White Lightning Axiom: Redux

Technorati Tags:Meme

Labels: Blogging, meme

Ok, I apologize. My 'creative bent' of late has been MIA. That last weekend update was about as lame as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. I should of hyped the pinewood derby a little more. You know, add in the fictional explosions and ninja assault platoons ... but no, I slacked. The Work thing has been a bear of late and the current events of the nation and world lay heavy on my mind. Equivocation and perfidy seems to rule the day, not that it has changed much over time. Whaaaa! What a big baby.

A few Items of Happenstance need to be reviewed right now: One, the SuperSaturn POS is back after it's Automotive Spa Treatment. Still as difficult as it always has been, but the bumper is now firmly zip-tied to the frame. Uber-Mechanic Chris was quite diligent in servicing it ... and so we have ONE MORE YEAR(tm) before we need to replace it. Twelve years is a long time to hold onto a chunk of metal (mostly plastic) so I'll be glad to see it finally go to pasture. Of course, that would work if one would consider the cow anaology, but it is more of a pig than any barn-yard animal.

At TSD practice last night, everything was going along swimmingly until sparring. Indeed, the very last session against a green belt did me in. My hubris got the most of me and in the attempt to do a low 'X' block, I caught the full force of a kick on my finger and jammed or broke the middle and ring-fingers something fierce. I've taped them up but being right handed, this is quite an inconvenience. It's not that they were all purple and swollen that gets me, it's that grinding, low-level pain that is going to get me into more trouble by distracting me or causing me to loose focus. Argh.

The Tyrants are preparing themselves for a new and wonderful experience ... stress. This is because 'Mid Terms' are coming up. Yep, The future rulers and Tyrannical Dictators of all that exists will get their first trial by fire at the hands of addition, spelling and reading comprehension. Just the other day, Ghengis was given the ignoble honor of bringing home not just one, but TWO 'bad' grades (16/18, 18/20 which translates to a 'G' and not the 'VG' or the greatly coveted 'O'). We went over the mistakes and cooked up a strategy for his next tests ... write down the answers in the question to see if they make sense. He is just so animated and impatient ... goal oriented, Type A extravert. Don't quite know where he get's it from.

Technorati Tags:Injury | Blogging | Karate | Children | Car

Labels: Blogging, Car, Children, Injury, Karate

Interesting interpretation ...

Technorati Tags:Blogging | War | Internet

Labels: Blogging, Internet, War

You Are 85% Conservative, 15% Liberal

Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal Ethics: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Technorati Tags:Meme | Blogging

Labels: Blogging, meme

So here I am at the Log College Middle School swimming pool, waiting for the kids swim practice to begin. Toasty as all get out! It would be nice I suppose if I were not sitting here in a sopping wet do-bock (Korean spelling mangled). So, it's the perfect time to sit down with the laptop, find ZERO wi-fi signal (not even an encrypted one, and just pound out a rough doc.

It's been some time since I've had a chance to fill ya'll in on the going's on around the Haupertonian Manor. There has been illnesses and broken digits. The illness has been distributed among the clan with equality and the snapped tendons, digits and such have been reserved for my enjoyment. My pinky toe looks like a bloated purple grub at the moment. That should be a wonderful when I go through my black-belt pre-test in a couple weeks. Oh yessss .... I'll be gimping it up in prime form! The Tyrants will be going for their second stripe on their red belts so they are only 6 months behind me at this point. Tough little buggers, they are. The force is strong with these ones! Their midi-chlorian count is off the charts!! (Geeky Star Wars Ref here)

Let's see ... a synopsis of all the other mish-mash that makes my blessed life so durned interesting ... Christmas was off the charts ... we had everyone down at the manor this year and the 100 foot tall tree looked FANTASTIC. The piano/keyboard lessons are going well and they are really shaping up to be a couple of Mozarts. I tried to keep up with their lesson plans, but my wretched fingers are too well trained to be at home on the computer keyboard. Alas, no late life shift for me to take up a lounge act with the Tyrants and the Mrs as a sultry swooner. Hmmm ... massive layoffs at work that somehow spared me but left me with an excessively truncated list of available victims for the support phone duty. Not good for me, but I'll still get paid. No bonuses, no raises, not 401k matching ... but I never had that before so I'm not too sore about loosing those perks. Like I said, I'm not picking up shell casings in a war-zone to sell back to some dubious buyer so I really am in a pretty good place.

Oh, and for Christmas, Hero Dad and Super Mom bought the Mrs and I a new kitchenette set and a new Refrigerator. The table and chairs are really nice and sit very high so I don't wreck my back leaning over the Tyrant's homework. The fridge is VERY quiet and having the freezer on the bottom is so nice. I could never find anything because it was stored at a level that would require me to have eyeballs in my knee-caps. Now, I can pretty much locate that frozen pleisaur roast that I made last week with no difficulty. I moved the old fridge to the garage where it now serves as a back-up for milk, eggs, broccoli and beer. Happy-happy!

Oh, and how about those gas prices! Jeeze, what a roller coaster ride.

Technorati Tags:Gas | Swimming | Karate | Children | Piano | Christmas

Labels: Beer, Blogging, Children, Christmas, Grandparents, Health, Support Phone, Swimming, Tang So Doo, Winter

My typically meticulous posts on the ongoings of the Haupertonian Chronicles has been less than optimal of late. Not quite certain how this happenstance has come about. Motivation? Weird. Fret not, I shall redouble my efforts! No more of these laconic quips of little form or circumstance! Well, the next post will be long and wordy. Yeah.

Speaking of redoubling efforts; I picked this up over at Charile's place: 100 pushups. The goal is apparently to do 100 perfectly formed pushups. No nancy-boy, but in the air, head jerking kinds either. The only reason this is of interest is that when I FINALLY get to black-belt level, I'll be required by tradition to do 100 pushups. Now, I know I can do 100 sloppy pushups, and can blunder through the first 30 or so in good form, but then the old trick shoulder starts to carp and the rest resembles an elephant executing a belly-flop in a swimming pool of lime jello. That brings to mind, what the next two weeks hold in store for me. The Tyrants need to memorize and perfect their second staff form for the test. There will be INTENSIVE drilling on this till we get it straight ... the Grandparents of Everlasting Love and Admiration will be down and we want to make sure to impress! That, and it's their red-belt test so it's a bit important to them ... they will be allowed to wear black uniforms now. Really 'Ninja' chik!

Technorati Tags:TSD | Blogging | Karate | Children

Labels: Blogging, Children, Karate, TSD

Still alive, work sucking life out of me ... posting shortly.

Technorati Tags:Work | Blogging

Labels: Banalities Work, Blogging

Been a bit preoccupied so I present you with this random meme filler:

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnr d waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Technorati Tags:meme | blogging

Labels: Blogging, meme

Friday asks for muttering ... mumble ... grumble ...

1. Stuffed :: Meals with more than one course
2. Gills :: Fishing for Northern Pike with Dad on Lake Minnewaska
3. Distance :: High-school geometry
4. Panties :: Wha? Animal House.
5. Checkered :: flag ... Cars, watching with Jakers ...
6. Fill in :: Holes in the dirt ... planting season ya know.
7. Taunting :: My daughter ... in Karate ... she KNOWS I won't break formation
8. Diner :: Gut-ache
9. Pizza :: Thursdays ... cold by the time I get home.
10. Best friend :: Who knows not, but assumes as much.

Technorati Tags:Meme | Blogging

Labels: Blogging, meme

Not an entirely eventful weekend. Really, things slowed down a bit. Jake is feeling a bit under the weather ... some new variant on the local Super-Cold bug that is making its rounds. I'm certain I'll get a taste of it before it rotates out of this region ... or after it mutates. Some ersatz masterpiece of misery with an oceanic volume of mucus/snot. This, of course, did not stop him and his wonder twin from participating in the Friday Night Ninja Dodge Ball of Death competition. Typical menagerie of younglings were in attendance ... a target rich environment.

Saturday was fine. The grandparents arrived in the mid-morning hours much to the delight of the Tyrants. Gave the Mrs and I some time to take naps between loads of laundry while the unwitting Amish Dad and Super Mom stepped in as surrogate targets. Football, 'transformer shoot-em-up' and board-game/puzzles seemed to fill all the waking hours that were not utilized by snuggling. Indeed, it was crushing to see Jake in tears as he complained that he wanted Gramps back on Sunday Night. I tried to explain to him how lucky he was to have his Grandpa all to himself while I had to share mine with 100 other cousins (no lie!) ... to no avail. Best buddies, and Gramps can throw a decent pass with the foot-ball to boot.

Oh, and gas around here is now at $2.90USD/gal. I might be buying a new (formerly enjoyed) car sooner than I expect. I typically use about 5gal/week but I think the time is getting close to retire the POS. Probably at the end of this year.

Technorati Tags:Gas | Karate | Children | Blogging | Weekend

Labels: Blogging, Children, Gas, Karate, Weekend

FYI: I'm alive and well, just absurdly busy with work. I'm quite sorry, but I will overcome this limitation as time permits.

Technorati Tags:Blogging

Labels: Blogging

Nothing happened yesterday (other than nearly messing up my knee and then getting the living hell pounded out of me in TSD practice), so I'm going to talk about spam (which is what my bloodied nose looked like this morning).

Gingered Spam Salad

1 cn Spam, sliced matchstick size (ed. Obviously)
1/4 c Finely chopped ginger root
1 ea Small red onion, finely
Chopped
1/2 ts Garlic powder
1/4 c Freshly squeezed lime juice
Zest of 1 lime (ed. because we need to use only the best ingredients!)
1/2 ts Oriental dried chili powder
1/4 c Chopped cilantro leaves
8 ea Cherry tomatoes
Thai bird peppers (ed. Yeah, that will cover the taste, but what of the texture!)
and Cilantro sprigs to garnish

Combine all ingredients in a sealed glass or plastic container to
marinate. Refrigerate at least two hours or preferably overnight (ed. Indeed, a fortnight.).
Stir or shake occasionally to evenly coat. One hour before serving,
stir in cilantro. Serve on a bed of torn lettuce of your choice.
Garnish with quartered cherry tomatoes, Thai bird peppers and
cilantro sprigs.

You know, I just don't get the cilantro. Is this a Californian recipe? I mean, spam isn't REAL meat so I could see that. But still ... did you notice that there is no mention of actually cooking the dish ... or even heating it? Is Spam pre-cooked ... do you trust that?

Technorati Tags:Spam | Blogging | Meat | Tang So Doo

Labels: Blogging, Meat, Spam, Tang So Doo

Yikes! Because this is just the wrong damn thing, I had to share again after Cottontimer shared it with me. Yes, Hello Kitty contact lenses. The apocalypse is now upon us.

Technorati Tags:WRONG | Banalities

Labels: Banalities, Blogging

No posting of any considerable extent today. In deference to my readership, I'm spending some of my free time trying to put together the Annual State of the Haupertonian Empire Christmas Update.

Technorati Tags:Blogging | Christmas | Slacker

Labels: Blogging, Christmas, Slacker

Fortunate for me, Sharon the Snow Flake tagged me or I would have nothing to blog about!

1. Do you put up a real tree or artificial? Only the best for you babe ... real.
2. When do you put up your tree? 1st Saturday after Thanksgiving or the next weekend.
3. When do you take down the tree? Take down? Ummm, when the needles are gone.
4. Do you like eggnog? Yes Spiked or not? Yep, by the gallon ... of rum!
5. Favorite gift received as a child? Electric train ... Poor, poor Nell.
6. Worst Christmas gift ever received? Underwear ... womens.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Come ON! Christmas Story!
8. Have you ever recycled a present? Once ... booze. I can only drink so much!
9. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? DATE LOG!
10. Favorite Christmas song? Great Alleluia. You know, I remember all the words!
11. Most annoying thing about this time of year? These days? Lack of the requisite 7 foot snow drifts.
12. What you love most about the holiday? The gestalt and how my children enjoy it.
13. How many reindeer did Santa have? Does it matter? They were all delicious!
14. Best Christmas memory? Hint: It has to do with food and drink.
15. If you could have one Christmas wish what would it be? That the joy would not get stale.

I am tagging Diane, Liz and Brain Cheese

Technorati Tags:Meme | Blogging | Banalities

Labels: Banalities, Blogging, meme

Well, Sharon da snowflake tagged me. Tagged me real good. So, what things can I dig up that I have not squawked about yet?

1) I'm one of those EEEVILLL NeoCon Republicans you hear so much about. Just ask my Tyrants; Ghengis and Attila. Carl Rove fears us; we may conquer the world before he gets to it.

2) Most people who meet me in real life SWEAR that I'm a vegetarian ... until they see me in action on the weekends. Meat Train Collision! I once ate a 220 oz cowboy ribeye steak in one sitting.

3) I've never left the US ... except twice to Canada. That's like kissing your cousin though, really does not count.

4) I used to run marathons, triathlons, teach aerobics, lift weights ... now I mow the lawn and incessantly chase my children about. I get more exercise that way.

5) Given the choice of cold weather vs hot ... I would prefer to live in 60 degree Fahrenheit and would be ok down to -60. Ice fishing anyone?

6) I'll eat anything, but I'm not a big fan of olives, swiss cheese and pickles. Pass the haggis and an extra helping of fried jelly fish please.

7) I'm 6'10" tall and 190lb of Adonis bronzed muscle with long locks of golden hair cascading down my muscle-bound back.

8) I'm an unabashed and chronic liar ... good skill set for bloggers and politicians.

Who to tag ... who to tag?
Joan, Maggsbunny, Dave, MsShad, and Jaws

Technorati Tags:Meme | Blogging

Labels: Blogging, meme

Got this from Deb-Deb ... she taught me a lot about drinking ...
98%ALCOHOLIC

Technorati Tags:Bar | Alcohol | Meme

Labels: Bar, Beer, Blogging, meme

Standard day: Wake, get kids up (pee first) and let them watch 'I Spy' on TiVo, let dogs out, feed 'em, get kids breakfast ready, feed 'em too, empty wood stove, set up firewood in stove for the evening (all the Mrs needs to do is toss in a match), shower, drive kids to school, drive to work, work ... work ... go pick up tyrants, go swimming, go to Karate, do kick drills with tyrants, run through adult Karate class, go home, kiss tyrants goodnight, eat, shower watch 'The Tick', go to bed. Deviations; It was foggy this morning, and I'm learning a new form in Karate: Pyong-Ahn Oh Dan. The part of the form where you leap through the air, twist, and then land with your legs crossed with a low 'X' block? Yeah, that's going to be rough on the old knee.

Oh, and as for that image above ... NICE! I'm talking about the gasoline price ... $1.09 ... wow.

Technorati Tags:Gas | Swimming | Karate | Children

Labels: Banalities, Blogging, Children, Fog, Gas, Karate, Swimming, Tang So Doo, Weather

Very little to yammer about today. I'm a bit too distrait to keep a coherent train of thought, so yammer I must ... most unintelligently. You see, the Local Plumber came over this morning at 0645. I left the Manor at 0700 after the banging and such had commenced. After speaking with the Mrs at roughly 0900, I had learned that not only am I 300$ poorer, I now have two holes in the wall to repair. I'll need to stop off at the Local Home Depot Temple and pick up some Spackle to do so. Probably some sheet rock too ... and some gauze to patch up my limbs after I accidentally rend a digit from my hands or doff a pound of flesh while trying to do something foolish. At least there will be little risk to me burning down the manor with a poorly placed acetylene torch. Every time I begin a task, I flitter ever so close to that precipice which inevitably leads me to the ER and a 50$ co-pay. The upside is that the new faucet apparently allows sufficient water through so that it will scour the hide from a fully grown and grizzled water buffalo. Just like the dainty Mrs likes it. Honestly, she cranks up that shower so hot that I cannot even be in the bathroom without getting steam blisters. I think it's her tactic to keep me out of her hair sometimes. Even flushing the toilet has no effect since she is not using ANY cold water. I tell ya, she is some sort of she-demon water sprite. In a good way, of course!

In less expensive news, I finally got around to updating the Haupertonian MS Cabal blogroll on the side bar. I've been adding folks to my RSS feed for some time now, but neglected to semipermanently ensconce them on the list. Too many to mention here ... I'll get to that later. This year ... maybe.

Technorati Tags:Blogging | Plumbing

Labels: Banalities, Blogging, Injury, Plumbing

Yeah, I'm ok. Just really busy. I started to blog at least 3 times in the last week but never seemed to keep up enough steam to wrap it up. By Friday, I should have SOMETHING. Promise!

Technorati Tags:Blogging

Labels: Banalities, Blogging, Mundane