That's me. I don't know how I got on Derek's good side* but all I do is mention my sucky banner and he whomps up a great one instanter.

Thanks muchly.

*Oh, now I remember. It involved gifts.

Posted by: Ted at 05:55 PM | category: Links
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That one up there kinda sucks, don't it?

Update: Not that one. That one's cool. I'm talking about the ick one from before.

Posted by: Ted at 12:14 PM | category: Square Pegs
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Like the title? How very zen of me.

Yeah, right.

On Saturday I once again travelled into our nation's capitol, destination: The Smithsonian's Hirschhorn Museum. When Dawn and I visited a few weeks ago, it was raining hard all day, so we didn't get to experience one exhibit that sounded cool.

It was called "Words Drawn In Water" (this was the last weekend for it), and it was a walking guided tour while wearing an iPod shuffle and headphones. The audio track told you where to walk and pointed out various things along the way, and also included snatches of music, interviews and ambient sounds as you walked along. But this wasn't a regular guided tour, because there were several surreal moments when unexpected insights and visions were planted in your mind's eye.

Very nice, and I'm bummed that it's over, because I definitely would've loved to have gone again.

Afterwards, I visited the Air & Space Museum, specifically to see SpaceShipOne. I had prepared myself to be underwhelmed, because so often you see something like that and think, "wow, that's smaller than I expected." Not this time though. It was actually quite a bit larger than I thought it would be. It's hanging from the ceiling, between the Spirit of St. Louis and the Bell X-1 (the orange X-plane, I think it's the X-1).

Brandon, over at Down With Pants!, is also going to participate in NaNoWriMo. He's also playing in the Hockey Whoopass Jamboree, and kindly displayed the logo of my beloved Sharks when his Kings came up just short last weekend (what a heartbreaker, but better you than me, bucko!).

Words. Check.
Water. Check.
Ice. Check.
Air. Check.

Bye bye.

Posted by: Ted at 12:06 PM | category: Links
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National Novel Writing Month.

I know of two friends who're going for it (and/or the variation thereof), and I've been poking the idea with a stick. It hasn't jumped up and bit me yet, but it's not fully awakened yet either. We shall see.

Posted by: Ted at 05:55 AM | category: Links
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1 I had a full-on panic this morning, thinking it started today. Because I have no opening scene. None. I have no idea where to start because I would just rather write in my journal about things that are real.

But alas, I have a day to mull things over and get inspired. I hope the muse visits us all. I mean, how often is one encouraged to ramble at length? I think this mad dash is more of a stress relief than a stressor. Good luck, and you're in good company!

Posted by: dawn at October 31, 2005 08:25 AM (Dh1V0)

2 Now there's an idea. I'd love to read your journal. *ducks* LOL

Posted by: Ted at October 31, 2005 08:54 AM (blNMI)

3 Hey Ted,

I'm giving it a go this year. I did some pre-plotting this year; I have titles for about 10 chapters, a couple of character sketches, and some rough scraps of dialogue that I am pulling together.

However, Buckethead and I both got Civ IV a few days ago, and are considering starting an online multiplayer game, so our word counts may fall short of the 50,000 goal.

Posted by: JohnL at October 31, 2005 02:50 PM (YVul2)

4 I created a little bit of family tension this weekend. My mom came out from Ohio to spend time with her grandson. I figured, hey! What better opportunity to play Civ IV? Mrs. Buckethead did not agree. At all, really. So we went to see Wallace and Grommit, and did a bunch of other stuff.

So I stayed up til three or four in the morning Friday night, Saturday night, last night... and now I'm tatered.

I need to resist the call of Civ IV... Must resist... But I've got the Germans up against the wall, and the Egyptians are getting uppity... Oh crap.

Writing will be difficult. Damn Sid Meiers!

Posted by: buckethead at October 31, 2005 04:51 PM (ztNrs)

5 The first Sid Meiers game I played was something on the Atari 800 - split screen - you in your F86 Super Sabre vs Migs. I spent hours shooting down commies.

Posted by: Ted at October 31, 2005 06:41 PM (+OVgL)

6 JohnL, you are waaay ahead of me on this. I might just start writing and see where it takes me, because I wasn't even considering this a week ago.

Posted by: Ted at October 31, 2005 06:42 PM (+OVgL)

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November 5th and 6th in Culpeper, Virginia. 10am-5pm. Spectators welcome and it's free. We're cleared through the FAA for flights up to 15,000 feet.

I'll be there, look for the red Mazda pickup. If you need more info, feel free to ask in the comments or via email. If you do decide to come out, please check that link or check back here, and I'll post whatever go/no go information I have if the weather's dicey.

This will be the first BattlePark for me sans kids, which is going to be kind of strange (I've got a seat open if someone would like to ride with). We've camped out there before, and other times we've just made day trips of it. Either way, it's big fun.

Posted by: Ted at 04:23 AM | category: Rocketry
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DirecTV has this spot that's been on heavy rotation during football games that shows this cute 4 year old kid coming in to see his dad.

"Dad, can you read me a story?"

The kid notices the TV and looking crestfallen, says, "Oh, football."

And dad, playing the hero, tells his tot that "I can freeze time" with a snap of his finger and a clandestine touch of the remote.

Oh puh-leeze.

Today's four year olds know what the freakin' freeze control is. Hell, by that age they've already hacked the passworded parental control block.

Better check up on older sister, dad. The kid is distracting you for a reason. "Read me a story?" Ground the little scamster and go find the mastermind. Catch 'em red handed, administer punishments.

Then watch your football game uninterupted. As it should be.

Posted by: Ted at 07:33 PM | category: Square Pegs
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Even though this is tres cool. Behold the imagination that went into creating the zombies of Dawn of the Dead as knitted dolls. I love you, but I'm surprised they let you keep the pointy knitting needles.

Thanks to Pete for this one.

Posted by: Ted at 04:34 PM | category: Cult Flicks
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It's up, over at Everything and Nothing. Plenty of good hearty fall and winter fare in this one.

Posted by: Ted at 11:48 AM | category: Recipes
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A friend is looking for a "Thomas Jefferson" style font, where the "s" is written almost like an uncrossed small letter "f" (sample here). This style was used for early printed versions of the Declaration of Independence.

I've found a font designed based on Jefferson's handwriting, but it has the normal "s" and it's not what he wants.

If you can point me to the right place, font fanatics, I'd be most obliged.

Posted by: Ted at 03:40 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Kids, if you see one of these on the front porch:

Just head right on by to the next house, because you can pretty much count on their candy already being gone.

I'd pass on the brownies too, if they offer.

Posted by: Ted at 08:02 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Wegglywoo has a fun look at beach bathing boxes, down under.

Posted by: Ted at 07:51 AM | category: Links
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This is awe-inspiring.

More than 60 years after the formation of a pioneering group of black pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, three of its aging members visited their former unit in Balad, a city just north of Baghdad.

"This is the new Air Force, this is the Air Force that represents America, all of it. It is not an organization of African American pilots trying to break the segregation system - they have done it," Lt. Col. Lee Archer, 85, said Friday in a telephone interview from Balad, where the 332 Expeditionary Air Wing is based.

Col. Archer is America's first black Ace from World War II.

Archer, of New York City, said the new unit "reflects the entire image of America. In that dining room was everything that makes America what it is: black, white, Asian, Pacific islanders, people from different parts of Europe. This is what America is."

He was one of three original Tuskegee Airmen in Balad. Archer was accompanied by retired Tech. Sgt. George Watson Sr., 85, from New Jersey and Master Sgt. James A. Shepherd, 81, from Maine. The visit was arranged by Air Force officials to link the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen with a new generation.

Of the many things that the United States military does well, possibly the most underappreciated by the civilian world is how it quietly emphasizes the historical significance of the various units to it's warriors. You can bet that this reminder of the 332nd's beginnings has boosted morale even higher and subtly pointed out that the men and women in that unit have a mighty big legacy to live up to. By all accounts, they are.

Read more about the Tuskegee Airmen here.

Posted by: Ted at 07:35 AM | category: History
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Somehow, Rocket Jones is number 1 on Google for "how to dress up as buckethead".

I know this because someone got here by doing just that search. Either a lost lamb or a really, really stupid bot.

Posted by: Ted at 07:29 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Carve your own virtual pumpkin here.

Here's mine (click for big, scary jump-out-at-you size):

Thanks to The Ministry of Minor Perfidy for the pointer.

Posted by: Ted at 09:24 PM | category: Links
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Do you think Captain Kirk was overcompensating all that time?

My last comment on the subject, I promise.

Posted by: Ted at 12:11 PM | category: Square Pegs
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1 (I'm choosing to ignore your obsession here.)

Nice logo!!!!! Me like a lot.

Posted by: Blogeline at October 28, 2005 11:41 AM (YMz4J)

2 Thanks! She's my Halloween banner, although I don't remember why I had it listed that way. Maybe I put "Rocket Jones" up in orange or something. I'll have to pretty it all up together, quote and all, and add her to the regular rotation.

Posted by: Ted at October 28, 2005 12:21 PM (blNMI)

3 Why on earth would you stop?

Posted by: buckethead at October 28, 2005 12:25 PM (ztNrs)

4 uh, getting back to kirk... if we take a look at his crew we see:
- spock was smarter & more logical
- scotty was more passionate
- dr. mccoy was simultaneously more humane towards the crew & cynical towards other races
- lt. uhura... well she was just too darn sexy for the lot of them.

so darn right he was always overcompensating in order to exert his supremacy over all.

Posted by: michele at October 28, 2005 01:45 PM (snduz)

5 I think Shatner had short man syndrome, he figured he had to overact to make sure everyone noticed him. Either that or to distract people from staring at Uhura's chest all episode.

Posted by: Oorgo at October 28, 2005 06:57 PM (lM0qs)

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George Takei, best known as Mr. Sulu of the original Star Trek, has transported out of the closet.

It's kind of a shame that this is still considered news.

Posted by: Ted at 05:04 AM | category: Square Pegs
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This line, from a story about Israeli troops arresting a senior leader of Islamic Jihad:

[Hamas] has largely scaled back its attacks since the truce declaration.

So I guess the word truce now means "we won't murder as many of you as before."

Posted by: Ted at 02:20 PM | category: Square Pegs
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My drop light died last night. I've had that thing for somewhere around 30 years, it was one of the old fashioned light bulb types. I've got the portable halogen setups as well, but sometimes the old drop light was exactly what was needed. Now I've got to replace it, which means a trip to the hardware store. Yay!

Posted by: Ted at 06:12 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Congrats on winning the World Series. I didn't have a dog in this hunt, because I don't particularly follow either Chicago or Houston. If the Astros would've won, I'd have been happy for them as well.

But the good Chicago team won. You know, the non-loser ones.

Posted by: Ted at 06:10 AM | category: Square Pegs
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I took the "Which Historical General Are You" test, found over at Naked Villainy.

Results in the extended entry. more...

Posted by: Ted at 05:18 AM | category: Links
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