Mastery of the Irrelevant

This past weekend I took the family up to the Woodfield mall in Schaumburg Il. The purpose for this was in an outlying parking lot in some mobile trailers was a travelling museum exhibit featuring artifacts retrieved from the wreckage of the RMS Titanic lying three miles beneath the waves of the North Atlantic Ocean. The exhibit was sponsored by the Country Insurance Co who will no doubt be repaying my patronage with no end of solicitations, but for someone such as myself it was worth it. I had a genuine moment, what I call a "history geek-out moment." Under the glass protected from the elements, my grubby fingers and drool was a porthole frame from Titanic, no doubt broken from the superstructure when Titanic broke in two. Here it was cleaned of rusticles dried and desalinized nonethe less a piece of Titanic two feet away from my face separated only by a glass box. Or as I was actually thinking at the time "HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! THAT IS A PIECE OF THE ACTUAL FRIGGIN T I T A N I C!! AND I AM STANDING NEXT TO IT!" What else did this circle of metal bear witness to? Was it within earshot of Charles Lightoller as he ordered women and children into the lifeboats? Was it within earshot of the band as they played "Nearer My God to Thee?" Who looked through this porthole (or at it from a lifeboat)? Margaret "Molly" Brown, J. Bruce Ismay, Thomas Andrews, or John Jacob Astor?



This is one of many reasons why I have no tolerance for people who say "history is boring."

This spring Magic the Gathering is coming out with "Duel Decks: Divine vs Demonic," consisting of 2 sixty card decks, a black demon deck and a white angel deck. and oh yes part of the strategy of the black deck is to feed your Lord of the Pit, Breeding Pit thrull tokens. Alas my old friend saint_vaelor you were only ten years ahead of your time.

I do like the flavor text they put on the Lord of the Pit though: "Planeswalker your debt only begins with my summoning."

I think that if everyone who believes in a world of peace long enough to say "I just want peace on Earth," took one day to collectively walk, talk, eat, work, and act peacefully to the their surroundings and the people within them, that such a day would be one of the greatest days this world has seen in recorded human history.

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons....

For you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup

I saw "Cloverfield" this weekend, and I can honestly say I wasn't over or under. I was sufficiently "whelmed."

If you liked "The Blair-Witch Project," you will probably like Cloverfield. I you didn't like Blair-Witch for the obvious reason you will probably hate Cloverfield.

The movie had 2-3 WOW scenes, but the rest was bouncy camcorder headache-ness.

For Lovecraft fans, the main antagonist may have been a Mythos monster of some sort, but I am not certain, and will have to check the diagrams in my "Call of Cthulhu" rpg to be sure.

Of the three horror movies I have seen in the theater over the last calendar year, I would rank them:

1)"The Mist"
2)"28 Weeks Later" close second
3)"Cloverfield" distant third

I will probably buy "Cloverfield" on dvd, but I will probably wait until it hits $7.50 at Wal-Mart.

I am thinking about having a marathon of 80's high fantasy movies. Would anyone be interested, if so please rank and argue back and forth about these.

The Dark Crystal
Krull
Labyrinth
Willow
Legend
Clash of the Titans

Please add any I may have forgotten due to the hastiness of this post.

hello friend

"Must've hit it pretty close to the mark to get her all riled up huh kid?"
-Han Solo
"The Empire Strikes Back."

Not to deflate anyone's ego but I was inspired for my previous post by a great number of sources.
All I'm trying to say is that hipocrasy does not know the line between liberal and conservative and nothing shows that more than this time of the year. Let's not have a double standard, one standard will do just fine.

One thought though if Christmas is such a secular holiday, why do so many advertisers say holiday present instead of Christmas present? Do they really think that atheists, Jews, and Muslims will not buy a Tomtom if they say Christmas, even if they really want a GPS for their car, or do they really want me to believe that a wife will get into their car and say "Honey I got us an early holiday present." Don't do that. It presupposes that I'm stupid, and I don't want people to think that I'm stupid, fat maybe, stupid never.

As for why I disabled the comments for my last post. Simple, I just wanted to see who would get riled enough to post to their own journal in response, and well...damn.

I know what I believe, I know how I came to that realization. I wish I could say it was 100% faith, but no, I like Thomas needed to see His hands, and put my hand in His side, and I will share the details with anyone who asks, but only in person. The details are far too personal for any sort of electronic forum.

Busy days are ahead, if I don't get a chance to post again please friends be safe the next few days, and if possible be happy, and as always

merry CHRISTmas

I find it rather amusing that people who at best believe 11 months out of the year in the theoretical possibility of the Judeo-Christian God, people who believe, or state that they believe the Bible to be pure fiction, people who think that conservative church going people who have the absolute temerity to publicly state what they believe represent everything that is evil and wrong with the world. I find it amusing that the people who 11 months out of the year believe these things are truly wondering where the magic of Christmas from their youth has gone.

Christmas carolers are still around. They are at church, and they truly believe that if they sing anywhere but in church, that some angry intolerant atheist is going to call the police and report them for creating a public nuisance. Now where oh where would they get a cockamamie idea like that.

Yes its amusing.

merry CHRISTmas.

THIS UNIT DISPENSES TRUTH ONLY, IRREGARDLESS OF PAIN FACTOR
SARCASM MAY ACCOMPANY SAID TRUTH
ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION AT YOUR OWN RISK

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Anyone ever eat at "The Cracker Barrel." Imagine instead of a gift shop filled with crappy country knickknacks, a game store, with rpgs and ccgs. The restaurant would serve better portions, with no healthy alternatives, in fact a sign saying healthy alternatives will point towards the exit. What's the one thing most gamers like to do besides play games, eat. Rooms will be available for game sessions, and magic tournaments.

There will be a visitation for my grandfather on Wednesday 10/10/07 between 3:00 pm and 9:00 pm.

Cumberland Chapels
8300 W. Lawrence Ave.
Norridge Il. 60706.

My Grandfather, Albert Terry, passed away tonight at the age of 92. He was a World War II veteran, and is survived by 3 children, 4 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. I will post details regarding visitation as they become available.

Former professional wrestler Brian "Crush" Adams was found dead today. An autopsy is forthcoming. A couple of months removed from the Chris Benoit murder suicide. If you look at the proclivity of deaths among professional wrestlers in their 30s to 40s ( Adams was in his early 40s) there is more than a little bit of a disturbing trend. Why is this relevant to anyone who doesn't care about wrestling? Adams was busted for steroids in the early 90s, Benoit had steroids in his house. Combine the use of performance enhancing drugs with the beating these people put on their bodies.(Yes I know its fake, but that only means that the outcomes are predetermined). Any match worth watching has the participants take at least as much of a beating as NFL football players, without helmets. Other pro athletes, especially one in San Francisco who is CLEARly the CREAM of the crop had best take heed in the dark coal mine that is the world of performance enhancing drugs, for the pro wrestlers are the canaries.

(wish I could take credit for that last analogy, but it was originated by radio talk show host Dan Bernstein)

Brian Pillman: dead at 35 (heart attack)
Eddie Guerrero: 38 (heart attack)
Rick Rude: 40 (drug overdose)
Kerry Von Erich: 33 (suicide)
Chris Von Erich: 21 (suicide)
Mike Von Erich: 23 (suicide)
David Von Erich: 26 (heart attack)
Michael "Road Warrior Hawk" Hegstrand: 46 (heart attack)
Rodney "Yokozuna" Anoa'i: 34 (heart attack)
Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig: 42 (drug overdose)
Elizabeth Hulette: 42 (drug overdose)
Johnny Grunge: 39 (sleep apnea complications)
Rocco Rock: 48 (heart attack)
Chris Benoit: 40 (suicide)

This isn't a complete list, just fifteen minutes on wikipedia.

Here's what's been going on. Haven't posted, as the whole family has been down with one of those stomach bugs that takes your digestive track and twists it like a sponge.

Grandpa is back home, but he has nurses with him alot of the time to help him do things that most of us take for granted. Still we should all be doing so good at 92.

I'm going to go play Magic now at Pastimes in Niles. 10th edition comes out today.

laterz.

Last call for the party tomorrow, come on, don't leave me with 2 tons of leftovers.

Also Mr. Hales has joined us on LJ as saint_vaelor.

Haven't posted in a while. My Grandfather has been really sick. The man is 92 years old, and is slowly recovering from pneumonia. Suffice it to say, 12 months ago he could get around just fine, with a walker, or cane. He has spent the better part of the last three weeks in a hospital, or a rehabilitation facility. He cannot get up, or get dressed, or go to the bathroom without assistance. He is undergoing physical therapy to regain strength in his legs, but his weight is down to 130, from 200. Realistically speaking , I don't see how he can live independently any more. My Dad and I are trying to keep a positive outlook. 2 weeks ago when I saw him in the hospital, I was not optimistic at all, but now the physical therapy has him walking up and down the hall. Best case scenario the way I see it is that he can go home, but may have to hire a nurse of some sort to help him. This gradual physical degeneration thing sucks, especially since the man's mind is still sharp as a tack.

This weekend is the Magic the Gathering pre release for the next expansion, "Future Sight." These are always fun, you know if you're into conference centers full of gamers. This one is at the Du Page Expo Center on main street (North Ave) in St Charles. I don't know, but I think I'm going Saturday afternoon. No cover charge to get in. You only pay, if you want to play in a tournament. 30$ for a sealed deck, 20 for a booster draft. Go to WWW.pastimes.net for more details.

Now I sleep. Too much baseball coaching makes me ......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Haven't posted in a while. I've been extrordinarily busy. Went to Matt's a few weeks ago with limiter3118, skulde13, and my wife doodlebug1978. He is as well as a two pack a day chain smoker can be. We ate at an Amish buffet, and played "Arkham Horror" into the night. Sooner or later I'll post some pictures from that trip.

The next weekend, me and Doodlebug took the boys to "The Wilderness on the Lake" in the Wisconsin Dells. My Mother rents a place for us there every spring. We went with my Mom, her husband, stepson, my Grandmother, my sister, her husband, and their four kids all under the age of six (insert scary music here). When I was a kid I loved the waterslides. Now I just want to sit in the hottub. What the hell happened to me.

Easter weekend was spent with the in-laws downstate. While sleeping in a bed down there, I felt an intense pain in my stomach, and then in my hand. After figuring out that I wasn't having a heart attack or a stroke, I found the culprit was a wasp in my blanket, that had stung me three times. After vanquishing the insect that dared challenge me, and giving it an honorable burial at sea (or septic tank), I crawled back into bed, only to have my wife get the heebie-jeebies, and force us to spend the rest of the night on the couch. Needless to say I wasn't the most enthusiastic of singers at the Easter morning service.

Now I am coaching my oldest son's little league team (scary). Helping Limiter GM the next Cthulhu live, and next month I have to take my oldest son back to Wisconsin so he can spend the night on a naval submarine for Cub Scouts. I didn't realize how much free time I had until I started getting so busy.

As a Star Wars fan from the age of 5 on, and having more or less memorized all 6 movies, it is difficult to envision a time when I was actually surprised by Star Wars. When I look at the thing objectively, I wonder how is it that I still like this stuff.
Then this past weekend I was over at my Dad's house. He put on "Return of the Jedi" as there was nothing else on. "Great," I thought. "not even one of the 'good' lightsaber battles." Then My 5 year old nephew came in to watch. He had never seen a Star Wars movie before. Then I started to watch it through his eyes. Actually being scared at the sight of the rancor, and the awe on his face at the sight of the assembled Rebel fleet. All of the sudden I was 6 years old again watching that movie at the Fox valley Theater next to my parents. Well 24 years later my Dad is divorced from my Mom. He has white/gray hair instead of red. I have... none, The Fox Valley theatere is now a bar called "The Foundry,"and Lucas improved the look of Sy Snootles and the Max Rebo band.
By now your asking "Hey Kray-paper, what's the point of this?"
Well first of all its Krai-BALD not Kray-paper, and second, I don't know what the point is, I just started typing about the first thing that came to mind. Maybe I'm trying to purge my overwhelming cynism (rotsa ruck). Maybe I'm just wasting time until my wife comes home. I guess I'm just trying to say, that if anything has ever brought you joy, try not to forget how or why it did, and sometimes nostalgia rules. After all why did "Rocky Balboa" do so well at the box office? Why indeed.