The Earth's Mightiest Blog

"This is the end...but the moment has been prepared for......"

2006-05-16T13:37:00.000-05:00

The Earth's Mightiest Blog

Welcome to the Future......

Our Big News........

2006-04-23T17:26:00.000-05:00

will have to wait a little longer! Stay Tuned!

Comic Book Saturday ( Once again updated on Sunday! )

2006-04-23T17:20:00.000-05:00

A short post this week due to I need to get some things done here around the house.

Just before our big meeting yesterday, my wife and I ran by the flea market for this weeks comics....which were......

New Avengers #18 ( 2 copies )
Exiles #79
Squadron Supreme #2

Since I do not have the time to go into this week's comics news, I will update later in the week.

However, I do have to say that Exiles is starting to grow on me. I really like that book.

Incognito

2006-04-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Wow....whats happening to our little blogging group. First Anduin and now.....me.

I will stepping back for a few days as I have some big things to take care of next week. I may step in and make a quick post here and there. Lets say its the biggest thing that ever happened to my wife and I. ( No Baby, if that is what you are thinking! )

Also, I just got back from taking my mother to our local Social Security office. Two months since my father's death and she is still having problems getting her benefits corrected. Grrrrrrrrr.

Anyway, thats the skinny on me. I will be back in a few days. Last time I did this though I was back the next day. LOL Who knows.

.....and a big shout out to Anduin from Anduins World. Hurry back soon. I already miss ya!!

Peace.

Funny Star Trek Clip

2006-04-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

I found this on Google Video. Funny stuff!

Sunday Evening

2006-04-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

I actually was going to post one massive post including the movie review, these little tidbits and my Easter message. Somehow, they just didn't seem to all fit together so I split them up. Anywho.......

Let's see whats happening today..........

Nanners is off this week because of Spring Break. She deserves a nice quiet week. The last two I think we spent on the road going to some destination or another. Last year at this time we were "leaving a lot of stories back in Las Vegas". I was going to be on vacation this week but decided to work so I can save my time for next year. Funny, I went into work and they still had me down as being off. You do not know how much I wanted to go back home and crawl back in bed.

Its not that Nanners and I do not have a lot to do this week. We have a very busy week planned but I have another post planned to discuss that.

We went to the huge pet adoption yesterday at Colonial Mall Bel Air. As much as we would like to adopt another dog right now, its just not a good time. More on that later.

Tonight's movie is Christmas with the Kranks. Should I run now?

I am planning to get back on the stick next week as far as my diet is concerned. I have really let things go since my fathers passing and now its time to start back. Nanners is planning on joining me at the gym which I am delighted about.

Gosh, I wish we were at Disney World. We love that place.

Tomorrow is a big day. Nanners and I are taking my mother on a very important appointment. I do not think anything will come out of it but it will be good for our peace of mind.

Lastly, our pet project and the one that we have been trying to work on for so many months...is dead. The Gun Show bit the dust offically today. I took its dead carcass and handed it over to The Grand Poobah in a solemn ceremony.

Its all yours. Make me proud.

Happy Easter!!!

2006-04-16T16:25:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to start off by wishing everyone a Happy Easter. Nanners and I spent a very quiet day at home. She is off for spring break this week. This should give you one heck of a clue as far as her career. In celebration of today's holiday, I present you a weenie dog dressed as a rabbit. Enjoy!

The Earth's Mightiest Movie Review - "Sigh" - Brokeback Mountain

2006-04-16T15:59:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it.

Nanners did not force me. I did it on my own. Although I did not go and seek it out, it was presented to me and I watched it without complaint.

Yes. You are right.

We rented Brokeback Mountain.

When I told a few people at work that I watched it, I got a lot of strange looks and laughs. The laughs I was expecting. The strange looks were understandable due of course to the content of the movie. The movie itself was nothing like I envisioned it to be. This shouldn't be surprising. Hollywood wore this horse out during its promotion. After the movie, I thought to myself that this was no more worse, except for about two scenes, that what you would see on television or other movies today. In fact, there was one scene in Pulp Fiction that I am sure everybody knows about that was more graphic sexually than Brokeback ever was. In fact, after the first "graphic" scene and one or two others, most of the love affair was implied and shown off screen.

Was it uncomfortable to watch? Yes. I think Ang Lee could have made his point by not showing their affair in one scene so graphically.

Funny, however, that I never heard any controversy over Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams going topless in the movie. In fact, when Anne Hathaway bared her breasts, Nanners cried out, "NO...NOT THE GIRL FROM THE PRINCESS DIARIES!" LOL

The cinematography was beautiful. Kudos to Ledger and Gyllenhaal for maintaining their professionalism during the making of this and afterward during the Oscar push. Randy Quaid for FINALLY turning in a half decent performance. Finally, to Ang Lee. Not that he made a perfect movie, but having the great foresight to cast Linda Cardellini. Heck, if I knew that she alone was in it, I would have went to the theaters to watch it.

I did not seek this movie out. It was my wife's choice to rent this. So I supported her and watched it.

Now its my turn. Guess who I am going to drag to X-Men 3 - The Last Stand? =)

On a side note, there are 4 more movies left on The Butler Did It! 21 Movies That Makes Guys Drop The Remote. Will Brokeback make the list???

Comic Book Saturday

2006-04-15T19:49:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to start out this post by saying I am relaxing here by drinking a bottle of the new Coke Blak. Let me say this and allow my words to ring out across the land.

It sucks.

Now to the comics.

Nanners and I had a very busy day today and it started out this morning at 9am by my weekly trip to the Ye Olde Flea Market. I was able to fill my loot sack with the following.....

New Avengers: The Illuminati #1
Exiles #78 (World Tour featuring the Squadron Supreme)
The Incredible Hulk #92 (Planet Hulk Variant Cover)

I had a couple of more issues in my hands but I had to put them back for lack of funds. Hulk #92 with the variant cover was a little expensive but I am a sucker for the variant covers. The way the entire comic industry is promoting them and the way the sales for them are successful it seems everyone else is as well. I also put back Annihilation: Super-Skrull just because that I am sure I will be able to pick that up maybe next week.

The more and more I read Exiles, the more issues I will likely buy. Marvel has about a zillion alternate Earths and the Exiles are currently on Earth #712 which is the designation of Earth-S or the Earth of the mainstream Squadron Supreme. This is not the rebooted Squadron Supreme of the Marvel Knights line. I have no idea what Earth designation number it is given and yes it does have one. Its going to be interesting to see how the addition of the Power Princess will effect the group dynamic. I like the way that Marvel is using its other alternate characters in this way.

The Illuminati issue was very interesting to read. Very little in the way of action other than one or two pages of a clash between Iron Man and the Sub-Mariner. Things are getting geared up for Marvel's Civil War. This weekends USA Today had a short blurb about it. Its going to be massive and the creators are promising many changes after the end of the series. One rumor is that the anti-superhero registration group will lose and several heroes will be heading to Canada rather than to reveal their true idenities. Will Thor return? The Heroes for Hire are returning. Will the New Avengers will be split apart?

Bottom line. I might need a second job.

Doctor Who - "Dalek"

2006-04-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

(Spoilers)

In the world of science fiction, both in movies and on television, there are many icons that make a person automatically identify the show or movie that it or they appeared in. Darth Vader in Star Wars, Robby the Robot in Forbidden Planet, The Klingons in Star Trek and so on. However, one of the best and one of the oldest are the most evil creatures in the Doctor Who Universe, the Daleks.

The Daleks are science fiction icons that when most people in the United States see them, a person usually says, "...now where have I seen them before?"

A photograph of the original Daleks.

The Daleks were created by writer Terry Nation and debuted in the second ever Doctor Who episode appropriately entitled The Daleks. Nation came up with the basic premise of the Dalek, however it was a staffer at the BBC that actually came up for the phyiscal design of the actual prop, where he only got paid his normal fee for producing. Nation, since he actually came up with the idea for the monsters, owned the rights so any ideas for the Daleks in the show had to either be written by or signed off by him. Nation was and is a great science fiction writer. Nation later in life would develop the groundbreaking scifi series in Britain, Blake's Seven and later cross the pond to produce Macgyver for ABC.

When Doctor Who was revived in 2005, the estate of Terry Nation was contacted to contract the appearance of the Daleks in the new series. However, it took a long time before the BBC and Terry Nation's estate came to a agreement for the Daleks to appear. The script for Dalek was changed many times due to uncertainity of the BBC in acquiring the rights.

Dalek opens with the Doctor and Rose landing in a muesum of a meglamaniac in the very near future. One of his acquisitions is a Dalek. The very last one. The Doctor and the Dalek share infomation that their respective races were destroyed during what is called The Great Time War. Rose inadvertantly causes the Dalek to become rengergized and the Dalek proceeds to start killing everyone in the bunker. The Dalek would eventually destroy itself after absorbing Rose's DNA which starts to mutate the Dalek creature inside.

This is a great story but the pacing of the episode is way too fast. The Dalek is revealed almost five minutes in the story. There is hardly anytime to build any tension between any of the characters. The exchange between the Doctor and the Dalek is priceless. The entire scene drips of the series history. The Dalek is only slightly redesigned for the new series. I believe this was one of the sticking points of the battle between the estate of Terry Nation and the BBC. Rumor has it that the BBC wanted to do a radical new design while Nation's estate did not. You cannot have Doctor Who without the Daleks so the old design was basically modified.

The New Daleks

Henry Van Statten was a great character. I wish he could have been made a recurring villain in the series. The character of Adam really did not have time to develop but joined the TARDIS crew nevertheless.

The entire episode borrowed heavily from the original episode from 1975 called Genesis of the Daleks. The bunker, the guards, the evil leader. Everything was there.

Another big reveal was the fact that the Dalek can now fly. Being a machine that rolled on the floor, all you had to do was find a flight of stairs and the Dalek was screwed. No longer. However, this was not the first time a Dalek could fly. The Seventh Doctor faced a Dalek who could transcend stairs in Rememberance of the Daleks. In the end, the Dalek creature who pilots the machine is shown and one cannot help to feel a sense of pity for the creature. The creature is reacting to the sunlight and stretches a slimy tentacle toward the sun.

Is this the end of the Daleks? Of course not. All you have to do is wait until the last episode. Oops! Sorry about that. The Daleks will be around as long as the Doctor is around. Lets hope that is for a long time.

"...and now he belongs to the ages."

2006-04-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

These are very fitting words to sum of the life of a great man who was wounded on this date in 1865. Abraham Lincoln would die on April 15, 1865 but most people remember the date of April 14th as the date of one of most dreadful acts in American history. Instead of giving an overview of a story that has been told for over a hundred years I wanted to present a series of photographs that some people may not be familiar with to celebrate this infamous day.

This photograph is of the Brothers Booth. From left to right, you have John Wilkes ( sans mustache ), Edwin and Junius Jr. dressed in character from the play Julius Caesar. The Booth's have been recognized as the one of the first family dynasty of actors in the United States, comparable to the Baldwin family of today, although the Booth's reputation for acting prowess far outdistances the Baldwin family. Edwin would become of America's greatest gifts to the stage despite the stigma of what his brother did on April 14th. A little known fact about Edwin is that later in life he prevented a man from falling into a path of a train while the gentleman was standing on a platform waiting for that train. The man you ask. Abraham Lincoln's son Robert, who later served as Secretary of War under President Garfield.

A photograph of Robert Lincoln later in life.

The original playbill that announced Lincoln's visit to Ford's Theater on April 14th. Could this be the actual playbill that Booth read early in the day that spurred him to hasten his plan to assassinate Lincoln?

Next is a series of pictures showing the bedroom that Lincoln died. The photograph of the bed taken at the top was taken minutes after Lincoln's body was removed from the room. You can still see the bloodsoaked pillow and daylight as morning was breaking in a stunned Washington. After this photo was taken, much of the room and its contents were ransacked by army officers and goverment officials hoping to collect items as "souvneirs". The last two pictures are of the same room during present day. Much or all of the furniture is reproductions of the original items. As you enter Petersen House, which is a fine home in its own right, you walk straight down the hallway to get to this back room. As everybody as always seen portraits of this night, you remember that the room was always depicted of being crowded of goverment officials and Lincoln's family. As you can see in the photographs, three people make a crowd in this room. On top of that, the bed was pulled away from the wall while Lincoln was lying there which made the room even more cramped. That was the most striking thing I noticed about the room when I visited it. I was lucky to have seen the original death pillow as well that was enclosed in a glass case on the bed. It has since been removed. You could still see blood stains. A very moving sight.

Hopefully soon, I will pick up again with bios on the conspirators I haven't talked about yet, George Atzerodt and Mary and John Surratt.

The French Connection

2006-04-14T09:15:00.000-05:00

Bonjour!! Allow me the pleasure of presenting you a photograph of the French village of Le Herie La Vievielle. This will be our base of operations during April 5 through April 20th of 2007. My mother in law has pretty much locked in on our dates of travel for next years trip. The village is about 6o miles southwest from the Belgium border. My wife's family is originally from the village and her great aunt still lives there. The population is only about 250 and I have been looking very hard at the picture but I have yet to see any golden arches. =( The village is not ideally located for a lot of travel but it should be fun nevertheless. We definately should be close for a day trip to the Magionot Line at the border. Here is a photograph of some of the works.

The only other major attraction we plan at this point to see is the Normandy coast. My wife and I are planning to break away from the group and spend a few days in London with my aunt and uncle who are coming with us on the trip.

Also on the subject of France, my mother in law and I took our first introductory French language class Wednesday night. It was very interesting and I enjoyed it very much. The only thing that was embarrassing was the fact that I forgot to turn on my trusty tape recorder. Doh! No biggie. The first night was mainly of sentence structure and word association. My mother in law's office at the university already has a pool going on as to how many classes I will take before I drop it. LOL. Don't worry. I have my operative already planted and he has put the right number in the pool.

I take nothing to chance.

New Orleans: The Current Perspective?

2006-04-13T20:25:00.000-05:00

New Orleans - The Facts?

A very interesting read.

Does anyone else agree, however?

"....to my Dearest....."

2006-04-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Anniversary to the Greatest Woman in the World!

Monday Evening

2006-04-10T20:16:00.000-05:00

What's up y'all?? Not much here. I have been very busy over the past few days and it doesnt look like its going to get any better for a while. I just wanted to jot down some of the things going on around the Igloo.

Nanners and I watched The West Wing last night. (SPOILERS) I think everybody knew that Santos was going to win the Presidency but how it was going to play out was anyones guess. It was kinda funny that it came down to Nevada. I wonder if an election could happen in quite that same way. Of course, the big story was Leo's death. The debate that Santos' had with the DNC chairman was interesting. I wonder how many times constitutional scholars have debated on the scenario they were discussing. As much as I knew it wasn't going to happen, I really was hoping deep down that Vinick would come out on top. It would have been really surprising to have seen that happen being how liberal Hollywood is. I think it came out kinda self serving. A Vinick Administration could have been interesting to watch if the show would have been renewed. Leo's funeral is next week then the inauguration, I believe.

For me to say that work has been interesting over the last two days would be a understatement. I really wish I could elaborate on it.

I have only three weeks to until my Hilton Honors points run out and we cannot find a place at the beach. I have been trying to convince Nanners to take a trip to Atlanta for a weekend but so far no luck.

A big congratulations to The Latin Lover and his lovely wife, Anduin on their anniversary. If I am not mistaken, I think Anduin said they have been married 200 years but I may have misread that. ;-)

My French class starts Wednesday night. Wednesday happens to be our anniversary also. I get to spend the evening with my mother in law. Poetic Justice?

I wanted to do a blogcast today but I just barely can find time to fit everything I NEED to do in the day. In fact, Nanners just went to bed. ZZZZZZZZZZ.

Last but not least, stay tuned to this space because pretty soon you may hear the sound of hammering in West Mobile. More on that as it develops....... =)

Brush with Greatness

2006-04-08T18:50:00.000-05:00

.....just a quick Saturday post. My wife and I were dining at O'Charleys this afternoon when we had a brush with greatness. While reading over the wine and dessert choices, the waiter came up to our table and asked us what we would like to drink. When we looked up, we stared right into the face of ...you guessed it!.....

Elijah Wood!!

ok...so it wasn't him, but the waiter could have been his twin brother. We did for a moment think that life for him had gotten a little rough since his rise to megastardom from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Anyway, we laughed and smirked all through our lunch until we left. As I was leaving, I did notice, however, that he did have rather large feet.

On a separate note, we noticed that a large number of women were waiting in line for take out orders. I believe this has to do with O'Charleys new take out program "O' to Go". ;-)

"Hmmmmmm......."

2006-04-06T18:19:00.000-05:00

Maybe its just me, but.......

....nahhh, they do not look alike.

Comic Book Wednesday

2006-04-05T16:34:00.000-05:00

I tried a different tactic this week for my weekly comic fix. The flea market comic booth opens for an hour or two on Wednesday afternoons to receive their weekly shipment. I called at noon to make sure the guy was open and I would be stopping by. He didn't sound too pleased but said he would wait for me anyway.

I was lucky that we didn't have anything come up that kept me at work late so I was able to stop by the flea market about 1245pm. I must admit that I really didn't like going when there was no one there. Despite that, I was able to pick up what I needed. The owner was kinda cool toward me and I certainly felt like I was interfering with something. Anyway, I was able to pick up a few things.

Young Avengers #11
Infinite Crisis #6 (Both the Lee and Perez covers)
Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1 (Awesome Cover!)

I am nursing a migraine right now so thats it for today. I am looking around this room and I really need to clean it up. My bookcases need organizing and I need to break down my PS2 for Ender so he can sell it for me. However, I need to move a file cabinet to get to the wires so I am afraid that will wait until my off day Friday.

...no rest for the weary.

BTW, I am including a link to one of my favorite comic writers, Jim Starlin. He is the father of the "Cosmic Marvel Universe" and well known for killing Robin in the Batman: A Death in the Family . I am not a huge fan of his artwork but his stories of cosmic intrigue are second to none. He has combined with George Perez for some of comics greatest moments.

Comixfan Forums - THE COSMIC TREK OF JIM STARLIN

If you a comic fan, enjoy!

"...in the words of the immortal Yosemite Sam........"

2006-04-04T19:38:00.000-05:00

NBC 15 - David Glenn's Weather Blog...Dr. William Gray's 2006 Hurricane Forecast

".....say yer prayers!"

Feeling the Funk

2006-04-04T16:27:00.000-05:00

I do not know what the problem is but I have had a serious case of bloggers block over the last few weeks. I have posted a few things but everything has seemed forced. I dont know why. I have had a lot of things going on away from the old computer so I hope that is simply the reason.

Well, if you fall off the bike, you just have to drag yourself back up and continue on....so that being said, here is the Tuesday update........

My allergies are killing me. I haven't had it this worse in a LONG time. However, this time its my eyes that are giving me problems. My friends at work tell me that I look like I have been crying all day. I can't take any medicine that works for me because I get so drowsy from it. Tavist and getting up at 3am doesn't cut it. What I need is a good south Alabama soaking in the form of a all day rain event. Only then will I start to feel better.

Ender and his wife Tater, Jason, the Mayor of Hollinger's Island and his wife, Mitzi and Nanners and I made a trip across the bay Friday and had a lovely dinner at Lambert's in Foley, Alabama. If you have never been to Lambert's, its a themed restaurant based out of Missouri that serves food in a festive setting. Their fare is stick to your ribs food. However, they are known for two things. First, the pass arounds. Along with your food, they come by every few minutes and bring you unlimited helpings of black eyed peas. fried potatoes and onions, and macaroni and tomatoes. Be warned. A waitress with a gimmicked bottle of katsup or a pot containing a stuffed possum that will be stuck in your face when you are least expect it. However, what they are famous for are their "throwed rolls". They bake these HUGE dinner rolls and bring them out to the dining room for the customers. There is one catch. You have to catch them. They have a person who yells out FRESH ROLLS!! and then everybody who wants them raises their hands. Those who do not want rolls usually takes cover. Most of the time the rolls make it to their target. Sometimes they do not. You do the math. We had a great time and enjoyed lots of great conversation and rolls. Oh, and we moved tables three times. Lambert's, by the way, was featured on The Travel Channels' Top Ten Places to Pig Out. The original Lambert's in Missouri came in as number one!

Our living room is full of odds and ends to be taken to our new storage unit sometime this week. My allergies have been holding me back from doing much outside. Nanners bought some flowers this past weekend and I usually water them for her when I come in and I almost die when I do it. Thats how bad I have it.

I am half done with testing at work this week. I finished some up today under the watchful eye of The Butler Did It. Now I am not a betting man but I am almost positive that he was working on his next movie reviews. I passed all my tests, by the way!!!

I want to give a big shoutout to Leigh of ....tell me I am Beautiful. She playfully chastized me today over my banner. So guess who is going to make a new one for me!!!!

Ender still has the premiere episode of The Gun Show that is still in the editing stage. For our first podcast, it was a hit and miss show but the unedited product sounded pretty funny. Our next one will be a lot better because we will be more prepared.

The Verbal Assassin has been on a tear as of late. CAN ANYONE STOP THIS MAN!?!

and lastly.....something will happen early Wednesday morning that will not ever happen again.....at 1:02:03 on 4/5/06 to be precise.

Thanks to Percy Pringle for that interesting bit of trivia. He is such a interesting man to read about..in between body slams.

Comic Book Saturday ( Updated on Sunday, no less...)

2006-04-01T17:20:00.000-06:00

I have decided to post all the comics news on Saturdays now so here we go.......

My wife made the trip with me today to the flea market for Comic Book Saturday and I wish the news was all that good......

We arrived about 930am and the weather was already hot which means good crowds for the flea market. Nanners and I slowly took in all the deals and items that were being displayed until we made it around to the comic booth. I started looking to see what was out this week....and I began to slowly panic. There were 2 comics in particular I was looking for and I did not see either of them. I spoke with the younger gentleman at the booth and he said that they should have had the ones I was wanting. When the owner stepped in, he told me ...in a nice way.....that if I had a pull list with them, then maybe I would have the comics I wanted. I got close to him and said "well, I had one about 2 years ago with you and I STILL didn't get what I wanted. He looked surprised and then went through all of what he does to make sure everyone gets what they wanted. I kinda smiled when he said this because this is how it works......a customer comes in. Customer wants said comic. Said comic is not available. Owner then looks for comic in the bins. When said owner does not find said comic, he mysteriously finds one.....in another persons pull bin. So two questions were answered this fine day. However, today I received only one of what I wanted. Today's haul.......

Fantastic Four #536....I am very lucky to get this one, it's sold out nationwide.
Wizard Magazine #175
House of M #1 ( Variant Cover )

The comic I was unable to get my grubby little hands on was the New Avengers Special: The Illuminati. I am going to try and get this one on the Internet at mycomicshop.com. This one is another that was in demand this week. Marvel is having a great year so far both creatively and financially.

The Earth's Mightiest Movie Review - King Kong

2006-03-31T05:04:00.000-06:00

I want to thank Lee of The Butler Did It as my inspiration for my movie reviews....I hope I can do a tenth as good as him. I only review movies my wife and I watch. Visit his blog and keep track of 21 Movies to make your Drop the Remote.

That being said.....(Small Spoilers....after all this is King Kong....you know what happened!)

It must be nice to have a billion dollar movie under your belt. It can get you all kind of favors. Peter Jackson parlayed his success with The Lord of the Rings trilogy to ask the studios to let him make his favorite movie of all time. King Kong, this version, was definately a Peter Jackson movie.

From the opening, New York was in its matte and model excellence. However, I think he might have done a little better by including more of the ACTUAL city in it. I wish I knew the number of matte and effect shots in the first 30 minutes of the movie. The first part of the movie moved so dreadfully slow. It was painful to sit through. Thank Goodness for our new couch! Jack Black just did seem like he fit in this movie. He did ok, but ..hmmm...I dont know....I just didn't buy him as this character. Adrien Brody was ok as Driscoll, but could he have spoken any softer. I could barely hear him during this movie? Naomi Watts was ok as Ann Darrow, but her scenes with Kong....well, just didn't spark anything. It did seem to me that other than the obivious relationship she had with Kong, it just didn't gel with me. I couldn't feel the connection between the two even after what all Kong did to save her. She was much better in the first 30 minutes of the film. I would liked to have had one scene in the movie that was set on the ship on the way home showing Kong on board, but I can understand this because of the grand appearance of Kong in shackles. My favorite scene was the end. No..not the end of the movie, but the Empire State Building sequence. In my opinion, this was done perfectly. Ann was moving kinda fast and sure footed for being up that high, but I can overlook that. I have acrophobia and my gut was in knots when they were up that high. Thats how bad I have it. Kong's demise was played perfect. That was great moviemaking. The only thing that was wrong at the end was Jack Black saying the last lines "....twas beauty killed the beast....." Shouldn't he be in police custody by now?? Did Denham finally get a heart? Great words, but wasted on Black. I guess the Denham character said it in the original so Jackson kept it in this one.

All in all, a good movie. Jackson was able to make his dream movie. Now, lets move on, shall we? Three out of Five Stars.

By the way, the spider picture is the only surviving still remaining of a cut scene from the original movie. This scene was at the bottom of the pit after Kong threw the giant log down in it, including the rescue party that was clinging to it. It was considered too shocking for the time and took away the menace of Kong. Jackson instead used the pit filled with giant bugs and maggots. I was wondering if Jackson was going to pay homage to the cut scene, but two consecutive movies with giant spiders would be too much, ya think?

"....this is why I love comics and the AVENGERS.....'

2006-03-30T21:05:00.000-06:00

Broken Frontier | The Portal for Quality Comics Coverage!

Well, I am back. My house is in order. My wife is not upset with me any longer. Life is good at the Icehouse.

Years ago on another message board, I wrote a suggestion to then-Avengers writer Kurt Busiek about the relationship between the Avengers Big Three of Thor, Iron Man and Captain America. The suggestion was to have a story about the three heroes which put more light on their friendship. Three heroes and three brothers who have braved life and death for years fighting side by side each other. I would love to have seen how the three men would put their relationships in perspective.

Busiek, whose run as Avengers writer I really enjoyed because he brought such a feeling of nostalgia back to the title, snidely remarked that he wasn't going to have the three sitting beside a creek fishing and singing ~Row, Row, Row Your Boat~all day. I lost a great deal of respect for him that day.

This article touches a bit on their relationship but mostly on the characters themselves. Its a good read if you are a comics fan.

The Doghouse

2006-03-29T03:17:00.000-06:00

Yesterday started with a lot of promise ....then went downhill fast...and it was my own fault.

I took off work yesterday to take my mother to the Social Security office to help her clear up a problem. Everything was worked out to her satisfaction.

....then the day went south.

For some reason that I havent been able to figure out, I went on a mini spending spree yesterday without Nanners permission.

Let's open the Loot Sack and see what Daddy brought home, shall we?

1) Two Small Barrister Bookcases
2) London for Dummies
3) 2 Disc Set of King Kong
4) A really BIG clock for our living room.
5) A empty container of a Rice Krispy treat I got at Barnes and Noble.

When Nanners came home from work and saw "Big Ben" hung proudly from the wall, the gig was up. I was told to IMMEDIATELY take it down and take it back. "What were you thinking about getting a clock that huge for our small house?"

"Yes, dear."

"My Gosh, How much was those bookcases???" I told her. She wasn't TOO angry about that but said next time she needed to be in on the decision making on a purchase like that.

"Yes, dear."

London for Dummies? I just got a roll of the eyes for that.

The empty Rice Krispy treat box. Another eye roll.

To make room for the bookcases I had to move a chest of drawers to our bedroom. In the process in doing that, I scraped the floor which is going to require me to buy about 4 pieces of laminate flooring to replace the damage pieces.

Another eye roll and a stern look. Nanners was not happy with chest of drawers being in the bedroom but she was easy on me for that one.

All in all, the evening wasn't too bad, however, I do not know for the life of me why I went on that little spree yesterday. Did I need all of that stuff? No. Why, then? Especially when there are other things I need to be concentrating on.

My answer.

I am taking a few days off from blogging to get my house.....literally both of them back in order. I will be back when the cleaning is done. =)

...and I apologize, my dear. Please forgive me.

Deja Vu

2006-03-28T17:00:00.000-06:00

I was just sitting here reading a blurb on CNN.com about the lead singer of the Village People (The Policeman) facing jail time.

As I was reading, my attention was attracted by a song that was playing on the XM Radio channel for 70's music on Directv.

The Song?

YMCA by the Village People.

....toooo weird.

That is all. You may all go back to whatever illegal Internet activity you were doing.

( Insert your favorite banjo riff here.....)

2006-03-27T20:13:00.000-06:00

NBC 15 :: Close to Home - Donkey dragged behind truck will soon have a new home

You know this is a terrible story......it really does piss me off to see this happening in this day and age. No wonder the South has a terrible reputation.

I will bet the mortgage that these two guys were sitting around drinking and decided that they would just "haul ass". Well, they were the ones hauled. They were hauled all the way to jail.

The Earth's Mightiest Movie Review Part Two - Good Night and Good Luck

2006-03-27T13:43:00.000-06:00

Good Night and Good Luck is a movie set during the McCarthy Hearings in the 1950's and shows how CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow confronted Sen. McCarthy on his tactics of trying to expose would be Communists in the United States. Actor David Strathairn portrayed Murrow and George Clooney played Murrows producer, Fred Friendly.

I have wanted to see this movie since it came out. I am not that familiar with this time of American history and the movie definately kept my attention throughout. A dry movie, it was hard to watch at sometimes and I can see if the causal moviegoer would take a pass on this one. In fact, I was surprised it held Nanners attention for so long.

The movie was filmed in black and white and at times, I felt like I was watching a old episode of Playhouse 90 or some other live television production set during the 50's. The movie ran a brisk 1 hour and 30 minutes and further made me think I was watching a tv show.

Strathairn was perfect as Murrow. Perfect. You can see why Murrow was such a great pioneer for tv news. Clooney was also good as Friendly.

As much as I want to hate Clooney for being the epitome of a "movie star" with the gossip, lifestyle and the women. I have to give it to him for being a risk taker and a good director. When he acts like "George Clooney..movie star" in productions like Ocean's Twelve, I usually want to pass. However, when he makes quality motion pictures like this one, my opinion of him changes immensely.

I give it three out of five stars. Like I said, the movie is very dry and long if you are not interesting in learning about this time. If this part of American history does not suit you, then I suggest not renting it.

The Earth's Mightiest Movie Review - Crash

2006-03-26T03:19:00.000-06:00

My wife and I watched Crash last night. I was skeptical of it when Nanners picked it up and really didnt want to sit down and watch even after that last night. I came to that assumption by being so tired from a full Saturday and a few of my coworkers who said they saw it and were not impressed.

My opinion after seeing it?

Watch it. In fact, run and get it. I have never had a movie effect me this way in a long time. I have had it on my mind since I have seen it. The one scene of the Arab storekeeper stalking the locksmith and what happened between them has stayed with me all night.

A in your face movie with great acting. Some quick cameos by people you would not expect to be in this movie. You have to keep your eye out for them.

To sum it up, rent it. Watch it. It may not be for everyone, but I really was mesmerized by it.

41/2 out of 5 stars.....the 1/2 deduction is for Tony Danza. LOL....just kidding. You have to give the director props for having the testicular fortitude to use him, though.

"....ummmm, ok..."

2006-03-25T05:23:00.000-06:00

Leprechaun Spotted In Alabama

Believe it or not, I actually heard about this last week. A woman at work told me that everyone was seeing this leprechaun near where she lived.

....and just think, I almost didn't believe her.

=/

"Easy stomach...Don't turn over now. Easy."

2006-03-23T15:46:00.000-06:00

NEWSARAMA - MR. T #1 COVER

I provide the link with no comment.

I am sorry. I can not comment on this.

We have truly reached the end of life as we know it.

I pity the fool who thinks otherwise.

Comic Book Saturday Wish List

2006-03-23T15:25:00.000-06:00

I am going to have to start selling lemonade or get a paper route because this Saturday is going to be one of the most expensive days I will ever have at the Ye Olde Flea Market. A whole ton of comics are coming out this week. Let me run down the list of the ones I want to get......

Amazing Spider-Man #530 - "The Road to Civil War"
The Incredible Hulk #93 - "Planet Hulk" (Also #92 Variant Cover Reprint)
Infinite Crisis #5 (Pencil Sketch Variant)
New Avengers #17 (I always buy 2 copies.)
Squadron Supreme #1 (3 Variant Covers...Sketch Cover Variant 3c pic at top.)
Supreme Power: Hyperion #5

Plus the ones I missed last week.

Annihilation Prologue #1 (2 Variant Covers including Sketch Cover Variant.)

So the damage expects to be great. I count 12 comics just here, not counting any that I have missed.

God, I am such a geek.

The Best Damn Chuck Norris Jokes. Ever.

2006-03-22T19:58:00.000-06:00

This is funny but would be funnier if Chuck Norris could, well......act.

The Power of Giving

2006-03-22T19:40:00.000-06:00

Anduin's World

Please take a moment and read this wonderful story from Latin Lover's wife Anduin. If this doesn't show the power of giving of ones self, nothing does.

"Springtime in Alabama brings thoughts of Wheezing, Coughing and Fender Benders..."

2006-03-22T15:29:00.000-06:00

Ugh.

I absoultely hate this time of year. I thought I had it bad when I lived at home when all the pecan trees bloomed and my nose springs a leak for about 6 weeks. However, my sinuses are running like the Flash and there is nothing I can do for it. I walk around like I am crying all the time and I dare not stay outside for too long or it gets worse.

Together everyone......wahhhhh!

I had to stay home from work today. I feel terrible. I haven't slept any. My head is pounding. I have taken some over the counter stuff but I have to be real careful because I do not want to walk around like a zombie. The non drowsy medicine doesnt help me at all I am afraid.

I wish that my allergies were my only problem. I beg your attention to the pictures posted below.

I was taking the "Nannermobile" to work yesterday morning and when I was backing out of our driveway, Lo and behold, someone set a tree trunk on the side of the driveway. How in the hell did that get th.....oh thats right. Katrina left it there for me. (by the way, for you trivia buffs out there, not only did we lose a tree from Hurricane Katrina, it came from our neighbors yard, a woman who used to be my supervisor at work.....her name? You Guessed It!!!!! Katrina. Katrina knocked over a tree from Katrina's yard. Geez. So now I am going to have to try and get that fixed. Nanners was not too mad at me. I am just wondering how she parked it because when I backed out, I ran straight into it. I mean, it almost like she had to pull a Dukes of Hazzard on it just to get it in the parking spot.

Only other news I have is that Google sent me a invitation to join a new service called GooglePages. Its a template maker for blogs and websites. I played with it for a bit this afternoon but soon gave up. I thought Google owned Blogger? Looks like they would try to improve this service, wouldn't it? Meanwhile, it seems I am starting to have problems some other people now with Blogger. Oh well.

Lastly, I saw this on Will Wheaton's website. WWdN: In Exile It's a squirrel with huge nuts. Talk amongst yourselves.

"...and the news just keeps getting better...."

2006-03-20T20:30:00.000-06:00

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Busy hurricane season forecast

Accuweather

Dr. William Gray

The National Hurricane Center

All of these outlets have or will predict that we are indeed up for another above average hurricane season. My wife and I are already planning on purchasing our plywood and other necessities before hand. If a storm even remotely looks like its going to enter the Gulf, you can forget about getting most things, most of all gasoline. I want to have enough on hand just for our vehicles. We are already stocking up on water.

I know everyone who reads this and is not from the coast will say that getting ready this early is asinine. However, you wait in a 2 hour gas line and see how you like it.

Sunday Afternoon

2006-03-19T17:01:00.000-06:00

Not much going on today. We had a busy day at work and it was made longer because its that time of the year for me now. Allergies. I am so allergic to all the pollen and everything from all the azaleas and other flowers blooming here in south Alabama. I was absolutely miserable at work today. I came home and took my old friend, Mr. Tavist. Actually half of one. If I took a full one, I wouldn't hear the clock go off in the AM. I will be glad when it rains and washes all the pollen to points unknown. Anyway. In other things gravitating around the Ice household......

I just listened to my buddy Ender's first podcast. He was smart and decided not to put it on the web like I did. LOL However, I think he did an excellent job. He has experimented more with Audacity than I have. When it started, my first thought was how professional it sounded. I think with these little babysteps we are making prior to the debut of The Gun Show will be beneficial. The Grand Poobah is in the process of making us a few logos. We had a photo shoot last Thursday to do that. Yes. You heard that right. We engaged the services of a well known south Alabama photographer and well...the finished product turned out very well. The first logo that Poobah did was great I thought and we are looking forward to the finished result. We are having a blast doing this and we haven't even made our first podcast yet. We have a executive producer and a techincal advisor. This is going to turn the world of podcasting on its head.....or destroy it one. LOL.

The Butler Did It has updated his 21 movies that will cause guys to drop the remote. The Shawshank Redemption is the latest entry. This is a great movie. However, being a former corrections office I can say that some of the techincal stuff like the tunnel going undetected for so many years is stretching it. The little stuff like that is overshadowed by the great performances of Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. The scene where Red has his final parole hearing and he declares that he is institutionalized rather than rehabilitated always puts a lump in my throat. You cannot get more real than that, ladies and gents. His readjustment to society is also great to watch. All in all, a great movie. Stop by his website and give it a read. Oh, and The Butler is going to Disney World too. And I thought we worked there. ;-)

Nanners and I enjoyed a nice evening out at my best friend's house last night. I am glad that Nanners and I are enjoying the social circuit a little more.

Well, that wraps it up for tonight. See ya when there is something brewing!

"Welcome to The New Earth's Mightiest Kneejerk Reaction Blog!"

2006-03-18T00:31:00.000-06:00

This is going to be a short post.....I found this nice simple template that I decided I would use. This way I can start to redeem myself for the tonguelashing I got earlier tonight.

I removed the dreaded weather ticker. I took off the audio book and the DVD. I didn't have the heart to take off the comic book section. In the words of G.H.W. Bush, "... ain't gonna do it..."

It looks neater. Cleaner.

Oh, and I added the IT2M button. Rat Bastards. LOL I shouldn't complain though. They led me back on the path to the straight and narrow. I just get this itch when I pass a 24 weather channel or a online weather ticker. :-/

"Excuse me, Sir?, how does it feel to have been ripped a new one?"

2006-03-17T22:39:00.000-06:00

Ok, a little pleasure before business......I just got through watching the first two episodes of the new Doctor Who series on Scifi. I am biased, but I really like it. Not only does it capture the charm and some of the history of the old series, but it certainly breaks ground as far as making the Doctor a whole person as far as bits and pieces of one. It does, however, maintain his mystery. Billie Piper is fantastic as Rose. I can see now how the British audiences have fallen in love with her.

Now, on to the topic at hand. My blog review finally came up on I talk too much [we're rude - deal with it]. I was ripped a completely new one by Merciless Minx. Remember before clicking on this blog, there is a lot of very foul language on it so if you are at work, be warned.

When you send in your blog to be reviewed, you must be able to grow thick skin in the meantime because they do not hold back any punches. Most of the blogs are ripped to shreds. I think this is the purpose of a lot of people sending them in. In reading their reviews everyday waiting for mine to come up. I would say that probably 75% of their comments are probably offbase and the other 25% are actually pretty good recommendations. However, I am not complaining in the least since I am the one who sent them my blog for review so I am bound by their opinions. I agree with some and others, well, lets say I take it all in with a smile. Most of it I have to say is "she loves tomatoes, and I do not."

So lets break it down, shall we?

"Mighty bad graphics and mighty boring posts are what I found." - Agreed on the graphics. Template making or template editing are not my strong point. There are thousands of others that are way better than mine. Boring posts. Well, I can't say that I have climbed Mount Everest so yeah, I could agree that most of them are boring. My post on my father not included in that assumption, however. She can just get bent over that.

"The header graphic is way too compressed. GIF format would be much better for that kind of image." - Agreed. Nothing I can argue there about.

"The sidebar is a pointless collection of “mighty” media. What are these, books you’re reading? Books you’re selling? Well, whatever it is, I don’t give a rat’s ass. I’m here for a blog, not that crap." - You were right on the first guess, toots. Books I am reading. Who gives a rats arse what you think anyway.....oh I am sorry. I did sent it in to be reviewed, so I must be nice.

"And please get rid of the f***ing weather forcast. The fact that it’s 71 degrees over there (and we’re talking early morning at the time of this writing) while I’m freezing my ass off over here is just making me mad." - I put the forecast in their simply because it might be interesting to see weather from my area. It could either stay or go. No big whoop either way. Oh, and you left off a e in forecast, by the way.

"I tried to find something interesting to read over here. I really did. It reads like a diary. I think if I was this guy’s mom I would be interested. But for anyone else, it’s a huge yawn-inducing disappointment." - I was thinking today that I might be suffering from blogger burnout. I do admit that a lot of my posts lately haven't been as interesting. I think a lot of that has to do with some of my latest posts being so depressing because of the all the deaths that have been near me lately. I could say this would be a good incentive to actually improve my writing and things I have talked about. I did go back several weeks ago and deleted a lot of my older posts. I regret now doing so. Especially my posts on Hurricane Katrina. She mentions also that the blog reads like a diary. Well, I ask everyone to Google blogs and their definition. I thought that was what blogs were. I guess that I do have a boring life. I agree with the person who commented about The Weather Channel post. Yeah. It was geeky. It was kinda weird. However, it was me. I do search for a lot of things online when I am bored or have a lot of time on my hands. I am a mark for the Weather Channel. Not near as much as I was years ago. I do not like it as it is now. I simply recall the way it was YEARS ago. Hey, this is me, however. I love scifi. I love comics. I love movies. So sue me. And for the record, my mom wouldn't know what a blog was. LOL

Oh well, I asked for it so I am not complaining. I will take what their suggestions were and try to improve this blog. I have been reading most of their technical comments in between the profanity and the put downs. They make a lot of great points and suggestions. I will definately try to write better. I will try to make my comments more interesting. I will try to write about subjects more indepth than just a one line comment here or there with a link or two. I might even find a halfway decent template. One thing I will not apologize for is being myself. If there is anyone that does not like me, then they can just get over it. I must challenge myself to improve the way I present the way I am. Not to try to make myself out as someone I am not.

At least, she didn't listen to that pitiful blogcast. LOL

Doctor Who Debuts Tonight on The Scifi Channel

2006-03-17T12:44:00.000-06:00

The longest running science fiction television show debuts tonight at 8pm central on Scifi. If you want a crash course lesson about the Doctor, just visit Outpost Gallifrey.

Tonights episodes are Rose andThe End of the World.

Enjoy. I know I will.

Wednesday Evening

2006-03-15T19:33:00.000-06:00

Wow. I have just gotten off the phone with my Mom and its taken about 4 of us (including me on the phone) to sift through the growing mound of paperwork to submit for my father's insurance. I have gotten a new respect for this whole process. What a way to learn, however.

Nothing pretty much to report here. A friend of mine from work and I were going to take a couple of games of bowling today, but I left work today with a mild headache and came straight home and napped. I woke up this afternoon looking up into the lovely face of my wife, Nanners. We enjoyed a nice meal tonight at one of our favorite Mexican eateries, Sabora Mexico. Right now, Nanners is enjoying a TIVOed American Idol. I must admit I am not a huge American Idol fan but I would like to see Alabamian Taylor Hicks do well.

Other things going on in the Ice household.......

I just signed up to take Conversational French 1 at the University of South Alabama College of Continuing Education. My mother in law and I will be going on Wednesday nights in April in preparation for a our trip to France next year. I would like to take the second part also. Nanners works so late its hard for her to do classes after she comes home so she is going to bow out this time. Oui!

I want to give a big EMB shoutout to my blogging friend from Mobile, Leigh of ....tell me I am beautiful. You can find her blog on my blogroll. Although I do not comment on everyone of her posts, I do enjoy reading her blog. I know this sounds cliche' but you can feel the love and passion for her family in everyone of her writings. Please give her a visit and tell her the Iceman sent you!!

I want to give another shout out to a high school friend who I haven't talked to in a while. The Montgomery Disco Queen. DQ, I haven't forgotten about you and I cannot tell you how many times I have picked my cell phone up to buzz you and then I get distracted. I think about you and your wonderful family often and I hope that you are doing well. I promise I will get in touch with you very soon.

My friend Lee (Mr. Hollywood to those who know him well....) is currently listing the 21 Movies to Make Guys Drop the Remote. Our resident Professor at the American Film Institute (the AFI for all of us outside of Tinseltown) is breaking it down for all of us and I, for one, am enjoying reading his incredible knowledge on these movies. Pay him a visit and see why this man has Ebert and Roeper shaking in their boxes of popcorn. You can find him in the balcony at The Butler Did It on my blogroll. Remember, however, keep your ticket. They may check it later.

Nanners and I watched the DVD on Hurricane Katrina produced by WLOX in Biloxi, Ms. We sat and watched spellbound. Their coverage was incredible and they should be commended for what they were able to do during that time. If you want to get the TRUE story on Hurricane Katrina as to what happened in south Mississippi, please go their website and order the video. It's an amazing story to watch.

I bumped into a former Gulf Coast celebrity the other day. I ran into former WABB DJ Paul Fuller. Fuller was a mainstay at the station years ago when they had the top morning crew of Paul and Bill, The Goofy White Boys. I loved to listen to their show. Bill Evans was the other part of the duo and did the weather for WALA Channel 10. Fuller and Evans moved on to Texas and then broke up, I believe. Evans moved on to the big time working for WABC in New York City with former WALA reporter Lisa Colagrossi. Fuller told me that he was working in Providence, RI with 94 WHYJ with another WABB DJ Al Matthews. I wish him the best, he is a great guy. I would have loved to talked to him more. I may drop him a email!

Lastly, tomorrow is the day that my friends in the Port City Posse are getting together to start a Mobile institution. Stay tuned!!!

The First Episode!

2006-03-13T15:23:00.000-06:00

The Earth's Mightiest Blogcast

My first attempt at podcasting.

Please be kind.

The Weather Channel

2006-03-12T21:00:00.000-06:00

TWC Classics No One Knows The Weather Channel Like We Do!

Ok, let me tell you a little hobby I have.

When I am extremely bored, I start looking people up. I believe that I could easily be a detective for the FBI and assist in looking up persons. It may take me awhile but I will ALWAYS find who I am looking for. Sometimes its real scary.

This week, for some reason I started looking up some of the old meteorologists from The Weather Channel. I am talking about when they first came on the air. When they had the one studio with their one static camera. There were no fancy video packages. Graphics were very rudimentary. The radar was primative. And you know what. It was fun to watch. I remember Ray Ban, who is still a executive with TWC. I remember Craig Weber, who had the greatest sense of humor. His banter with Bob Richards was classic in the morning. It was sad for me to find out that Richards was killed in a plane crash years later. Don Buser, who loved the Alabama Gulf Coast so much and was the first one I can remember who mentioned my hometown of Bay Minette during his weathercast. He spoke of times he drove from Bay Minette to Foley on business. I can remember the gentleman, Charlie Welsh, the grandfatherly Bill Schubert and the professional Charlie Levy, who actually was the one who signed off every evening about 7pm for a couple of hours every night as The Weather Channel "took care of business" and ran infomercials. Today, of course, that would be unthinkable. I can even remember founder John Coleman when he left ABC's Good Morning America to start The Weather Channel. Of course, OCM Bill Keneely is still there. As well as Dennis Smith. I am sure a few others behind the scenes are still there as well.

Also, how can one forget the legendary John Hope. His expertise on Hurricanes were so great that one could tell he was bored giving mold and pollen counts in the springtime. It was even more difficult to see him forecast a snowstorm.

Of course, the ladies were there was well. The beautiful Gay Dawson and Vicki Williams, later married fellow meteorologist Rick Griffin. I found out only the other day that overnight meteorologist Andre Bernier later married fellow TWC'er Sally Schmies. I later found Andre's website, andrebernier.com. Andre and his wife, Sally now work at a station in Cleveland, Ohio.

I really wish The Weather Channel would have a "Where are they now" segment on these great people. At least, it would be more entertaining than some of the primadonnas who are there now.

Nannerisms

2006-03-12T18:12:00.000-06:00

Nanners - "well, what did everyone have to say at work about our dinner the other night.....?"

Me - "....just that they enjoyed it ....I did mention however that you were sick all day Saturday
with a headache and throwing up all day. I told them it was the ONE drink you had...."

Nanners - "hmmmm......"

Me - 'in fact, everyone kinda of looked at me funny and started smiling......as if......."

Nanners - "...as if what?...."

Me - "well, they all was wondering if you were having morning sickness and were expecting....."

Nanners - "expecting what? Another drink???"

Me - =/

The Man who let the Good Times Roll

2006-03-11T07:01:00.000-06:00

NBC 15 :: Close to Home - Mobile musical legend Bob Schultz passes away

I had the chance of knowing Bob when I worked at the old Stouffer Riverview Plaza Hotel back in the early 90's. He and his band would all pull up in a old, black, Cadillac and all pile out with their instruments and play the wonderful Sunday Jazz Brunch the hotel always had on Sundays.

A wonderful man and a great musician, his music literally had the people dancing through the hotel. I have seen a conga line more than once go up the escalator and down again all holding their green umbrellas during Mardi Gras.

RIP Bob.

Friday Afternoon

2006-03-10T16:27:00.000-06:00

As the great John Cleese would say......" and now for something completely different...." and I hope, more cheerful.

Our cat Rocky is still doing better. He is definately tired from his ordeal the other day but we are not taking any chances. We have him on Fancy Feast cat food so it will be easier for him to digest. I am sure that he will be back to normal ASAP.

Nanners and I are meeting Ender and his wife "Tater", another co worker and the Mayor of Hollinger's Island, Handyman Jason and his lovely wife, Mitzi Gaynor at the brand new Macaroni Grill this evening for dinner. Before we go in, Jason and I will walk over and pay our respects to the building that once was Hooters next door. We remember her fondly.

I have not been able ...yet....to master the medium that Ender, The Verbal Assassin and the Grand Poobah are hoping to conquer very soon. Pixeldigger will hopefully be sitting in this same chair Monday providing the techincal expertise that we need. Ender has already done some inital work on one part of the project. TGSDN is coming soon......we hope.

The Washington Post had a very interesting article on the rebuilding going on in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana definately needs to pay attention. Speaking of Hurricane Katrina, my DVD on the storm I bought from WLOX-TV in Biloxi should be shipping very soon. The one that the University of South Alabama did on Hurricane Ivan was excellent.

It looks like I will not be making my usual flea market run tomorrow morning. Nothing interesting in the comic world is out this week. However, Marvel's Civil War is due out soon. It looks good.

and finally.......I may have to go and see our company softball team in action next week. That is if there are any more healthy people to play.......LOL

See you at the Boatdock, Danny.......

2006-03-10T16:04:00.000-06:00

This was supposed to be my Friday afternoon update. Well, it still is but it seems the Grim Reaper has been working overtime.

A very good friend of mine and neighbor of my mother and father passed away yesterday morning. It was not unexpected. He had a kidney transplant about 11 years ago and was in moderately good health until recently. In fact, he was right down the hallway from my Dad when he was in the hospital. However, I was always unable to see him due to his condition. The day after my Dad's funeral, I took my mother to the hospital for her to check on some paperwork for my father's insurance. When we finished, my mother asked me if I wanted to see Danny. I was amazed that he was still hospitalized. I did not realized his condition was that bad. We entered Danny's room and was met by a horrible sight. The nurse was trying to put a IV into his arm and Danny was struggling against her. He did not know where he was at or who we were. He was a brute of a man. It was very heartwrenching to see him like that.

Danny was a saint of a man. After his son and my friend was killed in a car wreck, Danny aimed to make sure that the rest of his life was aimed at helping others. He was always calling my mother and asking her if she wanted fish or some other type of game since he was an avid outdoorsman. I remember once I was walking by their house when I heard his gruff voice call my name and call me over. "I want ya to try somethin"...." As I walked in the house, he had every burner on the stove on and the smell of fried fish filled the room. Next thing I know I had a plate full of fish in front of me and enjoying a lively chat with this remarkable man. Danny was also very successful in the buying and selling of land. He once sold some acreage where he took the land and the timber revenue and gave it all toward his church. He made a point when he received his kidney to look up and visit the parents of the young girl whose death provided the kidney he had in his body. He was larger than life and crude and filled the room when he came in. Most of all, he was a good friend. I will miss Danny.

I wish the story ended here. However, it does not.

Last night, his daughter in law's mother and father decided to come and visit Danny's wife, Mary. They left their other daugther at home as they went over to pay their respects and to deliver soft drinks. Their other daughter was born with birth defects, however she was old enough and in good enough shape mentally and phyiscally to stay by herself for brief periods. When her parents came home from Danny's house, they found their daughter collasped on the floor. She was dead.

As I was visiting my mother today, I saw a report on CNN about teenagers and blogging. How they have made up this secret world and use their blog to either exaggerate the truth and / or outright make up things to post.

I wish the story I just wrote of was made up.

Dreams

2006-03-09T03:10:00.000-06:00

I really hate dreams.

Why, you ask? It always seems like you have a dream that is so terrible that it wakes you up and lingers with you for a while. I was awakened a few minutes ago by one of those dreams. My dream had to do with a good friend who told me something that totally blew me away. Something that I wasn’t surprised that this person told me but shocking when I actually heard the words. I effected me so much that I was unable to go back to sleep.

I have always been fascinated by dreams. I look at them as “windows into your subconscious”. This particular one did bother me a lot. It had to do with a close friend of mine. We were in a workplace setting. We were both employed at a job that neither of us had ever done before. It seemed that in the course of the day, we stopped work to go and admire a flower arrangement. (???) It was then that this person told me this particular thing. As this person walked away, oblivious to what the statements meaning had for me, I remembered just standing there completely stunned. The statement totally shattered something I had come into my mind only recently. The statement completely shattered a long lasting desire of mine. How ironic I thought. A “dream” about the ending of a “dream”. I immediately woke up and could not go back to sleep.

I know what you are thinking. What did I eat for dinner? LOL

I could go into a lot of detail but I am feeling better now so time to move on.

However, I still hate dreams.

Update on The Rock

2006-03-08T19:40:00.000-06:00

Our vet called us about 6pm and told us that Rocky was doing great and will be ready to be picked up in the morning. I told Nanners late this afternoon and she, of course, was concerned saying the same thing about all the deaths recently.

I will be picking up the Rock tomorrow and bringing him back to his humble abode.

Maybe now this blog can concentrate on something more positive......!!

Rocky

2006-03-08T15:23:00.000-06:00

Will this week ever end?

I came home from work today and settled in to check the news headlines while getting ready to go to the gym. As I was reading, I kept hearing a muffled cough. Things quieted down and again I heard the coughing. I decided to check on the our pets when I suddenly saw Rocky race by into the bedroom. When I reached him, he had a long strand of saliva hanging from his mouth. I thought for a minute that he simply had a hairball stuck in his mouth. I pulled on the strand and noticed that it wasn't hair. This cat was choking. I tried for a brief second to pat the cat on his back and stomach to see if he would cough whatever it was that was choking him. After that failed, I scooped him up and off to the vets we went. As we drove, Rocky's breathing and coughing became worse. I knew that he would die before I got him there. I finally reached the vets office and brought the cat in. The nurses took him and called for the vet to come back to the office. My truck had saliva and barf everywhere. His poor little mouth was contorted and wet saliva was coming out of even his nose. I stood in the waiting room and peered in the back where I saw them working on Rocky. The vet came in and finally came to talk to me. He told me that Rocky was resting comfortably and a chest xray showed that he had fluid in his chest. This was probably caused by aspiration...if I got that right. A cat is almost impossible to choke. However, they are easy to get fluid down in their chest. They are going to keep him over night and start some antibiotics on him to hopefully clear his chest up.

I left the vets office and went by the store and picked some things up. When I started home, I just lost it. I pulled up in my driveway, sat there and just put my head in my hands and completely broke down. I hate to see anybody and anything suffer. Rocky was suffering and there wasn't anything I could do for him. Hopefully, this afternoon, the vet will call and give a good prognosis.

Go away Death. Please leave me along for a while. I think that I deserve a break.

"...and while we are on the subject....."

2006-03-07T16:54:00.000-06:00

Apple - Trailers - X-MEN: THE LAST STAND - Trailer

Wow.

Well, it had to happen.....

2006-03-07T16:18:00.000-06:00

I have been waiting for everything to "catch" up with me and today, it did. Kinda.

They say that Death comes in threes. Wrong. Since my Dad passed it seems that Death had come and decided to linger around a little longer than it should. I finally had the chance to speak with my boss at work. The Boss. The person that stirs the drink. The Big Cheese. Once again, I told the story of my father's passing. This time, the person on the other end responded in a different way. My boss cried. I felt bad for her. As sad of a story as it is, I sure did not want to bring anyone, not even my boss to tears. I thanked her for their support and I told her that as an only child, I considered my fellow employees and peers my "extended" family. On that remark, being the person who has much demand on her time, she suddenly made a comment I truly could not make out and departed. Did I offend her in any way, I wonder? Who knows. Life goes on.

Scene shifts to our training room at work where I was taking a moment to catch up on the day's headlines before we are excused for the day. I read that Dana Reeve passed away. I had forgotten that she was suffering from lung cancer. Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett passed away yesterday. I left work and as I was driving home, my thoughts turned to my Dad. I started thinking about all the times we did things together. The trips we took. I remember the breakfast we had together the morning of my wedding. Our trip to Orlando where I had gotten us a suite at the Residence Inn. He never stopped talking about that suite. All the times he helped me move or was there for me. As I pulled into my driveway and walked to the door, I saw something on the porch. It was a huge potted plant. I admired it and then read the card. It was from the office from where I worked. I brought the plant inside and after placing the plant where our pets would not harm it, I simply sat down. I then allowed myself to finally mourn my Dad. After I regained my composure, I thought to myself, "Wow. We had some great times together. I can't wait to see you again."

A Verbal Assassination ( Not Safe for Work, Play or Anything In Between )

2006-03-05T18:04:00.000-06:00

It seems that the Verbal Assassin has finally struck. He has verbally assassinated The Butler and The Grand Poobah.

If you want to listen to it....just click on his link. However, you do not want to play this at work, around small kids and animals and keep the speakers away from any plants.

I have listened to it. I already feel like I am going to get called in front of the grand jury. Does anyone know of a good attorney?

Sunday Afternoon

2006-03-05T16:52:00.000-06:00

Well, I just awoke from my long afternoon nap and I thought that I would update everyone on some things that have been going on.....

Today was my first day back at work. I hate to admit it, but I was glad to be back. I had a fun day with working with some co-workers that have been there with me from the start and the joking banter flowed like red wine. Of course, the day wouldn't be perfect if I didn't screw something up. Not only was I a few minutes tardy on one of my breaks ( Sorry, Mrs. Ender! ), I left the thank you card that I was going to post for everyone at home. Doh! However, I did have the pleasure of spending a few extra minutes with Mrs. Ender as I had to take her home this afternoon due to her hubby going home sick.

Friday night, Nanners and I enjoyed dinner with some friends at the Santa Fe Fajita Company located in the Eastern Shore Center in beautiful Spanish Fort, Alabama. I have been wanting to dine here for sometime and was very much looking forward to the experience. The food was great with some items on the menu not traditionally found at a Tex-Mex restaurant. We had a great time, but I was surprised the restaurant was not as upscale as I thought it was. Not that my tastes demand upscaled dining, but I was surprised by the outside decor and its other dining neighbors, that it didn't give off the same feel on the inside than the outside.

Yesterday, I helped Nanners at her place of business for a little while then dropped by Petpalooza in the afternoon to see their selection of animals that were available for adoption. As it turned out, the pickings were very slim. Mostly large dogs were the rule of the day and we simply do not need another large dog right now. Still, it was hard to walk away from those innocent faces.

Before I took Nanners to her office, I made my quick Saturday ritual of stopping by the flea market for my weeks worth of comics. I picked up Infinity Crisis #5 ( both the Lee and Perez covers ). Infinite Crisis #3 and #4 ( second printing with their black and white sketch covers ), Ms. Marvel #1 ( I always pick up first issues ) and the latest Wizard. I renewed my subscription to it so I will probably start picking it up again at home very soon. A nice little haul if I say so.

Finally, our little outside project jumped a major hurdle Friday as we get closer to preparing and releasing the latest craze to hit south Alabama and soon the world. Get ready because.......its coming.

The Earth's Mightiest Movie Review - Walk the Line

2006-03-03T21:15:00.001-06:00

Great Movie! Nothing like I thought it would be. Phoenix and Witherspoon were great in their roles and intelligent enough not to attempt an exact portrayal of Johnny and June. Kudos to Gennifer Goodwin and Shelby Lynne in their portrayals of Cash's first wife and mother respectively.

My wife and I had a nice evening watching this movie. 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

The World is My Oyster and all I have done today is....

2006-03-03T15:06:00.000-06:00

....nothing.

I had grand intentions on working out and then running my errands then coming home. I am so totally wiped. I havent even felt like blogging or commenting on my friends blogs, even though I have been reading them.

Tonight, Nanners and I are going to have dinner with friends at the Santa Fe Fajita Co. at the Eastern Shore Center. Thats if I gather enough strength to crawl into the shower to get ready.

I think the weeks events have finally caught up to me. Sunday I go back to work and hopefully things will start getting back to semi-normal.

ALL HAIL THE KING!!! ALL HAIL KING ROLO!!!

2006-03-01T20:18:00.000-06:00

Wow. I take off for a few days and people start getting delusions of grandeur.

It looks like a "verbal" war has erupted between The Verbal Assassin and The Butler.

This is gonna get a whole lot uglier before it gets better.

All I have to say is.......lets get ready to rumble.

BTW Assassin.....nice video. The judges on Dancing with the Stars give you all 10's. In fact, Bruno calls you a "Weapon of Mass Humiliation" =)

Goodbye, Dad

2006-03-01T03:38:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Mardi Gras. Hundreds of thousands of people from New Orleans to Biloxi to Mobile celebrated Fat Tuesday by watching parades and catching throws.

Yesterday was also the day that my mother and I buried my father.

Saturday was a cold, miserable rainy day in south Alabama. I worked overtime that morning and after I got off work my wife and I braved some of the worse weather we have seen in sometime to get to my parents house. When we arrived, we found a houseful of relatives. My mother was in good spirits but she was very tired. The hospice nurse was there with my Dad. He was breathing very hard and unresponsive. His last good day was the day before where he was able to greet people and converse with them. My mother in law had visited and he took great joy in seeing her because he asked about her often. However, Saturday he took a major turn for the worse. The hospice nurse was there and said that although his heartbeat was strong, his blood pressure was very low and his extremities were getting cold. His brain was apparently swelling and the end was near. She said that she would guess he would pass between 1 and 3am. The rest of the day consisted of family and friends coming by and spending time with us. My wife decided that she would go home around 4pm. I wanted her to go because of the second round of showers that were moving in and also I knew that she did not want to see what was coming up. After she left, it seemed that Dad began his struggle. From 430pm onward, Dad fought a courageous struggle to stay alive. I believe in my heart that he could hear everybody there. I sat by the bed and watched his every move. About 530pm, the decision was made to call the nurse. I told my Mom that it wasn't anything she could do for him but the point was made by my Aunt that she really needed to come. I realized then what she meant. The nurse arrived around 6pm. She looked at my Dad and told us that he didnt have very long. He was so tired and he was fighting a magnificent battle to stay alive. The nurse gave my Dad some medicine about 615pm to help him breathe better and to relax him. I know these times because it seemed that I looked at the clock every time something happened. At about 620pm, an amazing thing happened. My Dad began to breathe normally and then....he opened his eyes. The nurse stood up and told us that he could hear us now. If we wanted to say goodbye now was the time. My Mom and I embraced him and told him to go to sleep that everything and everybody would be ok. My family did the same thing. One tear came from my Dad's right eye. He then slowly closed them. His breathing began to get more slower. He then took one last long breath and then.....he was gone. It was 625pm. I called my Mom over and we all surrounded him and said a short prayer. My Mom took his passing very well. Although she was crying, she pretty much kept her composure. My Aunt, who has helped us throughout this whole ordeal, broke down and wept very hard. The nurse waited for about 10 minutes over him and again checked his vitals, declared he was gone. It was 635pm.

Monday was a sunny, breezy and a cool day. I love this type of weather. The day consisted in visiting with family members and preparing for that night. My wife and I met my mother in a local shopping center so she could look at buying a nice outfit for the burial. We sat down and had lunch together and we spoke of Dad and what was to come. My mother has been so strong throughout all of this. As much as I wish the my Dad was still here, I am glad for my mother that the burden of his illness is now gone. She was there with him the whole time. At 520pm, we made it to the funeral home for the wake. I had waited for this moment with dread. We entered the parlor to view Dad. He looked so peaceful. I had put a Alabama ball cap in the coffin with him. My Dad never went anywhere without his ballcap and this would be no exception. It rested on his waist. My Dad always loved to wear blue button up shirts and thats what he had on. Mom thought about putting a tie on him but we decided that Dad would have not wanted that. An American flag was folded neatly on the coffin in respect for the time Dad served in the Army Corp of Engineers in the late 1940's. Throughout the night, family and friends came by. My friends from work made the trip over and I cannot put a price on what that meant to me. My wife remarked that if it wasn't for them, she doesn't think she would have made it through the night. Three former high school friends also came by and I cannot think of words to describe how much it meant for me to see them. I wished I could have spent more time with all of them. Dad had a great turn out for his wake and I know its something he would have been very proud of.

Yesterday was the same kind of day as Monday. Maybe a little warmer. My cousin from North Carolina came in and surprised my Mother by being there. Once again, my family assembled for the funeral. My Dad always told me not to make a big fuss over his funeral and I tried to respect that. We had a small graveside service. My Mom and I picked his plot out at the very back of the graveyard near the treeline. It was a quiet spot and yet very easy to get to. During the service, the bumblebees decided to visit us and caused some of the family to find a better place other than near the trees. LOL. Luckily, no one got stung. I think it was the bees wanting a good look at the flowers. Then as fast as it all began, it was over. We departed the gravesite and all had a very nice lunch. My wife and I picked up my Dad's flowers at the funeral home and brought them to my mother. We then left for home. Before leaving town, we visited the gravesite again. It was very quiet. The gentle breeze pushed through the trees. I think my Dad would have liked where he was put to rest at.

My wife and I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has written, called and came by offering their support. I want to thank everyone at work who has been there for us. Words cannot describe how much your friendship means to my wife and I. I am grateful beyond words. A huge thanks to my high school friends, Martin and Peggy for being there for us the whole time. Most of all, thank you to my Aunt and Uncle, Alice and Richard. You have been there for my parents since the beginning of all of this and despite the loss of my Uncle's mother and my Aunt's good friend during this week, you both were still here for my mother and I. We will never forget that.

Goodbye, Dad. Tell everyone hi for us. We will see you soon.

My Dad's Wake and Funeral Times

2006-02-27T09:08:00.000-06:00

My father's wake will be Monday, Feb 27th, from 6pm to 8pm at Norris Funeral Home in Bay Minette, Alabama.

His funeral will be Tuesday, Feb 28th at 11am. The procession will begin at Norris Funeral Home and there will be a graveside service upon arrival.

James Earl Wilson

2006-02-25T18:54:00.000-06:00

My father, James Earl Wilson, passed away this evening at 635pm. He was surrounded by my family, my mother and myself.

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of my family and myself during his illness. I will post times for the wake and funeral as soon as the arrangements are finalized.

My Dad is in Heaven enjoying the embrace of the Lord. I look forward to the day when I can play catch with him once again.

Friday Morning

2006-02-24T06:15:00.000-06:00

I have found that playing with templates is a good way to lose yourself.

Either that or I have the worse case of OCD in the history of mankind.

I received a phone call while at work yesterday from my mother telling me that I needed to come home as soon as possible. She said my father did not have long left. He did not sleep Wednesday night at all. For the first time throughout this entire saga, he complained of pain. My mother tended to him the best she could until she called the nurse to come. The nurse sat beside my father and took his pulse and recorded his breathing. His breathing stopped several times and then restarted. The nurse said that congestion had started to settle in my fathers chest. She told my mother that he did not have long left.

I arrived at home to find my aunt and uncle there who I have not seen since I was a small child. This my fathers sister. The nurse was still there and he was being bathed by a hospice worker. When the worker was done, I walked into the room to find him sitting up with his trademark grin. He always seems to rebound after these baths it seems. However, it wasn't long before he weakened again. He strained to cough up the congestion. I had a chance to speak to the nurse before she left. She told me that even though she was optimistic about the way he looked after he bath, she said that he may have anywhere to 2 days to a week. He slept most of the day while family members and friends came and went. About 7pm last night, everyone finally departed. My wife came over from work early and I told her to go home and rest and come back in the morning. My Mom went to sleep after being up over 24 hours and my Aunt settled in to watch television. I came back to the back room and relaxed in the solitude. The house had been so warm during the day with everyone milling around but now began to cool off. I got on my laptop and started playing around with my template again. Not really because I did not like the other, it was simply something to do. Anything to get my mind off what has occured today and everything that is to come.

My mother and I are going later today to make my fathers arrangements. My mother in law suggested it and I think its a good idea. She told us that we did not need the possible confusion when the time comes. She deals with funeral homes and death on a daily basis with her job. I respect her advice. I am scheduled to work overtime Saturday morning and I plan on being at work. My supervisors have been very good to me and its only right that I am there when they need me. Everybody there has been so supportive of me. I will never forget that. I really hated having to leave them like I did yesterday. I have leave scheduled from Tuesday on to next Sunday. My wife and I were going to try and work in our yard but that plan is on hold right now. I plan later today to try and work on balancing my parents checkbook and pay their bills. My wife and I should be at home tonight.

I will post again when I can. Once again, thanks for the support.

The Lincoln Conspirators - David Herold

2006-02-22T16:44:00.000-06:00

Due to the response I have had over my Lincoln assassination stories, I thought I would take a moment and focus on one of the conspirators and relate their stories. I will tell this persons story as I remember it and not rely on any one article or book. A person will find that depending on which account you read the facts will differ somewhat. However, the story is always about the same sans details. The focus of this installment is David Herold.

David Herold was a pharmacists clerk in Washington who managed to befriend John Wilkes Booth during the kidnap phase. I can't remember exactly how Booth and Herold met. They may have become familiar with each other due to the fact that Booth was able to smuggle medicine through the lines to the South during the war. Booth being an actor actually traveled to and from Richmond regularly for shows. It seemed that professional tradesmen were able to go to and from the lines with regularity.

Herold was in the group of conspirators during the illfated kidnap plot. Herold would be basically called upon to do "gopher" work. He was considered "slow" and not used very much other than to deliver medicines from the pharmacy. After the Lincoln kidnap plot was abandoned after the futile attempt was made ( more on that in a future post ), most of the conspirators disbanded. Herold was one of them that remained close. Booth at this time disgarded the kidnap plan and decided that he and the others that remained would attempt to assassinate members of Lincoln's cabinet. Herold was useless as a murderer. However, he was assigned to accompany Lewis Paine to the household of Secretary of State William Seward. On the night of April 14th, Herold led Paine to the Seward household. He waited outside and within moments heard the screams from the house as Paine began his attempted killing spree. Certain that Paine was killing everyone in the house ( in fact, no one died but several were seriously injured including Secretary Seward ), Herold tied Paine's horse to a tree and left the scene. Had Paine left with Herold, there might have been a good chance that Paine might have escaped and never been caught. Herold met up with Booth in southern Maryland and they continued south. Booth, of course, had injured his leg jumping from the Presidential Box at Ford's Theater. They decided that they would seek out medical attention. The duo went to the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd, a known Confederate sympathizer in the area. Mudd set Booth's leg and the duo remained with the Mudd family for a few days. Booth and Herold continued their journey by living in the underbrush until they made it into Virginia. Near present day Bowling Green, Va, the two spent the night in the tobacco barn of a man named Garrett. This was where Federal cavalry caught up with the pair. Surrounding the barn, Herold gave up and Booth was shot by Sgt. Boston Corbett as the barn was set on fire. Booth later died on the Garrett front porch. Herold and the body of Booth were returned to Washington.

The photograph of Herold was taken on board the monitor USS Saugus, I believe. It might have been on the USS Montauk. The body of Booth underwent an autopsy very near where this photo was taken. Herold was imprisoned with the rest of the conspirators at the Arensal Pententitary in Washington. He was put on trial with the other conspirators. There was no nope of acquittal for Herold. He was found with the assassin trying to escape. He was found guilty and sentenced to hang. Herold did not seem to understand what was happening when his death sentence was read to him. He was visited by this mother and seven sisters on the day of the execution. It was said that their crying wails were heard all over the prison. Herold was led to the gallows along with Paine and the others. Terrified, Herold shook violently while he was being bound. He had no last words. After the trap was sprung, Herold did not die immediately, instead suffering massive convulsions while hanging. There is somewhat of a dispute on whether or not Paine or Herold survived the longest. Most accounts say Paine. Herold's body is the one that has the tan or gray pants on with his head leaning back toward the sky. He is buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington.

Another bit of trivia concerning David Herold. In the 70's, a movie was made called The Lincoln Conspiracy. This movie had the premise that Booth escaped and the Federal cavalry caught Herold while shooting another person who looked like Booth. Rather than admit their mistake, the goverment let Herold hang and did not persue the "real" Booth. The actor who played Herold was none other than Fred "Gopher" Grandy from The Love Boat and later Congressman from Iowa!!!

Dignity

2006-02-22T13:46:00.000-06:00

I had a terrible day at work today and everyone knew it. When I get in a mood, I get in a good one. Having to work with certain people and seeing their bad choices how to go through life not withstanding, about 50% of my mood today was focused on my father.

Over the years, I have read and watched certain movies that dealt with terminally ill patients and how they lived the remainder of their lives. Little did I know that that one day I would be in the same situation. You never tend to think about it happening to you or a family member. My father was placed in a rehab facility before he was diagnosed to having his brain tumors. A very short while after he left, he told us stories of how other patients beside himself were talked down too and were not properly cared for. (Something I intend to follow up on one day with possible legal action....I do not forget anything.) After his hospitalization and his return home is when thing in my head really started to gel. I will sit and watch him and see his little eyes pan the room then back at me.....he would make a slight smile and then stare straight ahead. Its not all about how a person deals with his illness but how a person lives his life with the simple thing as dignity. My wife made the remark when he was at the rehab center that he had a sour smell. My Dad always prided himself on keeping himself very clean. He worked a job that required him to be in filth and grime. He would return home from work about 4pm and head straight for the shower and then come out for dinner clean as a whistle. Now its a struggle for him to do the simplest of things. He cannot hardly lift himself, let alone walk. His left arm is paralyzed. Everything he needs or wants he has to helped with. Since he has been moved to hospice care, a male nurse comes to clean him every weekday. My mother has been doing the best she can but it is hard for her to lift him to bathe him. Last Friday, the gentleman came to bathe my Dad. I stepped out of the room to give them privacy. I could overhear the nurse tell my father that he would make him all clean where he wouldnt even know himself. After the nurse finished and left, I went in to see him. My Dad looked so restful. He looked up at me and smiled. Not only are his sanitary concerns better, my father's dignity has been restored.

I really do not know what I am trying to say here. I feel myself rambling. I have had him on my mind all day. I called my mother after I got off work and she said he didnt sleep good last night. He would call out for people who were not there. Sometimes I do not know what to do. However, I do know that he is being taken care of. He is being treated like a human being should in that situation. My father may have a terminal illness, but he also has his dignity. That maybe the most important thing of all of this. I apologize for my rambling post. I just felt I need to write about him since he has been on my mind all day.

Good Timing?

2006-02-22T13:12:00.000-06:00

NBC 15 :: Close to Home - SPECIAL REPORT: Travel Trouble?

I saw Mobile County School Superintendant Harold Dodge today and I spoke to him briefly telling him what a wonderful job I think he is doing with the Mobile County School System....he thanked me and said he wished that everyone would feel that way but unfortunately he cannot stay out of the front pages of the paper.....

I came home from work and found this on the WPMI website. LOL

Geez...talk about bad timing!

A Short ...and NOT so Sweet Movie Review

2006-02-22T03:16:00.000-06:00

Yep, the Grand Poobah beat me to it.....but.....

I hated it.

Its a animated movie BASED on a comic that is BASED on the original comic.

As much as they updated it and called it modern.....it still does not come no where near capturing the magic of the original Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

The best part of the DVD and the only reason I bought it actually was the interviews in the special features. George Perez is simply the man. Kurt Busiek, who wrote the Avengers brilliant return in volume three, has interesting remarks but I take him to task due to some of his statements I have seen on message boards about other things. However, he was nice enough to actually have visited this blog and comment ages ago.

I loved how they highlighted the original comic and concept with artwork from all volumes. They gave a look at a ton of artwork from the Avengers clashes with the Squadron Supreme from both volume one and three.

Other than that, I hated it. Storywise. Animation was great. Just such a shame they couldn't have used the ORIGINAL characters and plots. Oh well......life goes on.

"...how now?"

2006-02-21T16:58:00.000-06:00

Ok...I think I have been working too hard.....

but.....

I have just seen a truck go by with a giant brown cow on a trailer.....

huge I mean......probably at least 10 to 12 in height......

then I realized.....

its probably a prop for a Mardi Gras float.....

but if it wasn't......

just think of the milk you could get from her.....

just a thought.....

Monday Afternoon

2006-02-20T17:03:00.000-06:00

Well, I just got back from my visit to Planet Fitness and I finally have time to sit down and jot down a few thoughts.....here we go.

I was pleasantly surprised by my trip to Planet Fitness. When Ender and I signed up Saturday afternoon, I must admit that I thinking that I was joining a meat market. However, they really pressed the issue that this was a non traditional gym. Planet Fitness catered to persons of all backgrounds and fitness levels and its members abided by very strict rules of conduct. When I walked in the door, I knew it was going to take me a while to get used to the place. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and 15 minutes on the stationary bike. I must admit I was really looking around and everything and everybody and I didn't give my Lyra and good ol' Benjamin Franklin my whole attention. On a short sidebar, walking up to the door I noticed a blue motorcycle that looked very familiar...yes it was the chariot of my friend Rip. The ol' Ripper broke it down for me outside the gym and told me what to expect. With a promise of meeting us one day, the Ripper roared out of sight, buffed and ready for whatever trouble he can get into.

I want to welcome the Grand Poobah to the evergrowing list of bloggers. Poobah, Bad Leroy Brown and Ender are SLOWLY formulating our plans for a small Internet venture that we hope to start very soon. We have been unable to all get together due to our conflicting schedules but once we get everything together, I think its going to fun.

Speaking of The Grand Poobah, we had a couple of fun things happen today. Poobah had a handheld version of Trivial Pursuit. One of the first questions he asked was "How many people were executed after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln?" We all looked up and laughed. I said confidently "4". I got it right. LOL Poobah also made the wisecrack of the year so far. I told him that I downloaded a program called Audacity that we might use in this upcoming venture. Poobah didnt miss a beat and said. "Yeah, I downloaded one also....it was called Unmitigated Gall!" It was a great moment. Score one for The Grand Poobah!

Speaking of blogs of friends, if you are a James Bond fan, then you need to drop by the blog of The Butler Did It!. Its contains all the gorgeous women, global intrigue, futuristic gadgets, and shaken, not stirred commentary. Then he starts talking about Bond. LOL Just kidding!! Great post!

Bad Leroy Brown is going to write his autobiography it seems. Trust me, you do NOT want to miss it!

Well, thats all I have for you guys right now. Peace.

Saturday Morning

2006-02-18T09:28:00.000-06:00

Good Morning......here is whats happening with us at the moment.

I just took our dog Samantha in for her yearly checkup. She loves to ride in the car until she sees where she is going...then I have to practically carry her inside. I will be picking her up in a couple of hours.

After dropping her off, I killed an hour in Wal-mart waiting for the flea market to open up. Nothing really new in the store. I still haven't found The Flash on DVD yet. No bowling bags to be found. However, they do have Starlog magazine. I would have bought it if the Internet didn't exist. All of their news is old now.

My flea market trip wasn't every eventful today. I was able to pick up 2 copies of NEW AVENGERS #16. Nothing spectacular. I just do not see how Marvel is making money. Their stories aren't appealing to me. The upcoming CIVIL WAR event looks promising and the first cover art work to FANTASTIC FOUR #536 appeared yesterday with the return of Thor hinted at...or at least Thor's Hammer. Concerning Marvel's covers, there was a post of one of the comic boards where a person stated that he wished Marvel would go back to the cover styles from the 70's and 80's where the cover art actually reflected what was going on in the story rather than have art of the characters in heroic poses. Of course, this is done because 1) its easier to market these covers again if the run of the story arc is put out as a trade paperback...and 2) and the main reason I would surmise is the fact that the artist can knock these covers out way ahead of the story being written therefore they are not locked in to a deadline to get them produced. I would think that Marvel probably has multiple art pieces ready for all their characters from multiple artists to be put out at their leisure. Anyway....next week doesn't look any better with only Supreme Power: Hyperion #4 being released.

My wife and I watched Elizabethtown last night. Enjoyable movie. Kirsten Dunst played a character that is the exact copy I believe of a girl we used to work with. Cupcake??? LOL. Who would have ever thought that Orlando Bloom and Gailard HeeHaw Sartain would have ever been in a movie together. I loved the way it ended showing his road trip with his father's ashes. If Kirsten Dunst's character isn't suffering from a touch of OCD then I guess I am ok then. LOL.

I am going to sign up for the gym today with Ender after he gets off work. I have to go get busy on my health.

Well, time to sign off. Peace out.

My Friend David

2006-02-17T20:01:00.000-06:00

Its funny how life is.

I was coming back to my mothers house today from picking up a few things from the store. As I pulled in, I noticed that a car was in the driveway. I just assumed it was the hospice nurse but I noticed a man sitting on the front porch wearing an Alabama hat talking to my Mom. When I got out of my car, I noticed it was someone I have not seen in about 25 years.

David is a friend of mine who lived around the corner from us when I was growing up. When he was born, David had a terrible heart condition. He had to endure multiple heart operations while he was a kid. Due to this fact, David spent a lot of time out of school and was developmently behind most of his classmates. As he grew up, David's heart slowly began to get stronger. The contingent of kids in our neighborhood were aware of his condition and we all looked out for him. Whenver we played football, we always allowed David to be the quarterback. Not that we felt sorry for him mind you....but he was good at it. David could really throw a football. However, we did not tackle him nor did we put him in the position where he could exert himself....such as running. David attended school with us for a while but was sent to the "special" class due to his being so far behind everyone else. I can remember early on that when we all got off the bus, David would look at us and wave and walk to where his classroom was at. I can remember those days. The classroom for special education was located at the very far corner of our school. There was no sidewalk or walkway to it. Remember these were the days that accessible considerations were not addressed. David tried to make it through these classes but it proved too much for him. He never had any physical problems other than getting short of breath now and again. It did not make sense to me why he all of a sudden quit going to school. We remained close for a short time afterward until time started to take its toll and as all the kids started growing up, our priorities started changing. I drifted away from David. I would see him now and again as he would go in and out of his parents house. I assumed that he was given a home education. Then I got married and moved away.

I walked onto our carport where he was talking to my mother and he said "Where did all of your hair go?" I told him down the drain....LOL. I embraced him. David is now 42 years old but he has not changed hardly any. And I mean that. None. He still looked and even dressed the same. David was always dressed very nice, something he got from his mother who is 84 now and I know still as sweet as ever. We talked over old times and he told us the story of his father passing just before Christmas and his mother being in bad health. My thoughts turned to his well being if that should happen. However, David has an older brother and sister who still live close. Once again, the past memories of us playing football and goofing off as kids all came back.

David has done well. He took care of his father while he was sick and doing the same with his mother. David doesn't work. He never has as far as I can know. David is certainly more than capable of holding down a job but I can see why he hasn't. He has been through more as a kid than I have in my whole lifetime.

As he got up to leave, I told him that I will be back next Friday if he can come by again. I need to go and visit his mother. I enjoyed seeing him today. I have missed my friend David.

Back at Home

2006-02-17T14:41:00.000-06:00

well, I thought I would post once more before I take a nap. I have had a dull headache all day today and I really want to get rid of it. Ugh.

One thing I did while I was waiting for the hospice nurse to finish bathing my Dad was jump on the laptop and finished editing this blog. I deleted a lot of the posts that I just looked back and thought "Why?" LOL. Some of them I now regret deleting....the Hurricane Katrina posts I should have saved. I guess I am so introspective right now is the reason why. Some of them I can keep going......which reminds me....Dr. Evil hasn't phoned in lately. Maybe I can coerce him to give me a call.

I have had a lot of people ask me about the post concerning Lewis Paine and the Lincoln assassination. I am glad that so many people are interested in it and surprised that a lot of people didnt know that all of that took place. I am now kicking myself because I had some books at my parents house I wanted to bring home with me and forgot. Anyway, I want to make two book recommendations for anyone wanting more infomation on the assassination. One book is called Lincoln's Assassins by James L. Swanson and Daniel R. Weinberg. I have this book at home. Excellent. It is unique in the fact that for its cover, the authors put the picture of the actual hanging moments after the trap was dropped. This is a very rare photograph that is not shown very much and in fact it is hard to find even on the Internet.

The second book is Kennedy & Lincoln: Medical and Ballistic Comparisons of Their Assassinations by Dr. John K. Lattimer. Dr. Lattimer can be seen on documentaries on the Lincoln assassinations from time to time. I read this book my first year in college and used it on a research paper I did on the murder.

Well, time to see if I can get rid of this headache before Nanners comes home.

Update on My Father

2006-02-17T11:34:00.000-06:00

I am currently at my parents house spending the day with them. I left work early yesterday to come over and spend some time with my mother and father. I found out late Thursday afternoon that the home health nurse recommended my father be set up for home hospice care. When my mother and I last talked to his doctor, he told us when it got to the point of him qualifing for hospice care, then his time with us will limited.

My father does not talk much anymore. When he does, its real strained and raspy. He tends not to watch television but simply stares into space. I do not know if these symptoms are due to his brain tumors or him simply falling into a depression. He does give me a smile from time to time. Most of the time he looks like he is daydreaming. One thing I am thankful for is that Dad is not experiencing any type of pain. My mother told me that my fathers blood pressure dropped very low Wednesday and the nurse couldn't find it. Another nurse was called and said it was very low.

I have very mixed feelings about my Dad's situation. My mother and I both know what is to come. I really hope that my Dad is comfortable and at peace. I believe that he is. He has been visited by local ministers and one that has been my Dads friend for a long time. Maybe this peacefulness that he is having now will continue. Thank goodness he has not suffered through agonizing pain.

My Dad's hospice nurse is with him now. This will be a big help to my Mom. She has been so strong thru this. I am so proud of her.

An Open Letter to Bad Leroy Brown

2006-02-17T11:16:00.001-06:00

Street Beat: The Uncut Truth

Bad Leroy Brown posted this concerning his bad day at work. Let me add something on a personal note.

I appreicated it when you talked to me when I was disenchanted about things at work.

I really enjoy working beside you. Days that you are not there are definitely not the same as when you are there. I know that others feel the same also.

In my opinion, I think we need to be thanking you for all that you do.

Oh, and another thing......

....I still think you have an ugly dog. LOL

A History Lesson

2006-02-15T17:29:00.000-06:00

I would like you to look at the old mugshot taken from 1865. Who is this person you ask? This person was involved in one of the most heinous acts in American History. He was also born in Randolph County, Alabama before moving to Florida. Let me tell you his....and my story.

I have always been a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln. I have read stacks upon stacks of books on him and if I cannot lay my hands on one, I usually read the review of the book at least. I have a small bronze bust in my room of the former President.

Its remarkable how a person can be drawn to someone. Throughout my life, I have went through periods that I have became immursed in reading and learning all I can learn on a particular person, place or thing. When I was in the 6th grade, I had a vague notion who Abraham Lincoln was due to our rudimentary studies of him. Becoming interested in our late President, I asked my mom to buy me a book on Lincoln through Scholastic Inc. that sold books aimed at young students. I remember the day when I received my book at school and went to a quiet corner to start sifting through it. As always, I read the pages very quickly and went to the last few to read what was printed on the end of Lincolns life. I knew vaguely that he met an untimely death and wanted to know more. To my amazement, I turned to the last page and found a photograph of an execution....a hanging. One of the people executed was a woman, Mary Surratt, believed to be the first woman executed by the U.S. goverment.

This one photograph at this one moment stirred a purpose in me to find out everything I could on Lincoln's life with a emphasis on his death or assassination. In my readings, I discovered the timeless story that has been printed in all school history books that Lincoln was assassinated by a deranged actor, John Wilkes Booth. One day in the 10th grade, I came across a book.....a history of the United States until 1865.....where it read that Booth was "helped" by certain persons. Now there were more people other than Booth involved. Why didn't the other history books I read mention this? I started searching and reading every book that I could lay my hands on about Lincoln's assassination. I would practically force my parents to later take me on vacation to Washington D.C.. My mother would ask me on the way to the Nation's capital what I was more interested in visiting. I told her without batting an eye. "Ford's Theatre".

I can still remember the day when I stood in front of the massive structure. I slowly walked in and just stared in amazement the surroundings. My eye slowly wandered up to the presidential box. "Wow...this is where it happened..." even though I found out later that the entire theater was repaired after a structural collapse and now is only more or less a reproduction. Downstairs was the museum and bookstore. Coming off the elevator, I was met by a HUGE photograph of the execution scene again. For some macabre reason, that picture has stayed with me since I first saw it in the 6th grade.

The gentleman in the mugshot is Lewis Thornton Powell. However, history knows him best as Lewis Paine or Payne depending on what account or book you read. This mugshot is the original Library of Congress photo. You can noticed the picture not being cropped. This picture also gives an excellent view of the "handcuffs" that Paine had to endure. Paine was the "muscle" person of the conspirators that Booth had hired to kidnap Lincoln. I was flabbergasted. "Kidnap? I thought that Booth wanted to simply kill Lincoln?" Later, after the kidnap plan was deemed to dangerous and unworkable since the South at this time had surrendered, Booth turned his attention to the elimination of the Lincoln and his cabinet. Paine was ordered to kill Secretary of State William Seward, the man later responsible for purchasing Alaska from Russia. The stabbing, of course, failed leaving Seward severely scarred and made Paine infamous for running down the stairs exclaiming "I'M MAD! I'M MAD!". Paine would later get lost in the streets of Washington due to his escort, David Herold, abandoning him while he was in the Seward household to join up with Booth in southern Maryland. Paine was later caught at the boardinghouse of Mary Surratt trying to pose as a laborer. Paine had stayed there earlier while meeting with Booth during the kidnap plot.

The picture above was taken aboard the monitor U.S.S. Saugus. You can tell that it was due to the fact that you can see the giant rivets of the gun turret behind Paine. Paine was held with the other conspirators aboard the Saugus until he was transferred to the Old Arsenal Penitentiary in Washington for his trial. He was found guilty on June 30 and sentenced to death on July 6th. His execution was the next day. The hanging of the conspirators was called the first national coverage of an execution in the history of the country. Everything was detailed including his last hours. He was by far the star of the show. Paine showed dignity and class during his last hours. He maintained his composure throughout. As he was led to the scaffold, he playfully snatched a hat from a bystander and wore it to his seat on the gallows. As he rose to have his legs and hands bound, the hat was blown off his head but by the time it made it back to him, the hood was ready and he motioned that he did not need it any longer. He made one last plea of innocence for Mrs. Surratt, who was being executed, perhaps unjustly, beside him. A testiment to the respect the guards had for him, hangman Captain Christian Rath whispered to Paine as he slid the noose around his neck, "I hope you die quick." to which Paine responded with his last words. "You know best, Captain. I thank you. Goodbye." The last moments of the conspirators were documented after the drop of the gallows. Paine stayed alive the longest after the trap fell. His neck was so strong that the fall did not break it. He slowly strangled to death as he tried repeatedly to pull up his body to take the pressure off of his neck. It was reported that his hands and neck that were exposed turned purple.

No family member claimed his body until 1871. After the body was returned to Florida, it was discovered just prior to the reburial that the head of Lewis Paine was missing. No explanation was given until the late 20th Century when a exhibit of Indian relics and skulls were being catalogued in Washington when a skull was found with a tag reading that it was the crainium of Lewis Powell, hung in Washington in 1865. The skull was reinterred with the body in Geneva, Florida.

The story is a time honored one. New bits and pieces of history are found here and there concerning the Lincoln assassination. References to the trial of the Lincoln conspirators have been brought up recently concerning the legality of trying Al-Qeida prisoners by military commissions.

If anyone is interested in this pivotal moment in American history, please go to http://members.aol.com/RVSNorton/Lincoln.html or the website of the Surratt Society at http://www.surratt.org.

Thank you for letting tell you this story. Its one that I have studied and read about for many years. I cannot explain why its captured my interests but its a truly remarkable story in American History.

Wednesday Afternoon

2006-02-15T15:08:00.000-06:00

Well, I just have returned from a exciting afternoon of bowling, a sport I have not participated in for about seven years now. After a rusty first game of 94, I rebounded over the next two and finished my last game with a score of 168. Today it was just my friend Tara and myself. Hopefully, we can have more people from work join us.

Not a lot to report right now. My Dad seems to be about the same. I spoke with my Mom and Uncle yesterday and they said he did not have a good day at all. He goes thru times where he is zoned out and tends to tune people out. The nurses are having a tough time keeping his BP and blood sugar under control. I am going over after work tomorrow and will be there all day Friday.

I am deleting all my posts from 2005 from my blog. These posts did not transfer over to the new template very well and I just wanted to get rid of them. I should be finished with this in a day or two.

Not much to say right now......I do have a new link posted. My friend, Bad Leroy Brown has started a blog. Streetbeat. If you have a moment, check it out. He just started it and is doing a great job. Bad Leroy will be joining Ender, The Grand Poobah and myself in a new venture to start up soon. More details on that later.

Word.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2006-02-13T18:21:00.000-06:00

Sunday Evening

2006-02-12T20:19:00.000-06:00

Not much to report tonight.....Both my wife and I enjoyed a long nap today. She wasn't feeling good and it doesn't take an excuse for me to nap after work.

I am about to begin a massive edit of this blog. Don't ask me why. One main reason is a lot of my posts from months ago are not fitting into this new template very well. This may take a while but it will also clean some stuff up that for the life of me I could not believe I posted. Some of them are still funny to me and some are just stupid. LOL

I think that Nanners and I might go to our first Mardi Gras parade next Friday.

My Dad is about the same. His phyiscal therapist came today and worked with him.

Other than that not much to report tonight.

Word.

Paradise

2006-02-12T18:25:00.000-06:00

I saved this picture when I was looking at my friend Jason's photos from his Hawaiian vacation.....

I wish I was there.....

"...and let the jokes begin!"

2006-02-12T16:37:00.000-06:00

CNN.com - Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunter - Feb 12, 2006

You can see the faces of Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jon Stewart and all comedians large and small begin to curl up and salivate at the sound of this news.

A Cold Saturday Morning

2006-02-11T06:46:00.000-06:00

well, it looks like finally Ol' Man Winter has finally arrived......

Time to get everyone up to date with whats been going on so I will get started....

I spent some time with my Dad yesterday. All in all, it really seems like he is more comfortable being home. When I arrived about 730am yesterday, he was sleeping and resting comfortably. However, he was soon awake and we talked for a while. I think he is comfortable but at the same time he looks like he is a little more down than he has been. I guess he looks at his surroundings and remembers things like walking to the get the morning paper, working in this shed and so on. He cannot do that anymore. I used to get a kick out of seeing him mill around our house doing little odd jobs that needed to be done. He has a favorite recliner that he loved to sit in and dispense words of wisdom and watch the news on television. I told him that I could put him in that recliner if he wanted too and he just looked at me like he was thinking about it but then decided not today. My mother and I rearranged some of the furniture in the house before some relatives came over. A very nice elderly gentleman came over also to visit that I reall do not think that any of us knew....including my Dad. However, it was nice of him to pay Dad a visit. I think that they might have been coffee drinking buddies at one time. Thats a small town thing I remember that it seems that all the elderly people in town tend to come out of the woodwork to visit people when they are ill or have passed away. Even if you haven't a clue who they are. I also got my mother's phone situation handled. They were paying two separate companies for their local and long distance. She also gave me permission to sign them up for DSL. This way, both my uncle and I can easily handle most of their business instead of her having to call both of us and doing everything over the phone. I left my laptop there so we can have access to the Internet. She and my Dad are totally computer illiterate and I remember having an arguement with my Dad a few months ago over Internet banking and him not believing me that it was free. I left around noon yesterday to avoid the rain that was coming (you would know it arrived last night! ) and to handle some business of my own today. Nanners and I are not going to see him today unless my mother needs me for anything. She is still getting over her cold and I do not want him exposed to that. I think they do need a day just to relax by themselves.

Hey Ender, if you read this, I am sorry that I wasn't able to return your wifes call last night. We were over at the Iron Maiden's house ( my mother in law's...and I say that in a nice way! ) watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. By the time, the actual ceremony started, Nanners and I about to fall asleep. Ender, I want to thank you and your wife for checking on us. I hope she is feeling better and back at work soon. I will be back tomorrow.

I might ....might brave the cold weather in a couple of hours to run to the flea market. Brrrrrrr!

I was able to finish my taxes the other night. Once again, Uncle Sam owes me some smack and he better pay up!!! Even the great state of Alabama will write us a check this year, albeit a small one. I am not complaining...if you get a refund back from our lovely state you are lucky!

While I was shopping for my Mom yesterday, I noticed where they had a sale on a 2GB Phillips MP3 player with FM tuner. I immediately put in on layaway! Score!!

My buddy and boss, Lee of THE BUTLER DID IT! has a new commentary up about America's baseball team......ugh.....the Altanta Braves. If you are a hardball fan, check it out!

My Buddies Ender, the Grand Poobah and Bad Leroy Brown are considering doing Podcasts. Look for more on that in the near future. It will be a open and frank discussion of the world from a male point of view. =/

Some friends from work are actually thinking of going bowling Wednesday afternoon. I have not bowled in over EIGHT years. Ouch!

....and finally, I am debuting yet another template for your perusal. I was clandestinely working on another template when my blogging friend, Latin Lover debuted his today. He did a fantastic job and be sure to swing by and check him out. Yes, my friend, OCD is a terrible thing to have, however, it has not affected my sleep....yet. Nanners always gets on to me for getting so involved in something that I develop tunnel vision and do not want to move until I get it done!! I still wish my banner was a little larger but I can live with it. If anyone knows a way to enlarge it, by all means....EMAIL ME!!!

Word.

A quick update on my Father

2006-02-10T05:28:00.000-06:00

My father came home from the hospital yesterday. The Doctors have pretty much done everything they could do for him there and he has not improved at all. The idea was thrown around for a few minutes to take Dad to another nursing home until the VA facility could make room but that was quickly dismissed. My father wanted to come home. ( I didnt realize later that one of the facilities that they wanted to send him to was the very same nursing home that his mother passed away in. )

We have a nurse and phyiscal therapists coming in but they will not be able to be there most of the time however. I hope that everything will be ok with him until the VA opens up.....if it ever does. I am spent all day there yesterday and will be going over all day today. I do not know if I will be going over tomorrow yet or not. It all depends on how good he is doing. However, I know he is glad to be at home.

I am too.

The Unbelieveable

2006-02-08T02:54:00.001-06:00

I want to post a small story about what happened to me last night.

On Tuesday night, Nanners and myself went over to her parents house for dinner. We have been going over there every Tuesday since we have known each other. Her father works at night and is off on Tuesday and Wednesday and that is the only time we have to see him.

Well, last night was chili night. Nanner's mother is great cook and she is good enough to accomodate my picky habits on what I eat. Sometimes she just makes things that I usually will not eat but I make due the best I know how since we are invited over for dinner.

I do not like tomatoes. I very rarely eat anything with tomatoes or red sauce. However, last night she made the chili with huge chunks of tomatoes. She poured some chili into a bowl for me and was gracious to work around the tomatoes. We sat down and all started eating enjoying each others company and discussing our up coming trip to France. ( More on that very soon. )

I finished my bowl and decided to get one more. I dipped the chili being careful to stay away from the tomatoes. I sat back down and proceeded to eat when much to my chagrin.....I came away with my first spoonful only to have a small to medium sized piece of tomato. Thinking nothing of it, I picked the tomato out of the spoon and put it on my napkin beside my plate and contiuned to eat.

Nanner's Dad said, "You need to eat that tomato."

I said, "No, I don't like them."

Him, "Well, these tomatoes are cooked down enough where you can eat them."

By this time, I had found an even larger tomato in my chili and was removing it when I said getting more preturbed by the moment, "Well, I do not eat them and besides I do not tell you what you do or do not have to eat!

Him, in a angry tone, "Well, you are GONNA eat it!" HE PROCEEDED TO PICK THE TOMATO UP WITH HIS FINGERS AND TOSSED IT.....TOSSED, MIND YOU....THE TOMATO BACK IN MY BOWL.

I stared at him dumbfounded and everybody got quiet.

I said, "Listen, I do not tell you what you eat and you are not telling me what I can eat!" I took my spoon and again removed the tomato and placed it and the other large piece beside the plate on the napkin.

My mother in law and my wife knew how damn mad I was. She said for us to calm down and for me to pick the napkin up and place it on a plate instead. I guess it was her way of trying to break the tension. The fact that I put it on the napkin made no difference here. It was the fact I took them out of the bowl to begin with.

I contemplated pushing my bowl back and getting up from the table. However, I am particular about eating dinner my mother in law made and was very respectful toward the dinner she made. I ate in silence.

He also ate in silence, probably knowing that he totally screwed up and remained silent while he finished eating.

I finished and joined my wife in the den, after she had already finished. My father in law finished and went into the back for a bit, returning about 10 minutes later. My mother in law and I ate a bowl of banana pudding that she made and Nanners and I departed about 30 minutes later. As we got into the car, my wife said, "I am proud of you for not losing your temper. I am sorry but as much as I love him, he is still my Dad." I laughed, "I know and I certainly do not want you to disown him! However, it was totally wrong in what he did." We returned home with no other comment about what happened.

I still hate tomatoes. Now more than ever.

Nanners

2006-02-05T16:08:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know this is stupid but I am getting tired of refering to my wife on this blog as "the wife" or "my darling wife". Not that I do not think they are not lovely descriptions of my wife....but...I need something with some "zing" in it....

I wanted to give her a nickname but I couldn't think of one until......

....it hit me....she already had nickname and it is perfect.

"Nanners"

This is a nickname she had when she was a kid in PA. I love it. I need to go and pick at her now. =)

Sunday Afternoon

2006-02-05T15:44:00.000-06:00

Well, I have been struggling for a couple of days to make a decent banner and so far this is all I have been able to come up with.......I need some help. LOL

I just wanted to give everyone a shout and give the Sunday round up.....

I just got back from my friend Claude's house. I had his wife and him witness some paperwork I need for some of my parents legal situation. More on that later. I really enjoy visiting them. They are good people and my wife and I love seeing them. I really thank the world for being their friends. I have grown to rely on them for a lot of advice and counsel and laugh or three. We think the world of them. I tried to help Claude with his computer problem and I was unable too. However, I think the people who I take my computer too will be able to help him out.

The people who did my roof sure act like they do not want to be paid. They were unable to make one repair and my contact there told me he would send someone out. That person has yet to arrive. So their money sits in my savings account. =)

I am starting to get the itch to begin work again on my Squadron Supreme website again.

My wife and I went to the new Hooters Restaurant yesterday for lunch. They have one on Airport Blvd. and a new one in Tillmans Corner. I wanted to try the one out in Tillmans Corner, but my wife works in that area and she didn't want to be seen in that one.(?!?) Anyway, its very nice. A improvement over what they had before. I had made a visit earlier in the week with some friends at work.

Well, thats about it for now.......

The Grand Poobah Strikes Again!

2006-02-04T08:38:00.000-06:00

Well, the Grand Poobah is at it again.

Its award season in Tinseltown and of course, where there is a party, there is the Grand Poobah!

The Pooman was seen with a bevy of beauties at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and it looked like all were having a fantastic time. Poobah and Lindsay Lohan gave out the award for the Best Celebrity Homemade Porn Film and the nominees were as follows.....

Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee "Rock the Boat 2: The Revenge of Vince Neil"
Colin Ferrell and (insert name here) "I Slept with Colin Ferrell and All I Got Was This Lousy Tshirt!"
David Hassellhoff and Ice Skater Katarina Witt and tennis player Martina Hingis "Germans love David Hassellhoff"
William Shatner "An Evening Alone with William Shatner"
Frank Stallone and Sinead O'Connor "Remember Us?"

Of course, the winner was....you guessed it!! Frank Stallone and Sinead O'Connor!!

After the party, Poobah was seen leaving with Lindsay, Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson. Asked where they were going, the Grand Poobah only gave a tooth filled grin and laughed!

"I would like to give you a Laurel ...and Hardy Welcome!

2006-02-04T08:35:00.000-06:00

I just added two new websites to my mighty links.....The Earth's Mightiest Blog welcomes......

The Butler Did It!!

and

Comics News International

If you are surfing around this site....give them a look see!!

Hurricane Katrina Wave

2006-02-03T19:47:00.000-06:00

This picture was sent by my friend Jason from work. This is not a doctored photograph and this and others can be found at WWL.com

People are already talking about this coming hurricane season. This has been a very mild winter for us to say the least. Water temps have stayed warmer than with other years.

I have the feeling its going to be a long summer.

What a difference a minute makes.....

2006-02-03T19:38:00.000-06:00

Lee Marvin, Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers - BreakTheChain.org

I was attempting to find a pic of Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers together when I stumbled upon this little page stating a different set of facts concerning our two favorite childhood icons.

I will let the reader decide which story is factual.

You Might Not Ever Guess....

2006-02-03T19:28:00.000-06:00

I just got this email from a friend. I have heard this story before but I wanted to post it for anyone who hasn't....

You Might Not Ever Guess....

Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 as age 76 , which is odd, because he always looked to be 76. (DOB: 6/27/27) His death reminded me of the following story.

Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington National Cemetery. His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer:

I always liked Lee Marvin, but didn't know the extent of his Corps experiences.

In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions.

Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima. There is only one higher Naval award... the Medal Of Honor.

If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.

Dialog from "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson": His guest was Lee Marvin. Johnny said, "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima...and that during the course of that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."

"Yeah, yeah... I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting shot hauling you down. But, Johnny, at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the cross the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men's safety was more important than his own life.

That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, where'd they get you Lee?' Well Bob... if you make it home be fore me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!"

Johnny, I'm not lying, Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew.

The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."

On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat.

After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life. He hid away the tattoos and his past life and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm.

America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did; they quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy.

Don't tell Dr. Evil about this!

2006-02-03T06:23:00.000-06:00

How evil are you?

I got this off of Chickie's blog. I am twisted it seems....

Yeah.

Its about right. =)

Will there be enough Moon Pies to go around??

2006-02-02T21:35:00.000-06:00

CNN.com - Mobile expecting more Mardi Gras revelers - Feb 2, 2006

For the people who love Mardi Gras, this will be heaven on Earth.

For those who do not, not only do they need to lock the doors....boarding up the windows may not be a bad idea also.

I have a feeling Mardi Gras will be insane this year.

Update on my Father

2006-02-01T20:00:00.000-06:00

Its currently 802pm and I am sitting here pondering all that has transpired today. First of all, I had to accompany my wife to her doctors appt. She woke up Monday morning sick as a dog with a sinus infection. I have NEVER seen anyone get as sick as quick as she has. What even makes it worse.... whenever she goes to the doctor, she gets helped in about 5 minutes. When I go, its at least 45 minutes to an hour before I am seen. Amazing. Another thing that was curious was the fact that when I walked with my wife and her nurse down the hallway, the nurse turned to me and said "How did your glucose tolerence test go??" HUH? How do you remember that? I remembered the last time I saw her when my wife was last in there for another sinus infection and we talked while she took my wife's vitals. Thats the kind of memory I want when I play Trivial Pursuit. We came home with meds in hand when I finally got in touch with my mother. Then she gave me the news.

She was told today that my father's cancer was terminal.

This was no surprise to me. It understandably upset my mother and my aunt who was with her at the time. However, the way they found out was totally inappropriate.Over the past week, they have been working with the social workers at the hospital to try and get my father in the Veterans Home in my hometown. They took the paperwork today to get it filed when they found out that he was being put on a waiting list to get in. This was a bombshell to them and very depressing, however it is understandable. We just never considered it. Then they looked at what the doctor had filled in concerning my Dads condition. The doctor had put that my Dads condition was terminal. Both my mother and my aunt were, of course, very distraught over this find when the doctor had not specifically told them that his condition was terminal. I asked my mother if the news really surprise her? I told her that we both had known that my father's condition would never really improve. His age prevented a biopsy to be taken of his tumor and both a brain tumor and/or stroke combined (which they think now is what happened) would be tough to overcome for a younger man. I told my mother that we do not ever know how long any of us have on this planet. We pretty much knew that my father would not get any better. Miracles happen, however, but it was time that we "prepared for the worse and hope for the best". As much as we have to take care of my Dad and make him as comfortable as possible, we also have to look toward the future. I have gotten paranoid in my old age. Maybe its simply something for me to concentrate on to keep from thinking too much about life without my Dad. However, I am steadfast that NO one will take what my parents have worked so hard for in their lives. There are too many thieves and conmen in this world to say 'well, we can fix all of this later." I am going to make sure that my parents assets are protected. Tomorrow and Friday, I will have to make some calls and some appointments in order to get the ball rolling again on some things. One order of business is to see what kind of arraingements we can make as far as home health care in case my Dad does not get into the Veterans Home, which probably will be the case for the short term. My mother is adamant that Dad will not go into a nursing facility. The facility that he was in during this short attempt at rehab was the worse I have ever seen. Had he stayed there another few days, I am convinced my father would be dead by now. I will speak to their administrator at another time.

So that is where we stand right now. I want to thank all my friends at work who have been there for me. I also want to thank Latin Lover and his wife, Auduin. My respect and admiration for them grows by leaps and bounds every day. We have a saying in the South about people like this couple. We call them "good people". A simple term perhaps but it does have a special meaning. You would have to grown up in the South to really know the full definiton of that meaning. "Good people" are persons who are there for you. It may not be in a physical sense of being close by per se but just knowing that they have you in their thoughts and just by sending a kind word or even talking about little stuff means a lot. Leigh would know what I mean by it I am sure. I also want to thank Leigh also for being a great blogging friend. I am sorry that I do not comment very much but I do read your blog every chance I get. I also want to thank Funky Bug and Chickie for coming by often. I want to start the Meme Monday soon but I have to do the 100 things about me first.....LOL. Chickie, you are a trip, girl and I am glad to have met ya.

Well, time for bed. I promise that I will blog when I get the chance. It is a good release for me and I do enjoy it. I am sure everyone knows more now about comics that they ever wanted to know. LOL

I also will update you on my Dads condition if anything changes. Thanks again everyone.....

OCD is a terrible thing to have.....

2006-01-31T20:52:00.000-06:00

Playing around with yet another new template....my first 3 Column.

Opinions?

Coretta Scott King

2006-01-31T13:52:00.000-06:00

Rest In Peace

The Battle House Hotel

2006-01-31T02:34:00.000-06:00

Downtown Mobile Hotels & Alabama Accommodations The Battle House, a Renaissance Hotel

As long as I can remember, this hotel has stood boarded up and forgotten. I am looking forward to seeing it restored. A true jewel.

Oops!

2006-01-30T16:28:00.000-06:00

CNN.com - Museum visitor trips, breaks Chinese vases - Jan 30, 2006

I mean, put yourself in this guys shoes. What would you say??

"ummm...I am sorry but, ummmmm...you shouldn't leave old stuff like that just lying around."

Sunday Evening

2006-01-29T17:32:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to sit down this evening and update some things that have been going on.......

Nothing new with my father. I just got off the phone with him. He appears to not have had a good day. My wife and I visited him yesterday afternoon and he seemed to be stronger and in good spirits. Nothing new on him being admitted to the Veterans home but I am sure we will hear something new about that this week. It has still baffled me that although they have concluded Dad has brain tumors, they still have not made a exact diagnosis on what type of cancer it is and how to treat it. We are hoping that a lot of loose ends are tied up this week on that. I am also thankful that this Friday I do not have any other things that will keep me from visiting all day. Two weeks ago it was my breaks needing repaired and last Friday it was the house getting roofed.

My wife and I visited the Moorer Branch of the Mobile Public Library yesterday afternoon and while she picked some things for her work, I used the time to peruse the audiobook section and checked out four to add to my growing iTunes library. They are....

"Rise to Rebellion" by Jeff Shaara
"Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" by Walter Isaacson
"The President's House" by Margaret Truman
"There and Back Again" by Sean Astin

I have already read Sean Astins book but I am looking forward to hearing it again on audiotape.

If anyone cares or hasn't noticed, I have tinkered around with the template for my blog Friday while I was waiting for my roofers to come. I like it better because it adds a dash of color to the page. However, I sent a letter to Pixeldigger and let him know what I want in a three column blog. With everything going on with my Dad and being tied up on the past few Fridays have put a kink in with me getting with him.

Lastly, I am thinking of starting a bowling team at work. Egad.

"Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?"

2006-01-28T17:44:00.000-06:00

Paul Bettany on the Joker Rumors - ComingSoon.net

Interesting choice. I am sure Bettany's stock will go up after The DaVinci Code comes out.

My choice?

Adrian Brody...He wants the role bad from what I have read and his body type fits the Joker more.

Oui!!

2006-01-28T06:42:00.000-06:00

Well, it looks like we might.....might be planning a trip to France next spring. My mother-in-law made the annoucement last Tuesday night when we were over for dinner. My wife's family is from France and she wanted to go and visit them and see some of the sights. She is going to try and talk to her brothers and see who would like to go with her. This is just in the very early planning stages but so far the plan is to fly into Paris and stay there for a few days then Normandy then visit relatives in Lundifay, France. My wife and I are considering possibly taking the Chunnel over to London while we are there. I have always wanted to go to England and it would be the perfect opportunity. Like I said, this is still in the very early planning stages. I want to go and take my mother in law to visit a travel agent if anything to get more basic infomation. Stay Tuned!!

My Spammer Name

2006-01-27T17:14:00.000-06:00

My spammer name is Microjoule E. Pacifist.

This is what you do all day when your house is getting reroofed.

Let the Roofing Begin!!

2006-01-27T13:43:00.000-06:00

Time Started: 1:30pm

Doh!!

2006-01-27T13:03:00.000-06:00

I'm Homer, who are you? by NoHomers.net

As you see, I am still waiting on my roofers....ugh.