long story short

Friday the 13th ...

2009-02-17T15:20:00.002-05:00

Now, I'm not a superstitious sort, but this past Friday was downright triskaidekaphobic. There I am, Friday morning, enjoying a nice hot shower, thinking about the fun I'd have later in the afternoon, playing D&D Minis with those bratty kids at Harmony School. I get out of the shower and promptly fall HARD, severely bruising my lower back on the ledge around our shower. My left foot hit the wall so hard it put a hole in it, and I lay there, unable to speak or move.

Then, not knowing what else to do, I started to yell. Ow! Ow! Then, in my head, I thought, 'Swearing would be justified in this situation'. Fuck!

Dani comes running in like it's Judgment Day, and it takes a couple of minutes to get my swollen, bruised, still wet and nude form off the floor. Not a great way to begin the day.

This here story kind of falls apart from there. I spent the rest of the day hobbling around, grunting with pain whenever I had to sit or stand, and enjoying small episodes of 'bad luck', like realizing I've forgotten stuff in my car when I've already hiked my crippled ass up the second floor of the school or realizing that I don't have everything I need after I've already spent 20 minutes in line at the post office, and now I'm late ...

Phew! I'm glad that's over and there won't be another Friday the 13th for a few more years ... right?

Prodigal ...

2009-02-12T15:05:00.003-05:00

Okay, okay, so here I am posting. Here's the skinny:

I got myself a new nose. Well, no, I didn't. I got rid of some stuff that was messing up the old nose. I still snore, but more like a walrus that is zerberting another walrus that is snoring. I use a thang called a CPAP when I sleep, and I'm pretty amazed to find that I really haven't been sleeping for years. And, yeah, it pretty much confirms that you snore really frickin' loud when your wife says the Darth Vader machine is much quieter.
Work is better than it's ever been, and it's largely because of the presence of one James Nelson Robinson. I kid you not.
I enjoy a monthly game of D&D RPG, as well as a monthly D&D Miniatures tournament.
I spend the rest of my time familying, watching BSG and Lost, and working on stuff for the DDM Guild (Read - All - About - It).

Life is good.

Crashing ...

2008-11-14T11:02:00.003-05:00

(Thanks to Daily Kos)

Alice Walker ...

2008-11-12T13:50:00.002-05:00

'We are the ones we've been waiting for.'

Work to be done ...

2008-11-10T12:47:00.002-05:00

Breaking News: Obama meets unpopular, aggressive world leader -- with no pre-conditions!

(Thanks, TPM)

In other news, I went to an ENT today. I snore profusely, but I don't really get sleepy during the day, so I've never really considered the possibility that I have sleep apnea. I guess we'll know for sure within the next couple weeks. In either case, I've got nasal polyps that make it hard to breathe through my nose, and I've got huge tonsils that make it hard to breathe through my mouth. Breathing is one of those things that I enjoy doing often, so we'll be taking care of that toot sweet, yo.

I'm thankful for a decent health care plan. It's not easy, though. Trying to figure out the best type of coverage for the family dollar, keeping track of which providers are in network, etc. -- I'd love to see this stuff addressed after we take care of getting health care for those that don't have it at all. I feel for the providers, too. A bunch of them have pulled out of Anthem because they can't charge what they want to and stay part of the network. I don't know enough to figure out whether they're being greedy, but my guess is that not all of them are. Ah well, more work to be done.

On the up side ...

2008-11-07T15:18:00.004-05:00

South Dakota and Colorado voted in favor of abortion rights. It's kind of odd that South Dakota favored McCain so heavily, yet the abortion ban was defeated. How does that work?

I really don't understand some people's perspectives on this issue. A relative wrote the following:

I firmly believe that we will not have true justice – social, economic, racial – until all human life is respected, from natural conception to natural death. I pray that we all consider that 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' starts with life. I pray that we consider life and the protection of all life (pre-born to aged) when we vote for our elected officials next week.

This attitude raises a lot of questions for me. Do you really think that social, economic, and racial justice will come about if abortion is banned? It sure didn't seem to help in the 1950s. What about unnatural death? Why aren't folks as passionate about things like war and the death penalty?

I just don't get it. I know people who refused to vote for Obama based on this one issue -- despite the fact that Obama's worldview and policies were much closer to theirs in every other respect. Do they really think that this one issue is the key to world peace?

To top it all off, I don't actually think that McCain or Palin are interested in doing much about abortion. Palin said that she doesn't think anyone should go to jail for having an abortion. Well, then how does that make you significantly different from someone who is pro-choice? Is it just that you say you're pro-life, and that's good enough? Crazy.

The next right thing ...

2008-11-06T12:32:00.004-05:00

This election shined light on the fact that bigotry is alive, though maybe not quite well, in the United States of America. California's odious Proposition 8 passed, barely. In the spirit of the times, I choose to view this challenge with hope and determination.

As kos says:

If nothing else, there will be more of us, and less of them in two years ... That's why the Mormon Church and their bigoted allies are so desperate in this fight. Young people aren't afraid of the gays. They're on the losing side of history.

Ironically, given my advanced case of senectitude, I guess I'm one of them -- but I'm on the winning side of history!

Okay, so the legal challenges already have started. We will win this issue eventually. No more despair -- just get to work!

In a country with separation of church and state; where major religious organizations support the right of marriage for all; where a guy like me can get ordained via the internet; where atheists, agnostics, and Satanists are entitled to legal marriage -- well, you get the picture. The government isn't in the business of preserving your illusions. Sanctity is in the soul of the beholder.

So crazy and so reasoned ...

2008-11-05T11:19:00.001-05:00

'One thing is sure — which places a heavy, metahistorical responsibility on the new President's shoulders: never will an American election have excited in the rest of the world a hope at once so crazy and so reasoned.'

-- Bernard-Henri Lévy in Time

Fire it up!

2008-11-04T14:08:00.002-05:00

Ready to go!

Priceless ...

2008-10-22T11:26:00.001-04:00

A good time to be a geek ...

2008-10-21T13:52:00.002-04:00

Okay, between this thing and Obama's reference to being 'sent here by my father, Jor-El, to save the planet', I'm starting to think that things are swinging my way.

Classy ...

2008-10-16T20:30:00.001-04:00

That one ...

2008-10-08T14:14:00.001-04:00

The debate was interesting last night, although a bit dry. I can understand why 'that one' is getting as much play as it is, and I appreciate Joe Biden's take on it. I think the biggest mistake McCain made, though, was in making this introductory remark in response to questions about entitlement programs:

"My friends [drink!], we are not going to be able to provide the same benefit for present-day workers that we are going -- that present-day retirees have today" (transcript).

Okay, so wait a second. You say, "Let's not raise anyone's taxes", but I'm not going to get the same benefits for my tax money? Arou? And you want to tax my health care benefits?

I'm no Joe Sixpack, but I don't think that'll play too well with most folks.

Long time ...

2007-08-14T14:06:00.001-04:00

Okay, so it's been eight months or so since I've posted, and here I am asking for favors. The thing is that the D&D Miniatures Championship is this Friday, and I'm audacious enough to believe that I can win the whole enchilada! So, if you have a minute on Friday to send out some good vibes for your ol' pal, Jimmah, I be appreciating it. Eye of the Tiger!

Arcane knowledge ...

2007-01-12T14:02:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah, and I'm famous!

Scatman ...

2007-01-12T12:54:00.001-05:00

I had a dream last night that Ned and I were on stage at some kind of party, like at a VFW or something, and all you guys were there. I was playing stand-up bass, and Ned was scatting on an old-timey microphone. It was awesome.

2007-01-05T10:48:00.001-05:00

Time flies like an arrow;
Fruit flies like a banana.

2007-01-04T11:38:00.001-05:00

Fifty calories
In a fat-filled Fig Newton
Non-fat? Seventy

2007-01-02T11:08:00.000-05:00

Hello, 2007. What will you bring?

Saddam Hussein was hanged on Saturday. I find it very disturbing.

2006-11-09T11:58:00.000-05:00

Wow. I mean, like, wow. I'm very pleasantly surprised. Boy howdy, I'm almost hopeful. I attribute our success to this site.

2006-10-18T11:58:00.000-04:00

Splice is a really interesting idea. There seem to be some dropouts or pauses when new tracks kick in on some songs, but that may be my computer. Is this the future for projects like LCD?

2006-10-17T11:36:00.000-04:00

Before the mockery commences full-force, I suppose I'll push Hitler Cats! a bit further down the page. What can I tell you? I no longer eat sugar or white flour. I never would have believed it would be so easy. I enjoy watching Heroes, Lost, and Battlestar Galactica. It's a good time to be a nerd. I also am enjoying Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, though they're going to have to stay away from the same tired romance storyline if they want to keep me.

I play a lot of D&D Miniatures these days. I'm currently fighting to regain my status as the top rated player in Indiana (200 point constructed). Should I do so, I will have achieved the triple crown (number one in constructed, extreme, and limited) for the first time.

We had to call the fire department on Saturday night because we smelled this nasty burning plastic smell and couldn't locate the source. Then, we figured out that it was the water heater. The fire department came anyway, and they were really cool. They have this neat camera that can see heat eminations, so they can scan your house and figure out where there's fire (or the potential for fire). They helped us figure out which breaker was the one for the water heater. The previous owner was an electrician, but the breaker box isn't labeled. Go figure.

So, yesterday, Dani had jury duty, and I stayed home while the plumber installed the new water heater. It took him five hours, thanks to the insane design of our laundry room. Apparently, one of the previous owners thought it would be cool to build an enclosure around the water heater with a doorway that is too narrow for the water heater and that features a six inch lip across the bottom of the doorway that exists for no conceivable reason other than to make it that much harder to remove the water heater (and the softener). The doorway must have been built it after the water heater and softener were installed.

Well, I got to use our fancy cordless drill and take apart the doorway. That was fun. Also, the water softener was in the way and had to be disconnected and moved. By the way, five hours of a plumber's time costs more than a new water heater.

We got to go to the Maze of Cornfusion with John and Carrie on Sunday. I had a really nice time. Those Lawrences are some good people -- entertaining and easy to talk with.

Mock away, punks.

2006-10-12T19:46:00.000-04:00

Has anybody ever been to Ann Arbor, Michigan?

2006-06-23T11:40:00.000-04:00

Hitler Cats!

2006-06-07T11:03:00.000-04:00

Hmmm ... I seem to have lost a month or so somewhere. Highlights: two weeks of vacation in Albuquerque and qualifying for the D&D Miniatures Championship. Lowlights: X-Men III and severe back pain.