tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84873402024-03-21T13:39:21.107-04:00Captain Saint LuciferThe Continuing Adventures of The Captain St L. With random musings on music, art, photography, literature, Turkmenistan and, of course, pythons...Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.comBlogger591125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-75756023477501111282006-12-26T21:44:00.000-05:002008-11-13T14:28:38.405-05:00My Christmas Gift From Turkmenistan!WOW! <div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lApi0BSfyGTkIecvx_brX74OvYEm32jEs8Nold9a6R27imqU_wLY88LKRehyphenhyphentesctLyKFSQsG3tmevf0lFc6KZZVjoAp22L7hFn4aPhfMvx2Gi02EZAMUsRbkEMhPShgUpWh/s1600-h/stat.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013033365650606770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lApi0BSfyGTkIecvx_brX74OvYEm32jEs8Nold9a6R27imqU_wLY88LKRehyphenhyphentesctLyKFSQsG3tmevf0lFc6KZZVjoAp22L7hFn4aPhfMvx2Gi02EZAMUsRbkEMhPShgUpWh/s400/stat.bmp" border="0" /></a></div><div>My <strong>PalInTurkmenistan</strong> pulled off a major coup for me - it seems that all of that sequestering in the hotel gave her time to catch up on my blogging, which enticed her to sneak outside and put herself at risk to satisfy my desires.... </div><div><br />Again...WOW!</div><br /><div>So, here it is, <strong>FaithfulReaders</strong>, the rotating statue of the departed <strong>Turkmenbashi</strong>!</div><div><br /><em>You have no idea what I had to go through to get this. It is illegal to take pictures of it. It involved a lot of look-outs, hiding in trees, then running from a guard when he came towards us!</em></div><br /><div><em>Things here are still pretty calm, but today is when they announce when the "elections" will happen. </em></div><br /><div><em>It will be interesting to see what really goes down.</em></div></div>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-43401116875032271232006-12-25T09:56:00.000-05:002008-11-13T14:28:38.693-05:00Merry Christmas, FaithfulReaders!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8QBtl3rZDXLQkb4zm_sA8zf5TXx_5NQjdCCisqDsUt974RKBJsCeVme-77I8K_3Yi20V7_xSP_cL2IOLZeaRISa6ltceAxWxZXbncBg4HqO9rVDeSnCtTxU99nIObL4wweqS/s1600-h/Merry+Xmas.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5012478584724982322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8QBtl3rZDXLQkb4zm_sA8zf5TXx_5NQjdCCisqDsUt974RKBJsCeVme-77I8K_3Yi20V7_xSP_cL2IOLZeaRISa6ltceAxWxZXbncBg4HqO9rVDeSnCtTxU99nIObL4wweqS/s400/Merry+Xmas.jpg" border="0" /></a>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-86475928689228416492006-12-23T07:34:00.000-05:002006-12-23T07:35:45.836-05:00PerspectiveFrom the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/22/arts/design/22givi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin"><strong>NYT</strong></a>'s -<br /><br />In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War"><strong>Vietnam</strong></a> in the mid-1960s, some 200 civilians were at one point trapped between battling <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Vietnam"><strong>South Vietnamese</strong></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Front_for_the_Liberation_of_South_Vietnam"><strong>Vietcong</strong></a> forces and seemed to be doomed to die in the crossfire.<br /><br />Suddenly a band of 18 monks and nuns appeared — unarmed and politically unaligned — and walked into the combat zone.<br /><br />The shooting stopped.<br /><br />They escorted the civilians to safety.<br /><br />The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_monk"><strong>Buddhists</strong></a> had given the right gift to the right people at the right time and asked nothing in return.<br /><br />If there is such a thing as a perfect gift, that is it.Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-8822127518429200442006-12-22T23:50:00.000-05:002006-12-23T07:51:40.230-05:00That'll Make Me ScreamAccording to a 200-page <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/22/arts/22arts.html?ref=arts">assessment</a> given to <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo">Oslo</a></strong> police, damage resulting from the theft of <strong>Edvard Munch</strong>’s <strong><em>Scream</em></strong> may be too severe to be repaired.<br /><br /><strong>Ingebjorg Ydstie</strong>, a museum curator, reported:<br /><br /><em>Water has been absorbed by one corner of the paperboard, and there is abrasion damage on the lower part of the painting. We have a large swath that is very visible.</em><br /><br />But wait, FaithfulReaders -what to make of this:<br /><br /><em>On September 1, 2006, <strong>Munch Museum</strong> director <strong>Ingebjørg Ydstie</strong> said that the condition of the paintings was much better than expected and that the damage could be repaired. Our skilled conservators will be able to repair the damage.</em><br /><em></em><br />Or not, apparently.<br /><br />Which is it, Ingebjørg? And why the change in title from the earlier museum director to the lowly curator? Hmmmm...Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-65681981002706783252006-12-22T23:00:00.000-05:002008-11-13T14:28:38.883-05:00More Holiday Gifts Have Arrived!Look what the fine folks at the wire service sent me for Christmas! -Live from the Everglades!<br /><div></div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5011608553199831570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNeCY3cYtEx0IZMHA9qyjBv-V6fP77QjuBQnRQU1_fqIhgDC34wJpFLUhwodppIAAeNvBkUQAe_OEwpbY4a34Qfd6yck8gtQeL8giCoXhN2TeHTKwBoJl_owxcHRxAPgwXOIbm/s400/alligator+and+python+everglades+natl+park.jpg" border="0" />Yep - an alligator AND a Burmese Python. This time, I don't think the python is going to win...Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-21294409447338127942006-12-21T12:14:00.001-05:002008-11-13T14:28:39.133-05:00So Here's What's Happening<strong>Turkmenistan</strong>'s <strong>President-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov</strong> died suddenly of cardiac arrest at age 66 on Thursday after 21 years of tirelessly crushing all dissent with his iron rule over his country whose major assest is its huge natural gas reserves.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5011029394039835106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_3Gm4kUew9aZermhFVLPJlISwjA7bLPME_ra67kcryh0zRusKuEL_8Tckazy-U7xMTFROMu2NBnzaD7uhYYySyrkXuq9yBND1xjcBDRDejwjp3bCu75kzto9o78JO80YZDXi/s320/2006+dec+21+half+mast.jpg" border="0" /><br />His death raises a risk of political instability in the energy-rich country that some fear could have an impact on <strong>Europe</strong>'s gas supplies.<br /><br /><div>So this is not a good sign, given what some administrations will do to control energy resources (not naming names here):</div><br /><div><em>I expect there will be a massive fight for power now in <strong>Turkmenistan</strong> and it's likely to take place between pro-<strong>U.S</strong>. and pro-<strong>Russian</strong> forces</em>, said a <strong>Russian</strong> gas industry source, who declined to be named (can you say: polonium?). <em>Gas will become the main coin of exchange and the key asset to get hold of</em>.<br /></div><div>That's great.<br /></div><div>Under the Constitution, Parliament Speaker <strong>Overzgeldy Atayev</strong> is to take over as acting president until elections that must be called within two months. The Constitution, however, bans <strong>Atayev</strong> from running for president in that vote.</div><br /><div>Originally a <strong>Soviet</strong> apparatchik, <strong>Niyazov</strong> took the title of <strong>Turkmenbashi</strong> (Head of the Turkmen) <strong>the Great</strong> and had thousands of portraits and statues, including one in gold leaf that rotates to face the sun in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashgabat"><strong>Aşgabat</strong></a>. I hope <strong>MsLee</strong> gets a photo of that if she is ever able to leave the hotel.</div><br /><div><em>His death means a terrible shock for the republic, its residents and the political class. It's comparable to a shock the <strong>Soviet Union</strong> felt after </em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin"><strong><em>Stalin</em></strong></a><em>'s death</em> said <strong>Vyacheslav Nikonov</strong>, head of the <strong>Moscow</strong>-based <strong>Politika</strong> think tank.</div><br /><div>Ooooh - do you think they will embalm and put him on display like <strong>Stalin </strong>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenin%27s_Mausoleum"><strong>Lenin</strong></a>...or better yet, wheel out his preserved corpse to oversee all of the big meetings in the country like the great <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham"><strong>Jeremy Bentham</strong></a>? That would be in keeping with his ego, and it would be cool!</div><br /><div>Amongst his accomplishments, <strong>Niyazov</strong> renamed the month of <strong>January</strong> after himself as well as a sea port and even a <strong>meteorite</strong>.</div><br /><div>How much do I love that?</div><br /><div>His funeral in set for December 24th.</div>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-76197204458648367672006-12-21T12:06:00.001-05:002006-12-21T12:06:00.700-05:00Word From My Friend In TurkmenistanYou know, only my friend, <strong>MsLee,</strong> would be sent to a place that no one has ever heard of, where nothing ever happened, and find herself in the vortex of world changing events...<br /><br />Here is her email I received at 9:10 am this morning:<br /><br /><em>Check out </em><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/21/turkmen.leader.dead.ap/index.html"><strong><em>CNN.com </em></strong></a><em>for the news story on what is going on here. Everything is pretty calm, but there is A LOT of uncertainty about what is going to happen. There have been strict curfews put in place here. At least we will officially become volunteers tomorrow, that way if for some reason we get sent home (I don't think we will) we get all the benefits of being volunteers. As trainees we would get no benefits.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>For right now we are all being kept at a hotel in <strong>Ashgabat</strong>. We are not allowed to leave, and are on a "wait and see" plan. We will definitely be here through the 28th, but some are suspecting until the first of the year.We are safe, and things don't feel scary. There's just a lot of uncertainty and questions about what will happen here. It's an interesting time to be here- BIG history in the making for this part of the world. It will be interesting to watch how things progress and change.</em><br /><br />Being kept in a hotel...I suppose there are worse things to do in <strong>Ashgabat</strong>.<br /><br />Like spending the day at the <strong>Ak Bugday</strong> (White Wheat) <strong>Museum</strong>.Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-52184257405337658692006-12-21T12:04:00.001-05:002006-12-21T12:04:18.096-05:00From My InboxGot home from work early this morning, and received this brief and cryptic note:<br /><br /><em>please check any world news. </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>big situation just happened in <strong>turkmenistan</strong>. </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>we are at the hotel, we are safe.</em><br /><br />Of course, after reading that, I just went to bed.<br /><br />It can wait til morning, I'm sure. I mean, what could be possibly be news in a made-up country?Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166582019213870192006-12-19T21:00:00.000-05:002006-12-19T21:33:39.233-05:00Today's Task - A Daunting One<em>Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>And the point is, to live everything.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Live the questions now.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Perhaps you will find them gradually, without noticing it, and live along some distant day into the answer.</em><br /><br />-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke"><strong>Rainer Maria Rilke</strong></a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Young-Rainer-Maria-Rilke/dp/0394741048"><strong>Letters to a Young Poet</strong></a>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166582212250983262006-12-18T21:34:00.000-05:002006-12-19T21:36:52.256-05:00My Christmas Wish List Item<p>Well, last year, <strong>FaithfulReaders</strong>, I asked for the lovely <a href="http://www.olive.us/p_bin/"><strong>Olive Symphony</strong></a> - as I believe in the quality, and not quantity of gifts.</p><p>That did not pan out. NO <strong>Olive Symphony</strong> anywhere to be seen.</p><p>But I will try again, with this : As I am a marketer's dream consumer, being swayed unreasonably by stylish design and classic good taste - I became overcome with avarice when I layed eyes on this beauty : The <strong>Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd</strong>. <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/320/493695/fuji.jpg" border="0" />The latest in the <strong>FinePix</strong> Z-series of slim (19.4-mm) digital cameras sports a 6.3 megapixel CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, a likely worthless ISO 1600 sensitivity, 26MB of internal memory, a new blog mode (don't care what it is, love the sound of it) and the hardware-based Face Detection technology seen in their higher-end cameras.</p><p>And the color choice? <strong>Mocha Brown</strong>, of course. Yum.</p><p>Yes, I know I have the hallowed, gorgeous and magnificent (not to mention 4x as costly) <a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=6&productNr=25214"><strong>NIKON D70</strong></a>, but sometimes you want just a little, wee camera to take with you. And what a beauty. After reading the reviews, I got online to see who was carrying them so I could run out and buy me one, then I noticed the fine print - available in MARCH 2007.</p><p><strong>Santa</strong>, you are on notice.</p>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166547323986699732006-12-17T11:51:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:58:48.280-05:00A One-Legged Woman, A Monkey & A LumberjackThe <strong>Penpal</strong> gave me the 'heads up' that <a href="http://www.npr.org/"><strong>NPR</strong></a> was featuring a <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6637676">segment</a> about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lynch"><strong>David Lynch</strong></a> and his new project - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_Empire_%28film%29"><strong>Inland Empire</strong></a>. (<em><span style="font-size:85%;">The funniest part about the Wikipedia link to the Inland Empire site, is this: Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Yeah. Right! Good try, folks!)</span></em><br /><br />I can't call it a film, because <strong>Mr. Lynch</strong> has become enamoured of consumer grade digital video, and has forsaken film at this time.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/1600/305794/poster.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 283px" height="233" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/400/641751/poster.jpg" width="189" border="0" /></a><br />As for <a href="http://www.inlandempirecinema.com/"><strong>Inland Empire</strong></a>, the buzz is that it is LESS narrative than (the brilliant and taxing)<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulholland_Drive_%28film%29"><strong>Mulholland Drive</strong></a>, and even more like being inside of <strong>Mr. Lynch</strong>'s brain.<br /><br /><strong>Dave</strong> says that he has tried to capture a dream. He says that no matter how good your words are, when you tell someone your dream, they just don't experience it in the same way. So his work is to try and capture the vividness, the realness of a dream and to deny any outside forces of structure or narration.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>(note to Penpal - how's that for your Unity Statement? -also notice the copy - worlds within worlds -wheels within wheels -tiny alice- ohgoodgod dr mccoy)</em></span><br /><br />And this, from the report, sums up why we both adore <strong>David Lynch</strong>:<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Dern"><strong>Laura Dern</strong></a> received a call from a new producer on the project -<br /><br />Producer: <em><strong>David</strong> called me this morning - I can't figure out if it's a joke. He said, 'Bring me a one-legged woman, a monkey and a lumberjack by 3:15.'</em><br /><br />Laura: <em>I said, Yeah, you're on a <strong>David Lynch</strong> movie, dude. Sit back and enjoy the ride.</em><br /><br />Producer: <em>But what does it MEAN?</em><br /><br />Laura: <em>It means that you need to bring him a monkey, a one-legged woman and a lumberjack by 3:15.</em>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166545408204597422006-12-17T11:21:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:57:30.966-05:00In The Dark<div align="center"><em>I'm in the dark, no hot water & no repairs in sight for about a week!<br />WHAT A STORM!<br />And we are predicted to have snow tonight!</em> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/320/545198/sammamish%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" />The weather is very nasty back home - they are recovering from the worst windstorm in more than a decade, a storm which left more than 1.5 million homes (including my friend, <strong>K8</strong>, whose note starts this post!) and businesses without power and killing at least six people. </div><div align="left"><br />Winds up to 90 mph were reported in parts of <strong>Washington</strong> during the storm that began Thursday night. Winds in <strong>Seattle</strong> hit 69 mph.</div><div align="left"><br />Power was knocked out at one of the airport's concourses, canceling dozens of flights. </div><div align="left"><br />Flights were also canceled at <strong>Portland International Airport</strong> in <strong>Oregon</strong>, and <strong>Amtrak</strong> canceled service between<strong> Seattle</strong> and <strong>Portland</strong> because downed trees and mudslides blocked the tracks.</div><div align="left"><br />Gas shortages all over the <strong>Seattle</strong> area forced some people to wait in lines that took as long as two hours to get to the pump.</div>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166545248243140182006-12-16T11:19:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:57:20.686-05:00Holiday Photography Tips - A Public ServiceThere are lots of rules to follow to create memorable photographs.<br /><br />Stuff with mystical names like the <a href="http://photoinf.com/Golden_Mean/Edwin_Leong/Camera_Hobby_-_e-Book_on_the_Rule_of_Thirds.htm"><strong>Rule of Thirds</strong></a> and the <a href="http://photoinf.com/Golden_Mean/Stuart_Low/The_Golden_Mean.htm"><strong>Golden Mean</strong></a>.<br /><br />So, I found this photo on the net, and thought it was a great example in really bad compositional thinking. Don't let this happen to YOUR holiday memories, folks:<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/200/513777/photo%2520lesson%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" />As our fine friends at <strong>Kodak</strong>, point out:<br /><br /><em>So it's easier than you might guess to focus our eyes on the principal subject only and not see that background at all.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Avoiding mergers is </em><a href="http://asp.photo.free.fr/Composition/photoProgramCompClass62.shtml"><em>our</em></a><em> sixth guideline for better composition.</em>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166545129409233422006-12-15T11:16:00.000-05:002006-12-19T12:05:12.936-05:00The Secret Lives of Gingerbread MenWhat to do to celebrate the season?<br /><br />Shop for Christmas trees, drink some hot cider, drive around and look at holiday lights...If you are lucky enough to be in <strong>Ohio</strong>, you can go to the aforeblogged <strong>Christmas Story House</strong>...or drive through <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington,_Ohio"><strong>Wellington</strong></a> to take in the festive display of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi"><strong>Nazi</strong></a> gingerbread men...so many choices.<br /><br /><strong>Keith McGuckin</strong> was forced to remove his <strong>Nazi </strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingerbread_men">gingerbread men</a> from the window of a hardware store in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberlin%2C_Ohio"><strong>Oberlin</strong></a>, but he has <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061215/ap_on_fe_st/nazi_display">found</a> space for them in an empty storefront in nearby <strong>Wellington</strong>.<br /><br /><strong>The Secret Lives of Gingerbread Men</strong> depicts a small gathering at a <strong>Nazi</strong> rally.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/1600/253265/gingerbread%20men.jpg"></a><br /><br /><strong>McGuckin</strong> said the subject is meant to provoke thought, not offend.<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/1600/583512/gingerbread%2520men%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/200/82220/gingerbread%2520men%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>I remember thinking to myself, 'What's the worst thing a gingerbread man can do?' They're just copying things that people have done. There are no hidden messages here.</em><br /><br />Last winter, <strong>McGuckin</strong> used the hardware store window to display a caroler-bashing snowman, a depiction of a suicidal snowman sitting under a hairdryer and a little boy excited about using his chemistry set to create crystal meth .Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166544987640508482006-12-15T11:15:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:56:57.076-05:00When It Absolutely, Positiviely Has To Be There...... seven years later.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Post"><strong>Russian Post</strong></a> has started <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061215/od_nm/russia_dc">delivering</a> 4.5 tonnes of letters and parcels that were sent from the <strong>United States</strong> in 1999.<br /><br />The state-owned postal service said the delay was not its fault - a shipping container with the mail inside has been at a port in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland"><strong>Finland</strong></a> for years.Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166544940192095942006-12-15T11:13:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:56:45.893-05:00Calling Doktor Schnabel von Rom!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/1600/941460/plague%2520doctor%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/320/844070/plague%2520doctor%5B2%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />You're Wanted In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming"><strong>Wyoming</strong></a>!<br /><br />I've always harbored the idea that the best <strong>Halloween</strong> costume of all time would be to go as <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/1600/181782/plague%20doctor.jpg"></a><strong>Doktor Schnabel von Rom</strong>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_doctor"><strong>Plague Doctor</strong></a>.<br /><br />Now, it looks like I could do just that, as two <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puma">mountain lions</a> have died in <strong>Wyoming</strong> - victims of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubonic_plague"><strong>Bubonic Plague</strong></a>!<br /><br />In a little more than a year, four area mountain lions have died from the disease and several domestic cats have tested positive, said <a href="http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/VETSCI/Mills.asp"><strong>Ken Mills</strong></a>, a professor of veterinary sciences who diagnosed the cats' disease in his <a href="http://www.uwyo.edu/"><strong>University of Wyoming</strong></a> laboratory.<br /><br />The mountain lions died at the end of October, but the university just issued a warning to hunters and cat owners on Thursday.<br /><br />The area affected is a sparsely populated portion of northwest <strong>Wyomin</strong>g that includes little known and infrequwntly visited places like <a href="http://www.nps.gov/yell"><strong>Yellowstone National Park</strong> </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson,_Wyoming"><strong>Jackson</strong></a>.Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166544778524958352006-12-14T11:10:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:56:35.760-05:00"It's A Real Rarity" - So I Ate ItY'know, those <strong>Burmese Pythons</strong> have been doing me right this year.<br /><br />In fact, I got so caught up in THAT, that I practically forgot another of my favorite topics from last year...when <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061215/ap_on_fe_st/seven_legged_deer">this</a> little story just drops into my lap...<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/1600/880365/rick.jpg"></a><br /><br /><strong><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/1600/607177/rick%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/320/620944/rick%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a>Rick Lisko</strong> hit a deer while driving down his mile-long driveway.<br /><br />The young buck had nub antlers — and seven legs.<br /><br /><strong>Lisko</strong> said it also had both male and female reproductive organs.<br /><br /><em>It was definitely a freak of nature</em>, <strong>Lisko</strong> said. <em>I guess it's a real rarity. It kind of gives you the creeps when you look at it</em>.<br /><br /><strong>John Hoffman</strong> of <a href="http://www.edenmeat.com/"><strong>Eden Meat Market</strong></a> skinned the deer for <strong>Lisko</strong>.<br /><br /><em>And by the way, I did eat it</em>, <strong>Lisko</strong> said.<br /><br /><em>It was tasty.</em><br /><em></em><br />Attaboy.Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166543553292773742006-12-14T10:51:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:56:24.790-05:00There Is A Job For EveryoneMore dolphin news - this time it is happier, though!<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin">Dolphins</a> at <strong>Royal Jidi Ocean World</strong> aquarium in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaoning"><strong>Liaoning</strong></a> province, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China"><strong>China</strong></a>, got sick after nibbling on plastic from the edge of their pool.<br /><br />Attempts to use surgical instruments to remove the plastic <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/world/asia/15briefs-chinadolphins.html?ex=1323838800&en=d6b6951d2705574c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">failed</a> because the dolphins' stomachs contracted in response to the instruments.<br /><br />So what to do?<br /><br />Veterinarians decided to ask for help from <a href="http://www.samtsai.com/p379/world-tallest-man-bao-xishun-in-mongolia-china/"><strong>Bao Xishun</strong></a>, a 7'9" tall herdsman from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_Mongolia">Inner <strong>Mongolia</strong></a> with 41.7-inch arms - the world's tallest living man confirmed last year by the <a href="http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/human_body/extreme_bodies/tallest_man_-_living.aspx"><strong>Guinness Book of World Records</strong></a>.<br /><br />He was brought in and trained to reach into the dolphins' stomachs and remove the offending material.<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/320/929572/all%2520in%2520days%2520work%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" />This is not the first time an ultra-tall man has come to the rescue of dolphins. In 1978, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Ray"><strong>Clifford Ray</strong></a>, a 6'9" basketball star, was asked to do the very same thing.<br /><br />It's in your job description, man.Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166543454280854092006-12-13T10:49:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:56:12.333-05:00Going, Going - Sadly, GoneAn expedition searching for a rare <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze_River"><strong>Yangtze River</strong></a> dolphin <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061213/ap_on_sc/china_dolphin_extinction">ended</a> Wednesday without a single sighting and with the team's leader saying one of the world's oldest species was effectively extinct.<br /><br />The white dolphin known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_River_Dolphin">baiji</a>, shy and nearly blind, dates back some 20 million years.Its disappearance is believed to be the first time in a half-century, since hunting killed off the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_monk_seal">Caribbean monk seal</a>, that a large aquatic mammal has been driven to extinction.<br /><br /><em>We have to accept the fact, that the <strong>Baiji</strong> is functionally extinct. It is a tragedy, a loss not only for China, but for the entire world. We are all incredibly sad. We lost the race</em>, <a href="http://www.baiji.org/"><strong>August Pfluger</strong></a>, the <strong>Swiss</strong> co-leader of the joint <strong>Chinese</strong>-foreign expedition, said.<br /><br />Around 400 baiji were believed to be living in the <strong>Yangtze</strong> in the 1980s. The last full-fledged search, in 1997, yielded 13 confirmed sightings, and a fisherman claimed to have seen a baiji in 2004.<br />It was an odd sighting, as the baiji had an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory-billed_Woodpecker">ivory-billed woodpecker</a> on its back at the time...Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166547073767630782006-12-11T11:46:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:56:02.926-05:00Note To Self<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/1600/290131/clue%20weapons.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1879/578/400/358665/clue%20weapons.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Get a clue. </div>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166543373979696342006-12-10T10:48:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:55:52.913-05:00Make Your Own Kind Of Music<strong>Noah Vawter</strong>, a graduate student at the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/m/massachusetts_institute_of_technology/index.html?inline=nyt-org"><strong>M.I.T.</strong></a><strong> Media Lab</strong>, has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/magazine/10section1A.t-3.html">created</a> a device he calls <a href="http://web.media.mit.edu/~nvawter/thesis/text/AmbientAddition28.pdf"><strong>Ambient Addition</strong></a>.<br /><br />The device consists of two headphones with transparent earpieces, each equipped with a microphone and a speaker. The microphones sample the background noise in the immediate vicinity — wind blowing through the trees, traffic, a cellphone conversation.<br /><br />Then, through the magic of computer chips, the sounds are processed into music. Percussive sounds like footsteps and coughs are sequenced into a stuttering pattern, and all the noises are tuned so that they fuse into a coherent, slowly changing set of harmonies.<br /><br />Santa, are you listening?Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1166543301720044832006-12-09T10:46:00.000-05:002006-12-19T11:55:39.023-05:00Snails<p>So, I've been sitting here thinking about my mom... thinking about holidays and traditions.</p><p>It is one of those back in time moments, when I wish that as I am sitting here, writing (similiar to doing homework), my mom would knock on my office (bedroom then) door, and there she would be - holding a plate a freshly baked snails and a steaming cup of coffee.</p><p>I'd kill for a plate of snails right now. I truly can't remember when last I had that little treat, but I think that the <strong>Penpal </strong>was in on them at least once, so it has to have been in the past twenty five years. Easy to say, it has been awhile.</p><p>As <strong>FaithfulReaders</strong> are familiar, my mom liked to make up names for things (a trait I apparently inherited), such as calling <strong>French Style Green Beans</strong> - spinach. So, here is what snails really are:<br /></p><p>You start with a pie crust dough stick (do they still make those?). You roll it out. You generously spread butter over the dough. You generously sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over that. You roll it up and cut it into inch long bite-sized squares, put 'em on a cookie sheet and throw 'em in the oven for a couple of minutes. Ummmmm...warm, flaky cinnamonysugary goodness.</p><p>I just know my mom would be cracking up inside whenever she would ask if I wanted snails in front of a new guest and I would get very enthusiastic. What kid loves snails that much? The same kid that just LOVED spinach. Until she was actually served real spinach one day...</p>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1164133343441355932006-09-13T13:17:00.000-04:002006-11-21T13:22:23.446-05:00Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Live - The Road ShowI got up this morning and went off to my <strong>Starbuck</strong>'s (I say MY, because <strong>FaithfulReaders</strong> will recall I WAS the <strong>DrinkOfTheWeek</strong>) for the last time, then started cleaning my bathroom, which has to be the most dreaded task in human experience.<br /><br />The team of movers arrived at 9 a.m. - I was amazed and dismayed to discover that the team consisted of TWO guys! Boy, did they have their work cut out for them. One headed immediately to the kitchen, and the other tackled the bedroom, which left the bathroom for me to play in. I kinda set up an office complete with a phone and set to canceling all of my services. I even managed to cancel my dial-up internet service, and if you have ever tried to do this, MAN, they are like pitbulls - they just WON'T let you cancel, but I won this time! I was feeling quite proud of myself!<br /><br />I then realized that the fellows would be at my place a long time, and I had many errands to run, and I was wasting precious time. I asked them if I was required to be there for this process, and they said no, and also declined my offer to return bearing fast food for them. So I went to the post office and changed my address, went to the bank, took the dealership a copy of some paper they needed for my car, did a little shopping, got lunch, found time for ANOTHER <strong>Starbuck</strong>'s run, and gassed up the car, where I FINALLY noticed a dip in the prices!<br /><br />When I returned, the guys were sitting down outside smoking, and asked where they could go for lunch. I coulda killed them. Instead, I got BACK in the car, and went to fetch them food and drink.<br /><br />After their refreshments, they started in loading the truck. I never had the experience of people coming in and completely packing everything - they had the paper, tape, boxes, and incredible back strength. As each room was emptied, I followed behind them, spackling and Swiffering, and then I closed the door for the final time, and headed down to Columbus to spend the night with <strong>DJ V</strong>.<br /><br />It was quite dark and rainy in <strong>Akron</strong> as I was leaving, but soon the skies cleared, and the world was bathed in a hyper-brilliant orange-y sunset glow.<br /><br />And that is when <a href="http://www.wildkingdom.com/"><strong>Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom</strong></a><strong> Live - The Road Show</strong> began.<br /><br />There I was, driving down the highway when a large peregrine falcon/hawk swoops down directly in front of my car and into the median strip, and impales a medium-sized furry mammal! (groundhog? rabbit? capybara?) It was completely amazing. The <strong>Savage Beauty Of Nature</strong>, as seen on <strong>Ohio</strong>'s interstates.<br /><br />I arrived safely, and took at peek at <strong>DJ V</strong>'s new golden car. She had been busy setting up her small apartment, and it was absolutely lovely, inviting and romantic. That girl can set a stage almost as well as the <strong>Captain</strong> can. I brought a bottle of champagne to celebrate our anniversary (90 days - seems much more likely to be like, 3 years, oddly), and <strong>Kir Royales</strong> were made as we watched an episode of <strong>Six Feet Under</strong>.<br /><br />And then <strong>DJ V</strong> gave me a present, my very own <strong>Magdalene</strong>, otherwise known as a <a href="http://www.garmin.com/products/sp330/"><strong>Garmin GPS</strong></a>! I think it would be really cool if you could get a voice module - I want <strong>Eddy</strong> from <strong>Absolutely Fabulous</strong> - "<em>Sweetie, sweetie, sweetie, turn right Now! Oh, bollocks, </em><a href="http://www.ultimatesoundarchive.com/sa/play/play.cfm/sound_iid.17202"><em>you bitch troll from hell</em></a>!" But, I will be very happy with <strong>Magdalene</strong>'s insistent <em>Recalculating</em>!<br /><br />It was a wonderful, thoughtful gift, as I was SURE I would never find my way around <strong>Pittsburgh </strong>- what a wacky city of weird streets that is...but the best part was the sentiment:<br /><br /><em>So you can always find your way back to where you belong - with me</em><br /><br />At last, I got to take a shower, and <strong>DJ V</strong> loaned me her <strong>Victoria's Secret</strong> pj's.<br /><br />Sleep was deep, and well-deserved.Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1164132664289966372006-09-13T13:11:00.000-04:002006-11-21T13:16:24.880-05:00Let The Fun Begin!<p>My how time flies! It was 20 years ago today that <strong>Pee Wee's Playhouse</strong> debuted! I remember those early Saturday mornings when I lived in <strong>The Land Of Chalk Drawings</strong> (the world's tiniest apartment)...freshly graduated from college, yet sitting cross-legged on the couch, eating <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap"><strong>Cap'n Crunch</strong></a> and watching <strong>Pee Wee</strong> before heading off to work. </p><p>Besides the brilliance of <strong>Paul Reubens</strong>, the show also starred <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Hartman"><strong>Phil Hartman</strong></a>, <a title="Laurence Fishburne" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Fishburne"><strong>Laurence Fishburne</strong></a>, <a title="S. Epatha Merkerson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Epatha_Merkerson"><strong>S. Epatha Merkerson</strong></a>, <a title="Jimmy Smits" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Smits"><strong>Jimmy Smits</strong></a>, and, my favorite - <strong>The Most Beautiful Woman in Puppetland</strong>, <a title="Lynne Marie Stewart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Marie_Stewart"><strong>Lynne Stewart</strong></a>. And the exhausting, wonderful <a href="http://www.sinteticor.com/artist_c/cyndi_lauper_lyrics/pee_wees_playhouse_theme_lyrics.html">theme song </a>was performed by none other than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyndi_Lauper"><strong>Cyndi Lauper</strong></a>. And let's not forget the worst <strong>SecretWord EVER</strong> : Zyzzybalubah! (you had to be there, Friends!) Then there was the <strong>Dinosaur Family</strong> (who lived in a mouse hole), <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueT7rzhmn58"><strong>A Penny Cartoon</strong></a>...AND <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDzJQC8fA1M">GIANT UNDERPANTS</a> </p><p align="center"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.com/v/3lQAYO_ALu0"><embed src="http://youtube.com/v/3lQAYO_ALu0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></p><p align="left">(a longtime, sure-fire favorite)! </p><p align="left">Not just a show for the tykes, in its entire run, the <a href="http://archive.salon.com/oct96/peewee961028.html"><strong>Playhouse</strong></a> took home 22 <strong>Emmy</strong> <strong>Awards</strong>.</p>Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487340.post-1164132434912604772006-09-12T21:06:00.000-04:002006-11-21T13:07:14.913-05:00Gentlemen, Check Your EnginesI awoke, not terribly inspired, knowing I had just this day to prepare as much as I could for the movers.<br /><br />I thought it would be special to not move dirty clothes, and so I tackled the laundry first. In my haste, I neglected to check my work shirt pockets before throwing the clothes into the washer and then the dryer...and I was not amused to discover that five shirts were ruined because I stupidly washed my favorite pen, which exploded and leaked all over the things in the dryer! Man, I HATE that!<br /><br />I got my storage area completely emptied - not that it was a big deal - I stored mostly luggage, my Christmas tree, and many, many empty boxes. I don't really throw boxes away when I purchase something, probably because I have learned that I will be moving somewhere soon, and it makes your life easier to have good boxes for fragile items...<br /><br />Then it was time to take my car back to the dealership so they could discern why the engine light was on...It took them three hours. The reason was some kind of fume/valve thingy.<br /><br />I was very happy to get behind the wheel, and not see that amber engine glaring at me!<br /><br />And, the repair didn't cost me any money - just a chunk of my time, which at this point is very limited, rare and valuable. But I did get to catch up on my tabloid reading - always a bright side!Laynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13399684465062832861noreply@blogger.com0