Stomach Flu 2…Electric Boogaloo

Ai yi yi yi, what a rough week. Believe it or not, we in the Midwest use that interjection too, it’s not necessarily unique to Spanish speakers. I often recall my maternal grandfather say it.

So much for the nice plans I had last week, mainly to celebrate my 21 years of staking out Austin as my new home. When I look back at how much the weather sucks up North and how the stupidity virus from Deep South continues to infect my old homeland, every day in Austin is a little celebration. This bloating city is a modern-day Constantinople toughing it out through the Stupid Ages.

Anyway, Somara came down with something by last Sunday night after I dropped her off to play D&D (as a PC!) in Matt’s new campaign. Symptoms mainly entailed dehydration effects and fatigue. She spent a couple days sleeping it off while living on ginger ale and saltines. I figured I was in the clear, my immune system had recovered from a month ago.

WRONG!

I could feel it coming on during my monthly session to see Dr. Custer. Sore throat, fever and chills. How pissed I was. I drove like mad home with the heater in my car cranked to 80° F because I felt pretty cold by then. Went straight to bed as soon as I was home and had food. Following morning I felt functional enough but used a work option to get Somara some supplies and ease into the day.

WASN’T ENOUGH

The additional rest afforded me the time and energy to get me through my obligations that afternoon, one of which I won’t talk about until much, much later yet I think my mind has been made up about how this year may pan out. I scheduled Wednesday off to be safe.

Turned out I needed it, matters took a turn for the worst as my teeth chattered. Somara rebounded, she always does that faster than me, went back to work. I pulled together for Thursday afternoon due to a job interview I never thought I’d land. Then I knew I had what Somara was fighting 15 minutes before the interview, I sold three Buicks in the bathroom. Man did I feel better. I even had what I felt was one of my best application interactions in years! Whether or not I land the temporary gig doesn’t matter to me. I mostly enjoy what I do. Regardless of what the interviewers may sense, feel, etc.; it’s how I feel walking away. For the last few yard, I’ve been on the other side of the table taking in who succeeded and who didn’t. Key thing, if the candidate was comfortable and could answer all the questions comfortably and as themselves, then a more clear judgment was made. It didn’t necessarily go in favor of the applicant but it provided us interviewers tighter feedback to provide to help the person cinch it next time. Same way for me.

I’ll bore you more later should I get the gig.

I took Friday off as I limped across Thursday’s finish line.

The previous two days have been uber-boring. Ninety percent of them spent in bed trying not to push my body. Hell, I’ve broken into a light sweat just writing this. One kind of productive thing I did do was finally watch the first season of The 100 in my Netflix queue. It seemed more interesting than the standard Young Adult-Post Apocalypse drivel Hollywood has latched on to since The Hunger Games, aka The Red States‘-other-sick wish-fulfillment-after Left Behind. Given the cheapass CW network budget, it’s intriguing enough. It stars a poor-man’s Reese Witherspoon from Australia (I remember calling that actress the poor-man’s Alicia Silverstone, now who’s famous?), two minor character actors from BSG and outdoor sequences screaming British Columbia-Outer Vancouver. What it isn’t, is a photocopy of The Hunger Games aka Divergent and Maze Runner.

Let’s hope this week has a better outcome: Lloyd Cole show at Cactus, Somara’s baking competition, possibly another interview, a slug of movies I want to see, payday! and my writing bug has been neglected.

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It’s the one-year anniversary of The Lego Movie

In honor of the Academy snubbing this movie for even a nomination in animation, I decided to go with showing my support. Truthfully, most Oscar® winning movies suck. They tend to be pretentious, boring and were only released within a couple months of the awards. It seems like no one in Hollywood can remember very far back. Actually, they cannot, it’s definitely a town of “what have done for me lately?”

I need to bug Jeremy on how to move my archive of headers around. I have nine other images I cleaned up I would like to use so the site will show them at random, the same thing I did for the 40th anniversary of D&D being published.

Send me your Lego creations! Let’s share our creativity!

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My Austin Arrival turns 21…

…now it can legally buy me an overpriced beer on Sixth Street!

The only thing today has in common with the memorable day is the weather, it’s raining intermittently. It was somewhat warmer in 1994, but then again, it was warmer to me since I had left behind the usual freezing temperatures of the Midwest.

Looking back, it’s pretty cool and unusual how things panned out. For the first half of my life, I moved around due to my father’s livelihood (he was an early IT person, not in the military or a grifter). The trend appeared to continue for me when I finished university too; I left Milwaukee for Central Illinois within a year of graduation only to hit Austin in another two and a half years. Chicago or Milwaukee were the original plan. The mistake of going to Raleigh-Durham three years after this would’ve fueled the accusation of gypsy blood. Good thing I wised up, returned in 1998 and have never left. It’s also weird to be living in the same house for 13 years. My brother has avoided the curse too. He stayed in Chicago for 12 years before moving to California. I think he’ll be happier there, Chicago weather is awful.

Some of you have visited me in my adopted home. Many have not. Either way, I think you’re happy for me. I definitely belong here. Contrary to what the author Colin Woodward says in his work American Nations, Austin is surrounded by the Deep South and Appalachian nations but within Austin, it’s very Yankee. I’ll explain more later in the upcoming book review. Again, it’s great to be in a place where having a college degree isn’t a liability and the ratio of intelligent people is higher than most parts of America, it’s not hard to do that in Texas if you learned about the current Lt. Governor.

 

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Belated happy birthday to my sensei Lester

Thanks to his birthday being the last day of a month, I often miss/forget it, never mind the calendar software with reminders. It’s rather late because Somara got ill Sunday night and I think she gave some of it to me. I was definitely something’s onset while I was having my monthly discussion with Dr. Custer.

I tried to call Les over the weekend but the only phone number I had listed was to a now defunct Skype account. D’oh! Good thing his e-mail kept working.

This year promises to be pretty good to Les. He’ll be hitting the convention circuit. His new d6-based game is making the rounds. Life is sweet for him. I’m glad. Les is a wise man, with the patience of a saint (the Catholic kind, not Protestant) and I will always wish him well in his endeavors.

Next goal though is to get him down here for Chup-cabra-con. By then, I will have enough practice to take him to school X-Wing Fighter by FFG! He’ll return the favor in Blue Max.

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Happy belated 133rd birthday to FDR

True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.

These are famous quotes attributed to the greatest president of the 20th century whose birthday was last Friday. FDR wasn’t a perfect human being: he cheated on his wife, he died while hanging out with his mistress, he liked to pontificate, he had things organized around him to be the last word, he once told Jewish and Catholic staffers that people of their faiths were only guests in America, etc. Despite these things, he was far from being a dictator as per Republican revisionists claim all the while they discussed repealing the 22nd Amendment to give a demented B-movie actor a third term. Firstly, the last time I checked, dictators don’t bother to have elections unless they can rig them ahead of time, like, oh through voter ID laws and gerrymandering.

Not all the credit should go to FDR for all the progress he made during his presidency. He was assisted by a more cooperative legislature that didn’t question his citizenship or  religious (or non) affiliation. In many ways, Congress pushed the nation more “to the Left” than FDR planned. There were times he could be petty. He backed congressional candidates more aligned to his plans in 1934 (failed) and he threatened the Supreme Court he’d pack it with judges who weren’t full of hate for the poor (namely, Chief Justice William Taft, the Jabba of his day); there’s nothing in writing saying SCOTUS is limited to nine members.

My point is, FDR was someone who stepped up during a horrible international crisis. Capitalism had eaten its young (again), many were giving up on Democracy and pointed toward the (false) successes in the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Even intellectuals said Democracy was through. He saved Capitalism from itself is what he ultimately did. This is a pointless argument with the Libertarian crowd while they drive on the Interstate, plug in their computers to post tirades and drink non-poisonous beverages. His “alphabet” agencies laid down the foundations that ushered in the prosperity America and the West enjoyed after WWII and into the mid-Seventies. These same programs also got the US ramped up faster to fight Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. I diverge from him over the Anglophilia FDR had, yet the US being pulled into the horrible conflict was inevitable with at least Japan. The US was the only obstacle to their continued aggression in China.

I could go on and on. I’m going to cut it short but the man was ten times the leader we have currently (the Great Orator) and a thousand more than the six Republicans who followed him, combined. FDR has more right to be on the dime than any of them.

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A new junk food stop for the annual Vegas pilgrimage

whitecastleside

Back in 2003, the must-eat junk food stop was Carl’s Jr/Hardees, now we have one in Cedar Park near the Stars’ arena. Next came Raising Cane’s down the street from our timeshare. Those have popped up all over Austin. Steak n’ Shake? Check. No reason to visit Florida anymore. Alas, no fresh sliders south of Nashville on I-40.

A couple days ago Vegas got their very first White Castle! I think their choice to go with low-end resort Casino Royale on the Strip was a wise decision. This puts it near the whole revamped area between the Quad and Flamingo. To me it’s perfect because Casino Royale usually has three-dollar craps which I can chase down with White Castle’s six-dollar craps meal deal! I need to work on that punchline.

whitecastleline

By the size of the line you’d think there was a good buffet at the end.

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Lego Hipsters courtesy of Lego and The Guardian

legohipster

Since Lego created these (more can be seen here), they have a Danish spin so that would explain why the little European nation’s Hipsters are more color coordinated.

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Michael Moorcock

michaelmoorcockFriday evening at Book People was an awesome evening meeting my favorite Fantasy-Multiverse author, 20-year resident of Texas…Michael Moorcock! Outside of fans (both Fantasy and Metal) and D&D players, he probably isn’t well known so the easiest answer I can give you is he created the anti-Conan, Elric of Melniboné. While Conan is the muscle-bound adventurer wandering the earth helping those in need who started from the bottom, Elric is an albino weakling who once sat on the Ruby Throne of a decadent empire, indifferent to the suffering of others. Moorcock also created additional well-loved characters: Corum, Hawkmoon, Erekosë, and Jerry Cornelius. The accoutrements these heroes carried were incorporated into D&D too: soul-devourering black swords (Stormbringer), the Hand and Eye of Vecna (the same parts from a dead god grafted on to Corum) readily come to mind.

The occasion to see him in person was the release of his latest novel The Whispering Swarm which is a mixed Autobiography/Fantasy novel. From Moorcock’s reading of a couple passages, I get the impression he’s a character in the story. It wouldn’t be the first time, one comic-book series he did for DC had him and artist Walt Simonson become visible participants.

Afterwards it was time to have some Q&A. Elric may finally appear on TV or film. There are plans for two more novels to the Whispering Swarm‘s series, he likes to work in trilogies. As expected, somebody had to bring up Tolkien. Moorcock was very humorous explaining how Fantasy didn’t exist as a genre before and after Tolkien’s new fame from The Lord of the Rings, many Sci-Fi writer friends hated the author because publishers mis-classified the famous trilogy as Post-Apocalyptic or Far Future material. Plus Tolkien shared a common snobby attitude toward not having his novels printed in America. English creators feared their works being gobbled up and ruined by Hieronymus Disney. Moorcock had the opportunity to meet the professor when he was a teenager as well. He was impressed by the man’s intelligence but he could never read any of Tolkien’s books, they’re too condescending and dull. The Hobbit I disagree, LoTR absolutely, Fellowship was a chore and I got through 50 pages of Towers, ditched the series. The movies don’t leave out anything important in my opinion. Moorcock concluded with a hilarious coup de grace, “I did see the first Hobbit movie and afterwards felt sorry for the man.”

My face time with Moorcock was memorable. He is very generous when it comes to autographs and talking with his audience, predominantly male I’m bummed to see. I asked him how he liked Cerebus the Aardvark‘s parody of Elric as Elrod of Melvinbone. Moorcock said he enjoyed it, found the take funny yet never cared for Dave Sim’s misogyny toward women. Why Elric had that dorky, pointy hat in Conan comics wasn’t Barry Windsor-Smith or Roy Thomas’ doing, it was a Marvel guy Moorcock liked but remains agitated over.

I can’t wait to read this latest novel. Once I finish a couple other more “serious” tomes, Moorcock’s latest is on deck! Oh, the Texas connection. Around the same time I came to Austin, he and his American wife moved to Bastrop. They originally wanted to live in the city, there just weren’t any old houses to their liking. I remain stoked to having met him; we did meet 15 years ago, I just didn’t get any pictures. The man provided hours of ideas, entertainment and imagination through his novels I got hooked on in high school.

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Cue up the harmonica solo!

jimrockfordswheelsDamn you Hot Wheels for finally making the impulse buy I was trying to avoid at HEB! Mattel finally made the TV/Movie replica I was willing to shell five bucks out to have, Jim Rockford’s Pontiac Firebird that he often performed his infamous J-Turn with (look it up). It is now my totem for when I have to go into detective mode at work. Now all I need is the little printing press to make fake business cards when I pump intelligence out of an unsuspecting secretary!

Additional vehicles I have seen by Mattel: the station wagon from The Brady Bunch, several from Magnum PI and the Ferrari in the opening of Hart to Hart.

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Jack White

jackwhiteinaustinI got to attend the first of two sold-out shows to see Jack White, a guy who gives Dave Grohl a contest on how many side bands can they be in. At least, these two artists manage to bring their A-game in what they do while there’s many I could list who can’t even come close from day one. But I’ll go with a short bitch slap at Gene Simmons (shill), Taylor Swift (pre-fabricated), Bono (tool), Madonna (see Gene Simmons) and Coldplay (younger version of Bono). Love him or hate him, I put Jack White more in the company of Bowie, Phil Collins (hold on, I’m going somewhere), Prince and Johnny Marr for being an awesome collaborator not afraid to take a back seat, let someone else be the star: Ranconteurs, Dead Weather, Loretta Lynn and Stephen Colbert.

My friend Mark (my primary concert-attending partner) couldn’t swing this opportunity due to a familial obligation at the last minute so he was super generous to give me his tickets. I will definitely make it up to him soon. I know he wasn’t too bummed, Mark saw Jack play several years ago at Radio City Music Hall for his first solo tour. Why didn’t I buy tickets? I think I forgot and they were sold out pretty quickly. Besides, the venue was the Austin Music Hall which I have mixed feelings about, mostly negative since I almost got my ribs crushed at Garbage in 1998.

Back to Jack.

The opener was alright, Chicano Batman. A little bit of Los Lobos for the sound and origin (LA), a bit of Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr for the irreverence and jamming. Would I buy their record? Sure.

About five minutes before Jack hit the stage, the MC asked people to put away their cameras/phones (thank you!) to just be in the moment. Firstly, Jack hired a photographer to go around the show all night and the pictures will posted on Jack’s site within 24 hours. Plus we attendees were free to share/post them. Secondly, the MC said, you can’t really enjoy the concert focused on the tiny little screen. Absolutely! I often want to beat the crap out of those filmographies spending almost the whole damned evening recording things. One duo made themselves completely annoying at Blondie; their drunkenness didn’t help. Besides, the recordings tend to look and sound like shit. It worked somewhat. Not since Scissor Sisters and Prince have I seen an audience more cooperative, the latter had rather aggressive security.

The set list here, was a pretty solid mix of White Stripes, Ranconteurs, solo and a cover. I’m somewhat behind on his latest and my White Stripes familiarity is spotty. Seeing Charlie Sexton join him for one song during the encore was pretty cool. Regardless of my general ignorance of Jack’s entire career, I was never bored unlike many concert attendees. I’m always excited to hear new things from “older” acts and the unknown doesn’t bother me, as long as the performers really pour their hearts into it. My respect for Jack is greatly enhanced. Will I see him again? Should the opportunity arise, absolutely. Do I recommend to everyone? He’s a more acquired taste live. He plays loudly and those expected just the hits will be disappointed. For example, Jack and the band didn’t play “Fell in Love with a Girl” or “Blue Orchid” which are widely recognized despite “Icky Thump,” “Steady as She Goes” and “Seven Nation Army.”

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Happy Birthday Melia!

Although Melia is about 1000 miles away, she is always present in many ways around Austin. For me, it’s bugging the kids to write me to back share their designs to help out with my nephews.

The weather is pretty lousy in upstate New York…actually, I think it’s the whole east coast if another friend in DC is to be believed. Still, we are optimistic that Melia will have a nice celebration courtesy of her three children and husband. We all miss them enormously. Maybe we’ll get another Spring Break visit?

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Somara’s flexing her master builder skills!

somaraskeyholder

Somara developed this while sorting all the Legos we have around the house. I love it! The minifigure for my keys will be changed out with someone I want.

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Scooby Doo Lego!

scoobylego

I know at least several people who will be first in line for this. According to the various stories, the two sets will be arriving this Summer. Seems about right. The people I’ve met at the Lego Store say the company tens to announce new products in January and July. The upcoming The Force Awakens will be in additional release/announcement or whatever.

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A slight change on the site with Comments

My friend Jeremy was an enormous help with the migration but the cause of the past server’s issues were probably driven by spammers and how the site was organized. Thanks to his WP Fu, the posts were organized more logically to keep those foreign assholes out. The additional precaution to keep them from even ringing the virtual doorbell is requiring accounts. I don’t see anything allowing you to request one via the Comments section so I figure you’ll have to write me an e-mail to request it. I figure I’ll just set some up preemptively for those I anticipate. If you get skipped, let me know, you know where to find me.

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Happy Birthday to Cindy

Last night I finished reading American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodward and I’m proud to say Cindy is atypical of what the author claims are the standard attitudes of the region. I think Western North Dakota falls under the Midlander or Far West Nation, I’ll have to check.

Either way, Cindy is a well-educated, thoughtful person and probably, like me, someone who just didn’t fit in with her past surroundings. I think Minneapolis is a better fit but then again, I think everybody from the Dakotas with an IQ over 100 congregates to the Twin Cities because it’s their NYC. She has never been a “big gubmint stay away, don’t touch muh guns and oh yeah, how come my welfare check is late?” (the Far West’s Libertarian mindset).

Enough about the book, more about this nice, clever person.

Ok, a little. Today to kind of celebrate, I’m going to a book signing. The author (Michael Moorcock) isn’t Cindy’s cup of tea (Fantasy/Sci-Fi) yet my friend is nuts over books. I only wish she shared my passion for writing, hint, hint. She has a Master’s degree so I’m confident she could help me fine tune my delivery.

Wish my friend a big congrats! It’s really dark and cold in Minnesota, anything helps.

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