Rob’s blog of posts

Meme from Miss 601.
Check the ones you’ve done…

( ) smoked a cigarette
( ) smoked a cigar.
( ) smoked a joint
( ) crashed a friend’s car
( ) stolen a car
(x) been in love
(x) been dumped
(x) shoplifted
(x) been fired
(x) been in a fist fight
(x) snuck out of ur parent’s house
(x) had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back
( ) been arrested
( ) made out with a stranger
( ) gone on a blind date
(x) gone on a date with someone you met online
(x) lied to a friend
(x) had a crush on a teacher
( ) been to Europe
(x) skipped school
(x) seen someone die
(x) had a crush on one of your livejournal friends
( ) been to Canada
( ) been to Mexico
(x) been on a plane
(x) seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
( ) thrown up in a bar
(x) purposely set a part of urself on fire
(x) eaten Sushi
( ) been snowboarding
(x) met someone in person from the internet
( ) been moshing at a concert
( ) went on stage at a concert
(x) been in an abusive relationship
(x) taken painkillers
( ) taken medicine the wrong way on purpose
(x) love someone or miss someone right now
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) made a snow angel
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
(x) gone puddle jumping
(x) played dress up
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves
(x) gone sledding
(x) cheated while playing a game
(x) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work
(x) used a fake id
(x) watched the sun set
( ) felt an earthquake
(x) touched a snake
(x) slept beneath the stars
(x) been tickled
(x) been robbed
(x) been misunderstood
(x) won a contest
( ) run a red light
( ) been suspended from school
(x) been in a car accident
( ) had braces
(x) felt like an outcast
(x) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(x) had deja vu
(x) danced in the moonlight
(x) hated the way you look
(x) witnessed a crime
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
( ) been to the opposite side of the country
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) felt like dying
(x) cried yourself to sleep
(x) played cops and robbers
(x) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils/markers
(x) sung karaoke
(x) paid for a meal with only coins
(x) done something you told yourself you wouldn’t
(x) made prank phone calls when you were younger
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) danced in the rain
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(x) blown bubbles
(x) made a bonfire on the beach
(x) crashed a party
(x) gone rollerskating
(x) had a wish come true
( ) humped a monkey
( ) worn pearls
(x) jumped off a bridge (technically.. it was a log sitting across a foot-deep creek)
(x) screamed penis in public
( ) bit someones shoe
(x) ate dog/cat food
(x) told a complete stranger you loved them
( ) kissed a mirror
(x) sang in the shower
( ) have/had a little white dress
(x) had a dream that you married someone
(x) glued your hand to something
( ) got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
( ) kissed a fish
(x) worn the opposite sex’s clothes
( ) been a cheerleader
(x) sat on a roof top
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) done a one-handed cartwheel
(x) talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(x) stayed up all night
(x) didn’t take a shower for a week
(x) picked and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
( ) had a tree house
( ) are scared to watch scary movies
(x) believe in ghosts
( ) have more than 30 pairs of shoes
(x) worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
( ) gone streaking
( ) played ding-dong-ditch
( ) played chicken
( ) pushed into a pool/lake with all your clothes on
(x) been told you’re pretty by a complete stranger
( ) broken a bone
(x) been easily amused
( ) caught a fish then ate it
( ) gone skinny dipping
( ) climbed a mountain
(x) rolled down a hill
(x) been in a food fight

My latest addiction, thanks to Auntie Krizu…

In the Haunted Pantry, you’re attacked by a fiendish can of asparagus. Cans of asparagus aren’t normally all that scary, but this one’s got a knife!

In other news, happened upon a yard sale today. Scored a 4-switch Atari 2600 VCS, complete with manual and peripheralss in original box from 1981, and six games equally boxed and manualed, for $2.

Need to pick up a matching transformer to test it on a modern tv. If it works, great! If not, the VCS’ shell will still come in quite useful for a number of projects that spring to mind.

I spent an entire morning attempting to get out to Sayville, with public transport biting me every step of the way. Eventually made it alive a little after 1PM, and spent the afternoon reading cards for a fundraiser.

Interesting thing about that - every single person I read for was dealing with an issue that I am, and I ended up giving tons of advice I really need to take to heart myself.

*looks up* Yeah, okay, real subtle. Heh!

Later Fina, Sergey, and I saw “Land of the Dead.” What a ride! Best zombie movie in a long, long time.

It’s a really interesting take on the zombie concept. Unlike pretty much every other zombie flick, this is no sudden invasion humanity is unprepared for blah blah. This is what would happen if the 1968 version of “Night of the Living Dead” had happened, and not stopped. Where would humanity be after four decades of worldwide zombies? What sort of evolving would the zombies themselves do? Now we know.

A couple of glaring cases of stupid-character-syndrome abound (tip: if you’re ever skulking around a zombified world at night trying not to get eaten by zombies, refrain from wearing stereo headphones with the volume turned way up) but great effects, a wicked story, a mostly great cast, and that undeniable George-Romero-ness of it means if you’re at all into horror movies, you must see this now.

Oh, and old-school MSTies will applaud the triumphant return of Megaweapon to the big screen.

This is just beautiful…
Why to never register your expensive car in the name of a wife you’re pissing off on the radio.

Link from The Biting Faery

The delightful Auntie Krizu put up a meme wherein she would doodle your livejournal interests for you.

Here be the explanation..

That is SO me!!

I liked this so much that I’m spreading the meme. Comment on this post (LJ readers: please use the top link to leave the comment on my actual blog rather than the livejournal feed) with your name, and in a future post will be a doodle for you based on your LJ interests (or, if you don’t have a livejournal, just on what I know about you.)

My scanner’s loaned out at the moment, so I reserve the right to doodle digitally rather than manually.

In other news, I followed Mistress Mousey’s lead and…

The following links swiped from everyone’s blogs…

Baptist officer proselytizes to a Druid couple during and after a traffic stop

“The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people’s homes and businesses — even against their will — for private economic development.”
AP Reuters

Pentagon creating a database of high-school and college students to identify potential recruits

and finally…

burnthe4th

Hubble photograph of dust cloud around star Fomalhaut, which looks for all the world like the Eye of Sauron.
(Crazygonuts link from Rustyverse.)

Now for the bad news..
The Beekman Theater is being shut down.

Spoiler-free musings on the “Doctor Who” season finale, which I’ve just watched. (Some of this originally came from a couple of my replies to other fans’ livejournals…)

The Earth has a iron-nickel core that is about 2,100 miles in radius. The inner core may have a temperature up to about 13,000°F (7,200°C = 7,500 K), which is hotter than the surface of the Sun. The inner core (which has a radius of about 750 miles (1,228 km) is solid. The outer core is in a liquid state and is about 1,400 miles (2,260 km) thick.

I know this because that’s where my jaw ended up after dropping forcefully and repeatedly through the floor this past 45 minutes.

Right now I can’t think of an episode of anything that made me simultaneously laugh, cry, shout, gasp, and repeatedly take several gods’ names in vain while watching it quite so much as this one.

Brilliant. Simply brilliant. So many examples of why I love this show in general and this season in particular, in a single episode.

Additionally, Eccles is a shining example of the classic performer’s rule in action.. always leave them wanting more.

Tennant has quite a pair of shoes to fill, but he’s off to a great start.

Shit, now I have to wait until Christmas for another new episode.

That’s funny, actually.. I got hooked on this show by watching PBS broadcasts of 10-20 year old reruns in the 1980s. Then they stopped showing it, and I could suddenly only see new (to me) episodes when I could afford to buy another VHS tape, which were expensive, hard-to-find, and of limited selection. Then in 1989 the show was cancelled in the UK, but most of the series was still brand-new to me, and I continued slowly building up a video collection throughout the early 90s. About then they started a couple of lines of novels, which were imported from the UK and thereby hard-to-find and of limited range, but which were my only source of new stories. In 1996, we got one single new episode on TV, and even more books. A few years later, we have books and audio plays on CD, which are hard-to-find unless you want to order them online.

So, after 20-some years as a fan who has had to work hard for old Who, it’s funny how much I got used to a brand-spanking new TV episode every week, for free, and sharing that experience with fans all over the world.

Too bad for the corporations involved that nobody thought to show us Americans the damn thing, forcing me to do this ad-free by downloading the episodes, which also means I don’t have to import barebones Region 2 DVDs.

I would gladly have paid for the experience. After all, that’s how I’ve gotten nearly all my Doctor Who for the past two decades. But needs must, so all it ended up costing me was some blank discs. I didn’t even have to sit through commercials.

I’ll probably still pay the exorbitant cost of importing the DVD box set with extras whenever it comes out, though.

Via The Biting Faery:

This guy used to be such an ass, but he’s cool now.

Yoinked from CN Jenn:

I Am A: Chaotic Good Elf Mage Bard

Alignment:
Chaotic Good characters are independent types with a strong belief in the value of goodness. They have little use for governments and other forces of order, and will generally do their own things, without heed to such groups.

Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.

Primary Class:
Mages harness the magical energies for their own use. Spells, spell books, and long hours in the library are their loves. While often not physically strong, their mental talents can make up for this.

Secondary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.

Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)

Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good —– XXX (3)
Neutral Good —- XXXXXX (6)
Chaotic Good —- XXXXXXXXX (9)
Lawful Neutral — X (1)
True Neutral —- XXX (3)
Chaotic Neutral - (-1)
Lawful Evil —– (-3)
Neutral Evil —- (-3)
Chaotic Evil —- (0)

Race:
Human —- (0)
Half-Elf - XXXXX (5)
Elf —— XXXXXXXX (8)
Halfling - (-3)
Dwarf —- (-3)
Half-Orc - (-1)
Gnome —- XXXXXXX (7)

Class:
Fighter - (0)
Ranger — XXXXX (5)
Paladin - (-1)
Cleric — XXX (3)
Mage —- XXXXXXXXX (9)
Druid — XXX (3)
Thief — (-2)
Bard —- XXXXXXXX (8)
Monk —- (0)

I was just meditating on some stuff, when out of nowhere I heard the following line..
“Many people shout ‘oh, God’ during sex, but most people who really mean it are Pagan.”
I sat up and laughed my ass off for about five minutes straight.

Speaking of Pagans and sex, I’m going to be among those reading cards at a gay pride event in Sayville while my HP gives a talk on sacred sexuality.

For a straight guy, I end up at a lot of Gay Pride stuff.

Me (green blob at far left) marching with PFLAG last Saturday
Cableflame and I the next day

I’ll take this opportunity to write a bit more about something that troubled me about that march last week. This gets drippy, feel free to skip it…

The name PFLAG stands for Parents, Families (and Friends) of Lesbians and Gays. The group was an upbeat bunch from all walks of life, many sporting signs, buttons, and t-shirts proclaiming “I’m proud of my gay son,” “I love my lesbian sister,” and so on. This group basically exists to let people say “hey, we love you whatever your lifestyle choice,” in force of numbers.

I’ve always felt like that myself. So many of you who are important to me in this world are gay, lesbian, bi, trans, and so on. It’s never been a factor in how I choose my friends, and I’ve never loved a family member less for swinging one way or another. So when it turned out Cable was friendly with the local chapter of this group, and we got the opportunity to march with them, this seemed like a neat thing to do.

And it was. The crowds, which ranged from five people deep on either side to occupying the entire sidewalk, porches, windows, and roofs along the route, loved PFLAG. There were no crowd barriers of the type that this NY parade veteran is used to, so we got to mingle with the cheering spectators we were walking past. And, due to traffic oddness in the parade route, the whole thing stopped and started often, meaning we’d be standing in the same place for a number of minutes.

What I was in no way prepared for was just how much the crowd loved PFLAG. This was a parade full of flashy floats, bands, costumes, drag queens and kings, and similar much more expensive, colorful, and visually impressive than PFLAG’s ragtag bunch of moms, dads, grandparents, friends, and one minivan. Still, PFLAG got some of the biggest cheers. Chants of “P-FLAG! P-FLAG” echoed along the route. As PFLAG and I passed people on the sidelines, I got high-fives, handshakes, and hugs from people thanking me. Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trannies, civilians, cops, even some soldiers in uniform. Many of these people were in tears. All were jubilant.

I was utterly gobsmacked by this. Sure, I appreciated the gratitude that these people had for the PFLAGgers.. but I honestly had no idea how much of an impact it all made.

This group was impacting the lives of these innumerable thousands of people, just by not being mean to them.

Imagine taking a short trip around town to run an errand or two. When you got to where you were going, you were suddenly mobbed by hundreds of drivers, pedestrians, nearby residents, and everyone else you could conceivably have injured or killed on your way, but didn’t.

Imagine street vendors, traffic cops, crossing guards, and school children hugging you, competing for a chance to shake your hand, and crying tears of joy and gratitude on your shoulder just because you acted the way you always have, and allowed them to go about their lives.

Simply because you didn’t punch any strangers in the face or run them over with your car, just because you didn’t shoot them through the head or lob bombs through their windows, you’re a hero. A celebrity, even.

That’s precisely what it felt like to me.

I had some trouble with this, and although I was riding the happy energy of the day during it all, I was quite melancholy for a while afterward. Not over the actions of anyone involved, but over the fact that the world is in such a state that this sort of acceptance is enough of a novelty, a rarity, something to be celebrated with loud music and colors one weekend a year.

In a perfect world, I don’t think groups like PFLAG - maybe even gay pride parades themselves - would be needed at all. Refusal to judge people based on their lifestyle, color, creed, and such would be a simple fact of life. Like friendship, like trees, like the fact that you didn’t murder anyone last time you went out for grocieries.

It’s like therapy.. the ultimate goal in going should be to heal enough that you don’t need to go anymore.

Straight, bi, gay, or whatever, I’d be really interested in your thoughts on this.

After nearly two decades online, I guess it was about time I ended up topless on the Internet.

What I find far more interesting, though, is the reply the photographer gave to my comment on the shot.

Funny old world, isn’t it?

For those of you not a fan of me topless, here’s a shot of me topful.

From everyone’s LJ:

Watch this now.

Then cry for hours when you realize it isn’t out yet.