Greetings, eh. Back from camp; back into the real world. 5 days away from civilization, in extreme isolation... of course, that's not the full truth. I had my iPad, which proved to be very useful in distracting myself from the compounded weight of the camp sub-plot that involved me. And I had my cell phone, and laptop... about the only aspect of civilization that I lacked was Starbucks, so really, it wasn't much different from my normal routine...
Camp was a positive experience. I alternately filmed and napped. A highlight was, of course, setting the camera aside and tromping around the paintball course, though I only have two and a half battle wounds to show for it. It was only 5v5, among which were a couple timid squatters, so the action was unfortunately rather light. Sounds semi-masochistic, but I wanted to get pummeled. There's something indescribably satisfying about strolling up on a crouching teammate who's hunkered behind a barricade, walking full upright and steady up to his position, in full view, with poorly-aimed paintballs flying around me, while I ask "where is he?" about the enemy, and then moving forward inexorably, firing at (and pinning down) the enemy gunmen as I methodically close the distance, to destroy them, flush them out, or get pummeled in the attempt. I simply cannot hide, or stop moving. Just stomp forward, onward, moving, shooting, slowly, relentlessly... I savor it.
And now, as much as I would love to shift this line of thought skillfully into a personal parallel and elaborate upon the far more important battle I waged (and still wage) inside, I will instead, with great restraint, leave it at that.
Camp is over for the year. Now all that remains is steeling myself for the hours that will need to go into this year's camp video.
Too bad I didn't have one of these cameras with me...
That's kind of creepy, actually. Creepy-cool. Has kind of a sci-fi feel to it, in my opinion... like that machine in Bladerunner that could examine a photo, moving around in the background of the pic, zooming WAY in, around corners, to reveal what was unseen in the original picture...
Now THAT is funny...
Lemme see, what else do I have saved up here to show you?
Three guesses as to what the caption to this picture should be...
I'm not really feeling it tonight. I've run out of steam. Let me regroup and hit up a new post after the weekend. Just wanted to hop on and check in, really.
OK, so I promised I'd recap how the filming went today, so here it is... though I have to admit, at this point, my feelings are mixed about it.
The drive up was about 2 hours, and gave me plenty of time to go over things in my head. I'm glad I did, since it gave me a chance to get my story together. I wasn't sure what was going to be covered, really, or if I'd be asked for the quick version and rushed out after ten minutes... so I pondered a lot of different possible questions and directions the conversation could go - and I'm glad I did, since we covered all of it, and more. We sat outside of the directors' home in this small, pretty walkway between two quiet rows of apartments, with the camera man, and, after setting the gear up, getting good sound going, fixing the white balance, and applying the right filters, we just chatted for about an hour. It was surprisingly relaxing.
He asked a bit about my background and my day job, then segued into how/why I started this blog, and then smoothly transitioned into the events surrounding the day I went to the mall to film that hot dog eating qualifier. I tried my best to be pleasant, interesting, entertaining, well-spoken, etc., when I thought of it, but really, most of the time we just chatted in a friendly, relaxed manner... which is where the mixed feelings start to come in.
Frankly, I don't remember everything I said. Not that it matters much, since through the magic of clever editing, I can be made to say just about anything. They seemed trustworthy and professional, I'm not saying I don't trust them. Yet as we chatted, it became clear that the tone of the film will be rather critical of the organization that runs competitive eating, and that made me a bit nervous. I am about as casual a fan as one can be, when you boil it down... and I really don't want to be presented in any way that makes it seem like I have any sort of legitimate opinion about the industry in general, or the governing body specifically. I'm just a random, detail-ignorant fan who happened to capture video of one of the industry "stars" cheating. That doesn't make me anything at all, beyond a curiosity, really.
So, I'm kind of nervous about how I'll be presented. There are a lot of passionate people in this realm of competitive eating, and I don't want to be used as a tool to further stir the pot, so to speak. That's all.
Again, I trust these guys, so far as one can trust people one has just met. Still, it's clear that they are privy to far more detail about the behind-the-scenes stuff, and the players and politics than I, and so I just don't know what to expect. They seemed very pleased with the footage they got, and the way I presented myself, and were grateful for my participation (just as I was very grateful for the opportunity). And likely, this is just me worrying too much, and making a lot out of nothing.
Still, part of me hopes you all forget about it for now, and that I could get a quiet chance to view the movie first before you all get to see it, just in case I've inadvertently embarrassed myself by stepping into the middle of something that I had no business messing with.
We finished up by going inside and watching the footage that I shot, and they filmed me doing some running commentary as the footage played. It was a bit awkward, but I see why they'd want to do it.
He said they were aiming for a late-August release, and that it will be in festivals, and hopefully in theaters for people to see. Apparently, it is going to be a big deal. Which makes me doubly-nervous. I don't want to come across as anything but a casual fan who happened to catch something controversial on tape, and not someone slamming the industry or particular people, as though I had a clue about any of it. That's why I wish I could better remember everything I said. I think I'm good. As a rule, I try not to say anything about a person that I wouldn't also say if the person was before me in the flesh.
In all, I was done in about 90 minutes or so. And in all the excitement, I didn't remember to take any pictures to post here. I had my camera in my pocket the whole time. I was just caught up in it all. It really was fun, and I'm glad I did it... I'm just concerned about how things will play out, and how I will be perceived when it's all edited together. If I come across poorly, I will be grossly embarrassed... so I don't want to hype it all up here, have you all run out to see it, and then have you be puzzled/disappointed... I'd rather make sure I'm happy with it, and then "remind" you about it... "Oh, yeah, guys, remember that movie? Yeah, it's cool, go see it, eh!"
Anyway, what's done is done. All that remains now is trust (in the director/producer) and patience. We'll see how it plays out.
Short post tonight. Hope you don't mind. Both of you, I mean...
So, I played hookie from work again on Thursday, and went to see Super8 in the theater. It's good, mindless popcorn-chomping summer movie fare, I recommend it. Don't think too hard about the script, though, or you could easily get sucked into one of the gaping plot holes...
But before I went to see it, I sat in Panera with my mini-laptop and made an interesting discovery. I was going to fire it up so I could journal for a while, just to get some stuff off my chest, that I can't write about here in this blog. I went to create a new file, but inadvertently hit "open" instead, and the window that popped up had some of my journal files from last year in it. So, I clicked one from last May (2010) and started reading it. I kid you not... everything I was going to unload into a new journal entry was already written in the one from last year...
I'm stuck in the same stuff.
I only started writing in the webbook last year, so I couldn't go back further into the archived journals... but I bet if I pulled up some of my files from my desktop, from two, three, four years ago, I might make a similar discovery. I'm afraid to look. So I didn't write anything at Panera. In a mild fit of anger mixed with disappointment, I shut the thing off and went to a movie. I bought a $6 matinee ticket, then thought I could use some water, so I went up to the concession stand and bought a bottle... for $5.25! Are you kidding me? $5.25 for a bottle of water? I figured for that price, it must make me younger, stronger and better looking, so I took a chance...
I should have bought two...
So, yeah, I'm a bit bummed. As usual, trying to find that balance between being grateful for the wonderful blessings in my life, and deciding how (and if) it's possible to change the things about me and my life that grate on my soul. But I know you've heard this song before, so I shall shift gears...
So, I'm going up Saturday to LA to do the filming for that documentary on competitive eating. No idea how it will play out, but I'll go up with an open mind and try and stoke up my lackluster sense of adventure. I'll try to get a picture or two of the proceedings, and make a post Saturday night. Hopefully, it will be memorable and/or interesting enough to write about here in some detail. Then I'm off to camp with Middle Daughter for a week.
You'll survive without me somehow, I'm sure... both of you...
Check out these cool fold-down bookshelves...
Honestly, I have mixed feelings about them. Aside from the novelty of the idea and the apparently nice execution, not sure, not sure...
I may like this idea better...
A custom-built staircase/bookshelf combo. It's a nice way to make use of normally-unused space, and a good solution for storing all those books that get bought with the best of intentions, but never end up being read.
That reminds me, I was in the tub last night, with iPad on, and wanted to watch something using my NetFlix app while I soaked away my angst. I have 126 titles in my Watch Instantly queue that I could have watched. I swear, I spent ten minutes slowly scrolling through, contemplating, and dismissing every single title on that list, before finally picking a kung-fu flick at random to watch ten minutes of. Every one of those titles I added to the queue at some point, like that bookshelf reference above, with every intention of watching them with great interest. Some of those have been in my queue for YEARS.
I wonder what the dynamics are, behind that? I wonder if it's just me that does that (or if both of you do it also). I do it with games as well. Buy them with every intention of playing them... then promptly file them away and forget about them... then when I see them, I shrug my shoulders and say, "someday... but not now."
Speaking of games...
This is called "Democratic Chess"...
As you capture an enemy piece, you assimilate it, combining it (and it's attributes) with the piece that captured it. So if a rook captures a bishop (for example) it is now a hybrid piece that moves like a rook and a bishop. As you can see, the pieces are stack-able. A pawn-knight combo would be an interesting piece...
Here's a video of a polar bear going ninja on a seal... it's worth the watch, stay with it, it's cool...
I love the moment at 2:13.... classic... that film crew either had camera equipment with ridiculous zoom levels, or they got right up on the action... how they avoided becoming lunch instead of the seal is beyond me...
Ah, well, so much for a short post tonight... guess I just needed to wander. Thanks for reading it, if you got this far.
Greetings, everyone! Wow, look at that sky! And that ocean! And those cool red flowers, eh? I'm trying to deceive you all! Will it work?
I am now going to attempt an experiment. I shall pretend all is normal and well in my world, and make a blog post as though the world is right, and everything is in its place... that rumbling you hear? It is not a volcano threatening to erupt...
A quick diversion! Like a PRO!
Logan and his wife had their baby! Woohoo! First a wedding (V&R) and now a new baby. Most excellent. Babies are treasures and miracles, all rolled up into a wonderful little bundle of love and diapers. I am happy for Logan... go over to his blog, eh, and check out the pictures of little Avonlea Brynn Stewart.
Being a dad is the accomplishment on my 'life resume' that I am most proud of. I'm lucky to have my kids!
Of course, not everyone likes little kids...
I think they need to feed those lions more frequently at that zoo, eh?
So there will be a flurry of activity around the ol' Wagner Household in the coming weeks... school officially ends on Wednesday for the Wagner Women, which means beach season will be kicking off poste haste. Although, from what I understand, their favorite spot at the beach has been eroded away, so they'll have to find a new place to go, eh? Mags is bummed, but they'll manage.
Sister-in-law is coming for a long weekend as well, so we'll have a house guest, which is always good for a mild uproar, a few laughs and some familial angst. Then it's Father's Day on Sunday, with all the weirdness that will bring this year (for reasons I won't elaborate on... see "volcano reference"), and then the next day, Middle Daughter and I leave for Church Camp. Then the Wagner Women are off to ALBQ for a couple weeks. Then we get the house recarpeted (downstairs), Middle Daughter has a birthday, and finally, we see the ortho about getting braces started.
Was just going to get Middle Daughter braces, but I think I might look into getting them as well. I'm tired of being a snaggletooth. It's from all that coffee I drink... I mean, coffee cake I eat... I mean...
... well... both!
Not sure if I'll be able to squeeze in a LAN party while the Wagner Women are gone, like last time. The last LAN wasn't really all that successful. Yanni wasn't able to attend, and neither was Vye, so we lacked a strong choleric personality to drive the LAN through to completion. There was too much, "So, what should we play, eh?" "I don't know, what do you want to play?" "Whatever you want."
It fizzled. But at least the sandwiches were good!
It was my mom's birthday today!Happy Birthday, Mom! She does so much for me and the Wagner Chicks, it boggles my mind. I know a lot of great, generous, loving people (some of whom read this blog!), but I'm sorry, as wonderful as they are, no one can come close to matching my mom. She's my fave.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, a moment I have been waiting months and months for. In fact... since Feb 18th, to be exact.... I found the following picture, saved it to my archive, knowing that someday, I would be able to use it... and today is that day. OK, ready?
So, yeah, like, I saw a film recently that really blew my mind...
Thank you! Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! That has been so long in waiting to make it's appearance here, it has lost all pretense of cleverness and humor, and was stale from the outset! Woohoo!
Anyway, I saw an amazing movie that I got from Netflix, called "Biutiful" starring Javier Bardem. His performance was really incredible. It's a foreign film (Spanish), with subtitles. I would do a full-on review of it, were it not for the fact that there are a couple scenes that are best fast forwarded. I hate that! When a scene or two prevents me from fully recommending a movie! But again, the writing and the acting are truly top-notch. I was extremely moved.
Javier's character plays a man in a shady line of work, who is divorced, and a single dad... and finds out he has cancer and a couple months to live. The film is basically his character trying to come to grips with that, and make certain things right before he goes, with decidedly mixed results. For a variety of reasons best left un-elaborated upon (because they'd be tedious for you to read), I wept like a schoolgirl. Very moving.
In fact, here's the trailer. Not too crazy about the trailer, since the first 49 seconds of it is just rapid-fire montage imagery, but after that, the trailer settles down and gives a good idea of what the film is like.
Incredible acting. There's nothing like a great performance to remind me of why I love acting.
So, yeah, that film blew my mind!
OK, well, lemme post a comic strip, and then leave this "epic dodge" of a post behind...
Ah, the middle of the weekend, with all the mixed emotions that come with it. I certainly enjoy a good weekend, but even while it's happening, in the back of my mind, I realize it will be over before I want it to be, and it will be a loooong wait before it happens again... I could draw an apt parallel to that, but it might offend everyone reading who is not a married male...
Speaking of "married", there was a wedding yesterday. Oh, it's the talk of the town. It's all over the newspapers and gossip columns today. There hasn't been a wedding of this magnitude since the royal wedding. Of course, I'm talking about my good friends Vye and Rebekah.
You know, these guys...
You might recognize Vye from my web comics. Rebekah is the one on the right, in the dress...
Yay!
It was a nice, outdoor ceremony, and surprisingly brief. And yes, I cried, I admit it. I *really* want them to be happy together and stay married forever and all that. I wish them only the best.
Here's some more pics, just because it's my blog, and I wanna postem!
Here's Abbie and Shannon, looking like they just floated down from Heaven...
Here's Joseph walking his sister Rebekah down the aisle, so she can swap her last name for a new one.
Here's Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, when they were still the future Mr. and Mrs. Wilson...
And here are two very happy people. The Happy Couple!
All in all, it was an afternoon/early evening extremely well spent. I'm not usually much for being social, but I wouldn't have missed this for anything.
Guess who caught the bouquet? Yep, Middle Daughter. I told her to throw it back. Then I grounded her...
And here's the... uh... other Happy Couple. O_O Plus, as an added bonus, a hideous goatee!
So that's that.
I'm going to keep this post brief tonight. In fact, I'm wearing briefs, just to maintain internal consistency. I will post one video, but you can't watch it unless you make a solemn promise, before God and man. That you will click "Play", then change the 360p to 1080p, then pause it and let it load completely. Then hit the full screen icon, and enjoy the heck out of this...
Remember, you promised. Unless it's full screen and high-def, it won't be anywhere near as amazing.
You see, every now and then, I like to lead a blog post with a nice, cliched seaside picture in "portrait" orientation. You know, just to keep things fresh, and to keep you on your toes. Yeah, I'm clever like that. Although it does look painful for you to read my blog on your toes like that... good thing you're wearing your point shoes... oh, the irony of posting a landscape photo in "portrait" orientation! O, the blessed, chill-inducing irony!!!1!
So, of course, the big, earth-shattering news I have to lead with tonight is this: My big, bushy, beautiful, beastly beard has been ... uh... um, yeah, a synonym for "shaving it off my goofy face" that starts with B. Sorry, forced alliteration has never been my strong suit.
Where was I?
Oh, the beard. Yeah, it's gone. In its place is a sad, furry goatee. So sad, I will not post a picture of it, since it will depress me... and the last time I got depressed, I drank a venti iced caramel macchiato from Starbucks.
Wait... I do that every day... hmm...
Ah, well, depression is all the rage nowadays with hipsters like me. And argyle socks. And chewed-up gum stuck in my armpit hair...
Where was I?
Oh, yeah, the goatee... yeah, it's ridiculous. But the only thing more ridiculous to me than a bushy, unkempt salt-n-pepper goatee is a clean-shaven face. I need facial hair to break up the monotony of my face. Although it really shouldn't matter much, since it's not like I look at my face, other than an occasional wince as I catch a glimpse while washing my hands and/or socks at the sink. And also when I catch my reflection in the mirrored sunglasses of the policeman ticketing me. Usually I cry until they let me off with a warning. And a wedgie.
Where was I?
Oh, yeah... a funny dog picture...
Ah, gets me every time... dogs are awesome. So are hippos. Wish I could get one for the kids. A dog, I mean, not a hippo. It would be a hyperactive terrier and I'd call it Divot. But no! We can't! No pets aloud! Or allowed, for that matter! See, a serious writer would have gone back and deleted "aloud" and merely typed in the correct word... but no, I'm too lazy for that! Sorry, Divot, you'll have to settle for living as a minor character in my fantasy novel.
Yes, I'm still writing it! Sheesh! Quit hounding me about it!
Sorry, that was addressed to the voices in my head, not to you.
Yeah, I wouldn't click it either. You know how untrustworthy I am. It's the goatee. Makes me look shifty. That reminds me... my transmission is grinding going into second gear again. I'll have to get that looked at. Any auto mechanics in the house? How about any acrobats? Anyone play a ukulele? Anyone that can teach a beagle to catch a ball?
Yes, you there, in the front row. Go ahead.
O_O
Dang. You're good...
So Vye and Rebekah are getting married on Friday. Maybe I can sneak my camera into the ceremony (past security) and grab a picture or two to post in the next blog. Two of my favorite people! Vye is so awesome, one title is not good enough for him... he's the Groom, sure... but, actually, he's also the Best Man, in the strict, literal sense. And Rebekah's amazing as well... I *sincerely* hope they live happily ever after. Heck, someone has to be the first to do so! Might as well be them!
And now, more geeky, comicky humor...
Yeah, I know. It's a reach. Still, it made me smile. So it has that going for it, at least...
Finally, it's almost Youth Camp time! You know what that means! Yep, I'll be gone for a week, filming it and taking pictures, and then will come home, full of enthusiasm, ready to edit this year's camp video together... only to watch the weeks tick by, as it sits, partially finished, as I spend more time in blog posts lamenting the fact that it is undone than I will spend actually working on it... the problem is, it's the same basic group of people, at the same camp site, doing the same activities that we do every year! How am I to make that fresh and interesting!? :O - AAAAA!!!!!
Fine, I'll stop whining... here, we'll have a little cake, and then we'll end this mess...
A tetris cake! You can play it by making the lines disappear... down the hatch!
It is with no small amount of trepidation that I take keyboard in hand to pound out this post... o, what I would write if only I could set aside the limits of appropriateness and unpack my heart unedited and unrestrained. But I shall trust that the parts of me that still retain a shred of self control shall prevail, and I shall instead resort to my usual tack of vacuous nonsense. It's just life, that's all. It's easy to tell others to keep things in an eternal perspective, but it's another thing entirely to try to tell oneself such things, while caught in life's teeth, listening to your own bones crunch and your insides scream.
Dang. How emo is that? Sheesh.
I guess I could just use a friend. Volunteers? The only qualification is a willingness to have a metric ton of my unsolvable problems/dilemmas tactlessly dumped in one giant, boiling, haphazard mess upon your head, and remain standing afterwards, telling me what I already know to be true but need to hear anyway...
Yeah, didn't think so, lol.
Ah, well, the "Turning 40 Wagon" trundles onward. This too shall pass...
You know what they say! When life gives you lemons...
... make lemon 'nades.
So, I went with my friend Carey to the Indian Casino on Saturday night, as I threatened, to help him celebrate his 41st birthday. He's an old man. 41. Dang, that's ancient. Anyway, it was fun to see Carey enjoying himself, playing inscrutable slot machines for an hour or two. I dumped a cool $20 into a machine at one point, just to fit in. Haven't been in a casino in forever -- whatever happened to good old fashioned "three bar/lucky 7" slot machines? All the slots they had at the casino the other night had about a dozen different buttons to push, and you could set any number of different types of bets, varying the amount depending on whim, from a penny up to several bucks, all on the same machine! It was crazy. Gone are the penny slots, the nickel slots, the quarter slots, etc. It's all one machine now. And there are up to 30 different ways to win, depending on the type of bet you place. It's impossible to figure out - I just placed a random bet, and assumed the machine would let me know if I won anything or not. It was like an arcade game on crack.
So, yeah, not really my scene. But as I said, I wasn't there for me, but for my good pal, Carey, the old man. And he had fun, so that's what counts. The buffet we ate was yummy.
I know I've posted a similar video to this one before, but these guys that fly these "wingsuits" never cease to blow my mind.
I wish I had the wherewithal (both internally and financially) to attempt such a thing. Talk about living life on the edge. Leave absolutely every single "everyday" worry and concern behind, and live as "right now" as humanly possible... gliding down a mountainside, sometimes only feet off the ground or over the treetops.
WOW. A hundred times, wow.
Dangit, I want to live.
So, my good pal Rebecca is moving out to New York City this summer, to pursue her dream of becoming an editor. Talk about radical change, I'm super happy for her. And no, it's not just because if she becomes an editor, I can hire her to help me with my books. That too, of course...
Mostly, I'm happy that she's busting loose and jumping out there with both feet. Can't wait to see how it plays out for her. How cool is that? No small amount of envy on my part, of course. Ah, well, just more stuff to overcome...
What a pleasant surprise! I have my window open, and it just started raining. I love that sound. Let it rain, Lord, let it rain.
Wifey was watching the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice tonight (the one with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy), and I snuck in and watched the ending. Now, I'm definitely someone that loves actions movies, and things that go boom (like a good, healthy, red-blooded American male), but I kid you not, that version of Pride and Prejudice is solidly on my Top 10 favorite movies of all-time. Yeah, I'm getting sappy and maudlin in my old age, I know. I can't help it. It gets me every time. So many terrific characters and performances. That scene with Elizabeth and Lady Catherine, squaring off in the garden there at Longbourne toward the end... love it.
Dangit, I have to go find it on YouTube, be right back...
I could only find it in 360p, sorry.
You gotta love Mr. Bennett. I feel a certain kinship with him, that shall remain unelaborated-upon for the time being... *ahem*... anyway, Jennifer Ehle was originally cast as Catelyn Stark in the HBO series A Game of Thrones, but was recast. She would have been great, methinks.
I better post these clips while I can... new copyright laws may get passed which would make it a violation to post clips in a blog like this. Sorry, it's not worth risking massive fines and jail time to entertain you... forgive me? I still love you, fear not...
Anyway, I'm gonna skedaddle off to bed, regroup, and hit the ground running tomorrow. Let's see what this week brings, eh? Hopefully, I'll be able to look at life a bit differently...
Yet another random place I'd like to visit someday. I tell ya, pictures like that really do something for me...
The sun is slowly dipping toward the horizon as I type this; in about a half-hour, I shall walk the hill, as I have for the past couple days. I'm going to see how many times up and down the hill it will take to listen to the whole book of Psalms on my iPod. I'm at Psalm 50 after two trips (about an hour total).
Gee, ain't that fascinating!?!?!
Have you ever been typing something, say in Facebook, or in, like, a blog post, and you realize as you're typing just how boring what you're saying is? Wow! Dave's going to get off his duff and actually see if his legs will work! Wowza! Soooo captivating!
Moving right along...
Thanks for all the positive feedback on the last comic strip I posted. On a whim, I sent a link and a quick note to Pat Rothfuss, about his cameo in the strip, and he wrote back to me today, saying thanks for the nod, and that his beard is a lot bushier now than it was in that picture of him I used.
Yeah, I interact with famous people like that all the time, see...
And now, a bonsai Apple tree...
A Bonsai Apple Tree! Are you kidding me!?!?
Those little apples are edible - so says the tree's creator, a gentleman named Walter Pall, from Colorado. Apparently, Mr. Pall is quite a big deal in the world of Bonsai... he even has a bonsai Sycamore Maple whose leaves change color with the seasons...
There are more cool pictures in the linked article. Hey Abbie, your dad might get a kick out of seeing those trees, since he's into bonsai as well...
Ah, I almost forgot... hang on, you're not going to believe this... brb...
OK, so I was playing a game of Scrabble against the computer the other day on my iPad, and I was getting creamed, as usual... the CPU routinely plays ridiculous, obscure words that no one in their right mind would know, and usually has its way with me. I have to play it on the hardest setting, since the other settings are not challenging to me, and I easily beat them all the time. Part of me doesn't mind losing to the computer, since I try to use it as an opportunity to learn new words...
Anyway, the only way I can beat the CPU is through a series of power moves, which rely on luck as much as skill. HOWEVER, I destroyed the CPU in one play, dropping a bingo, not just across two Triple Word spots, but one of the Triple Word spots I hooked it so I could use it a third time...
Ironically, I spelled the word FORTIETH, and scored an amazing 173 points on the play. Check it out.
All those weird words on the board? Yeah, that's the CPU. VIDEOTEX? Are you kidding me? So OTALGY and ACHOLIA were already there. I just hooked onto them... like a boss! 173 points baybay! BOOM!
Oddly, that's not my biggest play ever. I played BLOOMIER one time for a staggering 198 points. That's my all-time high. But 173 is certainly impressive... to my invisible friends, I mean...
And now, a kid with crazy skills at... uh... whatever this thing is called...
Um, yeah.
I have more to cover, but I have to go on that walk that I captivated you about earlier, so I'll end here, and jump back in once I return. Oh, the anticipation! If I don't return, assume I got hit by a bus or something...
Dave the Pedestrian
-------------
EDIT
There and Back Again; A Hermit's Tale, by Davebo Baggins...
Yeah, I'm back. I didn't get hit by a bus, or any other vehicular variation. And I can't even tell you how many more Psalms I listened to, since I discovered the tracks aren't in order. Yeah, when it went from Psalm 51 to 59 and then to 62, I knew something was up...
So I failed to get hit by a bus. I failed to accurately track the Psalms. And the air was clear, so I failed to encounter Smaug... I mean, smog...
OK, the Hobbit references aren't working, so I'll stop the nonsense now...
Well, actually... speaking of The Hobbit, they announced the names of the two Hobbit films that Peter Jackson and crew are making. The first is called An Unexpected Journey (Dec 2012), and the second is called There and Back Again (Dec 2013). According to this article, they seem to be finding a way to bring back most of the cast from the LOTR films, for better of worse. I mean, I understand Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Gollum... but Sauroman? Frodo? Legolas? And "old" Bilbo? Come on... it's bad enough we have to watch them in 3D, but to have to see these guys shoe-horned in where they don't belong?
Ah, well, worse problems to have, I suppose...
My good pal Carey D is celebrating his birthday this weekend, and so I'm joining him Saturday for an evening at the Barona Indian Casino, for better or worse. Not much for gambling, personally, but he assures me he always wins, so maybe some of his luck will transfer to me through some bizarre form of vice-related osmosis or something. Well, at least I'll get a good buffet out of it. Can't beat a good buffet...
If you didn't see Logan's or Josh's posts from today, you might check them out when you get a moment. Both well worth reading, for entirely different reasons.
I suppose that's it for now. I trust your week has been a good one. Have a fun weekend! That's an order!
