Bear Droppings
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
What's up with me now?
This past weekend was a bit of a disappointment. Most of my teams lost in the Playoffs. I lost 6 out of 7 to TWL on NCAA 2004 (whereas I won 8 straight last week), I didn't get enough sleep, and I didn't get any writing done. But I did get some new khakis, a belt, and a shirt, so it wasn't a total loss.
This week, still not enough sleep and not enough writing, but I've gotten some fine movie watching in. Hellraiser and Freddy Vs. Jason so far. Right now I'm watching Pootie Tang ("Sine your pitty on the runny kine...") Later, choir practice. Then (with any luck) back to writing.
For now, sepa-town, my damies...
-B
Friday, January 09, 2004
Weekend again
Okay, so it's Friday again. Gonna watch Underworld, gonna watch football, gonna go clothes shopping (I think), gonna watch Curb Your Enthusiasm, gonna write.
I'm pleased to say that I've written four short stories since a couple of days after Christmas, and they're all fairly decent. All could use some polishing, but for first drafts they're not too shabby. Hopefully I can come up with more ideas this weekend. I'd really like to get working on a bigger project. Wish me luck.
Merry weekend!
-B
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Quick update...
Sorry about the infrequency of my posts of late. I've been hella-busy (or, for my Rated G audience, "hecka-busy") working on several other little projects:
- I've written three short stories since Christmas.
- I'm actively trying to come up with more story ideas.
- I'm reading more regularly than I have in a while.
- I've got a fun idea goin' (Thanks G-Money!) for a short movie project.
- I'm cooking up an idea for what amounts to a short animated movie.
- I've been watching lots of football.
That's more-or-less it. I still haven't hit the clothes shopping yet (but the parents gave me the money for it. Yea!) so I need to get that done soon. This week, I hope.
Oh, and I'm considering buying a new computer rather than paying Dell through the nose for their overpriced RAM.
And I still haven't gotten my buy.com gift certificate. Grrrr...
-Busy B
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Buyin' stuff
Went to Hastings in Auburn with G-Money. It's like Media Play, in that they have tons of movies, music, and books, and aren't located in C-Town. I had $100 to spend, but only plunked down about $40. Got Creepshow and The Living Daylights (Timothy Dalton as James Bond) on previously-viewed dvd, and three books (all horror). Next order of business - go to Circuit City or Best Buy to get a couple more dvds. After all, I only have a couple more days before I have to start my monthly spending-limit program up again. Maybe I'll hit the video stores in town for some previously-viewed dvds as well. Gotta love the dvds...
Today's other task - work on a short story. I had an idea this morning, and wrote most of it before noon. Finished it when I got back from Hastings. It's not bad, but it would have been better if I hadn't left in the middle of it to go shopping. Oh well, that's what rewrites are for. Anyway, I feel like I've accomplished something. Even if it's only slightly over two pages long.
Once again, it's friggin' cold in here. What gives? The thermostat says it's about 70 degrees, but I don't buy it. I need to find a sweater or something.
Speaking of clothes, I need to get some new ones. The parents are going to pass me along some funds to that end, and hopefully I'll be able to get it done tomorrow. I hate clothes-shopping, but what're you gonna do? Everybody needs pants...
-B
Monday, December 29, 2003
Fun with electricity
As a service to all of you out there that think Louie The Lightning Bug was just B-S-ing you about the dangers of electricity all those years, I'll now describe the times that I've nearly gotten myself shocked to death.
This is brought on, by the way, by the fact that I received a minor shock on Christmas morning. You see, I had my video camera plugged into the wall socket (my battery, as usual, was dead) and was taping my nephew's wacky Christmas antics. Well, I reached for the battery charger which was the connecting point between the wall socket and the cord feeding power to the camera. I happened to touch the little metal connector points with my finger. These are the little pins that pass the juice into the battery when it's charging. Thus, my finger got a little jolt of electricity, making my hand feel weird for the next 15 minutes or so. That minor charge got me to reminiscing...
When I was in college, the family moved to a new house. During Christmas vacation (I think), I set to the task of putting all of my stuff in it's rightful place in my new room. Well, I got caught up with a bunch of electronic equipment (tv, vcr, video game systems) and was trying to get them all situated. For some reason, I had two or three power cords in my hands. I wanted to plug something into the wall, but my hands were full. So, rather than putting a couple of things down, I decided on another plan. Actually, it was instinctual (stupid instincts!). You know how, if you're trying to get into your car while holding onto a bunch of stuff, you might hold your keychain or something with your mouth until you can get your hands free? (I'm not the only one that does that, right?) Well, this time it wasn't keys, but the tv power cord. And it wasn't the nicely insulated part either. I brilliantly placed the two metal dealies that go into the wall socket RIGHT BETWEEN MY LIPS. Nice. Anyway, I felt a cold blue shiver run through my body as whatever juice was still in the tv and/or cord emptied itself into me. My mouth had made a nice little circuit. I felt very weird all night, and was scolded for my stupidity by KDB when I told her the story.
But the real trouble, the one that could have killed me, happened many years earlier. I was in the third or fourth grade, maybe. Bro-D and I were being baby-sat for while the parents were out at a party or some-such. As we played in Bro-D's room, I got the bright idea to teach my older brother about circuits, since I had learned about them in school sometime around then.
I grabbed a paperclip and straightened it out. I told Bro-D, "When I stick this into just one of the electric socket holes, it'll still be an open circuit, so the electricity won't do anything." I procedded to jam the clip into the left hole in the socket under the bedroom window. Nothing happened.
"But when I put it into both holes, it'll make a closed circuit, and the electricity will be able to flow." Or something like that. I removed the clip, bent it into a U shape, and inserted it into the socket.
That's when time slowed down. I remember seeing everything happening in slow-motion, like The Matrix "bullet-time" effect. I put the clip into the holes while holding the clip with my thumb and index finger by the curve of the U shape. Suddenly, I see the two ends of the clip start to glow yellow. Then, the yellow glow starts racing up the clip on both sides, towards my fingers. I pulled my fingers apart and my hand away just before the yellow glow reached them, then
BANG!
The clip sizzled, all the lights went out, and a little wisp of smoke came out of the socket. Bro-D and I sat looking at each other in the fading light of evening that came in through the window. We could see that the wall socket was charred black, as was a bit of the wallpaper around it. I looked at my fingers and realized that I had come through that experiment without injury. And yet, we both knew we were dead. The babysitters would tell the parents what we had done (what I had done) and we'd be grounded for all eternity.
But when we crept out of the room to see if the babysitters had noticed all the commotion and the lights going out and all, we saw that the lights in the den were still on. The babysitters were still watching tv in the one room in the house that still had power. A miracle.
I don't think the babysitters ever found out what happened, but the parents sure did. After all, it's hard to hide the fact that the lights won't come on anywhere in the house and one of the bedrooms smells like fried paper.
At any rate, it is rather amazing that I didn't get severely killed with that little science lesson. I sure learned my lesson. Er, actually, considering the other times I've had run-ins with electricity, I guess I haven't. (We won't get into the story about the time me and Bro-D tried to defrost a bag of bread in the microwave that still had a metal twist-tie on it.) The point is, don't be an idiot like me. Be careful with electricity.
Gotta go clean out my toaster with a knife.
-B
Saturday, December 27, 2003
Christmas and so forth
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I did, thanks for asking. I got to visit with several of my friends and my family, I got some good gifts (loads of movies, a dvd writer, some other good stuff), and I got to make a cool little video of my little nephew Danny-boy enjoying his Christmas. Very fun.
Last night we had a party for KDB's birthday. Also, very fun. Conversed with several cool people, a couple of whom I didn't know before the evening began. Half-watched a great bowl game 'tween Cal and Va. Tech. Stayed up till 3AM playing Trivial Pursuit (I was in the lead with 4 pie wedges when KDB stormed off of the set for reasons that remain unknown to me. As far as I could tell, it had something to do with Joseph Stalin. Doesn't it always?? Anyway, that pretty much ended the game, so I declare myself the winner. Yea.) Good party.
Today I got a Freddy Vs. Jason poster from the scraggly-bearded poster guy at the mall. I always wonder if he's an honest dealer or if he's the mall-equivalent of a carny. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter. At any rate, as far as I know it's an "original" poster, as opposed to a reprint. I can't tell most of the time. Considering going back for the Jason X poster. Sad.
I've got most of next week off from work, so I'm going to drown myself in movies and video games till I have to go back on Friday. Woo-hoo! I should be able to make a decent-sized dent in the stack of unwatched dvds on my shelf. Maybe I can muster up a trip to Hastings with G-Money. Haven't done that in awhile.
Later taters!
-B
Sunday, December 21, 2003
Weekend
Sorry it's been awhile. Let's get you caught up on what's been going on this weekend.
Friday, I took a half-day and went around shopping with KDB. Finished my Christmas shopping. Woo hoo! Then Friday night, KDB, TWL and I watched Catch Me If You Can. Mighty fine movie.
Saturday was spent watching the Falcons beat the Bucanneers while wrapping presents. What are the odds that the Falcons will pick up Warren Sapp in the off-season? I think there's a shot, and he'd sure help the team. But I don't want a guy that gets the kind of negative attention he gets on my team. I'd like the Falcons to remain as clean as possible. Well, whatever. Anyway, after that we (TWL and KDB and myself) hung around the house, talking.
The question arose: If the New York Jets and San Jose Sharks ran into each other in the airport, would a well-choreographed, musical fight break out? We may never know...
Today (Sunday), we did a live Nativity scene at the church, complete with sheep, a donkey, and a llama. Not sure if llamas were on the scene when Jesus was born, but it worked. I guess camels are hard to come by in C-town. Anyway, it was good. Large crowds, a little bit of TV coverage, general good Christian fellowship and remembering the Savior's birth. And, I got to talk to a real cute girl I hadn't seen in quite a while. Always a good thing.
And now, I'm watching The House On Sorority Row, an 80s slasher movie. I love these movies. Nothing like some mindless violence to finish out an evening.
Not much longer till Christmas!
-B
