Han Solo costume

to co blog with Carly

It was Geek Night Out and Carly and I were strolling along looking at Star Wars props, costumes, and models when she made the observation, "Leia's costume for guys, Han's for girls."

Han fired first.

I commented, "I think I need to go as him for Halloween then."
Carly, something to the effect of, "You will get laid."

Last Spring on Community, Abed in Han mode got Annie all hot and bothered ...

Han Fired First.

One of us suggested to co-blog, probably Carly. I might have said I would write about it first, who knows. I do not remember. Not gonna happen due to time constraints and forgetting.

So ... it seemed time to get a good Han costume together, but really again not enough time. Maybe some day.

Han Fired First.

This year ... that's MISTER Smarty Pants, thank you very much.

I was caller number 3

World Series 2011

There are currently 8 teams in the MLB post-season. I will not go into a rant here on tradition or expansion of the playoffs.

I was listening to KJR on the way home from TKB one eve and as I stopped for tacos I heard Elise mention that there was a contest for free pizza based upon the MLB playoffs. I called. I actually got through. I was caller 3 so I would get the third pick from the eight teams to see if I could win some pizza.

The wait wasn't too long. Of course, Philly and Detroit went one and two. No surprises.

The question for me then would be Cardinals, Yankees, Rangers, Brewers, Rays, or Diamondbacks. Using the simple theory that hot teams are a good playoff choice I went with the Cardinals. Plus, they have a veteran manager, a true number one starter, and the best player in baseball in a contract year. I had witnessed the Rangers offense in person, and considered the veteran Yankees, while the others I could not take seriously

The Cardinals had to play the Phillies in the first round, they won. Best team in NL? Gone.

The Cardinals had to play the Brewers in the NLCS, they won. Best home team in Baseball? Gone.

The Cardinals had to play the Rangers in the World Series. And, even though a wild card the Cardinals got home field due to the odd All Star Game rule (a rant for another day), meaning this time it would be in my favor.

When it became clear that the World Series would go at least 6, the home field seemed like it would be a factor.

Game 6 had me thinking it would not happen, then the great finish to force a game 7 had me rethinking my Friday night to watch.

So ... as the newest fan of the Cardinals, I thank them for the awesome pizza I will soon be eating.

Trap Shooting Math

After much tinkering on the details, this is the geometry of creating a successful hit in trap shooting.

I have never - and do not - own a gun. However, I have always been around them and believe knowledge and safe handling of firearms is a useful basic life skill. Oddly, I now work a PT job where I am around firearms and assist new shooters in the basics and safety. Life is weird.

Completing Leagues

Next Sports Fan Goal for 2012 and Beyond = Completing Leagues

As a sports fan I attend a fair number of sporting events and follow a few teams above others. In recent years as I have embarked on the Oxymoron Project and the Ephemera Project certain details have emerged. Of the main four teams I follow I am nearly complete in the (current) teams of their respective leagues.

Seattle Sounders FC and MLS - I have not seen Toronto FC. Had a PDX trip worked out this past summer I would not be saying that. Next year the Montreal Impact join MLS and that will add a team to that list as it turns out that I never saw Montreal in the USL era either. I have also yet to see the MLS version of the Vancouver Whitecaps, but have seen the previous versions several times. Eventually, I will also see the new Whitecaps. In essence, I will need to see the 3 Canadian MLS teams to be truly complete. The two contracted Florida teams do not apply as this is based on the current MLS structure.

WSU Cougars and the PAC12 - Focusing on football, the only PAC12 team I have not seen is Utah. Colorado was a non-conference opponent in Seattle several years ago. In fact, of the old PAC10 schools UCLA is the only opponent I have not seen play at least twice. Utah is in Pullman in November this season, but I cannot go so this may happen either when the Utes play at UW or at Pullman in the future. Other Cougar sports such as volleyball, hoops, and soccer are only the new schools on the list as I have attended so many various sporting events while living in Pullman.

Seattle Storm and the WNBA - Other than some folded teams I failed to see, the only current team to see is Washington to complete the current 12 team WNBA.

Seattle Mariners and MLB - The Houston Astros are it. If I count the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals as separate entities that means I have seen 30 of the 31 possible teams play in AL, NL, Interleague, and Cactus League play. As soon as Houston comes around in IL play it will be solved as they do not do Spring Training in Arizona at this point.

Geekiest stuff

Magic backback

On 10-9 I went with Sammy to GeekGirlCon and got the chance to learn magic late in the day at one of the booths.

The game has always been intimidating, but I took time to learn a bit at the con. Playing once at lunch with a 6th grader hardly counts as having played the game much before.

As a result of taking the time, I won the backpack.

Recently, I wore it to school; drooling kids and a teacher jealously calling me a nerd was kind of an interesting response. Cool backpack for the win!

If I didn't need a backpack, I would not necessarily have chosen it as a prize and I might not have ever tried the single strap style. Fortunately, I like it ....

Wearing the magic backpack is now one of the geekiest things I have ever done and made me think of some other. Here's a quick list of recent geekiest stuff ...

1) Lying to Neil Gaiman at EMP in re Doctor Who

2) Chanting "So say we all!" with EJO at EMP 2010

3) Asking Spike and Data "if it ever gets old?" about hot girls at ECCC 2011

4) Trying to sneak a pic of Spock at ECCC 2010 and being scolded for it

5) Telling Joe Roth my 1990 story about seeing his film on a plane

6) figuring out if Clive was still answering my Q with Ron in 07 at Third Place Books

7) Discussing WM19 matches with Chris Jericho 2007

8) Wil Wheaton fist bump 2011

Go Cougs!

WSU Cougars 21
OSU Beavers 44
Century Link Field
Seattle, WA
October 22, 2011

Opportunity knocked this season for Paul Wulff and the Cougs, and it was sent away with coal in its stocking

Flying burgers at the new Edmonds Dick's grand opening

Dick's Drive In Edmonds Grand Opening
10-20-11

Like manna from heaven, a Dick's cheeseburger fell from the sky and struck me in the heart.

Really, about 15 minutes after starting to serve burgers, about a dozen bags were lobbed into the crowd by Dick's employees and one hit me in the chest. I removed the burger, held it up in triumph, and skedaddled. This also led to me being quoted in the Everett Herald.

But, let's backtrack.

I decided to go and wait in line. Part of me thought I should get there really early, but I ran a few errands first and got there about 2:20PM, just in time for a parking spot.

So, I got in line ... and here's the thing about lines, people will get in them when they see them and they are clearly marked. People WILL stand in them. The one big mistake made during the opening? They screwed up the line when they had one and turned it into a mob. There was a nice line through the parking lot and down onto the sidewalk on 99. But, at 3, instead of having the line move in, they merely dropped the premise of a line and had people move forward. As a result, all the early arrivals got munched in with the later arrivals and it was simply a mob. The mob looked great on camera, but it contributed to the wait. This was a mistake from a customer service standpoint. (Sidebar, the next day lines were in place ...)

However, this was more about the event than the wait, or even the burgers. It is fun to go to these things, to say, "I was there."

Apparently, this was six weeks early. The building was completed early, meaning the opening was early, meaning the date had been fluid.

Oh, I see my friends and others posting serious posts on Facebook all the time with little response, I post pics and comments from being in line and the comments and likes take off. The lesson here ... social media is more about fun than politics.

Kasey Keller Day and The Heritage Cup

Seattle Sounders FC 2
San Jose Earthquakes 1
October 15, 2011
CenturyLink Field - Seattle, WA
MLS Regular Season - Kasey Keller Day - The Heritage Cup

Kasey Keller night notes

64,140 ... for a regular season game. This is better attendance than for Celtic or Boca.

Scrappy game. A young team playing in front of a big crowd with nothing to lose will be a dangerous opponent sometimes. They were in this instance as well.

The Mauro Effect. Best signing in the league this year and an immediate game changer when he went on.

Kasey played like the Kasey of the mid 90s, the 4 save sequence was like an indoor goalie flopping around. That is a compliment.

The Sounders 2nd goal seemed inevitable judging by the SJ body language after the first.

The Ceremony was nice too. Way to treat the wife with a gift.

Recent solid local police work

I pulled up to the light as the second car back in the left middle lane of four.

The light had just turned red.

There was a police like light flashing in my rear view.

I glanced to my left to see the third car back in the left turn lane being boxed in by a police car behind it and a police car on the other side of the barrier in the other direction.

The officer from the other direction quickly emerged from his car and approached the driver.

The rear vehicle officer had not yet emerged.

The vehicle driver had no where to go, but he tried anyways.

It appeared he was looking to get out of his vehicle towards the passenger side, but the officer had reached in and grabbed him, causing him to emerge from the vehicle.

The driver attempted to keep going, possible over the hood of the police car, but the officer kept hold of his arm and pulled him around to pin him to his car, quickly cuffing him.

The officer in the rear car was emerging from his vehicle.

The entire exchange lasted a few seconds at most.

The light turned green and I drove off.

Lippincott redux

In 1995 I was provided with the opportunity to present an entire novel to a publisher after an initial submission. I found that my writing process of the time where I would outline a novel, write the first few chapters, and then submit was looking like it might work.

I took the first few chapters, cranked out a 300 page rough draft in a few weeks, got it all typed up, and sent it off.

Lippincott is still unpublished.

The disks with the originally typed draft exist and i managed to get them converted so that process does not need to be repeated.

Years later, after looking at it from time to time I decided it was time to dust off this Salem Witch Trials Urban Fantasy and give it another go round. Part of this stems from my frustration in losing a notebook, part of it is because it just bugs me that I do not have this material completed the way I think it should be. I guess that makes me a bit like George Lucas.

There are a few people reading the old material and I am taking notes to expand the fantasy element while still trying to keep it grounded.

As part of this revival, I am also looking at a couple old projects that were in the same state back in the day. I think it is time to really crank on this stuff and see about where some of these projects can go.

Geek Girl Con 2011

Geek Girl Con (Day Two)
October 9, 2011
Seattle, WA

I first heard about this con while working as a minion at ECCC last March. It just sounded like it would be a good thing for me and my daughter to do. I was right. We attended a few panels (including one on Killing Cattiness) and took our time checking out all the booths, chatting with guests and fellow attendees, and soaking up the atmosphere.

USOC Final 2011

Seattle Sounders FC 2
Chicago Fire 0
US Open Cup Final 2011
Seattle, WA - CenturyLink Field
October 4, 2011

Holy threepeat Batman!

When Fredy popped in that first goal I swear I have not yelled that loud at a game ever ... and that is taking into account being at Apple Cups and USA World Cup matches ...

Oh, The Horror ...

EMP
Can't Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film
Member Preview
October 1, 2011

It seems like EMP has found a way with these new smaller exhibits to use its space better than it once did.







The pictures here include an Alien, a prop from Buffy, and original pages written by Bram Stoker ...

Anti-Science Culture

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
― Isaac Asimov


I was going to write a long diatribe about this very subject, but Isaac sums it up far, far better than I possibly could.