Scotto's Wall Scrawls

In episode 1, when Steven is letting the monster chase him through the
halls of the elementary school, he pulls down the bookshelves that line
the hall to impede the monster's pursuit of him.

This is very unrealistic. Those bookshelves must be secured to the
wall. That is an OSHA requirement in the United States! Even in
England I'm sure there is the equivalent-to-OSHA requirement to secure
tall book selves to the wall for safety. Unsecured tall bookshelves
could fall on a child.

I just want to go on record as saying that it is too unrealistic for
Steven to be able to easily topple the tall hallway bookshelves in the
elementary school.

Danny

Originally published at The Scotto Grotto. You can comment here or there.

Hey! Today is a palindrome! 011110 !

A panoramic pic of the bay iced over from yesterday (bigger here)

BHK made me a wonderful breakfast of veggie omelets and English muffin – nice dose of protein to begin the day solidly.

Bad news technology-wise… BHK’s laptop seems to have taken a nap from which it won’t awake. I suspect the internal power supply. Looking into cracking it open soon, if the alternate cable doesn’t fix her up.

Shadow of the Vampire this evening, while we strip the tree of it’s ornaments and lights – rather a counterpoint too last year’s Kolchak festival while putting on the goodies.

Started watching sanctuary tonight, but the allure of Big Kahuna took it over. We’ve made it to 94 of 99 levels complete, and all but one tropical fish unlocked.

Dinner of tasty twisty pasta and unchicken strips in a tomato-cream sauce, with lots of tasty garlic!

Janet sent me a pic of Danny from his Birthday on Los Olas – BHK thinks he looks cuter sans moustache.

1 year ago – rescue ink, winter farmer’s market, comics & munchkin quest (still unplayed, a year later! got to correct that soon), die monter die, mr meaty, took apart trains under the xmas tree
2 years ago - baby polar bear, different route to work, friday 5, gizmodo tv-b-gone
3 years ago - newt and pye pics / video, off to marion
4 years ago - hijinks, top 10 questions, hieroglyphic names, system still out for repair, doodling
5 years ago - turtle thought, dinero, illumination, tv torrents, vampire hunting with a stand up bass, metasearch, mucho folks fired for keeping online journals, iraqi abuse cheerleaders, server location, flying_blind introduces me to the term blague which is a perfect alternate to blog.
6 years ago - drama flakes, bad taste, Dentsu, Tintin, Sandalwood and walkabout
7 years ago - LotR, Nipple scarves, vax-d, UBER-PEA!, Newt piccies
8 years ago - Colostomy bag thief, D&D stats, monkey god baby
9 years ago - looking to the future, all the words

Cinco De Mayo... Cheers! We had ratatouille and baked potato for supper. (But the bagel I ate had jalapenos on it!)

Contemplating going to Bengie's Drive-in this weekend. Triple feature of Fanboys, Monsters vs. Aliens and Star Trek a fun, dorky night.
I'm not sure though - I'd prefer to see MvsA in 3-d.

Talked to Danny on the phone tonight - he might be jumping into a game of Champions at his local game store this summer. 150 points - the store used to be the Dragon's Lair, but it's now Adventure something or another.

Bro sent me a text from his new phone - I'll call him tomorrow and see how he sounds. I'm sure he's happy to be out and about.

No Franklin again this morning - I noticed that the lawn was treated with chemicals - hopefully that kept him away, along with the cold, drizzly rain.

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Pull in your tum,
stick out your tush,
wiggle your hips,
now give 'em a push

Godspeed, Captain Chaos

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As I was starting to say, I'm glad it's staying a bit rainy and cool outside... I'm probably the only one who is loving a little soft, cool rain over sun and heat. I'm a hairy, big beast... hm, an excuse for another old Ditko picture, I think, dear journal.




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Freeware Eurorails game  -  Thanks, Rock, paper, shotgun!

also discovered OpenTTD for a freeware version of Transport Tycoon, and SimuTrans .

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1 year ago - stern face pic, best public potties in somd, thinky-doodle, FPS games, never say hopeless

2 years ago - Cinco de mayo - extended description

3 years ago - fleet week, cinco de mayo, network neutrality, kitten & rooster, mega m&ms, options, friday 5, dr who, prisoner, lj drama

4 years ago - 555, fishbone & dose pics, reference librarian scotto, oops-i did it again (30's style), questions asked

5 years ago - not loving the phone, porno bob cut ? (it took until last month), amy's diary, iconners, cookies, Florida state rock

6 years ago - ortho, There-folks giving me cool virtual clothes, WMD, star wars kid

7 years ago - I'm a sexy cusser, pop vs soda, digger mole, puppyfrog, maps, bad show, verisign, a date with destiny that was doomedCinco de Mayo, panda killer, Man Imprisoned 30 Years for Crime FBI knew he Didn't Commit, other evil news, what's your sign poll (Gemini won again!), C&I nightmare, smart sweater

8 years ago - Cinco de Mayo, panda killer, Man Imprisoned 30 Years for Crime FBI knew he Didn't Commit, other evil news, what's your sign poll (Gemini won again!), C&I nightmare, smart sweater

leftover goodies from halloween - visits with poes gravesite, and baltimore in general. clicks embiggen.

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After allergy shots (and a chit-chat with Kendall's Mom) BHK and I went to Gina's Cantina for lunch and  took an extended walk around annapolis today - despite Britney chiding us for not seeing "Twilight" the sparkly vampire yet, we skipped hitting the movies.

I got a lot of christmas shopping done, but BHK didn't have my luck. Despite our having gone to a little computer show, I couldn't see any really amazing deals.

Spoke briefly with Danny this afternoon while on the road - apparently the new tolkien calendar isn't so great, just landscapes. I figues we can get him a better calendar than that for the holidays. BHK commented on hobbits in bikinis. It wouldn't surprise me if there were such a thing.

1 year ago - one year out from ACIM, turkey doodle, tg pics to color, ze on thanks, BHK cooks, bacon salt, fry on americans, newt and pye pics, lj reads, 27 questions,

2 years ago - Mr.T on fashion, Bully Charlie Brown, Bro incognito, Last day at ACIM.

3 years ago - chilly for fl, many entries, foot amputee dream, bro in hospital

4 years ago - newtcam button, hercules & newton, bueller thoughts, jam sammiches, g-cans, flu bug, survey, LH quits, bro back in the pokey

5 years ago - DC Earths, Shrunken Heads, Police Cars, mix cds, South park, origin ofRaj KAJ, An awesome Weekly World News Issue, I am DNA, Bro Issues

6 years ago - classic kids audio books, history, forms in LJ work, goodbye to work-Pam, Mojo has a hissy fit vs Bonbon/Kev

7 years ago - beatnik, thanksgiving, harry potter quiz, wandering

8 years ago - thanksgiving

Opened the morning with Pancakes at the in-laws. I helped Larry remove the awning from the upstairs bedroom, to make room for french doors. I suspect the awning will be relocated to the bottom floor.

We all hung out and gabbed most of the day - I scoped out Larry's 30-30 and .22 pistol, and the model of the U.S.S. Constitution. I think that I'd like to head toward Baltimore sometime for a walking tour of the actual ship. (Hm, I may have to wait until 2010 for an underway demonstration with the restoration taking place, but walking tours are still good.)

Came home to rest and relax together for a bit - got a call from Danny - Janet has a gig! Working there for 2 weeks now, doing graphic design for an advertising company that produces campground maps (surrounded by business-card style adverts). I'm glad she found something, and hope that it's profitable, challenging and fun for her.

He liked Get Smart and Evan Almighty - Both of which he saw this weekend though he's not a bit Steven Carrell fan. I suspect that Get Smart will be something I enjoy - he does the "idiot in charge" role well... but I don't imagine I'll bother with Evan Almighty, unless something comes along to further interest me about it. He really liked Wall-E, too, but I imagine that goes without saying fro me.

BHK and I watched Cloverfield today. I'll say it from the get go.... it wasn't my thing. The shaky-cam didn't bother me at all, but the movie itself was pretty stinky, in my opinion. I'm glad I waited for netflix, and didn't bother catching it in the theater. The synopsis of the film reads better than the movie played out.

The viral marketing of Cloverfield was excellent - but I just wasn't engaged by the film. The characters bored me, and the monster seemed unimpressive both in design and implementation, even for a "giant beast". It made 78% on rotten tomatoes, or 5.8 out of 10 on metacritic, which makes me think that I must be in the minority for disliking it so much. It seems that the movie critics liked it more than the bulk of "civilian" viewers.

In my opinion, if you want a good, fun horror movie with monsters and a sense of fun - Skip Cloverfield, and get your hands on Swarm of the Snakehead, instead. If you want a cool *giant* monster movie, try The Host. Cloverfield just didn't have what it takes to impress me.

In other movie news - Hancock is rated 35% at rottentomatoes. I wonder what's killing it for most folks - I haven't seen it yet. That's less than Get Smart and Harold & Kumar, which I'd figure were worse.

Flicks out now that I want to see:

Wall-E (wins over any other item showing right now.)

In no particular order - (except that of my memory)

Hellboy 2
Take Out
Dark Knight (ok, I'm tired of making links - cut and paste as needed, dear journal.)
Mongol
Space Chimps
Indiana Jones 4
Wanted
The Fall - (has it gone out of theaters yet?)
Gonzo - (Hunter Thompson pic, not the muppet)
Visitor (has that left?)

Is there something I missed? I imagine BHK wants to see the Sex in the City and The American Girl flicks, both of which are ok by me too.

We had Dagwoods at home for dinner with the in-laws...sat around and watched Oxford Blues, which really did nothing for me. I avoided seeing it in my high school years, so I guess a 25 year reprieve is about the most I could ask for. The sammiches were delicious - I made a stack of zucchini and cheese on fresh bread that was fantastic. sweet bread and butter pickles, some honey mustard, and lettuce from the garden made for a monster sammich, but the corn was the clear winner. Certainly the freshest and most tasty of the year thus far. I went through 3 ears.

The local neighbor (the one that was looking for $11 a week or so ago) came by again, looking for garlic to make chicken alfredo, but we didn't have any for her.

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Abba will ‘never’ perform again - Swedish supergroup Abba will “never” perform on stage again, two of the band’s members have said.

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Random thought - If I were invulnerable and professional superhero, I'd never wear shoes unless I was someplace that they were required by law.

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1 year ago - I love local corn pic, beautiful foggy out, FF2 with BHK, DC train maps on google, skipped salem, the shield, note to anonymous commenter, atheists taking the lord's name in vain, Zoroaster the Kitten, faith and democratic candidates

2 years ago - pirate quiz, pirates w/Dan, 61 questions, walkabout pics, bus stop self portrait, newtcam silly pic

3 years ago - bro visit, good exp games, Karl Rove a rat, mood settings, big ol' Locust

4 years ago - perspective via work, kitty-bot, rain, diseases

5 years ago - Movies w/ danny, LED-suit, Lupin quiz, dinosaur haiku, new tv, LXG, html tests, ghoulishness

6 years ago - Ian McCracken, zork 404, branleur, got my bike

7 years ago - evil news, longueur, spoliation, space fungus, superstition poll, fri-13 reasoning, I'm Neutral Good

8 years ago - Traditional trolls, Catholics handy in a pinch

Downright Balmy today - 70 degrees! Last year it was snowing.

I have to say that I agree with District Diaries... *many* buses (Especially the C7 and R2, in my experience) are just not very weather tight.

Got my ducks in a row at the doctor today... some cough syrup type stuff, an antibiotic to fight infection due to the irritation, and apparently I can get my pneumonia vaccine (renews every 5-10 years) after I've mended up a smidgen.

Dinner at Mexico... BHK got steak flautas, and I got a burrito loco, full of all the veggies BHK isn't crazy about. (Mushrooms, onions, green peppers)

Got home and watched nat'l geographic special on mountains and one on tidal life.... Snow Leopards / Rams and Surfing snails / Jellyfish!

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Gifts from Danny - sort of an acid-washed / tie dye t-shirt with mama gator & piggy back baby gators, a frog pin made in USA from Austrian crystal, and some tasty Tassimo chai tea. Thanks!

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Latest comic book sighting - Helen Killer. - "In 1901, twenty-one year old college student Helen Keller, with the aid of a fantastical device invented by her friend and mentor Alexander Graham Bell, regains her sight and hearing as well as near super-human strength and agility. Helen is enlisted by the Secret Service to protect President William McKinley, who has been targeted for assassination by anarchists."

Well, it's about time a super-powered ex deaf-mute took on Czolgosz! Coll-gosh is the new Mix-yez-pittle-ick, no doubt!

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1 year ago - a ton of walkabout pics, fossil hunting during a Snowy day on the bay, microsoft and openID, kitties

2 years ago - "Chilly" - in the 40s.ha. Today it was less than half that, before wind chill!, best buy wall numbers, absurd inventions, Superbowl. Scientology SP, Black/white vs right/wrong

3 years ago - Beetlejuice thoughts, evergreen boneyard photo-walk, domestic cats stay at adolescent mentality, interactive autopsy, girls sued for being nice

4 years ago - Super-loved ones, 2-headed baby surgery, fox wedding weather, meat eaters, scale, ruins

5 years ago - Nice thoughts, torture, LCD, note to Newt, Latrave b-day card, Class action suit.. I got my $12 check, eventually, Chandlerisms

6 years ago - MP pay delay, tron, #10 tight, naughty work thoughts, Scripts, system lockdowns and short tempers

7 years ago - At Last, first find hero machine (now in my toybox), bug, Dani and Rhonda hook me up!

Back to work, MLK day 0121 Or R.E.LEE day for folks too racist to even take a day off to say thanks to a black guy. (Well, Virginia's state Motto is what John Wilkes Booth shouted in the theater.)

BHK and Bug lifted me into work this morning... I said my goodbyes, as he was back in VA by the time I made it home. We had a nice time - lots of stuff to do, and good goofing off periods.

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MRI came back, and I have a herniated disk - S1 level, pressing to the left {pic via gray's anatomy} - (S1 nerve impingement from a herniated disc may cause loss of the ankle reflex and/or weakness in ankle push off (e.g. patients cannot do toe rises). Numbness and pain can radiate down to the sole or outside of the foot.

I'd like this to mean that I can get repairs done to a previously thought dead area. I suspect that I may have to have surgery down the line - Still early to tell.

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To counter flying_blind's wtf flickr moment - I don't know how old the news is, but I just learned that the library of congress has a flickr account. Cool, neat stuff like this made me add 'em.

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I've had music by TMBG in my head all week... I Palendrome I and Birdhouse especially. Sakes, but Jay Leno has gotten gray.

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KFC dinner and an omelet at the in-laws tonight... BHK made it there about 10 minutes after I arrived. Nice time, gabbing with family about this and that - got to talk to Em on the phone a bit, too! Caught Danny on Skype, too... he was watching the debate feed on CNN. Me, I'm not caring much for any of the current batch of politicos, but it looks like he's going to vote for Hillary, based on her platform.

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1 year ago - snowstorm ends, snowballs, eggplant and french toast.
Pictures - snow & love notes

2 years ago - compusa bah, acim gang out and about, float on, sacrifice & wrath, chastity belts for 21st century
pictures - ACIM gang

3 years ago - Strep, Jill is like 30, Greek Grotto, Weather, The woods, urinals, Mrs G team pic, Romanian Girl returns from the grave, poli-sci

4 years ago - Palm doodles, band names, sinister ducks, Cheddar Cheesus, water bus trip home, Orange Cat, walkies pics

5 years ago - zcardz (precursor to the pirates game), LL fooled with my bro, vanishing finn, meds

6 years ago - Dream, Walkies with fog, Worked MLK, ear pressure relief then a return, ordered my digicam, got a keeno book off my wish list, siege engines, lego cube solver.

7 years ago -Bro pic, garam masala, patty hearst pardoned, DNA police

Relaxed all day... played Chinagold, Schotten Totten, Hazienda, and such with BHK. Caught up with episodes of House, Watched the Incredibles, ate Thanksgiving leftovers, and didn't worry too much about my pop.

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A yearly thing I've been doing for a while now... Not always on his birthday.

Things about my dad at 38, as far as I remember: The Year was 1983 - Married, but signs were there that it was on the way out. Living in Boynton Beach, Florida. Had a son in High School(14), and another in the last year of elementary(10). Favorite movie in '83 was likely Vacation - I think he liked it more than Octopussy, which is what might've been my next guess. Both He and his wife were working as Real Estate agents - Residential, primarily. Financially pretty well off - not living in a mansion, but a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house in the softer 'burbs of Boynton Beach, Florida. The Family had three cars - two for showing property to clients and a bang-around one for the weekends and taking kids places. Sundays were more often spent with the family as a unit rather than everyone going separate ways - Saturday it seemed like the afternoon was for chores and then "Every man for himself." That year, we went on a shorter vacation to Orlando - Stopped for a day at Kennedy Space Center, where he was rolled around in a wheelchair most of the time due to horsing around on his youngest son's skateboard... and landing flat on his back. He always had back issues, and this didn't help matters. Despite this, he was a trooper and was rolled around both Disney and the Space center with very little by way of complaint. (I wonder what happened to my plastic shuttle with "real working cargo bay doors" that I got there?) Friends of his were: Greg at the Auto Shop (Drinking Buddy), Brother in law Bob (His sister's Husband, about 10 years his junior), Assorted Business contacts. Fond of Watching Documentaries on TV, especially Jacques Cousteau and WWII / Korea / 'Nam stuff. Slowed down hunting about this time, but still went fishing regularly with Bob and his sons. Cooking Methods preferred are the Charcoal Grill, or Gas if he was in a hurry. Fast food was generally pub or local fare... french fries and a burger. Preferred to Watch TV on the couch, but to read outdoors. Had the kids do yard work and wash the car - sometimes followed up with the trimmer or a wax job himself. Enjoyed Fast Cars, and driving them at speeds not permitted by law. Lost his spleen in an automobile accident when he was 18, and never did learn his lesson. Alcoholic Beverage of Choice was a Budweiser. Smoked an occasional pipe of tobacco, ceased to smoke cigarettes, but occasionally rolled a joint. Kept about $5,000 on hand in $100 bills in a fireproof strongbox in the closet, along with his stash. The box's lock was easily picked with a paperclip.

Some of his Strengths: Brilliant at math, History, and how things are put together, strong sense of fun and horseplay. Would walk into a pool of lava without complaining if it was for his kids. Charming, knew how to sell. Excellent at debate. Knew how to box, and how to fight dirty. A lot of upper body strength. Good teacher.

Some of his Weaknesses: Liked the Beer quite a bit, stubborn as a mule, no depth perception, sometimes a little hard of hearing (TV up *VERY* loud), Easily goaded into combat, either verbal or physical - though he rarely threw the first punch. Ruthless, and bloodthirsty when angered. Impatient if he had to repeat himself more than once. (Due to his being hard of hearing, everyone had to repeat themselves to him frequently.)

Random Celebrity Factoid: used to spar and box with Marvin Hagler at the YMCA, back in Brockton, MA in the Petronelli brothers gym, and they'd have coffee and Doughnuts afterward at the Mister Donut. This was about 1969-1970.

A comparison -

Scotto at 38: - 2007 - Happily starting the second year of his marriage, living in Maryland and working around Washington DC area. Wonderful Wife, 2 cool kitties, aged 4 and 8. (Favorite movie in '83 was Wargames, even more than Return of The Jedi.) Favorite movie this year - Possibly Hot Fuzz, or maybe Meet The Robinsons in 3D... unless I'm forgetting something. Works as a the Manager/Director of IT at a Trade Association involving the freight industry. Financially is recovering pretty well from a move and going into a new career. Living in a 2-bedroom (3, if you count the office), 2 bath home in North Beach, MD - a "bedroom community" of DC's. His family has one car, but that works pretty well, considering that he commutes by bus and train back and forth to work. Weekends are spent relaxing, doing some chores, and going on walkabout / drive-about with his wife, Both happily joined at the hip. This past years vacation was really his honeymoon trip along the East coast through a few Ripley's Believe it or Not locations, including, but not limited to Myrtle Beach through St. Augustine. Saw his first snow in over 20 years a few months ago. Still doesn't drive a vehicle, though DC traffic doesn't look to be as bad as Miami's. Recently Reconnected to A few High school cronies, but hasn't kept up too well with them, or with his ex-coworkers in Florida. Current up-close and personal friends (i.e., talk on the phone at least every other week, or visit in person) are Danny (old time gaming buddy, lives in FL), in-laws Larry & Chris (Live about 5 minutes away, and are always game to visit and hang out), and of course the aforementioned BHK and the kitties as wonderful loves, lights and companions. Doesn't do much outside the office with current coworkers - everyone seems to have their own life going on. Fond of watching science fiction / docu-science cooking shows / some sideways action-sit-coms like The Office, Chuck, Ugly Betty and so on. Cooking methods preferred are Grilling outside, or enjoying his wife's masterpieces. Fast food is ok now and then, but as a vegetarian, prefers dining out on Mexican, Chinese or Italian food to most other fare. Has had back surgery twice, second time was to repair scar tissue from the prior. Herniated disks in the back, had an nerve damage down and along the left leg. Non-smoker, doesn't do any recreational drugs. Alcoholic beverage of choice right now is Strongbow Cider, though woodchuck is good, too. Doesn't keep large sums of money on his person or in the house... ATMs and bank cards work just fine for now.

Some of His Strengths: Attacks problems from a different perspective than usual, excellent with children and animals, willing to compromise on most disagreements where it is fair, strong sense of rhythm and beat, can be very sympathetic to people / animals in need of help. Courteous. Good at debate. Reliable. Knows how to fight, if need be. Protective of loved ones.

Some of his Weaknesses: Can be moody when overtired or sick, prone to sentimentality but mercy is wildly variable depending on the situation, aggressively dislikes "practical jokes" or pop-up surprises. Memory is sometimes poor if items aren't written down. Poor runner - especially now with the back/leg issues. Messy housekeeper.

Random Celebrity Factoid: Once met Bill Daily (friend of an old employer) - nice guy, laid back, I was stunned that he was as old as he is... (mostly because before then, I'd only seen him in TV reruns). We chatted about radio stuff, primarily.

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The Smithsonian requires an "Exit Clearance"... I never knew! Some interesting reading. [edit - and more here! ]

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1 year ago - a little lungy, lunch with Gabbie and Todd, Wedding Giftie

2 years ago - Last entry from Ft. Laud (why do I seem to always move at Thanksgiving time?), No bro for TG - baker acted,

3 years ago - Everyone elsewhere. (Bro Jail, Momster in Brazil), hershey kiss variants, more about scotto leaving home, re: Laura & co, Thankful things, entp,

4 years ago - Newtie face, Lost and found sound, Sally Brunot, Cinnamon, Sleep, words, people sold as dogs, banning folks

5 years ago - nice day

6 years ago - Tarot, Old Time Radio, open source

7 years ago - yardbirds, Father memories, holidays, byron

Trouble with the Tribbles - By Edward Gorey. (scroll down a smidgen, for the comic, but the rest is good too) thanks, jwz!

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Been a while since I posted a cannibal link.

A teenager claims to have killed his room-mate then eaten parts of his brain and internal organs.

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survey from Wendy -

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In lieu of actual content, have another meme thingum -

1. Put numbers in the boxes instead of x's (example: 1, 2, 3, 4, ...)
2. Repost as "I have lived through ____ of these 158 things."
105!

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1 year ago - wedding ring metals, psp stuff, circle/6 hand foot dilemma, BCT out, power out, funnel cloud pics, MD dog clinics need blood, backyard pic pre-ernesto, flickr color select

2 years ago - Katrina updates, firesign theater, PHC movie, a-z meme, cartoon themes, deerfield condo (obviously it worked out), movie plans - cgi a cartoon?, pee-powered battery, pippin

3 years ago - JLU, comparison shopping, bro drama, earache, presidential candidates

4 years ago - art fair, skippy, Danny's Sci-fi club, morning newt pics, snake oil watch, dali, reading hero 5, female gamers outnumber boys, N. Korea Nukes, kim possible

5 years ago - wonka, hypno powers, got my computer desk

6 years ago - stoic, codex seraphinianus, fruit poll

7 years ago - remembering a hard month, work, fl trim, no thai, scrabble

Neighborhood shakeup tonight at about 7pm - A minivan chasing another - apparently the second vehicle had 2-4 people inside with the side doors open and guns showing. The vehicle being chased was honking and swerving all over the place to avoid being shot.

BHK called 911, and the response time was *terrible*, and she was never questioned by the police for a report on the matter. I'll be investigating that situation more tomorrow after work.

I'm just glad that she's ok.

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Random factoids and semi-specific things about people I know (or knew):

My brother is *really good* at shucking oysters. At least 4-5 times faster than me, or 2-ish times faster than anyone else I've ever met in the service industry.

My wife is a superb analyst, and can get to the core of a matter quite swiftly. She's going to be an awesome lawyer. (and dangerous gamer)

Steve Jacoby has some beautiful children, and has the makings for a pretty cool dad.

Tina keeps a lovely home... everything is crisp and neat, even with a pair of kitties, a bunch of birds, and living the software company lifestyle.

Bruce can make me misty with just a bowl of cheerios .

Ray has a very real skill at blending words and experience into story.

Kathleen has a great memory, to the point of us calling her queen index when we were gaming. If she doesn't have knowledge, she can find it fast.

Cyn has a fantastic skill at illustration, both on paper and skin.

Doug Wu has a near encyclopedic knowledge of comics from the silver age. Knows more than anyone else I've ever met.

Danny is a mill that grinds slowly, but exceedingly fine. He's a living example of "the devil is in the details."

Father-in-law is loved by everyone he meets. *Nobody*, and I mean *nobody* has anything sideways to say about him. That's amazing.. and due to him.

Mother-in-law is a superb cook. Some wicked good queso, for example.

Mother is a master multitasker. I've never seen her with too much on her plate.

Wilton is an excellent carpenter - can put all manner of stuff together with quality and speed.

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Got a calendar? Circle this date: Sunday, August 12th. Next to the circle write "all night" and "Meteors!" Attach the above to your refrigerator in plain view so you won't miss the 2007 Perseid meteor shower.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Lawyers and judges are to break with centuries-old tradition and cease wearing horse-hair wigs of white fake curls in non-criminal cases, the head of the country's judiciary announced on Thursday.

Wing collars and bands can also be dispensed with in such cases according to the reforms, while judges will need just one gown in future instead of a variety of colourful outfits currently required.
The wigs will still be worn in criminal courts.

"At present High Court judges have no less than five different sets of working dress, depending on the jurisdiction in which they are sitting and the season of the year," Phillips said in a statement.
"After widespread consultation it has been decided to simplify this."

A review carried out in 2003 found that more than two thirds of respondents wanted to eliminate the wigs in civil cases, although most said criminal court judges should still wear them.

Opponents of wigs thought they were anachronistic, as well as uncomfortable and expensive.

A shoulder-length ceremonial wig costs more than 1,500 pounds while the shorter ones worn by lawyers cost about 400 pounds each.

However, the idea of abolishing them has been met with disapproval from some lawyers who feel the wigs give them an air of authority as well as anonymity.

"While there will never be unanimity of view about court dress, the desirability of these changes has a broad measure of agreement," Phillips said.

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1 year ago - venture bros good, lj ugly nav bar, bye bye black rhino, angel / shovel / burrito, simulated lost case-630am, Arvis book in comments!

2 years ago - Last Day w/Magda, invisi-bro, chrono-lifting, breakfast foods, zombies invade sca event, crab, autostitch bus, minor drama, commendation

3 years ago - KoL, Bollywood, Patriot Act, Felix the Cat

4 years ago - sleep troubles, Andromeda Strain, 4-legged man , system crash - modem drivers (Service pack 4 for win2k caused Norton trouble) , Stalin vs Hitler comic, newtcam pic, discovered title-tags, strickland a/c die-lemma

5 years ago - more swell chatties, Roanoke (including odd reply from Boughman), Dreams of Lake Conoy with zombie mist, sweet possum sugar, mother goose

6 years ago - Evil news, riposte, dream of the jungle, If I were... meme, time, sleepy, Dumbass Tenochtitlan Saucermen,chat, aura colors, personality disorder test, Louvre

7 years ago - Bad things with April, super power question