I have a love/hate relationship with gravity. From an astromechanical point of view, I love being in its pull, zooming earthward, only to pull up/bounceback/splash through at the end.
The feeling of wind whipping past your head at terminal velocity while your brains try and pick which ear to crawl out of is one of those experiences that make life worth living.
Sure, physics will make this much clearer!
Then there’s interpersonal gravity. The only person who’s gravity well I’ve fallen into is my wife’s (The Most Wonderful Girl In The Universe. That means that I keep myself attuned to where she is, what her mood is, and whether she needs a hug or caress or joke from me. (To be fair, she’s also pretty good at knowing when I need one of those, or when I need to give her one.
There’s also the gravity of situations. I spent last Friday working at our data center until about 2130 diagnosing a server failure. Turns out it was a bad memory chip.
But it needed to be found, and the server’s disposition needed to be definitively diagnosed – would we be able to get it up by market open Monday? Did we have spare memory for it? Was Guap going to accidentally power down a whole rack of servers? Again?
(The answers were Yes, Sort of, No, NO!)
Three very different uses of the word gravity, all sort of tied together by different facets of the same definition.
Some bad, but some pretty damn good.
That’s my post for today.
Can you see what I’m getting at?
Yes! I am painfully bored!
Oh, and if anyone has anything I can jump off of, I’m open to suggestions (he said with gravitas).
Today’s Music: Don Omar – Danza Kuduro
Note on Today’s Music: This was played over the closing scene of Fast And Furious Five, which was a much better movie than it had any right to be. And it’s a fun bouncy song. enjoy!
I’ve gone on ad nauseum about what I’ve been up to this week. but what else was there? Why, blogs, of course! Here’s some of what I read. Ross Murray addressed the United Nations. Hasty Words wrote a beautiful poem to someone she didn’t really know. And Thoughtsy is getting married! (when she thinks he’s earned it).
Sincere thanks all around for a great week of reads!
And other things were read too. And written, even! Specifically, answers to last week’s poll, asking where I’d gone. Here’s what you said. (As always, my comments are lost in italics.)
3rd star to the right, and on till morning. thematticuskingdom (WE HAVE A WINNER!!!) to his other job. The one with a code number. butimbeautiful (1000111010011010001100001. Get it? HAHAHAHA!!!!) To band camp. At least someone remembers. Red. (Alas, it wasn’t just one time. And it wasn’t only at band camp…) To the future! Where you saw results of your cross-Atlantic jet ski ride! Maddie (And discovered that I apparently get seasick.)
(A lot.) To infinity… and beyond! ~ RunningOnSober (I only made it to a googlyplex. Then I ran out of gas.) searching for that pony he so desperately wants (polysyllabicprofundities) (My therapist would like to meet you to compare notes.) Naked Tiki Bar ~Rachael B. (One of those first two words is redundant. Not sure which…) Boobies!!! Revis (I thought those were less a place, more of a frame of mind…) to play a hashtag game on Twitter, but had a mental breakdown instead-Twindaddy (Isn’t a mental breakdown a prerequisite for twitter?) where no man has gone before… he could have lit a match a, tho. (UndercoverL) (Live long. And phosphor.) (redo) Helping the gov’t decide my secret blogging identity. (UndercoverL) (Oh, we’ve been watching you for a while. Get your finger out of your nose.) You’ve been riding some cool waves, haven’t ya? The Bumble Files (It was the sines and cosines that did me in.) jet skiing around Istanbul on a trial run. Grippy (I tried to go around Constantinople, but I guess my map was out of date…) The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe. sandylikeabeach (I got to meet the meat. He was tasty.) To infinity and beyond! (Jen and Tonic) (If Woody had gone straight to the police…) To the moon Alice, to the moon! Benzeknees (Better than going to the sewers!) Probably on a FUNICULAR! Do I have to even put Rutabaga? (Yes, you must put Rutabaga on a Funicular.) to the asylum for shock therapy (SnB) (I’m holding out til the knobs go to eleven!) Nowhere – he was still here! (Stacy) (That’s pretty existential for a Friday morning…) To Belgium, where he secretely drank beer and ate waffles in a corner. NBI (Much more private than eating waffles in the round.) and chocolate, obvs. Like Armageddon was coming. NBI (I don’t think I want to say what I’d do with chocolate if Armageddon was coming.)
(Mmmm….) Philadelphia (Addie) (It was a little frightening to hear the Rocky theme on the up escalator.) Running on a giant hamster wheel in his “undies” zannyro (Nono, that’s my day job.) Someplace too scary for me … Elyse 54.5 (How did you know I was at the DMV?) Somewhere fun with his girl (Frank) (As a rare serious answer, everywhere with my girl is fun. Or at least better. (HI HONEY!!!)) He didn’t ‘go’ anywhere…he used his powers of invisibility. KJ (Alas, that power only works when I’m around women…)
Congratulations to DJ Matticus for this weeks winning answer, and a great whimsical quote! And from the offered choices, the most popular was He wishes he knew… Ain’t it the truth… Soon, Man of Steel (yet another superhero movie) is opening. So it got me wondering…What would bring down Superhero You? And that’s what this week’s poll is.
Answer soon, answer often (and answer honestly in case someone is trying to plot against you), but answer by 2359 EST on Wednesday 19 June, because that’s when this one ends.
And until next we meet, enjoy these…
First, thanks to Linda Vernon for reminding of Phyllis Diller
And finally, because I needed something to fill this space, Jerry Seinfield.
So around this time last year, my mother was getting ready for a heart procedure that would end, ultimately, in her passing.
It was a difficult stretch of time, as readers that were here at the time might recall. I put up a few posts about her condition, and a few about mine at the time.
Before that, my father-in-law went through open heart surgery. It took him a while to get through that, and then through rehab, and finally back on his feet.
During both incidents, I and my wife (The Most Wonderful Girl In The Universe) visited both parents constantly. In the months this was going on, we missed maybe 12 days. (7 of those were spent in Portland, a trip which my family said we should take since it had been booked before hand. And we needed the break.)
When December 31 2012 rolled around, I couldn’t have been happier to see the rear end of that year.
So here we are in 2013. TMWGITU and I go just about daily to visit my father-in-law in rehab, this time due to a clot that lodged in his leg, cutting off all circulation to his lower leg for a few hours.
The hospital responded well, and within hours of his admittance, they were performing surgery and successfully cleared the clot.
One of the side effects of the procedure is an incision that was made in his leg to drain any swelling. That incision cut muscle which is what needs to be rehabbed.
So as I said, our summer so far is once again trips to visit in rehab. And cleaning. but that’s a different rant.
(We have to clean his apartment so that he’ll be able to navigate with a cane/walker/whatever.)
It’s funny how everything old is new again…
So, another week goes, another week comes. This part of the story will have a happy ending soon enough.
But if this keeps up, I’m just going to disconnect the phone and have them hold my mail next summer.
Nobody (me) got hurt, nobody (me) died, so I guess this counts as a good week. As always, it was made better by blogging! Here’s some of what I read. Miss Bsmacked Bi-Polar upside the head. Kayjai committed crimes against snack food.
And Dreamshadow59 posted a beautiful, poignant and moving letter to her father , who helped raise a wonderful daughter.
I hope you get to read their posts, and everyone elses too! And now we turn the Roving Eye of Foolishness to…well…foolishness.
Last week, we did our first ever poll dedicated to a person, Susie Lindau, as she moved on in her kicking of breast cancer’s ass. The poll asked “Yes, but what will she beat it like?
And from your answers, y’all should be doctors! (As always, my comments are irradiated in italics.) a gang of PETA members on a mink-wearing puppy mill owner. (Madam Weebles) (WE HAVE A WINNER!!!) …nobody’s boobness! Terrible pun by Live Clay. Something more rspectable later (Wait- there’s a pun type besides “terrible”?) you beat a stepchild. (Don’t hate me, it’s just a saying! Marie Nicole) (I don’t beat- Who have you- Please tell me they don’t have pictures…) a Boss Hogg on the Dukes of Hazard beating another prison sentence ~WIM2Say (Or, after seeing Daisy, Enos beating…nervermind…) a guy watching porn beats….. well….. That One Guy (Well, if That One Guy stopped interrupting them while they were watching porn, maybe they wouldn’t beat him!) FDR beat Alf Landon in ’36. Ouch! Alex A. (But Alf went on to have his own tv show, so who really won?) cleaning a floormat after a week of camping. thematticuskingdom.wordpress.com (When camping, I like to set my tent up halfway between the pool and the hotel bar…) like a pinata! -So witty! Doggy’s Style (I am NOT going to ask what the filling is.)
(But was it tasty?) Like Rocky…Kayjai (Not sure if you mean Rocky I or IV here. Because they are totally different effects…) Tracy Partridge beat her tambourine. (She was fantasizing it was Danny Bonaduce’s head.)
Congratulations to Madam Weebles for this weeks winning answer! And from the offered choices, the most popular was the kick-ass Wild Rider she is!. Which sums it up perfectly.
And the early reports are that Susie is doing well. Probably convalescing and plotting her next wild ride… So this week, you get the poll from last week, or that would have been from last week if last week didn’t have a different poll. Or something. (Nope, the long sentence that still manages to make sense is still the bastion of SandyLikeABeach.) Last week, I was going to ask where the hell I was while I was away. Which I’m now asking this week.
Even though I’ve been back over a week already.
head spinning yet? Great! Then you’re ready for a poll! Answer as often as you like, but answer before Wednesday, 12 June, at 2359 EST. Because that’s when this one ends.
And if you write an “other” answer with a way to ID you, I’ll link back to you next week.
And until we meet again, enjoy these!
First, if The Shining took place in my office, yeah, it would probably look like this.
HI THERE!!! So I got an angry email from the storage unit that the smell of brrraaaaiiinnnnsss was starting to drive off the other customers, Which I guess means it’s time to dust off the Friday Foolishness. And it’s a special edition, too!
But for now, lets just dive right in, shall we? Last time we did this, we asked what you’d want on a desert island. And judging from your answers, a therapist wouldn’t have been out of place! Here’s what you said. (As always, my comments are tanning in italics.)
An island of delicious in a sea of dance floor!
some company…Lorre (Articles of Absurdity) (Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?) …for it to be that island Gilligan landed on. They had everything! – Brian (Except a boat…) a bridge to the mainland (Stacy) (Would that be one of those “bridge to nowhere” thingies?) A never-ending supply of naughty female natives Andro (Careful – naughty might mean they eat you with the wrong fork!) hmm. i didn’t know deserts had islands. (Yes, in the stream. That is what they are.)
(Anyone? Anyone?) BOOBIES! – Revis (I think the tropical heat is causing hallucinations…) Desert island or deserted island? I would still like dessert. sandylikeabeach (Does a viennese table count as an island?) Butterscotch. It’s not dessert without butterscotch. SilkPurseProductions (Whipped Cream is appalled at your faithlesness.) Is this like Life of Pi, but with chocolate bunnies instead of a tiger? (Melted chocolate bunnies are much scarier than tigers.) How about a helicopter? Benzeknees (Then you’d need one of those hot air force pilo- Ohhhh…) Being deserted would be enough. – Hotspur (WE HAVE A WINNER!!!) A Tardis ~Miss R (Would the chameleon circuit make it look like a cabana?) My kids to be in civilization. At least it will be quiet then. (UndercoverL) (If you bring them, there’d be nothing but the sounds of you burping after a good meal.) PMAO says; my penis… this is my answer for all of these from now on. (If you were going to go with “penis”, shouldn’t you have added “sunscreen”?) A bunch of smokin’ hot guys to be stranded with. And don’t hurry with the boat. Madam Weebles (The boat will be speeding there. With their wives.) A volley ball friend and movie written about it. -Lily In Canada (But does Keanau Reeves have the emotional range to play a volleyball?) The super power of teleportation. Carrie Rubin (It would be very super! Until they expected you to use it to get to work sooner…) A round king-sized bed. No hospital corners-Gobs of man pillows+a huge tub. Red. () The letter S so I could make it a dessert island! Linda Vernon (There’s probably plenty of S! (cargot.)) Bring it! Married & pregnant. I would LOVE a desert island above all else! Quirky (Yes, but then where will you get chocolate ice cream covered in pickles?) a library, Matt Bomer (let’s ignore his sexual orientation) and a goat -Rutabaga (I think the goat is concerned about his potential orientation…) Ginger and Mary Ann to join me….SnB (You realize they’re in their 80′s?) My wife and access to WordPress (Frank) (Wouldn’t one take away from the other? Or is that just me?)
Congratulations to Edward Hotspur for this weeks (last weeks? The week before?) winning answer! And from the offered choices the most popular was Umm…I’d just like a boat to send the rest of these crazies off this island so I can enjoy the coconuts. And my goat. Because who doesn’t love a goat? (Where that sort of thing is legal…)
And so we come to this weeks poll. Not the poll I was planning (you lucky people!), but one that (I hope) will only need to be done now.
I’ve always said I know the coolest people in the sphere. One of the bloggers I followed early on was Susie Lindau, self described Wild Child: Moustachioed Skier, Hiker, , Bon Vivant. Susie has breast cancer. Today she’s getting surgery and a double mastectomy to minimize chances of relapse.
She doesn’t want to be defined as “cancer survivor”, and she still has great things in front of her. So for this weeks poll, I’m asking you all for help for her. Help for her to get through her surgery.
And Metaphorical help in describing exactly how she’s gonna beat cancer.
So that’s this week’s poll.
Answer as often as you like, but answer by 2359 EST on Wed, 5 June. Because that’s when this one ends.
Oh, and if you write in an “other” answer, write in your name too, and I’ll link back to you next week.
And to send you all out to what will hopefully be a delightful weekend, enjoy this disturbing, yet entertaining clip!
Lesbians! Talking about porn! Stolen from I Saw Bob Dylan In A Speedo!
(You’ll never look at shoes the same way again.)
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