Digital Thursday

Today’s Digital Thursday is to show you how I need the digital medium to make my traditional work look better.

First up is the actual hand-drawn piece that I did for the most recent Ten Ton Studios Sketch Challenge of Iron Fist.

It is not bad, but it is a departure from my “normal” “style.” I decided to go very minimalist on it to see if I could get the shapes right.

Second up is the digital assist on my linework.

I did 3 things on this digital assist.

Thing 1: I added the blue stripes for visual interest
Thing 2: I corrected the body proportions on Iron Fist. He was a bit torso short in the original
Thing 3: I did some minor color correction

To recap:
I feel that I am okay in the traditional art realm
I feel I am better when I can assist myself digitally
I have things I need to get done this weekend
But I also have things that will keep me from getting all those things done
I threw in half a Power Man for free
I just spent $78 at Blick Art Materials
It is a good thing I had a $50 gift card
Listening to Great DJ by the Ting Tings
Have a great weekend everyone

Nature Abhors a Vacuum and So Do I: 1

Nature abhors a vacuum and so do I.

One of the things I hate about vacuums is the difficulty in truly describing them. The dictionary gives the definition of “a space that is entirely devoid of matter,” but that gets into some tricky definitions of “entirely devoid” and “matter” especially when you start looking at light as both a particle and a wave.

In essence when one is describing a vacuum (the physics kind not the Electrolux kind) one is ostensibly describing an area of nothing. We all know how tricky describing nothing can be.

“A space that is entirely devoid of matter?”

Firslty, “a space”
How do you define the space? Is there a boundary where on one side there is something and on the other there isn’t? What is the interface of that boundary look like. Where do the molecules of something intermingle on the edges of the nothing… and if they are intermingling, doesn’t that mélange of something and nothing create a soup of kinda something?

Secondly, “entirely devoid”
“Entirely” means “wholly” or “completely” and “devoid” means “empty” or “missing.” So let’s parse this out a bit as well. “Wholly empty” is an odd set of terms. There is an idea that emptiness could be broken down into pieces otherwise the terms “entirely,” “wholly,” and “completely” are unnecessary. Why would one need to give that modifier if “nothing” is not divisible? The definitional nuances associated with “devoid,” “empty,” and “missing” could take days to talk about.

Thirdly, “matter”
I don’t want to get into the higher dimensionality of some of the sub-atomic/quantum physics particles to really talk about the make up of matter, but iffens y’all want me to go all quantum on this bitch, I will ask Dr B Dawg to lay down some slick physics lines, since his doctorate is in the Physics, yo. Anyone? Anyone?... Good, I didn’t think anyone wanted that. Let’s just agree to say that “matter” is not a simple matter.

As you can see, merely looking at a vacuum definitionally causes one to abhor it just like nature.

To recap:
I bet some of you are wishing the Yeti would email me antagonizing emails again
I do not control the Yeti and I have chosen the vacuum to be my favored enemy now
I get +1 to all dice rolls against a vacuum
I will whip something up for Digital Thursday tomorrow
I am starting this recap with too many “I” statements
I did it again, Crap!
Listening to Obey the Groove by No More Kings

20 Questions Tuesday: 141 - Vacations

When someone goes on a vacation for more than 4 days it is difficult for that person to not make things about, compare things to, and generally focus on his vacation. Therefore, today’s 20 Questions Tuesday is about vacations.

Thanks this week go to: lsig, Dr Clean, Belsum, John P, Capt McArmypants, Nadolny, and Zinger Zapper. Onto the questions:

1. True or False: The Go-Go's "Vacation" is the best vacation song ever.
True

2. Why is it that work and home maintenance problems always seem to hit critical mass during vacation, so you have even worse problems to deal with when you get back?
It is the way that co-workers and neighbors get back at you for having “fun.” Those 2 groups are a petty lot.

3. Are vacations with young children really vacations? Which is preferable, vacation with kids or without?
Yes, they are really vacations, but they take more effort and planning. I think both vacations with kids and without kids are necessary, so at different times they are both preferable.

4. My husband likes to totally relax during vacations, whereas I see them as opportunities to see and do different things from what is normally available, as much as possible. Where do you fall on the activity/no activity spectrum of vacations?
I lean more towards the “do different things” on the spectrum, but I would say that I am pretty much in the middle of the road for those extremes

5. “Are we there yet?”
Not much further now…

6. What is your definition of a successful vacation?
If fun was had.

7. Should you come back from vacation tanned, rested and ready or worn out from your adventures?
Yes.

8. Where would you go in the world if you had $10k and two weeks?
Hmmm… 10K and 14 days? Can one travel for less than $725 a day?

9. Do you do laundry while you’re on vacation or pack enough to wear something clean each day you’re gone?
This time we planned to do some laundry. It was okay-ish-ly effective, since we were out of country for 8 days laundry seemed the best avenue.

10. Do you prefer to sight-see or try to live like a local?
Since we have recently been traveling with food allergic kids there is a certain amount of living locally that we are forced to do. But we also like to catch the attractions as well.

11. How many days does it take you to recover once you get home?
I will let you know when I have.

12. Staycation: obnoxious or good idea?
Staycations are a good idea if you can truly remove yourself from the typical. If you still answer emails and the like, are you really vacating your everyday life?

13. Are people that bring their pets with them nuts?
Certifiably.

14. Any preference of the Vacation movie series: Vacation, European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, or Vegas Vacation?
I am partial to Christmas Vacation.

15. Why do we go on vacation and Europeans go on Holiday? Happy Hols!
I am not sure, but the Canadians still refer to the experience as Holiday as well.

16. Any memorable childhood vacations?
Only three that I can really think of. The first was when I was 10 we went to Colorado. The second was when I was 12 and my soccer team went to the Bobby Charlton School of Soccer Football. The third was when I was 13 and we went to Disney World.

17. What do you do or treat yourself to on vacation that you normally don't otherwise?
Hookers and blow.

18. What is the ideal amount of time for a vacation?
6 days

19. Do you dread going back to work the morning of work, the night before or last day of vacation while returning home?
I think you may have forgotten THAT I AM UNEMPLOYED, YOU INSENITIVE JERK!!!

20. What would be your ideal vacation family spot? What would be your ideal vacation spot when it is just you and Wifey? What would be your ideal get away for a weekend "bachelor" type vacation?
The mountains but within 30 minutes of some civilization for food allergy reasons. The mountains but within 30 minutes of some civilization for amenity reasons. The mountains but within 30 minutes of some civilization for convenience reasons.

+++++++++BONUS 2 QUESTIONS+++++++++

21. Have you ever had so much fun on vacation that you've had to destroy the photographic evidence so your children would never know (for both you and Wifey)?
Until we had a digital camera, we really did not take many pics on vacation… so no. What kind of vacations were you going on?

22. Are you a trip taker (itinerary planned) or vacationer (relaxing and fun by the seat of your pants)?
Wifey and I both tend to be very fluid with our vacations with only loose itineraries that we think about. We have a loose outline that is not binding in any way, shape, or form.

To Recap:
Okay, that is going to be it about the vacation
Here is Little Man on his 6th birthday

At Rissers Beach

Okay, THAT was the last thing about the vacation
Listening to Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners by the Foo Fighters

Vacation

The problem with posting to my blog in the evening is that I am rather burnt out by the time I get around to typing anything. All day long ideas float through my head about what I should post about, but they flit though my consciousness like a good metaphor that you cannot remember. (How is that for meta-metaphoring?)

Anywho… I am back in good old Central Ohio and happily sleeping in my own bed. The place that the fam stayed was a nice place, but, truth be told, the beds were meant to be slept on for only 3 days in a row. Everything after 3 seemed to cause mighty back aches in myself and Wifey.

This being a Monday, I feel I should invoke a number of “things” to mention to my 3 loyal readers since I have been doing “3 Things” and “4 Things” posts on Mondays for a while, but I have decided to askew that tradition and just give a quick wrap-up on the vacation that was.

The family and I went to the South Coast of Nova Scotia and stayed just east of picturesque Mahone Bay at Oak Island Resort. For the first 4 days or so, Wifey was earning the money while I school-marmed the kids. This school-marming included going to multiple grocery stores in search of allergen free foods and keeping the kids in general good spirits until Wifey could release her shackles of employed obligation and join the family on our Nova Scotian “Holiday.”

So on Wednesday afternoon with a full compliment of Family we went to Lunenburg (or Lunenverg as Little Man liked to call it) for dinner. Between that Wednesday afternoon and Sunday Morning we went to a small little beach with a friend’s kids (some of the pics from last post), the Ovens (sea caves), 2 hours of Splash Bomb with TheMikeStand and his kids (the final score was something like kids = 40 and dads = bunny, needless to say the kids won the 24th Oak Island Urn), a birthday trip for Little Man (who is now 6) on the Historic LeHave Cable Ferry, some time at Rissers Beach, and some hanging out the fam we saw on Thursday. In a word, it was awesome.

To recap:
Had a great time, but glad to be back home
Gone for 8 days and there were only 2 voicemails on the home phone
1 was a paid political announcement
We are just not that popular
Only 2 voicemails on my cell phone
1 was from my mom
I am just not that popular
20 Questions Tuesday is back tomorrow
Listening to the near constant hum of the baby monitor

Digital Thursday

In honor of Digital Thursday, I am just posting pics of the vacation. Most are from today. There will be no recap.

























Have a great weekend everyone.

2nd Dinner?

I just tried to talk with Wifey and Q started to rouse. This is the big problem of living in a hotel room with your kids. There is no opportunity for conversation about how the vacation should be going in the evening when both kids are supposed to be sleeping. To get that kind of separation we would need two rooms, and even when I was working with a paycheck we could not afford a 2 room suite.

The night time is the time when Wifey and I are typically able to de-brief about the days events in the night time. That is the time when we become a unified team and an unassailable front. Sadly, we have not had that opportunity this entire international endeavor. Hopefully tomorrow night we can have that time.

It looks like the fam will have 2, count them, 2 international play dates. Tomorrow we will potentially be building sandcastles with one of Wifey’s friends and his 2 kids. Does he have a name? Of course he does... there are those who call him Tim.

Then on Friday it looks like the Family of SRH will be spending some time with Famiglia del TheMikeStand for some awesome Lunenburg action.

Through out this entire entry writing process Little Mna has been complaining about not being able to get to sleep. Keep in mind that he has tried nothing and is all out of ideas, so don’t feel too bad for him.

To recap:
The whole family is now awake and eating a new dinner
Except for me
Now I feel hungry though
Listening to the 3 of them smack their lips like hyenas on the Serengeti
I could eat a gnu
Or even a wildebeast

20 Questions Tuesday: 140 - Vacation 2009

Here it is Tuesday again, so I guess I should come up with some questions. It is an odd process to come up with 20 questions for myself around this vacation.

So, thanks this week to me. That’s right ME! On to the questions...

1. So, how is Canada treating you?
I think I am doing just fine with the hospitality of my international neighbor (or neighbour, as it were) to the North.

2. So what do you miss most about the US?
Ok, there are a few different things. The first is US channels. Not because of anything missing in Canadian TV as much as it is about the familiarity with US TV. The second is the food brands. Grocery shopping here has been a bit of an adventure because of the different brands and more importantly, the missing brands from the US. The third things is the portion size. No wonder Canadians are typically less obese than their American counterparts. he portions sizes here just leave me hungry.

3. What has been the most challenging this so far on this vacation?
So far, I would say it is getting Q alseep without a rocking chair. I will have abs of steel by the end of this trip.

4. Seen any bears?
Do you mean the “gay guy” kind of “bear” or the “I like salmon” kind of “bear?”

5. Hey, I am asking the questions here!
Well, then, you should be more specific.

6. Okay answer both, smart guy!
You aren’t the boss of me, but I will answer both anyway. “Maybe” and “no”

7. How about moose?
How about moose?

8. Yes, have you seen any moose?
Nope, nor any mounties. In fact, I have not seen any kind of law enforcement since I got out of the airport. If it were not for the excursion to Wal-Mart yesterday I would say this is a lawless frontier town populated by really polite people.

9. Even though it was established in 1754, you think of it as a frontier town?
Well, it is kind of a frontier of the East of North America...

10. So, how long have you been an idiot?
Was that even called for?

11. Was that even called for? Yes, it was called for, you dunderhead. Frontier of the East or North America? What kind of crap is that?
I was just trying to answer your insipid question. Couldn’t you have sent an email call for questions?

12. Seriously, who is asking the questions here?
I thought you were. Aren’t you?

13. I thought I was too, but you seem to be asking a bunch as well. So, why didn’t you send a “20 Questions Tuesday Round-Up?”
I was not sure what a good topic would be, or how long I would have to write articulate responses.

14. Why should you start worrying about articulate responses now?
Har dee har har, smart ass. I always try to bring the articulate.

15. So, how is the bed time routine working out?
Horribly. LIttle Man cannot sleep because Q is not ready to sleep just yet. It is a bad situation that seems to be deteriorating.

16. So what are you gonna do with the rest week when Wifey is done with her 3 days of work?
I think we will still stay around on the Southshore area and look for the Oak Island Treasure. Tha treasure, she will be mine.

17. So anything that still needs to be figured out for the fam on this trip?
We just need to figure out a ferry ride for Little Man now that we aren’t going to PEI.

18. How is Little Man’s ear doing, by the way?
It looks like it will be healing up nicely. There will be a bit of scarring, but I don’t think it will be bad at all.

19. Do you need some caffeine as bad as I do?
Do bears poop in the woods?

20. Do you mean the “gay guy” kind of “bear” or the “I like salmon” kind of “bear?”
touche


To recap:
We are trying to figure out some birthday extravagances for Little Man
He will turn 6 on Saturday
We are trying to figure out how to have Q’s 2nd birthday in Nova Scotia and Wifey’s next birthday here as well
It only seems fitting
Listening to the kids finally fall asleep
I get my partner in crime back tomorrow afternoon
I define “crime” as “parenting” in this case

3 Things

So, I am up here in Nova Scotia at Oak Island Resort and Spa serving as the primary childcare while Wifey works her fingers to the bone with her Talk Fu. So a few things have happened that need to be mentioned. Three in fact.

Thing the first:
Traveling with 2 younguns is still difficult to say the least. The whole traveling part is difficult, but when you add in the 2 hour delay on the tarmac in Toronto, it gets a whole bunch hairier. An air conditioner unit needed replaced (a repair that did not show up until after the plane had been shut and the intro movie was played). Cue an hour and a half of maintenance and paper work. This was followed promptly by the flight crew realizing that they could not legally fly due to an impending overage in consecutive flight hours if they carried on with the continuation from Halifax to London. So we had to wait for 15 minutes for another flight crew to make there way to gate 140, and then another 15 minutes for them to do all their pre-flight stuff.

This delay brings up 2 questions. Question the First: Is there any way they could have done the air conditioner check prior to closing the plane up? It is much more reasonable to have a 2 hour delay in the concourse than in the plane itself. Question the Second: a 2-hour delay threw these pilots over the edge of they acceptable hours? I have circled cities for 2 hours before. How razor close was their schedule?

Thing the Second: Great googly moogly Mahone Bay is picturesque as hell! the fog lifted Sunday morning and I was pretty much dumb struck by the place. I will hopefully have some pictures later.

Thing the Third: While I am not really happy with the infiltration of the big box stores into more "pristine" retail enviornmnets, you always know what you can get at Wal-Mart. Doesn't matter where in the world you are, if you need diapers and pool toys, you know that Wal-Mart hjas your back. Now in the US you also know that you can find a cure for your low self esteem by people watching the knuckle dragging troglodytes that frequent the Mart of Wal. I am well groomed, polite, and in shape when I am at Wal-Mart... in the US!

In this Wal-Mart found in this maritime province I git none of that I am doing pretty well for myself feeling. The "dream-low" benchmark was gone. So, not only do I feel like an ass because I gave money to a soul-killing retail virus, I also didn't get the smug sense of self-satisfaction that I so need and enjoy.

To recap:
I have a blinding headache here
I think it has either something to do with the weather or the maritime
Still jobless
Little Man is about to lose one of his upper front teeth
He is insanely close to it falling out
I will do something 20- Questions-ish tomorrow
Listening to the sonorous slumbersong of my sleeping family

E.R.

Little Man cut the top part of his ear today... We are pretty sure it was doing something that he shouldn't have because he is rather tight lipped about what happened. Anyway... after 8 hours in urgent care and an ER (he somehow nicked the cartilidge) we are back home safe and sound. He is 3 stitches heavier and we are extremely tired.

To recap:
Little Man cuts his ear so no Digital Thursday for you
Listening to everyone get ready for bed
Still no job
We will be in Nova Scotia next week
So, don't expect much posting next week
I will try to do a bit of photoblogging though
Have a great weekend everyone
We are leaving on a jet plane Saturday morning

For those of you...

There are a few of you out there reading this here blog... I could probably stop there with the sentence and be accurate, but that is not the point of this post.

There are a few of you out there reading this here blog that will understand what I am about to write about. The rest of you out there will probably kind of "get it."

When you are attempting to work from home, and you have 2 kids at home... with you. The only work you get done is the laborious work aptly labeled as "parenting." (I almost typed "Patti LaBelled" but that is something entirely different, maybe we should consider it a new attitude.)

Anywho... Both Wifey and I have been attempting to get stuff done today while navigating the endless requests for lemonade and the more usual "eeeeeeeeeeengh" that is accompanied by a 1 year olds finger and unhappy stare. So I had work that needed to get out today and that did not happen. Why would you think that I would post?

Seriously, you people amaze me with your neediness.

To recap:
It is almost 9:30 and I am just now getting dinner
A healthy dinner of brats and brocolli, mind you
There is so much for me to do tonight
Some of it is looking for job related
Some is personal, so stop hounding me
Some is just sit that has to get done
All of it takes time
Listening to the blessed silence that is not kids asking for things

20 Questions Tuesday: 139 - Canada

So, in less than a month I will have been in Canada twice. How is that for weird? Therefore the questions for this installment of the ever popular 20 Questions Tuesday shall center around… I don’t know, maybe… Oh, Canada.

Thanks this week go to Sparky, Capt. McArmypants, John P, Dr Clean, ACW, and AllRileyedUp.. On to the Questions!

1. Curling or ice hockey?
Ice Hockey. Easily Ice Hockey

2. Favorite Canadian musical act?
Hmmm... there are so many good ones. The one with the biggest following is probably Rush, then there is Neil Young and Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen for longevity Bare Naked Ladies for mirth, Arcade Fire for more avant guard… there are too many to decide. For pure WTF? Reasons I will say Nickelback, because they have somehow become popular with the most derivative drivel ever put on the airwaves. Creed has talent compared to those lyrical genii.

3. Molson’s or Moosehead?
Moosehead

4. Will you partake of any poutine?
I will not be up Quebec-way, so, No. I will be again traveling to Nova Scotia with a side trip to Prince Edward Island likely happening. Little Man is excited by the idea of a ferry ride.

5. So would Curling over take Hockey as the most popular sport in Canada if they just instituted full contact rules similar to those in "The Game" as played in the blockbuster hit "Blood of Heroes"? On a side note: When Dog-Boy says "NOO! No one carries Dog-Boy!" Don't you tear up just a little?
Umm… “no” and definitely “no.”

6. So how do those Tauro-tans as they are called keep Toronto so clean eh?
They all do what they can which collectively is a whole bunch. If they could use that power more for good than cleanliness imagine the outcome!

7. So will Canada and the US ever become one giant nation? I read an article in the 90's that stated 70 something percent of Canada assumed one day they would be American citizens. When are they just going to give up and become another one of our states?
After having been to Canada a few times and talking to many a Canuck, I have determined through my colloquial information gathering techniques that they do not, in fact, want to be Americans. They are quite proud of their Canadianness.

8. Do you think they would get more tourism dollars if they dropped O'Canada as the national anthem, changed the name of the country to Can-NAaaY-DEE-YAH and let Bryan Adams take a crack at writing a new one? .....THAT GUYS IS A WORDSMITH I TELLS YA!!! A WORDSMITH!!!!!!!!!!
I am not quite sure how to answer this. We all know that Bryan Adams is quite the wordsmith, but shouldn’t the Canadian National Anthem be penned by Corey Hart?

9. STOP SENDING US YOUR COMEDIANS DAMMIT!!!!......but somehow read that as a question........?
Some of them are funny though... Well, if you are into that kind of thing.

10. Canadian bacon, can it only come from Canadian pigs?
Sadly, yes. That is why it is so rare in the US. We have to live with crappy “ham” when we could be dining on the delectable deliciousness that is Canadian bacon.

11. What other Canadian delicacies do you know of (maple syrup doesn't count)?
The Cruller. Mmmmmm doughnuts….

12. Will it freak you out to see speeds listed in Km? I liked it not one bit the last time I was there!
Speed in Km is kind of fun. I feel all rebellious going at such a high numerical rate of speed in town.

13. Quebec keeps trying to become independent through referendums voted on by those who live in that providence. If Quebec really wanted to become independent wouldn’t it just be easier to have a referendum in the rest of Canada and ask them to vote them out?
I think you maybe onto something, but that would be a bad precedent to start because I could easily see the states latching onto the idea of “voting out” and forcefully succeeding Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

14. In Canada they have big signs warning that “Fatigue”, “Tailgating” and “Drunk Driving” all KILL! How does anyone have the courage to leave their damn house? Then again is it just me, or are the big signs along the 401 that say “Fatigue Kills!” just cooler in French,,, "La Fatigue Tue!”
“La Fatigue Tue” is oddly both cool and un-cool at the same time.

15. Why didn’t we stop Celine Dion before she crossed over? Can’t we deport her?
Sadly Celine Dion is at least 1% of the United States GDP at the moment with her Vegas show. It is hard economic times indeed.

16. Have you been to the Canadian area of Epcot Center?
I have indeed. I feel sorry for the guys dressed like Mounties in Orlando, Florida in August. Yikes.

17. Any chance of the MLS title going to a team from Canada?
Toronto is a real contender this year. With the addition of Gerba on their front line and the potential signing of Julian DeGuzman to upgrade a midfield that already has Guevara and DeRosario… They could be the real deal.

18. Best Canadian sports team?
The Canadian National Hockey Team

19. I keep spelling Canadian "Candian" -- what do you think Candian should mean?
I am not absolutely sure what Candian should be, but it should definitely have something to do with licorice.

20. Have you ever heard a Canadian myth about bears and if so, what was the name of the bear?
I have not and I am sure the name is not Shecky.


To Recap:
The weirdest thing about Canada is just how eerily similar it is
Little Man is supremely jazzed about the trip
He gets to ride on Air Canada and everything
I am not using my cordless keyboard at the moment because it needs new AAA batteries
Therefore it is not typing so well. I am not sure I like this other keyboard too much though
It is kind of “springy”
I have stuff I need to do, but I need to find my pencils to do them
They are somewhere in the house…
I can’t narrow it down more than that
Oddly, I am still un-employed
Listening to Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger

10 things

Ooh, 10 things... are you worried, I usually only bring up 3 things, but I am going hog wild here.

10 things I have had to "take care of..." if you know what I mean...

Thing the First:
Camel Crickets... they were in the basement of the childhood house.... ewwwww

Thing the Second:
That slow chipmunk from yesterday... don't try to cross 5 lanes of traffic unless you mean it

Thing the Third:
7 mice (4 this weekend)

Thing the Fourth:
Spiders... I hate them, I fear them, yet I have to take care of them

Thing the Fifth:
Fire Ants.... those bastards can take over a yard and hurt really badly when they bite but they seem to be susceptible to relocation due to matches and WD-40

Thing the Sixth:
A rattle snake

Thing the Seventh:
Chipmunks... it was because of me the show was cancelled

Thing the Eighth:
I short tubby dog that ran into my rear tire... I was saddened by this one greatly

Thing the Ninth:
Yellow Jackets

Thing the Tenth:
Nedly and Pirky

To recap:
I have become Shiva, Destroyer of Squirrels
i love that quote!
Still jobless in Ohio
That should be a new Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie
20 Questions Tuesday is up for tomorrow
How about Canada as a topic?

Digital Thursday

So here is how it went down. It is Sunday evening late, it is the day after I got home from Canada, I have a proposal due Wednesday for some web development that I have never attempted before, and the lovely and amazing Wifey says to me, “I need you to make a map for me tomorrow.”

Really, tomorrow, Honey? You know all that I have to get done and I am still a bit travel stunned, right? Oh well, it is something to do at least. She determined with my lack of vocation that I had ample time to accomplish my tasks. She was right.

She outlined to me what she needed for a women leaders in non-profit organizations (a very small population) meeting. She wanted to look at the path that the previous meetings had taken and thought a landscape would be a fun way of doing it. I put my Tolkien hat on and here we go

Click to embiggin and then click it some more.

Been a while since I had a “Digital Thursday.”

To recap:
Wifey just got the 15in MacBook Pro
It is all shiny
Got a free iTouch with it
Go her!
She is so close to making one of those “Make the Switch” commercials
Isn’t there a joke about Born Again Christians and Mac Switchers?
Listening to Fern by Zoe Keating
4 posts in a row
Eat that!
Have a great weekend everyone

The End of an Era

The problem with hating hippos and yetis is that there is not that much opportunity to hate them directly… Yes, I typed ‘opportunity’ on purpose there. Much like love you must practice hate, and, in this case, it has been a long time since I have practiced hate for the river horse and our hairy brutish mountain dwelling cousin. There just has not been much reason to seek out the hippo or taunt the yeti.

You see, even though the hippo is the most dangerous of the mega-fauna that are left inhabiting out world, the animal itself is rather pitiful in its dangerousness. It is territorial in the water and sunburnable in the air. It is aggressive in the water, but tires quickly on the land. The limits of its “comfort zone” seem to be a riverine environment and a riverine environment alone. Get past the riparian vegetation and the hippo is just an overweight, sun-burning, pig that cannot see very far.

The yeti is a daunting enemy to say the least, if you are in Nepal, but if you are not one of the 10 people in the world considering yourself Nepalese and you don’t climb mountains for a hobby, then you are never going to meet up with a yeti. Do yeti exist? Sure they do. Do people really care? No, Not really.

Herein lies the problem with hating the hippo and the yeti. Both creatures are more pitiable than loathsome. It takes effort to hate and it takes reminders to give effort. Without constant reminders there is no consistent effort and therefore no hate.

I find it sad to say but the bilious vitriolic fervor with which I vomited distaste for the hippo and yeti has subsided over the past year to a dull apathetic ache that is meekly rotting away somewhere in the twists and curves of my small intestine where the beginnings of poop reside.

To recap:
The hate has washed out of me do to apathy
Most things wash out of me due to apathy
Could I hate them again?
Sure, if given the right stimuli
I am not sure if the right stimulus exists though
Fare the well, yeti and hippo hate
It was a nice run while it lasted
Vacuum.... Nature abhors you and so do I!
Listening to Critical Hit by No More Kings

20 Questions Tuesday: 138 - Assumptions

Here we go with the 20 Questions Tuesday. The idea behind this day’s 20 Questions is all about assumptions. You all (the 3 of you who still read here) have assumptions of what I was doing whilst not posting. The questions today revolve around your assumptions.

Thanks this week go to All Rileyed Up, Wifey, and some other guy.

On to the questions:

1. How many diapers did you change?
I would say on average 2 or 3 diapers a day. So I was off for 28 days that means around
56 to 84 diapers. Some of which were poopy.

2. Were you busy commemorating the death of Michael Jackson? Or Farah Fawcett? Or Ed McMahon? Or had you still not gotten over David Carradine? How many people asked you a question about Michael Jackson?
Sadly, I was not commemorating any of the celeb deaths… I was in Halifax when MJ died so I got to hear the Canadian version of his retrospective. It ended in “eh.”

3. Read any good books?
Reading a good one right now. It is the first in a 3 book series by Brandon Sanderson called “Mistborn.” Some really good writing and character development.

4. Did you see Transformers 2, Up, or Ice Age 3 in 3-D? I'm considering all three and wouldn't mind an opinion from someone who has seen them. I feel T-2 might be worth seeing on the big screen for the FX, Up will be great since it's Pixar, and Ice Age would be enjoyed on the big screen because of the 3-D but all those movies and the cost of tickets these days and my lack of a job... it just doesn't add up for me. So, um, what was my question... oh yes: have you seen any of them?
I have not seen any of the 3 that you referenced, but I have heard many things about 2 of the 3. Transformers 2 is an art house movie of incongruity and the study of FX over story. The reviews I have read about it seem to indicate that if you like Megan Fox and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, there are about 50 seconds of film that will make you happy. Up has had better reviews, but the review from Wifey is that it is brilliant until the inclusion of the villain. Ice Age 3-D has not hit the SRH household’s collective consciousness.

5. Are you concerned about the number of celebrities who died while you were on blog hiatus? I suggest you not try this again.
Suggestion noted.

6. So when you meditated for 6 days straight with over 200 people what were you thinking?
Umm… oh, I mean “ohm.”

7. Why the obsession with breakfast meat?
I don’t quite understand the question. Breakfast meat is glorious.

8. So how many people realized it was your birthday on Sunday June 21st?
The Canadian Customs official noticed the similarity in the date on my customs page and wished me a happy birthday. Other than that I was surrounded by people who knew me, but didn’t really “know” me.

9. So have you noticed the correlation between turning 35 and your ankle dying?
It took 2 weeks for my body to realize that I was 35, but when it did… so I guess that means my reflexes are slowed as well. Great.

10. So why did you do it?
I didn’t do anything. You can’t prove anything. No one saw me… I have said too much…. Did you like what I did?

11. Really? 6 days with the ‘rents?
That is not really about the hiatus. It is still on-going… they leave tomorrow morning. At least I have been getting free meals from them. It is a horrid feeling having your parents buy groceries for you when you are 35, and if it is not a horrid thing, then you aren’t a good person and you are free loading off your parents, you make me sick.

12. After meditating with over 200 Buddhists, do you feel peaceful, happy, and free?
I more felt trapped, fraudulent, and self-conscious. Self-conscious could be considered more self-aware, yes?

13. So while you were internationally gallivanting around North America, who did you miss most, from the Internets?
Hmmm… I assume you understand that my Wife and I actually Skype with each other pretty regularly (and that is not a euphemism, we have 2 kids and 0 euphemisms). So my wife is the cyber prescience I missed the most.

14. How many jobs did you have to turn away?
What a nice and friendly assumption, but I am still jobless. I have broadened my search categories though. I am sure a job is just around the corner.

15. What did you miss most about the US while you were trapped in Canada?
My family... and breakfast meat.

16. What do you miss most of Canada now that you are back in the boring old US of A?
The foggy mists and cool weather.

17. Did you think I would not find out about what you said?
I had hoped.

18. So, why did you almost complete a sketch about a garbage can?
Well, it was the most prevalent thing in the view.


19. Gone for almost a month, I bet you don’t even have anything done for Digital Thursday.
That isn’t even a question. That is a comment. And it is an incorrect comment at that. Boo-YA! You are gonna have to wait ‘til Thursday to see it though.

20. You were gone for 28 days, right? So are you cleaner and soberer?
Quite the opposite. I drank more and bathed less.


To Recap:
I’m back
And I’m ringing the bell
Tomorrow will be something about renewing old themes
They need new blood
And new blood they shall have
It will be like a reunion of sorts
But in a good way
Listening to Veronica by Elvis Costello

5 Things

So I have been away for a while and I offer no apologies to the less than 10 people who read this here corner of the Internets. I am un-apologetic and a bit sassy, I could be the female lead of a sitcom with those attributes.

Here are 5 things that happened whilst I was away from the Internets.

Thing the first:
I turned 35, since then my back has hurt and I have been hobbled by some affliction on my left heel. I think it is the ankle cancer, but my wife seems to think it is Achilles Tendonitis. It seems to be feeling better with Motrin and ice and keeping it elevated, so kudos to those three methods of ankle cancer treatment.

Thing the second:
I am still sans employment. This is a craptastic economy for looking for a new career or looking within an existing career. It is all about who you know and my previous employer kept me under a rock.

Thing the third:
I had a lovely dinner in Halifax, Nova Scotia with theMikeStand from Speak into the Mike. I guess it was a better time for me since I am writing about it, but to be fair he seems to be on a summer hiatus from blogging as well. He grilled out some steaks, and we had asparagus, potatoes, sweet potatoes and Mississippi Mud Pie. It was lovely. I drew 2 pics for his kids and had a great conversation with him and his wife about the most deplorable children’s names. It was glorious.

Thing the fourth:
I went to Halifax, Nova Scotia for a conference/institute/hoot-nanny called The ALiA institute. It was really a great thing for me. It was the first time I had been away from the fam on my own for more than 3 days since Little Man was born. It was a good time for me to focus on me. The problem is that the time I took to focus on me has made me into a megalomaniacal force of nature. This is me, hear me roar!

Thing the fifth:
I just talked my wife into getting an iBook with the inheritance money from my techno-phobic grandma. Yes, the grandma whose next to last words to me were, and I quote, “Do you have a job yet?” Miss you grandma. Wifey has been angling for an iBook for quite some time now. Angling so much that she has been slowly degrading her current laptop’s USB ports and causing the machine to overheat with her hawtness. Laptops cannot handle teh sexsay.

To recap:
Don’t call it a comeback
I been here for years
Rockin my peers and putting suckas in fear
Makin the tears rain down like a MON-soon
Listen to the bass go BOOM
Glad to be back in the saddle
20 Questions Tuesday is back tomorrow!
Listening to That’s Not My Name by the Ting Tings