How did I miss this?
Sorry if you check these posts via a newsfeed. The video source I had used for this last night didn't want to cooperate so I ended up deleting the post altogether.
Here 's the same thing, only from Youtube this time.
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That's what Hotness said after having a bite of some home made Bacon Explosion.
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Well what do you know?
Blog post entry # 500.
That's a lot of posts. Some with something important to say (to me, anyway), most with nothing to say really.
But that's a lot of posts.
So I wanted to have something really spectacular to talk about for this milestone, but to be honest I don't think there's anything that really qualifies as being "milestone-worthy".
So instead you get lots of little micro-posts to make up one nice big post.
Grab a mug or glass of your favorite beverage and celebrate #500 with me, won't you?
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Hotness and I have been re-watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series again.
(Mmmm.... Alyson Hannigan. Oh! Sorry. Got distracted for a moment)
We never really caught them on TV or in chronological order when it used to be on, so with the magic of the DVD's we are catching them in order and remembering how campy and fun they were.
While watching an episode from season two I got to flex some NERD KNOWLEDGE and my geek prowess for Hotness when they made a reference to Locutus of Borg.
Hotness heard it and gave one of those laughs like "I'll laugh, but I don't know why". You know what I'm talking about.
So I got to educate her on who and what Locutus was.
She didn't run away laughing, but instead put her head on my shoulder.
I'm so lucky she loves me for being a dork.
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My birthday was just over a week ago.
I didn't make a big thing out of it on here 'cause it really wasn't. We didn't go out to celebrate or anything.
I did get myself a nice present, though.
I bought some new T-shirts on Thinkgeek.com that I can wear to impress my fellow geek friends.
Including a kick-ass "personal soundtrack" T-shirt. When I saw this, it screamed out P-O-T-E-N-T-I-A-L and I'm so looking forward to wearing it to one of our ECCC volunteer meetings. Up in Calgary. Out to dinner. Just about anywhere.
This thing is just frickin' awesome. I love it.
For future reference though.... next year is the big 4-0.
I've told Hotness I want to have a "pirate-themed" birthday party at the Comic Stop to celebrate. I was listening to Jimmy Buffet and thought that seemed like a good way to ring in my 40th year.
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Speaking of birthdays, last night we went out with friends for dinner and live comedy in Seattle.
Dinner was great, but then what isn't when it's accompanied by a margarita?
The comedy was okay, though. The emcee was a nervous guy with a thick European accent who made the typical "the difference in America compared to (insert country of origin here)" jokes. Followed by a couple of mediocre comedians before the headliner came on.
One of whom did his routine about dating and being a guy. The other did a bunch of Wal-mart joke references and even had to quote another comedian's joke to get his punchline across. Lame.
The headliner, however was very good. Or at least, he started off good.
His name was Daz Reed and he was actually very funny. That is until some stupid fat bitch in the front row started talking and would NOT. SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP.
His rehearsed routine quickly turned into an improv session and totally threw off his timing.
His jokes were still funny, but the scene became nothing more than partial jokes interjected with comments and insults to the heckler.
More than once he commented about it to the staff during his act, but nobody stepped in to put an end to her and ask her to leave.
He still managed to get some laughs and everybody in our group had a good time, but next time we go I will leave and ask for my money back if I have to have my show detracted by some idiot who wants to share in the limelight after more than a few drinks.
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Last night I dreamed about the comic book convention. Again.
Not a very involved dream, but memorable nonetheless.
In it, I was at the convention center before the attendees were allowed in.
Jewel Staite is one of the media guests this year. (what a second. Mmmm.... Jewel Staite. Sorry. Got distracted again.)
Anyway, she and a couple other people working at the show were at her table getting ready before the crowds came in.
I made my way over to let her know I was a fan and that I'd like to get her autograph at some point, but that I was working elsewhere on the floor and might not make it to see her during the day.
But when I opened my mouth, I just kind of stammered and totally forgot everything I wanted to say. I also dropped a book I wanted to get signed. So basically I just looked like a total doofus.
She smiled and then went to her table to get ready.
Hopefully I'll do better in real life and I actually get to meet her.
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Here's something from the "Things to Ponder" file:
That's pretty impressive and sobering.
You can buy this as a poster from here.
I found out about it via the Presurfer.
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Well, it snowed again last night.
Nothing compared to what we had during Christmas, though.
At least.... not yet.
I have to admit that is very pretty to wake up and see a big blanket of white over everything.
It's just when I actually have to go out in it and try and drive that I wish it was happening somewhere else.
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There's a case of eHerpes going around.
Normally I steer clear of such things, as to me they are more or less a blog version of chain letters.
But this one has actually been mulling around in what substitutes for my cranium and I think I'll succumb to it for the sake of anybody who's interested.
I'm supposed to link to the person who gave it to me, but technically I didn't have direct contact with anybody to "catch" it. So I'll just blame the first reported case I heard about it from.
1) I enjoy feeding birds. A lot.
That may seem like an "old person" thing to do, but I really look forward to filling up my feeders and watching the birds come and visit them. That is, when the damn squirrels and raccoons aren't tearing them down and breaking the feeders.
2) I wanted to become an artist who made record covers for rock bands after watching Xanadu way back in the day, just like Sonny Malone.
(I make personalized covers on CD's that I've burned, so I guess in a way I sort of got to live that dream)
3) I get teary-eyed watching sappy movies.
I'm not ashamed to say that I've leaked eye moisture at Pete's Dragon, E.T., Steel Magnolias (yes, I admit I liked it), Nell, and Big Fish among others
I even used to get a little misty over a particular commercial quite a few years ago.
And if you make fun of me, I'll punch you in the neck.
4) When I was very young, I used to think that even inanimate objects had feelings.
I used to feel bad for my left shoe if I put my right shoe on and tied it first. So I would try to alternate in order to not hurt it's "feelings".
5) I hate lists. Absolutely hate them.
"The top 10 sandwiches of all time"
"100 of the best rock songs"
"The 50 most popular movies"
"25 of the most beautiful photos ever taken"
....... blah blah blah
They are all matters of opinion with no basis in actual fact and it pisses me off when magazines or news sites post them as 'articles'.
6) Although I haven't done it in quite a few years, I like to tie fishing flies.
I've never actually gone fly-fishing, but I taught myself how to tie them when I was young and to this day can still name a few of them and what's used in making them.
7) I've never broken a bone in my body.
When I was younger I wanted to break something so I could wear a cast and have it signed by friends, but never did.
Now, I'm hoping that I can continue my "no-broken-bones" streak as I get older.
Bonus!
8) On road trips, I like to play a personal game by matching a mile-marker with a significant comic book issue number.
i.e. Mile-marker 181 = Incredible Hulk #181 (first appearance of Wolverine), mile-marker 4 = Avengers # 4 (first appearance of Captain America in the Silver-age), etc....
Yes, I am a geek.
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Well, that's it for post 500.
Please return your seats to the upright position.
I hope you enjoyed your stay and will continue to be back for at least another 500 or more.
On my way home last night, I was in the car listening to the radio (as I often do) and Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" came on.
I like that song, but they don't play it all that often on the radio. And they especially don't play the second verse if they do.
It's a rare occasion if you catch that version of the song on the radio.
So imagine my surprise when...
"Candy came from out on the island"
Oh sweet! They are going to play the complete version!
"In the backroom, she was everybody's darling."
Yeah! Singing along a little bit louder now.
"But she never lost her head, even when she was giving suede."
Wait. What? "Suede?" Huh?
Did he just say suede?!?
I know there are edited versions of much raunchier or explicit songs so that the radio can play them to hook listeners.
Ususally they delete the offending verse or just scramble the word so it sounds garbled.
But I've never heard of a radio version having a totally new word replace the "bad" one. Especially one that doesn't even make sense.
Well, no. That's not exactly true.
There is one other song with a replacement word in the song, but at least it made sense in the song.
Steve Miller's "Jet Airliner" has a lyric that goes:
"... I don't want to get caught up in any of that funky shit goin' down in the city."
But for radio play they change 'shit' to 'kicks'.
It's kinda stupid, but it at least makes some sense when you listen to it.
But "suede"?
C'mon.
Well, it's over.
President-elect Obama is now officially President Obama of the United States. The Leader of the Free World. The Commander-in-Chief.
Over 1 million people showed up in Washington D.C. to day to watch the festivities and be a part of history.
It's awesome, and I'm glad to see people are fired up and excited about what's going on.
We watched the inauguration at work on our computers, as I'm sure countless others across the nation did as well.
But I have to admit... I wasn't a big "Obama supporter" during the election so I'm still kind of luke-warm about how "awesome" he is.
I voted for him simply because the alternative was NOT an option.
Don't get me wrong, please. I think he's very qualified and will work hard to undo all the crap that the previous administration brought on us.
I certainly hope so at least. I don't want my trust to be abused and another four years of disappointment.
I think a lot of my 'tepidness' stems mostly from the media constantly reminding us that he's black.
Yeah? So what? That's supposed to make a difference?
I thought "all men are created equal.... blah blah blah".
Is the fact that we don't share the same color skin supposed to make him more or less of a capable President that the ones before him?
The two previous Presidents were white (I shouldn't have to remind you) and look what happened.
In this age of not letting race become an issue, they sure want to remind us about him not being white.
President Obama is a human being with human failings.
I'm sure he's going to be scrutinized even more closely by all sides and will be under tremendous pressure during his entire administration.
But I don't see him as a knight in shining armor ready to take on the dragon and save us all.
I see him more as somebody who took what they were given and made the best out of it and has accomplished what a select few are ever able to do. ANYBODY is capable of doing that, but few ever succeed.
But if he can inspire the rest of the nation to do the same, more power to him.
I truly wish him all the best.
He's going to have a hard road to travel.
I'm feeling lazy and yet I want to blog.
What to do... what to do......
Ah! I'll just post a bunch of links for things you can buy (but probably don't need).
Like gummy bears?
How about a ginormous one?
Make everyday a 'stress-free day' with a bubble calendar.
(Or heck! With a little spare time you could make one yourself)
Need some stealth Duct tape?
Brighten up your day with some flowers or a lamp.
Why, you could get a flower that IS a lamp!
Add a smile to your favorite drink!
Show 'em that you still like to "kick it Old School".
Well... that ought to do for now until something post-worthy comes along.
In a scene right out of "A Christmas Story", and a couple of Indiana boys got their tongues stuck to a frozen flag pole.
Edit:
That was last year's news. It actually happened again more recently.
I really am, if you didn't already know that.
I've been thinking about the comic book conventions that are coming up and I'm getting excited to not only go to them but to be a part of them.
They're still about 3 months away, but that time goes by pretty quickly.
I'm close to 40 (I'll be 39 in a few days), but for those days at the convention I'm a 12 year-old.
Every year my enthusiam gets stronger even though I'm getting older.
Running around, hanging out with friends and peers, and the comic books. Oh! The comic books!
I guess what makes it really exciting is that I get to be with the guests on a more personal level, rather than stuck in a line waiting to see/talk to them.
Yeah so, I'm making sure they have water to drink so they don't get parched. And I'm taking them lunch when it's ready. Or making sure they have a chance to use the restroom.
It's not glamorous stuff, but it's more than some fans ever get to do.
And I've made a lot of friends doing it. Not just the friends through the comic store (who are all very cool and fun to hang around with), but the repeat guests that have gotten to know me and remember me every year.
It may seem funny to you if comics aren't your thing, but when the show is getting set-up and I'm there helping put up banners or move tables and a guest walks in and says "Hey Tom! Good to see you again this year." That makes me feel awesome.
I watch the guest list grow as the shows get closer, and I remember certain things about some of them.
Stuff that helps make it a fun show for them as well and make them comfortable being there.
* "Oh! Steve's going to be back. I'll make sure to have some energy drinks on ice for him so he won't have to go get them."
* "Hey, great! Greg's coming back. And he's bringing his kids. I'll be sure have some kid-friendly snacks handy for them in case they forget."
* "Right on! Brian and his wife will be returning. I totally have to bring him those concert CD's I promised him last time."
That kind of stuff.
And then there's also the fans I've met in line.
I met one who came all the way over from Europe just to be at Seattle for the show, and it was his first comic convention he'd ever been to.
Then there was the TMNT fan who had the four Turtles tattooed on his leg.
And there are a few fans who've been coming year after year that catch me outside before the show opens to show me their sketches and who they are planning to get more from this year.
Not to mention that I've now got my mom coming to the show and she has a blast meeting all the people that know me.
Also, I have the coolest girlfriend.
She not only lets me indulge in my adolescent endeavors, but is an active participant in the show as well.
It's fun to take the weekend off and spend it at the show and see her there having fun as well.
So can you tell I'm excited?
Less than 12 weeks to go for ECCC and I'm already freaking out (in a good way).
I'll most likely be talking about this more as they get closer, but I was thinking about it lately and just wanted to say how cool it is to still be a kid.
On Wednesday night, when the heavens broke open and caused all roads to anywhere to be closed out of our town, our cat started acting 'funny'.
And by 'funny', I mean she wasn't eating, using the bathroom or being her usual obnoxious self... and that is unusual for her. Oh, but she was vomiting. Everywhere.
So Hotness (who stresses about this quite easily) was up for most of the night worrying.
The next morning, she was on the phone with the vet making an appointment, hoping they were in as the nearest emergency vet was beyond reach due to the flooding.
She got her in and they did some X-rays to she if had a blockage (i.e. a hairball or somesuch).
They ran some bloodtests to see if she had some exotic disease.
Nothing. They couldn't find anything.
She was a bit dehydrated, but throwing up all night will have that effect on anyone, so no surprise there.
She stayed there all day so they could keep an eye on her, and decided it might be best to keep her overnight for observation.
The next day, she was doing better.
They had given her an I.V. with fluids, she was eating and she had used the bathroom like a normal kitty.
They also gave her a antibiotic as a precaution.
But still no idea what caused the mysterious symptoms of the night before.
We got her home, and after roaming around to make sure we hadn't moved or changed anything, she settled back in.
She ate her food and slept on her petting pad that night.
Other than not using the bathroom that often, she's back to normal. As normal as she gets anyway.
She's old. About 14 or 15 years old. So she isn't a young kitten that can bounce right back.
She's also been with Hotness longer than I have, so Hotness takes it a lot harder when the cat gets like this.
I don't know what to do. I just hope things don't stay on a rollercoaster ride of good one day / bad the next.
So it's been on the news and if you live in this state you're already more than familiar with what's been going on. But if you're not from around here, I'll re-cap briefly:
During the middle to end of December, western Washington got dumped on with snow. (We personally had just about 3 feet at the Ferretnick homestead)
Then it kind of slacked off and started to melt, only to have the temps rise and the rain to come pouring in, which has now caused major flooding thoughout the west side of the Cascades.
See this picture?
It's the main road I take EVERY day to and from work which was covered with water the last couple of days. Looks like I'll be taking an alternate route for a while now.
So enough of that.
What you really want to know is... how have I managed to face the fury of nature's wrath and survive?
Well, for starters; yesterday I called into work and said I wasn't going to make it in. All three roads into and out of town were submerged, and until that cleared I couldn't go anywhere.
Then I parked my butt at my computer and updated my Facebook page. (Troubling times call for instant sharing, you know)
After that went to the couch where I watched "Rocky & Bullwinkle" on DVD for a bit as I ate Lucky Charms for breakfast.
That was pretty much my entire day until around 2:00 p.m. when I decided to brave the elements and drive into town to visit my friends and play with my niece and nephew.
I haven't seen them since before Christmas (and that's actually quite a long time for me to have not seen them).
My niece showed me her Princess Barbies that she got for Christmas then we played a game.
The game was fun but her attention was soon lost on playing it after the first round.
Then I had the idea of making sock puppets with her.
Her mom went and got a few stray socks, buttons and some needle & thread, and my niece and I made up a couple of nifty-looking sock puppets. I let her name them, but for the life of me I can't remember what she called them.
Her dad got a some pictures of us, but I didn't have them to add to this post yet. (I'll post them at a later date)
I got a call from Hotness (who actually was able to work from home yesterday and today) and said she and a neighbor we going to eat downtown and asked if I wanted to join them.
About that same time, I was invited to a "beach party" at a friend's house in town.
They were inviting everybody over to hang out (in appropriate 'beach' attire) and have fun to take our minds off of the flooding, rain, and general poor weather.
I stopped in to say "hi" for a bit then continued down into town where I had dinner.
Afterwards, we went to the outskirts of town to see how high the water was on the roads before coming back home and going to bed.
It was a terribly rough journey through the ravaged wasteland that is my hometown, but somehow I perservered and made the best out of it.
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Coming up soon:
Begging for money
Cat issues
My toe is doing much, much better.
I was able to wear a shoe on my foot all day yesterday after I changed the bandage on it.
I replaced it with this stylish one:
Trendy, no? I think my Hobbit feet add an extra special touch.
I only had to take the Vicodin that first night so I still have the rest of the bottle (all 11 remaining pills) calling to me from the medicine cabinet with their siren song of sweet, sweet pain relief.
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In other news:
Hotness and I are at home today, stranded due to the flooding that has closed off all three roads into and out of our town.
We are fine, as we sit way up on the hill away from town. So if it flooded out here, you wouldn't be reading this as you'd have problems of your own with the water.
We can get into town. Just not out of it.
I think it'll be fine (as fine as can be anyway) by tomorrow.
In the meantime, I'll be on the couch watching Rocky & Bullwinkle season one.
Later ya'll. I'm going to watch Bullwinkle pull a rabbit out of his hat.......
Want to talk about some pain? Well I sure do!
Pull up a chair while I recount for you my "Night of Extreme Pain!!!!" (cue lightning and thunder effects)
FYI: This is kind of gross, so if you are eating (or just finished eating), you my want to skip this for now and come back later.
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Sunday night, Hotness and I were ate home. It was the last evening of a long Holiday and we were gearing up to go to work the next day. Outside it was snowing, but inside was nice and warm thanks to a good fire we had going.
I made some Mexican hot chocolate (or my version of it, anyway) which was simply hot cocoa with a shot of tequila and cinnamon schnapps in it. Mmmm... tasty!
Just a couple of quick news items I read and thought I'd pass along:
'Cause I don't have anything interesting to really talk about (but that's more or less due to a lack of motivation on my part right now), for your enjoyment I'll let you have some fun here on the blog.
Check out this app called Yellowtail.
Just click and drag your mouse on the black screen and watch what happens.
(There's more where that comes from by the way)
I'm not advocating or endorsing this, but it's certainly something to think about.
There are some theories going around that The United States could find itself divided and broken up in the near future, due to the economic crisis and other factors.
Not saying it's going to happen, but it's certainly unnerving. Regardless if it's from crackpot conspiracy theorists or respected economic and political analysts.
With a new presidency waiting to take the helm and renewed optimism in the American mindset, hopefully this will all become just a load of bunk. But with mounting business closures and unemployment, an unstable economy, and outsourcing to foreign nations (primarily China)... it makes you wonder.
By way of the Presurfer
Well, actually it was this morning.
But I had this dream and it's unusual for for me to remember them, so I thought I'd share it.
In my dream:
I'm teenager and for whatever reason, I'm having to share my bed with my brother. It's a big enough bed for both of us but at some point he's worked his way over to my side and is now sticking his knees (and /or feet) into my back, forcing me to scoot to the edge of the bed.
I finally have enough and push him back yelling at him to stay on his side and quit pushing.
Right after I do that, I hear my mom say, "No! Don't go in there. Just let them be."
But a few seconds later my step-dad shows up and is standing right above me with his right arm raised in preparation to hit me.
I look up at him and think about what to say, knowing that the wrong thing with bring certain pain... but I don't know what the "wrong thing" is.
So I say, "I'm just trying to get room so I can sleep. He keeps pushing me."
My step-dad stands there for a moment, lowers his arm, and then walks out of the room.
And right then I woke up.
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I know that dreams are your brain's way of working out stuff that has happened during the day in your subconscious, but this is really odd.
1) My brother and I were separated when we were young and he never lived with me during my teenage years.
2) When we did live in the same house, we never had to share a bed.
3) My step-dad never hit me. In fact, we got along very well. Even when he tried to "act tough", I saw through it and we had a laugh.
We were very close up until the time he and my mom were separated. Since then, I've had no contact with him.
I can't think of ANYTHING that would have triggered this to occur in my dreams, so... WTF?
I have some of the strangest dreams sometimes.
