Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Malefica Vainglorious, a charismatic cryptofauna's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
10:55 pm	Radio Crush I must declare my ongoing adoration of Meatball Fulton's brain and Tim Clark's music. I spent part of this evening listening to "Ruby 5: Land of Zoots." My mind, she is blown! Yes, it's silly. This is sudden fiction at its best, in medias res with magical sound effects and dreadful puns. Here, the first hit is free... http://www.zbs.org/catalog/podcast.php Current Mood: wowwwwww Current Music: Android Sisters, "The News Will Make You Sick" (Comment on this)
Sunday, July 20th, 2008
1:15 pm	``Are you better off than you were eight years ago or four years ago?'' -- Al Gore, 24-JUN-00 (c)2000 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service (Team Shrub also used this question.) Yes I am. It has nothing to do with the current POTUS/Congress and everything to do with a bunch of serendipity and the passage of time. It's not just economic, it's the Quality of Life that matters to me. From Fool.com,Bill Mann on Nov 8, 2000: "Think of this: When we have talked in the past about "the current bull market," the general length of time has been 17 years. Seventeen years ago was 1983, right in the middle of Ronald Reagan's first term. But add the political consideration, and all of a sudden the question is "Are you better off than you were eight years ago?" Well, sure most people are. But if we're in a seventeen-year long bull market, then most people were better off eight years ago than they were eight years before THAT. This period of time encompassed the presidencies of Reagan and Bush, Sr. It was also a time that saw the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the Gulf War. The economy was in the midst of readjusting to the reduction in defense spending when Bill Clinton was elected in 1992. But the Republican leadership was predicting dire consequences if we voted for Mr. Clinton and his "tax and spend" liberal cronies. Well, Clinton won, and then in '96 he won again, and in this period the economy has blossomed. The reason it has done so is twofold: First, the president has next to nothing to do with the economy, and second, a checks and balance system is in place to politically punish someone who goes too far down the wrong road." http://www.fool.com/news/foth/2000/foth001108.htm So, how about YOU? Better, worse, same, don't want to talk about it? Replies screened. Feel free to expostulate, here or in your own journal. Current Mood: curious Current Music: Encuentro show on KFAI (I love Gilberto's voice) (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 19th, 2008
10:14 am	Sticking point http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/images/comics/dorktower663.gif After seeing the political link, the Dork Tower thing was giggle-provoking. http://seantevis.com/kansas/3000/running-for-office-xkcd-style/ Current Mood: very easily amused Current Music: "Why Am I Painting the Living Room?" - Berrymans! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
6:44 pm	Upping his ante on a tantrum Hell hath no fury like an IT guy scorned. ( But you already knew that! ) Current Mood: really? Tsk! Current Music: "Don't tug on Superman's cape, don't spit into the wind..." (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
10:56 pm	Blinded by the light That song is FULL of mondegreens. Even the mondegreens have mutations! I have shiny new bike lights. I'm not sure they'll save my life, but they'll give the SUVs something to aim at. Front light is blue-white and blinky, rear light is pink-red and blinky. Trivia: Some of the Minneapolis bicycle cops have little plastic piggy heads on their handlebars. Hurrah for having a sense of humor! Current Music: "go-cart mozart was checkin out the weather chart" - WTF, Bruce? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 14th, 2008
8:47 pm	Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Meme ( He doesn't wear his pants a lot... ) Current Mood: silly Current Music: "Spamalot" anyone? (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
11:41 am	Living from snack to snack Sure, I'm as transhuman as the next guy: I want to be young and healthy forever, and I want all of my interesting friends to do the same. Mostly I work on this by living well and having fun at it. Of course, the Life Extension Foundation (http://www.lef.org/) is willing to sell magical vitamins and micronutrients that might assist with this (hey, isn't selling hormones OTC mostly illegal?). The happy Frosted Flakes at Alcor (http://www.alcor.org/) are maintaining their big cryogenic freezer in the Arizona desert so people can chillax in a coma until their big miracle comes. So far, there's really only one medically reliable way to Hang Around Too Long. Eat less. "Scientists aren't sure exactly why calorie restriction slows aging. In a nutshell, it is thought to lower metabolic rate and cause the body to generate fewer damaging 'free radicals.'" Here's the rather long article from ( LiveScience.com ) http://www.livescience.com/health/080708-fountain-of-youth.html Current Mood: It's Science! Current Music: It's a Joan Jett kind of day (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 7th, 2008
11:44 pm	FTHAGN! Ia! Evoe! Fthagn! The ever-helpful and highly informative pixel39 told me of this game. Now I must own it and divest myself of sanity points... and erase everyone else's while I'm at it. It's "The Call of Cthulhu Word Game!" http://www.playrooment.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1315 For 2 to 6 Players Ages 10 to Adult 30 Minute Playing Time Contents: 96 Letter Cards, a Twenty-sided Die, 30 Cthulhu Pawns and Instructions in English, Spanish & French ( Cute liddle plastic Cthulhu! Cthulhi? Cthulhus? Cthulhae? Cthulhim? ) Current Mood: want! Current Music: "The spiderman is having me for dinner tonight" - The Cure (1 Comment |Comment on this)
8:13 pm	Thanks ever so much When you get a coupon in the mail for a free mammogram, What DO You Say, Dear? "Thank you, I've got the matter well in hand." "No thank you, they aren't the domesticated variety." "Queue forms to the left, please have 2 forms of ID." Or, like a morris dance, "For all who will!" (Or is it "Once to yourself and go!") I'm sure Maurice Sendak wouldn't know either. Current Mood: Oh my! Current Music: MC Hammer time! "Can't Touch This!" (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, July 5th, 2008
6:33 pm	Posies Planted without Permission THIS is COOL! http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ "...for anyone interested in the war against the neglect of public space..." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/magazine/08guerrilla-t.html?fta=y "'There’s this feeling that someone’s going to be doing it for us,' he told me. We respect public space by not degrading it: not littering, not vandalizing. But we rarely consider what we might contribute to it. Consequently, the common areas of our cities wind up belonging to none of us rather than to all of us equally. As Andy Brown, a guerrilla gardener in Toronto, puts it: 'If it makes sense to put a fresh coat of paint on the walls of your living room, it makes sense to put a fresh coat of flowers on your neighborhood, because they’re both places you live in.'” http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Gardening-Manualfesto-David-Tracey/dp/0865715831 We have community garden plots in many places around my neighborhood, but that's different; it's approved. Covert improvement of community space, without government sanction? Dude, that's better than pouring tea in a harbor! Current Mood: excited Current Music: Peter Gabriel, "Digging In The Dirt" (Comment on this)
Friday, July 4th, 2008
3:42 pm	July 4, 2008: a date to remember Former Sen. Jesse Helms Dies at 86 RALEIGH, N.C. (July 4) - Former Sen. Jesse Helms, who built a career along the fault lines of racial politics and battled liberals, Communists and the occasional fellow Republican during 30 conservative years in Congress, died on the Fourth of July. He was 86. ( a history of hatefulness ) Current Mood: speechless Current Music: a patriotic Sousa march (Comment on this)
2:49 pm	Wow, that's quotable! "I also happen to believe that one should actually know and understand the definition of the word ethics before they are allowed to brand someone as unethical. It would appear that too often folks are confusing the word asshole and unethical. Speaking of which it is not necessarily unethical to be an asshole. Or vise versa." - "HRH Prince AJ" Although the context is outside the scope of this blog, the quote was glorious! Current Mood: enlightened and relieved Current Music: small explosions around the neighborhood (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
6:57 pm	Solid advice! Just saw this on a secure-verification website (you know, the sort where you have to type the Secret Word before it lets you spend money). It was in the space just below the "click to confirm" box. Stop spam. Read books. Current Mood: enlightened Current Music: "There is life outside your apartment..." Avenue Q gives me a clue! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
7:09 pm	A gift of laughter It was freely given, albeit not intentionally! This morning at 7:15, I was waiting for the bus when a commuter exited a different bus. She was dressed very smartly... or very silly. She wore a tasteful pants suit of a dark and well-draped fabric, with a pattern of stark white circles. Her very fashionable shoes were shiny red flats. Her lipstick was a shade of crimson that picked up the tone of her shoes. It was quite dramatic with her expensively dyed and coifed hair. Clearly, she was a middle-aged woman of means. Of course, I thought "LOOK! She's got a polka-dot suit with shiny red shoes and a big red mouth! COMMUTER CLOWNS! Everybody RUNNNNNNNNN!" But I didn't say a word, just stood there and grinned like my head was splitting open. I really hope that she either intended the effect or had someone else let her know. In other grin-inducing news, I saw last Friday's Critical Mass riders. One of every four cyclists was a uniformed cop, but the cops were having as much fun as the freaks. Well, it really was a perfect night for a ride. Current Mood: clowns!! Current Music: New Order being emo-perky in the background (Comment on this)
Sunday, June 29th, 2008
4:44 pm	More headlines we love Accidental 'WTF' License Plate to Be Replaced, Free of Charge http://www.switched.com/2008/06/27/accidental-wtf-license-plate-to-be-replaced-free-of-charge/?icid=200100397x1204652898x1200225312 http://www.wxii12.com/news/16699280/detail.html "A cute 60-year-old Grandma from Fayetteville, NC happily drove to and from her teaching job with the kickin' set of WTF license plates that had been issued to her by the DMV... Embarrassingly, it took DMV officials almost a year to realize that the sample plate on their site is also, ironically, of the WTF variety." N.M. court refuses obscene name change http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hh1J8gMmTyFmyHom7F7VCZ-q8OlQD91IPNBG0 "A New Mexico appeals court on Friday ruled against a Los Alamos man who wanted to change his name to a phrase containing a popular four-letter obscenity. The man appealed after a state district judge in Bernalillo County refused his request to change his name to "F--- Censorship!" ... The man — whose current legal name is Variable — argued on appeal that it was improper government censorship to deny him the name change... That law was clarified in a 2004 case in the same court that apparently involved the same petitioner. In that case, an Albuquerque man whose name was Snaphappy Fishsuit Mokiligon got the go-ahead from the appeals court to change his name to Variable." Current Mood: amused Current Music: Hakuna Matata! (Comment on this)
Saturday, June 28th, 2008
4:00 pm	Taking inventory Not fearless, not moral, and not dancing the 12-step. It started when I was snooping in scynthius's car trunk on Thursday evening. He's got some proper emergency supplies, but I said, "What, no empty jug for water?" Of course, he grabbed the full jug that he always brings for uptownoncalhoun dance practice. Now I'm thinking about emergency supplies in varied contexts. I'm hoping a few of you will respond to these questions. Replies are screened. Do you belong to a group of people who gather regularly? Is there physical exertion involved? Do you or any other member have a chronic medical condition that may need chemical/medical management? Does the group have an emergency kit and/or first aid kit? Who carries it? Does more than one person know where the kit is, what's in it, and how to assist in a medical surprise situation? Does the group kit, if it exists, contain supplies for any particular emergency? If you have a chronic condition, have you told someone, and told them how an emergency should be dealt with? I used to be a kid-wrangler, and I carried a supply bag that had a decent first aid kit. It also contained emergency contact phone numbers for every kid and most of the staff. For liability reasons, I was also the holder for prescription meds: asthma inhalers, Epi-pens, migraine medications, antibiotics, ointments, etc. That meant that I had to know how to administer stuff as needed. Now that I'm not Loco Parentis, I can't quite let go the habit of being interested in such things. At the recent Morris Ale, we needed a common prescription med that nobody seemed to have. That's not unusual. At a different Ale, someone needed an albuterol inhaler, which several people proffered. I know at least one dancer who should always have a bee sting kit. One of the SCA fighters needed glucose tabs at the ready. Etc. Of course, I don't know what's in the first aid kit for U-on-C, and I don't know who brings it along. My aikido folks don't have a kit, but our practice space might; not sure what would be in it, but it wouldn't be personalized. At work, we don't have such a thing, and I only know of one person's regular need (asthma inhaler, kept in plain sight). At least I've had some first aid & CPR training, even if it was last done in 2002. I'm not exactly leaping to volunteer to Rescue The World. It's just time for me to get current on some of this stuff. That means gently nudging my pals, too! Current Mood: wondering aimfully Current Music: Sting, "Canary in a Coal Mine" (3 Comments |Comment on this)
11:40 am	Headlines We Love Hooker Wins 100-Meter Qualifier http://sports.aol.com/story/_a/hooker-wins-100-meter-qualifier/20080628044209990001 ( She's a fast woman! ) "She was fast. Real fast," said Torri Edwards, the 2003 world champion in the 100. "I hope she's tired." Also interesting: Zappos tries robots on for size http://news.cnet.com/8301-17912_3-9978844-72.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20 Robot snakes slither forward (From scynthius) http://news.cnet.com/8301-17912_3-9975883-72.html Greenpeace "Guide to Greener Electronics" means well but needs data http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up Current Mood: I'm informative! Current Music: clever alt-pop on KCMP 89.3 FM (Comment on this)
Monday, June 23rd, 2008
7:45 pm	No really, it's "news"! BERLIN, Germany (AP) -- An American hiker stranded in the Bavarian Alps for nearly three days was rescued after using her sports bra as a signal, police in southern Germany said Monday. Berchtesgaden police officer Lorenz Rasp said that he helped lift 24-year-old Jessica Bruinsma of Colorado to safety by helicopter on Thursday after she attracted the attention of lumberjacks by attaching her sports bra to a cable used to move timber down the mountain. ( the rest of the news 'flash' ) http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/23/sports.bra.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview Sarcasm Seen as Evolutionary Survival Skill ( Well duh! Look what it does for me. ) Meredith F. Small is an anthropologist at Cornell University. http://www.livescience.com/history/080620-hn-sarcasm.html Current Mood: I'm informative! Current Music: "My brother works for the CIA when he's not doing time" -Trampled by Turtles (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
6:50 pm	Low-altitude Morris?! As I rode the bus homeward, I put down my book to enjoy the view of the Missippi River and its lush green embankments. My eye was drawn to a brilliant white object on the road, too white and gleaming to be any natural object. As it flashed past, I glimpsed a hint of palest yellow and knew the bird by its the plumage. It was Douglas of Ramsey's Braggarts, cycling westward and wearing his kit! I think that's the absolutely lowest altitude I've EVER seen a Braggart travel with any speed. Current Mood: bouncy Current Music: "Haul on the bowline, Kitty is my darlin'..." (Comment on this)
Friday, June 13th, 2008
10:50 pm	Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, ReMARKERble! On a much niftier note, household junk makes a spiffy panpipe! http://haha.nu/funny/how-to-make-a-mouth-organ/ "You'll need at least eight markers, two straight sticks, sturdy string, and an exacto knife. Open up the markers and empty out the ink cartridge. Replace the cap on the end of the marker. On one end, use the exacto knife to cut off a bit of the end. Cut each subsequent marker about 7mm shorter. Then, attach the markers to the sticks using the sturdy string. There's a step-by-step video on haha.nu. Have fun making music with markers!" From http://www.diylife.com/2008/06/13/make-a-mouth-organ-out-of-old-markers/ Current Mood: wow! Current Music: I'm Zamfir-less! (Comment on this)