Countdown clock

I switched it. I figure if you can't figure out that Halloween is coming like a shark in the water, fin up and charging near you, then you're just going to be bitten in the arse.

Christmas, and curse the stores for reminding us in July, is coming. No matter what you say, you are never really ready for it.

For a clever surprise for kids treating this year, drop in candy canes.

Treating 2006

There is always a question about when tick or treating starts here in good ol' FW and this year, it has stayed the same, 6-8 or was it 5-7 last year. Who knows? There is a great inconsistency, so much so that they have to put it in print and on TV. To their defense, Indiana second holdout to swtiching to daylight savings time, now has new hours. What a mess.

So, if you are here in FW, IN, then doorbells will be ringing at around 6. Let's hope for the little kids that the weather is again fair. As for the alcohol-breathing, cigarette smoking nutjob chronolgical adults ... well, may they grow up and put that crap away! What's scarier: very scary haunted house, scary masks, candy-bag stealing teens, vandals, or drunk so-called parents toting kids (maybe not theirs) around neighborhoods?

bad title

"Sect Leader Executed in 5 Deaths"

 

That was a local headline.  You figure it out!  Once you read and understand it pertains to a sect leader who killed 5 people, and today he was executed by the state it makes sense.

locally, assessor not clear

Written more for my benefit than for other readers ...

 

Assessor A: incumbant age 76 with years of experience

Assessor B:  41, with more difficult to achieve certification (incumbant has tried and failed to get this)

 

Seemingly a slam dunk for assessor B, but ... with campaign pages with B on them, more costly, will B be better manager with money?

 

hmmmm

 

shake, shake, shake ... magic 8 ball answers, "ask again later"

Damn!

He's Lump

He's lump; he's lump; he might dead.

Danny died by lethal injection. This famed killer slaughter, in every sense of the word, his Gainsville victims. According to evidence: sex, assault, and murder. They were intertwined into a gory mess left at scenes. Why the heck they didn't just kill him at the sight goes beyond my understanding. He was in court, stood there, plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He had details, opportunity, motive, access, guilty -- and so said the jury.

He slumped -- society's safer.

water fence

water fence
Originally uploaded by MDH, II.

put a fence to keep me out, or to keep Mother Nature in ...

This was a tennis court, but the parks and rec are ripping it apart and giving it a new one, oh, well, they're doing something. I've not really heard of anyone threatening to tear someone a new tennis court, but there have been stranger threats.

If you'll note, the color of the water seems odd. Yes, it is aquamarine, through intentional means and algae buildup.

photo taken at Lakeside Park

this, and nothing more quoteth the duck

fall follage
Originally uploaded by MDH, II.

fall follage at Lakeside Park.

The ducks were quacking away, the geese honking often, dogs entering and exiting the water chasing the thrown stick -- today, cool, bright, I got a chance to see autumn before all the leaves were gone. The folks and I went and they got a short walk. I got some interesting or at least colorful photos.

Famous

I ate at one of two existing Fish of Stroh. This restaurant in the area was about as common as Bob Evan's, but then it collapsed. Shortly after a smaller local comapny wanted to essentially buy the name, and so it lives again. The food was okay, much like Fish of Stroh of "old", though the atmosphere has improved. I found it funny, while sitting there, the background music seemed to be "hits" from 1973-1983.

I will go again, though it isn't really anywhere near where I live now.

Quicly, get her, she's a traitor!

She's written on Lost for so long, that I think the crew gets notes and ideas from her! Anyway, I look on her blog and -- my word! There's a nother show, headline ... she's, she's ... cheating on them! Perhaps they'll put a together show with Heroes and Lost and get Gilligan, "and the rest" out of there!

They've tried to change their evil ways, baby

Dear [name],

Thank you for applying, after reviewing your application we would like to invite you to be a Survey Taker.

As you know Survey Takers receive surveys through email. You simply click on the link in the email, log in with your username and password and answer all questions.

The initial compensation for surveys is $30 per hour. Each survey has an expected time in which to complete and the Survey Taker is paid that amount per survey.

You can find more details about the position in the "Survey Takers" section at [our company].

In order to have you entered as a Survey Taker you must first complete the sample survey, which will allow us to determine which surveys you qualify for.

All Surveys must be filled out completely and honestly.

To complete the sample survey, please visit the website [company] and log in with the following username and password:

Username:
Password:

If the above link does not work, please copy/paste the link into your browser.

Regards,
[person]
...
Quickly using the interface, it is clear that this interface IS what they are. Soylent Green, as it were.

The tip should have been that the pictures all show people with half faces, meaning that you're getting half of what it's worth.

as seen on You Tube

Goofs and stupidity on game shows

Porky pilot

Cursed selfish pilot develops heart.

Porco Rosso another Hayao Miyazaki movie. This time, while he has a young girl in the movie, she isn't the primary focus. She is the one who is trying to prove that she is something, some one and through her, people are changed (though generally due to machisimo battling men fighting for her attention).

It has some mild and deep themes, but the main character's perpetual smoking and drinking and reputed womanizing would make me skeptical to show this to younger people. It is, afterall only a cartoon, but I still wouldn't encourage smoking if I could help it.

There were no shown deaths in the movie and the exaggerated battles were akin to some of his work, but more along the line of caraciture work of Dragonball Z.

Considering re-watachability I would give it a 5.2

Zathura

based on a short book by Chris Van Allsburg. He is the same author/illustrator who did Jumanji and Polar Express. Candidly, between the three of them in movie form, I favor Polar Express. Anyway, the book, short and ending in an intereresting quirk while playing a game, was quite different in the movie.

The movie added elements unimportant such as: single fatherhood (completely different than the short story) and a sister, again different than the short story. In the story there was no sister. In the movie, she played a very minor role, and I guess it was three fold: screaming girl, to interest girls in the movie, demistify puppy love. Anyway, a couple of good elements were there and the special effects were at par (though improved) with Jumanji.

To simplify the plot: two boys facing sibling rivalry and growing pains play a game, where the messages in the game become reality. In the end, the tangent reality (the game they are playing) ceases.

In the end, I think that the two movies (Jumanji & Zathura) could have been run back to back or similtaneously in one film, that way in could have been simple and to the point without the fluff. There was only one big morale in the movie: treat family as family.

Considering re-watachability, I would give it a 3.7 or whatever number I have Jumanji minus .7. As far as family watching -- profanity would make me hesitant to allow younger people to watch it.

"Dick", then addressing it as wrong.