It's My Life

The Official Fill-in-the-Blank Biography (Extended Version)
Chapter 1: The Basics
Full Name:	D. Evan Peterson
Initials:	DEP
Primary Nickname:	Ev
Other Little Nicks:	Bro
Sex:	Male
Date of Birth:	6-18-74
Star Sign:	Gemini
Chinese Horoscope Sign:	Wood Tiger
Current Location:	Livingv room
Height:	6 US feet
Weight:	260
Hair Length:	Fauxhawk length
Hair Colour:	Currently brown
Eye Colour:	Blau
Skin Tone (Light, Medium, Dark):	Light 'til sundappled
Piercings:	Ears so far X3
Tattoos:	2 so far, arms
Scars and Birthmarks:	Scars, many
Chapter 2: The Background
Mother's Name:	Karen
Mother's Hometown:	Beats the shit out of me
Mother's Occupation:	Sigh
Mother's Hair Colour:	Brown/grey
Mother's Eye Colour:	Blue?
Father's Name:	David
Father's Hometown:	San Jose
Father's Occupation:	Prisoner
Father's Hair Colour:	Grey
Father's Eye Colour:	Blue
What do you call your parents? (i.e.:	I don't
Do you get along with your parents?:	Not a lot
Do you live with your parents?:	Nope
Are your parents married/separated/divorced?:	Never were married
Do you have any step-parents?:	Yep
Do you have any step-siblings?:	I have ex-step siblings
Name/s and Age/s of Siblings:	Autumn/29, Tim/19(?)
Do you get along with your siblings?:	Yes and I don't know him
Do you live with your siblings?:	No
Name/s and Number of Pet/s:	None
Did you grow up in a different place where you live now?:	Yes
Where did you spend your summers as a child?:	Here and there, beaches
What was the name of your elementary school?:	Kynoch
Did you play any sports in elementary school?:	Handball
Did you participate in any special extra-curricular activities?:	no
Who was your favorite elementary school teacher?:	I only remember the name of one and though I didn't like her much, she wins by default: Mrs. Staples
What were some of your favorite TV shows in elementary school?:	Robotech, Star Blazers, Voltron
Who were your best friends in elementary school?:	Mike Stoney, Lincoln Joseph, Albert Wong, David Diab, at least one of whom are deceased
What was the name of your junior high school?:	Anna McKinney
Did you play any sports in junior high school?:	Tried out for basketball unsuccessfully
Did you participate in any special extra-curricular activities?:	no
Who was your favorite junior high school teacher?:	Mr. Gage
What were some of your favorite TV shows in junior high school?:	I don't remember. Family Ties, GI Joe
Who were your best friends in junior high school?:	Same as elementary school, minus David Diab, plus Joey Biggs
What was the name of your high school?:	Marysville High
Did you play any sports in high school?:	no
Did you participate in any special extra-curricular activities?:	yes: drama, volleyball
Who was your favorite high school teacher?:	Mrs. Maher
What were some of your favorite TV shows in high school?:	Tiny Toons. TV sucked in general pre-1993
Who were your best friends in high school?:	Joey Biggs, Robin Brokenshire, Michel Gamble, later add Chris Taylor, Marc Stroud, Mike Filby and Micah Brown
Did you attend mostly private or public schools?:	Public
Were you ever required to wear a uniform?:	Not for school
Did you go to the same school as your parents?:	no
Did you go to the same school as your siblings?:	yes and no
What is your family's cultural heritage?:	Portuguese and Norwegian
Chapter 3: The Style and Fashion
What's your dress size?:	I don't know. This question is sexist
What are your favorite clothing labels?:	Threadless
Do you prefer massive chain stores or little trendy boutiques?:	Smaller
Do you consider yourself materialistic?:	Somewhat much
Do others consider you materialistic?:	Probably even more
Do you subscribe to any fashion magazines?:	Yep
What brand/s of make-up do you use?:	The occasional black nail polish
What's your choice of shampoo or conditioner?:	Aussie
Have you ever gotten a Japanese perm?:	no
How often do you get a manicure and pedicure?:	haven't since Shelley
Do you ever colour or highlight your hair?:	yep
Do you own a pair of UGG's?:	Ugh. No.
Do you own a high end designer handbag?:	no
Do you own any Louis Vuitton luggage?:	no
Do you own more than one item from Tiffany & Co.?:	no
What's usually on your wrist?:	watch
How long does it take you to get dressed each day?:	2-3 minutes
How would you define your typical dressing style?:	casual
Are you obsessed with expensive designer brands?:	nope
Describe your perfect pair of jeans:	comfotable and tight
Do you judge other people based upon how they're dressed?:	sometimes. we all do. Liar.
Do you have a signature scent?:	Yeah
Chapter 4: The Favorites
City:	Pismo Beach
Vacation Spot:	Coast
Sport:	Volleyball
Food:	Teriyaki chicken stir fry
Dessert:	Chocolate covered cherries
Drink (Non-Alcoholic):	Pepsi Jazz
Drink (Alcoholic):	White Russian
Eating Location:	Splash Cafe
Ice Cream Flavour:	Coffee
Season:	Summer
Holiday:	Halloween
Actor:	Ewan Macgregor
Actress:	Natalie Portman
Athlete:	Gabrielle Reese
Athletic Team:	Dodgers
Decade:	90s
Recent Memory:	That one's more private than this blog
Older Memory:	The summer of 1995
Number:	3
Colour:	Teal
Word:	Cunt
Phrase:	I say "or else" a lot
Magazine:	Advocate
Tacky Pick-Up Line:	How you doin?
Language:	Japanese
Country/ies:	USA (being the only one I've been to, sadly)
Flower:	Orchid
Girl's Name:	Madeline
Boy's Name:	Dante
Chapter 5: This or That?
Lefty/Right:	I am both
Rock/Country:	Rock
Diamonds/Pearls:	Diamonds, or pearl necklaces
Blondes/Brunettes:	Brunettes
Puppies/Kitties:	Puppies
Contacts/Glasses:	Glasses
USA/Canada:	Canada, they have better accents
Gold/Silver:	Silver
Hummer Limo/Stretch Limo:	Stretch
Gatorade/Powerade:	Gatorade
Diet Coke/Regular Coke:	Diet
McDonalds/Burger King:	McD's
Chicken Fingers/Chicken Nuggets:	Nuggets
Skiing/Snowboarding:	Neither
East Coast/West Coast:	West
Jay-Z/Snoop Dogg:	Jay-Z
Jennifer Aniston/Angelina Jolie:	Jolie
Marissa Cooper/Summer Roberts:	I had to google these and regret it
George Bush/John Kerry:	Kerry
Britney Spears/Christina Aguilera:	Aguilera
Lindsay Lohan/Hilary Duff:	Lohan is more of an amusing idiot
Tim Horton's/Starbucks?:	neither
Snow Day/Spring Day:	Spring day
London/Paris:	London
New York/L.A.:	LA
Golden Retriever/Chihuahua:	Retriever
Morning Person/Night Person:	Night
Chocolate/Vanilla:	Chocolate
Shower/Bath:	Bath
Love/Money:	Yes
Nike/Adidas:	neither
Target/Walmart:	neither
AIM/MSN Messenger:	Gmail
Blahnik/Birkenstock:	Birkenstock
Janice Dickinson/Twiggy Lawson:	poor poor supermodels. Eat a cookie
City Mouse/Country Mouse:	meh
Winter Olympics/Summer Olympics:	Summer
NCAA/Professional Sport Leagues:	meh
Mexican Food/Italian Food:	Mexican
Pink Wristband/Yellow Wristband:	Pink, fuck Lance Armstrong
Summer Wheatly/Pedro Sanchez:	Summer has a prettier name
Chapter 6: Do You...
Shower every day?:	Mostly
Write little memos on your hand?:	Rarely
Have any special sleeping requirements, i.e. lights off, left side, etc...:	No kids in bed with us
Have your driver's liscense?:	Usually
Hold citizenship to more than one country?:	No
Exercise?:	Yes
Think you're attractive?:	A little
Like yourself?:	A little less
Have any weird little habbits?:	not as weird as your spelling is bad
Chapter 7: Have You Ever...
Gone skinny dipping?:	Yes
Smoked a cigarette?:	no
Smoked a cigar?:	no
Smoked anything else?:	yes
Kissed a member of the same sex?:	yes
Been in love?:	yes
Been heartbroken?:	yes
Shoplifted?:	yes
Been in a fight?:	yes
Snuck out of you're parent's house?:	no
Been chased by the cops?:	no
Made out with a stranger?:	yes
Had sex with a stranger?:	define stranger
Lied to a friend?:	yes
Had a crush on a teacher?:	yes, all the time
Skipped school?:	yes, all the time
Been expelled/suspended?:	no
Thrown up in public?:	yes
Seen someone die?:	yes
Been to Mexico?:	no
Been to Europe?:	no
Been to the Carribbean?:	no
Been to Australia?:	no
Flown first class?:	no
Taken pain killers?:	yes
Taken sleeping pills?:	yes
Taken drugs?:	yes
ODed?:	no
Got alcohol poisoning?:	yes
Been in an abusive relationship?:	yes
Rode in a limousine?:	yes
Gone SCUBA diving?:	no
Gotten stung by jellyfish?:	no
Gotten stung by a bee?:	yes
Failed a subject in school?:	yes
Made a snow angel?:	no
Written a letter to Santa Claus?:	no
Slept in your parent's bed because you were scared of something?:	no, the one time I tried I was rebuffed
Been to sleep-away camp?:	no
Been on a 3+ day canoe trip?:	no
Been called a bitch?:	yes
Been called a tease?:	yes
Been called a prude?:	no
Been called a whore?:	no
Had detention?:	yes
Been sent to the principal's office?:	yes
Met someone famous?:	yes
Been robbed?:	yes
Been cheated out of a large sum of money?:	yes
Made a prank phone call?:	yes
Been to the opposite side of the country?:	no
Cried yourself to sleep?:	yes
Hurt yourself on purpose?:	yes
Kissed in the rain?:	yes
Kissed under a misteltoe?:	yes
Kissed infront of your parents?:	yes
Had a song dedicated to you on the radio?:	not that I'm aware
Had a book dedicated to you?:	I wish
Been mentioned in someone's wedding or bar/bat mitzvah speech?:	not that I'm aware
Been a bridesmaid?:	no, but I've been a best man
Been a maid of honour?:	no
Sang in the shower?:	yes
Lost your cell phone and had to get a new one?:	no
Screamed:	yes
Had sex in a public washroom?:	yes
Had sex on the beach?:	yes
Had sex at church?:	yes
Had sex at a football game?:	no
Been thrown in a pool with all your clothes on?:	no
Broken a bone?:	yes
Made your own porno?:	who hasn't?
Laughed so hard you cried?:	yes
Cried so hard you laughed?:	no
Slept naked?:	yes
Gone streaking?:	no
Played ding dong ditch?:	Again, a regrettable Google, no
Gotten your hair braided in corn rows?:	no
Climbed a tree?:	yes
Thrown up on purpose?:	no
Had a threesome?:	yes
Gone on a rollercoaster?:	yes
Chapter 8: What Makes You...
Happy?:	Some of the things I said yes to prviously and my kids
Sad?:	Some of the things I said yes to previously, my wife and my life
Laugh?:	Amusements
Dance?:	Music
Sing?:	Music
Scared?:	Scary stuff
Horny?:	ah, I don't have the time to type all that. . .
Feel good?:	So many things, and those rarely received compliments
Feel bad?:	Hurting others
Cry?:	Sentimental tripe, despair
Jealous?:	Secrecy, success
Envious?:	Success
Scream?:	Denise
Angry?:	. . .
Smile?:	My kids
Blush?:	Thinking about the answers to some of the previous questions
Sleepy?:	Staying up too late
Excited?:	Expectations
Nervous?:	Expectations
Hungry?:	Hunger, a good advert
Thirsty?:	I am ALWAYS thirsty, and no I am not diabetic
Crazy?:	bwah haha ha. . . um, Denise
Bored?:	Much of my day to day, work
Feel strong?:	weightlifting
Feel important?:	My kids
Chapter 9: Religion, Morals and Beliefs
What religion do you practice?:	It's an amalgamation all my own
Have you ever practiced a religion different than the one you practice now?:	yes
Has anyone ever tried to force you into believing certain things?:	yes
Has anyone ever tried to convert you to another religion?:	yes
How do you normally respond to door-to-door Mormons or Jeehova's Witnesses?:	Politely tell them to fuck off; I once egged the Jay-dubbs
Do you/have you been to religious gatherings?:	yes
Have you ever attended a religious school?:	no
What religion are your parents?:	lapsed Catholic
Would they care if you practiced a different religion than them?:	no
Do they know what religion you practice?:	no
Are you open about your beliefs?:	yes, I answer these questions don't I?
Have you ever lied about your religious beliefs to impress someone?:	yes, once
Have you ever disliked someone else, simply because of their religion?:	yes
Do you believe a superior being exhists/existed and created life?:	maybe
How do you feel about Jesus?:	He was a mensch
What holy book do you think is most accurate? (Bible, Koran, etc.):	none
Do you believe in one God?:	maybe
Do you believe in many Gods?:	maybe
Do you believe in no God?:	maybe
Do you believe in the traditional heaven and hell?:	no
Do you believe in ANY sort of heaven and hell?:	yeah
Do you think God/the Gods are vengeful or nice?:	both, if they exist
Do you believe in angels and demons?:	yes
Do you believe in spirits?:	yes
Do you believe in miracles?:	maybe
Do you believe in the Holy Trinity?:	not particularly
Do you believe in predestination?:	not particularly
Do you believe in original sin?:	no
Do you believe in freedom of will?:	yes
Do you believe in souls?:	yes
Do you believe in a thing called love?:	yes; I like the movie too
Do you believe in astrology or horoscopes?:	sometimes
Do you believe in evolution?:	yes
Do you believe in life on other planets?:	yes
What do you think will happen when we die?:	I'll be buried
Do you think religion and science will always oppose one another?:	yeah
Why do you think we exist?:	Because of coitus
What would you say to God if you met him/her/them today?:	Why me?
Are you supersticious?:	A wee bit
Do you dress a certain way because of your religion?:	no
Do you think people who subscribe to a different religion will go to hell?:	no
Do any of your religious beliefs prevent you from doing certain things?:	no
Do you chant, fast or meditate?:	no
Do you believe everything/agree with everything about your religion?:	yes
Do you think that no one else is right but yourself?:	no
Do you feel superior to people who don't believe the same things as you?:	no
Do you think everyone should practice your religion?:	no
Are you interested in learning about other religions?:	yes
Do you believe in separation of church and state?:	yes
Are you a democrat, republican, or neither?:	Registered Socialist
How do you feel about abortion?:	Ambivalent
How do you feel about gay marriage?:	All for it
How do you feel about marijuana?:	Should be legalized
How do you feel about cloning?:	ambivalent
How do you feel about the death penalty?:	mostly Pro
How do you feel about the war in Iraq?:	Mostly CON
Did you ever call french fries:	I always call 'em fries
How do you feel about the Bush administration?:	embarrassed
How do you feel about racism?:	It's awful
How do you feel about premaritial sex?:	I'm ok with it
Do you support any charities or causes you believe in?:	no
If yes, what are they? If no, why not?:	I am poor
Are you a member of any extreme activist group, like PETA?:	besides the Socialist party?
Are you a veggeterian or vegan?:	not any longer
Chapter 10: Relationships
Do you consider yourself a good friend?:	My friends probably do; I only hope I am
Would you rather have a lot of friends or a few good friends?:	a few great friends
Who are is/are your best friend/s?:	Best? Denise, The Chrisses, Aimee, Drew. I'm very fond of Travis and Michelle and probably leaving someone out and thus hurting/angering them
Are you and your friends cliquey towards others?:	One of the Chrisses and I are very snobbish about pop culture
Do you and your friends have a name, like:	no
Do you have a lot of friends?:	no
How many would you say you had?:	7-8
Has anyone ever told you that you were a good friend?:	yes
Has anyone ever told you that you were a bad friend?:	yes
Are you more outgoing or shy?:	depends
Do you consider yourself better than your friends?:	sometimes, but I also consider myself an asshole
Do you and your friends consider yourselves better than other people?:	I think we do
Do you like to make new friends?:	yeah
Do you talk a lot?:	sometimes, but rarely
Are you a gossip?:	yes
Have you ever lied to one of your friends?:	yes
Have you ever lied about who your friends are?:	no
Have you ever revealed a secret which you promised not to tell?:	not a promised one
How many of your friends are guys?:	3-4
Are you with someone/single/dating?:	married
Have you ever been in love?:	yes; you asked this already
Do you believe in love at first sight?:	no
What's the longest relationship you've ever been in?:	ten years
Would you ever be with someone who your friends didn't like?:	yes
Would you ever be with someone who your family didn't like?:	yes
Do you care about how people look?:	yes
What is the first thing you notice in the opposite gender?:	face
What's your favourite hair colour?:	brown
What's your favorite eye colour?:	green
Short or long hair?:	short
How would you want a significant other to dress?:	attractively
Does money matter?:	yes
Would you ever date someone who was sweet but not good looking?:	I have
Would you take someone who was good looking but an asshole?:	I also have
Have you done either of the above?:	Both
Are you a virgin?:	no
What's the most expensive gift you've ever gotten someone you were dating?:	jewelry
What's the most expensive gift you've ever recieved?:	My grandmother bought my first car
Do you prefer single or double/group dates?:	group
What's your dream date scenario?:	I don't have one
Do you want to get married?:	I am
Do you want to have children?:	I have three
Chapter 10: Technology
What type of cell phone do you have?:	A disconnected one
Is it a camera phone?:	no
How often do you use your cell phone?:	not for six years now
How many people do you have in your cell phone address book?:	6-7
How often do you text message?:	not at all
What are the last 4 digits in your cell phone #?:	I forget
Do you have your own computer?:	yes
If yes, what kind? If no, who's do you use?:	HP
What is your e-mail address?:	thewritestuff@gmail.com
Do you have MSN Messenger?:	no
Do you have AIM?:	yes
Do you have wireless Internet?:	yes
Know HTML?:	yes
How many hours per day do you spend online?:	3-4
Do you have a Sidekick or Blackberry?:	no
Do you have a digital camera?:	yes
Do you have an iPod? If yes, what kind, and how many songs?:	no
Chapter 11: Education
What college/university do you go to/want to go to?:	CSU Chico
Do you like school?:	yes
Is your school in a different location than your family?:	yes
If yes, where, and how far from home are you?:	a couple hours or more
What sports/extra curriculars are you currently involved in?:	kid stuff
What is your school's athletic team called?:	Wildcats
What is your school mascott?:	Wildcat
What are your school colours?:	red and white
What year was your school founded in?:	beats me
Who is your school's biggest rival?:	beats me
Do you feel superior to people who go to other schools?:	no
What are your grades generally like?:	4.0
What is your year?:	2001
What is your major/minor?:	english
What would you like to do after graduation?:	get a good job
What would you like to be when you grow up?:	me
Chapter 12: Pick Your Perfect...
Pizza:	jalapenos, bacon, spinach, pineapple, pepperoni, tomato
Bagel:	yuck
S'more:	the regular kind
Sandwich:	none
Sundae:	hot fudge
Chapter 13: Ratings (How Important is/are)
Friends:	Very
Family:	Very (non-immediate, non-gma? moderately)
Music:	very
Love:	very
Happiness:	very
Money:	somewhat more than I'd like
People:	depends
Animals:	depends
Life:	depends
Education:	very
Religion:	not really
Medication:	depends
Food:	necessary
Sleep:	very
Health:	very
Nature:	very
Shopping:	not very
Comfort:	very
Sex:	very very
Clothes:	very
Phone:	not very
Computer:	very
Chapter 14: Random
If you could take back one thing from your childhood, what would it be?:	crossing the street
Would you rather win an Oscar or a Nobel Prize?:	Nobel
What 5 items would you bring with you on a desert island?:	food, water, reading materials, company and a boat
Who were you named after?:	father
If you could be anything/one you wanted, who/what would you be?:	successful
If you were on death row, what would you request for your final meal?:	Kobe beef steaks with tacos on the side
If you could travel anywhere in the world, which location would you pick?:	Somewhere Mediterranean
Name 15 people in history whom you'd invite to a dinner party:	Denise, Micah, Paul, Devon, Ian, Kenn, Chris, Chrissy, Nina and her husband
Take this survey | Find more surveys | MySpace Surveys Bzoink - The Original Survey Site

Error Operator

My printer is not working properly and I have a paper to turn in this evening. Argh.

Pictures to Prove It

Creep

Hurt (NOT for Kids)

Getting to Know You

Via Aimee. . .

1. What time did you get up this morning?

With the kids home on Spring Break, I got to sleep in to 7:30 or so.

2. How do you like your steak?

Rare.

3. What was the last film you saw at the movie theatre?

300.
Next up should be Grindhouse.

4. What is your favorite TV show?

Scrubs.

5. What is your middle name?

Evan

6. What is your favorite cuisine?

Japanese or Mexican. It's hard because I think I may like Japanese more, but I have more Mexican options around here and am able to eat it more frequently.

7. What foods do you dislike?

Tuna.

8. What are your favorite chips?

Ponch and John.

9. What is your favorite CD at the moment?

"Semper Sexualis Fidelis," a mix CD by various artists compiled by me.

10. What kind of car do you drive?

1990 Plymouth Voyager. I really, really miss my Ford Ranger.

11. What is your favorite sandwich?

Um. . . I'm not big on sandwiches.

12. What characteristics do you despise?

Liars, and people who intentionally cause harm to others.

13. What are your favorite clothes?

That I own? The t-shirt I'm wearing right now. Unfortunately, I think it may die soon. . .
Although I have to say that I'm more fond of various cuts of non-grannypanties women's underpants. They can be very flattering on the aforementioned ladies.

14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation?

Nowhere specific. Somewhere warm, sunny, with a beach and in the Mediterranean.

15. Favorite brand of clothing?

Lately I've been digging on Threadless Tees. And if you keep having me answer clothes questions this may end up turning into an advert for them.

16. Where would you want to retire?

I'd like to be able to afford to retire before I put too much thought into where to retire. Somewhere warm, sunny and with an ocean, and probably still in California.

17. Favorite time of day?

9:31 p.m.

18. Where were you born?

A hospital. California.

19. What is your favorite sport to watch?

Hockey. Participate? Volleyball.

20 & 21 & 48 pertain to questions as if this were an e-mail chain letter and not converted to a blog meme and so I answer them not.

22. Pepsi or Coke?

Pepsi, the Diet Jazz variety, preferably in Strawberries & Cream.

23. Beavers or Ducks?

Beavers. Though one of my favorite "things" is a "Ducky."

24. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Night owl.

25. Pedicure or Manicure?

Manicure. I can't handle people touching my feet.

26. What did you want to be when you were little?

A stuntman.

27. What is your best childhood memory?

Gingerbread cookies with my grandmother.

28. Piercings?

Yes, and considering more.

29. Ever been to Africa?

Not unless Marine World Africa USA counts.

30. Ever been toilet papering?

Sure thing.

31. Ever made a crank phone call?

Not util adulthood.

32. Been in a car accident?

Affirmative.

33. Favorite day of the week?

Friday.

34. Favorite restaurant?

Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach.

35. Favorite type of dog?

I don't have one.

36. Favorite flower?

Orchids.

37. Favorite ice cream?

Coffee flavoured.

38. Favorite fast food restaurant?

In-n-Out Burger, despite the Christianity in the cups.

39. How many times did you fail your drivers test?

Zero, but I crashed more cars prior to taking the test than I have since taking the test.

40. From whom did you get your last email?

eBay.com. Buy my shit, people.

41. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?

Best Buy or some similar electronics store.

42. Bedtime?

That depends upon the day of the week. Rarely before ten; rarely after midnight anymore.

43. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?

Most? Denise's. I know nothing about her.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?

Lash.

45. What are you listening to right now?

Somebody's dipshit rap music (as opposed to good rap music) playing too loud over their headphones behind me in the computer lab I type this in.

46. What is your favorite color?

Teal, closely followed by pink.

47. How many tattoos do you have?

So far I have two.

49. Favorite magazine?

If I exclude comics as magazines, the Advocate, if I don't, the Walking Dead.

50. What time did you finish this meme?

5:15 p.m.

Virtual Insanity

One of my local papers today had an article about how the US Marine Corps is instituting a ban on tattoos on their servicemen. Those who have tattoos now are ok, so long as they don't get new ones, and tattoos on new servicemen aren't acceptible.

Marines who violate this ban can risk imprisonment and dishonorable discharge.

I really have to sit back and wonder at the mindset of people these days. I get that image is important (especially if on, say, the hands, neck or face), but isn't it more important to have competent soldiers being enlisted regardless of whether they have any permanent skin markings? Aren't there other avenues of "poor image" that perhaps need addressing a bit more than soldiers with tattoos?

Seriously people, in the grand scheme of things why should this even be on anyone's radar? Has the USMC run out of qualified homosexuals to kick out of service?

That's That (Do What We Want)

Allright, so folks may be waiting and wondering how things went at the preliminary trial. Keep in mind, I actually wasn't allowed inside the courtroom for the preliminary trial (there's a real fear of defense attorneys suggesting a parent present would be coaching the child on what to say--something I've never done; I'm always telling Lash: speak loudly and clearly and just tell the truth).

Anyhow, we arrived at the courthouse at 9 in the morning, and met the other victim and his mother. Lash wasn't called in to testify until 2 in the afternoon, and was in the courtroom testifying until 3:45.

The district attorney reported to me that Lash did perfectly, that he couldn't have done any better. We should all be pleased with his testimony and proud of his bravery.

Bryan was there (the right to face your accuser and all that awful Constitutionality protecting the criminal more than the victim). He was dressed in his prison orange jumpsuit and his hands and ankles were shackled the entire time: this actually helped reassure Lash of his safety and helped lift his confidence, so it ended up being a good thing. He looked like a schmuck.

The date for the jury trial will be set on April 6th. I'm also going to have to testify at that trial as well as Lash.

Minutiae:

Lash watched a lot of Justice League Unlimited on DVD in the hotel. The district attorney fed us many Mexican food meals. The children's waiting room at the courthouse has nothing to entertain parents (I got to watch Home on the Range and Daddy Day Care; I really just wanted to sleep).

Bus travel blows.

Anyhow, we're home now. The kids are on Spring Break and I have school tonight. . .

Riders on the Storm

Lash and I just arrived at our hotel in Stockton. The bus rides were long, uncomfortable and crowded (first bus--no one would move so Lash and I could sit together). Second bus made us late meeting the DA down here.

Lash hits the stand for the first time tomorrow. He'll have a victim's advocate sitting beside him for feelings of comfort and safety; I believe I don't get to be present at all.

Weather was actually fairly prettily rainy, and has a nice coastal-feel to it (even though Stockton is a landlocked armpit of a town).

Sorry to those who came too late to view the video clip below; just google "tickle me emo" and you should find it.

Bonanza

50 Book Challenge #8: The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl by Tim Pratt. Got this book originally as a gift from Drew. Now I imagine the plot of "real-life person's life intersecting with their fantasy reality to save the world" (which is actually one I read whenever given the option anyway) and its fantasy reality of an old west comic book was the first draw of the book in Drew's decision to get it for me (knowing I love me my comic books and my cowboy genres), an interesting bit of serendipity is also that the novel takes place in my childhood backyard of Santa Cruz. A huge plus reading this was the personal intersection I was able to supply for myself with the setting of the novel. Setting, and its accuracy, really boosted enjoyment of this novel. Nicely, it was also a fairly fast-paced read.

The general plot's been done before (but what general plot hasn't?), but it was still fun. The story is engaging, though sometimes predictable. Come the end, my only gripe is that the climax seemed both rushed and anti-climactic. Otherwise I'd give the book a solid A grade, instead I give it an A-/B+ and definitely recommend it to anyone who's a fan of westerns, comics, girl power narratives, alternate realities. . .

Thanks, Drew.

Who I Am Hates Who I've Been

The post previous to this one was my 500th post. To celebrate, I've included this wee little Youtube video in order to better educate John about the emo-ness of his young one.

911 is a Joke

50 Book Challenge #7: Love Monkey by Kyle Smith. I can’t begin to talk about this book without first sharing my reasons for reading it. Last year there was a tv show, cancelled swiftly, called Love Monkey starring Tom Cavanaugh (whose work I’ve loved since his previous tv show, Ed—why isn’t that on DVD yet? He's also J.D.'s brother on Scrubs.) which was based loosely on this novel. I say “loosely” because having finished the book, the only things it had in common with the television show, which I enjoyed a lot and found to be far more innovative and culturally conscious, were the main character’s name (Tom Farrell), two ancillary characters in the novel who play much bigger roles in the tv show (and are substantially changed in translation themselves, for the better) and the NYC setting.

The novel is about an awkward schlub who can’t get a regular girlfriend, pines over the girl who cheats on her boyfriend with him (but only when there’s something substantial for her to get out of it; he’s apparently blind to how badly she, Julia, plays him through the whole novel) and messes up every other male-female interpersonal relationship he has by shitting where he eats, as the saying goes. Smith’s lead character comes across as incredibly shallow and vapid, but self-aware and spineless. He has a token black caricature friend whose only role is to show Farrell just how oversexed and stereotype-fitting he is. I could go on about the deficiencies of character, but I won’t bore myself further. I do have another gripe though, and that’s that the book climaxes with the 9-11 attacks but they really don’t do anything for the book except place it in a specific time. The attacks don’t change any of the characters or plots substantially and just give the writer, through his character, an outlet for finding places to make mockery of the event.

Clearly someone somewhere read the book and enjoyed it enough to make it a tv show. Somewhere along the line they changed it a lot in order to make it a viable tv show. In the oddest turn of all, the tv show was far superior to the original text. Unfortunately, aside from me, and the actors’ mothers, it was probably only watched by fans of the book who checked out quickly when they noticed all the changes.

Top 5 Movies or Television Programs Superior to the Book They're Based On:

1. Superman 1 and 2 (and yes, they're one movie to me)

2.Love Monkey

3. V for Vendetta (I really didn't like the comic and the movie was more relevant to me as an American than the anti-Thatcher undercurrent of the comic)

I can't even think of a 4 or 5 right now; that's how rarely it happens

Enjoy the Silence

It's spring break for me and, lucky me, I have papers to grade. So, if you e-mail me or check in here, I might be busy. I'm going to try and have a light presence here anyway, but you know how that goes.

In the meanwhile, watch some Black Donnellys, the Riches and Prisonbreak and let me know what you think.

Fly on the Windshield

Hola kemosabes! At the moment, I'm over at Chrissy's. The kids are all at play with Bionicles. The girls (Chrissy, Jira and Denise) are all watching Brokeback Mountain. It's the first time for all three of them so I'm doing my best to shut up, not heckle the film (as I've seen it too often and have some problems with the characters) or ruin its story for them. So I'm trying to locate some obscure punk bands' music at Chris' request (the Dollyrots, Go betty Go, Guano apes, Fly Leaf and Tsunami Bomb) all unsuccessfully.

I should be grading papers...that'll have to happen next week instead.

I've had the song "the Warrior" from the '80s stuck in my head all week and I can't remember who the chick is that sang it so I can just find and listen to the song and purge it from my system. Ugh.

Denise pissed me off today. She's always doing things like writing in letters to people inaccurate things about our home life--things that paint me horribly and her saintly. This time out, she insinuates that she's the only person who does the housework at home. I'm so tempted to not do ANY housework through the coming week just to put a highlight on how incredibly full of dung she is. Ah well.

No snazzy little photo in this post, not until I get access to all my snazzy little photos at home.

Have a good weekend peeps.

The Sun Always Shines on TV

The Sci-Fi Channel had a Tales From the Darkside marathon yesterday morning, which I DVR'd. I watched one episod with the kids where this mother who nags her kids about all the things that will happen to them if they do this or don't do that gets a magic necklace that starts making her statements come true. She ends up accidentally turning herself into a pillar of salt. The kids really dug that.

Last night I got Shortbus from Netflix. You might remember the controversy surrounding it for having the actors actually have sex in the story rather than simulate it--of course "mainstream" films in Europe have done this for over a decade; they're just also incredibly depressing. This was a very sex-positive story of a handful of peoples' journeys through relationships and sexual discovery. It wasn't really at all titillating, but it was very good. Definitely not one to watch with the kids.

Also got Confetti, a Britcom about three couples in competing weddings: musicals, tennis and naturalist (the winning wedding theme would get a house). It has the actors who play Daisy and Brian from Spaced and a bunch of actors from this other show I used to watch but can't remember the name of. "Daisy's" wedding theme was 1920s/30s musicals, except neither she nor her fiancee could sing or dance...

Four stars and three stars respectively.

Rock You Like a Hurricane

This past Friday, already incredibly jealous of Adrienne for having seen it before it was released, I went out and saw 300 with Brian and S#1 (that's code for none-of-yer-damn-business).

I bought my tickets online and then that night invited Chrissy to come along, only to find out the show had sold out. I really need to make it up to her and take her to see it soon.

Can I just say I loved it? If the adaptation of Sin City was fabulous (and I know I have readers who disagree), this was a masterpiece. Really, I think the director caught the Frank Millerness of the book completely. The colours were right, the shots were fantastic and spot-on. Body parts matched Miller's drawings exceptionally well (as an odd example, Miller has a tendency to draw fairly large erect nipples on shirt-free ladies; each instance of breast in this movie had me finding myself thinking "wow, that's a Frank Miller nipple!" Truth.

OK, is the movie, or the comic, historically accurate. Not quite completely. But so what, it isn't a history lesson, it's effing entertaniment for the masses and dime fine entertainment at that.

So anyway, if you're going to watch only one movie with a number for its title this year, skip the Jim Carrey flick and go see 300. Especially if you're a patriot.

White and Nerdy

Figured I'd start these long overdue updates with some far out nerdiness reporting. Let's start out with plastic crack nerdiness:

Two weekends back, Bandito, Lash and I went down to Roseville in order to participate in two, count 'em two, HeroClix pre-release tournaments. At these, participants buy three boosters of the as-yet to be released HeroClix edition and form teams with them to face off against other folks' teams. Additionally, all participants get rare purple-ringed figures for showing up, and the top few get more prizes. But really, just do it for the fun of playing the latest set before the regular joe gets to.

By the way, I'm on a school computer and lots of the keys stick so if there are lots of typos, more than usual, it's all their fault.

At the first tournament, I was able to make an awesomely powerful team and I totally dominated the first two rounds of the tournament (there were 5 rounds at tourney #1). Rounds 3-5 my dice refused to roll higher than a five (on two dice) ever, so I lost often and lost badly (but was not a sore loser). Lash had lots of fun, but won none of his matches. At the 2nd tourney we fared just as poorly, but Lash did win one.

Last weekend was the Hero Clix marquee tournament for the new set (again, each participant buys three boosters to build teams from--winners get limited edition figures and all participants get limited edition pogs--this set was the o.g. Wonder Twins.). This time around I was all about the smack-down and took first place (and got a pretty little plastic Supergirl in her black "brainwashed by Darkseid" costume and Lash got second place (out of eight) and its prize of see-through Detective John Jones.

As for the new set, I got enough from my case to build two complete sets and am selling the second on eBay hoping to recoup some of the costs of the case to begin with.

Now on to role playing nerdiness:
Right now Denise GMs two separate D&D games (running them on alternating Sundays). One has a large group, the other a smaller group. Chrissy's oldest son and Lash get to play in the small group, which we keep much more kid friendly. We have this one long-time player, in both groups, who's been long known to ALWAYS get exceptionally good rolls whenever anyone isn't looking or when her character's life depends on it, or when she makes characters, or always. And she absolutely sucks at the role playing aspect of role playing games. Still, I generally feel that, if that's how she has to play in order for it to be fun for her, and it isn't hurting anyone else, just ignore it and simply reward the other players better. Lately Denise has been getting more and more openly irritated with her and I sense a bit of an explosion on the horizon. Le sigh.

Every other Saturday I GM a game at Casa Taylor. On nights where Bandito is able to make it, we play my Exiles themed superheroes game, and on nights when he doesn't make it (as of last week) I GM a Deadlands game. Both games are fun and have a good group. Terry (the gal above) is not a member of either. In superheroes they're currently in the DCU during Zero Hour (colliding through different comic companies due to a Galactus incident that sent them to Invincible's corner of the Image U.) and have no idea what they're supposed to do because their deus ex machina (aka the Tallus) is on the fritz due to the reality shifting nature of Zero Hour. They had a lot of fun dealing with multiple Batmen and Robins; next time they get Superman and his enemies in Metropolis. Anyhow, this weekend was the inaugural Deadlands-when-Paul-ain't-here session and it went very swimmingly. They don't realize it yet, but I'm adapting a lot of pot elements from Y the Last Man and one of my favorite tv shows and putting them in a tumbler with two parts horror and shaking.

Lastly, our pal Brian is popping his own GM cherry by starting his own Deadlands game on Sunday evenings with his roommie/cousin, cousin's girlfriend (very very nice breasts, and I'm not even a breast man), a couple of his other friends and me because I know the rules in-and-out and can help him when stuck on something. He has always been such a character in the games he plays with us. His GMing takes this to the Nth degree and it's a tad surreal. It's been great fun so far, but runs too late into the night. I'm playing a Chinese-Irish kung-fu boxer.

Last week one of those players wanted to get into some long discussument over whether Cyclops or Wolverine would win in a fight. Like I give a fuck (though I'd want Wolvie to gut that family-abandoning, wife-murdering, adulterer Cyclops all over Graymalkin Lane).

Speaking of comics not to give a fuck about:
Almost everything from Marvel Comics.

So they "killed" Captain America. Come on, people, they won't keep that one for long. It would be like killing Superman. Personally, I'm just tired of seeing panels of Captain America (Civil War #7), Ultimate Captain America (Ultimates 2 #9 or 10) and Iron Man (Civil War: Frontline #11) crying like little sissies.

Brian K Vaughn's finished his run on Runaways. Sigh. I'm really going to miss him; he's grown to be one of the most consistently good writers in comics over the past few years (of which there are so very very few--him, Kirkman, Willingham, Seagle and sometimes Whedon & Giffin, and if he could write on time, that Young Avengers writer.) Now Whedon's going to ake over Runaways. Given what I like about Astonishing X-Men (his other regular book) I have high hopes, though I already miss the kids being stationed in California (he's moving them to super-hero central: NYC) and Whedon's first issue isn't even in my hands yet. I also worry that Whedon's spreading himself too thin (something that plagues a lot of comic writers who also do films or tv--thankfully Vaughn's spreading himself too thin only makes his TV shows suck--Lost--and not his comics) with Astonishing, Runaways, Buffy season 8 and the Wonder Woman movie.

Speaking of Vaughn again, Y the Last Man, the best comic produced today (I challenge you to prove otherwise), ends in less than a year. That will leave me with one good book at DC: American Virgin. That and anything with Black Adam tearing people in half for the murder of his wife and brother in-law.

Last week I picked up my comics and only had 4 books, so I commented "wow, small week this week" and the shop owner snapped at me that it was actually a really big week, but now that I've dropped almost everything it just seems small. Wah. Comics are effing expensive; too effing expensive to waste money on when they start to suck. It took me a long time to ge to this point, and now I only get like 1`2 books a month.

ABC

50 Book Challenge, books number 5 and 6: Twentieth Century Pleasures by Robert Hass and A Faithful Existence by Forrest Gander. Both of these were books by poets writing criticisms of other poets, their own personal writing strategies, etc. Hass' book seemed pretty swayed by biases, but was ultimately more engaging and coherent. Gander's book dealt a lot with translation, a subject of importance for me, which I really liked, but the preponderence of this book is a bit esoteric and beyond my patience threshold.

Where'd You Go?

Not much to say right now. Have spent good amounts of the last week sick again. Sigh.

This weekend was filled with HeroClix pre-release tournaments (more on that later) and nerdgaming (also more later, including the all-new Deadlands group).

Just want y'all to know we're alive and well, and I'll be posting tomorrow or so.

Hot For`Teacher

Remember way back when in March of 2006 where I wrote a post about dumbing myself down in school and not talking in class much for fear of seeming too smart?

Well this semester I've found this real big comfort zone in my theory class where I find myself talking a lot (I think it helps that the professor seems very anti-elitism and a bit Marxist) and getting decent amounts of good response from the professor.

Last night, however, made me a tad uncomfortable. A week ago we turned in our first papers of the term. Last night the professor put up overhead transparencies of the three she thought were the best written papers. Mine was one of them (and I can't help feeling my mention od socialism and elitism might have influenced this slightly).

Yes, yes, yes, I know. Congratulations on a job well done.

Still, I'd rather have not been made a public spectacle like that (regardless of our being praised anonymously, most of the class knew the paper was mine). There's a few reasons for this:

First, now I have to feel as if there's now an expectation set before me that I have to maintain or surpass from here on out, which is much easier and less stressful when you don't know you're the teacher's favorite writer.

Second, it created the notion of classist segregation: now those who didn't meet her top tier are resentful of those of us who did, and I have to be honest and say that it did make me feel a litle proud to know that, if at least for a short while, I was better than my peers.

It's almost enough to make me want to shut up again.

Heroes

Spoilers, people.

So last night's Heroes was interesting, I guess. Nicely done, some questions were answered:
*How is George Takei's character resourceful enough to so easily track Hiro in Las Vegas?
*What was the nature of Claude's past with HRG?
*More of Claire's origin and the probable reason her mom is in constant motion.

Actually, that's not really a lot of questions answered (and in some ways, the teasers for the next episode are more intriguing--what the Hell is Simone doing not dead?

Of course, every answered question poses new ones:
*Is the Haitian working for Claude or someone else?
*How did Claude survive the shooting and fall from the bridge?
*What happens to Matt now? To Claire and the Haitian?
*If George Takei knows all about the heroes, why would he let Hiro continue on his mission so easily?

I don't know. It's always nice for a show to keep us guessing, I just wish it would answer a bit more at the same time. Though I'm thankful fo a week free of Nicky-Jessica and BlackPryde.

Reading Rainbow

50 Book Challenge #4: Raw Recruits by various writers. I'd been feeling a need for a little titillation. But this anthology of military themed erotica just proved monotonous and lame. Is there no good erotica? Book #5 is done as well, but I won't review it here yet--I have to review it for class on Wednesday and I'll post that review here then.

Now I don't normally watch the Academy Awards (not gay enough), but I DVR'd last night's event because some morbid thing in me had to know if that awful Little Miss Sunshine would walk away with a bunch of awards (it only got Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin, deservedly, and Best Original Screenplay, which given its competition seemed a bit much). Aside from Arkin's performance, the only bit of this movie worth watching is the talent show sequence in the last few minutes of the film.

On the home front, I seem unable to completely shake this cold I've had the past few weeks. Sigh. Aeia got sick Friday night, but she's fine now (I think it was just the food). Rael is becoming more and more of a boy and less and less of a baby each day. His comprehension of language seems further advanced than it was with Lash and Aeia, which is a trip, but he's still proving more stubborn than Aeia ever was, which is a lot of` stubbornness.

While we were HeroClixing at the comic shop on Saturday, a homeless man, using the store's awning for shelter from the rain, possibly overdosed and definitely died in front of the store. Thankfully the kids didn't see it happen and I've kept them from finding out about it. I'm so much keener on sheltering them now.

Throw it Away

I am so fucking done with Grey's Anatomy.

Who Will Save Your Soul?

As reported all over our local news, the city of Paradise (just outside Chico) has assembled and voted for a fourth time on a proposed Bible History and Literature class for their high school. Righteously, it was turned down again.

Ignore for a minute the conundrum and headache such a class would create if you wanted to be equal: there'd have to be classes on the Quran, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Book of Moron, the Tao Te Ching, etc. (i.e. every recognized religion's religious texts).

Ignore the always scary and ever-present increase in the Religious Right gaining footholds in our politics (As an aside, the those of you who used to play my online nerdgames, remember in 1999 my fictional US had the Mormons gain control of the White House starting in 2008; how much scarier and deja vu is it now that Mitt Romney's thrown his Moron hat into the ring--I'm sorry Drew, but if he must stay around, I'd rather he be caged into Massachusetyland).

Ignore the obvious Constitutional issue such a class would raise (especially since ignore #2 could also lead to overturning that Amendment or portion thereof, after Roe goes first, of course). Everyone else has.

As a parent, and occasional educator, what I want you to not ignore is this: as school budget "crises" (how long can it be a crisis if it's been that way for decades now?) continue to diminish the number of music classes, art classes, health education, sports etc. from our public schools, too many of us are devoting time and money to try and promote religion into our schools, or to fight it (which they should, for ignore #3). More and more, we (and I'm not one of we) find ourselves replacing any and all aspects of culture with Christian doctrine. My kids each get one hour of art (which includes music) per week. If we can't support the arts, health or sports in our schools, where are we supposed to find the funds to support religion?

Justice for All

Adjudicated record. This occurs, among other times, when a minor commits a crime (misdemeanor or felony) and rather than convict the minor of the crime, the minor is given probation, community service, etc. No marring of their criminal record occurs.

We very recently found out that prior to his being placed in our home, Bryan had been given an adjudicated record for doing some sort of sexual battery act against another minor. I am at a complete loss as to why anyone who is guilty enough to be given probation for molesting a child would even be dealt with so leniently. My best guess is that the parent of the victim didn't press things, whch let Bryan get off virtually scott-free so that he could commit this crime again, and again (as the reason we moved our case out of county was because of another victim and combining the cases provides a better chance of him receiving an extremely stiff penalty). Honestly, I feel disgust towards any and every person involved in this past act of his.

We learned of this a couple weeks back, though, so it isn't quite the focus of my vitriol here. In these past weeks, something has been festering inside me because of this. A newer anger. The various county and private agencies involved with placing Bryan in our home never informed us of this past adjudication against Bryan (of course, he would have then never have entered our home). I really hold these people who knew about his past and kept it from all of his future foster parents responsible for what he's done to his two (that we know of) victims since then. Agencies whose job it is to protect children, instead put them in danger without giving the children's parents any warning of the danger they faced: to me they're guilty of molesting my son as well.

One of my close friends has encouraged we sue these agencies for this. It's so tempting, not for any chance at making them pay financially, but to make them publicly responsible for what they helped cause to happen. It's so tempting. But I also feel as if the last thing I want to do is keep this ordeal as an issue in our lives, or to profit off of Lash's victimization. But it's tempting.

I don't know what to do.

Manic Monday

I'm bogged down by homework (and CSU, Chico doesn't give us today's holiday off) but wanted to do a posting drive-by to assure anyone who cares that the bad mood isn't so bad anymore (mostly that I'm not pissed at everything and nothing at once).

Also, found out this weekend that Kenn married Ellie and want to extend my heartfelt cyber congratulations their way.

Oh, and did anyone catch the Legion of Super Heroes this weekend? It focuses on the Legion of Substitute Heroes and was sweet.

Bad Mood

I'm in a really bad mood today. No reason.

One Week

It's been a long week and I've been a little busy here at casa Peterson. I've been a little flu-ey, but better now. Spent the week organizing my remaining comics and playing a little Dead Rising on XBOX360 (Drew, does yours freeze up every now and again? Mine does and it is annoying).

Trial news: the preliminary trial is set for the end of March, so a month and a half to prep Lash emotionally.

Last week my oncologist had me go for my yearly chest ct: I'm a-ok folks. No sign of remission.

I'm tired and literally have no idea what to say right now. I'll be back more regularly next week.

Oh, and finally, I've put the last of my comics up on eBay. Check them out or don't, but if you do bid, and win, mention this blog and I'll take 5 bucks off your total.

Weekly Update

It's been a week...

Spent Monday morning freaking out thinking I had a paper due that I wasn't ready for. Thankfully, I was wrong. I have two more weeks on the paper.

Tomorrow I have the appointment with the oncologist that I was supposed to make back in September. I know, I'm a dumb ass about taking so long on that. On the bright side, I continue to feel very well, breathing-wise. I have a cough, but it's just this flu circulating around Chico.

I finally finished all the races on Burnout: Revenge, so that leaves me two weeks to beat Dead Rising before I take the 360 back to Rent-A-Center. My latest ebay round isn't going so well, so it might be a while before I can swing a real one.

We met with the DA and a bunch of other folks attached to helping our side in the coming trial. Right now, it's fairly definite that Lash will be testifying--twice. We're supposed to find out the date of the preliminary trial (the jury trial comes much later) on Thursday afternoon.

Had to write another cento for poetry class. Don't know if I'm going to share that one here--it's a little racy.

I hate typing on this laptop. It gives my biceps a cramp--bad angles. I can speed hunt/peck like I can on he desktop.

50 Book Challenge: completed book #3: Sylvia Plath; Collected Poems. Next up is some book of essays by Robert Haas.

Congrats to Chrissy on her new job. I'm happy that someone in my circle is finally able to do something they actually want to do, career-wise.

We're having Aeia's birthday party this Saturday, but let her open our gifts and Aimee's gifts on her actual birthday. She liked everything, even the socks and underwear. I have to help her paint this cute dragonfly wind chime that Aimee sent on Thursday.

Netflix latest: Sherrybaby. I liked it, but was a bit annoyed at the character of Sherry and the decisions she makes. Mindhunters. This FBI, whodunnit was a good deal better than I ever expected, but still no better than just rental fare. Dungeons and Dragons: the Complete Animated series. The first childhood cartoon that's held up for me as entertaining. And the kids dug it. Next up is Last Kiss. I hope Zach Braff's as good in this as in Garden State (one of my favorites).

Shorty

My foot still itches and my throat's still scratchy. Yech.

Aeia turns seven tomorrow; her party's next week, and thanks to Aimee for the presents. She's been on a big irresponsibility kick lately. It's annoying.

Rael can now open doors sometimes. Yesterday he threw a two hour tantrum after having an ice cream scoop taken away from him. He's threatening to be the most terrible Terrible Two I've had to deal with. Lash was generally responsive to command when he misbehaved, and while Aeia was horrible, I worked 8+ hour days at the library back then and didn't have to deal with her as much. If Rael doesn't improve I will lose my last threads of sanity.

Football fans: enjoy the Super Bowl tomorrow. I'll be nerdgaming.

Oh, I got this FANTASTIC letter from the Mormons. I'll have to share it later. Right now I'm off to breakfast.

memes again

Your Life Path Number is 9

Your purpose in life is to make the world better You are very socially conscious and a total idealist. You think there are many things wrong with the world, and you want to fix them. You have a big idea of how to world could be, and you'll sacrifice almost anything to work towards this dream. In love, you can easily see the beauty in someone else. And you never cling too tightly. You are capable of great love, but it's hard for you to focus your love on one person or relationship. You have a lot of outward focus, and you tend to blame the world for your failures. You are often disappointed by the realities of life - it's hard for you to accept the shortcomings of the world.

What Is Your Life Path Number?

You Are 28% Capitalist, 72% Socialist

You tend to be quite wary of businesses, especially big business. While you know that corporations have their place, you tend to support small, locally owned shops. As far as the rich go, you think they're usually corrupt and immoral.

Are You a Socialist or Capitalist?

Your Penis Name Is...

Mr. Big

Penis Name Generator