DONE

Will resume normal communications soon. Compiling of useless stats of job to follow. Must sleep now and dream of sleep.

Lazyboy Hack

Enjoy

I'm on day 22 of 12-14 hour days, with record heat wave to boot. Only a week left and then I can die. Until then, please enjoy the following.
Strange Statues From Around The World

MOOM: the Museum of online museums

Earth dropped from NASA mission statement

'Zombies' arrested in downtown Minneapolis

Space date set for Scotty's ashes

Nerd Prom

[Amandarama]

Nerd Prom...is up and running. I've never even been this close to it, and I still can't go. Sigh!

Another Day Ends

Bring on the glory bumps

Harper's has a piece that lists posts taken off of the Rapture Ready/End Times Chat.
It turns out there's an upside to the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah—if you're waiting for the second coming of Christ. Here's a selection of excited messages spotted over the last few days on the Rapture Ready/End Times Chat online bulletin board. [By Ken Silverstein. Harper's]

First Fender Bender

Well, I had my first fender bender today. It was in a COSTCO parking lot. I had pulled into a parking aisle and had pulled too far forward to make the turn into the spot so I put the car in reverse and backed up two feet right into an old lady's car. She evidently didn't look before she pulled out and we connected. I pulled into the space and she pulled back into hers. I noticed where the car had scraped the paint from her car. She got out and I told her I'd get my insurance information. After I got it, I went over to her and she asked how it had happened. I told here where my car had been and she said there wasn't anyone there because both the cars had driven past. She was probably in her 70s. When I tried to give her the insurance information she told me to just forget it. I told her I didn't want her to leave with damage to her car. She then asked if I needed her insurance information. I looked at my car and told her I didn't see any major damage to mine. She was a little more upset when she told me to just forget it the second time. She got in her car and as she was backing out I looked over to the Costco guy who was collecting the carts and asked him if he had heard her turn down my insurance. He said he hadn't but I now had a witness that she had. Although without him hearing it I'm not sure what kind of witness he would have been. Oh well, just some paint off my plastic bumper. I still feel kind of odd that she didn’t want the information. There was no way to prove whose fault it was, although I looked a little better in the deal. I think in the end she was afraid what it might do to her ability to remain driving at her age. She seemed very concerned that it not go forward.

Hmmmm!

'nuff said

What I'm drinkin'

This is what I'm currently working on...well, my fourth 6PAC. I'd been drinking the STONE IPA and PA, but tried this and liked it.

Frank Morrison "Mickey" Spillane

(March 9, 1918 - July 11, 2006)

"Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it's a letdown, they won't buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book."

"Those big-shot writers could never dig the fact that there are more salted peanuts consumed than caviar."

I hope the "Lady in the red dress" was waiting for him.

The Amazing Screw-on Head

In this hilarious send-up of Lovecraftian horror and steampunk adventure, President Abraham Lincoln's top spy is a bodyless head known only as Screw-On Head.

When arch-fiend Emperor Zombie steals an artifact that will enable him to threaten all life on Earth, the task of stopping him is assigned to Screw-on Head. Fortunately, Screw-On Head is not alone on this perilous quest. He is aided by his multitalented manservant, Mr. Groin, and by his talking canine cohort, Mr. Dog.

Can this unorthodox trio stop Emperor Zombie in time? Does Screw-On Head have a body awesome enough to stop the horrors that have been unleashed? Where can we get a talking dog?

The pilot is available for free viewing.
(via: Sci-Fi)

Canadian Animation

"The National Film Board of Canada has put 50 of their brilliant animated short films on line for free viewing. The collection spans 60 years..."
(via Boingboing.net)

And on another note, Cthulu For President: Why Settle For a Lesser Evil

A Taste

The first 24 minutes of A SCANNER DARKLY is up for free on IGN. It looks enjoyable. Hopefully It'll still be out by the time I'm done with this job.

Mobile Hot Box

I bet Ol' Rummy would like to get his hands on a few of these babies.

Human Taste

...or at least that's what I thought it read when I first looked at it. Then again, I've been known to read "Lebanese Cuisine" as "Lesbian Cuisine".

Oh, and I found the pigeons today. They're in Beverly Hills.

LOve

I haven't seen a familiar face in 12 days. Send me love.

Crows vs. Pigeons

L.A. has crows the same way NY has pigeons. It's kind of weird. I probably see two to three hundred crows a day. I've only seen about ten pigeons so far. I've also seen a disturbing number of squirrels eating roadkill in the more desert areas. I'm pretty sure this doesn't bode well for those caught traveling without an ample supply of water. Today is laundry day.

I'm currently rewatching:

I think I missued a few episodes when it originally ran, so I'm making sure I get the whole story this time around. This show was one of the most creative shows that came out of FOX's most creative time. It's too bad there isn't a channel out there that has the balls and fortitude to put out groundbreaking TV the way FOX did in the early 90s.

Me vs. Debt collector

I had my second conversation with the debt collectors this morning. I recorded the conversation, but it's too large to post. If I figure it out I will.

Here is the enemy.

If anyone has advice on this (dealing with them), let me know. I could use the help.

While I'm out

You can waste some time watching a chimp play Ms Pac Man.

Lake Isabella WIns

Well, Lake Isabella took the top prize of "Most difficult to get to location" handsomely away from Blue Jay today. It took a total of 2.5 hours to go round trip, from where the 178 meets the 99, which made the rest of my day a bit useless. Of course I never actually got to see the lake, just the lakebed of a town that subsists on its name. The drive was pretty however as you will see from the photos I took, assuming you click on the appropriate link, it would seem that someone decided now would be a good time to completely eradicate a portion of 178 so as to put it back slowly over the course of God knows how long. I was lucky enough to be a part of this magnificent event.

Directions: Three hours north of Los Angeles and one hour northeast of Bakersfield, where Hwy. 178 meets Hwy. 155, scenic Lake Isabella lies between two sections of the Sequoia National Forest at an elevation of 2,578 feet.

Directions to Lake Isabella (opens new window)

History: In 1953, the U. S. Corps of Engineers built earthen dams across two forks of the Kern River to create the Isabella reservoir, Kern County's largest body of water year round with a surface area of 11,200 acres. The communities of Wofford Heights, Lake Isabella and Kernville now bustle with outdoor enthusiasts: fishermen, boatmen, hikers and campers. Kernville, just to the north on Highway 178 beside the north fork of the Kern River, boasts a historic past as an 1850's gold rush camp. The town pays tribute to its rip-roaring past with its Whiskey Flats Days and the exhibits in the Kern Valley Museum.

Bush Mash-ups and Knitting

A couple of nice Bush cut-ups, both Sr. and Jr.

"Sunday Bloody Sunday"
We Will Rock You

For all you knitters out there.

In honor of my new neighborhood, which is mostly Persian.

My first brush fire

Saw this on the way home while stuck in traffic. Don't know if it's one of the first of the season, or a purposeful control burn. Cleans up the air though.

Twin Peaks

This was on the way to Blue Jay, CA. Blue Jay totally screwed my day by being at 6000 feet and not available from CR-173 as the mapping software had said. Well, maybe I could have gotten there if I had a Humvee since 173 turns into an off road rather abruptly. So, I had to circle around the mountain and come in from the other side up 18 to 186. How much do you think my car enjoyed gaining 6000 feet in only 19 miles? At least it all would have been worth it if there had been a midget in a red suit talking forwards in reverse while delivering ominous warnings. But, of course there wasn't. 48/582 completed. It's a little slower than hoped, but all it has to do is average out to about 21 a day and I should be fine.

I'm currently watching one episode of REGENESIS each night in the two hours a day I have to myself. It's a Canadian production and the best viral hunt show ever made. It's like HOUSE, but with a weekly almost pandemic and sub stories that string the whole thing together. Highly recommended. The second season is almost done broadcasting, but I only have the first. Hopefully someone I know will begin the arduous task of pulling season two from the aether and passing it on.

I hate LA traffic. IHATEITIHATEITIHATEIT!

Todays Locations

Or at least three of them. It was a bit hot.

Happy 4th of July

Now go blow something up.

Night Time

From my "balcony" at night.

The View

New Apartment

I'm spending today mapping sites and getting stuff together to start working tomorrow. I also either misplaced my phone last night or it was stolen. I'm going to try and find it or get a new one today as well.