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Hey, remember when I said this?
Feb. 18th, 2009 05:06 pmNow, God willing, I won't have to worry about a sudden snowfall in the next few weeks (I shudder to imagine the kind of control issues you'd get with one summer and one snow tire).
Yeah, I need to keep my fucking mouth shut.
I want to go home, play some L4D, and cry.
Writer's Block: Animal Instinct
Feb. 18th, 2009 03:29 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
Some days they just dig to the bottom of the "Writer's block slush pile", don't they?
Man, doesn't some sponsor want to toss a few bucks in?
Some days they just dig to the bottom of the "Writer's block slush pile", don't they?
Man, doesn't some sponsor want to toss a few bucks in?
Strangeness
Feb. 17th, 2009 08:42 amDid anyone see this particular little filmic product? I'm looking at you,
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
pyat and doc_mystery. Apparently it came out in '06, and you can get t on a double DVDThat trailer does seem to go on, though.
I found a link to it from this piece about Escape from City 17.
My Valentines
Feb. 16th, 2009 10:44 pmWhile Cynra had some pals over for euchere and pot luck, I went to Gorman's place for L4D. Quite a lot of fun, that game, running around and killing zombies. They've done a good job making it a very evocative experience. I now have a Gold membership for the next month, so if anyone wants to play anything, I think it's possible.
Tweets for Today
Feb. 14th, 2009 03:02 pm- 21:14 Fifteen minutes into Dollhouse, and it isn't cancelled yet! Good sign! #
- 22:15 Me & The Wife after Dollhouse finishes its first episode without being cancelled: "Well that was... interesting". #
Tweets for Today
Feb. 13th, 2009 03:02 pm- 21:34 We must ally with the Grummshian orthodoxy against the Orcusite heresy. #
Tweets for Today
Feb. 12th, 2009 04:55 pm- 08:51 Flat tire, and the very clever tire sealant/pump has no instructions. The nice people at Starbucks at least offered mr a free coffee. #
- 08:52 I suspect the sealflator instructions went AWOL when I got a boost last year. Not an auspicious start to the day. #
- 09:03 I just dropped my iPhone on the floor of the toilet in this here starbucks. I thought tomorrow was Friday the 13th? #
- 09:06 Nothing like being stranded to make a guy come face to face with life's failures. At least they're playing nice music #
- 09:50 CAA's here. Driver tried to use sealflator, but damage is too great. What a fucking day. #
- 11:08 I am delighted with the professionalism and compassion shown by the Milton Statbucks, the CAA driver, and the staff here at Canadian Tire. #
I thought TOMORROW was the 13th?
Feb. 12th, 2009 02:57 pmToday is not the worst day of my life. It isn't really even a contender.
However, it sure hasn't been a good one.
You'll probably be seeing a swathe of Tweets about this momentarily, but I figured this is a tale that requires being told in more than 140 letters at a time.
So, this morning I needed to fill up the tank, so I headed to the gas station. I noticed that there seemed to be a strange sound coming from behind me. God, don't let it be the engine, I prayed.
God has a funny sense of humour, kids.
I got to the gas station and filled up Supercar (22.65 kpl trip, thanks to the fine people at Road Trip for doing the math) and gave the car a quick walkaround. Ah. Driver rear tire's flat. Fuck.
It's been troublesome with losing air, so I took it to the air pump and filled it up. It's never a good sign when you can HEAR the air flowing back out of the tire.
I figured I'd go to the dealership and see if they can help, and got onto the highway. A bus had broken down in the middle lane near Trafalgar, which had not helped traffic today (Cynra described the highway as a parking lot, which was an accurate assessment). I got onto the 401, and a nice fellow commuter told me that I had a flat tire.
That was when I figured out that I wasn't making it to work on time.
I realized that I had a tire patch kit and pump in Supercar (which we get in lieu of a spare). Of course, I opened up the thingy that holds it and realized that I didn't have any instructions. Feh.
Since it was a mild morning with a light drizzle, with occasional epic gusts of wind, I headed into the Starbucks there. Not only were they cool with me waiting for my tow truck driver in there, they gave me a free coffee as well.
I killed some time waiting for him to arrive, and when he did we tried out the sealflation device, and it was no good.
Now, my plan had been to have Supercar towed to the dealership, get the tire replaced, and head into work. The tow truck drive pointed out that the rim was damaged, and the dealership would be unlikely to try to fix it, instead replacing both rim and tire.
He also pointed out that my CAA coverage covered 10 kms free towing, after that it was, like, a thousand dollars a klick. Okay, two. The point is, it would add up.
So, desperation being the stepfather of inspiration, I remembered that I had my summer tires, on rims, at home. So I had him drive me home, and then we took the car over to Canadian Tire, where I got the flat taken off and the summer put on. Now, God willing, I won't have to worry about a sudden snowfall in the next few weeks (I shudder to imagine the kind of control issues you'd get with one summer and one snow tire). I eventually made it to work, only three hours late.
Now, this could have been a shitty, shitty day. As I said, God knows it wasn't a good one. But everyone I dealt with today was great. The Starbucks barristas were very friendly, and like I said, free coffee. The tow truck driver was considerate, and even helped me avoid the towing fees. The staff at Canadian Tire were helpful and quick.
So, yeah, that wasn't as bad a day as it could have been. Tonight is gaming and roti night, and before that there's my first kickboxing class at the wellness centre, and hopefully a visit to Dragon Lady for my fix.
However, it sure hasn't been a good one.
You'll probably be seeing a swathe of Tweets about this momentarily, but I figured this is a tale that requires being told in more than 140 letters at a time.
So, this morning I needed to fill up the tank, so I headed to the gas station. I noticed that there seemed to be a strange sound coming from behind me. God, don't let it be the engine, I prayed.
God has a funny sense of humour, kids.
I got to the gas station and filled up Supercar (22.65 kpl trip, thanks to the fine people at Road Trip for doing the math) and gave the car a quick walkaround. Ah. Driver rear tire's flat. Fuck.
It's been troublesome with losing air, so I took it to the air pump and filled it up. It's never a good sign when you can HEAR the air flowing back out of the tire.
I figured I'd go to the dealership and see if they can help, and got onto the highway. A bus had broken down in the middle lane near Trafalgar, which had not helped traffic today (Cynra described the highway as a parking lot, which was an accurate assessment). I got onto the 401, and a nice fellow commuter told me that I had a flat tire.
That was when I figured out that I wasn't making it to work on time.
I realized that I had a tire patch kit and pump in Supercar (which we get in lieu of a spare). Of course, I opened up the thingy that holds it and realized that I didn't have any instructions. Feh.
Since it was a mild morning with a light drizzle, with occasional epic gusts of wind, I headed into the Starbucks there. Not only were they cool with me waiting for my tow truck driver in there, they gave me a free coffee as well.
I killed some time waiting for him to arrive, and when he did we tried out the sealflation device, and it was no good.
Now, my plan had been to have Supercar towed to the dealership, get the tire replaced, and head into work. The tow truck drive pointed out that the rim was damaged, and the dealership would be unlikely to try to fix it, instead replacing both rim and tire.
He also pointed out that my CAA coverage covered 10 kms free towing, after that it was, like, a thousand dollars a klick. Okay, two. The point is, it would add up.
So, desperation being the stepfather of inspiration, I remembered that I had my summer tires, on rims, at home. So I had him drive me home, and then we took the car over to Canadian Tire, where I got the flat taken off and the summer put on. Now, God willing, I won't have to worry about a sudden snowfall in the next few weeks (I shudder to imagine the kind of control issues you'd get with one summer and one snow tire). I eventually made it to work, only three hours late.
Now, this could have been a shitty, shitty day. As I said, God knows it wasn't a good one. But everyone I dealt with today was great. The Starbucks barristas were very friendly, and like I said, free coffee. The tow truck driver was considerate, and even helped me avoid the towing fees. The staff at Canadian Tire were helpful and quick.
So, yeah, that wasn't as bad a day as it could have been. Tonight is gaming and roti night, and before that there's my first kickboxing class at the wellness centre, and hopefully a visit to Dragon Lady for my fix.
Tweets for Today
Feb. 11th, 2009 03:01 pm- 21:14 Good episode of Little Mosque tonight. Well, last night. I should try to get some extra work on it. #
- 21:38 In current Marvel continuity, the Silver Samurai stole his teleportation ring from Chris Farley. #
It's mostly about Rum Tum Tugger
Feb. 10th, 2009 11:24 amToday, on McSweeneys:
EXCERPTS FROM
THE COLLECTED
ANSWERING-MACHINE
MESSAGES OF LYRICIST
TIM RICE.
It has also helped me decide what I want to get the wife as an anniversary present.
EXCERPTS FROM
THE COLLECTED
ANSWERING-MACHINE
MESSAGES OF LYRICIST
TIM RICE.
I know that technically you're dead to me, but just for old times' sake I wanted to let you in on what I'm certain will be the most successful show that any human being has ever conceived—though, actually, I'm not really a human being: I'm made out of star stuff and the moon and am also God. So.
(In the background, there's the sound of a gunshot, followed by what sound like the screams of Mandy Patinkin.)
It has also helped me decide what I want to get the wife as an anniversary present.
Tags:
(Insert Ghoul Pun HERE)
Feb. 9th, 2009 05:07 pmSo, while pillaging the MPL's online card cataloge for new Graphic Novel additions (and all you can find on there are juveniles; if you want stuff from the adult GN selection, there's no luck, unless you know who the author is or what the title is.
Anyway, I saw they had four Tales from the Crypt books available, so I figured I'd give them a try. I assumed they were reprints of the old EC books, but when I picked them up from the library, I discovered that they were, in fact, new digest sized stories.
The stories are not GREAT, but they're fun and creepy little stories. They're hooked right into the zeitgeist, as it were. There's a story about an action figure collector who comes to a horrid end, and an MMORPG player who finds the events in his real life start to reflect in game, and vice versa. A lot of Duh Duh Duhhhhh! moments. The American Idol one is particularly enjoyable.
Nothing to compare to, say, the one about the baseball player with the poisoned cleats, but some fun storytelling.
Jim Salicrup's got EiC duties, and Fred Van Lente both write a couple stories in the first couple issues. Joe Lansdale does a story in the fourth issue. The publisher, Papercutz, is also doing GNs based on the Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew, and is republishing a lot of Classics Illustrated backstock.
Anyway, I saw they had four Tales from the Crypt books available, so I figured I'd give them a try. I assumed they were reprints of the old EC books, but when I picked them up from the library, I discovered that they were, in fact, new digest sized stories.
The stories are not GREAT, but they're fun and creepy little stories. They're hooked right into the zeitgeist, as it were. There's a story about an action figure collector who comes to a horrid end, and an MMORPG player who finds the events in his real life start to reflect in game, and vice versa. A lot of Duh Duh Duhhhhh! moments. The American Idol one is particularly enjoyable.
Nothing to compare to, say, the one about the baseball player with the poisoned cleats, but some fun storytelling.
Jim Salicrup's got EiC duties, and Fred Van Lente both write a couple stories in the first couple issues. Joe Lansdale does a story in the fourth issue. The publisher, Papercutz, is also doing GNs based on the Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew, and is republishing a lot of Classics Illustrated backstock.
An update.
Feb. 9th, 2009 02:29 pmFeh.
Supercar was misbehaving last week, which caused me to miss game (Boo!). I still don't knwo what happened, but I'm gonna assume it wasn't a TPK since that would have involved emails.
It's probably a matter of taste (I'm sure the 0D&D Grognards would disagree) but the common procedure for D&D characters since I can remember has been to start campaigns at 3rd level. This gives you a boost in available resources (spells, hit points, etc, etc) that adds more fun to the gaming experience. One of 4E's good qualities (one of; I do like it, folks) is that a first level player chracter starts out with a better selection of resources (neat at-will abilities, more HP, etc) than a PC from previous editions.
In essence, they recognized that the inherent fallibility/suckiness of 1st level characters was notfun, and rectified that. For that, I thank them.
Friday night was in with the wife; we watched BSG and ate Tacos and played Rock Band 2 (how do you import the RB songlist into RB2, again?).
Saturday was a big day out. We met up withmr_weasel and his wife at the AGO, where we wandered about.
We grabbed lunch at a cafe across the road, and I had a delish open faced blt with avacado. Man, that was a good sandwich.
mr_weasel and I got seperated from the better halves, and they ended up at the Rubens exhibit and we ended up going into this mind-stretching sculpture exhibit with a anthropomorphic suit-wearing man-sized rooster with, apparently, a scrotum for a wattle, and some kind of simian being eviscerated by shards of mirrors.
We ran, screaming, from the room into the comforting arms of Ken Thompson's collection of miniature boats. Sweet, sweet miniature boats. Then we looked at tiny Chinese snuff bottles and then checked out the Rubens. They sure liked 'em beefy back then, Normie!
Afterwards we killed some time at the Manulife centre, shopped at Indigo, and then headed to Lobby for our second Winterlicious session. Fascinating venue. They've got what appears to be life sized photos of Scarlett Johansen and Heath Ledger on the wall, which I assume fills some pretentious hipster requirement.
I got the potato & leek soup, which was tasty, and a chicken dish with veggies which was well plated, I guess. Dessert was a nice blueberry crumble. We all shared a hearty laugh over the price of a martini, and only debated for a few minutes over whether or not to tell our waitress she'd forgotten to charge us for our wine.
Virtue triumped over vendetta, but they only charged us for half a bottle. I can't imagine going back to it for a regular dinner, unless the standard menu has something that really draws me in.
Sunday was a quiet day. I was supposed to meet up with some guys in Hamilton for boardgames (Munchkin Quest, now with expansion!) but Cynra's leg had been bothering her since Friday, and a day of tromping around the downtown hadn't helped much. We spent the day doing shopping and cleaning. Yay!
Supercar was misbehaving last week, which caused me to miss game (Boo!). I still don't knwo what happened, but I'm gonna assume it wasn't a TPK since that would have involved emails.
It's probably a matter of taste (I'm sure the 0D&D Grognards would disagree) but the common procedure for D&D characters since I can remember has been to start campaigns at 3rd level. This gives you a boost in available resources (spells, hit points, etc, etc) that adds more fun to the gaming experience. One of 4E's good qualities (one of; I do like it, folks) is that a first level player chracter starts out with a better selection of resources (neat at-will abilities, more HP, etc) than a PC from previous editions.
In essence, they recognized that the inherent fallibility/suckiness of 1st level characters was notfun, and rectified that. For that, I thank them.
Friday night was in with the wife; we watched BSG and ate Tacos and played Rock Band 2 (how do you import the RB songlist into RB2, again?).
Saturday was a big day out. We met up with
mr_weasel and his wife at the AGO, where we wandered about.We grabbed lunch at a cafe across the road, and I had a delish open faced blt with avacado. Man, that was a good sandwich.
mr_weasel and I got seperated from the better halves, and they ended up at the Rubens exhibit and we ended up going into this mind-stretching sculpture exhibit with a anthropomorphic suit-wearing man-sized rooster with, apparently, a scrotum for a wattle, and some kind of simian being eviscerated by shards of mirrors.We ran, screaming, from the room into the comforting arms of Ken Thompson's collection of miniature boats. Sweet, sweet miniature boats. Then we looked at tiny Chinese snuff bottles and then checked out the Rubens. They sure liked 'em beefy back then, Normie!
Afterwards we killed some time at the Manulife centre, shopped at Indigo, and then headed to Lobby for our second Winterlicious session. Fascinating venue. They've got what appears to be life sized photos of Scarlett Johansen and Heath Ledger on the wall, which I assume fills some pretentious hipster requirement.
I got the potato & leek soup, which was tasty, and a chicken dish with veggies which was well plated, I guess. Dessert was a nice blueberry crumble. We all shared a hearty laugh over the price of a martini, and only debated for a few minutes over whether or not to tell our waitress she'd forgotten to charge us for our wine.
Virtue triumped over vendetta, but they only charged us for half a bottle. I can't imagine going back to it for a regular dinner, unless the standard menu has something that really draws me in.
Sunday was a quiet day. I was supposed to meet up with some guys in Hamilton for boardgames (Munchkin Quest, now with expansion!) but Cynra's leg had been bothering her since Friday, and a day of tromping around the downtown hadn't helped much. We spent the day doing shopping and cleaning. Yay!
Autism and Vaccines: It gets better
Feb. 8th, 2009 03:58 pmEveryone knows that Dr. Wakefield's study on Autism being caused by Vaccinations was, well, a little hinky, right?
Wanna know HOW hinky? He only used 12 subjects, and doctored their records.
Wanna know HOW hinky? He only used 12 subjects, and doctored their records.
Tweets for Today
Feb. 8th, 2009 03:00 pm- 17:26 Art is to gallery as artifact is to museum. #
- 11:46 Who do I have to punch to get the CBC to show Leverage? #
- 12:52 Clayton Abernathy lost his virginity while an old Buck Rogers serial was playing. That explains Flash, SciFi, and Bsttle Force 2000. #
Tweets for Today
Feb. 7th, 2009 03:03 pm- 20:31 Hell's Kitchen continues to be an enjoyable hour of shame. American lawyer ads make it better. Thanks, Paul Matar! #
Tweets for Today
Feb. 6th, 2009 03:05 pm- 11:55 NOOTS! So, naturally, the website is as sluggish as a slug with a muscle cramp. #
