| When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie, That's a-Painful |
[Nov. 12th, 2008|11:45 pm] |
Yeah, I know - I'm really dating myself by (mis)quoting old Dean Martin songs (are there any other kind?).
The moon over Weatherford, Texas, tonight is not only full, but directly overhead and so bright that I can read by its light. It is passing strange to see our yard lit in a kind of washed out, faded photograph motif. A night like this would have been perfect for Halloween; light enough to see almost everything, but with an eerie, unworldly quality that is very spooky, for all its visibility.
Things like this are all too rare in one's lifetime. I wish I was sharing it with friends around a campfire, drinking beer and singing our favorite songs. Since I can't do that, I thought the next best thing would be to share it here. Magic should always be shared.
“Logic only gives man what he needs... Magic gives him what he wants.”
- Tom Robbins |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 5th, 2008|04:33 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  sad | ] |
Michael Crichton, who gave us The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Sphere, ER and so much more, has died from cancer.
He has long been one of my favorite authors.
Rest in peace, good wordsmith, and many thanks for all the hours of entertainment and edification. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 5th, 2008|12:18 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  calm | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Just the tunes in my head | ] |
This is not an original story, but I think it bears repeating.
Many years ago, in a far away land, a man through no fault of his own fell afoul of the King, and was brought before him for judgment.
The King, who was not known to be a merciful man, said to the accused kneeling before him, "Is there any reason why I should not have you put to death immediately?"
The man considered for a few moments. "Your Majesty, it is widely known that you own the most handsome and intelligent stallion in all the world. If you will spare my life, I will teach the horse to sing."
The King is intrigued by this proposal, and agrees to it. Every day for several weeks, the man is in the royal stables, attempting to teach the horse to sing, much to the amusement of everyone else.
Finally the master stable keeper decides he must know the reason behind this apparent foolishness, so he decides to ask the man about it. "Why do you do this, friend? Don't you know that no one can teach a horse to sing? What do you hope to gain?"
The man shrugged. "When I was kneeling before the King, the rest of my life could be measured in hours, perhaps only minutes, and my fate was certain. Now, there are many possibilities. Over the course of this year, the horse may die. I may die. Even the King may die." Then he smiled. "And who knows? The horse may even learn to sing." |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 20th, 2008|01:36 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home Office | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  exhausted | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Just the mad mutterings of my brain | ] |
I can't believe I'm sitting here waiting for my timesheets (which I should have submitted Friday night) to update. That'll teach me to do them on time and not forget them until almost midnight on Sunday.
On the positive side, at least I got to spend some time with my grandsons Sunday evening. My son-in-law has been teaching the four-year-old how to play chess, and he has picked it up quite well, though he needs to be reminded about how some of the pieces move. And how could I resist when he asked me "Please play chess with me, Grandpa?"
Well, the update I was waiting for is done. Back to the salt mines. |
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| Books, Books and More Books |
[Sep. 26th, 2008|08:51 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home Office | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | accomplished | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | On a conference call, so none at the moment | ] |
For the first time in thirty years, we have enough bookcases/shelf space/room to put out all of our books. Many of them have been sitting in boxes for far too long. In the new house, we have a room that we decided to dedicate to being the library (it's also my computer room/home office) where we have put up bookcases all along two walls. I wasn't sure at first that it would be enough, but they hold more than I expected, and I've also added an extra shelf on top of the bookcases that runs the length of them, in effect giving me two more shelves and letting me stack books nearly to the ceiling. There's even a little space left over.
Time to get more books! Though I think the more immediate task is to now get the existing books into order so I can actually find something when I want/need it. |
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| Has It Really Been That Long Since I Posted? |
[Sep. 12th, 2008|11:05 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home Office | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | happy | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Talk Radio in the background | ] |
Well, in the intervening time since my last post, we bought a new house, moved, rented our old house to our daughter and son-in-law, gained another grandson, had to put up with dial-up internet access for the past year, and I lost my job due to company downsizing.
However, I've just started a new job as a consultant, working from home - which so far feels a bit odd, as I've been so used to driving from west Fort Worth (now Weatherford, since we moved) to Dallas every work day for most of the last nine years. Heck, not having to make that drive is like getting a $10K a year bonus, not only in gas savings, but in gaining 2 to 3 hours a day that were spent in the commute. And due to the requirements of the new job, I was finally able to justify to myself the expense of putting in satellite internet access - unfortunately the only highspeed broadband option where we now live.
So maybe now I'll have the opportunity to ramble incoherently on LiveJournal on occasion. |
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| Random Reflections |
[Jun. 5th, 2007|05:46 pm] |
Apropos of nothing in particular:
One should occasionally greet the dawn drunk, preferably in as primitive a setting as possible, surrounded by trees, near a body of water and next to the glowing remains of a campfire.
This is an ideal setting in which to consider the great questions of life, the universe and everything. (I know, I know - 42!) You may not come up with any answers, but can sometimes gain a deep sense of peace and satisfaction.
As this is an experience that must be shared to fully appreciated, you should be accompanied by two or more inebriated friends. It is helpful if at least one of you is still sober enough to point the others in the general direction of a bed/cot/sleeping bag/hammock, as sleeping in a camp chair tends to cause cricks in the neck and backaches, not to mention possible sunburn as the day progresses. |
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| Happy Birthday! |
[Feb. 27th, 2007|10:39 am] |
Happy 28th Birthday to my favorite son, Superleezard!
Let's see that makes me (mumble-mumble) years old. Sheesh. |
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| Why, Yes, I Am Old, Thank You For Asking |
[Nov. 17th, 2006|11:31 am] |
| You've Experienced 88% of Life | 
You have an amazing amount of life experience. In fact, you've seen and done more than most people.
So congratulate yourself on what you've done so far. The future is only going to be more of the same! |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 16th, 2006|05:23 pm] |
| Your Political Profile: | | Overall: 95% Conservative, 5% Liberal | | Social Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal | | Personal Responsibility: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal | | Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal | | Ethics: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal | | Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal |
Can't say I'm very surprised. |
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| Nanowrimo - Arrrrgh! |
[Nov. 7th, 2006|06:30 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  sick | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Christmas Carols (yep - already) | ] |
I've been fighting a severe cold since Saturday, and I'm way behind on my writing. Finally got some done at lunch today and have my total up to 4843 words. I'm less than 10% of the way there, so I'm really going to have to buckle down if I'm going to make the deadline.
Not to mention my (supposedly) weekly Punch Drunk column for Stumblebum, work, grandsons, wife, kids, dog, cats, the SCA... |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 6th, 2006|11:01 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | sick | ] |
| You Are Kermit | 
Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know.
You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems.
Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green.
Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies! |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 3rd, 2006|04:04 pm] |
While I've got a long way to go to catch up with freejenkins and his 10,000-plus words, I have managed to add another 1887 words to my Nanowrimo effort over lunch (and then some) today. Guess I'd better get back to work. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 2nd, 2006|11:12 am] |
My son, superleezard, convinced me that I should try my hand at Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month), so I sat down and dug out a plot idea that I've been kicking around for ages, did an outline and some character sketches, and yesterday I actually got down to it. Wrote the first chapter, which hopefully sets up the rest of the book, and managed to knock out 1736 words. To produce the required 50,000 words in 30 day, I have to write at least 1666 words a day, so I guess I'm slightly ahead of the game, at least to start. Now to find the time to repeat it 29 more times. |
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| Why Didn't I Think Of That? |
[May. 2nd, 2006|04:42 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  crazy | ] |
Kaavya Viswanathan got a two book contract and a $500,000 advance from the publishing firm Little, Brown and Company, based on her first novel, "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life". It was critically acclaimed, and she had already sold the movie rights to DreamWorks.
Only one small problem. The book appears to be a plagiarism of at least four other books: "Sloppy Firsts" and "Second Helpings" by Megan McCafferty, "Can You Keep a Secret" by Sophie Kinsella, and "The Princess Diaries" by Meg Cabot.
Gee, if I had known that all it took to get a book deal with a major publisher was to copy passages from the works of several already-published authors and give it a new title, I would have done it years ago instead of trying to write something original in my own style.
Too bad she won't get to keep any of the money. She'll need plenty of it to defend herself in the upcoming lawsuits. |
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