Got a batch of unused Bionicle and technic pieces?? Annoy your cat!


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Many years, and even more pounds, ago I used to be a competitive swimmer. My last comp season was 1989-90 swimming with Pasadena City College. I'd quit competing in soccer and water polo even before that, though the water polo coach would have loved to have me on the team that year. So, every 4 years I watch with interest the Olympic trials.

I'm not going to get into the whole issue of the high-tech suits that's come up this year. Speedo, Tyr and to a lesser extent Arena have always come up with newer, better, faster suits. The people complaining the loudest, that I've seen, come from countries that don't generally field competitive swim teams anyway. The top swimming countries-->USA, Australia, Germany will most likely all have the suits so I'm not worried about equality of competition.

The big stories to my mind are the women's competitors. A big deal has been made of Michael Phelps trying again to beat Mark Spitz's record and get 8 Golds in one Olympics. Katie Hoff has qualified for the same number of events, 5 individuals and 3 relays, so she has a good chance to do the same also.

Even bigger in my mind is Dara Torres. She's 41 and has qualified for her 5th Olympics. That's an amazing feat in any sport but especially one like swimming where the new kids are always coming up. She qualified in the 100m freestyle. She is the number 1 seed in the 50m freestyle after re-taking the American record tonight. Oh, and she has a 2 year old daughter.




Of course any of the swimmers at the trials could mop the floor with me, even when I was at my peak.

A salute to the Laurel who, upon having to "take a few years off", decided to empty his garage of all old and half-completed projects in the most chivalrous way possible -- by giving them away to newcomers with instructions on how to finish.

There were half a dozen new players from our canton at the event, and each and every one got at least one thoughtful and useful item to enrich their game... provided they were able to finish it themselves. I, as an aspiring and often flat-broke fighter, got a helm. Free. It just needs a few rivets.

Rather than let his old projects gather (more) dust, he engaged half a dozen people (one was at his second event) and demonstrated generosity and kindness as an example to all. Also, his wife can now actually park the car in the garage.

From each of us he exacted only one promise -- make sure it gets finished and used.

So let's spread this idea far and wide -- your backlog of un-, half- and never-gonna-be-finished projects can be handed out to newbies with practical advice and the statement: "Finish it and it's yours."

Listed as Gothic Lolita

Why yes... as a matter of fact, I *am* that bored.

( Click here to see just how bored. )

Was coming outta the arsenal today on Research and traffic was being detoured to 565.. In front of us on research all I could see was bumper to bumper..  Anyone know what happened??



Also on a totally unrelated note another question.. Is Sammy T's smoking or non?? Going there Wed to see Saving Abel .. thanks

And while I'm posting pics...

This is the first photo I've received from a shoot with DJ Photoart

( NSFW )

On Wednesday I shot with the amazing Aaron Newell of BlueRue Studio Photography. We were shooting for an upcoming gallery event at The Imago Gallery in Kansas City's Crossroads District. All images were shot with a large format camera at Kill Creek Park.

( NSFW )

(Thanks to the mods for sorting out a strange blip! The original post went missing, and they've graciously allowed me to repost :) )


Ladies, Gentlemen, and Everything In Between in the General Area of the City of New York:

You are hereby invited to an afternoon of tea and snacks on the Great Lawn of Central Park on August the Second. While somewhat in honor of my birthday, the invite is open to all and nothing in the way of presents is required (or even requested!) as the picnic is in no way a party simply for that reason.

Your hosts, liu_xing and I, simply want the enjoyment of your company. We understand that jaborwhalky is holding a wondrous event on the same day, and in no way want to take away from that! Think of us more as there for those of you who can't make the commute. We'd hate to think we're making anybody reconsider or change their plans. :)

Following are the details of the day:

Date: August 2nd
Time: 2 PM - ?
Location: We shall meet up on the steps of the Natural History Museum (Central Park West between 81st and 79th street) before walking to Central Park itself.


We would very much appreciate an RSVP, though if you decide the day of that yes, you can make it, we will quite gladly still accept you!

All we ask is that you make your best attempt to bring something, even if just some cookies or cheese and crackers. It will be a picnic tea to remember, if all goes well.

If you plan on attending, please respond to this post so we can have a good idea of the number of people attending. Closer to the date we will post the details of the day again, as well as a list of those hopefully in attendance.


In case of rain, we will still hold the meet up on the same day, but will instead rendezvous and dine at Alice's Teacup. Closer to the date, if rain is forecasted, we will make sure everybody involved knows exactly where to meet and how much tea will cost, at a rough estimate. So as not to confuse anybody, however, we'll leave that information out for now.

This is probably lame, but my last (week-long) trip to NYC would probably qualify. Everything, and I do mean everything, went right.

we are at karens bday dinner at luna park and ben linus just sat down in the both behind us. this does not bode well.

Marijuana is not a gateway drug. Neither is alcohol.

Sugar and other junk food is the gateway drug.

As I am walking down the hall toward con registration, a voice rings out, "OMG, Thank ghod you're here! We need a sword person to do a couple of panels!"

Which is how I ended up as an Emergency Holographic Panelist.

But that? Not the best part.

Guess who I got to play Stunt Double for?

Uhhmmm...this guy.

If you are going...who??...lemme 'splain. One of MAYBE a dozen folk in the world that knowlegable on blades.

Hence my panicked, "OMFG, I gotta play stand in for ATAR" phone call to dedoc, who gets these things.

All went well, as the other guy did most of the heavy lifting. But I got to do some slow work with....SQUEE...German Longsword.

Which only proves that dedoc does indeed Get It, as he's been hounding me for YEARS to come over to the German Dark Side.

My knees are not so sure about this proposition, however.

Oh, and while they were tossing panels at me, they gave me a Firefly panel, because "The Browncoat Girl is here!"

So which one of youse lousy mugs has been talking up my reputation, eh?

I have also been informed that I am apparently the Long-Lost, Swordswinging Twin Sister to Lubov. But not because someobdy thought I was her -- no, that woulod be too easy. No, they thought SHE was "the Sword Lady."

Which, I suppose we could be twins -- if she was my elfin anime doppleganger.

Sword Lady...Browncoat Girl...what's the difference?

OTOH, one does suppose it beats somebody mistaking me for looking like Atar...

The bathroom here at the Westerchon hotel room is amazing! There is a rainshower option in the shower and the tub is actually a huge jacuzzi deep enough to comfortably seat two people.

All that is missing is a NekkidMal for the tub and a NekkidViggo for the shower.

"Dear" Neighbors Who Think You Own The Whole Block:

We've spent a lot of time, hard work, and money to make ourselves a nice garden to hang out in. We've put up fences and a gazebo, planted trees and bushes and perennials and herbs and a few food crops. There are twinkly faery lights in the gazebo, and root chairs that look like they've grown up themselves from the ground. People who look in are awed by our "little Eden" in the middle of a 'burb, only four blocks from Mass Ave.

We'd like to sit in our yard on a summer afternoon/early evening and . . . you know, just enjoy the bucolic setting. Have a mojito or ice tea, grill some dinner, have some quiet lazy conversation, watch the different types of birds at the feeders and the raccoon babies that come to play in our "little Eden."

But somehow it's not at all enjoyable or relaxing. Because YOUR KIDS, ages 5 through 11, have been taught by you that they OWN THE BLOCK, that their "right" to get their ya-yas out -- after all, everyone knows "kids will be kids" and ain't it too cute? -- is more important than anyone else's right to the peaceful enjoyment of their own homes. I pay my very high real estate taxes: do your kids? They must, because EVERY DAY until 8:00 pm they scream up and down the block, with and to eachother, right under my windows/next to my yard. They hold drag races on their bikes, the ones with those damn clanging bells. No, fences don't provide a sound barrier.

This neighborhood has TWO very nice parks/playgrounds they could go to race around in not five blocks away. But then you'd have to go with them and actually spend time watching your kids instead of just letting them loose outside while YOU GET TO RELAX in your own private backyards. I'm not sure why your kids can't play there rather than the street outside MY windows/yard. Oh, yeh, then you wouldn't get to relax. My bad.

I grew up on the streets of Manhattan, playing outside on my stoop with the neighborhood kids. Somehow my mother managed to teach me that I wasn't the only person in the world, nor more important than my neighbors: the shift worker who might be sleeping while we were playing. The stressed out mother with a migraine who might want a quiet nap in the afternoon. Yelling was not allowed: that was for People With Bad Manners, and we looked down on those. Mom would say whenever it got too noisy: "Hey! Cut that out! Were you brought up in a barn?!"

I'm recording your sounds of the season outside my windows/yard, and will play them back to you out my windows at increased volume, so you can hear how it sounds to me, as you are all obviously deaf (and dumb, and inconsiderate, and selfish). Probably when you're settling down for the evening tucking the little darlings in for the night.

Oh, and we're moving someplace far away with many acres of conservation land, and NO neighbors. We've sold the house to the Hell's Angels Drug and Alcohol Party 'Til Dawn Kamikaze Club. We wish you joy of them. Payback's a bitch.

Not fondly,

The "too sensitive" curmudgeons with migraines next door