The lease states that I can't have pets, although I suspect that some tenants (the lady directly below me, for example) got "grandfathered" (or grandmothered) from a previous lease that allowed them. So, we can't have dogs. However, since the Superman/Batman pillowcases and beach towels were such a hit (and allowed me to determine pseudo jr's preference: Man of Steel), I decided I'd try something a little different: Link They're going to meet Krypto and Ace this weekend. I hope t...

Rum and coke, large sake, large sake. >short break

This weekend alone, he has been: a rollerskating robot (without rollerskates, mind you) a baby a baby animal a baby hippo a monkey a racecar driver (specifically, Hot Wheels Acceleracers) a racing drone (from the above show) "Daddy, I a drone!" Superman (thanks to his new pajamas) I'm going to see if he and his brother want to be fish or frogs in a few minutes... they opened the pool at the apartment yesterday. edit: 1259 Central Time 21MAY06 - baby giraffe

There are a number of trends in computer animated children's/family movies. One is the "rip off" trend. Madagascar->The Wild, for example. The other is the "squirrels are teh funny" trend. There are more examples of this strewn through the genre recently. Ice Age and Ice Age: The Meltdown feature Scrat, a sabretooth squirrel. Following on his heels is Twitchy from Hoodwinked. ("I don't drink coffee.") The squirrel from The Wild had a thing for an unlikely female character... and ...

I've been slowly and quietly acquiring a collection of spices for my little apartment. My usual procedure is just to wait until I have a recipe that requires an ingredient I don't have, and then I pick it up... But I'm paranoid. Is there something I don't have that I *should*? Something that an adult shouldn't be without? So far, I have: Pure Ground Black Pepper Iodized Salt Garlic Powder (essential!) Ground Cardamom (I love just a little in a steak marinade) Paprika Chili Po...

I got to talk to my mother this past Sunday night... she wanted to talk to her boys, anyway, and the older one is always up for talking to his Gram. The younger one almost always screams, "No!" but then relents later, crying, when you act like you believed him. She quit smoking about three months ago. It's not the first time, but it's the longest that she has gone without. She also started Weight Watchers two weeks ago, and has already lost 5lb. I am so proud of her. I've always ...

Having gone through an obstacle course on Friday, and generally more physically active than I had been in months, I thought I might run down a list of my "sports injuries": Right armpit - stretched skin (increase in muscle mass) Right elbow - bruised all to hell (deep, too, from the obstacle course) Left bicep - deep quarter-sized bruise (random damage) Both forearems - sunburn (from the o-course and the lake on Friday) Right wrist - scraped and cable burnt (o-course) Right thumb - ja...

I was serving on a starship, and my rank was indeterminant. There was a mutiny, maybe, maybe I was in it, or maybe we had been taken over by an opposing force and subjugated. I wound up having to kill a man with a pen in order to end it all. Well, it was me and someone else, and it was two pens, and my penstroke didn't actually kill him it set him up for the death stroke. There was this crazy game arcade, and there was a man not unlike a young Johnny Depp there running it, cryptic like....

"Daddy puppy." He pets Daddy. "Oh, good putty." Daddy pants. "Arf, arf." "Dad is a chair." He climbs on Daddy's shoulder. "Daddy chair!" "Daddy horse!" Daddy's horse is too tired. "Get up, horse!" The horse has rug-burned knees. "I tired, too, Daddy.""

Peeling hardboiled eggs is one of the most tedious activities I've faced in a long while... and I'm an occasional online gamer. *grind* *grind* *grind* They turned out alright, these Damned things. They could stand just a smidge more mustard, and I could've used more filling in the first few eggs I filled. I had leftover filling... I can gauge it better next time. The Banana Bread is baking now, but if it's as good as the uncooked batter I'm good. Thanks go out to the two spec...

One of the most beautiful things I have seen: I'm driving east on Loop 306 and it's almost 8pm. There's a storm ahead of me, and a gorgeous sunset behind me... the land is bathed in a unique orange and violet glow. There, in the south (off to my right), a rainbow, clear and crisp. I almost don't notice it, but to my left (north), there's another rainbow... no, it's the same rainbow. It's the first full arc rainbow I've ever seen. Usually too many hills or mountains, or the light's ...

Started off with not nearly enough sleep, but got up and to PT on time, shaven, and in the proper uniform. A 4.2 mile run later, and I'm off to the apartment. I "conduct hygiene" in the best Army style I can muster, and choke down the fake equivalent of 4 scrambled eggs. Damned sink is still clogged up. (And it's still clogged up, even after the Draino.) Running off to class, grabbing the paperwork I need for errands. Am I late? No, no, I'm good. And I have the doughnuts I picked up...

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players" - William Shakespeare But why must I have a bit part? I'm supposed to be the hero, or at least attain Protagonist status. I'm not meant to meander through life wondering at others. But when I do assert myself, when I try to tell my own tale, do I find myself even a likeable character? or one to be held in contempt? Bumbling at decisions. Stabbing at what I think is right in the hopes of catching it on the t...

There's a three-year old monkey hanging all over me this morning. We're watching TV, he's sitting on my chest. I'm on the computer, he's literally hanging on my back (watching TV). "Go down! Squish!" And I lay on top of him. "Go up! Go up, Daddy!" And I sit back up and write another line. "Shoulders!" So I can walk around with a miniature human backpack. "Ticklish!" "Feet!" "You got me!" It's already a great visit...

"There is a factor in the matter of inner peace which must be stated because of its importance. Frequently I find that people who are lacking in inner peace are victims of a self-punishment mechanism. At some time in their experience they have committed a sin and the sense of giult haunts them. They have sincerely sought Divine forgiveness, and the good Lord will always forgive anyone who asks Him and who means it. However, there is a curious quirk within the human mind whereby sometimes an i...