How Lord of the Rings Should Have Ended

No, and Yes

You Are a Smart American

You know a lot about US history, and you’re opinions are probably well informed. Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations – you got 10 out of 10 correct!

And yes, they were on the first try.

43, surprisingly

Created by The Oatmeal

New Family Members

We got two additions to our family, and we’re working on a third. Last Sunday I was getting ready to mow the back lawn when I saw a small black and white kitten in the bushes next to our shed. I called Anne over to look at it, and heard another in the bushes while we were talking. Soon after, we saw their mother dart away. She’s a grey shorthair who’s been hanging around recently. Very cute, and doesn’t seem to be feral, just abandoned. We’ve been trying to get mom to come inside, but I think it will be a long time if it happens at all.

Meanwhile, the two kittens are in the house making Morgan and Gus and Juju go insane. We have to watch Morgan especially because he’s likely to hurt one of them accidentally.

Pictures coming soon.

Dave Arneson: 1947 – 2009 RIP

DAVE ARNESON 1947- 2009 R.I.P.

David Lance Arneson (Oct 1, 1947 – Apr 7, 2009) was a game player, game designer, and game entrepreneur. He was also a true gentleman and a dear friend. As one of the co-designers of the Dungeons and Dragons game, he started something that is much bigger than all of us. It was not only a new game, but a new KIND of game and it spawned an entire industry. Without Dave, it never would have happened. He taught, lectured, designed games, and started at least three companies. He won several awards, including the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design’s Hall of Fame (Origins) in 1984. In 1984 he married Frankie Ann Morneau and they had one daughter, Malia. In addition to Dungeons & Dragons, games or scenarios he wrote or co-authored include Don’t Give Up The Ship, Blackmoor, Dungeon Master’s Index, First Fantasy Campaign, Adventures in Fantasy, Robert Aspirin’s Thieves World, Citybook II, DNA/DOA, Case of the Pacific Clipper, and more. We are all much better off for his time on earth, but the world is less than it was, with him gone. I never knew him to be rude to a fan, or turn down a friend in need. In fact, I believe his last words to me were “Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.” I wish there was something I could do for you, my friend. Good bye, and may God bless you. — Rick Loomis [From Dave Arneson]

D&D was my first RPG, as it was for most other gamers (though not all). Thank you, Mr. Arneson.

Old memories of living in England

When I was in high school, my mother sent me to England to live with my aunt and grandmother. She wanted me to have a better education, she said. I’m not entirely sure if that was the true reason, but there it is.

I was on a website for D&D which had a map of people looking for players. It was set in England, so I tried zooming in to Cumbria, the place I used to live, and found it was thoroughly mapped by Google. So, I went on a little trip down memory lane of my year and a half in Cumbria.

View Cumbria in a larger map

Outrage of the Day: Presidents Shouldn’t Bow

It’s hard to imagine what President Obama was thinking when he decided to bow to a foreign monarch, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

Aside from being offensive generally — no American should bow to a foreign monarch, least of all, our Head of State — it really makes one wonder: If our President thought doing this was a good idea, what other things might he be contemplating?

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[From Outrage of the Day: Presidents Shouldn't Bow]

I think he was thinking we might get a break on the interest rate for the loans the Saudis are holding.

Lawn From Hell: A new beginning

Mowed the front and back lawns on Sunday. I’m trying to get the lawnmower to run out of gas so I can change the oil. I’ll probably get a new sparkplug and air filter and such as well. I think I need to get the blade sharpened as well. I bagged it to get all the crap from all winter, including leaves and such. Took three empties to get it done.

One thing I noticed while doing it was how dry everything was. It just rained too, so I get the feeling my lawn is going to die if I don’t do something drastic. Drastic meaning get my sprinkler system running again. I doubt it will be difficult, just have to get into the garage and get to it.

This coming Wednesday, I’ll be spraying the yard for weeds as well. There are a lot of them so I need to spray them all away, plus get the ant hills. If I get the sprinkler system working, that should be easier, since I’m supposed to spray the area lightly with water after I drop the ant poison.

Then I’ll also finish up with the weed whacker and also trim the other hedges around the front and side of the house, followed by getting the back, which will be a bitch and a half, I’m sure. I think once I get everything under control it should be easy, but getting it under control will be the kicker.

Anyway, after the lawn mowing I wasn’t a zombie, though I was dead tired and had to cool off for a while. I sat in front of my computer and played Civilization III with the fan on me for a couple of hours.

I think what I need is some sort of instruction that has a list of things I need to do and when I need to do them. Maybe there’s a book out there somewhere on managing a lawn in Texas. I know it’s pretty darned hot here so most grass will just die off unless it’s pampered.

We’ll see what I find in the way of books or whatnot. Maybe a pamphlet from a company in the lawn care business. Or I could just pay someone to take care of it. It’s like snowplow service in the Northeast. Every summer someone does lawn maintenance. I think it’s about 80 to 100 dollars a month for everything. Lawn, hedges, edging, etc.

Two Things That Are The Best

Best episodes ever are In a Mirror Darkly, parts 1 and 2, of course. The one where they show the dark alternate universe of Star Trek where everyone is a blue meanie.

Best Ice Cream ever is Oatmeal Cookie Chunk. Cinnamon flavored ice cream with Oatmeal cookies… <drool>.

I just found this flavor when I was getting some ice cream. It sounded ok so I bought it. Soooo glad I did.

Blackberry Slavery – Stepcase Lifehack

Blackberry Slavery – Stepcase Lifehack.

The quote below struck me, since I see it all the time at work.

By now, we probably have all been subject to “email attention,” which differs from the regular attention that one receives in a normal in-person, or phone conversation.

We start out talking with a colleague and the conversation goes well until we detect that they have made the switch to checking their device to see if they have received any urgent email.

Their responses become just a little delayed, and we can sense that something has shifted as they join the latest game of email ping-pong happening somewhere in cyber-space. Whether they are standing in front of us, or 3000 miles away, the effect is the same — the conversation slows down as they hit reply, start typing and hit send, even as they insist they are “still listening” when challenged.