Cradling My Vengeance

2003-01-05T15:35:00.000-06:00

WE MOVED TO:

2002-12-28T09:21:00.000-06:00

I'm moving over to Drea's Elliptical Canvas site under the same Veangeful heading. There, my simple mind can easily figure out how to put up different pictures and links.

2002-12-19T13:34:00.000-06:00

Asa Please Read This

I have been off-line for the last three days because of server problems. I find out the first night when the kids get home from school that my 9-year-old son has been going to my web pages (all journals) at school and reading the stuff. Now, I must say to you here boy, if your going to come here and read this stuff then you will have to be ready for a few things. Like, sometimes I cuss, sometimes I talk about you and your sisters and its not always nice, sometimes I talk about your dad. It is after all, My journal , and I will say what I want/need to say. You can always click on the comments part and add your own version to my story if you want. I love you and I'm happy you find what I say interesting! (And even show your teachers). Now get back to work silly.

2002-12-13T01:04:00.000-06:00

Still no pics up. My battery went dead right in the first part of the concert. I did not study art history all day. I finished and turned in said paper and watched TV tonight. I LOVE the gift we got... you can read about it here. Thanks Mom & Dad L.

2002-12-10T08:12:00.000-06:00

Childrens concert tonight. I will post pics HERE later. I was going to stay home and study art history all day but i was up until 3:30 am this morning and need to go back to bed now after getting the kids off to school. Good night.

2002-12-09T10:41:00.000-06:00

I can be found here as well.

2002-12-03T11:26:00.000-06:00

im in class

2002-12-03T00:36:00.000-06:00

I am signed up for 15 credits next semester 12 are studio classes.
I have finished the web page for my presentation in the morning at 10:00am and finished my sketchbook for ceramics class because I have a final crit at 9:30am then I'm going to develop my film and study until photo club meeting at 9:00pm.
Last night I had a freaky ass dream where I kept driving off the road and could not turn the wheel straight or step on the breaks. I would wake up, fall back to sleep and have the dream all over again. I hope it is not a sign of things to come because I don't think I could handle my life spinning out of control again.
My cookbook is going good but I have not yet received enough recipes to complete it.

2002-12-02T17:23:00.000-06:00

I want to write something here, but I don't know what I really want to write about. It's been a month or more...drea and I were talking before sleep on our anniversary night. We talked about the things that we like and the things we have left behind. She suggested that I write here a list of all the things I like and all the things I want to learn. I guess that's as good a thing as any to write about.

Things I Like:
My Wife
My Kids
My Books
I like to play board games (with anybody who is willing!)
I LOVE to read just about anything
I enjoy role-playing games most of the time, though I very rarely get to play anymore.
I like feeling appreciated
I like having Good conversation and deep discussion on the fine points of science-fiction literature
I sometimes enjoy writing and drawing
I LOVE reading and learning about anthropology, archaeology and mythology
I especially love learning more and more about ancient civilizations. (Specifically - Sumerian/Babylonian/Akkadian, Norse/Geat/Pictish, Indian, some Native American/Polynesian/Aztec/Chinese)
I Love to learn cool things about things I find mysterious (The Maori, the origins of squids and octopi, the uncharted depths of our oceans, deep space)
I Love walking nature trails with my daughter and hope to go on a long hiking and camping journey with her when she gets older, and I have time
I Love hashing over ideas for stories with my Wife
I like helping my wife with most of her homework; and listening to her ideas whether they're about school, or whatever.
I like to watch movies with my wife and kids (when appropriate) in our bedroom.
I like that I haven't gotten into any serious arguements or fights with my brother in an entire year, that normally cause us not to speak to each other for weeks or months.
I like it that my father says he's proud of me
I like to work in the sheet metal department when they decide they need me over there ( whenever there's an emergency8( !! )
I'm sure there are some other things I like - such as particular music - that I forgot to put down. Oh well. Maybe some other time. As far as the things I'd like to learn, I'll save that for tomorrow.

2002-12-02T07:47:00.000-06:00

Last night we took the kids to the play "A Christmas Carol". We all had a great time. We didn't get home until 10:00pm so waking them up this morning was hard. Ship's birthday was also yesterday, I made a cake. Its the last week of classes before finals week.

2002-11-27T07:38:00.000-06:00

I need to call that lawyer and work out a deal for that ticket today. I wish I had some money to buy yoiu a gift!!

2002-11-26T05:37:00.000-06:00

Happy Anniversary, Little Momma

...For Today.

2002-11-24T20:23:00.000-06:00

For tomorrow...

Happy Anniversary Tom

2002-11-20T18:18:00.000-06:00

I was doing homework yesterday and briefly overheard a conversation of three people in their 50's two men and one woman. "She had a child out of wedlock" The man said, then he perceded to tell a story of a young lady who became pregnant. Dang, men can be worse then woman when it comes to gossip.

2002-11-11T19:25:00.000-06:00

My voice is GONE completely. It was hard to do crit today because I couldn't talk so he moved it to wend. I have to paint tonight. ugggg.

2002-11-10T08:49:00.000-06:00

My lungs have been hurting for the past three days and now im loosing my voice. Today we go see Gordon who flew to MN. from Japan for 5 days after 8 years of absence. I had to argue with Ship to understand that we should bring the kids too because we are a family and he has been telling the kids about Gordon coming for months now and they were looking forward to meeting him. It should be fun. I feel like Shit

2002-11-05T05:12:00.000-06:00

Drea's been on me to get bloggin'; I've been neglectful. Big voting day today. I watched the senatorial debate last night between Weasel and Old Man. Old Man will get my coveted check mark. The rest of my votes will go to various independant and green candidates.

Brotherhood of the Jackasses. Hear! Hear! Drea has it dead on. The best movie we've seen since The Royal Tenenbaums was Amelie. What a beautiful movie. that makes 2 good movies we've seen this year. Oh yeah, Tuck Everlasting wasn't bad, and in any case was better than Road to Perdition (which I was hoping would be a hell of a lot better - more meat, if you will.) I loved the Royal T and Amelie though.

The kids and I watched one of the movies my Mom taped for me last night. I always like to watch a movie while tackling the insidious laundry folding task. Oh yeah! I forgot to mention - My parents lent us thier VCR until we get a new one. Ours is hopelessly shot; I just haven't thrown it away yet. We watched The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Next time it will be The Curse of the Mummy's Hand.

Somebody's trying to screw me over at work...More on that later, if anything actually comes to pass = like even a confrontation. (I am Really wanting this debate - the individual will be trounced soundly, leaving me the unquestioned victor! HA!) I am currently reading The Dying Earth by Vance - a sweet read. A definate classic of science fiction. It's a collection of 4 works dating from 1950 to just around 1990. Great stuff!

Still, I am enjoying the ramblings and rumblings of the Beautiful, Beautiful Rock* Tumbler. I've a large mug of tea before me. I am grasping for euphoria. Shamballa! Shamballa!

*properly pronounced by heavily rrrolling the 'r'. Think of King Edward "Longshanks" in the movie "Braveheart" when he says the word "routed".

2002-11-03T13:38:00.000-06:00

Do not watch "The brotherhood of the Wolves" Its STUPID. The first half of the movie was OK because I thought that there was going to be some great investigations into how to hunt the "Beast" but it never developed any further that a "cheesy shou-lin Iroquois" (quote by Tom) who fights anyone. It's French and dubbed in English. At the very end one guy had a weapon that looked like it came from the set of "The Mummy". God why did we watch it to the end? Maybe in hopes it would clear our confusion as the credits rolled by telling us, "It's over now, your OK".

2002-10-30T20:38:00.000-06:00

The Homeless Guy said:"It's not pleasant to see chunks floating in your milk." Is he for real? I know there was a USA Today article about him but I'm not sure the whole thing isn't some sort of long drawn out hoax. Please tell me what you think.

2002-10-29T23:48:00.000-06:00

I just realized, I HATE THE ROCK TUMBLER. It is making me not be able to sleep. How Many More Days? Pumpkin Pictures up at my Blogg Click the links to see the photos.

2002-10-29T03:44:00.000-06:00

Oh, busy busy Drea...The backround of your painting meshed perfectly with the piano's natural color and the floating, somewhat glowing disembodied face SCARED THE LIVING SHIT out of me this morning as I got up for OT at 315AM...You had to have been up late. I Love You.

When I get home today, after I make dinner, I'm going to open up that VCR and see what it's got hiding in that belly. My Mom's taping movies for me this week, my daughter's getting videos for her birthday and Christmas, and I have another one being sent from Canada that I won on eBay two weeks ago. I'm not Really going to be able to afford a new VCR, not even by Christmas...I'm gutting the thing. Maybe a piece of foil for the barcode or some other paper fell off the last tape we watched and got into the works or something. We'll see...

I showed the kids a site with a bunch of Playmobile stuff on it. They Loved it! All 3 of them!

Currently trying to wake up to a nice mug of tea and the soothing and energetic sounds of the damned rock tumbler.

2002-10-28T08:03:00.000-06:00

I am sure you will understand when I tell you I'm going to be late tonight. We have a photo club meeting at 9 pm and I am staying to study until then. The cookies are great! I let the kids have some before they went to school. I will remember to take out the meat. I slept very good except for the neighbor’s god-damn alarm, which was still going off when you said good-bye and continued to go off until 7:30 am. Tomorrow I plan on throwing something hard at the wall, its pissing me off. What could be the reason for letting your alarm go off for four hours without hitting the snooze button?

2002-10-26T21:31:00.000-05:00

Want to help with the VCR Fund?...

2002-10-26T12:24:00.000-05:00

Cinnamon Pull Aparts

© 2002 RecipeArchive.com

Ingredients

1 pound bread dough - frozen

For Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 cup packed brown sugar

1/8 cup milk, 1% lowfat

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For Sugar Cinnamon Topping

1/8 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Thaw bread dough for two hours at room temperature or twelve hours overnight in refrigerator.
For Syrup

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, brown sugar, milk, butter, and cinnamon over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

For Sugar Cinnamon Topping

In a shallow bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Pull Aparts

Cut dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each piece into the sugar cinnamon topping. In a 9-inch round pan coated with cooking spray, place dough in a ring formation. Pour sugar syrup over dough; cover and let rise until doubled in size (40 minutes).

Bake at 350 degrees F until lightly browned (25 minutes). Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Invert onto a plate.

2002-10-24T12:33:00.000-05:00

M. and I made a foot-stool today, we also got to paint it. She did 90% of the work, I was just there to help hold things and wipe up spilled glue. I did this project with V. 3 years ago and Tom helped A. 4 years ago. It was fun. After we were done the adult helpers were invited to the classroom for cookies and juice. Mmmmmm yummy.
On my way out I ws going to stop and wave to the other two and found A. in the library with two other kids and a class helper. He had got a D on an assignment and was going over it again (looked more like talk and play time to me). I'm not happy with the way his grades have been falling this month. Maybe his Peer-mediation project will get put on hold until his grades improve.
I left a pack of smarties on V.'s desk with a little note that said "To: V., From: Mom, I Love You" I hope she gets it.
Time to study Art History.

2002-10-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

Bad start to the day. I woke my wife up to arguement between my daughter and I; then, I interrupted her and got her pissed off at me just as she was leaving. Now I remember that the damn phone numbers for the mortgage places I was going to call are in the frigging van. I hope the rest of the day goes better. I can call the mortgage places tomorrow. I was planning on making some special bars as a surprise for Drea, but now I'm afraid that she'll think I'm just doing it to 'smooth things over' and make her happy. I'm not; I was going to do this already. I'll make 'em anyway. I have to get the mail, mail the van payment, pay the newspaper people, buy some dish washer detergent, get my oil changed and call the vet. I feel like I'm forgetting something...

I am currently drinking the rest of the Hot (room temp) Chocolate that Drea left behind and listening to the beautiful strains of the rock tumbler sitting in the corner.

P.S. Other good things are happening. Conferances are finished for the kids, and they are all doing well. My son has been selected to be a peer moderator, my daughter has decided to keep a journal on her computer and my youngest daughter enthusiastically wants me to keep reading The Hobbit to her (I had thought she'd get bored of it; thankfully that's not the case!) Drea has spent a lot more time studying and aside from my morning stupidity we've all been getting along excellently. I helped my Dad shingle most of the shed last weekend; after which, Drea and I took my Mom and Dad out to eat. We had a good time. My brother just wrote his first short story, and I am very impressed with it.

2002-10-17T07:23:00.000-05:00

Eng. 213
Professional Entry # 1-a

Portrait of Tom

Tom is now 30 (31 in Dec.) he is a tall man standing 6’ 1”. His body form has built up over the past nine years we have been together, mostly because of the type of work he does at a punch press factory making lawnmowers. I hardly ever see the top of Tom’s head because I am only 5’ 1” tall; but when I do, I see he is slowly going bald in the “I wear a baseball cap too often” manor. He only has a few gray hairs on his head and I have only a few browns left.

Tom likes to read books, mostly Sci-Fi, but lately my influence has rubbed off and he is enjoying a wider verity of literary fiction. On his own he also likes to read Saga’s and books of ancient mythos. Tom also likes to play board games and has recruited his nine-year-old son Asa to be counter-part in these activities, his two girls ages 8 and 6 are much harder to win over in these ventures.

Toms’ personality is a cross between Duryodhana [Dur-YODH-ana], from the ancient religious epic of India the Mahabharata, Joseph Campbell who was an American author of comparative mythology, Doanald Duck and Tom’s father Tom Sr., with traces of his mother swimming about emotionally in all that masculine mess. Tom often has a difficult time repeating what his brain is thinking and so I have lovingly nicknamed this dilemma his “soap box” when it happens.

In the past few years sense I have been going to school Tom has taken over the household work including the cooking. He has learned much about measuring oven temperatures and whether the kids will eat it or not, He most certainly has impressed me with his readiness and willingness to learn and do these things. Never once has he uttered such words as “woman’s work” and has always had a good attitude about doing the things that needed to be done. In this way I wish I were more like him.

Tom has great knowledge and understanding of many things and can have intelligent conversations, bringing much insight into them. Tom tries not to live beyond his means but can not help giving all he has to his wife and children, whom he has a deep love of, in the form of small surprise gifts.

I have chosen to do this portrait of my husband Tom because lately things have been unbelievably difficult and in writing this I can be reminded of my soul mate and why I loved him right from the start and pledged myself to him in marriage. I would do it all over again just to know him. I love Tom and always will no matter what happens.

2002-10-17T03:38:00.000-05:00

I have been working a shit-load of overtime now, and am tired as all hell. It will help when I get suspended for 2 days next week for taking last Tuesday off to deal with my car. Now my Dad's car is dead in the parkinglot of our employer. I feel guilty about this for some reason. Probably because he always helps me so much with advise, and I don't have any of the same to offer him.

He doesn't know the mechanics of Shakoppee at all, and I have extensive knowledge of thier doings, habits and migration patterns; so he asked me to find out who would give him the better deal. I found out how much it would cost from one of them and got the typical runaround and busy phone signal from the other (the one that's normally cheaper, of course), but I decided speed and reliability was what was needed most in a mechanic in this case, so I steered him to the first guys - Fleet Mechanical Services. I'm hoping his car will be done so I can pick it up for him after I get off work today.

Drea asked me what cartoon or comic-book figure I thought I most resembled in attitude/humor/etc... ~What the heck is THIS for?~ I thought. ~Is she making one of those wacky survey things?~ I thought about the question and decided to give an honest answer rather than a self-aggrandizing one. My conclusion was Daffy or Donald Duck; both of thier pros and cons add up to equal myself on any given day. I wonder what this is for now...

Still waiting for my copy of Egil's Saga, but everything else has arrived. I was looking around yesterday, and spotted a movie that I loved, Horror Express with Peter Kushing and Christopher Lee. An awesome movie for only 2 bucks! I had to have it! I bid and won. Drea is putting her foot down now over my rather extravegant buying on eBay; something I had decided to curtail once I bid on HE. I don't know; sometimes I just get into these eBay buying jags. Must stop now for a few months.

I just finished the wonderful "Lord of Light" by Zelazny and am now reading "The Killer Angels" by Shaara. It's a Civil War novel. I haven't read one before, and this writer is supposed to be good, so I'm giving it a go.

I'm just finishing up a cup of hot chocolate before I slide out the door to woork. (3:38AM - YUCK!!)

2002-10-13T08:57:00.000-05:00

On 10/10/2002, Drea said "The whole world has changed sence Oct. 4th. I am busy trying to get it straight again. Mid-term is killing me." I agree entirely. It isn't even a matter of agreeing or not agreeing; it's simple fact that between the 2nd and the 9th marked the absolute worst week in my life. I don't feel like talking about it, or anything else much really. I completed the 4 transactions I had going on ebay, so I'll soon have Jack Vance's Dying Earth compilation, 2 Totoro posters, an1815 Irish ha-penny and a different translation of Egil's Saga (older). The posters and penny are for Christmas presents; the books for me. Egil's Saga will be used in conjunction with my other 2 translations so that my brother and I can make a graphic adaptation of it. (If I can stand to work with him that long - I have the feeling that I'll probably end up working on it myself. I'm in a strange mood today; I think it will clear up once I get the Valient moved away from the garage. I'm hoping I can sell it for $500 or BO, but if it doesn't go within a weeks time, I'm donating it. I just want it gone, but I'm not sure it will even start let alone run for any period of time. My daughter wants me to play a game with her, so I'm going to cut this off now.

I am now drinking tea (as is happening more often than not lately) and wishing that I was listening to some jazz instead of my son screeching like a ~...

2002-10-11T15:20:00.000-05:00

It's a series of randomly-generated product ideas! It raises questions about the nature of prior art in patenting issues and is occasionally amusing! Prior Art

Design #1696574539
It's an ornately-engraved sphere that sends and receives text messages! It is built and maintained by tiny nano-robots and glows in the dark.

Design #2475249380
It's a shower head that revolves and pushes things down staircases.

Design #1438296992
It's a wristwatch that cuts through stone as if it were butter! It keeps drinks hot.

Design #1035226379
It's a pair of shoes that costs less than £20, sorts your mail and does away with household drudgery.

Design #1857574902
It's an ironing board that tastes delicious! It catches fire very easily.

Design #2729746907
It's a necklace that dispenses pills, doesn't always work and swears.

2002-10-10T07:12:00.000-05:00

The whole world has changed sence Oct. 4th. I am busy trying to get it straight again. Mid-term is killing me.

2002-10-04T08:45:00.000-05:00

You Have GOT to See This: "Get Your War On"

2002-10-01T22:29:00.000-05:00

Ship and I were looking for a web site to help us determine if our hampster needs a vet or not (he has a black growth on his ear) I found this website. Please tell me this is a joke!!!!??

2002-10-01T19:31:00.000-05:00

I came home wanting to take the kids out for dessert tonight but everyone is watching Princess Moninoke(sp?) so I wont ask.
I have a web site and have enough space for Ship to have his own name/space silly guy. It's the elliptical canvas one. I have to finish it but it's still mine.

2002-10-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

Work especially sucked today, but I ain't gonna get into it. I've made some progress with my ideas. I know how I'm going to do the lay-outs and the scripting (or lack thereof!) A friend advised me to do up my own web page, as it's apparently easy as pie to do one when you just get one of those free sites (Like at geocities or tripod or something, I guess). I'll still need to use a scanner though. I gues I could always just use one at Kinkos or something.

The kids got their school pictures back today. Hooray!

I need a drink...but what? Perhaps I'll make some Kool-Aid, or some hot tea. Yesss...teeaa...

2002-09-30T20:05:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth means. Check it out and have a look at your own. I do procrastinate.

2002-09-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it! I can still draw! After such a long absence, too. I actually find that it's almost like meditation in a way. I haven't tried my hand at people yet, or some of the other characters I have in mind (I still fear to draw the female form...), but I did some quick car, truck and building sketches, and Holy crap! I've improved! I could draw the odd inanimate object in the past, but they always looked so fake and wooden. Now? I'm impressed with myself! I don't know that anybody else would like it, but the things I've monkeyed around with actually feel better! Maybe its because of my job; having been around a lot of machinery over the last 8 years, and being made to understand how everything goes together and works. Maybe all that has helped me. drawing is such a metaphysical excercise to begin with. I have hardly any hand-eye coordnation, and yet I've always had the basic drawing talent. What makes my hand and finger work the piture out they way they do? To apply just the right amount of pressure, or see just the right line. I don't know if I'm explaining this correctly. It's almost like your head goes a bit blank and transfers some understanding of whatever the subject is to every componant of the limb you're using to draw with. It seems easier for me to draw the cars now perhaps because I know how they're put together, and can feel the strength in particular vital lines; the same with buildings and knowing what lies beneath - holding them up. I'm going to go try with some characters now. I need to simplify my normal style. I want Some detail, but I'm primaraly concerned with getting good, solid defining lines. I want the characters to be able to be distinguished one from the other, but I know if I get bogged down with my normal detail and shading I'll never get anywhere.

The main thing in this project that I'm worried about is the scripting. I don't know how to do it. I have the stories in mind, but I don't know if I have to storyboard or number sections of script or what. I would very much like to keep this pretty dang loose; am I going to have to make a bunch of drafts before the final? I don't want to do that. Maybe if I scribble some lines down in boxes in a notebook or something. I don't know. I guess I just don't know.

I'm on the second book of Maus, and am liking it so far. One spot in particular really got me in the first book. I finally watched Shallow Hal last night. I guess I thought it was really good and really bad at the same time. there didn't have to be as much of the cruel jokes as there was. It was a typical Farrely Brothers movie though, I guess. I had Asa watch Forbidden Planet on Friday night. (If you haven't seen it, see it!) I've seen it before, but I wanted him to see this classic too, before I couldn't find it anymore. We also rented Princess Mononoke. We might watch some of that tonight. I like it, but I like the guy's Nausicaa and the Valley of the Winds graphic novel better. The other movie he made, with the word fireflys somewhere in the title, is a movie that I think everyone should see; like Schindler's List.

I am now drinking some rasberry Klarbrunn and listening to Enigma and various other tribal chants. Tally Ho!

2002-09-29T10:19:00.000-05:00

OK, I'm all jacked up on coffee and ready to go spend as much time as it takes to get this stupid project done. I'm going to stop by Best Buy and get a CD player because Ship talked me into it. I hope I don't forget the batteries. Then tonight I should study for my test tomorrow.

2002-09-28T11:45:00.000-05:00

I have been sleeping A LOT the past three days. Seems I just can't wake myself up at all. Dragging my ass out of bed to go to school isn't even stirring my dreams a bit. But, today I'm up. Its 11:30 and I'm going to try to go in and finish my ceramics because they are due on Monday. I wish I had a CD player and headphones I could bring with, maybe then I wouldn't look at the clock every 5 min. I'm going to make some coffee in my French press and take a shower while I wait for Mr. to come home and please put my hair up in a pony Sir.

On Wen. I was walking up the hill in the rain to go to school and I was digging around in my pocket for some gum. My hand fell on to a slick package so I pulled it out; it was a Big Kat bar... Tom had put it in there the night before as we walked home... A silly smile came to my face immediately and I thought how sweet that was and promptly made plans to eat it with a double mocha during English class.

2002-09-28T08:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't had time to collect the thoughts to post lately. I've been trying to fight off a cold for a week now as well. In about an hour my son joins basketball, and I have the feeling that I'm going to get hornswaggled into helping coach. That's OK, except I don't feel good this morning. He's really tall for his age, slight of build (an understatement) and VERY awkward (an understatement). I think he feels that if I'm there, kids will think twice about ripping on him; we'll see. Aside from the age difference, our builds are dissimilar in almost every way. I think the only things we have in common is our height. He'll do fine, I'm sure, and if I can be there to help his confidence then it's my duty to do so - and my pleasure. I used to play basketball a little bit too, on and off a team.

When we're done, he's going straight to Grandma's with the girls, and Mik will already be doing her pottery at school. I'll have plenty of time to clean up around here. I've decided to get some cheap newsprint and a couple markers today and monkey around after a LONG time of artistic inaction. We shall see if a man may still draw after so many aeons! I'm looking forward to it a bit.

I finished 'The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay'. A beautiful book. I sometimes caught myself with my mouth open wondering how the hell this Chabon guy knows me so well. I'm now reading Zelazny's 'Lord of Light' and 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman. Both great so far.

I am nursing a mug of Hot Chocolate, because I feel like crap warmed over.

I will write later today regarding the fruits of my artisting labour (or lack thereof).

2002-09-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

SPARTA, TN—A pair of Mattel Barbie and Ken dolls reenacted a fight between the parents of Amanda Lytle, 6, in the girl's bedroom Monday. The Onion

2002-09-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

Hmmmm. Black markers and crayons maybe. Perhaps colored pencils. The germ of a character idea and story. The possibility of acquiring the paper I want. How to pace? How to layout writing? I am vexed.

I'm drinking some old wacky flavored Kool-Aid and listening to the dishwasher.

2002-09-23T20:53:00.000-05:00

"But he looked as ratty as the rabbit fur coat on a cheap hooker." Nice analogy!!

2002-09-23T17:35:00.000-05:00

Vegetarian Chili

1 small onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

3/4 cup celery, chopped

3/4 cup dry red wine or water

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cans 14.5-oz. recipe-ready diced tomatoes, undrained

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 MAGGI® Vegetable Bouillon Cubes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 cans (15 oz. each) kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 sour cream, optional

COMBINE onion, bell pepper, celery, wine and garlic in large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

ADD tomatoes with juice, water, tomato paste, boullion, cilantro, chili powder and cumin; stir well. Stir in beans. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

FOR FREEZE AHEAD:

PREPARE as above; do not top with sour cream. Cool chili completely. Cover; freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator.

HEAT in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Serve with sour cream.

That's what's for dinner tonight
Where does the time go? When did my knee start hurting with the weather? When didmy knuckles start getting dark and age-spotted? Small scars and tiny wrinkles cris-crossing my hands like hatchwork. White hairs dusting my beard and shoulders, while my mustache loses it's color and my hair-line holds its arms up in complete surrender. When did comic books become more for adults than for 10-year-old kids? I shouldn't Have to screen the Fantastic Four or Superman for words like Bitch, Ass, God Damn and the like; when did this change?

I'm running in a serious hampster wheel at work. Luckily the kids are involved in a Lot of things this year, or I think I would diminish (and move on to the west...) Asa's joining basketball this Saturday and is in piano. Siobhan is in piano, Girl Scouts and will soon be joining Tae Kwon Do I think. Millie's in Girl Scouts ballet and tap dancing. Ooh! And today's game night! Millie's choice this time.
"Hey Millie - "
"What?"
"Whaddaya wanna play for game night tonight?"
Finger held high, and a knowing look on her little face - "An Uno tournament!"
(Sigh) "Alright." She rarely loses, and plays the game with the vigor of a fifty year old card-sharp.
I've been feeling creative lately, which means I'll think and obcess about my new ideas for a few months and vacillate my time away that way instead of actually doing anything. I have a long list of things I've 'planned' to do. I am a slave to reading for pleasure, and usually spend all my free time doing that, rather than actually being constructive. Anyway. I've been getting the urge to convert Egil's Saga into a black and white graphic novel and either put it on-line somewhere, or keep it for myself. I've also been toying (quite often) with the idea of doing a real pulpy sci-fi thing in either b&w or Very Few Colors. If anybody remembers some of the cooler issues of Tom Strong - or more pointedly - the issue with the male Johnny Future (though I've no qualms with the FEmale version, mind you - ); that would be the type of flavor I'm thinking about. I know! I know! I should just shut the hell up about it, because I'll never really do it anyway. (I'm still thinking about it though...)

I'm finishing, and being influenced by, "Kavalier and Clay" by Chabon. It's a good read, but I think I'm liking it for different reasons than I did when I started it. In the beginning, it was more of an affirmation for me; or a drifting through old, lost feelings. Now, it's more of a driving drone that tells me that I might do something myself, if I ever got around to it. After I finish with it, I'm going to read a few of the Zelazny books I just got in the mail. Drea's buying me Mervyn Peake's definitive Gormenghast trilogy, and I really can't wait for that! I'm still on the prowl for Jack Vance's "Madouc" and "The Dying Earth" collection. Though I really have grown to love good literature over the years, I just Can Not shake science fiction. It always calls me back.

I picked a some comics the other day that I'm pretty happy with. Vonnie wanted "The Thundercats", so I grabbed it for her. "Tom Strong's Terrific Tales" #4 was out so I snatched that up, but I haven't read it yet. I got Asa a copy of "Battle of the Planets", based on that old-ass cartoon and I also picked up "Year of the Rat" #2 (or is it Way of the Rat?). I like that one. Good art, good story.
I found a copy of a poem I wrote a year or two ago. I wrote it for my dad. He apologized to me today for something he said to me last Thursday. When I saw him on Friday, I acted like I didn't know he was there. I couldn't help it. I wasn't trying to hurt his feelings, and I wasn't being petty; I just didn't know what to say. He said something with a look to his face and a tone to his voice that left me thinking 'What the heck did I do to him that made him say something like that to me??' Well, in any case, I didn't tell him how I felt about it, or let on really that it hit me really hard; but he must have felt that way too, because today he apologized. I'm glad. I didn't really know where to go from that point. I talk to Very Few people, and he's one of them. I can't afford to lose him, and I couldn't figure out what I might have done. I guess he can't afford to lose me either. He explained what he was trying to say last Thursday. Anyway, here's the poem -

The Boots are Too Big

When I was a little
boy,
I would get up early.
I would watch my
Dad
put on his boots and
pick up his lunchbox
and
walk out the door.
I would wave to him as he left
for work;
and he would always wave
back.

When I was a little boy, I wanted to hunt for
dinosaurs.
I learned the word archaeologist.
I wanted to
fly a jet-plane.
I wanted to join the army and be
in a war.
I wanted to be as strong as my
Dad.

I learned lots of things when I was
little.
Important things.
"Where'd I get my dark hair from
Mommy?"
"Me", she would say.
"And I got my blue eyes from
you too."
"Yes", she would smile to me.
"What
did I get from Dad?"
"Don't be silly",Mommy would
say.

I didn't get it. Dad had red hair, mustache,
beard
and eyes that would be green or brown at times. Dad
had huge muscles.
I didn't have those
things.

When you're a little boy
you don't realize
that
you will grow up
and you can try to be a man
too.

So I got along.
With my own guidence.
I knew
everything
there was to know.
I wanted it - life - and I was
going to take it.
I wasn't going to work in a
factory.
I knew what was
important.
Until...

Until.
Until I had a little boy.
And a
little
girl.
Something grabbed me around something in my chest
and in
my head.
I think it might of been me.
I am
alive.
The world is alive.

I have little people
living with me.
They get up early sometimes,
and
watch me
put on my boots and
pick up my lunchbox
and
walk out the door.
They wave to me as I leave for
work;
and I will ALWAYS wave back.

2002-09-22T11:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to REN-FEST , here are some (LOTS) pictures
ENJOY.

2002-09-20T22:23:00.000-05:00

I sold another book on Amazon now... thats 50+ in my pocket so far. Its great!
I feel pissy...I dont know why. It might be because I have to read and write about a boring ASS book called "All will yet be well".
The clock light went out in the car so now I have no idea what time it is or what raido station I have it on.
My computer will not work on Java sites, for example pogo.com, it used to, but now it wont. I have tried to fix it but I can not find any info. on how to fix it. frustrating.

2002-09-17T09:42:00.000-05:00

I'm home with my youngest today; she's got a cold, and I have to visit the doctor myself. I think I'll be getting my books from ebay between today and Thursday. Awesome deal! 15 Zelazny books for fifteen bucks -
Unicorn Variations, 1st Print 1987

To die in Italbar, 1974

Changeling, 1983, Esteban Maroto Illustrations

Dilvish, The Damned, 1982, 1st ED

Creatures of Light and Darkness, 1970

Lord of Light, 1972

The Dream Master, 1982

My Name is Legion, 1981

Jack of Shadows, 1972

The Changing Land, 1981

Madwand, 1982, Judy King Rieniets Illustrations

Doorways in the Sand, 1977

The Last Defender of Camelot, 1980

Roadmarks, 1981

This Immortal, 1982
I gave her a twenty and told her to keep the change. I haven't been able to find a couple of these; and I've only actually read two of them - a Long time ago. I wish A Rose for Iconoclastes was in there. (Or is it Ecclesiates? I'm mixing the title up with Brust I think...) In any case, I'll have plenty to read after I finish Kavalier and Clay.

Kavalier and Clay is turning out to be an excellent book; I can tell why the author got the Pulitzer. There are So Many places where I feel exactly what he is either insinuating or saying outright. I like this thing a lot.
Also, I am still plugging away at "Faces of the Ancient Orient". It's a great book, and exactly what I was looking for, but I'll have to admit that half the fun is locating where the more modern translations of a lot of the texts and stories either refute or shed much more light on the older ones present in 'Faces'.

Drea and I went to the Grand Cathedral of Capitalism - er, I mean The Mall of America, last Saturday. Not much accomplished there, except that she bought me this sweet Chinese outfit and outfits for the kids as well. After we got home we went off to Mankato where we got loaded at Ruttles before seeing "Big Fat Greek Wedding". It was good. On the way home, it was beer and pizza at the bar in town.

I still haven't heard anything about what's going on with my nieces and nephew. Apparently, the two youngest were at thier Grandmother's over the weekend; and I guess they're going to school regularly on the east Side - dayton's Bluff, or something. I hope they're keeping up whith thier homework. I hope they call if they need help with any of it.:(

A new post went up at work for Sheet Metal on 1st shift. I signed for it and will hopefully find out about ti by Friday. Drea and I finished the blues cd's for Owner's day at work. Some jerk-off on the comittee said - thinking I couldn't hear him - "It better be Good blues." I thought , ~Or what? Fuck You Asshole, I didn't hear You jumping in to help out at all! 'It better be good blues...There ain't no such thing as Good Blues Dipshit! It's all the same crap!~ But then I remembered that I like the old old stuff, and Joan Osborne as well (though I don't know if she's really blues). All this went on inside me, of course, and I internalized it appropriately with everything else.

I smashed the Living Hell out of my knee at work last week. I hit a very blunt object hard enough to break the skin pretty good. I almost threw up. That's all the bitching I'm going to do about it, since it has done enough complaining for the both of us. I filled out an accident report, just in case, but I haven't went to be seen about it. It think it was just bruised, it feels fine now. Drea has made me swear, enlisting the help of my youngest, to bring it up with the doctor today. All right, I will. Unfortunately, it's the knee that I always have a problem with during Minnesota's colder of its 2 seasons. Hopefully Drea will remember this and not blame the upcoming yearly waa-waa on my not getting it checked for bumping it.

(Hint!Hint!)

Ah well. Time for 1 more cup of Joe before I hit the road.
What I'm Drinking - See Above

Catch you later.

2002-09-11T18:24:00.000-05:00

My heart has been ripped out. I feel like I’m going to be sick. I do not understand why people are so self centered, selfish, and uncaring. I have lost something dear and I do not know how to get it back. I will try to continue to live without being callous to the world but it may take some internal fighting.
My sisters kids had to leave here today, I didn’t want it to happen but someone called my apt. manager and told on us that we had extra people living here. We came one day close to being evicted. I tried to ask my mom to take the kids so they wouldn’t have to live in the street. They would be in school while she was at work, but she wouldn't answer me when I called her back, she said that it was my step-dad who wouldn’t talk to her about it. I don’t know what to think anymore, like the oldest girl said, "Why cant people understand that helping family is OK". I don’t know, I just don’t know.
I cried a lot today.
I wish I had a house so I could have kept them.
I had to watch them go...

2002-09-08T14:32:00.000-05:00

I got my car figured out. I have to pick it up on Monday, and keep it nice for a month before I get another one that I have lined up. Then I can sell the 'Squire' to the local hillbillys for thier demo-derby. (I should get about $400-$600, so that'll work out well.)
We went to the Art and Folk festival in St.Peter yesterday; it was awesome. I wish we could hit that thing on a nice day with just Drea and I sometime. The beer is great, the music is great and the food is great. And everything's cheaper than hell. Drea picked up a really nice sweater, and got something for all the kids. I had about 5 beers and counted myself a happy happy boy.
The kids are doing pretty well; all of 'em keeping up with thier homework and school stuff. The cousins get bored from time to time, but we're not exactly considered 'action packed', and some of our activities are not what they're used to apparently. Oh well. They'll adapt; that's what being a mammel is good for.
I just downloaded a ton of music yesterday and today.
Bill Monroe
Ralph Stanley
Barry Waldrep
Rick Carter
Jimi Hendrix
Baba Maal
BB King
John Lee Hooker
Barry Goldberg
Mike Bloomfield
Harvey Mandel
Washboard Sam
Muddy Waters
Otis Spahn
Homesick James
Jimmy Cotten
Delbert McClinton
Just to name a few. There's a bunch more, but I can't find the file right now. I'm on a small comittee at work for our 'Owner's Day' festivities. the head of the comittee wanted some blues music, so I said I could do it. (I threw in some bluegrass and jazz too, just in case...) It should turn out well, as long as I filter out the unpalatable BB King crap first. (I don't care to listen to him ramble on about his love for his Lucille...)
We tried playing Axis and Allies, but it didn't turn out very well - kept losing and gaining players. Oh well. Drea's at school studying, painting and coiling, while I'm here to make dinner and hold down the fort, as it were. I wish I could get them to go outside and play for more than 5 minutes.

I'm drinking half a cup of old, warm Sunkist that Drea left at her desk before leaving.

2002-09-04T18:09:00.000-05:00

my fucking car is seriously fucked up. I can't fix it. I don't have any god damn money. I don't know what the fuck to do.

2002-09-04T06:20:00.000-05:00

It was hard to see my sister leave last night. I know what her daughter might have been feeling, even though it is not the same for her. My mother left us with my Dad when my sister and I were little, then my Dad left us with his sister. My sister is not "leaving" her kids but it sure was tence for them, her, and me. The kids went to bed soon after she left and I hope they will feel better this morning. Tom is making cornbread, beans, and rice for dinner tonight. Yumm. I won't be staying late at school but I forgot why.
What Im drinking Water

2002-09-03T20:02:00.000-05:00

First day of school and first day with extra kids. So far, so good. The youngest got a cool note from her teacher, the oldest is happier than hell with his new teacher (big science buff!), the middle one is OK but is rather bummed out knowing that she has to go back the next day... The nieces and nephew have been registered, and everything Should be running like a well-oiled machine by tomorrow - that, or a 'Tom Car' at the very least...

Nothing new really, other than I think I may be getting the beginning of a sore throat. I must stomp this out immediately! I am planning to do an Axis & Allies game on Saturday, and I will NOT enjoy it if I have even a trifle of the hated sore throat. I'm going through music withdrawel. I forgot that The Boy has lent his cd player to the livingroom, and neglected to turn anything on tonight. I think it's time for me to hit the sack.

What I'm Drinking? - HOT Tea, as a pre-emptive strike against any illness that is trying to gain a tactical advantage on me...

2002-09-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

Well as far as work goes, I didn't get the posting. They were pretty much gunning for particular people, and disqualified everyone else. the Union's in on it too, because they pretty much told any complainer: "There's nothin' we can do abouddit." Ah well, better luck a few decades down the line. Maybe I can get into production grinding soon and work with the robots; that would be Sweet!

It looks like we're going to be takling in a few boarders for a month. My nieces and nephew need a place to live and go to scgool, so we've decided that it would be OK for them to be here for a month until thier mom finds a place for them to live back in the Cities. It will be alright. I'll just treat them the same as I treat my own, and I'm sure they'll do fine. (Wish me luck and patience).

I'm getting serious with my Yoga now. I plan on scheduling at least every other day to start and it will increase from there. Hatha yoga to begin with. I've had a bit of an epiphany while I was at Cub in Mankato. It was similar to when, a few years back, I was standing out behind the plant at work smoking and it dawned on me fully that I really didn't want to smoke anymore and I was fully turned off to it entirely. that's when I Knew I was going to stop smoking, and did. Well at Cub, I realized that I didn't want to eat crap food anymore. I really felt the need for fresh things. I'm going to gradually shift back into vegetarian and stay there this time.

I'm reading some pretty cool shit. Just picked up a couple comics called Year of the Rat and Hipflask; they were both awesome. I'm disappointed to not see DK2 #3 and the latest ABC stuff down here. I've missed the last three months now. crappy comic store. Last month (or was it the month before?) I picked up The Age of Bronze, The Micronauts and I gave this thing called Fables a try (a new thing by DC) Age of Bronze was cool, Micronauts was alright and Fables sucked. I wish I never spent the $ on it. I just finished Hero With 1,000,000,000,000 Faces (again!); I think I garnered much more from it than I did in 12th grade. I'm now reading The Face of the Ancient Orient by Sabatino Moscati and looking for Lord of Light by Zelazny.

What I'm listening to? - I'm being deprived!! My daughter cruelly swiped her radio back to her own room. Nothing but the chill drone of the AC fan for Grishnak...

What I'm Drinking? - Some excellent suntea, made by the master of suntea.

2002-08-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to post for days, but haven't been able to get to it. Busy Busy Busy.

Work has taken a dreaded turn for me. A posting finally went up for the area I was hoping to be absorbed into gradually. It looks like the union pushed management into legitimizing the position for all three shifts. This is a good thing, but I can only bid on the first shift opening because of time constraints (and I like to sleep with my wife, and that's just a little bit more than 3rd shift will allow.) The position for CNC Sheet Metal Fabricator will have at least 25 people signing for it, and they only want 1 or 2. I'll be somewhere around the bottom, due to seniority. If it were rated by experience running the machines in the sheet metal department, I'd be on the very top of the list; but it isn't rated that way.

Ah well. Maybe in 5 More Years I'll have another chance at it. Back to greezy punch press.

2002-08-20T21:01:00.000-05:00

I had a gorgeous day today. I woke up to quite kids playing nicely. When I checked e-mail there was great news; I had another order for a book that I was selling on Amazon.com. I am car-less right now because Tom takes it to work in the summer. At 9:30am I asked the kids if they wanted to go on a walk with me down the hill to town. Of course the answer was yes. Asa and Siobhan asked if they could ride their bikes down. Yes, but you have to walk your bikes down that hill I told them. (It’s huge). Off we go, Amelia and I walking, Asa and Siobhan riding to the end of each sidewalk and waiting for me to catch up to walk them all across the streets. We passed an older lady walking to her car, she says, “You have your hands full”. I laugh and say back to her “My Grandma had 13, SHE had her hands full” and kept on walking. We stopped at the park the kids played hide and go seek (I did the loud counting). They played tag and basketball.

Then, we walked to the post office so I could mail the book to Santa Carla, CA. It came to $11. I gathered my post office mail that had been sitting in the box for a long time and off we went to the Brass Top Restaurant. I read the mail while the kids colored and used the bathroom a hundred times. We ordered lunch and had a good talk about upcoming school events like how Amelia will have to have rest time on a towel in Kindergarten. After paying our bill and downing my soda we went back to the park to play and toss pennies into the fountain. The kids were hot so I told them to stick their hands in the water and splash it on their face. The next thing you know we are all laughing and the ground, our clothes, face and hair are all wet. It was fun. I kept thinking to myself “if someone comes out and says get out of the water I would tell them to get lost”. It is bed time now and I have lost my train of thought. Good night.

2002-08-20T14:11:00.000-05:00

Last night I read cover to cover a book for my Eng. class called Educating Eseme. It was funny, touching, insightful, and inspiring for me. Reading that book reminded me what I love most about being a parent and how similar it is to being a teacher. I have been mentally drained for the past three years, forgetting all the things I used to do with my children. I used to have the summers packed with fun. Experiencing something new and exciting each day with the kids. What happened to me that I am not sure, but That book has helped me find that part of me again and I hope to never forget it again.

I know I’m a creative and scientific person, but I find myself wondering how to fit those two pieces together. I am almost done with my General Education courses and will soon be re-applying to the University as a Graduate student. I have a great GPA so I’m not worried about being accepted. I guess the worry comes in when I think to the future and what I want to be doing in it. I have so so many things I enjoy doing that I'm good at, it makes choosing one impossible. So where I’m going with my thinking is, maybe I AM teacher material. That way I get to do it all.

2002-08-19T13:54:00.000-05:00

I am hungry, so I go in the kitchen to make a sandwhich but there is no bread unfrozen. I took a loaf out and now I'm starting dinner, we are having chili and cornbread tonight. I fixed my Home CRAP Home blog while waiting for a meeting I had lined up for today, they never showed up. The kids are playing to quietly in there room. I started a new puzzle last week, maybe I will work on it some today. The doors are open letting in the cool air and it feels wonderful. I wish the screens on all the windows were fixed so I could open them too.
What am I drinking... Hot Spicey Chi (In a few minutes because its too damn hot.)

2002-08-18T17:50:00.000-05:00

It's a weird feeling to be sitting here waiting for the kids to come home only to know that as soon as Grandma walks out the door from dropping them off I will be sitting here thinking, when do they go to Grandma's again? Oh to be so confused about raising children...
My line up for classes is as follows:

Mon. and Wen.

ART 251 01 Ceramic: Sculpture 1:00P- 3:50P

ART 260 01 Art History Survey I 4:00P- 5:15P

Tue. and Thur.

ENG 213 01 Perspec: Diaries/Diarists 10:00A-11:45A

ART 240 01 Painting 3:00P- 5:50P

I get Friday's off.

2002-08-18T12:17:00.000-05:00

Ok, New layout.. now back to my cave.

2002-08-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

I'm eating breakfast right now. My favorite meal of the day. I can do without lunch, and only a small supper will do me nicely. I'm not much of a snacker, unless you count drinks, which I don't. I find myself rambling...

I can't wait for the kids to get home today. I know they'll flip over the games we picked up, and I also rented a movie we've been looking for over the last 9 months. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" We've watched all the other enditions of this classic, sometimes staying up late into the naight - even my youngest has a yen for the older, sweet films. My kids are so removed from the majority of television and movies that we felt had no business being watched by children, that they've reached a stage of true appreciation of subtlety. Example: We were watching Escape From Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood a month or so ago, and my son - 9 - was covering his head and peeking through his fingers in heart-stopping suspence as the guard clop-clopped closer and closer to Clint's cell that was currently occupied by a paper-mache head. "What happens?? Does he get caught!? Oh, jeez, this is freaking me out!" It was great. My daughter - 8 - had a great responce, though she was on the edge of her seat too: "Well, it IS called the ESCAPE from Alcatraz." It was just cool. There wasn't any guns or swearing or nudity or dicey scenes. Just suspence. And they could completely dig it in the manner in which the movie was intended to be dug. My youngest daughter and I fell asleep after the end of the movie, and the other two went on to watch the old Curse of the Mummy's Tomb - extolling it's virtues to me wide-eyed the next morning.

I'm not trying to be too immodest, but I really think we're doing a good job with them. We're hardly the Brady Bunch, but I won't let them absorb themselves with crap and my wife does not suffer fools at all. I am doing what I've always wanted to do.

What I am drinking: Folger's Gourmet

What I am listening to: Something really cool by Baba Maal

2002-08-16T09:16:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! Work is slow, so they let some of us go home excused today. I thought long and hard before deciding. I only have 1 bill and groceries to pay next week, so what the heck? I've been a good boy this summer, as far as my absences go.

I have to work on my car sometime today or tomorrow, so that should be interesting...I need a new starter and vaccuum modulator(I think). Either that, or the vaccuum line TO the modulator needs replacing. It should be a breeze. Should.
Drea and I went to pick up her books for next semester on Wednesday. That was fun; it looks like she's enrolled in some pretty sweet classes. Checking the mail when we got home revealed our rent rebate check - HURRAY!! We get to actually go out and but stuff somewhat irresponsibly! It's been a loooong while. I dropped 100 bucks at games by James - Haven't spent anything NEAR that amount on ANY games in many many years. It was nice. We picked up American Trivia Junior, the Settlers of Catan 5-6 player expansion (so All of us here can actually play!), Avalon Hill's history of the World (FUN!) and an activity book (our oldest daughter Loves these things). I'm glad we picked up games that all of us can get into; even our youngest. Momma bought a bamboo plant and a new bear at the Bear Factory.

We also went to eat at Odyssey, which is an over-priced (the beer costs too much...) theme restaurant in the manner of the Rainforest Cafe. The food was good, but the waiter was a dick, and the couple sitting next to us was depressing. It was a first date, and the guy was doing NOTHING but ripping on his date the whole time; mostly the way she was talking (she was foreign). Both my wife and I wanted to slap him around a little, but his date could tell that we felt her pain, and that comforted her somewhat. (She waved goodbye to Drea).

Well, I'll sign off now, I guess.
What I'm Drinking: Air, at the moment. Iced Tea (no sugar) very shortly.

2002-08-04T11:38:00.000-05:00

Good Morning. Not much going on this week. I'm waiting in eager anticipation of The Fellowship of the Rings video; the kids are going to love it! My beautiful wifey-poo is getting up now, so I'll make this a short post. We saw "Signs" in the the-a-ter on Friday. It was pretty good. Watched Orange County on video last night. What a piece of shit. The only thing good about it was Black. he was an island. While reading the Blog of a friend of mine, I realize that he's always listening to something. [What I'm listening to:] In accordance with this, I am always drinking something, and so -
What I'm drinking: Folger's Gourmet Supreme

2002-07-28T11:30:00.000-05:00

Haven't had all that much to say lately. Just getting by, and trying to spend more time with my family. Drea went on a trip earlier this month and late June. I've been feeling pretty well lately, but still have no real urge to write. Nevertheless, I've managed to spruce up the chapter titled 'Homecoming' and have also decided to submit my other thing to another mag.

Work sucks - as usual - but in my Supervisor's natural lethargy and unwillingness to cooperate I think I will end up on top of the current situation. You see, a job is coming up that you would normally have to 'post' for in order to get in on it. This is a new 'cell' that is being formed because of a few new machines replacing old, clunkier ones. I formerly had quite a bit to do with old ones. NOW - In stead of my supervisor requesting a post to go up, like he should, he'll just try to keep us where we are (Under his thumb, he thinks). You see, if he puts up a posting, he'll lose one of his most valuable people, and then have to jockey other valuable people around to fill the spaces - like a chain reaction; one or two of those people will rightfully declare that they have ab-so-friggin-lutely NO interest in moving, and he'll be stuck in a quagmire of union and employee crap and ineffectualness. Thus, I'll undoubtable stay where I am, and end up learning the new stuff by default because he won't want to legitimately move anyone around. It still sucks though.

I've been reading a lot of good books lately, as well as seeing some pretty cool movies. Looking foreward to showing the kids 'Fellowship' when it comes out on video soon.

2002-05-21T08:17:00.000-05:00

I don't have time yet. I'm still working on Spec's Web Stie. Tea and Crumpits this weekend. I'm just spacein out.......... I'll snap out of it. It was a hard year in school and my brain needed a rest.

2002-05-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

HEY!! Everybody tell Drea to read up on her Photoshop so she can get going on her web-site. Pogo is an evil that has stretched its slim, trecherous fingers around her soul. It has her firmly in its grip, whispering false promises of some ethereal reward...

2002-05-19T09:20:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... Me wife doesn't seem to be posting in her journals much lately.

I got the porch cleared off yesterday and cleaned the kitchen and livingroom. I also whipped up an outline to be used in creating the world and cultures for the shared-world short story anthology I want to do. I am happy and excited to say that Drea wants to be involved as well. I know my brother doesn't feel comfortable with writing in a shared world setting; but I'm hoping he'll go in with Drea and I in the world creation part. I'm really looking forward to it; between the three of us, I think we could create something creative and genuine.

Today we have to go to Montgomery - a town I greatly dislike - for my daughter's piano recital. She seems ready for it, and knows her songs, so I'm sure it will go well.

Catch ya later.

2002-05-13T05:14:00.000-05:00

Wheeee. Got my first rejection slip last week.

Thomas,

Thanks for the note. Sorry if you mis-read the guidelines. We
ask for a SASE to make certain that we have a convenient way to respond to
the author, but e-mail is just fine. Re-submitting is not necessary.

I read the story this week, and was very impressed with "A Tale of
the People of Snae-Fell." It's a fascinating tale, well told, and I think
you did a fine job of the very difficult task of capturing the style of the
original Nordic saga.

However, it's not right for Black Gate. While the story is solid,
the rather formal prose is something many of our readers will have trouble
with, especially in the opening pages. It's also only marginally
fantasy. I'm afraid I'll have to return it.

You have an obvious gift for plot and a flexible prose style, and
I hope you'll consider us again soon.

Warm regards,

John O'Neill

Editor

Black Gate

www.blackgate.com

I knew I would get rejected being that it Was my first submission, but I was a fool to think it wouldn't hurt a little bit all the same. I'll just keep trying. I'm free to send it to another place now, and I've gotten a new idea as well. A shared-world short story anthology type of thing - I think it would go over well.

2002-05-07T21:19:00.000-05:00

Finals week

I took two today. One at 12:30 pm and one at 6:00 pm. I just got home. I think that i bombed the last one but oh well...... At least im done now! Photoshop here I come.

2002-05-05T11:16:00.000-05:00

we got to go see my son's piano recital yesterday. That was fun! He and one other were the only students to play by memory instaed of having the music in front of them. Daring! I'm proud of him. He was really happy to get his certificate for the year; he loves seeing his name in print! He has a real knack for memorizing as well; music, language, math...I see a pattern starting. I think he'll find that useful in whatever he decides to pursue. I'm hoping drea puts the pics she took of the recital up on her site; she's an excellent photographer. Drea's really been looking forward to digging into her Photoshop Bible when she's done with her semester.
This has been a pretty good weekend. We went to see Spiderman on Friday. The theatre wasn't Hardly as full as I thought it would be, and the movie was a lot better than I thought it would be. Drea snuck her web-cam in and took a few pics, but they didn't turn out very well. We didn't really think they would though. We also ate at The Great Wall. The meal was fine, but my fortune cookie was a disappointment...
Today, Drea's sleeping in, and I'm so far procrastinating on-line. I still have to do laundry, mop the floors and vaccuum. drea has to finish up preparing for her 3D and Lit final.
I know this is just a breakdown of events, and may be rather boring. I just felt like writing a bit; and have nothing of any great event on my mind. have a good weekend!

2002-05-02T05:07:00.000-05:00

I LOVE YOU

2002-05-02T05:05:00.000-05:00

I get back to work on Tuesday, having taken my son to the Doctor on Monday, to find out that one of my co-workers is back from a medical leave of absence. Great! He's running the machine I've been running for quite a while now. Not so great! Apparently he has work restrictions, which are very normal when somebody comes back from back surgery. Somehow these back-related work restrictions gave my supervisor and group-lead the strange idea that he should be running the heavyest machine on the shop-floor; the 400 ton. What the heck is up with that!? So now for the past two days I get shunted around from one chump job at one press to another chump job at a different press. This is what you get for knowing every machine. Everybody else knows exactly where they're going and what they're doing when they come in. I have to ask every day now. I feel less than worthless. I'm Very sorry that I said "Why can't you go yourself?" last night honey. I don't know why it came out like that when I had every intention of doing it anyway. I don't blame work for my attitude over the last couple nights, I blame my inability to fully separate the two at home when I'm really upset about it. I know you've had enough of that crap, and I have too. I hate bringing that stuff home with me, and I'll just have to work out a solution at work by talking to my bosses; as well as erase all things work related from my mind as I drive home. I've been doing that anyway for the past 6 months; I think it only got away from me this week because the change was so drastic and abrupt. I know this isn't the first time, and I know we put up with a Lot from each other from time to time. I Am sorry, and I hope you can forgive me. I Love you more than anything, and I can't handle it at all well when I know you're angry with me. I'm sorry. :(

2002-05-02T01:28:00.000-05:00

Little things

Even though they seem little... add enough of them together and you can end up with a huge amount. Every time little things are said, that old scab is torn off, pretty soon (if not now) it will never heal. What a low blow it was. It was not the first, but I know it will be the last because I'm DONE.

2002-04-30T14:44:00.000-05:00

To Ship... I was surfing and found this. I thought you would like to look. The Book of Kells and Large picture of cover

This is folio 292r from the Book of Kells. It is the start of St John's gospel, and it consists purely of the words "In principio erat verbum" (In the beginning was the word). The Book of Kells is an illustrated manuscript of the four gospels, created around 800 A.D. (probably in Kells, Ireland or on Iona, an island off the West coast of Scotland).

2002-04-29T19:18:00.000-05:00

Elliptical Canvas is still a work in progress but its all MINE

2002-04-28T18:24:00.000-05:00

Soon I will have my own domain name up and running. Its called Elliptical Canvas. I'm excited about it. With the end of school comming I don't have time right now to work out all the graphics and code.

Ship likes this layout but Its too blue for me I think.

There are no comments anymore because yaccs is not taking any more new users and uigui is down, for how long I don't know. So I'm looking into some other kind of comment system. If you want to you can E-Mail them to us.

Now its back to work for me.

2002-04-27T18:16:00.000-05:00

This is how the "Top 5 Books of fantasy and sci-fi" fell out. I shuffled Lord of the Rings into mythology. Fahrenheit 451 and the Martian Chronicles went into straight-up literature (I'll sneak I, Robot into the classics too *fwip* good...fits nicely). There. My conscience feels better now. Here we go, in no particular order:
"The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever" by Donaldson
"The Tales of Earthsea" by the Grand Master Ursula LeGuin
"Hyperion Cantos" by Simmons
"The Book of the New Sun" by Wolfe
"The Amber Chronicles"by Zelaxny
I still had to mornfully cull a couple other favorites from the list ~painful decisions, I hope I didn't hurt their feelings~ I'm trying to find the out-of-print Zelazny books, and having little luck. I think a lot of his other works may outshine the Amber ones, but that's the way it is as of now. The same thing goes with Wolfe; I'm sure I'd like the other things he wrote if I read them, being that I hold the afore-mentioned series in such esteem. Anything by LeGuin is great. She's extremely subtle, and her stories stay with you long after you close the book - their meanings sneaking up on you...The Thomas Covenant books were a drag when I read them in 7th grade. When I 'grew up' they knocked me off my feet! What an incredibly well done story. And Hyperion? It is simply The Mahabharata of science fiction.

Authors for fantasy and sci-fi are an entirely different story. This was extremely easy for me, and is as follows:
Stephen Brust
Grand Master Ursula LeGuin
Gene Wolfe
Roger Zelazny
Janny Wurtz

Pretty busy in the head today, so I won't be able to write until tomorrow. I hope I'm not just making excuses to myself. I wanted to post a couple things that I read in a book I just recently finished by Dick and Zelazny.
The first is a quote by a great mathematician, Eric Bell."All creeds tend to split into two,each of which in turn splits into twomore, and so on, until after a certain finite number of generations (which can be easily calculated by logarhythms) there are fewer human beings in any given religion, no matter how large, than there are creeds, and further attenuations of the original dogma embodied in the first creed dilute it to a transparent gas too subtle to sustain faith in any human being, no matter how small."

The other is a quote by Roger Zelazny on art, and painting in particular."There are an infinite number of ways of showing how things actually look. They are all of them right, because they show it. Yet each artist goes about it differently. It is partly what you choose to emphisize, and partly how you do it."

Well, TTFN.

2002-04-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

Once when I was a little girl I told my friends that the only way I would ever be normal like them was if I would die and be reborn. I was 9 years old. Questions from others always puts me on edge, as if I have to defend my existence to each and every human being. Questions like "why do you walk like that?" Why are your hands like that?" Why do your feet look like that?" Why don't your knees bend?" Why, Why, Why. I get sick of it. Sometime I feel like screaming at them "Fuck you ass hole its NONE of your shallow minds business" But I never do. I just say this "I was born this way just like you were born with brown hair or blue eyes or what ever feature stands out on them. I know I know. That’s the right thing to do but I don't do it for any of them. I do it because I know who I am and what I am and screaming at them is not in my best interest. Not to mention bad karma. So where am I going with this? I don't know I guess I just needed to spout off. P.S. please do not leave comments on how much courage you think I have. Read About Me to see what courage is.

2002-04-27T04:59:00.000-05:00

I'm extremely pleased to announce that Steven Brust's much anticipated book, "The Viscount of Adrilankha" is coming out later this year. I won't be getting it until it hits paperback anyway though. I haven't gotten any hardcovers since they started getting so dang expensive that I have to work a week of overtime to afford it. It would be nice though. I purchased "The Phoenix Guards" and "500 Years After" back when I sort* of had extra money. Well, overtime this morning-myaaagh! Then it's home to write~happy~

* This means that though the money wasn't really there, somehow at the time, my mind worked in a manner that could justify my buying a $20-$30 hardcover twice a year and smokes every day while I could barely support my family. Something has happened over the last 8 years that doesn't allow for that kind of asinine behaviour anymore. I think it's called awakened responsibility.

2002-04-25T19:40:00.000-05:00

I am having a dilemma.
I'm in this on-line group of roleplayers, right? And this site it's based out of is pretty tight - really well done. There's a forum where you can post topics and the like. I started a topic asking what people's top 5 favorite books are, and it seems to be rolling along pretty well. Anyway - here's my dilemma. I can't narrow my favorite books down to 5. They people replying to the post have thankfully already specified that the choices be sci-fi and fantasy; so that, at least, cuts my choices in half.
Here are my selections thus far that have made the cut:
"I, Robot" by Asimov
"Fahrenheit 451" & "The Martian Chronicles" by Bradbury
"The Gap Cycle" & "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever" by Donaldson
"Rhinegold" by Grundy
"The Tales of Earthsea" by the Master Ursula LeGuin
"Hyperion Cantos" by Simmons
"The Diamond Age" by Stephenson
"Lyonesse" by Vance
"The Lord of the Rings" by Tolkien
"Book of the New Sun" by Wolfe
"The Amber Chronicles" by Zelazny

I think I may have figured it out just in typing this down here...Excellent.
Ah! here's a quote for the day - "I tend to agree." Must be said with a half smirk and a raised right eyebrow.

I'm feeling much better today, although work was espescially long and filled with more tedious drudgery than what is normally it's wont. (Hey! And I signed up for overtime on Saturday morning too! Fun.) ...Gads...I started a sentance with 'And'. grumblefragmumbleAnyway, I don't know what the heck gets me down like that, or at least I rarely know. I'm looking forward to the weekend so that I may start up Chapter II "Stumbling Through the Dark". It will mainly center on one of the secondary characters, and how he has been dealing with dragging himself out of a self-imposed morass of bad brain chemicles taken in what he believed was a search for 'truth'. Hah. yeah. The setting will be a conversation between he and his sister at her place. That's just the jist of it, anyway. And No, it's not a character based on me in any way, shape or form. (Dang, there's that 'And' again.)

2002-04-24T21:11:00.000-05:00

I'm a girl. I'm a mother. I'm a wife. I'm ... well, you know. I have so many things in my head all at once its a wonder I make it through each day. I move from task to task, hobby to hobby, just about as fast as I change my undies. Tom always says the only habbit I really have is not having one!

2002-04-24T20:50:00.000-05:00

I am a rather moody individual.
I don't necessarily like this fact, but there isn't much I can do about it. It just comes on me out of seemingly nowhere. It's like - forgive the idiotic, ~abyssal~, imagery - a cloud of thick darkness descends from somewhere above on heavily beating vulture's wings. That's the main thing I feel - the wings, and the oppression. In any case, I feel that way this morning.
Out of nowhere.
My brain gets heavy. Not foggy; but there's some kind of wall. Closed. Enclosed and claustrophobic mind. All my thoughts have a kind of 'twang' to them. The only thing I feel free and clean about is strong negative emotions, like ranting and swearing and detailed plots of self-destruction. Sometimes it takes months to pass. Othertimes, only hours.

Ha.'Twang'.
Now that's a whole different story entirely...