My Interview

Uncle Mike at Big Orange Michael has decided he wants to interview me. Heh heh. Ok, pal, do your worst...

1. Over the years, I've recommended a variety of shows to you from The Simpson to Quantum Leap to The X-Files. (But yet, you've never given into the Buffy thing). This question is two-fold. Of all the various shows I've recommended for your viewing, which one have you enjoyed the most? And besides The West Wing, what is one show you'd say I should give a try to?

I would say The X-Files, certainly. It had a lot more staying power, and I followed it religiously from week to week beginning about season 4 or so. We both started watching Babylon 5 at the same time, right?

As for a recommended series: well, The West Wing, sure, although I'm finding out that the current "live" season is not as good as several earlier ones. Catch the Bravo reruns if you can. You know, I don't think there are any other shows I watch that you don't....

2. I knew Barry before he married Laura and they had BrainyBoy and GiggleGirl. (One of the coolest moments in my life was Barry calling me to tell that he and Laura were expected BB. I was so happy for them.). Tells us the story about the first time you met Laura.

I was in my (first) senior year at the University of Tennessee and was a member of the U.T. Chamber Singers, and also was a member of the singing group, "Cantabile" at the U.T. Wesley Foundation Methodist Student Center. When Laura came to U.T. as a grad student, she joined Chamber Singers. The director of Cantabile, Lynne, was also in Chamber Singers and we began to conspire to get the "new girl" into our singing group. As it turned out, she did, and I was able to see her several opportunities throughout the week.

Eventually I asked her to go with me to the U.T./Duke football game, which was our first date.

3. What was your least favorite "Theta game"?

Oh. Great. So you're leaving it to me to explain what the heck a "Theta game" is? *sigh* Ok, here goes:

At the aforementioned Wesley Foundation, there was also a very....special and interesting young woman named Theta (not pronounced "thay-ta", as in the Greek letter, but "thee-tah", as in...um...well, it rhymes with cheetah). Native North Dakotan Theta was the president of our student board, if memory serves, and the self-proclaimed social director of our tight band of students. Occasionally we would go on retreats, and there would be a bevy of "Theta games," as they were known - games to break the ice and foster communication between us and newer students.

So, to make a short story impossibly longer, my least favorite "Theta game" was the one where you put an orange into a pair of pantyhose, tie it around your waist and attempt to maneuver the orange around like a croquet mallet and knock other oranges around. You can just use your imagination as to what that looked like, especially for a guy....

Ah, Theta, we miss you. Last we heard she was a Methodist minister in the midwest somewhere, serving several churches. This, dear readers, is an image that is nigh impossible to visualize.

4. What is the worst episode EVER of Star Trek (any series)? Share with us why it's just so unwatchable.

There are two:

1) Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Imaginary Friend"
This dreck of an episode involves a little girl on board who befriends another little girl, who is actually an evil alien. Really, my main beef is with the alien girl - I'm sure she grew up to be a lovely young woman - but that was the most obnoxious looking and acting little girl I'd ever seen on TV. The plot was dumb, it was way too cutesy even for TNG and was just an pain to watch.

2) Star Trek: Deep Space 9 - "Profit and Lace"
There's one and only one way to describe this episode that is necessary to get my point across.

Quark in drag.

'nuff said.

5. Barry was a theater major at UT. He's directed and worked on a lot of great shows over the years. What is your favorite show you've worked on and why? And is there a show out there you yearn to work on?

My favorite, by far, is Into the Woods (see a couple posts down for some pictures). The first time I worked on this play I was working as an Assistant Stage Manager in the summer of 1990 at Seaside Music Theatre in Daytona Beach, FL. A few years later I was the Music Director of the show here at the Oak Ridge Community Playhouse. It's a tale combining several familiar fairy tales and telling their stories through music.

Ok, now I need five folks who'd like me to interview them (although Mike's already claimed about half the potential audience...). Just leave a message in the comments and I'll let you know.

Strange Creature Sighted in Knoxville

Various sources have reported the sighting of a large monster stalking the streets and computer email systems of Knoxville. Citizens are warned to lock their doors, adjust their firewalls, and verify that their GOP Membership cards are in good order.



Consider this creature somewhat dangerous and extremely annoying. Local political leaders and wanna-be leaders were last seen hiding their computers in stairwells, under desks, in local cemetaries and atop the Sunsphere.

And to repeat our top story: Local grocer and former mayor Cas Walker is still dead.

Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Great Scott! This is Heavy...

John Z. DeLorean, Father of Glamour Car, Dies at 80

"John Z. DeLorean, the flamboyant automobile industrialist whose dream of running his own car company dissolved into bankruptcy, died Saturday evening at Overlook Hospital in Summit, N.J. He was 80 years old and lived in Bedminster, N.J."

Thank you, Mr. DeLorean, for helping create what I think is the coolest car ever made:



Flux Capacitor....fluxing...

THE BEST

880

Lady Vols win, Pat Summitt is all time best Div. 1 coach

The Other Big Story

The Other Big Story going on in the US today - i.e. not the Terry Schiavo case - is the one about this troubled and hostile young man:

Minnesota Rampage Leaves 10 Dead

Red Lake in shock after shooting by teen 'Angel of Death'

'Grieving parents and friends gathered outside a Red Lake school after a rampage by a self-styled teenage "Angel of Death" who killed nine people before shooting himself.

...

Witnesses and officials named the gunman as Jeff Weise, 15, a loner who had expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and had used the names "Todesengel" -- German for "Angel of Death" -- and "NativeNazi" when signing on to extreme right-wing Internet sites'

Click the links to read up on the background if you haven't heard the details. Not surprising, since the TV news has been all-Terry all-the-time the last few days. It's more or less understandable since it's a) a continuingly developing story, and b) important to see where our rights are headed with regard to the Federal government.

But the more important story, to me, is the Minnesota one.

'Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Michael Pabman told reporters Weise killed his grandfather, a local police sergeant, with a .22-caliber weapon. He also killed his grandfather's female companion.

"Then, we believe, he took the police bulletproof vest and gun belt of his grandfather, donned those, got into the police vehicle his grandfather had, and drove to the school, driving up right to the door."'

Weiss went on to kill an unarmend security guard at the school, a teacher, several students and ultimately took his own life.

The Red Lake Indian reservation is not exactly a mirror image of the Colorado community that also experienced a similar event recently:

School gun massacre

'Unlike Columbine High School, in the prosperous middle class suburb of Littleton, the region is one of the most deprived in America. Drug and alcohol abuse is rife, with nearly four out of 10 families living below the official poverty level and outsiders are regarded with suspicion.'

So I wondered, it was well documented that the parents of the two Columbine killers were practically clueless as to their sons' closed-door activities. What was this boy's family life like? Was it similar?

Apparently different as night and day.

'Relatives said that his father committed suicide four years ago and that his mother was in a nursing home because of brain injuries following an auto accident.'

Tragic. He's been fatherless since he was 11 and motherless for an unspecified amount of time.

So where and with who did he live? Who was supposed to be taking care of this boy? Who are these "relatives"? The articles don't specify, and that may be due to privacy concerns. However, judging by this quote:

'The gunman was a quiet loner who was often teased and who had a disturbed background.

"I guess I've always carried a natural admiration for Hitler and his ideals, and his courage to take on larger nations," Weise wrote last year in an online forum frequented by neo-Nazis. He wore a dark trench coat to school every day.'

It seems logical to assume that the home he came back to every day after school wasn't full of love and warmth, communication and hope, support and attention. Plus, kids don't learn about racial "purity" and other principles espoused by the neo-Nazis by themselves - it seems wherever he was living may have but those ideas in his head.

Now...not that I'm sure there aren't plenty of neo-nazi, trenchcoat-wearing loners populating other schools across the country who are perfect gentlemen and will grow up to be productive members of society. Just don't bet your life on it.

But does the home life excuse his actions? Not in the least. He was 15, and perfectly capable of making the right choices - the choices that could have been, "As angry as I am at the hand life's dealt me, as disturbed as I am about the unfairness of fate and all the people I blame for where I am and what I've become....I'm not going to kill. Today. I'm not going to do it, because there are other ways out."

He could have made that choice, but didn't. And a lot of people suffered. Again.

But we see it again and again - children growing up in America by themselves. Parents and guardians who are indifferent (Littleton, CO) or absent or misguided (Red Lake, MN) or just inexperienced.

What's the answer? There is obviously not an easy catch-all answer - except maybe this. Love your kids. Love your relatives's kids. Love your neighbors' kids. Pay attention to them. Help them. Encourage them. Watch them. Train them. Set examples that are productive and helpful. Don't talk down to them, don't ignore their questions, don't take them for granted. Help them gain a sense of spirituality, of wonder, of awe. Show them that there is more beyond their bedroom, their street, their reservation, their subdivision, their state, country and even world.

Raising children is the single most important responsibility that human beings have. There is no other task as vital as the one that parenthood thrusts upon us - not only are we raising our own kids, we're raising the future. We're ensuring the existence of their children, and the children of their future spouses who may not have even been born yet. Caring and nurturing your children and always giving them a grounded sense of home and family goes forever in preparing them for an adult life of happiness, prosperity, success and love.

If you glossed over it before, take a closer look:

Careful the things you say,
Children will listen.
Careful the things you do,
Children will see.
And learn.

Children may not obey,
But children will listen.
Children will look to you
For which way to turn,
To learn what to be.

Careful before you say,
"Listen to me."
Children will listen.

Fantasy Baseball Coaches: B-Ware B-Bonds

Bonds says he may be out until next season following knee surgery

"Barry Bonds said he might miss the rest of this season following his latest knee surgery."

If you have drafted Bonds already, well...now you know how I felt when Ricky Williams suddenly retired from the Miami Dolphins just before the NFL season started last year.

If you haven't drafted yet, knock him down a couple hundred notches. In fact, you may have to drop him altogether. Something tells me there may be more to this than just a knee rehab (see bottom of page on link)...

Of Interest to No One But Myself

Happy Birthday, Steven Sondheim.

Thank you, along with your partner James Lapine, for bringing me and the rest of the world the perfection that is Into the Woods.

"Once upon a time...in a far-off kingdom...lived a young maiden...a sad young lad..and a childless baker...with his wife."

Careful the things you say,
Children will listen.
Careful the things you do,
Children will see.
And learn.

Children may not obey,
But children will listen.
Children will look to you
For which way to turn,
To learn what to be.

Careful before you say,
"Listen to me."
Children will listen.

Careful the wish you make,
Wishes are children.
Careful the path they take,
Wishes come true,
Not free.

Careful the spell you cast,
Not just on children.
Sometimes the spell may last
Past what you can see
And turn against you...

Careful the tale you tell.
That is the spell.
Children will listen..

The Book Tag

Looks like Uncle Mike's tagged me, so here I go - answering questions about books. Before I start, know that I am a total literature novice. I've never read Catcher in the Rye, or Wuthering Heights or Great Expectations, or even Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn. I haven't read To Kill a Mockingbird or A Tale of Two Cities or...


You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

In high school, the literary bane of my existence was William Faulkner. I just could not get him. We read about Sarty and the Snopes family, and Burning Barns and all that. It just would not resonate with me - so I'd be willing to toss Faulkner's entire work on the fire....except one.

The Sound and the Fury, which I read my senior year, was one of the best books I ever read. Go figure.


Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Interesting question - maybe Iola Morton of the Hardy Boys books (she was Joe Hardy's girl. Spunky and exciting, not cool and sophisticated like that iceburg Callie Shaw...

More recently, I like Annie Laurance from Carolyn G. Hart's Death on Demand series - she owns a mystery bookstore in South Carolina.

And in media....How about Jamie Buchman from Mad About You? Not Helen Hunt, particularly, but Jamie.


The last book you bought is:

I bought several Stephen White books at the used book store recently: The Program and Higher Authority for instance. But the last real weighty hardback I bought, I believe, was The Dark Tower by Stephen King.


The last book you read:

To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh


What are you currently reading?

Airframe by Michael Crichton. This is about Mr. Crichton's last chance with me. The last couple stories of his I read (Prey, The Terminal Man, and even Timeless were pretty bad. So far Airframe is pretty good. We'll see).


Five books you would take to a deserted island.

1. The Bible
2. Robert Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky
3. Stephen King's Insomnia
4. The Sound and the Fury
and, for the practical side of myself:
5. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook


Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?
Let's see - how about:
1. Hatamaran, because she needs some good literary distraction right now.
2. Cathy of Domestic Psychology, because Girl Scout Cookies sometimes aren't enough
3. New mom-to-be Misty of Seductive Kisses, cause maybe it'll keep her mind off being nauseous.

Stuck

So I'm here, at work, and my car won't start.

I'm waiting on AAA which could be an hour.

Anyone have anything to talk about?

UPDATE: Well, the AAA guy fooled around under the front of the car for a minute, and it started right up. Turns out a cable to the starter had just come loose.

Hoopla!!

CPAP Update - weekend 1

I'm not enjoying myself.

These machines are supposed to give you a wonderfully blissful night's sleep, but that's the last thing I've been getting these past three nights.

Now, preface to say I haven't been getting to bed as early as I ought to, which may have something to do with it. A combination of a resurgent interesting in Civilization III, and our newly installed broadband connection at home has kept me on the PC till all hours of the evening. Which doesn't lend itself to long hours of sleep.

That said, the unit itself is not difficult to operate, but it requires some preparation to get ready. There's a small water tank that has to be filled each night with distilled water, that's used to create a humid airflow. It has to be preheated 15 minutes before I go to bed, which, to me, is way too much order in my life :)

Then there's the mask, which as I said before consists of a breathing tube connecting the unit to an object similar to a SCUBA diver's breather - it fits under the nose and in the nostrils, and straps around the back and top of the head to hold it in place. When it's turned on, air flows from the unit, through the humidifier and into the nosepiece, which send a continuous stream of warm, moist room air into my nose and to the lungs. In theory, this stream of air keeps the nasal and throat air passages clear when deep sleep tends to relax the tissue. With sleep apnea, those tissues are very relaxed - I believe they suffer from Caribbean delusions that they are soaking up the sun on a tropical beach. Way, way too relaxed. Anyway, the constant airflow keeps 0-2 moving into my lungs, creating a deeper and more restful sleep.

In theory.

In reality, the mask doesn't fit my nose all that well. If I turn my head or, God forbid, try to lay on my side it breaks the "seal" and allows the incoming air to start escaping and hissing out the side. Which does little good for either my or my wife's sleep habits. In fact, it's really beginning to irritate me.

The first night was a bit rough, the second night was better and the third was the worst. I couldn't get it adjusted comfortably, and Laura woke me a couple times that it had slipped again. I finally ended up taking it off and tossing it aside about 4am. That's no way to help my problem, but at least it let me get some sleep.

Another problem I seem to have is I don't really feel the continuous air stream is making it through my nasal passages and down to my windpipe unencumbered. I've always been perpetually "stuffed up" to some degree or another. I rarely am able to take a good, deep breath without feeling there's a piece of a rag stuffed up one side of my nose. It has nothing to do with allergies that I know of - just the way my head is made. Thus, when I go to bed and my nose is not very clear, the full effect of the airstream doesn't make it to the windpipe. At least I don't feel that it does - maybe I'm wrong and just don't feel it.

I'm not going to stop, obviously, and will be trying my best to fine tune things. I'm hoping it doesn't require the building on an additional room to the house for myself to keep from waking up my wife during the night, but who knows ;)

Illegal Seizures

First of all, more about the circus revolving about local Republicans:

Ex-Knox worker mum on lawsuit: GOP campaign specialist says he was harassed by sheriff's deputies (Knoxville News Sentinel, registration required)

"On Friday, Harber said the incident with the sheriff's deputies, in which he says undercover officers handcuffed him and searched his vehicle without showing him a search warrant, made him fear for his safety."

...

The Sheriff's Office is investigating whether a crime was committed when someone obtained former GOP chairman Chad Tindell's e-mails and provided copies to [Knox County Mayor Mike] Ragsdale.

In his resignation email, Harber said this about fellow blogger Adam Groves:

"Shortly before my incident, Knox County Sheriff Officers invaded my close friend, Adam Groves’ house and conducted an illegal search and seizure of his computer and illegally and forcefully interrogated him while showing no warrant, receipt of property confiscation, and without demonstrating due cause."

However, the allegations about illegal search and seizures of Harber's and Adam Groves' cars, houses and PC's are serious. What I haven't been able to glean from the narratives (and is difficult to find, anyway, in the midst of such hyperbole as "invaded" and "forcefully"), however, is what leads to the conclusion of legality of the actual searches and seizures.

If a law enforcement officer has reason to believe that an item of private property was either used in the commission of a crime, or could provide evidence that the crime was committed by the owner (illegally tapping into Tindell's email system), doesn't the officer have just cause to do so? What kind of legal permission (i.e. search warrants) must be obtained, if any, to allow him to do so? Harber alleges no warrants were presented, yet I'm sure we all know that sometimes the wronged party sees or remembers just what it chooses to, when it's politically expedient. And, to be fair, our men in blue don't always show due dilegence when presenting search warrants, even if they do have them.

I just don't imagine all searches and seizures are "illegal", but have no idea what determines whether it is or not.

Anyone have any ideas?

My Last Night of Unencumbered Sleep

I'm getting my Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device delivered today.

Based on the results of the sleep study I went through, I will start wearing one of these babies to bed at night. The photo to the right isn't exactly what mine will look like - mine will be more like what a SCUBA diver would wear. It's an apparatus that's attached below the nose, and strapped around the back of the head. I'll also wear a mouth guard, to keep my chin from flopping down in the night. Continuous airflow into the nose creates a kind of "vacuum chamber" in my mouth, and if it opens, the "seal" is broken. I know, sounds hideous.

It's designed to increase oxygen flow into my lungs at night, while regulating my breathing and preventing snoring. I've read a number of testimonials, not to mention the commentors to my previous posts, that indicate it can do wonders to your blood pressure, memory and general health plus improve your feelings of restfulness at night and alertness during the day.

I certainly hope so. Although it's not been so bad lately, I have gotten tired at work. I don't recall dreams like I ought to be able to, and I have little sense of time passage when I sleep. I fall asleep, and *boom* 2 seconds later it's time to get up, so I don't feel as rested as I ought to. I have hereditary blood pressure, so it's unknown if that will be affected. I also have terrible short term memory, and can forget a figure or phrase very quickly.

We'll see how it works, and I'll deliver a progress report.

You know with a little modification, I could go as a TIE Fighter Pilot at Halloween:



UPDATE (03/20/05): Photo replaced with more accurate picture. I have a REMStar Pro w/C-Flex system and heated humidifier.

Bad Boys

Young Master Harber is in the news again.

'A Knox County Republican political operative and county employee resigned Thursday, saying he has been harassed by county law enforcement officers and become an enemy of the now-former chairman of the local party."

In a lengthy e-mail to Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, Tyler Harber, 24, accused the Knox County Sheriff's Office of "vengeful and illegal actions" in recent days.

...

Harber's letter follows the anonymous delivery Monday of copies of e-mails to Ragsdale that came from the personal account of former Knox County Republican Party Chairman Chad Tindell. The correspondence dealt with newly elected Chairman Brian Hornback's removal of paperwork and computers from Republican Party headquarters over the weekend.

...

He wrote that he had become "a political target of the Sheriff or at least persons in the Knox County Sheriff's Office."

...

While Harber does not address the e-mail investigation, he does lash out at the Sheriff's Office and Tindell. In his resignation letter, he accused the Sheriff's Office of acting in a way "reminiscent of Nazi Gestapo tactics."'

This is all too idiotic for words. If you have anything officially to do with the Republican or Democratic Party in Knox County (or anywhere else for that matter), you should have serious thoughts about your mental capacities.

When politicos use terms like "enemies", "political targets", and the big one: "reminiscent of Nazi Gestapo tactics" then you know it has nothing to do with representing the people and all to do with everyone's own egos and immaturity.

All around. Everyone.

We have troops overseas fighting real evil, and you have children over here squabbling over their PC hard drives and sending the police to harass each other.

Grow up, kids. Get real jobs that you can handle, and not political appointments and civil service careers that other people could use and really do something constructive with.

Free Bird!

Finally learn the history of rock and roll's biggest joke tradition

Acandytherapy

41% of parents skip truancy meeting (Knoxville News Sentinel - Registration Required)

'Cecelia Donaldson, who received a letter about her 5-year-old grandson's absences, came to West High on Tuesday, but she refused to enter the auditorium where the other parents heard remarks from [Randy] Nichols, Superintendent Charles Lindsey, Juvenile Court Referee Cynthia Chapman and Knoxville Police Lt. Gary Price.

"I don't want to hear what Randy Nichols has to say," said Donaldson, who said her grandson has asthma and other medical problems. "He needs to call my house when (my grandson is) up at 3 in the morning throwing up everything he ate."

Donaldson said she was furious after receiving Nichols' letter.

"I sat down and I ate three Mr. Goodbars because I was so angry," she said, adding, "You can't lump parents in one group." '

There's just nothing you can add to that.

Seriously, of course you can't lump parents in one group. But the point is that when a child has 10 or more unexcused absences, that's when inquiries need to be made and actions taken. If the child is legitimately ill, then there shouldn't be a problem getting the absences excused. If the parent or guardian neglected to follow through with explaining the absence, then it's their own fault and they have nothing to complain about.

'Rhonda Garren, the community prosecution coordinator in the attorney general's office, said she did not know the details of individual cases, but she said officials investigate each one.

"I feel we do as fair a job as possible in working with these parents," she said. "Some of the excuses they give us are not viable." '

Obviously, the point of this exercise is to rectify actual truancy problems by bringing them to attention of the parents and making clear that continuing neglect of their children will not be tolerated. And shouldn't be.

And eating a candy bar won't make it better.

UPDATE (03/17/05)
Reader C.I. Abramson does his homework in the comments and comes up with the following:

'In most cases with a child as described the care taker is trained to handle the ongoing medical problem on a daily basis otherwise the medical cost to the childs family would be astronomical.

OK, after a convoluted search I have found reference to the "time for time" policy. This is copied from Pricipal Clifford David, Jr's (http://www.karns-hs.knox.k12tn.net/) message from the Karns High School web site in Knox County Tennessee.

Time for Time Attendance Policy – For those students who accumulate 5 absences from a class, written notification will be sent to the parents or guardians. Class absences over 6 must be made up by attending a Time for Time session in order to receive credit for the class at the end of the term. Session dates and times will be announced within the next few days.

(This is with MDs excuses or any other viable excuse)

This is not the same as the attendance policy listed at (http://www.kcs.k12tn.net/policy/j/jb.pdf) "the official Knox County School Board [policy]'

So it looks like there may even be discrepencies between official Knox County School Board policy and local school policy in some cases.

I still think what needs to be qualified to parents is what constitutes "excused" vs. "unexcused" absences.

From the KCSB policy:

Acceptable (excusable) conditions for students being absent from school include:
1. Personal illness;
2. Illness in the family temporarily requiring help from the child;
3. Death in the family;
4. Recognized religious holidays regularly observed by persons of the student's faith;
5. Verifiable family emergency

Any absence not complying with the above reasons for excused absences will be considered as unexcused.

Examples of unexcused absences are a) family vacations taken during the school year and b) Senior Skip Day.

I didn't realize Senior Skip Day was an officially recognized Day :)

But if you take this above and apply it to the complaints of the parents in the article written above, any personal illness of the child is excused. Any illness in the family requiring temporary help from the child is excused (which I would take to mean originally farm work and such, but could be interpreted in different ways today).

So what does this all mean? Who knows, except that people are more willing to fuss adn argue than work things out reasonably and logically when it comes to their kids. And it's funny how some parents will make a huge cry when their own "rights" are threatened, but allow their kids to run free otherwise.

Funny, that. And we blame the kids.

Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy

Judge Upholds Death Sentence for Peterson

"Scott Peterson will be sent to California's death row after a judge upheld a jury's recommendation that he be sentenced to death for the slayings of his wife and her fetus."

I've never been quite sure how I feel about the death penalty, but there are some people I wouldn't think too hard about it for.

Oh. My. God...

Knight contacted about UT job (Knoxville News Sentinel - Registration Required)

"Texas Tech coach Bob Knight has been contacted about the head basketball coaching opening at Tennessee and said he is "intrigued" about the position, a source within the UT athletic department said."

Da-DUM....da-DUM...da-Dum da-Dum da-Dum...

24, unfortunately, may have just reached the point where it has left the ramp and is sailing over the shark...

Last night, after a shoot-out in a gun store Sporting Goods store, Jack and his girlfriend's husband, Paul are wandering around...sorting out the mess. Just a couple hours earlier, Jack had been torturing Paul for information but now they're big buddies...

Anyway, the baddest bad guy that had been shooting at them was lying dead on the floor....well, he wasn't exactly dead, he was only kinda dead. After multiple quick shots of his quivering hand, this critically injured man, riddled with bullets and bleeding out of dozens of new and interesting places, suddenly grabs a pistol (lying conveniently near his gun hand), jumps up and fires at Jack. OldBuddyPaul sees what's happening, pushes Jack out of the way and takes a bullet in the belly. Jack immediately blows about 45 more rounds into bad guy, ensuring (finally) that he not only is he not only merely dead, he's really most sincerely dead.

That, my friends, may be the "Jump the Shark" moment. One of the oldest cliches in the book, on a show that prides itself on avoiding cliches, is where the bad guy is not quite dead and enacts his revenge at the final moment.

I hope it's not the case, but we'll see.

Nice Timing

Georgia Tech coach suffers heart attack; undergoes angioplasty

"Georgia Tech football coach Chan Gailey suffered a heart attack Monday while playing racquetball at the campus recreation center."

It looks like Gailey is going to be fine, which is great. But nice timing for it to have happened while he was playing racquetball, which I just took up again last week...

Just One Word

James Lileks often waxes kvetchingly about his DirectTV system. It's on, it's off, it's working, it's dead.... He makes calls to the support group at 1:45am complaining because he's lost a signal, only to have it return when he gets off the phone. Numerous service people come to his house one after the other to attempt to repair, replace, upgrade or exorcise his home satellite dish. I believe he may keep a witch doctor on standby.

Lileks is my favorite online read, and he should be yours as well. His views on life, fatherhood and popular culture and nostalgia are unparalleled.

But Jim, buddy. I have one word for you.

Cable.

Thank you.

Oh, ok...

Kentucky 76
Tennessee 62

Never mind. There they are.

Friday's Feast

Feast Thirty-Nine

Appetizer - Where do you go when you want to relax?

The Caribbean, preferably on a Carnival Cruise. But if that's not available, I'm most relaxed in front of my computer playing Civilization III or some other like game where I can just let my brain go.

Soup - Tell about something that made you laugh this week.

When I was home with the kids, we watched several episodes from my H.R. Pufnstuf DVD set. One part has the witch, Witchiepoo, suddenly turning good and singing a happy song. The kids and I at one point of extreme silliness all began dancing and singing that song together. It took several minutes of coughing and laughing to restore order.

Salad - What is your favorite texture?

There's nothing like flannel bedsheets against bare skin...

Main Course - If you were to publish your autobiography, what would the first sentence be?

"Ironically, I was born at the hospital of my later competition..."

Dessert - Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? If so, how?

Being of Irish descent, I probably should but I don't. I mean, how exactly do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day if you a) don't live in New York, or b) don't particularly care about getting stinking drunk on green beer? I'll probably wear something green, but that's about it.

Zen and the Art of Raquetball

I look at myself often, and wonder how old I really am.

Chronologically, I'm 38. In the mirror I feel like I look younger than that, but I don't know. Some of you have seen me in person and can judge that better than I.

Physically, also, I don't feel I'm on the tail end of the 30's. Well, usually. I'm still pretty active - get up out of the bed and the chair with a minimum of creaking and groaning. I still roll around on the floor with the kids, carry Tink on my shoulders, endure charging-rhino assaults from my 100+ pound BrainyBoy. I've actually lost almost 20 pounds myself since Christmas, I hope due to my new workout routine.

So, in the spirit of thumbing my nose at the advancing 40's and a thirst for real exercise and competition I joined a racquetball league.

Now, when I was a teenager I played a good deal at CourtSouth on Merchants Road. In college I bummed around at the HPER building at UT with some friends, but since then I haven't played at all. So I was a perfect match for the "C" league at the Fitness Center. Those who were just learning, or who had played before but not for a while.

Last night was the first game. I had gotten a new racquet for Christmas, new eye guards, about 75 new balls and a spiffy carrying case. I was ready to rock and show these guys how to play ball.

Oy.

Something about my cardiovascular system renders me useless after a some kinds of physical exertion. My chest tightens up, I get a pain in my lower side and my breath gets short. Nothing dangerous, just years of couch potato-ism and keyboard jockeying taking their toll. Since I started working out and doing cardio training back in November, I thought maybe I was going to move beyond that and actually be able to pursue a semi-rigorous session of physical activity without feeling like I was in the throes of a boa constrictor. On crack.

So, my opponent and I get into the court. He appears in his late-20's/early-30's or so. Better shape than me, to be sure, but hey - racquetball is supposed to be a great equalizer. Height/weight don't matter as much as quickness and stamina.

Traits I apparently no longer have in any particular abundance, if I ever did.

By the 3rd point I was breathing heavy. By the end of the first game (which I lost, natch, 15-6) I was dying. A short break, and then game 2. He won that one, too, this time 15-5 and most of the game he was serving up gimmes. Which I thoughfully returned only about half the time. Since it's best 2 out of 3, after that game was over we were done. I collapsed on the couches outside the courts while he, after a short break, agreed to join two other guys in a game of 3-person cutthroat.

Grrrrrrr.

I took my own time changing and going home. I was so exhausted, mentally, physically and emotionally over this past week even though I went to bed at 12:15, I didn't get to good sleep until after 2am.

So, next week is game #2 against a guy that looks even younger than my first opponent.

Pray for me.

All Right, Two Questions to the Team That Won...

Tennessee 65
Arkansas 46

First, who are you people? And second, what have you done with the regular basketball team?

Those Darn Kids

On the occasion of BrainyBoy's 9th birthday:


BrainyBoy and Tink show their mutal admiration for one another.


A rare affectionate moment.

43 Things

Try out 43 Things and list for yourself, and others, what 43 things you'd like to do with your life. You can link to others of like interest, or even get advice from those who've already accomplished...whatever it is.

Mine (so far) are right here.

(Hat tip to Danielle)

Fantasy Baseball

Anyone interested in joining an online Fantasy Baseball League?


Go to:

http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b1/register/tos?league_id=45257&password=govols

In order to join the league, follow the link above or go to game front page at http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b1, click the "Sign Up Now" or "Get Another Team" button and follow the links to "Join a Custom League". When prompted, enter the League ID# and password below.

League ID#: 45257
Password: govols

Hurry - time's running out!

So, Where Do I Collect My Nobel Prize?

English Genius You scored 100% Beginner, 93% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 83% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go! Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it! For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 62% on Beginner You scored higher than 33% on Intermediate You scored higher than 40% on Advanced You scored higher than 88% on Expert

Link: The Commonly Confused Words Test written by shortredhead78 on Ok Cupid

Open Query to my Wife

Recent search referral:

"laura calender girl hooters florida"




Something I should know about, dear?

Keeping Score

So far at our house in the 2005 Illness Olympics:

Me: 1 sinus infection, or something (3 days).
Laura: 1 stomach virus (2 days), 1 sinus/throat/chest infection (9 days)
BrainyBoy: 1 case of micoplasm (3 days)
Tink: 1 influenza (3 days), 1 something-other-that-just-happened-last-night-with-fever-and-barky-cough (1+ days)

Boys are winning, 6 days to 15+. Boys rule!

I hate winter. I hate it, hate it, hate it. I hate transmitting bugs around families, schools, churches...

At this rate, we'll all be healthy at the same time between 3:45-3:47pm, Thursday Nov 12, 2009.

UPDATE (03/09/05): Ok, add 1 each to Tink and BB's scores. He's sick now, too.

Boys: 7
Girls: 16

Tomorrow we are expecting metorites, and possibly locusts. Locusts carrying the plague.

Discovering and Rediscovering my History

The weekend in Knoxville was nice and sunny, warm at times and breezy. It might for some nice outdoors time, finally, after a nasty rainy sloggy winter. Some thoughts and reflections:

We went to visit my parents in Fountain City Saturday evening, mainly to do some geneological research. I've become interested in understanding my family history, on both sides, so I've been "interviewing" my mom and dad for dates, times, etc of our immediate families. Strange, interesting stuff. I'd ultimately like to find out when and where my ancestors actually emigrated to America from Scotland/Ireland and whether or not I'm actually related to a certain famous Scottish warrior. Suffice for now that I'm finding it fascinating to discover that certain ancestors from the 19th century fought for the Confederacy, and others later owned and operated businesses in Knoxville's "Old City" and Market Square areas. I purchased Legacy Family Tree v5.0 software online, and so far it seems to be working great. It allows connections and searches to other geneological online sources, through which I've already made a lot more headway (or is that tailway, since it's actually going backward in time?). I may keep you up to date on my progress.

Meanwhile, I got to spend some quality time earlier that Saturday afternoon with BrainyBoy v9.1. We visited the new Fountain City Art Center, of which I was asked to redesign and maintain their website, the Fountain City park, the Duck Pond (if you don't know, don't ask), and the new Fountain City Library. The Arts Center moved into the old library building next to the park last year, which is wonderful. I and many, many other native Fountain Citians spent our formative school years in that library building, huddled around encyclopedias and book reports. It's great to see it's still being put to good use.

Sleep Study II: The Sequel

I went through my second, follow-up sleep study last night. I do, indeed, have a "nice, juicy" case of sleep apnea. While this session was very similar to the first (electrode hookups, etc) the major difference now was the use of a CPAC.

The CPAC is a mask-like device worn under the nose, similar to a Scuba breather, and attached to a small pump device. The whole thing straps to the head and is actually not that uncomfortable once you get used to it.

The pump draws air from the room, moves it through a humidifier to moisten it, and into the tube to the nose. The pressure creates a continuous airflow through the nose, because when I go into deep sleep the air intake gets way too low and not enough oxygen makes it into my lungs. This breather alleviates the problem. One interesting side-effect is that I can't open my mouth because the inrushing air will rush out the mouth - which is an interesting sensation to say the least.

The pressure is not so great that it's hard to deal with - you can breathe in and out through the nose normally. But it's still an odd sensation that will take getting used to.

So, I wore it all last night. I didn't sleep nearly as well as I had last week and woke up several times during the night. In fact, they said I only had one session of truly deep sleep because my mouth would open slightly and the air pressure change would wake me up. So I get to wear a chin strap to hold my mouth closed.

Fun.

I should be receiving the mask sometime this week, and they'll set it up for me at home.

Friday's Feast

Feast Thirty-Eight

Appetizer - Who is the one person you email more often than anyone else?

Probably Mike from Big Orange Michael, or my wife.

Soup - So far, which year of your life has been the most enjoyable?

2000 was a good year - Started out with the big turn of the calendar we'd been waiting for forever... Tink was finishing her first year on Earth and we got to see all that hold. BrainyBoy turned four and we got to experience that wonderful age with him. Then that fall we took our first family trip to Walt Disney World. A good year :)

Salad - Name someone with whom you have lost touch but would like to reunite.

My best buddy from when I was a student in college is named Scott, and I wish we still kept in touch. Ironically the last day I saw him was my wedding day, as he was a groomsman. We just never got together any more after that day. More ironically, his older brother is our kids' pediatrician so I do keep up with what he's up to.

Another guy is my roommate for 2 years in college, Gary. He was also a groomsman, and that's the last time I spoke with him. I have no idea where he is now, though he was studying to be a lawyer so I assume that's what he's doing.

Main Course - What was the tastiest meal you had this past week?

Lunch yesterday afternoon at Old College Inn, on the strip. Tomato Basil soup and my favorite, Cheddar Cheese Bings. Mmm!

Dessert - Using the letters in your favorite color, write three words that describe your personality.

Stayed up all night thinking of this one, huh? Ok....

G - Generous
R - Romantic
E - Ecletic
E - Empathetic
N - Naive

I'm glad my favorite color's not chartreuse.

Volunteer Tailgate Party - March 2005

Miss Zoot is hosting the latest Volunteer Tailgate Party, a periodic compilation of the best and brightest blatherings of the Rocky Top Brigade.

Go visit! Click the Links! Now!

Word Associations

* Using the word, what comes to mind? *

Lobotomy::Frontal
Unspoken::Promises
Negligible::Homicide
Entrepreneurial::Spirit
Sagacious::Crumb (heh)

* Then for the second part a little music bit, answer the following 3 questions. *

What is the song or artist that you love to hate?

Nobody in particular, although I don't think Britney Spears has a particularly pleasant singing voice. She usually sounds as if someone's stapled her throat shut, and barely any sound's getting through except for a vague, Pee Wee Herman-like squeal.

But I can't stand anything to do with Rap. At all. It has no redeeming artistic or musical value that I've seen since it became popular back in the 80's and 90's.

What is the song or artist that you love but don’t like to admit to?

Well, I've always loved Huey Lewis and the News but every time I mention that these days I get funny looks, so I don't do that much anymore.

What is the song or artist that you first ever remember listening to as a child and loving, or that you purchased their first CD. Any story behind it?

Funny you should ask. See here



(Via Big Orange Mikey)

I Love This Picture...

This is a Lebanese girl in Beirut declaring victory over the Syrian-controlled government.

Most of the opposition protesters are Maronite Christians, who have long opposed Syria's role in Lebanon, Druze and some Sunni Muslims. Shi'ite Muslims, Lebanon's largest community, have mainly stayed away from the anti-Syrian rallies.

I think this is much more significant than it's being reported even so far. Christians and Muslims, working together to protest totalitarian and fundamentalist rule. Interesting the Sunni and Shi'ite seem to be on the opposite sides that they are in Iraq - maybe that lends credence to the fact that the whole split between the Muslim factions has nothing to do with religious custom and mostly to do with regionalism.

But more than that, it tells us that Christians and Muslims can work together toward a common good. That they can live, work and exist together without inevitable friction. Let's hope this is a sign of things to come...

Blog Comments

I'm getting really tired of moderated blog commenting.

If you allow comments on your blog, but only those that are allowed after your "moderated" them, I'd urge you to rethink. I understand there are those that take great delight in buggering up someone's comments with spam or harsh language, but if you have a post that welcomes comments but they don't show up for hours because you haven't looked at them yet....what's the point?

And how do we know you're not censoring the ones that don't agree with you?

I totally understand those that don't allow comments at all - that's fine. If I disagree or want to make a point to you, I'll use e-mail. But don't allow comments but leave it to your whim who's worthy of posting. Comments are for back-and-forth discussion on the topic at hand by those in the outside world.

Make up your minds.

PS. I'll never moderate my comments. Go for it.

More on School Uniforms

Michael Silence is covering this with several links, including one to this page.

Of interest is an article in the News Sentinel (Registration Required) about a parental survey gone bad.

One problem with the first survey, which took place in January, was that it was conducted differently at the 26 schools where principals chose to participate.

...

...The percent of parents in a school that turned in surveys ranged from 6 percent to 70 percent. Only six schools received surveys from more than half the parents.

"The response rates are so low, and I suspect the responses are so biased, that you can't really say what the community feels," [Board of Education Chairman Dan] Murphy said.

I'm not an expert on statistical analysis, nor do I know the specifics of the survey - maybe there was a minimum number of responses necessary to make the survey viable - but as long as there were, and the responses were spread out fairly evenly around the city it should be fairly accurate. And parents, if you had the opportunity to respond and didn't...there's no one else to blame but yourself.

I really don't have a dog in this fight - as I said below, my kids already wear uniforms to school and always have. Cathy mentioned in comments to the previous post about her middle school kids being unhappy about the change... My main objection is basing it on the fallacy that fashion diversity=individuality.

Parents of Knox County public school kids - what are you specific chief objections to school uniforms?

Tech Tip of the Day

When preventing nuclear power plants from melting down, simply type:

SHIFT + F5 + ESC

Then switch to Channel 11. That should work.

Caution: Does not work with hydroelectric plants

The Squirrels In My Yard Are Conspiring Against Me

The squirrels in my yard are conspiring against me.
I know that they're watching me walk.
I go to the mailbox to get today's paper,
While they all talk their chattery talk.

Beady eyes flicker as I step through the leaves,
Their minds gauge and ponder my gait.
"Will he go left today? Go right? Try to sprint?"
The little fiends wonder with hate.

Up in the treetops, tiny pencils are drawing,
Charts of my daily routines.
I don't know this for certain, though I'm sure what I feel,
It's the reason I'm weak in the knees.

I find the newspaper, little protection that it is,
And make plans to return to my home.
Their plans, however, are much bigger and bolder
And require things like plastine and chrome.

But for now things are quiet, they nibble and pause,
Storing up knives and meat cleavers.
But for all their malevolance, still I must say,
Thank God they're just squirrels and not beavers.

School Uniforms

A Knoxville News Sentinel reader wrote a letter to the editor yesterday regarding the question of school uniforms in Knox County Schools.

An excerpt:

"I feel students should be allowed to express their individual personality and style of clothing. By allowing students to express themselves in a personal way, it will support building individual character and independence."

I try my best not to take seriously letters-to-the-editor since most are written by people who are more at home yelling at those damn squirrels to stop watching them, but this one caught my eye in its emphasis on a societal norm...

Apparently this writer feels the only, or at least the main way that students can express their individuality is through fashion. Or in most cases, the color, style and messages on the clothing they wear. I read this and just shake my head at the shallowness of how society considers our children.

BrainyBoy and Tink go to a private school, and have worn uniforms since day 1. It's basically a grey or white polo shirt, with navy pants or shorts. In Tink's case, they also have the option of a navy blue jumper over white shirt. In the older grades they can wear khaki's with white Oxford shirts. There are some small variations such as sweater vests and sweatshirts as well, depending on the weather.

In the 4 years that we've been involved in that school, I've seen more individuality in those kids than I would have in most any other non-uniformed elementary school in town. Children, and adults, use their minds to be individuals. They use their hearts, they use their minds, talents, skills, wit, creativity....

I understand that people might be hesitant at such a drastic change in the culture of the schools. I know that when I was in school, the idea of wearing uniforms would've been met with resistance simply because it was change. But don't push the "freedom of clothing choice = individuality" idea, because it's a cop out. Our schools, and our kids, need real avenues to express themselves, and fashion is not where they should be directing their energies.

Parents, how about...you know, fighting for better educational opportunities for your kids..fighting for more time for yourselves to spend with them outside the classroom. Not fighting against what you perceive as:

[looking] like we all are in a prison chain gang.

Read his last quote and you'll see where the hyperbole hits:

Allow us all be united and stand for our individual rights of appearance. Let us now draw a line to this display of dictatorship and vote "no" to implementing school uniforms.

Ok, now - on to Proffits!

Sleep Study - Part 2

...If anyone is actually interested. Ok, whatever.

So I close my eyes - I'm lying flat on my back, covered with wires like a cheap stereo. My arms are to my sides, palms down on the bed. I'm a bit afraid to move, although she said I was free to turn over whenever I liked.

Due to the early hour, plus being a little intimidated as to what the night would be like I didn't fall asleep right away. After about a half hour, I did.

The night passed surprisingly well, and quickly. I woke once out of an intense dream, blinked, and wondered where I was briefly. I also wondered whether they were recording that particular dream...of course, I knew that was impossible but...I hoped not anyway. *ahem*

Back to sleep a minute or so later. The passage of time was difficult to see, since there wasn't a clock in the room and no light through the curtains in the window. I woke a couple of times coughing, still shaking the vestiges of my cold, and noted that I was breathing clearly.

Finally I woke out of another fairly intense dream that had to do with me driving a school bus full of UT Band students on the way to a football game, stopping at my son's former day care for a visit (?), realizing there was a child inside who had died and was wrapped up in a blanket on the floor (teachers response: "Oh well, these things happen..") and then I was trying to back the bus out of a parking place and ended smashing into a couple of cars. I woke, blinked my eyes a few times then saw the bright light of the hallway as my tech came into the room to wake me.

It was 7am, and she had to wait until I was out of my dream state before she could wake me - which meant they were tracking my brain states as I dreamed.

She had a piece of advice for me: don't sleep on my back, and I'l sleep better - thanks, I kind of already guessed that - but interestingly I felt as if I'd slept pretty well.

I got up and sat in a chair while she removed all the hookups. After changing clothes and filling out a post-sleep survey, I was on my way. Of course, I'm still picking bits of adhesive out of my hair...

I'll have to go back this week for the next phase, where I'm fairly certain I'll have to wear what's called a CPAP - a device worn on the face that's used to open the nasal airways while sleeping - and if there's any interest I can write about it, too.

Question of the Day

Why, exactly, do your dashboard lights need a dimmer?

Sleep Study - Part 1

I took off work a bit early on Thursday, went home and rested for a little while then left for the hospital. After picking up some dinner, I arrived at the Fort Sanders Sleep Disorders Center at about 7:20pm.

I was instructed to bring some cotton pajamas, snacks and a drink if I wanted, and whatever meds I might need to take. Overnight bag in hand, I made my way from the parking garage through the hospital, then across the crosswalk to the Professional Building.

As I walked in the door of the center, I noticed "QUIET - SLEEP STUDY IN PROGRESS" signs peppered about the area. The office was deserted, though still well lit. As I stood patiently waiting for someone to show up, a young tech appeared and asked my name. I gave it to him, and he asked me to follow him back into the testing area. I was a bit surprised there wasn't more necessary to check my ID or insurance info, but he eventually led me through the halls to a testing room. It was pleasantly furnished, with a normal full-sized bed, a TV on the wall, a standard hospital chair and a lamp. The tech told me to make myself at home and another tech would be in to see me shortly. I tossed my bag on the chair and settled on the bed to wait.

Eventually the tech who was to coordinate my study came in. Her name was Jackie, and she reminded me of the character "Sam" on ER. She explained that she'd be hooking me up shortly, that she had another person to take care of and then she'd be in for me. She reiterated that I just take it easy and it wouldn't be too long. This was about 7:45 or so. I lounged and watched TV for a while. I also went ahead and changed into my pajamas.

Around 8:45, she came in and said she was ready. We went down the hall to a computer room where I sat in a chair and she attached to each of my lower legs electrodes with trailing wires. The wires ran up the pajamas legs, out the waistband, up my t-shirt and around the back to hang. These were to measure my leg movement during sleep, as a number of people have tendencies to kick and move their legs around. Next was a set of electrodes on either side of my upper chest. Their wires too slung over my shoulders and down the back. I wasn't certain what these were for, possibly for heart rate or respiration.

Then the fun part - my head.

There's a particular type of adhesive they use for these, which is a cold, goopy substance. She put the adhesive in about 7-8 different locations around my head, then after affixing the electrodes she used a compressed air device to blow really, really cold air on each of the nodes. Did I say it was really, really cold?? These devices would keep records of my brain wave patterns, mouth movement, eye movement and other actions during sleep.

A unit was placed around my face and under my nose to measure breath. It was actually a holder, for the actual measurement device would be placed right before I went to sleep. I wished I had shaved off my mustache before this, because it tickled :)

Two elastic straps were placed around my chest and around my abdomen to measure my breathing while asleep. They would expand and contract with me while I breathed and when matched with the breathing pattern in my nose and mouth would give them an idea how much oxygen was actually making it into my lungs.

A friend of mine said they heard it described as being wired up like a cheap stereo, and it was true. A metal box collected the ends of all the wires, and I could carry it around with me if I wanted to be mobile. I felt like a Borg as I walked back to my room, assimilating random people as I went. At that point it was around 9:15, so since I don't normally go to sleep until around midnight I told her I'd watch TV for a while, then read to fall asleep. I watched "The Apprentice", which was enough to put anyone to sleep.

(Next: Good night...)

Your First Favorite Song

I was eating at a restaurant for lunch today (ed. Where else would you eat - the dry cleaners? Shaddup.) and it was golden 70's day on the radio. Not only did I hear the Theme from "Shaft!" (can you dig it?) and the Theme from "The Partridge Family" (can you dig it?), but I heard an old favorite, "Smoke from a Distant Fire" by The Sanford-Townsend Band.

Not only was it an old favorite, it was my first favorite. Way back in May, 1977 my best friend and I heard WRJZ 62 in Knoxville (then a pop station) was giving away a number of sets of two free tickets to a special sneak-preview showing of a new science fiction movie. This movie (say it with me) was Star Wars - no bloody V, VI, I, II or III, Special Edition or none, but the original.

So my friend and I spent all our free time listening to the radio station, hoping against hope and dialing against dial that one of us would make it through and win them. Lo and behold on May 24, 1977 - one day before it opened nationwide and changed the world - we were the first ones in the theatre. (For all you old Knoxvillians, it was at the old Cedar Bluff Theatre, near where McDonalds is on Cedar Bluff Rd and I believe where stands now Dale's Winning Edge golf store at the corner of Cross Park Dr and Cedar Bluff).

I digress.

Anyway, for all the time we listened to the radio that month, "Smoke from a Distant Fire" became the first "pop" song that was a favorite. As a matter of fact, when I hear it I get sense memory of Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor, rec league basketball games and all the other things I did when I was a kid.

What was your "first" favorite song?

Sleep Center

I'll write about my experiences later tonight. You'll have to drop by then.

Suffice to say it was...different. And sticky.

Friday's Feast

Feast Thirty-Seven

Appetizer - Name something that makes you scream.

The Dinosaur ride at Walt Disney World. This ride is an immersive jeep trip through the jungles of the late Cretaceous period, just before the landing of the huge meteor that wipes out the dinosaurs. You're riding around in the near dark, animatronic dinos all around, when right at the end a Carnatours bursts out of the bushes next to your car, leans down and roars right at you. I happened to be on the side of the jeep just under his jaws - and I couldn't help it. I screamed like a 2-year-old. It was great :)

Seriously, if you want a taste of what it's like, go to the link above and watch the 30-second movie clip that autoplays. The part I'm talking about is right at the end - you'll know it when you see it...

Soup - Who is a musician you enjoy listening to when you want to relax?

Jimmy Buffett or James Taylor

Salad - What was the last book you purchased?

Higher Authority by Stephen White, which I'm just about finished with. Course I'm in the middle of about four others...

Main Course - If you could live one day as any historical figure, who would it be, and what would you do?

"Ok, Al. Tell Ziggy I'm reading to go Leaping again..."

A couple of possibilities: 1) One of the shepherds in the field that not only got to see the baby Jesus, but also the heavenly host proclaiming his birth. 2) Any of the signers of the Declaration of Independance. 3) Paul McCartney, when The Beatles debuted on The Ed Sullivan Show. 4) Al Michaels, getting to call the Miracle on Ice. And I don't even like hockey...

Dessert - Tell about a time when you were lost. Where did you end up? How long did it take you to get back to where you were going?

When I was in sixth grade I went, as a lot of other kids did at that time (circa 1977), to Washington DC with the AAA-Sponsored Safety Patrol trip. I and my friends were visiting the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and I got separated. It was an odd feeling - I was alone in Washington DC, hundreds of miles away from home, but in exactly the place I would like to get lost in. I finally caught up with them down near the huge stuffed Wooly Mammoth they have in the rotunda. It's still there, isn't it? It was scary and exhilerating at the same time...

Back at Work, and Sleepy

I'm back at work today, relieving the tomb-ness that results when either myself or Hatamaran are not in our offices. Feeling a bit better...I could've stayed home another day -- I've got app. 1,441 hours of sick time built up -- but the accumulated work that builds up while I'm away from my desk is not worth the extra day of couch-hugging. So here I am.

Plus, I have my sleep study tonight. At 7:30pm, I'm scheduled to show up with my cotton pajamas (not actually on at that moment, I'm assuming), snacks, drink, this book and hopefully a little less illness than I have now.

We're trying to determine whether I have sleep apnea, and if so how severe or non-severe. According to reports published on the AP by my wife, I snore at night. A real honker, apparently. Also, there are moments during sleep where I stop breathing abruptly for several seconds at a time (those moments where I've wandered into a dark alley in a dream, no doubt), then suddenly recover. I don't recall these moments, but I suppose we'll find out if they're true.

I'm stuffy, though, and still cough-y and congested-y, so I hope it won't disrupt the results. If they need another go-around, I'm already scheduled to go back again next week. I'll blog about the experience tomorrow.

Ugh. Me Home.

Sick. Sneezing, aching, stuffy head. Suddenly degenerated to cave man. Must fit stubby neandrethal fingers onto keyboard.

Play good, people.

Long Hot Bath...?

This is the weekend when everyone in Knoxville needed to take a long, hot bath. Rain, cold, sloggy weather.

Unfortunately, not time for such nonsense. Too much to do, too little time to do it in.

Besides, my legs are too long to fit in a bathtub comfortably anymore anyway....

Friday's Feast

Feast Thirty-Six

Appetizer - Name 2 things you do that you consider beneficial to your health.

1) I've started exercising and working out. I feel better already.

2) I don't smoke and don't drink.

Soup - If you made a New Year's resolution, how's it going so far?

I didn't make any resolutions...

Salad - Name something that has happened lately that bothers you.

I haven't been able to do any theatre in almost two years, and that bugs me. I want to get back on a stage.

Main Course - What is your favorite quote, and who said it?

"We are the music makers, We are the dreamers of dreams" (Arthur O'Shaughnessy)

Dessert - What do you collect?

Dust.

No, seriously...

I don't really collect anything unless it's DVD's of old 70's Saturday Morning TV shows.

Road Rage

Road rage led to man being shot in leg (Knoxville News Sentinel - Registration Required)

Sometimes these things just write themselves.

"A case of road rage left a Clinton man with a gunshot wound to his lower left leg early Wednesday morning, Oak Ridge Police Department Lt. Alan Massengill said.

...

James E. King, 35, of Oak Ridge, admitted he shot [Joseph David Early, 42] with a 9mm handgun shortly after the Clinton man vandalized his 1988 Volkswagen Jetta."

Notice it was after...not before, or during, but after.

"Early jumped out of his car at the intersection of Melton Lake Drive and Oak Ridge Turnpike, broke both side windows on King's car and dented the driver's side door, Massengill said.

King shot Early as he was walking back to his vehicle, the lieutenant [Oak Ridge Police Department Lt. Alan Massengill] said."

Wow, it's a good thing Mr. King had a gun with him in the car. Otherwise Early might've actually made it back to his car without being shot. Was King trying to arrest him for vandelism on his own? If so, I thought it was in the handgun owner's creed to always shoot to kill, and not to disable. Either that or he's a bad shot. Or...well, see below.

Now, benefit of the doubt - Early may have been going for his own gun in the car for all I know. But at that point, King didn't seem to know this....and shot him anyway.

I wonder if he was trained in how and when, and when not to use a firearm? Could this legally be called self-defense?

I'm also going to assume for the sake of argument that both men were probably drunk off their skunks, and if you read the whole article for the details of the "chase" I think it's likely. Again, I don't know for sure. But that makes King possessing and using a gun even more frightening.

Had King shot Early while the attack/vandalism was going on I could understand it a bit more. But after he'd given up and was leaving...that sounds more like a shooting motivated by anger and vengeance than self-defense.

Nothing's More Important Than the Team

A bit from Howard Dean's first staff meeting as head of the DNC:

"He said that to compete and beat the GOP, these investments in people and organizations need to be made, and we will beat Republicans because they are a top-down organization that does not trust the voters - but we do."

Emphases mine.

But don't you think, Republican or Democrat alike, the desire to "beat" the other guys is what keeps us constantly at each others' throats?

Are we're finally acknowledging that this culture of political competition is nothing more than a big football game where winning is all that matters - regardless of common sense, patriotism and pragmatism?

I personally think it's the worst thing in the world that we can do now.

So many people choose up political sided and remain loyal to them like they do their favorite college or NFL teams, and God help anyone who says or does anything bad against that team.

How many people stick with Alabama, SMU, and Florida after all their recruiting/NCAA scandals? How many still vehemently deny their team ever did anything wrong, and that it was the "other guys" fault in the first place.

That's the way Democrat/Republican politics is now, and we're all too stubborn and proud to change it, much less admit it to ourselves.

This is not some stupid sport, people. It's not a game. It's real life, and if you believe in this kind of rhetoric you'd better start growing up, hanging up the cleats and living in the real world.

Volunteer Tailgate Party - February 2005

Thomas of Newsrack is hosting the latest Volunteer Tailgate Party, a monthly compilation of the best and brightest blatherings of the Rocky Top Brigade.

This month, he's also compiled some of the best RTB posts of the year 2004, so it's, like, a double dip of bloggy goodness.

Go visit! Click the Links! Now!

Bet You Think You're Funny, Ha Ha...

GQ counts down history's 100 Funniest Jokes

(caution: some naughty ones are included)

Here a couple good ones that I had never heard before:

#13 - A guy meets a hooker in a bar. She says, "This is your lucky night. I’ve got a special game for you. I’ll do absolutely anything you want for $300, as long as you can say it in three words." The guy replies, "Hey, why not?" He pull his wallet out of his pocket, and one at a time lays three hundred-dollar bills on the bar, and says, slowly: "Paint…my…house."


#53 - I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said "Stop! Don't do it!" "Why shouldn't I?" he said. "Well, there's so much to live for!" "Like what?" "Well... are you religious?" He said yes. I said, "Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?" "Christian." "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant ? "Protestant." "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?" "Baptist" "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?" "Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you reformed Baptist Church of God?" "Reformed Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?" He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!" I said, "Die, heretic scum", and pushed him off. (Emo Philips)


"#67 - I bet the main reason the police keep people away from a plane crash is they don’t want anybody walking in and lying down in the crash stuff, then, when somebody comes up, act like they just woke up and go, "What was that?!" (Jack Handey)"


Plus one of my old favorites:

#26 - A guy has a talking dog. He brings it to a talent scount. "This dog can speak English," he claims to the unimpressed agent. "Okay, Sport," the guys says to the dog, "what’s on the top of a house?" "Roof!" the dog replies. "Oh, come on..." the talent agent responds. "All dogs go ‘roof’." "No, wait," the guy says. He asks the dog "what does sandpaper feel like?" "Rough!" the dog answers. The talent agent gives a condescending blank stare. He is losing his patience. "No, hang on," the guy says. "This one will amaze you. " He turns and asks the dog: "Who, in your opinion, was the greatest baseball player of all time?" "Ruth!" goes the dog. And the talent scount, having seen enough, boots them out of his office onto the street. And the dog turns to the guy and says "Maybe I shoulda said DiMaggio?"

This Just In...

Game Off! NHL season canceled

"The NHL canceled what little was left of the season Wednesday after a series of last-minute offers were rejected on the final day of negotiations."

This development has left America stunned, as millions of sports fans all ask the same burning question:

"What's the NHL?"




Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

That's No Moon....It's a---wait, never mind. It's a moon.

Saturn's moon Mimas bears an uncanny resemblance to a popular fictional space station:



Photos were taken recently by the Cassini spacecraft in its Saturn flyby.

Stories here and here.

Early reports of small, furry creatures living on Saturn have proved to be false.

I, for one, welcome our new Imperial Overlords...

I've Got a Beeeeeellion Dollars For You...

Why do these "long lost relative from Nigeria who used to be a deposed king but was killed in a fiery helicopter crash in the Congo and now his heirs need your help to smuggle his fortune out of the country for the low low price of only $10,000" spam email's never get caught in a spam filter?

Yahoo's spam filter is great - very rarely do I ever get any unwanted email in my inbox. But when I do, invariably it's one of these kinds.

I will admit, they are pretty creative and sometimes make for good reading.

Oh, and if you never read the account of how a guy turned the tables on one of these spammers, go here and follow the links at the top of the post called "Catching Up". It's a great set of stories where a gentleman pretended to be a disgruntled housewife and actually took the spammer up on his offer. Hijinks ensued...

The Sounds of Silence...

Michael Silence's Knoxville News Sentinel blog "No Silence Here" has moved here"

http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/

Adjust your links accordingly. RTB Blogroll has been updated.

ANNOUNCEMENT: New Upgrade Released

Yesterday morning, approximately 12:01 am, BrainyBoy v9.0 was released. The new version promised to be an improvement over the old version 8 in many ways - including:

• cleanliness (self and room)
  
• temperment, toward parents especially
  
• not beating up his sister quite so much
  
• less time on the GameBoy, more reading books
  
• will solve world peace and hunger, and bring about harmony and prosperity to all mankind before the end of the year

(we're still working on that last improvement)

The new upgrade should prove to be more efficient that previous versions, and go to bed earlier and easier, get up sooner and actually clean up after his hamburger wrappers.

Unfortunately, this upgrade is a prototype model and is not available to the general public. His newfound maturity has made him available to anyone wanting a good singer and actor for a 9-year-old boy in movies that will pay him and his parents big bucks. Like a remake of Bugsy Malone, the Broadway stage version of Newsies, or perhaps Indiana Jones' new son, "Tennessee Jones". Fees are negotiable.

(Note - if the producers of a "Newsies" Broadway musical need someone to play the Bill Pullman role, I'm available)

Congratulations to the entire BrainyBoy v9.0 production team, and here's to success in many future upgrades to come.

Oh yes, and Happy Birthday BB :)

Match Made in Heaven

This guy, meet this guy.

I'm sure you'd have lovely conversations...