last year that Koko was signing that "she wants to see your nipples."

Two other former employees of the foundation, Nancy Alperin and Kendra Keller, filed similar claims last week.

But while Alperin and Keller refused to expose themselves to Koko, Rivera acquiesced, the lawsuit states.

"She took it as a disagreeable duty of her employment," said Rivera's lawyer, Michael Adams.

An attorney for the foundation said the lawsuits had "no merit."

Rivera's lawsuit alleges sexual and disability discrimination, invasion of privacy and Labor Code violations and seeks unspecified damages.

The Gorilla Foundation was founded in 1976 to promote the preservation and study of gorillas. It's best known for Koko, a 300-pound simian who has mastered a vocabulary of more than 1,000 signs.

Author Interview: John Irving
John Irving interviewed by Louis Black (not Lewis Black) in the Austin Chronicle. His latest novel is UNTIL I FIND YOU, "about the relationship between a female tattoo artist and a church organist, a man who is addicted to being tattooed. The story is in the point of view of their child, who grows up with his mother, but never knows or sees his father."

It's odd, but when I read his stuff, I still hear the comedian's in my head, a result of old associations ... same with Garrison Keillor. I'm glad I didn't have the same situation when I read Stephen King or Isaac Asimov... in those cases the voice doesn't match the work.

Birds of North America - lots of search criteria (shape was especially helpful to me). This would be really something on the hand held, on site. Another reason to long for ubiquitous internet.

Yesterday, I saw a limpkin while waiting for my bus, and had no idea what it was. Very pretty bird, and about two-ish feet tall (the entry says "goose sized" but this one was a bit shorter than that). Its call isn't as freaky to me as a peacock's, but close.

Percevia does guns, laptops and movies, too, but the bird database is by far the ginchiest.

Bless Captain Corey for reviewing a movie with a screen clip of the severed head of George Wendt. Also for adding me to his blogroll.

Halle Barry went up a notch in my opinion.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - George W. Bush won the "Razzie" worst actor of the year award on Saturday for his performance as president in "Fahrenheit 9/11" but his moment in Hollywood's dubious spotlight was eclipsed by Halle Berry, who actually turned up to receive her embarrassing accolade.

Berry was named worst actress of 2004 by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation for her performance in "Catwoman" and she showed up to accept her "Razzie" carrying the Oscar she won in 2002 for "Monster's Ball."

"They can't take this away from me, it's got my name on it!" she quipped. A raucous crowd cheered her on as she gave a stirring recreation of her Academy Award acceptance speech, including tears.

She thanked everyone involved in "Catwoman," a film she said took her from the top of her profession to the bottom.

"I want to thank Warner Brothers for casting me in this piece of shit," she said as she dragged her agent on stage and warned him "next time read the script first."

It is rare for a Razzie winner to show up at the spoof awards held on the night before Oscars -- but Berry did, saying her mother taught her that to be "a good winner you had to be a good loser first." She received a standing ovation.

Bush, beating such established Hollywood heroes as Colin Farrell and Vin Diesel, won the Razzie for worst actor of the year for his appearance in Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Bush, two members of his administration, Britney Spears and the storybook about a goat that the president was reading to children as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were taking place all took top honors at the "Razzie" awards, now in their 25th year.

"Catwoman" tied with "Fahrenheit 9/11" by winning four "Razzies" -- worst picture, worst directing, worst screenplay and worst performance by an actress for Berry and her "berry bad" work.

John Wilson, founder of the nonprofit Golden Raspberry Award Foundation that gives out "Hollywood's least coveted trophies," said Moore's anti-Bush documentary allowed the foundation's nearly 700 members to do some Bush bashing of their own.

The president not only was named worst male actor in a leading role, he also won for being half of the year's worst screen couple when paired with either Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice or "My Pet Goat," the book he was reading to schoolchildren on the morning of Sept. 11.

Footage of Bush continuing to read after being given first word of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was one of the key scenes in Moore's highly critical film.

Two other "Fahrenheit" stars were "honored." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was named worst supporting actor and pop star Spears won for worst supporting actress for a clip in which she declared blind faith in Bush's policies while popping chewing gum.

Winners receive a golf ball-sized figure of a "Raspberry" atop a mangled Super 8 film reel that is spray-painted gold. It has an estimated street value of $4.97, although Wilson said costs were rising as Super 8 film reel cans are getting harder to find.

FUD-Based Encyclopedia - Personally, I love Wikipedia, and use it regularly. I wish it existed back when I was in school.

1 year ago - Superhero dreams, chant poll

leap day 2004 - art, buttons, erosion, dreams and bro update

2 years ago - Dexter-doggie, filtered legal question, Stressy-day,

3 years ago - Clucky-newt, Zorkbot, water-cooled notebooks, Dooce fired over her journal, 3d html, wcag in haiku

4 years ago - news links, monkey robbers, gallery of huge beings, Vehicle mounted active denial system, Invictus, Ozymandias.

7206 - Come down off that smokestack and eat

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