No Touch Monkey!

On Tuesdays I don't have to go to work until noon because I work until 8-8:30.

Have you ever stepped up to do somthing nice for someone without any hesitation, help lift their burden for a few minutes, felt good about it, then only later said, "I fucking agreed to do what?" That's how I ended up driving an additional 5.5 hours last night putting in the first of 3 12 hour days this week. The only part that made is bearable is that I didn't have to listen to too much Hip Hop and reserved the right to change the station when there was an annoying song.

I'm increasingly coming to believe that I don't belong where I am currently working. There are 4 of us in an office and I let myself believe that I would be given near equal partnership and a voice in the organization, but the reality is I am an Administrative Assistant with 3 bosses who give contradictory instructions, will not let me incorporate my ideas into the program (money making coffee table book / t-shirts), I'm not allowed to interact with the kids during the workshops, I don't get to talk to the artists. It's just not the environment I hoped it would be.

Since I don't like driving my extra income is being lost so...I need to rethink my options in order to keep up my end of the bills here.

More as it develops.

Labels: meatspace, personal, work

The population is increasing. I know 6 pregnant women right now. Luckily none of them is my wife, but I digress. One of them has a co-worker who specializes in birth photos and this friend of ours went to his website to check out his prices. She was quite amused by the ad copy, which was forwarded to Alessandra->to me and subsequently posted here for comedy purposes. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but the 3rd Person delivery makes us laugh.

Bouncing Baby Basics: $250

Within 24 hours of your baby's birth (unless otherwise specified) William will photograph your growing family for 1-2 hours resulting in at least 25 images.

Caesarean Special: $650 + labor time

If you want to capture your baby's First Breath and your baby is scheduled to appear at a specific date and time because of a planned Caesarean Section or Inducement, the Caesarean Special is for you. William will meet with you prior to your baby's birth to discuss your birth plans and his role in them. William will document your arrival to the hospital, delivery preparations, the delivery, and up to 3 hours after the delivery while your baby meets your friends and family. You'll receive at least 100 images from the Caesarean Special. For induced labors, time in labor is billed at the reduced rate $30 an hour after the first hour (partial hours are rounded down!). If you go into labor prior to your scheduled date and time, the Caesarean Special automatically converts into a Pushing Party.

Pushing Party: $650 + labor time

William is on-call for you 24 hours a day. When you go into labor, call William and he'll rush to your side if he's available. Because of the unpredictability of labor, William will document your labor at the reduced rate of $30 an hour after the first hour (partial hours are rounded down!). After delivery, William will preserve 3 hours of your growing family's first moments together at no additional cost. You'll receive at least 100 images from a normal Pushing Party. However, because labor is so unpredictable, William may not be there for your baby's birth. If labor progresses rapidly, William might not arrive in time. If labor progresses slowly, William may have to leave for other pre-scheduled events. At the time of your call, William will inform you of any previously scheduled events to occur in the next 24 hours. In the unfortunate event that William is absent at the time of your baby's First Breath for either of these reasons, the cost for your Pushing Party will be reduced by $300.

Although Pushing Parties can be scheduled at 1 a.m. on the baby's birthday, we recommend that you schedule yours in advance so you have the opportunity to meet with William and discuss your birthing plans with him.

...So, if theta waves are an indication of an orgasm's strength, then women experience an orgasm that is physically impossible for men to go through. Putting it a little crudely, if the intensity of a woman's orgasm was played through a man's brain, there's a danger that the shock to his system would kill him."

Ok. Hook me up. I'll try it. They said, "danger" not "certainty.

Rockin' At the T-Dance
The Rainmakers

Take a trip with me in 1967
With Grissom, White, and Chaffee on a rocket ride to heaven
A dead-end date aboard AS-204
It was American made
Only the best for our boys
And we were rockin' at the T-Dance
Rockin' at the T-Dance

I had another date with a homecoming queen
I took her to the prom in Apollo 13
We orbit the moon
We couldn't get home
Little Queenie's mom was pissed 'cause her baby didn't phone
And we were rockin' at the T-Dance
Rockin' at the T-Dance

Well can I get this fixed today (it's not my job)
But I need it so bad (it's not my job)
Well triple-time is what I'll pay (it's not my job)
But I need it so bad

Take a trip with me to Kansas City MO
To the Hyatt House, to the big dance floor
You can still see the ghosts
But you can't see the sense
Why they let the monkey go
And blamed the monkey wrench

And we were rockin' at the T-Dance
Rockin' at the T-Dance

So Google forced me to migrate to their new version. I guess I get to keep my url.

Labels: Blogger

Edit: I ended up ditching the lyrics as every time I saw them, it started the whole maddening song cycle again.

move along.

I'm in the busy part of my week, and have nothing new to add. This is just a place filler post. Comment on the one below. There's nothing I hate more than putting effort into something that no one comments on.

This is why I love Brazillian Televsion. The set up is this: Luciano Huck hosts a young adult variety show. He's a very humble, friendly, down to Earth guy. Every year he hosts a contest called Carnival Muse 200x in which the Samba Schools from Rio and Sao Paulo send their prettiest, scantilly-clad bestest dancer to compete for the title.





Now here is the process it took to get this to you:
Satellite Dish->DVR->Slingbox to personal pc->Windows Screen Capture->Quick Format Change->Upload to Google video.

These are the days of Miracles and Wonder. This is long distance call.

The way the camera follows us in slo-mo, the way we look to a song.

The way we look to a distant constallation that's dying in the corner of the sky.

These are the days of Miracles and Wonders and don't cry, baby don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

We have a new gadget at home. The Slingbox is a device that allows us to access, program and watch our DVR from our computers. While we setting it Alessandra logged in from work where the station was set to SciFi. "Ripley's Believe or Not!" was on and contained a segment on cup stacking.



I had no idea there was such a "sport".

Learn more about it: Sport stacking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From "Huffington Post"

A Grand Canyon park interpreter wrote:

"This is incorrect. I have NEVER been told to present non-science based programs. In fact, I received "talking points" demanding that Grand Canyon employees present programs BASED ON SCIENCE and that we must use the scientific version supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences. As an interpreter I have shared the "creation" story of the Hopi people and the Paiute people because it is culturally relative. I used these stories as a tool to introduce the scientific story. Be confident there are good people running government, too."

One of our readers directly challenged Jeff Ruch, the Executive Director of PEER:

When I challenged that PEER guy to show me some evidence and provided him evidence to the contrary, he didn't have much. I would say PEER did more than jump the gun. I'd say they are spreading misinformation.

Another Grand Canyon park interpreter offered this explanation:

Ruch's attempts to insinuate a conspiratorial link between the NPS and organized religion are misguided and founded in fervent anti-Christian opposition, not reason or the law. Ruch's anti-Judeo-Christian bias is evidence by his lack of opposition to GCA's selling of Native American creation myths. His misinformation campaign aims to tarnish the reputation of the NPS to leverage his position that creationism books should not be sold in the GCA bookstore. I've emailed a few of my contacts at GRCA, and so far, all deny any conspiracy and all freely give the canyon's age in education programs (as does all official GRCA print material). I'll post updates as information becomes available. Until then, don't believe everything you read.

The reference to the creationism book being sold in the Grand Canyon bookstore--Grand Canyon: A Different View by Tom Vail--is true. It is sold in the "inspiration" section of the bookstore, alongside other books of myth and spirituality. In any case, the story is an old one now, and completely irrelevant to the claim that NPS employees are withholding information about the age of the canyon, and/or are being pressured to do so by Bush administration appointees.

Embarrassed and angered by all of this, I promptly phoned Jeff Ruch myself and inquired what evidence he has to support this claim. He initially pointed to the creationism book and the fact that the NPS has failed to address numerous challenges to the sale of same in their bookstore. When I pointed out that this is irrelevant to the claim in the press release, he then reminded me of the biblical passages that have been posted at places along the rim of the canyon. Again, I admonished, this is not evidence for his central claim. We went round and round on the phone until I finally gave up and hung up, convinced that he simply made up the claim out of whole cloth...

...We are issuing an amended release today that 1) deletes reference to what interpretive staff can and cannot say and 2) features the NPS official statement that they provide geological information to the public.

Then why did PEER issue that statement in the first place? In my opinion, this is why:

PEER is an anti-Bush, anti-religion liberal activist watchdog group in search of demons to exorcise and dragons to slay. On one level, that's how the system works in a free society, and there are plenty of pro-Bush, pro-religion conservative activist watchdog groups who do the same thing on the other side. Maybe in a Hegelian process of thesis-antithesis-synthesis we find truth that way; at least at the level of talk radio. But journalistic standards and scholarly ethics still hold sway at all levels of discourse that matter, and to that end I believe we were duped by an activist group who at the very least exaggerated a claim and published it in order to gain notoriety for itself, or worse, simply made it up.

To that end, shame on me for not fact checking this story before publishing it on eSkeptic and www.skeptic.com. But shame on you too, Mr. Ruch, and shame on PEER, for this egregious display of poor judgment and unethical behavior.

This is why Alessandra and I are two of Time Magazine's "People of the Year" for creating our own media and publishing it on the web. Of what? Of a cat peeing on our sofa.

People...We are living the Future->Today!

Gasp in wonder.

Our lucky winner gets an all expenses paid trip to the Guest Bedroom complete water, food, litter box, a comfy bed and several south facing windows for when we are away from the house or sleeping.

I'm sure if she could talk...she'd thank us.

Look in the comments for the lucky winner's name.

SCI FI Channel unveiled a new slate of programs in development, which includes shows from executive producers George Clooney, Darren Star and Mark Burnett. SCI FI made the announcement Jan. 12 at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif.

Diamond Age, based on Neal Stephenson's best-selling novel The Diamond Age: Or a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, is a six-hour miniseries from Clooney and fellow executive producer Grant Heslov of Smokehouse Productions.

When a prominent member of society concludes that the futuristic civilization in which he lives is stifling creativity, he commissions an interactive book for his daughter that serves as a guide through a surreal alternate world. Stephenson will adapt his novel for the miniseries, the first time the Hugo and Nebula award winner has written for TV.

This is a fantastic story. What is not mentioned here is that before the man can bring the book to his daughter, it is stolen durning a mugging and given to a poor, abused little girl. The book adapts itself to her needs as well as teaching her skills to leave her downtrodden proletariat class. I hope they can do it justice.

Someone is peeing on the worlds most comfortable sofa, "The Vortex" (because is sucks you in). I have ruled myself out because I'm not a couch peeer, and based on Alessandra's reactions, I'm pretty sure it's not her, though she isn't completely ruled out yet. How do I know she's not just covering her tracks. Anyway, this leaves one our three cats as the main culprit. Is it biological or behaviorial, how will we discover the secret peeer?

We are told that once cats get locked into a habit then thats pretty much it, The Vortex will be under constant assult? All the scent destroying enzymes in the world can't get the smell out. We need new cushions and until we find out who did it and why we will have to wrap the couch in sea foam green tarps while we are away.

Ale has set up a video camera to film the couch when we we are at work hopefully catching the culprit in the act.
...To be continuted

"Unlike the REAl Klingons of Star Trek, these Faux Klingons have never fought a battle of their own."

Ahahahahah, priceless. I would so vote for that guy.

"WHO ARE WE? WE ARE A NEW GENERATION OF FOLLOWERS TO HEAVEN'S GATE. NOBODY RECRUITED US. WE RECRUITED OURSELVES, OR, THE NEXT LEVEL RECRUITED US, OR, THE HATEFUL MEDIA RECRUITED US WITH BIASED BEHAVIOR TOWARDS 'HEAVEN'S GATE'. THIS WEBSITE PAYS TRIBUTE TO OUR 39 AND SOME PREDECESSORS OF 'HEAVEN'S GATE' THAT LEFT THEIR VEHICLES (WHAT THE WORLD CALLS MASS SUICIDE) ON LATE MARCH OF 1997.

THESE PEOPLE WERE PEACEFUL & LOVING HEROES WITH A MISSION AND STILL ARE OUR HEROES. TI & DO (DOE) SHOWED THEM, BY INSPIRATION OF THE NEXT LEVEL, REVELATIONS THAT NO REAL HUMAN CAN UNDERSTAND FROM AN IGNORANT MIND. MANY OF US WERE SIMPLY TOO YOUNG OR WERE ELSEWHERE IN OTHER ENGAGEMENTS WHEN THIS 'MASS SUICIDE' TOOK PLACE.

More

Because of an interest in RAW I found Chapel Perilous and it's residents: Bsti, Niq, Clippergirl, Weirdpixie, Mac Tonnies (and his network), Rev John Fenderson, Sauceruney, Mutant, Klintron, Jezzie, 23 Apples of Eris, Dr. Menlo, American Samizdat, Sensual Liberation Army and The Cabal.

Action at a distance, I am blessed.

Robert Anton Wilson suffered fromPost-Polio Syndrome and was in constant pain. So, in tribute of the ending of his pain, I present 5 versions of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb.

Luthor Wright and the Wrongs (bluegrass)

Gregorian version

Scissors Sisters (electronica dance)

London Symphony Orchestra

Pink Floyd

He died yesterday.

This is his blogpost 6 days earlier:

"Various medical authorities swarm in and out of here predicting I have between two days and two months to live. I think they are guessing. I remain cheerful and unimpressed. I look forward without dogmatic optimism but without dread. I love you all and I deeply implore you to keep the lasagna flying.

Please pardon my levity, I don't see how to take death seriously. It seems absurd. "

I read many of his books, and he has influenced me in ways I cannot even imagine. While certainly not the founder of Discordianism, he was the first to incorporate the dozens of zany countercultural philosphies into his writing as way of thumbing his nose at ALL authority. It was through him I learned All statements are true in some sense, false in some sense, meaningless in some sense, true and false in some sense, true and meaningless in some sense, false and meaningless in some sense, and true and false and meaningless in some sense.

Remember kids, it's not an Either/Or binary world, it's one of Both.

He will be greatly missed by many, including me.

Oddly enough I never get these. I like how my entire personality can be nailed down by a few questions like my favorite flower.

1 What time did you get up this morning? 6:30AM
2. Diamonds or Pearls? Emeralds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Children of Men
4. What are your favorite TV shows? Heroes, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Metalopocalypse
6. What is your middle name? Thomas
7. What is your favorite food? Chocolate
8. What food(s) do you dislike? Too many to mention. I live on cereal so that should give you a clue.
9. Your favorite Potato chip? Pretzels
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Don't have one
11. What kind of car do you drive? Mazda Protege
12. What is your favorite sandwich? Turkey
13. What characteristics do you despise? Authority, False Piety, Knowitallingness.
14. What are your favorite clothes? My double layered quilted cargo pants
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Australia, Spain, Japan, and many more
16. What color is your bathroom? Light yellow and white
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Don't really have one
18. Where would you want to retire? In a quiet place, but close to a happin' town.
19. Favorite time of day? Night
20.Where were you born? St. Louis, Missouri USA
21. Favorite sport to watch? Robot gladatorial combat
24. Coke or Pepsi? Coke
25. Are you a morning person or night owl? If left to my own devices. Night
26. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? I'm learning to draw
27. What did you want to be when you were little? I posted about this before
28. What is your best childhood memory? Just one? My entire childhood was filled with pink fluffy clouds of a loving family and a multitude of friends.
29. How many jobs have you had in your life? Click Here
30. Nicknames? Cap'n Marrrrk, Cap'n, Platts, P, Plattner
31. Piercings? Ears but it's closed.
32. Eye Color? Brown
33. Ever been to Africa? Nope. Place terrifies me.
34. Ever been toilet papering? Yes
35. Favorite day of the week? Thursday because it's named after Thor
36. Favorite restaurant? I primarily eat to gas up the body, but I would say a well done Brazilian Rodizio
37. Favorite flower? Bird of Paradise followed closely by the Corpse Flower (in theory since I've never smelled it)
38. Favorite ice cream? See favorite food.
39. Favorite fast food restaurant? Subway or Quiznos
40. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Written: 1
41. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail from? Got a "Smile Email" full of animals from my sister-in-law
42. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Amazon.com
43. Bedtime? 10:30PM
44. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? Everybody
45. Last person you went to dinner with? Husband, sister and brother in law
46. What are you listening to right now? Radio Paradise Internet Radio which is currently playing "Facination Street" by The Cure.
47. What is your favorite color? Infrared and Ultraviolet. I just can't decide.
48. How many tattoos do you have? 2
49. How many people are you sending this Email to? None
50. Next big trip or vacation you are going on? Hopefully New York... maybe

Olbermann: President Bush makes no secret of his distaste for looking backward, for assessing past results.

But in our third story on the Countdown tonight… too bad.

Any meaningful assessment of the president's next step in Iraq must consider his steps and missteps so far.

So, let's look at the record:

Before Mr. Bush was elected, he said he was no nation-builder; nation-building was wrong for America.

Now, he says it is vital for America.

He said he would never put U.S. troops under foreign control. Today, U.S. troops observe Iraqi restrictions.

He told us about WMDs. Mobile labs. Secret sources. Aluminum tubing. Yellow-cake.

He has told us the war is necessary…Because Saddam was a threat; Because of 9/11; Osama bin Laden; al Qaeda; Because of terrorism in general; To liberate Iraq; To spread freedom; To spread democracy; To keep the oil out of the hands of terrorist-controlled states; Because this was a guy who tried to kill his dad.

In pushing for and prosecuting this war, he passed on chances to get Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Muqtada al-Sadr, Osama bin Laden.

He sent in fewer troops than recommended. He disbanded the Iraqi Army, and "de-Baathified" the government. He short-changed Iraqi training.

He did not plan for widespread looting, nor the explosion of sectarian violence.

He sent in troops without life-saving equipment.

Gave jobs to foreign contractors, not the Iraqis.

Staffed U-S positions there, based on partisanship, not professionalism.

We learned that "America had prevailed", "Mission Accomplished", the resistance was in its "last throes".

He has said more troops were not necessary, and more troops are necessary, and that it's up to the generals, and removed some of the generals who said more troops would be necessary.

He told us of turning points: The fall of Baghdad, the death of Uday and Qusay, the capture of Saddam, a provisional government,the trial of Saddam, a charter, a constitution, an Iraqi government, ¤elections, purple fingers, a new government, the death of Saddam.

We would be greeted as liberators, with flowers.

As they stood up–we would stand down, we would stay the course, we were never 'stay the course',

The enemy was al Qaeda, was foreigners, terrorists, Baathists.

The war would pay for itself, it would cost 1-point-7 billion dollars, 100 billion, 400 billion, half a trillion dollars.

And after all of that, today it is his credibility versus that of generals, diplomats, allies, Republicans, Democrats, the Iraq Study Group, past presidents, voters last November, and the majority of the American people.

via Crooks and Liars

You know...I know most people are Peons at their place of employment, but today I feel extra peony with a side order of "Yes'm". During a drawing workshop, I told a kid that what they drew was cute, and I was told by my superior to let the workshop instructor comment on the kid's art. I feel like I was told to "shut up" and stay in my place, which is...peon van driver, administrative assistant and boys bathroom monitor. While it was agreed up that the instructor be the sole instructor of the workshop, I felt as though my voice were taken away.

I've noticed that we four office workers are becoming our titles, and those who have said, "Oh, I'm not really your superior." Are in fact becoming so, which I find kind of galling because that means in an office of 4, I have 3 bosses. I am rapidly becoming disillusioned with this gig.

When Mike Judge's highly anticipated futuristic satire "Idiocracy" opened and promptly closed in a few cities last fall (it never played Washington), the blogosphere lit up. Did Twentieth Century Fox, the film's distributor, intentionally dump the movie? Did it have a hand in what most considered the film's chief flaws (a distracting narration, gratuitous expository sequences)? Put simply, did Fox do to "Idiocracy" what it had done to Judge's 1999 comedy "Office Space," and was the new movie eligible for similar cult status?

We may never know precisely who did what to whom and why (although a hilarious sendup of Fox News in the movie may not have helped). What we do know is that "Idiocracy" appears on DVD today, and once again it seems that Judge, best known for TV shows "Beavis and Butt-head" and "King of the Hill," has gotten the fuzzy end of Fox's lollipop. Like "Borat's" dark twin, "Idiocracy" indicts American culture with a combination of scathing humor and barely concealed rage, as Judge projects what the country will look like 500 years from now. His dystopian vision includes avalanches of trash, a U.S. government that has been purchased for corporate sponsorship by a sports drink, and a citizenry that, through demographic reverse Darwinism, has become congenitally fat, lazy, stupid and violent.

Angrier and far less forgiving than "Office Space," Judge's "Idiocracy" doesn't possess the same cult potential, if only because few will be eager to see themselves in the filmmaker's jaundiced mirror. Still, as an example of smart, stingingly funny polemic, "Idiocracy" is essential viewing. If the world is going to hell in any number of handbaskets -- as Judge so acutely demonstrates that it is -- you might as well hitch a ride in his. Via - washingtonpost.com

I saw it last Fall and found it very amusing. Personally, I already think we are there. Since I often preach to the choir here at NTM! I heartily recommend this movie to "my people".

Man I am a sucker for the soft touch. Pan handlers are always hitting up. Or at least it seems so, I'm sure everyone gets whacked all the time, but still...

Tonight at SAMS I got the most subtle of handlings. A woman with a child magically appeared right next to me while I was getting my wallet, and this is pretty much verbatim without stopping.

Excuse me sir. I don't want to alarm you. I wont hurt you. My name is XXX, I'm not from around here, I just got out of the hospital (she flashes a hospital ID). I'll get down on my knees right now here in this parking lot. You're the 13th person I've asked tonight, I need your help. And I'm here with my little girl, today is her birthday (then she starts crying, leaky eyes and flat out sobbing) and we went to go see her father and he beat the crap out of me which is why I went to the hospital, and please sir, I swear, I'll get down on my knees, that lady over there gave me 10 dollars and I've never done this before, I swear, we need bus tickets back to Springfield, Illinois and we haven't had anything to eat and I swear I need some money. Boo Hoo Hoo!"

I'm looking at the little girl durning this speach, and she's looking back, not saying anything, and mom's crying, tears pouring down her cheeks, and I'm thinking to myself, "Goddamn it! What the fuck are you doing to this poor child. I work for a program that deals with the kids you fuck up with you're bullshit behavior. You fucking shouldn't have ever had kids. It's like a country record, just pile up all the sorrows and it just so happens to be the kid's birthday today. Imagine that. I am so glad I don't have any cash on me today." And I tell her that I don't carry cash anymore, and I'm sorry and I go into the store.

And that's really the sad part. She could be the real thing, but I doubt it. Ever since the beggars switched over to using kids to tug at the heart strings (in my world they haven't been doing it forever) towing them around asking for gas money, some people really have to ramp up their act. In order to "Keep up with the Joneses." you have to one up them. Next thing you know a fucking meteorite has smashed their house or it burned down etc. I mean, what kind of world do we live in where people feel they have to do this? And as sad as it makes me, it pisses me off too. I'm not against helping people out, but not by forking over cash.

I felt like a dick not giving them any money, but in that end, that pales to how chumpish I'd have felt if I actually rewarded their behavior and taught the kid the lesson, If you cry, bleed em dry."

Middle-aged Long Island lady thumbing through magazine: Look, there's Stephen Colbert.
Husband: Who's that?
Middle-aged Long Island lady: He's a terrific Republican reporter on TV. You should watch him. He's really great. Puts the liberals in their place.

--JFK

Overheard by: djeremy"

I was going through some papers a few days ago when I ran across a team photo from this year's MS 150. I remembered that I promised Niki and Bsti at Sock Dreams that I would send them a photo for their generous donation. I also mentioned that I would call them "Proud Sponsors of Cap'n Marrrrk & The Scurvy Dogs" and I realized that there were many people who donated to the cause and I would be remiss if I didn't mention them (and their connection to me) as well.

In no particular order:

Anabela Schulte (Mother In Law)

Lorri Nelson (Internet friend and Niki's sister)

Lawrence Perlmutter (Friend)

Dolores Frey (Aunt)

Randy & Janet Deidrick (Sister In Law)

Monique Natosi (Sock Dreams)

Debra Russell (Friend)

Scott MacKay (I forgot)

Liisa Petersen (Mystery Internetite...Thank you stranger!)

Daniel Plattner (Cousin)

Ben Oberkfell (Friend)

Alexis Young (Teammate)

Phillip Wool (Cousin)

Sandra Collin (I don't really know, but thanks!)

Amy Dewey (Former co-worker)

Debra Voss (Former co-worker)

Mike Aisenfeld (Former College Roomate and Punk Ass Hippie)

Vivek Narayanamurth (Teammate)

Hooters of America Inc. (Teammate's place of employment)

Doctors Feelgood and J (friends)

Mom

Sister Tracy

Cynthia and Wallace Sharpley (Sister In Law)

Thank you all from the bottom of my bottom and my swollen legs! Only 10 more months until the 2007 MS 150!

So the New Year came in with a toothbrushing, getting ready for bed thing while next door someone at the new neighbors New Years Party was howling at the top of their lungs Frat Style: "Whooooo!" For like 5 minutes.

I can say with certainty, that until Alessandra and I instituted "The Loser's Ball" open house for people with nothing better to do, I never, never, EVER had fun on New Years Eve.

And, I've never really kept a New Years Resolution, especially those years where I said, "Ok this year is going to be completely different from last year. This year I'm going to get a girlfriend and have SEX!" But I digress.

It's only coincidental that shortly after the first of the year circumstances led me back to my cycling trainer (now that Dr. J is out of the basement, I'm long overdue for some Cardio), as well as a desire to teach myself how to draw (in order to make a better mentor). In fact, just last night at Borders, I picked up a bargain book on Songwriting, telling myself that sometime in the next 6 months I'm going to write a song. I'm also keeping a nightly journal where I can log the positive shit that occured that day, so I stop focusing on the negative; though I began that last month.

As a rule there is no reason why we can't constantly seek to do more and creative things with our lives. I have to do something to counterbalance the TV. But really, they AREN'T New Years resolutions, they don't have that kind of weight. I'm always working to be the Best Damn Cap'n I can be.

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Rumors are swirling that the Police will reunite for 2007 dates in England and the United States, which would be the rock trio's first since disbanding in 1986.

Sources told Billboard.com the reports -- in the British press -- were legitimate, but they would not publicly comment until final details are nearer to completion. More

Thats awesome! I was just telling Ale a few nights ago how much I wish the Police would reunite. I think Sting works best when he's not just sting.

The Digital Ice Age - Popular Mechanics: "The documents of our time are being recorded as bits and bytes with no guarantee of future readability. As technologies change, we may find our files frozen in forgotten formats. Will an entire era of human history be lost?"

"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." -Carl Sagan

About 1.5 minutes in it really starts to get trippy.

The Caffeine Nap is simple. You drink a cup of coffee and immediately take a 15 minute nap. Researchers found coffee helps clear your system of adenosine, a chemical which makes you sleepy. So in testing, the combination of a cup of coffee with an immediate nap chaser provided the most alertness for the longest period of time. The recommendation was to nap only 15 minutes, no more or less and you must sleep immediately after the coffee.

I've done this before but didn't know it could do anything. Wow! My mind is completely blown.