Once a legitimate blog. Now just a collection of memes 'n menz.
Finally, something to put a smile on my face for the next couple days!
Okay, it's obviously not the complete soundtrack since we're only halfway through the season, but it is a taste, and most importantly if you've been jonesing for the heretofore unobtainable version of Paint It, Black that so prominently featured in the series premiere, you're in luck. It's here.
You can hear it on YouTube and Spotify, or buy it from iTunes.
…from now until well past Tuesday night.
Photo courtesy my longtime friend Chalkdog.
Intellectually I know Hill's got this under control, but I am still terrified that something is going to hand the Presidency to that Cheeto-faced Shitgibbon—and what his psychotic followers will do in the aftermath of Tuesday's election regardless of who wins.
Someone please tell me again that it's all going to be all right and not alt-right!
"The plan is progressing as expected," The Architect said to no one in particular in the invisible mothership as he moved his first set of forelimbs to tap commands on the translucent panel before him. As they had done on countless worlds before, his species had intentionally crashed one of their piloted drones on the world beneath him sixty or so solar revolutions ago, setting it down where the curious ape culture would most assuredly find and retrieve it.
It was a process The Architect knew by heart and one his people had perfected in their never-ending quest to invade and conquer every habitable planet they encountered. His was a patient species; it would often take millennia for the seeds they planted at a civilization's dawn to flower and bear fruit. And yet this was necessary. While intelligent beyond measure, in relation to the vast majority of the species they encountered and set their sights upon, they were physically weak and could easily be vanquished if not for their well-honed subterfuge and weaponry.
The scouting parties started the process. They would send down biological entities created in the image of the dominant species to build religions—or augment any that might already be existing—by performing "miracles" and claiming divine providence and then just as quickly spirit them away, knowing full well that over the course of centuries the stories of the heavenly visitors would fracture and splinter into a hundred different sects, all eventually hell-bent on destroying each other. The Architect's people kept an discreet eye on this huge catalog of planets during the process, carefully crafting their next phase of the operation based on how a civilization developed, and leveraging its weakest points to their full advantage.
Once a species reached a certain level of technological development—usually signaled by the detonation of a nuclear device—an event the detonating species never realized reverberated across the cosmos—The Architect's people would begin Phase 2. They would intentionally crash a drone ship onto the planet loaded with just enough technology to whet the appetite of the dominant species, knowing full well that curiosity would cause that technology to be reverse-engineered and—spawned by government and industry (either directly or indirectly) become woven into the very fabric of their civilization and ultimately completely dependent upon it.
Hidden in that technology, and undetectable to those who reverse-engineered and later extrapolated upon it, was a universal kill switch. At the appointed time, the Architect would extend an extremity and with a flick across that translucent panel completely disable a civilization. No communication, no commerce, no flow of energy or supplies. Indeed, even most of the weapons capable of making a dent in The Architect's invading armies would be rendered useless. In any case, it wouldn't matter. Once the flow of electrons was cut off, the society would collapse into chaos, the multitudes of warring religious factions would take it as a sign of divine judgment and self-immolate fairly quickly, leaving only a paltry shadow of the planetary civilization behind; one incapable of rebuilding the kind of infrastructure and communications necessary required to defend itself against the conquering hordes of the Architect's people.
The "Politics" section in my RSS reader will remain collapsed and I will be hitting "Mark All As Read" often.
Because I can't afford to buy a new computer or a trip to the E.R. because I put my fist through its screen.
1: Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Open.
2: Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels? Depends on the product.
3: Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Out.
4: Have you ever stolen a street sign before? No.
5: Do you like to use post-it notes? At work, constantly.
6: Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? Constantly.
7: Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?
8: Do you have freckles? No.
9: Do you always smile for pictures? Sometimes.
10: What is your biggest pet peeve? Willful ignorance.
11: Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Yes.
12: Have you ever peed in the woods? Yes.
13: What about pooped in the woods? Yes.
14: Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing? No.
15: Do you chew your pens and pencils? Yes.
16: How many people have you slept with this week? Just one, but then again, I sleep with him every night.
17: What size is your bed? Queen.
18: What is your Song of the week? I've had the slowed-down version of Jolene as an earworm many times this week.
19: Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Yes.
20: Do you still watch cartoons? Who, me?
21: Whats your least favorite movie? Least favorite? As in on the list of your top 10 movies, what's on the bottom of the list?
22: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Sadly, that's a question I'll never have to worry about.
23: If you're a girl, bra size? If you're a guy, pants size? 38
24: What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Ranch dressing.
25: What is your favorite food? Mexican. Bring on those Taco Trucks next Tuesday!
26: What movies could you watch over and over and still love? Personal Services, Auntie Mame, The Fifth Element.
27: Last person you kissed/kissed you? My husband.
28: Were you ever a boy/girl scout? Yes.
29: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? Not now.
30: When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? Last Christmas.
31: Can you change the oil on a car? Yes.
32: Ever gotten a speeding ticket? No.
33: Ever ran out of gas? No.
34: Favorite kind of sandwich? Chicken salad.
35: Best thing to eat for breakfast? Scrambled eggs.
36: What is your usual bedtime? 10-ish.
37: Are you lazy? Not as lazy as I'd like to be.
38: When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? The three I remember are a devil, an astronaut, and a dragon.
39: What is your Chinese astrological sign? Dog.
40: Are you horny? Not like I was when I was in my 30s.
41: Do you have any magazine subscriptions? No.
42: Which are better legos or lincoln logs? Legos.
43: Are you stubborn? I can be.
44: Who is better…Leno or Letterman? They both need to retire.
45: Ever watch soap operas? No.
46: Are you afraid of heights? It all depends on the situation.
47: Do you sing in the car? After a fashion.
48: Do you sing in the shower? No.
49: Do you dance in the car? Yes.
50: Ever used a gun? No.
51: Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? 1981.
52: Do you think musicals are cheesy? No.
53: Is Christmas stressful? Yes.
54: Ever eat a pierogi? Yes.
55: Favorite type of fruit pie? Blueberry.
56: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Architect, Astronomer
57: Do you believe in ghosts? Once upon a time. Not any more.
58: Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Yes.
59: Take a vitamin daily? No.
60: Wear slippers? No, but I really need to in this house.
61: Wear a bath robe? Not for years.
62: What do you wear to bed? T-shirt and underwear.
63: First concert? I think it was Captain & Tenille.
64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target.
65: Nike or Adidas? None of the above.
66: Cheetos Or Fritos? Yes, please.
67: Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Sunflower seeds, shelled.
68: Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? No.
69: Ever take dance lessons? No.
70: Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? How about my spouse. He's a teacher.
71: Can you curl your tongue? Yes.
72: Ever won a spelling bee? Came in 2nd once.
73: Have you ever cried because you were so happy? Yes, when I learned the radiation treatments had been successful.
74: Own any record albums? A couple.
75: Own a record player? Yes.
76: Regularly burn incense? No.
77: Ever been in love? Yes, and I still am.
78: Who would you like to see in concert? I wish I'd been able to see Donna Summer. She was supposed to come to Phoenix during the summer of 1979 at the height of her popularity—and I even had tickets—and she canceled for health reasons.
79: What was the last concert you saw? Bette Midler.
80: Hot tea or cold tea? Cold tea.
81: Tea or coffee? Tea.
82: Sugar or snickerdoodles? Snickerdoodles.
83: Can you swim well? Reasonably.
84: Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yes.
85: Are you patient? To a point.
86: DJ or band, at a wedding? DJ.
87: Ever won a contest? Yes.
88: Ever have plastic surgery? No.
89: Which are better, black or green olives? Black.
90: Can you knit or crochet? No.
91: Best room for a fireplace? The Living Room.
92: Do you want to get married? I am married.
93: If married, how long have you been married? 3 years.
94: Who was your HS crush? Which year? Tom Pleger, Mike Knigge, or Dan Baxa?
95: Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No.
96: Do you have kids? No.
97: Do you want kids? No.
98: Whats your favorite color? Teal.
99: Do you miss anyone right now? Yes, but missing will not bring him back from the dead.
And there, and there, and there…
Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn't be here if stars hadn't exploded, because the elements—the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution and for life—weren't created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way for them to get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode. So, forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today." ~ Lawrence M. Krauss, A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing