Christmas Cheer

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the skies,
Air defenses were up, with electronic eyes.
Combat pilots were nestled in ready room beds,
As enemy silhouettes danced in their heads.

Every jet on the apron, each SAM in its tube,
Was triply redundant linked by C-Cube.
ELINT and AWACS gave coverage so dense,
Nothing that flew could skirt our defense.

When out of the klaxon arose such a clatter,
I dashed to the screen to see what was the matter.
I dialed up the gain and then quick as a flash,
Fine adjusted the filters to damp out the hash.

And there found the source of the warning we'd heeded,
An incoming blip, by eight escorts preceded.
"Air Warning Red!" went the word down the wire,
As we gave every system the codes that meant "FIRE!"

On Aegis, up Patriot, Phalanx and Hawk!
And scramble our fighters - let's send the whole flock!
Launch decoys and missiles! Use chaff by the yard!
Get the kitchen sink up! Call the National Guard!

They turned toward the target, moved toward it, converged,
'Til the tracks on the radar all finally merged.
And the sky was lit up with a demonic light,
As the foe met his fate in the high arctic night.

So we sent out some recon to look for debris,
Yet all that they found, on land and at sea,
Were some toys, a red hat, a charred left leather boot,
Broken sleigh bells, white hair, and a deer's parachute.

Now it isn't quite Christmas, with Saint Nick shot down,
There are unhappy kids in each village and town.
For the Spirit of Christmas can't hope to evade,
All the web of defenses we'd carefully made.

But a crash program's on, working hard, night and day,
All the elves are constructing a radar-proof sleigh.
So let's wait for next Christmas, in cheer and in health,
For the future has hope, Santa's coming by stealth!

Just kill me now, before they are old enough to have to support me

Below is the text from two comments by the same person about Twilight, that appeared in the local paper today in response to the blog post:"I read Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight," the first in her four-book vampire series, and found it mildly entertaining.

I told a friend about how the first 250 pages were nothing more than Bella telling Edward how much he means to her and Edward responding with how good Bella smells. It finally sped up with a little action at the end.

Apparently, I'm not alone in my assessment. My friend forwarded Martha Brockenbrough's funny article on MSN about reimagining the dialogue for the upcoming movie. It's good stuff"

Just kill me now.



I HAVE THE 1ST 2 BOOKS TWLIGHT AND NEW MOON I WILL BE GOING
TO GO SEE THE MOVIE ON OPENING NIGHT NEW MOON IS PRETTY GOOD
MAINLY ABOUT THE ADVENTURES OF BELLA TRYING TO FIND EDWARD
AND HOW FAR SHE WILL GO TO FIND HIM SEE HIM REKINDLE THE
LOVE WHEN HE IS GONE TO GO ON A MISSION I FIND THE BOOK
FASCINATING AS U READ THE BOOKS YOU CAN IMAGINE IT IN YOUR
HEAD. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE MOVIE AND THE BOOKS IS THAT
THERE IS THIS VERY MYSTERIOUS INTENSE PASSION LOVE THEY HAVE
FOR ONE ANOTHER THE DIFFERENT ADDVENTURES OF LIFE EACH BOOK
GETS LONGER PAGES. FULL ESCLIPSE HAS 600-700 SOME PAGES
BREAKING DAWN HAS 800 SOME PAGES BUT IF YOU LIKE THE
SUSPENSE MYSTERY INTENSITY THRILL OF IT ALL THEN I SUGGEST
YOU CAN READ THE SAGA I FIND THE LOVE BETWEEN BELLA AND
EDWARD VERY IRREPLACEABLE BECAUSE ITS ONE OF A KIND VERY
RARE UNIQUE SOMETHING YOU DONT FIND IN EVERYDAY LIFE.
EVENTUALLY GET THE LAST 2 OF THE 4 BOOKS WHEN I FINISHED
READING BREAKING DAWN AND STARTED READING TWLIGHT I WAZ LIKE
HOLY COW WOW THIS IS SO AMAZING I HOPE ANY OTHER TWLIGHT
FANS OUT THERE HAVE FUN SEEEING THE MOVIE AND READING THE
BOOK/BOOKS THE MYSTERY WILL KEEP YOU IN SUSPENSE MY GUESS IS
IN THE VERY END BELLA WILL BECOME IMMORTAL TO BECOME A
VAMPIRE TO BE WITH/PART OF EDWARD FOR ETERNITY OR STILL
REMAIN AS A HUMAN FOR LOVE OF A VAMPIRE I LIKE THAT THE FACT
THE VAMPIRE MOVIE IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL VAMPIRE BLOOD BITING
LIKE YOU SEE IN THE MOVIES ITS A LOVE STORY BETWEEN A
VAMPIRE AND A HUMAN THE GREAT LENGTHS IT GOES TO REACH THAT
LOVE
PermalinkPermalink 11/20/08 @ 20:34
2. Comment from: PATTY [Visitor]
THERE IS A MISPRINT IN MY COMMENT ABOUT READING BREAKING
DAWN I MEANT TO PUT IN THERE FULL MOON THAT I COULDNT STOP
READINT THE BOOK NOTHING HARDLY EVER CATHCHES MY EYE IN
READIN BOOKS UNLESS ITS SIMILAR TO THIS ALTHOUGH I LIKE TO
READ BUT I LIKE TO READ BOOKS THAT TELL ABOUT VERY RARE
UNIQUE MYSTERY ADVENTURES NOT ALL THE SAME CLICHE BOARING
CRAP ITS NOT THE LOVE ITS WHAT BEHIND THE LOVE MYSTERY
INTENSITY ITS ALL THE SAME SENIARIO BUT DIFFERENT SITUATIONS
DIFFERENT VIBES THAT YOU FEEL TOWARDS SOMETHING OR SOMEONE..
THE PRODUCERS THE WRITER DIRECTORS ARE TALKING IN THE MIST
OF DOING THE NEXT 3 SEQUELS PROBARLY THE 4TH ONE TO I LIKE
THE FACT THE WHEN YOU READ THE BOOK THEN GO SEE THE MOVIES
IT MATCHS TOGETHER IVE SEEN SOME MOVIES BASED ON BOOKS IT
NEVER MATCHES IT NEVER GOES WELLS TOGETHER THEY CHANGE
EVERYTHING. NOT TWILIGHT IT FITS GOES WELL PERFECTLY

I need help

I saw that Gmail has themes now-then saw this one.


I need help.

March Moon Chronicles: Letter to the Red States

March Moon Chronicles: Letter to the Red States: "Monday, November 03, 2008
Letter to the Red States

Dear Red States:

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California , Hawaii , Oregon , Washington , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas , Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85 percent of America 's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama . We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care"

You think Halloween is scary.....

Im the local chief of police's quote of the week...scary, huh?

Here is the post and comment thread in full:

http://lpd304.blogspot.com/2008/11/good-business-from-bad-habit.html

Tom Casady said...

zen-

"The desire to trump biology or stupidity is stronger than the ability to get it done."

It's only Monday, but I am already awarding you the quote of the week. Nobody's going to top that one. I should have that framed in needlepoint on my wall.

November 3, 2008 2:21 PM

The annual "OMFG Sex Offenders are out to get your KIDDSSSSSS!!!!!" article

Here we go again, folks, the yearly Halloween edition of pedophilic child molester are after your kids in the local paper. They are in every house you know, and you can't let your kids out of your sight because 'these days' it 'just isn't safe'. Bullshit.

The only difference in the times is Youtube and sensationalized news. There are no more sex offenders, islamic radicals, white supremicists, pr aspiring aspirin poisoners then there were 25 years ago-you just hear about them more. Its like some kind of excuse to use for why your kids grow up maladjusted with no social skills or self identity. Charting every second of their existence from birth through college is not doing them any favors. It just means Junior is that much less self reliant and increases the likelihood of them ending up in your basement unemployed after college. Kids still go outside from morning to supper time-unfortunately not enough. I spend more time having tiffs with parents of 7 year olds than my kids do with the 7 year olds because somewhere it got fashionable to fight kids' battles for them.It's pathetic.

Pamir Safi....AGAIN

It looks like Tory Bowen's case of loss of free speech in a courtroom (which you don't have, anyway) was rejected by the US Supreme Court. Here is the link.

Here is an article from last year's first of two mistrials.

Here is the article about the second mistrial that was caused in part by her parents and Lawyer's involvement in causing a publicity campaign and then thinking that they could do so with no repercussions.


And her is my take on it. Leave now if you have already decided she is right-you won't like it. (hightlight with cursor below)










She had ample opportunity to say it was not consensual. Stay with me now..."it was not consensual." The mention of the assault kit would be inflammatory-it assumes that an assault occurred. The only purpose of the test was to determine if sex even happened, which was not in dispute. She MADE OUT WITH HIM in the bar on camera and went home with him. They weren't going to play checkers, and her friends' story bore this out in court. Her friends testified that she wasn't acting intoxicated and if they didn't know she was drunk, how would he? She claimed in testimony that she had no memory of the night, yet told a nurse afterward times and events. The one time she remembers having intercourse with him in the morning she says she told him to stop-AND HE DID. She then called someone the next morning on HIS phone, then waited over an hour until HE DROVE her somewhere-either home or not, depending on which day she was talking. Sounds like pretty much any date with a 'happy ending' I've ever heard of or been on, other than somewhere in there she decided she did something dumb, or didn't like the fact that he was of Middle Eastern descent and didn't want her parents to know, or didn't like how he smelled, looked, or maybe he just wasn't that great.The she perjured herself about when she left his apartment. Suddenly she was assaulted. This is the kind crap that gets a free ride for some reason if you are female and decide you didn't like the sex. Many women go home, chalk one up for the home team and learn from the experience-a few, however, do this instead.

Friends.....

Did you hear the one about....


Colin Powell endorsing Senator Obama just because they both are black and that it was racially motivated? Never mind that Colin Powell has NEVER endorsed an inexperienced White guy for President (George W, sit down and hush now.....).


I can't wait until Elections are over.

Hard up for money I guess

You have to love living in a city so hard up for money that people call in other people for 'wheel tax fraud'. Lincoln, NE has a wheel tax of 11.00 and some change per wheel, but students are exempt because they are not residents. Recently the State of NE went after people registering their vehicles in other states and the local municipalities followed suit. NE auto taxes are insane-my 1986 cavalier still costs me 150.00 to put plates on and its only Blue Booked at around 300 if im lucky. Good to see this kid obviously stood their ground.

A8-099587 5500 BLOCK OF SHADY CREEK CT POSS WHEEL TAX FRAUD/PRTY FND TO BE STUDNT TRAVELING BACK/FORTH 10/4/2008

Im pissed off today....

http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/smartspending/archive/2008/10/06/they-tried-eating-on-25-a-week.aspx

http://25challenge.blogspot.com/

http://feedingillinois.org/news/hunger-action-month/

The Illinois food stamp program runs at around 25.00/week per person max. There recently was an awareness campaign where some people signed up to eat on that, some single, some family. The blog posts and comments to the story itself are pretty illuminating.

I grew up with two working parents, free lunch, and gov. cheese, so I can definitely relate to a lot of this. There is some good stuff to take away from it-they posted a shopping list (sample) of what you could buy that would fit into the guidelines and it give you some ideas, but KIM that there are people that can’t jazz it up and don’t have the luxury of modifying a menu/shopping list like this. It’s not great, and it certainly sheds some light on the idea that poor people shouldn’t be overweight because ‘they don’t eat much’. They may not eat much, but they do eat badly, and cheap food is generally over processed and full of carbs and lean on anything else useful-so you get to eat a lot, cheap, and it does little for you, and they you end up hungry again.

With the economy being what it is, jobs being harder to find and keep, we’ll only see more of this. I just thought that those of us with families on a budget (and single, returning to college students-Sarah!) might find this useful in some way.

Here, however, is what ticked me off-the Digg.com comments associated with the article

You college kids and your idealistic self righteous view of your self induced poverty really piss me off. The main point of this article is not how thrifty you think you can be-its about feeding families in the long term. You may get away with eating ramen three times a day but subjecting your kids to it should be a crime. They don't have the luxury of your self imposed hippie poverty-they face serious health issues from eating like most of you say you do. And spare me the 'then don't have kids....' argument. This kids that are such a burden to you now will be paying for most of your retirements. Many people work-hard-and don't have the option of 'just moving' or 'stop driving' and shouldn't have to not have kids when they are working full time.

Your admissions counselor lied to you-you don't get the keys to the executive washroom or work for Google just because you have a piece of paper. The reality of the world is more like this article than some of you seem to grasp. For the rest of you that cut coupons and make this work, I salute you along with my mother, who made this work most every day while I was growing up. Both my parents worked, too, 40-50 hours a week.

Ask and thou shalt receive

And....here is a wolf spider, courtesy of our client services dept. (mine) about 10 feet from my desk. I put him/her outside, but it was much to the consternation of my supervisor and some others that hate spiders. Our release director told me to step on it, or she would-I told her to go sit back down and get a grip. Im sure ill pay for that one over the next several weeks with being more ignored than usual. I don't care though, she's not my boss and is somewhat parallel to me, and has enough of her own work issues to worry about. 

Bug Menagerie

We have lots of bugs at work-I mean LOTS. Here are some pics I took this morning in and around our parking log. We have a field on one side, so that probably explains it, but this was a bumper crop even for us. Maybe I can get a pic of a spider one of these days-we have them, too, but based on the number of mantis's im not surprised that I don't see more of them.

This weight loss thing sucks...

And its worst because, when you do calcs (Mifflin-St. Joer, being one of them ) you find out how damned efficient your body can be with caloric needs. Fat is non-metabolic so just because you weigh alot doesn't mean you get to eat whatever because of lbs x variable = # of calories you 'think' you need. There is the whole "lean mass only burns calories" bit that many (myself included) miss.

*sigh* I was doing really well May-July-then in August I slacked off and gained back like 10 lbs.

ARrrgghhh.......

Here is where I am now. KIM im doing this almost completely via calorie intake mod. Its a sick experiment, if you will. Basically since the body is a basic difference engine, less in should equal less on, no matter what I eat.

A school has OUTSOURCED recess

WTF is 'recess management'? You heard it here first.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/16/AR2008091603150.html?hpid=topnews

I'm about speechless. Kids don't know how to play because of Xbox? Who's problem is that? NEWSFLASH, parents, there are not pedo-molesters lurking outside of every Frickin door. Im so sick of soccer parents shedding a tear and calling the ER whenever their little darling gets poked with a stick or falls in the dirt, and then calling the police to file charges against someone. Get a F'ing grip.

*sigh* 

The world has totally lost it. I grew up in a house with GUNS, and Boa Constrictors (Sammy and Luther), and books on how to dig tiger traps, interrogate the enemy, survive on unidentified plants and boiled urine, and how to fight the government establishment. I could hunt, fish, trap, skin, dress, and stretch an animal from one end to the other and make you a necklace when I was done. I played in creek water probably infested with bugs and full of chemical run off from fields. I played in ravines where decades of creosote laden dirt was used to fill portions after the railroad pulled the tracks. I started fires (oopss......). I chased girls and didnt worry about going to jail. I rolled down steep hills on rubber balls with my friends at school (he got a broken collarbone, I laughed my butt off-the took him to the nurse). Let your kids go outside, people, while there is still some outside left. 

Welcome to the blogosphere..

My friend S has decided to have a public blog! She had one on Myspace but it's kind of a pain to blog there, especially if you already have one, like I do. Yay, Sarah-she's opinionated, intelligent, and should be a great addition to the white noise cacophony of the intarwebs.

In other news-Ive got a head cold and it sucks. The weather is great, Fall is kicking in, and if I was a betting person Id think I had allergies, except that I don't. I don't feel like doing anything, but my offices weight loss challenge starts tomorrow and damnit, I want money. Considering that my raise was only .50 and that the training modules for us to earn bonuses haven't been put up yet (for about two months + now...umm........? Lets go guys) I have to take what I can get, but honestly my raise covers the doughnuts I buy for my side of the office once a week. That's sad.

I have a new watch! Two actually-i'm excited, but might have to let one go. I have a nice Hamilton quartz ( not an automatic or manual) that is nice and simple and a long way away from my G Shocks Special Forces Kick Ass Go Army type watches. Hamilton was an American company in the lat 1800's through the late 90's but it was acquired by the Swatch group, so its got an American heritage and Swiss guts. Whoo hoo! My other is coming-a Seiko Mile Marker (another quartz, but this one will compute 1/62,500 scale US Geo Survey map distance with a rotater internal bezel!) I don't hike much, but I take pride in my ability to read topographical maps and figure compass headings.











































Big news-someone I know came out! I never suspected it, either. I don't really pride myself in any sort of -dar but Im really happy for them. They got married in SF last week, and are having a commitment ceremony next month. The downside is that she had to send out an email to part of the office to quell gossip of some kind. I work, so I don't really get in on any of that-maybe im not cool enough, I don't know, but the idea that it was even necessary is really sickening. So much for my idea that we are open minded software magnates.

*Sigh* Complaining for Complaining's sake

from the Lincoln Journals Star today:


Bikes should obey rules too

In regard to the letter Aug. 11, “Share the road”:

It is always nice to share the road with pedal-pumping people, but they need to abide by the rules, too:

1. If I run a red light, I get a ticket.

2. If I run a stop sign, I get a ticket.

3. If I go faster than the speed limit, I get a ticket.

If we as drivers have to turn on our lights at dusk, so should people on bicycles.

If the two-wheel riders want to share the road, let’s get with the program. I see too many people riding bikes on the streets and running red lights and stop signs. Or they stop for a red light, then go if there’s no traffic.

A lot of this happens in the bike lanes all around the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, so if you break the law, you should get a ticket and go to court and pay the fine. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Martin E. Rasch Jr., Lincoln




City ordinance provides for all three of those offenses for those of us on bikes. If the enforcement is lax, you are complaining to the wrong people. Honestly, when was the last time YOU got a ticket for running a stop or a red? RE speed limit-good luck-Rarely can someone on a bike exceed the speed limit in the manner you are suggesting. Lincolnites already get a 5-10 mph bye on things as it is. The reason that some stop for a red light and then go if there is no traffic is because the lights don't recognize that there is someone there. If we dismount in traffic we are suddenly a pedestrian in the middle of the street-breaking the law. If we sit there and the light never changes we are an obstruction, if we enter the crosswalk and go to the pole to change the light we become pedestrians instead of vehicles. We have to turn our lights on at dusk as well. All already covered. Good grief.

Dr. Horrible's Sing Along being Sung along to

My 4 year old LOVES the music from "Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog" Here is Rowen singing along to "Laundry Day". There isn't alot of her sound ( wasn't close enough), but she just swaying back and forth singing along about a word behind. Bri came in later and they had a duet, and were arguing over who got to sing the girl parts and who got to sing Capt. Hammer.

Weight Loss since 22 May-2 months

Last hole....baby....

In the leather belt I always wore.....who's on the last whole, baby.....I don't want to wear it anymore......


Yep. Last belt hole this morning at my naval waist on my work slacks. Was a 5 hole belt and Ive been as high as the the 2nd to the last on the other end.

WoOoOt!

Todays Ride

Temp-about 75 @ 9am ( I love being on call)
Wind-Crap! Gust of 25 from the South, so about half of my ride in
Distance-5.8 mi
Speed-Avg 10.8
Top-24.6
Time-32.35 minutes

Arrrgghh....so today is the first day that I decided to ride all the way in, keeping the car parked. Forgoing that morning Clove was hard, as was the freaking hill right outside my door going up to 48th. I hadn't really had fun yet until I popped out of the little sidewalk/path thing that cuts from 44th to Lowell, then to Pioneers, then finally to the RI trail at 27th. Then the fun started because I realized that that S wind really sucked!

Did I say that wind sucked? From 27th on it was the same as if Id staged in. The weird part was that Im on call this week so I work from 10-430 and then 5-7 with the Cell, so I came into the office all decked out and sweaty when people were actually here. It only took me 2-3 minutes longer than had I went from Hyvee to here, and with the wind as well. Im looking forward to getting a push from it to go home, though.


So, no more excuses about having to drive part way. Ive done it now, dammnit.

Empiracal Proof-Wal-Mart is the AntiChrist

And if this picture wasn't enough....












You can read this from a bike forum of which I am a member.

"So I generally choose not to patronize walmart for several moral reasons...but today I was in desperate need of some CD-Rs so I could mail a file to my university and the only place anywhere near me that sells them is Wally world. So I grudgingly got on my bike and made the 4 mile ride on some pretty dangerous roads only to find that they have no form of bike rack whatsoever. That's typical for this area so I've become used to just taking my bike into stores...in fact I usually use the basket on the back as a shopping cart.

So I walk into the walmart and the most evil grandmother I've ever met grabs my arm with her claws and says I can't bring it into the store. I explained to here there was nowhere outside to lock it up and that I had brought it into that particular store with no problem. She insisted that I had to leave it in the foyer and I calmly said that I wasn't going to leave a 600 dollar bike just sitting in the foyer and that I'd like to speak to her manager.

So the manager comes out and says I can't bring the bike into the store, so I explain to her that there are safe places for people who drive to lock their cars but there is no safe place for me to lock my mode of transportation. She says that I should have driven there I told her that I didn't own a car and that my bike was my only form of transportation and I couldn't risk having it stolen. She said I couldn't bring it in because they sell bikes in the store. So I said but those bikes don't look anything like this and this is clearly not a brand new bike, so why is that a problem. She insisted that for the safety of the other customers I couldn't bring it inside, so I asked her why she thought a bike controlled by an adult was more dangerous than a shopping cart being pushed around by someone's bratty kids. So she switched back to the excuse that they sell bikes in the store so I couldn't bring another bicycle in. I was starting to get really frustrated since I had ridden all the way there seemingly for no reason, so I asked her if they also sold shirts in the store. She said yes so I took off my jersey and said well then I'd better not bring this in either. She got kind of flustered and said that it was a different situation but couldn't explain why. So I said that if they also sold shorts in the store that I'd better not wear those in either and I took off my shorts. Same goes for the shoes and sunglasses. Now I'm standing there in my spandex and a sports bra and I ask here if I can leave my things behind the customer service counter where they will be safe until I finish making my purchases and she said that I couldn't come into the store without shoes on, to which i responded "but I certainly can't wear shoes into the store because you sell those here and someone might think I've stolen them." She threatened to call security if I didn't leave so I told her that I would never be coming back to that store again and that I was glad I hadn't driven there since the gas to go four miles was probably more expensive than what her underpaid employees make in an hour.

Her expression when the shirt came off was absolutely priceless...I was pretty tempted to take off the spandex too but I wasn't sure what constitutes indecent exposure in Virginia so I figured I'd err on the side of caution. Still I had a decent sized crowd gathered before the end of the discussion. Anybody else have issues with Satan's superstore?"

Crap....

I just realized that I have to ride that route BACK!

*sigh*

Today's ride-little bit longer distance

Over the weekend I changed out tires from Rock Combos (26x1.95) to a set of Conti Contacts26x1.75). I also changed out grips from the stock foamies to a set of Ergon E1's and I had a new pair of Pearl Izumi gloves to break in.

5 minutes. That's what I cut off this morning...and with an extra 3/4 mile added as well.

74 Degrees
Light headwind
mostly sunny, but still dawnish at 7 am.
Distance 5.75 miles.

I gained 5 minutes on my time, even havingt to stop for some crossings a little longer than normal. I was running late as it is, left my house at about 645 to go to my staging point, about 5 miles from work. I dropped the bike, strapped on various things (did you know that if you check the pockets of your Timbuk2 bag you find all kinds of stuff you never knew was there after a year-like the cross strap?), and threw on some tunes. This morning it was a combination of Beastie Boys, some 80's Hair bands, and Music from the Lonely Planet, a series that was on the Discovery Channel and had great music if you are into World/Fusion.

Took off from Hyvee, down Union, over to 34th and down, hit the Tierra. Got to experience my first intersection confusion as I reminded myself to signal so the the guy on the really nice bike next to me knew if I was turning off of 34th or going straight *Sorry*. The Tierra part of the trail is named in part for a park that it goes through, sort of an Apt. Complex/Really large adjacent park next to it. It's got these little canals that go along the one side, with some trees overhanging here and there. Really pretty. Dodged a rabbit and what I think might have been an Oriel.

Got onto RI and crossed 27th on a bridge that someone so thoughtfully paid for, and onto the main trail. Here is where the fun starts-there was a guy at the bridge that crossed me before I turned, so I was behind him for a little while. The RI trail ends up at a YMCA, maybe a mile and a half from the bridge where we turned. In there, after I hit a stride (and a particular favorite BB track) I picked up the pace and ended up calling 'left' on the guy that had been ahead of me. Glanced down as I went (Trek frame, knobby tires) and passed him somewhere between 27th and Old Cheney with a mile and a half to go to the Y. As I glanced and went by, I also noticed that he was a young guy, and had an LFD and Rescue shirt on-those ones they only issue to the Municipal Fire and Rescue.

WoOt! Go FatRacer go go Fat Racer!

So, with some good tunes, decent tires, and a little unintended personal comptition (that this guy was not going to pass me back up until at least the end of RI) anything is possible. I also discovered that a 1/2 inch is a big deal. The new grips helped immensely, but I still started feeling the tingles just after Old Cheney (about mile 4ish). I moved my butt back a 1/2" in the saddle, and felt that 'flood of feeling' into my fingers. My leg position seems to be fine, but I think im putting a bit much weight on my hands-minor adjustment to my position and Wow. Went probably 3/4 mile more today than last week by trusting the rest of the trail in instead of turning off of it go to along the street.

Yip Yip, Yahooy!

Space Chimps.....watch out, its the Space Chimps.......

Uggghhh.....

It has been three weeks since America was introduced to the animated hit WALL-E and already another animated flick, Space Chimps, has hit theaters.

‘Space Chimps’ begins at the circus, where a chimp named Ham III (voice of Andy Samberg) is doing his typical circus act; being blasted into the sky from a cannon. Ham III is happy with his circus life, but due to his family history, things start to change. Ham’s grandfather was the first chimpanzee to go into space, so when NASA begins looking for chimps to take part in a wild space mission, Ham seems to be the chimp for the job.

After being forced into space training, Ham is teamed up with Lieutenant Luna (voice of Cheryl Hines) and Commander Titan (voice of Patrick Warburton), and before he knows it he is headed for an intergalactic wormhole in search of a $5 billion NASA probe that was lost.

Once the team reaches the worm hole they are sent to the planet Malgor, which is filled with weird creatures that are currently being harassed by the evil warlord Zartog (Jeff Daniels) who has plans to take over the planet. The chimps arrive just in time to help save the creatures from the evil dictator.

Now the movie may sound innocent, cute and nice, but sitting through this short film was the worst experience I have had at the movies in a long time. ‘Space Chimps’ doesn’t only lack a good storyline, but the animation looks like something a college student would have done for a project, which is sad considering one of the producers of the film is the mastermind behind the Shrek movies.

The aliens used in the film were the weirdest looking characters I have ever seen in a movie, and the main alien in the film, Kilowatt (voice of Kristen Chenoweth), got to be downright annoying within the first few minutes of seeing her.

Overall I was just unimpressed with this movie. I was anxious to see it, hoping it might actually be a fun children’s movie, but the way it jumps around so much might make it hard for a younger kid to follow along and pay attention.

Yet another poor choice for this movie was the release date because of the competition. ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’ will be the big releases for the week, and ‘Space Chimps’ is sure to disappoint at the box office.

On the positive note however, ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’ are for older audiences and are not really for the younger children in any way, shape or form. So, if you have to pick a movie appropriate for all ages, Space Chimps is the way to go this weekend. It is a short film, only running at 1 hour and 15 minutes, and it’s rated G.

Recommended:
No

Movie Mood: None of the Above
Viewing Method: Sneak Preview at My Local Theater
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Everything

Response to article on biking today in LJS

I wrote this in response to a LJS article about a full time bike commuter and his wife that was in the paper today.


"Part time commuting is easy, too. I put some semi-slick tires on my old MTB (they ride better) and a different set of grips, and I drive part way then ride partway to work now as i'm building up to the whole trip. Most of my trip is on Lincoln City trails which are smooth, paved, and have some great regulars on them. I ride about 5 miles one way right now and I get to work in 35 minutes at a leisurely pace. I towel off at work, put on some more antiperspirant, and change clothes. I eat less crap food since I can't jump in my car for lunch. I get my exercise in for the day and some time to myself as well. You don't need a 1000 dollar bike or even a 500 dollar bike (craigslist is your friend), you don't need funny shorts or biker beanie caps. I'd recommend gloves and sunglasses and that's about it. Get a rack, and maybe a messenger bag or something and you are good to go. I weigh 280 and can do it, pretty quickly, so anyone can. Most of the rest of the world uses bicycles as a vehicle-they aren't toys. We Americans seem to be one of the few cultures that invents devices to simulate work, so we don't feel guilty about the lack of 'work' we do."

I hate plateaus...

3D voodoo that you do....so so well.

3D has come a long way since those cereal box glasses from my youth in the 80's. My trip to Disney World this summer allowed my kids and I to see some 3D attractions in their parks, using glasses that provided a pretty decent 3D effect-but still were just heavier plastic versions of the traditional bicolor film glasses. Enter XPand 3D-the purveyor of Theater 3D experience. The glasses, paired with a 13,000 projector that can take 5 minutes to restart when the dual projection doesn't start up correctly, and little transmitters that feed off of the projector and send light cues to the LCDs is the system used to show this movie.

This is a digital 3D system that sends image swaps and light changes individually to each eye-a similar system as used for Hannah Montana. The glasses are a bit cumbersome, heavy, and not very comfortable for something that you have to wear for 90 minutes, and it is somewhat difficult to find the perfect focal point, so there are images in the frame that still seem off-creating some eye fatigue.

My wife is an asst. manager at the theater we watched this in says that EXpand is working on the glasses system and how they sync with the software as these are still the prototype glasses. This theater also just installed the entire system 3 days ago, so there are probably some tweaks that need to be done. I found it tiring, and had a mild headache at the end. It provides a neat 3D effect, and there are some 'AT YOU's provided in the movie that really take advantage of the capabilities. The glowing humming birds and the sneezing dinosaur were hits with my kids.
Upcoming titles to be released in XPand 3D include 'Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,' 'Toy Story 3' and 'Avatar,' James Cameron's first feature since 'Titanic.' DreamWorks Animation also recently announced that all their new films, including 'Shrek Goes Fourth,' will be released in 3D. WIth such heavy hitters coming, im sure XPand will work the bugs out. On to the movie.

Trevor (Brendan Fraser) is a volcanologist and a professor in a university. He has completely forgotten about Sean coming to spend ten days with him. When Sean’s mother drops him off, Trevor is totally unprepared and his house is in a complete mess. Sean is a 13-year-old teenager who’s into PSP, Google and the likes, so Trevor and Sean don’t seem to get along in the beginning.

Before Sean’s mom leaves, she passes Trevor with a box of items that belonged to Max, Trevor’s brother and Sean’s father, who went missing years before. Suddenly, Sean takes interest in what Trevor has to say after he tells him about his father, whom he never really had a chance to know. Trevor tells Sean that yoyo is his father’s PSP. Trevor also finds a novel Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne with notes written by Max. Trevor and Sean quickly go to his laboratory only to discover a new seismometer reading which has led them to Iceland. Although Trevor intends to send Sean back to his mother, Sean relents and Trevor has no choice but to bring him along.

In Iceland, Trevor and Sean look for another volcanologist only to find he has passed away 3 years ago. His daughter, Hannah (Anita Briem) invites them into the house and they talk about the book by Jules Verne. Hannah refers the believer of the book as "Vernian", in which she says unlike her father, she is not a Vernian. However, she offers to be Trevor and Sean’s mountain guide for a hefty price. While hiking, Trevor refuses to heed Hannah’s warning of possible lightning strike as he is trying to pull out his seismometer. When it’s nearly too late, Trevor lets go of his instrument and they are trapped in a cave after the lightning hits the rocks and the rocks cover the entrance of the cave.

Trevor and Hannah decides to find another way out while Sean insists on digging the rocks. While finding the way out, Trevor, Sean and Hannah fall into a deep pit which takes them to the center of the Earth. What happen next includes discovering of glowing birds, gigantic man-eating plants, man-eating fish, Loch Ness monsters and T-Rex.

Basically, the movie is purposely made in 3D and it is the best to watch in a 3D theaters, otherwise, the movie would seem to be rather dull and predictable.

Wall-E! Great Movi-eee! (Great Review, not mine)

Wall-E is both entertaining and subversive at the same time. A truly enjoyable film that can be enjoyed by all, yet has a very subtle message for the masses. The message I am referring to is not the obvious one about the environment, but rather about apathy, and what can happen to an apathetic society. Though not a perfect film, it is pretty damn close, and easily the best film Pixar has ever made.

Director Andrew Stanton should be given high praise for crafting this groundbreaking new film that is filled with soul. “Wall-E” is the story of a waste management robot left behind on an Earth that was abandoned nearly 700 years earlier. The name Wall-E stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class. There is a lot of waste for Wall-E to lift. The Earth as been polluted to the point that it is inhabitable for most sentient life, except of course for the cockroach. Over the course of the 700 years since humans first left the earth and took to the stars, all of the Wall-E units, but one, have since stopped operating. The Wall-E of the story has sort of evolved over the years. He has learned to salvage valuables such as rubicks cubes and light bulbs that might be of use later. He has also built up a supply of repair parts that he uses to repair himself and stay in operation. Wall-E has also taken to watching a video tape of the musical “Hello Dolly” over and over again. It is through that movie that Wall-E begins to take on human traits, such as compassion, the ability to love, and a desire to be loved. But except for his cockroach friend, there is nobody for him to fall in love with.

This changes when a space ship returns to Earth, and deposits a lone robot, EVE. EVE stands for Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, and she has been sent to Earth to look for plant life. Unable to find any plant life, she becomes increasingly frustrated. When Wall-E sees her, he falls instantly in love. But EVE sees him as more of a nuisance, and even tries to blast him to bits a few times. But eventually, when a dust storm hits, Wall-E comes to her rescue and brings her back to his shelter, where he shows her the movie, as well as a number of items he has been hording. But when Wall-E presents her with a plant he has been caring for, EVE’s directive takes over, she scoops the plant up, shoves it inside her, and calls her spaceship to pick her up.
Unable to let the love of his life go, Wall-E stows away on the spaceship carrying EVE away. The ship eventually docks with a larger ship that is run by robots, whose purpose is to serve as a resort for human beings until the time that life is found on Earth and they can return home. On one level, the film is trying to make a statement about the environment and how we need to take care of our planet before it’s too late. But on a far more subtle level, the movie makes a point that the human race as a whole has become apathetic, and if left unchecked, that apathy will ultimately spell doom for our species. Wall-E arrives to the resort ship to find a human race that has become so obese that they can no longer walk upright. They are carted around in hovering chairs, plugged into virtual reality systems that keep them occupied, and they drink high calorie meals like “cupcake in a cup.” Humans only interact with one another via internet connections, and never look up from their computer screens to even notice that the ship has a swimming pool. The ship’s captain can’t even read because he has never seen or opened a book. Pixar’s analogy is that if we allow ourselves to become so detached from the world around us, the world will fall apart right in front of us, but we won’t even notice because we are too blind to everything but our own selfish desires. It is really a very subversive message to put in an animated film targeted to children. But then again, Pixar’s films have always been smarter than the rest, and aimed to parents as much as they are aimed for kids.

The animation in “Wall-E” is beautiful. The story is both simple and complex at the same time. For a screenplay with little dialogue, it is a brilliant story. At it’s heart is the love story of Wall-E and EVE. Their story is as touching and memorable as any live action romance in recent memory. When EVE powers down awaiting the return of her ship, you can’t help but feel the pain and anguish that Wall-E is feeling trying to figure out what is wrong with his beloved. This is not to say that the film is not without faults. At times the story falls into an all to familiar, predictable pattern. At times the film seems to slow down too much, and could have used just a bit of editing. But overall, this is as flawless an animated film as one could ask for. Watching it, I could not help but feel that Disney / Pixar might just have the second animated film in history to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. The movie is really that good.