Weirdness? Never touch the stuff.
For the GIP portion of our post: SPIDEY IS FABULOUS.
I'm in a weird, weird mood today. Slogging through work, having a bite to eat right now...feeling a bit distracted, a bit restless, a bit horny, a bit bored, a bit blue at the impending end of summer, a bit sleep-deprived - can't seem to focus on anything. May need even more caffeine. Geek combat tonight, hoo-hah.
I've been craving frappucinos from Starbuck's lately. Well, to back up: my sleep schedule's been a bit off, for reasons unknown (the kids are back in school, but I'm not the one getting them up in the morning), and the house is beastly hot and sticky. (Columbia is up to 35 right now according to the widget.) We've been without A/C pretty much all summer, so we kind of got by with window units: we had borrowed a window fan from starfyrone once upon a time and put that into service in our bedroom, while john_tangent, who is a hell of a human being, loaned us one of his window A/C's, which we put in the kids' room. Alas, things happened: we got a nastygram from the homeowners' association (proper abbreviation: ass.) telling us to have the things out by the end of August or they'll pitch some sort of legally-assisted hissy, and as if that wasn't enough, the fan in our room gave up the ghost at the end of last week and no amount of WD-40 would revive it. So put "hot & sticky" and "sleep-deprived" together and that makes for a jones for some cold, cold caffeine.
Last night we had muzikmaker21 over for dinner (yummy pot roast; thank you, efbq). The company was lovely, but it was hot and I was jonesing and between their first-day-of-school tales and their sister being over, the kids were in full performance mode, so after the muzikmaker21-provided dessert (and thank you), I left the beastly children with my lovely, long-suffering wife and whisked off the Starbuck's with our older daughter.
We ended up talking about music and gaming, and occasionally girl-watching. Apropos the first item, I'd had this idea that since people told me I could sing after Wayward Saints that I might continue to do so...so we started talking about this crazy idea of getting together a band.
Now, when I was growing up, I wanted, like every other boy in the world, to be two things: a hot-hitting, base-stealing second baseman for the Orioles, and a rock star, just like John Lennon*. And possibly take some time out and ride the Space Shuttle to Mars. (Instead, I futz with computers, act, and run a political party. Christ, where did I go wrong?) For the first, I am now fulfilling it through pgbbl. For the second, well, I'm not looking to audition for anything right now and know of nothing coming down the pike, so why not? I might be able to flog my own music (the band's music, really) through my podcast. I had some concerns as to whether our tastes would be compatible, but as far as muzikmaker21 and I, we can definitely agree on things. Now, we'll have to find some similar folks with as little shame as we have.
As for gaming, I've been getting some ideas to crystallize in my head, thanks to the long walks I've taken toward Rivendell during work time. I tend to be able to concentrate much better when I'm walking. It will be a superhero game, using the Hero System; essentially the idea is to do Marvel's "Civil War" storyline right. The player characters will be new or relatively new superheroes who will have secret identities, or some reason to keep secrets from those around them - particularly the "authorities". The über-massive world-spanning plot I had before will also make an appearance, but will be pushed into the background and introduced in bite-sized chunks so as not to keep the GM up all night trying to figure out what to do next. We'll be playing at muzikmaker21's house on the weekends, probably every other weekend; I've added her roomies greyhalfdrow and artcfreak6 to my flist so they'll know all about this, too. Oh, and we'll need a nifty name and maybe t-shirts, too, just like theinstitute. Times and dates to be announced sometime late-ah.
EDIT, 1511 EDT: Weather widget has just gone bananas.
TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 756
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
155 PM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006
TORNADO WATCH 756 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
MDC003-005-011-013-015-025-027-029-035-041-510-300000-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0756.060829T1755Z-060830T0000Z/
MD
. MARYLAND COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
ANNE ARUNDEL BALTIMORE CAROLINE
CARROLL CECIL HARFORD
HOWARD KENT QUEEN ANNE'S
TALBOT
MARYLAND INDEPENDENT CITIES INCLUDED ARE
BALTIMORE CITY
$$
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
236 PM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006
ANZ530>537-DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-
025>031-036>042-050>057-WVZ048>055-301000-
CHESAPEAKE BAY NORTH OF POOLES ISLAND MD-
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM POOLES ISLAND TO SANDY POINT MD-
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM SANDY POINT TO NORTH BEACH MD-
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM NORTH BEACH TO DRUM POINT MD-
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM DRUM POINT MD TO SMITH POINT VA-
TIDAL POTOMAC FROM KEY BRIDGE TO INDIAN HEAD MD-
TIDAL POTOMAC FROM INDIAN HEAD TO COBB ISLAND MD-
TIDAL POTOMAC FROM COBB ISLAND MD TO SMITH POINT VA-
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-ALLEGANY-WASHINGTON-FREDERICK MD-CARROLL-
NORTHERN BALTIMORE-HARFORD-MONTGOMERY-HOWARD-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE-
PRINCE GEORGES-ANNE ARUNDEL-CHARLES-ST. MARYS-CALVERT-HIGHLAND-
AUGUSTA-ROCKINGHAM-SHENANDOAH-FREDERICK VA-PAGE-WARREN-CLARKE-
NELSON-ALBEMARLE-GREENE-MADISON-RAPPAHANNOCK-FAUQUIER-LOUDOUN-
ORANGE-CULPEPER-PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK-FAIRFAX-
ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA-STAFFORD-SPOTSYLVANIA-
KING GEORGE-GRANT-MINERAL-HAMPSHIRE-MORGAN-BERKELEY-JEFFERSON-
PENDLETON-HARDY-
236 PM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MARYLAND WEST OF THE
EASTERN SHORE INCLUDING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND EAST OF GARRETT
COUNTY...EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA...NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA...
WASHINGTON DC AND THE TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER.
.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ALONG AND EAST OF THE
INTERSTATE 95 CORRIDOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH A FEW
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY. THE MAIN THREAT
FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED
TORNADOES COULD ALSO DEVELOP DUE TO FAVORABLE WIND PROFILES.
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
THROUGH MID EVENING FOR WINDS OF AROUND 20 KNOTS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY
THE INTERACTION OF HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH AND TROPICAL SYSTEM
ERNESTO TO THE SOUTH WILL LEAD TO A PROLONGED PERIOD OF EAST TO
NORTHEAST ONSHORE WINDS THROUGH LATE WEEK. THESE WINDS MAY CAUSE
COASTAL FLOODING TO DEVELOP ON THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE CHESAPEAKE
BAY AND TIDAL POTOMAC.
WHILE THE EXACT TRACK OF TROPICAL SYSTEM ERNESTO REMAINS
UNCERTAIN...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR PROLONGED HEAVY RAINS DUE TO
THE REMNANTS OF THE TROPICAL SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE MID ATLANTIC.
THESE HEAVY RAINS OVER SEVERAL DAYS THROUGH THE UPCOMING LABOR DAY
WEEKEND COULD LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT FLOODING PROBLEMS. IN
ADDITION...WINDS FROM THE TROPICAL SYSTEM COULD REQUIRE SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORIES TO BE POSTED AS EARLY AS FRIDAY AND LASTING THROUGH THE
WEEKEND FOR THE TIDAL WATERS.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTERS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED FOR THE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON AND
SOUTHERN MARYLAND AREAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING DUE TO
POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALREADY IN PLACE FOR A
PORTION OF NORTHEAST MARYLAND.
$$
JB
* prior to both Mark David Chapman and Yoko Ono.
I'm in a weird, weird mood today. Slogging through work, having a bite to eat right now...feeling a bit distracted, a bit restless, a bit horny, a bit bored, a bit blue at the impending end of summer, a bit sleep-deprived - can't seem to focus on anything. May need even more caffeine. Geek combat tonight, hoo-hah.
I've been craving frappucinos from Starbuck's lately. Well, to back up: my sleep schedule's been a bit off, for reasons unknown (the kids are back in school, but I'm not the one getting them up in the morning), and the house is beastly hot and sticky. (Columbia is up to 35 right now according to the widget.) We've been without A/C pretty much all summer, so we kind of got by with window units: we had borrowed a window fan from starfyrone once upon a time and put that into service in our bedroom, while john_tangent, who is a hell of a human being, loaned us one of his window A/C's, which we put in the kids' room. Alas, things happened: we got a nastygram from the homeowners' association (proper abbreviation: ass.) telling us to have the things out by the end of August or they'll pitch some sort of legally-assisted hissy, and as if that wasn't enough, the fan in our room gave up the ghost at the end of last week and no amount of WD-40 would revive it. So put "hot & sticky" and "sleep-deprived" together and that makes for a jones for some cold, cold caffeine.
Last night we had muzikmaker21 over for dinner (yummy pot roast; thank you, efbq). The company was lovely, but it was hot and I was jonesing and between their first-day-of-school tales and their sister being over, the kids were in full performance mode, so after the muzikmaker21-provided dessert (and thank you), I left the beastly children with my lovely, long-suffering wife and whisked off the Starbuck's with our older daughter.
We ended up talking about music and gaming, and occasionally girl-watching. Apropos the first item, I'd had this idea that since people told me I could sing after Wayward Saints that I might continue to do so...so we started talking about this crazy idea of getting together a band.
Now, when I was growing up, I wanted, like every other boy in the world, to be two things: a hot-hitting, base-stealing second baseman for the Orioles, and a rock star, just like John Lennon*. And possibly take some time out and ride the Space Shuttle to Mars. (Instead, I futz with computers, act, and run a political party. Christ, where did I go wrong?) For the first, I am now fulfilling it through pgbbl. For the second, well, I'm not looking to audition for anything right now and know of nothing coming down the pike, so why not? I might be able to flog my own music (the band's music, really) through my podcast. I had some concerns as to whether our tastes would be compatible, but as far as muzikmaker21 and I, we can definitely agree on things. Now, we'll have to find some similar folks with as little shame as we have.
As for gaming, I've been getting some ideas to crystallize in my head, thanks to the long walks I've taken toward Rivendell during work time. I tend to be able to concentrate much better when I'm walking. It will be a superhero game, using the Hero System; essentially the idea is to do Marvel's "Civil War" storyline right. The player characters will be new or relatively new superheroes who will have secret identities, or some reason to keep secrets from those around them - particularly the "authorities". The über-massive world-spanning plot I had before will also make an appearance, but will be pushed into the background and introduced in bite-sized chunks so as not to keep the GM up all night trying to figure out what to do next. We'll be playing at muzikmaker21's house on the weekends, probably every other weekend; I've added her roomies greyhalfdrow and artcfreak6 to my flist so they'll know all about this, too. Oh, and we'll need a nifty name and maybe t-shirts, too, just like theinstitute. Times and dates to be announced sometime late-ah.
EDIT, 1511 EDT: Weather widget has just gone bananas.
TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 756
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
155 PM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006
TORNADO WATCH 756 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
MDC003-005-011-013-015-025-027-029-035-041-510-300000-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0756.060829T1755Z-060830T0000Z/
MD
. MARYLAND COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
ANNE ARUNDEL BALTIMORE CAROLINE
CARROLL CECIL HARFORD
HOWARD KENT QUEEN ANNE'S
TALBOT
MARYLAND INDEPENDENT CITIES INCLUDED ARE
BALTIMORE CITY
$$
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
236 PM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006
ANZ530>537-DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-
025>031-036>042-050>057-WVZ048>055-301000-
CHESAPEAKE BAY NORTH OF POOLES ISLAND MD-
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM POOLES ISLAND TO SANDY POINT MD-
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM SANDY POINT TO NORTH BEACH MD-
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM NORTH BEACH TO DRUM POINT MD-
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM DRUM POINT MD TO SMITH POINT VA-
TIDAL POTOMAC FROM KEY BRIDGE TO INDIAN HEAD MD-
TIDAL POTOMAC FROM INDIAN HEAD TO COBB ISLAND MD-
TIDAL POTOMAC FROM COBB ISLAND MD TO SMITH POINT VA-
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-ALLEGANY-WASHINGTON-FREDERICK MD-CARROLL-
NORTHERN BALTIMORE-HARFORD-MONTGOMERY-HOWARD-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE-
PRINCE GEORGES-ANNE ARUNDEL-CHARLES-ST. MARYS-CALVERT-HIGHLAND-
AUGUSTA-ROCKINGHAM-SHENANDOAH-FREDERICK VA-PAGE-WARREN-CLARKE-
NELSON-ALBEMARLE-GREENE-MADISON-RAPPAHANNOCK-FAUQUIER-LOUDOUN-
ORANGE-CULPEPER-PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK-FAIRFAX-
ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA-STAFFORD-SPOTSYLVANIA-
KING GEORGE-GRANT-MINERAL-HAMPSHIRE-MORGAN-BERKELEY-JEFFERSON-
PENDLETON-HARDY-
236 PM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MARYLAND WEST OF THE
EASTERN SHORE INCLUDING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND EAST OF GARRETT
COUNTY...EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA...NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA...
WASHINGTON DC AND THE TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER.
.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ALONG AND EAST OF THE
INTERSTATE 95 CORRIDOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH A FEW
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY. THE MAIN THREAT
FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED
TORNADOES COULD ALSO DEVELOP DUE TO FAVORABLE WIND PROFILES.
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
THROUGH MID EVENING FOR WINDS OF AROUND 20 KNOTS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY
THE INTERACTION OF HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH AND TROPICAL SYSTEM
ERNESTO TO THE SOUTH WILL LEAD TO A PROLONGED PERIOD OF EAST TO
NORTHEAST ONSHORE WINDS THROUGH LATE WEEK. THESE WINDS MAY CAUSE
COASTAL FLOODING TO DEVELOP ON THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE CHESAPEAKE
BAY AND TIDAL POTOMAC.
WHILE THE EXACT TRACK OF TROPICAL SYSTEM ERNESTO REMAINS
UNCERTAIN...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR PROLONGED HEAVY RAINS DUE TO
THE REMNANTS OF THE TROPICAL SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE MID ATLANTIC.
THESE HEAVY RAINS OVER SEVERAL DAYS THROUGH THE UPCOMING LABOR DAY
WEEKEND COULD LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT FLOODING PROBLEMS. IN
ADDITION...WINDS FROM THE TROPICAL SYSTEM COULD REQUIRE SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORIES TO BE POSTED AS EARLY AS FRIDAY AND LASTING THROUGH THE
WEEKEND FOR THE TIDAL WATERS.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTERS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED FOR THE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON AND
SOUTHERN MARYLAND AREAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING DUE TO
POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALREADY IN PLACE FOR A
PORTION OF NORTHEAST MARYLAND.
$$
JB
* prior to both Mark David Chapman and Yoko Ono.