Worked hard all day today on a big Internet Applications project (my very first servlet!) and have it practically done, which is pretty neat. In celebration, Maria and I are watching X-Mans on my new (used) DVD. Starting at 2320 hrs. I have to get up at 0630 hrs. This is gonna be awesome.
Category: People
I’ve been meaning to post both of these things forever. First, even though Jon and Amanda abandoned their blogs, they do have a homey little site now. It’s even got Lucy’s cell number on it! Watch out for those “for a good time” calls, Lucy.
Second, Mister Munson found my posts about him and wrote me! He seems like he’s having a great time, especially in his new science fiction class; as part of that, he says he finally taught Ender’s Game, which I badgered him to do for about half of my junior year of high school. I’m pretty sure that means I win. Or really, that they win.
This makes two people I know (Sumana being the other) who have taught a sci-fi literature class. I’ve never even had the opportunity to take one! Injustice!
For some reason, I was siezed this morning by an urge to google Colin Goggin, the only elementary-era Best Friend with whom I haven’t been in contact this year. Apparently he’s been busy building solar cars and balloon-launched gliders, or was a couple of years ago. Colin Goggin! Do you still exist? And egosurf?
Das Lisenstein came over yesterday to be Warioed and Starfoxed and watch a bunch of Captain Power episodes that she left in Rodes 2. Captain Power made a pretty strong impression on me at age 6, largely because I was fascinated by the fact that you could use the (expensive) toys to shoot at the screen, and the screen would shoot back.
I never had the toys, of course, and in fact didn’t watch many of the episodes; I’m not sure I would have liked it that much, since some of what we watched would probably have been a little over my 6-year-old head. The episodes dealt with themes of brainwashing, dead children and torture, among other things, and apparently this is part of the reason it was only on for one year.
Also, I got a sneaking suspicion after one character (“Tank”) mentioned offhand that he was a product of genetic engineering from Babylon 5 (and yet was also, somehow, “from the streets”). And as it turns out, J. Michael Straczynski wrote several episodes. Checking his IMDB entry reveals that he also wrote a bunch for the He-Man, She-Ra, Wheeled Warriors and Ghostbusters cartoons.
It’s like the entire trend in toy-driven 80s cartoons can be traced back to one guy! Not to mention half of what probably makes up my subconscious value system. For instance, the deep belief that Brian Hynek sucked, because he had the Captain Power toys, and I didn’t.
None of this, of course, applies on Tuesdays
We’ve developed a pretty good collective work ethic, really. Maria and I both get home around 6, lounge for a bit to recover from the stress of the day, and probably change clothes. I’ll hit my RSS feed, friends page and email. We decide what we’re having for dinner (almost always pizza, beans and rice, or leftovers of the above) and heat it in some fashion. We sit at the table and eat while watching an X-Files episode (into Season Three and going strong). We dump the dishes in the sink.
This is the point where we discuss getting some work done, and I usually go in and at least sit at the computer, where I do the email / friends / rss dance again. We talk for a while about how we should be studying, and sometimes Maria will actually study. I basically just talk about it. I brush my face and wash my teeth while Maria takes a shower. Most days we read aloud–we finished Small Gods a little while ago, and have started on Neuromancer. We bring up the subject of homework; Maria, because she is diligent and responsible, actually does some. As for me, you know, by now it’s past 2200 hrs and I have to get up early, is it really even worth starting at this point? I usually get a phone call or call somebody around then, and Maria talks to Graham, Bee, Michelle or somebody via phone or IM. We’ve both likely crashed by midnight.
Like I said, it’s a pretty good work ethic. Except for my work.
Holly has brought to my awareness the existence of the Lyttle Lytton Awards, which are pretty great. I loved the Bulwer-Lytton books Mister Munson kept in his classroom, and I’ll roll over and sit up for anything involving limited word counts, so for me this contest is like a robotic arm that also shoots doughnuts.
By far my personal favorite is S. Kurruk’s Berman Prize winner:
“I know who the murderer is, Kevin blogged.”
Update 1030 hrs: Hey! One of those winners is named A. Holloway!
Incidentally, Wario Ware is pretty great
For at least seven years, I’ve had a chronic leg pain that would only ever occur in one leg at a time (but not always the same leg), and only after a night in which I’d stayed up too late and not slept enough. It was fairly rare, never lasted more than a day, and didn’t feel like a sharp pain, so I mostly ignored it. My basic theory on it was that I had suffered some kind of stress fracture in the past; it only hurt, after all, when I was too tired for my muscles to support me properly (keep in mind here that my grasp of anatomy is fairly medieval).
I stayed up forever late the other night, playing Wario Ware Inc and Illuminati with the Tuesday Night Ballers, and yesterday I had my first recurrence of the problem since moving in with Maria in August. It was also worse than usual, probably because I’d sprinted for (and missed) the bus in the afternoon. I planned on ignoring it and treating it with sleep, as usual.
Maria, not a person who is lightly put off a train of thought, decided to treat me with forced couch rest, Advil and an insulated hot towel around my ankle–even though the pain extends through my entire calf. I humored her, and then to my surprise, her doctoring completely worked inside an hour. The pain was completely gone. It was pretty magical; I’ve never had my leg feel better so fast before. Maria is my hero!
Anyway, she says this means the problem is mostly (if not all) mild tendonitis. Interesting. I always wondered when I’d get my first chronic stress injury, but then I also figured it’d be carpal tunnel.
It’s getting to be less “luck” and more “frightening skill”
Maria won Illuminati again. Sean and I (we were playing teams) were one card away from victory, playing as the Bermuda Triangle and with the Orbital Mind Control Lasers already in our grasp, and we rolled an 11 and she won. I hate the stupid Discordians.
It was still pretty much the best power structure, and the fastest, I’ve ever built. We probably committed the classic error of looking too dangerous early on. Also, Maria wants me to tell you that her brother Michael was her partner, but we all know it was her heathen luck that carried the day.
Maria and I played the All Cup Tour in Mirror Mode (the longest race on the hardest setting) this morning, and even though I did gently toss the controller around a bit, we finally triumphed. We are officially Double Dash royalty now, crowned and robed, holding the Mushroom Scepter and the Turtle Shell Orb. What’s with orbs, anyway? I mean, the crown is a special hat, everybody needs a special hat, and I guess with the scepter you could point to things or hit somebody. But why do you have to have an orb, too? Maybe you could play garbage can basketball with it on boring days in court?