Monday, May 30, 2005

To All The Kids Who Survived the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the

1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they
carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored
lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we
rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took
hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE
actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but
we weren't overweight because

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back
when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down
the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the
bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no
99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell
phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat
rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang
the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't
had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They
actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers
and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And if YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as
kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.

and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
[From an email circulating the net]

Friday, May 27, 2005


What military aircraft are you?

F/A-22 Raptor

You are an F/A-22. You are technologically inclined, and though you've never been tested in combat, your very name is feared. You like noise, but prefer not to pollute any more than you have to. And you can move with the best.

Personality Test Results

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Thursday, May 26, 2005

What's Your Animal Personality?

Wolf
What Is Your Animal Personality?

brought to you by Quizilla

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Stand Alone Complex
Click on the above banner for a good flash intro to GITS.

Not sure why I like this anime. It seems to be a bit on the dark side - almost film noir. The TV show less so than the films, but even the TV show has some fairly dark episodes. And I do like the fact that The Major is one tough lady-cyborg!
Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Angels and Demons Circle above me,
Through the thorns to the Stars.

Only those unable to perceive its call do not know happiness.

Watch in awe, watch in awe.
Aeria Gloris, Aeria Gloris.
Watch in awe, watch in awe.
Aeria Gloris, Aeria Gloris.

I am calling, calling now,
Spirits rise and falling.

To remain myself longer.

Calling, calling,
in the depths of longing.

To remain myself longer.

Watch in awe, aeria gloris.

(Official translation of opening theme from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex as provided on the DVD. The opening can be viewed at the GITS: SAC site.)

Monday, May 16, 2005

Let a person walk alone with few wishes, committing no wrong,

From the sayings of Buddha A phrase out of the middle of this was key in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. You don't usually find Zen teachings in anime, and this is a fairly dark story. Almost no one is innocent, and those few who are, are just victims. But I like both Ghost in the Shell stories. Not sure why, since they are both fairly bleak stories. I suppose I like the character of the Major. She is one tough lady.
If you find an intelligent companion
who will walk with you,
who lives wisely, soberly, overcoming all dangers,
walk with that person in joy and thoughtfulness.

If you find no intelligent companion
who will walk with you,
who lives wisely and soberly,
walk alone like a king who has renounced a conquered kingdom
or like an elephant in the forest.

It is better to live alone;
there is no companionship with a fool.
Let a person walk alone with few wishes, committing no wrong,
like an elephant in the forest.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Movies: The Incredibles

OK, I am always a bit behind on the pop culture front. I just saw The Incredibles, the latest effort by Pixar. I have to say that not only is this the best movie from Pixar, and probably the best CG movie I have ever seen, it is a damn fine movie in its own right.

I really love the fact that the heros powers are reflective of who they are. The mother of 3 has to be flexible - and so she can stretch. The teenage daughter, who is very concious of how she looks can turn invisible, and she has force fields to keep people away. The son is every hyperactive kid you ever knew, and so his power is to run fast.

If I could be ...

Chain letters and memes are not something I usually take the time to do, but here we are.
Here's the list: If I could be a scientist...If I could be a farmer...If I could be a musician...If I could be a doctor...If I could be a painter...If I could be a gardener...If I could be a missionary...If I could be a chef...If I could be an architect...If I could be a linguist...If I could be a psychologist...If I could be a librarian...If I could be an athlete...If I could be a lawyer...If I could be an inn-keeper...If I could be a professor...If I could be a writer...If I could be a llama-rider...If I could be a bonnie pirate...If I could be an astronaut...If I could be a world famous blogger...If I could be a justice on any one court in the world...If I could be married to any current famous political figure...
Pick five and and get going.
  1. If I could be a scientist I would study cold fusion so that we could tell the folk's with their oil to go to hell.

  2. If I could be a chef I would make the very best desserts in the world. Desserts make putting up with everything OK

  3. If I could be a professor I would probably spend all of my time arguing politics with my liberal colleagues, and trying to inject a little balance into the campus environment.

  4. If I could be a lawyer I would defend peoples right to use firearms for lawful purposes and resist the gun-grabbers at every turn.

  5. If I could be a Justice on the US Supreme Court I would remind people that the Constitution says what it says, and that if you think it should change with the time, there is a mechanism to make it change; it is called amending the Constitution. (In other words, the Court shouldn't make things up as it goes.)
So Grizzly Mama is next