Octagon Recruiting

Those wacky viral marketing guys from "Lost" are at it again.!

Just before the end of this year's season finale, a "commercial" aired for something called Octagon Global Recruiting, a division of the fictional Dharma Initiatve. They were "advertising" for recruits for some sort of project, and said they'd be in the San Diego area at the end of July.

That coincides with the dates of Comic-Con, and sure enough they will have a booth there, to "recruit". Whatever that means. The emails went out today:

ATTENTION ALL RECRUITS - DHARMA HEAD OF RECRUITING TO ATTEND LAUNCH

Octagon Global Recruiting, on behalf of the Dharma Initiative, is pleased to announce that Dharma's Head of Recruiting, Mr. Hans Van Eeghen, has confirmed his availability for the launch of our latest recruiting drive at Comic-Con 2008...

What's also interesting if you go to that webpage and view the source code, these messages in comments stand out:

…If you’re reading this, wanna hear something cool?
I’ve got intel about his little “recruitment drive.”
They’re doing some kind’ve personality/IQ testing or something down in SD for ComicCon.
Buddy of mine works down there and has the approvals for their “booth,” he says once you go in no one knows what happens inside and you need an appointment to get in. He also said to make sure you’ve got your Bluetooth on and visible – he’s rigged up a little something.

AND

The whole thing sounds like elitist B.S., doesn’t it?
Well, I’m getting in that booth and taking the test.
As many times as I have to before I “pass” (whatever that means?)
And then…
If I can?
I’m gonna tape it so EVERYONE can see what these idiots are up to.
Should be fun, right?
See ya in SD. RuckusGuy OUT.

The Samaritan Paradox

Last night my wife and I had a "date night". It was great - dinner at Altruda's (great Italian place for you non-Knoxvillians), then went to Downtown West to see the new Helen Hunt/Bette Midler movie. I haven't been to Downtown West in years, so it was fun to see the old haunt again. I remember seeing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan there, lo these many years ago - and also Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country with Big Orange Michael. But I digress.

The movie was over around 10pm, and as Laura and I started to get in our car a pickup/SUV pulled up beside me. Driving was a clean-cut, mid-20's young man who was nicely dressed. Beside him in the passenger seat - a less than neatly dressed, slightly unsavory looking gentleman who kept his head down during the entire conversation. The driver pulled up and asked me for a moment of my time through his open window. He assured me - repeatedly - don't be scared, he's not up to anything. He told me his wife had just miscarried in Dandridge, his other child had cerebral palsy, he worked in a security systems business, and he just needed some gas money to get to Dandridge. He was very polite, yet fairly insistent.

A couple things flashed through my mind immediately. First I was glad Laura was on the other side of the van and blocked physically from the guys in the truck. She also (unknown to me) was getting her own car keys and the cell phone ready in case of trouble. Second, I thought quickly about his story: wife just miscarried? in Dandridge? and you have a kid with Cerebral palsy? Security systems? Sounds like a lot of unfortunate coincidences at once, and almost too many specific details about his life to start off a plea for assistance. Thirdly, I thought if you're running too low on gas to get to Dandridge (which isn't that terribly far away from Knoxville, really) why are you wasting gas driving around anonymous dark parking lots at night asking strangers for gas money when it would make more sense to take off for home immediately upon receiving word of the trouble. Or better yet, call someone from home to come and get you. More and more illogical circumstances.

Fourth, I tried to recall any shelters or churches nearby in West Knoxville that migth be available, but there really aren't - all the homeless shelters are downtown, and no churches would be open this late at night on a Thursday.

Fifth, I tried to remember where a gas station was nearby that I could direct him to drive to, where I would safely pay for his gas. I'm not terribly familiar with the Downtown West area anymore, at least in remembering where nearby gas stations are, and I didn't want to stand there giving them more time alone with us while I racked my brain for the nearest Weigels or Pilot.

Sixth, I thought if they needed some gas money they should just go to the box office of the theatre nearby. Much better than hitting up random anonymous folks in a dark parking lot.

So I politely told him, sorry, I couldn't help him.

He hesitated, started to say something else, then thanked me and drove off.

We quickly got in the van and locked the doors, just in case. Laura scanned the area to see where they'd driven off to but we couldn't find them. We left and went home.

My question to you is: What would you have done? Would the same thought processes have gone through your mind? What other options should I have considered? What made me more nervous than anything was the fact that he was neatly dressed, apparently a professional and still needing gas money. Which led me to believe he didn't need gas money after all, but something else I'd rather not think of, like my wallet, my car, or...

Anyway.

I'll also just say this - buddy, if everything you told me was true (or even most of it), I apologize. I sincerely hope and pray you got your gas money, you made it home and tended to your family. Although I hate that your wife may have miscarried, that your child has CP, I almost hope that story was legit because the alternative is pretty scary. And that if real life situation like that happens to anyone else, they'll have the sense not to hit up total strangers in a parking lot and contact someone in some kind of public setting.

Podcasting with RexandTheBeast.com

I'm podcasting once again with RexandTheBeast.com!

Rex and the Beast and I are again discussing theme parks: this time we talk about the recent sale of Anheiser Busch to a foreign company and its possible ramifications to the Busch-owned theme parks across the country including Busch Gardens: Europe in Williamsburg (see video tour). We wax philosophical about what make roller coasters great, the future of theme park rides, the relative merits of virtual vs. interactive rides, future plans for shooting the exciting sequel Mission: IOA 3 (watch Mission IOA and Mission: IOA 2 - Universal Revenge), and as an added bonus also chat about bass fishing in the south of France. I still have no idea what that's all about.

Anyway, check it out - Audio Journeys with RexandTheBeast.com.

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Six

Appetizer - When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

I'd say it's been about a month. Generally I get a haircut every month-1/2, so I'm due pretty soon.


Soup - Name one thing you miss about being a child.

Saturday morning block cartoons. Looking forward to every Saturday morning, I'd get up in my jammies, fix a bowl of cereal and watch Casper, Funky Phantom, Scooby Doo, Captian Caveman, Sid & Marty Krofft shows, Jason of Star Command, Shazam!, whatever else was running at that time, until American Bandstand came on around 12 or 1. And that was my time.


Salad - Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

I love butter and margarine. I don't particularly care to know how margarine is made now that I saw an special on the Food Network about how they make Country Crock, but it's still good... Olive oil is a relatively new entry onto my palate and I'm still evaluating its qualities.


Main Course - If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

I took several years of French in high school and college and can understand/speak smatterings of it still. My kids have taken French in elementary school and it's been fun to learn some of it again with them. I'd love to be able to speak it fluently. It's such a gorgeous language and sounds great just to listen to.


Dessert - Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be...

In 5 years I expect to be getting Brainyboy ready for graduation and college selection, plus dealing with the trauma of a teen-aged Tink really hitting puberty. I also expect to be in the same job I am now - hey, I'm going on 11 years in this job already - why stop?

More Anticlimactic Twilight Zone Episodes

My inspiration for these is found here: Anticlimactic Twilight Zone Episodes at the great McSweeney's site.

That satire site was also the inspiration for my posts A Final Letter from Brenda to Eddie and Startling New Letter Found.

Here's an excerpt from Anticlimactic Twilight Zone Episodes:

Where Is Everybody?

A man emerges from his office to find the hallways mysteriously devoid of co-workers. He wanders the silent, empty building looking for signs of life but finds no trace of humanity other than coffee brewing, purses slung over chairs, and folders lying open on desks. Suddenly, he remembers a mandatory meeting in the first-floor conference room.

Here are some of my own, based on real TZ episodes...

• "To Serve Man"
  
  A group of tall aliens arrive on the Earth, pledging goodwill and peace to all humanity. A book entitled "To Serve Man" is found, but the words are all in the alien language and assumed to be a guide to how the aliens will assist humanity solve it's problems. By the millions humans are invited to visit the aliens' world, but just as they're all boarding the spacecraft the true meaning of the book is translated - it's a tennis primer! Wimbledon is moved to the alien planet.
  
  
• "It's a Good Life"
  
  Little six-year-old Anthony Fremont has made the entire world disappear with his amazing mental powers - everything but his small home town. The residents are terrified of him and are forced to cater to his every need in order to survive. People that anger Anthony are killed, maimed or "sent to the cornfield". When one of the townspeople gets drunk at a surprise party for Anthony, he pleads with the others to kill the little monster and save them all. Unfortunately at the moment Anthony is about to exact his revenge, the little boy wakes up. It was all a dream! And now he has to come down for breakfast cause it's almost time for school.
  
  
• "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"
  
  A nervous man who is afraid to fly is plagued by visions of a gremlin on the wing of the airplane. He tries to tell the passengers and flight crew that the creature is intending to crash the plane, but no one believes him. In his panic, he steals a gun and attempts to shoot the creature himself. But then he wakes up. It was all a dream! And now he has to come down for breakfast cause it's almost time for school.
  
  
• "Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up"
  
  A group of bus passengers take refuge in a cafe during a snowstorm. While reports of a UFO sighting are circulating, the bus driver notices that while only six people boarded his bus, seven were present in the cafe. The passengers spend the whole evening in increased paranoia and accusations of one of them being a Martian. After the word comes that the roads are clear, the bus leaves. Much later one of the passengers returns to the cafe and laughs with the soda jerk that the bus driver miscounted after all. There are no Martians and there never were...
  
  
• "The Man In the Bottle"
  
  A man finds a genie in an old bottle and is granted four wishes. After he wastes the first two, he wishes to be the "ruler of a 20th Century foreign land, with no way of being voted out of office". POOF! He's suddenly transformed into the Queen Mother.
  

My favorite UGA joke

I heard Andy Griffith tell this joke back in the days before his TV show when he was a young, country comedian. Now, mind, I didn't hear it live - I heard it on tape. But still, it's hilarious...

Auburn is playing Georgia in a key late-season SEC ballgame in Athens, Ga. Two Tigers fans -- George and Albie -- have driven in from Auburn. They arrive early to Sanford Stadium, tailgate for several hours, mix and mingle with Georgia fans and mind their manners.

An hour before kickoff they make their way to their seats so they can check out the teams warming up, listen to the bands and enjoy the atmosphere.

In comes UGA. Fans in the stadium, not quite full, roar their approval of their beloved mascot. He slobber-walks by the cheerleaders, slobber-walks by the players and coaches. When the team retreats to the locker room for a final pep talk, UGA moves toward midfield for a pre-game ceremony.

Suddenly he stops. And sits.

And proceeds to lick himself in a place where dogs are prone to lick themselves.

Up in the stands, George has in binoculars trained on UGA. He sees the proud bulldog stop to take care of himself.

"Boy, Albie," he says to his friend, "you see that?"

"Sure do, George," Albie replies.

"I sure wish I could do that."

Pause.

"George," Albie said, "that dog'd bite you!"

BrainyBoy Takes a Dive

Starting week 2 at McCallie Sports Camp with a splash...

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Five

Appetizer - What is the weather like today where you live?

Pretty warm, high in the upper 80's and lows in the 70's. Should be partly cloudy and humid with a chance of scattered storms off and on throughout the day. I don't anticipate any meaningful rain...


Soup - On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how career-minded are you?

I'd say a 6 - I don't consider my career to be the center of my life but then again I'm not doing what I would consider a "dream" job so that could be different. I would enjoy moving up a ladder but so far that hasn't happened and isn't likely to. I just want to be happy with what I do and proud of my work.


Salad - What type of window coverings do you have in your home? Blinds, curtains, shutters, etc.?

We have curtains and blinds in most of our windows.


Main Course - Name something that instantly cheers you up.

Just being silly with my kids. Making them laugh improves my own mood.


Dessert - How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning?

My wife gets up before me and hits the snooze button twice. When she's finished in the shower she wakes me up and I go in, although sometimes it's tough to get out of bed. The Today Show is my snooze alarm...

Close But Yet So Far

As I write this, BrainyBoy is starting his first full day at a 2-week all boys sports camp in Chattanooga. We would normally never be able to afford such a trip but were able to get it at an auction for about 1/4 what the normal price would have been, so that's great.

Although he's been to church camp for a week at a time several times the past few years, this is the first time he's been away from us for this long. And it's difficult that we're not really able to keep in touch since they don't have email access for the campers. We are able to send him emails which they print out for him, so that's nice at least.

In addition to multiple days of baseball, soccer, basketball, lacrosse and other sports they will have the opportunity to go to Six Flags and a Braves game on the 4th of July, go white-water rafting on the Ocoee and other great side-trips and activities. There's even a dance at the end of the session with a nearby girl's camp. He wasn't terribly thrilled about that prospect, but hey, you never know.

I find myself wondering what he's doing all the time - even now, not even a full 24 hours since I last saw him. When we dropped him off yesterday, he was ready to go and didn't look back. But we did a few times...

It's a Runaway

Sixth foot found on B.C. coast

Another human foot has washed up on British Columbia's shores - the sixth in less than a year and the second in three days. The latest foot was discovered yesterday on a sand spit in the Vancouver Island community of Campbell River. The foot, believed to be a man's right foot in a black running shoe, was discovered by a woman searching for rocks.

Right now, for those of you scoring at home is 5-1 in favor of the right feet. It's possible the left feet could jump back in the competition, but right now I think the rights are going to run away with it.

Ok, sorry.

Anyway, this is a great and bizarre and terrible story that has my interest piqued. How in the world do six severed (not broken, but actually deliberately cut-off) feet suddenly appear and begin washing on shore in British Columbia?

Personally my favorite theory is that it's a new viral campaign for next season's "Lost" and they're feet of the Oceanic 815 victims....

The New Firefox is Here! The New Firefox is Here!

Get a copy of Firefox 3.0 if you can - the servers are really busy...

A Reprieve from the President (Sort Of)

UT delays program cuts, including Audiology and Speech Department

The University of Tennessee is postponing until October decisions on program cuts that include the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology at the main Knoxville campus.

UT President John Petersen decided to postpone those specific cuts, however, on Monday in response to a joint request by UT-Knoxville’s interim chancellor Jan Simek and Faculty Senate leadership.

“The state budget process requires quick reaction, which has shortened the discussion time possible,” Petersen said. “To assure that all concerned have adequate time to study the issue and that we have dealt directly and effectively with all concerns that have been raised during this difficult process, I have agreed to the request by Interim Chancellor Simek and the Faculty Senate to a lengthened period to consider programmatic cuts.

“I will ask the trustees to allow campus and system leadership additional time to seek faculty input and involvement.”

So maybe there's a chance the departments can be saved. Now we have all summer and most of the fall to keep the ball rolling.

In the meantime, please go to www.saveutasp.org and show your support to the UT Audiology and Speech Pathology Department there.

My Daughter the Hot Dog

Here are a couple answers to the questions a couple of posts ago:




Just call her "Tinker Knievel!"

Incidentally, that's our friend, Dr. Greg the pediatrician.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

BrainyBoy takes a dive

I Know Who the Final Cylon Is

Don't you just know it has to end up this way?

Fun Quiz

Ok, which of the following statements regarding my weekend are true?

• I found out my brother is traveling to Paris to tour with John Schneider
  
• My little girl rode on a motorcycle around the neighborhood.
  
• I fell over a toy car in the floor and sprained my wrist
  
• We had dinner with two pediatricians (not our own) and played kid church songs by the pool on our guitars
  
• I sang "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" to a recently married bride
  
• I watched "Cloverfield" and "I am Legend" back to back, finished the novella "When Sysops Ruled the Earth" about a massive attack that wiped out civilization and saw the mid-season, apocalyptic finale of Battlestar Galactica
  
• One of my cats bit into one of those glowy-phosphorescent kids necklaces and his snout was neon pink for a while
  

Conversations

(We're all shopping at Target. I'm lagging behind with Tink, who spies a hammer hanging on one of the sale racks)

Tink: Look daddy. (Indicates hammer. It's a kind of funky green and caught her attention)

Me: Yeah.... you know what, I would do if I had a hammer? I'd hammer in the morning. Why...I'd hammer in the evening - all over this land! I'd hammer out danger...I'd even hammer out a warning. I'd hammer out love between all of our brothers... All - yes all - over this land. (I end my dramatic monologue with my arms spread wide, encompassing the great and awe-inspiring world around us)

Tink: (pause). What in the world are you talking about?

Repost: The Squirrels In My Yard Are Conspiring Against Me

This is a repeat of a post I did a couple years ago that I remembered when reading Newscoma and her friend the Squirrel Queen. I hope they like it, and take it in a tongue-in-cheek spirit ;).

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.

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Three

Appetizer - Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

Oh, I'm very much an optimist. I see the good in people all the time, and rarely have a default negative outlook toward the world. Unless something has specifically wronged me, I generally think the best of them. And I expect it. And, surprisingly to a lot of other people, I usually get it. Take that, O thou cynical conventional wisdom!


Soup - What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

Black. Colored pens look odd.


Salad - How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

Never had either one, never plan to have either one.


Main Course - Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?

I've won money from an online company that periodically distributed surveys for companies. I think I won a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate. I also won a Fandango movie ticket from the Blingo Search Engine once.


Dessert - In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

We have a landing at the top of our stairs that the computer desk sits, as well as a large bookcase and a big fake tree. All the comforts of home...

Life Finds a Way

John Hammond: All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked, nothing.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: But, John. But if the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists.

Just pausing a moment to acknowledge the 15th Anniversary of the release of one of my favorite movies of all time, Jurassic Park.

One of the first Hollywood movies to convincingly showcase the power of CGI special effects and large-scale animatronics, Jurassic Park gave the world it's first taste of what live dinosaurs might really look like. No more stop-motion of the beloved Land of the Lost or merely live actors in suits or puppetry, but realistic, moving, running - and eating - dinosaurs.

Tim: What do you call a blind dinosaur?
Dr. Alan Grant: I don't know.
Tim: A Do-you-think-he-saurus.
Dr. Alan Grant: Ha ha. Good one.
Tim: What do you call a blind dinosaur's dog?
Dr. Alan Grant: You got me.
Tim: A Do-you-think-he-saurus Rex.

I have the John Williams soundtrack to this fantasic movie, and one of my favorite cuts from any soundtrack is cut #4, "Journey to the Island", the section where the helicopter flies in and lands, and Dr. Grant and the others see the herd of brachiosaurs for the first time. I sense the awe that Sam Neill and Laura Dern exhibit in the acting to be pretty close to what anyone would have seeing a giant dinosaur for the first time.

For kids of my generation, dinosaurs were a huge thing. We'd spent years watching old Ray Harryhausen movies, King Kong, and other attempts to capture the majesty of these creatures, but author Michael Crichton, director Steven Spielberg and producer Kathleen Kennedy truly brought them to life.



This is truly one of those movies you can come up on flipping channels late one night, and immediately have to put things down and watch it again. It's that fresh, engaging and enjoyable.

It spawned two sequels, the oddly dull Jurassic Park II: The Lost World which showcased a T-Rex running amok in San Diego and the surprisingly quirky Jurassic Park III that brought back Dr. Grant and somehow made Tea Leoni, William Macy and Michael Jeter (!) action heroes.

Reportedly, Jurassic Park IV is in production - although it's unknown precisely which actors may or may not be coming back, from what I hear Dr. Grant is out, but Ellie Sadler may be in. We'll see.

So happy, birthday Jurassic Park - thanks for bringing back a part of my childhood. In honor of that one of my favorite quotes from the movie:

John Hammond: There is no doubt that our attractions will drive children out of their minds.
Dr. Alan Grant: What are those?
Dr. Ellie Sattler: Small versions of adults, honey.

Speak Up Because Others Cannot

As some of you may know, a travesty is in the making regarding the University of Tennessee. Last week, the University of Tennessee proposed cutting the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology in the College of Arts and Sciences; the Industrial and Organizational Psychology graduate program in the College of Business Administration; and the dance program, a minor concentration in the College of Education, Health and Human Services in a number-crunching move designed to help eliminate $11.1 million from next year's budget.

Take a look at those programs. To be honest, I don't know much about the Industrial and Organizational Psychology program, so I can't comment on that. I never had much official interaction with the dance program while I was majoring in Theatre at UT, but from time to time recitals would be presented in the Music Hall, where I had a work study position. As a student of the arts who's made it into a professional sideline, I am always wary about those who would cut the arts from any curriculum.

However, the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology is a different animal. I want to tell you about a friend of mine, Hal Luper.

From his bio:

Dr. Harold Luper was head of the department of audiology and speech pathology from 1963-1986. He became director of the Hearing and Speech Center in 1966 when the center merged with the department. During his tenure, the first doctoral degrees were awarded and new clinical programs such as the UT Hospital Clinic, the Neuropathology program, and the Pediatric Language Clinic were added.

The Silverstein-Luper Building on the UT campus that houses the Hearing and Speech Center is partly named in his honor.

For several years, Dr. Luper sat beside me in the tenor section of the Bearden United Methodist Choir. When my wife and I first came to Bearden and joined the choir he was probably one of the first people I met. Soft-spoken with a gentle sense of humor and a keen mind, I looked forward to speaking with him every chance I could.

Unfortunately, about ten years ago while on a trip by himself to his native Portugal Hal tragically passed away. The news shocked us all... We've been very fortunate to continue to be blessed with his wife and daughter in our choir, as well as many other members of his family in the church. The family also owns and operates Naples restaurant on Kingston Pike, a local Italian favorite for many years.

But at the slash of a red pen, the department he worked so hard to build could come to an end.

My friendship with Hal and his family are my personal connection to the story. But there's a bigger reason to save this department - the work that they do for not only the dedicated students of audiology and speech pathology that have come through and continue to learn, but the many people the Speech Center has helped recover from such challenges as stuttering, voice and laryngeal disorders, hearing-impairments, children developmental and speech delays and other life-altering situations. According to current department head, Ilsa Schwarz:

The department clinic draws patients from as far as the Virginia and Kentucky border and is one of the largest university clinics of its kind in the U.S. There is an entire region of the state that will be without (an audiology and speech pathology) program.

The program has won national awards and great recognition in its field and more importantly has assisted many people with speech and hearing afflictions that otherwise may never have found the opportunity to live more productive lives.

Many local opinionists agree - today's News Sentinel editorializes:

Phasing out UT's [Audiology and Speech Pathology] program over the next couple of years might be - as one UT dean noted - 'the best of the bad choices under the circumstances,' but it will stand as a ringing indictment of the state's inability, if not unwillingness, to fund higher education at a level that encourages success and competitiveness in all areas instead of merely survival until the next round of budget cuts.

What can we do?

I have a list of all the email addresses of the UT Board of Trustees, including UT President John Peterson and Governor Phil Bredesen. Since I'm a nice guy and at least fairly ethical, I'm not going to post the email addresses online for fear of attracting spammers to their mailboxes but if you are as concerned about the possible loss of these departments as I am and are willing to contact these Board members and request that the decision be reconsidered, I'd be happy to give them to you. Simply email me at innofthelasthomeinsolace@yahoo.com and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

It's my understanding the final decision is set for a Board meeting next week. Time is of the essence. I'll try and find out for certain what the deadline is and update this post.

I know budget shortfalls are never easy to overcome. Not only are these departments threatened - campus administration may have to absorb $6.7 million in cuts, as well as other campus academic departments and chancellor areas. But of all the departments at UT that do good for not only the student population but the community in general, the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology should have been one of the last ones to go. Please let your voice be heard and request the decision be reconsidered.

Meme from Trumwill

1. What is your occupation?
Website Coordinator for local healthcare system.

2. What color are your socks right now?
Brown

3. What are you listening to right now?
Mostly silence. The hum of my computer, the A/C, and the fluorescents of my office.

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
A little snack bag of Cheetos.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Nope.

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My wife, Laura, about a work project we were finishing up. She works for the same health system and she's occasionally one of my "clients".

7. Do you like the person who tagged you?
I wasn't really tagged, although Will said he thought I'd probably do it. I've never met Will in person but he seems like a nice guy. I've been reading his site for years.

8. How old are you today?
41. But tomorrow, who knows? I could suddenly by 5!

9. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Probably football. Any other time I would say baseball but I just haven't been into it as much these past few years.

10. What is your favorite drink?
Iced tea (sweet)

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Ha! Um, no.

12. Last time you hugged your child?
This morning before they left for camp.

13. Favorite food?
Pizza - pepperoni or meat lovers especially. Also fettuccine alfredo, tacos, popcorn and chips.

14. What was the last movie you watched?
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull

15. Favorite day of the year?
I suppose Christmas, mostly because of the kids. But the hype leading up to Christmas throughout December and a lot of November dilutes the arrival of the actual day somewhat. I've grown more partial to Halloween the last few years for some reason.

16. How do you vent anger?
Most of the time I get sullen and quiet, giving people the silent treatment. Unfortunately other times I let my (worse) nature get the better of me and I can get a bit rude. Usually this happens in instances where I feel I've been wronged or mistreated, and need to assert myself again. Unfortunately this happens at work far too often.

17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Star Wars Death Star action figure playset.

18. What is your favorite season?
I've fluxuated through my life from spring to summer to fall - now I'm back to spring again :) Never, ever, ever winter though. Useless toad of a season that is...

19. Ocean or pool?
Actually pool. I like to look at the ocean, I don't particularly care to get in it. Probably dates back to a particularly nasty jellyfish incident when I was a kid...

20. Cherries or Blueberries?
Cherries!!

21. Do you want your family & friends to participate?
Sure, if they want. I don't have many offline friends or family that have blogs though. Big Orange Michael is by far the blogger I know the best in the offline world.

22. Who is the most likely to respond?
Not sure. Probably Logtar.

24. Living arrangements?
Live with the wife and kids!

25. When was the last time you cried?
I've answered this question in a couple other memes - sometimes the finality and future of my kids' lives will hit me out of nowhere and I'll just tear up. *sniff*

26. What is on the floor of your closet?
Shoes, dirty towels waiting to be washed.

27. Who is the family or friend you have known the longest that you are tagging?
No tags, but again it would be Michael.

28. What did you do last night?
Ate dinner with the family at Texas Roadhouse (both mine and Laura's steaks were undercooked and we had to send them back), went to church choir practice then to Target.

29. Hawaii or Florida?
I love going to Florida, especially Orlando so I would never pass up an opportunity to go back down there. But I've never been to Hawaii, and after learning so much about it from Becky's stay here, I'd love to see it. Count me in on a "both" on that question.

30. What inspires you?
My kids constantly inspire me to remember you don't have to lose innocence to exist in the world.

31. What are you most afraid of?
Failing those I care about. Irrelevancy and uselessness. I fear not succeeding, and being important in the things I do.

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
Cheese, please. With bacon if possible.

33. Favorite dog breed?
We have a beagle/basset hound mix (a "bagel"). I really like Cocker Spaniels, though...

34. Favorite day of the week?
Weekends are more or less like any other day except I just don't have to go to work so Saturdays and Sundays are not that big of a deal. For a long time I looked forward to Thursday because a lot of good TV shows were on that night, so I still feel Thursday's a good day. Hey, that's today!

35. How many states have you lived in?
Only Tennessee. I did stay for 3 months in Daytona Beach, FL when I worked for a summer at a repertory theatre, but I don't consider it "living" there.

36. Do you like these questionnaires?
I do, but only when the questions are fairly unique. I've answered some of these before here and there. I like real off-the wall questions that actually end up revealing something interesting about my or someone else's personality.

37. What kind of car did your very first date drive?
I haven't the slightest idea.

38. What is the last book you read?
I just finished "An Innocent Man" by John Grisham and "The Ruins" by Scott Smith. Would recomend the former, not the latter. I also recently finished "1633" by David Weber and am currently reading, "Dragonlance: Dragons of the Highlord Skies (The Lost Chronicles, Volume Two)" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. There's nothing I like better than losing myself in the Dragonlance universe ;)

39. What are your hobbies?
Computer games, music.

40. Can you still make the Hula Hoop stay around your waist?
Never really could.

Heard on the Radio

Yesterday on the Terri and Lee Frank show on AM850 (a local ultra-conservative radio show I only listen to because they talk about local issues sometimes. And even then, it's only when Sports Talk's at commercial), they were railing about how global warming and how the "Libs" (their favorite term) misuse statistics to support their case.

Never mind that the "Pubs" do the same thing as regard to global warming, but that's not the point.

A guy called in to mention that the night before at a Knox County Commission meeting, local Commissioner Mark Harmon (that is it say, local DEMOCRATIC Commissioner Mark Harmon, who is definitely one of the only honorable ones on County Commission) mentioned that according to statistics, based on the national average of one policeman per 1,000 people nationwide, Knox County has 56 too many officers. Based on the statistics, Mr. Harmon made an observation.

I hope everyone understands what he did - he simply stated that, compared to the national average, Knox County is above that average in number of sheriff deputies. That's all. Not an endorsement of the idea, not a recommendation that we fire 56 deputies, nothing like that at all. That's extremely obvious, isn't it? Right?

Not according to Lee and Frank, as Frank proceeded to practically explode at the notion that this (every unflattering name in the book conservatives insult liberals with that can be said on the air) Democrat was calling for 56 deputies to be fired, just to make the national average. In this day of increased crime - and he proceeded to rattle off recent crimes that have been going on around the area - Harmon wants to decrease the amount of officers on the street! The nerve of this city-living, peace-loving, soft-on-crime LIBERAL!!

Folks, this is a prime example of what happens when we continue to separate into our two camps of liberal/conservative or Democrat/Republican. I'm confident Frank knew full well just what Harmon meant, but saw an opportunity to attack a liberal and took it. And those listening who follow that line of thinking I'm sure just ate it up.

The more we continue to follow this traditional liberal vs. conservative model as the way to define our lives, our politics and our leadership the worse things are going to get.

Because sometimes we all just need a little Bohemian Rhapsody...

"Lost" in Thoughts: Season Four Mega-Finale

I know it's been several days since the 2-hour season four "Lost" finale has aired, but I've had time to rewatch it, cogitate on it, and read a little commentary here and there. Here are my (for the moment) final thoughts on the episode and the season.

• A big question regarding the Oceanic Six and the big "lie". Wasn't it reported in the (fictional) media that all the bodies of the passengers and crew of Oceanic 815 were located at the bottom of the ocean in the (fake) airplane? I seem to remember one of the TV reporters saying something like they'd counted all 88-odd irretrievable and unidentifiable bodies under the water. So then just the presence of the Oceanic Six (really the Eight because they did mention two other crash survivors that subsequently died) throws the cover story into question.
  
  
• Some commenters have wondered how anyone could've moved the island before and the the ice/glass barrier that Ben had to break through (and subsequently cut himself) still be intact. My theory is that the same subterranean tunnel he disappeared into a few episodes back in the barracks to summon the Smoke Monster also leads to the Frozen Donkey Wheel room. Being that the barracks were cut off to him, he knew there was another entrance behind the Orchid "vault" and got in that way.
  
  
• By the way, for those who don't know, "Frozen Donkey Wheel" is the term the producers of the show teased us with a month or so ago as the key to the season finale. And that's literally what the big thing was Ben turned to move the island - a Frozen Donkey Wheel.
  
  
• Having everyone refer to Locke as "Jeremy Bentham", even among themselves, was a little silly as they all knew him better as John Locke. Especially Walt. But you kind of have to assume in some of those scenes they actually did say his name but the producers wanted us kept in the dark. So it was almost like a censor *bleep* - you know the *bleep* didn't come out of the guy's mouth, it was a bad word so you imagine what the bad word was (c'mon, you know you do). For most cases "Jeremy Bentham" was a *bleep* for John Locke.
  
  
• Unless of course the body in the casket is Locke's long-lost clone Jeremy. Then all bets are off.
  
  
• The first rule any person should know if they're dumped in deep water is to remove pants and shoes for easier swimming. Sawyer, being the cool Knoxville dude he is, only removes his shirt. Whatta guy.
  
  
• I thought after viewing the episode for the first time, "Christian Shepherd" had whisked Michael away at the last second before the explosion. After seeing it again, I'm not so sure. I think in fact Michael is dead. So then why did Hurley tell Walt he was probably still alive? I know at that point in the episode we hadn't seen the boat blow up, but still... Maybe he's in that that kinda alive state that Claire exists in.
  
  
• Speaking of Claire, listen to her speak to Kate with no accent. Creepy. Is Dream Claire appearing to Kate like Dream Horace appearing to Locke? Horace was indeed dead, but sorta a ghost. Is that Claire, too?
  
  
• According to my count, eleven of the people on the island make it back to civlization at some point: Jack, Kate, Aaron, Sayid, Hurley, Sun, Ben, Locke, Desmond, Frank, and Walt. Seems strange that at this point we're supposed to believe the Oceanic Six don't hear from Des/Penny and Frank for three years...
  
  
• Also still seems strange nobody goes to see Walt when they get home. Especially Hurley. He just shrugs when Walt questions him about it, so there must be another reason besides, "Sorry dude, we forgot..."
  
  
• The Keamy dead/not dead fake-out was just wrong, wrong, wrong. In the clearing after Richard Alpert shot the mercenary while fighting with Sayid, to be in character Ben should've come up to the body and shot him a few more times, or stabbed him personally. We see now how emotionally headstrong Ben can be. Even if Keamy's eyes were starting open, someone should've - would've - checked his pulse to confirm he was dead. As it turns out, the boat would've blown then and thrown the whole plot into chaos, but it would've been much simpler to somehow have Keamy escape into the jungle and show up later at the Orchid station. As it was, having him "come back from the dead" smacks of B-movie horror flicks.
  
  
• Locke also should've at least attempted to transfer the heartbeat monitor to himself when Keamy was dying. There would've been a few seconds interruption in the signal but it would've been better than no signal at all. Another bad characterization move for plot expediency.
  
  
• Just an idle thought: was the Looking Glass station transported along with the Lost Island and the Hyrda Island? I just keep thinking of poor Charlie, still floating dead in that communication chamber...
  
  
• I smell a bit of a rat in Sun's offer to assist Widmore. I just don't buy she's become as ruthless as her father in the interim time since buying controlling interest in his company. Her offer to join forces sounded more like baiting a trap. I wouldn't be surprised if by this time she's working tacitly with Ben and Sayid.
  
  
• I firmly believe Jin jumped off the boat before the explosion and, like most of the other boat survivors and Daniel Faraday and his Rafties travelled with the island in its jump and all make it back to the island. The mix of Freighties and Losties now continue the struggle vs. Locke and the Others.
  
  
• So Where Are They?
  
  Good question. Where is the island now? Did it move to another physical location in an ocean somewhere on Earth? That's possible, but it's also possible it moved forward in time - just like the bunnies did (although on a slightly larger scale). Trouble with the time thing, while it buys them some...ahem...time, it doesn't get them off the hook with Widmore. Assuming he's at least somewhat aware of the island's abilities, he simply has to wait till it shows up again in the same coordinates he originally sent the freighter. So it must've moved physically, and ahead in time.
  
  How far ahead? Not the full three years that the Oceanic Six have been back in the world. There needs to be time for all the "really bad stuff" to happen that Locke apparently tells them about. I'm thinking the logical amount would be, oh, say, 108 days?
  
  Of course I could be wrong and they went back in time to the year April 8, 1516 at roughly 11:42 pm...
  
  
• So Where Does This Leave Us?
  
  Where do we start next season in the timeline? According to the timeline on Lostpedia (a very well-done resource for all things Lost) the island jumps on December 30, 2004 (my birthday!) and the Oceanic Six are rescued about a week or so after that. Over the span of the next three years, through the fall of 2007 the events of this season's flash-forwards occur. Ben and Jack talk in front of Locke's coffin sometime around September of 2007. The island and all its inhabitants have disappeared and the "present" time has caught up to the chronological beginning of the flash-forwards. What will be next season's main time period, and what will be the flashbacks and flash-forwards?
  
  I think a show like this has to be able to ground itself into a narrative reality, and with all the time-skipping Lost has done (both real jumping and narrative jumping) you have to have a "present" or a "now" for the general viewing public to hang on to. Up till now this has been easy... it now becomes a bit more difficult.
  
  I'm guessing they pick up the "present" storyline a while after the Oceanic Six return home. The biggest gap that we haven't seen detailed much is the time after Nadia is killed and Sayid joins Ben (Oct 2005) and before Jack begins seeing his father and drifts away from Kate and Aaron (Aug 2006). There are a couple of incidents that happen in between then (Sayid's first assassination mission, Kate's trial) but that's a lot of time for Locke to surface, take the identity of Jeremy Bentham, and start appearing to the Oceanic Six folks (and Walt). This could lead up through the events we saw with Locke's death and beyond.
  
  I'm thinking the island reappears the same "time" that Ben does - October 24, 2005. That would be about 300 days after they left (298 to be exact - I was SO hoping it would turn out to be 324 days after they left...i.e. (4+8+15+16+23+42=108) x 3, for the third jump the island's made. I know, I'm such a LostGeek). So if we pick the story about the time the island jumps back, we can see the "present" on the island and on the mainland at the same time.
  
  Just a thought. But the show really does have to have a "now" to keep everything balanced.
  

So Does This Mean We Finally Get Our Flying Cars?

Some downtown Knoxville streets are changing direction

I take this to mean these streets will now be going up-and-down instead of side-to-side, right?

Right???

Memorial Day in Colonial Williamsburg

Glass Musical Instruments in Williamsburg

While we were in Williamsburg, VA on vacation, we took in a concert by Dean Shostak, master of the crystal instruments. He played something called a "Glass Armonica", first invented by Ben Franklin and composed for by Mozart in the mid-18th Century. It was lost for years, and only rediscovered as viable musical instrument in the early 1980's.

He also demonstrated a beautiful glass violin:




As well as a set of glass handbells:

Tink........In......SPACE!!!!

(You might want to bump up the volume a bit to hear the music)

Bringing Out the Kid in Me

Discovering Dad asks, "What Brings Out the Kid in You"? Winner gets a Wii. Who could resist?

In many ways, I'm still a kid. I still love to watch old Land of the Lost reruns. I'll still read a comic book if I can find one, even from my collection that I still have. I enjoy silly songs and bad jokes and making goofy voices. I can still turn off that little part of my brain that says, "Ok, there's no way Indiana Jones could make THAT jump" just for the fun of it - like we all used to. I can still crawl around on the floor and jump cars and build Legos. I can recite the whole preamble to the Constitution - not because it was taught in school, but because Schoolhouse Rock taught me on Saturday mornings. And not just recite it - sing it. People may also look at me a little strangely when I try to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a solo (all parts included), but that doesn't mean I'm truly off my rocker. It's because I enjoy still hanging on to that part of my childhood.

This of course doesn't mean I don't take life seriously. I absolutely do. I have a family, two kids we're trying to raise. Planning for their future is a serious business whether it's school choices, tough homework assignments, discipline or teaching morals and the difference between right and wrong. My job future is always in flux...stable one minute and murky the next. I have many friends and church that mean the world to me, as we do to them. I stay attuned to the issues of the day - politics, world affairs, money... And I'm still working on my 15+ year marriage to a wonderful woman whom I perplex on a daily basis, but still somehow loves me.

Life isn't for children. It's a very adult thing. We have to put our childish ways behind us, to a certain extent. But I don't want to be known as that guy who's still basically immature but means well. I need to present a mature image to deal with mature things.

So what brings out the kid in me? Simple. My own kids. I remember when I was young, and the wide-eyed innocence I had watching Star Wars for the first time. I remember dreaming, making up worlds, situations, stories with my action figures. A 10-yr-old dares to put people in impossible situations, and figures out ways to get them out. They read Robert Heinlen and learn what's possible. They read Franklin W. Dixon and learn how to figure things out. They read Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary and learn how to cope with siblings, parents, friends and the difficulties in growing up. They gaze at the majesty of Cinderella's Castle and hide from scary Pirates of the Caribbean and grim grinning ghosts of the Haunted Mansion. They climb trees and chase butterflies and bat balls, all with the incredible knowledge of there's still more out there. What an incredible awareness, that with all this there's still so much, much more. And I share that with my own kids, and show them what I loved when I was their age. And they love it too, thankfully. I've tried my best to show them that life is what you make it - not what others tell you it's "supposed" to be.

In many ways, I get to relive my childhood through them. In less than a week my son, Brainyboy, will experience (if he has the nerve) his first real roller coaster ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg). Probably Big Bad Wolf. And I'll be right there with him every curve of the track, knowing that the cycle has begun again.

What brings out the kid in me? Watching my daughter's eyes as they twinkle, mischievously. Watching my son's face as he sobbed real, silene tears when E.T. "died". Because I know that even though one day they will grow up, they will still keep with them an innocence of youth that transcends the cynicism and detachment of many kids today. They will keep with them the memories of glorious possibilities, the endless days of "what's next, dad?" And someday pass them on to their kids.

Our world is so sad these days. And so competitive. And so mean-spirited. Just a casual flip through the cable news and network channels will show you how simple differences of opinion divide our country. Children bring guns to school to protect themselves from bullies, while parents stand idly by. The images of children are endlessly sexed up in the media, from "Bratz" dolls to the latest line of teen clothing. 15-yr-old girls are routinely presented as objects for boy's (and men's) desires. Politicians and pundits give forth hate and sling mud only to gain a little prestige over the other side. People with different idealogies blow up buildings, kidnap boys from their villages to be soldiers in petty, greedy wars none of them understand. Other kids end up wrapped around telephone poles in their cars because mom and dad wanted to sponsor a graduation party with a little free booze. It's a cloudy world out there, and it's up to us to give our kids the wisdom to understand they don't have to feel like their destined to have to buy into it.

That's why I make funny voices at my daughter. That's why we always do the "gimme some fin...noggin...Dude!" from Finding Nemo and laugh ourselves silly. That's why I want Brainyboy to read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, or keep practicing with the bat. And the piano. It's up to us as parents to get the kids ready to change the world, like we wanted to long ago in our own backyards.

What brings out the kid in me? Hey, they're already here, and always will be.

"Lost" in Thoughts: Unraveled Threads

Last night's "There's No Place Like Home" pt. 1 did a great job of setting things up for the finale. You can tell when everyone goes in slow-motion mode under montage music, chess pieces are being manuevered. Similar to the final of Season 1, with the flashback of everyone getting on the plane together...

It seems there are some threads that are beginning to possibly unravel - here are some questions..

• What are we to make now of Desmond's visions from last season? He said he saw Charlie die a number of times, averting it successfully each time until the last. All happened as it said it did in the Looking Glass station, from the blinking yellow light to the switch Charlie pulled to him drowning. But the motivating force for Charlie behind Desmond's vision was that of Claire climbing into a helicopter. Now that that idea is looking less and less likely, does that mean his visions are wrong? Or as Steph comments could their actions have shifted things such that it's now Kate or Sun (Two of the Oceanic 6)?
  
  Apparently some kind of action changed Desmond's visions before - when Naomi landed on the island, Des was sure it was Penny. But it wasn't, and as it turned out Naomi worked for Penny's father, and Penny had nothing to do with the freighter or the extraction team. So looks like his visions can change, depending on circumstances.
  
  As Yoda said, "Always in motion is the future".
  
  Speaking of Naomi, why, after all we know now, was she carrying that very familiar picture of Des and Penny together? Where did that plot point end up?
  
  For a show that has very specifically addressed Desmond's quantum-leaping and future-telling, I hope they explain this to a degree in the...um...future (sorry) such that these all makes some sense.
  
  
• My list of BuzzKill words - i.e. words that, if mentioned in conjunction with an explanation with all that's been going on, will make even me - the most forgiving of all far-fetched explanations - groan with disbelief:
  
  • Atlantis
  • aliens
  • black hole
  • Krakatoa (actually, that might be kinda cool - not the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony itself, but whatever the word might mean)
  • Amelia Earheart
  • Bermuda Triangle
  • starchild
  • hybrid
  • Cylon (you never know)
  Can you add any others?
  
  
• (Copied from my answer to Newscoma's question on how the Oceanic Six, currently so spread out around the island, come together to get off the island by themselves)
  I’m thinking Kate and Sayid will be part of the Other’s counterattack on the Orchid. Jack and Sawyer will hook up with Hurley outside the Orchid, who’s waiting to see what happens next after Locke goes inside. After or during the attack, Kate, Sayid, Jack and Hurley will escape and pick up Sun and Aaron, who have gotten off the freighter just before it explodes, and eventually come ashore on whatever island they showed them in the photograph.
  
  
• Am I right and that was Michelle "Ensign Ro" Forbes as the Oceanic spokeswoman at the beginning? If that's so, she's really made the big quadrifecta of my favorite sci-fi/action TV shows. She was, as I said, Ensign/Lt. Ro on "Star Trek: The Next Generation", Lynn Kreske on "24" in the second season, Admiral Cain on the new "Battlestar Galactica" and now on "Lost". Go Michelle!
  
  
• What if there were actually eight people that get off the island, but only six make it back to civlization? What if Daniel and Charlotte are on the last launch from the island, and in the confusion of getting off the freighter rescue Sun and the baby, then pick up the other four. The eight of them could make it to the second island and somehow are killed or die of injuries? Ok, that's a far-fetched example, but it's possible there really are eight that initially escape and two die - and it's not just a lie the O6 tell the press.
  
  
• Didn't the "official" news reports on the finding of the Oceanic 815 wreckage at the bottom of the ocean confirm the corpses of all passengers and crew? Which would mean Widmore & Co. planted a fake Kate, a fake Jack, a fake Hurley, etc? How do they explain away the sudden presence of seven (supposedly Kate was pregnant before the crash) extra people on the plane?
  
  
• more to come....
  

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Ninety One

Appetizer - What is the nearest big city to your home?

I guess Nashville is closest "big" city, though it's not really that much bigger than Knoxville. Atlanta is the closest "big" city.


Soup - On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

If I told you, I'd have to... Anyway, I think I'm pretty good about it. I'm not asked to keep many secrets, though, so I'm not sure how good I'd really be if it came down to it.


Salad - Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

Brownish, curly in the back. Usually about mid-neck length though I tend to let it grow sometimes in the back when I really shouldn't. That's to compensate for the front - I have a high forehead, so while not actually "balding" when looking at the right angle it might appear to be so. I really hate my hair, to be honest...


Main Course - What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

I'm very non-aggressive and tend to lean toward following all the rules of the road - save a strict adherence to speed limits. I do feel like I am a very skilled driver, and can maneuver very well in traffic.


Dessert - When was the last time you had a really bad week?

A few months ago things really started falling all directions at work and it got a little bleak. That was not a good time.

The Challenge

I know there are several readers out there who have made pretty firm choices in who they want for president. At least they've made firm choices on who they want to win the Democratic nomination. I offer this challenge.

In comments below, in a few short sentences, lay out why you believe a) Barack Obama, b) Hillary Clinton, or c) John McCain would make a good president.

Not the best president, maybe not even the best choice of the three - I would just like to see what people think are the primary reasons or indications they've seen that the candidate they support has the qualifications, potential and vision to be the President of the United States.

One major rule. No rebuttals. You don't get to argue against a previous commenter's reasonings. I want to hear your personal opinions on why you feel your candidate will make a good president.

Be nice.

"LOST" in Thoughts: The Big Questions

Here's my preliminary list of the big, overarching questions on "Lost" that I would imagine will never be answered to everyone's satisfaction:

• Why are so many of the Losties lives interconnected? (Sawyer's con man is Locke's dad. Ana Lucia was Jack's dad's bodyguard. Libby was at the same mental hospital as Hurley. Desmond saw Charlie playing guitar in the street. Kate's dad was Sayid's military handler. Boone's father was unable to be saved because Jack was saving his future wife. And so on.)
  
• Why were all these particular people on the same plane at the same time? And why did some survive the crash, and some not?
  
• Why do "The Numbers" (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) appear interwoven through everything, from the hatch code to Hurley's lottery, all the way to the flight number of the plane (Oceanic 815)?
  
• Why was Charlie's band so inexplicably popular? (Ok, I'm reaching on that one)
  
• What's the significance of the 4-toed statue? I think this is actually a huge red herring the producers dropped in there that will end up meaning absolutely nothing to the overall plot. Just an extra added element of mystery to the island that was never meant to be explained.

Any others you can think of? Remember, these are mysteries that, when the last credit has rolled on the series finale, we'll still be wondering about..

Good Dad

Last night I opened a cabinet to get a glass and another glass rolled out and shattered on the cabinet. I thought I'd cleaned up all the glass on the cabinet and the floor.

Apparently not.

This morning, after warning her to be careful Tink cut her socked foot on a tiny sliver still on the floor. While at first she said it only felt to her like a bee sting, soon after she noticed with some drama one portion of her sock was rather soaked with blood. After calming down the resulting hysterics, we got her up on the sink (thank goodness at eight she's still small enough to pick up easily), got the foot cleaned off and band-aided.

Way to go, dad.

Lost in Thought - "Cabin Fever"

Time for some more random "Lost" thoughts. I've already left a few comments around to some various early posts (Jopinionated, Dube's World, and Newscoma), but I wanted to expound on a few things here separately.

• I think Richard Alpert, Charles Widmore, Magnus/Alvar Hanso, Abbadon, and others are long, long, long ago survivors of the original wreck of the Black Rock slave ship. Hanso was the captain, Alpert and Widmore probably crew, and Abbadon possibly one of the slaves (that sounds like racial profiling, but it seems doubtful a slave ship would have a black crewer, and Abbadon has an odd accent implying a non-American). They all survived to present day and have struggled between themselves for control of the island all along. Hanso survived to found the Dharma Initiative, while Alpert apparently later began Mittelos Labs. Widmore searched out the diary of his former captain to find the secrets of the island. Abbadon works with Widmore at Oceanic and along with Alpert have been separately meddling in Locke's (and probably others') lives since they were born.
  
  There are likely other immortal survivors of the Black Rock that we have already met and don't realize their true identities yet. Possible candidates are Sun's father Paik, Christian Shepherd, Marvin Candle (the oriental guy from all the training films) and other people associated with the Dharma Initiative and Hanso Foundation like the DeGroots and Thomas Mittlewerk.
  
  
• I think the stuff in the little vial that young Locke was given as an option to claim as "his" was that ashy stuff that, significantly this time, did not surround Jacob's cabin. At least nobody called attention to it. Which is news in itself, because they always seem to have great fun noticing the ring of ash around the cabin. To purposefully not show it seems significant.
  
  
• Oh, one more thing about Alpert and Abbadon. It's also possible they are time-traveling back to interfere/influence Locke when he was a youngster. I don't think that's likely, but it's a possibility since time manipulation is clearly a part of the show.
  
  
• When mercenary dude Keamy pulled out the "Secondary Protocol" from the safe, he seemed to say something about finding out what Ben would do next. My immediate thought was it was information from the future about Ben's moves. Which would certainly put an entirely new, but not unprecedented spin on things. However...if you know what Ben's going to do, why not exploit that knowledge immediately? That line just sounded odd to me.
  
  
• The scene between Hurley and Ben sharing a candy bar was absolutely, crystal perfect. Possibly the small throw-away scene of the entire series thus far.
  
  
• Watching Keany and the Captain interact kind of reminded me of those Star Trek episodes where Kirk would be ferrying a science team, or a stuffy ambassador, or a squad of soldiers, or whoever to some planet and Starfleet would say, "Ok, Colonel Soandso is in charge of the mission and has authority in this matter", and Kirk would say, "he may be in charge of the mission, but I'm in command of this ship", and Colonel Soandso or Ambassador Whatever would say, "Dude, I give the orders around here," and Kirk would say, "As if" and Dr. Whatsit would say, "I don't think you know who you're dealing with here, Captain - I'll have your commission for this" and Kirk would say, "Stuff it nimrod, I'm James T Kirk and I'm the best chance your team/squad/delegation has to succeed so shut the crap up and let me be in charge" and usually the guy would back down, bowing and scraping to the great CAPTAIN KIRK but on "Lost" Keamy just shoots him.
  
  
• I wonder if we started looking back in old photographs of famous people, you'll start seeing Richard Alpert or Abbadon in the background? Kind of like Forrest Gump.
  
  But seriously, I wonder how many more Losties did Alpert and Abbadon "visit" when they were young? Maybe not to test like Locke, but at least to keep tabs on and steer in the (to them) right directions...
  
  
• I half-expected Zathras to come in behind Alpert, peer strangely at Locke, and say, "Not the One...no, no, not the One. No one ever listens to poor Zathras..."
  
  
• The Fate of Claire: A lot of people have made a big deal about Claire possibly being already dead. Either she was killed when her house blew up and has been the walking dead ever since (which would explain ghostbuster Miles' strange interest in her, how she could wander off with Christian and leave Aaron behind, and hang out in the cabin with him). But I still have to think about Desmond's vision to Charlie - he saw Claire getting on a helicopter and assumedly leaving the island. So far, with some variation in details, Desmond's visions have come true. So I think eventually we have to see Claire getting onto a helicopter at some point. And she probably can't do that if she's a zombie, right?
  
  
• Oh yeah! Add Desmond's creepy old visionquest lady Ms. Hawking to the list of possible Black Rock immortals.
  
  
• What were the items Alpert showed to young Locke, and expected him to "claim" one of them as his own? Let's go over them:
  
  
  
  • Knife - Locke's job just before getting on Flight 815 was a knife salesman. He had a large pack of various throwing knives with him on the flight, which he used a great deal early on hunting boar. I actually called him choosing the knife when it first appeared, and was right.
    
  • Book ("Book of Laws") - When Eko and Locke first met at the Swan Hatch, I think Eko mentioned something about "The Book of Laws"
    
  • Baseball glove - I have no idea. Amazingly, there's no real baseball metaphors or callbacks in the show at all that I can think of. Maybe it represents father/son bonding, which is totally a theme but as for the glove itself I have no idea.
    
  • Comic Book - There was a comic book on the plane that Walt found, but it was a much more contemporary Green Lantern. This looked like an old 1950's/1960's era pulpish horror or adventure comic. The teaser said something about "what was the secret of the mysterious hidden land?" which could be a callback to the island. I don't know if it's a real comic, or one the art department whipped up.
    
  • Compass - Didn't Locke or Sayid have a compass in Season 1?
    
  • Vial of ashes - as above, I think this is the ash that forms the circle of protection around Jacob's cabin
    
  
  
  
• More thoughts as they come to me...
  

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Ninety

Appetizer - When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?

Absolutely. Usually I'm smiling at them first, even. At least presenting a pleasant face. I'll never understand the people that decide to go through life as if at any moment they're going to be taken out back and beaten. People will almost always be nice to you if you're nice to them, or give them the opportunity not to worry you're going to bite their head off.


Soup - Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?

We have beige carpet in the living room and Brainyboy's bedroom that replaced the original bluish carpet when we moved in. Unfortunately, after 2 kids and 4 cats it still looks a bit peakish in spots. There's parquet in the entry way that had to be replaced a few years ago, and linoleum in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. The garage is floored with sod and that's where we grow mushrooms. Upstairs is all the original blue carpet, and linoleum in the bathrooms.

Ok, I made up that part about the sod and the mushrooms in the garage. It's actually astroturf and we rent it out to minor league football teams to practice.


Salad - Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

Boy, black bats barely bite!


Main Course - Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?

I grew up with a few friends who were adopted. Some couples at our church have adopted kids from overseas - one a while back from Romania, and another adopted three kids from South America. Nobody in my immediate or extended family was adopted, or has adopted kids that I know of. Not counting as part of marrying into a family with kids already, and "adopting" them as your own.


Dessert - Name 2 blue things.

Sky - a painfully deep blue of an autumn day.

Jeans - what I wear to work every Friday.

C'mon, You Know You Want To...

It sure would be nice if my feedburner stat bar over there on the right-hand side had, like over 20 readers. It's hovered between 14-17 since I installed it several months ago.

Just sayin'.


UPDATE (5/9/08): Oops. Lost one. Dropped back down from 18 to 17. Ok, who did it? Oh wait, you unsubbed, so you're not seeing this... (giving the community at large the skunk-eye....)

It's Five-O'Clock Somewhere

Pour me something tall and strong,
Make it a hurricane before I go insane.
It's only half past 12, but I don't care.
It's 5 o'clock somewhere.

My band is adding this song to their playlist for a special island-themed party coming up, and we rehearsed it last night. As it's been running through my head, I started thinking about the mindset behind the song.

No, not the idea that often the bed things in our lives are the result of our own stubborn attitudes, and that good times are where and when you make them...I'm not thinking that deep.

I'm thinking of the age-old tradition of hitting the bar after work for a drink.

The crux of the song is that no matter how crappy your job is, it's always quitting time somewhere in the world so why wait till then? Go now! Get sloshed and push all those troubles away!

Now, that's a nice thought I suppose if you're into that, though it's not very practical to hit a bar at around noon and not go back, just because it's 5pm somewhere out in the Atlantic or in Europe somewhere. But for decades (maybe longer) folks - usually men - have left work at 5 and found their favorite watering hole for a few cold ones to wash away the cares of the workday. Cheers built an entire TV series around this concept.

I've always wondered about the type of men that participate in this indulgence. First of all,if you're single - more power to you. Go for it. Meet your friends, throw darts, shoot pool, find a girl, whatever. Fine with me as long as you stay off the street afterward. Enjoy yourself!

If the guy's married, there begins the troubling aspect. When a married man gets off of work, in general he should be looking forward to coming home to see his wife. Maybe she works too, maybe she stays at home. Regardless, it never would've entered my mind when I was newly married to stop of somewhere for a couple of hours to drink before going home, knowing my wife was there alone. Again, this presumes she has a comparable schedule - if she works second or third shift, I can understand wanting to kill some time. But once we're married, the marriage becomes first priority.

Then there's the married man with children. This is what gets me. If you've perched your butt on a barstool or Applebee's hightop table downing a margarita while the kids are home doing their homework - or worse, playing a ballgame or just needed some "dad" time - then you are really heading down a bad path. I'm sure some men will say they need that downtime to "unwind" after a hard day, and if they didn't get a beer before hitting home they'd be a worse person than if they came straight home. Somehow I doubt it.

I've been tempted to stop at a place for a drink after work from time to time, just to see what it was like but home responsibilities always took precedence.

Do any men out there do this after work? Did you as a single guy but slacked off as marriage and kids came into your world? Did your own dad do this? I'm curious to see what people say.

The Campaign(s)

Are these things still going on???

I just feel a huge sadness for those still covering, or even paying much attention to the Democratic presidential primaries. Is it from a sense of duty? Or is there actually a demonstrable interest one can generate from this sad, sad group of candidates?

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Eighty Nine

Appetizer - What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?

Wow, if we're talking strictly cartoons I would have to say "Super Friends". Nothing better on a Saturday morning than watching my favorite superheroes and their super pals battle the forces of evil. And it was always a treat when Flash or Green Lantern would make a guest appearance. Later on, Super Friends morphed into "Challenge of the Super Friends", with even more superheroes fighting the "Legion of Doom". Great stuff.


Soup - Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?

Oh man, no, not another one. After spending the majority of my life with no pets, our family has five. We have four cats: 1) Tas - 15 years old and the crotchety grandpa of our little clan. 2) Skye - 2 year old siamese-ish/ragdoll-ish troublemaker. He's the one that shreds things when I haven't fed him quickly enough. Like Laura's new hardback book. Or my brand new Bible ;(. 3) Fizban - 2 year old massive brown and white...thing. I inherited this behemoth from my uncle last year. Fizz is the enforcer, and also makes a handy paperweight. 4) Kitiara (or Kit) - the 1-1/2 year old sole female, raging with heat and none of the (fixed) boys able to help her out. She's Tink's favorite and sometimes her bedtime companion. Likes to climb on top of, well, everything. We also have our 4 year old dog, Ramona, who is a basset/beagle mix and stay outside most of the day.

If I were to want and get another pet it'd be a rock.


Salad - On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?

If I have something that I think is decent, then I like to get dressed up. Trouble is I have a hard time believing I look good in anything like that. The last time I really took time to make a good appearance was at my 20-yr High School Reunion.


Main Course - What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?

I'm either listening to Sports Talk Radio, regular talk radio, or I'm listening to a theatre show CD. If I'm not listening to any of those, it's Jimmy Buffett. Invariably ;). I rarely, if ever listen to music actually on the radio. There's an 80's station I like that I'll sometimes flip on if I'm in the mood but that's it.


Dessert - When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?

Can't remember at all. I guess the last clock we bought was attached to our DVD player...

It All Seems So Clear To Me Now..

(Source: xkcd.com)