Shangri-La .... or so it would seem

Frog-Strangler

There was a big thunderstorm coming in today so I unplugged my computer and went to K-Mart. Just as I was ready to check out, the lights went out. Then after 10 seconds of dark, the power came back on. Then we got the announcement that the registers would have to reboot and it would take a while and to be patient. I should have just left my merchandise and left, but I didn't want to come back to the store. I decided to walk around some more and look at electronics. After a while, I made my way to the front and got in the short line. Well, the two people in front of me gave up while I read the Farmer's almanac and the TV guide. Then I started thinking about what I could have gotten away with while the power was out. I had just picked up a belt. Maybe I could have slipped it on really fast without security noticing. I was sure they wouldn't. Then I thought about the scanners at the exits and how likely they would go off if I tried to steal something. Maybe if I had planned it, I could have grabbed some candy at the front and ran outside really quick. Then the manager informed my cashier that she did something wrong and her cash register would take a while to come up. Then she told me that she would check me out at the service desk. Finally, I checked out and got out of there before the power went off again.

Blender 3-D

Floyd just pointed this out to me.

They have released Blender under the GPL, so now it is a free download with the source code. They have ported it from linux to every platform so everyone can use it. They have also added a web page plugin and a game engine. I'm going to try out a few tutorials and see what I can come up with.

-- picture by @ndy, Artificial 3-D

Storm Front

I finished Storm Front late last night. It is about a detective, Harry Dresden, that is also a wizard. I think it is an easy read with a good storyline. This is the first of a series, so I expect that more character development will occur in later books, but a good start.

Xombie

I stumbled across an internet cartoon named Xombie. Besides the voice acting, it is all done by one guy, James Farr. I'm very impressed with the cartoon. It reminds me of Genndy Tartakovsky's style for Samurai Jack and the recent Star Wars: Clone Wars.

World War II Memorial

I finally looked up the new World War II memorial. I am impressed with the overall look, and I'm sure these photos don't do it much justice. I will go up to Washington D.C. soon enough and get to see it in person.

I know that my mom donated money in my uncle's name, William Stanley Jamerson, to the memorial.

Happy Father's Day

Today is Father's Day, so I drove up to see my Dad. I didn't arrive until after lunch. At first, I thought he was up on the mountain, but I found him on the back porch. He just had lunch, but I had a late breakfast so I was fine. We talked about pretty much everything. He told me about his recent adventure picking up a furnace. It is a horizontal furnace and he wants to hang it from the joists in the basement. We went down and lifted it onto a wooden stand until he can tie it up more securely.

Then we went up and watched part of the NASCAR race. After a while of that, we decided that trout for dinner would be good. Using a hot dog for bait, I landed a descent trout, but it was probably the smallest one in the pond. We threw him back. I loaded up a new piece of hot dog and landed a huge three-pounder. She was almost exactly three pounds when we weighed her. I then cleaned her and Dad cooked the trout in cornmeal. He also fixed some hush puppies and it was really good. We watched the last of the race on TV before I left.

Tea Parties and Hell

I had another dream last night.........

It started at my old high school. My friend lefty was there working for his current accounting job. I went in to visit him and saw his car parked in a weird place behind some trees. On the way in, I saw that Food Lion was using part of the building for storage. Also, there was a line of people interviewing to work for Charles Taylor (local Congressman). Everyone that was interviewing was wearing the same clothes. The girls all had on this ugly lime green dress while the men had on an ugly lime green suit. When I made it to Lefty's office, he and his secretary were complaining about work in general when one of my old work colleagues came out the door, Sean. He was then followed by McMahan who asked if Moore still worked here. Sean got mad and said that he indeed was Moore and that was his last name. Then my old boss Gary Blair came out and everyone was getting mad at everyone else. I told Lefty that I was going to step outside and get some air.

Once outside, Beaver and I started doing some landscaping work. An old friend from high school was with us, Lance Corey. Then a truck came driving up and spun out in the mud right beside Lance. The driver accidentally left it in gear and pinned Lance to the building, killing him. I screamed and fell down crying over it. His body was pushed into the bricks and everyone was shocked.

The next thing I knew we were in hell looking for Lance. It was a cave of sorts with prison cells off to the side and everything was burning. We found the room with Lance in it and the Devil was beating him with a whip. (I think it was Beaver with me, but it is kind of smoky so I wasn't sure.) The Devil stopped when we approached and asked us why we were here. I told him that Lance was not supposed to be here, but rather on the third earth. (In my dream, there were three earths and four hells. I'm not sure where heaven went.) Somehow, the Devil was distracted and Lance told us that we had to treat the Devil as a little girl and it was the only way to get out of here. When the Devil came back he transformed into a little girl and wanted to play games with us. We were going to distract him long enough and make our escape. We all sat down to have a tea party and then I woke up.

I guess that having a tea party is truly hell.

Land of the Braves

I woke up pretty early this morning considering the time I went to bed last night. Lefty, Fireball and I were all going to see a Braves game. Before they woke up, I went outside and replaced a bad left headlight. When I came back inside, they were still sleeping, so I thought about waking them up. We were supposed to leave pretty soon, but I decided to check the game time first. Well, I was tricked it turned out. Fireball was just joking about the time the game was the night before, so we had all the time in the world. So the rest of the day, I was pretty tired. When he got up, he thought he cleared that up with me the night before. He probably did, but I wasn't paying too much attention.

But we left and got there right on time. We even had a parking pass in the green lot so we didn't have to worry about a parking space. He had a parking place where the old fulton county stadium stood and there is a momument there commerating Hank Aaron's 715th Home Run.

The game was delayed a little because rain was threatening. We sat on the lower level about 20 rows behind the Braves dugout. At one point I looked up on the jumbo-tron and saw Lefty. I might have been in it too, but it was just up for a second and all I saw was him.

The game itself started off great. Furcal hit a lead-off homerun. The makes the second lead-off homerun that I've seen at a Braves game. Grissom hit one a few years back. The game was slow going and the Braves kept getting out of trouble till the 8th inning. Then all hell broke loose and the Royals scored nine runs in two innings. And when it rains, it pours. During this onslaught, it started raining as well.

So on the way home, I was miserable with the wet clothes hanging on me. And I had jeans on of all things. We stopped at a Wendy's and I got a small frosty and chili chips and cheese. Then I promptly fell asleep and left the driving up to Ian. Thankfully, he is a night owl and a machine at that. I kept waking up but thankfully, he was still was still between the lines.

We got back to the apartment right after 3am and I went right back to sleep.

Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he'd often say in his homely way that "he'd sooner live in hell."

On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka's fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we'd close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see;
It wasn't much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.

And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o'erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and "Cap," says he, "I'll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I'm asking that you won't refuse my last request."

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
"It's the cursed cold, and it's got right hold till I'm chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet 'taint being dead--it's my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you'll cremate my last remains."

A pal's last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.

There wasn't a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn't get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say: "You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it's up to you to cremate those last remains."

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows 'O God! how I loathed the thing.

And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the "Alice May."
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then "Here," said I, with a sudden cry, "is my cre-ma-tor-eum."

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared 'such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.

Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don't know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.

I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: "I'll just take a peep inside.
I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked;" . . . then the door I opened wide.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: "Please close that door.
It's fine in here, but I greatly fear you'll let in the cold and storm.
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm."

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Interview

Went to another interview this morning. This one lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes. I was interviewed by two people and it was more of listening to them talk about the company and job than me telling them my qualifications. I thought it went well, but won't know anything for a week or so.

Move Day

I woke up about 4:15 am this morning and took a quick shower. After driving through town with no one up and lots of blinking lights, I made it to the ATM. Par for the course, it was out of service. I made sure I came to a complete stop at the stop sign since two cops were parked close and probably watching me. Then I drove out of my way to another ATM and got $40 to take with me. Last time I went, I only had $3 in my wallet. I didn't want that to happen again.

I pulled up to Nathanael's at 5:05 am. I hopped into the truck and we were off. We stopped for breakfast at McDonald's near the airport. I had a sauage biscuit and water. Beaver and Nathanael seem to be on the Atkin's diet and Beaver had a burrito while Nathanael didn't eat his biscuit. I figure a working man like myself needs more carbs, not less.

We took some walkie talkies with us and that always makes everything easier when you have to stay together. We made pretty good time and pulled up to his new apartment at about 9 am. While Nathanael filled out some paperwork, we started unloading. His apartment looked pretty nice and the community looked great. It had nice landscaping and looked very clean. I've certainly seen a lot worse. He had more furniture to unload than most couples. Two bedroom suites, three TVs, couch, loveseat, etc. It was extremely humid and we were sweating immediately. It didn't take too long though since there were three of us. (Dale was there too, Nathanael was off doing whatever it is he does.)

Then we went and dropped off the truck and headed home. We had a late lunch at Logan's steakhouse. I got a NY strip that Nathanael bought me. We sang "Happy Birthday" to a stranger. Of course it wasn't the normal birthday song we all know, but something like this.

Cheerleader "When I say one, you say one. ONE!"
Assorted patrons "One"

Cheerleader "When I say two, you say two. TWO!"
Assorted patrons "two"

Cheerleader "When I say three, you say three. THREE!"
Assorted patrons (muttering begins)

Cheerleader "When I say ye-ha, you say ye-ha. YE-HA!"
Assorted patrons can be heard picking up their conversations while eating and drinking.

We dropped off Dale at the airport so he could head into work and then picked up Camy at Ivy Hill. I then followed the Brysons back to their house and stayed a while.

Nathanael is Moving

Nathanael is moving to Burlington and has a job at the company where his dad lived. So tonight we loaded up a U-Haul with all of his stuff. We pretty picked up everything that he brought back here. I did score a free microwave off of him. He asked if anyone wanted it and that he had five of them. I said I would take it and loaded it in my car. It has to be better than my old microwave. The little one I have now isn't that good. It doesn't have a turn-table and you always have to heat it longer than the directions say. Well, I have to go to bed early tonight, it is going to be an early morning tomorrow. We are leaving at 5 am.

The Big Bang

I took my Mom to a play today at The Flat Rock Playhouse. The name of it was The Big Bang. It was performed by two actors and a musician. I have always been a fan of Scott Treadway. This was the first time I have seen Mike Masters.

The official preview:

"A New York penthouse apartment provides the setting for this madcap romp. Two playwrights and a pianist join forces to pitch their $83million Broadway musical history of the world to a group of potential investors. From the spark of creation, to the creation of modern times, these wild and crazy guys showcase 3000 years of history's most famous moments and most infamous characters. History will never be the same, and neither will the Lipbalm's beautiful apartment. "

Mike Masters and Scott Treadway did a fantastic job. Also, Michael Rice did a wonderful job on the keyboard. I would recommend to anyone to go see this play. If you are lucky like I was, Scott might bring you an appetizer before the play gets going or you might even catch a fortune.

I haven't been to any plays at the Flat Rock Playhouse in a couple of years, but they offer some great shows and I always enjoy them. I would like to see a play with Michael Edwards, Steve Carlisle and Stephanie Wahl. Michael Edwards is always fun to watch. He teamed with Scott Treadway when I saw A Tuna Christmas. Steve Carlisle is a riot as well, but I may be a bit biased towards him, since he is a distant relative of mine. Stephanie Wahl will always rank number one on my list of actresses. This former Rockette came out into the audience during Sugar Babies and sat on my lap playing to the audience. :)

Share the Road

It will never be really safe for bicycles and cars to share the same roadway. I'm all for having bicycle lanes and trails for people to enjoy, but I don't like cyclists on the road. I try to give them room when I encounter them and "Share the Road". I drive on a lot of curvy roads and it is unnerving to see cyclists standing in the middle of the lane after coming around a curve. A road is not a good place to congregate especially when there isn't a long line-of-sight.

The other thing that bothers me is that cyclists don't obey the rules of the highway. The bicycle has been legally considered a vehicle in North Carolina since 1937. Thus, it has full rights and responsibilities on the roadway and is subject to all regulations governing a vehicle. I've seen a lot of cyclists drive down a lane to a red light and then proceed to run the red light. This "I'm a vehicle" one moment and "I'm a Pedestrian" next is aggrivating to me. I watched a cyclist stop at a red light for a moment today only to run it after traffic cleared.

Kapsules

Thought you might be interested in Kapsules - a windows based widget system (Widgets are small visual programs that run on your desktop). Mac users might be familiar with Konfabulator.