'Ebola spell' teachers stoned
"Congolese villagers have stoned and beaten to death four teachers accused of casting an evil spell to cause an outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease that has killed nearly 70 people, a local official said Friday."

Girl, 14, surrenders in fetus theft case
"A 14-year-old Thai girl has been charged with robbery after confessing to police she helped steal fetuses from a hospital museum for use in black magic rituals, police said."

A new sort of L.A. typecasting
"I have good news. If you dress funny, talk funny, have no friends, believe in ghosts and communicate with UFOs, science finally has a name for you. You're a schizotypal."

Mother Claims Genie Circumcised Baby
"A mother has claimed that a genie circumcised her 10-month-old son while she was cooking breakfast, the state news agency Antara reported Thursday."

2/21/03 - twenty-ninth scroll, sixth verse
I'm craving a Cadbury caramel egg.

Via the big cheese-

Fun with DDoS attacks.
LiveJournal's been under attack for the past couple days... worst DDoS attack we've ever experienced (and there have been many).

Much stress. Little sleep. Lots of coffee. 27+ hours of downtime, for much of the net.

But.... we got some excellent help from a number of people (one in particular, whom I owe as a result many a beer) and we're basically ignoring the attack now.

Also, the attack highlighted other bottlenecks, easily fixed once noticed, and the prolonged downtime gave me time to work on things that have been on my list for a while.

End result: things are faster & more efficient than ever, even though the attack continues.

Thank you, script kiddie. The site's more robust as a result. Now, go get laid. Or--- keep attacking and talking to your owned zombies while the FBI Cybercrimes group works with us tracing things back to you.

The last time in memory that it hit as hard was June 2001. Which resulted in a firewall and rate limiters. I'll be interested in seeing the tech info on what was repaired.

Is it me, or does Brad's icon make him look like he's aged quite a bit? His older one strikes me as much younger.

Friday Five:

1. What is your most prized material possession? Well, under the law, Newt's a possession, though I think of him as a little buddy. Very prized. Inanimate object? The bundle of letters from my sweetheart, a gold ring and silver dollar from my father Digitally, I have a lot of photos stored redundantly on the web/home/elsewhere that I'm happy to have. Hard to balance them out.

2. What item, that you currently own, have you had the longest? hmm... that gold ring. It has my (his) initials on it.

3. Are you a packrat? Pretty much. I go through major cleansings every time I move, though.

4. Do you prefer a spic-and-span clean house? Or is some clutter necessary to avoid the appearance of a museum? Well, there's some clutter regardless. I like it to feel lived in, but not a museum or a dump.

5. Do the rooms in your house have a theme? Or is it a mixture of knick-knacks here and there? The only theme is "Stuff Scotto likes." When I get a larger home, I'd like to have a nicely laid out library.

Today’s clothes in haiku

Orange/rust polo
Khaki pants over boxers
Hair in a hemp tie

I've seen the following plot far too often in the last two weeks in stories / TV / etc:

There is a person who's tired of living... so he hires a professional to off him, but the moment he's done that, along comes a boyfriend/girlfriend, and he decides to renege on the deal. Suddenly the tables get turned. Somehow the client-victim manages to escape and get rid of his killer.

Attention Professional Killers... Snuff the romantic interest first. Sure, you're doing a freebie, but it'll save you all sorts of trouble in the long run.

I really like how Newt rushes to meet me at the door, and gives me a "welcome home" meow when my key turns in the lock. He really brightens my day.

Thrum-thrum-thrumming in the core of my being... Heavy bass lines turned up to 11? Is my sweetie moshing somewhere, and I feel it? it's not a physical feeling more than a spiritual one.

This weekend is laundry weekend. If I get the gumption, it will be tomorrow, first thing, bright and early.

Saw spiders all over the place this morning, in the back yard especially.

I called nordis today, and Brian mentioned that he was just looking for my phone number to call me. We spoke, and he said that they're reevaluating their finances, to see if I can be hired on. I'm going to call back on Tuesday with the hopes that they've gotten things in order and are interested in taking me on as an employee.

Meantime, I'm hooking up with a headhunter to seek out other gigs for me.

Highly entertained by the forced perspective images at Parking Spots. Perhaps I'll contribute something like that... I wouldn't mind applying the same technique to some of my other toys, too.

current mood: I found nothing in the cave to alter that conception of man and I still live by it's injunction.
current music: Video killed the radio star / Mexican Radio duelling in my head.

The Groovenians

I wanted to like it. All CGI... Soundtrack by the B-52s... an all-star cast of voice talent, including Paul Reubens, Dennis Hopper, RuPaul, and Debi Mazar.

Psychedleic-ish.

But boring. It's a loser. It's not because I was expecting more... I didn't even see it coming until I tuned in.

I *like* retro-kitsch-meets-futureworld. This just doesn't cut it.

2/20/03
Well, I'm still at the old job, until the maybe-new job decides if there’s a place for me. I'm very fortunate that the old regime is as understanding as it is.

Still waiting on a callback from the maybe-new place. I left another voicemail there at about 4pm, with my phone number as a friendly reminder. I'll leave 'em alone tomorrow, and get back on following them up on Friday.

Sappho's off for vacation starting tomorrow, so things will be hopping there for the next week or two.

Semagic seems to be dead, so post-mcpost from the web it is.

From

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At 9:39 pm EST on Wednesday, February 19th, Admin lisa writes :
The "checkfriends" protocol has been temporarily disabled for free users. There's a popular client that isn't obeying our protocol, and in doing so, it's spiking server load. It's been disabled until we can enforce the protocol limits. This means that your client's icon will no longer flash when your friends make an update, until this is re-enabled.


At 3:57 am EST on Thursday, February 20th, Admin Lisa writes:
LiveJournal is currently under a Distributed Denial of Service attack, and has been since about 5:30pm PST (1:30 AM GMT) tonight. We have been working with our upstream providers (including several major backbones) to filter traffic as quickly and effectively as possible.

Due to the fact that a DDOS attack involves potentially tens of thousands of hosts all working together against a single target (in this case, us), it is extremely difficult to find one group of IP addresses to block to prevent the attack from affecting our services any further. Our upstream providers are currently filtering somewhere around 1/4 of the IPs on the Internet from reaching LiveJournal. Unfortunately, these filters also block legitimate traffic from some users. When the attack has subsided we will remove the filters.

We will continue to monitor and block hosts as we gather more information regarding this attack. We seriously apologize for the inconvenience, and hope you understand we are doing everything in our power to get the site back functioning as normal.

Additionally, if you have any information as to whom or what may be responsible for this attack, please email attack_info@livejournal.com.


Brother's going on a job interview himself today. I hope he does well. (he had to get cash fronted to turn his power back on)

Yikes... buying new clothes and meds in the same week put a bit of a dent in my weekly budget...I'm glad that Friday is payday.

Newt's as cute as can be this morning.... He batted at me on the other side of the shower curtain, unafraid of the counter-bats and rain-sounds.

Thinking about my sweetheart, and feeling good.

Jon Stewart is coming here on the 28th... I know a lot of folks that'd like to see him. I wonder how good he is on stage.

Extra long work day today... pesky Pablo didn't get a 5-hour print job to me until 4:30. He's fortunate I was still sticking around... I don't see Kev or Island boy staying late for that trivial a task.

Hot shower, mighty and strong. I love to get times when nobody's used any hot water in the complex for like 7 hours. Scaldy-good! I can feel layers of my tough, rhino-like exterior dropping off, leaving only the soft pink baby skin. Perfect pre-bed prep.

LJ still seems a little horked. I've posted info on my dj and blurty, just in case folks there don't know about status.livejournal.org

I wonder if they've figured out the culprit yet?


At 8:15 pm EST on Thursday, February 20th, Admin writes:
LiveJournal is currently under a Distributed Denial of Service attack, and has been since about 5:30pm PST (1:30 AM GMT) on 2/19. We have been working with our upstream providers (including several major backbones) to filter traffic as quickly and effectively as possible.

Due to the fact that a DDOS attack involves potentially tens of thousands of hosts all working together against a single target (in this case, us), it is extremely difficult to find one group of IP addresses to block to prevent the attack from affecting our services any further. Our upstream providers are currently filtering somewhere around 1/4 of the IPs on the Internet from reaching LiveJournal. Unfortunately, these filters also block legitimate traffic from some users. When the attack has subsided we will remove the filters.

We will continue to monitor and block hosts as we gather more information regarding this attack. We seriously apologize for the inconvenience, and hope you understand we are doing everything in our power to get everything running again.

Additionally, if you have any information as to who or what may be responsible for this attack please email attack_info@livejournal.com.

Tonight, I've discovered that Newt likes green onion cornbread as much as I do...which is "Yum! Gimme Some!"

2/19/03
I'm tired, despite going to bed early last night... probably stress. A little thick-skulled as a result.

Today's a new day. Let's see if it can be better than yesterday, hm?

I'd like to get a straight answer about the nordis gig. Supposedly, I'll find out today what exactly the situation is over there. Yesterday, they wriggled a bit on the line... Perhaps the Ronnie meeting will clear things up. Until they do, I'll renew my search elsewhere, just in case of disaster. As it stands now, I'm soured on the company, if nothing else.

I've still got a positive outlook (with a side of annoyed), despite the setback.

Ah well, back to the mill.

Until later, dear journal!

2/18/03
Killer Japanese Seizure Robots. Warning, cheesy midi, and possibly actually seizure inducing.


Morning sun in gold
Slowly I rise from slumber
Cat sleeps on my face


Last day at my old job... I'm going to miss some of the folks there. Others, I'll be glad to see fade into the mists of history. I plan on keeping in contact with a few... Sappho, Kev and Island Boy. I imagine I won't see much of Pablo after I leave, though he's a nice guy. I’m planning on getting together with Kev to celebrate my birthday and of vocation location this weekend.. Maybe Saturday?

Lore raises a question that I'm keen to know the answer to. Given that Salon has over 47 thousand subscribers--according to a Miami Herald article on its financial problems--is that circulation a success or a failure? Is it a refutation of the conventional wisdom that "people won't pay for Web content" or support for it?

That's a better circulation than my home town's newspaper. More people subscribe to Salon than bought Batman #587. More people subscribe to Salon than buy a given issue of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. Granted, these aren't the sort of publications that make People magazine envious, but they're all viable publications. So is Salon's continued downward spiral due to not charging enough for subscriptions, or due to overspending?

I certainly don't know how to make legitimate money off the Web. But at the same time, I can't help but wonder if sites that are going down the drain ostensibly because of the resolute unwillingness of surfers to pay for content are suffering at least in part from acting like bigger publications than they are. I know I'll never subscribe to a news or information source when I can find similar (or identical) content for free.

Sex position guide, using bendy-Barbie look-alikes. Probably not safe for work. I like how they mosaic'ed out the faces. #2/7 / 8/ 10 / 12/ 28/ 22/ 37/ please!

current mood: Brown socks

2/17/03

I really like that Newt will lay on a pillowcase on top of the futon... that saves me from having to rub down the whole thing when the inevitable cat hair accumulates.

Went to bed *really* early last night.. Like 10:30ish. I slept all the way through to 7am. I'm not sure why I needed the rest, but I'm confident that I needed it. Maybe all the time out in the sun?

Schools, banks and federal offices are closed today... I wonder how well Danny'll do at the RenFaire today with his students? (Unofficial field trip.) I bet that they'll have a grand time, but I think the performers will suffer... School kids aren't known to be great tippers when pass the hat time rolls around. I'd like to go with 'em, but I've got work-duties to fulfill.

Appointment tomorrow at Holy Cross to talk to the doctor about upcoming surgery. Possibly the same as my last day at current work?

I was expecting the brother to come over this morning, to call about his appointment with Marcie re: a short-term gig... but he didn't make it. I hope he goes over!

2/16/03
Holy cow...nice piece of reproduction. I had the Donkey Kong Jr. LCD game way back when.

Newt a Year ago


What sweets did people eat at the fair before cotton candy? Pie? Fruit? Cotton Candy was invented in 1897, and sold as "fairy floss" at the same fair with the first ice-cream cone if memory serves. I'm guessing before that, the popcorn and peanuts were the thing... maybe peanut brittle? Cracker Jack wasn't until 1893. I'm not sure how old funnel cake is... maybe that's the stuff.


Random Scotto Factoid - We actually had sporks as part of our silverware (made from stainless steel) when I was a kid. I also enjoyed eating with my scout knife's spoon and fork.

The photos are chilling.

"On January 7th, 1942, one month after Pearl Harbor, T.W. Smith, Jr., the owner of the Sun Rubber Company, and his designer, Dietrich Rempel, with Walt Disney’s approval introduced a protective mask for children. This design of the Mickey Mouse Gas Mask for children was presented to Major General William N. Porter, Chief of the Chemical Warfare Service. After approval of the CWS, Sun Rubber Products Company produced sample masks for review. Other comic book character designs were to follow, depending on the success of the Mickey Mouse mask. The mask was designed so children would carry it and wear it as part of a game. This would reduce the fear associated with wearing a gas mask and hopefully, improve their wear time and, hence, survivability."

"Very few of these Mickey Mouse gas masks survived. The US Army Chemical Museum at Fort McClellan, Alabama, has a hand-made prototype. The 45th Infantry Division Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has a production specimen on permanent display with other gas masks in the combat support area of the museum. The Walt Disney Archives, Burbank, California, has a face piece without ears, lenses, or a canister, and a mask owned by the founder of the Sun Rubber Company was on display at the Summit County (Ohio) Historical Society’s "Toys Made in Summit County" exhibit in 1982."

Hmm... What would it be today? Yu Gi Oh? Hamtaro?

Wow... Google bought blogger! I wonder if that's good or bad news for LJ? I know that LJ isn't fond of being indexed by Google, for fear of bandwidth issues. Here's a perspective that might make LJ come out on top.

Okie... got to go shoppin'. Going to swing by the bro's place, see if he wants to join me, and then it's off to get some new duds.

Got a mega-keen valentine from meredith today, for being fast on the aim draw.

Very spiffy... all hand drawn... witty and beautifully done. I'll scan it sometime soon. :)

Today's shopping venture was a success! And look! More than two colors (Well... more than just black and white... some mid-tones, too, for fun)

A pair of Dressy black sneaker-shoes, two pair of fresh boxers. Four new Undershirts, four polos and two regular nice collared shirts. I'm stylin'. Just about everything in my wardrobe mixes and matches... with a few exceptions. (White socks and black shoes, for example)

I wore the sneaks out of the store, and they did well.

After big and tall, I waited at the stop for about ten minutes... I realized I was across the street from the Solid Gold building... it's closed, but it was worth taking a snapshot of someplace that was very educational and lucrative at the time.



The voodoo lounge - Hindustan Times
"From ‘soft’ Hindutva to ‘softer’ Hindutva? Just when it was believed that the Gujarat debacle has awakened the Congress to the perils of imitating the BJP, it appears to have decided to indulge in more of the same with a vengeance. And who is joyfully marching backwards? None other than Digvijay Singh, one of the Congress’s most promising leaders."

Two killed for "practicing witchcraft" Press Trust of India
"A 40-year-old tribal and his minor daughter were allegedly beheaded by their relatives for reportedly practicing witchcraft at Burudih Tola in Kendua village of East Singhbhum district, police said here today."

Mourners raped, murdered at funeral - South African Press Association
"A gang dressed in ninja-style outfits raided a funeral in Papua New Guinea, murdering two mourners and raping another two as they attempted to prove the man being buried was a victim of sorcery, it was reported."

Statehouse gives up its ghost - Associated Press
"The paranormal researchers who set up shop in the state Capitol in November have released their findings: photos of floating orbs of energy, a recorded whisper -- and, yes, a ghost."

Ghouls give landlord a Burke and scare - Edinburgh Evening News
"A PUB landlord has been spooked by ghostly goings-on at one of the Capital’s oldest bars after he started digging into its macabre links with Burke and Hare."

Haunted house to get makeover - BBC News
"One of Britain's spookiest building projects is about to get under way."

Controversial cleric carries out Dáil exorcism - Ireland On-line
"A controversial cleric who once ordained singer Sinead O’Connor today carried out an exorcism of the Dáil."

New 'Brain Fingerprinting' Could Help Solve Crimes - Reuters
"A technique called "brain fingerprinting," which seeks to probe whether a suspect has specific knowledge of a crime, could become a powerful weapon in national security, its inventor believes."

A word before dying - Melbourne Herald Sun
"THERE'S no shortage of options for communicating with deceased loved ones, but ouija boards are passé, séances plain creepy and as for channellers, well, how's one to sort the crooks and cranks from the real thing?"

Eat This - North Bay Bohemian
"Best known today for his inadvertent invention of corn flakes cereal--occurring when a pan of baking grain was left unattended during a medical emergency--Dr. John Harvey Kellogg was 43 years old when he wrote the above lines. He had never partaken of the connubial pleasures of his wife's bed, believed masturbation to be a sin best cured through copious enema treatments, and sought to cure his patient's ills through daily applications of yogurt--introduced at the body's two ends--aided by colon-wracking machines that could ably pump 15 gallons of water into a hapless behind in just a few seconds."

Therapist Says Technique Can Cure Phobias - WCVB
"Anyone who has suffered from a fear of flying, heights or public speaking knows the paralyzing effect phobias can have. One local woman says she can cure phobias -- within one hour."

2/15/03
Cool Monty Python toys.

The Vorpal Bunny is very cool.

<-fun user icon that cracked me up

Added MatchWho to my collection of palm programs. very fun. I'd have used it when I was gaming (since I'm poor at drawing human faces). you can play FBI suspect artist, too. :)

Sometime today or tomorrow I need to pick up five new polo shirts (or decent button downs) for the new gig. Another comfortable pair of shoes, perhaps? (black sneakers, maybe.) We'll see how long it takes for me to manage to wear sandals at work.


You can see the roof over him... he can stand atop, and swab the ceiling if he likes.

Ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)


• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)


• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (1 large clove or 2-3 small cloves)


• 2-4 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped (I used about 1/4 cup)


• juice of 1 lemon


• salt & pepper to taste


• dash of Tabasco sauce


• 2 tbsp cumin


• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped (From my herb garden!)

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a food processor and whiz until fairly smooth...does not have to be completely smooth, but you want to eliminate large chunks of garlic.

Serve on Warm Pita wedges.

Thanks go to my bro who provided me with a can of black beans and a can of garbanzo beans because he didn't want 'em in the house any more.

Whatever grows out of the dry soil of the Florida Keys is fragile and slender and delicate. That goes for the wildlife, too.

These are miniature deer, found nowhere else on earth but in the lower Keys of Florida. There came a glacier long ago to cut the keys off from the mainland. The Key deer, isolated from their mainland cousins, adapted to island life by learning to drink brackish water and by eating less. That's why they're so small. Small in number, too. Sixty years ago, on Big Pine Key, which really has the core of the Key deer herd, there were probably fifty Key deer, and the human population was under a thousand. In the last two decades, we've seen the human population go to over five thousand and the deer population rise to nearly about six hundred.

The little deer barely look up now when cars pass. Every year, some of their lives are taken by speeding cars, and free-roaming dogs. Protection plans include building underpasses for the deer to cross safely under roadways, especially U.S. 1, and strict management of dogs on the islands. What if the Key Deer are wiped out? Whether I see them or not, to know that they're around means something to me.

They have been in the Keys all along. We are the newcomers. The little Key deer have learned to make do with less. How much less than less can they learn to make do with? I'm glad that there are people looking out for them, and hope that it's enough to let them flourish.

Some facts about 'em:

The shoulder height of Key deer is between 24-28 inches. Does weigh 45-65 pounds while bucks weigh 55-75 pounds.

The earliest mention of Key deer is found in the memoirs of Fontaneda, a shipwrecked Spaniard held captive by the Calusa Indians. Records suggest that the deer were found around Key West and were used for food by residents and ship crews alike. Although early records indicated sporadic wider distribution of Key deer throughout the lower keys, current data indicates they occupy a range from Johnson Keys to Saddlebunch Keys.

Random Scotto fact: I lived in the keys during the winter with my family, from Marathon to further south, Big Pine Key. I used to see those deer all the time, and had no idea that there were more kids my age in the Keys than an entire species. I always thought it was neat that there were raccoons that could rear up taller than the deer.

2/14/03
Talkin' to mah sweetie tonight... yum.

Quick update while she's taking care of some bid-ness. is over 900 members!

Better Salary than I'd anticipated, the commute wasn't so bad. If it was raining, I might feel otherwise. (I have to walk 5 blocks to the building from the bus stop) Good medical benefits. Looks like Tuan, Hoi’s younger brother at my old job, will replace me. Good call... Familiar with the work and team, gets along well with the gang. Sappho will like him.

Without further ado, Today's pictures.

Walking to the bus stop...



More piccies from the day.

Bus Station, heading to work.



At The Offices


Train ride home

2/13/03
Minor annoyances... brother bugged me twice last night to use my phone... once when I was on the phone with Dan, and the second time when I was just falling asleep. Just plain rude. I was jarred awake a few times this morning by who knows what. I'm officially up now. Bah... I was hoping for a good night's rest. I guess there's tonight.

Web pages that change the size of my browser without asking first lick goat-dung.

I just played damage control for Dan's Wife... she spread the jdbgmgr.exe file hoax... Luckily, I think I'm the only programmer-type in their address book. It is so important to fact-check on the net. She knows better now.

I need to call an Wish Aunt Val a happy birthday!

For reference down the line-

U.S. Gas Prices
Lowest Price: $1.13 Carrolton, GA
Highest Price: $2.29 Mill Valley, CA
Nat'l Average $1.63

via mskaren911 - Vote for the Florida Quarter

There are a couple of good designs. I'm torn between "The Everglades" and "Gateway to Discovery".

Can't stay cranky for long with cutie Newtie running around, wanting to play fetch.

Newt's ability for problem solving impresses me quite a bit. If he wants something badly enough, there's a way for him to get it. He has a strong awareness of 3d space and what can and can't be moved. Rearranging furniture and the general "terrain" in the apartment causes him to remap everything by running over and testing comfort zones. It entertains me quite a bit, watching him hop on a chair or scout around same just to get a knack for what's there. He seems to like to hang around the "new" object even if all that's happened is a change in facing.

I'd be fascinated to know just what his thought processes are.

Got a nice email from my sweetie in the middle of the day today. She makes everything brighter by the brush of her hand.

Tomorrow's is the moment of truth. I'm heading to Coral Springs tomorrow before work for the walkthrough of the new company.

If I don' t get any bad vibes, I'm in. So far, so good... they want me pretty badly. It's nice to have it be my call.

Mike, Gloria and Tuan all work there and seem to get on pretty well, same goes for John Irving.

Pictures from today:







Whoops! Forgot to hit post. I'm all showered now.

Bro signed a piece of paper with the landlord for amount owed larger than it should be. I'm glad my brother saves his receipts. (I'd be gladder if he paid his rent on time). The landlord is good about changing his tune when confronted with signed pieces of paper that states he already was paid. The ll caught my brother off-guard and half-asleep.

Ah well, I should curl up and read some non-glowing text. G'night, dear journal.

2/12/03
happy dreams of dancing with my sweetheart...8am, and I'm rocking and rollin' and ready for the day. No time, no time for an extended entry... will write more on the road, dear journal.

2/12/03 9:12 am

Sending off the last element of Vallies day today... I hope she likes what I'm sending. I think it will please her.

Some kind of stink in the air this morning woke me up. At first I thought that Newt had gotten sick, but after a thorough search and catching a whiff of the outside, I've come to the conclusion that someone either spread some fertilizer on the grass or it is some kind of pesticide. Either way, it reeks a bit like poo.

Trash truck with a giant mechanical arm whooshed by, picking up cans and emptying them without coming to more than a rolling stop. Amazing how quickly and efficiently they work. They get extra points for returning the can in an upright position afterwards.

Arriving at work early to make phone calls and prep for a meeting up the street.


10:45
Nordis seems to be a sure thing.. Long haul out to Coral Springs, but there is a very nice increase in pay and benefits. Mostly programming, database stuff, more employee management and coordination. The CIO over there wanted me to start today if I could. I'm going to give the place an eyeball on Friday, and if all goes well, I'll be there in a week. A pretty professional company, so it looks like sandals are out, but I can get away with a polo shirt and no tie.

I'm going to keep my options open, though. There's a data librarian / admin position that's opening up in a month. The person at Direct mentioned that he'd keep me appraised.

Big week this week. Tomorrow I'm reaping the reward of a nice long rest before work.

The Drama Deck... The old RPG Torg had a deck of cards that helped folks along with the adventure. Little plot trumps a person could put out there for when they wanted to make things a little more interesting... and they knew ahead of time what was in their hand. It was always vague, but promising for the story being told. Like "unexpected reversal", "a second wind", "The Authorities arrive", "Someone falls in love", "Someone gets greedy", or my personal favorite... "ESCAPE!"

I wonder how much fun being handed five of those every so often in your life would make things?

Lets see if I can find the whole list. Here it is...Some were duplicated more than others... the deck had about five "second chances", and "Idea" but only one "Escape!"

2/11/03
Interview gear:

Black Birkenstock shoes
Black socks
Black slacks
Khaki polo shirt
Maroon hair tie

I think that I look pretty nice. Everything fits well and looks sharp. Goatee is neatly trimmed. I'm a little worried that the bus is late. If I don't see one soon, I'll get a cab to the station.

10:31 am supplemental
I ended up taking a cab the whole route, and made it with 15 minutes to spare. It went reasonably well... The company is much smaller than I'd expected. Lots of fresh faces and stress seems minimal. John said that my odds look good. It's still early yet, and better prospects lie ahead. Following up on four other gigs tomorrow. One phone review, one morning meeting, two callbacks.

The interview lasted about an hour and fifteen, so from there I hoofed it to the Barnie's to get an iced chai, and listen to Dean Martin sing Italian love songs for a while before going in to work.

Slow morning for them. Only three other customers since I've been here. I have not been here since maybe '00. I've taken a couple of dates here... Rachel, April, Pam Potter. Nice, because the proximity to the movie theater. Best post movies- Dark City, Final Destination, The Mask.

Three more folks have come in… All in professional gear. Even for work, some women wear such high heels!

Time for me to head out...back later.

Bus contemplation -

plan- get to work early, call Nordis 10.30, then go to discover, return to work, change, call doc, call v-pak, call business as usual.
Feelings today:

• trepidation


• calm


• love struck


• soothed


• need to use the facilities


• peeved


• curious


• weary


• refreshed


• hair tie too tight


• crowded


• smart


• diplomatic


• full


• in need of a toothbrush


• anxious


• sober


• amused


• in need of a magical mute button


• disconnected


• sane


• surrounded


• large


• creator of purrs

No Island Boy at work today, Sappho took off early for the chiro. Wearisome day, hopefully a productive day. Tomorrow is going to be 2nd verse, same as the first.

Things I'm glad to have; not an all-inclusive list, but a good one.

• Love


• Hope


• Smarts


• Chutzpah


• Health

G'night, dear journal.

2/10/03
Somehow, I knew it.

You are Quinn. The true brains of Sealab, 6
doctorate degrees doesn't keep you from getting
hurt often enough. However, your PhD in sex-
ology is well deserved.


Which Sealab 2021 character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I am p Everyone loves pi _

what number are you?

this quiz by orsa

I woke up this morning with the theme to "The Streets of San Francisco" on my mind, but I don't remember the dreams much from last night.

Random Scotto Factoid: Sometimes I have a flashback to my previous night's dream in the middle of the day, usually if I'm in a free-form associative state. (Which is often) I think it's an aspect of some of my dreams going in sequence, and a daydream finds a hook to continue to run with it.

A little research shows that the next airing of the show near me is on the Hallmark channel, Sunday at 3pm... D'oh. I missed it by 18 hours. Now I get to wait a week-ish.

"Timelock", Episode #10.
Stone helps a convict who is accused of murder while on a 36-hour pass from prison; guests Peter Strauss, Bernie Casey.

Cast: Karl Malden, Michael Douglas, Peter Strauss, Bernie Casey, Elaine Giftos, Scott Walker, Paul Marin, Felice Orlandi, Booth Colman, Dan Ferrone.
Producer(s): Quinn Martin.

Original Airdate: November 11, 1972.


oh, these are super cool. I wonder how much they cost? Making 'em would be cheap as all get out.

The Mormons are advertising heavily on Nick at nite lately. Interesting group to focus on.

Hungry baby has a challenger... the 9-mouthed baby Feed me chips!

A little irony that Captain Hook's Name was Hook even before he lost his hand.

The term is PITH and vinegar. Strength or toughness... not urine.

Had a good time this weekend, chasing Newt around the apartment and relaxing in general. Played the recorder a bit. Read a lot. Tinkered and puttered with random hardware and software. Spent a good deal of time in not so uffish thought. Pleasantly daydreamed about my sweetheart and Valentine’s Day. *Happy sigh*

I have to call my contacts today once I get to work, and send off phase three of Operation: Valentine.

Best saying heard today on the net-radio this morning. "Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!"

Hot shower! Super power! Sissies cower most dour and glower sour. At this late hour I've got an urge to lounge in a bower's tower with my Moonflower.

Scalded away the day’s trials and tribulations... making way for the nights dreams, alarums and excursions. (Not that I've contributed anything to that apazine in over a decade...hmm, closer to 15 years now.) I should rejoin it, just to see what's going.

Looking forward to early sleeps and sweet dreams of my beloved tonight. Nighters, dear journal.

2/9/03
Dreams of kissing her in her sleep...she gives me valentiney feelings all year long.

If you don't use the tittle, bigfoot becomes a bigfool.

I like the look of water on grass after a storm.

I wonder sometimes how life would be if I was blind, or mute, or mildly retarded. Not for long. Playing "what if" is only good as a brief entertainment. Too long, and it gets upsetting and difficult to quit.

Monsieur Gustave... Ah, the blossoming of love, and delicious cheese pies.

Stereotypes... much fun!

The Panda running game...I have similar urges, to wander through the bamboo.

A recent BBC documentary mentioned that about once a week somewhere in the world an ocean-going ship is claimed (or nearly so) by a wall of water... Complete program summary on web site, and there is a complete transcript too.

The world's oceans claim on average one ship a week, often in mysterious circumstances. With little evidence to go on, investigators usually point at human error or poor maintenance but an alarming series of disappearances and near-sinkings, including world-class vessels with unblemished track records, has prompted the search for a more sinister cause and renewed belief in a maritime myth: the wall of water. Waves the height of an office block. Waves twice as large as any that ships are designed to ride over. These are not tsunamis or tidal waves, but huge breaking walls of water that come out of the blue. Suspicions these were fact not fiction were roused in 1978, by the cargo ship München. She was a state-of-the-art cargo ship. The December storms predicted when she set out to cross the Atlantic did not concern her German crew. The voyage was perfectly routine until at 3am on December 12th she sent out a garbled mayday message from the mid-Atlantic. Rescue attempts began immediately with over a hundred ships combing the ocean.


I have no idea what purpose the private sector would need these for, but...there's a batch of pen guns on sale,a real find--a cigarette pack gun with silencer,a knife/gun combo, Flipside, a M2 fifty caliber.

Well, laundry's done. I spent a little extra time there, because some lovable little 13 year old urchin decided to press all the dryers with "tumble, no heat" as they left the 'mat. a few cranky customers after that discovery was made. What's the real annoyance is that someone saw what was going on, and didn't bother to tell anyone until after the fact.

Ah well, no real skin off of my back.

While I was there, I took a few pictures and generally goofed around.














current mood: Snuggly soft
current music: Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry

2/8/03
Jasmine tea and a good book this morning after playing with the Newtster. This would go good with a muffin. A pity there are no muffins nearby.

I wrote my dreams down right as I woke up, but it's very choppy. Sweetheart and I have to go to some school basketball game at 5:30 am...My brother can't go because he did something to the student council. It's very cold outside, so we're bundled in sweaters and wrapped in a shared blanket, happily dozing. There's a vendor serving hot applesauce in ice-cream cones. Our team won, but some of the opposing players were physically hurt as a result... lots of fouls committed.

Regarding the history of war between Muslims and Christians. The coming war may not be specifically to beat back invasion, but it is kin to the battles that Vlad the impaler commanded, thus making our current plans something that Dracula might approve of. (At the time of this writing, it is unknown where the werewolves stand. I won't presume that mummies are sympathetic to Saddam)

I didn't realize that all seven astronauts on Columbia were of different faiths; this BeliefNet reportage does a lovely job with that.

Way cool gizmos... and a scary one and a neat start for invisibility

Random Scotto Factoid: Jackson Pollock does nothing for me. Even his early works don't strike a chord, at all.

Random Weather Factoid - Oooh! Where'd all that sweet-smelling rain come from?

The little wireline modem for my palm works like a charm. I need a trillian for it, now! (I notice msn messenger isn't the best on the palmtop, preferring pocket pc's... though icq, aol and yahoo are all available. for the palmtop free and easy to install. I've tested aim, and it works well.) Unfortunately, yahoo mail isn't POP, so I'll have to resort to picking it up via the blazer browser (came free with the modem!) and plinkit! is very nifty. Nice if I want to do some light surfing, check Lj, or just don't want to carry my laptop around.

Some other teeny-tiny portals for the palm - (viewable on regular browsers, too)

• Yahoo!


• MSN Mobile


• Yellow Pages


• White Pages


• Mapquest - (A personal fave)


• The Onion


• Amazon


• Ebay


• Google

My only real concern is that the modem requires an additional two AAA batteries in the back... and there's no power meter. I'm going to have to gauge how long the rechargeables last in there.



I should recommend this for Sappho & Riker, for the "ventures outside of cell phone use areas" parts of their trips.

2/7/03
Micrographia iterum examines objects of assorted sizes under a 30x microscope, then records them with the latest in Pencam technology. The result is a nifty photo, made even moreso by his discussion underneath. It's as if he was shrunken to the size of a bumblebee and went on to make insightful commentary about everything he saw. Another reason to dig the Internet.

I want to see chain shot used in a pirate movie. Ever since I was a kid playing Wooden Ships and Iron Men... um, on researching... *they made a computer version*!! Holy Guacamole! A free BSD version for multiplayer internet...Just as well, as the other version was published in '95/96... I imagine the game play suffered.

The Snapple web site has a collection of what they call "facts", though "factoids" sometimes seems more accurate. #96 states that the average American will eat 35,000 cookies during his/her lifetime. Hmm... Assuming that the average American lives to be 80...that's 437.5 cookies a year... or 1.20 (give or take a little) per day. If you include tiny little Girl Scout cookies into that equation, I'm not sure if I'm ahead of or behind the curve. I certainly try to catch up when girl scouts are selling thin mints.

Tom Sawyer wasn't in the Comic book series. Not sure how I feel about Naseeruddin Shah as Nemo, but Sean Connery as Allan Quartermain is an outstanding choice, but I fear he'll steal the thunder from the group. Also, Mina's *not* a vampire in the comic (as far as I've seen, anyhow). Here's a character cheat sheet.

More and more squirrels are becoming visible. Temperature? Season? Where are the baby squirrels? I saw at least six adults in the trees today.

An article featuring comments by the chairman of the Pentagon's Policy Advisory Board. I'm not fond of the leaders of France and Germany myself these days, but this guy's piehole deserves to be shut. When he angrily accuses German Chancellor Schroeder of "attempting to incite pacifism," well, there’s a flaw in the discourse.

This morning woke me slowly, but extra early. Thinking about braiding my hair and tying it with a ribbon like our founding fathers, but I don't have a good tri-cornered hat to complete the look, and I don't want the side-curls.

I think the plan for posting limits won't hit communities, as the current theory is that posts to communities are taken from the poster's pool of available units, not the community's. Thank goodness!

Thinking happy snow thoughts for folks rather than the icky side of the white stuff. 4"-8" in areas where there's rarely any!

current mood: I wish to put my arms around my sweetheart like a ring around the sun.
current music: If I Had The World To Give - Grateful Dead

I crave falafel... falafel for two, with my sweetheart.

Getting crazy-man responses to my feelers and faxes on my voice mail, now that I'm home.. That's a good, good thing. I have a few calls to make tomorrow regarding some prospects that might be quite nearby.

Saw my brother tonight for the first time in a couple of days... He had some trouble, but is back on track again.

Pictures -
From last Sunday, when I was out to breakfast:


This morning at the bus stop:



Whee! Live controllable Monkey Cam! Fun thing is that it's in Japan... daylight there, while nighttime here.

2/6/03
I've got lovey thoughts on my mind... the music, and thinking about my sweetheart brings me joy. Feeling extra-bonus mushy this morning. She is truly a permanent resident in my heart.

$25 check in the mail from Grammy and Ted, along with my phone/internet bill. D'oh.

Anarchists and the fine art of torture

"A Spanish art historian has uncovered what was alleged to be the first use of modern art as a deliberate form of torture, with the discovery that mind-bending prison cells were built by anarchist artists 65 years ago during the country's bloody civil war."

They say that everybody on the planet is separated from everybody else by no more than six degrees of separation. Of course, that's a load of old bushwah. What isn't is the fact that everybody is born with a *potential* separation number - if you live long enough, you're destined to meet the right people to put you within that many degrees of separation from the whole planet. There's a couple of ways to find out your number - there's a beggar in Katmandu who'll tell you if you give him 777 rupees, and there's a guy in Sunnyvale, California who owns a coin operated fortune-teller that'll spit out a slip of paper with your number on it if you use a silver dime minted in a leap year.

Now, even though the old saw isn't really true, there are quite a few Sixes running around out there, several Fives, and a handful of Fours. Lately, though, there's talk of a kid out in the Midwest who's got a potential number of Three. The guys who watch the numbers - Bacons, they call themselves - are trying to keep a lid on his whereabouts so that he's got a chance to grow up a little before every Illuminated ding-dong tries to enlist him in whatever underground war they've got on tap that week.

Of course, they tell me that it's only a matter of time before there's a Two born. That's right, an honest to gosh FOAF, and whoever gets him is going to have a propaganda tool that make the Internet look like a basket of Chick tracts.

Oh, this is going to cause some problems with a lot of the teeny-bopper million-post per day situation, and some of the folks that run a news-style I think limiting the number of comments is a much worse idea than posts per day. I may have to buy the a paid account, just so it can have more than 3 -5 posts a day. (Yesterday it had six posts.)

In other News, there's a community management page now. If you're in charge of a community, the interface is much simpler to deal with. Thank goodness!

Dear Little Newton, My favorite orange quadruped:
When I'm cleaning out your litter box, and replacing the sand... please wait until all of the sand is poured before jumping in and doing your business. I know a clean potty is nice, but it's only two more minutes, tops... I promise.
Thanks!

I took a quick palm-snap of a birthday card while the room was post-shower steamy.


I swear that it seems like on some days I only see some of the entries of folks I read. I just caught BQ's lovely birthday wish today.


What was sundered and undone
Shall be whole the two made one
By gelfling hand or else by none.

obey

If the post limit does affect communities, I'm debating asking members of the for donations to make it paid. I think that the solution is to buy it a few months' membership, and then post a "In order to serve you better and guarantee more than five posts a day we have a paid account now... if you'd like to help, feel free to put $$ in the paypal kitty" sort of post on the bio page. I don't know though... the fee isn't too steep.

they're talking about you

Networked with some possible prospects today... I've got a good feeling about it. Something really local would be fun. Walking to a gig is nice.

we are watching you

Via - want an easy twenty bucks?

Here, let me link you to how.... you can claim twenty bucks from the industry that has fixed the prices on every stinkin' cd you buy. Its a forty five million dollar settlement that forces the Record Companies to pay up to every single consumer in the US. Har.

Its completely legitimate and 43 State Attorneys were involved in the Class Action Lawsuit. It’s binding. And the labels have to pay up.

Claim your money, if you are in the US (sorry my Canadian buddies), my little peanuts. Tell em Zoe sent ya!

we know what scares you

Speaking of Zoe, There are a lot of folks posting with less frequency lately, at least in public forums. Haven't seen any number of who used to be regular posting-folk in a little while now. Perhaps this is just a private time for them.

redRuM

Chandlerisms. Raymond Chandler is a master. I finished Farewell, My Lovely not too long ago. Full of great lines... What's not to like about Philip Marlowe? I don't like Elliott Gould as his voice... If getting Chandler's stuff in audio, seek out the Old time radio versions with Dick Powell on Kazaa Lite.

we know what you did

2/5/03
Dreamt of being in the 80s sometime, because I was shopping for buttons to put on my book bag at a Peaches Record store. Buying little one-dollar metal circles with stuff on it like "Ernie Douglas, prototype nerd", "an insignificant speck in a ruthless universe" and "I accept tips". I seem to recall my footsteps walking to the beat of whatever music was playing, but I can't remember the tune. They were still selling vinyl 45s there, before the time of CDs being popular.

Hmm... Mike-o wasn't home last night. I'll try him again during midday. I'm sure I can reach him on his cell.

I can talk just like oddtodd.

Self-question- Do they make full-size krackel bars anymore, outside of fundraising or are they just miniatures now? Research says.... Yes!

Does putting ice in a urinal serve some purpose, aside from "this is a good place to put ice... it’ll melt here." I wonder if it serves as some sort of deodorizer? Makes it simpler to clean? No answer found. I'll have to ask someone in the industry.

A little drizzly until mid-evening. 76F? A little warm, considering. Funny how it's warmer when it rains.

Year ago today - Shoo's Birfday!, Missed the bus, fruit₂O, razor dream, bull sprem thieves, bellyaching, Tsar Piccies, TV news, meatloaf quiz, wacky linkies, tron

Two Years ago - License plates, Bob Marley Movement, Vallies roll in.

It's really hazy out this morning ... So late in the day for it. Seems like a cloud got lazy and decided on having a nap down here. Seeing as it's now 11:24 am, and I'm still waiting for the 55, I suspect that I'll be tardy for work. Here's the bus now.

supplemental: 11:59 am
Snotty kid picking his face and muttering across from me on the bus. (picture added after)

Missed the 60 by inches... It left the station right as we were pulling in. Oh well, that gave me time to swing by the ATM nearby. My pocket money had dwindled to about nil.

I added a "auto-complete typing" program to the palm and it's working out really well so far. It seems to anticipate very quickly what I'm trying to say. Teaching it new words to add to its dictionary is simple too.

7:58 pm

off to the stop once again... Now to wait for 20 minutes by street light and watch the cars go by.

Again I suspect that had I arrived a few moments sooner, perhaps I would already be on my way home. The case or not, it's nice to be outside and breathing the night air.

8:22 pm
On the bus. Contents include : older man sleeping drunk, blond woman popping gum, myself, Spanish migrant in a ball cap (he's a regular), driver talking to his loved one on his cellular phone, three quiet riders behind me.

Everyone I can see looks tired. There's a faint scent of sweat... Someone worked hard today. Two teens got on, and they're a little rowdy.

2/4/03
Fuzzy dreams of a trip along a winding mountain road. It seemed that the trip was as fun as the destination, but I don't recall where we were going. Woke up to Newt dropping a rubber lizard on my forehead this morning. He's not a big one for fetching them, though...he'll hockey it around over the floor, and then walk away when he's done with it. He didn't bring it back for me to toss again, but did return to bed for snuggles.

my hair hangs mid-back
enticing thoughts of her touch
fingers intertwined

Neato Irish Curse Generator.

Example-

English: May an infectious disease gnaw at your secret bower.
Irish: Go gcreime galar tógálach do ghrianán rúnda.
Phonetic: guh GREH-muh GAH-luhr TOE-gah-luhkh duh GHREE-uh-nawn ROON-duh.

The Super Zaxxon World Record has been broken. So has he been anywhere since 1983? How will he adapt to his new world and surroundings? Will he need to be reconditioned, and slowly released into our new society, or is he doomed to live life in a special enclosed environment for his own safety?

Random Scotto (& his Bro) Factoid: We both frequently shock people with a level of amiability and politeness. I think that's one of the better qualities passed on to us via our parents.

A year ago - Moonflower haiku, bus rides, tulpa-folk, what do people see quiz (I like blackhellcat's answer.), miss cleo got in trubbah, quiet apartments

Two Years Ago - Snorks vs. Smurfs, recovering from sickies, lovey-loves, butch or femme.

Thank You latraviata for the lovely handmade card, and duchess_webb for the swell e-card!

Today at work...the normal camera overdose.











Calling Mike-o back tonight once he returns from Coral Springs. He's got something lined up for me that looks good. Tuan's over where Mike is, too. (Jesus - "Hay-Zeus" was also there, but I hear his temper got him toasted.) It'd be fun to play pygmy dart death hunt and visit with them again.

Dropped photo challenge. it's not what I was looking for in the community.

Arranged for part two of operation "Valentine Goodness" for my sweetie to be timed right. :)